Keeping preschool class sizes at or under 20 children, and keeping child-teacher ratios at 10 to 1, will work for most children in preschool, according to a new study.

A growing number of students—especially girls—are experiencing bullying online, according to the latest federal data on bullying and crime in schools.

A study of 900 middle schoolers finds that students who report having a sense of belonging both at home and school are less likely to engage in bullying.

While schools are closed to coronavirus, districts are putting together a patchwork of lessons for students to do at home. But districts’ expectations for what students can accomplish at home vary widely, according to parents.

Against the backdrop of black swan events, broken politics, and the increasing priority of initiative, here is a recap of relevant trends and judo instructions for impact investors and "edupreneurs" interested in leveraging some of those trends.

Maker-spaces, adaptive learning, and wearable technologies are among the ed-tech trends to keep an eye on in the next few years, a new report says.

Concerned that schools don't notice or nurture business skills, nonprofits are using the humble lemonade stand to foster entrepreneurship.

Babies as young as 12 months are exposed to nearly an hour a day of screen time, despite warnings from pediatricians to avoid digital media exposure for children under a year and a half, according to a new analysis.

Tax-credit scholarship programs in 17 states collected $1.1 billion in contributions in 2017, a new analysis from the GAO finds.

The report found that roughly a third of middle and high schools reported disciplinary problems stemming from cyberbullying at least once a week or daily.

For three decades now, the artist and playwright John Byrne has been sitting regularly for photographer David Eustace, the Glasgow-born photographer who left school at 16 and joined first the navy and then the prison service before settling on a career behind a camera.

CAN I tell you how I feel? I feel, sometimes, like everyone in my life has suddenly been reduced to flat, distant images on a computer screen, like we’re in Star Trek. And I don’t like it.

More than half of the state plans fail to publicly report data on educator equity gaps, the National Council of Teacher Quality found in its analyses.

Few students become more engaged in clubs, academics and student life activities than Raquele Amato. A prominent figure on Penn State Schuylkill’s campus, Amato has served as an officer in more than half a dozen student organizations, swept spring awards ceremonies, worked as a resident assistant, and helped her family run their pizza shop in Frackville, Pennsylvania, all while maintaining a full-time course load. Before she closes the book on her time at Penn State Schuylkill, Amato reflected on her time at the campus and considered what’s next.

UEFA's technical team of experienced trainers will look at the trends and talking points at UEFA EURO 2012 from a coaching point of view, helping to produce a report on the tournament.

Preventive asthma medications (PAMs) are a primary management strategy to control asthma morbidity. Little is known about changes over time in prevalence of PAM use among children and adolescents in the United States.

Our analysis demonstrates an increase in use of PAMs among children and adolescents with current asthma in the United States from 1988–1994 to 2005–2008, but racial and ethnic disparities in use of PAMs persist. (Read the full article)

In the United States, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among children (1–19), accounting for >1000 deaths per year. Total lifetime costs in 2000 were estimated to be $2.6 billion for children aged 0 to 14.

National trends in pediatric drowning hospitalizations by age and gender have not been reported. This study provides benchmarks that can be used for state and regional comparisons and monitoring of injury prevention efforts. (Read the full article)

Recent studies report that overall computed tomography utilization in the emergency department has continued to rise. Increased computed tomography use is concerning because of the association with radiation exposure and the potential risk of radiation-induced malignancy, which is highest in children.

Our data showed no overall increase in computed tomography utilization through 2010. In areas where alternative non–radiation-based modalities were options, there were decreased trends in computed tomography use and increased use of potential alternative non–radiation-based modalities. (Read the full article)

The hypothesis that maternal prenatal folic acid lowers risk for childhood malignancy in offspring is supported by experimental and epidemiologic evidence, including 2 Canadian ecologic studies that showed inverse associations for some cancer types in the very young.

Examining Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program data, a decrease in the incidence of some childhood cancers (Wilms tumor, primitive neuroectodermal tumors) was observed in those <5 years after mandatory US folic acid fortification, with stronger effects detected in infants. (Read the full article)

New, effective approaches to obesity prevention are urgently needed. Social network interventions warrant our attention. Social networks play a significant role in adult and adolescent obesity. The role of social networks in pediatric obesity has not been examined.

Afterschool friendship ties play a critical role in setting physical activity patterns in children as young as 5 to 12 years. Children’s activity levels can be changed by the activity level of their social network during a 12-week afterschool program. (Read the full article)

Although obesity is correlated with levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, there is little evidence if the increases in obesity over the last 40 years have resulted in increased blood pressure levels.

Despite increases in obesity in Bogalusa, Louisiana between 1974 and 1993, there was no increase in systolic or diastolic blood pressure levels. It should not be assumed that trends in high blood pressure have paralleled those for obesity. (Read the full article)

A wide variety of prescription drugs are prescribed to US children. Although one of the steps in assessing the risk/benefit of therapies in the pediatric population is to understand how they are used, pediatric drug utilization is not well characterized.

By using large prescription databases, this study examines the frequency and patterns of national outpatient drug utilization (acute and chronic medications) in US infants, children, and adolescents for 2002 through 2010. (Read the full article)

Emphasis on preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in US health care facilities and prophylactic antifungal medication use in neonates may impact incidence of Candida spp. CLABSIs. However, data on trends in incidence of neonatal Candida spp. CLABSIs are lacking.

Data from a large sample of US NICUs was analyzed to assess trends in incidence over time. This analysis provides a description of the epidemiology of Candida spp. CLABSIs in a national health care-associated infections surveillance system. (Read the full article)

Overall antibiotic prescribing rates for children declined throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. These declines were concurrent with changes in practice related to acute otitis media, the most common reason for antibiotic treatment in young children.

The downward trend in antibiotic-dispensing rates to young children in 16 Massachusetts communities ended by 2004–2005 and remained stable thereafter. This trend was driven by a declining otitis media diagnosis rate. Antibiotic treatment of diagnosed otitis media remained constant. (Read the full article)

Various studies have documented marked racial/ethnic disparities in children’s receipt of dental services at single time points or brief periods.

This study reveals significant improvements in children’s receipt of dental care overall, as well as a dramatic narrowing of African American/white disparities in children’s receipt of dental services over the last 40 years in the United States. (Read the full article)

Family-centered rounds (FCR) show promise for higher patient care satisfaction. Many previous studies are limited by small sample size and observational or pre-post designs, and health care service outcomes have not been previously examined.

Our study uses an FCR assessment tool and a comparison group of non-FCR patients. We found that FCR are associated with improved family experiences, with no additional burden to health care service use. (Read the full article)

Although the impact of changes in the economy on child physical abuse rates is not well understood, there is concern that increased numbers of children may have been victims of physical abuse as a result of the recent economic recession.

Results of this study demonstrate that the rate of admissions for physical abuse to pediatric hospitals has increased during the past 10 years and suggest an association between that increase and the housing mortgage crisis. (Read the full article)

Although the natural course of bilirubin levels has been extensively studied in general neonatal populations, there is a paucity of data regarding bilirubin trends in neonates before the development of significant hyperbilirubinemia.

This study provides data on the natural course of transcutaneous bilirubin before the development of significant hyperbilirubinemia, and on the effect of different demographic and perinatal risk factors on the rate of bilirubin increase in neonates with borderline bilirubin values. (Read the full article)

Findings from 3 studies suggest that the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized US children has increased in recent years.

This study provides additional evidence of an increasing trend in the rate of venous thromboembolism-associated hospitalization in US children, as well as a concurrent increase in the prevalence of venous catheter procedures. (Read the full article)

Adolescent physical fighting is an important public health concern with known social origins. However, existing international studies of adolescent fighting provide little evidence about its prevalence, trends over time, or possible socioeconomic determinants.

We studied frequent physical fighting among 494 874 adolescents in 30 countries over an 8-year period. Physical fighting declined in most countries. National measures of absolute wealth but not socioeconomic inequalities related to risk of frequent physical fighting. (Read the full article)

Antimicrobials are a medication class frequently implicated in pediatric adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is long recognized as a contributor to the burden of these undesired and unpredictable events.

TMP-SMX ADRs increased from 2000 to 2009, with the majority of children taking the antibiotic for skin and soft tissue infections. The significant increase in TMP-SMX prescribing for these infections may result in a continued increase of associated ADRs. (Read the full article)

Although survival of children born with Down syndrome has improved, unexplained racial and ethnic disparities in survival persist in the United States.

This study used population-based data from 10 birth defects monitoring programs in the United States to examine survival trends among children born with Down syndrome and to evaluate the changing influence of survival predictors over the life course. (Read the full article)

Peer victimization predicts numerous health risks. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)-identified youth report greater peer victimization than do heterosexual-identified youth. No longitudinal studies have been conducted on developmental trends of peer victimization and emotional distress among LGB and heterosexual youth.

We provide the first longitudinal evidence on developmental trends of peer victimization and emotional distress for LGB- and heterosexual-identified youth. The findings suggest peer victimization of LGB-identified youth decreases in absolute, but not necessarily relative, terms and contributes to later emotional distress disparities. (Read the full article)

Among youth with asthma, tobacco smoke exposure causes increased asthma morbidity. Little is known about changes over time in tobacco smoke exposure among youth with asthma in a national sample.

Our analysis reveals a decrease in environmental tobacco smoke exposure among children and adolescents with current asthma in the United States from 1988–1994 to 2005–2010, but a majority of youth with asthma remain exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. (Read the full article)

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are a common pediatric condition often requiring inpatient management. Several studies describe recent increases in hospitalizations due to SSTIs.

In addition to rising hospitalizations, analysis of pediatric SSTI resource utilization trends revealed a twofold increase in incisions and drainages over a 13-year period. A growing number of incisions and drainages were performed in younger children. (Read the full article)

In the era of widespread conjugate vaccine use, the prevalence of bacterial meningitis has declined. However, the impact of this decline on the rate of emergency department visits for viral meningitis and cost of caring for these children is unknown.

There was a decline in the rate of diagnosis of viral meningitis in US children’s hospitals between 2005 and 2011. Most children diagnosed with viral meningitis are treated with antibiotics and are hospitalized, accounting for considerable health care costs. (Read the full article)

Pulse oximetry testing in newborns can detect asymptomatic cases of critical congenital heart defects and has been added to the US Recommended Uniform Screening Panel. However, the impact that earlier diagnosis may have on survival in this population is unclear.

One-year survival for infants with critical congenital heart defects has been improving over time, yet mortality remains high. Survival has been greatest for those diagnosed after 1 day of age and may increase more with screening using pulse oximetry. (Read the full article)

Child welfare data show declines in child physical abuse since the early 1990s, but analysis of national data from hospitalized children in the Kids’ Inpatient Database showed an increased incidence of serious physical abuse in children from 1997 to 2009.

We found no significant change in hospitalization rates for injury from abuse in young children and increases in injury severity using the National Inpatient Sample from 1997 to 2009. This data helps provide a more complete perspective of the problem. (Read the full article)

Bronchiolitis is often cited as the leading cause of hospitalization for young children in the United States Previous studies reported increases in bronchiolitis hospitalizations through the 1990s. There are no recent efforts to assess national trends in bronchiolitis incidence and health care utilization.

Between 2000 and 2009, we found a significant decline in bronchiolitis hospitalizations among US children. By contrast, use of mechanical ventilation and hospital charges for bronchiolitis significantly increased over this same period. (Read the full article)

The incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating condition in neonates, varies geographically and with time. Although the most consistent risk factors are prematurity and low birth weight, it has not been convincingly shown to increase in the postsurfactant era.

The incidence of NEC, especially among the highly premature but also in more mature groups, has increased in recent decades, concurrent with dramatically improved early infant survival. Seasonal variation of NEC suggests environmental etiological factors. (Read the full article)

Variation in the emergency department (ED) use of radiographs for asthma, bronchiolitis, and croup exists. Unnecessary radiographs contribute to higher costs of care, decreased ED efficiency, and increased radiation in children.

Despite no changes in guidelines to support routine use, there is a significant upward trend in the use of radiographs for children with emergency department visits for asthma. Pediatric-focused EDs use significantly fewer radiographs for asthma, bronchiolitis, and croup. (Read the full article)

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in US adolescents has increased over the last century. However, recent evidence indicates a potential change in this trend. Parallel trends in adolescent behaviors that drive this epidemic have not been well studied.

Analyses of recent data indicate the prevalence of overweight and obesity may be stabilizing. Over the same period, adolescent physical activity, breakfast eating, and fruit and vegetable consumption increased and television viewing and consumption of sweets and sweetened beverages decreased. (Read the full article)

Invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in children is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Although reductions in health care–associated MRSA infection among adults are documented, it is unclear if a similar trend is occurring among children.

Data from population-based surveillance were analyzed to assess changes in invasive MRSA infection incidence over time. This analysis describes the epidemiology and trends of invasive MRSA infections among children in 9 US metropolitan areas and estimates national burden. (Read the full article)

Over the past decade, child welfare has focused on permanency for children through policy changes intended to reduce OOH placements. Yet little is known about recent trends in child maltreatment or children in OOH care.

Despite increased maltreatment investigations from 2000 through 2010, the population of children in OOH placements declined, while experiencing greater prior trauma and current emotional disturbance. These changes may have resulted in a smaller but more complex OOH population. (Read the full article)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children causes significant morbidity and mortality. Parental and coach awareness about brain injury due to sports has recently increased. Since 2001, pediatric emergency departments have seen a significant increase in sports-related TBI.

Pediatric, sports-related TBIs cared for in the emergency department and admitted to the hospital have both increased, resulting in no change in the percentage being admitted. However, patients admitted have had a significant reduction in injury severity. (Read the full article)

Studies of psychotropic use in very young US children in the last decade have been limited by the regions, insurance types, or medication classes examined. There is a paucity of recent, nationally representative investigations of US preschool psychotropic use.

In a national sample of 2 to 5 year olds, the likelihood of psychotropic prescription peaked in the mid-2000s, then stabilized in the late 2000s. Increased psychotropic use in boys, white children, and those lacking private health insurance was documented. (Read the full article)

Previous research has shown the following: the mere presence of weapons can increase aggression, dubbed the "weapons effect"; violence in films has increased over time; and violent films can increase aggression.

This study examines a potential source of the "weapons effect": the presence of guns in films. In just 20 years, gun violence in PG-13 films (age 13+) has increased from the level in films rated G/PG to the point where it exceeds the level in R films. (Read the full article)

Antibiotic use for children has decreased dramatically over the last 20 years. Programs encouraging judicious antibiotic use have focused both on decreasing overall antibiotic use and appropriate prescribing of broad-spectrum agents.

Large declines in antibiotic rates were prominent in the early 2000s. This trend has attenuated, and use has leveled off in some age groups and locales; continued improvement in the use of broad-spectrum agents is possible. (Read the full article)

The majority of caffeine intake among children and adolescents is due to soda and tea consumption. Energy drinks, which provide a potent source of caffeine, have increased in availability in the United States in recent years.

This analysis presents trends in caffeine intake between 1999 and 2010, which have previously not been described in the United States, and reveals the impact of increasing energy drink use, also previously not described, on these trends among children and adolescents. (Read the full article)

Although fertility rates among adolescents have declined in recent years, certain groups of adolescent girls remain at risk. Whereas adolescents with major mental illness have many risk factors for teenage pregnancy, their fertility rates have not been yet to be examined.

Fertility rates among adolescent girls with major mental illness are almost 3 times higher than among unaffected adolescents and are not decreasing to the same extent. Mental health considerations are highly important for pregnancy prevention and for perinatal interventions targeting adolescents. (Read the full article)