Each week find a round-up of selected news and resources related to global ethical issues and positive solutions that you can use in your solutionary classroom.
Here’s some news to know for this week:
- Via Inside HigherEd: Study notes “significant impact” of DACA on student achievement
The National Bureau of Economic Research has released a working paper stating that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has influenced “a 45 percent decrease in teen birth rates, a 15 percent increase in high school graduation rates and a 20 percent increase in college enrollment rates” amongst undocumented immigrant youth in the US. As one of the paper’s authors said: “Our main conclusion from this paper is that future labor market opportunities or just opportunities in general really matter.” - Via Washington Post: US Dept. of Education will no longer investigate “transgender bathroom complaints”
The US Department of Education has announced that it will no longer investigate “civil rights complaints from transgender students barred from school bathrooms that match their gender identity.” The department argues that Title IX doesn’t “obligate schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice.” - Via Buzzfeed: Loophole in 35 US states allows police to claim consensual sex with people in their custody
The recent story of a young woman accusing two police officers of detaining and raping her has revealed that in 35 US states, there is no law that explicitly forbids police from having or claiming consensual sex with people in their custody. - Via Kuensel Online: Study shows presence of tigers helps reduce harm to crops and livestock
A study conducted in 13 villages in the Himalayas showed that when tigers were present, leopards and Asiatic wild dogs were more likely to eat wild herbivores, which meant less damage to crops and fewer deaths of livestock. Conservationists hope the study will help increase rural farmers’ desire to protect tigers, rather than kill them. - Via Phys.org: Flaw in commercial fishing statistics fails to show declining fish catches
A study published in Marine Policy notes that countries’ “improvements to their fisheries statistics have been contributing to the false impression that humanity is getting more and more fish from the ocean when, in reality, global marine catches have been declining on average by around 1.2 million tonnes per year since 1996.” As more previously unmonitored (or under-monitored) fisheries are added to the data pool, countries don’t “correct their new numbers retroactively,” giving the false impression of increased numbers. - Via Science Daily: Study finds BPA in 86% of tested teenagers
A study from the University of Exeter found traces of Bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor found in many plastics, in 86% of the 94 teenagers they tested. Researchers found that BPA is so ubiquitous, that “currently we do not have much of a choice about being exposed to BPA. We believe that much better labelling of products containing BPA is needed so people can make an informed choice.” - Via Washington Post: Students in Chesapeake Bay watershed are becoming eco-friendly advocates
An increasing number of schools in states around the Chesapeake Bay watershed are helping their students become green leaders, who are enthusiastic about solving our environmental problems and are bringing that passion into their homes. - Via ABC News: Plastic pollution prevalent in the Arctic is killing animals
A new report has discovered that even in remote areas of the Arctic, plastic pollution is becoming ubiquitous. This ocean debris is a danger to both marine and land animals, and the problem is increasing. - Via Greater Good: Tips for being less self-centered on social media
Greater Good offers four tips for focusing more on others, rather than ourselves, when we engage with our social media platforms. - Via NY Times: Chile establishes regulations for marketing and labeling unhealthy food to help reduce obesity
The Chilean government has implemented regulations on “marketing restrictions, mandatory packaging redesigns, and labeling rules aimed at transforming the eating habits” of Chile’s people. Currently 75% of Chilean adults are overweight or obese, and more than half of six-year-old children are overweight or obese. - Via: The Guardian: Use of insecticide-laced bed nets used for fishing is causing harm to humans and animals
Research shows that bednets laced with insecticides to reduce the incidence of malaria are being used for other purposes, especially as fishing nets. The insecticide in the nets can be harmful to wildlife, and if the nets aren’t being used for their intended purpose, can be harmful to people as well.
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The post What’s New Wednesday 1-14-18: News & Resources for Educators & Solutionaries appeared first on Institute for Humane Education.