Hamamou and some of her fellow journalists held demonstrations, issued petitions and pressed editors for the paper to break from state dictates and adopt independent, objective coverage.

Change never came. First, the military rulers who took over after Mubarak tightly controlled the paper. Once Mohammed Morsi became president, his Muslim Brotherhood stepped in and pushed coverage their direction.

"What happened was they just put in their people in Al-Ahram and other state institutions, and nobody tried to reform the institutions themselves," Hamamou said. "The saying goes if you are confused about who is ruling Egypt, just look at the headlines of Al-Ahram."

Now Hamamou is dismayed to see the paper and other state media unquestionably embracing the military after its coup that ousted Morsi on July 3, following protests by millions around the country demanding his removal.

It's not only state media. Independent TV stations and newspapers have also enthusiastically backed the military and its crackdown on the Brotherhood, which included shutting down four Islamist TV stations. Their full-throated support reflects how convinced they became over Morsi's year that the Brotherhood were fundamentally anti-democratic and intertwined with violent extremists.

Independent stations thrived after Mubarak's fall, usually touting their advocacy for democratic principles. Many, including several owned by wealthy opponents of the Islamists, were deeply critical of Morsi. They raised the alarm over signs of the Brotherhood monopolizing power, infringements of press freedoms and civil liberties, violent hate speech from his hard-line allies and over the killing of protesters by police under his administration.

But in recent days, they have been uncritical of acts by the military.

After more than 50 pro-Morsi protesters were shot to death by security forces in clashes Monday, a star announcer on independent CBC TV, Lamis Hadidi once a spokeswoman for Mubarak's 2005 re-election campaign cautioned viewers not to think of the dead as "martyrs."

Instead, she blamed the Islamists for "a new Brotherhood massacre."

Egypt's media landscape has long been sharply partisan. The Brotherhood's TV station and others run by their ultraconservative Islamist allies now off the air were whole-heartedly in Morsi's camp. During the past weeks, the Brotherhood's party has posted pictures of children killed in Syria's civil war, presenting them as Egyptian Brotherhood dead.

Al-Jazeera TV, owned by Brotherhood ally Qatar, also was accused of strongly pro-Morsi coverage. Since protests against him began, the station has covered mass rallies in his support more extensively than those against him the mirror image of some anti-Morsi stations' coverage. Six staffers quit accusing it of bias.

"At the end of the day, as much as journalism is supposed to be about a lack of bias, the opinion journalism model has taken over the media," said Mahmoud Salem, an Egyptian writer and political analyst and sharp critic of the Brotherhood.

"Everyone wants to be a cheerleader for his or her team."

Now that has turned into lashing out at the other team as well.

During a military press conference Monday, a journalist from the state news agency stood up and demanded Al-Jazeera reporters be excluded. The station's reporters walked out to chants of "Out! Out!" from others in the crowd. They also applauded repeatedly in reaction to the military spokesman's statements.

Earlier, security forces raided the offices of the local Al-Jazeera affiliate, detaining its staff briefly and holding its manager and chief engineer for several days. On Friday, Al-Jazeera reported that a correspondent and a three-member camera team were detained by the military while filming in the city of Suez and were being questioned.

A senior police official late last week also ordered The Associated Press to stop providing the station live television footage from Tahrir Square. The AP dispatched two executives to Cairo to protest the suppression. After a series of meetings with senior government officials, who stressed the shutdown was not official government policy, the AP live video service to Al-Jazeera was restored Wednesday.

In a statement, Al-Jazeera said it was being targeted by a "crackdown on information" and denied bias.

"We've always given all sides of opinion airtime on Al-Jazeera, it's our mantra," it said. "Large sections of the Egyptian media object to this open-minded ethos."

Atlanta-based CNN has also come under criticism and its journalists have been harassed because many in the anti-Morsi camp accused it of a pro-Brotherhood bias after it called his ouster a coup. Protesters have carried signs against the network in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

"What specifically brought attention to CNN is that we called this a coup early on," said Tony Maddox, director of CNN International. "Some people don't want it described as that, but I'm afraid that is what it is and we will call it as we see it."

Lina Atallah, editor-in-chief of a new online news site Mada Masr, said there was increased pressure on journalists to toe the line. She pointed to coverage of the protester killings on Monday, which repeated the military's version of the violence with few independent witness accounts.

"What's scary about this time around in the media performance is that there is much more agenda-setting from above," she said.

Media emphasizing independent reporting struggle for funding in a landscape dominated by outlets owned by the state or by well-funded movements like the Islamists or by businessmen with an agenda.

Mada Masr is one attempt to create such an outlet, founded by a group of young journalists.

Publisher Hisham Kassem is attempting another, with his plans for a new independent daily, Al-Gomhouriya Al-Gadida, or the New Republic. He told AP he has to fend off offers from old regime sympathizers on one hand and Brotherhood members on the other to buy it up and use it as a platform for their views.

During Mubarak's last years in power, Kassem helmed Al-Masry Al-Youm, one of the first independent papers that avoided the sycophancy of the state press and the unreliable shrillness of opposition party newspapers.

In state media like Al-Ahram, the ruler of the day stocked the paper with loyalists to keep it in line. Under Mubarak, Al-Ahram's chief was a close associate of the president. State security often weighed in on its and state TV's coverage. Al-Ahram's newsroom was notorious for nepotism and favoritism and was influenced by the interests of the sprawling Al-Ahram conglomerate, which includes a large advertising agency.

Hamamou, a 20-year veteran at Al-Ahram and a reporter for the economic section, says she has been appalled by the unprofessionalism.

"There are no lines between editorial and advertising pages," the 38-year-old said. "According to the documents we got after the revolution, many journalists got commissions (to write pieces) from the advertising department it's against journalism ethics."

With Morsi's inauguration and a freely elected president in place, many in the staff expected reform. They were disappointed when the Brotherhood appointed a new chief editor they said had little experience, who turned coverage in the Islamists' favor.

Younger journalists staged a sit-in, complete with a tent, in the paper's lobby and demanded his removal.

The new editor, Abdel-Nasser Salama, fired some reformists appointed since Mubarak's fall and brought back editors who had been pushed into retirement.

Still, the Brotherhood was less successful than the military in dominating the state media. There were flashes of resistance. In one case, a presenter on state TV ended his newscast by sarcastically thanking the presidency for providing the material. Another pulled out a shroud on air and pronounced she was ready to die rather than obey Brotherhood directives.

With the military now in charge, these qualms have disappeared and state media resumed lockstep support for those in charge.

Al-Ahram editors saw the direction the wind was blowing even before Morsi's exit. On July 1, the day after the first massive rallies against the president, the paper's front-page blared, "Morsi: Quit or Be Forced to Quit."

Hammamo and other staffers saw that as a sure sign that the military, about to make its move, had told the paper's management to fall in line.

"The editor-in-chief wouldn't have put this if he didn't have direct information," she said.

"It is human nature," she said. "They will be with whoever is the winner."

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Shares of diagnostic test maker Myriad Genetics Inc. surged Thursday after the Supreme Court handed the company a partial victory in a battle over validity of Myriad patents underlying its lucrative test for genes linked to high risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

The ruling likely will eventually benefit rivals, as well as doctors and patents wanting to determine the best course of treatment.

Myriad, based in Salt Lake City, sells a popular test for the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes linked to hereditary risk of breast and ovarian cancer the only test currently available because of its patents. They were challenged by a scientists group, leading to the Supreme Court's review, even though the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been awarding patents on human genes for almost 30 years.

The high court ruled that genes naturally found in the body cannot be patented, but that synthetically created genetic material, called complementary or cDNA, can be patented. Patents enable inventors to prevent others from making, using or selling a novel device or process they've created.

While Myriad said the ruling will preserve its revenue from the test, other experts said it will open the door for competing tests and for scientists to do gene-related disease research without restraints.

"We are very pleased with the outcome," which ends four years of litigation, Myriad's general counsel, Rick Marsh, told The Associated Press in an interview.

He said the ruling invalidates only five Myriad patent claims, which involve isolated bits of naturally occurring DNA. That's out of more than 500 separate claims in 24 patents the company holds for the company's BRACAnalysis test, launched in 1996 and used by more than a million women so far.

"The balance of our patent estate is still valid and enforceable," Marsh said.

He said the court's ruling upholds Myriad's "method" patent claims, those detailing specific processes for testing patients' genes for their cancer susceptibility, as well as ones covering cDNA. That is the synthetic DNA created to look like the natural DNA at issue that Myriad uses in its testing of patient samples.

Marsh said the ruling is not expected to decrease revenues for sales of the BRACAnalysis test, the top seller for the Salt Lake City-based company.

"I think that's why you're seeing a market reaction," he added, referring to a big jump in the price of Myriad stock following the ruling.

In early afternoon trading Thursday, Myriad shares were up 5.4 percent, or $2.36, at $35.73. They had earlier set a 52-week high at $38.27, with trading volume more than nine times the daily average of 1.1 million shares.

However, Jeffrey Rosenfeld, a researcher and assistant professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, said the ruling is good news for researchers, who now will be able to sequence genes to try to better understand diseases and to create new treatments without fear of being sued by companies such as Myriad.

"Their monopoly is gone. The method patents basically are completely irrelevant," Rosenfeld said.

He said diagnostic testing companies now could sequence genes linked to breast cancer or other diseases and use the information to develop diagnostic tests that use different methods than Myriad's. Likewise, he said, "scientists can now research freely without fear of being sued."

Myriad spokesman Ron Rodgers, asked about Rosenfeld's assertion, wrote, "We believe we have a strong patent estate" and can't speculate on what others will do.

Les Funtleyder, health care strategist at private equity fund Poliwogg, said the ruling will benefit drugmakers in the long run.

"It will allow more tests to percolate up from research, especially in light of the progress being made in personalized medicine," he said.

For some cancers and other diseases, patient treatments are starting to be individualized based on their genes and how they affect which medicine works best.

"Most drugs are going to have a (diagnostic) test eventually," to determine if a medicine will help a particular patient or not, Funtleyder said.

______

Follow Linda A. Johnson at http://twitter.comLindaJ_onPharma.

LONDON (Reuters) - Six female Greenpeace activists were arrested on Thursday after climbing London's Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe, in protest over plans by oil producer Royal Dutch Shell to carry out drilling in the Arctic circle.

The women, who began scaling the Shard in the early hours of the morning by climbing onto the roof of London Bridge station at its base, unfurled a green flag bearing the words "Save the Arctic" within view of all of Shell's three London offices.

Police said they had arrested the group on suspicion of aggravated trespass. A police officer was seen waiting at the top of the Shard in a live video feed from a camera worn by one of the climbers during the 15-hour ascent.

The pyramidal, jagged-topped Shard towers 310 metres (1,017 ft) above the south bank of the River Thames.

A spokesperson for Shell said: "Recognising the right of individuals to express their point of view, we only ask that they do so with their safety and the safety of others in mind."

Shell cancelled its 2013 Arctic offshore drill season after numerous troubles there last year. But it plans to send ships to study sites around oil prospects in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, according to permit applications.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic may hold 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and 30 percent of its gas.

"Shell is leading the oil companies' drive into the Arctic, investing billions in its Alaskan and Russian drilling programmes," Greenpeace said in a statement.

(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

At least until he needed to make an early exit.

The Yankees captain singled on his first pitch of the season, then was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning with a tight right quadriceps in an 8-4 victory Thursday over the Kansas City Royals.

"I hope it's not a big deal," Jeter said.

Jeter scored a run and went 1 for 4 with an RBI groundout as the designated hitter in his return from a nine-month layoff from a broken ankle. He said his quad tightened up during his third at-bat, and added he didn't think this injury came from pushing too hard in his debut

"It's just stiff," he said. "We'll find out tomorrow."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the 39-year-old Jeter will be sent for a scan.

"Jete thinks he'll be ready to play" on Friday night at home against Minnesota, Girardi said.

Andy Pettitte (7-6) settled down after another shaky first inning to win consecutive starts for the first time since April. Lyle Overbay hit a go-ahead, two-run single in a four-run fifth against Ervin Santana (5-6) as New York overcame a 3-0 deficit and split the four-game series.

Jeter batted second in his first big league game since he broke his left ankle during the AL championship series opener Oct. 13. He said after the initial injury he would return by opening day, then fractured the ankle again in April during his rehabilitation and missed the first 91 games of the season.

New York cut short the star shortstop's rehabilitation assignment in the minor leagues after just four games following injuries Wednesday night to Brett Gardner and Travis Hafner. Gardner pinch-hit for Jeter in the eighth.

Jeter turned on a 95 mph fastball in the first and sent a three-hopper up the third-base line that fell from Miguel Tejada's throwing hand. Jeter didn't acknowledge the crowd of 40,381, which chanted "De-rek Je-ter! De-rek Je-ter!" as he ran up the line well past first base, then returned to the bag.

Jeter's ankle got more tests when he raced to third on Robinson Cano's single up the middle and came home without a throw on Vernon Wells' sacrifice fly to right.

The Yankees' all-time hits leader grounded out in the second and again in the fifth, when second baseman Johnny Giavotella made a diving stop to prevent an RBI single. Jeter hit a sharp grounder to shortstop with the infield in during the sixth. Alcides Escobar bobbled the ball as Luis Cruz scored from third, and Jeter was thrown out as he jogged up the first-base line.

Jeter had not been introduced at Yankee Stadium by Bob Sheppard's recording in 271 days, since he sprawled onto his stomach while trying to field Jhonny Peralta's 12th-inning grounder up the middle, immobile on the infield dirt and yelled out in pain. He hobbled off the field on his good ankle, one arm draped around manager Joe Girardi and the other around trainer Steve Donahue.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made the decision to bring back Jeter when he was driving home after New York's 8-1 win Wednesday's and spoke with Jeter by phone. Jeter went 1 for 9 in his tuneup at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, including 0 for 3 with a throwing error during seven innings Wednesday night.

"I think it's easy to say that you would expect with his age and a double break that I think he'd lose a step or two or half a step, but I think he's moving extremely well from what I'm told," Cashman said.

Girardi said Jeter is likely to start at shortstop for Friday's series opener against Minnesota.

"I think Derek would run himself out there the next 70 games if it was up to him," Girardi said. "I mean, that's just who he is. He expects to play every day. So from that standpoint I think we have to guard against rushing him back too much, and we have to pick days off, and we have to pick DH days. In the perfect world, you have a month of spring training, but this has not been a perfect world around here this year."

Jeter did not speak with reporters before the game.

A 13-time All-Star with a .313 career average, Jeter hopes to jolt a batting order that is next to last in runs in the AL. The Yankees started Thursday fourth in the AL East at 49-42.

Six players have appeared at shortstop in his absence, hitting a combined .211 with two homers and 25 RBIs, according to STATS. Only Seattle shortstops had a lower batting average.

New York hopes to get third baseman Alex Rodriguez back this month following January hip surgery and center fielder Curtis Granderson next month after his broken pinkie has healed. First baseman Mark Teixeira is out for the season following wrist surgery.

Rodriguez began Thursday 2 for 15 (.133) with one RBI in six minor league games for Tampa and Charleston, both Class A farm teams.

Cashman said Rodriguez will be given the full 20 days of the rehab assignment, which runs through July 21.

"There's a reason he's in A-ball, and there's a reason we were able to put Derek in Triple-A right from the start, because Derek was obviously much farther along," Cashman said.

Kansas City took a 3-0 lead in the first, when Salvador Perez hit a two-run double and Lorenzo Cain had a sacrifice fly. Pettitte has allowed nine runs in the opening inning of his last six starts, with batters going 14 for 31 (.452). The Royals' only other run was unearned, set up by Pettitte's throwing error in the second.

Pettitte gave up eight hits in 5 2-3 innings, and three pitchers combined for two-hit relief.

Santana allowed eight runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings, the most runs off him since July last year against Cleveland. New York closed to 4-3 in the second when Austin Romine hit an RBI double and scored on Eduardo Nunez's single.

After Overbay's two-out, go-ahead hit, Zoilo Almonte and Nunez followed with run-scoring singles for a 7-4 lead.

NOTES: The Yankees cleared a roster spot by designating 1B Travis Ishikawa for assignment. ... Hafner bruised his left foot and Gardner his right leg when he was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game. Gardner pinch-hit for Jeter in the eighth and flied out. ... LHP Donnie Joseph made his big league debut for the Royals, getting one out in the seventh. RHP Wade Davis was put on the paternity leave list.

The 21-year-old, a product of Barcelona's youth academy, had passed a medical and would be presented to fans later on Friday at Valencia's Mestalla stadium, the club said on their website(www.valenciacf.com).

Romeu, who moved to London from Barca in the summer of 2011, made nine appearances for Chelsea last term but missed the second half of the season due to injury.

SUWANEE, Ga., July 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Patients' Choice has announced that Dr. James Criner was one of a select few physicians honored with the prestigious 2012 Compassionate Doctor Certification.

(Photo:)

Each year, nearly 100 million patients across the U.S. access websites like , , andto provide feedback about experiences with their physicians.

Only those physicians with near perfect overall and bedside manner scores, as voted by their patients, are selected for the Compassionate Doctor recognition. Of the nation's 870,000 active physicians, only 3% were accorded this honor in 2012.

The Compassionate Doctor certification is part of the Patients' Choice recognition program, where patients rate and vote for their favorite doctors.

Dr. James Criner commented on the recognition: "This is quite an honor for me. I am very pleased to have been selected and grateful to my patients who went out of their way to rate me and give me positive reviews."

About James Criner:a short profile by and about the honoree:

Dr. Criner and the Criner Clinic provides the highest quality primary care services available, using high-tech solutions and electronic health records. We have a small, personal staff with whom you will easily become acquainted and will never be treated like a number. Dr. Criner also provides an in-office, tumescent liposuction procedure known as PureLipo. Please visitfor more information about our practice. In good health...

For more information on this Compassionate Doctor, please visit Dr. James Criner's .

Following the publication of Dr. James Criner's selection for the Patients' Choice Award, American Registry seconded the honor and added Dr. Criner to The Registry of Business Excellence. An exclusive recognition plaque has been designed to commemorate the honor. The doctor's custom wall plaque is .

For more information on Dr. James Criner, located in Suwanee,GA call 770-813-9350, or visit .

This press release was written by American Registry, LLC with approval by and/or contributions from Dr. Criner and was distributed by PR Newswire, a subsidiary of UBM plc.

Patients' Choice provides in depth information on doctors in your area who have been recognized and awarded for outstanding patient care and expertise. The Compassionate Doctor certification is the honor role of physicians who have received the highest overall and bedside manner ratings by their patients. American Registry, LLC, recognizes excellence in top businesses and professionals. The Registry includes over 2 million significant business and professional recognitions. For more information, search The Registry at .

Contact Information:Dr.James CrinerPhone: 770-813-9350Email Address:

SOURCE American Registry

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The biggest operator of Blue Cross Blue Shield health plans is teaming up with the largest U.S. Spanish-language media network to explain Obamacare to Hispanics in California, New York, Colorado and Georgia.

A partnership announced on Thursday by WellPoint Inc, Univision Communications Inc and healthcare marketer HolaDoctor Inc will include 70 town hall meetings in the four states, 30-second TV and radio ads, regular newscast segments devoted to subject and an online insurance center to guide consumers through the intricacies of coverage.

The initiative, one of many outreach efforts expected in the coming months to help explain President Barack Obama's healthcare law, will begin next month and run through March.

America's 52 million Hispanics are a main audience for the roll-out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will offer health coverage to millions of uninsured people through new online insurance exchanges in all 50 states and expanded Medicare coverage in about half the country.

U.S. Census data show that about one in three Hispanics lacks health coverage, while many have low-to-moderate incomes that could qualify for Medicaid or federal subsidies to help pay for private insurance. In California alone, about half of the 2.6 million people with incomes low enough to qualify for subsidies are Hispanic, according to the administration.

But experts say most Hispanics are unfamiliar with the health benefits under Obamacare, which comes into full force on January 1.

"You really have to start at that square one. People need to first understand what the value of health insurance is and then what's coming under healthcare reform," said Robyn Gilson, WellPoint's staff vice president for multicultural marketing.

WellPoint is expected to become one of the biggest participants in the new insurance marketplaces, which are slated to begin enrolling consumers on October 1. The Indianapolis-based insurer currently sells health plans under the Blue Cross Blue Shield license in 14 states.

Gilson said WellPoint turned to Univision's television and radio operations as a trusted voice in the Hispanic community. New York-based Univision has two broadcast TV networks, 10 cable networks, 62 local TV stations and 69 radio stations.

California, Colorado, New York and Georgia are all WellPoint markets with large Hispanic populations.

Depending on the success of the initiative, Gilson said the outreach effort could be expanded to more areas.

(Reporting by David Morgan.; Editing by Caroline Humer and Andre Grenon)

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The spat began when Starnes wrote a politically charged post on his Facebook page.

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"I’m about as politically incorrect as you can get," the post read. "I’m wearing an NRA ball cap, eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich, reading a Paula Deen cookbook and sipping a 20-ounce sweet tea while sitting in my Cracker Barrel rocking chair with the Gaither Vocal Band singing ‘Jesus Saves’ on the stereo and a Gideon’s Bible in my pocket. Yes sir, I’m politically incorrect and happy as a June bug.”

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There's nothing in the contract that requires dangling cat-character earrings or kooky bow ties. The right look can command respect while earning a little street cred.

Celebrity stylist Cristina Ehrlich, a style adviser to Coldwater Creek, remembers her first "cool teacher" in elementary school and Ehrlich says she never worked harder than she did for that Lauren Hutton lookalike, who wore pleated slacks, V-neck silk blouses, a thin little belt and gold hoop earrings. "Maybe it's that I wanted to impress her, or maybe she just knows how to grab your attention, but she left a lasting impression," she says.

These days, that teacher might be wearing brightly colored skinny jeans and a boyfriend sweater, or trouser jeans and a crisp button-down in a cheerful color, Ehrlich muses.

"Young kids like a little eye candy. It draws their attention," Ehrlich says. "You want authority but not stuffy."

Maybe that same second-grade teacher would even try a pair of tuxedo-inspired jeans with a black stripe down the leg and a more fitted, cropped blazer, she adds.

That might be an outfit similar to what high schoolers are wearing and that's OK, says Emilia Fabricant, executive vice president of the Aeropostale brand.

Teachers can use their clothes to help bridge communication gaps with their students, she says. "The cool factor gives power."

Fabricant gives the caveat, though, that teachers might wear individual pieces differently so they're "appropriately styled": short skirts worn over leggings, tunics over tanks, and skinny jeans paired with the high front-low back cardigans that give an update to the classic silhouette.

Maybe there's a life lesson here for teens: A modern look can co-exist with a respectful one.

Amazon.com fashion editor Sara Dooley imagines teachers of younger grades experimenting with prints. Florals are enjoying a fashion moment, she says, and animal prints leopard spots and the like have a little bit of edge but have been tapped for classic silhouettes. There are even some literal animal prints, such as birds, butterflies, turtles and armadillos, that have been elevated from kitsch to cool.

Prints are good conversation starters, and they can camouflage a multitude of sins, especially of the paint-glue-leftover-snack variety.

Many closet-to-classroom items are basic pieces, including a pencil skirt, fit-and-flare dress, collared shirts, blazers, jeans and sweaters, so they can make the transition between seasons and between school years. They can all be dressed up or down, and adapted to look "new" with the right belt, shoe or jewelry.

"With little time during the school year to shop, teachers can maximize style all year long by buying key items that will update pieces they already own," says Sofia Wacksman, vice president of trend for Kohl's Department Stores.

Ehrlich suggests layers, as long as the overall look is relaxed without being sloppy. On the flip side, tailored is good, but too buttoned-up is not. If you're thinking of a bow-neck blouse, for example, make sure it has a soft touch.

For a more bohemian style, a dolman sleeve top in a watercolor print will give the effect of a fluttery, full, feminine look without a bell sleeve, which seems an invitation for snags or stains.

Funkier accessories can be for anyone. Teachers need a stylish case for gadgets, and that's a neutral zone for experimentation.

So are ballet-flat shoes, which have more options than the periodic table.

Picking popular colors, including flashes of the almost neon brights, also is an easy "in," says Fabricant, and the broad choices in denim and knits should make it easier to find trend-right items.

Teachers could be facing a tough crowd, after all.

"For a middle school teacher, you want some safe bets. You are on a stage in front of the kids all day. You want to be comfortable, you want to feel confident. Too much risk puts you out there for ridicule behind your back. You know those middle schoolers," Dooley says with a laugh.

Teachers can be hard on their clothes: They have long days, sometimes in rooms without air-conditioning, and come in contact with a lot of people. They might be on the floor cutting construction paper one minute and get called into a meeting with administrators and parents the next.

Wacksman would also like to think that teachers have somewhere fun to go in their extracurricular life, and want their daytime outfits to take them there.

Her pick? A printed shift dress with a colorful belt and cardigan for the classroom. Switch from flats to heels at the end of the day, and if social plans call for it, swap out the sweater for a motocross jacket.

Another option is a printed maxi dress, which often is made of a wrinkle-free jersey. That with a short beaded necklace and flats can stand up to a lot, she says.

"When the bell rings, many teachers need an outfit that can transition from their classroom to a night out," says Wacksman.