Most Clicked CEC SmartBrief Stories
1. Study: Meditation may reduce ADHD symptoms
CEC SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
A small group of middle-school students who practiced transcendental meditation twice daily at school reduced their stress and anxiety by 50% and improved ADHD symptoms as well, according to a new study published in Current Issues in Education. The changes after three months were much more dramatic than researchers expected, including better attention, memory, organizational and behavioral skills, said lead researcher Sarina J. Grosswald. WCVB-TV (Boston) (12/31)
2. Column: Socioeconomics may color perception of special education
CEC SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
Different socioeconomic groups see special-needs and gifted labels very differently, writes Examiner special-education columnist Andrea Hermitt. Affluent parents tend to view special-education identification positively and lament what they perceive as insufficient services, while low-income parents see the same labels as a way for schools to remove students from mainstream classrooms. Examiner, The (01/02)
3. Florida district, parents work together to improve special education
CEC SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
Nine months after parents in Florida's Hernando County district were silenced during a general town meeting after a barrage of complaints about special education, staff and parents have worked together to make sure students' needs were met. A collaborative task force and other approaches have helped the district establish a less adversarial relationship with parents, said exceptional-student director Cathy Dofka. St. Petersburg Times (Fla.) (12/30)
4. Police: Student with cerebral palsy left overnight on cold bus
CEC SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
Edwin Rivera, 22, who has cerebral palsy, is expected to survive after being left alone on a New York school bus for 19 hours on New Year's Eve as temperatures fell below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Police charged the bus matron in charge of Rivera's safety with reckless endangerment. New York Times, The (01/01)
5. Doubled autism rates in South Carolina schools prove challenging
CEC SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
With more than twice as many South Carolina children diagnosed with autism in 2007 as were in 2003, schools are struggling to train enough teachers and provide specialized services, special educators say. Autism specialists are becoming more common as schools adjust education plans to the widely divergent needs of children with autism. State (Columbia, S.C.), The (01/02)
6. Surviving graduate study in special education: An insider's guide
CEC SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
Thinking about a graduate degree in special education? How do you find the right program? How to you find funding? What questions do you ask in an interview? What elements should you focus on to ensure your success? Find out more.
7. First-grade algebra has long-term dividends
CEC SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
Some Oregon students are being introduced to algebra as early as first grade -- an approach that is paying off in later grades with 80% of Lebanon eighth-graders passing state math exams. Instead of using flash cards and memorization techniques, students are asked to defend how they arrived at an answer, which teachers say helps them understand the lessons. Oregonian (Portland), The (12/28)
8. Parents press for greater awareness of fetal alcohol syndrome
CEC SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
Children with fetal alcohol syndrome are often misdiagnosed with ADHD, their adoptive parents say, but advocates hope greater awareness of the syndrome can improve their children's futures. The syndrome not only causes behavioral problems, but also developmental disabilities, parents said. Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff), The (12/29)
9. Unprepared kindergartners may cost Minn. schools $113 million a year
CEC SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
Students who enter kindergarten without adequate preparation are more likely to drop out, plus they're more likely to need special education or have to repeat a grade at a cost of some $24.4 million, additional English instruction for $11 million and more resources to deal with delinquent behavior, at a cost of $6 million, according to a Wilder Research report. Teachers are also more likely to quit or miss work due to the resulting behavior and academic problems, costing some $28.9 million, researchers said. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul) (12/29)
10. R.I. seclusion room closed after publicity
CEC SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
A Rhode Island school that came under fire this summer for its isolation room has converted the area into an office and is no longer secluding students who misbehave, school officials said. Although the case prompted area disability advocates to review the use of such rooms, school officials have not been sued or charged with any criminal wrongdoing. Providence Journal (R.I.), The (free registration) (12/28)
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