Does Your Child Have a Written Expression Disability? Dysgraphia Symptoms and Public School Solutions

Aided by technology, more students cheat in public schools than ever before. While only 20% of students in the 1940s admitted to cheating in school, this statistic has skyrocketed to 75% of today's high school student population, according to Educational Testing Service. From cell phones and text messages to emails, cheating has found technological accomplices.

Cheating Trends

According to the School Library Journal, Dr. Donald McCabe, a management and global business professor at Rutgers, has found that nearly all high school students have admitted to engaging in some form of cheating. Unbelievably, 95 percent of all of McCabe's surveyed students report that they have cheated (at some point) during their educational years! Whether the cheating involved copying homework, sharing answers on a test, or using other tactics, McCabe asserts that most teens participate in these behaviors - often without getting caught.

From surveying the cheating practices of high school students for over six years, McCabe has accumulated data from 24,000 high school students in 70,000 high schools. Based on this extensive data, McCabe found that 64 percent of the students have admitted to engaging in serious test-based cheating (including copying, helping someone during a test, and using hidden notes).

Why Students Cheat

Why do such a large majority of students cheat in school? While cheating was once stereotypically confined to struggling students, today's cheaters are often the "best" students. In fact, according to The Josephson Institute, "Cheating is higher among college-bound

When President Obama accepted his presidency, he pledged to honor his promise to improve our country's public schools. As outlined on the Office of the President-Elect website, Obama and Biden have pledged to invest $10 billion per year to create and sustain early learning programs for lower income families.

In addition, both Obama and Biden hope to utilize stimulus funds to ensure that competent, quality teachers are motivated to serve the lower-income public school communities. Obama is planning to increase the support for teachers in training, allowing rising teachers to receive financial support (through grants and scholarships) by committing to work in poorer school areas.

Despite these positive goals, some critics argue that the stimulus will not actually benefit all of the nation's under-served public schools.

The Lower Income / Urban School Stimulus Incentive

According to Every Child Matters, Obama's proposed stimulus package will provide low income and deprived urban public schools with an incredible financial boost. Specifically, as Every Child Matters outlines, lower income schools may benefit from the following proposals:

• Tax reductions for lower income families (as a continuation of the Child Tax Credit)
• $1.1 billion to double the number of low income children enrolled in early education programs (specifically, Head Start)
• $1 billion to improve the services of Head Start
• Nursing visitation and support for new mothers that meet low-income qualifications, allowing new mothers to learn recommended childcare techniques,which can foster improved child learning habits and better parent-child relationships
• Expansion of Pell Grants for improved training

If your family is currently facing financial difficulties, your children may be eligible for free or reduced-cost meals at school. In today's soft economy, a rising number of students can qualify for food assistance - which is particularly important to providing nutrition that will promote optimal learning.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted initiative in the United States that provides nutritious and affordable meals to school children. It was established in 1946 and is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The primary goal of the National School Lunch Program is to ensure that all students have access to healthy meals during the school day. The program aims to promote the overall well-being and academic performance of children by providing them with balanced and nutritious food options.

Under the NSLP, participating schools receive cash subsidies and food commodities from the USDA to offer free or reduced-price meals to eligible students. The program is available in public, nonprofit private, and residential child care institutions, including pre-kindergarten and afterschool programs.

The NSLP offers a variety of food choices that meet specific nutritional guidelines. These guidelines are designed to provide a balanced mix of protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. The meals served through the program are required to meet certain standards for calories, saturated fat, sodium, and other nutrients.

Parents play a crucial role in the National School Lunch Program. They are responsible for submitting an application for their child

While school campuses are home to fights and violence between students, new research has found that dangers exist off-campus as well. A rising number of investigations and reports are beginning to question the safety of public school buses. Considering that 47 percent of public school students use the bus to travel to and from school, many parents are expressing concern about the safety of their local school's bus system.

Are Public School Buses Safe?

In exploring the specific dangers faced by children utilizing the school bus system, the American Public Health Association (APHA) has found increases in violence on school buses, including verbal, physical, emotional, and sexual violence between students. While there are no major data reports on the total incidences of bus violence occurrences, BJC School Outreach conducted a private survey to question students of all ages about their fears and concerns of violence. According to the surveys, school buses are the second most likely location wherein a student may encounter bullying and/or harassment.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states: "The school bus is the safest vehicle on the road—your child is much safer taking a bus to and from school than traveling by car. Although four to six school-age children die each year on school transportation vehicles, that’s less than one percent of all traffic fatalities nationwide. NHTSA believes school buses should be as safe as possible. That’s why our safety standards for school buses are above and beyond those