Academic Success for Children What are some best practices that can improve the academic performance of children? This journal entry reviews scholarly literature that presents ideas for best practices regarding how children can achieve academic success. Also, the reasons for the statistical diversity within the diverse student population -- what causes the gap between achievers and those who struggle?

Is it Nature or Nurture?

There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to this issue, but an article in the New Scientist suggests it is more nature than nurture. Journalist Andy Coghlan reports on a study of twins conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College in the UK that claims academic success is based more on a child's genetic makeup than the environment the child is growing up in. The researchers tested 5,474 sets of twins -- 2,008 of those sets...

Research conducted by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) reflects that 30 to 50% of a child's behavior is based on DNA and the rest on the environment a child is raised in (Jensen, 2009). To wit, children raised in poverty have far more stressful conditions and their brains, according to Jensen, and so they adapt to less than optimal condition -- hence, they do not perform as effectively as children from affluent homes. The bottom line is that there is no absolute, proven answer for the nature vs. nurture argument.
Best Practices for Improving Academic Performance in Children

A scholarly article reports that for kindergarten children, academic performance can be enhanced…