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As students head back to school this fall, things may look a little different in some locations. In the aftermath of the Newtown Elementary tragedy, many districts across the country are looking for ways to beef up security procedures to keep students and staff a little safer. In light of those efforts, students may be greeted by new security devices, safety measures, and even armed guards at some schools.

Debates Over Best Security Options

The Courant reports that as schools weighed their options in new security procedures, debate over the best way to protect students and faculty ensued. Armed police guards are often the center of that debate, with some school officials in favor of the action and others opposed. Other issues that have been argued in recent months include arming school administrators and security personnel and allowing teachers to bring guns to school.

This video from ABC News reports on the mounting cries nationwide for better security in our schools.

Carl Sferrazza, police chief for Enfield, Connecticut, is one who agrees armed guards are the best way to keep students safe. Sferrazza told the Courant, “These people are homicidal and suicidal individuals. Their intent and their planning are all geared toward killing as many people as they possibly can.”

However, others liken placing armed guards at the entrances of schools to creating a prison-like atmosphere for students. Nate Quesnel,

An evaluation specialist at one of the largest school districts in the country claims to have found a system for determining academic success from a very young age. The Montgomery County Public Schools employee, Thomas C. West, has announced that he has developed a tracking system that can predict high school dropouts as early as the first grade. Does it work? And more importantly, is it even ethical to use such a system on children just starting out in the wide world of academia?

“Startling Accuracy” Seen with System

reports that West’s tracking formula can predict dropout rates with “startling accuracy.” The formula can be utilized as early as the second semester of first grade and incorporates many of the usual factors for predicting academic success. These factors include behavior issues, reading skills, and frequency of school absences.

A study conducted on the formula by researchers at Johns Hopkins University shows the system can identify 75 percent of future potential dropouts as early as the first grade. According to , the red flags indicate two factors – a lack of student motivation and a lack of academic success. While these factors may not be news to educators, the new identification formula has much more than a little interest.

This video describes early warning systems to support students at risk of dropping out of school.

Getting

has seen its share of challenges in recent years, including a widespread cheating scandal that resulted in the indictments of 35 faculty members and administrators. However, the news coming out of this large school district more recently has been much more positive. The district has just opened the largest and most expensive high schools in Georgia in hopes of raising the district’s image.

North Atlanta High School

The reports the new school, which was constructed in an old I.B.M. building, cost the district a cool $147 million. With 11 stories, a massive parking lot, and breathtaking views, this new high school is sure to become a gold standard for the district. In an area where the average high school costs just over $38 million to construct, North Atlanta High School is sure to catch the attention of residents across the state.

This video shows the demolition of the old IBM building.

Set in one of the wealthiest regions in the state, North Atlanta High School will see around 1,400 students come from wealthy families. However, the school will also boast a diverse student population that is around one-half black, 27 percent white, and 20 percent Hispanic. While some students will come from affluent backgrounds, others will be homeless. The school will also have to grapple with low graduation rates that often accompany such

A private high school in Illinois is raising the stakes on testing. However, the testing in question is not standardized examinations or even pop quizzes in the classroom. This school is adding testing for alcohol consumption to its current tests that randomly screen students for drug use.

Hair Test Detects Alcohol Consumption

The reports that St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, will unveil its random alcohol testing at the start of the new school year. The private Catholic high school has been testing students for drug use for several years and now will use a similar test to check up on students’ alcohol consumption. The alcohol test is a new addition, and the high school will be one of the first in the country to try out this new testing method.

“We’re adding this test because we care about our kids, and we want them to be the best God created them to be,” St. Viator President Corey Brost said at the Huffington Post.

This video describes how Southington High School in Southington, Connecticut, will use a $600 alcohol-detection device similar to a Breathalyzer to screen students for alcohol consumption.

The new test will use hair samples, about the width of pencil lead, to reveal any alcohol use by the student. The test provides information about students who have had two to three drinks a week