Author: Silvija Topić

August 16, 2023

Ed Dep’s Loan Forgiveness for Borrowers with 20 Years of Repayment Derailed

The Biden administration through the Education Department is all set to discharge $39 billion worth of student loans belonging to hundreds of thousands of borrowers. It’s actually part of the Biden administration’s pursuit of debt relief measures but met with legal impediments and pushback from the GOP.

Debt Relief to Compensate Compliant Longstanding Borrowers

The Ed Dep’s federal student debt relief is deemed as a way of compensating student borrowers for the prolonged failure of the Education Department and the loan servicers contracted, to properly manage the income-driven federal repayment program. The program had promised borrowers the chance of having the entire remaining balance of their debts erased after making payments for twenty (20) or twenty-five (25) years.

However, relatively only a few of the student loan borrowers received forgiveness from the federal income-driven repayment program. Federal and state regulators found out that the loan servicers for student loans were inappropriately pushing student borrowers to take out long-term forbearances that actually do not work toward loan forgiveness. Moreover in most cases, the Education Department was remiss in properly tracking monthly payments that served as records and bases for loan forgiveness over time.

In April 2022, the Ed Dep announced that they have retroactively adjusted and updated borrower accounts. The purpose of which is to give credit to student debtors who could have made qualifying repayments under the income-driven payment program. The update had placed 804,000 student loan accounts in the threshold of twenty or twenty-five years of repayments, which automatically entitled the borrowers to loan forgiveness in accordance with the income-driven repayment program.

Conservative Filed Legal Petitions to Block the EdDep from Awarding Debt Forgiveness

Although the Education Department announced it will be carrying out the loan forgiveness discharges soon, legal cases have been filed against such actions.

Conservative groups known as the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Cato Institute have petitioned a federal judge to immediately issue an order to block the loan forgiveness action. The groups contend that the loan relief could be detrimental to their recruitment efforts. The two institutions argue that the Biden administration is clearly abusing its authority, since the Supreme Court had earlier struck down the broader federal student loan forgiveness plan.

Financial Concerns

October 8, 2022

Basic Car Care and Emergency Tools – Importance of Knowing How to Use Them

Car manufacturers and dealers encourage car ownership, yet they should also urge owners to learn about basic car care and use of tools in cases of emergency. Knowledge of essential car care tools can boost one’s confidence when driving. Mainly because car owners know how to minimize the risks they face when encountering car troubles and while waiting for roadside assistance.

While most modern towing companies now provide roadside assistance to help distressed car owners, having and knowing how to use basic and essential car tools can help drivers deal with emergency situations, when and where roadside assistance is not immediately available.

Basic and Essential Car Tools Car Owners Must Always have and Know How to Use

Automotive industry experts recommend several tools and safety gadgets as extremely important to have, especially when driving long distance and in unfamiliar places. While automotive car trouble-shooting tools like socket and driver set, torque wrench and mechanics’ tool set are essential car care tools, they are more often used while inside one’s garage.

What we will look into are the tools and gadget that can help a car driver manage solving a roadside dilema.

Mobile Phone Car Charger

Running out of battery charge can happen even to the best and most safety-conscious car owner, which makes calling for roadside assistance an impossible course of action. Yet knowing that you can charge your battery any time and anywhere is a great relief, except if your car trouble is related to lost battery power.

Emergency Blankets

An emergency blanket is often overlooked but it’s a great help especially now that certain traffic situations or weather conditions could force car owners to stay in their vehicles or be at the roadside until things clear out.

A Waterproof Car Cover

In case you have no other recourse but to temporarily seek shelter and leave your car on the roadside, it would be best to keep your car protected with a waterproof car cover. Actually finding the best car cover that fits your car model to a tee is not a problem, as most online stores recommend the custom-fit types for best protection against weather elements.

Jack and Jack Stand

Flat tires are the most common unexpected road problem that car drivers encounter and not everyone who drives a car knows how to change tires. A jack and a jackstand though requires a great amount of strength to operate when lifting a car to allow for proper tire change.

Those who cannot operate a manual jack should consider having a handy portable car lifter that can be operated using hydraulic cylinders. However it’s important to know how to properly and skillfully use the equipment to safe and secure lifting of the vehicle when changing tires.

Reflective Triangle

A reflective triangle is one of the essential tools that vehicle owners must always have in their car. In the event that a car breaks down, it’s important for a car owner to immediately place a reflective triangle to warn oncoming vehicles of the stalled car. Doing so ensures not only the car owner’s safety but of the safety of the other car drivers arriving in the area.

It’s also important to place the reflective triangle at a distance of least 45 meters or 147 feet away from the passenger side of your vehicle and on a flat furface. That way, the drivers of oncoming vehicles will take notice of the warning and take extra precaution when passing your stalled vehicle.

Education

June 21, 2022

Recent Polls Show Educators and School Workers as the Most Burned Out Employees

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Education

May 10, 2022

Educational and Career Paths of High-Paying Computer Engineering Professions

Job opportunities for computer engineers are expected to increase by 2% in the next years and as the field grows, potential earnings will likewise increase. Generally, computer engineering professionals earn high salaries. Based on results of research conducted by Computer Careers dot org, new graduates of a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, earn an average annual salary ranging between $61,000 and $76,000.

Their latest research revealed that here in the US, the annual salaries of regular computer engineers is 106% higher than the average salary of any other technology related job positions. While completing a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering can get you started, taking advanced courses, pursuing a related master’s degree and/or getting certified as a licensed Professional Engineer (PE), can help computer engineers move up to the top of career ladders, and reach full earning potentials of their computer engineering profession.

Mapping Out One’s Computer Engineering Education

A bachelor’s degree in computing engineering will equip you with the disciplines needed in designing, building, implementing and maintaining the software and hardware components of a modern computer, or of a computing system; or of a computer-controlled environment.

When vying for higher paying computer engineering jobs, the next step would be to take additional advanced courses (e.g. mathematics, electrical engineering, robotics, or computer science), as a way to specialize in the field of either computer hardware or computer software engineering.

What Does a Computer Software Engineer Do?

A computer software engineer designs, develops, constructs and tests software that will run as programming support of a computerized system. The programs include operating systems, interface, applications and other related programs that will run on desktops, tablets and/or smartphones.

What Does a Computer Hardware Engineer Do?

A computer hardware engineer designs, constructs, improves, expands, sets up and tests all computer equipment components to make sure that the hardware will work properly with the proprietary computer software.

What Exactly is a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering

Pursuing a master’s degree in computer engineering focuses on advanced education. Doing so enables computer engineering specialists to tackle complex computing tasks typically assigned to computing professionals with high levels of expertise. A Master’s Degree offers opportunities to learn advanced topics in computing and engineering at high levels.

However there are numerous master’s programs with different concentrations in computer engineering. It’s important therefore to first decide the specific area to master. A master’s degree in computer engineering requires skills in mathematics, physics, quantum physics, aerospace, robotics, network systems or electrical engineering to use in analyzing problems and creating highly advanced computing solutions for high-tech companies.

Education

February 27, 2022

Catholic Schools Experiencing Increase in Enrollment, a First after 20 Years

After decades of experiencing decline in enrollment Catholic schools saw their first enrollment increase of 3.8% during the academic year 2021 to 2022, The yearly decline had brought up some questions as to whether the Catholic education model could pull through. The increase was noted by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and is considered to be the first in 20 years as well as the largest increase ever recorded. The NCEA has been responsible for publishing yearly statistical reports on Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the country for five decades now.

Some of the data revealed that parents are not satisfied with how local schools, particularly elementary schools, have been operating poorly for the past two years. The 66% increase in enrollment was contributed mostly by pre-kindergarten enrollment, which showed a 34% increase from last academic year. In California, the percentage increased by 134% while it was 137% in Utah.

Increase in Enrollment Attributed to Poor Pandemic Performance of Traditional Public Schools

According to Annie Smith, the vice president of data and research at NCEA, Catholic schools have enrolled additional 62,000 students in 2021-2022, although it still does not reach the number they had pre-pandemic as Catholic schools experienced a 6.4% drop during the academic years of 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021. Still, the improvement this year in enrollment defeated the pre-pandemic predictions that projected a continuing decline. Ms. Smith added that if the pandemic did not happen, their enrollment would have been about 1.65 million and not 1.69 million, which defied the expected 2% to 3% annual decrease.

Traditional public schools on the other hand was affected the most regarding pre-kindergarten and kindergarten enrollments. This findings suggest that in some places of the country, most parents now prefer Catholic schools over traditional public schools. Ms. Smith mentioned how this is not a coincidence as they saw a higher increase in enrollment in states that have less chances to have in-person classes.

Education

October 29, 2021

NAEP 2019-2020 Result Show Biggest Declines In Student Scores

A report for the results of the NAEP for the school year 2019-20 has been released, for which assessors noted one of the biggest declines in students’ scores.

Prior to the coronavirus forced shut down of schools, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was administered to around 34,000 students ranging in ages of between 9 and 13. Although the scores of 9-year-olds in Math and reading exams remained the same since the tests were first taken in 2012, the scores 13-year-olds for the same subjects are significantly lower. That NAEP results for that particular school year represent one of the first major falls in the subject, since 1970, when assessors started recording and tracking academic achievement trends.

The average scores have significantly increased in Math and reading compared to 2012, but the improvements were experienced mostly by Black and Hispanic students. Compared to the scores achieved in 2012, the scores of 13 year old students plummeted in math by 5 points and by 3 points in reading.

About the National Assessment of Educational Progress

.National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is considered to be the largest national representative evaluation that continues to assess what students have learned in math, science, U.S history, civics, geography, and reading. Every 8 years, the math and reading exams are conducted and the results are reported nationwide by their age. Meanwhile, the NAEP exams for the remaining subjects are administered every three years, while the results are provided on a per grade level based on state and their cities.

Remarks Coming from the National Center for Education Statistics about the Latest NAEP Results

Peggy Carr, the Associate Commissioner of the Assessment Division of the National Center for Education Statistics described the results for that specific school year was mediocre. Ms. Carr commented that she has never reported such a slide in score results throughout her years of working with the NCES,.

According to Ms. Carr, she had asked to double check the results to make sure it was accurate as she believes that the results, particularly the Math scores, were concerning. She reckoned that the occurrence is systemic and is currently happening in all of their distributions and samples. Yet she noted that the trend in which the top performers continue to improve while the low performers continue to regress is the same even in other countries. That being the case, Ms. Carr has mentioned that they are still looking for clear answers to this trend so they could come up with clear solutions in addressing the problem.

Education

July 24, 2021

American Academy of Pediatrics Advocates Mask Mandates in Schools when Classes Resume in Fall

U.S. public health officials are becoming increasingly concerned with the rapid spread of the new delta variant across states, with in-person classes nearing. In response, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released an updated set of guidelines that recommend obligating students to wear masks when attending in-person classes in schools. The AAP deemed it best to publish the guidelines as numerous states are prohibiting local schools from mandating face masks. That is also in consideration of statistics showing that vaccination rates among children 12 years had dropped, while hospitalizations have increased.

Sonja O’Leary, MD, FAAP, who chairs the AAP’s Council on School Health Executive Committee, explained that as the new school year approaches, COVID variants have become more contagious. Moreover, there is a huge population of students that are not qualified to receive vaccination shots. The aforementioned reason is one of the driving factors that prompted AAP to recommend the mandatory wearing of protective masks inside schools.

AAP Mask Guidance Counters that of CDC’s

AAP’s mask guidance specifically declares that all school staff and learners, 2 years old and older, must wear protective face masks while inside their schools. The new guidance contradicts that of CDC’s which states that all school staff, teachers, and students are not required to wear masks if one is already fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Nonetheless, CDC officials continue to recommend that students should still maintain social distancing of 3 feet apart inside classrooms. CDC prioritizes the safe return of in-person learning by fall this year while advocating vaccination to make studying and extracurricular activities are much safer.

Chicago to Heed AAP’s Face Mask Guidance

After AAP’s new guidance was issued, Chicago announced that all public schools will require the wearing of face masks in schools once the new school year starts. Classes will commence on August 30 by way of in-person learning to be held five days every week. According to interim chief executive of Chicago Public Schools Jose Torres, the mandate regarding masks is applicable to visitors, students, and staff members. Moreover, students are to be dispersed during meal breaks, while keeping a distance of at least 3 feet away from each other.

Health/learning environment

July 6, 2021

Knowledge Acquisition and Training Preparations for a Truck Driving Career

One industry that is constantly looking to hire people with special driving skills is the towing industry, in light of increasing demand for towing assistance. However those eyeing a future career as a tow truck driver should know that aside from their standard DMV license, they need to have a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) as well.

Still, the outlook in the automobile towing business in the U.S. in the years ahead is expected to change. Fewer assistance will be needed once majority of the driving consumers upgrade their vehicles with the newer, high-tech automobiles.

Manufacturers of modern cars are now equipping their products with advanced features that aim to provide assistance while on the road. Aside from additional safety features that alert drivers of potential dangers to help avoid accidents, new models also include back-up and/or lane-change assists, as well as automatic braking and parking systems.

On the other hand, the projection is that in the next years, there will be increased demand for heavy duty towing truck operators. Inasmuch as the present Biden administration is poised to launch massive construction projects for infrastructure improvements, there will be a high demand for heavy duty towing and hauling services.

That being the case, it would be wiser to obtain a Class A or Class B CDL that can satisfy employment requirements for heavy duty towing operations

Training Programs to Help License Applicants Pass the CDL Tests

Enrolling in a formal truck driving school is not a mandatory requirement, except for the Class A CDL that requires at least 180 hours of completing a truck driving education by way of combined classroom and actual behind-the-wheel training sessions.

Yet, the most common advice given to those applying for a Class A, Class B or even Class C CDL is to enrol in a truck driving school. That way, they can increase, if not to ensure, their chances of passing the rigid written exams and road driving tests.

A CDL regardless of Class will be issued only if the CDL applicant passes all written and actual, hands-on driving tests. The types of tests are standard, and as prescribed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; although some states might include additional tests.

CDL Truck Training programs combine classroom studies for students to gain theoretical and technical knowledge with the concepts and mechanical principles of different types of vehicles and the basic tools and equipment used in basic truck maintenance and operations.

The theoretical studies will be applied by way of hands-on and behind-the-wheel driving exercises conducted within and outside of training grounds.

Standard Areas of Studies Covered by Truck Training Programs

While the immediate goal of truck training programs is to equip a CDL applicant with knowledge for which they will be tested, the overall learning goal is to fortify his or her capabilities and competence when performing tasks as a professional driver of commercial truck or transportation equipment. That being the case, the standard areas of studies include the following:

Introductory Lessons about the Trucking Industry
Trip Preparation Basics
First Aid and Safety Basics
Close-Quarter Operations
City and Town Driving Basics
Open Roads and Freeway Road Driving
State and Federal Transportation Laws
Knowledge of Materials and Cargo Types
Driver Nutrition

Education

April 25, 2021

US News Publishes List of Top Ten States for Equitable Higher Level Education

Historically, U.S. governments have made conscious efforts to provide equitable education for everyone by narrowing the education gap between racial groups. To find out how state governments have succeeded in achieving the smallest gap in educational attainment among racial groups, the states’ individual racial education gaps are compared against the current national gap of 28.3%.

For such purposes, U.S. News published a list of the top 10 States with the Best Education Equality by Race, with each state showing a low education equality gap when compared against the national gap of 28.3%.

A negative rate denotes that more members of the state’s minority groups have achieved a higher level of education than their non-Hispanic white counterparts.

The top ten states with the lowest education gap between racial groups are the following:

1. West Virginia – This state took the Number 1 spot for recording the highest negative racial education gap of -12%.

2. Maine -Negative Racial education Gap is – 8.9%. Maine also has the second best employment gap on a nationwide level.

3. New Hampshire – Negative Racial Education Gap is – 8.1%. New Hampshire also has the lowest income gap by race in the country.

4. Kentucky – Racial education gap is 3%

5. Vermont – Racial education gap is 11%. In terms of having a narrow income and employment gaps by gender, Vermont ranks first on a national level.

6. Washington – Racial education gap is 11.7%

7. Indiana – Racial education gap is 14.6%

8. Michigan – Racial education gap is 16.1%

9. Missouri – Racial education gap is 16.5%

10. Tennessee-Racial education gap is 20.3%

Education

February 25, 2021

CDC Study Revealed More Teachers Had Spread COVID-19 Than Students Did

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released a report regarding their study of nine coronavirus transmission clusters in Marietta, Atlanta. According to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the report clearly shows that teachers play a significant role in the spread of the virus during lunches, physical meetings, leading to subsequent spreads in classrooms.

Through the report, it became apparent that more teachers had spread the coronavirus during the month of December and January. One such transmission cluster had 16 students and teachers, to which the spread of infection reached up to the relatives of the students.

What the CDC Marietta Study Revealed

While only one of the nine infection clusters was started by a student, four have already been established as having started by an infected teacher. The remaining four, which although confirmed as having a teacher as the first case of the cluster, the identity of the teachers concerned are yet ot be verified. It was observed in two clusters that transmissions between teachers occurred during lunches or physical meetings, later led to the spread of the infection to the students.

The results of the CDC’s Marietta study are largely similar to the findings of studies conducted in the UK, which also showed that the most common type of transmission was through teacher-to-teacher interactions.Furthermore, a German study even discovered that transmissions in schools are tripled when the first recorded case is an educator. As a result of the new CDC findings , some schools in the US have decided to continue holding classrooms online in order to avoid the such trend of transmissions.

The Marietta school district in Georgia has been holding face-to-face classes since fall of 2020, which according to Superintendent Grant Rivera has been seeing 90% of students in elementary level attending school. Not only were the classrooms crowded, the clusters that were studied also didn’t follow proper social distancing protocols. The students are only 3 meters apart albeit separated by plastic dividers.

CDC repeatedly advised schools to follow the basic safety measures and strategies to lessen the spread of coronavirus. The measure now includes fewer in-person teacher meetings, increased social distancing, and strict enforcement of wearing masks correctly at all times. .

Actions Taken by Marietta School District to Lessen the Spread of the Virus

Marietta Superintendent Rivera made sure that any interaction between teachers are virtual, and that chairs are also removed in the workrooms of the educators. Furthermore, teachers are encouraged to eat outside in open areas, while students are also encouraged to eat in larger spaces like the gym, auditorium, cafeteria or outdoors, particularly schools that have crowded classrooms.

According to Mr. Rivera, the district is said to be continuing with large-scale COVID-19 testing once the study is done. Initial reports suggest prioritizing the vaccination of educators in order to keep schools operating with lesser possibilities of transmission in order to protect everyone. However, CDC did not agree with the suggestion.

News Event

December 17, 2020

Which Type of Martial Arts can Help Children Deal w/ Bullying

Bullying is still very much an issue, and for many parents who have been victims themselves, they tend to fear over the safety of their child while in school. Yet rather than simply agonize over the thought, many parents enroll their children in a martial arts class so they can at least know how to defend themselves against physical attacks. Other parents though are unsure if it’s the right thing to do, as they are also anxious about instilling violence and aggression in their children’s temperament.

Choosing the Right Kind of Martial Art Training for Your Child

Choosing the right kind of martial art for your child is the simplest solution to both worries. All forms of martial arts have structure in methods used in training students, as all types of combat sports aim to promote discipline and physical fitness. However, they differ on the fighting skills that come into play as a form of self-defense against aggressors.

Karate has more focus on combative skills like punching and other styles of powerful hand strikes. Taekwondo focuses on striking with punches and kicks but with special attention to movements targeting the upper body. Muay Thai is similar, but teaches multiple boxing and kicking techniques aimed at injuring the entire body of an opponent.

Braziliab jiu jitsu is a lot different because the main focus of this combat sport is on the application of wrestling moves in subduing an attacking aggressor. In the application of position holds, the purpose is to keep an attacker under control and not to inflict pain by way of injury. Inasmuch as the main reason why parents want their children to learn self-defense is to prevent them from becoming easy targets for bullies, it is quite common for parents to decide on brazilian jiu jitsu training for their children.

Other Reasons Why Many Parents Choose BJJ for Their Children

Brazilian jiu jitsu classes actually allow children to apply the skills they learn through sparring. That way, they can develop competency, while setting goals to achieve mastery. This stands in contrast to other combat sports training, in which sparring among students take place only after several months of training; whilst requiring students to wear heavily padded protective gear to avoid inflicting or to suffer from actual injuries.

Moreover, Brazilian jiu jitsu focuses on developing on the ground combative skills to promote better movements in protecting one’s body against aggression.

As young bjj learners learn to actually wrestle, they develop greater confidence and motivation in performing better. Nonetheless, Brazilian jiu jitsu also teaches humility, by learning to admit defeat by tapping. Here, the discipline is to be humble enough to acknowledge that one still needs to improve on his jiu jitsu skills.

That is why, belt promotions in Bjj classes for children tend to take place much faster than in adult classes. Children are normally less patient and tend to lose enthusiasm easily since they often have other fields of interest that they feel they need to catch up with.

As a final thought, enrolling their children for brazilian jiu jitsu is not intended to make future mixed martial artist out of them; but mainly to boost awareness on how their body can respond in certain situations, especially when there is a need to defend themselves. Developing that kind of awareness also leads to boosting their self-confidence in accomplishing physical tasks not only for combative purposes.

Sports

November 24, 2020

Teachers Rejoice Over Imminent End of Devos’ Tenure as DepEd Head

Educators are elated over Joe Biden’s forthcoming assumption of office as the new U.S. President, partly because it signals the end of Betsy DeVos’ tenure. Devos as the Secretary of the U.S. Education Department is considered by educators as the number one enemy of public schools.

As Biden’s win was declared by broadcaster nationwide, teachers’ unions, educators, school officials, and parents rejoiced by organizing and throwing a DeVos a retirement party by way of social media. Many of the ecstatic celebrators posted videos and photos of rejoicing by popping bottles of champagne and creating memes depicting the Education Secretary as Cruella De Vil and many other Disney movie anti-heroes. .

In his victory speech, President-elect Biden raised the hopes of many actors in the education sector by immediately proclaiming his moment of victory as a great day for the country’s educators. The former Vice-President was especially proud in saying that the soon-to-be first lady Jill Biden, is a teacher by profession and very much a part of the National Education Association.

Why is DeVos Hated by Educators ?

Betsy DeVos has been frequently ranked at the top of the list of the most disliked Cabinet members of the Trump administration. It is aggravated by the fact that she is also one of the longest serving Trump officials in an administration were turnovers of cabinet members are frequent. To stay long as a Trump cabinet member, one simply has to obey and not run aground with his presidential directives and personal wishes.

DeVos failed to make considerable progress in carrying out government during her time as Education Secretary. Her notoriety as Education Secretary is highlighted by the record-number of lawsuits filed against her. All of which are connected to her failure to supervise the Education Department in accordance with the guidelines prescribed by education-related legislative Acts.

In fact, her promotion of the school choice approach, which encourage parents to enroll their children in private or charter schools as an alternative to public school education, was a major issue raised by public school teachers during their nationwide walkout strikes. Mainly because school choice promotion also encouraged the proliferation of numerous for-profit charter schools entitled to receive federal funding, which diverted federal money that traditionally were allocated among public school districts.

Furthermore, she was a frontrunner in reversing or rewriting the guidance and regulations put in place by the Obama administration. The most controversial of which is Title IX, which aims to ensure the protection of the rights of the victims of campus sexual assault, including transgender students.

Her notoriety included ignoring the fraudulent acts of for-profit colleges that were without accreditation from Education Department. DeVos did not do anything to assist the swindled students who took out of education loans in order to pay the tuition and enrollment fees collected by the fly-by-night school operators. That is without considering that said students come mostly from cash-strapped, low-income families. .

Among Devos’ most despised decisions as Education Secretary is her cancellation of discipline guidelines that schools must observe in deciding disciplinary cases involving colored students. The eliminated guidelines were aimed at preventing cases of adverse student behaviors, from advancing toward the school-to-prison pipeline.

Educators and parents were teary-eyed in celebrating the end of Betsy Devos’ term as secretary of a critical sector. Her termination was something that a number of lawmakers have been calling for during the past three years of the Trump administration.

Education/News Event

August 26, 2020

Florida’s School Reopening : Increased COVID-19 Hospitalization and Deaths in Children

Florida’s K12 schools forced to physically reopen by Fla. Gov. DeSantis had sent the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations among children soaring.

In the past two weeks after reopening, over 7,000 school children tested positive, which increased the more than 600 cases of under age 18 that have been hospitalized since March 2020. Based on the Florida Department of Health’s pediatric reports, 47,489 Floridians under the age of 18 have tested positive since March, eight of whom have died.

Last Friday (Aug. 21, 2020), a six year old girl from Hillsborough County became the youngest victim to die of the infectious disease. In July, the youngest recorded death was that of 9-year old Putnam County girl who also had no underlying health problems.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis had pressured schools to move forward with in-person school reopening or face the consequences of losing their school district funding. As of this writing, Gov. DeSantis has not responded to news reporters’ request for comment with regard to the 6-year old girl’s death.

AAP Released New Report about Rise in COVID-19 Cases Among Children Since School Reopening

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has presented information that in-person school reopening had spurred increases in cases of COVID-19 infections among children below 18 years old. Where in-person classes were widely believed as doable because of reports that children are relatively at low risks of contracting the COVID-19 disease, the AAP’s new report disclosed contrary information.

Between July 9 and August 13, the overall cases of of American children who tested positive with COVID-19 has doubled from around a previous 200,000 to more than over 406,000. The AAP attributes the increase to the physical reopening of schools, which also led to the rise in the number of children with severe symptoms, which in turn accelerated the widespread transmission of the infectious disease in communities.

Education/Health/News Event

May 12, 2020

Why Schools Cannot Join the Reopening Bandwagon

Although some states have already reopened, gradually allowing businesses to open, communities won’t be seeing K12 schools, colleges or universities reopening soon.

Globally, the public health threat is still not over and if there is one country that has yet to show improvement is the United States. As of May 12,2020 the latest U.S. tally shows that 17,776 additional cases have been added to the 1.38M active COVID-19 cases, while the death toll of 81,491 has increased by 836. The number of recoveries of about 220k has not changed.

Simply stated, the COVID-19 pandemic still poses as a grave threat and enclosing students in classrooms does not present an ideal scenario in which safe distancing measures can be practiced. In New York and California, the hardest hit states also have the largest school districts in the cities of NY and Los Angeles, their respective governors have announced that educational institutions will stay closed for the rest of the year.

School Reopening Requires Careful Planning

Since safe distancing of at least 6 feet apart must still be observed, the number of students in each classroom will be reduced by at least 50%. That being the case, it is likely that physical attendance will be on a staggered basis, combined with the use of technology for remote learning.

On the part of educators, there will be extra effort needed as discussions for subject topics will be conducted twice since they will be holding lectures for smaller groups. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, most schools have been experiencing a shortage of teachers. The situation is not likely to improve if teachers are also faced with additional problems, including child care.

Another matter that needs workable solutions are students who do not have access to Internet services or for that matter, are staying in shelters and other public housing facilities. The matter of giving schools the funding they need may have answers via the CARES Act, but in both public and private, will the funds be enough to sustain the schools? Education budget cuts have been common, more so now that the coffers of most states have been depleted.

Funding is also needed in providing students with protective masks as well as in making sure that every school has a quick-response team who are properly trained and equipped for COVID-19 responses; including monitoring and contact-tracing of potentially infected students and faculty members.

School Reopening Requires Careful Planning

Another matter that needs workable solutions are students who do not have access to Internet services or for that matter, are staying in shelters and other public housing facilities. The matter of giving schools the funding they need may have answers via the CARES Act, but in both public and private, will the funds be enough to sustain the schools? Education budget cuts have been common, more so now that the coffers of most states have been depleted.

Education/Health

March 11, 2020

Differentiating Astronomy from Astrology

Astronomy is different from astrology even if both concepts share the same roots, traced as far back as the ancient times of Babylonia and Mesopotamia. That is why simply citing definitions would not be enough to understand the difference between the two.

Thousands of years ago, ancient civilizations had looked up at the sky with fascination and wonder; whilst trying to find meaning on why the cosmos is constantly changing. Back then, people did not have higher knowledge of how the universe and the celestial bodies work. Yet through observations, they came to understand that unseen mystical forces changed the placements of the moon and the stars.

Mesopotamia, being the region where the first known civilizations arose, had kept records of those observations. Most of the tablets containing those records were found in the city of Babylon. In believing that the movement of the stars held some parallel meaning to the events that transpired on Earth, the Mesopotamians built a religion around those unseen forces; worshipping and calling upon them as gods.

The process of observing and proving that the celestial bodies moved to certain positions at some point in time is the foundation of astronomy. Try as they might, the scholars back then were unable to clearly understand nor explain how the cosmic forces work. The belief that the forces are divine prevailed, since no other explanations could be offered, on how cosmic forces affect earthly life.

In ascribing to such belief, interpretations and predictions of what the gods wanted were based on the movements, and the positions of the moon and stars. This practice was the root of Mesopotamian astrology, which was from time to time modified to suit the current rulers of the Mesopotamian region.

Yet primitive astrology as practiced by the ancient Babylonians, was different from the astrology later developed by Mesopotamians.

A Glimpse of Babylonia’s Primitive Astrology

The foundations of zodiacal astrology were said to have been developed by later Babylonians who divided the sky into twelve sections, to which all zodiac signs known today are linked. They then devised a zodiac calendar that kept track of the time in which movements and shifts in celestial positions occurred.

Primitive ancient astrologers made predictions based on the zodiac calendar and observations of how movements coincided with favorable and adverse events that transpired on Earth.

Babylonian astrology may have been primitive, but the practice made links to the movement of the stars, and not the concept that events were caused by cosmic forces. Babylonian astrologers foretold future events based on signs gathered over time.

In later years, even Greek philosopher Pythagoras is known to have supported the belief that everything that has ever happened before, will happen again in the future at a predetermined time.

Basic Difference Between Astronomy and Astrology

After explaining the roots shared by astronomy and astrology, we now have a basic difference between the two.

Astronomy follows the goals and processes of science. It tries to understand how nature works by conducting meaningful experiments and establishing theories derived by testing and weighing of possibilities, as a means of presenting evidence.

Astrology on the other hand is a practice that furnishes interpretations and predictions of the cosmic occurrences, based mainly on beliefs.

Through thousands of years, there was no distinction between the two, until in the 1600 hundreds, Sir Isaac Newton, presented evidence of how the celestial sphere affects the physical processes that people experience on Earth. Through scientific processes, Newton gave proof that a force, which we know today as gravity, is linked to the forces created by the celestial sphere.

Astronomy, from then on was established as a completely different field from astrology. Unlike astrology that bases predictions on beliefs and observations of celestial phenomena, astronomy made a difference by furnishing explanation or predictions backed by scientific experiments.

Science

February 5, 2020

U.S. Homeless Population Includes about 1.5 Million Students Attending Public Schools

Homelessness, a growing problem affecting millions of people across 29 states in the U.S. spares no age, race or gender. One group that has noticeably been increasing in the count of homeless people are the public school students.

A recent study by the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) revealed that during the 2017- 2018 school year, over 1.5 million students became homeless, with the state of California showing the highest number of 263,000 homeless students. Their ages range from pre-kindergarten levels at 3 years old to grade 12 levels, 18 years old and above.

Reasons Why Students Count Among the Homeless Population

Loss of the family’s primary housing due to economic hardship was the main reason; to which some also attribute loss of homes to natural disaster combined with inability of their family to find a new home.

The continuing rise however could not be arrested in states that have seen economic prosperity. Economic boom spurred increases in rental costs and home values, which only the middle to high income people can afford. Students coming from low-income families suffer from homeless conditions after their family had been evicted by landlords or foreclosing banks.

Although the NCHE reported that over 182,000 students were awaiting foster care, or either lived in shelters or transitional housing, the number of students without homes rose to 102,000 during the last 3 years. They were found in unsheltered conditions in streets or in some campsite. The US Department of Housing and Urban and Development corroborated the NCHE figure in its 2019 homeless report, The nation’s homeless population spiked by 3% or an increase of 567,000, to which 107,000 comprise youths under the age of 18.

Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat. who has been Portland, Orgon’s mayor since 2017 remarked that

“Although the economy has never been stronger, inequality is also growing at an alarming rate.” “The benefits of prosperity are mostly concentrated on fewer hands due to the growing disparity that has affected a lot of people throughout the U.S.”

Home

October 24, 2019

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Facing Congressional Inquiry and Lawsuits filed by 2 Student Advocacy Orgs

As House Democratic Representative Bobby Scott leads investigations on the role played by the U.S. Department of Education, in enabling unaccredited non-profit schools to mislead students, two (2) student advocacy organizations have also filed independent lawsuits against Betsy DeVos, the current Secretary of Education.

Under Ms. DeVos’ management, U.S. Department of Education oversaw the sale of 100 for-profits schools by Education Management Corporation to Dream Center Education Holdings in 2017. The sale included two for-profit schools, the Art Institute of Colorado and the Illinois Institute of Art (IIA), which at the time of the sale was already about to lose full-accreditation effective January 2018.

To make matters worse, the Department of Education allegedly did not take immediate action that would prevent the two schools from continuing their for-profit operations. As a result, the 2 non-accredited educational institutions, were able to mislead students, whilst helping them get access to student financial aid and loans as a means of financing their enrollment.

The colleges were later shutdown, but only after Dream Center Education had already collected millions in federal financial aid dollars. On the other hand, those who availed of student loans are burdened by debts that they invested on a college education that will, in no way, bring them any future benefits.

Around 900 student-loan borrowers who enrolled say they were scammed. Although, they have sought assistance from the Department of Education to cancel the federal student-loan, they have not received any response from the department regarding the matter.

One group of students will be represented by Harvard Law School’s “Project on Predatory Student Lending”. The other lawsuit, will be handled by the National Student Legal Defense Network.

Education

August 23, 2019

Charter Schools Draw Attention Anew as More States Grapple with Cases of Public Fund Embezzlement

Charter schools have been drawing attention for years not because they have gained popularity as a better alternative to traditional public schools. Supported by federal educational funds, whilst exempt from certain regulations governing traditional private and public schools, a number of charter schools located in different states have been found culpable for having embezzled the funds provided by the government.

According to a recent study conducted by the National Education Policy Center, more than 430,000 students are reported to have enrolled nationwide in charter schools. A total of 501 operate as virtual schools, while 300 offer a mix of virtual teaching and traditional in-classroom time, usually for lower grade levels, The study also showed that out of those numbers, charter schools operated by for-profit entities, account for four times more than those operated by districts and non-profit organizations.

In terms of performance, the study also revealed that students enrolled in district-operated virtual schools have shown far better accomplishments than students taking up studies with charter-operated virtual learning sites. In light of such findings, the study concluded with a recommendation for states to slow down, if not put a stop to the proliferation of virtual charter schools in their region. The study also recommended for the abatement of student-to-teacher ratio, as well as impose sanctions on schools that show poor performance.

However, Greg Richmond, CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers contend that the public school education laws in the U.S. do not apply to students attending Internet-based classes conducted by virtual schools. He cites that most states do not have clear legislations for governing charter-operated virtual schools. Add to that problem the understaffing issues faced by oversight agencies, as well as confusion over who enforces enrollment and attendance policies over virtual charter schools.

CEO Richmond expounded that under all those conditions, individuals with ill-intentions can use them to their advantage, which is exactly what has been happening in several states. .

States in Which Charter Schools Were Found Culpable for Public Fund Embezzlement

In California, state prosecutors recently indicted 11 operators and employees of a charter school management company called A3 Education, who was supposed to be running a series of virtual charter schools. Multiple criminal charges were filed against the individuals for allegedly stealing more than $50 million in government funds by enrolling students in non-existent virtual charter schools.

In 2016, an Internet-based charter school operated by a Virginia-registered, for-profit company called K12, Inc expanded their online virtual school in California. Inc.However, state investigators found the company and its affiliates liable for misrepresentations, and running false advertisements that led to unfair competition. The company agreed to pay a $168.5 million settlement to avoid state prosecution.

In 2018, the largest online charter in Ohio, shut down in imd-school year after being questioned over public funds and student attendance. The Ohio attorney general sued the founder and other officials of the charter school in order to recover millions of dollars of government funds received by the charter organization.

A similar case of inflated enrollment numbers was exposed by the state auditors of Indiana in two online schoolS, who have purportedly received about $40 million as government funding. A similar case has been unraveled by state investigators of Oklahoma, to which investigations have been ongoing for years.

The Epic Virtual Charter Schools in Oklahoma, founded and operated by two tech-savvy Oklahomans who also runs a for-profit company that manage and recruit enrollees for Epic Schools. The two receive a 10% commission on every recruit, which state investigators later found out as ghost enrollees.

Education

June 28, 2019

An Earlier Survey Shows Medical Students Experience Stress-Related Neck and Back Pain

While neck pain (NP) and back pain (BP) are problems common to adults, it is surprising to note that among the younger population, NP and BP are also prrevalent among medical students.

The findings were based on a survey conducted in 2013, by researchers at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Spine and Scoliosis Service, at Well Cornell Medical College in New York, and the Department of Orthopedics, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich. Print surveys were directly administered to 221 medical students out of 506 enrolled at accredited medical schools. Of the 221 who received the questionnaire, 210 completed the survey, which represented a completion rate of 96%.

The survey questions were formulated by a mix of fellowship trained orthopedic spine surgeon, a research fellow on orthopedic spine service and a medical student. Anonymity among participants was maintained, while Body Mass Index (BMI) and age were limited to what has been established as risk factors of musculoskeletal pain conditions. Lifestyle of the survey participants were evaluated based on the hours per week spent on studying, sleeping, exercising, walking and sitting.

Results of the survey revealed that 51% or 107 of the 210 students said they experience neck pain, back pain or both. Thirty-five percent (35%) of the 107, disclosed suffering from NP, while 47% reported suffering from BP. The rest, representing 31 %, suffered from both NP and BP.

Analysis of the Survey Results to Determine the Cause of NP and BP Among Medical Students

Results gathered from the survey were said to be a reflection of the highly stressful environment that students face when taking up medical education. Stressful conditions are present from as early as pre-med studies, in light of the competitiveness of medical school admissions. Apparently, the mental and physical demands of medical education courses can cause musculoskeletal pain; to which marital status and older age increased prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms.

Medical students advancing to the academic level where they have to take the initial phase of the United States Medical Licensing Exams, manifested signs of experiencing the most stress. Stress being related to anxiety over the possible results of said test; being the determinant of their eligibility to apply for specific medical subspecialties. Another notable analysis of the results, is that there was not enough evidence to support a correlation between the number of hours spent sitting, to neck pain and back pain.

Apparently, neck and back pain among medical students were more or less connected with mental stress rather than physical. On a relatively frequent basis, neck pain and back pain are accompanied by headaches. The information gathered can be useful on performing studies about the efficiency of medical students while in a related medical environment. The purpose of which is to work toward the improvement of the musculoskeletal health while undergoing medical training.

Education/Health

June 24, 2019

Charter Schools : Are They Really Serving Their True Purpose?

Charter schools are being opposed on all sides, with the leading 2020 Democratic presidential aspirants aligning their plans with the views of those against charter schools. Senator Bernie Sanders vows to ban all for-profit charter schools if he gets elected. Sen. Elizabeth Warren includes a promise to name a public school teacher as the head of future Department of Education.

Other Democratic hopefuls are less aggressive in their stance but are currently voicing commitment in upholding traditional public schools. Most promises focus on giving public school teachers higher pays and dramatically increasing funding for poor students.

Opposition to charter schools is also coming from local and state officials across the country. Operators looking to expand their charter operations in Midland, Texas and Pender County, North Carolina, as well as in other locations, have withdrawn their applications as a result of community protests. In Chicago, the new mayor has pledged to suspend action on applications for new charter schools.

In light of the 7-day teachers’ strike that took place in Oakland, Los Angeles and Sacramento early this year, California’s Department of Education included in its report a recommendation to impose restrictions on charter schools.

The rising state-level movements against charter schools, has in fact influenced federal lawmakers, particularly Democratic Congressional members. Congress is citing lack of oversight in the use of the $440 million federal funding for the charter school program, posing as sources of the millions of dollars being raked in by operators of said schools.

About Charter Schools in the U.S.

The state of Minnesota was the first to pass state laws recognizing the legality of charter schools. Back in 1991, the concept of charter schools was founded on the premise of establishing a new kind of educational institution where innovations on learning methodologies can be tested. If charter initiatives are proven efficient and effective, traditional public schools can replicate such innovations as a way of improving the outputs of low-performing school districts.

Run autonomously by founding operators, approved charter institutions in different school districts, can hold longer school days or number of years than those observed by traditional public schools. As part of a charter’s experimental nature, a school can introduce new curriculum, employ a dual-language program or any other teaching program that deviates from conventional educational arrangements.

Strong Arguments about Charter Schools

Those in favor of charter schools contend that their educational institution provides an alternative learning environment, as opposed to trapping students in a non-performing school within a district. They are calling attention to charter school data that show exceptionally high rates of college enrollment and graduation achievements by their students.

Those against, accuse charter schools of siphoning government money that can find better use in traditional public schools. Accusations include culling of brightest students with the most involved parents, as a means of artificially creating impressions of high level performance in terms of student achievement
.

Education

May 9, 2019

What are Charter Schools and Why the House Appropriations Committee Proposed a Lower Budget for the Program

Charter schools are educational institutions similar to public schools because they receive government funding, and therefore do not charge tuition fees from students. Yet unlike public schools that offer free education from kindergarten level through Grade 12, charter schools offer only primary and/or secondary education.

Moreover, charter schools may be founded by a for-profit organization or by a non-profit organization composed by a group of teachers or parents, or in some cases, a group of activists. That being the case, charter schools operate in accordance within the bounds of a charter or written contract entered into with the body that approved its operation. The approving body may be the state or district in which it operates, or by the authorizing entity or sponsor.

The operation and administration of a charter school therefore are governed by the charter, a condition that may exempt the educational institution from several government laws and regulations imposed on public schools. Still, charter schools are subject to periodic review and assessment by their respective authorizer. In case a charter school continuously fails to meet the standards specified by its charter, authorization of its operation is revoked, giving reason for the closure of the institution.

Although charter schools have grown in popularity, they are currently being criticized for having loose regulations with regard to public accountability and implementation of labor laws. Oppositions to charter school operations arise mostly from state education agencies, unions or local boards, as not a few public school systems are now airing complaints about losing substantial amounts of funding to charters.

House Appropriations Committee Proposes Reduced 2020 Budget for Charter Schools

Recently, the most critical backlash is being directed against the U.S. Education Department. The Inspector General’s 2018 review of the USED drew focus on the department’s oversight of the Charter Schools Program, a matter that has been reported since 2016. Up to the present, the Inspector General reported that the department has ignored recommendations for improvement regarding the Charter School oversight issue.

In light of the matter raised by the USED Inspector General, the House Appropriations Committe has reduced the 2020 budget appropriation for Charter Schools by $40 million. The committee’s reason for the sharp cut is that

“The Education Department has not acted as responsible steward of taxpayer dollars used to help the charter movement.”

Education