NJ Spotlight--State Hospitals Gather Data to Dispel Smoke About Vaping, E-cigs
As the number of teens and pre-teens vaping and using e-cigarettes continues to spike, some 70 hospitals across the state pool information and diagnoses
Hospitals in New Jersey have seen e-cigarette use rise nearly two-thirds since 2017, and leaders want to learn more about what this means for patients’ health, including those who aren’t suffering from vape-related lung issues.
The New Jersey Hospital Association on Thursday released data that shows its 72 member hospitals are on track to care for more than 15,800 patients who report using e-cigarettes, or vapes, this year alone — up from just over 6,000 in 2017. Patients were treated for a wide range of conditions, not just those related to vaping.
https://www.njspotlight.com/2019/11/state-hospitals-gather-data-to-dispel-smoke-about-vaping-e-cigs/
Lilo H. Stainton | November 1, 2019 | Health Care
NY Times--Reading Scores on National Exam Decline in Half the States
The results of the test, which assesses a sample of fourth- and eighth-grade students, will inevitably prompt demands for policy change.
WASHINGTON — America’s fourth and eighth graders are losing ground in their ability to read literature and academic texts, according to a rigorous national assessment released Wednesday that is likely to fuel concerns over student achievement after decades of tumult on the educational landscape.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/us/reading-scores-national-exam.html
Erica L. Green and Dana Goldstein| Oct. 30, 2019
Education Week--Stop Devaluing the Wisdom of Teachers. Researchers Don't Have a Monopoly on Evidence
Scientific evidence is not the only source of knowledge
The drive to use evidence to inform action in education has an essential problem: the academic community's almost religious belief that scientific evidence is the only evidence that has legitimacy. We have arrived at the position where other sources of knowledge are not only devalued, they are rarely acknowledged. Scientifically valid knowledge is widely regarded in the education research community as the only knowledge worth having. A draft paper recently presented at a national conference asserted disapprovingly: "Teachers do not use evidence," referring to the scientific variety.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/10/30/stop-devaluing-the-wisdom-of-teachers-researchers.html
Joseph Murphy| October 30, 2019
Education Dive--Is this the end of end-of-year testing?
Some states and districts are using other methods to arrive at a "summative" score.
Many students — and parents — have gotten used to the flurry of activity that takes place around spring standardized testing. Pizza parties, rallies, gift cards and door-to-door campaigns to students’ homes are a few of the strategies and incentives schools use to make sure students are in their seats on test days, ready to give it their best.
But even if all students take the test, educators have long complained that end-of-year, “summative” assessments are not useful because the results are not available until fall when their students have moved on to the next grade.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/is-this-the-end-of-end-of-year-testing/565850/
Linda Jacobson| Published Oct. 31, 2019