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Articles of Interest

• Struggles Between Parents and Teens are Normal
  Covers the struggles between parents and teens, along with the helpful attitudes and expectations that will ease parent/teen conflicts.
• Educating Children in the New Millennium: Child's Play Commentary
  by Steven T. Webb, Education Week (from October 10, 2007)
  "Many students today are not benefiting from a balance of intellect and imagination. As an American Academy of Pediatrics report published last January notes, changes in the family structure, the highly competitive college-admissions process, and federal education policies have led to reduced time for recess and physical education in many school systems, a fact that has reduced free play and unscheduled time for children."
• Saving for college while paying for private school
  By Tamara Castleman, The Indianapolis Star (from September 19, 2007)
  "Middle-income families can save for college while paying private-school tuition, though they may have to reframe their expectations about how much they can save."
• Yes, You Can Afford Private School: "Here at The Motley Fool, we're celebrating back-to-school days with financial advice for parents, kids, and students of all ages."
• MSNBC.com Article: Should preschools teach all work and no play?
  
  Here's a dilemma for parents of 3- or 4-year-olds: When it comes to selecting a preschool, do you go for the one that calls itself an "academic" preschool or do you enroll your child in the fun place?

• The Learning Compact Redefined: A Call to Action
  A Report of the Commission on the Whole Child

  The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) convened the Commission on the Whole Child in January and July 2006. Composed of leading thinkers, researchers, and practitioners from a wide variety of sectors, the Commission was charged with recasting the definition of a successful learner from one whose achievement is measured solely by academic tests, to one who is knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically inspired, engaged in the arts, prepared for work and economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond formal schooling.

  View/Download the report

• Rethinking Recess
  
  As More Schools Trim Breaks, New Research Points to Value Of Unstructured Playtime
  
  By ANNE MARIE CHAKER, Oct. 10, 2006, The Wall Street Journal.
  Does recess deserve to get a reprieve? Schools have been trimming fixed periods of unstructured playtime for years, citing mounting pressure from federal-testing requirements and concerns over playground accidents that can lead to lawsuits. Now, national groups representing parents and pediatricians are stepping in to champion more playtime, as a growing body of research points to the benefits of the kind of free play that can't be found in gym class.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a report titled: The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds.
  
  The report emphasizes the need for young children to be given ample opportunities for child-centered play, socialization, non-screen related activity, time spent out of doors, and with families. It cautions parents against over-scheduling children and the increased stress and pressure today’s children are feeling due to an overabundance of extracurricular activities and inappropriate academic challenge. The School in Rose Valley has for over 75 years supported this stance through our developmentally appropriate curricula, our emphasis on outdoor education, and our commitment to children's social, emotional and physical development as well as their academic development.

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