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POPSEarly Education Advocates "ecstatic" Obama's appointment of Arne Duncan, and his commitment to fostering early childhood education is cause for tremendous excitement among those who understand the importance of early childhood.
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POPSBrains of low-income kids function differently This UC Berkeley study found detectable differences in the function of the prefrontal cortex (critical for problem solving and creativity) between low-income and higher-income kids. Low frontal lobe response is more likely in kids from low-income families. The authors conclude that environmental factors are tremendously important - simple factors like talking and reading together. The conclusion is simple: Parents matter a lot. The nurture they provide significantly impacts the brain development of their children - and by consequence their later educational and social opportunities.
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POPSEarly intervention reduces violence A study from Duke University published in Child Development Journal points to the early roots of teen violence and finds that early intervention with parents and children can prevent serious violent behavior in adolescence.
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POPSObama's 0-5 plank This plank of Obama's platform has tremendous potential IF it treats parents as responsible and partners with businesses, schools and organizations to empower them.
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POPSBuilding great business The current economic environment is an ideal time to build a great business - because you are forced to make better decisions from the start.
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POPSAAP encourages "true toys" It has come to the time when we need the academy of pediatrics to tell us that blocks and dolls are both good and important.
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POPSOp-ed: invest early in kids This letter from a veteran early intervention advocate gets it right. The first five years set the trajectory of a child's life.
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POPSBBC on parenting and health This BBC summary of recent child development data shows differences along cultural lines (for which the writer uses the term 'ethnic'). What is clear from the data is that parents matter tremendously.
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POPSEducation reform at a critical juncture We are at a point now where leaders and opinion-shapers MUST cast a new way forward that recognizes ALL the stakeholders in education, and enables them to fulfill their roles.
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POPSWisdom from Harlem A social worker in Harlem, stopped by a Business Week reporter, captured well the current financial crisis.
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POPSTeaching kids to work hard This Scientific American article commends teaching kids about how the brain grows so that they understand that "they are agents of their own brain development."
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POPSExtolling hard work, not intelligence This excellent article in The Scientific American commends practices that encourage hard work and a "growth mindset" as more effective than praising kids for being "intelligent."
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POPSOutstanding article on parent-child relationship This article in the Statesman Journal is one of the most thorough journalistic presentations of the importance of the first five years of child development AND the critical role that parents play. Most journalists focus on programs, but Mackenzie Ryan gets it right: Parents are the key.
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POPSEducation spending does not predict success By all measures, US education spending has increased dramatically in the past thirty years. Yet increased spending has not produced correlated achievement gains. It is time to ask if there are better ways to address the educational crisis.
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POPSNewsweek on the "what if" Newsweek obliquely addresses the concern that if Obama loses, there will be civil unrest - whether or not there is any injustice involved.
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POPSPersistince affects student performance This fascinating Scientific American article makes the case that an attitude of persistence and hard work leads to greater learning and achievement. What it doesn't mention (but is also true) is that persistence actually impacts intelligence - gene expression is affected by stimulation and persistence.
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POPSEducation reform blinded by ideology In this helpful critique, Paul Thomas points out how the major voices in education reform are not engaging the fundamental issues: parents and their responsibilities.
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POPSTech giants invest in education Big companies are aiding education that builds their workforce, and consumer-base. But are they addressing the most fundamental issues of education?
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POPSNurture affects physiology A study at the University of Minnesota is finding that nurture in early childhood really does matter to the physical structure of the brain.
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POPSHeritage Foundation points to school choice The issue isn't funding; it isn't even school choice to which the Heritage Foundation points. (Only those who care to choose will.) It is parents, which is why choice helps those who are willing to choose.
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POPSGeoffrey Canada: Education starts very early Geoffrey Canada's bet is right: that getting off to the right start means that you won't need superhuman remediation later. What this quotation doesn't capture is that it is JUST as important to start with PARENTS from birth as it is children.
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POPSEarly childhood education must be "bottom up" The Early Ed Watch blog calls on grassroots innovators to enact change, and policymakers to pay attention to what works on the ground. What the post misses is the role of entrepreneurs (not just philanthropists and educators) to play a critical role in innovation.
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