Tag Archive: obesity


What We’re Reading

Filed Under: What We're Reading by Tracey Savell Reavis — Leave a comment
November 16, 2012
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. Photo courtesy The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images.

Huffington Post: On Nov. 6, the citizens of San Antonio, Texas, made their voices heard, casting their votes in favor of their children. They voted to adopt the education initiative Pre-K 4 SA, introduced by the mayor of San Antonio, Julian Castro. It is an initiative that calls for a sales tax increase of one-eighth of a cent in order to provide funding for full-day pre-kindergarten programs. The new legislation will increase the number of children enrolled in full-day pre-kindergarten in San Antonio over the next eight years. Castro’s support of education, mirrored by San Antonio City Councilman Rey Saldaña, a Communities In Schools alum, is in line with his vision for the city to create a more educated workforce that will ultimately lead to economic prosperity.

Education advocates have long supported pre-K programs, pointing to numerous studies that show evidence of increased academic performance. And initiatives that bring students to school better prepared to learn and succeed will go a long way in helping Communities In Schools’ mission to help students achieve.

Los Angeles Times: Parent engagement is high on the list when it comes to providing support for students. The Los Angeles Unified School District is taking steps toward increasing parent involvement after receiving funding to improve on-campus parent resource centers.

In these centers, free classes and workshops can help parents with anything from understanding their child’s homework to learning English to financial literacy. The centers aim to make parents feel as if they are an essential part of the campus and are helping in their child’s education.

The LA Board of Education allocated $20 million to revamp outdated centers throughout the district. In this article, the school board noted that it has found having resourceful and engaging parent centers “can result in long-lasting positive effects on improving student achievement.”

The Bunsen Burner: Dr. Francine R. Kaufman used the term “diabesity” in her 2006 book of the same name to appropriately describe the connection between obesity and diabetes. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Children and adolescents who are obese are more likely to be at risk for health problems such as type 2 diabetes.

And if that news was not bad enough, a new study by two Yale University researchers reveals that diabetes has a substantial impact on the high school dropout rate and wage earnings. The study found the high school dropout rate was six percentage points higher among students with diabetes. The research also showed that young adults with diabetes who have one or more parents with the disease are less likely to attend college. And, a person with diabetes can expect to lose more than $160,000 in wages over his or her working life, compared to someone without diabetes.

The good news is diabetes can be managed, or even prevented, through changes in diet, regular exercise and medication. At Communities In Schools, introducing students to programs such as community gardens and cooking demonstrations teaches the value of nutrition, and fitness initiatives place emphasis on physical activity. We provide resources that surround students with support so they graduate and succeed in life. Helping students acquire healthy eating and exercise habits is a great way to accomplish this.

 

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

What We’re Reading

Filed Under: What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
August 17, 2012
read and roll book bus

A librarian helps students check out books from the "Read and Roll Book Bus." Photo courtesy ARLnow.com.

Washingtonian: A study published this week in the journal Pediatrics showed state lawmakers’ work to ban sugary sweets in school is actually having an effect on young people’s waistlines. According to the study, which monitored children from 6,300 public schools in 40 states over a three-year period, children who live in states with strict food laws (including banning soda from school vending machines) gained less weight than children who live in states without such laws.

Many states only ban junk food in elementary schools, but the laws were the most effective when they were applied to the entire school system. By establishing food backpack programs, delivering healthy lunches during the summer break and organizing healthy snack times during the school day, Communities In Schools helps ensure that kids get the food their bodies need to be healthy, and their brains need to focus and succeed in the classroom.

Washington Post: This summer, the crowds of children eagerly standing on neighborhood corners in Arlington, Va., (home of the Communities In Schools national office) weren’t waiting for the ice cream truck. Rather, they were waiting for the “Read and Roll Book Bus,” a mobile library that delivers books to children during the summer break. Containing more than 2,000 donated books, the Read and Roll Book Bus makes up to four weekly stops and even plays a jingle to alert kids that the bus is coming.

Studies have shown that students without access to books during the summer are more likely to forget information from the previous school year than students with access to books, putting them at a disadvantage in the fall. Programs like the Read and Roll Book Bus combat the summer slide by bringing the books to children, free of charge. What an extraordinary, fun idea!

Education Week: What are your memories from the first day of school? This year, more than a million fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other positive male role models are expected to create a lasting memory for their children by accompanying them on the first day of school.

Million Father March, a program created by 10 men from Chicago eight years ago, is now a nationwide movement supporting the important role of men in the growth and well-being of their children. Million Father March leaders anticipate that more than a million men will become engaged in their children’s education this fall by taking them to class on the first day of school – meeting teachers and beginning a year-long commitment of nurturing their kids.

Communities In Schools understands the vital role of male role models in a child’s education. Many of our affiliates actively recruit men to act as mentors and tutors for children who may not have a father figure at home, and organize programs such as the XY Zone and father-son/father-daughter nights to facilitate healthy relationships that benefit children as they learn and grow into responsible adults.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

What We’re Reading

Filed Under: Race Equity, What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
July 20, 2012
students at girls who code camp

Young women learn computer science with nonprofit organization Girls Who Code. Photo courtesy Girls Who Code.

Huffington Post: A new study released this week by Stanford University’s Center for Education Policy Analysis revealed that black and Hispanic students are significantly underrepresented at the nation’s most selective colleges. The study, which analyzed race, income and enrollment patterns at top-tier universities from 1982 to 2004, showed that white students were more likely than black and Hispanic students to not only apply to selective schools, but to gain admission as well.

Stanford’s study also took a look at the enrollment rates of low-income students, independent of race, and revealed that they were underrepresented at high-tier colleges as well. Almost 58 percent of the students enrolled at the nation’s most selective schools come from families in the top quartile of income distribution, while only six percent come from the bottom.

Even though the United States is in the midst of an economic downturn, colleges’ price tags continue to grow. This makes it harder for low-income students to afford an education at more selective schools, which tend to be more expensive. For many students, the price of a post-secondary education is enough to discourage them from even applying. More must be done to help students, regardless of race, ethnicity and income class, be able to afford the schools that best fit their education and career goals.

New York Times: Budget cuts are not only affecting students academically, but physically as well. In its biennial survey of high school students across the nation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported last month that nearly half said they had no physical education classes. In addition, in an attempt to fit more classroom time into the school day, many schools are cutting time from, or entirely eliminating, recess.

While it’s important to make sure students are developing their minds, we must also acknowledge that physical education classes give students the opportunity to expend excess energy, fight obesity, and learn new passions and skills. All of this helps them win in the classroom. Communities In Schools affiliates across the nation offer numerous opportunities for students to be active, including self-defense classes, soccer and basketball clubs, and field trips to bowling alleys and ice skating rinks.

GOOD: With 1.4 million computer science-related job openings expected to be available by 2018, majoring in the subject during college is a pretty safe bet. So why are only 14 percent of women graduating with computer science degrees? Many nonprofits are closing the gender gap by giving young women exciting opportunities to explore computer technology. For example, Girls Who Code is a new nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and equipping 13- to 17-year-old girls with the skills and resources to pursue opportunities in technology and engineering. This month they launched their first intensive summer camp in New York City, where they will be teaching attendants robotics, web design and mobile development, among other subjects.

One of Communities In Schools’ Five Basics is to make sure that every student has a marketable skill to use upon graduation. Organizations like Girls Who Code not only see a gap in the job market, they’re utilizing the Five Basics to make sure young women are prepared to graduate from high school and successfully fill in that gap.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

What We’re Reading

Filed Under: Dropout Epidemic, What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
June 22, 2012
empty desks at national mall

Nonprofit organization College Board placed 857 desks on the National Mall to bring attention to the dropout crisis. Photo courtesy Alex Wong/Getty Images.

New York Times: While it’s a huge, positive milestone when a family is able to leave a homeless shelter and move into a house of their own, it’s rarely the end of the journey. The next big step is making the house a home, which means being able to afford furniture and appliances. While there are many organizations dedicated to helping families transition out of shelters, one new nonprofit in Detroit, Humble Design, is dedicated to helping families find everything they need for the next step, from beds and dressers, to silverware and wall art. Since 2009, Humble Design has used donated and discarded furniture to outfit more than 100 homes for transitioning families.

Many Communities In Schools students are homeless, moving between different shelters and other temporary residences over the course of their childhood. One of the most important things a student needs to succeed in school is a safe, stable place to call “home.” Organizations like Humble Design are helping to meet that need by transforming houses into comfortable and welcoming spaces.

9 News Now: Even though Washington, D.C. is in the midst of a heat wave this week, it certainly isn’t deterring thousands of tourists from visiting the National Mall. Anyone who braved the heat and took a walk to the Washington Monument on Thursday was greeted with 857 empty school desks, representing the students who drop out every hour of every school day.

The display was organized by the nonprofit organization College Board, and is intended to call upon leaders—including this year’s presidential candidates—to make education reform a prominent issue in their campaigns.

Students who drop out are more likely to live in poverty, earn thousands less over a working lifetime, suffer poor health, be dependent on public assistance or enter the criminal justice system. Read our fact sheet on the dropout crisis to learn more about the social and economic impact of dropping out of school.

CBS: On Wednesday, the nation’s largest physician’s group announced that they support having as a requirement yearly instruction aimed at educating students about obesity. The American Medical Association (AMA) agreed to back legislation that would require students at all levels of public schools be taught about the causes, consequences and prevention of obesity.

For students living in poverty, eating healthy food is not always an option. Many urban neighborhoods across the United States lack proper grocery stores, leaving parents unable to purchase fresh produce for their families. In addition, healthier foods tend to be more expensive. Families trying to feed themselves with food stamps are unable to afford healthy food without making financial sacrifices elsewhere.

Communities In Schools knows that every child needs healthy food in order to focus in class and learn. Across our network, our site coordinators make sure that every child gets the meals they need. They also organize numerous activities that students can participate in to exercise, stay in shape and have fun.

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment

What We’re Reading

Filed Under: Race Equity, Research, What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
May 25, 2012
Truck Farm Chicago's truck

Truck Farm Chicago is a traveling garden; it drives across the city to teach children and families about the value of healthy food. Photo courtesy Food Truck Chicago.

New York Times: A recent New York Times analysis revealed that while the New York City public school system initially appears racially diverse, in reality the schools are highly segregated. About 650 of the nearly 1,700 schools in the system have populations that are 70 percent a single race. This causes many students to live in what the author of the article calls a “hermetic reality;” studies have shown that not giving students the opportunity to learn with children of other races and cultures eventually erodes their academic progress and leaves them unprepared for the diversity of life outside the classroom. While the article offers little in the way of solutions to this problem, we all must do more to make sure children are exposed to a wide variety of cultures and races. Not only so that they are better prepared to compete in the global market, but also to open their minds to the wide world of opportunities around them.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: This month, Indiana University handed out the United States’ first bachelor’s degrees in philanthropic studies. According to Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy, the philanthropic studies degree is a liberal arts program designed to produce future nonprofit leaders who are not only well-versed in the day-to-day operations of nonprofit management, but also comfortable with weighing the philosophical questions they may encounter. Communities In Schools always makes sure students receiving our services know about the value of philanthropy and giving back. In fact, giving back to peers and community is one of our Five Basics. It’s wonderful to see a college major dedicated to the subject!

GOOD: Nonprofit organization Truck Farm Chicago is taking the term “food truck” quite seriously. A Ford truck with a small garden in the truck bed, Truck Farm Chicago drives back and forth across the city to teach children and their families about the environment and healthy eating. In a city where childhood obesity exceeds the national average, this is an extremely important lesson to impart. Communities In Schools works hard to make sure children understand the value of healthy eating as well. Our affiliates work with local organizations such as food banks to provide cooking classes so that children know how to make their own healthy meals. We also have community gardens across the nation, giving students and their families access to a constant supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Tags: , , , ,
Comment