June 2010
Illinois Poised for the First Statewide Regulations on Dual Language Learners in Pre-K
Maggie Severns interviewed Luisiana Melendez for this Early Ed Watch article about Illinois's new bilingual/ESL regulations.
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On the move
Crain's Chicago Business published the announcement of Susan Wallace's appointment to vice president for finance and operations at
Erikson Institute. The
Chronicle of Higher Education and
Chronicle
of Philanthropy published similar announcements.
May 2010
The Colic Chronicles
Karen Springen interviewed Linda Gilkerson for a
Parents Magazine article about the stress parents experience when their baby has colic.
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Golden opportunity to talk about death
Harold Ludwig interviewed Margret Nickels for a
Southtown Star article about talking to young children about death.
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Benefits pry out donations
Lisa Bertagnoli interviewed Randy Holgate for a
Crain's Chicago Business article about how fundraising galas are showing signs of economic recovery.
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April 2010
PreK rules for ELLs would break ground nationally
Mary Ann Zehr interviewed Luisiana Melendez and Barbara Bowman for an
Education Week article about Illinois’s new pre-K bilingual/ESL regulations.
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The Prism Ball
Crain's Chicago Business interviewed our gala honoree, Larry Richman, and featured the event in their
Social Whirl section.
Larry Richman's interview
Coverage of the gala
Both value and harm seen in K–3 common standards
Catherine Gewertz interviewed Sam Meisels and Barbara Bowman for an
Education Week article about the new K–12 common standards.
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Preschools set to assess youngsters’ skills for kindergarten
Rebecca Harris interviewed Gil McNamee for a
Catalyst-Chicago story about CPS’s new Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.
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Part-time moms have healthiest kids
Wendy Donahue interviewed Tracy Moran for a
Chicago Tribune article about a new study that found mothers who work part time have healthier children than those who work full time or not at all.
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March 2010
Helping young children make the grade
Heidi Stevens interviewed Fran Stott about how parents can keep their child from getting overwhelmed by schoolwork for the Chicago Tribune column
The Parent 'Hood.
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Time to play ball or not
Heidi Stevens interviewed Margret Nickels for the Chicago Tribune column
The Parent ‘Hood about how to know when a child is ready for competitive sports.
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State education board considering bilingual education for preschoolers
Rebecca Harris interviewed Luisiana Melendez for a
Catalyst-Chicago story about Illinois’ new regulations for PreK bilingual and ESL education.
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February 2010
The Junior Meritocracy
Erikson president Samuel Meisels appeared on
WNYC's
The Brian Lehrer Show to discuss the flaws in high-stakes admissions tests for New York's most prestigious elementary schools. This interview was a follow up to the
New York Magazine article, The Junior Meritocracy, in which Meisels also appeared.
Listen to the interview on
WNYC »
Read the article in
New York Magazine »
Read Ellen Galinsky's commentary in
The Huffinton Post »
Reading baby's mind
Cynthia Ramnarace interviewed Linda Gilkerson for a
Parents Magazine article about choosing the right toys and play for babies.
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January 2010
Making after school cool
Rebecca Harris interviewed Robert Halpern about the value of After School Matters programs for a
Catalyst Chicago article.
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Chicago to measure kindergarten readiness
Rebecca Harris interviewed Gil McNamee about a recent study of Head Start programs for
Catalyst Chicago.
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December 2009
On the move
Crain's Chicago Business published the announcement of Randy L. Holgate's appointment to vice president of institutional advancement at Erikson Institute. The
Chronicle of Higher Education and
Chronicle of Philanthropy published similar announcements.
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Saving Michael
Center for Children and Families director Margret Nickels explained how early learning issues can contribute to later problems with violence and risky behavior in this
Chicago Tribune article.
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Ready or Not Here They Come
Samuel J. Meisels commented on the potential problems with school readiness testing in this
Statesman Journal article.
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November 2009
Helping your child make the grade
Center for Children and Families director Margret Nickels shared her advice to parents on helping their child turn around a bad report card. This topic was featured in the weekly
Chicago Tribune column
The Parent 'Hood.
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Child's play spurs serious debate
Erikson co-founder and professor Barbara T. Bowman weighed in this
Washington Post article about whether preschools should allow time for play or spend the entire day on direct instruction.
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October 2009
Child's play
Senior instructor Mary Hynes-Berry discussed what makes a child's storytelling so unique in this
Chicago Tribune article about a local theater company that acts out stories written by children.
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September 2009
Play-by-play
Center for Children and Families director Margret Nickels and associate professor Jon Korfmacher were both interviewed for this
American Baby article about a baby's developmental milestones in how he or she plays.
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As they grow 0–12 months
Margret Nickels reassured a parent worried because their child only wants to be held by mom in this
Parents article.
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August 2009
Calming first day of school fears

Margret Nickels appeared on ABC-7 to give parents advice for helping their children get off to a good start in school.
Watch now »
Erikson Institute Prism Ball
Today's Chicago Woman covered the who's who and the highlights of Erikson's annual fundraising gala.
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Charity Cases
Erikson trustee Cari Sacks discussed why Erikson's work is so important in this issue of Michigan Avenue.
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July 2009
Preschool conundrum
Chicago Parent reporter Lisa Applegate
interviewed
professor Jon Korfmacher for a story about picking the right preschool.
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U.S. lags in math education
Chicago Parent reporter Amy Souza
wrote a story about what the Early Mathematics Education Project is doing to improve early math education in Chicago Public Schools, as well as what parents can do to incorporate math lessons in home activities.
Story
June 2009
'Up' has its down moments; here's how to handle them
Chicago Tribune reporter Heidi Stevens
interviewed Margret Nickels, director of Erikson's Center for Children and Families, about how parents should help their children understand and cope with loss and tragedy.
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May 2009
The Pleasure of Play
NBC 5 reporter Nesita Kwan
interviewed professors Gillian McNamee and Barbara Bowman about the importance of recess and play for young children.
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Use stimulus funds to expand vision for high-quality early education
Herr Research Center's director, Eboni C. Howard, and associate director, Celina Chatman-Nelson, published an opinion piece about stimulus spending in
Catalyst-Chicago.
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Testing in Kindergarten: The Realities and the Dangers
Erikson president Samuel J. Meisels was interviewed by Anna Weinstein for this
education.com story.
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Math Across Cultures
Erikson's
International Symposium on Early Mathematics Education was covered in Sean Cavanagh's
Education Week blog.
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April 2009
U.S. pushes literacy skills, but what about math?
Debra Williams interviewed Jennifer McCray, director of Early Mathematics Education Project, for a
Catalyst Chicago article about the importance of math education .
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March 2009
Helping Kids Heal: When Your Child Needs Psychotherapy
Erikson alumna Rachel Rashkin-Shoot wrote an article for
Jewish Action, giving parents advice about when and how to get psychological help for their children.
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February 2009
preventing death by Power Point®: Tips for effective presentations that inform and engage
Erikson’s director of distance learning, Chip Donohue, Ph.D., published
an article in
Childcare Information Exchange about best practices in
Power Point® presentations.
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doing Reggio?
Daniel Scheinfeld’s research was mentioned in
Childcare Information Exchange as a resource for teachers who want to adopt Reggio Emilia methods in their classrooms.
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July 2008
Cramming for kindergarten
Erikson professors Barbara T. Bowman and Gillian McNamee discussed, with
Chicago Parent, the wisdom of pushing pre-school students and kindergarteners to meet high academic expectations.
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January 2008
Quieting the crying infant
Professor Linda Gilkerson gave iParenting.com some calming advice for parents who find themselves with a screaming baby in public.
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November 2007
Not the retiring type
Barbara T. Bowman was featured in an
AARP Magazine article on accomplished individuals who achieve great things for years beyond the typical retirement age. The piece noted that Bowman oversees Chicago Public Schools' early childhood programs for 30,000 children—then walks briskly over to Erikson, checking messages on her Blackberry, to teach here, when not traveling and lecturing here.
September 2007
School readiness
As kindergarten becomes increasingly academic, what does it mean to be ready for school? A wide range of developmental and cultural factors influence whether a child is ready to learn, Erikson president Samuel J. Meisels explained in a Sept. 4 interview on Eight Forty-Eight, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio's morning magazine show. Most children are ready for kindergarten at age five, he said, but they arrive at school with highly varied, individualized skills and strengths. It's up to schools to "meet the children where they are" developmentally and adapt learning opportunities to build on those strengths.
Listen
Soothing school jitters
A little preparation can ease the transition for young children nervous about starting preschool or kindergarten, Erikson dean Frances O'Connell Rust told the
New Jersey Star Ledger. If possible, visit the school with your child in advance, and explain what he or she might expect to happen during the day, she recommended in the Sept. 2 story.
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