Olney, MD, April 3, 2008---Two articles published in Childhood Education, the official journal of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), have been selected as finalists for the 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award, in the Learned Article category, by the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP/EdPress). The first article, which appeared in the Summer 2007 (Vol. 84, No. 4) issue, was "The Changing Culture of Childhood: A Perfect Storm." The author, Joe L. Frost, Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus, University of Texas, Austin, writes of the "perfect storm" that is brewing in the education and development of children in the United States. Frost explores a combination of elements that are contributing to the changing culture and traditions of education, such as the standardization of education, the dissolution of spontaneous play, and the impact of poverty on education. Frost addresses the effects of the high-stakes testing spurred by the No Child Left Behind Act, and the impact of the loss of play, including the loss of playgrounds, recess, and unstructured, creative playtime. Frost also discusses the disparities in education dollars spent on children in varying state and local school districts. Frost presents his view of the "perfect storm," and urges parents, educators, and others to take notice.
The second article, "Beyond Benchmarks and Scores: Reasserting the Role of Motivation and Interest in Children's Academic Achievement," published in the International Focus 2007 issue (Vol. 83, No. 6), was written by Mary Renck Jalongo, Professor of Education, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. "Beyond Benchmarks and Scores" asserts that learning is a complex process that needs to be redefined. The article states that learning relies on a range of motivational strategies that include intrinsic and extrinsic rewards that relate to the individual student and are relevant to the specific task. The author points out that effective teaching involves more than imparting knowledge, and is dependent on the educator's ability to motivate. Jalongo concludes that any characterization of learning that disregards the full range of influences on learning-such as disposition, interest, and motivation-is shortsighted and incomplete.
Anne Watson Bauer, ACEI Editor and Director of Publications, states, "We are very excited that the Association of Educational Publishers is continuing to recognize the quality of the material published in Childhood Education. We are pleased to offer our readers articles by Drs. Frost and Jalongo, who have contributed many insightful and well-written pieces over the years."
Childhood Education articles won Distinguished Achievement Awards in 1992, 2000, and 2007, and were finalists in 2001, and 2003 through 2008. A two-tiered judging panel selects no more than four finalists in each category. Winners will be announced June 6 at the Association of Educational Publishers Awards Banquet and Gala in Washington, D. C.