Blog

  • The ADHD Evidence Project

    Line drawing of a profile view of a human head with a tangled scribble representing thoughts on a yellow background.

    Addressing misinformation and promoting evidence-based understanding

    If you attended the 2024 ADHD Virtual Summit, you likely watched the ADHD Evidence Project Presentation by Dr. Stephen Faraone. Dr. Faraone is clinical psychologist, professor in the Department of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and President of the World Federation of ADHD.

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  • Empowering girls to face body image and social media pressures

    by Lorri Jensen, Senior Product Manager - Behavior Portfolio at Pearson

    A diverse group of three girls smiling while looking at a smartphone in a close setting.

    Growing up in today’s digital era can be a pressure cooker for all kids, but it can be a particular strain for girls as they navigate societal expectations, media influences and peer dynamics — all under the relentless glare of the social media spotlight. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat can often promote unrealistic beauty standards, and the barrage of messages can negatively impact girls’ sense of self-worth and identity. 

    While advertising and social media can have a seemingly 24/7 presence, educators can create a safe place within their school community to help counteract these potentially harmful inputs and to support all students in feeling comfortable with being their authentic selves. 

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  • From Paper to Pixels: Navigating Digital Assessment Adoption

    by Kara Canale M.Ed., NCSP, Clinical Assessment Consultant at Pearson

    A woman in a polka dot blouse sits at a table in a room, using a laptop and holding a pair of eye glasses.

    As we know all too well, school districts are grappling with a myriad of challenges — from staffing shortages to surging student needs. While schools are increasingly leveraging technology, how much can digital solutions really help ease the burden as we aim to provide the highest possible services to our students and school community?

    Throughout my 25 years as a school psychologist, I’ve seen firsthand how the Digital Assessments Library for Schools can streamline assessments — liberating staff from time-consuming administrative tasks and freeing them to focus on what matters most: supporting students and driving better outcomes. Even more important, digital assessments help promote equity among districts and empower student growth. 

    We’re seeing impressive results from those making the switch. In fact, my Pearson colleague Chuck Eberle, who is the Product Owner for Pearson's Digital Assessment Library for Schools, told me that we’ve had steady adoption rates, including by many of the largest school districts, since we launched our digital library in 2017. 

    How do you decide whether the DALS is right for your district? We’ve put together this guide to help you figure it out.

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  • Breaking Barriers: How DALS Supports Equity in and Access to School Assessments

    by Kara Canale M.Ed., NCSP, Clinical Assessment Consultant at Pearson

    Person in a gray sweater working on a laptop in a bright, plant-decorated cafe setting.

    The pursuit of equity in education has an important ally in Pearson’s Digital Assessment Library for Schools (DALS), which is helping level the playing field and provide the best outcomes for all students. Throughout my 25-year career as a school psychologist, I've observed how subtle inequalities in testing can have a profound impact, inadvertently creating barriers and limiting the potential of students. 

    While all schools strive for equality, it can be difficult when practitioners don’t have access to the most effective tests for their students’ needs, often due to budget constraints. Here’s how DALS helps solve four common scenarios practitioners face.

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  • 3 Benefits of Assessments for High-Security Recruiting

    A woman shakes hands with another across a table in a professional meeting, while two others observe and smile.

    With the proliferation of AI-driven recruiting software, it may seem that candidate screening is becoming easier than ever. But, for specialized employee populations — security cleared personnel, police and public safety officers, critical infrastructure employees and more — finding quality candidates can’t be solved with technology alone.

    Some specialized labor pools are extremely small, like cleared employees. Other security-focused jobs are physically demanding and dangerous. These types of roles can present mental health challenges due to their high-stress nature. As a result, organizations across government and the private sector are struggling to recruit new workers.

    Fortunately, there are tools available to HR departments and staffing agencies tasked with finding employees for high-security positions. Personality, behavioral and cognitive assessments complement existing screening tools and interviews, and they help identify potential employees with the personality traits needed for success in high-pressure or security-cleared roles. 

    “High-security jobs inherently require a high level of stress management, adaptability and personal integrity in a candidate,” says Patrick Moran, Pearson’s director of sales for government and public safety. “Personality measures capture these and other key aspects of a person’s presentation of themselves in these unique workplace settings.”

    Assessments can improve the recruitment process for high-security candidates in a number of important ways, including:

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  • Six Elements of a Well-Managed Classroom

    Teacher and 4 students looking at computer screen

    While it is certainly true that no two students are alike, the same can be said for teachers! Every classroom has its own set of expectations and routines, which can make for a difficult adjustment for everyone involved going into each new school year. To help kickstart your year, our behavior experts have put together a list of six nearly foolproof tips for starting (and keeping) your classroom on the right track.

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  • Protecting Your Greatest Asset: 5 Ways To Retain High-Security Employees

    by Patrick Moran, Ph.D., Director of Sales, Government and Public Safety at Pearson

    Two business people shaking hands

    With the end of the Great Resignation, it may seem that employee retention is no longer a top problem for HR leaders. But in high-security industries — those involving security clearances, running critical infrastructure, managing private security personnel and more — retention remains a costly challenge.  

    This specialized labor pool is small; for example, just over a million people have a Top Secret security clearance, and while that number seems large out of context, when considering the number of roles to be filled, it’s actually not very big. On top of the constrained candidate pool, hiring in these high-security industries is a laborious process complete with extensive background checks, identity verification and a specific set of skills required.  

    The time and effort it takes to hire high-security employees and ensure they obtain the training and clearances they need for their jobs mean that losing an employee carries prohibitive costs and can leave critical roles unfilled.  

    What can HR leaders do to prevent turnover in these industries? Competitive compensation packages are table stakes, particularly as inflation hits all sectors of the economy. But there is more to staying at a job than just the salary. HR leaders can utilize these five strategies to reduce turnover in this unique employee population. 

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