Category Archives: News & Trends

  • News & Trends – January 15, 2014

    January 2014 Seasonal Affective Disorder Affects Kids, Too     Even as the Arctic Vortex subsides, winter brings gray skies, little sun and shorter days. According to the American Psychiatric Association, winter weather depression — called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — can affect 10 to 20 percent of the population, including children and teens.     Lethargy, irritability, changes […]

  • News & Trends – December 11, 2013

    December 2013 Digital Restraint: Teens and Online Shopping          The holiday season brings a flurry of shopping, no matter one’s age. But teens, in particular, are shopping online, according to a recent survey “Taking Stock With Teens” published by the investment firm Piper Jaffray.        The survey found that 79 percent of teen […]

  • News & Trends – November 13, 2013

    November 2013 Research: Gun Violence in PG-13 Movies Has Tripled       According to Ohio State University researchers, the amount of gun violence shown in PG-13 films has more than tripled since 1985, the year the rating was introduced.     “It’s shocking how gun use has skyrocketed in movies that are often marketed directly at […]

  • News & Trends – October 31, 2013

      October 2013 Study: Cyberbullying Rampant Among High School Students       As Bullying Prevention Month draws to a close, educators, parents and students everywhere know that the challenge to stop the bullying continues every month of the year.     Stories continue to make headlines regarding bullying, cyberbullying and suicides in schools and communities […]

  • News & Trends – October 14, 2013

      October 2013 Study: Peer Pressure Tests Grade-Schoolers, Not Just Teens      In what University of Maryland researchers are calling an investigation into “the group dynamics of childhood,” a new study reports that peer group influences affect children beginning in the elementary school years.     The research, published in a recent issue of […]

  • News & Trends – October 1, 2013

    October 2013 Research Study: Binge Drinking Common Among High School Seniors  A study by University of Michigan and Pennsylvania State researchers, published by JAMA Pediatrics, reports that consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a row is common among high school seniors, with some students engaging in extreme binge drinking of as many as 15 or more drinks. […]

  • News & Trends – September 12, 2013

      September 2013 Gallup Poll: Americans Say U.S. Schools Should Teach “Soft” Skills      While student success may depend upon core subject content like math and reading, other life skills  are viewed as critical for student success. The annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll on American’s attitudes toward public education finds that most Americans believe that today’s […]

  • News & Trends – June 21, 2013

    June 2013 Study: Tobacco in Movies Down; Alcohol Use Up      New research published in JAMA Pediatrics and featured in a recent Education Week Blog, shows that the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), enacted 15 years ago in which the motion picture industry agreed not to pay for product placement in various forms of media, including movies, TV, […]

  • News & Trends – May 31, 2013

      May 2013 Trending: Is Online Privacy Even an Issue for Teens?      According to new research released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, teens are sharing more information about themselves on social media sites than they have in the past, but they are also taking a variety of technical and non-technical […]

  • News & Trends – May 22, 2013

      May 2013 Trending: Connect with Kids Tracks Research on Teen Materialism and Work Ethic      Connect with Kids real and relevant focus on a cultural shift toward narcissism and materialism in today’s youth is now making national news headlines.     The CWK documentary Living from the Inside Out profiles research from Jean M. Twenge, […]

  • News & Trends – April 30, 2013

      April 2013 National Study: Teen Abuse of Rx Drugs Up 33 Percent Since 2008        New survey results from The Partnership at Drugfree.org confirm that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription (Rx) drug at least once in their lifetime, a 33 percent increase over the past five years. Additionally, […]

  • News & Trends – April 22, 2013

      April 2013 School Connectedness: Helping Students Feel Safe and Secure       When the news of the day frightens and bewilders even the most secure adults, how can we help kids to feel the safety and security they need to learn and grow? We know that students who feel connected to their school are […]