Bullying: Although it’s often mistakenly considered a normal part of growing up, bullying is a serious problem that affects millions of children and adolescents. Almost 30% of US teens–more than 5.7 million–are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both.read more
On Martin Luther King Day, we remember the hard task of integrating our society–starting with our schools. Now there’s another reason why this is important: it turns out that the good grades that high schoolers earn aren’t just good for making the honor roll–they also make them healthier as adults, too.
Studies have long shown that education is linked to better health, but new research shows that higher academic performance in high school plays a critical role in better health throughout life. The higher a study participant’s high school rank was, the lower the probability that participant experienced worsening health between 1992 and 2003, when the class members neared retirement age.
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They’re in the wrong PLACES! – Living near major highways has been linked to childhood asthma, and so is going to school that is located near a highway, despite the fact that time spent at school only accounts for about one third of children’s waking hours. As a new school-building program develops across the country, we need to make sure we don’t create a health emergency for our kids.
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness in developed countries and has been linked to environmental factors such as traffic-related air pollution (also bugs!)
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Bullies: it turns out EVERYONE is a victim, including the bullies THEMSELVES – Now that school is starting, the perpetual problem of bullies is on people’s minds again. Whether you or your child is beginning his or her first day of kindergarten, or starting that last year of high school, bullying is a reality every student will face.
Thank goodness there is no definitive evidence that bullying makes kids more likely to kill themselves. But life takes revenge on bullies?even if the students who are bullies can’t always do it themselves. Compared to their victims, bullies experience a significantly higher risk of a wide range of health, safety and educational problems.
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