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Depending on your child’s school and state policies, your son or daughter may not be able to attend their first day of class until they’re fully vaccinated. In an attempt to reduce common illnesses and eliminate potentially fatal or harmful diseases, medical leaders have created mandates that command all kids to be vaccinated. According to many experts, students who are not vaccinated are susceptible to an array of prospective health issues.

While these regulations were created to help protect all children, many parents argue that the vaccines pose too many unknown risks. Ultimately, a new debate has emerged: are these mandatory vaccines helping or hurting our children?

Why Vaccinate?

According to , by the time a child is 2 years old, he or she has most likely been injected with over 20 vaccines to prevent various health problems. Aligning with this early treatment method, most public schools demand that all children are vaccinated for common child-related sicknesses, including vaccines to prevent illnesses such as:

• Mumps
• Measles
• Chickenpox
• Flu
• Meningitis
• Tetanus

In addition to a wide spectrum of other potential preventative vaccines, the (CDCP) asserts that immunization regulations must be enforced to protect all children in society. Ultimately, with the support of vaccinations, medical leaders, along with CDCP, believe that optimal immunization against illnesses is the best way to prevent a widespread breakout of common contagious diseases. Since children are forced into a small classroom area with countless physical interactions in a given

With classrooms becoming more diverse, public schools are experimenting with new language programs to enhance ESL student learning.

ESL students, standing for English as a Second Language, typically need additional resources and support to adjust to the various linguistic complications of learning a new language. As a result, ESL students typically require additional funding.

However, as public schools are coping with reduced funding due to the economic recession, educational experts debate the best approach to balancing school budgets while caring for each child’s language development. To save costs, some schools and states have created mandatory full inclusion programs, where ESL students are immersed in a regular-paced English class with fluent English speakers. This strategy will reduce the costs of ESL specialists while still engaging ESL students in an atmosphere for learning.

While this approach helps balance school budgets, many educators and parents argue that the full-inclusion classroom is ineffective for both fluent and ESL children.

51����s and ESL Programs

As The Multicultural Education Journal explains, the 2001 national mandate, No Child Left Behind, required all public schools to help ESL students become proficient in English, as both fluent and ESL students are mandated to meet state and national achievement standards. While public schools are legally required to provide educational support for ESL kids, many experts assert that the current approach is ineffective and flawed. As the number of minority students is rising each year in the United States, experts predict that by the

Through President Obama’s stimulus plans, public schools across the country are gearing up for a new source of income. Subsequently, many community members are wondering how their local schools will choose to spend the new funds. According to national reports, many schools are choosing to spend their stimulus money in unique, and much needed ways.

Public Education Stimulus Package

As reports, public schools across the country are being provided with an incredibly large stimulus check to boost school and student performance. Specifically, the new public school stimulus package is designed to provide specialized support and assistance to schools serving special education students, homeless children, and lower-income families with children. With these focus areas, the package has set aside approximately $712 million dollars for public schools.

As schools debate ways to most effectively use the funds, the United States Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, asserts that school leaders should strive to think in new, different, and creative ways. For example, as AJC further reveals, “Schools can spend the money on one-time expenses —- such as teacher training or technology aides for students with disabilities —- that can have long-term benefits for student learning.”

This video reports on President Obama's Race to the Top program.

In analyzing the funds set aside to initiate new and improved programs, reveals that, in addition to directly targeted funding

Whether our economy is growing or declining, high school prom is almost always guaranteed to be a costly event. With the price of tickets, the cost of renting a suit, buying a dress, paying for hair appointments, and even hiring fancy transportation, students often shell out hundreds of dollars for this ultimate high school dancing celebration.

To provide students who are struggling to scrounge up the cash for all of the prom’s accouterments, many schools and leaders are creating programs and groups to stimulate community-wide support. As prom allows soon to be graduates to celebrate their long paths of education, many school leaders assert that the students should be rewarded for their efforts without worrying over how to pay for all of the costs.

This video offers suggestions on how to save money prom expenses.

The Price for Prom

As proms have become increasingly more extravagant over the years, the price for students desiring to attend has similarly soared to often outrageous heights. As USA Today reports in their article, “Prom Costs HOW Much?”, many families are struggling to afford all of prom’s “necessities.” According to USA Today, a single night of prom can cost around $400 to even $3,000 and up! According to the report, students tend to add items to the prom tab that include:

• $90 to $150 for transportation
• $10 to $125 (and up) for prom tickets
• $25 to $100 on cameras and photography
• $70 to $250 on a rental tuxedo
• $150 to $500 (and up) for