Personal Note: I'm tending to family affairs for awhile so commentaries will be few and far between until good health returns ... ~ 05 October 2005

Juvenile Jailhouse Rocked, by AdvoCasey

Comment: A study by the Annie C. Casey reports that too many kids are locked-up unnecessarily and grants millions to find alternative and better ways to provide services to kids with problems who are causing problems through the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiatives (JDAI). Yes, indeed, "A key concept of JDAI is that 'detention' is a continuum of supervision -- not a building -- that ranges from secure custody for dangerous youth to less restrictive options for kids who pose little risk of reoffending or flight." And, detention is not punishment, "'Imposing punishment before a kid has been adjudicated is not legitimate, ... and I don't think that it's constitutional.'"

27 November 2005

Agriculture education finds considerable growth

Student enrollment in agricultural education has increased recently because "You learn a lot more than just how to scoop poop. This is not like a normal class where you just read a book. You actually get to work and feel like you're doing something," says one student. The ag program has been broadened to include greenhouse operations, landscaping, floral design, animal health, and biotechnology.

Comment: Many students could benefit from programs like this where you do more than just read a book.

20 November 2005

Principal resigns after shaming student

An 8-year-old is publicly shamed in front of peers by the Principal after being falsely accused of stealing $5.00.

Comment: Shame on the Principal!

20 November 2005

States Redefine Student Progress

In an experiment that's been months in the making, up to 10 states will be allowed to measure not just how students are performing, but how that performance is changing over time.

Currently, schools are judged based only on how today's students compare to last year's students in math and reading -- such as fourth-graders in 2005 versus fourth-graders in 2004.

Comment: Yep, comparing apples and oranges makes no sense.

A growth model could benefit not just struggling students but also gifted ones who may be challenged anew to show their own yearly progress, beyond the school's standard benchmark.

Comment: This is important because we do want kids to reach their individual potential. Spelling says, "We're open to new ideas, but we're not taking our eye off the ball." "The ball" means getting all students "up to par by 2014," meaning on grade level. Just ain't possible! All of these politicians should read A Mind at a Time by Dr. Mel Levine and get a clue about how different brains learn different ways at different times in different content areas.

20 November 2005

Focus on Getting Students into College Shifts to Getting Them Out

Comment: Why pressure all kids into college when only 54% will graduate with a diploma and most will leave with a huge debt? Many students go to college because they have been told that they must do so to do well in life. Let's look at those high school or college dropouts who prove this to be wrong including Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Abe Lincoln, and many talented entertainers. It's time to tell kids the truth: find something you love and do it well. Take a look at some famous folks with various disAbilities, many of whom did not graduate from college.

November 16, 2005

Another school shooting, A 15-year-old kills an assistant principal and wounds two other school officials in TN

"It is appropriate that he be tried as an adult and subject to adult penalties," Paul Phillips, a juvenile court judge said.

Comment: Here's an opportunity to apply the behavioral and neurological sciences mentioned below.

12 November 2005

Adolescents, Maturity, and the Law; Why Science and Development Matter in Juvenile Justice by Jeffrey Fagan

"... kids put into the adult system are likely to have worse outcomes... Because the adolescent brains are not fully developed, they do not achieve critical mechanisms of impulsivity and behavioral control until perhaps age 20 or beyond."

Comment: The real answer to this dilemma of sending juveniles to adult court is "to rely on case-by-case assessments by judges, much as the early juvenile courts did in deciding which youths were so incorrigible as to warrant expulsion from the juvenile court." Back to INDIVIDUALIZATION.

"As legislatures move toward placing younger teens in adult criminal court, social and biological evidence suggests moving in the other direction. It's time for the law to change course and follow the science."

The TV Show Judging Amy focused on this dilemma. Sadly, it was canceled. Perhaps this "reality TV" was too emotionally tough for viewers to take. It's just easier to "lock 'em up and throw away the key." But, it's not right.

"What is wrong with this country? We are so quick to celebrate young people who succeed: the entertainers, the athletes, and we abandon those who need us the most." ~ paraphrase from Judging Amy TV show, season finale, 5/05

12 November 2005

Race and Redemption, American Prospect Online

Comment: This well written article by Ellis Cose about juvenile justice is well worth your time reading. The Annie E. Casey Foundation is proving that the old "lock 'em up and throw away the key" method of dealing with juvenile offenders is based in racial stereotyping.

"At every juncture -- from suspicion to conviction -- people of color, especially blacks, are significantly more likely than whites to get tangled up in America's system of justice... Roughly two-thirds of juveniles detained in public facilities are persons of color -- nearly twice their proportion in the general population."

The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) is finding a better way to ...

"... reduce the burden of young offenders on society, increase their odds of success in life, and eliminate much of the bias in the system. That does not mean that the old ways are dead. It does mean, however, that they should be. For, tough-on-crime rhetoric notwithstanding, it is becoming harder than ever to justify putting young people on that giant conveyer belt that bypasses hope and leads directly to hell."

12 November 2005

Study shows sleep affects student performance

Comment: We didn't need a study to know this. If you're sleepy, it's hard to pay attention and produce good work. Article says teenagers need at least 8.5 hours of sleep per night. Early to bed and early to rise doesn't happen often with adolescents. Teens want to stay up late then sleep late in the morning. School bus schedules dictate an early rise.

12 November 2005

Helping Teenagers Make Choices: Error of Omission, by Rahul K. Parikh

It would be wise for the president to be more pragmatic than dogmatic with his policy decisions. Instead of overruling medical science for his own political gain, he should confer with his own health agencies and redirect abstinence-only funds to organizations that provide comprehensive sex education, promote confidential health care and improve access to contraception -- proven interventions that promote the health of American teenagers. It's also the safer strategy, since vows break more often than condoms.

Comment: Enough said.

01 November 2005

Young futures on the line

Some have learning disabilities. Some were born in other countries and are still learning English. Some live in homes where adults have little education.

But if education is society's "great equalizer" - as posters in Johnson's hallways boast - all students should be able to graduate with the same basic skills. That's the hope with the high school exit exam.

So far, it hasn't proved true. Across California, the seniors who haven't yet passed (the CAHSEE, required exit exams) are largely black or brown, and poor.

Comment: And for some, it's just too much ...

Larissa was five points from passing the English section last time, but her math score was much further away.

For years, her mother said, she's been asking school officials to test Larissa for learning disabilities.

"She's pretty much been failing every class since junior high," said Jennifer Almanza. "But they kept putting her through."

That stopped this year - sort of. School officials held Larissa back to 11th grade. At the same time, they placed her in two special education classes and gave her a heavy course load that could allow her to graduate in June - if she passes all her classes, attends night school, completes a senior project and passes the exit exam.

Larissa spent evenings on her senior project - learning to box - and weekends working at Del Taco. She soon grew defeated.

The pressure of coursework and the exam became unbearable. Larissa told her mom not to order senior portraits. She now talks about dropping out.

Comment: How many kids will give-up and drop-out? Does anyone care?

01 November 2005

Where would we find the next Einstein in today's public schools? Probably in detention!

To the editor, From Patricia Lakin, Published in New York Times (03/08/2005)

Re: ''The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome'' (March 1): If the search for the next Einstein is in America's public schools, the applicant might well be found in detention.

As an adolescent, Einstein, despite having good grades, was asked to leave school. His irreverent learning style disturbed the other students. Unlike Einstein, his classmates did not ask questions of the teachers and found rote learning acceptable.

A century later, in America, too many students are faced with Einstein's predicament -- an educational system that stifles the very creativity and imagination needed to produce innovative thinkers. As Einstein himself said, ''Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.''

[Susan notes: What a good point: In today's schools, students who don't quietly do their skill drill exercises find themselves in serious trouble.]

Comment: They are both right.

01 November 2005

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