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In neighborhoods across the country, students spend a significant portion of their waking hours in their public schools. Most of these students worry about how they will do on their next math test or whether their parents will let them go to the upcoming school dances. Few fret about whether they will get physically harmed by simply walking through their school hallways. However, in one of the most dangerous schools in Philadelphia, physical safety is a top concern for the students who attend that institution daily.

Introducing Strawberry Mansion

Strawberry Mansion, a public high school in North Philadelphia, consistently makes the list of the . According to , the school has reported 10 violent incidents for every 100 students every year for the past five years. In this school year alone, 49 reports of everything from fires to teacher attacks have been documented inside or outside the school building.

Strawberry Mansion has a student population of 435 students at the beginning of this past school year, located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The community also has a high crime rate, an influx of illegal guns, and frequent property damage. Amid this environment, high school students head to school each morning, unsure of what the day will hold for them.

This video from Nightline reports on Strawberry Mansion high school.

A High School

Technology is coming to the Los Angeles Unified School District in a very widespread way this fall, as district officials have unveiled a plan to put an Apple iPad in the hands of every student in the district. The ambitious endeavor could eventually encompass more than 900 school campuses and 640,000 students between kindergarten and 12^th grade.

Coming Soon to a Los Angeles School Near You

reports that the deal between Apple and one of the largest school districts in the country will total more than $30 million when all is said and done. More than the money, a distribution this widespread positions Apple as the technology leader in education, at least on the West Coast where students will now be using their device in mass. The partnership will begin with the distribution of 31,000 iPads, which will be distributed at 47 campuses throughout the district this fall.

According to TelecomTiger, the Apple iPad was chosen by the school district because it has been rated the highest in quality and will be one of the most cost-effective means for bringing technology into the district on such a grand scale. The review panel that chose the iPad over other devices included both teachers and students in the district. By 2014, the district plans to ensure every student has one of these devices in their possession. Apple executives believe that the distribution to the school district with match their corporate philosophy as well.

“Education is

The idea of community schooling is not new, but it has presented significant challenges to Philadelphia 51±¬ÁÏs. Community schools have cropped up in various locations around the country and have proved their worth to students and the surrounding neighborhoods. As Philadelphia takes yet another look at the feasibility of community schools in this large district, it is an opportune time to examine the many potential benefits this school model provides.

This video reports on community schools in Philadelphia.

What is a Community School?

According to the Coalition for Community Schools website, this school model features a partnership between the school and other community resources. The model recognizes that the learning process does not occur in a vacuum and that students bring other factors to the table when they come to class every day. The community school strives to address as many of those factors as possible, to ensure students of all backgrounds and income levels have the best possible shot at academic success.

A true community school goes well beyond the academic realm, however. These full-service institutions offer health care, social services, and support systems in addition to a wide range of academic options. Community schools also extend their hours and access to ensure all members of the community that require these services may find what they need right at the school.

In addition to offering a wide range of services, a

At a time when many schools are pushing churches out in the interest of separation of church and state, one large Florida school district is actually welcoming churches in. Duval County, as well as other Florida school districts, appears to be learning the delicate dance between accepting help from community churches without bringing religion into the school setting. As the two coordinate efforts, it seems the biggest winners in this new partnership are the students the schools – and churches – aim to serve.

An Unlikely Partnership

The reports that First Coast churches are coming to the aid of many schools in the area, with surprisingly positive results. The first step toward this unlikely partnership was the school system, which approached a Christian non-profit, Campus Crusade for Christ, five years ago. One of the employees of the organization, Ken Vensel, was surprised when school officials asked the organization for help with a faith-based initiative for the schools. However, Vensel took the request to heart and organized a group of faith leaders in the area to come together in providing the services schools were looking for.

The result has been a number of partnerships between schools and faith leaders throughout the state, including Duval County where the needs are often great. In one Duval elementary school, Windy Hill, nearly 70 percent of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunches. Churches can help these schools in a variety of ways, offering

College and professional sports teams have a medical staff to screen players and keep them healthy on and off-season. However, high school athletes rarely have the same services available to them. Many cannot afford medical care on their own, and family physicians may not have the time or knowledge to help these young athletes achieve their top performance level in the safest way possible. In San Francisco, one organization hopes to change that by providing high school students with the medical care they need to stay at the top of their game.

About PlaySafe

According to the , PlaySafe is a program provided by the Sports Medicine Center at the University of California, San Francisco. The program is designed as an outreach serving student-athletes throughout the Bay area. The program was created in response to the death of a San Francisco Unified School District football player in 2002. PlaySafe strives to avoid similar tragedies in the future through comprehensive screenings and medical care both on and off the field.

Services provided by PlaySafe include:

• Education – Training for coaches, parents, and officials, periodic conferences and community outreach programs, and internships for students interested in careers in sports medicine
• Sports Medicine Care – Both on-site care and coverage of sports events, as well as training room development
• Medical Screenings – Physical examinations, cardiac screenings, and wrestling weight management programs
• Referrals – Access to the UCSF sports medicine referral network, priority admittance to the sports