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Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs, now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head behind Christopher Robin. It is as far as he knows the only way of coming downstairs, but somewhere he feels there is another way, if only he could stop for a moment and think of it.'-- A A Milne School reform reminds me of the above quote concerning Christopher Robin and Pooh. Note: Our Children are in need of much more support that far exceeds new standards, new curriculum, new teaching techniques and...

Poor, black neighborhoods have persisted in America for decades. And despite a few public-policy efforts to make things better—which include helping families move to other neighborhoods, getting better jobs for parents, and placing children in better schools—there are some signs that poverty is becoming even more concentrated in American ghettos. Yet the government’s interventions have amounted to policy tweaks, and haven’t focused enough on the unjust system that created these areas in the...

The election and its aftermath have posed challenges for many. One particularly difficult question that has come up is this: What do we tell our children? The task of explaining to children the complex feelings and ideas around the election is significant. On one hand, there is an understandable, deep desire to shield children from the burdens and divisiveness of the world. On the other hand, one of the joys and burdens of parenting is to equip children to face that very world. How to...

It was supposed to be temporary. In December 2012, the Federal Bureau of Prisons decided to address overcrowding in men's prisons by taking women inmates out of the only federal prison for women in the Northeast, FCI Danbury , and move men in. The inmates were taken to a jail in Brooklyn but were told the move would only be for 18 months, until a new facility could be built for them in Danbury. Three years later, over one hundred women are stuck in two windowless rooms in the Metropolitan...

U.S. Education Secretary John King on Tuesday urged Tennessee and 21 other states to stop allowing corporal punishment in schools, a practice he called “harmful, ineffective, and often disproportionately applied to students of color and students with disabilities.” The nation’s education chief instead advocated the use of disciplinary measures that create a positive school climate and promote nonviolent techniques for conflict resolution. King outlined his concerns in a letter to the...

Working with a child who has experienced chronic, complex trauma and hasn’t yet developed the skills or allowed herself to risk developing a safe, reciprocal, healthy connection is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had as a clinician. I can now look back at Maria, my first long term client in residential care and understand that her constant rejection of my support, impressively skilled ability at pressing buttons I didn’t know I had and motivation to get her...

“Thanksgiving Proves the Indians Welcomed the Pilgrims” Second only to the Columbus discovery story, the Thanksgiving tale is the United States’ quintessential origin narrative. Like the Columbus myth, the story of Thanksgiving has morphed into an easily digestible narrative that, despite its actual underlying truths, is designed to reinforce a sense of collective patriotic pride. The truths are, however, quite well documented. Their concealment within a simplistic story inevitably depicts a...

Abstract Substantial research shows that early adversity, including child abuse and neglect, is associated with diminished health across the life course and across generations. Less well understood is the relationship between early adversity and adult socioeconomic status, including education, employment, and income. Collectively, these outcomes provide an indication of overall life opportunity. We analyzed data from 10 states and the District of Columbia that used the adverse childhood...

ACEs, Adversity's Impact How Childhood Trauma Can Contribute To Developing Cancer as an Adult Few children born to parents with serious mental illness live with both parents while growing up Brain and Biology Brain regulates social behavior differently in males and females, study reveals Science of Childhood Trauma [1 min -- Futures Without Violence] Traumatic Stress May Alter Boys’ and Girls’ Brains Differently Bullying Bullying Often Triggers Fight Response In Kids With Disabilities...

As resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline in Standing Rock, N.D., concludes its seventh month, two narratives have emerged: We have never seen anything like this before. This has been happening for hundreds of years. Both are true. The scope of the resistance at Standing Rock exceeds just about every protest in Native American history. But that history itself, of indigenous people fighting to protect not just their land, but the land, is centuries old. Over the weekend, the situation at...

I just finished watching Paper Tigers and one thing that I found very interesting was how many of the students found art as an expressive outlet. Some students found that drawing, writing or listening to music was what was keeping them alive. I think if we were all to reflect on a time where we sat down and started to draw or listen to our favorite song many can probably relate to that sense of release. I was compelled to do some further research and found a review by Stuckey and Nobel from...

A controversial unit for prisoners with mental illness at Vermont’s second-largest correctional facility is not currently being used. Ed Adams, acting superintendent at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, confirmed Friday that Alpha unit has been largely vacant since mid-September. Though rights advocates welcomed the decreased use of the unit, they are calling on the state to adopt permanent policy changes to discontinue the use of segregation on prisoners with mental...