science wire

With New Year's resolutions upon us, new research from the University of Alberta offers encouragement for parents who want to achieve fitness for the whole family.

An independent report, published today by the Academies Commission, has outlined key priorities to ensure the success of academies in the future.

ANN ARBOR-With the official start of winter, Michigan will surely have days of snow and icy roads-making driving more dangerous for even the most experienced adult drivers, but especially for teen drivers.

In the wake of the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, the Australian Child and Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network (ACATLGN) based at ANU, has cautioned parents, carers and healthcare professionals to be mindful of the impacts this tragedy could have on Australian children.

Michael Arthur, currently Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds, has today been confirmed as the new President and Provost of UCL.

GPs and other primary care professionals need to warn parents about safely storing medicines and other hazardous household products in an effort to cut the number of poisonings among pre-school children, a study has said.

ANN ARBOR-While it may come as no surprise that parents who talk on cell phones, send texts or eat and drink while driving have teenagers who are more likely to do the same, what teens think their parents do behind the wheel matters more than what mom or dad say they do.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Sibling conflict represents parents' number one concern and complaint about family life, but a new prevention program - designed and carried out by researchers at Penn State - demonstrates that siblings of elementary-school age can learn to get along. In doing so, they can improve their future health and well-being.

Education :Catriona May: (03) 8344 3357 / 0435 960 030 / UoM : Katherine Smith (03) 8344 7263/ Whitlam Institute : Amy Sambrooke (02) 9685 9072/ 0421 784 253 /      NAPLAN is having the unintended side-effect of narrowing teaching strategies and the curriculum, according to the first national study into its impact.

Digital technologies in the classroom must go hand in hand with innovative teaching to have a true impact on educational achievements, research involving academics at The University of Nottingham has shown. The academics from Nottingham's Learning Sciences Research Institute , in collaboration with the London Knowledge Lab , say that — just like traditional school resources — the key to success is the way in which digital technologies like interactive whiteboards, laptops and tablets are used.

Researchers designing and testing the 'classroom of the future' have found that multi-touch, multi-user desks can boost skills in mathematics.

Big brothers and sisters have long been said to torment their younger counterparts but new research by the University of Sheffield shows they can actually increase the chances of their siblings living to adulthood.

Charles Poon got his first taste of education with an international flavour when he left his native Hong Kong to check out potential schools in Australia.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Technology can serve as a tool to bridge the digital divide, but it is unlikely to be a complete solution in helping people find jobs and escape poverty, according to a Penn State researcher.

Last Thursday, on 8 November, Lund University’s new large-scale laboratory – the digital classroom – was inaugurated. It is the largest and most well-equipped lab of its kind in the world and attracts researchers from many countries. Using 25 eye trackers to measure eye movement, it is possible to analyse how children learn and how they solve different problems.

Dental services and teaching at the renowned Glasgow Dental Hospital and School have been given a major boost thanks to the completion of a £2.5 million refurbishment programme.

Parents are concerned about food marketing and the way it impacts their children's eating habits and would support policies to limit the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children, according to a study from Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

—Professor Morag Styles Ruby Redfort is a genius code-breaker, super-smart, ice-cool and gadget-laden.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Crime, gang activity and other problems of disordered neighborhoods decrease nonresident fathers' involvement with their children, but it doesn't have the effect on fathers who live with their children in two-parent households, a recent study indicates. The findings are noteworthy because a number of federal and state initiatives seek to promote fathers' engagement with their children, and the study suggests that different factors may influence unmarried fathers' abilities or willingness to stay involved in their children's lives if they live apart.

Although four state governments in Australia have now apologised for forced adoption of the babies of single mothers in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, it is a little-known fact that the practice is an ongoing reality faced by thousands of Australians.

23 October 2012 Parental involvement is a central element of an international clinical trial aimed at improving the survival of premature or low birth weight babies. Led by the University of Sydney, the project has just received $2.2 million in funding and will take place in intensive care units in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

The Regional Burn Center and Emergency Departments at UC San Diego Health System - along with the California Poison Control System - San Diego Division located at UC San Diego Medical Center - offer the following safety precautions to help parents and guardians make Halloween safe this year.

High-risk children adopted from foster care do equally well when placed with gay, lesbian or heterosexual parents, UCLA psychologists report in the first multi-year study of children adopted by these three groups of parents.

While many Latino children enter school hampered by weak preliteracy skills, a new program tied to Head Start successfully equips parents to close these gaps, according to findings out today from the University of California, Berkeley. School success for Latino children is becoming increasingly important: Today, one in five American children is Latino, and by 2030 the ratio is projected to reach one in three.

15 Oct 2012 Parents from poorer backgrounds are less likely to encourage their kids to finish high school, according to a new analysis from the University of Melbourne.

4 Oct 2012 Parents shouldn't be surprised when their teenage girls want to dress like strippers or porn stars because that's what modern society tells them is desirable, according to University of Melbourne cultural researcher.

2 October 2012 Cutting screen time and not rewarding children's good behaviour with sweets are among the steps parents could take to reduce overweight and obesity in children before they start school, according to research by the University of Sydney. The study, led by Louise Hardy , from the School of Public Health and published in the journal Preventive Medicine also showed many parents do not realise their children have a weight problem.

The Children's Minister Edward Timpson MP has launched an Oxford research centre that sets out to improve the lives of foster children and young people in care.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Not all aggressive children are aggressive for the same reasons, according to Penn State researchers, who found that some kindergartners who are aggressive show low verbal abilities while others are more easily physiologically aroused. The findings suggest that different types of treatments may be needed to help kids with different underlying causes for problem behavior.

Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy. Three experiments by a team of researchers led by psychologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison tie heavy pacifier use as a young child to poor results on various measures of emotional maturity.

Divorce is difficult for any family, but for young children it can lead to long-term behavioral problems not experienced by older children or by children of unwed parents who separate, according to a

The university has created an advisory group of parents to help it understand how to curb risky drinking among students.