What You Need to Know About Public Schools in a Recession

Despite protests from parents and teachers, many students adopt and embrace habits of insomnia during their essential school years. Especially in the middle and high school years, many young teens receive far less than the recommended average amount of sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) suggests that all people—both teens and adults—should receive at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Despite this recommendation, however, studies show that most students receive less than 6.5 hours of sleep each night. According to experts, the amount of sleep a student receives during his or her school years ultimately influences the outcome of each student’s academic performance.

The Significance of Sleep

As reported by BC Heights, a 2007 study of sleeplessness revealed that a lack of sleep leads to an array of health problems. Specifically, a lack of sleep actually drops the number of white blood cells in the body. With a loss of white blood cells, the body’s immune system is also taxed and less powerful. In a 2007 study, as experts examined the influence of sleep in rats, scientists discovered that after significant and consistent sleep loss, the rats’ immune systems eventually completely failed.

While sleep helps restore our immune systems and bodies, the role of sleep in one’s academic abilities is a bit more unique. As the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) supports, sleep is not only

In the wake of nearly 10 years of increased school violence, all public schools are legally required to possess specific lockdown and emergency response procedures. Specifically, middle schools and high schools, which experience greater safety breaches due to their age groups, should frequently practice their emergency response protocols to ensure that all students and staff are ready to respond in the rare case of a serious emergency or threat. An awareness of the public school’s emergency protocols can help protect all community members—especially the students.

This video outlines how to set up a protocol for handling a crisis situation.

Types of Emergency Response

Public schools have different “threat levels” that result in specific emergency responses. For example, Montgomery Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland employ two specific threat level procedures. The first type of threat is labeled as “code blue.” A “code blue” threat signifies that there is an emergency or serious crisis near the school. In the case of a “code blue,” all Montgomery administrators announce appropriate information to the whole school, resulting in immediate teacher response.

Teachers in a “code blue” situation are to ensure that no students in the building are unsupervised. Classroom instruction continues, however, students are not permitted to leave the building unsupervised. While a “code blue” can potentially turn into a serious situation, this type of threat is generally not a

The elementary school years play a formative role in shaping a child’s self-esteem and confidence. Children with high self-esteem typically tackle new challenges more effectively, achieve more success in school, and generally exhibit fewer personal and behavioral issues.

On the contrary, children with low self-esteem tend to experience higher levels of anxiety and frustration. Additionally, low self-esteem can cause children to become passive and withdrawn from school and friends. As self-esteem plays a critical role in a child’s overall personality development, attitude, and persona, parents can utilize five specific strategies to boost their child’s positive feelings and confidence.

Five Strategies for Self Esteem

According to the Nemours Foundation, self-esteem is the term that is used to describe a child’s general feelings of self-worth. Self-esteem is often gauged by how one collectively feels about him or herself, and self-esteem also influences our personal beliefs about our abilities, desires, and interests.

The Nemours Foundation further articulates that parents play a large role in their child’s development of esteem: “As kids try, fail, try again, fail again, and then finally succeed, they develop ideas about their own capabilities. At the same time, they're creating a self-concept based on interactions with other people.” Experts assert that parents should implement specific strategies to encourage the positive development of their child’s esteem and confidence.

1. Use Positive Encouragement

One of the best ways to boost self-esteem in

New struggles and challenges must be confronted at each grade level during a child’s academic development. Specifically, in the public high school years, many teens struggle to stay organized, facing difficulty managing their assignments and agendas. The high school years open students to far more freedoms, social opportunities, new technologies, and countless distractions. Subsequently, many teens cannot seem to figure out how to manage all of their obligations.

Being organized is an essential skill that will help your teen as he or she grows into an adult. Research shows that organized students develop habits that will help them perform better in school and in the long term in their professional and adult life. Thankfully, there are several ways parents can continue to guide their teenage children toward greater organization and self-management.

Secrets to Teenage Organization

One of the main reasons many parents struggle to guide their teenage children towards organization is the common teenage desire for freedom from their parents. As teens encounter more privileges and responsibilities, they want to break free from the parental nest.

During this period of unrest and self-discovery, teens quickly feel overwhelmed and disorganized. As teens desire more freedom and self-control, parents are often pushed away as they try to intervene. Despite this power struggle, parents can still offer guidance and support.

Set the Boundaries

First and foremost, if your teen is among the many who desire to assert their independence, you must first set and explain clear boundaries and expectations.