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Forget the days of "pigs-in-a-blanket" and pizza for lunch. Today's public schools are hopping on the fruits and veggies bandwagon with more salad bars coming to schools this year. The new program, dubbed, "Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools," was kicked off at Riverside Elementary School in Miami, Florida this month, according to . Riverside is the first elementary school in the country to enjoy the fresh fruits and vegetables the new salad bar offers.

This video explains how to utilize a new school salad bar in a healthy and safe manner.

The Choice of Riverside

Riverside Elementary was chosen to be the first school in this initiative because students in the school have begun growing their own garden, filled with tomatoes, eggplant, and kale, among other delectable selections. It is hoped that the school will harvest its own produce and bring it directly to the salad bar for lunches and snacks. The garden is grown in cement boxes since the school does not have any additional land to use for growing crops.

Many of the Riverside students are also excited about the prospect of a salad bar in their school lunchroom. Luciano Cabrera, 12, told the Scholastic Press Corps, "[Salad bars] are important because they're nutritious and help you and your bones grow." Ashley Battle, 11, added, "[They're important because they make your brain stronger and give you

Most educators and parents would agree that school needs to be a safe place if children are to successfully learn. However, what that safe place looks like has become a topic of controversy for one Michigan school district. On the one hand, a teacher is being applauded for standing up for homosexual students. On the other hand, that same teacher is being accused of bullying students who voiced their own views of anti-homosexuality based on their religion. Which stand is correct? The verdict is still out.

The Howell Controversy

In a high school about 45 miles northwest of Detroit, a school teacher asked one of his economics students to remove a belt buckle that featured the Confederate flag. The teacher, Jay McDowell, explained that the symbol could be offensive to some of the students in the class. The student readily complied with the request, but the exchange sparked a discussion among other students and the teacher that resulted in two students being asked to leave the classroom, according to a report at Black Christian News.

The first student, 16-year-old Daniel Glowacki, asked McDowell to explain the difference between the confederate flag and the rainbow flag that serves as a symbol of pride for the gay community. (At the time, McDowell was wearing a t-shirt with an anti-gay bullying message.) When McDowell explained the difference, Glowacki responded with, "I don't accept gays." Glowacki went on to explain that homosexuality goes against his Catholic religion, according to

Students are often given rewards by parents when they bring home a sound report card. High school students who excel in academics, sports or other activities are often given monetary incentives to attend particular colleges through scholarships. Why not pay students in primary and secondary schools for making the grade as well?

Studies have recently been conducted to determine whether monetary rewards by the school district would motivate at-risk students to achieve better in school. While the results of these studies have been mixed, the debate over the idea is unmistakable. Although some believe that any method of enticing kids to perform well in school is fair game, others see paying cash for grades as an unnecessary way to encourage students to do what they should already be achieving. Who's right? Let's take a look at both sides of the debate to see.

The Four-City Study

Harvard economist Roland Frye recently conducted a test to find out if offering students monetary rewards for performing well in school could bring up scores on standardized tests. Frye's research results were published in last spring. The study looked at schools in four major cities across the United States: Chicago, Dallas, Washington, and New York.

In New York, fourth through seventh-grade students were paid for their grades on tests. In Chicago, ninth-grade kids were paid for the grades on their report cards. In Washington, middle schoolers earned money based on five different metrics, including

The New Haven public school system, like others across the country, is dealing with a high drop-out rate that leaves many students unable to climb out of their current poverty trap. To help combat the problem in this New England state, Yale University has pledged a large amount of money over the next four years to help high school students in Connecticut go to college without worry over how bills will be paid. Yale has recently announced the New Haven Promise. This new program will allow public high school graduates in Connecticut the opportunity to go to college for free if they qualify for admission and keep their grades up during college.

This video explains how financial aid works at Yale University.

New Haven Promise

New Haven Promise is a scholarship and support program created by the city of New Haven and Yale University. It is designed to reduce the public school drop-out rate by allowing many more New Haven students to attend college.

According to the , the organization hopes to accomplish the following:

• Cultivate an aspiration for higher education among New Haven public school students
• Build a community of support and parental engagement
• Grow the economic development throughout the city of New Haven

The organization wants to be the catalyst that reduces not only drop-out rates but poverty, crime, and incarceration rates in New