Learning music helps young people flourish

Learning music helps young people flourish

• Music education is emerging as a wellbeing strategy to boost young people’s confidence and strengthen relationships.
• New ECU research calls for schools to treat learning music as essential for mental health, not just a nice-to-have activity.
• Experts say schools that fail to provide music education are missing a key opportunity to enhance student wellbeing and engagement.

A new study from ECU’s School of Education has found that learning music plays a critical yet often overlooked role in enhancing the wellbeing of children and adolescents, calling for a stronger focus on music education in schools and communities.

Led by experts from Edith Cowan University (ECU), the research systematically reviewed existing studies on music learning and its impact on wellbeing, revealing that learning music offers significant social, emotional and educational benefits for young people.

While music listening and participation have long been recognised for their positive effects on wellbeing, the study suggests that learning music amplifies these benefits.

Not just extracurricular

Lead author of the research, Dr Jason Goopy, said learning music can bring multiple benefits to children and adolescents.

“Music education in schools goes beyond music appreciation and learning an instrument,” Dr Goopy said.

“It can strengthen self-confidence, social connections and engagement in education.

“We found that music education can foster a sense of belonging, improve emotional awareness and encourage perseverance, all of which contribute to a young person's overall wellbeing.”

The review examined 30 international academic sources and found that almost all reported positive wellbeing outcomes associated with learning music.

Dr Goopy argues that these findings require us to rethink the place and purpose of music in schools.

“Our findings highlight the need for music education to be recognised as a needed wellbeing strategy in schools to support young people”, he said.

“Music classes should not be viewed as an ‘extracurricular option’. They are essential for supporting whole child development.”

The study identified three core wellbeing outcomes of music learning: individual, social and educational.

On an individual level, students reported improvements in self-confidence, emotional regulation and personal fulfillment.

Dr Goopy found music helped students build relationships, develop communication skills and foster a sense of belonging, as well as enhancing engagement and motivation to learn.

“Music learning creates opportunities for self-expression, collaboration and achievement, all of which contribute to students living well and healthy,” Dr Goopy said.

Building student wellbeing

The study identified effective approaches in promoting student wellbeing, including shared and active music making, creating musical products, context-specific artistic excellence and empowerment, and a secure and fun environment.

“At a time when mental health concerns for young people are increasing, it is crucial that schools take advantage of the powerful benefits that music education provides.”

Despite these findings, the study noted that large-scale investigations into the impact of music learning on wellbeing remain scarce, with most existing studies small in scale.

Dr Goopy also called for further interdisciplinary research to develop standardised methods of measuring wellbeing outcomes in music education.

“This research sends a clear message: learning music is more than just an artistic indulgence,” he said.

“It actively contributes to young people's ability to thrive.

“Every child needs access to quality, sequential and ongoing school music education delivered by confident and capable teachers.

“The opportunity to enhance wellbeing from learning music should be available to every child regardless of what school they attend.”

Goopy, J., & MacArthur, S. L. R. (2025). Music learning and school-aged children’s and adolescents’ wellbeing: A scoping review. Research Studies in Music Education, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X251323562

Education research groups urge immediate action on civil rights data collection

 

 Eleven leading education research organizations are calling on the U.S. Department of Education to take immediate action to finalize the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) for the 2025–26 school year. In a letter sent July 8 to Secretary Linda McMahon and Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor, the groups warned that the timeline for approving and implementing the collection has become critically short.

The CRDC is an essential federal tool that gathers data on educational access and equity in every public school district in the country. These data are crucial for understanding student experiences and educational opportunities across race, gender, disability status, and other key demographics. The research community, school districts, and families all rely on the CRDC to support student access and participation in curricula and programs, educational outcomes, and other levers of educational opportunity that are used for continuous improvement and evaluation purposes.

Despite early steps toward finalizing the 2025–26 data collection last fall and winter, the Education Department withdrew the most recent proposed collection in February 2025. No public updates have followed.

“In order to report quality data to the CRDC, school districts need sufficient time to prepare their student information systems to track and record the required information,” the groups wrote. “Ideally, school districts would know well before the school year begins what they will be required to report to the CRDC after the school year ends. But, at a minimum, school districts should be told early in the school year — particularly if new data elements are added or definitions are being revised.”

Signatories of the letter include the leaders of the American Educational Research Association, Association for Education Finance and Policy, Division for Research at the Council for Exceptional Children, International Society of the Learning Sciences, Literacy Research Association, NARST: A global organization for improving science education through research, National Academy of Education, Society for Research in Child Development, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, and University Council for Educational Administration.

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, federal data collections must undergo a final 30-day public comment period followed by a review period by the Office of Management and Budget. That process alone could push final approval past September, creating major logistical challenges for school districts.

“We urge immediate action in order to implement this essential data collection. Simply the timetable has no more flexibility,” the organizations state. “The Office for Civil Rights must restart the process by immediately publishing the proposed Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2025–26 school year for a 30-day comment period.”

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills

Access to nature promotes physical and mental health, and it is vital for children’s social and emotional development. Outdoor activities also influence family dynamics, helping to reduce stress and encourage connections. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign examines how green spaces and outdoor structures near the family residence interact with other factors in the household environment to influence executive functioning in early childhood.

“We looked at what people have outside their home or across the street, where they can just walk out their door, and we focused on children’s access to these facilities before age two,” said lead author Samantha Iwinski, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois.

“The goal was to investigate how those environmental factors shaped children’s cognitive abilities as well as the home environment, because it's all part of a holistic system of influences.” 

Iwinski and her colleagues used data from 435 families who were part of the STRONG Kids2 project, a longitudinal study of families and children in the Midwestern United States. The researchers combined this dataset with information from Google Earth on green and outdoor spaces such as grass, trees, sandboxes, decks, or outdoor storage next to the family residence. The study included families in different housing types, including apartments, individual homes, and farms.

Iwinski focused on the effect of green spaces and family dynamics on children’s executive function (EF); that is, cognitive processes critical for adaptive behavior. She distinguished between “cold” EF, which refers to the ability to control one’s attention, behavior, and thoughts, and “hot” EF, which indicates capacity for emotional regulation.

“We found that having trees, a sandbox, or outdoor storage space before age 2 was associated with better cold EF at 4 years old,” she said. “Trees and a sandbox allow for sensory interaction and are part of a nature playscape, providing opportunities to touch and feel and potentially climb. Outdoor storage space could mean there are toys and games that promote outdoor activities.”

Having an outdoor sitting area or living on a farm were associated with better hot executive function at 4 and 5 years of age, respectively. 

“This could relate to socializing and connection. Farming communities are often close-knit. Having a deck provides an opportunity to sit together and talk,” she noted.

Overall, the researchers found that higher levels of green space were related to lower levels of household chaos, which indicates that family-based nature activities can be restorative for both children and adults.

Household chaos – such as a noisy environment and lack of consistent routines – at ages 2 and 4 years was associated with worse EF at those ages.

“But we found that higher household chaos at earlier time points actually resulted in better EF at 4 years of age. This could be because children develop resilience and adaptability, learning to regulate themselves in a chaotic environment,” Iwinski said.

The results underscore the importance of providing access to green spaces and encouraging outdoor activities. Iwiski noted that some parents may not feel safe to go outside and pass their concerns on to their children.

“Research shows that children in low-income families have the most nature deprivation, so it would be important to implement policies that help underserved communities to have more green space and ways to interact available, and to ensure everyone feels welcome and safe in outdoor environments,” she said. 

Parents and educators can also encourage children to participate in outdoor activities.

“Parents can talk about what to do, for example, ‘we can play with rocks today, tomorrow we can do sand,’ and show their kids what it means to be outside. It’s not just about helping your child, but also yourself, because outdoor activities promote mental health and restoration for everyone.”

The paper, “Growing Minds: The Role of Family Residence Green Spaces and Household Chaos on Children's Executive Function,” is published in Children, Youth and Environments [DOI:10.1353/cye.2025.a959179].

Education exports help offset U.S. trade deficit

 —but new tariff and visa policies threaten gains

As U.S. policymakers increase tariffs on goods, particularly those imported from China—a new study from the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy finds the opposite may be needed to protect one of the country’s most powerful economic exports: higher education.

The study, forthcoming in the Review of Economics and Statistics, focuses on China’s 2001 entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), which dramatically boosted Chinese exports to the U.S. and household incomes in certain Chinese cities—making American college tuition suddenly affordable for many families.

“In a very real sense, international students are reversing the trade deficit,” said Gaurav Khanna, associate professor of economics at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy and coauthor of the study. “America imports goods from China but exports education in return. That has been a win for both economies—and one that a trade war risks unraveling.”

Analyzing visa records, trade data, and city-level economics, the researchers show that Chinese cities, like Qingyang and Shantou, that had more exposure to WTO-related tariff reductions sent significantly more students to the U.S., compared to cities with less exposure, like Wuwei and Lincang. In fact, a 10-percentage point increase in trade exposure generated 34 more students per million city residents, accounting for about 40% of the surge in Chinese student enrollment between 2002 and 2013.

However, tariff policies that are designed to slow China’s manufacturing sectors will reverse this trend.

Billions in Tuition Revenue at Risk  

The researchers estimate that the tariffs levied on Chinese imports during the first Trump administration led to a 25% drop in students from China studying in the U.S., costing U.S. universities $1.1 billion annually in revenue.

With higher and more tariffs in the second Trump administration, the impacts will likely be larger —and increased visa restrictions are expected to make matters worse.

That figure doesn’t include the broader economic contributions international students make—such as spending on housing, transportation, and local services—or the long-term benefits to the U.S. workforce and innovation ecosystem.

“Policymakers often talk about soybeans, oil and steel,” Khanna added. “But education contributes more to the U.S. economy than any of those. It’s an export we ignore at our own peril.”

How International Student Enrollment Has Helped Offset State Funding Cuts

The composition of Chinese students has shifted over time. Once dominated by graduate-level STEM enrollments—many of them scholarship-supported—the post-WTO boom analyzed in the study (2000 to 2013) saw growth in undergraduate students studying business and social sciences, often paying full sticker price.

Khanna points to his previous research showing how nonresident tuition benefited U.S. universities suffering declines in state funding. For example, between 1996 and 2012, a 10% reduction in state appropriations was associated with an increase in foreign enrollment of 12% at public research universities. 

“Universities had to choose between increasing tuition levels and cutting expenditures—such as decreasing academic offerings to in-state students, or enrolling a greater proportion of students who pay out-of-state tuition,” he said.

Many public U.S. colleges, including the University of California, turned to international student tuition, rather than sharply increasing the tuition of in-state students in order to make up for shortfalls in state funding.

However, Khanna notes there has been a dramatic deceleration in international student flows in recent years. Yearly growth of Chinese students in the U.S. averaged about 22% between 2007 and 2013, but has since fallen to under 5% per year. 

How the Exchange of Education has Historically Been One of the U.S.’ Biggest Advantages 

The authors argue that understanding the relationship between trade and migration is crucial—not only for universities but for U.S. foreign and economic policy writ large.

“There’s often an assumption that trade and immigration are substitutes,” Khanna said. “What we found is that they can be powerful complements. Trade helped create a middle class in China that saw U.S. education as both a pathway and a product.”

In 2019, education exports added $45 billion to the U.S. economy. Today, with student inflows slowing and competition rising from other countries, the study offers a timely reminder of what’s at stake.

“America’s edge has always been its universities,” Khanna said. “If we make it harder for international students to come here, we’re not just closing the door on students—we’re closing the door on one of our biggest trade advantages.” 

The study was co-authored by Kevin Shih of City University of New York–Queens College, Ariel Weinberger of George Washington University, Mingzhi Xu of Peking University, and Miaojie Yu of Liaoning University. 

Does grading students at earlier ages increase the risk of mental disorders in adolescents?

Research in Health Economics indicates that introducing school grades—with A as the highest grade and F as a failing grade—at younger ages may negatively affect children’s mental health.

In Sweden, students traditionally received individual grades beginning in eighth grade (around 14 years of age), but in the fall of 2012, a reform shifted the introduction of grades to sixth grade (around age 12).

By comparing sociodemographic and clinical data on 524,093 children in Sweden in grades 5 through 9 before and after the reform, investigators found that girls exposed to earlier grading were more likely to be diagnosed with internalizing disorders, such as depression and anxiety, by the end of compulsory school—especially female students with low to moderate academic achievement.

Evidence also suggested that both girls and boys exposed to earlier grading face an increased risk of being diagnosed with alcohol‐related disorders.

“Like many countries, Sweden has moved toward more testing and tighter grading, repeatedly revising its assessment system,” said corresponding author Anna Linder, PhD, of Lund University, in Sweden. “Our results show that these changes can have detrimental effects on children's mental health. Grades aren’t inherently harmful, but their design should carefully consider that children vary in when—and how—they can turn feedback into healthy growth.”

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.4982

Short teaching interventions on disinformation have no long-term effect

 Strengthening school students’ resilience to disinformation requires more than isolated interventions on source criticism. A new study from Uppsala University shows that short teaching interventions on disinformation have no long-term effect on upper secondary school students’ ability to distinguish between credible and misleading news.

The results are now published in the scholarly journal PLOS One and are based on a study of 459 Swedish upper secondary school students.

The study, supported by the Swedish Institute for Educational Research, is one of the first to systematically examine the long-term effects of different teaching models against misinformation and disinformation in ordinary classrooms. Three types of interventions have been compared: a game about propaganda and manipulation on social media (Bad News), a digital workshop on fact-checking (News Evaluator) and subject-specific lesson segments in social sciences, history, psychology, science and art.

Three types of interventions have been compared:

– Bad News, an online game where students in pairs try out spreading disinformation themselves during a lesson. By using strategies such as emotional manipulation, trolling and polarisation, they learn to recognise common propaganda techniques. A concluding class discussion deepens their understanding.

– The News Evaluator, a digital self-test where students individually practise assessing the credibility of news. The test takes about 20 minutes to complete and is followed by a joint class discussion on the challenges of current news feeds.

– Subject-specific lesson segments, spread over three lessons in the subjects of social sciences, history, psychology, science and art. The focus was on integrating source criticism into subject teaching using authentic examples and subject-relevant discussions.

Despite previous research suggesting that such interventions can have short-term effects, the new study shows little improvement in students’ source criticism skills three months after the interventions. The students’ use of digital tools such as reverse image search remained low and most still had difficulty identifying misleading information. On the other hand, the study showed that students who considered it important to have access to credible information, and those who valued democratic ideals highly, were better at identifying true and false information.

“The results show that isolated lessons or games are not enough. Strengthening young people’s resilience to disinformation requires more long-term and integrated teaching strategies. Schools have a central role in equipping young people for life in a public sphere where digital source criticism is crucial for democratic participation. Source-critical exercises need to come up regularly and in different ways in teaching in different subjects,” says Professor Thomas Nygren of Uppsala University, who conducted the study.

Teachers want tried and tested material

Over the years of working on the News Evaluator platform and on how young people develop source criticism, he has repeatedly encountered teachers asking for tried and tested materials to teach complex issues such as disinformation. The News Evaluator provides ready-made lesson plans, slideshows and teacher guides for all five subjects used in the study. Developed in close cooperation between researchers and teachers, the material aims to support the teaching of digital source criticism in a concrete way and to counter misleading information and disinformation.

“Now we have resources that are scientifically tested and easy to use in the classroom. To facilitate this, all teaching materials from the study are freely available to teachers,” says Nygren.

Direct link to teaching material: https://nyhetsvarderaren.se/in-english/ 

Researchers find children’s health broadly declining in the United States

 A new study led by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has found that children’s health in the United States is declining across several key measurements ranging from increased chronic illnesses, higher rates of physical and mental health conditions and related symptoms, and increased mortality rates compared with other countries. The study also reveals that the issues are broad and systemic and require new ways of thinking about supporting and prioritizing the health of children. The findings were published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The health of children provides an important foundation for the overall health of a country, with healthy children more likely to grow up to be healthy adults. However, recent scientific assessments suggest that the United States is facing a major crisis with poor and worsening health for children, which has stimulated a strong interest in understanding the root causes of these issues.

Most studies focus on singular issues, like anxiety and obesity, but since they are conducted separately, there is a critical gap in knowledge. In this study, researchers suggested that a more effective response to these issues may be to address underlying systemic factors and identify areas to improve the developmental ecosystem for children growing up in America.

“In the course of conducting this study, there wasn’t a single statistic that was startling, but instead comprehensive data over several years including millions of children all pointed to the same trends, which was an overall decline in the health of children and youth,” said senior study author Christopher B. Forrest, MD, PhD, a Professor of Pediatrics at CHOP, Director of the Applied Clinical Research Center, and Director of PEDSnet.

In this study, the researchers utilized data from five nationally representative surveys, national mortality statistics, and a large database of pediatric electronic health records (EHRs) to assess changes in children’s health from 2007 to 2023. The study looked at more than 170 children’s health indicators, including chronic physical, developmental and mental health disorders, mortality, obesity, functional impairments, and physical and emotional symptoms.

The study found that from 2007 to 2022, the death rate for infants younger than 1 year was 1.78 (95% CI, 1.78-1.79) times higher and 1.80 (95% CI, 1.80-1.80) times higher in children between 1- and 19-years-old in the United States compared with 18 countries comparable high-income nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Prematurity and sudden unexpected infant death accounted for the widest disparities in infants and firearm-related incidents and motor vehicle crashes having the widest disparities among other children.

From 2011 to 2023, the prevalence of 3- to 17-year-old children with a chronic condition rose from 39.9% to 45.7% within the PEDSnet cohort of 10 pediatric medical centers and from 25.8% to 31.0% within the general population. Additionally, rates of obesity, early onset of menstruation, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, physical symptoms, depressive symptoms and loneliness all increased during the study period.

While the authors strongly advocate for identifying and addressing the root causes associated with these issues, they also strongly advocate for broader methods of addressing them. A developmental ecosystem that connects human relationships, environments and social systems that supports children, particularly those in low-income and marginalized communities, needs to be prioritized and supported with more high-quality early childhood education, better family support, safer neighborhoods and culturally attuned care.

“Children are naturally resilient and adaptive,” Forrest said. “If we can improve the ecosystems that surround them and meet the challenges we identified in this study, we can lay the foundation for a healthier future for our nation’s youth.”

This study was supported by institutional funds managed by the Applied Clinical Research Center at CHOP.

Forrest et al, “Trends in US Children’s Mortality, Chronic Conditions, Obesity, Functional Status, and Symptoms.” JAMA. Online July 7, 2025. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2025.9855.