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October 31, 2008

Charlotte Schools Encourage Parental Involvement

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , — admin @ 5:51 pm

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools know all about educating students. They know how to efficiently and effectively run a school system. They also know the importance of parental involvement. To that end, they have developed the slogan, “What a family DOES matters more than what a family HAS”.

Recognizing the fact that a child’s first teacher is a parent, Charlotte Schools are working to communicate this belief to Charlotte Schools parents and to encourage them to get involved in their child’s education.

It doesn’t really matter what a family has. Whether they are rich or poor or middle of the road, all that really matters is that they are all involved in each other’s lives. It doesn’t matter if there’s a TV in every room, or only one or even none; families that participate in activities together have children who learn better (notice I didn’t say that they are smarter), are more confident, and feel safe and content both at home and at school. Charlotte Schools recognize that they have the capacity to help parents get involved in their children’s education, and even have a “Family Services Department”. This organization provides a variety of tools, resources, and support to help families learn how to work with Charlotte Schools for the benefit of the children.

In fact, recent research has shown that there are at least 3 distinct benefits to children when their parents get involved in their education:

- Parental involvement improves student learning in all racial, income, and ethnic groups, regardless of the parents’ education levels.

- Parental involvement is linked to better school attendance, homework performance, and higher test scores.

- Parental involvement leads to more students graduating from high school and to more of those same students pursuing higher education.

It’s easy to see that, if a child has parents who are involved in their education, the educational experience they have over the years will be much richer than that of a child whose parents are unable or unwilling to get involved at the school.

There are so many ways that a parent can get involved in the Charlotte Schools that it’s nearly impossible to name them all. The following is a sample of how you can get involved in one of the Charlotte Schools that your child attends (or may attend in the future):

- First of all, join the Charlotte Schools parent leadership organization, commonly known as the PTA, PTO or Booster Club.

- Attend open houses, curriculum nights, book fairs and other programs.

- Visit the school often. Get to know your child’s Charlotte Schools teachers, and principal, by name.

- Be an advocate! Only you know your child best, and it’s important to let Charlotte Schools know as much as possible about your student. Be sure to let the teacher(s) and principal know your concerns about what and how your child is learning.

While not an exhaustive discussion of how parents can get involved in their children’s Charlotte Schools, it is, hopefully, a beginning step to seeing how Charlotte Schools are committed to working with parents to give students a quality education.

October 30, 2008

Changing Weather Is Often A Result Of The Earth’s Rotation

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Relentless interaction between the heat of the sun and the earth’s atmosphere is behind weather development. When heating is not uniform all through a complex system of wind flows is generated. Air circulation produced by the atmosphere subjected to solar heat has three main forms.

The circulation of air near the tropics is called Hadley cells named after George Hadley, the scientist. Between 23.5 degrees latitude south and north, i.e., in the tropics the air rises having been heated. As it meets the tropopause it fans out while at about thirty degrees south and north a great part of this air drops back towards the ground. When it drops it removes air while to complete the cycle the removed air returns back towards the equator.

From thirty to sixty degrees north and south similar circulation known as Ferrel cells occur while in the polar regions polar Hadley cells flow.

But a straight north-south direction these air-flows do not follow and that is interesting enough. What is known as Coriolis effect is due to the earth’s rotation. In the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere any fluid or object that moves freely seems to turn to the left or right respectively to the direction of motion. Since Gustavo-Gaspard de Coriolis first identified it in 1835 the Curiolis effect is named after him.

To an area of low pressure air tends to flow but deflection of air in this case is due to the Coriolis effect. By creating a circular movement, or a cyclonic flow an equilibrium it establishes ultimately. In the Northern Hemisphere air flows in a counter-clockwise direction in low pressure areas while in the Southern Hemisphere the direction is clockwise. But around high pressure areas the air flow is just the reverse to it.

Had there been no rotation of the earth the pressure would have been equalized fast since air flow of air would be quick and along straight lines. At the equator the Coriolis effect is precisely zero. For this reason, on the equator cyclones hardly occur or travel to the same. Most logically at the poles Coriolic effect reaches its maximum.

October 29, 2008

Changes Are In The Works For Baltimore Schools

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , — admin @ 1:38 pm

Most people would agree that most change is for the better. Leaders of Baltimore County Public Schools hold this belief in relation to improving the 180 schools and 82,000 students they serve. They know that for students and their Baltimore Schools, working to enact change is to the benefit of all &ndash since the district is in need of drastic student achievement. A school system that is dire straits, Baltimore Schools are in need of some major overhauling.

To this end, the Baltimore Schools system and administration have adopted a new vision. This vision hopes to “accelerate student progress through effective implementation of the BCPSS master plan, focusing on quality instruction, managing systems efficiently, and sustaining a culture of excellence.”

Baltimore Schools have set 6 goals for themselves which they believe will help them fulfill this vision. The following is a brief description of the first 3 goals, with this author’s opinion on how to accomplish said goal.

“Goal 1: By 2013-1014, all [Baltimore Schools] students will reach high standards, at a minimum attaining proficiency or better in reading/language arts, and mathematics.” While this is indeed an admirable and necessary goal, it is a difficult one at best. Baltimore Schools, any school for that matter, strives to improve student achievement. After all, the purpose of school is to educate students and help them become successful contributors to society. But the difficulty lies in factors that are beyond Baltimore Schools ultimate control. Poverty, education level of parents, even a good night’s sleep are all factors that are beyond the reach of educators.

“Goal 2: All limited English proficient students [enrolled in Baltimore Schools] will become proficient in English and reach high academic standards, at a minimum attaining proficiency or better in reading/language arts and mathematics.” An important goal, and one that is attainable, improving the achievement levels for LEP students is a given. Just because a person does not have English as their primary language does not mean they are unintelligent and unable to achieve to the highest standards. However, to truly succeed in any American public school, it is important that students are fluent in the language in which they are being instructed.

“Goal 3: By 2005-2006, all core academic subject classes (CAS) will be taught by highly qualified [Baltimore Schools] teachers.” Again, this goal is obvious. Baltimore Schools Teachers who have no training in education are most likely to fail in the profession. It has been said (wrongly, in my opinion) that “Those who can do, and those who can’t teach.” Well, let me tell you, not everyone can walk into a classroom, command attention, respect, and discipline, all while facilitating a student’s learning.

October 28, 2008

Catholic Home Schooling Approaches

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — admin @ 9:30 pm

What is Catholic homeschooling? With some skill and a few resources, it’s not so arduous to define. As you may have smartly guessed, it is homeschooling by those with the Catholic religious faith that is ingrained into their educational material. Its very similar to Christianly homeschooling or Secular Homeschooling in that each one of these has a devotion structure, normally righteous, tied to their teaching materials. There are a few different courses for homeschooling Catholic methodology. Here’s a brief overview of some of them:

*Charlotte Mason Homeschooling: Charlotte Mason was a British educationist who affirmed in “living” course books alternately to textbooks. This program of homeschooling concentrates on textbooks written by humans, persons, not book houses. She deems that youth come to know larger physique with these circumstance-based books because they are more engaged and interested. In addition, this avenue of instructing heavily relies on youth narrating or telling back what they understand that they learned. Applying schooling is not our job; it’s the minor’s. In any case, acquiring children to recite back to you verbally or written material, aids the girl in applying this learning.

*Classical Schooling: The main theory behind classical education is this: the imparting of knowledge and the teaching style must modify with the cognitive advancement of the offspring. The proponents of the classical manner of intellectual acquirement believe that one approach of the imparting of knowledge cannot be noteworthy for a 5 year old and in addition be used on a teenager. Accordingly, there are three styles of imparting knowledge that are channeled throughout the youngling’s course of study process: Trivium, Analytical, and Abstract.

These are just a few of the styles to Catholic homeschooling. If this mode of homeschooling catches your eye, it would behoove you to look larger into a few of these programs to see if any are appropriate for you and your homeschooled youngsters.

October 27, 2008

Career Information For Interior Design Students

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — admin @ 6:38 pm

Are you thinking of a career in Interior Design? Are you interested in physical spaces, and do you frequently notice your surroundings. Do you think to yourself about how you could make the space look better? Alternatively, do you even make suggestions to people on how they could spruce up their living spaces (without offending them of course!) If so, then why not do some research on career info for the interior design profession?

Are you a creative or artistic person? Do you imagine that you could re-design a favorite restaurant? Interior Designers must be able to work well in a team to solve problems and challenges that often come up. Careers in Interior Design directly affect the health, safety and overall well being of the people that work and live in the spaces that Interior Designers design.

If you are looking for career info for interior design then you can search out many resources. For instance, the internet has a wealth of interior design information regarding the many schools that offer interior design programs, whether online or in a studio and classroom. Check you local yellow pages for Interior Design firms, give them a call, and ask a professional how you can get a start in the exciting world of interior design.

Interior Designers are not only creative and artistic but they need to be organized and well disciplined. People skills are extremely important, as you will be working with the public quite often.

Many people when searching for career info on interior design are very interested in the rewards of an interior designer, specifically, how much money could they make in this profession. As with any other profession, experience can dictate how much you make. First year interior designers can expect to make in the range of thirty-five to forty thousand. Designers with years of experience can make upwards of a hundred thousand dollars a year.

Obviously, hard work and dedication in the field of interior design can be very rewarding and fulfilling. Interior Designers require a lot of energy and creativity to excel at their profession.

When doing your research on career information about interior design, keep in mind that the demand for interior design services tends to follow the overall economy. Hence, in a strong economy the demand is higher. In a weaker economy, the demand is lower with fewer people spending the money on design services.

As an Interior Designer, you must be comfortable with meeting with the public and dealing with difficult people. You must be a clear communicator and be able to get your ideas across effectively.

Ask yourself whether you are the right kind of person for this demanding and often very stressful career. When researching career information as an Interior Design student it is important to consider this important fact about yourself before committing to a Design school.

October 26, 2008

Can You Handle The Truth

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — admin @ 6:44 pm

One of the things that I’ve noticed today in society is that everyone has a problem with the truth. I don’t mean we walk around lying all the time, but we are always afraid of hurting someone’s feelings or becoming entangled in some sort of confrontation with the person we are speaking with or better yet the person we’re living with. Sometimes we are concerned about someone’s reaction to us so we bend the truth or poke around trying to figure out what that person wants to hear. It really starts to become a problem in personal relationships when couples are afraid to make their desires known for fear of a break-up or a divorce. People can have a problem with the truth on the job, when a supervisor might worry about an employee’s reaction to a poor performance evaluation; in education a teacher might be worried about a student’s or parent’s reaction, and then could easily award grades that are not in line with the student’s performance.

When I was in high school my guidance counselor called me down to his office and pulled out my grades. He said, “What do you want to do when you’re through with high school?” I told him that I didn’t know, and then in the next breath, thinking that I had to tell him something other than the truth- that I wanted to be a bartender, I told him that I wanted to be a lawyer. “A lawyer,” he said, pointing to my grades, “These are not lawyer’s grades. If I were you I would start to think about doing something else.” I walked out of his office, and wasn’t the least bit offended. I didn’t even think about going home and telling my father that my guidance counselor said I wasn’t smart enough to be a lawyer. I never said one word to my father. You know what? The guy had actually told me the truth, and the truth really did set me free. I started to look honestly at my abilities, and I was able to acknowledge the fact that I hadn’t worked hard academically for my first three years of high school. I started to really think about my future realistically. My guidance counselor made me take a hard look in the mirror, and come to terms with what my abilities and my attitude really were. He told me the truth, and I appreciated that.

Well, in 1977, my father sold the bar, and I became a teacher that same year. I really enjoyed teaching. I was a special educator.Many of my students had academic or behavioral problems. In fact, my students were usually the worst behavior problems in the school and could really get to me on some days. But overall I developed relationships with the kids, and things seemed to always go pretty well. As I progressed in my career I noticed that things were changing. I was expected to put up with more and more behavior problems, and everyone was giving me some excuse for a kid’s deviance. The catch phrase that seemed to be in vogue about 20 years ago was, I really like this kid, but I don’t like his behavior. Was this the truth? I don’t think so. Is it really possible to like someone and not like their behavior? The truth is we don’t like the person because of his behavior, and people need to be made aware of this in a considerate way. A person is his behavior, and the two can’t be separated. I can give you the names of people who are well known in society for absolute deviance, and you tell me if you like them, but not their behavior. Let’s try Charles Manson, Scott Peterson, Jeffrey Dahmer, or even Adolph Hitler. Can anyone not like their behavior but still like them as people? No, we don’t like them period. The perception we have of a person is based on his behavior. The truth is if the behavior is not likable we probably will dislike the person. People need to know that if their behavior doesn’t change, then others won’t want to develop meaningful relationships with them, and ultimately won’t like them.

Very recently a student came into my office (I was working as an interim principal) and began to discuss with me what he wanted to do after he finished high school. He wanted to be a doctor That is a terrific goal for a young person. Well, I asked him what he scored on his SATs. He told me he scored about a 400 on each section. I was thinking in my mind that a perfect score is 800 on each section, and a pretty good score would be about a 650 to 700. I knew something right then and there; he wasn’t going to be my doctor. I proceeded to pull his grades out and found that his math and science grades were C’s and D’s. I of course wanted to respond with the same question that my guidance counselor asked me. Do these look like a doctor’s grades? But, based upon the culture and society’s norms I couldn’t ask that question. I immediately directed this student to the entry requirements that colleges have for their pre-med program, and ultimately medical school. He discovered the truth on his own, and came back to me and thanked me for helping him realize that his study skills needed improvement, and that he needed to take and re-take the college boards. The truth made him aware of his own weaknesses and how much harder he was going to have to work in order to achieve his goals.

Society seems to want to withhold the truth and make everyone believe they’re ok even if their behavior is not. Society makes everyone believe that they are smarter than they are and that their behavior is caused by circumstance, their environment, or lack of therapy or medication.

Facing the truth about my abilities and my work ethic put me on track and helped me choose a good vocation and helped me to understand how I needed to improve my work ethic. Subsequently, instead of floating through life unsuccessfully from one job to another, I worked hard in college, graduate school, and then as an employee. So the next time your kids come home and say that their teacher told them that they have to work harder, or their work is unacceptable, or that their behavior is unacceptable, or they better consider going to a county college rather than Dartmouth, thank that teacher for doing something that is a rarity today- speaking the truth.

October 25, 2008

Can Teacher Training Help Memphis Schools?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — admin @ 1:11 pm

In the state of Tennessee Memphis Schools are lagging behind. With 80-81% of Tennessee’s 4th grade students performing on grade level in both math and reading, the children in Memphis Schools are well behind in the 63-66% range. Dropout rates also plague Tennessee’s largest district. 32.5% of students will drop out of Memphis Schools before graduating.

When the “No Child Left Behind Act” (NCLBA) was signed into law in 2002, every school in the nation became accountable for reaching a minimal level of competency. In 2004 the Tennessee Department of Education labeled 148 of Memphis Schools failures by those standards.

To address these concerns Memphis Schools have focused on math and literacy initiatives, adoptions of new textbooks, and better teacher training. In Memphis Schools, where 71% of students qualify for free or reduced lunches, the impact of teacher development in raising test scores is critical. How much influence teachers have on student achievement, and the quality of those professionals working in struggling schools, has been a topic of debate in Memphis Schools for years.

A recent $10 million federal grant with the Peabody Center for Education Policy may help clarify some of these issues. Memphis Schools could eventually benefit, or change course, depending on the finding of trials to be funded by the grant. The five-year grant will investigate the correlation between significantly increased teacher pay and student achievement. That means a difference of several thousand versus several hundred dollars per year.

How well do Memphis Schools pay their teachers? Well, that depends. When adjusted for cost of living Memphis Schools look pretty good. Scholastic’s Instructor Magazine recently put Memphis Schools in their Top 5 list for cities where teacher pay goes the furthest. The thing is, no one is really sure how important that is. What will it mean for Memphis Schools if the grant finds little correlation between teacher pay and student achievement? It could mean teachers just aren’t motivated by money. It might mean that home environment trumps schools environment. Or it could mean something else all together.

Meanwhile, Memphis Schools are trying to improve their standing by creating better community involvement and reassessing educational goals and outcomes. Ultimately, educators and administrator make daily decisions without full knowledge of areas like teachers incentives. Maybe more studies like this one will start to bridge the gap between what we think and what we know about education in Memphis Schools and in general.

October 24, 2008

Can Money Build Character In Illinois Schools?

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Can money help build character? That is what many Illinois Schools are banking on. The Illinois Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) Network will receive a grant of $471,038 to fund a four-year program character education program in the Illinois Schools. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced that the state will receive on of four awards given by the Partnerships in Character Education (PICE) for 2007.

Illinois Schools’ State Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch believes this award represents the state’s successful commitment to character education over the last decade. Illinois Schools started the PBIS program almost ten years ago, and credit it with helping to create safe learning environments and emotionally stable students.

Character education gained popularity after the devastating Columbine incident, and experiences a surge of attention with national tragedies like the Virginia Tech massacre. But does it really work? Parents, administrators and educators of Illinois Schools have been asking that question for years. One criticism is that “additional programs” like character education take time away from Illinois Schools’ critical academic learning, arts and physical fitness activities. Some view character education as a vacuous feel-good program that takes resources needed to help Illinois Schools meet ever-increasing state and national standards.

Proponents in Illinois Schools point to studies showing that children displaying more of the positive assets that these programs focus on, like achievement motivation, conflict resolution and empathy, show less high-risk behaviors. One 4-year University of Louisville study found that younger students and girls benefit more from these programs that older boys. However, this grant is aimed specifically at eight high schools.

PICE grants attempt to teach, “core ethical concepts” like responsibility, respect for others, and citizenship to awardees like the Illinois Schools. Requirements for the grant include proof of integrating current character education programs into classroom curriculum and teacher training, and involvement of parents and the community. Illinois Schools will be assessed on its ability to reduce the number of discipline occurrences, improve academic standing and show positive character development among students.

Illinois Schools’ educators in favor of the program insist that parents are still responsible for the majority of a child’s character development, but that schools have a responsibility to support that goal by teaching appropriate skills and providing a nurturing environment. Illinois Schools’ PBIS Network is one of 147 programs to receive character education grants since 1994. The eight Illinois Schools to benefit from the current PBIS award are Foreman High School, Kelvyn Park High School, Bolingbrook High School, Alton High School, Rock Island High School, Romeoville High School, and Springfield High School, and Springfield Southeast High School. In addition to Illinois Schools, the other award recipients were the Los Angeles Unified School District, New York City Department of Education, and the Black Hill Special Services Cooperative, out of South Dakota.

October 23, 2008

Candidate Ford Proposes New School Site For Chicago Schools

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , — admin @ 1:40 pm

The old Brach’s plant is located at 401 N. Cicero, just north of Lake Street, in a community that has seen many of its Chicago schools closed and others placed on academic probation. The 30-plus-acre property has been vacant for three years.

LaShawn Ford is the owner of Ford Desired Real Estate and candidate for state representative of the 8th district. The democrat has an ambitious plan to use the Brach property for a new school.

In June of 2006, Ford convinced Chicago schools’ officials to join him in a walkthrough of his plan at the site. Though he had prior permission for the walkthrough with the Chicago schools’ officials, there was no one present to give them access through the 30-foot fence that surrounds the property. As with most politicians, Ford improvised by driving through a hole in the fencing to gain access.

Chicago schools’ officials found that the property was close to Chicago’s Green Line, and it had some great parking space. Ford emphasized that a school located there could cater to many students from many areas of the city &ndash Chicago schools’ buses could transport students in from different districts. The Chicago schools’ officials saw that the location and amount of property could attract a multitude of students with diverse economical, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Ford further pointed out that the Chicago schools had recently invested $30 million into Austin High School for Renaissance 2010 upgrades. He noted that had they foregone those renovations, they could had invested in a new school at the Brach location that would provide much more to the Chicago schools’ students over the long term.

The biggest problem facing Ford’s ambitious plans for the Chicago schools is zoning. The old Brach plant sits in the city’s Protected Manufacturing District. That means that sites within the district can be used only for industrial development. When presented with other plans in the past, the city has been reluctant to rezone the area for commercial or residential development.

The second problem is financing. The property currently is listed at the Paine/Wetzel INCOR International web site for $10 million. The Chicago schools’ officials have suggested that the best scenario would be for a donor to purchase the Brach property and give it to the Chicago schools for further development. Even this, of course, is contingent on whether or not the Chicago schools have enough surplus funds to build the school. The estimated cost of building is from $20 to $40 million. Of course, the perfect solution would be for donors to cover the cost of building, as well.

As it currently stands, Ford’s proposal is being considered by the Chicago schools. The Chicago schools’ officials stated that further study on the project would be needed before any decisions could be made.

October 22, 2008

Campus Stress: How Students Can Overcome The Pressure Cooker Of College

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 3:18 pm

Studies show that college students learn less, and retain less, when they’re under stress. With ever-mounting pressure on today’s collegians to perform well academically, while signing on to a full slate of activities socially, stress has become a raging campus epidemic. The resulting anxiety can cause students to develop learning deficiencies, miss assignments, cut classes, underachieve, or drop out altogether.

And it hurts everyone: students, parents, faculty members, and universities. To help stressed out campus dwellers get their lives back under control, here are several student-centric stress-reducing strategies, excerpted from my new book “400 Ways to Stop Stress Now…and Forever!”

Work before play.

Leisure is better enjoyed when it follows a period of good hard work. But putting off work to have your fun first is another story. Rather than relieving stress, it can be a source of it. Because now you made a conscious decision to fall behind. And the prospect of neglected work to make up can erode your fun. Don’t let others lure you away from your appointed tasks, either. (Dereliction loves company.) Students are especially vulnerable to this. In the work/play cycle the effort should always come first, before the reward. Why make yourself crazy?

Study in shorter, more frequent intervals.

Whether it’s schoolwork or a career training program…overnight cramming and marathon study sessions are less productive and the material more easily forgotten. Never let it get to that point. Study as you go along&ndashin shorter, more frequent intervals. It will keep the information fresh in your mind so you won’t waste time relearning it. Review sessions will be faster and less tedious&ndashthus, less likely to be put off. And you’ll be assured of understanding the material long after the final exam. Which is entirely the point, isn’t it? Study as you go. You’ll study less…and retain more. Why make yourself crazy?

Don’t let others waste your time.

Some people have no stress empathy. They see that you’re totally crazed (or do they?), yet needlessly interrupt you, get in your way, engage you in small talk, and otherwise make a nuisance of themselves. These are often people you room with, or are close to, and don’t want to offend. Be polite, be diplomatic, but firmly convey the message you’re way too busy to schmooze. Seek commiseration: “You won’t believe how swamped I am.” Or look at your watch and exclaim: “Yikes! You’ll have to excuse me…” If these don’t work, simply ask them to help you with your work. That’s right. Ask for help. It will usually get rid of them, or even better, they just might pitch in. In any case, use your ingenuity and always have a good evasive tactic at the ready. Why make yourself crazy?

Don’t be driven to Internet distraction.

The Web can soak up precious time so insidiously you’re often not even aware of it. How easily a simple online task can end up taking an hour or more! Be smart. Devise your plan of attack before going on. And stick with it. Don’t be lured away by enticing links or allow yourself to drift about aimlessly. Log on, get what you want and get off. Make the Internet the efficient, timesaving tool it was meant to be, and save your surfing for your leisure hours. Why make yourself crazy?

Do what needs to be done first…first.

This should be automatic, but for many reasons, we’ll put off more important and pressing things to take care of lesser priorities first. Not only does it leave that bigger thing hanging over us, it often deprives us of the time and energy we’ll need to accomplish the important task. Every day, take a few moments to consider what project would make most sense to get out of the way first. Then meet it head on, without becoming sidetracked, without trying to squeeze something else in between. Then go on to the next most critical…and watch the stress ease away. Why make yourself crazy?

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