The Herald, in proud partnership with Royal Bank of Scotland, is inviting the country's photographers to enter their most accomplished work in a new competition which celebrates the launch of a stunning new £20 banknote design.

IT was impossible to escape a heart-sinking feeling this week when reading reports that a senior UK Government source believed people were “addicted” to the furlough scheme.

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.

Lopsided votes in the U.S. Senate and House obscure stark differences in their bills to overhaul the outdated Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan may only have eighteen months left in office—but they're critical months when it comes to the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Part two of Marc Tucker's suggestions to state leaders as ESEA reauthorization swings responsibility for standards and accountability systems back to the states.

The new Netflix series "House of Cards" features a ruthless congressman as he spearheads the renewal of a fantasy Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

I think any substantial push on competitive grants is a dead letter. And I think that's probably a good thing.

A group of prominent researchers on English-learners is forcefully challenging the findings of a recent working paper that posits that 3rd grade retention was a benefit to struggling English-learners in Florida.

High school teacher Kateryna Haggerty explains how visual aids in her classroom help her English-language learner students write more confidently.

English-language-learner families are less likely to attend parent-teacher conferences and other school-related events, which means they miss out on important opportunities to communicate about their children's academic progress.

José Viana led the office of English-language acquisition since April 2017. The Education Department has not announced a successor.

As black-white achievement gaps widen in schools, so, too, do disparities in discipline rates between black and white students, according to a study published Wednesday of 2,000 schools.

Discrimination based on race and disability demands our attention—and action, writes Catherine E. Lhamon, the chair of U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

The 2020 school counselor of the year draws on her previous experience as a counselor for gang members in a prison to reform discipline in her school in an Atlanta suburb. She shares her insights in this Q&A with Education Week.

Are you smarter than a teacher in 1966? Take this real test, taken from the "Equality of Educational Opportunity" report, to find out how you fare.

The Houston school district has settled a federal lawsuit brought by the teacher's union over the school system's controversial teacher evaluation system, which involved a secret algorithm.

The newly formed group, which plans to challenge the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation for market share, wants feedback from the public on its proposed standards and processes.

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.

40 groups will band together to push principles for "modernizing and elevating" teaching, but many of the groups have contrasting agendas.

This week, you'll hear from guest blogger and longtime reader favorite Heather Harding. Heather kicks off the week by discussing reforms to identify, retain, and prepare high-quality teachers—and why it's still important that we pay attention to these things.

The current system for accrediting schools of education isn't working, argue two former senior U.S. Department of Education officials. They think school districts and philanthropists can help.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said that half of Chicago teachers were "illiterate" in a 2011 email, recently released to a city newspaper.

Rosario, Argentina :: Crewmembers with experience working with least-reached people share a message of unity between churches.

For years, Gustavo, an architect from Central America, felt drawn to working in the Arabian Peninsula. Then, on a short-term trip, he saw what it could be like to use his profession overseas.

Despite being aware of the need for discretion when talking about Jesus, Argentinian Cecilia felt no fear while she was in Central Asia.

Buenos Aires, Argentina :: Maintenance crew share Christ's love with local welders helping repair Logos Hope.

Penn State Schuylkill LionLaunch held its fourth annual Business Plan Competition on Thursday, April 16. The program awarded $6,000 in funding to three small businesses at the competition, totaling $69,000 awarded to 21 small businesses throughout Schuylkill County over the last four years.

The Albert L. Evans Jr. Honorary Scholarship is a tribute to Bert Evans and his example of generous philanthropy.

With their spring season canceled due to the global coronavirus pandemic, three senior student-athletes reflect on their time as Penn State Schuylkill Nittany Lions.

Europe's up-and-coming referees are urged to make the most of their potential, as the UEFA referee talents and mentors programme continues to prove value for the future.

Youngsters in Northern Ireland celebrated UEFA EURO 2012 with a specially-themed event for UEFA Grassroots Day, one of several activities arranged across the country.

The grassroots programme of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Federation has been given special recognition during an ceremony hosted by the Bosnian Olympic Committee.

At a recent event to build relationships, OMer Chris guides participants through the process of making juggling balls before teaching them how to juggle.

Two OMers were asked to help a church network deliver relief supplies to churches in Kumamoto after two large earthquakes had struck the area.

Source: The Weather Channel - A majority of Americans say they believe climate change contributed to the severity of the hurricanes that devastated Florida, Texas and parts of the Caribbean over the past six weeks, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Source: EFE Verde - La ex secretaria de cambio climático de la ONU que alcanzó el Acuerdo de París y actual directora del proyecto Misión 2020, Christiana Figueres, subraya que EE.UU. "se queda rezagado y pierde competitividad" abandonando el Acuerdo de París y cediendo a otros países el liderazgo de la economía baja en carbono.

Dozens of states offer the seal of biliteracy, but more than 80 percent of students who earn the honor are concentrated in just five states, a new report reveals.

The recent wave of teacher strikes reflects a broader phenomenon, blurring the boundaries between national and local school politics, write three education professors.

It is not known whether birth at a pediatric cardiac specialty center or at a hospital with a higher neonatal level of care affects mortality for infants with ductal-dependent congenital heart disease.

For infants with ductal-dependent congenital heart disease, there is no difference in 90-day mortality for those born at specialty centers versus other centers in the state of Washington. (Read the full article)

A number of studies have examined the early impact of the varicella vaccination program on varicella-related hospitalizations and have found evidence of decline after vaccine implementation.

This study further documents the continued decline in varicella-related hospitalizations during the 1-dose varicella vaccination era and demonstrates statistically significant declines of >65% in all age groups. These data suggest that varicella vaccination prevented ~50 000 hospitalizations from 2000 to 2006. (Read the full article)

The extent to which young adults' laboratory-confirmed sexually transmitted disease results and self-reported sexual behaviors are consistent has not been assessed in a nationally representative sample.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether young adults' reports of recent sexual behavior (presence of penile/vaginal sex in the previous 12 months) correspond with the presence of laboratory-confirmed nonviral STDs assessed by nucleic acid amplification testing. (Read the full article)

There have been no previous large studies of congenital heart disease in very low birth weight infants.

This study characterized the frequency, mortality rate, and lesion distribution of serious congenital heart disease in very low birth weight infants by using a large international multicenter database. (Read the full article)

Febrile neutropenia is a common complication in children with cancer. Traditionally, even low-risk episodes have been managed entirely in an inpatient setting, and discharge of the patients has been delayed until resolution of fever and sustainable hematopoietic recovery.

The results of this decision-analytic model evaluating low-risk febrile neutropenia episodes suggest that the substantially higher costs of inpatient management cannot be justified on the basis of safety and efficacy considerations or patient/parent preferences. Uncertainty remains whether intravenous or oral treatment might be the preferable route of drug administration in an ambulatory setting. (Read the full article)

Corticosteroids inhibit the expression of many proinflammatory cytokines released during the course of community-acquired pneumonia infection. Corticosteroids have been found in some studies to be associated with improved clinical outcomes in adults with pneumonia. No studies have investigated corticosteroid use in children with pneumonia.

Results showed that corticosteroid treatment in children with pneumonia is common and its use is highly variable across institutions. Although corticosteroid therapy may benefit children with acute wheezing treated with β-agonists, corticosteroid therapy may lead to worse outcomes for children without wheezing. (Read the full article)

Autism has been associated with pregnancy and birth complications that may indicate a suboptimal prenatal environment. Although the interpregnancy interval (IPI) may affect the prenatal environment, the association between the IPI and risk for autism is not known.

Using full-sibling pairs from a large population, the authors examined the association between autism and IPIs. Second-born children conceived after an IPI of <12 months had more than threefold increased odds of autism relative to those with IPIs of ≥36 months. (Read the full article)

The associations between food insecurity and child well-being have been well studied on the basis of household levels of food insecurity, as reported by heads of households.

Household measures, however, may not capture gender biases in food insecurity and morbidity. This study assessed adolescents' own experience with food insecurity and how it was associated with morbidity and the effect of gender in this process. (Read the full article)

Several correlational studies documented that participants who would be classified as "pathological" video gamers demonstrate a pattern of correlations with other variables that are comorbid (eg, depression) or occur with (eg, poorer grades and increased hostility) other addictions.

Following a large sample across 2 years, this study provides needed data on risk factors for becoming a pathological gamer, how long pathological gaming lasts, outcomes, and whether it is a primary problem or is a symptom of comorbid problems. (Read the full article)

The use of steroids as a treatment for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy results in a slower progression in weakness. Bisphosphonates often are used in conjunction with steroid therapy to enhance bone health.

The combination of steroids and bisphosphonates seems to be associated with significantly improved survival rates compared with treatment with steroids alone. (Read the full article)