The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers

The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers
By DAVID LEONHARDT
How much do your kindergarten teacher and classmates affect the rest of your life?
Economists have generally thought that the answer was not much. Great teachers and early childhood programs can have a big short-term effect. But the impact tends to fade. By junior high and high school, children who had excellent early schooling do little better on tests than similar children who did not — which raises the demoralizing question of how much of a difference schools and teachers can make.
There has always been one major caveat, however, to the research on the fade-out effect. It was based mainly on test scores, not on a broader set of measures, like a child’s health or eventual earnings. As Raj Chetty, a Harvard economist, says: “We don’t really care about test scores. We care about adult outcomes.”
Early this year, Mr. Chetty and five other researchers set out to fill this void. They examined the life paths of almost 12,000 children who had been part of a well-known education experiment in Tennessee in the 1980s. The children are now about 30, well started on their adult lives.
On Tuesday, Mr. Chetty presented the findings — not yet peer-reviewed — at an academic conference in Cambridge, Mass. They’re fairly explosive. ....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/economy/28leonhardt.html?_r=3

Insomnia in Children Can be Dangerous

Missing autistic teen returns homeMissing autistic teen returns home

Police have confirmed to Fox59 News that a missing teenager with autism who had wandered away from his home Tuesday night, has been found. Police said 13-year-old Josh Arnett came back home late Wednesday morning.

http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-police-search-for-missing-autistic-boy-063010,0,103691.story

Sleeping With Your Pet?

Sleeping With Your Pet?

Afraid to admit that you sleep with your pet? We have some good news. It may be therapeutic! Here's how to find out more...... Dr. Mary Rose, Clinical Psychologist, Sleep Specialist, and Director of Psycho-Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine Breast Center is offering two seminars on "Pets and Sleep" at Rover Oaks Pet Resort. The seminars will focus on: the pros and cons of sleeping with pets; how companion animals may facilitate human sleep and overall well-being; the role that dogs can play in treating human sleep disorders including sleep walking and pediatric nightmares; and how humans might negotiate the sleep environment with their pets. Dr. Rose has been involved in the sleep field for over 20 years. In addition to Baylor College of Medicine, she holds academic appointments with the Sleep Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the VAMC Sleep Disorders Clinic. The "Pets and Sleep" seminar will be offered at Rover Oaks Katy on Saturday, July 17 from noon to 1:00 p.m., and at Rover Oaks Houston on Thursday, July 22 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The fee for each seminar is a $25 donation to Schnauzer Rescue of Houston or to Poodle Rescue of Houston. Space is limited, so reservations are required! To register, send an email to steve@roveroaks.com and make sure you identify which seminar you would like to attend (July 17 at Rover Oaks Katy or July 22 at Rover Oaks Houston). Also include the names of any other individuals who would like to come with you. Please note that we will not have space at these seminars for your pet compansions.