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The Washington Post raises a question worth looking at in your town. The Post reports that a record number of kids have been suspended from school. But do suspensions serve any useful purpose other than ridding the classroom of a troublemaker? And what kinds of infractions deserve suspensions?

The Post says:

The rules governing suspensions -- particularly whether students get credit for doing work during their punishment or are allowed to make it up afterwards -- vary among and within the country's 15,000 school systems. Depending on the severity of the student's conduct, a school might not permit a student to make up exams or graded assignments.

 

And what happened to the shame of it all?

 

For some school scofflaws, sitting at home and watching music videos all day might seem like a real coup. But work-free suspensions can result in students scrambling to catch up on work and getting zeros on exams administered during their absence.

The story says:

Nationally, schools are doling out more suspensions to students -- some of whom receive them several times in one academic year -- for a litany of reasons: talking back to a teacher, carrying knives, cheating or using a cell phone in class.

 

Between 2000 and 2002, suspensions nationwide increased from 3.05 million to 3.08 million, according to the Department of Education's most recent data.

EducationWorld.com has an article that suggests "in-school" suspensions are more effective than sending kids home. 

 

One study of Indiana's suspension rate found disparities in who gets suspended most often (non-whites more than whites) and it found no evidence that out-of-school suspensions change student behaviors.

 

Cheerleaders Selling Drugs

 

The New York Times has an interesting story this week about how drug companies are recruiting college cheerleaders to be drug reps. This could be an interesting one to localize with your area colleges and universities. The Times says:

Anyone who has seen the parade of sales representatives through a doctor's waiting room has probably noticed that they are frequently female and invariably good-looking. Less recognized is the fact that a good many are recruited from the cheerleading ranks.

Known for their athleticism, postage-stamp skirts and persuasive enthusiasm, cheerleaders have many qualities the drug industry looks for in its sales force. Some keep their pom-poms active, like Onya, a sculptured former college cheerleader. On Sundays she works the sidelines for the Washington Redskins. But weekdays find her urging gynecologists to prescribe a treatment for vaginal yeast infection.

Some industry critics view wholesomely sexy drug representatives as a variation on the seductive inducements like dinners, golf outings and speaking fees that pharmaceutical companies have dangled to sway doctors to their brands.

But now that federal crackdowns and the industry's self-policing have curtailed those gifts, simple one-on-one human rapport, with all its potentially uncomfortable consequences, has become more important. And in a crowded field of 90,000 drug representatives, where individual clients wield vast prescription-writing influence over patients' medication, who better than cheerleaders to sway the hearts of the nation's doctors, still mostly men?

New CPR Guidelines

 

The experts about such things are now saying that too many people die because those who might have saved their lives didn't know how to perform CPR -- or just didn't try. Now, the American Heart Association says we should not let the formal techniques stop us from trying to save the life of a person in cardiac arrest. Just compress the chest, and that alone will save a lot of lives. This is the kind of information that, if publicized, will certainly save lives. Better yet, maybe we can teach more people to perform CPR correctly.

 

Synchronizing the Traffic Lights
 

In my hometown of St. Petersburg , Fla. , you can drive the entire length of First Avenue South or First Avenue North and, unless you have a lead foot, you can sail through without ever tapping the brake. It is a pleasure.

 

KARE-TV in Minneapolis asked the question: "Why can't cities seem to get their lights timed to make traffic move more efficiently?" There is little else that cost less and does more to save fuel and reduce traffic jams.

 

The story says:

Timing traffic lights is proven to reduce commute times and save drivers money. But it's not being done in much of the metro [area] or in other places. It is clearly not being done regularly enough.

Nationwide, it is estimated that poor traffic signal timing accounts for five to 10 percent of all traffic delays, or about 300 million vehicle-hours of delay, on major roadways alone.

 

Moving Tributes

 

Al's Morning Meeting reader Cheryl Hosmer, a nonfiction book editor in Redford, Mich., sent me a link to this interesting site. Legacy.com has a whole section dedicated to tributes put together for fallen soldiers. These are so simple, short and put a face on our losses.

 

This one got to me, especially because of the childhood photos: Spc. Travis W. "Loopie" Anderson

 

If you are not doing audio obituaries, this might be a model for you to consider.

Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible.

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