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These are some of the things we’ve been reading about:

The Trump administration has delayed the release of regulations about identifying failing schools.

Two stories touch on hunger: in one food insecurity compromises children’s behavior and academic performance. The second story looks at poor students in Virginia and how school officials are helping them cope with the hunger and trauma they face outside school.

Boston schools are looking for an additional $1 million to help homeless children.

And a new study has found that children who are physically active are less depressed.

To read more, click on the following links.

Policy

Trump Education Department delays accountability regulations
Associated Press: The Trump administration is moving to delay regulations aimed at helping states identify failing schools and come up with plans to improve them. The effective date of the regulations was delayed until March 21. Also affected were rules concerning the privacy of students’ school records. See related article: Ed Week Politics K-12 Blog “Trump’s Executive Order on Regulations Has Unclear Impact on Education Dept.”

 Appeals Court Backs Injunction for ELL Program Sought by Refugee Students
Ed Week The School Law Blog: A federal appeals court has upheld an injunction allowing refugee students with limited English proficiency in a Pennsylvania school district to transfer from an alternative school for underachievers to a regular high school with special help for English-language learners. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, in Philadelphia, unanimously ruled for a group that includes students with limited or interrupted formal education, or SLIFE, who had fled war and violence in countries including Burma, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan, and Tanzania.

Research

Food insecurity: A threat to the developmental and psychosocial health of children
Science Daily: Household food insecurity (without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, even for a temporary period), is associated with children’s behavioral, academic and emotional problems beginning as early as infancy. These findings appear in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. 

Students with Disabilities as Likely to Enter Science Fields, New Fed Data Show
Ed Week Inside School Research Blog: Students with disabilities are as likely as typically developing students to enter science and engineering fields in college, according to new data from the National Science Foundation. 

Not All Fun and Games: New Guidelines Urge Schools to Rethink Recess
NPR Ed: What’s the best time for students to have recess? Before lunch, or after? What happens if it rains? If students are misbehaving, is it a good idea to punish them by making them sit out recess?. Recess might seem simple. But only eight states have policies that require it, according to last year’s Shape of the Nation report. And when researchers started looking, they found very little consistency or guidance about what makes recess effective. The new guidelines offer educators a list of 19 evidence-based strategies and a template to show them what a good recess policy looks like. 

Around the Nation

‘When our students arrive Monday morning, many haven’t eaten a real meal since they left school on Friday’
The Hechinger Report: Highland View Elementary is a preK–5 school serving approximately 200 students and their families in Bristol, Virginia. More than 99% of students are economically disadvantaged, and approximately one-third of those who enter our school won’t stay through the school year. Faculty and staff strongly believe that students’ physical, social and mental health, along with proper nutrition, contribute to academic success and more healthy lifestyles. With the support of our school board and superintendent, we facilitate several programs dedicated to giving our students every advantage possible to reach their fullest potential. Here are some ways that high-poverty schools can address the inequities and barriers that create opportunity gaps.

Boston schools look for $1M more to help homeless kids
Boston Herald: Boston schools could get a $1 million boost next year to create new food pantries, clothing closets and other support to help thousands of homeless students under the budget proposed for next year. BPS also created a new department, Opportunity Youth Department, under the Office of Social Emotional Learning, to coordinate with schools in determining how they will invest the extra cash. See related article: The Boston Globe “Proposed Boston school budget avoids sharp cuts.” 

Telemedicine gains popularity in schools, connects ailing students with doctors
The Washington Post: Telemedicine, increasingly used in prisons, nursing homes and remote areas, is becoming more common in schools. According to the American Telemedicine Association, at least 18 states authorize Medicaid reimbursement for telemedicine services provided in schools. In addition, 28 states and the District require private insurers to cover telemedicine appointments as they would face-to-face doctor visits. Telemedicine can’t always replace an in-person examination — but it does make it less likely that a child will miss class for a visit to the doctor’s office or ER.

Physically active children are less depressed
Science Daily: Previous studies have shown that adults and young people who are physically active have a lower risk of developing depression. But the same effect has not been studied in children — until now. Results from a new study published in Pediatrics are showing that children receive the same beneficial effect from being active. We’re talking about moderate to vigorous physical activity that leaves kids sweaty or out of breath. 

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