The amount of time young people spend with entertainment media has risen dramatically according to Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year Olds, a new Kaiser Family Foundation study. While researchers have not established a cause and effect relationship between media use and academic performance, it should not come as a [...]

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My son recently asked if he could sign-up for Challenge Day at his school. He had no idea what the day was about, but said other students had highly recommended the program and, more importantly, attending would get him out of an entire day of class.
Am I ever glad I said yes to this request! [...]

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A study at the University of Washington comparing human and electronic teaching methods demonstrates young children learn best through social interaction and finds that the “social aspects of learning are very important at all ages.”
Early childhood test scores and self-control dramatically improve for children who participate in Tools of the Mind, a program that enables [...]

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Dr. Florrie Ng of the University of Illinois built on Dr. Carol Dweck’s praise research (“Brainology: Motivated to Achieve!“) by telling American and Chinese mothers a lie.
During a manufactured break in student testing, Ng informed each mother that her child had performed below average on the first test in a study. Hidden cameras recorded American [...]

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“Students do much better when they believe that doing well is a function of hard work as opposed to innate talent.”
Why do some kids put forth little effort in school while others are motivated to achieve their personal best?
Over the past two decades, the main goal of Brainology, co-founded by Carols S. Dweck, Ph.D. and [...]

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Do you know a child who has been labeled as manipulative, lazy, or naughty? Do you instead see a struggling kid in need of support and understanding? If you believe “children do well if they can,” go ahead and throw negative labels out the window and consider the two major tenets set forth by Dr. [...]

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“Defects in working memory — the brain’s temporary storage bin — may explain why one child cannot read her history book and another gets lost in algebra, new research suggests,” according to a Reuters story.
Working memory allows people to hold and manipulate a few items in their minds, such as a telephone number. For [...]

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The ability of children to self-regulate is developed in make-believe play. And self-regulation is related to executive function; “a better predictor of success in school than a child’s IQ. Children who are able to manage their feelings and pay attention are better able to learn.”
NPR’s Morning Edition has an interesting story on how “old-fashioned [...]

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Involved parents make a big, positive difference in children’s education. If you want to make homework work for your family, here are some ideas from MVParents.com of what you can do, organized by age.
For parents with children ages 6 – 9

Establish a consistent homework routine at a time that works for your family; stick [...]

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Involved parents make a big, positive difference in children’s education. If you want to make homework work for your family, here are some ideas from MVParents.com of what you can do, organized by age.
For parents with children ages birth to 5
At this age, the best things you can do to support your children’s learning [...]

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