What Makes A Nightmare Sports Parent – And What Makes A Great One
Five clear descriptors of the sports parent none of us want to be, paired with five goals we can all aspire toward – this article in ThePostGame is a must-read for parents who want their children to enjoy sports as much as they might excel at them.
The Consequences of Great Expectations
Rates of teen emotional problems and risk behaviors are higher among children from affluent families. This study from Columbia University examines “affluenza’s” potential causes, offering insights for parents and debunking some common assumptions as well.
Need a Job? Invent It
This New York Times article makes the case that education should focus on helping children become “innovation-ready” rather than “college-ready,” so that they can invent their own occupations in what is becoming a dynamic and rapidly-evolving job market.
The Stories that Bind Us
Family stories help connect and fortify family bonds; children who have a sense of their family roots and identity deal more successfully with adversity. This New York Times article reflects the ACS emphasis on family and heritage.
The War Against Boys
New York Times article offering a provocative look at the forces in contemporary society and schools that conspire to limit the potential of boys.
Technology changing how students learn, teachers say
Paul Tough explores the notion of failure as a path to success in this New York Times article.
How to land your kid in therapy
Why the obsession with our kids’ happiness may be dooming them to unhappy adulthoods. A therapist and mother reports in The Atlantic magazine.
21st century fluencies
Helping children attain “digital global citizenship” requires that
teachers and parents cooperate in engineering a major shift from content
mastery to critical thinking, independence, creativity, and
adaptability. This Middle Ground article tackles what it takes to prepare students for the future.
How to raise successful children
Madeline Levine’s New York Times article about raising successful children.
Stanford University’s “Challenge Success Homework White Paper (2012)
A compilation of recommendations for parents after a team at Stanford
evaluated the major homework studies over the past 20 years. You can
download "Changing the conversation about home from from quantity and achievement to quality and engagement."
New York Times article by Matt Richtel discusses the important role of technology.
Redefining success and celebrating the ordinary
New York Times article by Alina Tugend explores the ordinary and the extraordinary.
What if the secret to success is failure?
Sir Ken Robinson: Schools kill creativity
Robinson asks the
question, what will our students need in 2065? How are we preparing them
for this? He believes that creativity is as important as literacy and
discusses this to a packed crowd at a TED Talk.
Shawn Achor: The Happiness Advantage
Achor is a proponent of positive psychology, a reversal of the field's focus on "averages" and pathology. At a TED Talk, he presents research behind his assertion that happiness leads to success rather than the other way around.
"The Blessings of a Skinned Knee" by Wendy Mogel
An excellent resource for parents seeking strategies to raise resilient children. Using the teachings of the Jewish Torah and Talmud, Mogel conveys advice about helping children become independent.
"The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness" by Edward Hallowell, M.D., Ph.D.
What can parents do to shape children who are happy adults? The answers
might surprise you in this book from noted child psychologist and
speaker Dr. Ned Hallowell.
"How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, & the Hidden Power of Character" by Paul Tough
Paul Tough asserts that contrary to our common assumptions about why
some children become successful, it is elements of their character
rather than their ability that become pivotal, especially with regard to
overcoming adversity (even for disadvantaged children). This book also
has provocative guidance for parents, as the author raises concerns
about the ideals and methods prevalent in modern parenting.
"World Class Leaders: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students" by Yong Zhao
What if the educational “reform” movement now underway in America,
emphasizing mastery of content, high test scores, and establishing a
unified central curriculum across the nation, was actually jeopardizing
rather than preparing America’s children for the future? And, what sort
of schools and instructional methods should we be pursuing instead, as
we aim for the creative and entrepreneurial habits that students need to
develop? Yong Zhao addresses both of these important questions in his
pioneering work that is a must-read for parents living in Silicon
Valley.