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A program to help kids manage their behavior has also had another astounding result.  The kids do better in their academic subjects too.  According to newswise.com, a  program aimed at reducing behavior problems in order to boost academic achievement has improved performance in math and reading among low-income kindergartners and first graders, according to a study by researchers at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. “Supporting young low-income children so they can reach their potential in the classroom and beyond is of vital importance,” the Web site quotes Sandee McClowry, a professor in NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Applied Psychology and the study’s senior author. “Our findings show that learning is enhanced when it also addresses the social and emotional development of children.” Duh.  But how many programs out there do this? "Previous scholarship has shown that growing up in poverty significantly incr...

Two new depressing studies: racism may make you die sooner, and kids who move out of their poverty-stricken neighborhoods and upwards don't fare as well, healthwise, as kids who don't. Maybe the Jeffersons shouldn't have moved on up. latina.com reports that, " According to  Fusion , medical studies have shown that racial bias can lead to chronic stress problems for the victim, which can lead to a change in how our brains function and respond to germs."  In addition, reports have found that racism can also bring on anxiety, depression and cardiovascular health issues. It's long been known that Hispanics and blacks have more health complications, and shorter lives, than Caucasians.  Theories abound but again, it's most likely the chronic stress that many live under. On the same sad subject, Gregory E. Miller, Edith Chen and Gene H. Brody write that upward mobility may cause some to slide backwards.  In The New York Times, they say, " Those who...