2008 ASCD Emerging Leader Dwan Jordon was featured for his work as a principal at John Philip Sousa Junior High School in Washington, D.C., on the CBS News series "Where America Stands." Jordon says, "The kids love the school, they love being here; the attendance rate is at 98 percent."

Does the school climate in your school promote or complicate students' ability to learn? Research has shown a relationship between school climate and students' academic achievement, self-esteem, alcohol use and psychiatric problems, absenteeism, and suspensions....

Last week Andre Bauer, the lieutenant governor of South Carolina and a candidate to become the state's next governor, compared providing government assistance to those in need—including school kids eligible for free or reduced price lunches—to feeding stray animals. He claimed that providing such services only encourages breeding and facilitates the problem.

In the United States, the drumbeat for national education standards has grown perceptibly stronger in recent years, with leadership coming from state governors. ASCD Express looks at the complex debate on national standards and asks if creating such a set of standards is even a viable option for the U.S. education system...

Two new resources just added to the Whole Child Research Clearinghouse help educators address two pressing issues in children's health...

Research and common sense reaffirm that focusing on the social and educational atmosphere is critical to student success, yet many schools and districts do not assess climate or include it in school improvement plans. How can schools develop a positive school climate that fosters teaching, learning, and the development of the whole child?

It's a tradition on Saturday Night Live's fake-news segment "Weekend Update" to poke fun at studies that produce really obvious results...

Schools with high trust levels are more likely to be ranked in the top quartile on standardized tests and three times more likely to report gains in reading and math scores. When we educate students without first building a foundation of trust, students are...

 

Educators must take advantage of the impending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to ensure that a comprehensive whole child approach to learning becomes a national priority, writes ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter in this month's "Is It Good for the Kids?" column.

In Edutopia's Schools That Work series, we here at the Whole Child Blog have been getting to know the Jefferson County (Ky.) Public Schools community and its commitment to social and emotional education. Through the CARE for Kids program, learning and teaching is enhanced when students feel supported by caring, qualified adults...