Humans are inherently emotional creatures due to our social nature, and emotions are able to influence how well we learn and even affect academic outcomes. Emotions are rarely a chief concern in educational settings, and we will discuss the mechanisms underlying how emotions are processed in the brain and how they influence the key aspects of…

Behavior and academic outcomes in school are interrelated; students who struggle with academics are likelier to exhibit troublesome behavior and students who struggle with behavior tend to fall behind academically. Multitiered systems of support (MTSS) offer frameworks for providing increasingly intensive support for students with academic and…

This article offers a conceptual and analytical framework for understanding the 'understandings' generated through practitioner research, and specifically exploratory practice (EP), based on Aristotle's philosophy of knowledge. Drawing on Olav Eikeland's interpretation of Aristotle's philosophy of knowledge as a gnoseology, it illustrates how a…

In this month's interview, Kappan's editor talks with developmental psychologist and Northwestern University professor Emma K. Adam about her recent research into stress, stress hormones (particularly cortisol), sleep, and learning. High school students' self-reported stress levels during the day are closely aligned with their measured levels of…

Today's "ADHDscape" is no longer confined to images of fidgety children falling off classroom chairs. Trans-generational images flood popular culture, from "ADHD creator" with entrepreneurial style, to "ADHD troublemaker". Indeed, ADHD's enigmatic characteristics seem to apply as much to crying babies as to forgetful grannies. With the recent…

Individuals tend to select again alternatives about which they have positive impressions and to avoid alternatives about which they have negative impressions. Here we show how this sequential sampling feature of the information acquisition process leads to the emergence of an illusory correlation between estimates of the attributes of…

Since Piaget, the view that motor and cognitive development are interrelated has gained wide acceptance. However, empirical research on this issue is still rare. Few studies show a correlation of performance in cognitive and motor tasks in typically developing children. More specifically, Diamond A. (2000) hypothesizes an involvement of executive…

The purpose of this brief is to provide information to state, district, and school personnel seeking support to determine whether their students are on a path to postsecondary success. The College and Career Readiness and Success Center (CCRS Center) has received technical assistance requests from a number of states regarding factors that predict…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder that is often identified when a child first enters school. About 2% of boys and girls in our population are diagnosed with the disorder (Kaufmann, 2000). Although ADHD is the most frequent reason that children are referred to a mental health professional, the diagnosis of ADHD…

Forty toddlers aged 20 to 24 months were presented with 32 pairs of images with the auditory stimulus Look followed by the name of the target image (e.g. "Look...tree") in an intermodal preferential looking (IPL) paradigm. The same series of 16 items was presented first with one image as target and then with the other member of the pair as target.…

We present evidence that the positive relationship between kindergarten entrance age and school achievement primarily reflects skill accumulation prior to kindergarten, rather than a heightened ability to learn in school among older children. The association between achievement test scores and entrance age appears during the first months of…

Many early childhood educators are faced with ever-increasing pressure by families, administrators, and policymakers to replace components of their programs deemed to be a waste of time, such as naptime or playtime, with what are considered to be more academic activities. A large body of literature supports the inclusion of play in an early…

Discusses the correlation between inspection time (IT) and psychometric abilities. Recent research suggest that IT is probably sensitive to both focused attentional capacities to detect organization and change under severe time constraints and to decision processes that monitor responding. Discusses implications for the use of IT in explaining…

Adventure recreation activities like mountain biking, bouldering, and kayaking used to require considerable travel to unique locations. This is changing, however, as the new trend emerges in the United State of providing adventure recreation experiences in cities and towns, such as New York City and Golden, Colorado. This article highlights…

Some teenagers with epilepsy only have to deal with seizures, which can be tough enough, but for other teens, seizures are not the only problem. Parents and caregivers often report changes in their teens' abilities to think clearly, learn in school, or remain focused in class. Mood and other behavioral problems may also be seen. It is critical…