FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Olney, MD, March 30, 2007 --- Two articles published in Childhood Education, the official journal of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), have been selected as finalists for the 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award, in the Learned Article category, by the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP/EdPress). The first article, which appeared in the Summer 2006 (Vol. 82, No. 4) issue, was "Thinking Positively -- How Some Characteristics of ADHD Can Be Adaptive and Accepted in the Classroom." The authors, Jody Sherman, Carmen Rasmussen, and Lola Baydala, all affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics, at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, offer a positive perspective on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The authors note that tailoring the classroom to meet the specific and unique needs of the ADHD child promotes a more productive learning environment.

The second article, "Talking to Children About Race: the Importance of Inviting Difficult Conversations," was published in the Fall 2006 issue (Vol. 83, No. 1), and was written by Jeane Copenhaver-Johnson, an assistant professor at the Ohio State University at Mansfield.

The author addresses important issues regarding race, including how racism is perpetuated, and what methods may help alleviate this process in schools and society. The author explores such topics as classroom avoidance of the subject, a lack of understanding of what race really means, and fear of saying something inappropriate. Solutions include reading books that address issues of race and racism, modifying how the class participates in read-aloud books, and including black characters from a range of literature, not just from books about black history.

"The selection of these articles is a special honor for both the authors and ACEI. Especially as an international organization concerned with the development of the whole child, we welcome the opportunity to share the work of ACEI members and to help focus attention on important issues, such as talking openly with children about race, and finding effective ways to help the ADHD student realize his or her full potential," states ACEI Executive Director Gerald Odland.

The two articles provide useful information that can be applied to the everyday classroom, and suggest innovative methods that aid classroom teachers in developing a child-centered education plan and a positive learning environment.

Childhood Education articles won Distinguished Achievement Awards in 1992 and 2000, and were finalists in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. The rigorous selection process makes being a finalist a noteworthy honor. A two-tiered judging panel selects no more than four finalists in each category. Winners will be announced June 12 at the Association of Educational Publishers Annual Awards Banquet aand Gala in Washington, D.C.

# # #

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) is the oldest professional organization in the world dedicated to the development of the whole child, from birth to early adolescence. Founded in 1892, ACEI is an organization of teachers, teacher educators, and parents whose primary purpose is to promote the inherent rights, education, and well-being of children in the home, school, and community. ACEI publishes the award-winning publication Childhood Education, as well as the Journal of Research in Childhood Education.

To ACEI home page.

These pages are copyright 2007 by the Association for Childhood Education International. Please send any comments to Sheri Levin at slevin@acei.org.