The expansion of a parent-involvement strategy in which teachers make scheduled visits to their students' homes promises to yield insights into how those visits might be used to improve outcomes for students and sustain engagement by parents in their children's academics.

Though the economic downturn has affected some of the expansion, districts, philanthropists, and teachers' unions have poured funding into a variety of new teacher home-visit projects over the past five years. Many of them are taking steps to track the results of their efforts, determine their impact on student behavior and academics, and make adjustments to the programs along the way.  Find out the details! 

Creative Interventions to Assess Children and Families

"Introduction:  Practitioners who provide counseling to children are typically looking for ways to conduct comprehensive assessments on their clients so they can develop effective treatment plans that are directed by the uniqueness of the child and his or her family.  This article will outline key guidelines for conducting focused clinical assessments on children and their families, and will present a number of creative, structured assessment techniques."  Read the rationale for conducting a thorough assessment and creative ways to intervene in the process as described by the author, Liana Lowenstein. 

FERPA: Family Education Rights and Privacy Act   

The U.S. Department of Education released [today] Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies, a new report summarizing current approaches in the 46 states with anti-bullying laws and the 41 states that have created anti-bullying policies as models for schools.

The report shows the prevalence of state efforts to combat bullying over the last several years. From 1999 to 2010, more than 120 bills were enacted by state legislatures from across the country to either introduce or amend statutes that address bullying and related behaviors in schools. Twenty-one new bills were enacted in 2010 and eight additional bills were signed into law through April 30, 2011.

Out of the 46 states with anti-bullying laws in place, 36 have provisions that prohibit cyber bullying and 13 have statutes that grant schools the authority to address off-campus behavior that creates a hostile school environment.  Complete press release.  Download full 2011 report.

Transformational Leadership     

Abstract:  A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to enhance the personal and social skills of children and adolescents indicated that, compared to controls, participants demonstrated significant increases in their self-perceptions and bonding to school, positive social behaviors, school grades and levels of academic achievement, and significant reductions in problem behaviors. The presence of four recommended practices associated with previously effective skill training (SAFE: sequenced, active, focused, and explicit) moderated several program outcomes. One important implication of current findings is that ASPs should contain components to foster the personal and social skills of youth because youth can benefit in multiple ways if these components are offered. The second implication is that further research is warranted on identifying program characteristics that can help us understand why some programs are more successful than others.  Click here for full article.

Study: Dating Violence Common Among Teens in the ER  

More than half of teens and young adults treated at an inner-city emergency room said they had experienced dating violence, either as a victim or a perpetrator, in a new study. The abuse includes both physical and sexual violence, from hitting and kicking to forced sex. Both girls and boys reported high rates of partner violence, but girls were much more likely to fear getting seriously injured, researchers reported in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.  Read more. 

Eating Disorders in Adolescents: Strategies for the Primary Care Provider 

The fellowships are intended to support doctoral students for work done after the successful defense of their dissertations. Although applicants must be candidates for a doctoral degree at a graduate school in the United States, they need not be U.S. citizens. Applications are encouraged from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to education, sociology, economics, psychology, statistics, and psychometrics.

The fellowship is a one-time award of up to $25,000, which may be used for a period of not less than nine months and up to eighteen months. Four fellowships will be awarded.  Complete program information and the application form are available at the Cooke Foundation Web site.  Deadline:  February 3, 2012.  Link to complete RFP. 

Libri Foundation: Books for Children 

TheLibri Foundation Books for Children Grants donate new, quality, hardcover children's books for small, rural, public libraries across the country. Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: Libraries should be in a rural area, have a limited operating budget, and an active children's department. The average total operating budget of a Books for Children grant recipient must be less than $40,000. Deadline: January 23, 2012.  Application Guidelines.