Erikson in the news
A roundup of recent media coverage

April 2012
Schools weigh merits, costs of all-day kindergarten
Bonnie Rubin interviewed Chris Maxwell for this Chicago Tribune story on a community fighting to keep its full-day kindergarten program.
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Stay-At-Home Dad: The naked truth
Howard Ludwig interviewed Margret Nickels for this Southtown Star column about deciding when it's no longer appropriate for a parent to be naked in front of his children.
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Editorial: Bowman believed in children
This editorial tribute in the Chicago Sun-Times praised Barbara Bowman's contributions to early childhood education.
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Bowman stepping down as head of CPS' early childhood program
Noreen Ahmed-Ullah interviewed Samuel Meisels for this Chicago Tribune article about Barbara Bowman's tenure as Chicago Public Schools' chief early childhood education officer.
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Comings & Goings: Bowman, principals
Catalyst Chicago announced the end of Barbara Bowman's tenure as Chicago Public Schools' chief early childhood education officer.
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March 2012
Redshirting: Holding kids back from kindergarten
Morley Safer interviewed Samuel Meisels for this 60 Minutes story on redshirting kindergarteners.
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February 2012
Urban Children's Literature in Short Supply, Scholar Says
Lesli Maxwell interviewed Jane Fleming for an Education Week story about Fleming's literature review of transitional chapter books and her findings of almost no Latino characters.
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Deciphering the Super Bowl: XLVI is Greek to Kids
Steve Scott interviewed Jeanine Brownell for this WCBS 880 story about children no longer understanding Roman numerals.
Listen to the interview

January 2012
Why we need to let kids be creative
Carolina A. Miranda interviewed Samuel Meisels for this article published by Parenting Magazine and CNN.com about the effects of standardized testing on creativity in early childhood classrooms. Both versions of the story are available below.
CNN.com
Parenting Magazine

New Program Integrates Math Lessons In All Subjects For Preschoolers
CBS 2 (WBBM-TV) aired a story about the Early Mathematics Education Project and how it has changed Chicago Public Schools teachers' math instruction.
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Are Tablet Computers, Phones OK For Young Kids?
CBS 2 (WBBM-TV) interviewed Chip Donohue, Erikson's director of distance learning, for a story about the trend of more toddlers using iPads and other mobile devices.
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Stay-At-Home Dad: Collect Them All!
Howard Ludwig interviewed Margret Nickels for this Southtown Star column exploring why children like to collect things.
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Deciphering the Super Bowl: XLVI is Greek to Kids
Leanne Italie interviewed Jeanine Brownell for this Associated Press story about children no longer understanding Roman numerals.
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December 2011
Common Core Poses Challenges for Preschools
Jaclyn Zubrzycki interviewed Samuel Meisels and Gillian McNamee for an Education Week story about the Common Core standards' implications for early childhood education.
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November 2011
New Calculation: Math in Preschool
Stephanie Banchero interviewed Jeanine Brownell, Jie-Qi Chen and Jennifer McCray for a Wall Street Journal story about the Early Mathematics Education Project.
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Common Core standards pose dilemmas for early childhood
Valerie Strauss published Samuel Meisels’ guest blog post on the Common Core Standards in the Washington Post.
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Kindergartners, put down your pencils
Dana Goldstein wrote about Samuel Meisels' Work Sampling System for a Slate article about assessing kindergarteners.
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Techno tots
Kathy Brock interviewed Chip Donohue for this ABC 7 (WLS-TV) story about toddlers using iPads.
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October 2011
Child poverty, reading skills in spotlight at Naperville event
Samuel Meisels was quoted in this Chicago Sun-Times article about a symposium focused on developing local strategies to put children on track for success.
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Kindergarteners at the keyboard
Jill Barshay interviewed Chip Donohue for this Hechinger Report article about a Los Angeles first-grade classroom using the "blended learning" approach, in which students learn from computers as well as teachers. This story was also published in the Sacramento Bee.
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September 2011
City enacting new preschool health goals
Rebecca Vevea interviewed Tracy Moran for this Chicago News Cooperative story about her work to help train child care providers to improve the nutritional quality of the food they serve and incorporate more physical activity in their programs. An edited version of the story also appeared in The New York Times.
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Economic downturn could be dangerous for IL kids
The Fussy Baby Network was listed as a resource in this Public News Service article about the increased risk of child abuse during the recession.
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Federal grant expands early math project with a new PreK-3 focus
Rebecca Harris wrote about the U.S. Department of Education's visit to the Early Mathematics Education Project's training session, as well as the project's expansion under the "i3" grant in this Catalyst Chicago article.
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Chicago's i3 winner expands early math focus to 3rd grade
Maureen Kelleher wrote about the U.S. Department of Education's visit to the Early Mathematics Education Project's training session, as well as the project's expansion under the "i3" grant in this Education Week article.
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August 2011
Closing the achievement gap in African-American Boys
Aisha Ray gave a presentation for this Education Week webinar, along with Oscar A. Barbarin III, Hertz Endowed Chair in Psychology at Tulane University.
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Big Brothers Big Sisters short on mentors
Michelle Manchir interviewed Margret Nickels for this Chicago Tribune story about the importance of mentors for children and the decline in availability of programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters.
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Q&A With Samuel Meisels on Early Learning Challenge
Maureen Kelleher interviewed Samuel Meisels for her Education Week blog to get his views on the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge Grant.
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July 2011
On beyond Pre-K
Samuel Meisels expressed his thoughts on the Department of Education's Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge Grant in this guest blog post for New America Foundation's Early Ed Watch. The post was shared and quoted in the blogs In Quotes and The Quick & The Ed and again in a later blog post for New America Foundation.
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Winners and losers
Howard Ludwig interviewed Gil McNamee for this Southtown Star article about whether parents should let their children win at games.
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June 2011
Experts emphasize transition to kindergarten for long-term school success
Rebecca Harris included our New Schools Project in this round-up of initiatives focused on the early childhood education continuum in this Catalyst Chicago article.
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May 2011
Improving math education for the littlest learners
Erikson's Early Math Project and its work to improve math education for the youngest students was featured on WBEZ.

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Illinois preschoolers make academic, social gains, says study
Maureen Kelleher wrote about the findings of Erikson's study of Illinois's pre-k programs in this Education Week article.
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Experts: Half-day kindergarten a 'disaster'
Alfred Lubrano interviewed Samuel Meisels for this Philadelphia Inquirer story about Philadelphia's decision to cut its kindergarten program to a half-day.
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PreK–3rd learning at the New Schools Project in Chicago
Chris Maxwell explains how the New Schools Project works, as well as its goals and successes, in this podcast for New America Foundation.
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April 2011
Teaching little fingers new math tricks
Erikson's Early Math project was featured in The New York Times's Chicago pages, as reported by the Chicago News Cooperative. The article mentions the expansion of the project into eight Chicago public schools this year. The Early Mathematics Education Project is made possible by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the CME Group Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund, as well as others.
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Questions for parents of kids 2 or younger
Kara Corridan interviewed Tracy Moran for this Parents blog post about her parenting self-efficacy survey.
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CPS flags parents with 'redshirt' rule
Cynthia Dizikes interviewed Sam Meisels for a Chicago Tribune article about the practice of holding a child back a year before letting him start kindergarten.
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D.C. charters tackle preschool
Sarah Garland interviewed Sam Meisels for a Washington Post article about the expansion of charter schools in D.C.
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Early learning expert offers warnings about prekindergarten testing
Ginnie Graham wrote an article for Tulsa World about Sam Meisels’ presentation on pre-kindergarten testing at the International Infant/Toddler Conference.
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Fussiness in infancy may predict future behavior problems, study finds
The Fussy Baby Network was featured in this ABC News story about new research that shows infants with persistent crying issues are more likely to develop behavioral problems as children.
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March 2011
Outside the lines
Howard Ludwig interviewed Pam Epley for this Southtown Star article about whether it's good to encourage a child to color inside the lines.
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Your Baby
Fussy Baby Network was listed as a resource for parents with a colicky baby in this American Baby article, listing advice and resources for new parents.
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When should you tell your children you're pregnant?
Rebecca VanderMeulen interviewed Margret Nickels for this Galtime.com article about how and when parents should tell their children they're expecting.
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February 2011
Updates from the digital frontier
Lisa Guernsey wrote about the children's media and technology round-table discussion held at Erikson Institute in her New America Foundation blog.
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The sadness of shaken baby syndrome
Kara Corridan listed the Fussy Baby Network as a resource for parents who are stressed out by their colicky baby in her Parents blog post.
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January 2011
Directions in center director training
Chip Donohue co-authored this Exchange Magazine article about new trends in training for center directors.
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December 2010
Coaches in the classroom
Sarah Garland interviewed Chris Maxwell for this Chicago Tribune story about in-class coaching to help Chicago Public Schools teachers improve their practice.
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Happy Meal suit raises more than food, marketing questions
Emily York interviewed Margret Nickels for this Chicago Tribune story about children’s susceptibility to marketing.
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Parenthesis Family Center helps new mothers
The Chicago Tribune published this story about a family support center founded by two Erikson students.
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November 2010
Bilingual mandate challenges Chicago Public Schools
Mary Ann Zehr interviewed Barbara Bowman for this Education Week story about the implementation of Illinois's new bilingual/ESL pre-K regulations.
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Pew Center supports research on home visitation programs
Youth Today published this article about several research projects on home visitation programs, including one by associate professor Jon Korfmacher.
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Montessori curriculum being correlated to standards by AIMS in Illinois
Jocelyn Scotty interviewed Stacey Edwards, an Erikson student and Montessori educational coordinator, for an Examiner.com article about correlating national and state standards with Montessori curriculum.
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October 2010
Early math comes just in time, preschool teachers say
Patty Pensa interviewed Jennifer McCray for this Chicago Tribune feature about the Early Mathematics Education Project.
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Can your child handle Halloween's horrors?
Heidi Stephens interviewed Margret Nickels for this Chicago Tribune article about how to decide if a child is ready to visit a haunted house.
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Calming techniques ease tensions, cut suspensions
This Chicago Sun-Times article mentions the effects of New Schools Project professional development on Chicago Public Schools teachers and classrooms.
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Bubba's budding bromance
Howard Ludwig interviewed Margret Nickels for a Southtown Star story about how children choose their best friends.
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CME Group Foundation launches early math education initiative in Chicago
This CME Group Foundation press release, announcing its funding of the Early Mathematics Education Project, was published by Philanthropy News Digest.
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National singer/songwriter Jim Gill to perform at library
This announcement in the Cincinnati Enquirer mentions Gill's unique approach to engaging families at his concerts and identifies him as an Erikson alumnus.
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September 2010
Letters to the Editor
Sam Meisels wrote a letter to the editor at the New York Times in response to the article "Scientifically Tested Tests."
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First in line for bilingual ed
Tara Malone interviewed Luisiana Melendez, Barbara Bowman, and alumna Victoria Quillen for this Chicago Tribune story on Illinois's new bilingual/ESL pre-K regulations.
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An allied agenda for early childhood education
Shanita Bigelow interviewed Aisha Ray for this Citizen Weekly story about Illinois's early education reform.
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About i3 Validation and Development: ‘Early Learning’ Grantees
New America Foundation takes a closer look at the Dept. of Education's "i3" winners in this two-part series.
Story pt. 1
Story pt. 2

There's an app for (almost) everything
Chip Donohue wrote this Exchange Magazinearticle about his most highly recommended Web 2.0 tools.
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August 2010
Big players, small innovators snare "i3" cash
Department of Education Announces the Investing in Innovation Grant Winners
Education Week and New America Foundation published articles, announcing the winning programs in the Dept. of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition. Erikson's Early Mathematics Education Project ranked 8th among the 49 selected programs.

Early Start is Key
The (Jamestown, NY) Post-Journal wrote an article about Barbara Bowman's lecture at this year's Chautauqua Institute.
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July 2010
Preparing for a New Sibling
Linda Yu interviewed Margret Nickels on the WLS-TV (ABC 7) midday newscast, discussing ways to help an older child adjust to a new sibling.
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June 2010
Illinois Poised for the First Statewide Regulations on Dual Language Learners in Pre-K
Maggie Severns interviewed Luisiana Melendez for this Early Ed Watch article about Illinois's new bilingual/ESL regulations.
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On the move
Crain's Chicago Business published the announcement of Susan Wallace's appointment to vice president for finance and operations at Erikson Institute. The Chronicle of Higher Education and Chronicle of Philanthropy published similar announcements.

May 2010
The Colic Chronicles
Karen Springen interviewed Linda Gilkerson for a Parents Magazine article about the stress parents experience when their baby has colic.
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Golden opportunity to talk about death
Harold Ludwig interviewed Margret Nickels for a Southtown Star article about talking to young children about death.
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Benefits pry out donations
Lisa Bertagnoli interviewed Randy Holgate for a Crain's Chicago Business article about how fundraising galas are showing signs of economic recovery.
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April 2010
PreK rules for ELLs would break ground nationally
Mary Ann Zehr interviewed Luisiana Melendez and Barbara Bowman for an Education Week article about Illinois’s new pre-K bilingual/ESL regulations.
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The Prism Ball
Crain's Chicago Business interviewed our gala honoree, Larry Richman, and featured the event in their Social Whirl section.
Larry Richman's interview
Coverage of the gala

Both value and harm seen in K–3 common standards
Catherine Gewertz interviewed Sam Meisels and Barbara Bowman for an Education Week article about the new K–12 common standards.
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Preschools set to assess youngsters’ skills for kindergarten
Rebecca Harris interviewed Gil McNamee for a Catalyst-Chicago story about CPS’s new Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.
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Part-time moms have healthiest kids
Wendy Donahue interviewed Tracy Moran for a Chicago Tribune article about a new study that found mothers who work part time have healthier children than those who work full time or not at all.
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March 2010
Helping young children make the grade
Heidi Stevens interviewed Fran Stott about how parents can keep their child from getting overwhelmed by schoolwork for the Chicago Tribune column The Parent 'Hood.
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Time to play ball or not
Heidi Stevens interviewed Margret Nickels for the Chicago Tribune column The Parent ‘Hood about how to know when a child is ready for competitive sports.
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State education board considering bilingual education for preschoolers
Rebecca Harris interviewed Luisiana Melendez for a Catalyst-Chicago story about Illinois’ new regulations for PreK bilingual and ESL education.
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February 2010
The Junior Meritocracy
Erikson president Samuel Meisels appeared on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show to discuss the flaws in high-stakes admissions tests for New York's most prestigious elementary schools. This interview was a follow up to the New York Magazine article, The Junior Meritocracy, in which Meisels also appeared.

Listen to the interview on WNYC »
Read the article in New York Magazine »
Read Ellen Galinsky's commentary in The Huffinton Post »

Reading baby's mind
Cynthia Ramnarace interviewed Linda Gilkerson for a Parents Magazine article about choosing the right toys and play for babies.
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January 2010
Making after school cool
Rebecca Harris interviewed Robert Halpern about the value of After School Matters programs for a Catalyst Chicago article.
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Chicago to measure kindergarten readiness
Rebecca Harris interviewed Gil McNamee about a recent study of Head Start programs for Catalyst Chicago.
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December 2009
On the move
Crain's Chicago Business published the announcement of Randy L. Holgate's appointment to vice president of institutional advancement at Erikson Institute. The Chronicle of Higher Education and Chronicle of Philanthropy published similar announcements.
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Saving Michael
Center for Children and Families director Margret Nickels explained how early learning issues can contribute to later problems with violence and risky behavior in this Chicago Tribune article.
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Ready or Not Here They Come
Samuel J. Meisels commented on the potential problems with school readiness testing in this Statesman Journal article.
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November 2009
Helping your child make the grade
Center for Children and Families director Margret Nickels shared her advice to parents on helping their child turn around a bad report card. This topic was featured in the weekly Chicago Tribune column The Parent 'Hood.
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Child's play spurs serious debate
Erikson co-founder and professor Barbara T. Bowman weighed in this Washington Post article about whether preschools should allow time for play or spend the entire day on direct instruction.
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October 2009
Child's play
Senior instructor Mary Hynes-Berry discussed what makes a child's storytelling so unique in this Chicago Tribune article about a local theater company that acts out stories written by children.
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September 2009
Play-by-play
Center for Children and Families director Margret Nickels and associate professor Jon Korfmacher were both interviewed for this American Baby article about a baby's developmental milestones in how he or she plays.
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As they grow 0–12 months
Margret Nickels reassured a parent worried because their child only wants to be held by mom in this Parents article.
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August 2009
Calming first day of school fears

July 2009
Preschool conundrum
Chicago Parent reporter Lisa Applegate interviewed professor Jon Korfmacher for a story about picking the right preschool.
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U.S. lags in math education
Chicago Parent reporter Amy Souza wrote a story about what the Early Mathematics Education Project is doing to improve early math education in Chicago Public Schools, as well as what parents can do to incorporate math lessons in home activities.
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June 2009
'Up' has its down moments; here's how to handle them
Chicago Tribune reporter Heidi Stevens interviewed Margret Nickels, director of Erikson's Center for Children and Families, about how parents should help their children understand and cope with loss and tragedy.
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May 2009
The Pleasure of Play
NBC 5 reporter Nesita Kwan interviewed professors Gillian McNamee and Barbara Bowman about the importance of recess and play for young children.
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Use stimulus funds to expand vision for high-quality early education
Herr Research Center's director, Eboni C. Howard, and associate director, Celina Chatman-Nelson, published an opinion piece about stimulus spending in Catalyst-Chicago.
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Testing in Kindergarten: The Realities and the Dangers
Erikson president Samuel J. Meisels was interviewed by Anna Weinstein for this education.com story.
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Math Across Cultures
Erikson's International Symposium on Early Mathematics Education was covered in Sean Cavanagh's Education Week blog.
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April 2009
U.S. pushes literacy skills, but what about math?
Debra Williams interviewed Jennifer McCray, director of Early Mathematics Education Project, for a Catalyst Chicago article about the importance of math education .
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March 2009
Helping Kids Heal: When Your Child Needs Psychotherapy
Erikson alumna Rachel Rashkin-Shoot wrote an article for Jewish Action, giving parents advice about when and how to get psychological help for their children.
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February 2009
preventing death by Power Point®: Tips for effective presentations that inform and engage
Erikson’s director of distance learning, Chip Donohue, Ph.D., published an article in Childcare Information Exchange about best practices in Power Point® presentations.
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doing Reggio?
Daniel Scheinfeld’s research was mentioned in Childcare Information Exchange as a resource for teachers who want to adopt Reggio Emilia methods in their classrooms.
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July 2008
Cramming for kindergarten
Erikson professors Barbara T. Bowman and Gillian McNamee discussed, with Chicago Parent, the wisdom of pushing pre-school students and kindergarteners to meet high academic expectations.
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January 2008 
Quieting the crying infant
Professor Linda Gilkerson gave iParenting.com some calming advice for parents who find themselves with a screaming baby in public.
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November 2007 
Not the retiring type
Barbara T. Bowman was featured in an AARP Magazine article on accomplished individuals who achieve great things for years beyond the typical retirement age. The piece noted that Bowman oversees Chicago Public Schools' early childhood programs for 30,000 children—then walks briskly over to Erikson, checking messages on her Blackberry, to teach here, when not traveling and lecturing here.

September 2007 
School readiness
As kindergarten becomes increasingly academic, what does it mean to be ready for school? A wide range of developmental and cultural factors influence whether a child is ready to learn, Erikson president Samuel J. Meisels explained in a Sept. 4 interview on Eight Forty-Eight, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio's morning magazine show. Most children are ready for kindergarten at age five, he said, but they arrive at school with highly varied, individualized skills and strengths. It's up to schools to "meet the children where they are" developmentally and adapt learning opportunities to build on those strengths.
Listen

Soothing school jitters
A little preparation can ease the transition for young children nervous about starting preschool or kindergarten, Erikson dean Frances O'Connell Rust told the New Jersey Star Ledger. If possible, visit the school with your child in advance, and explain what he or she might expect to happen during the day, she recommended in the Sept. 2 story.
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