Need to Know
We hope everyone reading this is safe in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, but we know there are many in North Carolina who are only starting to grapple with the devastation wrought by Florence on their homes, property, and lives. There are many ways you can help those affected by the storm. EducationNC compiled a list of organizations accepting financial donations, including:
- North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund
- Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC
- United Way of NC
- NC Community Foundation
- Salvation Army
If you have a story or photos to share, you can text FLORENCE to 73224.
For Your Consideration
The opioid crisis is not new, but schools are just starting to see and feel the effects. Two articles this week drew my attention to the impact of the opioid crisis on our education system.
This Hechinger Report article highlights how recovery programs, once rare on college campuses, are becoming more common in response to the opioid epidemic. North Carolina is one of a few states that provides grants to colleges to run recovery programs. While colleges are starting to recognize the need for recovery programs, the report notes that many colleges remain in denial and don’t want to advertise recovery programs, thinking it would hurt their reputation.
An Education Week article looks at the increasing number of children being placed in special education as a consequence of the opioid epidemic. Many of us in the education space have heard anecdotal accounts of the impacts of the epidemic on education, but this is one of the first articles I’ve read with any data. Researchers looked at a group of Medicaid-eligible children ages 3 to 8 in Tennessee and found, “The children who faced opioid withdrawal as babies were more likely to be evaluated for special education services and, once evaluated, were more likely to be found eligible.”
Dropping Knowledge
Pew Research Center released a new report titled “Women and Leadership 2018” that looks at Americans’ perceptions of female leadership. The report finds wide gender gaps and even wider partisan gaps on the issues. For example, 33 percent of Republican or lean Republican respondents believe there are too few women in high political offices in the U.S. whereas 79 percent of Democratic or lean Democratic respondents believe that. Additionally, 70 percent of women compared to 48 percent of men believe there are too few women in top executive positions.
Food for Thought
The Upshot at the New York Times released an interesting interactive map of social networks earlier this week that is worth taking a look at. Using data from Facebook, they map how likely someone who lives in a certain county is to be friends with people from other counties across the country. The article highlights Onslow County, which has an unusually high degree of connections with other counties due to the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune located there. Check it out and find out how connected your county is to the rest of the country.
What we're reading
Submerged by Florence, North Carolina’s Rural Towns Fight for Attention
This New York Times article looks at the flooded town of Ivanhoe, North Carolina. It ends with an important reminder: “'The disaster just really starts for us now."... Read the rest-
Charlotte Shows How to Beat Flooding
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The Unequal Distribution of Catastrophe in North Carolina
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Educators look for next steps amid Craven County’s Florence aftermath
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Black Patients Miss Out On Promising Cancer Drugs
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Setting a maximum wage for CEOs would be good for everyone
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By 2025, machines will do more work than humans, a new report says
