Experts Suggest Stronger Efforts To Combat Obesity In DC Area (WAMU): “There are policies in place in the District to try and halt the growing rates of obesity. But experts say that isn’t enough.

The [Trust for America’s Health report] report ranks states and the District of Columbia on the obesity scale. Maryland is the 26th most obese state, Virginia is 30th and the District is 50th. But in all three, the percentage of adults who are obese is around the 25 percent mark.” But are policies, such as limiting vending machines in schools, really get to the source of the problem? How can we focus on access, rather than limitations — access to affordable food and exercise opportunities for all?

Peanut-Shaped Park Opens in Northeast (DCist): “Starting later this year, DC parks, pools, and recreation centers will be able to accept corporate sponsorship and ads. Today, we got a sense of what that might actually look like in practice. This morning, Mayor Vincent Gray and DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton joined Mr. Peanut — yes, the Planters peanuts mascot — in opening Planters Grove, a new peanut-shaped section of Marvin Gaye Park in Northeast.” In relation to the previous item, could this drive up the number of public green spaces in DC? And does that in turn encourage health and exercise? I am curious to see how this sponsorship model moves forward.

Assessing the Progress of Race to the Top (Ed Money Blog): Until now, it’s been difficult to assess the progress of the 12 states that won Race to the Top (RttT) grants. However, the Government Accountability Office recently released a report that provides an important look into what states are doing with their funds [...] GAO finds that most states had barely scratched the surface of their year-1 funds as of June 3rd, 2011. Delaware and Tennessee, the two Phase One winners, have drawn down 36 and 50 percent, respectively since they received their awards in March of 2010 [...] Primarily, many states have found that their original timelines were ‘overly optimistic.’” All of which invites the question, what does this mean for RttT moving forward? And does this suggest that funding alone is not what schools need to grow and progress?