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Weight issues among children have become such a problem in this country that some experts are mulling over whether to deem obesity an actual epidemic. According to a report at , the number of overweight children in the United States has doubled over the past three decades. Nearly 25 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are considered obese by current standards. When children gain too much weight during their younger years, they are at much higher risk for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Schools have recognized the obesity problem in this country, and many are taking steps to address it right in their school lunchrooms.

Bringing Nutrition to the Classroom

From coast to coast, schools across the country have taken the necessary steps to ensure their students are treated to nutritious foods throughout the school day. From removing sugar-laden drinks and snacks from vending machines to stocking school cafeterias with an array of healthy fare, these learning institutions are taking the obesity scare to heart. Some even provide their students with home-grown produce, thanks to agreements with local farmers or gardens on school property.

Students are learning to make healthier food choices and discovering that nutrition-packed fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can make for a tasty meal. Some schools are incorporating taste tests or time in the garden with their classrooms to encourage students to try new foods and

The No Child Left Behind Act signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2001 promised to provide schools with the necessary incentives to raise the bar on the quality of education across the country. The bill emphasized stringent, standardized testing that would effectively identify underachieving schools. Those schools and school districts would be threatened with the prospect of limited funding if they did not bring their test scores up to the national average. The ultimate goal of No Child Left Behind was to ensure every student in the United States was reading and writing proficiently by 2014.

The Deadline is Looming

This year marks the deadline for many schools to bring their standards up to par or face significant funding cuts by the federal government. While the theory behind No Child Left Behind sounded good on paper, school officials are now seeing the problems with the act, as nearly 80 percent of the nation’s schools may receive a failing mark according to federal standards. This means that either the majority of schools in the country could lose important funding at a time when budget cuts are already impacting the quality of education in many districts.

The summer months have been a turbulent time for No Child Left Behind. On the one hand, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has hinted that he might relax standards – or provide waivers – to schools that are unable to make the grade before the next school year

Public schools have faced a myriad of challenges during the current economic slowdown, with budget cuts forcing everything from firing faculty to cutting programs. To help alleviate the financial pinch, some schools are turning to commercialism to make ends meet. By selling advertisements on scoreboards, school buses, and even student lockers, school districts are able to gain enough income to make up for some of their budget shortfalls. However, this practice is a controversial one, as parents and community members ponder whether advertising in and around schools is sending the right message to students. We’ll take a look at both sides of this heated issue.

A History of School Advertising

Selling advertising on school buses began nearly two decades ago in Colorado, and it quickly spread to other states like Texas, Arizona, and Massachusetts. According to a report in the New York Times, Utah became the latest state to allow the practice, signing a bill to allow school bus advertising just one month ago. New Jersey also joined the pack this year, signing a law in January. The ads on buses can generate a significant amount of revenue, with advertisements in the prominent location selling for as much as $150,000 to $250,000, according to the Ad Nauseum blog posted by the New York Law School.

Although school bus advertising has been revving for some time, it is not the first bout of commercialism to hit public schools across the country. Advertising in yearbooks

Vaccinations have become a common way for parents and health care professionals to protect children from contracting potentially dangerous illnesses. Shots that prevent measles, mumps and even chicken pox have become commonplace in most pediatrician’s offices and health centers today. While the immunizations have dramatically reduced the incidence of many of these diseases, some are making a reappearance at a rather alarming rate. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has been spreading by nearly epidemic proportions in some areas of the country, prompting public health officials to crack down on immunization requirements for children in public schools.

What is Pertussis?

According to , pertussis is a very contagious bacterial illness that results in a violent cough that can make it difficult to breathe. Patients who contract the cough make a wheezing or “whooping” noise during the coughing spells when they try to catch their breath, which is why the illness is also referred to as whooping cough. The disease can affect people of all ages and is particularly dangerous to infants. There is no cure for pertussis, and a bout of the illness usually runs about six weeks. During that time, the patient can infect numerous others, which is why the vaccination was originally developed and is now widely used.

Making a Return

While the vaccination had made pertussis all but disappear for many years, the illness appears to be on the rise once again. Schools across the country are seeing an increased incidence