Research: Cortisol turns some kids into time bombs
I had two big personal takeaways from the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness Foundation‘s excellent conference on early childhood education Feb. 9 at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Although much of the discussion was beyond my level of expertise, I was thrilled to hear the presenters’ ideas for improving social work outcomes. The Kaiser Foundation’s Diane Horm, Michigan State’s Sacha Klein and Steve Sturm evaluated what is working in Oklahoma and Los Angeles. Second, Oklahoma State University’s Jennifer Hayes-Grudo’s and Georgetown University’s Deborah Phillips’ synthesis of research on cortisol levels helped me understand a dilemma that bedeviled school-improvement efforts at Centennial High School during the Great Recession.
Ticking time bombs
When our school dropped to the bottom of the state’s secondary schools, our kids got off the busses agitated, responding to one confrontation after another. Within an hour, our halls would be clear, and high-quality instruction was being conducted in many or most classes. It was the fault of neither our teachers nor our students that, about three hours into each day, the kids became overwhelmed.
By fourth period, unresolved disputes from previous days and nights would take priority, Research: Cortisol turns some kids into time bombs - NonDoc:
