The Rudd Government today announced a commitment to establish a dedicated ABC children’s digital television channel.

http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/028

Young people will have to complete 50 hours of community service before they are 19 if Labour win…
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Is it more important to go to a great school or a school near where you want to teach?

When California resident Joshua Arnold gained acceptance to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, his decision to attend seemed simple—the school is first rate, and Harvard offered him a full scholarship. Harvard’s mix of innovative theory and practical experience was exhilarating, but Arnold isn’t sure how well it prepared him for the challenges he faces as a principal in South Central Los Angeles, knowledge he might have gained had he gone to ed school closer to home. “My program never talked about educating Latino students in the ways I needed or wanted,” Arnold says. “Educating Latino students is not as much of a concern in Boston as it is in Los Angeles. In L.A. it’s a really critical issue.” … read more

Choosing books to read aloud to children

Parents, school districts, and law-enforcement officials have been grappling with what to do with teenagers who take sexually explicit photos of themselves with their cell phone cameras and send them to friends. Now, a handful of state legislatures are moving to get rid of one option: child pornography charges that result in lifetime listings on states’ internet sex-offender registries.

Chris Brown’s arrest for assaulting Rihanna may have placed a national spotlight on dating violence, but with one in five high school girls reporting that they’re physically or sexually hurt by their partner, chances are that one may be a student of yours. Health teacher Ann Burke of North Kingstown, RI, created the Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund to educate 7th through 12th graders about dating violence after her daughter was murdered a few years ago by her ex-boyfriend.

Did you have any hint that this would happen to Lindsay?

I had an idea. No one else did. Everyone else said it wouldn’t go that far. Even though she hadn’t admitted to it, in my gut I thought something like this could happen. I was frantic. A lot of mothers have that gut feeling. But it’s not like I knew immediately. Lindsay, like us, had never been educated in domestic violence or dating violence. We didn’t know anyone who had experienced it. But I saw things that didn’t seem right, some red flags, and I started asking around. more » » »

Parent’s Guide
NetAlert has prepared an Internet safety guide as a resource to help you create your own Internet safety strategy for your family.
Whether you are simply investigating the issues or need some practical advice on how you can help your children, this guide is for you.

Did You All See This Article? Disney has hired researchers to learn about ages 6-14. I was struck by one observation — boys liking small improvements in skills, rather than identifying with the ab…
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Try this:

Beautiful blooms

Celebrate spring in style with this fun flower activity.

Mississippi could join the ranks of those states that ban text messaging by teens while driving.

If approved, the law would prohibit 15- and 16-year-old teenagers with intermediate licenses, and temporary learning and driving permits, from text messaging while behind the wheel. more » » »