Schools alter dress codes following complaints
Complaints from students have prompted school districts across the country to revise their dress codes to avoid singling out what female students wear. Principal Marcus Campbell in Evanston, Ill., says students at his high school criticized its dress-code policy as targeting girls and not being “body positive.”
Study considers effects of summer slide
Summer learning loss takes a greater toll on students’ achievement in math and reading over time, according to an ongoing study by the Northwest Evaluation Association. The group studied the test scores of over 42,000 students from third to sixth grades and almost 40,000 students from fifth to eighth grades, and found that the summer slide causes students to make less academic progress during the school year.
Should children be free to take more risks?
As rates of anxiety among American teens have increased, author Katherine Reynolds Lewis says she sees a link to the decline of parent-free play in which unsupervised children take risks and develop important social and emotional skills. Another author, neuropsychologist William Stixrud, says students should be in charge of their own academics and their own time, so they are motivated to keep learning.
Study: Teacher stress is high, support can help
A recent study on teacher stress from University of Missouri psychology researchers found that 93% of the elementary-school teachers participating in the study reported high levels of stress. However, about 60% of study participants said they were able to cope with stress and avoid burnout because they had support from their schools.
How can educators help curb truancy?
Educators can help improve attendance among chronically absent students, asserts David Hardy, CEO for the Lorain City School District in Ohio. In this commentary, Hardy suggests eight ways to improve attendance, including by communicating attendance expectations, forming an attendance team and creating a positive school environment.
Teresa Donnellan is an editorial assistant at SmartBrief.
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