Boarding Schools for Girls

In an effort to increase educational opportunities for all students, a coeducational public primary school in New Zealand's Central Otago district is implementing single-sex classrooms for the first time, according to a Jan. 30 article by Rosie Manins of the Otago Daily Times:

Central Otago Principals Association chairman Doug White said it was the first time a school in the district (where all schools are co-educational) had separated gender classes.

Mr White said such separations had been successfully implemented at other schools throughout New Zealand &

Teachers and school staff had been toying with the idea for the past two years, and decided to implement it after analysing the performance of pupils heading into year 7 and 8 this year.

"It appeared to us that the boys and girls worked and learned differently, and this was a way in which we could address those different needs," Mr Bell said.

Labels: public-schools

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The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any developed country. But a recently completed two-year study indicates that abstinence-only programs may help reverse that trend.

A Feb. 10 MercuryNews.com article by correspondent Tom McMahon provided the following information about the study, which was led by John B. Jemmott III, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania:

• Students were assigned to attend one of five classes.
  
• With 662 urban students between the ages of 11 and 13 participating, researchers found that only 33.5 percent of the students who went through classes that focused on abstinence started having sex in the next two years.
  
• In contrast, 48.5 percent of students who attended other classes, including details on contraception, became sexually active.

"One of the things that's exciting about this study is that it says we have a new tool to add to our repertoire," Monica Rodriguez, vice president for education and training at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, said in Rob Stein's Feb. 2 Washington Post article.

Labels: pregnancy, sex-education

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Can your high school student balance a checkbook? Does she understand how much of her car loan payment is going for interest -- or know how to calculate annual percentage rate charges on her credit card?

More and more high schools are teaching courses in personal finance, and many experts believe these may be the most important skills a young person can learn.

"It is one of the most important things we can be teaching students because it will affect them for the rest of their lives," said Sheila Miller, who teaches high school students about banking and personal finance.

Daniel Hebert, president of New Hampshire JumpStart Coalition, noted that new laws will soon make it illegal to issue credit cards to young people under 21 years old without proof of adequate income or an adult cosigner. He said while the new laws will help, teenagers still need to learn personal finance as a skill for adulthood.

Labels: finance

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Teenage girls are driving more aggressively, even as teenage boys are taking fewer risks behind the wheel, according to new research from Allstate Insurance Company.

• 16 percent of the girls said they were very aggressive while driving, compared to only 9 percent of girls in 2005
• Among boys, reports of aggressive driving declined from 20 percent in 2005 to 13 percent in 2009.
• Almost 30 percent of girls admit to speeding 10 miles per hour over the speed limit compared to 20 percent of boys
• 25 percent of girls said they text while driving, compared to 15 percent of boys.

"As more young women participate in activities like competitive sports and take on a more assertive lifestyle, they are narrowing the gender gap when it comes to risk taking in all the aspects of their life, " said Dr. Alan Williams of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teenagers in the United States, and most crashes involve speeding, driver distraction, and driver error.

Labels: teenagers, driving

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A study of teenage girls in Great Britain found that 46 percent did not get the minimum daily requirements for nutrition, and only one in 10 consumed the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables daily.

The study also found that most teen girls did not eat enough food, and when they did, they consumed mostly sodas, sweets, and chocolate.

The study, from the National Center for Social Research, collected data from more 1,000 people who kept food diaries.

Labels: teenagers, nutrition

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Some teenagers deliberately hurt themselves by cutting or burning their skin, dangerous behaviors that are often associated with teen girls -- and which are becoming more common.

• In 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available, about 400,000 teenagers required medical treatment for self inflicted injuries.
  
• One study found a 27 percent increase in such injuries between 1997 and 2007.
  
• Estimates are that 20 percent of teenagers have tried self injury at least once, and 10 percent have repeatedly engaged in this behavior.

When asked why they injure themselves, many teens answer that the behavior is a way to keep anger, sadness, rejection, and other negative emotions from overwhelming them. One theory is that self injury produces a release of natural painkillers called endogenous opioids that are calming and addictive.

According to Dr. Theodore Beauchaine, professor of psychology at the University of Washington and director of the Child and Adolescent Adjustment Project, self injuring behavior can be "contagious," in that one teen teaches another. He noted that there are Internet websites where teenagers share information about self injuring behaviors.

The reason that parents should be concerned if their child is participating in self injuring behaviors is that such individuals have a significantly increased risk of committing suicide.

Labels: cutting, self-injury

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A Massachusetts mother whose daughter died after an evening of heavy drinking is suing other teenagers who were with her.

Kathi Meyer told reporters that her case was not about money, but rather about raising awareness of how teen binge drinking can lead to tragedy.

Meyer's daughter, Taylor. was 17 years old in October 2008 when she and friends were celebrating after a high school football game. They went to some parties, and then to an abandoned airport, and finally to forest near a swamp area. Three days later Taylor's body was recovered from the swamp.

Five of the defendants are under 18 years old and were drinking that night with Taylor. Meyer told reporters that the only consequences these teens received included a $50 fine and eight hours of community service

"The people involved in the circumstance of Taylor's passing definitely did not realize how much they contributed to it," Kathi Meyer said. "We're suing 17-year-old kids, and it's not about the money. It's about the principle in owning the accountability and hopefully, they will make a change."

Labels: alcohol, binge drinking

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Teachers of young children who believe that girls are not talented at math tend to communicate that stereotype to their female students. These students, in turn, do more poorly at math than students of teachers who do not have such stereotypes, according to a new study from the University of Chicago.

Professors Sian Beilock and Susan Levine studied 17 first and second grade female teachers at the beginning and end of a school year. Some of them expressed a lack of confidence in their own abilities in mathematics.

"The more anxious the teachers were about math, the more likely it was that girls believed, 'Boys are good at math and girls are good at reading,'" the authors said in a report presented before the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

Worried that your daughter's teachers may be providing her with substandard motivation, feedback and support? Learn more about the many effective girls' boarding schools that are dedicated to developing healthy, happy and highly educated young women.

Labels: school, math, teachers

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The Ohio House of Representatives has passed a law that will require public schools to educate students in grades kindergarten through 12 about dating violence. The law also requires certain school staff members to take training about dating violence by October 2011, and then every five years after that.

The law goes into effect March 29, 2010.

A Feb. 8 article on BucyrusOnline.com that reported on the new law also provided the following information from the U.S. Department of Justice about dating violence and other forms of relationship abuse:

• About one in three high school students have been or will be involved in an abusive relationship.
• Forty percent of teenage girls ages 14 to 17 say they know someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.
• One study found that 38 percent of date rape victims were young women from 14 to 17 years of age.
• In 1995, 7 percent of all murder victims were young women who were killed by their boyfriends.

Labels: relationships, violence, abuse

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Obese girls who read a novel about an overweight teen's struggle lost more weight than did girls who read a "weight neutral" novel or did not read any novel at all, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

• Researchers divided 33 obese girls into three groups.
  
• One group read a novel about an overweight girl who goes rock climbing, hiking, and canoeing after being ridiculed by her classmates.
  
• The other two groups either were not assigned to a novel or read one that did not address weight issues.
• There was a small but significant difference in the number of pounds lost by those who read the novel that addressed being overweight, said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, director of the Healthy Lifestyles Program at Duke University.

"This provides hope to parents that something as simple as an inspiring novel can help kids make healthier choices and lower their risk of illness," Dr. Armstrong said.

Labels: weight loss, obesity, weight-gain, reading

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A worried mom recently wrote into USA Todays Dennie Hughes, asking for advice about her 15-year-old daughter, who is pregnant. The womans husband is insisting that the daughter and her boyfriend get married, but mom isnt sure thats a good idea.

An excerpt of Hughes's response:

Marriage is the last thing anyone should be talking about. You two need to talk to your daughter about her immediate future. According to pregnantteenhelp.org, more than two-thirds of teens who have babies don't graduate from high school, and most unwed teen moms end up on welfare.

First, seek counseling about your daughter's options regarding her pregnancy (the facts on everything from adoption to abortion), and, if she's keeping the child, prenatal care and parenting classes (check local hospitals and community centers for information).

Labels: pregnancy

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