School

Article393

Magnet Schools Explained

Dr. Peter C. Gorman,

Peek around a classroom door at Northwest School of the Arts and see a young dancer perfect her steps. Drop into a classroom at the Smith Language Academy and hear kindergartners receiving classroom instructions in Chinese. Stroll by an open door at Randolph Middle School and catch the sounds of students practicing the Socratic method of inquiry.

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Backpacks = Back pain?

Site Staff,

Up to 33 percent of all children and teens experience back pain, according to the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America. Although there’s little chance a child will suffer permanent injuries from carrying an overloaded backpack, many children do put undue stress on their spines by using bags designed to hold only five or six pounds to support their 15- or even 20-pound loads.

Moving to A New School -- How Parents Can Help

Wake Forest,

Moving to a new school can be difficult for children, but parents can help ease the transition, according to Donna Henderson, professor of counseling at Wake Forest University and co-author of "The Handbook of School Counseling." "The transition from one school to the next is a point at which children have more opportunities for trouble," says Henderson, whose family moved more than a dozen times before she graduated from high school.

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Savoring Life with Preschoolers

Jessica Fisher,

Recently, as I baked cookies with my kids, I watched my 3-year-old lick the plate clean of sprinkles, rather than roll the dough balls in them. It made a classic picture: my little boy Judah looking up mischievously with colored sugar on his face. I reflected on the brevity of this season.

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Socialization Without School

Shelly Bokman,

If you’ve been thinking about homeschooling, you’ve no doubt been asked by concerned friends and family: "But how will she make friends?" "He won’t learn any social skills!" The issue of socialization is the most often asked question presented to homeschooling parents.

Cleaning the Air for Kids

Site Staff,

Each day the routine act of riding a school bus exposes children to a toxic mix of airborne carcinogens and particles from diesel exhaust. Diesel engines have long been known to spew dirty exhaust from their tailpipes, but studies now reveal that levels of diesel pollutants getting inside school buses can be up to four times greater than outside levels.