Comments on: Nothing Says “Fun” Like Standardized Tests: Creating Healthy Environments to Help Students Succeed http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2010/10/nothing-says-%e2%80%9cfun%e2%80%9d-like-standardized-tests-creating-healthy-environments-to-help-students-succeed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nothing-says-%25e2%2580%259cfun%25e2%2580%259d-like-standardized-tests-creating-healthy-environments-to-help-students-succeed EPA's Blog About Our World Wed, 22 May 2013 15:08:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Steven http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2010/10/nothing-says-%e2%80%9cfun%e2%80%9d-like-standardized-tests-creating-healthy-environments-to-help-students-succeed/comment-page-1/#comment-38834 Steven Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:19:20 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/blog/?p=4426#comment-38834 We need the EPA to lobby for full disclosure of pesticide ingredients and for full disclosure of applications made to public building and living spaces. This isn’t a punitive measure against users of pesticides but a means by which individuals can make the decisions themselves as far as those exposures which are acceptable to them. It also permits exposure histories to be available to physicians since medical tests to show metabolites of current use pesticides are not available commercially.

]]> By: Alyssa Taylor http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2010/10/nothing-says-%e2%80%9cfun%e2%80%9d-like-standardized-tests-creating-healthy-environments-to-help-students-succeed/comment-page-1/#comment-36228 Alyssa Taylor Mon, 25 Oct 2010 22:43:55 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/blog/?p=4426#comment-36228 Creating healthy school environments should clearly be a priority. The success of a school should be measured by the success of the students, but this becomes difficult when 14.7 million school days are missed due to Asthma (reported by the EPA). Severe asthmatic symptoms are often triggered by dust and mold. Old schools then face the problem of weighing costs and benefits of taking the time and resources to get rid of this problem in the schools and hopefully reducing the number of absences versus allowing the kids to remain in an unhealthy environment that will disproportionately disadvantage children with asthma. No school should have to question which option they should choose. However, it will require activism among communities to insist that healthy school environments are essential for children.

]]> By: Barbara Rubin http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2010/10/nothing-says-%e2%80%9cfun%e2%80%9d-like-standardized-tests-creating-healthy-environments-to-help-students-succeed/comment-page-1/#comment-36204 Barbara Rubin Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:44:34 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/blog/?p=4426#comment-36204 Not only are we guaranteeing our children won’t reach their intellectual potentials if we don’t clean up our schools but we are placing all of our teaching staff at risk. Teachers have a higher incidence of autoimmune diseases than occurs in the general population, indicating environmental contributions. I was the victim of pesticide poisoning in my own program and called in the EPA when I learned what had been applied and hidden from me after testing the building. Pesticides are largely developed for farm use and are neurotoxic. Dr. Phillip Landrigan, environmental pediatrician at Mt. Sinai Hospital also notes such exposures are associated with increased risks of childhood cancer.

Older buildings may demonstrate residues of banned pesticides like chlordane while those near agriculture may suffer from current-day drift of chemicals which may be banned for use in schools today.

We need the EPA to lobby for full disclosure of pesticide ingredients and for full disclosure of applications made to public building and living spaces. This isn’t a punitive measure against users of pesticides but a means by which individuals can make the decisions themselves as far as those exposures which are acceptable to them. It also permits exposure histories to be available to physicians since medical tests to show metabolites of current use pesticides are not available commercially.

FIFRA laws cannot be enforced unless information about product ingredients (pesticides are in many cleaning products and paints etc.) is available to all. Administrator Jackson is advocating for disclosure of ‘inerts’ and reducing toxic exposures. We all need to support that effort.

Barbara Rubin

]]> By: Michael E. Bailey http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2010/10/nothing-says-%e2%80%9cfun%e2%80%9d-like-standardized-tests-creating-healthy-environments-to-help-students-succeed/comment-page-1/#comment-34989 Michael E. Bailey Mon, 11 Oct 2010 02:19:52 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/blog/?p=4426#comment-34989 Environmentally friendly schools make better learners and healthier kids and adults later. At the same time, spending on environmentally friendly programs in California is running head on into the budget crisis where over $1 billion more dollars was taken from schools last week. So environmental programs are taking a back seat to trying to maintain the basic academic programs in the schools. One thing that should be looked at as a health and safety issue is how are middle schools and high schools storing and using old chemicals in their chemistry class laboratories? As money gets tighter the standards for storing and use of the chemicals gets lower to save money. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

]]> By: jko http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2010/10/nothing-says-%e2%80%9cfun%e2%80%9d-like-standardized-tests-creating-healthy-environments-to-help-students-succeed/comment-page-1/#comment-34648 jko Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:21:59 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/blog/?p=4426#comment-34648 I think the benefits to the health of children now and their success in the future far outweigh the short-term costs and effort .

]]> By: armansyahardanis http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2010/10/nothing-says-%e2%80%9cfun%e2%80%9d-like-standardized-tests-creating-healthy-environments-to-help-students-succeed/comment-page-1/#comment-34628 armansyahardanis Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:21:36 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/blog/?p=4426#comment-34628 Congratulations to U.S. EPA which initiated Children’s Health Month as away to remind Parents and other caregivers to protect Kids from Environmental Risks this October 2010. I have broken down thinking about many factors resulted “Standardized Tests Cathy’s Dad”, because we could see different ability students in many countries. We need the times to develop Green Earth….

]]>