Drug Use, Addiction and Science

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The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are sponsoring the Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award. This grant seeks to find new programs and materials to understand how drug abuse and addiction really impact kids; what it does to the neurons of their brains and how kids behave on a daily basis.  This grant will focus on drugs or drug topics that are not well addressed in existing efforts by the educational community or media.

President to Use Bully Pulpit to Address Bullying

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President Obama and First Lady Michelle will convene an anti-bullying conference at The White House, tomorrow, Thursday, March 10. The White House says the Conference on Bullying Prevention will include top officials from the Department of Education and Health and Human Services as well as students, parents, teachers and others who are trying to address the issue from across the nation. The conference will also include breakout sessions on proven policies that prevent bullying. The White House has been eager to engage a wider and younger audience on the issue, reaching out to people through social media. The president announced the conference on his Facebook page and has encouraged people to participate in the conference via live chats.

The Educational Cost of Illegal and Undocumented Students.

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The State Board of Education will be required to show the amount of money it spends to educate illegal and undocumented students each year if HB 296 passes. Required information would include, teacher student ratio, the number of students who are illegal or undocumented in each school district and expenditure per-illegal or undocumented student per year. The cost will then be factored into the state budget before it’s presented to the State House and Senate appropriations committees. The same requirements would also extend to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities. Legal analysts point out that the constitutionality of the bill may be called in question due to a Supreme Court Ruling in 1982.

Town Hall: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Participant Media, Seek Solutions to Education Crisis

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Nov 28, 2010 – Media Advisory            December 2, 2010 Event       Contacts:
Mitch Leff, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, (404) 861-4769
Sarah Douglas, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, (678) 521-5289

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Participant Media Seek Solutions to Education Crisis at WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” Town Hall Meeting: “Partnering for Change - The Role of Community in Improving Education for All Children”

National Leaders in Education, Business and Government to Screen Film Excerpts and Offer Ideas for America’s Ailing Education System

When:  Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010, 10 a.m. - Noon
Where: Hill Auditorium, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

Visuals/Interviews
Educators, Parents, Teens, Elected Officials, Non-Profit Leaders

What:   On Thursday, December 2, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Participant Media will host a Town Hall meeting featuring clips from the film WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” which explores the current state of education in the U.S. and follows five children whose dreams, hopes and untapped potential reveal all that is at stake at this critical moment. The Town Hall Meeting, “Partnering for Change: The Role of the Community in Improving Education for All Children,” will bring parents and teens together with top local and national education, business and government leaders, to discuss solutions to the problems in the nation’s education system. Moderator:    Bill Nigut, Southeast Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League

Panelists:    
●  Milton J. Little, President, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta   
● Roxanne Spillett, President/CEO, BGCA
● Elida Perez-Knapp, Community Development Specialist, National PTA
● Joseph Edelin, 7th Grade Chair and Social Studies Teacher, KIPP WAYS Academy, Atlanta

The National Dropout Crisis
BGCA recently launched a new campaign dedicated to tackling the nation’s high school dropout crisis.  The goal is to help kids graduate from high school, prepared with the attitude, knowledge and confidence to achieve a great future (http://www.bgca.org/whywecare/Pages/EducationCrisis.aspx.)

WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” Social Action Campaign
The WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” social action campaign seeks to accelerate a national conversation about the crisis in public education and to help ensure that every child in America gets a great education.

Ken Trump: Federal Bullying Police Coming to a School Near You

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“We’re the federal government, and we’re here to  help investigate you.”

The Education and Justice Departments are now taking on investigatory and prosecutorial roles against school districts on bullying and harassment cases.  Historically their roles have centered on research, along with funding prevention and intervention programs on these issues. The U.S. Department of Education and its Office of Civil Rights reaffirmed last week it would be “vigorously” investigating local school districts on complaints against the districts related to bullying and harassment. The Department’s statement followed up on presentations made by Education Department officials at their “bullying summit” two weeks ago where they announced they would be “proactively investigating” schools on bullying complaints. Last week the Justice Department entered the fray by filing an “amicus curiae” or “friend of the court” motion in a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Indian River Central School District in New York.  The case involves claims of discrimination (based on sex) by the school district in connection with harassment, physical assaults, and threats against a gay former student.  The suit reportedly claims the district refused to help him and refused to allow him to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at the high school. According to the news report, the lawsuit was brought by Lambda Legal, a national organization that defends the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Detention education reform report

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Children in the juvenile justice system are more likely to have learning disabilities and behavior disorders, according to researchers at Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform.  They reviewed state programs to educate these children and found that agencies often don’t work together. As a result, there is “duplication, fragmentation and the diffusion of responsibility” that prevents kids in the system from getting the education they need to be successful when they get out.   Some conclusions of their study:

Early education is essential. Quality education services are critical for successful
development of all youth. If outcomes matter, they must be measured. Support services are needed to help some youth
succeed.