Education Research Report:
This Week's Education Research Report
This Week's Education Research Report
Study: physical education mandates not enough in most states
Children need quality physical education to combat obesity and lead healthy lives. Georgia elementary schools make the grade when it comes to providing that education, but middle and high schools in the state don't even come close, according to a University of Georgia study. A study by UGA kinesiology professor Bryan McCullick examined the mandates for school-based physical education in all 50 United States. The results found only six states mandate the appropriate guidelines-150 minutes each week-for elementary school physical education. For older students, two states mandate the... more »
More Schools Offering Only Healthy Drink Choices to Children
More schools are offering only healthy choices, like bottled water, 100% juice or lower-fat milk, and fewer schools are offering unhealthy beverages, such as soda, sports drinks and higher-fat milk, according to University of Illinois at Chicago researchers. However, they also found that unhealthy beverages remain available to one third of public elementary school students. The researchers examined the availability of competitive beverages in U.S. public elementary schools for five academic years, from 2006–07 to 2010–11. Competitive beverages are those sold by schools outside of ... more »
National Indian Education Study 2011
The National Indian Education Study (NIES) is designed to provide information about the academic performance of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in reading and mathematics, as well as their exposure to Native American culture. In 2011, the study was administered to students at grades 4 and 8 as part of the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Key findings from the National Indian Education Study 2011 include: • In 2011 mathematics, AI/AN students scored lower on average than non-AI/AN students at both grades 4 and 8. In both grades, the score... more »
Study suggests teen sexting prevalent, may be linked to sexual behaviors
A study of students at seven public high schools in Texas suggests that "sexting" was prevalent and may be linked to teens' sexual behaviors, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. Sexting (a combination of the words sex and texting) is the practice of electronically sending sexually explicit images or messages from one person to another. The study background suggests pediatricians, policy makers, schools and parents have insufficient information about the nature and importance of teen sexting becau... more »
Genes may play role in educational achievement, study finds
Researchers have identified genetic markers that may influence whether a person finishes high school and goes on to college, according to a national longitudinal study of thousands of young Americans. The study is in the July issue of Developmental Psychology, a publication of the American Psychological Association. "Being able to show that specific genes are related in any way to academic achievement is a big step forward in understanding the developmental pathways among young people," said the study's lead author, Kevin Beaver, PhD, a professor at the College of Criminology and ...more »
Rest/Reflection Is Critical for Development and Well-Being
As each day passes, the pace of life seems to accelerate – demands on productivity continue ever upward and there is hardly ever a moment when we aren’t, in some way, in touch with our family, friends, or coworkers. While moments for reflection may be hard to come by, a new article suggests that the long-lost art of introspection —even daydreaming — may be an increasingly valuable part of life. In the article, published in the July issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, psychological scientist Mary Helen Immordino-Ya... more »
Kids with behavior problems, disabilities bullied more, more likely to bully others
Students receiving special-education services for behavioral disorders and those with more obvious disabilities are more likely to be bullied than their general-education counterparts – and are also more likely to bully other students, a new study shows. The findings, published in the Journal of School Psychology, highlight the complexity of bullying's nature and the challenges in addressing the problem, said lead author Susan Swearer, professor of school psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "These results paint a fairly bleak picture for students with disabilities ... more »