Reviews federal and state activities over the course of the two years since CHIPRA was enacted to bring the nation closer to ensuring that all children in America have health coverage and notes some of the plans for continued and enhanced activities in 2011.

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Offers important background information about establishing effective character education, sample lesson plans, unit materials for teaching character education, directions for the use of research-based instructional strategies, sample assessment tools and techniques, supplemental resources and directions for establishing safe and supportive school and classroom cultures that promote student learning. 

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Provides information on how to reduce children’s exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses.

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Presents suggestions about how students, educators and school administrators can all play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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Provides evidence-based nutrition information and advice for people age 2 and older. Serves as the basis for Federal food and nutrition education programs.

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Provides information about lead in drinking water.

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Offers research-based practices designed to assist school communities identify these warning signs early and develop prevention, intervention and crisis response plans.

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Presents a list of the major national dissemination initiatives (i.e., a “list of the lists”) for both empirically-supported prevention and treatment approaches considered to be effective for various disorders.
 

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Provides lesson plans, materials, and other information to facilitate the teaching of students about environmental issues, including awards, grants, and training opportunities.

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Provides information on the implementation of PEP (the Carol M. White Physical Education Program), focused on developing high-quality physical education programs, creating an environment supportive of physical activity, and encouraging healthy eating habits and good nutrition.

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Features the Strengthening Families Program, reflecting research that indicates that the most effective interventions build parent, child, and family skills.

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Helps schools identify gaps in food safety and develop an action plan for becoming food-safe; includes individual critical recommendations on what key school staff and community members can do to prevent food borne illness.

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Offers guidance on improving the effectiveness of efforts to collect and use disciplinary incident data, including reporting accurate and timely incident data to the federal government. Provides recommendations on what types of data to collect, why it is critical to collect such data, and how to implement and manage an incident database.

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Provides tips on planning, purchasing, preparing, presenting, and promoting fruits and vegetables along with suggestions for working with teachers.

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Examines issues such as patterns of offending among adolescents and how they differ for girls and boys; risk and protective factors associated with delinquency, including gender differences; and the causes and correlates of girls’ delinquency.

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Provides on-line resources to help facility managers, school administrators, architects, design engineers, school nurses, parents, teachers and staff address environmental health issues in schools.

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Discusses the prevalence of exposure to traumatic events among children and youth participating in two SAMHSA initiatives, the problems that trauma can cause, and available treatments that can help children and youth recover; stresses the effectiveness of trauma-informed services within a system of care model.

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Provides a resource list and information on systems of care and mental health needs in children and youth; defines systems of care, describes specific services, and provides outcome data about the impact of systems of care services and supports.

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Outlines the evidence-based, financial implications of schools that have implemented strong nutrition standards to address childhood obesity.

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Provides Information, tools and guidance for comprehensively improving indoor air quality in schools.

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Shows schools how to carry out a practical plan to improve indoor air problems at little- or no-cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff; provides best practices, industry guidelines, sample policies, and a sample IAQ management plan.

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Provides information about available pest control methods, without using chemical pesticides, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.

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Tells the stories of schools and districts that have used innovative strategies to improve the nutritional quality of foods and beverages sold outside of federal meal programs.

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Collects supplemental information about school factors that may influence students’ achievement, including items about the length of the school day and year, school enrollment, absenteeism, dropout rates, and the size and composition of the teaching staff. Also collects information about tracking policies, curricula, testing practices, special priorities, and schoolwide programs and problems; and the availability of resources, policies for parental involvement, special services, and community services.

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Reviews the science and make recommendations about nutrition standards for foods and beverages offered in direct competition with school-provided meals and snacks. Includes a set of four audience-specific fact sheets as a resource for school staff, parents, and youth to answer commonly asked questions about the report and provide recommendations for implementing the nutrition standards.

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Provides State child care administrators and other school-age stakeholders with an overview of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, and highlights potential areas for coordination with the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

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Describes a model for overcoming barriers to school reentry developed by how the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES) in New York City.

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Defines and describes parent engagement and identifies specific strategies and actions that schools can take to increase parent engagement in schools’ health promotion activities.

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Discusses the many ways in which health departments can be of support to education departments, schools, and community leaders.

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Summarizes results from three large-scale reviews of research on the impact of social and emotional learning (SEL) programs on elementary and middle-school students.

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Presents 15 principles for state, district, and school staff; parents; and other stakeholders to consider when developing policies and procedures which should be in writing on the use of restraint and seclusion; and highlights the current state of practice and implementation considerations for each principle.

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Provides a broad overview of the issues related to children’s environmental health in schools and describes how one administrator successfully manages environmental health issues for the largest public school district in California using a software tool designed by the district.

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Provides a road map for schools and districts that are launching or adding social, emotional, and academic learning programs and reviews 80 multiyear, sequenced SEL programs designed for use in general education classrooms.

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Provides a comprehensive model that can lead to safer schools and information about technical assistance centers and evidence-based resources that schools can draw upon to develop a comprehensive plan that addresses the particular safety needs of their schools and communities.

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Offers nine guidelines for schools related to promoting healthy eating and physical activity in schools based on research and best practices.
 

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Assesses school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels.

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Reviews the history of mental health services supplied in schools and implementation of services; provides an overview of the evidence base for school-based interventions; and includes recommendations for evidence-based mental health services in schools.

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Offers recognized physical activity and healthy eating, strategies, undertaken by states, that have shown promise in helping schools address and prevent childhood obesity.

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Summarizes research indicating how Social And Emotional Learning addresses the Safe Schools/Healthy Students core elements of safe learning environments and violence prevention activities; substance abuse prevention; behavioral, social, and emotional supports; mental health services; and early childhood SEL programs.

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Illustrates the relationship between social and emotional factors and bullying; explains how an SEL framework can be extended to include bullying prevention; and provides suggested resources for doing so.

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Outlines key strategies for increasing the amount of time that students are engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity while in physical education class.

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Provides critical information and resources to help schools in creating safe and healthy environments for students. It is a publication of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students.

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Presents national estimates from a variety of sources on the school environment of adolescents in the areas of health, safety, social support, academics, and civic engagement.

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Discusses factors in treatment placement; successful treatment components; approaches used in 12-Step programs, therapeutic communities, and family therapy; teens with distinct needs; and legal issues.

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Provides an overview of the systems of care program and how youth and their families improve on various behavioral and mental health outcomes a result of receiving services in systems of care.

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Reports on the health and well-being of children, as well as the factors in the family environment and aspects of the neighborhood that may support or undermine the health of children and their families based on data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health.

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Focuses on the association between age at first use of marijuana and past-year serious mental illness (SMI) and includes statistics on lifetime marijuana use, age at first use of marijuana, past-year SMI, and age at first use of marijuana and past-year SMI.

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Presents 41 key indicators in seven domains: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.

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Provides annual updates on the well-being of children and families in the United States across a range of domains.

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Describes research on how availability of cheap drinks in licensed establishments contributes to a host of alcohol-related problems, especially among young people and measures to control that availability.

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Describes the analysis of millions of school and juvenile justice records in Texas to improve policymakers’ understanding of who is suspended and expelled from public secondary schools, and the impact of those removals on students’ academic performance and juvenile justice system involvement.

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Examines students’ perceptions of personalization and, specifically, advisory as a reform strategy and its relationship to students’ academic progress.

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Compiles secondary data for many health status indicators, and provides both graphical and textual summaries of data and addresses long-term trends.

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Collects data, that are disaggregated by race/ethnicity, sex, limited English proficiency, and disability, from a representative sample of schools and districts, representing 85% of the students in our nation's schools, on a range of issues including college and career readiness, discipline, school finance, and student retention.

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Presents findings on crime and violence in U.S. public schools, using data from the 2009–10 School Survey on Crime and Safety. Survey asks public school principals about the frequency of incidents, such as physical attacks, robberies, and thefts, in their schools; and asks about school programs, disciplinary actions, and the policies implemented to prevent and reduce crime in schools.

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Examines youths' (ages 12-17) past-year major depressive episodes (MDE), past year initiation of alcohol and illicit drug use, and the association between MDE and the initiation of alcohol or other drug use.

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Maps the geographic variability of obesity across the nation by drawing on state-level collected through the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS).

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Examines buffering influences of positive parental relations and positive school climate on mental health outcomes for high school students who are questioning their sexual orientation.

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Provides data on crime and safety at school from the perspective of students, teachers, and principals. Provides crime and safety information for students’ travel to and from school. Highlights the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools and school environments and responses to violence and crime at school. 

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Documents the existence of disparities for minorities in mental health services and the underlying knowledge base; reviews issues relevant to the mental health of racial and ethnic minorities; and provides a historical and cultural context within which minority health may be be better understood.

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Describes the percentage of secondary schools that have adopted policies and practices for student wellness, physical education, food service, and nutrition education across the seven jurisdictions in the Pacific Region.

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Reports that nearly 17% of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years of age are obese; covers trends and racial/ethnic disparities in obesity among young people.

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Presents the most recent national data on obesity prevalence among U.S. adults, adolescents, and children based on measured weight and height.

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Provides information on survey responses from youths ages 12 to 17 to questions about whether they had thought seriously about killing themselves or tried to kill themselves during the 12 months before the survey interview.

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Examines the influence of teachers’ beliefs about aggression and withdrawal and overall caring and support of students on children’s social behaviors, to include engaging in aggression or withdrawal and reported peer acceptance and self-perceived social competence.

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Describes key features of the high school alcohol and drug policies in the 100 largest school districts in the United States. 

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Helps college administrators identify factors within the campus environment that contribute to alcohol-related problems within the context of the public health approach. 

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Customizable tool that can be used to conduct an analysis of health education curricula based on the National Health Education Standards and CDC’s Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula; results can help schools select or develop appropriate and effective health education curricula and improve the delivery of health education.

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Offers a database of scientifically-proven programs that address a range of issues, including substance abuse, mental health, and education programs.

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Helps school districts conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of written physical education curricula, based upon national physical education standards; results from the analysis can help school districts enhance existing curricula, develop their own curricula, or select a published curriculum, for the delivery of quality physical education in schools.

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Searchable database that provides access to all the educational resources relevant to school health that are available from CDC, such as curriculum, factsheets, and teacher instructional materials on various topics like alcoholo and drug abuse, mental health, and nutrition.

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Self-assessment and planning tool that enables a school to identify the strengths and weaknesses of its health and safety policies and programs; develop an action plan for improving student health and safety; and involve teachers, parents, students, and the community in improving school services.  

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Searchable database that provides access to all the resources relevant to school health services that are available from CDC, such as child and adolescent immunization schedules, guidance on vaccines and preventable diseases, guidance on taking accurate height and weight measurements, and tips and tools for asthma management programs.

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Explores on-site toxic releases and hazardous waste sites from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).

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Allows user to select year to compare physical activity statistics and demographics (age, race/ethnicity, gender, education) in two or more states.

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Explores how and why support groups work so that students can become engaged and succeed in spite of emotional and social protections not available in classrooms. Includes sample activities.

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Examines the importance and value of providing school health services to students, the impact on attendance and academic achievement, and a few models of school health services provision that have been able to enhance sustainability by combining their funding from a variety of sources. 

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Shares how to create programs that are integrated into and beyond schools and increase the number of minutes students are physically active and the amount of fruits and vegetables students consume, such as Project Educate, Act, Thrive (EAT) which has integrated physical education and garden-based nutrition education into more than 50 under-resourced schools.

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Demonstrates how Olweus Bullying Prevention, Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, Avid, Second Step, and Steps to Respect can be enhanced by a Connected School approach. Acquaints participants with the Connected School ideas and strategies and how to use these ideas and strategies as a unifying force in implementing best practices for creating and maintaining conditions for learning in their school.

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Presents the importance of sustaining a positive school climate, lists tools and initiatives used by schools to improve school climate, discusses challenges to implementing changes and their possible solutions, and finally, makes recommendations for getting started with program implementation.

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Presents Social Marketing as a way of generating schools’ interest in making school climate improvements and recommends strategies for developing a campaign that is appealing and impactful. Examples are provided.

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Identifies communities of practice as a means to sustain positive results after successfully implementing a strategy for improving learning conditions. Describes how communities of practice function and why they are successful, and, provides real life examples.

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Identifies two sources of data on school climate variables: “Civil Rights Data Collection” and “Incident Data”. Describes types of data each source offers and explores their potential uses and applications.

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Introduces the concept of school climate, providing a description of its variables and a picture of its history. Compares national, regional, and local school climate monitoring in terms of advantages and disadvantages and what types of conclusions can be drawn from each. Presents examples of monitoring from schools in Israel and U.S. Military Schools.

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Provides instruction on demonstrating the connections between school climate and academic outcomes as a means of appealing for the support of the parties in a position to champion and sustain the programs. Provides tips for selecting the best evaluation tools and considerations for presenting the resulting data to various audiences in ways that strategically appeal to their interests.

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Suggests that, while out-of-school suspensions and expulsions are intended to remove sources of dangerous behavior from the school, they also remove the punished students from a community where they can learn and grow behaviorally and emotionally, resulting in travel through the school to prison pipeline. Reviews a number of behavior modification methods that can be used to improve problem-students’ behavior without resorting to removal from school.

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Introduces Social and Emotional Learning as well as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and demonstrates their effectiveness in building skills that will help students succeed in all aspects of life and work as they move onto college and beyond. Presents practices that will help implement these behavioral interventions.

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Presents evidence and logic for school climate’s positive correlation with academic achievement. Examines evidence for and describes characteristics of the school climate variables of “Safety”, “Support, Care, and Connections”, “Challenge and Engagement”, and “Social Emotional Competency”.

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Documents descriptions and links to a variety of guides, briefs, tools, and websites by the school climate content areas of programmatic intervention, measures, school climate (engagement, environment, and safety), and special populations.

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Cites programs and measurement resources for the content areas of bullying, challenging behavior, character education, health, school climate, school safety, student engagement, and mental health.

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Discusses justification for schools’ attention to students’ mental health and why school is an ideal setting for mental health work to take place, presents evidence based programs that can be used to improve school mental health, and provides examples of existing school mental health programs that have found success.

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Dedicates itself to preventing children and youth from becoming involved in the courts. Houses factsheets, position papers, and training archives in the same vein.

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Supports the professional development and enhancing the expertise of those who work on behalf of children with challenging behavior and their families.  Contains white papers, policy papers, and abstracts of research related to child behavior with full downloads for members.

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Works from a multi-disciplinary approach on the subjects of violence and facilitates, and, the building of bridges between the research community and practitioners and policy makers.  Offers tools and products related to school climate, bullying prevention, and problem behaviors.

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Provides information, research, and support to make schools safer as a means to high achievement, offering archives of presentation papers for download and guides on school safety and mentoring.

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Empowers schools and social service agencies to address violence and destructive behavior, at the point of school entry and beyond, in order to ensure safety and to facilitate the academic achievement and healthy social development of children and youth. Features a learning center and information about trainings.

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Examines the overrepresentation of youth with disabilities at-risk for contact with the courts or already involved in the juvenile delinquency system. Provides professional development and technical assistance, conducts research, and disseminates resources in three areas of national significance: prevention of school failure and delinquency, education and special education for detained and committed youth, and transition services for youth returning to schools and communities.

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Archives event that gathered education and judicial leaders and other community leaders from 45 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands  in New York City to hear about and to become catalysts for strategies, policies and programs to keep kids in school and out of court.   Hosts downloadable presentations, papers, bios, and more related to the event.

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Serves as the nation's clearinghouse for science-based information about all aspects of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  Offers tools for diagnosing and treating ADHD as well as tools for living successfully with ADHD.

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Works to improve societal and community responses to domestic violence and, ultimately, prevent its occurrence.  Offers resources like online publications and links to other key resources.

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Serves as a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Education and 11 technical assistance units across the United States that supports the implementation of PBIS.  Provides information, tools and resources for a variety of stakeholders including schools, families, and evaluators.

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Serves as clearing-house and resource center for mental health in schools.

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Houses free products and tools on topic it calls "Safe, Orderly and Healthy Schools" and serves as a membership organization for teachers, providing members a wealth of resources on teaching, including periodicals and videos.

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Distributes information on website and elsewhere, in an effort to promote an understanding of mental illnesses and remove the stigma associated with them; advance efforts in prevention of mental illnesses, and assure proper treatment and access to services for children and adolescents. Offers resources for families and youth, medical students and residents, and primary care physicians.

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Promotes research-based strategies that combine applied behavior analysis and biomedical science with person-centered values and systems change to increase quality of life and decrease problem behaviors. Shares content on specific areas such as community agencies, early childhood, families, schools and districts, and, statewide leadership.

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Offers access to learning so that appropriate and accurate information can be collected from all students to improve decision-making.  Features downloadable presentations and training modules.

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Encourages healthy habits for girls to develop strong bone health.  Offers bone-healthy recipes and guides for parents and teachers who want to encourage activities around bone-health.

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Promotes the development and adjustment of children with or at risk of developing serious emotional disturbance.  Includes documents created with support  from Office of Special Education Programs, the Office Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, the Center for Mental Health Services, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

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Works from a multi-disciplinary approach on the subject of violence and facilitates, and, the building of bridges between the research community and the practitioners and policy makers.  Offers tools and products related to school climate, bullying prevention, and problem behaviors.

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Supports the implementation of PBIS.  Provides information, tools and resources for a variety of stakeholders including schools, families, and evaluators.

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Provides online resources, tips, hotline numbers, and a personal call to action tailored for professionals in various fields who work with children who experience or witness violence. 

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National resource center that seeks to broaden the knowledge of and promote community investment in evidence-based strategies for reducing the impact of children's exposure to violence.

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Information resource of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services serving FYSB grantees and others working with at-risk youth and families. Offers articles, publications, podcasts and other tools on topics like Cultural Competence, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Permanent Connections, Positive Youth Development, Relationship Violence and Sexual Exploitation, Runaway and Homeless Youth, and Well-Being.

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Disseminates research reviews, provides professional development, and develops tools to helps schools adopt social and emotional learning programs with a proven record of effectiveness.

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Provides states, providers, communities and the public with the best and most up-to-date information about behavioral health issues and prevention/treatment approaches.

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Provides students, schools, and communities with federal funding to implement an enhanced, coordinated, and comprehensive plan of activities and services that focus on promoting healthy childhood development and preventing violence and substance abuse.

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Provides resources to help schools identify, adopt, and sustain effective schoolwide disciplinary practices, such as tools to evaluate program impact, a resource search guide, videos for professional development, and podcasts on related topics.

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Provides information on programs, grants, and policies addressing drug and violence prevention, character and civic education, and physical education.

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Serves as a national resource to support and strengthen the capacity of states, territories, tribes and communities to transform their mental health systems to meet the diverse and complex needs of children and adolescents with or at risk for serious emotional disturbances and their families.

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Offers a searchable online registry of more than 220 interventions supporting mental health promotion, substance abuse prevention, and mental health and substance abuse treatment. Connects members of the public to intervention developers to learn how to implement these approaches in their communities.

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Serves as a gateway to reliable information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety for consumers by providing easy access to vetted food and nutrition information from across the federal government. Information includes science-based dietary guidance for infants, children, teens, adult women and men, and seniors and practical information on healthy eating, dietary supplements, fitness and how to keep food safe. 

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Provides information about the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs, which are sustained efforts by parents, schools, community leaders and local, state, and federal governments to improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and encouraging them to walk and bicycle to school.

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Serves as a national resource for adolescent health information, including fact sheets, briefs, and monographs on topics relevant to adolescent health, development, safety and well-being.

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Has resources on a wide range of health topics selected from over 1,600 government and non-profit organizations to bring users the best, most reliable health information on the Internet.

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Provides information on and links to school health strategies, research and evaluation tools, Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, evidence-based guidelines for school health programs, and adolescent and school health program resources and tools.

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Is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.

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Summarizes what is known about the effectiveness, economic efficiency, and feasibility of interventions to promote community health and prevent disease.

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Provides information and resources on youth engagement; youth development, mental health, safety, transportation, housing and employment.

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Serves as a resource to help States comply with the JJDP Act's DMC (the disproportionate number of minority youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system) requirements and a source of information for all who are interested in understanding and engaged in reducing the extent of DMC.

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Coordinates federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and federal programs related to missing and exploited children.

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Offers links-based libraries on school-based health promotion with connections to the worldwide Comprehensive School Health/Health Promoting Schools movement. Site includes tools such as lesson plans, webquests, sample policies, evaluation tools and practical advice.

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Focuses on defining and encouraging effective practices and approaches to quality character education and provides a forum for the exchange of ideas.

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Assists schools in their process of assessment and improvement or provides school climate assessment instruments to schools who want to undertake the assessment process by themselves. Offers consulting and staff development related to every phase of the school climate improvement process.

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New regulations regarding the use in Kansas schools of "restraint and seclusion" of students with severe behavioral disorders were adopted by the state board of education on Wednesday. Board members voted 9-1 to approve the regulations. The board then directed staff to draft regulations that include an appeals process for parents who disagree with the way local school boards are implementing the rules. Read Story

It's a problem statewide for parents of children with mental disorders and for schools with little to no expertise in mental health care. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty attempted a solution in a set of mental health reforms in 2007, which paid for school districts to hire mental health providers and help teachers develop action plans when children have outbursts. Thousands of students have since used the service, but the funding stretches only far enough to cover 17 percent of the state's schools right now, and it was nearly eliminated altogether in 2011.

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High-school students whose schools were ranked lower in terms of socioeducational environment during eighth grade had a slightly greater risk of having depressive symptoms in 10th and 11th grades, a study showed. The influence of school environment was slightly more prominent among teenage girls than boys, researchers reported in the journal Pediatrics. 

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The district previously refused to release those figures, saying they were private. The new information about how often, where and why Columbus staff members have used physical means to try to control children with disabilities offers insight into the nature of kids’ behavioral problems and how school workers manage them.

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An Ohio STEM academy is teaching social skills, such as etiquette and confidence, to fifth-grade students through a 10-week dance program. The Dancing Classrooms program teaches students to do the tango, rumba, waltz, fox trot, swing and merengue -- and particularly targets at-risk students. 

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The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District in California has plans to open a new early-childhood center that will provide diagnostic and treatment services to young children with developmental delays. The center also will operate as a preschool and use the Reggio Emilia education method. Read Story

A Minnesota Department of Education report, put together with help from educators, school officials and mental health experts, is recommending schools be allowed to continue the use of a controversial physical restraint, used to subdue or calm agitated students, until 2017. Some advocates of disabled children worry the move puts students in danger. Read Story
 

Mexican-American studies will return to classrooms in Tucson's secondary schools in the fall after a federal judge approved the district's new plan to achieve greater racial balance in its schools. But the pitched battle over teaching ethnic studies in Tucson may still not be settled even though U.S. District Judge David Bury has given the green light to the school district's Unitary Status plan, which is meant to bring an end to the decades-long desegregation effort in the Arizona city. A key part of that approved plan is to offer "culturally relevant" courses that focus on the history, experience, and culture of blacks and Latinos. Read Story

Several California school districts—including Los Angeles Unified—have been illegally diverting tens of millions of dollars in federal and state funds meant to pay for school meals programs for low-income students, a new investigation by the California State Senate has found. The report also says that districts cut corners to save money from their cafeteria budgets by serving more processed foods rather than fresh, shortening lunch periods so not all students could be served, and not hiring enough staff to provide an appealing meals program to students who need it. The problem has been especially acute at the secondary level, they found. Read Story

Students are under more pressure than ever to perform well on standardized tests. However, educators and parents say some students are reacting differently to the stress -- with some students thriving and others buckling under the pressure. This article notes that part of the issue may be genetic, with some students being classified as "worriers" while others are "warriors." Experts say the answer may be exposing students who are anxious to more stress -- if it is the right kind. Read Story

The federal What Works Clearinghouse, which vets evidence on educational effectiveness on behalf the Institute of Education Sciences, found three high-quality studies (out of 46 reviewed) involving more than 100 children with disabilities in early-education programs that included a social skills training approach. Within these studies, the clearinghouse found that students who participated in social skills training improved in both their classroom behavior and assessments of their social and emotional development. Read Story

The Friendship Group -- a club in Bonner Springs, Kan., schools -- brings student athletes and students with disabilities together each week. The club offers students with social, behavioral or emotional disorders an opportunity to practice communication skills and make new friends. About 60 student athletes across three schools participate in the club, and the district soon will make it available as an elective. Read Story

Students across the nation have faced detention, lengthy suspensions and even expulsion for making firearms out of Legos or bringing cheap, plastic toy pistols to class. A Montgomery County Public Schools student was even suspended recently for pointing his fingers in the shape of a gun, though the suspension was overturned. With much of the nation caught up in a furious debate over guns and Second Amendment rights in the wake of Newtown, school leaders are struggling to walk the line between prudence and hysterical overreaction. Read Story 

Education Week has released a report that highlights 16 education leaders implementing creative ideas in their own districts. "Leaders to Learn From" highlights strategies undertaken by leaders regarding school climate, curbing dropouts, improving services for students with special needs and improving parent participation. Among the leaders profiled is St. Paul, Minn., superintendent Valeria Silva, who has made major reforms to the district's approach to English-language learners. Read Story

Minnesota schools are trying new ways to keep students in the classroom and out of trouble. State education officials are training teachers to better help students understand how to behave in school and encouraging principals to come up with alternatives to suspension. It's all part of a Minnesota Department of Education initiative called Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports, or PBIS. Read Story

Indiana state agencies have referred 19 children for mental-health services in a pilot program designed to get these children help before they end up in the court system. The program aims to help children get services through Medicaid, the Department of Child Services or community partners, depending on their needs and whether they can get some services paid for through Medicaid or private insurance. Read Story

School vending machines, a la carte lunch lines, and other snacks sold to students at school are facing their first new regulations in more than 30 years—standards heralded by nutrition experts but ones that may be subjected to a battle from the food industry. Among other things, the rules would give a boost to healthy snack foods made with with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and sources of protein as their main ingredients, and require that these items be lower in fat, sugar, and sodium. Read Story

High schools nationwide are seeking to help stressed-out students by bringing in therapy dogs, teaching yoga and relaxation techniques, and offering evenings free of homework. Two high schools in Maine are offering massage therapy and other treatments, while high schools in other states are scheduling recess-style breaks for older students. Educators say the approaches are designed to help students slow down and give them time to cope with their hectic schedules. Read Story

“Some scientists believe that cognitive achievement is 50 percent of the equation and social and emotional skills are the other 50 percent.” Some school districts are taking that idea seriously and integrating the research into teaching practices. Oakland Unified School District, for example, is piloting a program called Roots of Empathy in 20 schools across the district. The program teaches students how to be empathetic by bringing a baby and the baby’s parent into K-12 classrooms. Read Story

Armed with research and a commitment to the whole child, Washington state has transformed the way its agencies work together and in partnership with researchers to address the effects of early adversity on learning and to help disadvantaged children build resiliency and other so-called executive-function skills they need to learn and grow.

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A rough flu season is prompting schools around the country to shut down briefly because dozens of students, in some cases, have the illness or something like it. While no one tracks how many schools close because of the flu—or, in public-health parlance, "influenza-like illness"—stories of closures are cropping up nationwide. And flu season is only at about its midpoint.

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Although about 1 in 5 adolescents has a mental health disorder, 60 percent to 90 percent of them don't ask for or receive treatment, a new brief from Child Trends says. And the mental health needs of adolescents are often first identified in schools, though not often enough. Some of the barriers to treatment are missed opportunities by schools, parents, and medical providers to address prevention and early identification of mental health disorders; poor coordination of services between schools, primary care providers, and social service systems; and the ongoing stigma associated with mental health disorders. Read Story

A recent study found that taking daily physical-education courses in school, taking physical activity breaks in the classroom and encouraging students to bike and walk to school would benefit students. Federal recommendations call for children ages 6 to 17 to get 60 minutes of physical activity each day. A Colorado elementary school, which has been recognized nationally, offers students options for activity breaks such as dancing, jumping rope, relay races and power walking. Read Story

Ohio state Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township, has introduced legislation that would exempt off-duty police officers from paying federal income taxes on money they earn when working as substitute teachers. The officers still would have to meet requirements, such as having a bachelor's degree, to become substitute teachers under the bill. Tiberi said the legislation is intended to encourage more armed police officers to work in schools, with the intention of beefing up school safety and security. Read Story

Asthma, a common childhood illness, has been linked to higher rates of school absenteeism, and from there to lower grades and test scores. The illness, more common among children living in poverty and from minority groups, may be a symptom of those children's living conditions. These kids are also disproportionately more likely to attend schools with lower indoor air quality.

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Seven of eight Ivy League universities — Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania and Harvard — have all rolled out new alcohol-related policies since last August, with a series of major regulation changes occurring at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. Administrators and students said they have noticed a shift away from direct disciplinary approaches toward more creative educational programs, but students at four schools said the recent policies have targeted alcohol usage at the expense of Greek life. Read Story

As President Obama unveils an anti-violence plan, districts are taking dramatic steps—and even arming staff—to boost safety. School safety experts warn against making major changes to security procedures without thinking those changes through. But in many communities, people say not taking action after the deadliest K-12 shootings in American history is just not an option. Read Story

President Barack Obama's comprehensive plan to help the nation avert gun violence lays out a series of new and reinvigorated federal programs aimed at bolstering districts' emergency preparedness; helping schools hire safety personnel, social workers, and psychologists; and training teachers to better identify students with mental illness.

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The Open Circle Program at Wellesley Centers for Women, which helps teachers work with elementary-age children to acquire skills to build and maintain positive relationships, came up with the top 25 list of books that connect children to social and emotional learning. The listed books stand out as being especially authentic and memorable and are geared toward children in kindergarten through 5th grades. They deal with self-awareness, self-management, empathy, dealing with conflict, and problem-solving. Read Story

State education leaders will make changes to a set of proposals designed to shift student discipline practices in Maryland toward a more “rehabilitative” approach that would reduce suspensions, keep students in school and teach positive behavior.

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A bill introduced by state Representative Jerry Govan would require all public schools in South Carolina to have a full-time school psychologist. There are only about 550 school psychologists for the state's 1,200 public schools, but Govan offers the bill as an alternative to other school safety measures. "I think it stands a better chance of saving lives than arming teachers in schools," Govan said. Read Story

Grant funding from the state Department of Human Services has helped health providers in Duluth, Minn., improve children's access to mental health treatment. Spearheaded by St. Luke's hospital, the program brings together community clinics, trained pediatricians, and family-practice physicians in the screening and treatment of children ages 6 to 17.  Read Story

As national education reforms continue to take shape, Montgomery County, Md., public schools are adopting a more rigorous curriculum and altering their definition of what it means to be "college ready." For years, the district has held its Seven Keys to College Readiness, which now will be revised. While the exact changes are still unclear, officials say the standards likely are to focus on more rigorous academic measures, as well as areas that cannot be measured with standardized tests, such as persistence, motivation and communication. Read Story

In his inaugural address Monday, President Barack Obama highlighted his intention to fund additional training for math and science teachers and focus on school safety during his second term. "Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm," Obama said. Read Story

California educators say students' counseling needs have grown as resources to provide services have dwindled. Among other things, school counselors help students handle grief, such as the death of a loved one. Counselors appear more common at the high-school level; for example, the Corona-Norco district has counselors available at each high school to help students deal with violence, safety, academics and other issues. Read Story

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is on a mission to end childhood hunger in the state by 2015. He has proposed spending an additional $1.8 million to serve breakfast in the classroom at qualifying schools. The additional funding would allow the state to more than double the size of the program and serve 89,896 students in 407 schools. Read Story

Early results from a study show students enrolled in Georgia's pre-kindergarten program fared better than their peers nationally. Officials say they hope the findings will encourage lawmakers to continue the program, which is funded by the state lottery. "It is extremely important that the people understand that this pre-k program is not baby-sitting, that it is preparing young people for school, and that it makes a difference on achievement at the end of the day," said former state Senate Education Committee Chairman Fran Millar. Read Story

Lawmakers in Minnesota are considering legislation that would make more school meals available to students for free. Under the bill, meals now served at a reduced price would become free. "If we increase participation in the program because those kids who qualify for reduced will now start eating, then of course getting more kids to eat is always a good thing," said Tom Fish, food coordinator for St. Peter Public School. Read Story

In many school districts, more than 90 percent of schools that serve lunch through the National School Lunch Program now serve breakfast at school, too, new data from the Food Research and Action Center show. Read Story

Teaching students about how beliefs affect resilience to adversity can help students learn positive coping strategies to the challenges in life, social-emotional program developer Renee Jain writes in this blog post. Read Blog

Psychologists with the Child Mind Institute in New York are working with the League School in Brooklyn to see if a positive-behavior discipline technique, sometimes used with parents and children, will work in a school setting. The technique, called teacher-child interaction therapy -- TCIT -- involves a range of strategies, including teachers ignoring problem behaviors such as not paying attention and praising students for desired behaviors. Read Story

While President Obama said recently that he would be skeptical that more guns would be an answer to school safety, his administration is considering paying to add police to secure schools. Read Story

Among elementary school-aged children, active video games ("e-games") can have similar benefits as traditional physical education, suggests a study published online Wednesday in the journal Games for Health. Read Story

Consider questions on how schools can balance teaching students the three R's and "soft skills" such as grit, motivation, and self-regulation, which some experts claim are more critical to student achievement. Learn More

Register to be a part of the national conversation on children's mental health research and policy. This conference brings together more than 500 stakeholders to share information on health, education, and more. Learn More

Data collected by the U.S. Department of Education show wide variations in how schools use out-of-school suspension and expulsion. Read Story

About three-fourths of Florida 9th graders who were never suspended out of school as freshmen graduated from high school, compared with a 52 percent graduation rate for those suspended once and a 38 percent rate for those suspended twice in their first high school year, an analysis has found. Read Story

A supportive environment can promote student achievement, and stress can be a hindrance, research and experience show. Read Story

Common Core State Standards do not represent a whole-child approach to education, write Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor, co-directors of the Center for Mental Health in Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles. Instead, they write in this blog post, some districts are seeking to fill the void in the new standards by expanding the curriculum to include a focus on social and emotional learning and the challenges many students face such as learning disabilities and poverty.

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The purpose of these grants is to develop a comprehensive strategic plan to expand and sustain the system of care approach to providing services for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Learn More

When the USDA passed new nutrition requirements for school lunches in January, more U.S. students gained access to healthier foods—like it or not. Read Story

Some colleges have started teaching students how to make small talk, deal with conflict, show up on time, follow business etiquette, and communicate with co-workers. Read Story

One in 7 Americans report losing a parent or sibling by age 20, a major factor in why the AFT is now embarking on an awareness and training campaign surrounding the issue of childhood grief. Read Story

There is resistance in life to many great ideas, and resistance to social, emotional and character development (SECD) in schools is one of them. The author of this Edutopia blog offers tips to break through whatever resistance you are finding in your educational setting. Read Blog

Withholding recess time as a form of punishment or for academic reasons may be detrimental to child development, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement. Read Story

The Memphis City Schools Mental Health Center in Tennessee has implemented a program to help keep students with disabilities in school. The Why Try? program includes professional development, group counseling and a summer reinforcement program. The school system credits the program, paid for with a federal grant, for reducing suspensions and expulsions among students in special education.

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Officials in a Pennsylvania district are working with police to place school resource officers in all buildings. The move comes after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and also follows what turned out to be an unsubstantiated rumor that a violent incident would take place at a local high school. 

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Low-income strivers face uphill climbs. Three friends Each showed the ability to do college work, even excel at it. But the need to earn money brought one set of strains, campus alienation brought others, and ties to boyfriends not in school added complications. With little guidance from family or school officials, college became a leap that they braved without a safety net.

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Officials in an Ill. district say that teachers and other school staff should be models for healthy living, which they encourage among students. To help accomplish that goal, the city council has agreed to offer in-district rates at its fitness center to school staff that live outside of the district. The district also launched a Fit Together Program this year, in which school staff earn points for eating healthy and exercising and are eligible for prizes. 

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The recent tragedy in Newtown, Conn., demonstrates the need for educators to help develop "trauma-sensitive schools," according to the blog post written by Eric Rossen, a nationally certified school psychologist and licensed psychologist in Maryland. At "trauma-sensitive schools," educators are responsive "to the potential impact of trauma and adverse experiences on students' lives" and help ensure that all students "feel safe, connected, and supported," writes Rossen, co-editor of "Supporting and Educating Traumatized Students: A Guide for School-Based Professionals."

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The benefits children reap from Head Start, the preschool program for low-income families, disappear almost completely by third grade. While social support for children in the program is high, academic supports are low.

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School districts are required to have detailed plans for crisis prevention and response, but an often-overlooked element in this planning is addressing what to do in the long-term aftermath of tragedy. After a tragedy, everything is in turmoil; it is not the easiest time to make difficult decisions about moving forward. That’s why some decisions should be thought out in advance, writes Carolyn Lunsford Mears.

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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been tapped—along with other cabinet officials—to serve on a White House task force that will examine gun violence, mental health services, and other policies related to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

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The DeKalb police have issued arrest warrants for 22 students after the fraternity hazing-related death of a freshmen student. The arrests amount to one of the largest numbers of people to be criminally charged in a single college hazing episode, reflecting recent efforts by the police and prosecutors around the country to enforce anti-hazing laws more aggressively. But some experts said the message was unlikely to make a lasting change in college drinking culture. Read Story

Former special educator Jennifer Cerbasi writes in this commentary that the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., highlights the need for more resources devoted to the mental and emotional health of students. Often targeted for budget cuts, all schools need full-time counselors and psychologists, she notes. 

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Concerns that high-school students are not getting enough sleep have led officials in Fairfax County, Va., and Montgomery County, Md., to consider plans to push back high schools' start time. One proposal in Montgomery County calls for high school to start no earlier than 8:15 a.m., rather than the current 7:25 a.m. However, the moves have raised questions over scheduling and bus routes that could make the changes problematic for schools. Read Story

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted this week to further strengthen what is regarded as one of the leading school nutrition programs in the nation. In a resolution passed without opposition, board members directed the district to create a plan to incorporate nutrition education into the curriculum, give students more say in school meal planning and allow them at least 20 minutes to actually eat. Some students say they end up with as little as five minutes for meals because of long cafeteria lines. Read Story

At a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday about ending the 'school-to-prison pipeline,' leaders in the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice said they expect to provide guidance to schools about school discipline policies, a measure that would add to the growing list of actions the current administration has taken in this arena.

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Fifth- and eighth graders in the District are pretty well-versed in emotional-health issues but have a lot to learn about the human body, according to results from the city’s (and the nation’s) first-ever standardized test on health, physical education and sex ed. High school students, meanwhile, correctly answered an average of three out of four questions about sexuality and reproduction — but knew far less about how to locate health information and assistance.

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The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) announced the 10 semifinalists of its "End Childhood Obesity Innovation Challenge" today, and it's now up to America to decide on the finalists. PHA launched the challenge back in October to cultivate ideas regarding childhood-obesity prevention from the general public. Anyone interested in submitting an idea was invited to complete an online application and submit a two-minute video detailing how it would help in the fight against childhood obesity.

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Researchers found that Mexican-American children between the ages of 2 and 3 demonstrated language and cognitive skills that were seven months behind those of white peers, whether they were assessed in English or Spanish. That gap lasted through the beginning of kindergarten. At the same time, however, the researchers found that the social skills of these same children rival those of their white peers, despite their lagging literacy and despite coming from more impoverished households.

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There is a great deal of research showing that unremitting stress leads to increased levels of illness and infection, cuts years off of people's lives, and generally cuts down on people's happiness. If students can learn to deal with stress effectively in high school, and can carry those skills into adulthood, it can have ripple effects throughout their entire lives.

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Caps on the amount of grain and protein in school meals—put in place just this school year—have been lifted for now. In a letter Friday to Republican U.S. Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that because schools have found limits on servings of grains and proteins "the top operational challenge" of new school meal requirements, schools don't have to follow them for the rest of the school year.

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The idea behind the College Readiness Indicator System is that grades and student performance alone are not enough to determine college readiness. And schools can be more effective using a model that allows them to engage proactively with students before they go off-track. The indicator system measures three areas: 1. Academic preparedness - as reflected in grade point average and availability of Advanced Placement courses; 2. Academic tenacity - using attendance or disciplinary infractions to demonstrate effort; and 3. College knowledge - understanding financial requirements for college and other skills needed to access and navigate college.

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Accusing officials of conducting a school to prison pipeline, DOJ filed a lawsuit in October against the city of Meridian, its police department, Lauderdale County and its two youth court judges, as well as the Mississippi Department of  Human Services Youth Services Division. The lawsuit alleges that students in trouble with the judicial system have been deprived of their constitutional rights and have been jailed for violating probation conditions over relatively minor infractions, such as talking back to teachers, flatulence and dress code violations.

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Middle school students in prime physical shape outperform their overweight and obese peers both on tests and grades, according to new research from Michigan State University. Cardiorespiratory fitness (tested by a 20-meter shuttle run) and muscular strength and endurance (tested by pull-ups and curl-ups) were the health-related fitness components most strongly associated with academic achievement, according to the study. However, the researchers found no significant correlation between a student's body-fat percentage or flexibility and academic achievement.

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After listening to alumni about their experience after graduation, administrators at the Milton Hershey School introduced more practical life-skills training into its programming for high school seniors. Experts say one of the keys to moving the needle on college completion is for schools and community organizations to integrate more non-cognitive, life skills into college- and career-readiness curriculum.

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New Orleans middle-school students cite symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress at much higher rates than typical teenagers, according to data based on interviews collected by a local non-profit organization. Perhaps not surprising in a city with the highest murder rate in the country, the interviews conducted by the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies also showed the New Orleans children had elevated rates of witnessing violence and feeling concerned about their safety.

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For students with depression, their condition isn't what may cause poor grades in school, a new study published in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior finds. What hurts these students' grades more than the condition itself are the behavior problems, such as issues with attention, delinquency, and substance abuse, that depressed students may also have, said Jane D. McLeod, the study's lead author and a sociology professor and an associate dean at Indiana University.

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Some schools are taking steps to address the problem of overscheduled students by setting homework-free days, teaching relaxation techniques in physical-education classes, among other efforts. Officials said a growing number of students are reporting anxiety, depression and issues related to insomnia -- problems believed to be connected to their schedules, which include jobs, sports and other activities besides school. 

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The office for civil rights maintains that minority students are disciplined more harshly and more frequently than other students, "resulting in serious, negative educational consequences, particularly when such students are excluded from school." One analysis of data collected by the agency from the 2009-10 school year found that one in six black students was suspended out of school at least once that school year.

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About 1 in 15 people living in the United States who has HIV is 13 to 24 years old—and more than half of these young people don't know they have the disease, new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show, and the agency says schools must work harder to prevent HIV's spread. The agency wants more effective school- and community-based interventions that can help ensure young people know their risk for HIV, delay their first sexual activity, increase condom use for those who are sexually active, and decreases other behaviors that contribute to HIV risk.

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This year, for the first time in a decade, fewer high-school students admitted to cheating, according to a survey by the Josephson Institute of Ethics. Of students who participated in the poll, 51% said they cheated on an exam in the past year, down from 59% in 2010, and 55% said they lied to a teacher, a drop from 61% in 2010. Officials say the shift is due to a greater focus on character at home and at school. 

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Fifth-grade teacher Sara Wright is using exercise balls instead of chairs to improve students' attention spans and cooperation during class. Studies show using exercise balls improves behavior and "legible word productivity" of students with attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder. 

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Furthering its quest to end Columbus schools' use of seclusion rooms for disabled students, a state disability-rights group has filed a formal complaint against the district with the Ohio Department of Education. The complaint will force the department to investigate whether the district failed to properly educate students who were secluded.

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Rather than ignoring students' fears -- such as phobias regarding math or public speaking -- teachers should help students overcome them, writes instructional coach David Ginsburg. In this blog post, he suggests teachers give students the support they need to address their fears. "Let's not just meet kids where they are academically," he writes. "Let's also meet them where they are emotionally." 

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The Positive Behavior Support-Nevada Program, a statewide nonprofit program headquartered at the University of Nevada, Reno, trains parents, teachers and community workers to help children of all ages who have disabilities find alternatives to "challenging behaviors."
Don Johnson, the program's project director, said the statewide nonprofit program works closely with local school districts to teach educators how to use positive reinforcement in the classroom.

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A minor student's arrest record may be wiped clean at 18, but it may already have permanently blemished her chances of graduating high school and going on to college and funneled her into the school-to-prison pipeline, according to a new study at the University of Texas at Austin. The study, to be published in the January 2013 issue of Sociology of Education, finds that school discipline policies that heavily favor out-of-school suspensions and expulsions disproportionately "push out" students after an arrest. 

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More than 1,000 students receive an out-of-school suspension every month in the Buffalo Public Schools, and a high proportion of them are black males. Nearly one in five students receives an out-of-school suspension each year, compared to the statewide average of one in 20. The district has been undergoing a profound shift with regard to student discipline, a process begun in 2009. It started by updating district disciplinary policies to require principals to consider using a parental conference in lieu of suspension.

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Educator Richard Byrne writes in this blog post about three free software applications that teachers can use to track positive and negative student behaviors. Two of the programs are in beta, but the third, ClassDojo, is a free app being used by teachers across all grade levels to track attendance and behaviors. Teachers using the app can assign access codes to parents so they can look in on their child's progress. Read Story

A new collaborative effort between the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) aims to turn around the nation's childhood-obesity epidemic within the next three years. The RWJF will head up the efforts surrounding physical activity, including helping schools and other youth programs increase the amount of physical activity for their students. While the AHA will largely be responsible for funding efforts regarding nutrition, the RWJF will help underwrite initiatives that increase students' access to healthy food.

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To make it in college, students need to be up for the academic rigor. But that's not all. They also must be able to manage their own time, get along with roommates, and deal with setbacks. Resiliency and grit, along with the ability to communicate and advocate, are all crucial life skills. Yet, experts say, many teenagers lack them, and that's hurting college-completion rates.

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A proposed change to the federal Farm Bill could result in 280,000 students nationwide no longer being eligible for free school lunches because some families no longer would be eligible for food stamps if they owned small assets, such as a car. Failure to enact a new Farm Bill before January also could result in higher milk prices, which would stretch already-thin school budgets. Read Story

Successful turnarounds of struggling high schools hinge on fostering environments where teachers and students are supported, and parents and community members are engaged, suggests Charles Payne, a University of Chicago professor and affiliate of the university's Urban Education Institute. "You can create all the pockets of good instruction you want, [but] if the organizational environment doesn't support [the change], it is likely to destroy it," he said. Culture change requires a combination of teacher collaboration, community connections, rigorous instruction, supportive leadership and safe environment, he said.

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If childhood obesity remains unchecked in Maine, it's expected to cost the state roughly $1.2 billion in medical costs over the next 20 years, according to a new study. Currently, 7.8 percent of Maine children and adolescents are obese, according to data from schools in the state and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Students need a learning environment that encourages success, but how can a teacher create such a place? Teacher Chavi Abramson suggests considering how the physical layout of the classroom, the academic schedule, and teacher behavior in class affects students’ ability to succeed. Classroom practices should provide students with the path of least resistance to academic success. Facilitating students’ cooperation, independence, and ability to focus is the key.

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Early-childhood educators in a Minn. district are bringing new skills to their classrooms and students' homes this year thanks to a partnership with the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children. Educators will use evidence-based strategies to cultivate positive behavior traits, and they will focus on getting children to think about their behavior and whether it follows one of the program's three main rules: be safe, be a friend and be responsible. Read Story

Schools are using lunchtime detentions, Saturday schools, alternative schools, and other forms of in-school suspension to keep students on the academic track. School-based discipline options like this one are being tried in schools nationwide as a substitute for punishments that force students out of school, which have been shown to disproportionately affect black, Latino, and male students and those with disabilities.

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Students with disabilities at Rapid City Central High School in Rapid City, S.D., are learning real-world job and social skills as operators of an on-site coffee shop. Students are tasked with making the drinks, working the register and making deliveries to school staff members. "The experiences and the skills that they've gotten, I couldn't have possibly taught them in my classroom," special-education teacher Amy Heuston said. Read Story

In a new report, researchers at the Kids' Safe & Healthful Foods Project find that the majority of American children live in states where less-than-healthy snacks are readily available. And more nutritious options, such as fruits and vegetables, are harder to come by for those same kids. Without a national policy on what can and can't be sold to students in school vending machines and in cafeteria a la carte lines, a patchwork of state policies governs these items.

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The Michigan Department of Education will pilot the "think.respect" campaign in 23 schools, in part, to help support students who may be struggling academically because of other issues. Funded by a $24 million U.S. Department of Education grant, the schools will spend the next three years creating programs to engage parents and students, prevent bullying and support students who exhibit behavioral issues. Read Story

Improving or overhauling classroom-management training is one of many ways states, districts, and teacher education programs are attacking the problem of too many out-of-school suspensions and office referrals, actions that disproportionately affect African-American, Latino, and male students and those who have disabilities. Insubordination, defiance, and disobedience—whatever those may mean to a particular school—are among the top reasons students are suspended from school.

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A new survey of 11 school districts in Texas finds that they spent close to $140 million on out-of-school suspensions and alternatives including referrals to disciplinary alternative education programs. The report, from the social justice advocacy group Texas Appleseed, encourages districts to be more judicious when punishing students via out-of-school suspension. The tradeoff: an increase in the district's portion of state education funds, which are doled out based on average daily attendance, Texas Appleseed said.

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Lawmakers in Texas are considering changes to the way in which students are disciplined, following a report that found the state's "exclusionary discipline" policies could be ineffective and costly. David Slayton, executive director of the Texas Judicial Council, advised lawmakers to allow prosecution of Class C misdemeanors to be deferred and give teachers greater discretion in disciplining students.

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Educators at a Rhode Island middle school say a program that focuses on students' social and emotional needs has helped to improve students' academic performance. This approach, modeled through the Developmental Designs program, is perhaps best-suited to middle schools, educators say. The National Forum's Schools to Watch Initiative lists four key traits of successful middle schools, including "academic excellence" and "an awareness of and sensitivity toward the unique developmental needs of early adolescents." 

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A Charleston middle school joins the growing number nationwide that use PBIS strategies to teach students how to behave. PBIS values teaching all students appropriate behavior as much as teaching any academic subject. It’s the opposite of what many school rules say: everything students shouldn’t do. It emphasizes creating a common set of expectations for students’ behavior, no matter where they are on campus. The underlying premise: Schools must become predictable, consistent, positive, and safe environments for students.

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The United States must move past its focus on minimum achievement standards for all and put more energy behind identifying and developing the talent of students who are capable of more—especially students from low-income backgrounds and students learning English, the National Association for Gifted Children said in a new directive this week. The report goes into some interesting detail about the psychological and emotional support talented students from minority and low-income families may need.

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They have the right mindset, they understand how to connect with students, and they maintain a realistic perspective. These are just a few of the strengths that excellent educators who teach in challenging schools share, explain Gail L. Thompson and Cynthia Thrasher Shamberger. In their ASCD Express article, Thompson and Thrasher Shamberger explain what can be learned from these strong educators. 

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At what is said to be the first full Montessori education program in the Chicago Public Schools, teachers focus on educating the "whole child," says the school's executive director, Rita Nolan. Students at the school, which teaches kindergarten through second grade. Montessori teaching seeks to instill key values for "educating the whole child," Nolan says, a combination encompassing head, hand and heart. Values such as curiosity, critical thinking, kindness and self-control. Arching over them all is a child's sense of optimism.

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A newspaper article about the popularity of Flamin' Hot Cheetos inspired educators in a Chicago school to ask students to give up the spicy snacks for one day -- a pledge that about 80% of students accepted. On Flamin' Hot Free day, students who turned in their pledges were offered an apple instead. Educators say the attention on nutrition also inspired classroom discussions on the topic, posters and one rap song.

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National Character Counts Week, held Oct. 21 to 27, is an opportunity for schools and school districts to focus on the promotion of a positive school culture, K-8 technology teacher Mary Beth Hertz writes in this blog post. She suggests registering on Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics website, which offers resources to help students develop online character and promote anti-bullying efforts.

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Norwegian children attending schools where free fruit was on offer ate less junk food and drank less soda than before the fruit was available, according to a new study that also found kids from disadvantaged households seemed to benefit the most. The U.S. Department of Agriculture encourages children and adults to eat more fresh fruit as part of a healthy diet, and some schools participate in the agency's Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides free fruit and vegetables to students.

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Superintendents, school board members, and school leaders from the nation's cities gathered in Indianapolis this week for the 56th annual fall conference of the Council of the Great City Schools. One of the conference's keynotes came from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman who spoke about globalization, technology, and the United States' role on the world stage. He said that his research has led him to believe that the nation is at risk of losing its global position if it does not improve the academic performance of its lowest-achieving students. But he said there needs to be just as much focus on fostering the imagination, creativity, and soft skills of all.

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Teachers should keep in mind that inappropriate behavior by students is not permanent, write Nancy Rappaport, a child psychiatrist, and Jessica Minahan, a behavior analyst and special educator. They created a plan to decipher and change inappropriate classroom behaviors called FAIR: F is for understanding the function of the behavior, A is for accommodations, I is for interaction strategies and R is for responses. They explain the plan, which includes, among other things, asking what prompts the behavior, considering accommodations and replacement behaviors.

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Districts will be able to earn up to 10 bonus points if their applications include plans to collaborate with public and private partners to help improve the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students. Considering nearly 900 districts have informed the Education Department of their intent to apply, and only 15 to 25 grants will be awarded, this component could be critical to a district's chance at winning.

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At many schools across the country, restorative practices are about holding students accountable and getting them to right a wrong. The approach is getting more notice than ever as criticism grows of zero-tolerance disciplinary policies that often require out-of-school suspension and expulsion. Educators are turning to restorative practices, peer courts in middle and high schools, and related efforts in the hopes of changing students' bad behaviors rather than simply kicking them out of school as punishment and risking disconnecting them from school altogether.

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Elementary schools in Maryland that used the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program reported more positive behaviors among their students than schools not using the program, a study in the journal Pediatrics found. Researchers also noted fewer students displaying problem behavior or sent to the principal's office for disciplinary problems in PBIS schools. 

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Across the country, schools are serving all sorts of new entreés and side dishes and lower-fat versions of flavored milk now that regulations derived from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act have kicked in. Despite the excitement some districts are trying to generate about the new meals, just a few months into the revamped menus, some schools are being criticized about what they're serving—and how much of it.

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The Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC) is searching for schools that are demonstrating success with black and Latino boys to highlight through its awards program next year. The organization is platform agnostic when it comes to the schools themselves. They just have to be committed to practices that keep minority boys engaged in school, support their social and emotional learning, and provide high-quality, rigorous academic content and instruction.

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While boredom is a perennial student complaint, emerging research shows it is more than students' not feeling entertained, but rather a "flavor of stress" that can interfere with their ability to learn and even their health. An international group of researchers argues this month in Perspectives on Psychological Science that the experience of boredom directly connects to a student's inability to focus attention.

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High lead levels in children are connected to lower academic performance, and programs that reduced the rate of lead exposure and poisoning can also be tied to improved academic achievement, says a new Massachusetts study from the National Bureau of Economic Research. A decline in the gap in rates of high lead exposure between higher- and lower-income students was also connected to a 1 percentage-point reduction in the student-performance gap between those groups of students.

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The Kentucky Board of Education on Monday approved a policy change restricting the use of restraint and seclusion of students by school staff to cases involving imminent danger of physical harm. The policy change also calls for staff training on positive discipline techniques and forbids the restraint or seclusion of students who use their hands to communicate such as those who use sign language. Some superintendents have opposed the measure because they believe policy is too vague. 

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The U.S. Department of Education announced last week over $21 million in grant money for school mental-health services. School districts—including charter schools—that applied for the grant money promised to meet four criteria: 1) Use a developmental, preventive approach; 2) Expand the inventory of effective counseling programs; 3) Include in-service training; and 4) Involve parents and community groups.

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Roughly a thousand kids are suspended every week in New York City schools and advocacy groups say these suspensions are unnecessarily harsh, especially for black and Latino students. Dignity in Schools says the suspensions are derailing learning and increasing the dropout rate, and wants DOE to implement alternative policies that focus on resolving conflict.

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Responding to state and national concerns about the effects of out-of-school suspensions on students' education trajectories, California has adopted several measures attempting to change the way that form of school discipline is used. Concerns linger, though, that Gov. Jerry Brown's veto of one related bill, a measure that would have limited schools' ability to suspend students on the grounds of the undefined concepts of "willful defiance or disruption of school activities," may undermine the others.

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First lady Michelle Obama and the vice president's wife, Jill Biden, introduced an initiative this month to help teachers better address the needs of students from military families. The initiative, "Operation: Educate the Educator," will seek to help teachers address the emotional, social and learning challenges that military children face. Already, 100 colleges that offer teaching degrees have signed on to the program.

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While food served in school cafeterias are subject to new federal standards, food items sold by on-campus stores and elsewhere in schools do not yet have to comply. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is drafting changes to the law. Until then, Laurie Colgan, director of child nutrition programs with the Vermont Department of Education, is urging school officials to consider local restrictions on the sale of unhealthy foods on campus in accordance with district wellness policies that have been required by the state since 2004.

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The first of some 20 federal investigations into racial disparity in school district discipline practices closed today, yielding a long-term, prescriptive plan for change in the Oakland public schools, a district in which black students made up 32 percent of enrollments last school year but accounted for 63 percent of all suspensions. Oakland will take a number of steps to address the issue, including working to find ways to address misbehavior that doesn't require students to leave school.

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Cognitive and executive function skills are needed for children to understand adult perspectives and determine alternatives to fighting and hitting to solve problems, according to a study by researchers from Pennsylvania State University. Researchers say aggressive children who lack the ability to verbalize frustrations are at-risk for long-term consequences, including delinquency, violence, dropping out of school, drug abuse and suicide. 

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A group of five educators from Singapore recently visited schools in Anne Arundel County, Md., to learn how to better serve at-risk students. Representatives from the Assumption Pathway School and Children-at-Risk Empowerment Association visited classes at Lindale Middle School in Linthicum and discussed teaching strategies and other support measures for at-risk students. The Maryland school has specialized programs for students with learning disabilities. 

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The capacity for empathy builds the socio-economic potential for individuals, and, further, likely holds the key for the success of business in the 21st century. Empathy isn’t just about hugs and pats on the back. It is a skill that can make young people more productive in work environments that require cooperation and in a global economy that becomes more complex with each passing day. It is what turns them into future leaders.

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Under a new standardized assessment required by the state to measure how the nearly 184,000 4-year-olds in Florida's voluntary prekindergarten program are doing in early literacy, numeracy, and language development, some early-education providers say key social skills will be discounted as evidence of how well they are preparing pupils for kindergarten. Early-childhood advocates fear that the state's pre-K providers—under pressure to demonstrate children's progress on academic indicators—will focus only on developing those skills.

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In a report today, Mission: Readiness decries the amount of junk food sold in public schools. The nonpartisan group notes that national surveys conducted for the military and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 1 in 4 young adults would be ineligible to serve in the military because of excess body fat. That's quite a reversal from a generation ago: The National School Lunch Program was created after World War II because soldiers were arriving for training malnourished.

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Proposed regulations on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools drew comments from supporters and critics during a public hearing before the Kentucky Board of Education on Tuesday. At least 20 superintendents from western Kentucky oppose the measures, saying they interfere with their ability to maintain safety in schools. However, advocates for students with special needs praised the regulations, which they say will reduce the use of ineffective -- and sometimes harmful -- techniques and provide training for school personnel. 

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A coalition of more than 200 disability-advocacy groups is calling on Congress to regulate the use of restraint and seclusion in the country's schools. "It is time for a national policy addressing restraint and seclusion in our schools for all children," reads a letter sent last week to the education committees of both houses. "America needs more than the current patchwork of state laws to ensure that every child is afforded protection." 

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A new study pulls together public-health and education data to draw attention to the large numbers of Detroit children who have been exposed to lead. Lead has been linked to negative trends in school performance, especially among poor and African-American students, in Chicago, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Texas, among other places, but there is little research on how schools can help affected children.

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Beginning this year, schools in Ohio will be required to report how students measure up against the state's physical-education standards. Assessments will focus on whether students understand the right way to exercise, how to play games, play well with others and stay active outside of school. Ohio joins 17 other states and Washington, D.C., that evaluate students in PE. 

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A new review of social and emotional learning programs for schools looked at dozens of programs for pre-K and elementary students, highlighting 23 that promote students' self-control, relationship building, and problem solving, among other skills. However the report notes that the outcomes of each program varied. Most demonstrated an effect on students' behavior, with outcomes such as positive social behavior and a reduction in behavior problems, but only some showed an effect on emotional distress and academic performance.

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On September 27, 2012, at 2 p.m. E.T., Reclaiming Futures will present the free, 1-hour Webinar “Implementing Adolescent Recovery Supports and Developing Resources in Our Communities.” The presenter, Michelle Muffett-Lipinski, who is principal of the Northshore Recovery High School in Beverly, MA, and co-founder of the icanhelp project, will outline successes and challenges in developing recovery programming within schools and communities, describe responses to mental health and substance abuse issues in schools, and discuss approaches to identifying and engaging youth in need of support.

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Twenty minutes of physical activity per day over three months can reduce the risk of obesity in children, according to a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, and can also reduce total body fat. Of course, 40 minutes of physical activity per day over three months is even better for children, the study also found, reducing more total body fat and the risk of developing obesity-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes and plaque buildup in the arteries.

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Four school districts in Sacramento County are among 49 districts in California that have been flagged for having a "significantly disproportionate" number of African-American students in special education. The districts now must allocate a portion of their special-education funding to preventative programs and submit intervention plans for state review. 

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The four-year graduation rate for black males has steadily improved over the last decade, but remains dismally low compared to the rate for their white male peers, according to a recent study. One of the most persistent problems for black male achievement, the report contends, is the ongoing “pushout” problem. African-American boys are far more likely than their white peers to be suspended outside of school, expelled, or placed in alternative settings.

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Beginning Aug. 1, school districts in Texas were required to adopt and adhere to policies regarding students with food allergies. Texas became the 15th state to require such guidelines. "It helps us protect them in case they were to come into contact accidentally with an allergen to which they can have a life-threatening reaction," said Dr. Drew Bird, director of the Food Allergy Center at Children's Medical Center.

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Researchers have determined that teachers' expectations for their students affect almost every aspect of instruction and can determine whether students succeed. For teachers who want to alter their behavior toward certain students, researcher Robert Pianta suggests that teachers observe how students interact, work to understand what motivates students, engage with students about the individual interests and find out more about students' lives outside of school. 

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What's the key to preventing this vision of the future from becoming a reality for the United States? Turning around the childhood-obesity epidemic, according to TFAH and RWJF. The report references a few recent examples of how childhood obesity can be turned around on a citywide basis, including a study released earlier this month that found childhood obesity in Philadelphia to have declined 4.5 percent between the 2006-07 and 2009-10 school years. It also references a study released in January that found the childhood-obesity rate in New York City K-8 public school students to have decreased 5.5 percent since the 2006-07 school year.

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Indiana state officials unveiled a multi-agency plan to better secure services -- without court intervention -- for children with mental health needs or developmental disabilities. Under the plan, community members, schools and other officials would refer students to a community mental health access site to have their level of need evaluated. In addition, the Division of Child Services will help fund services for those who cannot secure funding through Medicaid or private insurance.

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Branding may be the key to getting children to eat their vegetables, according to a recent study. Researchers at Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab found that students were more likely to eat fruits and vegetables with catchy names, such as X-Ray Vision Carrots, Power Punch Broccoli, Tiny Tasty Tree Tops and Silly Dilly Green Beans. Researchers found that students were more likely to eat such offerings over a "Food of the Day" option. 

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Fifth-graders attending schools in which teachers used the Responsive Classroom teaching method performed better on state math and reading exams than other students, researchers say. The social-emotional-learning approach focuses on how teachers' language and expectations can help students with social and emotional learning. Researchers say that of the 24 Virginia elementary schools in a three-year study, the schools that were most committed to using Responsive Classroom practices showed 23-point gain on state standardized tests.

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Public schools in the District of Columbia will have new discipline rules this winter that, among other things, focus on ensuring restraint and seclusion practices are not used improperly with students who have disabilities. The new rules, which aim to offer strict guidelines on the practices, are set to be finalized in November, with implementation to follow in later months. 

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All schools will be required to track — and disclose — how often they are restraining or secluding children under a proposed state policy. But details about incidents, such as the reasons children are placed in seclusion rooms, would not be made public, according to a draft policy presented to a state Board of Education committee yesterday.

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San Francisco public schools saw a rise in standardized test scores across almost every subject this year, and the city's most underperforming institutions have all shown signs of improvement. Richard Carranza, Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District, attributes this success to teachers, a rigorous curriculum, coaching for instructional practices, and supports and inteventions for struggling students. 

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A new survey of school discipline policies in California finds that districts have a patchwork of approaches to dealing with students who misbehave, administrators are concerned about how to manage students' behavior, and they worry about the disproportionate impact of some discipline policies on black and Latino students.

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Beginning in the next school year, the Presidential Physical Fitness Award will be replaced with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. Under the change, officials say the emphasis will be on students' health, not a measure of performance. The fitness award measured students' ability to do push-ups, pull-ups and run a mile. The new program will assess students' aerobic capacity, body composition, flexibility, muscle strength and muscular endurance.

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On Thursday, September 20 at 12 PM ET, find out how one program improved high school graduation rates using school-wide education strategies. This Webinar will be led by the HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Don Wright, and will include a roundtable discussion on the importance of education as a tool for addressing the social determinants of health and improving the health of our Nation's young people.

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The prevalence of childhood obesity among all Philadelphia students dropped more than 4.5 percent between the 2006-07 and the 2009-10 school years. The study authors can't say for certain what's behind the decline, but point to a few new initiatives and policies, including the removal of soda and sugar-sweetened beverages from school vending machines and the decision to stop using fryers in school cafeterias.

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A new research study out of the University of California, Los Angeles, reports the "somewhat surprising" finding that spending extra time studying tends to negatively affect high school students' academic performance in school the next day. But there's also a perfectly logical explanation for this: When students study more, the researchers found, they tend to sleep less.

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A child's success can't be measured in IQ scores, standardized tests or vocabulary quizzes, says author Paul Tough. Success, he argues, is about how young people build character. Tough explores this idea in his new book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character. The difference-maker really depends on the person, Tough says. Mentoring programs that focus on goal-setting can be helpful, and he also says parents should try to help their kids manage stress from a very early age.

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An openly gay Indianapolis teenager expelled for bringing a stun gun to school to ward off alleged bullies is suing Indianapolis Public Schools, accusing administrators of failing to stop the “relentless, severe harassment” he faced in school. The suit alleges bullies used homophobic slurs, spat at Young and threw rocks and glass bottles at him, but that school administrators blamed Young, who carried his mother’s purses and wore her jewelry to school.

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An African-American teenager recently told William R. Hite, Jr., the incoming schools superintendent in Philadelphia, that there are more adults working in his high school who could arrest him than could help him fill out applications for college financial aid. That story, shared Monday with an audience of educators, advocates, and state and federal policymakers, punctuated an issue of increasing concern: the persistent vulnerability of black boys.

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There are social and emotional benefits of Artful Thinking, a program that uses a learning strategy of active participation in the arts to increase student engagement with, and understanding of, concepts across the curriculum, David Markus writes in this blog post. Observing the program at an Annapolis, Md., middle school, Markus writes that public creative expression among students who aren't particularly good at it can increase subject-area knowledge, promote collaboration, create unlikely friendships and be great fun.

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The court said the use of the U-shaped desk, with a wooden bar designed to keep a student from pushing back his or her chair, did not amount to an unconstitutional "seizure" under the Fourth Amendment. It also held that the exclusive use of the desks in special education classrooms did not violate the 14th Amendment equal-protection rights of students.

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The New York City Education Department issued new disciplinary guidelines this week that ease a previous policy on suspensions for students. Under the new guidelines, students no longer will be suspended for a one-time, low-level offense, and students in kindergarten through third grade no longer can be suspended for more than five days for midlevel infractions. Officials say teachers also are being advised to offer counseling and take other steps to prevent suspensions. 

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More schools in Ohio are serving produce from farms to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for students and help cut costs. A 2009 survey found that 37.5% of school food-service directors reported participation in a farm-to-school program, and 93% said they would buy local if they had better access.

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Earlier this month, Toledo Public School teachers, administrators, and even a member of the school board studied social-emotional learning, using the Responsive Classroom approach. Schools in the district that use the Responsive Classroom approach have histories of high discipline rates and often, a large number of students with emotional disabilities. Schools that are using the program saw decreases in discipline referrals and increased parental involvement. Three TPS schools will also start positive behavior intervention programs, which deals more with gaining consistency in following rules. 

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Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed a law that calls for the creation of an "Enhance Physical Education Task Force," in an effort to improve the state's physical education offerings. The law requires the newly created task force to make recommendations to the governor on how to update the state's phys. ed. standards, based on research linking physical activity and learning, by Aug. 31, 2013.

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Award-winning behavior specialist Leslie Beal and her Positive Intervention Team at the San Angelo Independent School District in Texas work with students who have varying degrees of special needs and disabilities. The team employs tools such as positive reinforcement and implement structure into students' routines to address their individual challenges. 

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Data show that Orange County Public Schools in Florida restrain more students with disabilities than any other district in the state. However, the number -- 952 incidents -- has declined by two-thirds since the 2010-11 school year. "We're going to continue to work on bringing those numbers down, using strategies to keep students safe and staff safe," said superintendent Barbara Jenkins. 

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Teens pedaling rickshaws deliver farmers market produce to homes in food deserts in Goldsboro, N.C. The Produce Ped'lers delivery program, paid for by a U.S. Agriculture Department grant for farmers markets and run by a coalition that includes area universities, provides employment and helps spread the word about good nutrition. 

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There's a growing amount of evidence linking physical activity and academic success, and a study from earlier this year highlighted the benefits of recess for young children. With input from parents, teachers, and school principals, Chicago administrators released guidelines last year to help elementary schools create a recess plan, according to a press release, laying out details on how communities can create and offer recess options for students.

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The number of children with disabilities restrained last year in Palm Beach County, Fla., public schools declined over the previous year, but school board members plan to continue monitoring the practice. "We're heading in the right direction but we do want to keep our eye on it," board member Karen Brill said. 

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There will be more whole grains on school lunch menus this year, along with a wider selection of fruits and vegetables and other healthy options. The challenge is getting children to eat them. At a School Nutrition Association conference in Denver this summer, food workers heard tips about how to get children to make healthy food choices in the cafeteria.

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Schools have made meals healthier for students, but columnist Lenny Bernstein writes it is a long road ahead to change attitudes that children have about food. School nutrition professionals say students have been receptive to some changes -- including leaner beef and low-fat, low-sodium options -- but other changes -- including whole-wheat bread and sweet potato bites -- have been less popular. 

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Adults consider a lack of exercise to be the most pressing health problem for American youths, with childhood obesity not trailing far behind, according to the sixth annual C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. The survey also reveals divided adult health concerns about children by race/ethnicity. Of any racial group, Hispanics rated childhood obesity the biggest concern, with 44 percent of respondents calling it a big problem. Meanwhile, only 32 percent of black adults considered childhood obesity a big problem, but 43 percent of African-Americans thought smoking and tobacco use among children was.

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A federal appeals court has upheld a New York state prohibition on the use of "aversive interventions" such as electric shock, food limitations, and restraints in schools, including for children with disabilities being served in out-of-state schools that have permitted such practices. The New York regulation was challenged by parents who believe such interventions are proper for their children, who commit self-injurious behaviors such as banging their heads on walls and pulling out their own teeth.

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Behavioral management professor Richard Curwin offers tips on how to deal with a classroom situation in which several students or student groups act out at the same time. His "Leader of the Pack" strategy involves three steps: find the leader or leaders, enlist their help in controlling the disruptions, and then create new leaders over time by establishing new classroom groups and giving every student the opportunity to lead. 

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Thirty Texas school districts have been flagged for suspending a disproportionate number of students with disabilities. The group Disability Rights Texas noted that, in those districts, about 22% of students with disabilities received out-of-school suspensions during the 2010-11 school year, compared with an average 7% of the students with disabilities statewide. 

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A study of a $19.5 billion, decade-long school construction program in the Los Angeles school district found that elementary school students moving from overcrowded facilities into new buildings showed achievement gains that were the equivalent of up to 35 additional days of instruction a year.

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When a U.S. House committee signed off on their version of the Farm Bill last month, they proposed an unusual twist to the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program that introduces low-income elementary school students to their first tastes of such items as kohlrabi, kiwi fruit, and pomegranates. The committee wants the program to allow the snacks made with fresh produce served at these schools to include frozen, canned, and dried varieties of the same fruits and veggies. The program explicitly excludes these items now.

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San Antonio often gets ranked as one of the fattest cities in the U.S., so its school districts are busy with diet and exercise programs aimed at creating a healthier student body. Some districts got federal grant money to buy fitness equipment. Schools have added popular fitness programs, such as Zumba dance and rock climbing, and teachers ask students in nutrition classes to track their eating and exercise habits.

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Students living in states that regulate snacks and drinks in schools gained less weight from fifth grade to eighth grade than those living in states with no such regulations, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers also found that obese students living in states with tougher state laws on school nutrition had a better chance of reaching a healthy weight than those living in states with no laws.

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Schools in a North Carolina district are implementing changes to comply with new federal standards for school meals, including a ban on fast food. School officials have placed trash cans outside of buildings that read "Fast Food Stops Here!!!" Other changes include the addition of more fruits and vegetables and the adoption of the "Stop Light Guide for Healthy Eating," which labels foods as green, yellow or red depending on their nutritional value. 

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The Kentucky Board of Education has approved a policy restricting the use of restraint and seclusion with children in public schools. Under the policy, which could be implemented in the 2013-14 school year, the practice would only be permitted when a student's actions constitute "imminent danger of serious physical harm" to the child or others. The measure was lauded by some people, while others expressed concern about the schools' ability to maintain order. 

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In a recent study, researchers provided first-graders in four Texas classrooms with "stand-biased" desks, which encourage standing but come with stools students can sit on. At the end of six weeks, 70% of the students never had used the stools and the other 30% stood most of the time.

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A new analysis of U.S. Department of Education data shows that students with disabilities are almost twice as likely to be suspended from school as their peers without disabilities. The highest suspension rates were seen among black students with disabilities, according to the analysis, which was conducted by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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Nearly one in six African-American students was suspended from school during the 2009-10 academic year, more than three times the rate of their white peers, a new analysis of federal education data has found. And for black children with disabilities, the rate was even higher: One in four such students was suspended at least once that year.

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Many educators in Ohio schools have not received adequate training in the use of seclusion rooms for students with behavioral problems, according to a newspaper investigation. Some advocates and educators say more training is needed, particularly on "positive behavior management" techniques, in which good behavior is emphasized over discipline. 

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The $10-million state-funded plan to demolish hundreds of decrepit houses, which will start with 250 structures in the MorningSide neighborhood, is a result of a program to create safe walking routes to schools. In April, the Free Press chronicled the experiences of several students in tough neighborhoods, as they wound their way through dark streets to get to and from school each day.

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While sugary sodas are less accessible at American middle and high schools than they were four years ago, secondary school students still have easy access to other sweetened beverages, including sports and fruit drinks, a study published today in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine finds.

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Students in many Kentucky school districts will pay more this fall for school meals. The price increases are part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which requires districts to charge about what they are reimbursed by the federal government for the meals. 

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Connecticut school nutrition professionals say they already has been working to implement new federal standards for school meals that went into effect July 1. In one district, the phase-in of the new healthier meals began in the 2011-12 school year when cafeterias switched to brown rice and whole-grain hamburger buns. The switch resulted in a $500 loss per day in sales, but officials say they are hopeful that this year students will accept the healthier fare. 

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New federal standards for school meals require school nutrition professionals to prepare healthier -- and more creative -- meals for students, say officials with Brevard Public Schools in Florida. Schools have adopted the "Go, Slow, Whoa" approach, in which students learn how to approach foods, with vegetables getting a "go" and foods such as sweets getting a "whoa."

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Federal officials are sponsoring a new grant competition designed to promote collaboration between charter schools and traditional public schools that want to work together to improve academic achievement and overall educational services. Department officials say many of the strategies for collaboration, such as coordinating lesson planning for schools with similiar populations, examining how school climate could be improved, or arranging regular meetings to share ideas, won't necessarily cost a lot of money.

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Maurice Elias, a professor in Rutgers University's psychology department, in this blog post shares insights into improving academic achievement for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. He shares an interview with James Comer, who was successful in raising achievement of students who were from low-income -- primarily minority -- families. In the interview, Comer attributes his success to a collaborative program focused on "climate, the academic program, and staff development."

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Teachers in Quincy, Illinois under went an annual Crisis Intervention Training seminar, where they learned how to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations using non-violent techniques with the goal of keeping the student in the classroom setting. Crisis intervention training excercises, like this one, prepares teachers to recognize different emotions and behaviors in students and how best to deal with those situations.

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A pilot program for New York City students is attempting to stop summer learning loss by providing low-income elementary and middle-school students with the same experiences and opportunities as their more affluent peers. The Summer Quest program, run by the city's departments of Education and Youth and Community Development, combines lessons in English and math with field trips and elective classes in the arts.

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Schools, districts, and community organizations that partner with districts in 25 states will split $27 million in federal grants for physical and nutrition education. The winning programs must help students make progress toward passing their state standards for physical education and secondarily, they have to teach students about good nutrition and healthy eating habits. 

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An average of 12.0 percent of girls aged 12 to 17 years have experienced a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year, with the rates tripling for girls between the ages of 12 and 15, according to a report published July 19 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

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The idea behind the therapy dogs program was to help children who had trouble at school, didn’t like reading or just didn’t like school to find a new reason to learn. Therapy dogs have proven to reach children in ways humans can not. Leave a child alone with a dog, Baehr said, and when checking in on the pair she will find the child is pouring his or her heart out to the dog.

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A Tennessee school district in August will launch a universal free breakfast program for students. Officials say they are hopeful the program will improve students' attendance and academic achievement. A study by the School Nutrition Association showed that math and reading scores increased in another Tennessee school district after it adopted a universal breakfast program. 

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Parents in New York City could get to decide what drink selections their children can make -- and how often they can make them. CC Vending is seeking approval to install its computerized system in all city schools. The system allows parents to load money onto online accounts, which students use to purchase drinks that parents select for them. Officials say the program is intended to help students make healthier choices and hold their parents accountable.

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The newly released Kids Count survey on the state of America's children reveals that 22% of U.S. children were living in poverty in 2010 and nearly 24% of students failed to graduate from high school on time in 2008-09, an improvement over the 27% dropout rate for 2005-06. The racial achievement gap continues, the report says, with 58% of white fourth-graders and more than 80% of Latino, African-American and Native American Indian students failing to achieve reading proficiency in 2011.

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The Baltimore State Board of Education overwhelmingly approved regulations intended to cut back on suspensions, keep students in class and create a less-punitive culture in public schools...

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The Maryland State Board of Education voted to give preliminary approval to changes to the state's discipline policy that will replace zero-tolerance consequences with a rehabilitative approach to discipline and make suspensions and expulsions last-resort disciplinary measures. The policy also will require the state Education Department to track data to find and eliminate punishment disparities affecting students who are minorities or in special education. The board will take a final vote on the changes next month. 

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In the teen courts that have operated for two decades in Los Angeles, trained high school students question their peers, determine guilt, and recommend sentences.

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Three organizations in the District of Columbia have joined forces this summer to offer free lunches to children at 11 public libraries. 

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An advocacy group for children charges that Wake County schools are failing in their legal obligation to educate those students with disabilities who are on long-term suspension. 

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Education advocacy groups continue to weigh in on the specifics of a potential federal law governing the use in schools of restraint and seclusion, a practice used disproportionately with students who have disabilities. 

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Elementary- and middle-school students in Colorado are participating in a summer internship program in which they grow vegetables and sell produce at a local farmers market. 

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Teens who played sports and teens who walked or biked to school were less likely to be overweight or obese than those who didn't. 

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture and its partners have exceeded their goal of having 2,250 HealthierUS School Challenge-certified schools by the end of June, with 3,717 schools now certified. The challenge is part of first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" initiative. Certified schools have voluntarily met USDA standards in nutrition, physical fitness and wellness. 

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Baltimore officials say the achievement gap between chronically absent students and students who attend school regularly must be addressed. Officials also point out that there is an achievement gap among students who are suspended and those who are not, raising questions about suspension policies. 

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According to early findings from research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, there is no causal relationship between a child's weight and their academic performance. While previous studies have found a potential link, Scholder and her colleagues suggest that any previous research linking obesity to poor academic performance must be caused by other factors, such as socio-economic status.

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Parents of children with disabilities testified Thursday before a Congressional committee urging lawmakers to enact measures to limit the ability of schools to use restraint and seclusion to deal with students' behavior problems. Of the estimated 38,792 cases of seclusion or restraint in the 2009-2010 school year, 69% involved students with disabilities, according to an Education Department report.

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Educators’ use of restraints and seclusion for managing disruptive student behaviors are scheduled to be the focus of a first-of-its-kind hearing before the Senate education committee. In general, students may be restrained or secluded only when they are in immediate danger of hurting themselves or others. But critics say too often these practices are used to discipline students or remove them from class if they are being disruptive.

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Of the 41 states that require physical education at the elementary school level, only six meet the recommended guidelines from the National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), according to a new study from the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. The picture gets even bleaker as students get older.

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The purpose of these grants is to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for improving and expanding services provided by systems of care for children and youth with serious mental health conditions and their families.

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Education watchers have dissected Finland’s educational leadership on international tests from practically every angle, but a new traveling exhibit suggests one more: the buildings themselves support student achievement. School design has become of increasing concern to American and international educators alike, as buildings age and research emerges on the effects of schools’ physical structure on student health, safety, and motivation.

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A school nutrition professional and a driver are delivering summer meals in a converted school bus to students in a Florida district. The bus makes five stops near an elementary school -- typically carrying about 40 packed lunches each day. Students are required to eat their meals, which are free, on the bus. Officials say they launched the lunch bus after a disappointing turnout for the school's summer lunch program. 

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Most California districts got high marks for serving foods with key nutrients, but 60% of the school lunches reviewed by the state in the past five years failed to meet at least one federal nutritional requirement. Despite the problems, California is considered a leader in the nation when it comes to school lunches. State legislators banned trans fats from school cafeterias beginning in 2009, and many districts have adopted best practices, such as buying fresh produce from local farms.

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Physical education has improved in some ways over the past 20 years, according to a recent report that praises Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" program and the push to include more physical activity in PE classes. However, they write that No Child Left Behind has led to less emphasis on PE and suggest there is a need for a common way to evaluate PE programs. 

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Researchers have found that boys and girls have different nutritional needs, findings they say could affect efforts to curb childhood obesity. Among the findings are that girls who drink milk are less likely to be obese, a trend not found among boys. Research showed that boys and girls also respond differently to exercise, with girls often preferring less intense exercise when they might not sweat, and boys preferring physical activity that promotes strength. 

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The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act could help bridge achievement gaps among students, according to health experts who have studied the issue. "The reasons students drop out of school are complex, and health can be integrally related to many of these reasons, including barriers to learning such as hunger and poor nutrition and even fear for safety at school," wrote the authors, led by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher Diane Allensworth.

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The teachers of a 30-student inclusion classroom knew they had to do something drastic to change the classroom environment. With the help of a colleague, they devised an intervention of sorts: a reading-buddy program, pairing their students with first graders for two classes a week. The hope was two-fold: that the fourth graders would assume a leadership role, and see how difficult it can be to teach.

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The American Medical Association said Wednesday it will support legislation requiring schools to teach students in grades 1-12 about the causes, effects and prevention of obesity. Obesity, the doctors said, affects more than 12 million U.S. children and is linked to a number of health issues, including diabetes and heart disease. 

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Researchers looked at data from a total of 482 children who all wore activity monitors called Actigraphs on their waists for at least three straight days to constantly measure their physical activity levels. The researchers set out to identify predictors of physical activity or sedentary behaviors in youths. By age 8, boys were already significantly more physically active than girls. At the same time, boys also were significantly less sedentary than girls.

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Several school districts in Maine are serving summer meals to young people, hoping to fill the gap that some students experience during the summer break, when they are unable to eat two meals at school each day. Under the summer program, youths younger than 18 are eligible for meals and do not need to prove they are from low-income families. They are required to eat the meal on site.

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A recent study has found that students who are obese have lower test scores in math than students who are not obese. According to the study, children who were overweight when they entered kindergarten, began having academic difficulties in first grade through fifth grade. 

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In Baltimore County, Md., principals will have more autonomy in how they discipline students under a vote taken by the school board Tuesday that eliminates the district's zero-tolerance approach. Supporters said the new policy -- which is aligned with recommendations from the state school board -- is intended to help reduce the number of days students spend out of school. 

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Children nationwide are being invited to create recipes that could be served in school and enter them in a contest sponsored by the White House as part of first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign. One student will be selected as a winner from each state and invited to an event at the White House, at which some of the recipes will be served. 

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Student teachers learn a lot about how to teach in college, but they don’t get much training in how to respond to young children’s emotions, such as frustration, anger, and excitement, according to new research. Regulating emotions is important not only for young children, but for their long-term success as they move into higher grades.

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Allowing pre-schoolers to help themselves to food is thought to teach kids healthy eating habits like portion control, but a new study finds that children eat just as much at self-served meals as they do when food is plated for them. Parents and teachers should help children learn to stop eating when they're full, the lead researcher said. 

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Fairfax County principals became a potent voice of opposition to proposed discipline reforms this week, objecting to measures that would have required notifying parents before their children are questioned about serious offenses at school. the Fairfax County School Board voted 7 to 5 late Thursday to postpone action on policy changes that focused on parental notification, marijuana offenses and the appeals process. The vote effectively put off the debate until next year.

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The Walt Disney Co. is the first major media company to ban ads for junk food on its television channels, radio stations and websites, hoping to stop kids from eating badly by taking the temptation away. Disney’s rules — which won’t take effect until 2015 — follow a proposal by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take supersized drinks over 16 ounces out of convenience stores, movie theaters and restaurants, removing choices to try to influence behavior.

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With the U.S. facing an ongoing childhood obesity crisis, various groups have urged pediatricians to screen youths for obesity and provide counseling in recent years. Despite this, a large number of overweight and obese children continue to go without being counseled about healthy eating habits or physical activity by health care professionals, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

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Jackson Public Schools (JPS) will no longer handcuff students to poles or other objects and will train staff at its alternative school on better methods of discipline. JPS agreed to settle a suit brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which charged that staff at the school district’s Capital City Alternative School engaged in the practice of shackling students to a pole in the school.

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New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott on Wednesday unveiled a $30 million initiative to help schools provide mental health services to students. Under the plan, 20 new school-based centers would be created at selected middle and high schools over the next three years. "These new centers will provide on-site primary care and mental health services, helping to keep our kids healthy, secure, and in school," Walcott said.

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A program called Choicelunch will be offered in the fall at Del Mar Union School District in San Diego, allowing parents to order their children's lunches online or from a smartphone application using a menu of 17 options. Registered dietitian Jodi Block helped develop Choicelunch as a way to improve the quality of lunches, and says it will give parents more control over what their children eat. 

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Children with physically active friends were six times more likely to be active during an after-school program, U.S. researchers reported in the journal Pediatrics. They interviewed 81 children ages 5 to 12 and found that the activity levels of friends in a social group can lead children to be more active or more sedentary. 

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing to reduce the city's after-school enrichment programs in a budget-cutting move designed to save $19 million, or about one-quarter of 1 percent of the total city budget. The programs slated for elimination run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and serve 27,000 children, most of them from poor or blue-collar families whose parents may not be able to afford other after-school child care. 

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The California Mental Health Services Authority consulted social service and medical experts, communications specialists and consumers for the state's new mental illness awareness campaign. The campaign is one of three that uses Internet, public relations, radio and social media outlets to reach specific age groups in an effort to dispel the stigma associated with mental illness. 

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Summer is one of the prime causes of the achievement gap between low-income and more advantaged children, according to a panel of researchers and educators at a recent education writers conference. On average, students lose a month of learning over the summer, but the loss is much greater for poor children who do not have access to high-quality summer-learning activities. The panel recommended school districts create engaging summer programs that students of low-income families will want to attend. 

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Colorado joins a growing number of states rethinking zero-tolerance policies requiring expulsion or suspension for behavior or actions that might once have meant a stern talking to or a visit to the principal's office. Now lawmakers want to give educators flexibility. In California the Legislature is considering nine bills aimed at limiting school discipline. One would require schools that suspend more than 25% of their students to adopt strategies aimed at reducing behavior that leads to suspension.

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Educators often look for ways to bring quiet children out of their shells, but emerging research suggests schools can improve academic outcomes for introverted students by reducing the pressure to be outgoing and giving all students a little more time to reflect.

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Children in Boston-area schools served up their own healthy recipes in cafeterias as part of the Obama administration's "Let's Move" initiative. The middle-school children -- who won the healthy-recipe contest for dishes such as a fruit and yogurt sundae and turkey chili burritos -- were aided by area chefs to serve other children, while educating them on the importance of nutrition. 

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Summer programs designed to make sure the U.S.'s poorest children are fed during the months when school is out fed about 2.8 million in summer 2010. Demand grew during the recession, but budget cuts ate into programs, highlighting the need to raise awareness with efforts including the Department of Agriculture's National Summer Food Service Program Awareness Week. 

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Middle-school students in a Georgia district are participating in Fuel Up to Play 60 -- a program intended to help curb childhood obesity through education about fitness and nutrition. Educators say they work to use competition and incentives, such as gift cards, to motivate students to eat healthy foods and exercise for at least 60 minutes a day. 

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School suspension rates at all grade levels have more than doubled in this country over the past 30 years, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Education. Critics say zero-tolerance policies and mandatory suspensions have resulted in students losing class time for relatively minor infractions. Now, many districts are looking for better ways to discipline students and change student behavior over the long term. 

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Many schools are struggling to balance academic courses with time for physical education as they weigh the importance of students' health with exam pressures. Some educators are taking creative approaches to the problem, such as including fitness breaks in the classroom and adopting new, more rigorous exercises in P.E. 

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The Education Department said issued its 15 principles about restraints and seclusion, to be used as the foundation of policies and procedures created by states and districts, but it isn't binding or required. The principles were a collaboration between the department and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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The SLICE Act—School Lunch Improvements for Children's Education—would restore USDA's authority to count 1/8 of a cup of tomato paste as 1/8 of a cup, instead of half of a cup. It would also give the USDA the power to implement reductions in sodium in school lunches and boost the amount of whole grains required in school meals, other tweaks Congress made last year to the agency's plans.

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The Healthy Schools Campaign and Trust for America's Health recently presented recommendations to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, that they say would improve students' well-being. The proposals include additional staff to support students' health and the removal of some obstacles to schools receiving reimbursements through Medicaid. 

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A new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology finds that teachers may be less inclined to respond critically to work by minority students, thus creating a "positive feedback bias" that may contribute to racial achievement gaps.

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Students at a New York elementary school participated Wednesday in National Bike to School Day. Educators and school resource officers also took the opportunity to educate students about biking safety. "We're trying to push children to engage in healthy lifestyles, get out of cars and walk and ride more," said Phyllis Price, the school's principal.

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Generally, boys and girls become more polarized through their first years in school. Now, researchers have started to explore how to span that sex divide and are finding that more-equitable coed classrooms can have social and academic benefits for boys and girls alike.

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Schools nutrition professionals and administrators increasingly are weighing the need to feed hungry students with their desire for fiscal responsibility as school meal debt grows. The U.S. Department of Agriculture now is analyzing best practices for handling meal debt, and a USDA report is expected next year. 

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A new report issued by the Institute of Medicine suggests that all students should have opportunities to get 60 minutes of physical activity on a daily basis while at school, which aligns with the physical activity recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Outside of traditional physical education classes, the report suggests giving students in-class physical activity breaks, ensuring recesses remain high-activity, and creating safe pathways for students to walk to school.

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A community garden has become an outdoor classroom for students and teachers at a Maryland school. Students are using the outdoor classroom to further lessons in science and nutrition, and are growing vegetables and herbs that are served in the school's cafeteria. The goal is for the garden to provide all produce served daily in the cafeteria.

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Educators in Iowa reacted to a call for schools to play a pivotal role in curbing childhood obesity by pointing out the steps they have taken to improve students' health. Some schools have changed what foods students are served in cafeterias, and others are using technology, such as active video games, in physical-education lessons. 

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Thousands of District children who need mental health services are not getting them, and the city’s complex system relies too heavily on institutionalizing and medicating those who do receive care, according to a report issued this week by a leading advocacy group. The report from the Children’s Law Center calls for routine mental health screenings in pediatricians’ offices, more school-based treatment programs and other measures to make it easier for children to access services.

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In Minnesota, more than 37% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals -- an increase of 14% since the fall of 2008. Officials say students' hunger can affect their education, and some districts are looking to help students outside of the school day. All high schools and many middle schools in the Anoka-Hennepin School District have food shelves to help families after school. 

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Students who are more physically fit may outperform their unfit peers by as much as 5% on standardized tests in math and language arts, according to a recent study. The report, released by the Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, recommends schools dedicate time to physical education and encourages teachers to integrate fitness into daily activities. 

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A committee of city officials in Chicago is calling on school leaders to reduce school suspensions and expulsions by 40%. Several student and community groups have been pushing for changes to disciplinary policies in Chicago Public Schools, advocating a switch to "restorative justice programs."

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Video games and "screen time" are often named as culprits for the childhood-obesity epidemic in the United States, but a new federal initiative aims to promote the health benefits that certain video games can provide. The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have announced the launch of the Active Play Presidential Lifestyle Award (PALA)+ Challenge.

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New York City education officials were criticized Tuesday for a lack of adequate policies for managing cases in which students with mental health difficulties are disruptive in school. At a hearing of the City Council's education and mental health committees, officials discussed the need for more comprehensive programs in city schools. The hearing follows recent reports of students with such difficulties being sent to hospital emergency rooms. 

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Students in California school districts that complied with the state's mandatory physical-education requirements were 29% more likely to be physically fit, compared with their peers in districts who did not follow the rules, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found. Only about half of the 55 school districts that have compliance data met requirements that children get 200 minutes of physical education every 10 days, researchers found.

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In a Mississippi school district, educators are using art to teach students about nutrition, exercise and hygiene. Supporters of the Smart program say it is especially important given the state's high rate of childhood obesity. Officials say there already has been anecdotal evidence of the program's success, including a recent observation that students at a restaurant chose to order fruit and a salad, rather than french fries.

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The childhood-obesity rate in Massachusetts "substantially decreased among both boys and girls" younger than 6 between 2004 and 2008, according to a study published online in the journal Pediatrics.

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Students who had struggled on state exams in a Minnesota district recently posted impressive gains following a 15-minutes-a-day exercise program implemented by the school's physical-education teacher. Physical-education advocates say the results are typical and part of a growing body of research that shows the academic benefits of student fitness. 

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A new public-private partnership is aimed at increasing arts education as a strategy for turning around eight struggling public schools. The two-year Turnaround Arts Initiative, announced Monday by a White House panel, will enlist celebrities, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and actress Sarah Jessica Parker, in efforts to improve school culture and academic achievement across the curriculum through high-quality, integrated arts instruction.

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The Kansas State Board of Education voted unanimously this month to adopt regulations that regulate the use of restraints and seclusion at school. Among other provisions, the regulations—developed by a special education advisory committee—say that rules about the use of these emergency interventions should apply to all students, not just those with disabilities, and that these techniques be used only for emergency or safety reasons, not as a behavior modification tool.

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A survey by Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project found that most respondents think food students buy from vending machines or school stores is not nutritious, and 80% expressed support for a national standard for food sold at school. USDA guidelines on school food are expected to be released in June, experts said. 

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While an overwhelming number of elementary school principals believe in the power of recess to improve academic achievement and make students more focused in class, most discipline-related problems happen at school when kids cut loose at recess and lunch, according to surveys. One of the solutions, according to a study released this week by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: more, and well-trained, staff on the playground.

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Girls exposed to a number of social risk factors in early childhood are significantly more likely to be obese by age 5, but young boys aren't prone to the same effects, according to a new study published online today in the journal Pediatrics. Previous research suggested that cumulative social stress could result in negative health outcomes, leading to this study examining the relationship between social stressors and obesity in young children.

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Eighteen schools in Kansas City, Mo., have begun serving a light dinner to students who participate in after-school programs. Officials say the program helps give disadvantaged students access to food. 

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Schools in Richmond, Va., will test a new "Fit For Life" program intended to increase the focus on physical fitness and health. Under the program, students will participate in wellness screenings and graduating seniors will undergo fitness testing.

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Some schools in New York City are challenged to provide on-campus counseling and other mental-health services to students with emotional and behavioral difficulties who disrupt the school environment.

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All 50 states participate in the federally subsidized school dinner program -- up from six that took part a few years ago. In some areas, hard hit by the tough economic times, officials say they expect the number of students eating dinner at school to continue to grow. While the program has some critics, supporters say schools play an important role in feeding students who otherwise would go hungry.

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A new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that in 2010, the percentage of middle schools teaching about HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy prevention was significantly lower in 11 states than in 2008. The analysis also found that the percentage of secondary schools teaching several condom-related topics in a required course in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12 was significantly lower in eight states and significantly higher in three states.

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More than 40 percent of suspensions in California are for "willful defiance," or any behavior that disrupts class, and critics say it's a catchall that needs to be eliminated because it's overused for trivial offenses, disproportionately used against black and Latino boys and alienates the students who need most to stay in school.

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Kevin Concannon, undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer sciences for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spoke recently in Iowa about the importance of new school meal guidelines. He said the standards, which take effect July 1, will require schools to serve more fruits and vegetables and provide more federal money for school meal programs. 

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Families who receive food stamps tend to spend the bulk of the subsidy at the beginning of the month, when the money is issued, data indicate. This trend has been shown to affect students, who tend to misbehave at the end of the month when household stress and hunger may be higher. Researchers, however, found that such issues were less prevalent at schools with snack programs. 

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In Wisconsin, where 42.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, officials say the nutritious meals students eat at school can help them perform better academically. Aid programs such as the National School Lunch Program and Wisconsin's Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program try to combat the disadvantages impoverished students face, recognizing the connections between nutrition and cognitive development and academic performance.

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California charter schools currently do not have to provide free or reduced-price lunches to disadvantaged students. But legislation moving through the California State Capitol would subject charters to the same requirements that traditional public schools currently face for providing at least one "nutritionally adequate" meal per day.

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Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley wants school principals to expand the First Class Breakfast Program to 150 more schools. Last year, 20 schools took part in the program, which helps ensure hungry children eat breakfast at school. At schools that have participated, officials say students' grades have improved and the children are more alert in class. 

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The Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools program, an offshoot of first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign, has set a goal of installing 6,000 salad bars in schools by 2013. So far, 1,200 are in place, paid for through private donations, and plans are in place to install another 400. Funding for the salad bars also includes training for school nutrition professionals on how to present the food to students and encourage them to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

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Farms on wheels are designed to complement the San Diego Unified School District's existing Farm-to-School program by creating a living learning lab that travels from school to school. Students will be engaged in concepts of sustainable agriculture and nutrition.

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A coalition of advocates for people with disabilities offered more criticism of a recent report by the American Association of School Administrators that touted the merits and necessity of using restraints and seclusion.

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The percentage of schools that offer students regular physical education classes declined over the past decade, but school sports opportunities appear to be increasing nationwide, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office.

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The National Leadership Summit on School-Justice Partnerships was convened on March 11-13, 2012 in New York City for top state justice and education officials and their partners to raise awareness of the importance of focusing on school-justice partnerships in order to promote practices and policies of our education and justice systems that can help children succeed in school and in turn reduce the number of children involved in the juvenile and adult court systems.

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Delaware state agencies are teaming up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture this summer to feed 5,000 children who currently receive free or reduced-price meals at school and who may be at risk of going hungry when school is not in session.

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Schools that get their ground beef from the federal government will now have the option of buying it with or without a product that has been dubbed “pink slime.” Only about 20 percent of the food served in school lunches is procured through the USDA Foods program, formerly called the commodities program. Schools get the items at no cost, although some fees may be charged for storage or distribution of the items.

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An Arizona county has launched a pilot program in which 60 parents have been recruited and trained to advocate for children's health. As part of their responsibilities, the parent "ambassadors" will advocate for school policies related to children's health. Participating parents learned strategies to encourage schools to provide healthier meals and snacks and to keep playgrounds open during non-school hours.

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New federal data that for the first time attempt to catalog how many times students were isolated or restrained—by a school employee or with a device—show that, in many cases, those techniques are applied disproportionately to students with disabilities, particularly black students with disabilities.

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North Carolina students are losing weight and learning about the science of motorsports and bioengineering through a project called BioMoto. The program is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) initiative that combines exercise, such as running and walking, with engineering projects such as creating an apparatus to change tires. 

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Between 2003 and 2008, California students were still gradually growing more obese, but the rate of increase had slowed from years prior, according to a new study based out of the University of California, Davis.

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As Illinois schools begin state exams, some schools are preparing by ensuring students have a healthy breakfast before they begin testing. One school planned to purchase 56 dozen eggs to prepare breakfast for students and teachers. The school also will offer a high-protein snack during a testing break. At another school, the parent-teacher association has arranged to provide students with healthy breakfasts in classrooms. 

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Officials statewide are encouraging more students to participate in school breakfast programs. The Hunger Free Colorado organization encourages schools to serve breakfast in the classroom, which they say will increase access to the meals and eliminate the stigma often associated with eating breakfast at school. 

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released for public comment the K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines for States, Tribes and Territories. The guidelines are primarily intended to be used as a resource for the establishment of a state, tribal, or territorial K-12 school environmental health program.

To post comments, visit http://www.epa.gov/schools.

African American students in large school systems are arrested far more often on campus than their white peers, new federal data show. The data, from an Education Department civil rights survey, provide the government’s most extensive examination yet of how public schools across the country bring police into the handling of student offenses.

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Kids are eating less sugar than ever before, according to a new report from the CDC. However, the report says kids are still getting way too much added sugar in their diets, which could raise risk for obesity and chronic diseases.

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Maryland's school board released a proposal to limit out-of-school suspensions to 10 days to be used only in cases where school safety is a factor. The board is also calling on schools to develop plans over a three-year period that would reduce suspension rates for students with disabilities and minorities after a recent report showed the two groups to be subject to a disproportionate number of overall suspensions. 

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Officials in a Delaware school district say the number of students qualifying for free or reduced price meals has risen to 75% -- up from 55% five years ago. To help students get the food they need, the district has partnered with the Food Bank of Delaware to open a food pantry at an elementary school. 

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Proposals expected to be considered in Maryland would seek to reduce school suspensions by revising the state's zero-tolerance discipline policies. The changes would include lowering the number of suspensions for nonviolent behavior, reducing the disproportionate number of suspensions ordered for minority students and students in special education, while requiring educational services be provided for those who are serving lengthy out-of-school suspensions.

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In New York City, where the rate of childhood obesity has dropped by 5.5% in the past five years, nutrition education is part of the core academic curriculum at some schools. Under the CookShop program -- established by The Food Bank For New York City -- 35,000 children and their families learn about cooking, nutrition and the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables through hands-on lessons. 

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A charter network is charging students $5 for minor disciplinary infractions like having untied shoelaces, bringing chips to school or dozing off in class. Critics say the network is using the fines to push out troubled students so it can boost graduation rates, but school leaders say tougher discipline has led to a safer school environment.

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Educators at New York City's P.S. 142, where nearly all students qualify for free lunches, take students on neighborhood field trips to help provide real-life experiences and a broader frame of reference to improve their reading and math skills. The strategy was developed by the school's principal, along with a child specialist. It also includes more playtime for younger students to help make learning more fun.

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Some parent-teacher groups are stepping in to provide exercise programs at California schools that struggle to meet state requirements for physical education because of budget cuts.

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A program that integrates the arts across the curriculum has led to higher standardized test scores, new research shows. The Developing Reading Education with Arts Methods, or DREAM, is in place in 10 school districts, where educators are trained to integrate arts into lessons and professional artists provide weekly coaching in the classroom.

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Some San Francisco Bay Area school districts plan to go beyond the USDA's health guidelines for lunch, which must include whole grains and eliminate chocolate milk, among other changes, starting July 1. 

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Many schools in rural areas lack adequate mental-health services for students, according to a recent report by researchers at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The report found that there is a need in rural Texas schools for more mental-health resources that target Hispanic students, better communication about the few resources available and more mental-health training for school counselors.

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Children who were ostracized during an online virtual ball-toss game later spent 41% more minutes doing sedentary activities than those who were not excluded, according to a small study in the journal Pediatrics. The findings indicate exclusion may contribute to childhood obesity by negatively affecting children's physical activity, the researchers said. 

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Almost half of all students in 2,647 public elementary schools and 1,205 private elementary schools had access to junk food between 2006 and 2010, according to a study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Researchers noted that an estimated two-thirds of students were able to purchase vegetables, fruits and salad at competitive venues. 

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Students at a North Carolina elementary school are riding stationary bicycles while reading as part of an exercise-learning program intended to help improve students' health and academics. While limited data from similar programs show they can be successful -- in raising students' test scores and lowering their Body Mass Index -- few schools have adopted them.

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The quality of school principals -- like teachers -- affects students' long-term success, suggests Stanford University researcher Eric Hanushek. The findings show that school leaders are not interchangeable, but rather are "pivotal to our schools functioning as networks of opportunity for all children," says Karin Chenoweth, a senior writer for The Education Trust.

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New guidelines announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday call for less fat and more fruits in school lunches. In Louisville, Kentucky, the Jefferson County School District lets students evaluate its healthy food offerings.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled final rules for school breakfasts and lunch. The sweeping changes, which school districts must act on in the 2012-13 school year, were made based on recommendations from the medical community, and could have a huge influence on children's health in the U.S., because many kids get more than half the calories they eat in a day at school.

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More students in the U.S. are getting free dinners as part of after-school programs under the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which allows programs to receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the meals they serve.

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Sheriffs and police chiefs are on a mission to convince state legislatures that investing in early childhood education, such as quality prekindergarten and the federal Head Start program, can be an important crime-prevention weapon—and ultimately save states money in incarceration costs.

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Since the 2006-07 school year, the obesity rate in New York City's K-8 public school students decreased 5.5 percent, according to a report published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, the declines in childhood obesity varied wildly based on race and socioeconomic status. Among all K-8 children, the two largest decreases were seen in white children and Asian/Pacific Islanders.

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A new plan that outlines how longer days in Chicago Public Schools should be spent includes a requirement that all schools include recess for students in elementary school, and a second recess for students in grades K-3.

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The National Summer Learning Association has just released results of its "Smarter Summers" initiative. The three-year project is supported by a $11.5 grant from the Walmart Foundation, which is used to expand and enhance summer programs in 10 cities, serving around 20,000 middle school students.

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The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear appeals of three cases involving students' free-speech rights on the Internet. Two cases involved Pennsylvania students who had posted mockeries of their school principals on the Internet, while another case involved a West Virginia student who had ridiculed a peer online.

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One-third of children are overweight, but a new study says it probably has nothing to do with junk food in the schools. Researchers found that the percentage of children who had access to candy, soda and chips at school jumped dramatically between fifth and eighth grades — but it didn’t translate into more weight. How kids eat outside and at home has a much greater impact than their exposure to high-fat or sugary snacks in school.

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The second annual "Eat for Kids" program is under way in New York City, asking restaurant patrons to donate money to the nonprofit Wellness in the Schools program, which uses it to make student meals healthier. Executive Director Nancy Easton said culinary-school graduates are placed in public schools to "undo processed menus and replace it with scratch-cook menus."

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Colorado policymakers are divided on how best to reform the state's practices for disciplining students, which have relied on a zero-tolerance approach for nearly 20 years. Advocates of reform criticize what they call a "school-to-prison pipeline," particularly for minority students. Others, including some school districts, are concerned about the effectiveness and cost of alternative programs.

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Too many rural minority students are categorized as learning disabled, a new study asserts, attributing that in part to an overly broad method used to identify those children.

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Lawmakers in Florida are poised to consider a proposal that would eliminate a mandate that students take a minimum amount of physical-education courses in middle school. Many parents sign a waiver allowing their children to opt for academic, remedial or other elective courses instead. Supporters of the PE requirement say the courses offer benefits for student health as well as academics. 

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Attempts to boost students' self-esteem by praising minor achievements and effort has not improved academic achievements, researchers say. Some teachers say they are abandoning unearned praise in favor of methods that reward "persistence" and "risk-taking." Some experts say this type of praise leads students to embrace challenges and work harder. 

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A new initiative is aimed at using advocacy by parents and educators to address factors that contribute to a disproportionate number of African-American students being identified as having disabilities. Data show that black students comprise 17% of public-school students but account for 31% of those with intellectual disabilities, 28% of those with emotional disorders and 21% of those with learning disabilities, all diagnoses that could be influenced by bias.

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A new initiative hopes to tackle one of special education's most persistent problems: the disproportionate identification of black children as having disabilities. Now, the National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities will use grant money from the Oak Foundation to train parents how to better advocate for their children and address this persistent disproportionality.

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The Ohio Afterschool Network and the Ohio health department have teamed up on a guide on how best to incorporate physical activity into after-school programs to curb childhood-obesity rates. The guide includes a list of 11 main recommendations for programs along with tips and strategies for implementing them.

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Health and education groups have released guidelines for sex education that urge states and districts to provide students with a foundation for lessons in sex, relationships and bullying before second grade. The groups also suggest teaching students about sexual orientation by middle school and instructing elementary-school students to use proper names for parts of the human anatomy.

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A meta-analysis of 47 studies targeting intervention programs to curb screen time among children younger than 12 found that 29 showed programs were successful at getting kids away from the television, computer and video games.

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Education officials in Michigan say a federal grant program that gives low-income families $60 per month per child for food during summer months will be expanded to rural areas this year.

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Children who participate in physical activity also tend to benefit in the classroom, according to a new systematic review of 14 studies from the past few decades. The review sought to discover a potential link between childhood physical activity and improved academic performance.

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A preschool in Ohio offers short-term interventions for preschool students with behavioral and mental health challenges who have been suspended from other area preschool programs. Educators at the school use puppets and other hands-on strategies to help teach positive behavior and impulse control to students, who typically attend the school for three to six months.

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To allow low-income children to reach their full potential, parents and teachers must provide them with ample opportunities to play, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises in a new report.

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Schools that score high on state fitness tests in California have fewer students from low-income families, data show, and more resources to offer extras such as physical-education specialists. Location also may influence fitness, as schools near parks or open spaces may encourage outdoor activities.

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More than two years ago, President Obama pledged to scale up the Harlem Children's Zone's model of pairing education with health and other community services. Now. five communities are getting up to $6 million implementation grants to create new Promise Neighborhoods under the federal program of that name.

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Nine states will share $500 million in Race to the Top early learning grants, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed this morning. They will get grants ranging from $50 million to $100 million, based on the state's student population, to significantly improve early-education programs in their states.

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The Justice Department, stepping up its oversight of the juvenile justice system, has launched an investigation into whether school and law enforcement officials are targeting black students in Meridian, Miss., for unfair treatment.

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The new service enables Facebook users to report a suicidal comment they see posted by a friend to Facebook.

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When children are overweight, heart-health risk factors such as dangerous cholesterol levels and artery inflammation can start as early as age 3, according to a University of Miami study published in this week’s medical journal Obesity.

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School-based programs that promote physical fitness and healthy eating were found to have a positive impact in the fight against childhood obesity, according to a review published Tuesday in The Cochrane Library.

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More school-based health clinics will be upgraded, expanded, or built from scratch, thanks to a fresh infusion of federal cash that will also add enough capacity eventually to serve about 53,000 additional students across the country.

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Children with disabilities and special medical needs are more likely than those without disabilities to be overweight or obese, according to a report by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

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Schools are more likely to offer students 150 minutes of physical education per week if located in a state or district that mandates that level of P.E., according to a study published online today in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

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Flu vaccination rates among children in the U.S. increased this year compared with last year, CDC officials said. The agency found that Hispanic children had the highest immunization rate at 43%, compared with 36% in black children and 34% in white children.

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Detroit will keep some public schools open during the holidays to offer academic services, free meals and food baskets to students.

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To encourage fitness and healthy eating, the state superintendent has launched a "Team California for Healthy Kids" campaign that includes online resources to help schools or community organizations promote physical activities, eating fruits and vegetables and providing access to drinking water.

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Congressional lawmakers put a crimp in a U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal to limit starchy foods and serve more fresh vegetables in school meals.

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Athletes who often "head" soccer balls were found to have brain abnormalities similar to those found in patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), according to a recent study.

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Economic experts say the economy and layoffs are behind government data showing a 17% increase from 2006-07 to last year in the number of U.S. students getting subsidized school lunch.

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In the public schools in Lincoln, Neb., students who passed the district's physical-fitness test were significantly more likely to pass state reading and math tests, according to a recent article from the Lincoln Journal Star.

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The House of Representatives has approved a spending bill that would block government efforts to improve nutrition standards in school meals. The food industry says the standards would have required companies to change products in ways not acceptable to children.

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A study of four classroom birthday parties showed that children consumed an average of 344 to 455 calories from sweets and other sugar-rich items. However, children ate fewer calories, an average of 259 to 405, when fruits were served alongside sugary treats.

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Data from the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed a poor overall performance among those age 12 to 19 on the American Heart Association's criteria for ideal cardiovascular health.

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A survey of teens by the Ohio Department of Health found that 83% wear seat belts but only 7.2% eat fruits and vegetables at least twice daily. The 2011 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey also showed that 30% of teens reported a height and weight that was in the overweight or obese range.

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The legislative push to enable school cafeterias to keep serving pizza and french fries won’t save nearly as much money as some lawmakers have suggested — if any, according to the Agriculture Department.

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Turnaround for Children is a non-profit focusing on students’ psychological and emotional well-being, in addition to academics. Turnaround offers a whole-child model that requires the hiring of social workers and the training of teachers in how to respond to outbursts in ways other than sending children to the principal’s office.

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High school students who followed a Western-style diet high in desserts, processed meats and refined grains had a 29% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later years, partly due to weight gain, according to a study in Diabetes Care.

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Classes that teach students cooking and nutrition also support critical thinking and collaboration, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

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Nearly 2 million children in the U.S. are staying out of poverty because of federal programs. The data suggest that child poverty is still on the rise, but that social initiatives, such as national school-meal subsidies and other programs, are helping keep poverty at bay for some.

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About 85% of children in the elementary through middle school are not meeting the required 10 to 12 hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

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Obesity, sleep apnea, behavior and learning difficulties can cause significant dysfunction in children, but a new study suggests these three problems interact with one another, exacerbating the effects of each individual problem.

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Statistics from "Finding Balance: Obesity and Children with Special Needs," show that children with disabilities are 38 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers.

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Researchers analyzed California figures on personal-belief exemptions and found that more than one in five kindergartners at some schools had been exempted from vaccination. Researchers identified "hot spot" schools, raising concerns that clusters of exempted students could result in outbreaks of illnesses such as measles.

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After adjusting for potential confounders, sleeping less than eight hours on weekdays is associated with obesity in male but not in female teens, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.

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Chicago-based charter program Perspectives, which operates five schools across the city, will receive $400,000 in federal funding over the next two years. Their program, called "A Disciplined Life," focuses on social and emotional learning inside and outside of the classroom.

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U.S. senators amended a 2012 spending bill to prohibit the Department of Agriculture from setting limits on starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, in school-meal programs for health reasons.

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Northeast Elementary Magnet School in Danville, Ill., is the first elementary school in the country to win a gold medal from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Its program boasts healthy cafeteria food and snacks, nutrition lessons and a commitment to exercise. 

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The USDA has approved Florida's plan to switch control of school-nutrition programs from the state Department of Education to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who had made the change a priority since taking office, says he plans to get more fresh fruits and vegetables to schools to improve students' eating habits.

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Less than 20 percent of K-12 schools nationwide provide their students with before-, during-, and after-school opportunities to engage in physical activity, according to a survey released by the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

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A new study commissioned by CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°" found that the stereotype of the schoolyard bully preying on the weak doesn't reflect reality in schools. Instead, the research shows that many students are involved in "social combat" -- a constant verbal, physical and cyber fight to the top of the school social hierarchy.

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While schools are improving the quality of foods they serve, including offering more fresh, local produce, future gains will require more buy-in from students. Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association says students must be willing to give new foods a try, and schools must give them more time to eat lunch.

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The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has received a $1.7 million four-year grant from the CDC to introduce pilot obesity prevention programs for children ages 2 to 12 in New Bedford and Fitchburg. The grant aims to combine effective clinical and community-based obesity prevention initiatives for children.

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The Campaign for Educational Equity, a group of education experts at Teachers College at Columbia University in New York, is recommending the state increase annual education spending by $4,750 for each poor student to pay for support services outside the classroom.

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Almost 70% of students in Oakland public schools in California qualify for free or reduced-priced meals, so Oakland schools have introduced and expanded a host of programs, some federally subsidized, to feed students at school and home.

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Meals offered by the National School Lunch Program appear to be healthier than those packed at home, a study of second graders showed.

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A new Muppet named Lily, whose family struggles with issues of hunger and food insecurity, is being introduced into the television show "Sesame Street" to raise awareness of the problem. Lily will first appear in a PBS special called "Growing Hope Against Hunger."

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A reduction in servings of starchy vegetables is one of many changes to school meals proposed by the USDA to reflect recommendations from the Institutes of Medicine. The changes also require more green and orange vegetables, less fat in milk, more whole grains, and less sodium.

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Exposure to high levels of air pollution from motor vehicles and secondhand smoke appears to be associated with an increase in body mass index in adolescents, researchers found.

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Many immigrants come to the United States seeking a better life for their children, but a new report finds those who come to the country illegally face worse social and academic development as they grow.

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Obese 8- and 9-year-olds are more likely to suffer socially and emotionally than their normal-weight peers, a new study finds.

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D.C. public and public charter schools, which annually test student progress in reading and math, will also measure what they know about human sexuality, contraception and drug use starting this spring.

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The survey aimed to determined how Chicago schools' perform on the following factors: instructional leadership, how teachers work with one another, support from families and the community, the learning climate and a challenging curriculum.

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The U.S. Department of Education, following in the footsteps of its well-known Blue Ribbon Schools recognition program, is set to launch a Green Ribbon Schools initiative to salute environmental achievers.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is highlighting key environmental education information and resources available to improve energy efficiency, save money, and better protect people’s health and the environment during the school year.

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A new study involving nearly 2,500 high school students demonstrates the value of routine mental health screening in school to identify adolescents at-risk for mental illness, and to connect those adolescents with recommended follow-up care.

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USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon hosted a conference call to highlight the historic school nutrition reforms and improvements that students and families will see in the new school year.

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The Supportive School Discipline Initiative is a collaboration between the two agencies that hopes to target the school disciplinary policies and in-school arrests that push youth out of school and into the justice system, also known as the school-to-prison pipeline.

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Many schools cater to disadvantaged children, but Haven Academy is unique because it houses hundreds of counselors in the same building. The school features a small student-teacher ratio, an extended school day, many tutor options and special training to keep teachers consistent in the language they use and their responses to problems.

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Improvements included in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 will enhance local wellness policies in schools, an important tool for parents, local educational agencies and school districts to promote student wellness, prevent and reduce childhood obesity, and provide assurance that school meal nutrition guidelines meet the minimum federal school meal standards.

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The partners agreed to address risks posed by chemicals in Port Arthur schools and develop a plan for removal of unnecessary chemicals. This cooperative agreement promotes a district-wide approach for raising awareness for responsible chemical management practices.

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Children with a parent on long-term military deployment in Iraq or Afghanistan are at increased risk for mental health problems, new research suggests.

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If a new survey of high school teens in Maine is any indication, locating fast-food outlets near schools may not actually affect students' chances of being overweight. The real issue, experts say, is making kids more knowledgeable about healthy choices.

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Mental health screening has been demonstrated to successfully connect African-American middle school students from a predominantly low-income area with school-based mental health services, according to results of a new study.

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In an effort to combat childhood obesity and summer learning loss, the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice are addressing young audiences throughout the nation to encourage youth to stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and asks students to continue to read and learn over the summer.

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The federal government's first attempt to assess the dangers from air pollution around schools is nearing completion, and the findings underscore the need for more extensive air monitoring, especially in pollution hot spots, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency says.

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Researchers have looked at how bad jobs affect adults’ mental health. One of the first studies to turn a similar lens on schools suggests a bad classroom climate can shape children’s emotional well-being too.

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Health News

In an effort to help meet the rising demand, as well as to identify serious issues more quickly, a growing number of campus counseling centers have begun using computerized mental health screening questionnaires instead of traditional paper evaluations.

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Children who ingested even small amounts of lead performed poorly later on school tests compared to students who were never exposed to the substance, according to a new study of Connecticut students.

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Food Safety News

A paragraph in this week's Government Accountability Office report on USDA's school meal safety policies confirms that the Food Safety and Inspection Service has developed "standardized tests" to detect all six strains of non-O157 E. coli, a critical step in the agency's ability to regulate pathogens.

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MedPage Today

Childhood diseases thought to be linked to environmental causes cost the nation nearly $77 billion in medical costs and lost productivity in 2008 alone, a new analysis found.

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ED's Safe Supportive Schools News

The Saucony Run for Good Program’s mission is to improve lives of children through running. The program has been created to encourage active and healthy lifestyles in children, fight obesity, and reverse the trend of shortening life spans. Grants are awarded up to $10,000. The deadline to apply for this grant is June 13, 2011.

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The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools’ (CHHCS) The Weekly Insider

The purpose of the Champion Fur Kids Grant is to fund health and wellness programs such as childhood disease research foundations, child safety organizations and organizations that serve children with special needs. Grants will be a one-time contribution and range from $1,000 to $10,000. The deadline to apply for this grant is October 28, 2011.

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R&D Mag

University of Michigan researchers found that schools located in areas with the state's highest industrial air pollution levels had the lowest attendance rates—an indicator of poor health—as well as the highest proportions of students who failed to meet state educational testing standards.

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SAMHSA

National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day is a day to join SAMHSA, communities, organizations, agencies, and individuals nationwide in raising awareness that positive mental health is essential to a child's healthy development from birth. This year, the national theme will focus on building resilience in young children dealing with trauma.

For the complete picture, please visit: http://www.samhsa.gov/children/save_date_2011.asp.

The results of the FinEdu longitudinal study indicate that both prolonged exhaustion caused by schoolwork and cynicism toward school inevitably lead to an increased sense of inadequacy.

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Secretary Duncan stopped by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Forum to join a panel of school district superintendents, moderated by New York Times columnist David Brooks, in discussing how social and emotional factors support student achievement.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s mid-Atlantic region announced 11 winners of its annual environmental achievement awards including two from Philadelphia Area.

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The NAACP has joined forces with fiscally conservative groups, former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, and others to persuade legislators and policymakers to shift the growing amount of money spent on prisons to education.

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Sustainable school buildings, says a green-schools architect, can be powerful teaching tools to help students monitor and change their own energy-consumption behavior.

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At-large D.C. Councilman David Catania introduced a bill Tuesday that would crack down on student truancy and tailor behavioral health programming to the needs of District schools.

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The purpose of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant is to assist LEAs and CBOs to initiate, expand, or enhance physical education programs that help students in kindergarten through 12th grade meet their state standards for physical education.

The application package is available on the OSHS web site at: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/applicant.html.

According to the largest analysis of social and emotional learning programs to date, researchers found that students who took part in social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs improved in grades and standardized-test scores by 11 percentile points compared with nonparticipating students. 

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A report, compiled by the New York Civil Liberties Union and based on 10 years of previously undisclosed suspension statistics in New York City schools, echoed a nationwide trend toward mandatory suspensions for an increasing variety of infractions. The department is looking to use more social and emotional mediation to address behavioral issues among special-education students.

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Attorney General Eric Holder today met with Defending Childhood representatives from eight communities across the country to discuss local efforts to address children’s exposure to violence.

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More and more, research shows young people need the same cognitive and social-emotional skills to complete school and progress in the workplace, and, moreover, that those skills can be taught and tested like any other subject in school.

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School Climate Survey Compendium (as of December 20, 2011)

To assist educators and education agencies in locating a valid and reliable needs assessment that suits their needs, the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center is developing a compendium of student, staff, and family surveys that can be used as part of a school climate needs assessment.  Below is an initial list of school climate survey batteries. (Alternatively, click  here to download a summary table (PDF) of each survey by respondent type.)

Please note that the Office of Safe and Healthy Students does not endorse any particular scale or survey presented in this compendium. Additionally, the database presented is not an exhaustive listing of available measures or survey instruments.  If you would like to nominate a survey that is not currently included in the compendium, click on the link below.

 Nominate a Survey
 

Alaska School Climate and Connectedness Survey