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Starting school at kindergarten. One teacher for an age-graded classroom. Teacher-led learning: “Repeat after me.” For nearly 100 years, these have been the traditions, routines, and expectations of American primary schools. Over that time, much has changed in children’s lives — there is now greater demographic diversity, to say nothing of the relentlessly changing technology, globalization, and growing recognition that education requires much more than rote learning — yet little has changed...

This Compendium is designed to help state and local policymakers, as well as school-level personnel and other education stakeholders, better understand the current school discipline practices in our country. It provides information on school discipline laws and administrative regulations for each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands effective as of March 2016. (See Notes &...

Teen stress is on the rise. According to a new study, learning mindfulness and self-compassion can help a teen cope. In a 2014 national survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 31 percent of adolescents aged 13 to 17 said that their stress increased in the previous year, and 42 percent said they were not doing enough to manage their stress. Adolescents who experience frequent stress are more prone to depression and perform worse in school Many teens turn to external...

Do you ever feel angry, disappointed, or stressed out about family problems, school, bullies, or trouble with friends? If so, mindfulness can help. Master of Mindfulness is a unique and empowering book written for kids by kids , with cool illustrations and tips that show you how to be confident, get focused, stay calm, and tap into your own inner strength so that you can be your own superhero—no matter what life throws your way! Written by Laurie Grossman, cofounder of Mindful Schools and...

“To the brook! To the brook!” the three girls chanted in Finnish as they skipped through the forest. Within a few minutes, the other kindergartners had joined them in the fern-covered gully. As their teacher Kaija Pelo and I stood on a hill observing the children at play below us, two boys in baseball caps poked sticks into the brook (Pelo said they were “fishing”) while other children teetered across a fallen pine tree, which served as a natural bridge over the running water. Most...

Boston Public Schools — faced with thousands of students who have experienced trauma — is building a team that will help 
kids overcome emotional 
and social obstacles with a $1.6 million federal grant. “We have great opportunity to be able to notice students who may have been influenced by trauma,” 
BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang told the Herald. “The reality is, students can be influenced by trauma through so many different things.” [For more of this story, written by Chris Villani, go to ...

On a hot summer day last month, Sydney, 15, and Laney, 8, were enjoying their last two weeks of freedom before school started. The sisters tried to do flips over a high bar at a local playground. “You’ve got to pull your hips into the bar, like you’ve got to kick up like that,” explained their mother, Selena. “I tried to kick! I did this — you told me not to stick out,” said Laney indignantly. Both girls have been diagnosed with mental illnesses — Sydney with bipolar disorder and Laney with...

Everyone feels anxious once in awhile: dry mouth, sweaty palms, a pounding heart. In fact, anxiety is the most common mental health disorder. "Anxiety feels no different if you're being chased by a lion or you have to go to school,"says Erin Berman, a clinical psychologist with the National Institute of Mental Health. Some grow out of it; others don't. "They may look like they're not doing their homework, they're not paying attention," she says about these anxious children. But, "their mind...

Gemyra Wynn doesn't need to go into the details of her childhood in Camden. After sketching out how adverse childhood events can traumatize people and cause lifelong health consequences, the 17-year-old can just offer her ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score — it's seven out of 10 — and leave it at that. The same goes for her fellow instructors, 16-year-old Aunyay Fussell and 15-year-old LeBaron Harvey. They each survived psychologically trying experiences. But these students are...

Far too many Baltimore students come from impoverished inner-city neighborhoods wracked by drug and gang violence where shootings, stabbings and beatings occur on a daily basis. When impressionable young people witness dreadful things happen to family, friends and neighbors, it leaves a mark on the soul that can last a lifetime. They've been cruelly traumatized by what they've seen and experienced, and if they're ever to get over it emotionally and psychologically they're going to need help.

Google the definition of play and the first thing that pops up is this: “[To] engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” Jack Shonkoff, the director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, finds that language supremely frustrating. “It’s not taking a break from learning when we talk about play,” he told me, rattling off a litany of cognitive, physical, mental, and social-emotional benefits. “Play is one of the most...

The concept of being both a human and an educator is one I’ve grown increasingly concerned about since I had my first child. I’ve always been focused on my job as an educator. Sometimes, I think people assume I’m nuts for being so driven and passionate. I just know it is part of who I am, and, honestly, I don’t want that part of me to go away because I genuinely like it. I am also a mother, and I like that part of who I am, too. I am no less committed to being an educator since becoming a...