Stay informed with the latest public health research, insights, and evidence-based analysis from our team of experts.
Do you know how many hours of screen time your child logs in each day? A recent study conducted in Pune, India, uncovered that children with more than four hours of daily screen time had a 28.8 times increased risk of being overweight or obese. That’s twenty-eight point eight times more likely. That’s a jaw-dropping […]
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Did you know that the average child laughs 300 times a day, while adults only manage a mere 17? And yet, despite those giggles, many children in classrooms are quietly battling mental health challenges. It’s a stark reminder that a child’s world isn’t just play and laughter—it’s a complex blend of emotions, learning challenges, and […]
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A ninth grader logs in from their bedroom. No hallway noise. No late bell. No awkward group work. On paper, it looks like the perfect setup for a stressed-out teen. But here’s the gut punch: students who attend fully online cyber charter high schools are far less likely to graduate, go to college, or stick […]
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A seventh-grader starts asking to stay home more often. Not every day—just Mondays. Then Fridays. Their grades haven’t crashed. No bruises. No dramatic outbursts. Just stomachaches, headaches, and a quiet shift from chatty to withdrawn. Here’s the gut-punch: this is what bullying often looks like before adults recognize it as bullying. And according to a […]
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This article is cross-posted with our friends over at This Week in Public Health. Human trafficking is a widespread crisis throughout Central America, capturing countless children, women, and men into modern slavery. From forced labor on farms to sexual exploitation in illegal brothels, trafficking in persons violates fundamental human rights and creates serious public health […]
Read more →We used to call my High School Vice Principal, the one who was in charge of discipline, Dr. Doom. School discipline is a topic that often sparks heated debates among educators, parents, and policymakers. While punitive measures may seem like a straightforward solution, recent research in educational psychology calls for a more nuanced understanding. Evidence […]
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At 8:17 a.m., a second grader melts down over a broken pencil. By lunchtime, a middle schooler snaps at a teacher for asking them to redo an assignment. By dismissal, a kindergartener refuses to get on the bus. We often call these “behavior problems.” But what if part of the story is happening at home—long […]
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Last year, a middle school teacher told me about a student who walked into class after winter break and announced, “I stayed up until 4 a.m. every night playing my new game. I’m basically nocturnal now.” Everyone laughed. But by February, the same student was falling asleep in class, missing assignments, and showing up without […]
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If you’ve been looking for a way to move anti-racism in school psychology from statements to sustained action, Division 16 (School Psychology) of the American Psychological Association has opened a timely opportunity worth your attention. The Division 16 Anti-Racism Action Grants are designed as catalyst grants—small but strategic awards intended to spark larger, long-term projects […]
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I know our educator and teacher friends are checking out over the next few weeks. The Science keeps flowing, though. We’ve been working on something on youth trafficking that should be ready in the new year. Here’s some of the news stories we’re watching. Most schools are wary of AI. This one is embracing it. […]
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