Dr. Dougherty & Friends' Blog
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Brain Research & Dr. Buckley
Larry Dougherty, Ed.D., Head of School
Posted February 1, 2012
One of Dr. Buckley’s books entitled College Begins at Two received dramatic confirmation in the professional development presentation by noted biophysicist and author Dr. John Medina. He talked at length about the power of parenting styles on the development of executive functions of the brain. He noted that when parents of very young children ask him how they can get their children into Harvard, he tells them to work strengthening the executive function of their child. According to Medina, research indicates that there is a much higher correlation to academic success with executive function than with I.Q.
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Failure: The Key to Success?
Dr. Larry Dougherty, Head of School
Posted November 21, 2011
An article that ran this fall in The New York Times Magazine, “What if the Secret to Success Is Failure,” addresses the link between character and success in academics and life. The article is very interesting and I recommend that you read it. But I was inspired to write this blog post because I very much disagree with the thought that failure is the key to success. Of course our children should and will experience failure, and I agree with the point made in The New York Times article that when this happens, we must allow them to fail so that they can learn from the experience. But I believe it is more important that they learn that with persistence and hard work, they can succeed at the times when they think they just might fail.
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What’s the Big Deal about 21st Century Learning?
A.J. Webster, 6th grade teacher
Posted September 28, 2011
The general consensus on the state of American education is that it is grim. Every pundit and presidential hopeful has the solution: “Get back to basics.” Although this sounds good in theory, what it has meant in practice is increased standardization and a focus on testing above all else. This solution is not merely facile; it is damaging. While the ability to pass an exam is important, very little in adult life resembles a standardized test (as any parent who is in the entertainment industry can attest). The Los Angeles Times recently ran an editorial entitled “End the Blame Game,” in which the authors liken the current crisis in education to the problems of the auto industry in the 1970s.
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