Why Students Underachieve: What Educators And Parents Can Do About It

Psychologist Melrose draws on her years working in schools to offer her analysis of how various kinds of trauma may be at the root of many behavior problems and barriers to learning. She's not just talking about big, catastrophic events like the Columbine shootings or Hurricane Katrina, but about common events that occur in the lives of children. After explaining what these events might be, she reviews recent research findings on trauma's impact on the brain and nervous system and suggests tools that will help parents and teachers respond to troubled children in a compassionate manner. The final chapters offer a critique of crisis intervention and an admonition to "do no harm," as well as discussion of the implications for the future of education. The book includes abundant references, but no index is provided. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Dr. Regalena Melrose is a credentialed school psychologist and licensed clinical psychologist with 13 years of experience working in schools. She is also a practicing trauma specialist and lecturer.