High School Science Fair Ideas

Presenting the best high school science fair idea will always be a challenge to the school children as well their educators or mentors. The reason being such a scientific endeavor is a source of enlightenment and entertainment for the public, who visit the high school science fairs and witness one as a strong motivational tool to other enthusiastic children.

The high school science fair infuses the spirit of scientific inquiry into the students, who present the idea and initiate it into the art of pedagogy, as they explain the working of their models to the visitors. There are many institutions that offer great awards for the best presented high school science fair idea. Occasionally, the winners of the science fair are offered a scholarship from college, and this honor certainly increases the likelihood that one will be accepted at the college of their choice.

Furthermore, the best presented high school science fair idea will also receive immense publicity. The best presented high school science fair idea also boasts about the facilities and infrastructure that the institution has to the visiting public.

People, who browse through the best high school science fair ideas, appreciate the wonderful capabilities of the child, presenting it.

A successful and meaningful high school science fair idea is the one that highlights at least one of the pressing national and global problems along with the proposal of possible solutions to it. This will be achieved if the idea could be a presentation of any of the following, though not limited to these:

Idea of presenting models of blood circulation and blood supply through the heart muscle

A model demonstrating how the coronary arteries harden and how important it is to modify the lifestyle to avoid dreadful heart conditions

HIV has been rampantly spreading and if an idea is conceived with a 3-D model of HIV, and of the various ways, it is transmitted from patients to healthy persons including fetuses, it would be useful. Moreover, the action of virus on the T lymphocytes and the opportunistic infections that HIV predisposes to along with a chart showing the safe sex practices to prevent AIDS can also be supportive to the project.

Ideas incorporating models displaying the mechanisms that underlie the natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tsunami, etc., the guidelines to predict and forecast them, along with the flowchart of steps to be taken when disasters really strike can also be attractive as well as address some issues.

High school science fair ideas incorporating the working models of ozone depletion, temperature inversion, smog development, and formation of greenhouse gases and acid rain, tests for detecting common pollutants in water, air and soil will be apt for the current scenario. An idea of measurement kits for determining the decibel levels of noise on a busy street, an idea of model of a rain water purification plant and idea of recycling non-degradable materials can always be creative and informative.

The high school science fair idea, best conceived and presented generally, leaves behind happy memories in the students, who had participated in it, along with the visitors.

Jordan Matthews is a High School Math and Science teacher who has worked as a judge and a coordinator of many science fairs. Check his Science Fair Project ideas website for some more ideas and information about winning projects that will earn you excellent grades.

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Conducting a Science Fair Experiment in Middle School

Some middle school students get excited when it is time to do a science fair project. Others tremble in fear at the thought of the work and time it takes to do such an experiment. By the time a child reaches middle school, the subjects are more complex and involved than they were in elementary school. Here are some ideas and tips for middle school science projects that should help even the most uninterested student take notice.

The first step to doing a middle school science project is to pick a subject that interests the student. It is a lot easier to complete a project when it is fun and exciting. Many students may have a hobby and they don't even realize that there may be a method behind what they love. For instance, if your child is into working on jigsaw puzzles, explain to them that they can do a science project on "Brain Power." This relates to psychology, which is science of the mind or mental processes. The topic of psychology opens a world of ideas and presentations that a student can do a project on. They can pick the broad topic of psychology, or pinpoint their project to human behavior or how the brain functions.

The next step in working on a middle school science project involves research. The student must gather data and cite sources for their research. Great places to utilize for this task include using the Internet, encyclopedias, magazines, and specific books on their topic. Data is extremely important to a science project because it helps to prove or disprove a theory, and it helps people understand why things happen the way they do. A student must also be prepared to write a short report about their findings on their project.

Another reason that research is so important to a science project is that there is a good chance people are going to ask questions about the project. This part of a presentation can make some students freeze in their tracks, but it doesn't have to be that way. Thorough research and understanding of what you read will make this part of the project easier. A student should act relaxed and natural when they are discussing their projects with others, and being prepared ahead of time will help relieve any sense of anxiety.

Conducting an experiment is the best part of a middle school science project. This is where the student gets down and dirty, and conducts a physical action that backs up their data and report. It is important that the student have all of the necessary materials to do the experiment accurately. It is no fun to show off your hard work and not have your experiment work right. The student should also document each step of the experiment on paper in a way that someone else could read their notes and do the experiment the exact same way.

Finally, a student should present their experiment with an interesting and eye-catching display. It should attract onlookers to come and see what is going at your exhibit. Consider having handouts that people can take with them, present your display with colors and clipart, and, if possible, wear a uniform that helps portray what type of scientist would study the field based around your project. In other words, be creative.

As you can see, a middle school science project can be fun and rewarding. It takes effort. It takes time. But, the finished project is something that students can be proud of.

Jordan Matthews is a High School Math and Science teacher who has worked as a judge and a coordinator of many science fairs. Check his Science Fair Project ideas website for some more ideas and information about conducting high-quality science fair projects.

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Combine Fundraiser and Elementary School Science Fair

Science is the one subject in elementary schools that teachers do not focus enough on. They are busy teaching history, math, and reading. All of those subjects are necessary, but science is the subject that creates imagination and excitement which later translates into invention and new technologies. Science fair projects for elementary schools are a great way for kids to get excited about science.

If you are holding an Elementary School Fundraiser than consider holding it at the same time as your science fair. It's a perfect theme for your elementary school fundraising project.

Science fairs are always a highlight for any elementary student. The great thing about these science projects is that you can do what ever you want. The teacher cannot tell you exactly what to do. The kids have to create something that they thought of, and then go through the scientific method to prove or disprove it. They also get to present it to the class, and if it is good enough they can go to the city, district, regional, or even national level. It is always a fun event for every kid involved.

There are also elementary school science lessons that get kids excited. In fact, almost every science lesson is exciting. They are so much more entertaining than reading books and learning about history. The kids get to experiment hands on and learn about how science is constantly surrounding us. A popular science lesson is the parachute egg experiment. This is when the teacher gives the students a few supplies like toilet paper, an egg, a roll of tape, and a small box. Then the teacher explains that the students need to create something that will protect the egg and not let it crack when the drop if from a two story building. The kids have an hour two create this parachute or box or whatever they want to make. Then each kid tests theirs one by one to see if they passed. This is such a fun experiment because it gets the kids talking and thinking instead of just sitting and listening. Teachers also like it because it is a fairly cheap experiment, (although cleaning it up is not always fun).

Whether it is a science fair project or a science lesson, getting kids excited about science is the most important thing. Many famous inventors and scientists were young kids once with a science fair project and a little dream. Keeping kids excited about science is not only benefiting the kids, but will also benefit us in the years to come when they invent new vaccines and inventions that will change our lives.

Howard Gottlieb

I write about fundraising and fundraising ideas.

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Best Elementary School Science Projects

Looking for elementary school science projects your students will love? Consider raising monarch butterflies which will be your students favorite fall or spring earth science projects.

Raising monarch butterflies is easy and very fascinating. Your students will learn about life cycles, butterfly stages, metamorphosis, migration and more.

You can combine a separate plant science project growing the host plant (monarch caterpillar food) which is tropical milkweed. Tropical Milkweed is very easy to grow from seed and if you start this plant science unit after Christmas vacation the students will grow enough monarch caterpillar food to raise monarch

butterflies in the spring before school is over.

Would you prefer to raise monarchs in the fall as an elementary school science project? This can be your first science unit when you return from summer break. There is plenty of common milkweed growing in most parts of the country to feed the monarch caterpillars, so this makes for an easy science project idea.

If you are looking for school bulletin board ideas, try one on the life cycle of the monarch butterfly to reinforce the elementary school science projects of raising butterflies. Consider a winter plant

science bulletin board idea focusing on growing the tropical milkweed.

These butterfly science projects are great for kindergarten through 8th grade.

Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade - raise several caterpillars as a class, the students help care for the caterpillars and observe the changes and stages of the monarch butterfly focusing on life cycles
3rd grade, 4th grade and 5th grade - study more in detail the life cycle measuring growth of the caterpillars and their instars, journal observations of the stages and caterpillar behavior and study the migration of the monarch butterfly
6th grade, 7th grade and 8th grade - raise their own monarch butterflies, learn what actually happens inside of the chrysalis as the butterfly is formed and follow the monarch butterfly migration online
Want to know more about getting your students to love science? Get detailed information at the resources below for these elementary science projects.

Karen Fish has created a website to share her passion for Raising Monarch Butterflies.

Step by step information on raising monarchs in the classroom as elementary school science projects can be found at http://www.glorious-butterfly.com/elementary-school-science-projects.html

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Summer Science Fair Projects Can Entertain Your Child and Give a Head Start on Next School Year

Summer vacation can be filled with days of boredom for elementary-age children. Parents struggle to find activities which fill time, and, if on a budget, do not involve large expense. Planning several cool science projects can serve a dual purpose - keeping a child's mind busy and active and possibly discovering an award winning science project that can be used next school year, when a busy family can dread the coming science fair projects season.

For elementary students, here are a few simple ideas that are low cost and enjoyable but, as well, could turn into super science fair projects.

1. Which shape of kite will fly best? For this project, some research on the shapes and sizes will be necessary, either at the library or on the Internet. It will be important that the materials remain the same, only the shape changing. Other variations of this project could also include materials used, size of kite, different wind velocities, etc. The possibilities are endless.

2. Which type of boat hull has the greatest stability or buoyancy? Which can carry the most weight or glide the farthest? Again, there are about six different hull types, and your child can make boats from milk cartons with each type of hull, testing for each factor. Nothing like a cheap and easy science fair project!

3. Which type of swimming bird feet are the speediest? Which type allows the most maneuverability? This is a quick and easy science fair project for a swimmer! Purchasing three pair of swim fins and then cutting them into three different shapes is all you need for supplies. Let your swimmer come up with the variables for which he or she tests and, perhaps, have a winning science fair project!

5. How about parachutes from black trash bags? Which shape, size, or string type is best? Change the materials used and test again. This would be an awesome science project for two friends to complete together.

Prize winning science fair projects are often those that require far less expense than one would think. Planning and implementing elementary science fair projects during the summer can give the entire family a head start when the school year begins.

Madeline Binder, M.S. Ed, M.S. Human Services Counseling

Summer is a great time for conducting earth science experiments that can evolve into science fair projects next year. Science Fair Projects.com will help you organize your child's experiments into a submission-ready project.

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Middle School Science Fair Projects Made Fun and Easy

Middle school science fair projects are a transition phase for students, neither too elementary nor too high school level. However, just because it is your transition stage does not mean that you have to be ambivalent about your middle school science experiments, far from it. Instead, you should show off your accumulated knowledge and passionate interest in science by adopting any of the following projects. Just remember that before you choose one, you should have assessed in which field of science you are most interested in. This way, you will be more motivated to do your research, conceptualize your project and then accomplish your vision.

Renewable Energy

One of the hottest topics for middle school science fair projects today is renewable energy in the form of solar power and wind turbines. You can tap into this interest by constructing a model of how solar panels and/or wind turbines work to provide energy and electricity to home and industries. This is probably one of the easiest and yet most eye-catching middle school science fair projects for many reasons. For one thing, you can purchase ready-made, easy-to-assemble and easy-on-the-pocket kits for solar energy and wind power science projects. For another thing, you can make it as eye-catching as possible with the addition of houses and buildings complete with lights.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

You may also purchase a ready-made kit for the hydrogen fuel cell car, which provides for 30 distinct experiments. You will be able to demonstrate the workings and benefits of the energy-efficient car, which is one of the more notable inventions technologies of the century. Among the experiments contained in the kit are the uses of solar power for vehicle power, the utilization of fuel cell to separate the oxygen and hydrogen atoms in water, and demonstration of electrolysis. Well, of course, you can always make your own experiments just so your middle school science fair projects stand out from the rest of the competition.

Magnetic Levitation Train

Now this is one science fair project that is absolutely possible! You will, of course, need to do your research about the principle behind the magnetic levitation train, purchase the necessary materials like ceramic magnets for the lifter-rails, wood for the guide rails and model cars, and then execute your drawings and plans. You can then perform experiments with the completed Maglev train set such as using gravity to push the car forward and using the car itself to move something along its path. You can be very creative, maybe even perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of your experiments.

Resurrecting the Dead

Fishes, that is. You are basically recreating the technology of cryonics where dead fishes are placed in a state of suspended animation, which is used in Japan to preserve the freshness of the day's catch. As part of your middle school science fair projects, you can follow the example of two brothers who supposedly resurrected a dead goldfish by using Mountain Dew, water and a 9-volt battery. Of course, you have to do it on a trial and error basis but that's where the fun of discovery lies. However, conduct your research before you go about killing all the goldfishes in your home's aquarium.

With these ideas for middle school science fair projects, you will definitely get the attention of the judges and do yourself, your parents and your teachers proud.

For more middle school science fair projects and step-by-step instructions, visit http://www.easy-kids-science-experiments.com. Be sure to check out the site for tons of simple science projects elementary science experiments, middle school, and high school science.

© Copyright 2009. Feel free to reprint this article on your site as long as the article is not modified in any way and the resource information (about the author) is listed as above.

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Middle School Science Fair Ideas - What To Do For The Middle Grades

In order to survive in the competitive world, one has to learn to show his or her talent. There are many opportunities for students to show their talents through various fairs, especially if they are in middle school. Science fairs are the place, where any student interested in science, can get involved in some project presentation, in order to satisfy his quest for knowledge. Middle school science fair ideas are selected by a student belonging to the age group of 11-14. Since these students are still young, the topics selected need not be purely original. The middle school science fair idea can be a replica of already created one with slight modifications if possible.

The science fair is mainly intended for expressing the process of science and presenting the project work. The middle school science fair idea is mainly intended to teach the skills like planning, controlling and evaluation through the project. The project may be creation of a model kit, demonstration of a model or investigation to find out unknown answers to theoretical questions.

Middle school science fair ideas are often comprised of the following areas of science: botany, chemistry, zoology, biology, environment, earth sciences, electricity, solar energy, electronics, physics, and engineering. Some of the topics that will be suitable for the a middle school science fair idea may be such as splitting of water to hydrogen and oxygen, or a study on how to protect a computers from viruses (remember, computer science is a science).

In physics, the topics like assessing the physical property of eggs, difference between music and noise, working of gasoline engine, or the formation of rainbow pattern of light through a prism, will be of range suitable for the middle school science fair idea. Similarly in chemistry one can analyze the impact of UV rays on different objects, study of surface tension of different liquids and how it is affected, extracting pure water from salt water etc. Biological project topics can be of studying the relation between sweat and heat, studying the living conditions of different organisms or animals etc.

While presenting the project in the science fair, one should be careful in many of the minute aspects which are often left unnoticed. Few of these includes the gestures used, eye contact, using voice, introduction, giving brief description of what is to be explained, explanation, comprehending and conclusion, answering questions, preparing for answering questions, repeating the question asked by the audience, maintaining the individuality, answering the question to everyone, use of display board as a visual aid, using pointer, rehearsing the project repeatedly before actual presentation.

As a result of the latest technology one can get access to varied topics for the project through internet. There are websites which offer suggestions for carrying out different projects that will be suitable for science fair. They also throw light on topics similar to that given in the site which can be tried out by the investigator.

Jordan Matthews is a High School Math and Science teacher who has worked as a judge and a coordinator of many science fairs. Check his Science Fair Project ideas website for some more middle school science fair ideas and information.

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Does Science For Kids Begin And End In The School Science Lab?

Science for kids is sometimes a bit of a frustration, or in some cases an enigma! When I taught science to high school students the question that was often put to me was "Yea, but what relevance is this going to be to me later in life?" I suppose that is a fair question, as I asked the same of studying Shakespeare when I was at school.

Now, with some years of "real life" under the belt, I can look back and realize the lessons that even dear old Mr. Shakespeare taught me. Romance, what mistakes not to make and thinking with your head and not your heart (OK maybe a little bit of heart) being just some of the few that that great man taught even the most skeptic scholar, and this without me even knowing it!

But I digress...this is not about Romeo and Juliet, but science. How relevant is science to every day life? Is it good enough to learn it in the classroom in order to pass the exam and leave it at that? Realistically, if a student's aim is to become an accountant, what relevance does the process of photosynthesis have to his or her existence?

I would like to suggest that it is very relevant. To the boy who is to train to be a motor mechanic, understanding forces, viscosity of liquids at different temperatures and indeed combustion of volatile materials is very relevant. To the girl whose aim it is is to be a landscaper, an understanding of photosynthesis, nutrient uptake of plants and plant pathogens will surely assist her in her business.

Yes, and even the future accountant can make use of science knowledge, even if it is to brighten his office with pot plants, which will give off the life giving oxygen that keeps him alert during those long hours at the desk when the financial year end comes around!

I have given a glimpse of the futures of some imaginary kids, but what about the now? What about science for kids who are in school now? Without intending to insult the reader's intelligence, is it not obvious that what happens in their lives now affects the attitudes later in life? Applying this to the topic on hand, what happens with their science education now will affect their attitudes to science later in life. Will it be a relevant topic or something that will not even enter their minds once they are qualified in their respective fields of expertise?

Having shown that science is relevant in a person's career, never mind their day to day life, is it not important, even essential, that science for kids becomes an integral part of their lives? This means beyond the classroom and the science fair project. The kids of today need to be taught and made aware of science in their lives. How it affects them and how it can be utilized to improve their existence, starting now.

The classroom lessons and activities must activate the minds of the students. How is this done? - hands on activities. Let them feel, touch, smell, hear and see science - yes even if it may make a mess in the laboratory. Instead of reading about the ecosystem of a pond, let them experience it hands on. Let them get wet and dirty. Let them catch some of the organisms and keep them in specimen bottles, at the same time as being aware of not disturbing the fine balance of the natural ecosystem.

Yes, educators, science for kids takes effort. To those in management positions at schools, it will take planning and funds - but if your heart is for education you will heed my words.

Having said this, the responsibility of making science for kids relevant and exciting lies not solely with the schools. Parents need to play their part too. On more than one occasion has my family's supper table been cleared of dishes as impromptu experiments take place after our meal. Using objects found in the house - from glasses of water filled with food coloring and paper towels to demonstrate diffusion and water uptake in plants, to a magnet, a couple of sewing needles and a wine bottle cork to make a compass - my prodigy has learned, and not forgotten, the finer details of some aspects of biology, physics, chemistry and earth sciences.

These lessons have no prior planning but arise from the questions asked by the kids after an observation that day. The observations are either made while playing in the garden, or in the house, or while reading about something that the young mind needs something tangible to fully understand it. Training kids in the art of observation, relevant questioning and simple hypothesis formation is the first step in the scientific process and in making science a part of their lives.

Let me end this article with a call to teachers and parents of our generation to make science for kids more than some words and pictures in a textbook.

Science must be life because life itself is in fact science!

By Neil Madgwick - Passionate about science! Website: http://www.good-science-fair-projects.com

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Choosing the Right Middle School Science Project

Science Projects were easier in elementary school. Back then, you could submit a model rocket, an egg sucked into a bottle, or a simple science report on electricity. It's different in middle school. Middle School science teachers want creative ideas, specific elements, in depth research, and detailed logs of the whole science fair process.

Finding a middle school science project that meets all these criteria has always been a challenge for our family. Our teachers wanted an experiment based, investigative project for the science fair. There are five different types of science projects, but most of the books in the library had projects that were actually demonstrations or models. It's very important that you read the directions from your teacher and/or the science fair, and make sure that the project your child chooses fits into the right category - especially in middle school.

Here are the five types of projects.

1. Investigative projects - Most science fairs require students to submit an investigative science project. This type of project has an experiment that tests an hypothesis. The experiment will follow the scientific method, and may require a control group. (If you're unfamiliar with this vocabulary, check out the free resource below!)

An example of an investigative project would be "How does salt affect the boiling point of water?" This can easily be tested by our experiment which adds different amounts of salt to water and recording the temperature at which it boils.

If you see the words experiment, scientific method, control and/or variable on the project instructions, you'll probably need an investigative project. As mentioned before, they're not easy to find.

2. Demonstration projects - In this type of project a student demonstrate a scientific principle, and lots of time the teacher wants it presented in front of the class as an oral report. There is no true experiment performed, because there won't be a control or different variables.

3. Research project - Basically this is a science report. Students research a topic, and write what they discovered. Any type of science topic can be used for a research project.

4. Models - For a model project, models are built to explain a scientific principle or structure.

5. Collections - In this type of project a collection of objects is displayed to give an overview of a topic. An example would be a rock collection or a display showing pictures of various animals in a specific family.

Every middle school science fair will have slightly different criteria for projects. As you search for a project, make sure it's the type of project your school requires. If you need help, check out "The Non-Scientist Parent's Guide to Science Fair Projects", which has guides for all the different types of science projects - including the experiment based ones! There is a vocabulary list that gives simple definitions to those vocabulary words you learned in middle school, but promptly forgot.

Believe it or not, science projects are designed to help students learn about science. Figure out which type of project your school requires, and you'll be one step closer to showing your child how much fun science can be!

Kayla Fay and her four boys are the creators of Online Science Project Guides, science projects that are fun, easy, affordable, and teacher pleasing! Find out about these guides, and get a free copy of "The Non-Scientist Parent's Guide to Science Fair Projects" at http://www.onlinescienceprojects.com

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The Public School Bias Against Home Schooling Parents

It’s becoming more and more obvious, as research on the success of home schooling is making clear, that home schooling is outperforming the US public school system in the quality of the education, self-esteem, and social awareness it instills in its students. And there are large numbers of public school authorities who are not happy with that realization.

The Tyranny Of Tenure

The public school system, to be fair, is saddled with regulations which make necessary change almost impossible. The tenure policy in most public school districts, for instance, prevents the firing of tenured teachers and school officials, and allows incompetent or unmotivated teachers who have hung on long enough to achieve tenure the security of lifetime employment. They are free to under educate our children whose parents cannot afford to put their children in private schools.

If tenured public school teachers were held to the same standards as private school teachers who are up for job reviews on a regular basis, they might take a different attitude toward fighting to maintain their tenured status. And home schooling might not have become the education method of choice for millions of American families.

It is nothing less than a catastrophic embarrassment for thousands of public school districts that parents with not formal training in education are outdistancing their teaching staffs in the quality of the education which they are giving their children.

Public school authorities would much prefer that the parents in their school districts operate under the belief that teaching should be reserved for degreed and state-certified teachers. But the statistics indicate that parents who home school who have never been within a mile of a teachers’ college or had a single college-level course in education are proving better teachers than those on the public school faculties.

The Eroding Tax Support

Another reason public school officials are livid about the number of parents choosing to home school is that the public school system loses, on the average, $7500 in government funding for each child removed from it. The public school system in the US is funded by tax revenues and each school district gets money according to the number of students enrolled. Form that money it pays for its teaching staff, and as the number of students drops, the number of faculty must be cut as well. Bye-bye gravy train.

Until the 1980s, in fact, home schooling parents [http://www.homeschoolresults.com/Articles/Home_Schooling_Resource.php] win most states faces truancy and neglect charges for choosing to keep their children out of the public school system. But over the last twenty-five years, parents outraged about the deteriorating public school systems have pressured the state courts to recognize their right to home school, and they now can in all fifty states. The legal home schooling requirements, however, still vary from state to state.

If the public school officials in your school district are harassing your over your decision to home school, consider joining the joining the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). They will provide you with legal representation should you require it in order to continue home schooling your children. Their website is at [http://www.hsdls.org].

You can also find more info on Home Schooling Programs [http://www.homeschoolresults.com/Articles/Home_Schooling_Programs.php] and Home Schooling Curriculum [http://www.homeschoolresults.com/Articles/Home_Schooling_Curriculum.php]. homeschoolresults.com is a comprehensive resource to get information about Home School Results.

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School Safety

I am like millions of other parents out there who are excited that the school year has started and our kids are learning and having fun at school. When it comes to child safety, there is no bigger topic than school safety. We have all seen the rise in incidents of violence at schools all across the country. The good news is that Law Enforcement and school systems have been working on making schools safer for our kids for a number of years now. The result has been a better understanding how to prevent and deal with school violence.

Many schools have a Police Officer(s) assigned full time to their schools and I cannot express how important this is. A school resource officer is a Police Officer who been selected to work in a school full time because she/he have particular traits/skills that make them a valuable tool to the school system. A school resource officer goes to an in-depth training school where they are trained how to prevent, deter, and respond to violence in schools.

A school resource officer spends 5 days a week in his/her assigned school and they perform their duties just like the Police Officers who patrol your neighborhood. They school resource officer patrols the school on foot which is important because of what we refer to as "high visibility" High visibility is when a Police Officer is routinely seen by the law abiding citizens and the criminal element. The law abiding citizens feel more comfortable because they routinely see a Police Officer who is looking out for their safety. The criminal element refrains from doing crime in area where they frequently see a Police Officer on patrol. Criminals will move on to other areas to commit crimes when they see frequent Police patrols.

The school resource officer performs high visibility patrols by walking the school grounds and patrolling in his police car or golf cart. The simple task of frequently patrolling the school grounds is highly effective because it deters criminals from the outside entering the school with the intent of committing crimes. The kids at the school also seen the school officer conducting routine patrols and this helps deter the "bad" or "at risk" kids from committing crimes. The school resource officer get to know every single kid in the school and he/she especially knows the "bad" and "at risk" kids. The school resource officer is trained to monitor the kids who may have the potential for committing crimes or violence while at school.

It is very easy for the school resource officer to determine the kids who should be closely monitored. Kids with arrest records or a prior history of violence are at the top of the list of kids to monitor. Your local Police Dept has files and information on everyone who gets arrested and your school resource officer has access to that information. The school also keeps a file and information on kids who get into trouble and the school resource officer accesses that information. The technology that we have in Law Enforcement is amazing and it enables us to access and share information fast and efficiently.

Earlier I mentioned "at risk" kids and let me explain what I meant. Many schools have a system of identifying kids who may be troubled. Teaches and school officials are trained how to identify students who may be going through an emotional or personal crisis. Some schools identify these kids and they are approached and given assistance if needed. I think this is a fantastic idea and I hope all schools adopt this policy. The way this works is a teacher or school official sees a child who is depressed or exhibiting unusual behavior. It could be the child is having a crisis at home, is being bullied, etc. Someone at the school speaks with the child and his/her parents to ascertain if there is indeed issues going on with the child. If there are issues with the child, help can be given.

Many schools also employ high tech video surveillance so that the students can be monitored at every location in the school. Video surveillance can capture suspicious activity that can then be dealt with by the school resource officer. Video technology is highly advanced and 1 person monitoring a school security camera system is like having dozens of Police Officers patrolling the school grounds.

Call your school's district office and ascertain what they have implemented to combat and deter school violence. Open house is a good time to find out what type of security measures your child's school employs. If your school does not have a school police officer, start and effort to get one. Ask your school administrator if they have a system to identify "at risk" kids and if not, talk with the administration about the benefits of having such a system in place. Always strive to not let yourself become complacent about your child's safety while at school.

Author is a current Police Officer with 19 years of experience & webmaster [http://www.personalsafetyheadquarters.com] - a blog with articles and information on how to keep you and your family safe.

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Las Vegas Schools Kicks Off Several Events for the New School Year

Las Vegas Schools ' Cheyenne High School Host Specialist in Gender Neutral Education

Dr. Leonard Sax, one of the foremost authorities in the success of gender neutral education, addressed the teachers and staff of Cheyenne High School. This was part of a professional development day scheduled before the start of the new school year. Dr. Sax is an author, psychologist, and family physician who has become a leading scholar on the topic of how gender differences affect student learning.

Dr. Sax's day long presentation at Las Vegas Schools' Cheyenne High School was based on twenty years of educational research and his most recent book, "Why Gender Matters." Cheyenne High School has been using gender based instruction for a few years now based on the idea that males and females learn differently. Students who experience gender based education have been shown to ask more questions and have fewer problems with discipline. Dr. Sax's workshop offered practical advice on discipline, gender stereotypes, and helping students avoid smoking, drugs and alcohol.

Las Vegas Schools Energy Conservation Program Reports Savings

The Two hundred and thirty-four Las Vegas Schools have will receive rebates for saving energy during the 2005-2006 school year. Schools in the Las Vegas Schools that have cut their energy costs by 10% or more will receive rebates of between $1,500 to $5,000. These rebates will be placed in a special account fund and will total around $560,000. Schools will be allowed to use these funds on anything that could directly impact student learning and achievement. This energy saving fund rewards those schools that have made behavioral changes in how they use energy. Las Vegas Schools that qualify for the program are those that can show that they have at least two years of documented utility history and then show that they have cut their energy use by at least 10%.

This energy conservation program asks staff and faculty of Las Vegas Schools to keep school doors and HVAC systems, computers, lights, and electrical appliances turned off when not in use. Faculty are also asked to report lights, HVAC systems and refrigerators that are not operating.

The 2006-2007 Las Vegas Schools' Back to School Tour

This year's Las Vegas Schools' Back to School Tour focuses on the new schools opening in September. This tour is conducted by the Las Vegas Schools' Superintendent. The current Superintendent, Walt Rulffes, tours all the new schools and will take part in ribbon cutting ceremonies at each of the new schools. The Las Vegas Schools' Superintendent will visit with faculty, staff, and students.

The tour begins at Rancho High School, then to Johnston Middle School, then to its new neighbor, Hayden Elementary School and finally finish at Dearing Elementary School. Dearing Elementary Schools was just named a High Achieving School by the No Child Left Behind Guidelines.

Las Vegas Schools' Tanaka Elementary School Starts the New Year Right

Tanaka Elementary School is starting the new school year by having a picnic open to the parents and community members. The picnic is intended to build a stronger school community and celebrate the start of school. Along with food and games, local political candidates will stop by to meet and greet the crowd. The picnic is being organized by the Tanaka Elementary School's Parent Teacher Association.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more information please visit Las Vegas Schools

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Selecting a Prep School

With a faltering public education system, plagued by lowered budgets and a host of other issues, many parents are turning to prep schools to get their children a high school education that really counts.

A prep school is usually a private school and many times they are boarding schools as well. If you are one of those who choose the route of college prep for their children, rather than leaving them to the realm of public education, choosing the right school is the key to your child's future.

With that, we have put together this guide of the top 10 considerations when choosing a prep school. It is not necessarily that any private school won't provide a better academic experience for your child, most private schools far surpass their public counterparts; moreover it's that choosing the right school will help your child through college and beyond. Students and parents should be ultra-selective when choosing these schools.

10 Considerations for Choosing a Prep School

When choosing a prep school you should visit every school that you have on your list. As you visit each school you should answer the following questions.

1. Does the location work for your family? - Obviously you want to send your child to a school that is located conveniently for your family. You would not want to send them to a boarding school across the country, for example, if you are not prepared to pay for flights home a few times each year.

2. Does your child agree with the choice of schools? - You child should be involved in the choice of schools. Failing to involve your son or daughter may mean lower grades when they are resentful for being there in the first place.

3. What are your child's future plans? - Many students don't know what they plan to do beyond high school, for those that do however, that possible future can help you to choose a school that will fit well with their future educational requirements.

4. Does the educational program fit your needs? - Many prep schools have a specific educational focus. What is that focus, and does it fit with what you want for your child? You don't want to send your child to an art's-specific school for example, if they intend to work in science in the future.

5. How does the school rate compared to similar schools? - A simple Google search for prep school rankings will turn up hundreds of pages devoted to comparing the academic achievements of all of the different prep schools across the country.

6. What values does the school instill? - Many prep schools are focused on one set of moral, ethical, or religious values. Do those values fit you and your family?

7. Does the academy assist students in learning the moral and ethical requirements of the school? - If the school has a specific focus, do they work to teach their values to their students? For example, does the catholic academy make time to teach Catholicism?

8. What are the rules for contacting your child? - If the school has rules about contacting home, be sure that those rules fit with you and your child. A school that only allows weekly phone calls, for example, won't work well if you plan to talk to your child every night.

9. How much does the school cost? - Although it should not be the only consideration, obviously cost is a factor. If you can't afford the school, do they offer scholarships or financial aid?

10. What other activities does the school offer? - You also want to look at the extracurricular activities that the school offers. Do their sports, work, and other programs fit with your child's passions and interests?

A prep school will help your child to get the best education possible. By simply taking the time to consider which school to choose carefully, you will be helping your child to create the best future possible as they move into college and then beyond their school years.

There are admissions consultants who can help you choose the best private school or prep school. Admissions Counselors can make a difference when deciding between two private schools.

Ross Blankenship is an admissions consultant and admissions expert. He is also an author and co-founder of Top Test Prep which has private tutors and admissions consultants. Call (800) 501-PREP for more information.

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5 Tips to Finding the Right School for Your Child

If you are like me you probably lost sleep over what school to enroll your child in. This is especially the case with people who move to new school districts or moving people moving their pre-schooler to kindergarten.

Choosing the right school is one of the most critical decisions in your child's development. As hard as it is to admit, your child will spend more time at school with teachers and classmates then at home.

After making my way through the school search I would like to share my hard-earned tips to making your search easier.

First you will need to decide Public or Private School

Some districts have highly rated public schools and others do not. Private schooling does not necessarily mean religious based school. There are of course plenty of religious based schools but there are also non-sequitarian private schools to choose from.

There are many things to consider when deciding "public or private":

1 - Consider both Public and Private School Options

Public School Option

The state education system is always under fire. That doesn't mean all public schools are bad. Do some simple research and see what you think about the school(s) in your area.

- What is the local public school like?

Tour the public school during school hours. This can be arranged with the admissions office. Look at the children who attend. Are these the friends you would like for your child? Peek in the class room(s), if allowed. Does it seem organized? Meet the teacher who would be teaching your child. Ask about schedule for school and class room size.

You can find out the statistics for your local public school at http://www.publicschoolreview.com This site will give you information on the school's performance for statewide testing, student to teacher ratio compared to state average, ethnicity of students attending, etc. It will give you great information on the school.

Private School Option

Your can find out what private schools are in your area by visiting http://www.privateschoolreview.com/ This site will give you detailed information on number of students who attend, class size, student to teach ratio, etc.

When choosing a private school a couple things to consider are:

- Does the schools religious or ethics and moral instruction fall in line with how you want your child to be raised.

- Is it within reasonable commuting distance from your home

- Can you afford it?

Although this is definitely not the most important point, it must be evaluated. Private schooling is not cheap. Prices normally range from $3500-$8000 per child per year. Most schools offer payment options generally structured to include an enrollment fee and then 6-12 month payment plans. Some private schools offer scholarships based on the child's academic performance and/or the parent's income. If you decide to enroll your child in a private school long term affordability is important. You do not want to have your child transferred due to lack of tuition payment.

2 - Do Your Homework on the School(s)

Before deciding on a school you should do the following:

- Call the school and ask for a brochure or packet on the school

- Tour the school(s) you are considering

- Meet the teacher(s) that will be teaching your child

- If possible, view a class while in session

- Ask questions, any and all questions you may have

- Find out about class size

- Know about the school schedule. Does it work with your life schedule?

Once you have narrowed the search down to one or two schools have your spouse (if applicable) and child tour the school(s). Often you can schedule a tour with the school or attend an open house or parent meeting night.

Talk to your child and spouse about the school:

1 - Do you like the school? Do you feel comfortable there?

2 - Does your child like the school and feel comfortable there?

3 - Was the curriculum up to your standards?

4 - What was the education level of the students in the class?

5 - Was it clean?

3 - ENROLL

Once you have made your decision enroll your child. This is particularly important with private school. Space is limited and will fill up. Kindergarten classes are notorious for this. You can enroll your child as early as a year ahead of time to ensure they get in to the school of our choice.

4 - Waiting Lists for Private Schools

Waiting lists exist at private schools that are full, meaning the class you are trying to enroll your child in has reach maximum enrollment. You can put your child's name on a waiting list. They will call you if a space becomes available. Make sure to ask what number you are on the waiting list. You may have a chance is you are #1-5, but even then it is only a chance. Do not rely on this waiting list. Find an alternative school and if they call in the meantime, GREAT!

5 - Talk with Your Child

Once school has started talk to your child. Ask him how school is going? Do you like the teachers? Have you made friends? Your child's responses will give you an indication of how the school is working out. Also, watch your child's behavior. Sometimes a child's behavior changes mildly after being introduced into a new group of children and environment. This is nothing that a good home life and parenting can't handle quickly though. The only cause for concern is drastic negative behavior changes. If this is the case you may want to talk to your child more seriously about what has been going on at school and have a consultation with the teacher. Normally children are good with change and adapt easily.

I am not a doctor, psychiatrist, or psychologist. I am a child care giver, a child counselor, a mentor, child advisor and an expert on my child, which is simply means I am a MOM! I hope this information will help you find the right school for your child. I didn't know where to start and since I write articles for work I thought it would be great to share what I have learned through this process in the hopes of helping the fellow parents in their quest for the right school for their child.

Nicole Anderson offers information on the $20 Billion in unclaimed money and a free search for your unclaimed money at http://www.cashunclaimed.com Cash Unclaimed has a database that is updated round the clock. It searches over 54 state and federal databases and has Name Match technology to ensure any money owed to you is found. Go to http://www.cashunclaimed.com, for your free search and see how much money is owed to you and your family.

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Smart School Selection Strategy - Creating a Personalized School Scorecard to Build Strong Kids

Smart School Choice builds Strong Kids

Developing a selection scorecard to place your student in the best school to meet their needs

Recently I had dinner with my friends Bill and Nancy Palmer and the subject of school choice came up; mostly because at one time they had each of their five children in five different schools. If you think that schedule sounds crazy, then you've never met the five remarkable young adults they raised who have launched successfully out into the world. It was extremely stressful at times to keep things organized but they were committed to building strong kids and were creative enough to always find options to help each child grow in strength and confidence. How did they do it? Simple, they picked the educational experiences that were the best fit for each of their children at each stage of life regardless of convenience.

Many times parents are afraid of school change, or don't realize they have so many choices available to them in guiding their kids toward their strength zone. First let's look at what makes a 'good' school actually 'good.' Since it's not really one thing it's a combination of many factors that when combined together can create a learning environment which can brings out the best in your child. Here are some of the most common elements to consider when you begin the process of selecting a school to bring out the best in your son or daughter.

-Key factors of a 'good' school:

Strong parental involvement, as the old saying goes, a school is only as strong as the level of parental support that it receives. Clear community support, especially from elected officials. Focused school leaders, especially in administrative roles. Well structured academic programs to cover different learning styles. Committed and caring teachers focused on the needs of their students. A safe and secure learning experience. Budgets that allow for extra-curricular activities to positively impact multiple areas of development, such as the arts, music, journalism, ROTC, languages and sports. Guidance departments focused on a personalized plan to help students achieve who 'think outside the box'. Smart classrooms with access to current and cutting edge computer and Internet technology. A learning experience that honors your families faith and values, instead of attacking or shaming your child for holding onto a strong system of faith.

Of course any parent would want the best for their children, but it's been my experience that the word 'best' actually floats on many variables through the different stages of childhood. So, since 'best' isn't actually a single school campus this opens the door to explore many experiences that often accelerate the learning environment for the kids who live at your house.

This can only happen when you begin to see that the main goal is to find out what needs your the child is facing to then select the school choice that can guide them to a position of greater strength. This just going along with whatever may have worked for your child last year. Remember, a child's maturity changes year to year, and for many kids this means their academic choices should change with it.

- Chart to solve the confusion of discovering the best schools

Begin to make smart school choices to help your child be their best by building a chart to literally 'score' the school options available to your child on a legal pad, running across the top of the page. You should include every option you can think of to do a complete analysis of what is available to your child.

Even if you only think that you have one option, really sit down to consider the school choices available to your child in the coming school year. This way you will be able to actually track the metrics to see a visual number at the bottom of the page to see what each school choice brings to the table in best meeting the needs of your son or daughter at any stage of their educational development.

Here's a sample of how to structure across the top of the page, except it's more personal and more powerful if you actually place the name of each of the schools you are considering in that particular column, (for instance list out the choices facing your child, like: Orange County High, Mountain Prep, Holy Family, The Community School, Math Magnet Prep, Military Leadership Academy or an online virtual school)

Smart School Options:

Public- College Prep- Christian- HomeSchool- Charter- Boarding-Private- Magnet-Military- Online or Virtual School and so on

Once you have created a list across the page of every available option you have available to meet the needs of your child, then it's time to add the list of variables, (preferably in order of importance to you in meeting the unique needs of your child), to rank or score each school choice against your own personal standard of what's most valuable to bring out the best in your son or daughter. Create this list on the left margin of your legal pad and include factors like the following.

Smart School Features includes a combination of major factors like:

Safety, Academics, Great Teachers, Strong leaders, Involved parents, PTA-PTF groups, Location, Transportation, Costs or tuition, Friends/peers, Fits child's personality, Fits career goals, Fits academic goals, School size, Well equipped classrooms, Class size to teacher ratio, Campus well maintained, Clean school facilities, Hot lunches and cafeteria, Wide range of sports, After school activities, Tutoring- academic help, Music, choirs, band, Fine arts and drama, Bible, world view or faith building classes, After school activities or child care, Clubs, FCA, DECA, OJT, and so on for social connection, School life- socials and proms, Trips- unique learning experiences, SAT or ACT prep classes, Strong guidance department, Tuition assistance programs, Partnerships with community groups (Boys & Girls Clubs, Scouting, etc), Partnerships with business groups to develop early career success, (like Junior Achievement, career training)

TOTALS of all of your comparisons of core values measured against each school option - A stronger score reveals a stronger school choice to meet the needs of your child.

Once you have developed your as many categories as fit the unique needs of your child, then it's time to go back and score each school at the top of the page against your specific priorities listed along the left column on a numerical scale of 10, (best) down to 5 (average) then on down to 1 (terrible).

Be honest and don't play favorites as you really consider the needs of the students in your family, since this process works from selecting a pre-school all the way to college. Leave any areas blank that are unknown to you, yet since this will greatly reduce the score for that particular school it indicates you need to do more research to create a fair analysis on some of the schools you may have selected for your child.

Another technique you can use is to do a detailed web search about each school, however, I recommend that you take your child with you to preview new schools with you in person. Walk the campus, talk to teachers or other students, or if possible visit the school when it's in session and 'shadow' a host student throughout the day to see what the school culture is really like first hand.

This school choice process can be repeated every year as needed based on the needs of your son or daughter. Add in the maturity level of your child to complete the process of selecting what's best by identifying where you believe your student to be at during this stage of their academic career.

Child (up to age 13) - Dependent and Irresponsible

Teen (13-19) - Developing, Maturing and Growing

Young Adult (20-25) - Independent and Responsible

It is wise to consider the maturity level of your child since some school settings will require a higher level of responsibility or independent decision making. Once you have identified the maturity level then just factor in the scores from your school choice chart to narrow down your search to find the best school. Remember, the higher the score, the more likely that it's a better fit to help your student to reach their best during this or any school year.

Strong students often are able to build strong lives, so the time you take now to guide your children into the best direction, (even if it means making the sacrifice of car-pooling different kids in different directions for several years) will lead to strong and confident young adults for a lifetime, and that's an excellent trade.

By Dwight Bain, Nationally Certified Counselor & Certified Life Coach

About the author - Dwight Bain is dedicated to helping people achieve greater results. He is a Nationally Certified Counselor, Certified Life Coach and Certified Family Law Mediator in practice since 1984 with a primary focus on solving crisis events and managing major change. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and partners with media, major corporations and non-profit organizations to make a positive difference in our culture. Access more counseling and coaching resources designed to save you time by solving stressful situations by visiting his counseling blog with over 150 complimentary articles and special reports at http://www.LifeWorksGroup.org

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Community Involvement Can Improve High School Rankings

High School Rankings concern everyone. From the school board members on down through school administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and students, High School Rankings show, at a glance, how well a school is doing. Test scores on state and national tests, the successes of students with a low socioeconomic background, and how many students take advanced placement exams are all considered. If you look a bit further into the schools that are at the top of High School Rankings, you will most likely find that an active surrounding community is vital to the success of the schools that find themselves at the top of High School Rankings.

But what about the schools that are on the lower end of High School Rankings spectrum? How can getting the community and community leaders more involved in the school help improve their standings in High School Rankings? Well, the ways to help them are numerous.

For one, local businesses can donate money. Schools that are doing poorly, as reflected in High School Rankings, typically could use some more cash to implement programs that will help them improve. In several states, schools that are at the top of High School Rankings receive monetary bonuses; schools that are struggling receive nothing but shame, and the threat of closure. Supporting local schools with financial donations can help move the struggling school closer to improvement.

Another way those communities can help improve schools that are not at the top of High School Rankings is to donate supplies. Many kids go to school not able to afford basic school supplies, and the schools themselves often divert supply money to try to pay for special programs and teachers to implement them.

Perhaps the biggest and most important way to see improvement in a low-performing school listed at the bottom of High School Rankings for the community to help and support their schools is to donate time. So many kids that attend struggling schools are from single-parent homes, where moms or dads are working multiple jobs just to make ends meet. If these kids have to go home after school and take care of younger siblings and do chores, they are less likely to study and do homework. If the family is poor, kids may be hungry, and that's no way to learn. For kids like these attending schools low on the High School Rankings list, a tutor or mentor is invaluable. Tutors come to the school in question, working with an assigned student in their preferred subject. In other words, volunteer tutors can pick which subjects they'd like to help out in. Mentors can be paired with students to build relationships that they might otherwise lack. These mentors can come to the low-performing school on the High School Rankings list during the school day for lunch or elective classes, or meet up with their student after school. Many mentors get to know the student's family as well and actually inspire them to get more involved in their child's school. In addition, spending time with a mentor helps keep a teen out of trouble.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit High School Rankings

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Orlando Schools Make Plans for the 2006-2007 School Year

Changes for the 2006-2007 School Year

Orlando Schools has made several changes that will go into effect this fall. The first official day of school in the Orlando Schools is August 7th. This school year's students attendance for the Orlando Schools has increased by around 4,000 students to 181,210 total students. This increase in enrollment has prompted Orlando Schools to open nine additional schools. The nine schools added to handle the new students are three middle schools and six elementary schools. In addition to the opening of the new schools, Orlando Schools will divide the South Learning Community into Southwest and Southeast learning communities. This division will allow better management of resources and help address the needs of the students. New legislation that will affect next the 2007-2008 school year was also passed. Starting then, the school year will start no sooner than two weeks before Labor Day which is a change to the usual early August start that allowed the semester to end before Orlando Schools' winter break.

Orlando Schools First Days of School

For the second school year Orlando Schools is holding the First Days of School event. This is an event that is held at every school in the Orlando Schools district. Parents and students need to contact their school because each school will hold events at different times throughout the week leading up to August 7th. So instead of a single day, many schools will have an entire week of events.

Orlando Schools Help Students Get Ready for the 2006-2007 School Year

Orlando Schools has teamed up with the Apopka Chamber of Commerce and A.C.T.I.O.N. to help low-income students in the. They will work together to collect school supplies for students in need. Their aim is to have all students in the Apopka area have the tools they need to begin the new school year. This year's program is called "Fill the Bus - School Supply Drive". An Orlando Schools bus will be parked in area business parking lots throughout the summer; the goal is to fill the school bus with school supplies that students might need. The program will accept monetary donations as well. Participating businesses include Wal-Mart and Porkie's Original BBQ. Apopka Chamber of Commerce and A.C.T.I.O.N. have made contacts with several school supply distributors, in order to use cash donations to their fullest; this allows the program to purchase supplies at lower prices than retail. The school supplies will be distributed to the community at a special back- to-school fair held at the John Bridges Community Center in late July.

Orlando Schools Eccleston Elementary School Gets Cleaned Up

During the summer Eccleston Elementary School received a make over thanks to a group of volunteers. More than 300 student teachers and retired teachers volunteered their time and resources to give Eccleston Elementary School a complete renovation. The teachers were at the annual National Education Association meeting. The teachers painted the insides of classrooms, painted murals on exterior walls, landscaped the grounds, added an automatic sprinkler system to the grounds, and remodeled the Parent Resource Center and the teachers' lounge. The student teachers worked as part of a volunteer program sponsored by the National Education Association. The National Education Association spent months deciding which school in the Orlando Schools district would receive the make over. Eccleston Elementary School was selected because it was an older Title I school that was in need. National Education Association donated $65,000 towards the renovation, not to mention the time and labor of its student teachers.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on Orlando schools visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Florida/Orlando/index.html

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School Security - Are Your Children Safe?

Back in the good old days, when I had to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways, misunderstandings between students at school were usually handled with a good old fashioned fist fight.

O.K. since I grew up in a West Texas border town, fist fights sometimes escalated into knife fights or even gang fights, but no one ever brought a gun to school to indiscriminately shoot faculty or students.

What is happening in the world today? Perhaps it is the prevalence of violence on Television or Video Games. Maybe it is the escalating use of Psychotropic Medications to treat so-called Mental Illness or could it possibly have to do with the fact that you can't beat the crap out of your kids when they get out of line. Whatever the reason, it is getting downright scary for some people to send their kids off to school these days without fear that some nutcase is going to do them some harm.

So what can Schools do to protect our children, while still providing a friendly environment that fosters open communication and learning?

Obviously the addition of armed security officers that patrol the hallways could go a long way to providing safety and security to students. In fact, many Inner City Schools already employee "school resource officers", many of whom are real Police Officers.

Some Police Departments have recently taken it upon themselves to provide certified law enforcement officers who are permanently assigned to a school or a set of schools.

These officers act as comprehensive resources for his/her school and they will typically be enlisted to perform quite a few vital functions in the school including law enforcement, teaching law enforcement courses and even counseling troubled students.

If you would like more information on School Resource Officers, check out the National Association of School Resource Officers. They are a not for profit organization for school based law enforcement officers. [http://www.nasro.org/home.asp]

Even if they already have a School Resource Officer, every school should have a comprehensive Safety and Security Plan.

Every school safety and security plan should include Access Control policies and procedures. Each entrance to the school should be constantly monitored and, when possible the doors and windows should remain locked.

Without exception, every Visitor should be required to check in with the Central Office and show proper identification before they are issued a visitors badge. They should wear the visitors badge at all times.

School personnel should be knowledgeable and well trained in the Schools Access Control Policies and should not be afraid to confront an unknown person to ask for identification. Any strangers should be reported to the proper authorities immediately.

Depending on the size of the school, consideration should be given to the installation of an electronic access control system. This type of system can allow a large school to limit access to authorized personnel only, while ensuring that all visitors enter through the main office corridor.

In many school districts, Closed Circuit Television Systems (CCTV) are being deployed with great success. With some large urban high schools having upwards of 4,000 students, it would prove very difficult even for a full time School Resource Officer to monitor the school grounds or enforce the school policies without a little bit of electronic help.

A properly installed and configured CCTV system can allow a School Resource Officer to have his eyes on many parts of the campus simultaneously. In addition, a CCTV system can prove invaluable in the investigations of any crimes or infractions of school policy that have occurred.

Schools in very high risk areas have even gone as far as installing walk-through Metal Detectors at every public entrance. Others choose to deploy them only at special functions or sporting events. At a minimum, schools should have access to at least one hand held metal detector for emergency situations.

Regardless of their size or location, each and every school should have a well prepared emergency crisis plan in place. Key staff members should be thoroughly trained in emergency preparedness and crisis management.

Crisis drills should be performed with all staff, students and emergency management personnel. One of the key benefits of having emergency drills is that Police, Fire and Emergency Responders get to meet key staff members of the school and they can become familiar with the school grounds before having to respond to an actual emergency situation.

Above all else, communication may hold the key to preventing school violence. Parents should get involved in safety planning at their local schools. Open forums should be formed to discuss security. Ask students and parents to share any concerns they have about school safety. Encourage staff and students to report suspicious activity or people to the appropriate authorities.

Beyond anything that happens at school, the best advice to possibly preventing a tragedy is simply to talk to your children and get involved in their lives. Make them put away that Play Station and ask them how their day went. Don't just ask, but actually sit down and listen. Getting caught up in your child's life may sound torturous, but it can actually be very fun and interesting and is quite possibly the best way to prevent a crisis before it happens.

Roy Stephenson is a Security Consultant with over 21 Years Experience Designing and Installing High End Integrated Security Systems. He is currently the VP of Marketing at http://www.Security-Kits.com

Learn More About Security Cameras In Schools

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Nashville Schools Release 2005-2006 Data and Makes Plans for the 2006-2007 School Year

Nashville Schools Did Well Academically in 2005-2006

Nashville Schools have made a lot of progress in the 2005-2006 school year. The Nashville Schools this school year has, in several key areas, had a higher percentage of students meet the required levels of proficiency as determined by the No Child Left Behind Act. This school eighty-six percent of kindergarten to eighth grade students are now proficient or advanced in reading as compared to the required target of eighty-three percent set by the No Child Left Behind Act. Among high school students, overall, sixty-nine percent scored proficient or advanced on the Algebra Gateway test on their first try. The No Child Left Behind Act sets a target of seventy-five percent. Even though this is below the target it is higher than the pervious year's results. In mathematics students in kindergarten to eighth grade now ranked as proficient or advanced rose to eighty-one percent. This surpasses the target set by the No Child Left Behind Act of seventy-nine percent.

Nashville Schools Aim to Catch Up with the State Average

Nashville School's scores are slightly below the Tennessee State average, but have made definite improvement in the school district's students' standings. The Tennessee Department of Education has increased the expected performance of students in three or four categories. Low-income students in the Nashville Schools made academic gains. Despite the higher percentage of low-income students in the Nashville Schools, our academic gains are equal to the improvement in more affluent school systems. In an effort to continue the gains made by the urban schools in the Nashville Schools, every Nashville middle school offers high-school-level classes for credit. Students can earn up to five credits before they enter high school. The District's ACT scores have continued to rise over the last five years. Tennessee Department of Education's school district rating system rates this progress as "significantly above average."

The Financial Status of Nashville Schools in 2005-2006

Nashville Schools spent an average of $8,540 per pupil for 70,569 students in grades K-12. This compares well to other school district spending around the country. The National Center of Education Statistics, a service of the U.S. Department of Education allows for comparison of school districts around the country on all manner of factors. The National Center of Education Statistics' "peer search" automatically chooses nine school districts across the country that match Nashville School's demographics. Those districts include: Albuquerque, NM; Alief, TX (near Houston), Austin, TX; Omaha, NE; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Tucson, AZ; and Wichita, KS. The spending was inline with these school districts. In 2002-03 school year Nashville Schools spent almost exactly the same per-pupil dollars as our peer school districts -and slightly less than the national average.

The Nashville School District Education Board's plan for the 2006-07 budget will include: A 2% raise for all staff; a more competitive starting salary for teachers; a new call-home phone system to alert parents to unexplained student absences and inclement weather; expansion of the AVID program to all zoned high schools to prepare students to graduate on time with the necessary skills to attend college; opening one new school and moving students at eight sites where renovation is beginning or completed.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on Nashville schools visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Tennessee/Nashville/index.html

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Florida School Grades Confusing Issue For New Residents

School quality is always a concern for relocating parents. In a world where a good education is increasingly important, many parents even base their final decision about home choice on the reported quality of the schools in various neighborhoods.

Here in Florida, the state's A+ school reporting plan is supposed to give parents an easy way to compare schools with one another at a glance, but many question whether the system really reflects the situation accurately. When the Florida Department of Education released the school grades for 2007 a couple of weeks ago, there seemed to be more confusion and controversy than information in the published reports.

If you were a parent trying to decide where to relocate, you'd be understandably confused by the newspaper reports announcing the gains and losses over the preceding year. In Orlando, the papers announced that school grades had taken a nose dive. In Palm Beach, they reported that there were dramatic improvements - and crushing drops. In Tampa, the papers admitted to confusion over exactly what the school grades were measuring, but reported a general dissatisfaction with the entire system. When the professionals are confused about what school grades mean, how can parents be expected to make an informed choice?

How School Grades are Determined

Under the Florida education system, school grades are based on three major areas:

the performance of the school as a whole on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in Reading, Math and Science at specific grade levels
the improvement in grades of students in the school in Reading, Math and Science on the FCAT over the previous year
the improvement of the lowest performing 25% of students in Reading, Math and Science in the FCAT over the previous year

In addition, in order to receive any grade above an F, 90% of the school's students must take the FCAT. In order to receive an A, 95% of the students must take the FCAT. Schools receive points on a scale of 0-800 based on those factors, and are assigned a letter grade based on those points.

The system was originally instituted in 1999. In that year, 78 schools received a failing grade and another 600 received a D. Only 13% of the schools received an A rating. The state's school grades overall have trended upward each year, with a couple of exceptions.

In the intervening years, the standards for receiving a passing grade have been changed three times, each time tightening the requirements to "raise the bar". Each time that the standards have been tightened, the results were predictable - more schools failed than in the previous year and a percentage of schools found that their school grade had dropped from the year before. In nearly every case, those grades were recovered over the next year as teachers and students adjusted to the new material they were required to know.

The most recent adjustment to the grading system took place this year. For the first time in the 2006-2007 school year, the performance of students on the Science portion of the FCAT was taken into account in grading schools. Predictably, as has happened both other times that students had to meet higher standards, there are more schools than last year with F ratings, and a number of schools received lower grades than they did last year. If you take the comparative numbers against last year's figures without adjusting for changes to the grading system, it certainly appears that the schools are losing ground in the fight to educate our children.

If you take a longer view, though, the picture is far different. In 1999, only 13% of all Florida schools received an A rating. In 2007, that figure increased to 52% - despite the fact that the standards are much higher than they were just eight years ago. In 1999, nearly 50% of all Florida schools received a C rating. This year, that figure is 17%. The percentage of D rated schools went from 24.5% to 8%. The only figure that has remained unchanged is the F rating - with approximately 3% of Florida schools receiving an F rating.

Even so, both parents and educators - and in many cases students - have serious concerns about the way that schools are graded, especially in light of the consequences of lower grades for schools. Many parents who have children in the lower graded schools are bewildered - they see that their children are being taught by teachers who care enough to work with them after school and push them to learn more. Teachers express concerns that they are forced to "teach the test instead of the children" - and in many cases to do so without the equipment and supplies necessary to teach effectively. These concerns aren't unique to Florida. They mirror controversies and conversations that are being held in nearly every state across the nation.

Through all of this, though, two facts stand out. The first is that accountability is a vital part of the public education process. There must be some method of measuring whether the schools are doing their jobs of educating children. The system that we're using now may be flawed, but it does provide an overview of a school's progress toward improvement, and it allows for adjustment and improvement of the system itself to measure more accurately. It allows the state to pinpoint schools and regions that need assistance in meeting standards so that resources can be focused there.

The second fact is also undeniable. Since 1999, Florida schools have shown marked overall progress toward meeting the standards of education set forth by the state. In New Tampa, every one of the elementary schools received an A rating this year, despite the higher standards, and not a single school was rated an F.

While the current system may be flawed, it does provide a starting point for parents looking for school information. Parents who want a deeper look can access the school's full report card at the FDOE's web site, and use the time-honored methods that parents have always used to decide on a school for their children. Schedule an interview with the school principal. Talk with neighbors in the neighborhoods you're considering. Learn about the schools on a personal level. The more involved you are in the process, the easier it becomes to make an informed choice about your children's education.

Calum MacKenzie is Broker/Owner of Real Living Southern Homes, a leading residential real estate brokerage serving the New Tampa real estate and Land O?Lakes real estate markets.

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