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NJ Spotlight--Bots’ Superhuman Role in Pro-Vape Social Media Messaging
The crucial role that automatic technology plays in the debate over e-cigarette use is already facing scrutiny in Congress
When it comes to tweets promoting vape use as a healthy alternative to cigarettes, roughly three out of four are likely generated or amplified by bots — automatic computer programs that also appear eager to encourage e-cigarette sales, according to new research.
https://www.njspotlight.com/2019/10/bots-superhuman-role-in-pro-vape-social-media-messaging/
Lilo H. Stainton | October 17, 2019 | Health Care
NJ Spotlight--Battling on Front Lines of Mental Health in NJ’s Public Schools
A task force of educators and health care experts are ready with recommendations to help fight suicide and self-harm among students and staff
The numbers are scary. One in five teenagers in the United States is diagnosed with a mental health disorder, yet only half of them receive treatment.
Nationally, one in seven teens have seriously considered suicide, and in New Jersey between 2013-2015, more than 2,700 of them were treated in hospitals for attempted suicide or self-inflicted wounds. Nearly 300 took their lives in that time.
Faced with those stark realities, a task force of educators and health care professionals this week released a report on the state of mental health services in New Jersey public schools. The task force was convened in the aftermath of the latest school shootings plaguing the country. Its members had a lot to say.
https://www.njspotlight.com/2019/10/battling-on-front-lines-of-mental-health-in-njs-public-schools/
John Mooney | October 17, 2019 | Education
NJ Spotlight--Op-Ed: State’s Latest Proposal on Student Testing Is Regressive
It would increase stress for students, decrease the availability of useful data and hamper the deployment of resources
If we can all agree that the goal of student assessments should be to maximize the value and timeliness of the data received and minimize the amount of stress we put on students, then the latest proposal from Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet and the state Department of Education fails on both counts.
https://www.njspotlight.com/2019/10/op-ed-states-latest-proposal-on-student-testing-is-regressive/
Shelley Skinner, Patricia Morgan | October 17, 2019 | Opinion
Star Ledger--Schools, lawmakers demand change following NJ.com report on mental health crisis
In a span of 16 months, Amy Hassa watched her school district tragically lose three children to suicide. An eighth grader. A sixth grader. And a fifth grader.
Every morning, she woke up and saw her community hurting, said Hassa, now school board member in Hamilton, Atlantic County.
Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Updated Oct 16, 2019; Posted Oct 16, 2019
Education Week--Black-White Achievement Gaps Go Hand in Hand With Discipline Disparities
Gaps between black and white students in school suspension rates and academic achievement may be two sides of the same coin, according to a massive new national study.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/10/16/black-white-achievement-gaps-go-hand.html
Sarah D. Sparks| October 16, 2019
Education K-12 (Education Week)--Trump Official Defends Plan Affecting School Meals to Skeptical Democrats
House Democrats and an official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture clashed Wednesday over a Trump administration proposal that could affect hundreds of thousands of students' automatic enrollment in free school meals programs.
The plan would change eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food assistance to families in need.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/10/trump-defends-school-meals-SNAP-democrats.html
Andrew Ujifusa on October 16, 2019 4:37 PM
Education Dive--4 key practices for successful district-wide SEL integration
Superintendents and others highlight what schools can do to expand social-emotional initiatives, including positive messaging and culturally inclusive practices.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A ballroom full of superintendents and other educators gathering from across the country just returned from lunch break when they were asked to stand up for a stretch.
Naaz Modan| Oct. 16, 2019
