All posts tagged: Families

Mark Zuckerberg’s Wife Is Shutting Down a School for Low Income Families

Mark Zuckerberg’s Wife Is Shutting Down a School for Low Income Families

Published by José

Priscilla Chan’s tuition-free educational institution for low-income families, The Primary School, is shutting down operations after nearly 10 years — a move that comes amid anti-diversity rollbacks at her husband Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta. In a statement on its website, the Primary School didn’t indicate why it was closing its East Bay and East Palo Alto locations at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year and said only that it was a “very difficult decision” that came “after much deliberation.” As Business Insider pointed out, however, the closure comes not only after cofounder Meredith Liu died in 2023, but also after Chan’s husband — who is not involved directly with the school’s operations — ended so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at his tech company and at their shared philanthropic venture. In February, The Guardian reported that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the couple’s for-profit charity that funded the school, had informed employees that it was eliminating both internal and external DEI programs due to the “shifting regulatory and legal landscape” surrounding such efforts. That move, notably, came just a …

Schools funding families’ bedding and microwaves

Schools funding families’ bedding and microwaves

Published by skeptic

Schools are digging into their own budgets to provide beds and bedding and kitchen appliances like cookers and microwaves to hard-up families as the impact of child poverty worsens. Leaders also warned that plans to cut benefits, particularly for disabled young people, would make matters worse. Schools Week has documented how education settings have increasingly been forced to fill the gaps left by cuts to other public services. To make matters worse, almost a third of children now live in poverty. A survey of National Education Union members found 87 per cent had seen pupils with signs of tiredness or fatigue as a consequence of poverty, while 39 per cent reported physical under-development. Speaking to journalists at the NEU’s conference in Harrogate, four school leaders laid bare the struggles faced by their schools and others. Chris Dutton, deputy head of a large secondary school in the south west and chair of the NEU’s national leadership council, said heads had reported spending school funding on “things that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with school budget”.  This included …

Families lose High Court appeal over SEND safety valve deals

Families lose High Court appeal over SEND safety valve deals

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Families of children with SEND have lost a High Court legal challenge in which they alleged cash-strapped councils had broken the law over controversial “safety valve agreements”. The case centred on families’ concerns that measures introduced under safety valve agreements (SVAs) entered into by Bristol City Council and Devon County Council – aimed to reduce the local authorities’ huge SEND budget deficits – would limit vital support for children with additional needs. Both councils signed multi-million pound SVAs last year, along with 36 other councils with gaping high needs funding deficits. Under the controversial agreements, the 38 local authorities received a total of more than £1bn from the DfE, in exchange for assurances they would slash their high needs deficits over an agreed number of years. At Bristol High Court in January, DCC and BCC were accused by families of three children with SEN, who have not been named, of not fully assessing the long-term implications their agreements would have on SEND provision. All grounds dismissed by judge Passing down …

Children from poorer families do worse at school – here’s how to understand the disadvantage gap

Children from poorer families do worse at school – here’s how to understand the disadvantage gap

Published by skeptic

The problem of the disadvantage gap – also known as the attainment gap – is a persistent one in education in England. It refers to how children from certain groups, such as those from poorer backgrounds, ethnic minorities or who have been in care, do worse at school than their peers. It’s a central concern of the recent interim report of the ongoing review into England’s national curriculum, which points out that the current system is not working well for everyone. The disadvantage gaps between groups can be measured in different ways. The more simplistic way is to consider outcome measures, such as exam results, in isolation. For example, at the end of their primary schooling, eleven-year-olds in English state schools take standardised key stage assessments – SATs. These results are used to calculate the disadvantage gap index. The index ranks all pupils in the country and assesses the difference in the average position of disadvantaged pupils and others. It shows whether the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is widening or closing. A …

Many families may not feel welcome at library storytimes – here’s how to ensure everyone benefits from them

Many families may not feel welcome at library storytimes – here’s how to ensure everyone benefits from them

Published by skeptic

Research shows that children who have books in their home and who talk about stories or learn letters with their families, are more likely to do well at school – not only in literacy but across the board. And these effects are crucial and long-lasting: they can still be seen in secondary school. Unfortunately, not all children have the opportunity to develop a love of books early on in life. In particular, poorer families tend to have fewer resources to buy books and may have less time for reading. Parents may also feel less confident reading to their children, especially if they had a negative experience of school themselves. This means that, on average, children from disadvantaged backgrounds start school with less familiarity with books and less exposure to so-called “book language”: more complex vocabulary and grammatical structures is found in books than is common in spoken language. They also tend to have weaker language skills, which then affects their learning. In theory, storytime sessions at local libraries should be part of the solution. They …

There’s a reason families are going wild about this 0 projector

There’s a reason families are going wild about this $100 projector

Published by skeptic

What does your family do to relax? Whether it’s movie night or game time, you’re ready to go if you have a 2-in-1 Ultimate Gaming Projector. This double feature is part gaming emulator and part streamer. It has 36,000 games built-in and Android 11 to download your favorite streaming apps, and it’s on sale for $99.99 (reg. $149).  Like a movie theater you can play Whether you’re diving into classic arcade games or streaming the latest hit movie, this projector brings so much fun straight to your living room, patio, or anywhere else you want to enjoy it. It supports HD projection with 1080p resolution, and you can even watch content in 2K and 4K for a crisp and clear picture. Plus, with over 36,000 games pre-loaded, you’ll never run out of fun things to play, whether you’re reliving childhood memories or trying something new. The Android 11 operating system means you can easily stream your favorite shows, movies, or download the apps you love. With dual-band Wi-Fi (including 5G for a faster connection) and …

How chronic illness affects families – and how to cope when you know your loved one is going to die

How chronic illness affects families – and how to cope when you know your loved one is going to die

Published by Sam

Living with chronic illness in the family is hard. It’s even harder if you know that the person you love will get worse and won’t recover from their condition. Sadly, it can happen to any family at any time. Anyone – a grandparent, parent, sibling or partner – can develop illness or disability. When this happens, the wellbeing of the whole family will be affected. Rather than look at each family member as an individual, systemic therapists see the family as a “system”, or collection of individuals – each having an effect on the others. It can help each person through the grief process if they understand they are a part of a unit. Psychiatrist John Rolland has proposed looking at family experiences of illness as a timeline – from the first signs of illness and receiving a diagnosis, through to the patient (with their family around them) managing the condition. As a counsellor, I have found it can help my clients, who may be caught up in the present of a diagnosis or illness, …

Children of parents not in a romantic relationship are just as happy as those in nuclear families – new research

Children of parents not in a romantic relationship are just as happy as those in nuclear families – new research

Published by skeptic

It’s become completely normal to find a romantic partner through a bit of swiping on your phone. But could the same be about to happen for parenting? “Elective co-parenting” involves two or more people choosing to have and raise a child together outside of a romantic relationship. And if this becomes commonplace, would it be good or bad? Our new research, published in Reproductive Biomedicine Online, suggests these families actually function just as well. Elective co-parenting is not new – it has a long history within the LGBTQ+ community. What is new is the rise in heterosexual prospective parents and the use of websites – such as Pride Angel, Modamily and PollenTree – to find a co-parent. These sites diversify the paths to parenthood, but researchers, clinicians and policymakers often struggle to keep pace with such innovation. Why not wait for “the one” or go it alone? Our research has shown that cisgender heterosexual elective co-parents talk about the desire to create and improve the “traditional” nuclear family unit of two involved parents raising their …

New AHA Campaign to Provide Gifts, Supplies to Florida Families for the Holidays

New AHA Campaign to Provide Gifts, Supplies to Florida Families for the Holidays

Published by skeptic

The American Humanist Association today launched its Stop Ron’s War on Christmas campaign to provide holiday gifts and supplies to Florida families who have been affected by the disastrous economic and healthcare policies of Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is making the holiday season—and everyday essentials—more difficult for Florida families to afford due to several policies, including: The oft-recited rallying cry from Christian Nationalists during the months of November and December is that humanists, atheists, and secular people are offended by people celebrating Christmas. That’s a lie. And with low-income families in Florida being left in the cold from the DeSantis administration, we have to wonder: Who is really waging a war on Christmas? Humanists believe in people’s right to worship however they want, or not at all, and to celebrate any holiday that aligns with their personal values. (In fact, many humanists do celebrate Christmas.) We also care about humanist values: taking care of those in need, treating people fairly, and recognizing the dignity of every person. That’s why the AHA is trying to do …

Bereaved families and MPs call for tougher measures on mobile phones for under-16s | Politics News

Bereaved families and MPs call for tougher measures on mobile phones for under-16s | Politics News

Published by skeptic

Bereaved families and MPs are urging the government to take tougher steps to protect younger teenagers from “horrific” content on social media.  The Australian government’s decision to legislate for a smartphone ban for under 16s has reignited the debate in the UK about further restrictions, and a Labour MP is hoping to get government support for curbs on social media. Stuart Stephens is among those campaigning for the government to go further and spoke to Sky News. Image: Olly Stephens, 13, was murdered in 2021 Image: Olly with his father Stuart His son Olly was just 13 when he was murdered by other teenagers following a row which began on social media. Mr Stephens said his son had been trying to stand up for another child who was a victim of “patterning” – humiliating someone and circulating it on video to blackmail them. Three 14-year-olds were jailed for Olly’s murder in 2021 – following an investigation involving 11 social media platforms. “We are angry,” Mr Stephens said. “Without a doubt, without all that interaction he …