A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
More than 7 percent of American schoolchildren are taking at least one medication for emotional or behavioral difficulties, a new government report shows. Apparently, the medications are working: More than half of the parents said the drugs are helping their children, according to the report. - Serena Gordon via One in 13 US schoolkids takes [...]
You may have read my column a couple of weeks ago about how schools are banning playground games because students lacked the resilience or social skills to handle losing. This week I came across research from Deakin University and VicHealth that supported the idea that younger Australian kids are “bubble wrapped” more than their UK [...]
A new Florida State University study has found that adolescent boys who are hurt in just two physical fights suffer a loss in IQ that is roughly equivalent to missing an entire year of school. Girls experience a similar loss of IQ after only a single fighting-related injury. via Injuries from teen fighting deal a [...]
Last Friday I spent the day at the Student Wellbeing Action Network (SWAN) Symposium co-hosted by Wellbeing Australia and the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY). The day brought together policy makers, researchers, practitioners, teachers and – most importantly for me – students to talk about how approaches to wellbeing can be [...]
Underage drinking has become increasingly popular among high school and college students, and so have the costs of care for underage drinkers who go too far. Studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) show that an increase in underage drinking has been seen [...]
As the Fairfax media reports that more parents than ever were withdrawing their kids from the annual NAPLAN tests I wonder if these tests are even assessing the right things in school. Now I realize the importance of literacy and numeracy – of course I do. But, these tests only measure outcomes. [...]
I'm a bit over this whole 'homework' debate! Research findings across the years seem to come to pretty much the same conclusion - there's a good side and a bad side to homework. Nothing new here. I've been a primary teacher for 25 years and avoided what I considered to be useless and time-wasting 'fillers' [...]
SEXUAL assaults and related offenses committed by school-aged children have almost quadrupled in four years. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that between 2007 and 2011 the number of offenses jumped from 430 to 1709 across the nation. Experts believe the greater and easier access children now have to pornographic material via the internet is [...]
The GetYaHeadRight Film Competition has now closed, thanks for your entries everyone! We have received so many great films! The panel of judges will have a hard time choosing the winners. Special Announcement Introducing the Peoples’ Choice Award Have your say! Now it’s your time to choose the best film! View all the Secondary School [...]
YEAR 12 students are about to enter the most sleepless time of their schooling life, with adolescent health specialists overwhelmed during the Higher School Certificate period. Paediatric sleep specialist at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, Chris Seton, is overwhelmed by bookings every September, with only a month to go until students start their written exams [...]
