We Won’t Get an Educational Return without First Making an Investment

If we want to prepare students to win, we adults have to be willing to invest the resources that it takes to achieve victory. House Bill 1135 allows Hoosier students who earn a score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement Exam to receive college credit toward a degree if they attend an Indiana public institution of higher education. What will it take to make this a "win-win" for students and our state? Read full article.

Everyone Needs to Care About Kids Graduating from High School!

There’s something exciting going on in our community: more and more people are beginning to realize that making sure that every young person graduates from high school prepared to become a positive, productive citizen is something that we all have to care about.

It not just schools and parents that need to care; so do business leaders, neighborhood activists, media personalities, sports stars, retail store owners, law enforcement, healthcare workers, government officials, and anyone else who want us to have a vibrant, safe, and healthy community.

Maybe we are beginning to genuinely understand that the positive development of young people is the responsibility--not just of some--but of the entire community. That really is exciting!

Listen to what John Brandon, MCCOY's president, had to say on 93 WIBC Saturday March 6, 2010. And here's more of the conversation with Mitch Roob, Secretary of Commerce for the State of Indiana.

Childhood Stress and Poverty Reduce Working Memory

A study led by Gary W. Evans, a professor of human ecology at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., recently linked childhood stress and poverty to reduced working memory function in late adolescence. Reading about it in the Washington Post (you may need to register to access the article), I started thinking about the impact that our current economic situation may have on young people, as well as how caring adults and family members can limit the negative aspects of that impact.

The study concluded that (1) when poverty conditions were present in a 9- to 13-year old's life and (2) when that young person had high levels of stress-related hormones, they demonstrated reductions in working memory (basically short-term memory). As poverty or stress levels increased in study participants, working memory function decreased in later adolescence.

As our community faces higher unemployment rates and Indianapolis consistently ranks in the top three metropolitan area for foreclosure rates, youth are surely being impacted. After a quick internet search for research-based practices to support youth during difficult economic times, I found a great overview and list of related articles from the American Phychological Association. One article is all about talking to children about the economy and inviting them into a discussion. It's amazing how small discussions can go so far in mitigating negative results in youth!

Of course, this article also provokes some thought about how our community as a whole needs to address underlying social and economic issues if we truly want equal opportunities for all our youth. Discussions are important, but quick-fixes might not go far enough to fight the long-term impact on memory among these youth.

A related quote from the study's author:

"It's not just 'Read to our kids and take them to the library,' " he said. "We need to take into account that chronic stress takes a toll not only on their health, but it may take a toll on their cognitive functioning."