October 2018

Interventions that help students think flexibly and feel more control over their learning may help counter the effects of disadvantage and trauma, suggests emerging research at the International Mind-Brain Education conference here. More than 1 in 3 U.S. children have experienced at least one major trauma—from abuse or neglect to the loss of a family member to death, prison, or drugs—by the time they enter kindergarten. By the end of their school years, nearly half have had at least one...

Gallons of rain Hurricane Florence dropped on the Carolinas: at least 8 trillion Number of people killed in the disaster: at least 37 Conservative estimate of the financial damage caused by the storm: $17 billion [For more on this story by Billy Corriher, go to https://inequality.org/research/disparate-devastation-hurricane-florence /] For another story on a similar topic see Recent Disasters Reveal Racial Discrimination in FEMA Aid Process .

Have you ever thought, “I should be happy and excited! I’m making a good change in my life – so why am I so stressed?” You’re probably stressed because almost any change, whether it's positive or negative, whether you wanted it or it was a surprise, can create stress . In fact, since 1967, when psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe published findings from studying the medical records of over 5,000 medical patients, therapists have known that both unhappy and happy life transitions can...

I was thrilled to have Teri Barila of the Community Resilience Initiative in Walla Walla, Washington, join me on the podcast to discuss their beautiful mission of "Mobilizing the community through dialogue to radically reduce the number of adverse childhood experiences while building resilience and a more effective service delivery system."

Instead of sending children to stand outside the classroom, or go to the principal's office every time they misbehave, they get sent to the 'Mindful Moment Room'.

School violence is rapidly becoming a top-of-mind issue, with instances of bullying, dating violence, and suicide on the rise in recent years. According to the CDC, 20.2% of students reported being bullied on school property, 6.0% said they had been threatened or injured with a weapon, and 7.8% reported being in a physical fight on school property in 2015. Additionally, 17.7% of students reported that they seriously considered attempting suicide that same year. The correlation between school...

Gaps in a new California law requiring schools to test their drinking water for lead could leave children vulnerable to the toxic metal. The law, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last October, puts California among only seven states and the District of Columbia nationwide that require schools to test their drinking water for lead. Thousands of schools across the state have already tested the water flowing from their drinking fountains, sinks and other sources. [For more on this story by NICO...

The aging of the Baby Boomers has inspired a lot of research into how we can stave off old-age cognitive decline. But a large new study suggests the most effective interventions may take place at the beginning of one's life. It finds people who grew up in socially disadvantaged households—defined as crowded living quarters that are lacking in books—tend to score lower than others on tests of cognitive skills. This gap apparently does not increase over time, but it remains significant after...

Native American women and girls are two and a half times more likely to experience sexual violence compared to other races. The truth is, however, that it’s been open season on Native women and girls’ sexuality for the last 500 years. For me, this is personal. My mother, and women of her generation, survived poverty, brutal men, sexual violence, and Indian boarding schools. While many of the Ojibwe women of my youth were bitter, quick-tempered creatures, their prickly exteriors camouflaged a...

A major meta-analysis published earlier this year that questioned the empirical evidence for supervised drug consumption sites has been retracted by the International Journal of Drug Policy. Supervised consumption sites (also known as safe injection sites) have gained traction across several US cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, in response to the opioid epidemic . These sites, which already exist in Canada, Europe, and Australia, create a space where people...

On a Tuesday morning in early May, students from Juanita Douglas’s African-American-history course sat in the library at Lincoln Park High School, on the North Side of Chicago , waiting noiselessly for Ronald Kitchen to compose himself. “Sometimes I be at a loss for words when I see a lot of young people actually taking heed to the things that’s happening in our neighborhoods,” he told the class. “I am a survivor of police torture from Jon Burge.” Kitchen was twenty-two years old in August,...

“Like so many rape survivors in this country living through this particular moment in history,” Deborah Copaken wrote last week, “I have been so brought to my knees by this latest allegation that I, too, was inspired to speak out.” After Copaken described her experience, her former pediatrician got in touch with her, and shared his letter with The Atlantic. [For more on this story, go to https://www.theatlantic.com/letters/archive/2018/09/pediatrician-i-didnt-discuss-sexuality-patients/571516/ ]