Children at Risk
Academic Child Neglect – One Representative Case Study
My nephew’s wife mentioned that their 12 year old son had recently been reported to be having difficulties in school. The worried parents had arranged for a psychological assessment . They were told that he had a condition known as dysgraphia – the inability to express himself clearly in written English. Having been a teacher,…
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Why a U.S. Government Agency Covers Up Proven Educational Methods While Millions of Children Become Illiterate
It is naïve to pretend that science is free of bias and of political involvement. If it were, there would be no need for lobbyists in Washington from groups like the chemical and defense companies. “Science” may be conducted more for their benefit, than for its indisputable proofs. When influenced by “big tobacco”, some studies…
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An All Too Infrequent True Story
I have been working with children who are at-risk for 50 years. I’d like to tell you a story of one of those kids and how it changed both of our lives. It was a dark and stormy night – no, that’s not it. Let me start again. Once upon a time in a land…
Read MoreScience Delayed is Science Denied
In 1997, Dr Cathy Watkins published her monograph, Project Follow Through. The abstract reads; Project Follow Through, originally conceived in 1967 as a social action program to extend Head Start into the primary grades, became an educational experiment aimed at finding effective methods of teaching disadvantaged children. Follow Through, in effect, created a national learning…
Read MoreAccountability in Public Education – What is it really?
Many parents have children who pass through their public school systems, graduate, go on to post–secondary education and never miss a beat. My two children did with the exception of the few minor disruptions you expect from zesty teenagers. For these students the system works well. It works for a majority of students, some high…
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Why Your School Doesn’t Care That Johnny Did Not Learn to Read This Year
Part 2- Don’t Blame His Teacher!!! As I mentioned in Part 1, 35% of the children leaving first grade this year still cannot read. These children have generally spent three years in school already in Junior Kindergarten, Senior Kindergarten and First Grade…. and they still have not been taught to read. Now Hear This –…
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Behavior Management: An Overview
This is a series of seven blogs to help teachers, parents and therapists bring students under instructional control so that teaching can occur. The components of the series are Behavior Management: An Overview Behavior Management: Bribes or Rewards – The Fundamental Question Behavior Management: Praise and Encouragement Behavior Management: Activities as Reinforcers Behavior Management: Point…
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Why Doesn’t Your School Care That Johnny Didn’t Learn to Read?
Why doesn’t your school care that Johnny didn’t learn to read? Fact: This year 35% of the children leaving first grade did not learn to read. Fact: 85% of these children will never learn to read and will become illiterate. Fact: A high school student drops out of school every 26 seconds. Fact: …
Read MoreHelping Our Schools Increase Literacy Skills: Part 8
Helping Our Schools by Increasing Literacy – Triggering an Epidemic – Part 8 In most organizations, a minority of members does the majority of the work. It is sometimes referred to as the 80/20 Rule in which 80% of the work is completed by 20% of the membership. This is another…
Read MoreHelping Our Schools Increase Literary Skills: Part 7
Helping Our Schools by Increasing Literacy – Triggering an Epidemic Mary had a plan She got the principal’s and the parent’s permission to do the reading screening from the website with the school’s students. She got her book club to give up a session and to spend a day listening to the children do the…
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