Articles in the Athletics category

Concussion prevention laws, practices spreading

Recent news headlines have highlighted a proliferation of youth concussion prevention regulations and strategies across the country.

From Arizona, which apparently is the first state to require student athletes to pass a test based on a traumatic brain injury video they must watch, to Virginia, which became one of nearly two dozen states to write concussion prevention among students into law in the past six months.

In the August edition of ASBJ, I tackled the issue of youth concussions, which remains a largely misunderstood injury.  Among one of the more intriguiging revelations in the story: restricting physical exertion of injured student is only half the battle– in fact, it’s even less.

“We spend 90 percent of our time in the clinic, around how to return that kid to school,” Gerald Gioa, chief of neuropsychology at  Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C., told me. “The sports side is the easy part. I can easily restrict sports it’s not so easy to restrict the academic side.”

To learn more about this serious, yet highly preventable injury, read the August cover story, online for free for a limited time.

Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor

 

Naomi Dillon|August 17th, 2011|Categories: Athletics, Crisis Management, Leading Source, Wellness|

New on ASBJ.com

The August edition of ASBJ, now online,  arrives at the same time many school athletic programs are gearing up. And while we wish every team a great season, our main concern and our cover package, is focused on keeping students safe. Toward this end, the cover story provides some insight on youth concussions, which despite growing attention and state legislation, remains a largely misunderstood injury.  A tandem article, written by Orange County Superintendent of Schools William Habermehl, provides a first-hand account of the risks and precautions that districts and schools need to take to protect their student athletes. Rounding out the series is an examination of another athletic safeguard of sorts— booster club funds, which increasingly subsidize athletic participation at schools. Read these and other great features from the August issue, now available online.

Naomi Dillon|August 2nd, 2011|Categories: Athletics, Leading Source|Tags: , , , , |

Put down the taco and go outside

There are a lot of conversations about childhood obesity these days—specifically, what parents and schools can and should be doing to help lower the statistic that about one-third of children and teens are overweight. Much of the attention centers on the quality and quantities of food young people are being fed. Congress is planning changes to the Child Nutrition Act. The Senate passed legislation late last week that would increase the standards for all foods sold in schools, from school cafeterias to vending machines, and instill a large number of new requirements.

But it’s not just what we eat, it’s also what we do, or don’t do. A new study by the National Wildlife Federation shows that kids today spend much less time outdoors than their parents, now that computers, video games, and television seem to have taken over our lives. Today’s kids spend an average of more than seven hours a day using electronic devices — and they spend half as much time outdoors as they did just 20 years ago.

Children who go outside for play are more active and less likely to be overweight, more creative in their play, less aggressive, and more focused, the report says.

We know every child is not destined or interested in trying out for the basketball team or running track—but that doesn’t mean they won’t find a sport they’ll enjoy, perhaps even a team sport at school.

An article in ASBJ’s August issue looks at some of the “emerging” school sports that are getting kids off the sofa—badminton, bowling, flag football, and a host of other activities. Soccer has been rising steadily since the 1980s, particularly in ethnic communities, and now the popularity of lacrosse is spreading beyond its traditional areas in the Northeast.

None of these are close to the popularity of football, track and volleyball—but the good news is that they offer an alternative to video games.

Joetta Sack-Min, Associate Editor

Kathleen Vail|August 9th, 2010|Categories: Athletics, Governance, Leading Source, NSBA Publications, Wellness|

Can schools help solve the obesity crisis?

Health is the word in the August issue of American School Board Journal, just posted on our website. The cover article by Senior Editor Naomi Dillon looks at how increased national attention, including from the White House, is influencing how school districts and communities are helping students and their families get and stay healthy and fit. Dillon traveled to Huntington, W.Va., a town that won the dubious honor of being the fatest city in the U.S. several years ago. The Huntington schools, along with community partners, took up the challenge to encourage good health and eating habits among children and adults.
Do you believe that the war on underage use of tobacco has been won? You might want to rethink that notion after reading Senior Editor Del Stover’s article on how tobacco companies are using different products and marketing techniques on your students.
ASBJ’s cover package is open for a month for all everyone, including those who don’t subscribe. Subcribers can read the entire issue, as well as search past issues and use our topical archives.

Kathleen Vail|July 29th, 2010|Categories: Athletics, Leading Source, NSBA Publications, Wellness|

Goooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllll!

296-1244490483sgKzI’ve never really followed soccer … to be honest, I’ve really never followed any professional sport or team with much regularity.

Perhaps it’s our country’s growing fondness for “futbol” or maybe my expanding network of international friends, but it seems like the countdown and the inevitable Friday finale to the World Cup is all I seem to hear about lately.

I must admit, there is something to be said about the excitement and energy that can engulf a community when teams duke it out in a championship game. It actually reminds me of an ASBJ story I wrote a few years back on, of all things, diversity and immigration and how each impacted schools.
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Naomi Dillon|July 7th, 2010|Categories: Athletics, Governance, Leading Source|Tags: , , , |

A wealth of information at our health and wellness archive

Summer is nearly here, and for most of us, it’s a time when we’re usually a more physically active than at other times of the year. Students are outside more, elementary schools are holding field days, and the pools are open.

If you’re a subscriber, you get access to our archives all the time. (And if you’re not a subscriber, why not?) In honor of the summer season, go to our  Health and Wellness archive.

The archive is full of interesting and informative articles on universal breakfast, school leader stress, keeping employees healthy, the school leaders’ role in school health, the link between student achievement and physical activity and nutrition, and many others.

But don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself at http://www.asbj.com/TopicsArchive/HealthandWellness.aspx.

Kathleen Vail|June 2nd, 2010|Categories: Athletics, Leading Source, NSBA Publications, Wellness|

Daily Education Headlines

LAUSD parents urged to demand more control of schools
Los Angeles Times, May 11
Risk-taking charter school operator Steve Barr is launching an effort through which parents would wrest political control of the L.A. school system from unions, school bureaucrats and other entrenched interests. The plan is for parents to form chapters all over town and improve schools using the growing leverage of the charter school movement.
More
School violence drops, but bullying, thefts persist
Washington Post, May 11
Even though spasms of intense violence erupt on campuses occasionally and linger in the social consciousness, violence at schools across the country has been decreasing for a number of years.
More

Texas district may give students week off for passing tests
Dallas Morning News, May 11
High school students in Mesquite, Texas who pass state assessments and their classes could skip the last week of school next year while their peers get intensive academic help under a plan expected to be approved by the school board.
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Nevada district to eliminate administrative jobs to save $1.1 million
Las Vegas Sun, May 11
The Clark County school district expects to save $1.1 million a year from an administrative reorganization that shrinks five regional districts into four and eliminates another office.
More

California budget crisis threatens high school sports
San Francisco Chronicle, May 10
The state budget crisis has prompted school districts to contemplate painful cuts to sports programs–including the possibility of eliminating athletics entirely–and forced them into frenzied fund-raising.
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Fertile N.Y.C. job market dries up overnight for new teachers
New York Times, May 10
As a result of efforts to cut costs and avoid teacher layoffs, New York City principals may only fill vacancies with internal candidates for the 2009-10 school year, leaving new graduates and aspiring teachers from programs like Teach for America and the city’s Teaching Fellows scrambling for jobs.
More

For more news, go to School Board News Today.

Joetta Sack-Min|May 11th, 2009|Categories: Athletics, Budgeting, Governance, Leading Source, School Climate, School Reform, School Security, Teachers|
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