New brain imaging methods are helping us better understand how children learn, writes neuroscientist John Gabrieli. But "education neuroscience" has become the source of both promise and debate.

As social-emotional learning has gained prominence in K-12 education, some educators have wondered how ASCD's Whole Child approach intersects with this movement. In fact, the Whole Child approach encompasses and overarches the components of social-emotional learning, as well as other holistic education models, and as such can serve as a helpful…

A veteran educator tells stories of four children she taught who each struggled with trauma and were at risk of disconnecting from school and sliding into tragic life outcomes. She shares lessons she learned from reaching out to each child and general lessons about helping students with trauma--including to never go it alone.

Ellis describes the Building Resilient Communities process, which in facing trauma, considers not only "adverse childhood experiences," but also adverse community environments--inequitable conditions within a community that feed trauma. In BRC networks, partners from various community sectors--schools, healthcare, criminal justice,…

Considering that most educators think it is essential to help children attain meaningful, emotionally satisfying lives, teaching should start with developing ways of being that lead to healthy personal development. Teaching mindfulness--practices that focus and calm one's mind--is a key foundation of such development, according to the authors, who…

A recent controversy over Amazon's culture has strong implications for the whole child approach, and it offers powerful lessons for principals. A significant difference between the culture of so many businesses today and the culture at good schools is that in good schools, the welfare of the employees is very important. Student success is the…

According to the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, about one quarter of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before the age of four. In this article, Susan E. Craig explains how these early trauma histories prime a child's brain to expect certain experiences,…

The author opens this conversation with noted educator and authoress, Maya Angelou, by asking: "How does resilience develop, and how can we instill it in others?" Azzam notes that if there is anyone who knows something about "resilience" (the theme of this issue of "Educational Leadership") it is Maya Angelou. Dr.…

Schools are natural environments for helping all children cultivate the resilience that resides within them. Research shows that schools are filled with the conditions that promote resilience (Werner, 2003). These include caring, encouraging relationships, role models, and mentors (Theron & Engelbrecht, 2012; Thomsen, 2002; Walsh, 2012); clear…

Child development research shows that during the 5 to 7 shift, children make a major transition from early childhood to middle childhood ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. At the same time, their entry into formal schooling thrusts them into new roles and responsibilities, often in unfamiliar settings with unfamiliar people. These challenges…

High-achieving kids from low-income families too often fall into the achievement trap; as they progress up the grades, their academic performance falls, and they are far less likely to remain star students than are middle-class or wealthy high-achievers. So says the first U.S.-wide analysis of high-achieving students from poor families (published…

During a career spanning five decades, Edward Zigler has combined scholarly research with public service to promote national and state policies that are good for all children. Often called "the father of Head Start," he served on the planning committee for the program in 1965 and became the first director of the Office of Child…

Research in the neurobiological, behavioral, and social sciences has dramatically increased our capacity to provide effective intervention for economically disadvantaged children. According to Neuman, however, U.S. policymakers have made little use of this body of research to improve the prospects of children at risk. This article discusses seven…

Developing curriculum from a constructivist perspective helps students at all grade levels learn more effectively. The developmental abilities of children are stressed, and students are taught new information by connecting it with concepts they already know. The thoughtful mediation of the teacher is a critical component of constructivism. (MD)

Sylwester says education must begin relying more on biology than social and behavioral science. All brain systems move from a slow, awkward functional level to a fast, efficient level. Contributions of metacognition, self-regulation, emotions, reflective and reflexive responses, comparison, and classification to cognitive development are…