ICYMI: Most read by educators

Helicopter parenting may harm children

Children who had controlling parents at age 2 were more likely to engage in bad behavior by age 5 and may have lower school productivity at age 10, according to a study from researchers at the University of Minnesota. The findings were based on data from 422 children in the US and Switzerland and “underscore the importance of educating often well-intentioned parents about supporting children’s autonomy with handling emotional challenges,” lead researcher Nicole Perry said.

Students are more likely to pay attention if they have the motivation to do so, according to research by psychologists Barbara Rogoff and Maricela Correa-Chavez. The pair compared white students from California and Maya students from Guatemala and suggested that students from Guatemala may be more motivated to pay attention because their parents give them more autonomy and freedom to set their own goals.

Teachers who want to adopt mindfulness in the classroom should begin by developing their own mindfulness habits, suggests James Butler, the mindfulness specialist for the Austin, Texas, school district. Butler, who recently spoke on the topic with three former students at SXSW EDU, says that mindfulness in schools should focus on how students can be kind — both to themselves and other people.

Educators at a high school in Virginia have adopted a comprehensive approach to helping students with cognitive delays prepare for jobs and to live independently. In this commentary, Amy Schuiteboer, one of the district’s school improvement specialists, shares seven ways to make the approach successful, including using a holistic strategy, engaging the community and using data.