With no consensus in Congress on how to fix the problem, the President has taken matters into his own hands. In a press conference this afternoon, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that 10 states—Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee—have agreed to work within the Administration’s reform guidelines and will thus receive a waiver from the potential sanctions slated to go into effect in 2014. These states will continue to set a higher bar for achievement—including college- and career-ready standards—but now have more freedom in how they implement it. More important, they can focus on tailoring solutions to the individual needs of poor-performing schools and students. They’ve also agreed to reward schools ranked at the top and that display clear gains (something NCLB didn’t do), and to implement meaningful teacher and principal evaluation systems.

This NCLB bypass effectively puts more control of education back in the hands of individual states. Assuming the states follow through as promised and look at long-term structural fixes, granting them waivers should be a good thing for public students in these states. But it is also a clear acknowledgment that that the United States is nowhere near to achieving the law’s goal of getting kids up to grade level in reading and math within the next two years. No wonder 28 other states have indicated that they, too, plan to seek waivers.

What do you think: Are the NCLB waivers a good thing or merely an admission that our system remains broken with few signs of improvement?

The competition is divided into two categories: School Programs and Technology Innovation.  Teachers, schools, and school districts can enter School Programs by submitting their school’s unique physical activity programs, which can include curriculums, activities, environmental modifications, events, or any other initiatives that are currently being implemented.  Regional winners will receive $25,000 prizes and national winners will receive $100,000 prizes. 

Technology developers can enter Technology Innovation with ideas of how existing and emerging technology can be used to inspire kids to get active.  Technology can include devices, tracking and measurement systems, software applications, social media, gaming systems, and smartphones.  Winners will receive $50,000 in funding and the chance to present at this year’s Health 2.0 conference. 

Learn more about the Innovation Competition and read details about how to apply at activeschoolsasap.org. The competition ends April 2 at 5:00 pm EDT.

Watch a video message from First Lady Michelle Obama about the competition below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwxl5Grq2uQ

10 States Given Waivers From No Child Left Behind Law
President Obama will waive central provisions of the No Child Left Behind federal education law for 10 states that have embraced his educational agenda and promised to raise standards, and improve accountability and teacher effectiveness, the White House announced on Thursday morning.

FDA Approves a 10-Minute, No-Comb Treatment for Head Lice
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on Tuesday a prescription-strength lotion for the treatment of head lice in children 6 months and older.

C-Sections Can Increase Premature Babies’ Risk of Breathing Problems
Contrary to popular belief, cesarean section appears not to be the best way to deliver preterm babies who are small for their age, according to research presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

Youths Are Watching, but Less Often on TV
Americans ages 12 to 34 are spending less time in front of TV sets, even as those 35 and older are spending more, according to research that will be released on Thursday by Nielsen, a company that tracks media use.

Pageant Mom’s ‘Go-Go’ Juice Comes Under Fire
One mother routinely gives her daughter caffeine before each pageant competition.

Through a stroke of luck—or fate—involving both the Prime Minister of Iceland and the wife of the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair—”A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism” ended up being narrated by Kate Winslet. As Kate says in the March issue of Ladies’ Home Journal, “I knew I couldn’t just lend my voice to this documentary and go home.” She forged an immediate friendship with Margret and Keli, and together they created the Golden Hat Foundation to raise awareness about children and adults with autism—specifically those who are nonverbal and whose abilities are mistakenly believed to be severely limited.

I was honored to meet Margret yesterday at an event hosted by Ladies’ Home Journal (our sister publication) to spread the word about the Golden Hat Foundation. Its first high-profile project is a book called The Golden Hat: Talking Back to Autism, out March 27. The book was all Kate’s idea and the premise is simple: She’d send one of her favorite hats to celebrities, who had to take a self-portrait with it and provide one quote that was important to them. She got everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Conan O’Brien to Leonardo DiCaprio to Michael Phelps to Meryl Streep to participate.

The book contains a breathtaking section featuring the first thoughts communicated by nonverbal children, which were articulated on a letterboard used to spell out words. Keli’s: “I am real.” An 11-year-old girl named Carly’s: “Teeth—hurt—help.” Keli now writes poetry on his letterboard, and among his poems is one about a hat who speaks for a boy with autism who cannot talk. It’s called, of course, “The Golden Hat.” (And in a bizarre coincidence, Kate didn’t know about that particular poem when she came up with her book idea.)

Margret was effusive in her praise for Kate Winslet, calling her “a light in the darkness.” She said that with Kate’s help, the Golden Hat Foundation is progressing rapidly (“nothing moves slowly with her”). She also shared a beautiful video clip from a visit Kate and her children made to Margret’s home in Austin, Texas; they spent Thanksgiving together in 2010. In the clip, Kate is meeting other nonverbal children with autism, mostly teenage boys. One boy, thanks to his letterboard, tells her she’s beautiful; she gives the camera a wink and a thumbs’ up, and repays the compliment right back to him. We saw footage of Kate giving Keli a big bear hug when he told her he loved her—and we all laughed, since Margret had told us that Keli really, really doesn’t like being hugged. She said it was a struggle for Kate not to embrace Keli for their book cover shoot—but if you look closely at the photo above, you’ll see that Keli reached out to hold Kate’s hand.

Aside from helping society understand how intelligent nonverbal kids with autism can be, Margret and Kate have a more tangible goal: to build assisted-living campuses where children and adults with autism can live, learn, and work. I don’t know if anyone at yesterday’s event wasn’t in tears when Margret read an email to Kate that said, in essence, “I cannot leave this place until I know that my son has somewhere to go.”

If you’d like to help support the Golden Hat Foundation, click here. You can pre-order the book here. And for those of you who will be in NYC on World Autism Day, Monday, April 2, you can meet Margret and Keli at the United Nations Bookshop for a book signing. (Wondering how Keli will sign books if he can’t write? His mom wondered the same thing. His answer, via letterboard: “Stamp.”)

Cooking with your kids is a great way to teach them about the importance of healthy eating, but we know it’s not always easy to find the time and energy to do so.

Which is exactly why you and your child should enter Loukoumi’s Secret Ingredient Recipe Contest! The contest is part of the release of Nick Katsoris’s latest book, Loukoumi’s Celebrity Cookbook (which we’ve already raved about). Children between the ages of 4 and 12 simply submit their favorite recipe and why they love it in 10 words or less. One child will win a private cooking lesson with celebrity chef Cat Cora.

The contest is accepting submissions until March 1. Download the contest entry form and enter today!

Read more about Cat Cora on Parents.com:

• An Interview with Cat Cora (Plus Kitchen Tips!)
• Cool Cat Cora
• Pack Lunch Like a Celebrity Chef

Image of Cat Cora courtesy of Nick Katsoris

Photo via Creative Memories

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6U-8LP1DY

Teen Pregnancy, Abortion Rates at Record Low
Birth and abortion rates among U.S. teens fell to record lows in 2008 as increased use of contraceptives sent the overall teen pregnancy rate to its lowest level since at least 1972, a study showed on Wednesday.

Babies Fed on Solid Foods Less Likely to Be Obese, Study Finds
Pureed baby food is more likely to make children obese than solid finger foods, British researchers claimed.

Aide Accused of Taping Sexual Acts With Students
The aide, Taleek Brooks, 40, may have made the videos of sexual acts with students inside Public School 243, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, law enforcement officials said.

Frequent Childhood Moves Tied to Health, Drug Problems
Children whose families move around a lot may be at increased risk for psychological problems and substance use later in life, according to a new study.

Mom Blogger Susan Niebur Loses Battle with Cancer
The world has lost another mommy soldier in the breast cancer wars. Susan Niebur, mom of two who blogged about her 5-year battle with the disease on Toddler Planet, died this week.

Are Depressed Kids Bully Magnets?
A new study, published this week in the journal “Child Development,” provides some of the strongest evidence to date for a third theory: Kids who cry easily, express negative emotions, and show other signs of depression ultimately suffer socially because they are shunned by their peers and attract the attention of bullies.