The “No Child Left Behind Act” was enacted in 2001 by President George W. Bush. The main feature of this act is that it reinstated the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was the featured federal law that affected secondary education. The NCLB is known for increasing the accountability of schools , providing more choices for parents, increasing local control and flexibility, and putting an emphasis on improving academic performance through scientific research.

Increased Accountability on Schools for Better Results

The No Child Left Behind has improved statewide education by holding every school system responsible for the academic results of their students. Under the NCLB states works closely with their schools in order to bride the achievement gap and ensure that all students are achieving the state set standard of academic proficiency. Each year parents receive state and school district reports that review the progress achieved within their state educational system. Any school that does not meet the academic standards is required to provide supplemental services, such as free tutoring. In addition to these services the school is also required take corrective actions in order to improve their educational performance. If the school has not improved their academics over a span of five years, the school is forced to make dramatic changes.

Local Government Provided with Additional Freedom

The No Child Left Behind has provided states and school districts with an increased flexibility in how they use their federal education funds. This substantial increase in flexibility has allowed states to reallocate their funding into programs such as Improving Teacher Quality State Grants, Educational Technology, Innovative Programs, and Safe and Drug-Free Schools programs. This allows each state and school district to cater to the needs of their specific community, and allows them to allocate their resources in the best fit manner without the delays of consulting a higher authority. Overall the NCLB allows for a faster process to improve school systems.

Implementation of Scientifically Proven Education Methods

One of the most positive features of this act is that it supports the use of scientific study in order to implement the best educational programs and practices. Through scientific research we find the most effective practices that improve the academic performance of our students. Once these practices are proven to be successful, the state is provided with federal funding that targets the use of these programs.

NCLB Provides More Options for Parents

Under the NCLB, parents are given more options when the school is performing below the academic standard. If a school is performing below the standard for two consecutive years, parents are given the option to transfer their children to a better-performing public school within their district. If this transfer becomes effective, the district must provide the appropriate transportation for the child. In addition, students who attend a persistently dangerous school are given the option to attend a safe school within their district.

Related posts:

1. Signs of Child Abuse
2. Leading Causes of Child Obesity
3. Child Protective Services

Recognizing child abuse is the key to preventing permanent physical and psychology damage to the child. Being aware of the following signs may help a child in need, or even save their life.

If the Child:

• Shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance
• Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought to the parents’ attention
• Has learning problems that cannot be attributed to specific physical or psychological causes
• Is always watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen
• Lacks adult supervision
• Is overly compliant, passive, or withdrawn
• Comes to school or other activities early, stays late, and does not want to go home

If the Parent:

• Shows little concern for the child
• Denies the existence of—or blames the child for—the child’s problems in school or at home
• Gives other permission to use harsh physical discipline if the child misbehaves
• Sees the child as entirely bad, worthless, or burdensome
• Demands a level of physical or academic performance the child cannot achieve
• Looks primarily to the child for care, attention, and satisfaction of emotional needs

The Parent and Child:

• Rarely touch or look at each other
• Consider their relationship entirely negative
• State that they do not like each other

For additional signs of child abuse, visit the government site for Child Welfare.

Related posts:

1. Effects of Child Abuse
2. Child Abuse
3. Child Protective Services

Neglect of a child is not limited to physical abuse; it encompasses physical, emotional, sexual abuse. The effects of these types of abuse are not limited to the number of years the child suffers; unfortunately, the effects of child abuse last a lifetime. Studies on child abuse have proven the negative effects are more than skin deep, and can have permanent physical, intellectual, and psychological consequences throughout adolescence and adulthood.

When children experience abuse during early childhood, the abuse compromises the physical and psychological development of the child. When a child experiences a multitude of negative experiences during development, the child may develop emotional, behavioral, and learning problems that persist throughout their lifetime. These children later suffer from economic costs of hospital bills, foster care, lower academic achievement, adult criminality, and lifelong mental health problems.

Sexual Child Abuse: The affects of sexual child abuse may include fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor self-esteem, substance abuse, and difficulty with close relationships.

Physical Child Abuse: Children who have faced physical child abuse suffer the immediate effects of bruises, burns, lacerations, and broken bones. In the long term, these children can suffer such injuries as brain damage, hemorrhages, and permanent disabilities. Suffering from physical trauma can also negatively affect children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development.

Emotional Child Abuse: While many people knock the significance of emotional abuse, emotional abuse causes some of the most significant long term psychological damage. People who suffer emotional abuse, also known as psychological maltreatment, are forever altered in their ability to create stable emotional, psychological, and/or social development. The effects of emotional abuse may include insecurity, poor self-esteem, destructive behavior, withdrawal, poor development of basic skills, alcohol or drug abuse, suicide, difficulty forming relationships, and instability in holding a job.

Related posts:

1. Signs of Child Abuse
2. Child Abuse
3. CAPTA

All reports of child abuse are first directed to the Child Protective Services agency of state of residence. When reporting a case of child abuse, each state requires certain professionals and institutions to report suspected maltreatment. Examples of these professionals include health care providers and facilities, mental health care providers, teachers and other school staff, social workers, police officers, foster care providers, and daycare providers.

Screening: The first report of suspected child abuse or neglect is called a referral. Referrals that have been screened in are then investigated or assessed by the CPS agency to determine the possibility that maltreatment has occurred, or that the child is at risk of maltreatment. Some referrals are screened out if:  The referral did not concern child abuse or neglect; it did not contain enough information to enable an investigation or assessment to occur; the children in the referral were the responsibility of another agency or jurisdiction (military) or the alleged victim was older than 18 years.

Investigation: During this process the CPS agency conducts interviews with family members, the alleged victim, and friends and relatives of the family. The CPS agency then determines whether the child is a victim of abuse, or is at risk of abuse or neglect. This determination often is called a disposition.

It is imperative to understand that the Child Protection Services is different in each state. While every U.S. state and the U.K. has a Child Protection Agency, the standards, conditions, and contact for each CPS agency is different.

CPS Child Abuse Statistics related to reporting abuse:

• Approximately 3.2 million referrals of child abuse and neglect that included approximately
• 5.8 million children were made to CPS agencies.
• About 62 percent (61.7%) of those referrals reached the second stage, became a report, and were either investigated or received an assessment.
• More than 25 percent (25.2%) of the investigations that reached the report stage determined that at least one child was a victim of child abuse or neglect.

Related posts:

1. CAPTA
2. Child Abuse
3. Effects of Child Abuse

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) is the key legislation used to address the issue of child abuse and neglect. CAPTA is known for providing Federal funding to States in support of prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment. In addition to state funding, CAPTA provides grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for demonstrations and projects in order to spread the word of child abuse.

CAPTA is responsible for identifying the Federal Government’s role in supporting research, evaluation, technical assistance, and data collection activities. In addition CAPTA also establishes the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect and mandates Child Welfare Information Gateway.

Each State has its own definitions of child abuse and neglect based on minimum standards set by Federal law. Federal legislation provides a foundation for States by identifying a minimum set of acts or behaviors that define child abuse and neglect. CAPTA defines child abuse and neglect as:

1. Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or
2. An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.

Within the minimum standards set by CAPTA, each State is responsible for providing its own definitions of child abuse and neglect. On the state level, most states recognize four major types of maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological maltreatment.

Through the enactment of CAPTA our nation has been able to see statewide improvement in average response time between maltreatment report and investigation, and a decrease in the percentage of children with substantiated reports of maltreatment who have a repeated substantiated report of maltreatment within 6 months.

Note: All information found here was found at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Child Maltreatment 2007 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009).

Related posts:

1. Child Abuse
2. Child Protective Services
3. Effects of Child Abuse

Sometimes we need to face the raw facts to grasp the true brutality that our nation is up against. To many people, child abuse and neglect is one of the most serious concerns of world. While some individual’s face this harsh reality every day, few people truly understand the impact of child abuse. It’s time to face the facts:

1. During 2007, an estimated 794,000 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect.

2. Children in the age group of birth to 1 year had the highest rate of victimization at 21.9 per 1,000 children of the same age group in the national population

3. More than one-half of the child victims were girls (51.5%) and 48.2 percent were boys

4. Approximately one-half of all victims were White (46.1%), 21.7 percent were African-American, and 20.8 percent were Hispanic.

5. An estimated 1,760 children died due to child abuse or neglect

6. The overall rate of child fatalities was 2.35 deaths per 100,000 children

7. More than 30 percent (34.1%) of child fatalities were attributed to neglect only; physical abuse also was a major contributor to child fatalities

8. More than three-quarters (75.7%) of the children who died due to child abuse and neglect were younger than 4 years old

9. Infant boys (younger than 1 year) had the highest rate of fatalities, at 18.85 deaths per 100,000 boys of the same age in the national population; and

10. Infant girls had a rate of 15.39 deaths per 100,000 girls of the same age.

11. In 2007, nearly 80 percent of perpetrators of child maltreatment (79.9%) were parents, 6.6% were other relatives of the victim. Nearly all perpetrators were younger than the age of 40.

12. Women comprised a larger percentage of all perpetrators than men.

13. Nearly 60 percent (59.0%) of victims suffered neglect;

14. More than 10 percent (10.8%) of the victims suffered physical abuse;

15. Less than 10 percent (7.6%) of the victims suffered sexual abuse;

16. Less than 5 percent (4.2%) of the victims suffered from psychological maltreatment.

All information found here was found through U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Child Maltreatment 2007 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009). Find more of their Child Abuse Statistics here.

Related posts:

1. Child Protective Services
2. CAPTA
3. Effects of Child Abuse

This article includes a list of child safety tips to make your home a safer place to live for your children.
For more on child safety, watch this child safety video and have your kids play the fun and educational child safety games.

“Keep it Cool” Bathroom Child Safety

• Place grab bars and non-skid mats in your bathtubs and showers
• Set your Hot Water Heater to max temperature of 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower
• Ensure small electrical appliances are out of child’s reach, unplugged, and kept away from water

“Out of Reach” Kitchen Child Safety

• If you kids help you cook, make sure they’re not wearing any loose flowing clothing
• Keep appliance cords away from the sink
• Keep a step stool by the counters for the kids to be able to reach for high shelves instead of counter hopping
• Keep all pot handles turned inward or toward the back of the stove during cooking so they’re not easily knocked or touched
• Any food that would attract kids is kept away from the stove top and away from knives
• Knives and sharp objects are kept out of children’s reach or in a safe drawer
• All cleaning supplies are stored separately from food and kept away from a child’s reach

“Lock it Up” Garage Child Safety

• Power tools have guards and are kept out of child’s reach
• Containers of liquids, are tightly capped and stored away from any heat or flammable device
• Appropriate locks to doors which contain hazardous equipment and materials

“Lights Out” Bedroom Child Safety

• At least one light switch is within the child’s reach
• Keep electric blankets laid out after use, any type of covering or folding can trap heat and cause a fire.

“Watch Your Step” Stairway Child Safety

• Toddler gates are used at the top and bottom of stairs.
• Keep the stairwell well lit with lights at both the bottom and top of the floors
• Each stairwell has a fixed handrail that runs the length of the stairwell
• Never store anything on the stairwell as it becomes a very dangerous tripping hazard

“Be Prepared” Child Fire Safety

• Every person knows “stop, drop and roll”
• Ensure children know that covering themselves in a blanket suffocates the flame and helps put it out
• When cooking with oil, water is NOT how to put out the flame. Keep baking soda close to stove to put out any type fire stemming from oil.
• Install at least one smoke detector on each floor of the house (each checked twice yearly)
• Store all matches and lighters away from child’s reach
• Inspect and clean chimneys annually
• The family has a planned emergency exit plan in the case of a fire.
• Keep a working fire extinguisher in your house to handle small fires.

Small Child Safety

• Keep all plants off the floor, due to the fact many plants can be poisonous if swallowed
• Ensure there are no loose tasty paint chips which contain led if swallowed
• All cleaners are purchased in child-resistant packaging when possible
• Keep all doctor/poison control/ and other important numbers close to the phone
• Small items and foods that could choke a child are kept out of reach.
• Pocketbooks (which contain many entertaining, yet very harmful items) are kept in high places out of reach of children

Electrical Child Safety

• Ensure all electrical cords do not run beneath furniture or rugs.
• Do not overload extension cords or else shortages and sparks will occur
• All outlets and switches have cover plates to protect small fingers
• Double check that light bulbs are appropriate sizes and watts for the lamps and fixtures.

Use these Child Home Safety tips to ensure that your child is really in a home sweet safe home.

Related posts:

1. Signs of Child Abuse
2. Leading Causes of Child Obesity
3. No Child Left Behind Act