XQ Institute is launching XQ: The Super School Project, a challenge to reimagine and design the next American high school. Harnessing the best of American ingenuity in cities and towns across the country, XQ aims to help spark a movement to rethink the American high school—an institution that was designed to meet the needs of the Industrial Revolution and hasn’t changed in more than a century.
“Our nation is radically different than it was 100 years ago. Nearly every aspect of our daily lives—from how we communicate to how we work and play—has changed dramatically,” said Laurene Powell Jobs, Chair of the board of XQ Institute. “But our high schools have stayed frozen in time. Together, we have an opportunity to help fuel a movement for students, to inspire great high schools, and even to rethink school itself. Our passion at XQ is to help educators everywhere foster students who are curious, engaged, and creative—armed with the new literacies, knowledge, and skills needed to thrive,” she added. “To do that, we must use our collective imagination.”
From the Model T to the Tesla and the switchboard to the smart phone—everything has changed except for how we prepare our kids for the future. XQ: The Super School Project is a rallying call to America to change the outdated model that has failed to prepare our students for the demands of the global economy, and an open call to every community to rethink high school for today and tomorrow. XQ Institute will provide a fund of $50 million to support at least five selected schools over the next five years. It will also partner with them to provide expert support and guidance to turn their ideas into real Super Schools that can inspire the country.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7611851-xq-institute-super-school-project/
With more than 50 million kids heading back to school this fall, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and Honeywell (NYSE:HON) are urging parents, guardians and educators to start conversations about safety now. The KidSmartz™ program, a joint effort between NCMEC and Honeywell, is making those conversations easier with new animated videos to help elementary school students understand and remember the “Four Rules of Safety”
“A nine-year analysis by NCMEC of more than 9,000 attempted abductions revealed important patterns, including the fact that many attempts happen on the way to and from school,” said Linda Krieg, NCMEC acting CEO. “Safety is a year-round concern, but the analysis tells us that this time of year is a critical time to prepare our kids for potential dangers. KidSmartz equips teachers and parents with tools they need to help kids make smarter and safer decisions.”
NCMEC’s attempted abduction analysis revealed not only the tricks used by people trying to abduct kids but also the ways kids can get away. KidSmartz, which launched last year as part of more than ten years of partnership between NCMEC and Honeywell, uses classroom activities, role-playing, animated videos and a “Safety Dance” song and dance to teach children in grades K-5 the “Four Rules of Safety.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7616251-ncmec-honeywell-kidsmartz-back-to-school/
Utica College President Todd S. Hutton announced today that the College is resetting the on-campus undergraduate tuition price beginning Fall 2016. The new tuition price will be under $20,000, and the college will continue to offer both need-based and merit-based financial aid to lower the cost to qualified students and their families even further.
“We consider this tuition reset to be a bold move for tomorrow,” Dr. Hutton says, “because in improving affordability, we are also expanding access to a high quality Utica College education that launches our students’ successful futures.”
The tuition reset comes at a time when private colleges and universities throughout the nation are taking a hard look at their pricing system. Many college-bound students and their families do not realize that the full price will likely be deeply discounted for them by a private college, and so they experience “sticker shock” upon seeing the published price.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7624151-utica-college-resets-tuition/
Positive strides have been made since 1995 to advance science literacy in the United States, but teachers and parents agree that more hands-on, experiential learning must be adopted in order to improve science education for future generations, according to the results of the 2015 Bayer Facts of Science Education Survey released today.
For 20 years, Bayer has issued the survey, which assesses science education in the United States and evaluates its development. Although positive strides have been made, survey results emphasize the critical need to improve science education and literacy for future generations. Teachers, for example, universally agree (99 percent) that more hands-on experiential learning in general would benefit student learning.
In response, Bayer is announcing a five-year commitment to provide 1 million hands-on science learning experiences for children by 2020, timed to the 20th anniversary of the Making Science Make Sense® program, Bayer’s company-wide initiative that advances science literacy across the United States.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7452954-bayer-children-science-education/
Northwestern Mutual, presenting sponsor of the Rose Bowl Game, today announced that its float in the 127th Rose Parade presented by Honda in Pasadena on Jan. 1, 2016, will support the fight against childhood cancer.
The theme of this year’s parade is Find Your Adventure. Northwestern Mutual will dedicate its float design to the greatest adventure and dream of 13-year-old Peyton Richardson of Sugar Land, Texas, who is in treatment for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Northwestern Mutual is committed to raising awareness, accelerating the search for cures to childhood cancer and providing support to families battling the disease.
Peyton, an aspiring ballerina, would like to see the performances of the distinguished ballet companies of the world and have a ballet lesson with one of their principal dancers. Peyton’s adventure will be brought to life in flowers by Fiesta Parade Floats.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7422154-northwestern-mutual-rose-bowl/
Vitamin Bee, LLC today announced a new collaboration with the Bayer Bee Care Program through its “Vitamin Bee®” character to help promote the Feed a Bee initiative, bee advocacy and healthy nutrition awareness for children.
Created by veteran director and animator Geoffrey Kater, Vitamin Bee is the central character in a nutrition education program that encourages kids to eat nutritious foods and empowers them to make healthy lifestyle choices. Their approach is to teach children and have fun while doing it, with the help of a dynamic animated character, as well as an entire curriculum that entertains and educates through the use of videos, quizzes, activity sheets, games and hands-on lessons.
“Vitamin Bee is a great role model that teaches kids about the value of the honey bee to our planet, our food supply and our daily lives,” said Geoffrey Kater, creator of Vitamin Bee. “We hope that getting kids to appreciate the role of the honey bee at an early age will encourage them to be great bee advocates for their entire lives. Vitamin Bee speaks a language that kids understand and uses humor to teach them these important lessons. I think we’ve created a great thing here and I’m so happy to be working with the Feed a Bee program and to be part of the Bayer Bee Care Center to help educate schools, kids and families alike.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7452952-bayer-vitamin-bee-feed-a-bee/
Today Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), the nation’s #1 advocate for kids and teens, launched their new Boys & Girls Clubs - Alumni & Friends Club to engage its estimated 16 million Club Alumni. Alongside Alumni & Friends Club spokesperson Shaquille O’Neal, numerous other celebrity ambassadors, hundreds of local Boys & Girls Clubs, corporate and media partners, BGCA is calling former Club members to join the movement in building great futures for the next generation.
“Boys & Girls Clubs have impacted the future of multiple generations, with 54 percenti of our Alumni saying that their Club saved their lives,” said Jim Clark, president & CEO of BGCA. “We want to reconnect with the millions of former Club kids and issue a call to action to come together as advocates and ambassadors for Clubs around the country, so that every kid in America has an open door to a great future.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7618751-boys-and-girls-clubs-alumni/
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-powered charity dedicated to funding children’s cancer research, is recognizing National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with a number of activities planned throughout September. As the leading non-governmental funder of childhood cancer research grants, St. Baldrick’s is asking people to get involved by helping to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research.
“One in five kids with cancer will die in the first five years of diagnosis, and those that do survive face a lifetime of serious health issues caused by the toxicity of their cure,” said Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of St. Baldrick’s. “The American public wants kids with cancer to be a national health priority, but our leaders are leaving these kids behind with the lack of federal research funding. We are calling upon everyone to speak up about the need for increased childhood cancer research funding as well as to stand up in support of kids with cancer during this important month.”
Today, as part of the official kickoff for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, St. Baldrick’s will ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ Stock Market. St. Baldrick’s board members will be joined by researchers, as well as children and families directly affected by childhood cancer.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7610751-st-baldricks-childhood-cancer-awareness-month/
To help kick off National Emergency Preparedness month, Primrose Schools is teaming up with national partner Save the Children on a nine-week series aimed at equipping families with tools so they can better prepare for the unexpected. The interactive program features engaging resources, activities and videos on Primrose Schools’ 360 Parenting blog that ultimately lead parents through a simple, step-by-step process to create their own family emergency plans.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7437952-primrose-save-the-children-preparedness/
T. Rowe Price’s 2015 Parents, Kids & Money Survey revealed that having conversations with kids about money is critical to raising financially savvy kids. There is also a significant benefit in letting kids experience money, and providing an allowance is one way to do that. Parents who combine conversations with experiential learning are most likely to have financially smart kids.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7455231-t-rowe-price-financial-education/
This year, parents of nearly 16,000 children in the U.S. will hear the words: “Your child has cancer.” One in five of those children won’t survive. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and as a leader in the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® will focus on raising awareness and funds for this very important issue.
Despite significant progress made by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which has helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rates from 20 to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened in 1962, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children over the age of 1. Each year about 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and 60 percent of these kids don’t have access to modern treatment. For those who win their battles against childhood cancer, victory often comes at a cost as survivors face a much higher risk of experiencing unique long-term health effects later in life.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7390851-st-jude-hospital-childhood-cancer-awareness/
Pilot Corporation of America (Pilot Pen) is encouraging parents and students to help erase bullying this school year through their ‘Erase Bullying for Good’ campaign. This campaign was developed in partnership with STOMP Out Bullying, the leading bullying prevention organization in the U.S. The ‘Erase Bullying for Good’ campaign is funded with proceeds from sales of Pilot’s FriXion Clicker erasable gel ink pen, a revolutionary kind of erasable pen that enables students to enjoy mistake-free writing. A total of $125,000 will be donated to STOMP Out Bullying for the educational and support programs they offer parents, students and educators designed to transform and prevent negative bullying behaviors in U.S. schools.
Bullying has become a real problem in U.S. schools and Pilot Pen wanted to help be part of the solution. “There are a lot of parents that work at Pilot, and we are well aware of the challenges facing kids today. We wanted to help address the issue of bullying at a national level by supporting STOMP Out Bullying. They are the ideal resource & partner, with their educational programs and confidential help chat line for teens,” said Ariann Langsam, Director of Marketing at Pilot Corporation of America.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7564451-pilot-pen-erase-bullying/