Are Kids Becoming Dumber?

A study conducted by a research team suggests that today's 14-year-olds are no smarter than the 12-year-olds of 1976. The team of researchers led by Michael Shayer, professor of applied psychology, at London's King's College, tested 800 13 and 14-year-olds and compared the results with a similar exercise in  1976. Prof. Shayer says the results are "almost certainly due to the rise of TV and computer games and over-testing in schools."

The tests were intended to measure understanding of abstract scientific concepts such as volume, density, quantity and weight, which set pupils up for success not only in maths and science but also in English and history.

In one test the kids were asked to study a pendulum swinging on a string. The were asked to determine why the speed of the pendulum was changing. Even though the average achievement was about the same as in 1976 the proportion of teenagers reaching top grades, demanding a 'higher level of thinking', fell dramatically...... only 1 in 10 achieved that level compared to 1 in 4 back in 1976. Other tests revealed similar results.

Professor Shayer believes most of the downturn has occurred over the last 10 to 15 years and can be traced to two main developments: National curriculum testing in schools and the electronic media (TV and video games).

National Testing

Professor Shayer blames national testing and targets that tend to make teachers prepare students to take and pass tests, at the expense of developing more advance skills.

'The moment you introduce targets, people will find the most economical strategies to achieve them,' said Professor Shayer. 'In the case of education, I'm sure this has had an effect on driving schools away from developing higher levels of understanding.'

An Ofsted report said millions of teenagers were finishing compulsory education with a weak grasp of maths because half of the country's schools fail to teach the subject as well as they could. Inspectors said teachers were increasingly drilling pupils to pass exams instead of encouraging them to understand crucial concepts. The report said:

'It is of vital importance to shift from a narrow emphasis towards a focus on pupils' mathematical understanding.'

Electronic Media

Professor Shayer also believes that changes in how today's kids spend their free time has had a detrimental effect on brain power. TV, with its numerous channels, has encouraged passive viewing. Computer games have cut down the time available for playing with tools, gadgets and other mechanisms.

Another researcher, Dr Aric Sigman, previously reported that the decline in intellectual ability was linked to a shift away from art and craft skills in both schools and the home.

Dr Sigman said practical activities such as building models and sandcastles, making dens, using tools, playing with building blocks, knitting, sewing and woodwork were being neglected. Yet they helped develop vital skills such as understanding dimension, volume and density.

Educators are beginning to take notice. Earlier this month the Government bowed to mounting pressure and scrapped SATs for 14-year-olds. They have also created an independent exams watchdog and promised a return to traditional, open-ended questions at A-level plus a new A* grade to mark out the brightest students. A spokesman for the Department for Children said: 'Good teachers do not need to teach to the test and there is no evidence that such practice is widespread. '

'We have already taken steps to reduce the testing burden, but targets and testing are integral features of any work to drive up standards.'

Professor Shayer warned that without the development of higher-order thinking skills, the future supply of scientists will be compromised. 'We don't even have enough scientists now,' he said.

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Is Caylee Marie Anthony Still Alive?

Caylee Marie Anthony, born August 9, 2005 is now 3-years-old. She did not get to celebrate her third birthday with candles, a cake and presents. She was not even with her mother or any other family members for her third birthday. She may in fact have been dead before her third birthday. Caylee Marie Anthony is missing and her mother, Casey Anthony, 22, has been charged with her murder by the police in Orange County, Fl.

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Caylee Marie Anthony was reported missing July 15th 2008 by her grandmother, Cindy Anthony, after being told by Casey - her daughter and Caylee's mother - that the toddler had been missing since June 9th 2008.

What followed the missing child report has been a drama of lies, changing stories, a family pitted against each other, charges of forgery, a car with the "smell of death"  - but no dead body. Nevertheless police say they have enough evidence. Casey Anthony was arrested after a grand jury indicted her on charges of First-degree murder, Aggravated child abuse, Aggravated manslaughter and four counts of Lying to investigators. She appeared before Judge John Jordan, who read the charges against her and sent her to jail, without bail.

Police became involved in this case after the missing child report was filed by the toddler's grandmother. Casey told the police that she last saw her daughter when she dropped her off at the babysitter's. Later, when she went to pick up her daughter after work, she discovered that both the babysitter, Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez (Zainie), and her daughter were nowhere to be found. Casey said she spent the next month trying to find her daughter Caylee. She did not immediately report Caylee missing because she was afraid.

After investigating Casey's story the police say Casey was not being truthful. For one thing the apartment where Zainie was supposed to live had been vacant. Also after tracking down Zainie (who is a real person) it turns out that Zainie never even met Casey. In fact Zainie has filed a defamation lawsuit against Casey Anthony, claiming that she caused her to loose her job and has caused problems in her family's life.

A strong odor of decomposition was detected in Casey's car leading to speculation that a body may have been hidden there. Casey was eventually arrested and held on $500,000 bail, charged with child neglect, providing false official statements and obstructing a criminal investigation. She is also charged in an unrelated case, accused of stealing checks from from her friend and going on a shopping spree.

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Casey made bail thanks to celebrity bail bondsman Tony Padilla and was confined to her parent's house wearing an ankle bracelet. However, police presented evidence to a grand jury and called witnesses to testify - including her own father, George Anthony - believing that Casey did in fact kill her daughter. The grand jury indicted her on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators about the disappearance of her daughter. If convicted of first-degree murder, Casey Anthony could face the death penalty or life in prison. Prosecutors said no decision has been made on whether to seek the death penalty.

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Man Kills Kitten in Front of Kids

Danield John Collins, 39, an ex-navy veteran and an alcoholic can now add convicted felon to his resume. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Collins, who lives in Muncie, Ind., pleaded guilty to a felony count of animal cruelty and two felony counts of neglect of a dependent. In exchange, prosecutors dropped three other felony charges. What makes this case so horrible is that Collins was convicted of killing his 8-month-old tuxedo kitten, named Boots, in front of his two young kids.

It all began when the grandparents, who have custody of the two children (a 7-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy), dropped them off at their father's house for a visit. The kids arrived to find that their father was drunk. According to the kids, their father was a different person when he is drunk. At some point during the visit the father passed out. When he awoke he ordered his 11-year-old son to stab the 8-month-old kitten. He gave him a knife and told him he wanted them to learn how to kill.

When Collins left to go to the bathroom, his son hid the kitten under a sofa bed and put ketchup on the knife in hopes of fooling his father into thinking the kitten was dead. When Collins realized that the kitten wasn't dead, he searched for it and found it under the sofa bed. He then grabbed his 7-year-old daughter by the hand so "hard it ached" and still holding her hand, forced her to stab the kitten in the side.

Still not satisfied he took the knife from her and stabbed the kitten again. He then proceeded to strangle the kitten in front of the two of them. When the kitten was dead he told his son to pick it up and throw it in the garbage.

When the children returned home, they told family members what had happened. The police were called and Collins was arrested and held on $40,000 bail. The police were able to retrieve the dead kitten from the garbage as evidence. Authorities said Boots had suffered a broken leg, broken teeth, a bruised ear, a ripped lip and two stab wounds but died as a result of being strangled.

Muncie police Detective Jami Brown said the case was particularly troubling because Collins involved his children in killing the cat, an 8-month-old tuxedo type-cat named Boots. "I've been doing investigations for 10 years and this is really bothering me," the detective said.

During his sentencing Collins said he could not remember exactly what happened that day but did not try to contradict the children's story. "I am extremely sorry for what I did," Danield J. Collins said. "Everything is my responsibility."

Under the plea agreement, which sends him to jail for 18 months, Collins also must receive counseling and attend parenting classes and substance abuse treatment. The judge also prohibited Collins from owning a pet. "This is not civilized conduct," Judge Robert Barnet Jr. said as he sentenced Collins.

Deputy Prosecutor Judi Calhoun said she was outraged by the crime but agreed to the plea deal so that the children would not have to testify against their father. Defense attorney Steve Bruce said Collins, a Navy veteran, has no previous felony convictions.

Couple Have Their 18th Child

Alexandru Ionce, 51, and his wife Livia, 44, did not set out to be the center of attention but 18 kids later, lots of media attention was focused on the family. Baby Abigail weighed 7lb 12oz at birth. She is the 10th girl born into the family. See the video here.

"We never planned how many children to have. We just let God guide our lives, you know, because we strongly believe life comes from God and that's the reason we did not stop the life," said Mr Ionce, who works in construction.

The Ionce's immigrated from Romania to Abbotsford, B.C., in 1990 with five children. Their 17 other children range in age from 20 months to 23-year-old Ioana. None are twins and all were born naturally, except four-year-old Filip, who was born by Caesarean section. They live in a 7 bedroom house with only 2 bathrooms to share. "It's tough sometimes," says Ioana. "Sometimes there's lineups but we're used to it."

"We're a lot of people but my parents taught us organization and discipline," she says. "I like it, it's good."

"I've been to my friend's house - an only child," says 15-year-old Alex. "It's different. Quiet around his house all the time. Not fun. It's not quiet here."

Alexandru works in construction, and admits it's not cheap to have a family so large. "Yeah, it is expensive," he says. But while money's in short supply, love is not. And even though she's 44-years-old, Livia's not sure she's done. "I don't know what's happen in the future," she says. "There might be more."

Even with 18 kids the Ionce's are not in the Guinness Book of Records:

• A Russian woman, known only as "the wife of Feodor Vassilyev", who gave birth to 69 children in the 18th century from 27 pregnancies.


• The book also cites Leontina Albina, from Chile, as the most prolific living mother. She reportedly gave birth to her 55th child in 1981.

Giving Pot to Kids - Teen gets 8 Years

Demetrius McCoy, 18 of Watauga, Texas was sentenced to 8 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to two charges of injury to a child causing bodily injury. He also pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary of a habitation. He received 8 years on each of the 4 counts all of which to be served concurrently. It was however the charges related to causing bodily injury to a child that were the most shocking.

McCoy and his cousin Vanswan Polty, were arrested in February 2007 after police found a video while executing a search warrant at the Watauga home of McCoy’s grandmother. Police were investigating burglaries that McCoy and Polty are suspected of committing. On the video McCoy was seen giving his two nephews 2 and 5-years-old marijuana to smoke. Below is the video found by the police.

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McCoy who reportedly has a 3-month-old daughter, was seen giving his nephews pot, blowing smoke in their faces, calling them "potheads" and joking about them having the "munchies". When asked about the incident in an interview from jail, McCoy apologized for causing such a firestorm but indicated that he didn't consider what he did to be a serious crime.

"Some people give their kids alcohol, let them smoke ice, methamphetamines. Weed ain't going to kill them," he said.

Watauga Department of Public Safety Director Bruce Ure took the incident very seriously and said the teens encouraged the two young boys to smoke a marijuana cigar. Investigators were appalled as they watched the tape.

"You're watching a crime in progress," Mr. Ure said. "This is their uncle, and he's encouraging them. They were so willing to go along, to please their uncle. Encouraging a 2-year-old who is clearly a baby – it's a baby, and they think it's funny watching him impaired."

In an attempt to minimize his own actions, he said he doesn't believe he is the first to expose the boys to the illegal drug and besides "They wasn't even high," Mr. McCoy said. "They didn't even inhale it right." He said that even if he hadn't giving his nephews the pot to smoke "the youngsters would have eventually smoked the drug anyway."

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In exchange for the eight-year sentence, McCoy must also testify against his co-defendant, Vanswan Polty, officials said. If McCoy had been convicted at trial, he would have faced up to 10 years in prison. Vanswan Polty, 19, remains in the Tarrant County Jail awaiting trial. He faces two charges of injury to a child, three charges of burglary of a habitation and one charge of failing to identify himself to a peace officer.

"I think Mr. McCoy recognized that a Tarrant County jury was not going to stand for his behavior, and he did the proper thing by taking responsibility for his actions," said prosecutor Darrell Davila, who handled the case with Leticia Martinez.

McCoy was represented by defense lawyer Ruben Gonzalez Jr.:

"My client accepted his responsibility," Gonzalez said. "His family has suffered terribly, and it is something he will have to live with."

Shatorria Russell, the children's mother, has said she was asleep in another room in the home, which she shared with her children, grandmother and McCoy when the children smoked marijuana. Child Protective Services removed the children from the home shortly after McCoy’s arrest, and  Russell relinquished her parental rights to the state. The children are living with a foster family and are awaiting adoption, CPS spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales said.