Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?: Part 1

Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?

By Marian Wilde , GreatSchools Staff

Yes and no, say the experts. The heated debate over school uniforms shows no signs of cooling off.

For the past decade, schools, parents and students have clashed over the issue of regulating student attire. In 2007, cases involving an anti-Bush T-shirt in Vermont, an anti-gay T-shirt in San Diego and Tigger socks in Napa, California, made their way through the courts, causing many to wonder whether this debate will ever be resolved.

Meanwhile, researchers are divided over how much of an impact - if any - dress policies have upon student learning. A 2004 book makes the case that uniforms do not improve school safety or academic discipline. A 2005 study, on the other hand, indicates that in some Ohio high schools uniforms may have improved graduation and attendance rates, although no improvements were observed in academic performance.

Why Do Some Public Schools Have Uniforms?

In the 1980s, public schools were often compared unfavorably to Catholic schools. Noting the perceived benefit that uniforms conferred upon Catholic schools, some public schools decided to adopt a school uniform policy.

President Clinton provided momentum to the school uniform movement when he said in his 1996 State of the Union speech, "If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms."

The Pros and Cons of School Uniforms
According to proponents, school uniforms:

-Help prevent gangs from forming on campus
-Encourage discipline
-Help students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothes
-Help identify intruders in the school
-Diminish economic and social barriers between students
-Increase a sense of belonging and school pride
-Improve attendance

Opponents contend that school uniforms:
-Violate a student's right to freedom of expression
-Are simply a Band-Aid on the issue of school violence
-Make students a target for bullies from other schools
-Are a financial burden for poor families
-Are an unfair additional expense for parents who pay taxes for a free public education
Are difficult to enforce in public schools

Your Child's Cough: Part 2

Your Child's Cough: Part 2

When to Call the Doctor

Most childhood coughs are nothing to be worried about. However, call your doctor if your child:

-has trouble breathing or is working hard to breathe

-is breathing more quickly than usual

-has a blue or dusky color to the lips, face, or tongue

-has a high fever (especially if your child is coughing but does NOT have a runny or stuffy nose)

-has any fever and is less than 3 months old

-is an infant (3 months old or younger) who has been coughing for more than a few hours

-makes a "whooping" sound when breathing in after coughing

-is coughing up blood

-has stridor (a noisy or musical sound) when breathing in

-has wheezing when breathing out (unless you already have a home asthma care plan from your doctor)

-is weak, cranky, or irritable

-is dehydrated

What Your Doctor Will Do
One of the best ways to diagnose a cough is by listening. Knowing what the cough sounds like will help your doctor decide how to treat your child. The treatment for different types of coughs can vary, based on the cause.

Because most coughs are caused by viruses, doctors usually do not give antibiotics for a cough. A cough caused by a virus just needs to run its course. A viral infection can last for as long as 2 weeks.

Unless a cough won't let your child sleep, cough medicines are not needed. They might help a child stop coughing, but do not treat the cause of the cough. If you do choose to use an over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine, call the doctor to be sure of the correct dose and to make sure it's safe for your child.

Do not use OTC combination medicines like "Tylenol Cold" — they have more than one medicine in them, and kids can have more side effects and are more likely to get an overdose of the medicine.

Cough medicines are not recommended for children under age 4.

Home Treatment
Here are some ways to help your child feel better:

If your child has asthma, make sure you have an asthma care plan from your doctor. The plan should help you choose the right asthma medicines to give.

For a "barky" or "croupy" cough, turn on the hot water in the shower in your bathroom and close the door so the room will steam up. Then, sit in the bathroom with your child for about 20 minutes. The steam should help your child breathe more easily. Try reading a book together to pass the time.

A cool-mist humidifier in your child's bedroom might help with sleep.

Sometimes a brief exposure to the cool air of the outdoors can relieve the cough. Make sure to dress your child appropriately for the outdoor weather and try this for 10-15 minutes.

Cool beverages like juice can be soothing and it is important to keep your child hydrated. But do not give soda or orange juice, as these can hurt a throat that is sore from coughing.

You should not give your child (especially a baby or toddler) OTC cough medicine without first checking with your doctor.

Cough drops are OK for older kids, but kids younger than 3 years old can choke on them. It's better to avoid cough drops unless your doctor says that they're safe for your child.

Your Child's Cough: Part 1

Your Child's Cough

According from an article in KidsHealth.org, coughs are one of the most common symptoms of childhood illness. Although a cough can sound awful, it's not usually a sign of a serious condition. In fact, coughing is a healthy and important reflex that helps protect the airways in the throat and chest.

But sometimes, your child's cough will warrant a trip to the doctor. Understanding what different types of cough could mean will help you know how to take care of them and when to go to the doctor.

"Barky" Cough

Barky coughs are usually caused by a swelling in the upper part of the airway. Most of the time, a barky cough comes from croup, a swelling of the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe).

Croup usually is the result of a virus, but can also come from allergies or a change in temperature at night. Younger children have smaller airways that, if swollen, can make it hard to breathe. Kids younger than 3 years old are at the most risk for croup because their airways are so narrow.

A cough from croup can start suddenly and in the middle of the night. Often a kid with croup will also have stridor, which is a noisy, harsh breathing (often described as a coarse, musical sound) that occurs when a child inhales.

Whooping Cough

Whooping cough is another name for pertussis, an infection of the airways caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Kids with pertussis will have spells of back-to-back coughs without breathing in between. At the end of the coughing, they'll take a deep breath in that makes a "whooping" sound. Other symptoms of pertussis are a runny nose, sneezing, mild cough, and a low-grade fever.

Although pertussis can happen at any age, it's most severe in infants under 1 year old who did not get the pertussis vaccine. Pertussis is very contagious, so your child should get the pertussis shot at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 months, and 4-6 years of age. This shot is given as part of the DTaP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis).

The Tdap vaccine (which is similar to DTaP but with lower concentrations of diphtheria and tetanus toxoid for adults) is given to children at 11-12 years and once again in adulthood as a part of one of the tetanus boosters. Adults are recommended to receive this pertussis vaccine since immunity to pertussis lessens over time. By protecting yourself against pertussis, you are also protecting your kids from getting it.

Since pertussis is very contagious, it can spread from person to person through tiny drops of fluid in the air coming from the nose or mouth when people sneeze, cough, or laugh. Others can become infected by inhaling the drops or getting the drops on their hands and then touching their mouths or noses.

Cough With Wheezing

If your child makes a wheezing (whistling) sound when breathing out, this could mean that the lower airways in the lungs are swollen. This can happen with asthma or with a viral infection (bronchiolitis). Also, wheezing can happen if the lower airway is blocked by a foreign object.

Nighttime Cough

Lots of coughs get worse at night. When your child has a cold, the mucus from the nose and sinuses can drain down the throat and trigger a cough during sleep. This is only a problem if the cough won't let your child sleep.

Asthma also can trigger nighttime coughs because the airways tend to be more sensitive and irritable at night.

Daytime Cough

Cold air or activity can make coughs worse during the daytime. Try to make sure that nothing in your house — like air freshener, pets, or smoke (especially tobacco smoke) — is making your child cough.

Cough With a Fever

A child who has a cough, mild fever, and runny nose probably has a common cold. But coughs with a fever of 102º F (39º C) or higher can sometimes be due to pneumonia, especially if a child is weak and breathing fast. In this case, call your doctor immediately.

Cough With Vomiting

Kids often cough so much that it triggers their gag reflex, making them vomit. Also, a child who has a cough with a cold or an asthma flare-up might throw up if lots of mucus drains into the stomach and causes nausea. Usually, this is not cause for alarm unless the vomiting doesn't stop.

Persistent Cough

Coughs caused by colds due to viruses can last weeks, especially if your child has one cold right after another. Asthma, allergies, or a chronic infection in the sinuses or airways also might cause persistent coughs. If the cough lasts for 3 weeks, call your doctor.

Tip # 46: Teach Your child to Resist Peer Pressure.

It is really tough for children today! Peer pressure has always been a problem for children, but it seems that it is even more difficult to walk away from temptations because of strong peer influences, and the technology that is available to children everyday. That brings us to tip#46.

Tip # 46: Teach your child to resist peer pressure.

Some kids find it difficult to resist peer pressure because they want to be liked and accepted. Others just find it fascinating and want to be adventurous and curious. The media and music industry do not help by making children think that elude behavior is normal and everyone is doing it, and at times glorifying drugs, sex, and violence.

The most important thing a child can have to resist peer pressure is a strong moral foundation, supportive and loving parents, and friends that have the same moral standard or higher. Know your child's friend, where they are going, and what they are doing. (especially on the Internet and the music they are listening to) If you find your child does not make good choices or is a follower, try to redirect them in a firm but caring way, and seek help from other parents who seem to be successful with their children. Do not hesitate to get professional help if needed. Start early, it can save you and your child heart ache and pain.

Tip #45: Teach your Children the Importance of Being Neat and Organized.

We must help our children to get and remain organized. They must understand that everything has a place and everything should be in its place. That brings us to tip #45.

Tip #45: Teach your child the importance of being neat and organized.

It is extremely important for our children to be neat and organized. One possible reason we are late for appointments or engagements is because we can't find everything we need. My husband always taught our five children that, "Clutter causes depression". Now clutter does bother him, but I, (who clutter doesn't bother) feel better when I can find what I need and things are in their place.

In school, the student who keeps a neat desk and locker is usually able to get started and turn in assignments sooner then the student who can not find papers, pencils, or textbooks. Teaching our children to neatly organize their personal space with help them continue to keep their lives organized into adulthood.

Tip #44: Teach Your Children the Importance of Being on Time.

We must teach our children the importance of being on time and time management! In order to instill this in our children we must make sure we get them to school, sports events, movies, church, and any extra curricula activity on time. That brings us to tip #44.

Tip #44: Teach your child the importance of being on time.

You must teach your children the importance of being on time. Teach them to be 10 or 15 minutes early, giving a little time for traffic or other deterrents. It is also important for children to be at school on time, to settle down and get in the route of the day. Studies show that children that are chronically late or absent usually don't do as well in school. Being on time will teach our children the importance of time management and will help them with future employment or business transactions. There is nothing that will discourage a future employer from hiring a person then missing an interview or showing up late. So, talk to your children about being on time and teach them time management, because it can be the difference in a successful career.

What Makes a School Effective?: Part 7

By David Miller Sadker, PhD

Karen R. Zittleman, PhD
McGraw-Hill Higher Education

What Makes a School Effective?Beyond Five Factors


New effective-schools findings offer us insights beyond these original five factors of effective schooling:

•Early start. The concept that there is a particular age for children to begin school needs to be rethought. The earlier schools start working with children, the better children do. High-quality programs during the first three years of life include parent training, special screening services, and appropriate learning opportunities for children. While such programs are rare, those that are in operation have significantly raised IQ points and have enhanced language skills. It is estimated that $1 spent in an early intervention program saves school districts $7 in special programs and services later in life.

•Focus on reading and math. Children not reading at grade level by the end of the first grade face a one-in-eight chance of ever catching up. In math, students who do not master basic concepts find themselves playing catch-up throughout their school years. Effective schools identify and correct such deficiencies early, before student performance deteriorates.

•Smaller schools. Students in small schools learn more, are more likely to pass their courses, are less prone to resort to violence, and are more likely to attend college than those attending large schools. Disadvantaged students in small schools outperform their peers in larger schools, as achievement differences for the rich and poor are less extreme. Many large schools have responded to these findings by reorganizing themselves into smaller units, into schools within schools. Research suggests that small schools are more effective at every educational level, but they may be most important for older students.

•Smaller classes. Although the research on class size is less powerful than the research on school size, studies indicate that smaller classes are associated with increased student learning, especially in the earlier grades. Children in classes of fifteen outperform students in classes of twenty-five, even when the larger classes have a teacher's aide present.

•Increased learning time While not an amazing insight, research tells us what we already suspect: more study results in more learning. Longer school days, longer school years, more efficient use of school time, and more graded homework are all proven methods of enhancing academic learning time and student performance.Assessment. Investing time is useful, but assessing how effectively the time is spent is also important. Testing student performance has been tied to greater achievement, and some districts have gone so far as to pay teachers incentives for improvements in student test scores.

•Teacher training. Researcher Linda Darling-Hammond reports that the best way to improve school effectiveness is by investing in teacher training. Stronger teacher skills and qualifications lead to greater student learning. Conversely, students pay an academic price when they are taught by unqualified and uncertified teachers.

•Trust. Trusting relationships among parents, students, principals and teachers is a necessary ingredient to govern, improve, and reform schools. As trust levels increase, so does academic performance.

•And what about technology? School districts that are hesitant to spend funds on teacher training, class size reductions, or early childhood education programs nevertheless are quick to invest significant sums in computers and upgraded technology. Research says very little about the impact of technology on school effectiveness and student performance. Studies are few, sometimes contradictory, and long-term results are still unknown. It is a sad commentary that the glamour of cyberspace is more persuasive than decades of research.