In Rethinking Recess, sociologist Rebecca A. London argues that recess has been overlooked as an essential part of the elementary school experience, with major implications for how well schools serve all students equitably and responsively. Given its potential to support students' social and emotional learning and physical activity, London says, recess should be designed intentionally, with attention to safety, health, and engagement. The book shows how school leaders and other educators--even those with budget and space constraints--can make the most of recess time by using a variety of proven strategies, and also provides examples of schools that have put these strategies to use. Taking organizational steps to create a well‐designed recess can engage students, improve school climate, build valuable social and emotional skills, reduce behavioral incidents, and promote healthy lifestyles. Meticulously researched and filled with practical and often easy‐to‐implement changes for recess policies and practice, this book provides a critical resource for school leaders and others looking to make every aspect of school a positive one for students. "All children have the right to equitable and inclusive access to recess as a foundation of development. Rethinking Recess offers a compelling case for 'organized recess, ' describing the important role of organized play to promote wellness, strengthen school culture, and enhance social and emotional learning. This book is a call to action for the well-being of our children and society." --Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools "This important book illustrates how a well-organized and universally available recess can provide developmental spaces for students that improve school climate and foster social and emotional learning. Rethinking Recess documents inequities in access to recess, illustrates how schools can organize safe and supportive recess, and provides practical guidance for policy makers." --David Osher, vice president and institute fellow, American Institutes for Research Rebecca A. London is a faculty member in the Sociology Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

A thought-provoking re-examination of children's play drawing together insights and experiences across fields such as education, sociology, philosophy and psychology to encourage an inter-disciplinary approach.

"Angela Hanscom is a powerful voice for balance." —Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods In this important book, a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook shows how outdoor play and unstructured freedom of movement are vital for children’s cognitive development and growth, and offers tons of fun, engaging ways to help ensure that kids grow into healthy, balanced, and resilient adults. Today’s kids have adopted sedentary lifestyles filled with television, video games, and computer screens. But more and more, studies show that children need “rough and tumble” outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions. Disturbingly, a lack of movement has been shown to lead to a number of health and cognitive difficulties, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation and sensory processing issues, and aggressiveness at school recess break. So, how can you ensure your child is fully engaging their body, mind, and all of their senses? Using the same philosophy that lies at the heart of her popular TimberNook program—that nature is the ultimate sensory experience, and that psychological and physical health improves for children when they spend time outside on a regular basis—author Angela Hanscom offers several strategies to help your child thrive, even if you live in an urban environment. Today it is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, or spinning in circles just for fun. We’ve taken away merry-go-rounds, shortened the length of swings, and done away with teeter-totters to keep children safe. Children have fewer opportunities for unstructured outdoor play than ever before, and recess times at school are shrinking due to demanding educational environments. With this book, you’ll discover little things you can do anytime, anywhere to help your kids achieve the movement they need to be happy and healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

Harness the power of play in building learning environments that help students thrive In Why Play Works, expert educator and author Jill Vialet shares her insights from a career of promoting play. Designed to support schools, education professionals and parents in promoting play as an essential tool for increasing social connection amongst their students, you'll find out why playing is a behavior that's helped children learn to navigate the demands of social interaction for eons, and how we can keep it central to their school experience even as we return from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this book, you'll discover: Why it's important to intentionally integrate play into day-to-day school operations because of its ability to help students learn to manage risks, develop greater self awareness, and build confidence Ways of incorporating play into space – both in-person and remote – that contribute to responsive, flexible and sustainable teaching and learning environments Real examples of schools leveraging play to promote youth leadership and student agency How to incorporate play in co-creating new approaches to education, building off the insight that big changes start small Perfect for educators, school administrators, parents of school-age children, and anyone who is simply play-curious, Why Play Works is intended to prompt your thinking about all the ways in which play can be a tool for helping to bring out the best in our kids.. The book stands out as a thoughtful, playful and effective guide for supporting the learning and well-being of students everywhere.

Frustrated by ongoing difficult student behavior? You're not alone: classroom management issues are a leading cause of teacher burnout. But there is a solution. No More Taking Away Recess and Other Problematic Discipline Practices shows how to promote good behavior, address interruptions, and keep everyone moving forward. "Management and control are not the same," write teacher and school leader Gianna Cassetta and noted researcher Brook Sawyer. If trying harder to exert control is sapping your energy, watch as they show how to transition away from the roles of disciplinarian or goody dispenser and toward an integrated, professionally satisfying model for classroom management. You'll find everything you need to get going, including: the rationale for abandoning rewards and consequence tactics research on more developmentally appropriate-and efficient-management a plan that integrates instruction and management to decrease interruptions specific strategies for addressing misbehavior and refocusing on learning goals ways to analyze problematic behaviors and help students connect and stay motivated. Ease your frustration with classroom management and return dozens of hours lost each year to addressing problematic behaviors. Take a page from No More Taking Away Recess and Other Problematic Discipline Practices and turn your classroom into a community that helps students become their best selves-and helps you rediscover the joy of teaching. About the Not This, But That Series No More Taking Away Recess and Other Problematic Discipline Practices is part of the Not This, But That series, edited by Nell K. Duke and Ellin Oliver Keene. It helps teachers examine common, ineffective classroom practices and replace them with practices supported by research and professional wisdom. In each book a practicing educator and an education researcher identify an ineffective practice; summarize what the research suggests about why; and detail research-based, proven practices to replace it and improve student learning. Read a sample chapter from No More Taking Away Recess and Other Problematic Discipline Practices.

From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Raising Cain, It’s a Boy! is the first major parenting book to chart every stage of a boy’s life. This upbeat, authoritative, and reassuring guide–written by psychologist Michael Thompson, Ph.D., a leading international expert on boys’ development, and journalist Teresa H. Barker–shows how a boy’s inner life progresses through infancy, childhood, and adolescence. What do boys actually need? How exactly does a healthy boy look and act? It’s a Boy! has the answers, providing expert advice on the developmental, psychological, social, and academic life of boys from infancy through the teen years. Exploring the many ways in which boys strive for masculinity and attempt to define themselves, Dr. Thompson identifies the key developmental transitions that mark a boy’s psychological growth and emotional health, and the challenges both boys and parents face at each age. • Expecting a Boy: how our deeply held hopes, fears, and family histories shape our expectations of boys and our parenting techniques • Baby Boys (birth to 18 months): falling in love with your son, healthy attachment, trust, and temperament • Toddler Years (18 months to 3 years): boys on the go, bold steps, blankies, budding language, and rambunctious physicality • Powerful Little Boys (ages 3 and 4): superhero ambitions, penis play and potty talk, learning to manage the force of his anger, and celebrating the power of the boy group • Starting School (ages 5 through 7): developmental cues for school readiness, transitional challenges, girl cooties and boys-only play, tough talk, tender hearts, and first friends • Boys on a Mission (ages 8 through 10): striving for mastery in sports, screen games, and boy society, organizing the boy brain for school success, and glaring academic gender gaps • The Preteen (ages 11 through 13): puberty, posturing and popularity, the culture of cruelty, hidden sensitivity, and stoic silence in the middle school years • Early High School (ages 14 and 15): the secret life of boys, powerful peer groups, sexuality, school strategies, the shift away from Mom (she knows too much), and yearning for Dad’s respect and attention • On the Brink of Manhood (ages 16 through 18): the quest for independence, sex, love, driving, drinking, and other choices and challenges of life Practical, insightful, wonderfully engaging, and filled with instructive true stories any parent of a son will recognize, It’s a Boy! is the definitive guide to raising boys in today’s world, revealing with humor, compassion, and joy all the infinite varieties of boys and the deep and profound ways in which we love them.

American education has been, and will continue to be, a high-profile subject; and in the end, it is school superintendents who carry the weight of the effort when it comes to school improvement. This book provides an inside perspective on the superintendency today and where it's headed tomorrow, with a focus on practical action. Case studies developed around actual school systems highlight key issues in this must-have book.