Starting Point
Brainy Notions
School Administrator, September 2017


Neuroscience long has informed educators about the developing nature of the teenage brain. It’s continually rewiring itself in complex ways as it matures, creating new connections and ridding itself of unneeded neurons along the way.

What this means for those responsible for educating adolescents is the subject of our editorial attention this month. We’ve called on some of the more visible researchers and consultants to shed light on how the research findings might shape our thinking on stimulating students to maximize their learning.

The Q&A with neuroscientist Frances Jensen, who launched her inquiries into this field while a parent of teenagers, is a useful starting point for understanding. David Sousa, author of The Rewired Brain, and education consultant Judy Willis, once a neurologist and a middle school teacher, share the practical applications they are finding in the latest research for school-based staff.

We’ve also chosen to use this issue to address a subject gaining overdue attention — how we ought to manage the lives of young people sustaining concussions, mostly through athletics.

We’d welcome your feedback.


Editor, School Administrator
Voice: 703-875-0745
E-mail: jgoldman@aasa.org
Twitter: @JPGoldman