A FEW weeks ago, Wendy James was trending on Twitter. It’s been happening quite often over the last few months, a result of BBC Four’s repeats of Top of the Pops reaching 1988 and 1989, the years in which a pink-lipsticked, bra-flaunting James launched herself on the public consciousness as the brash, blonde frontwoman of Transvision Vamp.

THE SCOTTISH Government “does not consider it likely” that schools will fully re-open “in the foreseeable future” - while working from home is “likely to persist as part of the new normal”.

The recent Chicago Teachers Union strike drew attention from Democratic presidential candidates in Illinois, a state won by Democrats in the last White House contest. For 2020, it's possible we could see a twist on that story: big-city teacher strikes in states with less predictable outcomes.

The version of the tax bill passed by the Republican-led Senate would double the amount teachers can deduct for classroom supplies.

The EdWeek Research Center is conducting twice-monthly surveys of teachers and district leaders across the country to help the K-12 system navigate these unprecedented times.

Europe's top competition for amateur players returns for 2018/19 with 39 nations discovering the fate of their eventual representatives in the preliminary and intermediate round draws.

All the results as Dolny Śląsk claimed the European amateur title in Bavaria after an eight-team finals.

Dolny Śląsk beat hosts Bavaria 3-2 in a thrilling final to become only the second two-time winners.

Crave pragmatic, honest, clear-eyed conversation about the realities of ed tech? Here's a reading list from Education Week, as presented at ISTE 2019.

IT’S all too easy to lose track of many of the quirky, moving, interesting films that have been shot in Scotland over the years. Some of the sparkling gems on these pages attracted decent reviews upon release before fading from view; others slipped under most people’s radar. The 10 films here are funny, or dark, or insightful. All have something to say; all are worth tracking down, and watching, whether it’s for the first time, or the first time since they were released.

Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210

Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210

A Virginia study documents an increase in race-related bullying in middle schools in communities that voted for President Donald Trump, and a drop in those that favored Hilary Clinton.

The highly polarizing 2016 Presidential campaign blitzed the swing state of Virginia. And in the year that followed, a new study in the journal Educational Researcher suggests school bullying problems likewise split along political lines.

Frozen II ices out the competition and skates to the top of the list.

Maker-spaces, adaptive learning, and wearable technologies are among the ed-tech trends to keep an eye on in the next few years, a new report says.

The Herald, in proud partnership with Royal Bank of Scotland, is inviting the country's photographers to enter their most accomplished work in a new competition which celebrates the launch of a stunning new £20 banknote design.

Lorraine Wilson

OF course, it’s a ridiculous idea. The 10 best Scottish paintings. As if anyone could choose. But if you take the folly of it as read, well, then, why not? See it as a game. A declaration of taste and bias, prejudice and ignorance and, more than likely, stupidity. Something to argue with at the very least. A list to incite your own counterblast.

IN the years BC (Before Covid), my morning routine was consistent. First, perusal of the paper, starting with the sport followed by the death notices. Continued absence from the latter represented a pretty good start to the day. Omnipresent coronavirus has reversed that order. Now, my first port of call is the ever-expanding family notices. Worryingly, for a man in his eighth decade, the deaths section lengthens daily. Equally concerning, is my proximity to the average age of those whose demise

Education Week's top English-language learner stories on 2019 explored who's teaching the nation's English-learners and the struggles those educators encounter on the job, how the Trump administration's immigration policies affected students and their families and examined why more schools in the Un

Marc Tucker's most-read blog posts in 2017.

Over the last two decades, STEM teachers have become increasingly more likely to be female and well-qualified.

Penn State Schuylkill LionLaunch held its fourth annual Business Plan Competition on Thursday, April 16. The program awarded $6,000 in funding to three small businesses at the competition, totaling $69,000 awarded to 21 small businesses throughout Schuylkill County over the last four years.

UEFA is to introduce minimum medical requirements at UEFA competition matches from the start of next season, with guidelines drawn up by the UEFA Medical Committee.

The 2012 UEFA Grassroots Day Awards have been revealed, with the best leaders, clubs and projects from around Europe recognised for their achievements in the grassroots game.

Since it was announced publicly that OM Japan were ready to receive volunteers, many people wrote to express interest and requested for more information. This past week (23 - 27 May), OM Japan took their first volunteer group, consisting of 3 foreigners and 4 Japanese to Miyagi prefecture to help with clearing up rubble and bringing encouragement.

Dozens of states offer the seal of biliteracy, but more than 80 percent of students who earn the honor are concentrated in just five states, a new report reveals.

The swirl of attention around Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s story of being forced out of a teaching job when she was pregnant intensifies the spotlight on her background and K-12 credentials.

The recent Chicago Teachers Union strike drew attention from Democratic presidential candidates in Illinois, a state won by Democrats in the last White House contest. For 2020, it's possible we could see a twist on that story: big-city teacher strikes in states with less predictable outcomes.

A number of studies have examined the early impact of the varicella vaccination program on varicella-related hospitalizations and have found evidence of decline after vaccine implementation.

This study further documents the continued decline in varicella-related hospitalizations during the 1-dose varicella vaccination era and demonstrates statistically significant declines of >65% in all age groups. These data suggest that varicella vaccination prevented ~50 000 hospitalizations from 2000 to 2006. (Read the full article)

Preventive asthma medications (PAMs) are a primary management strategy to control asthma morbidity. Little is known about changes over time in prevalence of PAM use among children and adolescents in the United States.

Our analysis demonstrates an increase in use of PAMs among children and adolescents with current asthma in the United States from 1988–1994 to 2005–2008, but racial and ethnic disparities in use of PAMs persist. (Read the full article)

Refugee children arriving in the United States have had higher rates of elevated blood lead levels than US-born children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends blood lead screening of all refugee children within 3 months after their arrival in the United States.

This is the first investigation we are aware of to examine and identify risk factors for lead poisoning among US-bound refugee children living in camps overseas, before their arrival in the United States. (Read the full article)

In the United States, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among children (1–19), accounting for >1000 deaths per year. Total lifetime costs in 2000 were estimated to be $2.6 billion for children aged 0 to 14.

National trends in pediatric drowning hospitalizations by age and gender have not been reported. This study provides benchmarks that can be used for state and regional comparisons and monitoring of injury prevention efforts. (Read the full article)

Previous research has demonstrated that young children with traumatic brain injury are at elevated risk of poor outcomes, particularly following severe injuries. These deficits persist until at least 5 years postinsult. Factors predicting outcomes in this age group have not been established.

This study follows survivors of very early traumatic brain injury into adolescence. Results indicate that severe injury is associated with poorest outcome, but after 3 years, the gap between children with severe traumatic brain injury and peers stabilizes. (Read the full article)

Secondhand smoke exposure poses a significant health risk to nonsmokers. With the proliferation of comprehensive smoke-free laws prohibiting smoking in worksites and public areas, private areas have become the primary source of secondhand smoke exposure for many individuals, particularly youth.

Secondhand smoke exposure in cars has steadily declined among middle and high school students. However, many remain exposed to secondhand smoke in this environment. Jurisdictions should expand existing comprehensive smoke-free policies to prohibit smoking in vehicles occupied by youth. (Read the full article)

In the previous decade, graduating pediatric residents generally experienced success in finding desired jobs, but they also experienced increased debt and flat starting salaries.

This study highlights trends over the past several years (2003–2009) including high levels of satisfaction among graduating pediatric residents, increasing ease in obtaining postresidency positions, and a modest decline in interest in primary care practice. (Read the full article)

Rare diseases in childhood can be debilitating and require lifelong care. Since 1983, the Orphan Drug Act incentives have stimulated the development and significantly improved the availability of treatment products for patients with rare diseases.

We report an increasing pediatric orphan product designations and approvals from 2000 to 2009. The trend indicates that the Orphan Drug Act has continued to address this important unmet need. (Read the full article)

Stairs are a common source of injury to children. Most injuries are minor soft tissue injuries, with the head and neck region being injured most commonly.

This is the first nationally representative study of stair-related injuries to young children in the United States. A child aged <5 years is treated in a US emergency department, on average, every 6 minutes for a stair-related injury. (Read the full article)

Several studies have analyzed fatal or nonfatal youth injury incidence in US agricultural settings, but none have combined those estimates to form an overall picture. The only detailed study of costs related to such injuries is restricted to nonfatal injury.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the annual incidence and cost of agricultural youth injuries in the United States. It analyzes them from different perspectives: fatal versus nonfatal, at work versus not at work, and requiring hospitalization versus not requiring hospitalization. (Read the full article)

Postpartum vitamin A supplementation is a strategy to combat vitamin A deficiency and seems to reduce maternal/infant morbidity and mortality. However, controversies exist regarding which dose has a greater efficacy, 200 000 IU (WHO protocol) or 400 000 IU (IVACG protocol).

In this study, postpartum maternal supplementation with 400 000 IU of vitamin A did not provide any additional beneficial effect in reducing infant morbidity compared with the standard dose of 200 000 IU. (Read the full article)

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis incidence varies over different regions and time periods. Recently, a decline was reported in the United States, Sweden (concurrent with a decline in sudden infant death syndrome), Scotland, and Denmark. The etiology remains unclear; therefore, epidemiologic data are valuable.

A decline in the incidence of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in Germany from 2000 to 2008 was noted but with wide regional variations. The regional distribution of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis was different from that of sudden infant death syndrome. (Read the full article)

Infants born to women who are hepatitis B surface antigen–positive have a 90% risk of chronic hepatitis B virus infection, which may cause premature death from liver failure or cancer. Postexposure prophylaxis in infancy prevents 85% to 95% of perinatal infections.

The Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program was created to identify and manage infants born to women who are hepatitis B surface antigen–positive. We provide, for the first time since 1996, national-level data on the outcomes of the Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program. (Read the full article)

Following a rapid increase from 1980 to 2001, the prevalence of obesity among school-age children and adolescents in the United States has plateaued. Few studies have examined obesity trends among younger children in the past decade, and findings are inconsistent.

Among children aged <6 years at this multisite pediatric practice, the prevalence of obesity was fairly stable during 1999–2003, but substantially decreased during 2004–2008. This decrease was smaller among children insured by Medicaid than children insured by non-Medicaid health plans. (Read the full article)

Batteries, especially button batteries, are an important source of pediatric injury. Recent reports suggest that fatal and severe button battery ingestions are increasing.

An estimated 3289 battery-related ED visits occurred annually among US children <18 years of age, averaging 1 visit approximately every 3 hours. The number and rate of visits increased significantly during the 20-year study period, driven by increases during the last 8 study years. (Read the full article)

Previous research on injuries related to bottle, pacifier, and sippy cup use has largely focused on case reports of infant injuries or fatalities attributed to pacifiers or pacifier parts causing asphyxiation or to bottle warming causing burns.

This study is the first to use a nationally representative sample to investigate the range of injuries requiring emergency department visits associated with bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups among children aged <3 years. (Read the full article)

Overweight and obese children have a higher prevalence of several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. There is growing evidence demonstrating that CVD risk factors present during childhood persist into adulthood.

US adolescents had no significant change in prehypertension/hypertension and borderline-high/ high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol prevalence from 1999–2000 to 2007–2008; however, prediabetes/diabetes increased by 14%. (Read the full article)

Infants weighing 501 to 1500 g are at high risk for mortality and for neonatal morbidities associated with both short- and long-term adverse consequences.

Mortality and major neonatal morbidity in survivors decreased for infants 501 to 1500 g between 2000 and 2009. However, in 2009, a high proportion of these infants still either died or survived after experiencing ≥1 major neonatal morbidity. (Read the full article)

The hypothesis that maternal prenatal folic acid lowers risk for childhood malignancy in offspring is supported by experimental and epidemiologic evidence, including 2 Canadian ecologic studies that showed inverse associations for some cancer types in the very young.

Examining Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program data, a decrease in the incidence of some childhood cancers (Wilms tumor, primitive neuroectodermal tumors) was observed in those <5 years after mandatory US folic acid fortification, with stronger effects detected in infants. (Read the full article)

A wide variety of prescription drugs are prescribed to US children. Although one of the steps in assessing the risk/benefit of therapies in the pediatric population is to understand how they are used, pediatric drug utilization is not well characterized.

By using large prescription databases, this study examines the frequency and patterns of national outpatient drug utilization (acute and chronic medications) in US infants, children, and adolescents for 2002 through 2010. (Read the full article)