End of the Year Stories about Students

Out of Florida via Ed Week:

A new Florida bill would ensure that the state's high school students have a little more time to catch up on their sleep.


Filed by state Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican, the bill would make it impossible for any Florida high schools to begin the school day before 8 a.m. starting with the 2014-2015 school year, reports the Tampa Tribune.

A recent Education Week story highlighted this issue, with a look at some research on the subject and efforts to highlight the value of later start times. Sleep deprivation is considered a widespread health problem for adolescents, it notes. While the exact benefits of adequate sleep are hard to pinpoint, a May 2012 study found that, for middle school students in Wake County, N.C., a later start time correlated with a 2 to 3 percentile point jump in standardized math and reading test scores.

According to the Education Week story, experts recommend that high-school-age young people get around nine hours of sleep—not an easy feat for those students whose classes begin at 7:30 a.m. 


This debate isn't unique to Florida. In August, in fact, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that arguments in favor of later school start times made sense.

And earlier this year, Education Week reported that the Fairxfax County, Va. school district created an "opt-out program" for its seniors that allowed them to start their school day as late as 10:30 a.m.


Do you have a girl?  Two fascinating looks at how we show girls - via advertising - what's important.

From Dove soap (seemingly a business leader in changing how women and girls perceive beauty), a one-minute zip through what a young girl may see in a lifetime of advertising. 

From Upworthy, a look at how media portrayed women this past year - not good.

School violence - a high schooler's account of the experience of the Aprapahoe High School shooting ( our most recent high school shooting that left one wonderful girl dead). 

Quizno’s for lunch, easy classes right after; it was looking like it was going to be a great friday.
  
My entire life had changed in the course of 30 seconds.

“Please God, keep me safe, keep my classroom safe, and just keep everyone else that you can safe from this shooter. I know you have so much in store for me, please don’t let my life end now.”

“I’m okay.”

What did this young man do during the shooting?  He wrote on his hand:

Family, I love you all so much, I'm up here now. (drawing of a cross added)

Finally, it's over.

One thing I learned, is that you never really know anything like this could happen to you, 
until it does. 

Hug your child tonight and pledge to NOT have this happen anymore.  It starts in Washington State. 
Support Moms Demand Action and support I-594 for background checks on firearms sales and transfers.  (Before anyone says something like, "It wouldn't have matter at Aprapahoe High School", that's NOT the point.  The point is we need to do something to make it less possible to happen.

It has to start somewhere.
 

Comments

GreyWatch said…
Thanks for the links on women in the media. Good material for getting conversations started.

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