Can we help our students to cope with the many distractions they encounter? This longitudinal study examines the relationship between childhood self-control and adult outcome factors, including health and financial stability. Self-control had a stronger relationship with the adult outcome factors than other predictor variables, including socioeconomic status. The sample consisted of over 1,000 children in New Zealand born in the 1970s who were observed over a period of eight years and then revisited when they reached the age of 32. The study suggests that children avoiding overwhelming distraction through self-control is related to better health and financial well-being as adults. While this study supports self-control training and development for children from a young age, it should raise questions about how success is defined and whether or not other factors in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood could also impact the factors for success.

TIME magazine recently did a cover story on mindfulness practices. The piece suggests that even in a high-speed, digital age, mindful practices can be used to center oneself, find inner peace, and enhance the human condition.

In this SFGate Op-Ed, David L. Kirp describes the positive outcomes and transformational capabilities of "Quiet Time," a "stress reduction strategy used in several San Francisco middle and high schools, as well as in scattered schools around the Bay Area." The practice is credited with improving daily attendance rates, student GPAs, and scores on the California Achievement Test, while also reducing suspension rates. Kirp notes that while Quiet Time "is no panacea, it's a game-changer for many students who otherwise might have become dropouts."

In this interview, Dennis Shirley interviews Stephani Burton about her experience in The Mindful Teacher seminars and how she experienced mindful teaching and learning as a classroom teacher. Stephani Burton is currently a first-year doctoral student in Education at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College.