In this three-part article, Molly O'Shaughnessy gives the first principles that break down the myths of poverty and discusses the actual community partnerships that impact the poverty cycle and make Montessori education accessible for all children. Next, Connie Black writes about the education process and outreach programs at the Montessori Center…

Presents a short biography of the winner of the American Psychological Association/American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology. The 2012 winner is Melissa L. Anderson for her ongoing commitment to understanding, treating, and preventing domestic violence in Deaf women…

Using data gathered from students attending Southeast Community and Technical College in Harlan County, Kentucky, this article discusses how a commitment to place informs and shapes rural students' decisions around post-secondary education, career, and residence. Though some students connected advanced education with rural outmigration, other…

Sherri Zummo knew she somehow needed to find a way for her son to live in the world as a person who was profoundly deaf in both ears. He was also diagnosed as legally blind, on the autistic spectrum, and intellectually delayed with other medical and physical issues. As he grew, his special needs increased, behaviors became worse, and the struggle…

Each year, the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) and the Child and Youth Well-Being Index Project at Duke University issue a comprehensive measure of how children are faring in the United States. The resultant National Child and Youth Well-Being Index (CWI) is based on a composite of "28 Key Indicators of Well-Being," grouped into…

As the concept of quality of life (QOL) has evolved from a theoretical concept to both a measurable construct and an action-oriented change agent in the field of intellectual disabilities, there has emerged a corresponding need to develop, implement, and use a systematic approach to the assessment of domain-referenced quality of life outcomes. The…

Background: Despite awareness of the health inequalities experienced by people with intellectual disability, their health status remains poor. Inequalities in health outcomes are manifest in higher morbidity and rates of premature death. Contributing factors include the barriers encountered in accessing and receiving high-quality health care.…

The quotation, attributed to the Greek mathematician Archimedes, about the power of levers to move the world has been quoted many times with slight variations, but usually the point is the same: "With the right lever, one can move the earth." However, the actual quotation attributed to Archimedes comes in the writings of another Greek…

What is the hold of literature on a reader's imagination, on my imagination? I remember many hours spent with books in a kind of romantic entanglement, and heartful obsession, and joyful reverie. I certainly remember being lost with words, lost in enthusiastic abandonment. I loved the sounds of words, and the images they conjured, and the…

High-end amenities like rock climbing walls on college campuses have become an easy target for those attempting to explain rising tuitions. This Delta Perspective looks beyond the media attention surrounding these "frills" to examine more serious questions about spending on campus facilities, college spending in general, and the real drivers of…

Recent changes in basic economic conditions make it harder for college students to find their way in the new economy. However, in addition to these structural changes that drive up the costs of living in society, many students are also suffering from the effects of developing an unsustainable, affluent lifestyle both before and during the pursuit…

A 2011 survey of young adults conducted by Public Agenda found that a cluster of obstacles have prevented many of them from competing college. The author describes the opportunity, college awareness, and funding gaps that put a postsecondary degree out of the reach of so many young people. For example, just 3 in 10 non-college-completers are aware…

Education is a great instrument of importance to every nation. It, therefore, attracts considerable attention. It has been generally conceived that only an educated population can command the skills necessary for sustainable economic growth and a better quality of life. The quality of education received by citizens is therefore important in…

Schizophrenia as mental illness is defined in terms of diagnostic criteria which do not include the full range of psychosocial difficulties that shape the lived experience of persons with this diagnosis and affect their quality of life. The biopsychosocial approach found in the World Health Organization's International Classification of…

Many students with exceptionalities, such as Aaron, display challenging behaviors that have a substantial impact on their quality of life and greatly disrupt the educational process (Matson, Wilkins, & Macken, 2009; Westling, 2010). Challenging behavior often causes academic and social difficulties for the students displaying the behavior,…