The University of Chicago led a study observing math test scores of female students over the 2008-2009 school year. The study revealed that first-and second-grade girls scored significantly lower on math tests than their peers after spending a year with a teacher anxious about his/her own mathematic abilities.

The Internet isn’t just for kids and computer nerds anymore. In fact, you don’t even have to be computer savvy any longer to have your own Web presence out there among the millions and millions of digital pages. All you need is something to say.

On August 17, 2010, USA Today reported exclusively on research findings from Michigan State University, revealing that the youngest students in their grades are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than their older classmates. A second study conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University came to similar conclusions. Both are scheduled for publication in the Journal of Health Economics.

Night sky observing this October (or for the southern hemisphere, this November) will be one of the best fall shows in decades. Hartley 2, a comet first discovered in 1986, will be the closest to Earth it’s been in decades, promising to add excitement to science classrooms worldwide. And, you don’t have to be a science teacher or student to find this night sky appearance exciting. For anyone with an interest in astronomy, this is something you should be sure to see. And, with several weeks of viewing opportunity, there really isn’t a reason not to steal a glimpse of this newly discovered comet.

Early into this school year, the mom of a middle-school boy posted on Twitter: “Anyone else been told by their child's principal that because they play video games and talk of them at school they will have BIG issues later?” President Barack Obama urged families to “turn off the TV, put away video games, and read to your child.” On the other hand, the government has sponsored an application-design contest, looking for the best mobile-phone games and apps to battle the plague of obesity.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has embraced gaming to help teach children civics. iCivics.com is a Web site free to all schools and students.

In an algebra class in Delaware, students are asked to complete a short series of problems when they arrive in class. First, the teacher sees cooperative learning going on, then moves on to discuss what he calls the drill so that the students will understand what they did right and wrong. Out in Colorado, algebra teacher Karl Fisch approaches his lessons backwards. He flips what we have all come to know as the standard class. Rather than spend time providing the lesson and then having students go home only possibly be frustrated and confused trying to complete the homework, Fisch uses class time to discuss the lesson, when he is there to help them understand it. Students watch the lesson at home on YouTube. Homework, he says is problematic. In the traditional teaching model, he’s found that one group of students “get it” and go home and do the homework correctly. A second group gives up before even trying, for a variety of reasons. The third group will struggle through it and probably do it wrong, which means going over the concept again.

You’ve survived the first rush of the school year—welcoming new and returning faculty and staff to campus, updating them on new policies and procedures, making sure payroll and stipends are all in order, etc. After taking a deep breath, it’s time to … focus on your hiring process? Actually—yes! Even though faculty hiring season is still 4 or 5 months away, now is the time to prepare. “But,” we can hear the objections, “I’m the Business Manager—the Head manages the hiring process. I just issue the contracts the Head tells me to issue; I don’t get involved until after the decisions are made.” While we’re not suggesting the Business Manager needs to own or manage the hiring process, he/she absolutely needs to ensure that a consistent, legally compliant process is in place in your school.

Q: During orientation week, I noticed that a few of our new faculty and staff members have visible tattoos. That sort of thing is generally frowned on here. Can we ask them to cover their tattoos during the school day?

Let’s be honest: “Insurance” is never something that anyone wants to talk or think about, since it has to do with what happens when bad things happen to your school. Yet, it is vitally important for schools to have proper insurance coverage—including “D&O” insurance. We wanted to share a few thoughts regarding this misunderstood but important topic.