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Asbury Park Press--Vaping use among teens hits record high amid lung illness outbreak; what about marijuana?
Nearly one-third of teenagers vaped within the last year, with many vaping nicotine or marijuana on a daily basis, according to a new study.
An estimated 31% of adolescents in eighth, 10th or 12th grades reported using an e-cigarette, or vape, sometime in the last year, according to the 45th annual "Monitoring the Future" study released Wednesday by the University of Michigan.
About 27% of respondents said they vaped nicotine in the last year, while 15% said they vaped marijuana. About 22% said they vaped in the last 30 days, including 18% vaping nicotine and 10% vaping marijuana.
Mike Davis, Asbury Park Press Published 4:00 a.m. ET Dec. 18, 2019
Press of Atlantic City—Op-Ed: Our view: Sweeney’s relief from tax cap would put school boards in a bind
Last year’s reform of state aid to schools left about 200 of them with less, some a lot less. Some have had to cut programs and reduce staffing.
Those school districts could make up for the loss of aid by increasing the local school tax, and perhaps communities should if they weren’t providing a fair amount of revenue and could do so.
But thanks to a cap on annual school tax increases enacted during the administration of Gov. Chris Christie, school boards are limited to increases of 2% annually — unless they get approval from voters for a bigger tax hike.
Press of Atlantic City Editorial Board| December 18, 2019
Star Ledger--N.J. lawmakers vote to foot the bill for kids who can’t afford school lunches
The state Senate passed a bill Monday that would offer free meals for some public school students in New Jersey, amid a broader debate about how districts should treat families in debt on school lunches.
The bill (S4200) affects students who receive reduced-price breakfasts and lunches, and passed 36-0 at the Statehouse in Trenton. The measure still needs to be voted on in the state Assembly before it can head to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk.
Blake Nelson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Posted Dec 17, 2019
NY Times--The Machines Are Learning, and So Are the Students
Artificial intelligence is starting to take over repetitive tasks in classrooms, like grading, and is optimizing coursework and revolutionizing the preparation for college entrance exams.
Jennifer Turner’s algebra classes were once sleepy affairs and a lot of her students struggled to stay awake. Today, they are active and engaged, thanks to new technologies, including an artificial intelligence-powered program that is helping her teach.
She uses the platform Bakpax that can read students’ handwriting and auto-grade schoolwork, and she assigns lectures for students to watch online while they are at home. Using the platform has provided Mrs. Turner, 41, who teaches at the Gloucester County Christian School in Sewell, N.J., more flexibility in how she teaches, reserving class time for interactive exercises.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/education/artificial-intelligence-tutors-teachers.html
Craig S. Smith| Dec. 18, 2019, 5:00 a.m. ET
Education Week--1 in 7 Students Report Having Seriously Considered Suicide, Survey Finds
One in seven students between the ages of 10 and 18 report they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the 12 months prior to taking an online survey, a new analysis shows.
But for students who are in special education and those who do not identify as either male or female, those numbers were even higher.
Arianna Prothero on December 16, 2019 4:31 PM | No comments
Chalkbeat--‘It’s killing children and no one is talking about it’: Asthma is taking a steep toll on Newark’s students and their schools
Abdula Sewell did all he could to control his 7-year-old son Leland’s asthma, going so far as to take a job as a teacher’s aide at Leland’s Newark school so he could help treat the boy during attacks.
But it wasn’t enough.
https://chalkbeat.org/posts/newark/2019/12/17/asthma/
Devna Bose| December 17, 2019
