The Condition of Education

The news these days about the public education system in America is mixed at best.  Some places are laying off faculty and others are giving them raises.  Tuition is going up and student loan rates are also going up.  No wait, they're going down again.  Student test scores are better...and also worse.  It's hard to keep track of what's really going on at any given moment.  But, if hindsight is 20-20, here's a look at the recent past from the National Center for Education Statistics that may help us get a clearer picture of The Condition of Education:

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/index.asp

Extreme Heat

Steamy, sweltering, blistering, scorching, oven-like, Tabasco-y...whatever you want to call it, it's hot out there.  To find out how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the extreme heat, see this guide from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.asp

During the last few decades "more people in this country died from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined."  Learn to keep your cool and you won't be one of them!

Transportation Disaster Assistance

Imagine for a moment that you were one of the survivors of Asiana Airlines Flight 214.  How would you deal with the airline, and state investigators, and federal investigators, and all the other parties involved?  Wouldn't it just be chaos?  No, not necessarily.  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has a Transportation Disaster Assistance Division (TDA) that "coordinates the disaster response resources of federal, state, local, and volunteer agencies:" 

http://www.ntsb.gov/tda/index.html

They also provide assistance and advice to first responders and legislators.  So, whether it's a plane, train, or automobile that crashes, if the NTSB decides to investigate, the TDA will be there to help.