Children’s belief in the reliability of the adults in their lives may be more important than we realize—affecting their short-term decisions and possibly even their future success. In this post, I’m going to explore a classic study on self-regulation in children and new research developments.
The high school in your community offers counseling to struggling students but has little connection with the local mental health providers . . . Your sprawling town offers a variety of social services, but they are not coordinated in any way, making it hard for leaders to share resources and knowledge that can help them accomplish common goals . . . Your new anti-bullying team needs buy-in from local school administrators and community members to help its efforts take root . . .
By Kim Storey
By Laura Towvim
When tragedy strikes at a school—such as the unthinkable event at Sandy Hook Elementary—the nation mourns. Soon after, politicians, special interest groups, and parents demand decisive action to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again. Schools may propose quick-fix security measures—locked doors, armed teachers or guards, security cameras, metal detectors.
By Erica Macheca
The phrase “Early Warning Systems” brings to mind the smoke detector in my kitchen and the ear-piercing alert it delivers when dinner prep isn’t going well. If you’ve never heard of Early Warning Systems in the context of students, the same analogy can still apply: When a student begins to “smoke” by showing a discernible number of negative indicators—absenteeism, academic failure, multiple office referrals—an “alarm” (of sorts) goes off, alerting the school that swift action is needed to help the student get back on track.
