Community College Proposal May Not Be Enough - Education News Story - WNEM Saginaw

Community College Proposal May Not Be Enough - Education News Story - WNEM Saginaw:

"INDIANAPOLIS -- Arthur Call commutes three hours roundtrip to his anatomy class at community college because similar courses on campuses closer to his Indianapolis home are packed this semester.

'Classes around the state were just full,' says Call, a full-time student who takes the rest of his classes in Indianapolis. 'Thank God it's only Tuesdays. I just have to drive there once a week.'

President Barack Obama wants to invest some $12 billion in community colleges with the aim of seeing an additional 5 million students graduate by 2020. This goal comes while many schools are already bursting at the seams with droves of displaced workers hit by the recession competing with traditional students seeking an education bargain."

It's not just a classroom; it's an adventure - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

It's not just a classroom; it's an adventure - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review:

"As I sat writing this article in my classroom, looking around at my setting, I reflected on the start of this adventure, which began last May, when I was doing what every teacher does – looking forward to summer vacation. But this year was going to be different, I said to myself.

I always start planning the next academic year early so I can enjoy my summer a little more. This approach is nothing new. However, as I was cleaning out my desk this year, I was struck by an article about a recent study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong [1] concerning student learning environments"

Champions for Children's Health Stroller Brigade

Champions for Children's Health Stroller Brigade:

"Nov. 4 - Washington, DC Nov. 6-8 - Across the Country

Join Us In Standing Together for Children: Congress is debating health reform legislation that could leave millions of children worse rather than better off and fails to fix bureaucratic, unfair barriers to care. This must be changed now!

What We Are Demanding: Congress and the President must support changes that provide comprehensive, affordable, accessible care for all children no matter where they live. Changes must build on what works in the system and fix what doesn’t work for children now.

Actions You Can Take: Join children, parents, grandparents and champions for children in a 'stroll' to the Nation's Capitol on November 4 or join stroller brigades in cities across the country November 5 through 8 to ensure that our children are not left behind in health care reform. Can't join a stroller brigade in-person? You can also participate in our Virtual Stroller Brigade!"

Hindus urge Iceland for more balanced approach in teaching religion in schools

Hindus urge Iceland for more balanced approach in teaching religion in schools

Hindus have asked for a more balanced approach on religious instruction in Iceland schools.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that under the subject of religion/theology, Iceland should come up with a comparative religion class teaching basics of all major world religions, including the viewpoint of non-believers.

Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, argued that opening-up the Iceland children to major world religions and non-believers’ viewpoint would make them well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow. It also made a good business sense to know the beliefs of “others” in a global community. Moreover, students should have knowledge of the entire society to become full participants in the European community.

According to International Religious Freedom Report 2009 of U.S. Department of State about Iceland, which was released few days back: School grades 1-10 (ages 6-15) are required by law to include instruction in theology. The law also mandates that general teaching practices be shaped by "the Christian heritage of Icelandic culture, equality, responsibility, concern, tolerance, and respect for human value."

This report further says: The precise content of this instruction can vary, and some observers have claimed that religious indoctrination can take place, as the curriculum is not rigid and teachers often are given wide latitude in the classroom. Lessons on non-Christian religions are part of the curriculum, but teachers focus mostly on Christianity. The compulsory curriculum for Christianity, ethics, and theology, does, however, suggest a multicultural approach to religious education and an emphasis on teaching a variety of beliefs. In secondary schools, theology continued to be taught under the rubric of "community studies" along with sociology, philosophy, and history.

The report points out: Students may be exempted from Christianity classes…There is no obligation for school authorities to offer other religious or secular instruction in place of Christianity classes. Some observers have noted that this discourages students or their parents from requesting such exemptions and may isolate students who seek exemptions or put them at risk of bullying in schools.

The report adds: The Government does not actively promote interfaith understanding and does not sponsor programs or an official church-government council to coordinate interfaith dialogue…

Cinematic Iceland is famous for its active volcanoes, hot springs and geysers; whose settlement began in 874 AD.

No trick! Obamas dole out treats to 2,000 kids - White House

No trick! Obamas dole out treats to 2,000 kids - White House:

"President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Saturday doled out presidential M&Ms and dried fruit mixes to more than 2,000 trick-or-treaters, marking their Halloween at a White House event partly aimed at honoring military families.

Dressed as superheroes, pirates, fairies and skeletons, the kids came in with their parents from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., and lined up on the orange-lit White House driveway.

Standing outside the White House front door, Obamas smiled, chatted and passed out cellophane goody bags that were also filled with a sweet dough butter cookie made by White House pastry chef Bill Yosses and a National Park Foundation Ranger activity book."

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

European Union funds India studies in Poland

European Union funds India studies in Poland

European Union (EU) has reportedly given 270, 000 Euros to University of Warsaw (Poland) to establish a Contemporary India Studies Centre.

Said to be the first research center of its kind in central Europe, this project reportedly will cover studies of India’s cultural, social, political, and economic issues. Its faculty will include scholars from Europe and India and it will promote cooperation between Europe and India, reports suggest.

Welcoming this gesture, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged EU to also fund research in Sanskrit and Indian religions in various countries of Europe.

Cultural mission of the University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski) in Warszawa, formed in 1816, is a synthesis of universal and local values. Rector is Professor Katarzyna Chałasińska-Macukow.

All students should be judged on same criteria | Our Views & Yours - PennLive.com -

All students should be judged on same criteria Our Views & Yours - PennLive.com -:

"Education has been called the great equalizer. No matter what your race, creed or ZIP code, every child is entitled to a quality public education.

Yet as Secretary of Education Arne Duncan explained to an audience of aspiring educators at the University of Virginia, as a nation, “we still have not fully achieved the dream of equal educational opportunity.”

Today, nearly 30 percent of students drop out or fail to complete high school on time. These students can’t afford to lag behind in the competitive and ever-changing workplace. It is predicted that by 2016, four out of every 10 new jobs will require advanced education or training."

Honoring the Legacy of Ryan White | The White House

Honoring the Legacy of Ryan White The White House:

"Today, President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. It represents our ongoing commitment to ensuring access to needed HIV/AIDS care and treatment. The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) worked very closely with Congress on this bipartisan legislation, and the consensus document developed by the HIV/AIDS advocacy community was an important part of the process. We were so pleased that Jeanne White-Ginder, Ryan White’s mother, was here at the bill signing."



The Ryan White Program is the largest federal program specifically dedicated to providing HIV care and treatment. It funds heavily impacted metropolitan areas, states, and local community-based organizations to provide life-saving medical care, medications, and support services to more than half a million people each year: the uninsured and underinsured, racial and ethnic minorities, people of all ages.

The President also announced today the elimination of the HIV entry ban. Since 1987, HIV-positive travelers and immigrants have been banned from entering or traveling through the United States without a special waiver. In July 2008, Congress removed all legislative barriers to repealing the ban and paved the way for HHS to repeal the ban. A final rule will be published in the Federal Register on Monday, November 2nd and will take effect in early January 2010. That means that people who have HIV and are not U.S. citizens will be able to enter the U.S. starting in January next year. This is a major step in ending the stigma associated with HIV.

While I have been traveling across the country during the past several weeks for our HIV/AIDS Community Discussions, I am hearing from people living with HIV, nurses, case managers, doctors, community-based service providers, and others about how important the program is to ensure access to care and treatment. As we continue our work on developing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, we have many important lessons from the Ryan White Program for increasing access to treatment, helping retain people in care, and improving health outcomes. Addressing the epidemic in the U.S. is a priority for President Obama, and we are renewing our focus on prevention as well as treatment.

As we prepare to mark the 20th anniversary of the Ryan White Program next August, the legacy of Ryan White continues to endure.

Participants at the event:

Jeanne White-Ginder, Ryan White's mother
Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA
Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY
Senator Tom Coburn, R-OK, not confirmed
Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA
Representative Frank Pallone, D-NJ
Representative Joe Barton, R-TX
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, not confirmed
Ernest Hopkins, Policy Chair, Communities Advocating for Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR); Federal Affairs Director, San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Frank Oldham, Jr., President and CEO, National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA)
Julie Scofield, Executive Director, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD)
Jeffrey Crowley is the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy and Senior Advisor on Disability Policy at the White House

A remarkable turnaround at Pasadena's John Muir High School -- latimes.com

A remarkable turnaround at Pasadena's John Muir High School -- latimes.com:

"With each click of his mouse, Sam Picture wondered if John Muir High School was a good career move.

Stories of high dropout rates, low test scores and violence popped on his screen when he researched the 55-acre campus in northwest Pasadena in January 2008.

He didn't see it as a deterrent, but rather, a challenge.

Picture, now the school's athletic director, is one of the many teachers, administrators and counselors hired to turn around the troubled high school, which since 2001 has cycled through five principals. This year is the first in five that the state is not monitoring the school for failing to increase test scores."

Dysfunctional California / Maybe it is time to stop scapegoating legislators

Dysfunctional California / Maybe it is time to stop scapegoating legislators:

"Maybe it's time to call your state legislator to admit 'It's not you, it's me.'

A recent Field Poll, designed by a panel of political scientists from Stanford, Berkeley and yours truly from California State University Sacramento, asked Californians a series of questions about proposed reforms to state government and various constitutional convention scenarios."

The findings reveal a virtually impossible-to-please electorate.


On one hand, majorities in the poll think "fundamental changes" need to be made to the state Constitution. Citizens much prefer a package of revisions done all at once, and they want what is in many ways a radical solution - a new constitutional convention. Indeed, the Bay Area Council and a coalition called California Forward are both actively pursuing a convention, possibly on the 2010 ballot.

This is, of course, a familiar pattern in California politics. If we feel unease, we grasp at the big, bold changes that just might be crazy enough to work. Think of the dramatic tax overhaul that was Proposition 13, or our strict legislative term limits, or the recall of a governor, whoM, naturally, we replaced with an action movie hero.

When we're unhappy, we go big. Yet these changes never seem to fix the problems, and in many cases, they create new ones.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/01/IN0F1AB8TM.DTL#ixzz0Vd1mySPY

The Golden State isn't worth it -- latimes.com

The Golden State isn't worth it -- latimes.com:

"Today's public benefits fail that test, as urban scholar Joel Kotkin of NewGeography.com and Chapman University told the Los Angeles Times in March: 'Twenty years ago, you could go to Texas, where they had very low taxes, and you would see the difference between there and California. Today, you go to Texas, the roads are no worse, the public schools are not great but are better than or equal to ours, and their universities are good. The bargain between California's government and the middle class is constantly being renegotiated to the disadvantage of the middle class.'

These judgments are not based on drive-by sociology. According to a report issued earlier this year by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., Texas students 'are, on average, one to two years of learning ahead of California students of the same age,' even though per-pupil expenditures on public school students are 12% higher in California. The details of the Census Bureau data show that Texas not only spends its citizens' dollars more effectively than California but emphasizes priorities that are more broadly beneficial. Per capita spending on transportation was 5.9% lower in California, and highway expenditures in particular were 9.5% lower, a discovery both plausible and infuriating to any Los Angeles commuter losing the will to live while sitting in yet another freeway traffic jam."

In Mayoral Race, a Blitz of Truth-Stretching Ads

In Mayoral Race, a Blitz of Truth-Stretching Ads

As the New York City mayor’s race enters its final, combative stretch, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his opponent, Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., have unleashed a flood of advertisements that contain distorted, misleading and, in some cases, outright false claims about everything from the creation of jobs to plans for tax increases.

With many New Yorkers just beginning to tune in to what has been a late-blooming campaign, the truth-stretching — in TV commercials, Web advertisements and mailed brochures — could be the primary exposure they have to the two candidates.

Both the mayor and the comptroller have misrepresented each other’s records, but Mr. Bloomberg has taken the biggest liberties. In ads that follow Web users as they move from site to site, the mayor claims that Mr. Thompson “never created a single job” (false) and “fought reform” at the Board of Education (misleading).

The mayor implies, in one commercial, that Mr. Thompson plans to raise income taxes across the board, and he has even bankrolled a Web site, ThompsonTaxHike.com, dedicated to the subject.

But Mr. Thompson has not proposed such a tax increase in his campaign; instead, he favors a higher income tax for the rich.

South Bend Tribune: Bennett's choice: Kids over politics

South Bend Tribune: Bennett's choice: Kids over politics:

"Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett is sowing confusion. What he sows is not what he hopes to reap.

Confusion?

Bennett, a Republican, praises the education policies of President Obama and hails Obama's secretary of education, Arne Duncan, as 'the right guy at the right place at the right time.'"

For Pete's sake, or at least for Rush's sake, why isn't a Hoosier Republican education official denouncing all that's Obama, especially on education? Gosh, even Obama's plea for kids to study hard and stay in school was denounced by vocal critics as a sneaky way to promote socialism.

Confusion?

Democrats in the state legislature and their allies in teacher organizations want to write off Bennett as a Bush Leaguer, a George W. Bush Leaguer, as he seeks to shake up the education establishment.And then he cites how Obama and Duncan want to shake up education, too, in similar ways, with similar goals for improvement.

Confusion?

Grant: Education reform next heated debate | thetowntalk.com | The Town Talk

Grant: Education reform next heated debate thetowntalk.com The Town Talk:

"As I listen to the stupefying debate over national health care I can't help but wonder whether we will get as contorted by the coming debate over education in this country."

That debate is inevitable as well. It will surely come next as a consequence of congressional submission to big money and halfway political compromises. When the middle class and states are forced to assume more of the costs of health care the dollar shift will be found in education cuts.

That's always the way of it.

It will be difficult enough to shift more costs to local school districts, but even more so for higher education where the rate of cost increases rival those of health care itself.

I hear opponents of serious health care reform brag that we Americans have the best in the world. But a number of studies don't even rank the U.S. in the top 10 countries in the world for quality of life on factors that include health care, social safety nets, education, crime, etc.

While American universities still stand out as the best in the world, there are challengers.

The asterisk behind our boasts about health care and higher ed leads to the footnote that reads: "This is true but only for those who can afford it."

As a people, we made the decision long ago that public education was a key element in the growth of the country and the success of democracy itself. We have been challenged repeatedly to live up to those goals and we are approaching such a challenge once again.

It would be helpful if the rhetoric over health care would take into account how decisions we make will impact the rest of the economy over time and to education in particular.

Education revolution fails grade

Education revolution fails grade:

"FINNISH students top all international tests, New York's charter schools have helped disadvantaged students succeed and England has brilliant programs that allow specialist schools. But these are not lessons the Rudd Government is heeding. The much-vaunted ''education revolution'' is heading for failure because it has not adopted key strategies that international experience tells us are important for success.

Most of what has been achieved has simply merged state and territory bureaucracies into a single framework of decision-making that may ultimately have no impact on how students learn. Australia may end up with one of the most centralised and bureaucratically organised systems of education in the world, with ministers left flailing for explanations as performance flatlines and expectations are unfulfilled"

A way to improve schools, one instructor at a time - The Boston Globe

A way to improve schools, one instructor at a time - The Boston Globe:

"A good teacher equals a good school year. Not always, but far more often than not. Ask any parents of an elementary-grade child how the school year is going, and it won’t be long before you’ll hear them rave about - or bemoan - the teacher their child has been assigned to. There are teachers who are duds, who can find a way to drain the fun out of a unit on dinosaurs for second-graders. And there those with a gift for reaching the eighth-grader slouched in the back of the classroom with a penchant for eye rolling. These teachers can bring to life to Poe’s fascination with the dead, or deliver just the right contemporary analogy to make sense of the War of 1812."

Nearly everyone can probably recall a teacher who lit their passion for poetry or who was able to help them connect all the dots in a seemingly incomprehensible algebra formula. We know that individual teachers can make a huge difference.

But public schools in America have been bent on ignoring the obvious: Almost nothing about the way we hire, evaluate, pay, or assign teachers to classrooms is designed to operate with that goal in mind. Most teachers receive only cursory performance evaluations, with virtually every teacher graded highly. We use a one-size-for-all salary structure, in which the only factors used in raises are teachers’ higher-education credentials and number of years in the system, neither of which is strongly linked to their effectiveness. And we often let seniority, rather than merit, drive decisions about where a teacher is placed. It is in many ways an industrial model that treats teachers as identical, interchangeable parts, when we know that they are not.

Opinion: Walters: Race for next schools superintendent will shape future of education reform - San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: Walters: Race for next schools superintendent will shape future of education reform - San Jose Mercury News:

"One of the more obscure — and probably more important — of California's many political conflicts pits an organization called EdVoice against the California Teachers Association and other school unions.

It centers on our ever-deepening education crisis, manifested in low test scores and high dropout rates, especially among black and Latino kids.

EdVoice, maintained by some wealthy Californians such as Southern California developer Eli Broad and Silicon Valley tycoon Reed Hastings, advocates charter schools, tougher teaching standards and other aggressive approaches.

The CTA and its allies, meanwhile, say California's chief education issue is money, specifically its below-average level of per-pupil spending.
It's not so much a partisan or even ideological conflict — Broad and many other EdVoice leaders are Democrats — as it is one of pedagogic philosophy, but that doesn't make it any less abrasive."

Thursday's D.C. Council hearing

Thursday's D.C. Council hearing

When Kathy Patterson learned about Thursday's D.C. Council hearing, during which Chairman Vincent C. Gray and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee pelted each other with accusations of law-breaking and secret meetings, she had one immediate reaction.

"Here we go again," said Patterson, a former council member and chairwoman of its education committee. It looked as if another attempt at public school reform was disintegrating in a hail of recriminations and rhetoric, with Rhee destined to join Franklin L. Smith, Lt. Gen. Julius Becton, Arlene Ackerman, Paul L. Vance and Clifford B. Janey, the school leaders who preceded her in the past two decades.

It was supposed to be different this time. The 2007 legislation that disbanded the old D.C. Board of Education and gave control of the school system to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) was designed to minimize the push-and-pull of ward politics, making a single executive accountable. But Thursday's hearing vividly illustrated that no legislation can completely account for the mix of personalities who come together to execute it.

At the beginning of the last century, urban reformers wrested control of schools from mayors and established independently elected boards as a hedge against corruption. But the pendulum has swung back. Mayors from Boston to San Jose have been taking over school districts since the early 1990s, recognizing that their city's economic growth and their political longevity are inextricably linked to the quality of the local educational system.

EcoKids dive deep into ecology | TheUnion.com

EcoKids dive deep into ecology TheUnion.com:

"“Ecology is science. Deep ecology is ethics. It's the philosophy behind the science,” asserted Marge Kaiser, founder and executive director of the Sierra Nevada Deep Ecology Institute of Nevada City.

It's the difference between “I-it” and “I-thou,” she explained. We are not separate from Nature. We are part of Nature.

“For us to think we're separate from — and better than — Nature is not only an illusion, but dangerous to ourselves and our planet,” she said with her characteristic intensity."

Marriages of convenience: Medical groups join with food companies - KansasCity.com

Marriages of convenience: Medical groups join with food companies - KansasCity.com:

"They may seem like odd couples, partners from opposite poles with a passion to help you lead a healthier life.

Or maybe it’s about money.

Soda-pop makers courting medical groups. Potato-chip producers curling up with dietitians. Beer companies linking arms with traffic-safety advocates.

These marriages of convenience have become an increasingly common part of corporate America. That leaves consumers and government regulators wondering if we can trust all the advice coming from organizations that buddy up with industry."

The latest tryst with a twist involves the American Academy of Family Physicians. The Leawood-based organization represents about 94,000 doctors who struggle to get their patients to shed excess pounds.

From across the room, Coca-Cola bats its eyelashes. The queen of carbonated drinks is fending off attacks that its sugar-sweetened products promote obesity and should be taxed.
The two organizations last month sealed a deal that had Coca-Cola giving the academy a grant in the mid six figures to come up with health messages for the public about beverages and sweeteners.

The academy and Coca-Cola said the information would be based on objective science.

But doctors, nutrition experts and consumer advocates charge that Coca-Cola is proffering the money just to improve its reputation and possibly to buy the academy’s silence.
In various toasts to our health, bedfellows of the strangest kind are everywhere and go back decades. The study of alcoholism owes much to the distilled-spirits industry, which teamed with Cornell University and the National Institute of Health on research as early as the 1940s.

Now an increasingly skeptical and health-conscious public, with so much information at its fingertips, isn’t sure whose advice to trust, said Shelly Rodgers, a University of Missouri researcher of strategic communications: “Consumers instantly see the conflict and go, ‘What? What?’ ”