Industry Insider News: Arnie Duncan Deems August Connected Educator Month

A recent THE Journal article highlight’s the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference video from Secretary of Education Arne Duncan which announced that August is deemed “Connected Educator Month.” According to the article, the video calls upon teachers and other educational leaders to innovate through online collaboration and learning environments. Duncan states the importance of educators having access to the best digital content, resources, and tools in order to create an exciting learning environment for students and to have the ability to connect to field experts and peers. According to the article, the Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology (OET), in conjunction with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), will convene Connected Educator Month as a part of OET's Connected Educators initiative,

To find out more about Connected Educator Month, visit the website.

READ MORE: http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/06/26/education-secretary-announces-connected-educator-month.aspx

Spotlight: Bullying and Suicide Prevention

The Examiner online delves into the issue of bullying and suicide in a June article. The article also highlights interesting findings from BullyingandStatistics.org and discusses the various students across the Unites States who have taken their lives as a result of bullying. According to the findings, victims of bullying are two to nine times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims and bullying accounts for half of the suicides among young people. In addition, a shocking 160,000 kids have reported staying home from school every day due to fear of being bullied.

With PublicSchoolWORKS’ Student Bullying and Violence Prevention Program (SBVPP), districts have the ability to address both bullying and violence concerns. The program sets a precedence letting students know that bullying is not tolerated. In addition, it provides mechanisms for anonymously reporting incidents of bullying and student violence while streamlining and automating the process for administrators to track incidents through to resolution. If you are interested in learning more about PublicSchoolWORKS SBVPP,
call 1-877-779-6757

Has your school experienced a bullying situation? What was the outcome? Share your comments with us on Twitter @PSWORKS.

Spotlight: Depression in Students

A recent article on the Santa Fe New Mexican reveals some shocking information about today’s youth and depression. According to the article, 35 percent of seventh-graders and 37 percent of ninth-graders in Santa Fe feel, “hopeless every day for at least two weeks in a row.” These findings were the result of a health and wellness survey compiled by the Office of Student Wellness. Roughly 700 seventh-graders and 550 ninth-graders were surveyed last spring and the results, in addition to depression findings, has shown a decrease in binge drinking and smoking among teens, but a slight increase in marijuana use. To read more about the survey’s findings, read the article here.

PublicSchoolWORKS’ (PSW) Depression in Students course helps educate school staff on the importance, signs and causes of student depression to ensure that they are able to recognize and respond when they encounter a student who may be suffering from depression. PSW’s Depression in Students course focuses on:

• Types of Depression
• Causes of Childhood Depression
• Symptoms of Childhood Depression
• Comparison of Symptoms Between Adults, Children, and Adolescents
• The Effects of Childhood Depression
• Helping a Child with Depression

To learn more about how you can educate your staff on depression in students, email sales@publicschoolworks.com.. To share your story of how you handled student depression, comment on our Facebook page.

Preparing for National Suicide Prevention Month in September

Many administrators and teachers are heading back to school to prepare for the 2012-2013 school year. During this time of preparation it is important to note that September 10, 2012 marks World Suicide Prevention Day. Suicides and attempted suicides are a growing issue in schools across the country, and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), an average of almost 3,000 people commit suicide daily and one million people perish every year as a result of suicide. For every one of those suicides, 20 more people will attempt to end their lives. When your students begin class, make sure that your staff is informed about this issue and has the necessary tools to help your students if and when a situation occurs. Having a better informed staff could help save a student’s life.

With PublicSchoolWORKS’ Self-Injury and Suicide Prevention course, educators will learn how to recognize the forms, causes and effects of self-injury and suicidal tendencies in children and teens. The course covers self-injury, self-asphyxiation, also known as “The Choking Game,” and suicide. To find out more information about this course, or about how you can ensure your staff is prepared to deal with students and suicide, email sales@publicschoolworks.com.

Spotlight: Schools to Rebuild Following Flood

The flooding of the Souris River last year in Minot, North Dakota destroyed both Lincoln Elementary School and Eric Ramstad Middle School. An article on the Huffington Post stated that both schools received funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the tune of $30 million last year. In addition, Longfellow Elementary received $2.9 million to help repair its building. The article also reported that FEMA has provided the school district with an additional $8.5 million for other flood-related measures.

Has your school experienced a disaster? How did your district react to the situation? Share your stories with us on Twitter @PSWORKS.

Source: Huffington Post