Brian Beacom

HELLO and welcome to Step on a Rake, the game show where clever people do dumb things. Previous winners of the show have included Catherine “Second Home” Calderwood, Scotland’s former chief medical officer, and Robert Jenrick, England’s well-travelled Communities Minister.

The growing popularity of voice-activated technologies is forcing educators to think about the role such tools play in preparing students for the jobs of the future.

WHAT’S a little distancing between us? Go on, stick your nose closer to the page or screen. Let’s snuggle in a little closer.

Dried up talent

Two recent studies of Teach to One: Math highlight the tension in math between grade-level-based accountability systems and approaches to instruction that enable more personalized paths to college and career readiness.

Today's commentaries on bullying in schools come from Ann Mausbach, Kim Morrison, Signe Whitson, Sandy Harris, Julie Combs, and Stacey Edmonson, Dr. Elizabeth Englander, Tamara Fyke, Stuart Ablon and Alisha Pollastri.

Microsoft rolls out a major update to its Xbox game Pass Quests system including 90 more Quests as well as daily, weekly, and monthly challenges.

To celebrate 15 years of Google Maps, the popular mapping program gets a redesign, a host of new features, and an installation in New York's Madison Square Park.

“I AM an Asian Tiger Mum, for whom education is the only way to success for my children, and excellence in music, sport and ballet is a prerequisite to living any sort of life at all.”

Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., has introduced legislation to allow money in 529 savings plans to be used for home-schooling expenses, a proposal that was stripped out of a late version of the recent tax-code overhaul.

Stand-up Romesh Ranganathan is back with a second series of topical comedy show The Ranganation. He talks to Sherna Noah about filming the show in lockdown, the place of comedy in a crisis, and spending so much time with his family.

Nearly half of U.S. children experience adversity, but community-school partnerships can make a difference, write Olga Acosta Price and Wendy Ellis.

It is true, as the Education Secretary John Swinney said this week, that it “takes time” to implement reforms in education, and natural that, since the effects must be seen as a cohort of students moves through the various stages, any improvement will take a while to evaluate.

THE Government’s ambition to reach a daily target of 100,000 tests across the UK by the end of the month will, as Matt Hancock admitted, require a “huge amount of work”.

Lots of companies do business in foreign countries, even Communist countries, but Google is getting singled out for its China plans as if it could bring down PRC all by itself.

In the possible coming of Article 11 and Article 13 to law in the European Union, some see disaster for the internet. What's really happening is an attempt to legally extort money out of Google, Facebook, and other far-too-successful US-based mega-corporations.

The Center for American Progress has released a set of recommendations for governors in 2019 that includes things such as full-day universal preschool and the study of pre-term births, which can cause learning difficulties.

Democrat Gavin Newsom, who takes office Jan. 7, plans to expand full-day kindergarten and child-care offerings in the state, according to media reports.

IN pre-lockdown days I had a much-ridiculed addiction. Using Snapchat Maps online, I would click all over the map to see the ‘stories’ of random people I didn’t know in all corners of the world.

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.

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

Over the last two decades, STEM teachers have become increasingly more likely to be female and well-qualified.

Jose, an Argentinian worker serving in Southeast Asia, tells of how he entered overseas service and what he has seen God do through his not-so-typical ministry.

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

Doron's experience on Logos Hope shows him God's faithfulness and uncovers leadership abilities he is using today in a new role.

An OM worker in Cambodia shares about how a new training she is attending is transforming the way she does ministry.

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

Californians are expected to reinstate bilingual education. The vote is likely to be a milestone in the rise of Latino voting power. Bad news for Donald Trump; worse news for the GOP.

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

This year's November elections—a preview to next year's nationwide showdowns—cast their own spotlight on education, a dynamic that played out most prominently in the Kentucky governor's race, where teachers organized to unseat a combative incumbent who'd sparred with them.

Recent studies have called into question the benefit of perioperative corticosteroids in children undergoing heart surgery, but have been limited by small sample size, the lack of placebo control, and the grouping of various steroid regimens together in analysis.

We evaluated outcomes across methylprednisolone regimens versus no steroids in a large cohort of neonates and found no mortality or length-of-stay benefit associated with any regimen, and a higher risk of infection in certain subgroups. (Read the full article)

Children undergoing stem cell transplantation are thought to be at risk for increased distress, adjustment difficulties, and impaired health-related quality of life. Few interventions to improve adjustment and quality-of-life outcomes in this setting have been tested.

The excellent outcomes observed in all patient groups, including controls, may be a result of improvements in standard supportive care. Stem cell transplantation may not be as demanding as previously thought to be, and children undergoing this procedure appear resilient to the challenge. (Read the full article)

Active termination of life in newborns with myelomeningocele because of assumed suffering in these newborns has been extensively discussed. However, the level of discomfort and pain in these newborns has never been substantially assessed.

This is the first study presenting quantitative data on discomfort and pain in newborns with myelomeningocele. Therefore, it can be of guidance in the choice of treatment: either active treatment or palliative care in the context of end-of-life decisions. (Read the full article)

Changes in BMI category appear to be common in young children and are associated with cardiometabolic risk in cross-sectional studies. However, there are few longitudinal studies and little information from multiethnic samples of US middle school children.

Findings demonstrate that shifts in BMI category are common in middle-school-aged children and associated with clinically meaningful changes in cardiometabolic risk factors. Programs to promote decreases in BMI, prevent increases, and moderate risk are indicated. (Read the full article)

Estimates of youth participation in strangulation activity, commonly referred to as the "choking game," range from 5% to 11%. Previous studies have documented correlations between youth choking game participation and health risks such as substance use and mental health issues.

Among Oregon eighth-graders surveyed, >6% had ever participated in the choking game. Participation was linked to poor nutrition and gambling among females, exposure to violence among males, and sexual activity and substance use among both genders. (Read the full article)

Policies that govern nutrition standards of foods and beverages sold outside of federal meal programs ("competitive foods") have been associated with adolescent weight status in a small number of cross-sectional studies and pre-post analyses in individual states.

This longitudinal analysis of 6300 students in 40 states provides evidence that state competitive food laws are associated with lower within-student BMI change if laws contain strong language with specific standards and are consistent across grade levels. (Read the full article)

A growing number of epidemiologic studies suggest that individuals with lower vitamin D levels are at higher risk of acute respiratory tract infection. Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine if vitamin D supplementation would decrease this risk.

In a randomized controlled trial of 247 Mongolian children with vitamin D deficiency in winter, with double-blinding and 99% follow-up, vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the risk of acute respiratory tract infections. (Read the full article)

The higher the predischarge bilirubin percentile reading on the hour of life–specific nomogram, the higher becomes that infant's risk of developing significant hyperbilirubinemia. Neonates in the low-risk zones (≤75th percentile) have a low risk of developing hyperbilirubinemia.

Thirty-two percent of newborns readmitted for hyperbilirubinemia had low-risk zone predischarge bilirubin percentile values, predominantly in the intermediate low-risk zone (41st–75th percentile). The intermediate low-risk zone may not be as low risk as previously thought. (Read the full article)

There are limited data regarding the current status of the pediatric clinical trial enterprise.

Evaluation of the ClinicalTrials.gov data set allows description of the overall portfolio of clinical trials relevant to US children, which was previously not possible. (Read the full article)

The past several decades have seen a dramatic increase in the costs of health care and the prevalence of childhood activity limitations. More families with children are experiencing financial burden related to the cost of health care and insurance.

We find significant inequities in the occurrence of delayed or forgone needed health care for families with children as a result of high health care–related financial burden and having a child with an activity limitation. (Read the full article)

Quality urban playgrounds that are accessible and safe support physical activity and decrease injury rates. Little is known about the quality and accessibility of playgrounds in Chicago public parks.

Most playgrounds in Chicago are in fair condition, yet access to quality playgrounds varies by neighborhood. Public/private collaboration can lead to improved playgrounds, and failing playgrounds can be improved with modest investment. (Read the full article)

Forgoing artificial nutrition and hydration in children at the end of life is an acceptable practice under some circumstances. However, there is a paucity of pediatric evidence to guide health care providers’ and parents’ decision-making around this practice.

This study describes experiences of parents whose children died after forgoing artificial nutrition and hydration. All parents were satisfied with their decision and believed their child’s death was peaceful. This study adds to the limited evidence to guide clinical practice. (Read the full article)

Parents of children with chronic cough have poor quality of life and often seek multiple consultations. There are few randomized controlled trials on the management of cough or on the efficacy of management algorithms outside of inpatient settings.

In a multicenter, trial, we found that the management of children with chronic cough, in accordance with a standardized algorithm, improves clinical outcomes. Earlier application of the algorithm leads to earlier cough resolution and improved parental quality of life. (Read the full article)

Shared decision-making involves the assessment of preferences and goals and has been prioritized in new attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment guidelines, yet no studies have examined the impact of both preferences and goals on treatment initiation.

Supporting the clinical utility of preference and goal assessment, we found that parental treatment preferences are associated with treatment initiation, and those with distinct goals select different treatments. (Read the full article)

Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a rare phenomenon that results in devastating injuries to children. It is necessary to analyze large samples to examine changes in rates over time.

This is the first study to examine rates of AHT at the national, regional, and state level. The results provide a more detailed description of AHT trends than has been previously available. (Read the full article)

The demand for donor kidneys for transplantation exceeds supply. En bloc kidney transplantation and donation after determination of circulatory death from pediatric donors increases the potential donor pool.

Newborn infants undergoing elective withdrawal of life support in the NICU are a previously unrecognized source of potential kidney donors. (Read the full article)

Quality measures developed by the Pediatric Quality Measures Program are required to assess disparities in performance according to special health care need status. Methods are needed to identify children according to level of medical complexity in administrative data.

The Pediatric Medical Complexity Algorithm is a new, publicly available algorithm that identifies the small proportion of children with complex chronic disease in Medicaid claims and hospital discharge data with good sensitivity and good to excellent specificity. (Read the full article)

Asthma and food allergy are common chronic conditions impacting 14% and 8% of US school-aged children, respectively. School districts must be prepared to track students who have these conditions to ensure proper daily management and emergency response.

This study examines the demographic distribution of asthma and food allergy and the existence of school health management plans in a large, urban school district. The findings show that school health management plans are underused for both conditions. (Read the full article)

Meningococcal disease is a serious but rare infectious disease. In 2012, the incidence of meningococcal disease was at a historic low in the United States; however, incidence remained highest among infants aged <1 year.

This report describes the epidemiology and burden of meningococcal disease in infants aged <1 year in the United States and potential risk factors for transmission to this vulnerable group. These data are key to informing future meningococcal disease vaccination strategies. (Read the full article)