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Florida database integration law aims to stop school shootings
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityIn Florida, database integration will be the new tool to combat school shootings. Following the Parkland tragedy, state authorities convened and passed a law to this effect. A centralized database will be created to help officers and school authorities prevent such shootings in future. One of the significant catalysts for this move was the fact that the Parkland shooter had left many warning signs in his social media posts that were overlooked.
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Flexible learning starts with flexible classroom spaces
Brian Stack EducationThe latest craze with my New Hampshire high school teachers is to supplement, or in some cases replace, their institutional, inflexible classroom furniture with more student-friendly options. In a school with a very tiny furniture budget, my staff has accomplished this task by soliciting donations, applying for grants, and in some cases, building their own furniture. A walk through the few re-imagined spaces that we have completed thus far is reminiscent of a trip through a trendy Ikea showroom.
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Fun with task-based language learning
Sheilamary Koch EducationIf you’ve studied a new language, you probably remember the moment you learned certain words. For me, it was a day about 20 years ago when I learned the difference between wallet and highway in Spanish. At a bus station in Oaxaca, Mexico, the ticket counter agent explained that my bus was behind schedule and recommended not travelling that day due to something about my wallet, or so I thought. If I’d had a teacher or the right dictionary along, my mistaken assumption would’ve been clear right then.
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My child doesn’t get enough sleep: Dangers and remedies
Howard Margolis EducationMany special and general education students of all ages and achievement levels don’t get enough sleep. They suffer from sleep deprivation. They routinely get far less than the roughly eight to 10 hours of sleep they need. The long-term consequences of sleep deprivation put them at serious risk for obesity, diabetes, accidents, heart disease, and premature death. In school, at home, and with friends, the consequences are immediate.
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The radical idea of the healthcare sabbatical
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareIn the stressful world of healthcare, nursing, and medicine, worthy staff members work themselves to the bone in service to the common cause. Nurses, doctors, physical and occupational therapists, radiologists, and others put out enormous amounts of energy day in and day out in a wide variety of healthcare milieus. With burnout widely prevalent, why don’t healthcare organizations offer sabbaticals for their most valued employees?
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Lead contamination in schools’ drinking water worse than previously…
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsLead contamination in U.S. schools is more pervasive than previously thought, new water testing results from 20 states say. The data was published in an interactive map by Environment America and U.S. PIRG in June. The map shows several other states where more than half of schools tested found some level of lead. These confirmed cases of contamination are likely only the tip of the iceberg, Environment America said in a statement.
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ELLs and receptive language issues: Where does one end and the other begin?
Clare Russell EducationI have been teaching for 25 years and counting, with most of those years working with students with learning disabilities. For my students who are also officially classified as ELL, I found myself wondering where one diagnosis stops and the other one begins. Receptive language problems mean someone finds verbal language problematic. A person who is learning a new language also finds verbal language in problematic, usually in that language.
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New tactics boost cybersecurity in schools
Bambi Majumdar EducationThere have been more than 350 cyberattack incidents in K-12 schools since January 2016. These incidents include phishing attacks that resulted in breaches or hacks and the disclosure of personal data. There were also ransomware attacks, denial-of-service attacks and other incidents that resulted in school disruptions and unauthorized disclosures. Cybercriminals target the education sector for reasons other than immediate monetary gains. They want access to extensive financial information and sensitive personal data, and also want their hands on valuable proprietary research data.
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The relationship between student behavior and engagement
Brian Stack EducationA recent Mind/Shift article by Katrina Schwartz highlighted the efforts by San Francisco middle school principal Michael Essien to get classroom behavior under control in his school. Essien’s story touched me personally as I too shared his frustrations. Over the last 10 years as a school administrator, I have seen a dramatic decline in classroom disruptions and general student misbehavior that I believe is correlated to increased student engagement in school.
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Is fitness the right weapon to combat childhood obesity?
Sheilamary Koch Sports & FitnessIncreasing sedentariness among children around the world makes fighting the problem of childhood obesity even more challenging than ever. In the U.S. alone, more than 12 million children between the ages of 2 and 19 years are obese — one out of every six children, cite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Along with healthier eating, promoting physical activity has been long considered a cornerstone of obesity prevention and treatment. But how much impact do exercise and sports have on this critical issue?
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