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A beef filler product, dubbed “pink slime” in recent weeks, has been used in grocery store meats for nearly a decade. The byproduct has also been an ingredient in many school lunch menus, although children and parents were unaware of this fact until fairly recently. Now, the pink slime debate is in full fervor, and school districts nationwide are responding to concerns by doing away with beef filler completely. While this makes some parents breathe a sigh of relief, it is also making some districts dig deeper into their pockets to foot the bill for meat that may be healthier, but is also more expensive.

What is “Pink Slime”?

According to a report at , pink slime refers to a mix of fatty beef byproducts that were typically reserved for pet food and cooking oil in the past. The scrap meat is mixed with bits of cartilage and connective tissue, and then chemically treated to kill bacteria and make it edible. Ammonia is the chemical of choice, which has many food advocates up in arms about the safety of the product, particularly when it is served to children in schools.

The product was approved for use by the USDA, which dubbed it “lean, finely textured beef.” The agency continues to claim the meat is safe, and the American Meat Institute says it is 98 percent beef. However, those statements are not enough to satisfy many who have been turned off on the idea of

Amid budget cuts, dismal performance ratings, and other challenges, public schools do not appear to need any more bad news. However, a recently released survey indicates school districts have yet another worry on their plates: teacher satisfaction across the country is at its lowest point in two decades. Why are teachers feeling less-than-loving toward their career choices? The answer may be somewhat complex, but there is also a bright spot in the news. Some teachers have provided insight into improving classroom environments and teacher satisfaction ratings simultaneously.

The MetLife Survey

The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher has offered input from educators, administrators, and policymakers since the first survey was conducted in 1984. Harris Interactive conducts the survey annually, and it examines views about the teaching profession and the economic impact on teaching and learning in schools, according to the MetLife website. The views of teachers, parents, and students are all accounted for in the yearly research.

The first survey was introduced after the Reagan administration issued its “Nation at Risk” report, which was quoted in the as saying, “A rising tide of mediocrity is presently eroding the educational foundations of our society.” This report set off sweeping education reform that left many teachers less secure. At that time, the survey emerged amidst ideas that discussions about education should include the voices of teachers.

In this year’s survey, Harris Interactive interviewed more than 1,000 teachers who taught K-12 grades at public schools.

Following on the heels of their success in urban areas like Brooklyn and the Bronx, the Eagle Academy Foundation network is about to expand into Newark this fall. The all-boys public school was designed to help at-risk youth discover academic success, leading to many life opportunities. The single-sex school will open up for the 2012-2013 school year and will eventually serve male youth from grades six through 12.

About Eagle Academy Foundation

According to the , the foundation “empowers at-risk inner city young men to become academic achievers, engaged citizens, and responsible men by providing quality education resources and proven effective community-based initiatives to address the shortfalls in public education to effectively educate them.”

Eagle Academy strives to combine a rigorous academic curriculum with instruction in vital social development skills to help young men succeed in school and after. According to the , these schools were founded in 2004 and currently boast more than one thousand students across their three locations in the heart of New York City. The academy is a partnership between Newark Public Schools and various faith-based and community organizations that provide personalized mentoring to students.

“We see so many young men engaged in negative behavior, walking around with their pants hanging off their behinds,” David Banks, president, and chief executive officer of the Eagle Academy Foundation, told the Newark Patch. “This school is where we teach them discipline and respect for themselves and the community.

Education is an evolving process that consistently introduces new theories and practices in accordance with the most recent research available. One of the latest introductions into the world of education today is STEM education, which focuses on the core subjects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Is STEM offering a whole new approach to education that will bring American students into the 21^st century, or is it merely another passing ebb and flow in the education tide? While only time will tell with certainty, there are definite reasons to take a closer look at this new approach that is sweeping across many school districts today.

What is STEM Education?

The process of STEM education is about much more than simply incorporating these four subjects into a core curriculum. The key to successful, effective STEM education is integrating these disciplines into a single “meta-discipline.” According to a report at Innovations, STEM can be defined as the “creation of a discipline based on the integration of other disciplinary knowledge into a new ‘whole’. This interdisciplinary bridging among discrete disciplines is now treated as an entity, known as ‘STEM’.”

A report at explains that “a successful STEM education provides students with science, math, and engineering/technology in sequences that build upon each other and can be used with real-world applications.” The concept of STEM was first introduced by Judith A. Ramaley, the

School lunches will be finally getting a new look, thanks to new federal guidelines created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The agency unveiled its plan for more nutritious school cafeteria food this week, amidst concerns by many regarding the increasing obesity rate among America’s youth today. The new guidelines will be implemented during the 2012-2013 school year. While most are applauding the new dietary guidelines, some are worried that the USDA didn’t go far enough in ensuring children get the most nutritious fare possible while they are at school.

Why New Lunch Guidelines?

According to a report on , the USDA stated the new guidelines are “intended to respond to serious concerns about childhood obesity and the importance for children to consume nutritious school meals within their calorie needs.” Currently, one in every three children in the United States is considered overweight or obese. The concerns have also been mounting in light of the fact that more children are taking advantage of the breakfast programs in their schools – making the fare provided by schools an even more significant amount of the nutritional content supplied to children most days of the week. The Chicago Tribune states that these rules represent the first major change to school meal standards in 15 years!

“The future of America is about our children, about making sure that the foods they eat allow them to become meaningful members of our communities,” Jose Andres, chef