New findings by the Council of State Government’s Justice Center made a bitter discovery this year when it found that Texas public schools more frequently disciplined children with learning disabilities by in school suspension, out-of-school suspension, and expulsion. Records were evaluated at Texas’s largest school system which enrolls close to one million students. They revealed that 75% of middle and high school students with disabilities had been suspended, expelled, or both at least once. Only 55% of the learning disabled students had not suffered those consequences.

Findings showed that the punishments were equally administered to the disabled students. Of those students suffering from an emotional disturbance, 90% were suspended or expelled at least once between the 7th through the 12th grades. Even more astounding was the fact that half of this group were suspended or expelled more than (eleven) 11 times.

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In a conversation with a client recently they were unsure of how the brain functions in respect to learning processes. Therefore, below I am listing the four areas of the brain and how it functions. For brain health keep in mind water is especially important in brain health along with Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

Frontal Lobe: This area of the brain is associated with higher mental functions (such as strategic attention, reasoning, and innovative thinking (or frequency of ideas, and social functioning.)

Parietal Lobe: This are is associated with sensory input from the skin and muscles, body awareness.

Temporal Lobe: This area is associated with short-term memory, equilibrium, and input from hearing.

Occipital Lobe: This area is associated with sight and image processing.

Senator Odgen's Rider 48: Appropriates $200 million in state dollars to reshape the service delivery system for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides a significant number of HCS and CLASS program "slots" to address the disproportionate wait time for these programs. The initiative restores the safety-net for this population by returning funds to MHMR Centers. This initiative also caps the State Schools census at 3,000 individuals and directs the state agency to move 500 people out of institutions over two years. The initiative also removes the HCS case management function from providers and places this responsibility with MRAs.

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This message was given to me by a parent of an adult with Down syndrome. Please Read. If you feel moved to contact your representative please do:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/resources/faq.htm#who_rep

I am the mother of a 24 year old daughter with Down syndrome. I believe the Texas Legislature needs to be responsive to the long-term services needs of people with intellectual disabilities.

The 20+ bills and resolutions related to state schools clearly indicate the need for a PLAN FOR LONG-TERM SERVICES & SUPPORTS in Texas must be a priority.

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November 2, 2008 by adonyawong2008

Science Fair Projects - Amazing Physics Facts!
By Mort Barish Platinum Quality Author

Need a science fair project? Try Physics! Physics is all around us. It is in the electric light you turn on in the morning; the car you drive to work; your wristwatch, cell phone, CD player, radio, and your television. It makes the stars shine every night and the sun shine every day, and it makes a your favorite basketball player seemingly fly while dunking the ball!

Physics is the science of matter, energy, space, and time. It explains ordinary matter as combinations of a dozen fundamental particles, interacting through four fundamental forces. It describes the many forms of energy - such as kinetic energy, electrical energy, and mass - and the way energy can change from one form to another.

This list of weird, strange and unbelievable facts prove that the science of Physics is truly amazing!

Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on our planet. That's 360,000 times an hour. Better stay out of the water.

If something moves very fast, it becomes smaller and heavier. What a great way to gain weight. Just run like the devil.

If degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit are different, how come minus 40 degrees Celsius is exactly the same temperature as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit? In any event, it's mighty cold. To prove this just stand outside with a degrees C and a degrees F thermometer, wait for the temperature to drop to minus 40 and check your thermometers. Extra sweater suggested.

If cold water is closer to freezing than hot water, how come hot water freezes faster than cold water? Next time you want a hot bath, just remember this. And yes a rock can float in water, so long as it is pumice. Somehow I don't think I want my next boat to be made of pumice.

Better get to Mexico City fast because it is sinking at the rate of 18 inches every year. Yikes!

Better cross the North Atlantic now before it gets too long. It gets an inch wider every year. It will harder and harder to beat the transatlantic speed crossing record.

Want to lose weight in a hurry, stand directly under the moon. Due to the gravitational effect you weigh slightly less when the moon is directly overhead. How about a science experiment on this subject.

Hawaii is moving toward Japan 4 inches every year. If you wait a zillion years, air fares and boat fares should go way down.

Diamonds are the hardest known substance. It is also very hard to buy diamonds unless you have a lot of money.Most gemstones contain several elements, except diamond which is all carbon. I do not understand why diamonds are so expensive if all it is composed of is carbon. Must be good public relations.

When glass breaks, the cracks move at speeds of more than 3,000 miles. If you could ride a glass crack from New York to Los Angeles, you could be there in an hour.

If you could throw a snowball fast enough, it would totally vaporize when it hit a brick wall. If you can throw a snowball that fast, you should be a major league pitcher.

On a clear day, a beam of sunlight can be reflected off a mirror and seen up to 25 miles away. I do believe that Native Americans used this fact to good advantage way back when.

At the ocean's deepest point, due to immense pressure, an iron ball would take more than an hour to sink to the ocean floor. Great balls of fire, why does it take so long.

There is enough fuel in a full tank of a jumbo jet to drive an average car around the world four times. I have many friends and I do not believe that any of them would want to drive their cars around the world four times.

A car traveling at 50 mph uses half its fuel to overcome wind resistance. Some cars use more, some use less, depending on the aerodynamics. Another good idea for a science experiment.

If Mount Everest were placed at the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean, its peak would still be a mile underwater. Before starting your next climb, you should check to make sure that the mountain will not be moved to the deep sea.

If given the same mass, our body would actually be hotter than the sun. If anyone had mass as big as the sun, where would they find clothes to fit?

A solar panel 100 miles by 100 miles in the Mojave Desert (USA) could replace all the fuel now burned to generate electricity in the entire U.S. But then again, how could the big oil companies make billions in profit by overcharging for gas.

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced just enough sound energy to heat up one cup of coffee. I really am prepared to give up the habit rather than take a chance on a sore throat.

Great science fair projects start with fun physics facts!

Mort Barish is co-founder of Terimore Institute, Inc. providing science fair projects for children in grades K-12 to help them successfully compete in science fairs. He has been creating educational materials for children and related graphic communications for almost fifty years. He is the author of seven books and has won numerous awards for his graphic presentations.

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