News Desk (LD News: April 2007)

Right Parietal Lobe May be Responsible for Dyscalculia
Scientists at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience have found strong evidence that dyscalculia may be caused by malformations in the right parietal lobe of the brain, a finding that can contribute to the goals of early diagnosis through neural tissue analysis, earlier treatment and more effective remedial teaching.

High School Not Preparing Students for College and the Workforce
According to Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness, a report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Center for American Progress, only about two-thirds of ninth graders will graduate from high school in four years, and those who do graduate are often under-prepared for college or the workforce.

Why Adolescents Have Trouble Making Good Decisions
A new study from the National Institute of Mental Health shows that when adolescents are faced with difficult decisions, the regions of the brain that regulate processes involved in decision-making show less activity than those in adult brains, helping to explain why adolescents are so much more likely to make risky decisions.

High School Dropout Prevention Could Save the Nation Billions
According to a new study by a group of the nation's leading researchers in education and economics, the nation could save $45 billion each year if the number of high school dropouts was cut in half.

Spanish-Speaking Students Fare Better with Teachers Also Speaking Spanish
A new study by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC Chapel Hill suggests that Spanish-speaking preschoolers do better in school when their teachers speak at least some Spanish, refuting the common English-only classroom practice.

National Mathematics Advisory Panel Convenes to Discuss the Math Wars
In response to the poor U.S. performance in mathematics compared to other countries and the confusion about how math is being taught in the U.S. (a controversy commonly called the "Math Wars"), the national Mathematics Advisory Panel is convening to advise U.S. policy makers and educators on the various approaches to teaching mathematics.

The Task of Making Evidence-Based Practice a Reality
A new article from the Council for Exceptional Children discusses the difficulties in making the concept of evidence-based practices a reality by bringing it to teachers and giving them the time, tools, and resources needed to implement the practices.

DAISY Consortium Adopts Accessible Mathematics Materials
On March 21, the DAISY Consortium, an international industry standards organization, has announced that it has adopted the Specification for a Digital Talking Book Modular Extension for Mathematics, helping to make a brighter future for students who have been searching for accessible materials to study math and science.

New Study on How Bonuses Affect Teacher and Student Performances
Researchers at the newly established National Center on Performance Incentives plan to find out if when teachers are faced with the incentive of a bonus, they behave differently, and if this incentive improves student achievement and ultimately attracts more teachers to the field.

High School Students Bored in School
The High School Survey of Student Engagement, a new study conducted by Indiana University, finds that many high school students are bored in class -- with 75% of students attributing lack of interest to the material presented in class, 22% considering dropping out, and 50% reporting they have skipped school.

New Reports Available from the WWC
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, has recently issued new intervention reports -- Beginning Reading, Dropout Prevention, Early Childhood Education, English Language Learning, Middle School Math -- in order to increase the availability of scientifically-based research in education. Also, be sure to read their new reviews of dropout prevention interventions.

Head Start Standardized Preschool Tests May Be Suspended
Congress is moving to end the use of the National Reporting System, a set of standardized tests given to thousands of preschool children through Head Start programs each year since 2003, arguing the exam is developmentally inappropriate and poorly designed.

What Now? Lessons from Michigan About Restructuring Schools and Next Steps Under NCLB
A new report from the Center on Education Policy finds that over half of Michigan's 90 restructuring schools improved student achievement enough to meet state standards for two consecutive years, graduating them from the school improvement designation. Research indicates that schools implementing five or more reforms were most successful.

No Added Benefit Found for Techology-Based Reading and Math Software
An extensive federal study has found no difference in academic achievement between students who use technology-based reading and math software in their classrooms and those that use other methods.

Final Regulations Released for Development of Tests for Special Education Students
The U.S. Department of Education has released the final regulations for creating tests for students in special education who can learn grade-level material but who do so slower than their peers. The tests will replace other options such as taking general assessments or tests designed for students with cognitive impairments.

Children in Childcare Have Better Vocabulary, More Behavioral Problems
The largest U.S. analysis of child care and development from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development finds that children who spend more than ten hours per week in the care of someone other than their mother have better vocabulary skills but more behavioral problems by fifth and sixth grade than their peers.

The Future of Children Journal Addresses Teacher Quality
The spring edition of The Future of Children Journal focuses on the improvement of teacher quality in an effort to close the achievement gap -- by broadening entry requirements, identifying and promoting effective teachers, increasing pay to teachers who work in challenging schools, and promoting meaningful professional development.

100% Proficiency Unattainable, Education Historian Says
In this opinion article from the Huffington Post, education historian Diane Ravitch discusses No Child Left Behind, and how 100% proficiency for every student is an unattainable goal unless the word is redefined to mean functional literacy.

New Adolescent Literacy Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program
The National Academy of Education, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, is establishing a new pre-doctoral fellowship program to support doctoral research focused on strengthening and stimulating adolescent literacy education. Twenty fellows will each be selected to receive $25,000 over a two-year period. Applications will be accepted from June 1, 2007 through December 1, 2007. Call (202) 334-2341 for more information.

How Community Colleges Contribute to Equity in Education and the Workforce
On May 21-22 the Educational Testing Service, in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges, will co-convene a symposium titled How Community Colleges Contribute to Equity in Education and the Workforce, examining the latest research and ideas for policies and practices as community colleges seek to close the achievement gap.

Director of Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education Speaks to Committee on Appropriations
EdNews.org has released comments made by Robert Slavin, Director of the Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education to the Committee on Appropriations regarding the need for accelerated development and evaluation of programs critical to No Child Left Behind.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and Get Ready to Read! (PDF)
NCLD's early literacy initiative, Get Ready to Read! has been featured in an article in the American Academy of Pediatrics News Magazine, focusing on its use in pediatric exam rooms or reception areas.

Interview with Dr. Sharon Griffin on Early Math Learning
The Foundation for Child Development has published an interview, from the Harvard Education Letter, with Dr. Sharon Griffin of Clark University on how cognitive science research on the development of children’s mathematical thinking can inform math instruction from Pre-K programs through grade three.

NCLD Executive Director Selected as Member of NIH Council of Public Representatives
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected NCLD’s Executive Director, James Wendorf, as one of four new members of the Director's Council of Public Representatives (COPR), an advisory committee to the NIH Director on issues of public importance. Syed Ahmed, Linda Crew, and Ann-Gel Palermo were also selected.