Oct 19, 2018, [New York City] Education Dive: NYC ups spending for student support staff, but some say it still isn't enough https://www.educationdive.com/news/nyc-ups-spending-for-student-support-staff-but-some-say-it-still-isnt-eno/539932/ Since New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took office in 2014, his administration has spent almost $1 billion to provide schools with extra resources: establishing health clinics in more than 200 schools, providing schools access to mental health services and investing another $17 million annually in Single Shepherd, an organization that provides more than 100 extra social workers and counselors to needy school districts. … There is evidence of the benefits schools reap from having more existing student support. A 2011 study found that hiring an additional school counselor can be more effective than reducing class sizes and can help improve student achievement. Another study indicated that student suspension rates decreased in proportion to the number of school counselors available. And other studies show an increase in mental health professionals can improve student safety and reduce violence….
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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