Increase in the Numbers of ADD and ADHD Children

The New York Times has an article here reporting the increase in the diagnosis of ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity) in children.  The new numbers suggest a 53 percent rise in the last decade.  About two-thirds of these children and teenagers are put on medication.

As a teacher for 37 years who had many, many ADD--or ADHD--kids in my classroom, I have two suggestions for classroom management that lessens, or takes away, the need for medication:

Allow your students to have significant choice over what they are doing.  In my English classes my students got to choose most of their reading, and many of their writing assignments.  I saw this change help all of my students, but particularly the ADD ones, who could concentrate much better.

The other thing that really helped is that I would give my ADD students an "escape."  I'd sign a blank hall pass and give it to them.  I would tell them that if they got so restless they couldn't stay, then they could fill out the pass and take a walk, or go to the cafe and get a drink.  While some used this pass, for most students just having it in their pocket enabled them to stay and work.  This also works well for students with a school phobia.

Rep. Eric Cantor's Push for School Choice

Ed week has an article here describing House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s new push for school choice.

I really like small, locally controlled schools.  But the problem with Rep. Cantor’s proposals is that they are in support of schools removed from the control of local school boards.

For one thing, while parents surely have a stake in their children’s education, the most important stake is the community as a whole.  We need well-educated future citizens, to be our policy makers, to staff our hospitals, and to staff and run our businesses.  We need citizens who can be self-supporting. 

Also, the community as a while is paying for this education, and so should have control over it.  I don’t want my tax dollars to fund (in the form of vouchers) religious schools, or other privately run schools.  More choice in taxpayer-controlled schools is fine.

Slow and Steady Reform

An article from the American Prospect here advocates looking to locally funded and locally controlled schools that are doing well.  A number of examples are given, and the point is made that flashy reforms don’t last;  slow and steady is the way to go.

As a high school English teacher for 37 years, I really like this article.  It’s very sensible, and a welcome answer to all of the new ideas for reform swirling around.

I just want to add one more suggestion:  Make the development of a love and habit of reading a priority in schools.  You do that by assigning a good deal of independent reading—reading where children choose their own books, and spend lots of time in school reading and discussing these books. 

This is the one change that will make reading scores—and most other scores—soar.  Reading is the core skill that allows the flowering of all other academic interests.