ScienceDaily: Educational Policy News

First ever underwater university lectures

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:57:57 EDT

Students at the University of Essex have taken their lectures to a whole new level -- 18 metres under the sea in remote Indonesia to be precise.

Most math being taught in kindergarten is old news to students

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:51:51 EDT

Kindergarten teachers report spending much of their math instructional time teaching students basic counting skills and how to recognize geometric shapes -— skills the students have already mastered before ever setting foot in the kindergarten classroom, new research finds.

Higher child marriage rates associated with higher maternal and infant mortality

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:40:40 EDT

Countries in which girls are commonly married before the age of 18 have significantly higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, report researchers.

Local health departments find Twitter effective in spreading diabetes information

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:33:33 EDT

The web-based social media site Twitter is proving to be an effective tool for local health departments in disseminating health information — especially in promoting specific health behaviors.

Look! Something shiny! How some textbook visuals can hurt learning

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:24:24 EDT

Adding captivating visuals to a textbook lesson to attract children’s interest may sometimes make it harder for them to learn, a new study suggests.

Teen girls who exercise are less likely to be violent

Mon, 06 May 2013 09:54:54 EDT

Regular exercise is touted as an antidote for many ills, including stress, depression and obesity. Physical activity also may help decrease violent behavior among adolescent girls, according to new research.

Camaraderie of sports teams may deter bullying, violence

Sun, 05 May 2013 07:37:37 EDT

As schools around the country look for ways to reduce violence and bullying, they may want to consider encouraging students to participate in team sports, according to a new study.

Cyberbullying rampant among high school students: Nearly one-third of youths also report playing video/computer games for more than 3 hours a day

Sun, 05 May 2013 07:37:37 EDT

Step into a class of 30 high school students and look around. Five of them have been victims of electronic bullying in the past year. What's more, 10 of those students spend three or more hours on an average school day playing video games or using a computer for something other than school work, according to a new study.

Poverty threatens health of US children

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:32:32 EDT

Pediatricians, economists, social scientists and policy experts came together to address one of the greatest threats to child health -- poverty.

Cell biologists say immigration reform critical to scientific education and competitiveness

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:22:22 EDT

Progress in American scientific research and reform in American immigration law must go hand in hand, experts declared in a recent article.

Understanding student weaknesses

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:19:19 EDT

As part of a unique study that surveyed 181 middle school physical science teachers and nearly 10,000 students, researchers showed the science teachers were most successful when they could predict their students' wrong answers on standardized tests.

Protecting hospitals from 'new' terrorist threats

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:45:45 EDT

Health care facilities play a vital role in the UK’s terrorism contingency plans, but a new study provides a timely warning to managers, regulatory bodies and government that crucial services such as hospitals are also potential targets for malevolent actions.

Gamers recognize college football players in video games

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:29:29 EDT

Paying college athletes is a contentious issue and the subject of a lawsuit challenging the use of their likenesses in video games. A new study found that many video gamers recognize athletes in the video games.

Adderall abuse as final exam study aid 'trending' among U.S. students

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:51:51 EDT

A growing number of U.S. college students are abusing the ADHD medication Adderall to give them an academic edge and they're tweeting about it. A six-month study tracking Adderall mentions on Twitter revealed two things: 1. It's mentioned most among students in the northeast and south of the United States. 2. Tweets about Adderall peak during final exam periods.

Growing gap between teens' materialism and willingness to work hard

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:18:18 EDT

New research shows a growing gap between materialism and the desire to work hard in young people today. Researchers studied results of surveys of 355,000 US high school seniors from 1976 to 2007, examining the materialistic values of three generations with questions focused on the perceived importance of having a lot of money and material goods, as well as the willingness to work hard.

Humor styles and bullying in schools: Not a laughing matter

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:06:06 EDT

There is a clear link between children’s use of humor and their susceptibility to being bullied by their peers, according to a major new study.

Shedding light on the long shadow of childhood adversity

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:57:57 EDT

Childhood adversity can lead to chronic physical and mental disability in adult life and have an effect on the next generation, underscoring the importance of research, practice and policy in addressing this issue, according to a new article.

Smoking prevention in schools: Does it work?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:09:09 EDT

Smoking prevention in schools reduces the number of young people who will later become smokers, according to a new systematic review. For young people who have never smoked, these programs appear to be effective at least one year after implementation.

Extreme political attitudes may stem from an illusion of understanding

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:05:05 EDT

Having to explain how a political policy works leads people to express less extreme attitudes toward the policy, according to new research.

Poor parenting -- including overprotection -- increases bullying risk

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:40:40 EDT

Children who are exposed to negative parenting -- including abuse, neglect but also overprotection -- are more likely to experience childhood bullying by their peers, according to a meta-analysis of 70 studies of more than 200,000 children.

More days in classroom does not translate into more learning in Mexico

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:22:22 EDT

As Mexico wrestles with improving the quality of education for primary school students, economists have found that extending the length of the school year will do little to improve student performance.

Teaching the next generation of science learners

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:23:23 EDT

New science education standards present challenges and opportunities, scholar says.

'Redshirting' kindergarteners not as common as reported

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:23:23 EDT

New research findings show that “redshirting” in kindergarten – the practice of delaying for a year a child’s entry into kindergarten – is not happening at the rate previously reported.

Link between school climate and violence confirmed

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:14:14 EDT

Schools may be a step closer towards the development of effective strategies to prevent violent behavior. New research shows that there is a direct link between school climate and school violence.

Teenage password security: Risk of identity theft

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:13:13 EDT

Many of us are sharing increasing amounts of personal information through online social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others. However, according to researchers, many of us are side-stepping apparently laborious security measures and putting our data at risk of being hijacked and used in identity theft and other fraud.

Reasons for attending college affect students' academic success

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:12:12 EDT

Students not performing well academically? Look no further—the answer may be in their motivation for attending college in the first place. Researchers found that student motivation for attending college is related to academic success. And, they uncover unique relationships that exist between the different types of student motivation —- as conceptualized by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) -— and academic achievement and persistence.

Children routinely injured or killed by guns, U.S. study shows; Access to loaded, unlocked firearms remains a problem

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:19:19 EDT

While gun control issues usually surface after major incidents like the fatal shooting of 20 elementary school students in Newtown, Connecticut, a new U.S. study shows that children are routinely killed or injured by firearms.

Troubling patterns of teacher assignments within schools

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:57:57 EDT

Even within the same school, lower-achieving students often are taught by less-experienced teachers, as well as by teachers who received their degrees from less-competitive colleges, according to a new study. The study, using data from one of the nation's largest school districts, also shows that student class assignments vary within schools by a teacher's gender and race.

Does international child sponsorship work? New research says yes

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:28:28 EDT

A new study shows international child sponsorship to result in markedly higher rates of schooling completion and substantially improved adult employment outcomes.

Fighting the 'dumb jock' stereotype

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:30:30 EDT

College coaches who emphasize their players' academic abilities may be the best defense against the effects of "dumb jock" stereotypes, a new study suggests.

Green spaces may boost wellbeing for city dwellers

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:13:13 EDT

New research has found that people living in urban areas with more green space tend to report greater wellbeing than city dwellers that don't have parks, gardens, or other green space nearby.

No 'silver bullet' for science standards

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:23:23 EDT

America's K-12 teachers are not fully prepared to meet a new set of science standards, an education scholar argues in Science.

Making fruit easier to eat increases sales and consumption in school cafeterias

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:50:50 EDT

People believe that children avoid fruit because of the taste and allure of alternative packaged snacks. Researchers have concluded that the size of the snack counts the most. Apple sales in schools with fruit slicers increased by 71 percent and the percentage of students who ate more than half of their apple increased by 73 percent, an effect that lasted long after the study was over.

Standardized testing creates 'toxic environment' in schools, professor says

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:21:21 EDT

Standardized testing has facilitated “an incredibly toxic environment in our schools and in our discourse about education, ultimately turning schools from learning centers to testing factories,” according to a professor. That emphasis on standardized testing has corrupted the focus on learning, turning school-aged children into “experimental pawns,” he says.

College admission questions rarely identify criminal behavior

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:54:54 EDT

A new study shows that neither criminal background checks nor pre-admission screening questions accurately predict students likely to commit crime on college campuses.

The bigger the group, the smaller the chance of interracial friendship

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:23:23 EDT

The larger the group, the smaller the chance of forming interracial friendships, a new study shows.

Twelve principles for effective contraceptive counseling

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:48:48 EDT

New research has led experts to suggest 12 evidence-based principles that can be used to improve contraceptive counseling of adolescents in US health care clinics, doctor's offices, and health service organizations.

Teachers' assessments not always conducive to fair education, researcher says

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:59:59 EDT

Teachers’ assessments of pupils’ literacy can vary significantly, even for pupils with similar test scores. This may interfere with children’s right to fair and gender-equal education, according to new research.

Alcohol use, anxiety predict Facebook use by college students

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:13:13 EDT

Anxiety and alcohol use significantly predict emotional connectedness to Facebook, a new study suggests. According to one of the researchers, alcohol use is generally viewed as normative, or socially acceptable, among college students, so increased alcohol use may cause an increase in emotional connectedness to Facebook. Researchers also found that marijuana use predicted the opposite: a lack of emotional connectedness with Facebook.

Homesickness and adjustment in university students

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:46:46 EDT

Sure, many young adults are ecstatic at that first taste of freedom that comes with "going away to college." But for some, the intense transition can also trigger intense homesickness.

Teachers in Ireland regard medication for ADHD as last resort

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:12:12 EDT

Teachers in the Republic of Ireland consistently view medication treatment for Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a last resort, even when they view the disorder as biologically based.

Vermont's health care reform has lessons for other states

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EDT

Vermont’s aggressive health care reform initiatives can serve as a roadmap for other states, according to new research.

Stop 'bad guys with guns' by implementing good policies

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:50:50 EDT

The National Rifle Association has put forward a National Shield School Proposal which supports the placement of armed security in all schools. A new review attempts to find a balanced and unbiased view of the facts within this heated and emotional debate.

Female students just as successful as males in math and science, Asian-Americans outperform all

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:50:50 EDT

While compared to men, women continue to be underrepresented in math and science courses and careers. Is this disparity a true reflection of male and female student ability? According to a new study, male and female students earn similar grades in math and science while Asian-American students of both genders outperform all other races.

Prekindergarten program boosts children's skills

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:02:02 EDT

Boston Public Schools' prekindergarten program is substantially improving children's readiness to start kindergarten, according to a new study of more than 2,000 children enrolled there. The program uses research-based curricula and teacher coaching, is taught primarily by masters-level teachers, and is open to any child. This study suggests that efforts to increase the enrollment of underrepresented Latino children in high-quality prekindergarten programs, such as the one studied here, may be beneficial.

Young women do not want to run for office, experts say

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:10:10 EDT

There is a serious gender gap in women's interest versus men's interest in running for elected office which will likely persist for generations, experts say.

How school report cards can backfire

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:40:40 EDT

In the wake of President Obama's "college scorecard," new research finds that government attempts to grade educational institutions can backfire when done for political or policy purposes.

Prescription for double-dose algebra proves effective

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:53:53 EDT

Ninth-graders in Chicago Public Schools have significantly benefited from double-dose algebra (attending two consecutive periods of the subject) in ways that were not easily observable in the program's early years of existence.

Media coverage of mass shootings contributes to negative attitudes towards mental illness

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:51:51 EDT

News stories about mass shootings involving a shooter with mental illness heighten readers' negative attitudes toward persons with serious mental illness, according to a new report. The researchers also examined how such news stories impact support for policies to reduce gun violence. Compared to study respondents who did not read a story about a mass shooting, reading a news article describing a mass shooting raised readers' support for both gun restrictions for persons with serious mental illness, and for a ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines.

Conscientious people are more likely to have higher GPAs

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:43:43 EDT

Conscientious people are more likely to have higher grade point averages, according to new research.

Pre-college talk between parents and teens likely to lessen college drinking

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:43:43 EDT

Teen-age college students are significantly more likely to abstain from drinking or to drink only minimally when their parents talk to them before they start college, using suggestions in a parent handbook.

Cigarette relighting tied to tough economy

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:47:47 EDT

In what is believed to be a first of its kind study, researchers have found that a trend of smokers relighting cigarettes is related to economic factors, and the practice has implications for tobacco dependence treatment and policy.

Rapid rise in antipsychotic treatment of medicaid-insured children

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:08:08 EDT

More benefit/risk information is needed in community care efforts, says a researcher.

Mandating fruits and vegetables in school meals makes a difference, study finds

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:22:22 EDT

State laws that require minimum levels of fruits and vegetables in school meals may give a small boost to the amount of these foods in adolescents' diets, according to a new study.

Prevalence of sexting among minority youth

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:48:48 EST

Researchers have found that up to 30 percent of minority youths reported sending or receiving "sexts," which are sexually explicit messages sent through technology including photos, videos and text-only messages.

Test-taking may improve learning in people of all ages

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:03:03 EST

Older adults who haven’t been in school for a while are as capable of learning from tests as younger adults and college students, according to new research.

Stronger support needed for healthy beverage practices in child care

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:25:25 EST

Support is needed in child care centers to help meet existing water policies and new water requirements included in the 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, according to a new study.

School-based kitchen gardens are getting an A+: New study highlights benefits of for both children and parents

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:25:25 EST

Grow it, try it, and you just might like it is a motto many schools are embracing to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables. Through community-based kitchen garden programs, particularly those with dedicated cooking components, schools are successfully introducing students to healthier foods. In a new study, researchers found that growing and then cooking the foods that kids grew increased their willingness to try new foods.

Texans not eager to change gun laws

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:39:39 EST

Poll shows large majority of Texans support background checks for all gun purchases, but they are not eager to change existing gun laws.

Intrusive advising boosts student persistence, class performance

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:40:40 EST

Researcher found that getting intrusive could increase student support at universities. The researcher examined intrusive advising -- working with at-risk students to identify challenges and solutions to overcome them -- in residence halls.