A forthcoming study finds that beginning middle schoolers benefit from two 15-minute writing exercises to boost their sense of social and academic belonging.

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

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.

The hiring pool improved for schools when the recession squeezed teachers, study finds.

As teacher strikes sweep the nation, Marc Tucker compares the trajectory of teaching to that of the nursing profession, one of high standards of entry and rigorous preparation.

Marc Tucker explores the critical importance of trust in successful education systems and how trust was lost in U.S. education.

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.

Penn State Schuylkill senior Abigayle Kaiser has embraced leadership roles on campus throughout her undergraduate experience. From Schuylkill Benefitting THON, to the Lion Ambassadors, the Blue & White Society and so much more, Kaiser is a student who did it all. As she nears graduation with a full-time marketing job secured, Kaiser reflects on her time as a Penn Stater.

Having transferred to Penn State Schuylkill from another school her sophomore year, current senior Morgan Edge didn’t let a non-traditional start hold her back. She succeeded academically and athletically, captaining the women’s basketball team this year and leading them from an 0-23 season in 2018-19 to a PSUAC playoff berth in 2019-20.

Pro licence students from the Azeri, Estonian, Russian and Welsh national associations have visited UEFA for the latest coach education exchange programme seminar.

UEFA partner, the Homeless World Cup, added its support for UEFA Grassroots Day in May with the organisation of 41 events in countries from Europe and around the world.

The UEFA Study Group Scheme - through which Europe's national associations exchange technical know-how for European football's well-being - has completed a successful fourth season.

Leung Wai, from Hong Kong, is burned to pray for Japan after dressing as Santa Claus and being warmly greeted by passers-by last December.

While the number of principals running for office has been dwarfed by teachers, school leaders are hoping to change policies in statehouses and in Washington that they say impact their students and families.

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)

The professionalism of physicians can have an impact on patient care and satisfaction and physician career success and is increasingly emphasized in residency training programs.

This study was an examination of the perspectives of families of pediatric patients and of pediatrics residents on the attributes of professionalism in physicians. Important overlaps were found between the attributes of professionalism prioritized by patient families and resident physicians. (Read the full article)

The National Children's Study, a large-scale, longitudinal, birth cohort study of US children that endeavors to identify preventable and environmental origins of chronic diseases, has begun recruitment.

In a highly diverse, urban setting, pregnant women can be recruited to participate in the National Children's Study at rates similar to those obtained in clinic settings. Refinements to the pregnancy screener and other components are needed to optimize implementation. (Read the full article)

Adults born at very low birth weight (VLBW) (<1.5 kg) have higher blood pressure and higher fasting insulin levels than their peers born at term. However, they show no signs of endothelial dysfunction in childhood and in adolescence.

Adults born at a VLBW showed no endothelial dysfunction compared with term adults. They had, however, a thicker intima-media layer in relation to lumen size. More rapid growth during their first weeks of life was associated with better endothelial function. (Read the full article)

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) has been the initial respiratory support for many preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Nasal intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) seems to increase the beneficial effects of NCPAP by combining it with ventilatory inflations.

This study suggests that NIPPV, as an intial respiratory support for preterm infants with RDS, is feasible and safe and may have beneficial effects, when compared with NCPAP. (Read the full article)

Although gastroenteritis guidelines describe the need to perform oral rehydration, it remains underused, resulting in excessive use of intravenous rehydration. Other interventions, such as antiemetic administration, vary according to location, often resulting in differences in cost and outcomes.

In this nationwide cohort, intravenous rehydration use varied dramatically. Use was associated with the institution providing care and an increase in the need for future health care provider visits. Use of ondansetron also varied significantly across Canada. (Read the full article)

Conduct problems, substance use, substance use problems, and depressive symptoms increase as black adolescents enter high school. Although family-centered prevention programs deter these problems during middle school, no such programs have been developed and evaluated for black high school students.

This study demonstrates that participation in a family-centered preventive intervention reduces conduct problems, substance use, and substance use problems among black adolescents by more than 30% compared with adolescents in an attention control condition across nearly 2 years. (Read the full article)

Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1) is a progressive, inherited neuromuscular disease manifesting with diaphragmatic paralysis in the first year of life. All patients need mechanical ventilation.

We describe the natural course of SMARD1, developed a scoring system, and defined prognostic values. The clinical outcome of the patients was heterogeneous, and residual enzymatic activity of the IGHMBP2 protein was associated with a more benign disease course. (Read the full article)

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) is a noninvasive ventilatory support that may reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome. Heliox, a helium-oxygen mixture, has shown positive effects, especially in obstructive diseases.

NCPAP with heliox reduces the need for mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome in comparison with NCPAP with medical air. (Read the full article)

There are a number of effective interventions designed to prevent childhood/adolescent depression. Such interventions tend to comprise screening and the subsequent provision of psychological therapy. However, the cost-effectiveness of routinely providing such interventions at a population level is not known.

By using economic modeling techniques, this study shows that the population cost-effectiveness of such preventive interventions for childhood/adolescent depression is very favorable, although implementation issues, particularly around the acceptability to providers, need to be addressed before widespread adoption. (Read the full article)

Childhood gender nonconformity has been associated with poorer relationships with parents, but it is unknown if childhood gender nonconformity is associated with childhood abuse or with posttraumatic stress disorder.

We identify gender nonconformity before age 11 years as a risk indicator for physical, sexual, and psychological abuse in childhood and lifetime probable posttraumatic stress disorder in youth. (Read the full article)

General measures discourage all self-referrals to the emergency department. For adults, self-referral to the emergency department has been associated with nonsevere disease, whereas severity of illness of self-referred children is still unknown.

One in four parents properly judged and acted on their febrile child’s illness by presentation to the emergency department on their own initiative. Measures to discourage parents from self-referral may potentially result in delayed or missed diagnoses. (Read the full article)

Postpartum vitamin A supplementation is a strategy to combat vitamin A deficiency and seems to reduce maternal/infant morbidity and mortality. However, controversies exist regarding which dose has a greater efficacy, 200 000 IU (WHO protocol) or 400 000 IU (IVACG protocol).

In this study, postpartum maternal supplementation with 400 000 IU of vitamin A did not provide any additional beneficial effect in reducing infant morbidity compared with the standard dose of 200 000 IU. (Read the full article)

Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures are widely used to assess the reliability of pediatric immunization delivery. The extent to which these measures provide accurate ("is this child up-to-date on immunizations?") and useful ("is this child due for catch-up immunizations?") information is unclear.

Overall, HEDIS childhood immunization measures are accurate and useful. Users of HEDIS data should be aware, however, that certain immunizations (eg, hepatitis B, pneumococcal conjugate) and children (eg, those with a single overdue immunization) are more prone to HEDIS misclassification. (Read the full article)

Emergency contraception is a safe and effective method of pregnancy prevention after unprotected intercourse.

Pharmacies commonly communicate misinformation, both to adolescents and to physicians, concerning who is able to access emergency contraception and through what means. (Read the full article)

Subjects born preterm have higher blood pressure (BP) in childhood and adolescence. Little is known about at what age the deviation from normal BP starts, and data are especially scarce for the new generation of survivors after extremely preterm birth.

In a population-based study, we found that BP was higher in 2.5-year-old children born extremely preterm compared with controls. This finding might have implications for follow-up programs after preterm birth, with the goal of improving later cardiovascular health. (Read the full article)

As a result of safety and environmental concerns about mercury, aneroid sphygmomanometers have replaced mercury-filled devices for blood pressure measurements. Despite this change, few studies have compared the 2 devices.

Little clinical variation exists between blood pressure measurements obtained from an aneroid or mercury device, suggesting that either device could be used in a research or clinical setting. (Read the full article)

Existing clinical research policy does not guarantee availability of results. Registration on the Web site ClinicalTrials.gov and the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act improved transparency in pediatric clinical research. Registration and publication remain voluntary for many trials involving children.

Only 29% of completed registered studies and 53% of National Institutes of Health–funded trials involving children were published. Numbers of studies are increasing. Registration and posting of results on ClinicalTrials.gov should be mandatory for all studies involving children. (Read the full article)

Recent systematic reviews revealed that educational dietary interventions were effective in improving nutritional status and food consumption in the first year after birth. We are not aware, however, of studies in developing countries that have evaluated their long-term effectiveness.

This randomized trial revealed that, in a low-income population, the delivery of home-based maternal counseling focusing on breastfeeding and complementary feeding during the first year of children’s lives significantly improved the lipid profile at 7 to 8 years old. (Read the full article)

The National Vaccine Advisory Committee highlighted the importance of settings complementary to the medical home for immunization delivery among adolescents, including school-based health centers (SBHCs). The effectiveness and cost of recall for immunizations in SBHC settings has not been studied.

SBHC-based recall was effective in improving immunization rates among adolescents, with effects sizes exceeding those achieved in practice settings. Average costs per child who was immunized ranged from $1.12 to $2.34 in 3 schools, but was $6.87 in 1 school. (Read the full article)

Assessing for adequacy of supervision in the clinical setting is challenging and may result in significant variability in care. Clinicians must quickly decide if a child and family necessitate direct counseling, further intervention, or require reporting to state agencies.

This study identified the most important characteristics for the evaluation of the adequacy of supervision of a young child. A standardized scale using these characteristics may result in an efficient means to reduce variability in care. (Read the full article)

Rates of coverage for recommended vaccinations in adolescents are substantially lower than Healthy People 2010 goals. Reminder/recall is an evidence-based strategy that is proven to increase immunization rates in both adults and young children.

This study shows that reminder/recall is effective in increasing adolescent immunization rates. Practices may also benefit financially from conducting reminder/recall in this age group if they are able to generate additional well visits and keep supply costs low. (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)

Adherence to guidelines has generally been shown to improve patient care and reduce the cost of care. Current understanding of the varying reasons why clinicians deviate from guidelines is based on surveys and retrospective reviews.

We examined clinician deviations from guidelines in a prospective fashion and attempted to categorize those deviations. Better elucidation of clinician reasoning behind deviations may inform care improvement and help define strategies to eliminate unjustifiable deviations. (Read the full article)

The rapidly rising prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents over the past 4 decades is a significant public health concern. Experts urge pediatric health care providers to provide routine obesity screening and counseling.

We provide the first nationally representative estimates of the rate of screening and counseling for adolescent obesity by pediatric health professionals. We also examine how socioeconomic factors and access to health care affect whether adolescents receive these services. (Read the full article)

Febrile infants in the first 90 days may have life-threatening serious bacterial infection. Well-appearing febrile infants with serious bacterial infections cannot be distinguished from those without by examination alone. Variation in care resulting in both undertreatment and overtreatment is common.

The systemwide implementation of an evidence-based care process model for the care of febrile infants in Intermountain Healthcare was associated with increased delivery of evidence-based care, improved infant outcomes, and lower costs. This model adopted nationally can improve value. (Read the full article)

Respiratory infectious symptoms are common during the first year of life. Day care attendance, older siblings, and lack of breastfeeding have been considered as possible factors influencing early respiratory tract infections.

Children with early dog contacts seem to have fewer infectious respiratory symptoms and diseases, especially otitis, during the first year of life. (Read the full article)

Adolescent dating violence has been studied from the perpetrators' and survivors' perspectives. The risk and protective factors have been explored, and the strength of the association of these factors with adolescent dating violence has been adequately described.

This study assessed the perceptions and practices of school counselors on adolescent dating violence. Knowing school personnel’s practices and perceptions may help researchers and practitioners gain insights into possible ways to alleviate the problem of dating violence in adolescents. (Read the full article)

Vitamin D is a pleiotropic hormone important for proper functioning of multiple organs. Adult critical care studies have suggested vitamin D as a modifiable risk factor. No studies have investigated the prevalence, risk factors, or role in pediatric critical illness.

This study provides evidence that the majority of critically ill children have vitamin D deficiency at the time of PICU admission, and that lower levels are associated with hypocalcemia, catecholamine administration, significant fluid bolus requirements, and longer PICU admissions. (Read the full article)

Childhood obesity is a public health concern. Although determinants of childhood overweight have been identified and their effect sizes have been calculated, prevention as well as treatment have had limited success.

We have calculated the population-based relevance of determinants of childhood overweight by using attributable risks, which can be interpreted as maximum success rates of preventive measures. New concepts were applied to estimate the relative contribution of each risk factor. (Read the full article)

Few longitudinal studies from developing countries have assessed the relation between early maternal depressive symptoms and child growth beyond age 2. The results of these studies have been inconclusive.

Early maternal depressive symptoms were related to higher odds of deficits in stature but not to deficits in weight among preschool- and school-aged children. Well-child care provides opportunities to identify maternal depressive symptoms to prevent future child growth delays. (Read the full article)

Sending and receiving sexually explicit picture and text messages via cell phone (ie, "sexting") among adolescents is publicized as a societal and public health concern, yet it is unknown whether sexting is associated with physical sexual activity or sexual risk behavior.

This study is the first to examine sexting among a probability sample of adolescents and found that sexting is associated with sexual activity, sexual risk behavior, and knowing other person(s) who have sent a sext. (Read the full article)

High blood pressure in childhood predisposes people to hypertension in adulthood and is associated with early development of cardiovascular disease and risk for premature death. High sodium intake and overweight/obesity are recognized as risk factors for hypertension in children.

These results show that usual sodium intake was positively associated with systolic blood pressure and risk for pre-high blood pressure and high blood pressure among US children. The data indicate a synergistic interaction between sodium intake and weight status on risk for high blood pressure. (Read the full article)

Most studies on corticoid treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) respiratory diseases have revealed no beneficial effect. The mechanism by which RSV respiratory-infected patients are insensitive to the antiinflammatory effect of corticosteroids is unknown.

This study helps to understand how a respiratory syncytial viral infection may alter the normal antiinflammatory response to cortisol and the insensitivity to glucocorticoid treatment. The increase expression of β glucocorticoid receptor could be a marker of disease severity. (Read the full article)

Adult patients with neurocardiogenic syncope have shown high rates of depression. Patients with more severe depressive symptoms have higher rates of syncope recurrence. Psychiatric interventions improve quality of life and decrease syncope recurrence rates.

Children with neurocargiogenic syncope presented a 2.6-fold higher rate of clinically significant depressive symptoms compared to healthy controls. No recurrent syncope was noted during follow-up which along with improvement in family functioning predicted depressive symptoms improvement. (Read the full article)