Dr. Kim Berens (@KimberlyBerens5) joins me for a third time to discuss her new book, Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them.* In this show, we talk about her motivation to write this book, what she believes is wrong with the current approach to educating children in the United States, and what can be done to remedy this situation.

Like our recent episode with Amelia Bowler earlier this month, this is another great example of people trained in Behavior Analysis stepping out of our community and speak directly to a broader community. In short, it's an excellent model of dissemination, and should be applauded for this reason, along with all the other excellent attributes of the book.

I was honored to write a blurb for the promotion of the book, and if you'll indulge me, I'll share it here:

In 1984, B.F. Skinner wrote The Shame of American Education, in which he described how the American educational system failed to incorporate scientifically validated instructional practices. Sadly, this paper is just as relevant after almost four decades since its publication. In Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them, Dr. Kimberly Berens courageously picks up where Skinner left off by shining a light on the dysfunctional practices of the American educational establishment. In doing so, she debunks many popular myths that pervade current educational practices. More importantly, Dr. Berens offers concrete solutions for helping all students learn through the application of the natural science of behavior. This is a book that should be read by every parent, school board member, administrator, and teacher.

I could go on and on both about this book as well as the interview I'm about to play. But instead, I'll just ask you to give the show a listen, and if you're so moved, to pick up a copy of the book. Or even better, gift a copy of the book if you happen to know a teacher, school administrator, and so forth.

Here are the links for the references that came up in Session 136:

• Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them.*
• Kim's first and second appearance on the podcast.
• Kim's website, DrKimberlyBerens.com.
• Kim's interview on The Controversial Exchange.
• A Liberated Mind,* by Steve Hayes.
• Re-Booting Capitalism,* by Anthony Biglan.
• Dr. Biglan's Twitter handle.
• Neuroplasticity,* The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series, by Moheb Costandi.
• FitLearning Atlanta Lab.
• Cambridge Center white paper on Project Follow Through.
• My interview with Michael Maloney (with discussion of Project Follow Through).
• IXL.com (K-12 website that uses fluency based strategies).

Today's episode was brought to you with support from:

• Market Your ABA Practice Like a Pro! A Digital Masterclass with Rich Brooks! Is your ABA practice located in a highly competitive area? Do you struggle with name-recognition and visibility among Autism service providers in your community? Do you wish more parents and stakeholders knew about the awesome services you provide? During this event, you'll discover marketing strategies that will allow you to get your ABA practice to get in front of ideal community stakeholders (parents, guardians, etc…) and referral sources (pediatricians, etc…), by using the digital tools that everyone is being forced to use these days. This can help to attract new clients, families, schools, and even employees! The price of the event is $149, but if you register by Halloween, you can attend the event for just $99. Click here to sign up!
• The Whoop Strap! I've been wearing the Whoop Strap for just a few weeks and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed getting quantitative information on all aspects of my health, including sleep analytics, heart rate, along with heart rate variability, calorie burn, exercise intensity, and Whoop's proprietary "strain" score. I could extol this neat device's virtues indefinitely to you, but instead, you can go check it out for yourself. To get your first month free, head over to behavioralobservations.com/whoop!

*denotes Amazon Affiliate Link