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September 29, 2006

Phoenix Schools See School Choice As A Necessity

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , — admin @ 11:33 am

Neighborhood schools are quickly becoming a thing of the past. With such things as school rankings, school “grades” for each school, and the No Child Left Behind act, simply sending our children to the grade school down the street is going the way of the dodo bird.

Today, Phoenix Schools’ parents have the option of sending their children to almost any school they wish within the district serving Phoenix Public Schools. While some may indeed choose to stick with the neighborhood learning institution many, if not most, parents are enrolling their children in specialty schools that reflect their child’s interests, strengths, or just the style of education they want for their student.

Phoenix Schools now offer various Magnet Schools to meet the growing demand for school choice. Called “Signature Schools”, these Phoenix Schools offer numerous options for students attending a Phoenix Schools magnet program.

There is a downside to the Phoenix Schools magnet program. By sending children to schools further away from home families now need to import playmates or drive their kids across town to visit friends. Families in the Phoenix Schools need to balance their desire for the strengths of a magnet with the burden of travel time and being more spread out.

If you are interested in the magnet programs offered by Phoenix Schools here’s a partial list:

Montessori &ndash This program serves Phoenix Schools students in PreK through 8th grade. It follows the international curriculum developed by Maria Montessori.

Performing Arts &ndash Phoenix Schools students in 7th and 8th grades have the opportunity to participate in the performing arts throughout the school year with an emphasis on drama, dance, choir and instrumental music. Kindergarten through 6th grade students also participate in these disciplines.

Math, Science & Technology &ndash Phoenix Schools 7th and 8th grade students focus specifically on math, science and technology. The science campus at Lowell offers special benefits to prekindergarten through 6th grade students, as well.

Traditional & Balance the Basics &ndash Prekindergarten through 8th grade Phoenix Schools students engage in a heavy emphasis on reading, math and writing.

Global Community or Donde Vivo &ndash Donde Vivo students in 7th and 8th explore their global community through an interdisciplinary curriculum. Each year the students have the opportunity to experience their global community by traveling abroad.

Second Language Acquisition &ndash Second Language Acquisition is the focus of a program at Herrera School for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Students are immersed in both Spanish and English in all subject areas.

Science Investigations &ndash Phoenix Schools students in 7th and 8th grades engage in physical and life sciences during their regular science classes, as well as through an after school club with mentors from Arizona State University.

Magnet Schools offer options, but they’re not perfect. Most Phoenix Schools house magnet programs in less desirable parts of the city in an effort to draw more affluent and educated parents. But you and your child might find that it’s the right place for you.

September 27, 2006

Phoenix Schools

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — admin @ 7:54 am

The Roosevelt Elementary School District, located in the Phoenix Schools area on the south side of the city, is in serious trouble. The primarily low-income district has been dealing with turmoil for years, and the possible takeover by the Arizona Department of Education only exacerbates the situation.

Last December, Arizona Department of Education held a meeting in one of Roosevelt’s school gyms to present the situation to all concerned. Over 200 parents, teachers and other community members were present as Arizona Schools Chief Tom Horne, flanked by 25 of his top staff members, laid out the Phoenix schools Roosevelt district’s problems. Five members of the Phoenix schools Roosevelt district board were present.

Horne, a Harvard-trained lawyer, did not mince his words as he presented slide after slide and graph after graph that illustrated the large negative numbers that concerned this Phoenix schools district. Many in attendance were visibly stunned by the enormity of the situation with which they and the district are faced.

One point that Horne hammered home to the five Phoenix schools’ Roosevelt district board members present, as well as the audience, was that other school districts were doing much better with similar resources. Three neighboring Phoenix schools’ districts have just as many impoverished families as the Roosevelt district. They have just as many students with English as a second language, who need the extra time, resources and coursework to learn English in order to succeed in the Phoenix schools. Yet, these three Phoenix schools’ districts have between 64 and 78 percent of their students performing at grade level in math for the third grade, with Roosevelt at 45 percent; and 62 and 72 percent in reading, with Roosevelt at 34 percent. The same is true in the other score measurements. In all 27 separate measurements, Roosevelt is substantially below the other three comparable Phoenix schools’ districts. That is nearly double the number of students showing academic achievement, as compared to Roosevelt. (You may view Horne’s graphs at: .ade.az.gov/administration/superintendent/articles/RooseveltDistrictSpeech.pdf.)

What really hit home for the people in attendance is that Roosevelt receives per student funding above the state average, yet no other district in the state has performed so poorly. In 2005, the Arizona Department of Education ranked 10 of the Roosevelt schools as “underperforming”. The district has only 21 schools. This was an unprecedented amount of “underperforming” schools in the Phoenix schools area.

Things must improve rapidly for the Phoenix schools’ district. Otherwise, the state will take over the district and all its schools. Horne is applying pressure to overhaul the district’s practices and replace ineffective personnel. Meanwhile, Horne has called for legislation to allow the state to take over entire districts and school boards for poor student performance.

The Roosevelt district has taken the threat of takeover by Horne to heart. This year, they have initiated many major changes, including:

• New and innovative practices;

• District educators are working together to develop a guaranteed and viable curriculum;

• Teachers at all levels are involved in curriculum mapping, which helps a teacher understand what standards to teach students and when to teach them;

• A standards-based progress report now replaces the number grade reporting system, helping teachers and parents understand the language of standards and create a consistency between district reports and the results of the statewide test; and

• A comprehensive curriculum guide was developed and implemented that includes standards and a curriculum pacing calendar.

Only time (and a very short time, at that) will tell if these changes will be enough to elevate the Phoenix schools’ Roosevelt district’s underperforming schools. If not, then the district will be under new management &ndash the state.

September 25, 2006

Phonemic Awareness Assessments Identify A Weak Cognitive Skill Necessary For Learning

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 4:54 pm

A phonemic awareness assessment can help your child identify a weak cognitive skill which is necessary for learning. Weak cognitive skills are a large factor in the majority of learning disabilities which affect people from all walks of life. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and analyze discreet sounds. It is the cognitive skill that allows us to connect speech sounds to the letters in words. There are various stages that your children will go through in their learning development, and you can notice if they lack phonemic awareness during each of these stages. If you notice any of the risk factors which indicate a lack of phonemic awareness in your child you are highly encouraged to schedule a complete phonemic awareness assessment at a qualified learning training center.

Students as young as Pre-K to Kindergarten age can lack phonemic awareness. Warning signs to watch for include a difficulty recognizing rhymes, trouble remembering names of friends or classmates, and a difficulty with the development of normal speech. At the end of first grade the warning signs to watch for include those mentioned above and if your child has difficulty with spelling common words, reading aloud, sounding out words, blending sounds, and trouble applying the mechanics of sounds within words to reading and spelling.

At the end of second grade you will continue to see warning signs that will indicate weak phonemic awareness skills. If you find that your child has difficulty recalling simple facts and details it is important to get them tested. Other factors affecting your child at the end of second grade may be a difficulty spelling previously studied and commonly seen words, difficulty reading aloud, and difficulty using phonics to sound out words.

By the age of five, phonemic awareness is typically established in around 80% of children. The other 20% will continue to show warning signs past the age of nine and into the teen years, and beyond. The common signs to watch out for are a history of reading and spelling struggles, a dislike of reading, not wanting to read aloud, or having to spend extra time doing homework. If you see any of these symptoms in your child schedule a complete cognitive skills assessment. A phonemic awareness assessment will be included in this overall assessment at a quality learning training center. This test will also indicate any other weak cognitive skills that may become, or already are a problem for your child. By running this test you will help avoid future learning disabilities, ensuring your child healthy learning for the rest of their life. The learning training center will map out a plan for strengthening this cognitive skill.

To further emphasize the importance of strong phonemic awareness skills the Institute of Health and Child Development discovered that 88% of reading difficulties were a result of weak phonemic awareness. This was found during a ten-year study from 1985 to 1995. Make sure you get your child tested if you notice any of the warning signs and struggles listed above. Their future depends on your action.

Piano Lessons For Adults

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 2:14 pm

Most of the adult population can play enough of a musical instrument to rattle out a tune of some sort, even if it is just a TV theme or a few bars of an old classic. Furthermore, playing an instrument well is something most of us long for, but for whatever reason, we choose not to fulfill our desire. There are a range of excuses: you’re too old, you’ve no time, you can’t learn at your age. They are all just excuses, and by overcoming these unnecessary barriers, you too can take up an instrument and improve your skills beyond the very basics.

The piano is known as the mother of all instruments, and is one of the most versatile and celebrated instruments in the world. Most of the worlds’ favorite classical pieces have been written or adapted for the piano, and it is a necessary skill for many degree level music courses. Indeed, when it comes to teaching musical theory, there is no better instrument than the piano. It really is easy to see why it’s a popular choice for those taking up a new instrument. As adults, we tend to shy away from situations outwith our comfort zone, and this is certainly the situation with taking piano lessons. From having total control over every aspect of our lives, it can feel frustrating and patronizing to take direction from another adult. However, by dedicating the time to practice, and taking heed of the instructions given, anyone of any age can learn to play the piano.

Why not check in your local area for piano tutors? Chances are there will be a few classes and private tutors in your area which you can sign up for to improve your skills. Alternatively, why not investigate online piano lessons? Over the last couple of years, technology has advanced to allow feasible real-time online piano lessons. This might also be a significantly less costly version of receiving expert tuition which you can digest in your own time, and revisit to overcome problem areas.

Whatever your age, and musical experience, you can learn to play the piano with effective music tuition. By dedicating the necessary time and effort and by adopting a good attitude towards practice and theory, you can see a marked improvement in no time, and can learn to impress your friends and yourself with the highly-satisfying ability to play the piano.

September 24, 2006

Pittsburgh Schools Deal With Discipline

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — admin @ 10:14 am

Pittsburgh Schools are still fully embroiled in the high school reforms enacted in 2006. A task force, with goals are similar to those of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, is currently leading the reforms. Pittsburgh Schools evaluate the reforms in accordance with the Excellence for All Plan, an initiative that seeks to develop all Pittsburgh Schools academically. The Task Force leading the Pittsburgh Public Schools High School Reform has just recently announced their specific Plan for High School Excellence. And they let parents and students know that the improvements will take many years. The root causes of the issues in Pittsburgh Schools are tied to discipline and curriculum problems.

In the past, Pittsburgh Schools experienced low test scores and high dropout rates. The Plan for High School Excellence has been created in response to declining enrollment in public schools. Many of the students leaving the public sector of Pittsburgh Schools are lured by private schools that boost higher academic success. Teachers will receive more intensive training and stronger support in enforcing discipline codes. Discipline and student behavior have plagued the Pittsburgh Schools for years. In this area, there have been some detention guidelines established and a center for long-term problem students has also been arranged. In addition, there is an entirely separate school being built for consistently defiant students.

The stress created by tension and violence in the Pittsburgh Schools led to the creation of the detention center. By separating the students prone to troublemaking from their peers, the other students in Pittsburgh Schools are given a better chance to focus on their studies. All who enroll in the school for disruptive students will be given 180 days of education and discipline before they have the opportunity to return to Pittsburgh Schools. In order to be sent to these schools, students must have been suspended for 4 to 10 days; at home suspensions are being rejected by Pittsburgh Schools as they do not provide constructive punishment.

These new resources and plans are targeted at incoming ninth graders in the hopes that they can be the beginning of change in the Pittsburgh Schools. Part of the program involves providing mentors to these incoming freshmen. Community involvement will be stressed. The introduction of civics to the curriculum of Pittsburgh Schools is hoped to help with character development and behavior. Also, the lesson plans in Pittsburgh Schools will look different next year. Faculty members are involved with a program to streamline and unify their plans. By making the classes and teaching methods more uniform and cohesive the teachers in Pittsburgh Schools hope reach more students more effectively. Will this five-year plan, with its ambitious steps, be able to improve the unruly environment and classrooms in the Pittsburgh Schools? Administrators are counting on it.

Piano Playing And Excuses; A Sour Mix

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 9:39 am

You’ve just finished playing the piano for family members or some friends. If you’ve truly played poorly, the instinctive thing to do is to delve into a repertoire of excuses, some of which might include:

“Who can play at this time of day?”

“Of course that wasn’t good. You try playing when someone in your audience has a whistling nose.”

“I just started his piece last week. What do you expect, Liberachi?”

“Okay, so you try playing it. It’s difficult, man!”

Although there may be truth peppered in these thoughts, the last thing that a pianist wants to do is to get into the habit of jumping into an excuse. It is unprofessional and, although beginners are by no means professionals, they must aspire towards the habit of behaving professionally for a smoother road in the future.

Almost worse than the ‘excuse for poor playing’ statements, are excuses given when a performance is actually good. Not being able to take a compliment is one of the worst habits that you can acquire. Here’s why.

If an audience member throws a compliment your way, they may actually be sincere, rather than just attempting to be nice. If you deny them their opinion, then you lesson yourself and them. Here’s an example.

Audience member: “That was so great. I loved your playing.”

Here are three atrocious responses:

“Oh, come on. I stunk! I can’t believe anyone really liked that garbage performance.”

“Ya, but did you hear all of those mistakes that I made? I’m so embarrassed.”

“You’re just saying that to be nice. You don’t have to be nice, you know. Just tell me the truth for a change. My playing was terrible.”

In the first response, you’ve destroyed your audience member’s credibility. If they really liked your performance, then they’ve just told that person that their opinion is uninformed and blatantly incorrect.

In the second response, you’ve just told an unsuspecting admirer that you made a lot of mistakes. Perhaps they really didn’t hear or focus on that aspect of your playing. You’ve now downgraded your performance. Your admirer may possibly be convinced that you did not play that well, after all.

The third response is downright offensive. Just because you’ve hit rock bottom in an emotional roller-coaster ride, doesn’t mean that you have to take a passenger along with you on that ride.

So how can you rid yourself of excuses, and ineffective and unprofessional responses? That’s easy. Practice stating the correct responses. For example, if someone asks you to play the piano and you don’t play well, then try:

1. smiling at the end of the performance,

2. taking a bow even if you don’t feel like it,

3. saying “there you go” or “thanks for letting me play for you”.

Of course, if you played poorly to the point that you couldn’t even get through the intended piece, then you can most certainly have a sense of humor about the situation without putting yourself down excessively. “Oops” or “Okay, I guess I need a bit more practice” are acceptable. However, the better solution would have been not to have played in the first place. Play only if you are very prepared mentally, physically and emotionally.

September 22, 2006

Pittsburgh Schools Offer Affordable College Education

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , — admin @ 12:08 pm

Pressure, pressure, pressure. Students in all grades can be under an enormous amount of pressure to succeed while in school. Kindergartners must learn to read, add, and subtract before they finish their first year of school. In some places, students must pass certain state tests in order to be promoted to the next grade level. More and more emphasis is being placed on the importance of a rigorous academic program for middle- and high-school students, with the end result of attending a college or university. Is all this necessary? Well, legislators, the president, and local district officials believe so. Many parents also agree that kids need to graduate from high school ready to go on to college. Leaders of Pittsburgh Public Schools and of Pittsburgh itself plan to institute a new plan to motivate even more students to seek out a college education.

The Pittsburgh Schools have issued what it calls “The Pittsburgh Promise,” pledging that starting in 2008, all graduates who meet certain Pittsburgh Schools standards will have the means of getting post-secondary education. Wow! What a great idea! There are most likely some Pittsburgh Schools students who don’t even dream of going to college, simply because their families can’t afford it. Imagine, if you will, a Pittsburgh Schools family of blue-collar workers who have not had any of its members attend college. It is their dream for their children to go to college and have a better life; if this new program is indeed successful, this dream will most likely become a reality!

The Pittsburgh Schools district and the city hope to raise $5 million to $7 million a year to make college or other post-secondary education affordable. To access the money, Pittsburgh Schools students will have to attend one of the Pittsburgh Schools, do their work, stay out of trouble, and graduate. It’s truly admirable to see that the city leaders, community leaders and the Pittsburgh Schools leaders recognize the difficulties that lay in the path of some of these students to actually attend college.

More and more, even some “blue-collar” jobs are requiring a minimum of a 2-year degree. Firefighters, carpenters, even cosmetologists can attend a community college where they receive the training their prospective employers are looking for. The students of Pittsburgh Schools who are on the vocational path will now have the opportunity to go to college, no matter what their family’s financial situation might be. What a wonderful graduation gift Pittsburgh Schools students could receive upon leaving high school! Since society and the government are forever clamoring about how far behind our students are as compared to other students around the world, kudos to Pittsburgh Schools and the city of Pittsburgh for doing their part to get more kids in college.

September 21, 2006

Pointers While Studying Spanish

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 3:17 pm

The Spanish language can be learned in any order after getting to know the basic pronunciation, vocabulary and number study. It is actually similar when learning other foreign languages, not just the Spanish. Learning a foreign language, for one reason, requires curiosity and interest from the learner or the student because without the two, the lessons aid and memorization methods wouldn’t have any purpose at all since it won’t and can’t be learned very well and put in to good use by the student learning it. So why even bother?

Language also appeals to the personal interest of a person and one can’t just be forced to learn it if the language doesn’t shift the person’s mood from boredom to excitement. In Spanish, it is important that you touch-base on specific lessons first which appeal to you the most because from there, other lessons of the Spanish language just easily flows in your system and before you even know it, everything you need to know about the Spanish language has already sink in.

What you may want to concentrate on is the Spanish verb conjugation because this is one area of the language which could become difficult for most beginners. Spanish verb conjugation could leave you with “how” and “why” questions but it could become a breeze once the lesson on the Spanish verb basic time frames has been focused to intently.

An important reminder in learning the language is to always keep yourself up to date with the lessons especially if you’re learning from free online resources. There are always new approach and correction articles on past Spanish lessons so it’s always a good idea to keep your mind open to possible changes since not all learning sources (especially if its free) are similar or accurate.

Another thing why learning the Spanish language can become as easy A, B, C is because the minute you progress on the different Spanish lessons over time, you also would have developed the adaptation of speaking and using Spanish in any way most comfortable for you and nobody has to correct you of your style!

Playing The Game: The Future Of Animation And Game Design

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — admin @ 7:58 am

The popularity of video games is a staple of our culture and appears as though it’s going to stay. From the different genres of video games to the complex stories and character developments, video games have become an entity that spans generations of gamers. For many, it is an escape into a new world of fantasy and adventure. As a result, it is no wonder why so many high school and college graduates are going into the field of animation and game design. Several colleges offer courses and programs related to learning how to create video games. The video game industry is a growing, multi-billion dollar field and many of the college graduates want to get their hands on the controller.

The increasing demand for more games with better stories and more life-like graphics has been on the minds of serious gamers for years. There is no satisfying the serious gamer because the graphics continue to get better every year and the stories tend to get more interesting, too. Therefore, the video game players expect more every time. This is why colleges are now offering courses in animation and game design. They see the prevalence of video games in our culture and the people who want to build and design these games.

But the programs and courses that deal with animation and game design are not only about drawing and how to create a video game. Creating a game that is both playable and sellable is not an easy task. Basic classes for those who begin in animation and game design deal with topics such as artistic terminology and artistic theory. From there, a student can expect to enter classes in which they generate ideas and concepts for their particular video game. There is also an additional course dealing with presenting your idea to a video game company.

If you decide to go into the field of animation and game design, you can also expect to take some more educationally geared courses. There are some that deal with the history of video games along with other courses that teach the demographic makeup of who plays certain games. You may also be required to do reviews of games and learn about the nuances of the different gaming genres. But success in these classes will inevitably lead to more enticing topics such as artificial intelligence and prototyping your game. For the avid video game player, taking these courses may make the game-playing experience a more interesting one as he thinks about the intricacies of every move made on the screen. For others, however, these courses may serve to only ruin the mystery that they have associated with playing video games.

The field of animation and game design is not, as the name implies, all fun and games. In fact, it is the opposite. There is a lot of hard work that goes into designing these elaborate games. From conception to the store shelves, many experts have contributed something to its success or, consequently, its failure. Learning the techniques of being a successful video game creator is much like learning how to play an instrument. You have to learn note by note, then chord by chord before you can even think about learning how to play a song. That is the same thing with this lucrative field. You can be a gamer your entire life but, other than the occasional game idea, your gaming skills are irrelevant when it comes to creating a game. By completing the animation and game design program, you will see and appreciate where the growth and direction of the animation and gaming industry is headed.

September 20, 2006

Portland Schools Exceed Budget By $ 1.7 Million

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , — admin @ 10:14 am

Superintendent of Portland Public Schools, Mary Jo O’Connor announced that the Portland Schools have exceeded their $81.7 budget by about 2%. This is despite $500,000 in cuts made in May of 2006. O’Connor explained that the increased spending was due to factors beyond the control of Portland Schools officials.

Unavoidable Increases for Portland Schools

O’Connor stated that the deficit was “regrettable but unavoidable”. Federal and state education mandates, increased utility costs, and collective bargaining agreements were cited as causes of the huge deficit. Portland Schools has seen significant increases in energy costs and health insurance costs since the budget was first approved. Portland Schools say that all looked good with the budget until the end of May 2007, when forecasts projected the year-end deficit. What happened?

In the fall of 2006 the Portland Schools approved the hiring of over 7 new Special Education positions to fulfill state and federal mandates. Also, in November the Portland Schools Committee approved a collective bargaining contract at 3%, rather than the projected 2.5%. The figures show that Portland Schools spent an additional $625,000 meeting the Special Education requirements. That number includes transportation services and out-of-district fees. The collective bargaining increases added an extra $675,000 to the Portland Schools budget. Electricity increases, higher than expected bus maintenance, and increased health insurances costs added up to $625,000. Finally, the cost of purchasing software to comply with updated standards from the Maine Department of Education added $80,000 to the Portland Schools budget. Balanced with under spent funds the district ended up overspending about $1.7 million.

Mandates Cause Deficit for Portland Schools

The Portland Schools have been challenged to use existing funds to meet No Child Left Behind mandates along with district and state polices. When the Portland Schools committee initially voted to reduce the budget by $500,000 in April of 2006, there was expected debate over where to make the cuts. Reductions resulted the following areas: professional services $30,000; transportation and travel expenses $85,000; books and supplies $165,000; oil and natural gas conservation measures $65,000; audiovisual and computer supplies $65,000; and deferred capital equipment purchases $60,000.

Despite the publicity over the exceeded budget, the Portland Schools have seen many positive outcomes result from changes over the last few years. The Maine Initiative requiring all students to take the SATs in their junior years raised the bar for graduation requirements. And the Maine program that provides Apple laptop computers to middle school students has been widely successful. Still, the Portland Schools will face increased pressure to insure that the budget numbers are aligned for the coming school year. According to the Superintendent, “It is now our task, on behalf of our students, parents and taxpayers to balance the realities of limited financial resources with the goal of providing quality education….”

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