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On a recent Tuesday evening, two sixth-grade teachers at Manhattan’s West Prep Academy offered up a poem by Langston Hughes and described how to begin unpacking its meaning. The teachers glanced around the purple-tiled classroom to make sure everyone had their pens and pencils out to mark up copies of “Dreams” with notes. It was exactly the kind of lesson the teachers might have offered on an average school day. But this time, instead of a room full of middle-schoolers, they had a different...

As President Trump moves to fulfill his campaign promise to deport millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally, they’ll most likely include Mexicans whose children were born in the U.S. Over half a million of these kids are already in Mexico. Researchers call them los invisibles, the invisible ones, because they often end up in an educational limbo of sorts. Most don’t read or write in Spanish, so they’re held back. Many get discouraged and stop going to school. In some cases...

In most schools across the country, you are likely to find students practicing mindfulness – whether that means taking some collective deep breaths, practicing yoga together or participating in a gratitude exercise. Thousands of teachers across the country have adopted these mindfulness-based interventions to help their students avoid anxiety and depression , and improve their focus. There is some evidence that these programs do help students. For example, this study of 400 low-income...

An estimated 95,000 young children in Connecticut under age six have experienced a potentially traumatic event. There's a new effort underway in the state to expand services focused on their developmental needs. Early childhood trauma could include physical or sexual abuse, chronic neglect, a serious accident or illness, or loss of a loved one. According to a brief by the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut , nearly 45 percent of all youngsters between the ages of two and...

Small rocks from the beaches of eastern Massachusetts began appearing at Lexington High School last fall. They were painted in pastels and inscribed with pithy advice: Be happy.… Mistakes are O.K.… Don’t worry, it will be over soon. They had appeared almost by magic, boosting spirits and spreading calm at a public high school known for its sleep-deprived student body. Crying jags over test scores are common here. Students say getting B’s can be deeply dispiriting, dashing college dreams and...

Amid White House promises to crack down on illegal immigration, fear of deportation is on the rise in Los Angeles County, with more than one-third of residents concerned they or someone they know will be removed from the country, according to a UCLA survey released Tuesday. "The level of anxiety over deportation among county residents is staggering," Los Angeles Initiative Director and former County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. The second annual Los Angeles County Quality of Life Index...

Doxycycline is a cheap, widely available antibiotic. It is used to treat everything from acne to urinary tract infections. This humble little pill, we have now discovered , might also be useful for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many people associate PTSD with war veterans, but people can develop the disorder as a result of having experienced any type of extreme trauma, such as sexual abuse, a road traffic accident or a natural disaster. Not everyone who experiences trauma...

#ErasingMemories Israeli scientists show that weakening communication between two parts of the brain in mice reduced their fear levels. By ISRAEL21c Staff April 2, 2017, 7:00 am Optogenetic research shows promise for erasing memories of fear. Image via Shutterstock.com Share 30 Tweet Share Comment Email Erasing unwanted memories isn’t yet possible. However, Israeli scientists are now reporting that they have succeeded in erasing one type of memory in mice – fear. UNCOVER ISRAEL - Get the...

It's been a labor of love more than a year in the making, and it is exciting to see the curriculum come together and head out to those that will give this first version a "test drive" this spring and (hopefully) give me some great feedback so I can make improvements over the summer and make the curriculum better! It is called "Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks: a six week study of trauma-informed ministry and compassionate care for children from hard places and situations." The study is...

Shamelle Jackson moved here from Philadelphia, hoping to find work opportunities and better schools for her four children, who range in age from two to 14. Instead, she found a city with expensive housing, few good jobs, and schools that can vary dramatically in quality. “I’ve never struggled as hard as I do here in Charlotte,” Jackson, 34, told me. Jackson isn’t alone. Data suggests that Charlotte is a dead-end for people trying to escape poverty. That’s especially startling because the...

David Johnson was 16 years old when he faced his first criminal charge in a North Carolina court that considered him an adult. He remembers being overwhelmed by the proceedings, uncertain of what it would mean to take a plea or to spend years in prison — and to end up with a permanent criminal record. After all, he says, he was just a kid. “I didn’t realize the consequences that it could have for me down the line,” he said. Today, Johnson is an outreach worker with Bull City United in...

Like conception and implantation, birth requires an intention to be born, and preparation – the baby actually initiates labour, and must move into an optimal position if a relativity easy birth is to occur. The action of the actual birth stages is dynamic, and the baby is actively involved in that movement.