Awesome New Things

There are also concerns that falling entry standards for teacher education, based on the ATAR, will compromise the future teaching workforce.

A high-profile effort by a pair of national education groups to strengthen, simplify and focus the building blocks of elementary and secondary education is finally making its way into schools. But two years ahead of its planned implementation, critics on both the right and left are seizing upon it. A few educators say the new standards, supported by the US Department of Education, are untested, and one Republican governor wants to block the measure, saying its a federal intrusion into local decisions.

How did something so simple become so fraught?

• PHOTOS: Efforts to simplify education prove controversial

The story begins in 2009, when the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers announced an effort to create voluntary national standards in math and reading. All but four states — Alaska, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia — quickly signed on to the standards, known as the Common Core, agreeing to help create then implement them by 2014. Their decision was helped partly by President Obama, who has tied college and career-ready standards to billions in federal grants. Last September, he all but required adoption of the Common Core or similar standards approved by state higher education officials if states want to receive federal waivers from the 2002 No Child Left Behind law. One of the four states, Virginia, applied for a waiver without adopting Common Core and is in negotiations with the administration over its plan.

That angered conservatives, who point out that even though adopting the Common Core is voluntary, Obamas moves make it all but obligatory. In February, Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said shed support a state legislative effort to block Common Core implementation — her predecessor had adopted the standards in 2010.

Even as more education-related companies are listed on the bourses now, investors arent willing to pay high price.

SIOUX CITY — Sophia Guttierrez may not look like a detective but the Roosevelt Elementary School 4th grader enjoys plowing through an exhibit called Sioux City Sleuths.

This is fun, she said. Theres more to Sioux City than I thought.

Sophia was one of more than 50 of her schools fourth graders making the rounds of the Sioux City Public Museum as part of a local history unit field trip.

According to teacher Amy Oleson, the trek to the museum is always an annual highlight for her kids.

We can spend an entire day in class, reading about certain leaders, she explained. But actually seeing items and artifacts that belonged to these historical figures leave a much larger impression on kids.

Theresa Weaver-Basye, the museums curator of education, agrees, adding that approximately 50 different school groups — both local or from out-of-town — will come through the museums doors during the month of April.

For Sioux City Community School District students, the cost of such field trips is subsidized by funding directed toward a local history curriculum, according to Christen Palmer, the museums education coordinator.

Likewise, area schools often use grant monies to cover costs for buses, gasoline and food.

The museum is just one of many spots that attract end-of-the-year school field trips.

Other student-friendly destinations include the Lewis amp; Clark Interpretive Center, the Sioux City Art Center and, for special Tolerance Week activities held from April 16 – 20, the Orpheum Theatre.

North Middle School teacher Betty Wendt said the Orpheum is the site where eighth graders see movies such as Nickys Family, a documentary about the Holocaust, in addition to meeting with Philip L. Gans, himself, a Holocaust survivor.

Field trips are a perfect way to supplement whats already being taught in the classroom, she said. Allowing students to experience lessons taught outside of the school is always beneficial.

Other field trips Wendts eighth graders will take include a visit to North High School, where kids get a sneak peak at the types of programs and clubs being offered to ninth – 12th graders.

Even though the high schools just up the street, our kids are always amazed at the variety of things that will be offered, she noted.

For high school students, visits to an area college campus are an annual tradition, Wendt said.

These visits are very aspirational, she said. It gives them a taste of whats to come.

When it comes to James Himes, his tastes are decidedly more local.

Specifically, the Roosevelt fourth grader is intrigued by vintage signs advertising such iconic Sioux City foods as Jolly Time Pop Corn and Sue Bee Honey.

These are pretty cool, James, craning his neck to see everything on display at the museum, noted. Theres so much to see.

For James classmate, Esperanza Mace, its the museums collection of farm animals that has captured her imagination.

I love animals, she said while inspecting a statue of a sheep.

As the kids make their way through the museum, Weaver-Basye cant help but smile.

We want to foster in these kids a lifelong interest in history, she said. Its one thing to study something in a book. Going to a museum is a much more interactive way to learn.

In fact, Weaver-Basye said children often return with family members after experiencing the museum as part of a school group.

Thats always fun, she said. Were just whetting their appetites, I guess.

This is certainly true for Sioux City sleuth Sophia Gutierrez.

Ive been to the museum with my mom but it seemed like we raced through without seeing everything, she said. When we come back, Ill be able to show mom everything we missed the first time around.

(CNN) Its a weekend when Washington, for the most part, puts politics on the back burner in favor of laughs at the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner.

But House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan had his elbows out for President Barack Obama and the Democrat-controlled Senate, using the GOP weekly address to criticize both for inaction on a federal budget.

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Obama used his address to explain an executive order on education benefits for veterans he signed Friday.

Ryan, author of a budget that passed the Republican-controlled House last month but has not survived the Senate, criticized the upper chamber for not passing a budget in several years.

Last week, leaders in the United States Senate, which is controlled by the presidents own party, announced they would not advance a budget for the third year in a row, said Ryan, who represents a district in Wisconsin. Tomorrow, in fact, will mark three years to the day since the Senate last fulfilled this basic governing responsibility.

That measure was a $3.4 trillion blueprint for federal spending in fiscal year 2010 which, like Ryans budget this year, passed the House in April 2009 along a party-line vote.

Since then, the two chambers have not agreed to a budget, which is a policy document and spending blueprint typically passed in the spring. Capitol Hill has not enacted a budget in four other years since the era of modern budgeting began in 1983, according to the nonpartisan fact check group PolitiFact: 2003, 1999, 2005, and 2007. Both houses were under Republican control in three of the four years, the group points out, and once the Democrat-led Senate did not pass a plan.

Funds are dolled out to the various agencies and departments through appropriations measures, which have eventually passed the House and Senate in recent years, sometimes with an 11th hour agreement that brought the government back from the brink of a shutdown.

Ryan used the occasion to tout the bill approved late last month known as the Ryan Plan, as well as other proposals that GOP leaders refer to collectively as The House Republican Plan for Americas Job Creators.

The Republican-led House has passed a pro-growth budget and nearly 30 jobs bills that are waiting for action in the Senate, Ryan said. This week, we passed four more bills relating to stopping cyber-terrorism – which hurts our economy and costs jobs.

In an election year, these bills are more than, well, just bills – theyre political pawns.

Meanwhile, the president spoke on a directive he signed Friday requiring veterans and servicemembers get a simple fact sheet called Know Before You Owe that lays out all the information they need about financial aid and paying for college.

While most educational institutions do not take advantage of returning servicemembers, some do, the president said.

They bombard potential students with emails and pressure them into making a quick decision. Some of them steer recruits towards high-interest loans and mislead them about credit transfers and job placement programs, Obama said. One of the worst examples was a college recruiter who visited a Marine barracks and enrolled Marines with brain injuries so severe that some of them couldnt recall what courses the recruiter had signed them up for.

Additional information from colleges and universities will help veterans make an informed decision when it comes to picking the right program, he said.

Next weekend, Obama hits the campaign trail for his first rallies of the 2012 election.

We were appalled to read that the Catholic Education Service had written to state-funded Catholic schools to push them into taking a stand against gay marriage (Catholic state schools promote petition against gay marriage, 26 April).

Brook and FPA do not believe there is a place for this type of lobbying. It raises serious concerns about the impact on the school community and on individuals who are gay or have family members who are gay. Schools have a duty to work within the equal opportunities statement of the national curriculum, and faith-based schools are not exempt.

The young people who responded to this naked attempt by the Catholic Education Service to induce bigotry and intolerance about gay marriage into their school day, by advocating for gay rights instead, should be congratulated. It takes courage to stand up for ones convictions, especially when this pressure comes from those in authority.

Brook and FPA support young peoples rights to make choices based on accurate and balanced information. And this is as true for their political and religious views as it is for their sexual health decision-making.
Simon Blake CEO, Brook
Julie Bentley CEO, FPA

o The Catholic Education Service should not be seeking to influence pupils to sign petitions against gay marriage. This entirely breaches the spirit of the Equality Act.

Many Catholic schools will have students and teachers who are gay or questioning their sexual orientation. Students may have family members who are gay or lesbian. It is important that all our schools promote equality, value diversity and implement effective strategies to eradicate homophobia. Students in every school need to discuss human rights and be prepared for a world where gay and straight people are equal.

The Catholic Education Service has failed to realise that teaching what looks like intolerance about lesbian and gay people compounds stereotypes about gay people, and fuels prejudice. Homophobia can lead to hate crime and causes very real harm to LGB young people, even driving some to suicide.

Discrimination on the grounds of sexuality or marital status should have no place in any of our schools.
Christine Blower
General secretary, National Union of Teachers

o As a gay man who was raised in the Catholic church and attended Catholic schools, I am deeply saddened by the churchs response to the proposals to change the legal definition of marriage.

While I initially dismissed the comments of Cardinal OBrien (Report, 5 March) as irresponsible and misguided, the letter that was then read at Catholic masses troubled me greatly. I was concerned by how its contents would be interpreted by younger members of the church, who may still be struggling to reconcile their sexuality with their faith.

The churchs campaign has now made its way into Catholic schools. As a trainee teacher, I am only too aware of the power teachers have to shape the ideas and beliefs of the young people in their care. With this power comes responsibility, and I believe it irresponsible to present ideas against equality to schoolchildren in this way. I can only hope common sense prevails, with schools choosing not to peddle the churchs campaign in this way.
Andrew Devlin
Leigh, Lancashire

o Reading Chris Bryants comments in your article (Anti-gay adverts pulled from bus campaign after protests, 13 April), I had to laugh. Not in an amused way. The emotional damage that is done to the individuals who try to suppress their sexuality [and] the women they marry … Sorry. I suppose I wrongly assumed that some of the hurt teenagers struggling with their sexuality, or any of the other vulnerable, misled individuals who might be hurt by the campaign, could be lesbians? Silly me. Of course only men experience homophobia … only men lead double lives. In an article that takes care to point out the negative social and psychological effects of attempts to cure homosexuality, Bryants comment reminds me of the double invisibility that Id guess makes a lot of gay women susceptible to such campaigns.
Rebecca Balfourth
London

Max Drohan, 6, of Southborough, with special education aide Chelsey Georgoulis, at the second annual Special Olympics MetroWest School Day Games at Bowditch Field in Framingham Friday.

ISLAMABAD:Pakistan needs to focus on higher education and promote social sciences so that scholarly discourse may help policymakers resolve national issues.

This was stated by scholars at the conclusion of the three-day international conference on “Emerging Issues of Social Sciences in Pakistan”, organised by Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

They recommended that the aspirations of academicians and policymaker should be aligned so that the body of knowledge can be utilised to the fullest to the broader benefit of the country. They also urged the government to understand problems in a societal context before searching for their remedies.

The scholars highlighted the significance of healthcare, education and trade in ensuring sustainable development, and also underscored the need to introduce a liberal trade policy and to allow interest-free economic transactions to improve economy.

The first day of the conference was marred by massive protest by students of QAU demanding perks in the university hostels. Following the protest the venue of the conference was shifted to the HEC premises in H-9.

On the final day, participants of a technical session discussed the role of the youth in the country’s development. They highlighted gender issues through global workplaces (call centres) and how media advertisements subliminally foster careless attitudes in the youth.

In support of these view, Dr Karim of George Mason University USA presented a case study on Karachi’s youth. He discussed their perceptions, ambitions and entrepreneurial potentials.

In the session on Internal Challenges in National Integration, Dr Jamal Malik from Germany, Dr Lubna Abid Ali of QAU, and other scholars highlighted structural problems affecting the country’s democratic setup.

In the last session on the role of media, the scholars highlighted the role of the media in developing a vibrant and tolerant society. They said that media has helped create political awareness in the country and should be harnessed to educate and build the country’s image.

The conference was organised to discuss emerging issues of social sciences in Pakistan, especially sustainable human development, cultural diversity, human rights, and role of the media.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2012.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — This week lawmakers will examine one of the most expensive and controversial questions facing school districts: what to do with undisciplined kids.

State law requires districts to set up Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs for students from elementary to high school who are removed from their classes for mandatory or discretionary disciplinary reasons. These programs can be inside the schools or at a different location and some school districts contact private companies to operate them.

One thing all the programs share is expense. In March, the advocacy group Texas Appleseed reported that the Dallas Independent School District spent $11.3 million on disciplining kids, a total that does not include the $20.3 million cost of campus security in Dallas.

Last year the Republican-controlled Legislature cut spending by more than $500 per-student last year, a move that forced schools to cut budgets this year, and there are more cuts coming in the fall. Therefore school districts are looking for places to save money and in Dallas, special schools for kids with disciplinary problems cost the district $9 million.

Texas Appleseed found that the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program cost the district $57,000 per student a year, more than a veteran teachers salary. Thats about seven times more than what a Texas school district spends per student on average.

And since the state school finance system only pays when a student shows up for class, referring 22,827 students for out-of-school suspension and into alternative programs last school year cost the district at least $2 million in state funds, the group found.

In terms of the states share, the Texas Education Agency expects 94,819 to be enrolled in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in 2012 at a cost of $14.7 million. Schools districts across the state will spend much more. Groups across the political spectrum agree there must be more cost-effective ways to encourage good behavior, keep classrooms safe and provide a good education.

So its no surprise the House Public Education Committee on Monday will hear testimony about Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs as well as Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs, which schools set up for students expelled from their districts. The lawmakers want to hear from experts on how these programs are working, whether they need to be changed and whether technology could make them better.

Committee Chairman Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, said lawmakers will follow up to see how the laws they pass are implemented.

Anytime you take a child out of normal circumstances its going to be extra cost because of the extra cost of staff, not that wed say its too expensive and just do away with it, he said. The question is how can we do it better, and how can it be effective so it isnt so expensive.

In July, the Council on State Government and Texas Aamp;M University studied nearly a million Texas 7th-grade student records to see how school discipline programs affected student achievement and the juvenile justice system. They found nearly 15 percent had been assigned to the disciplinary program and 7 percent were sent to a juvenile justice program, even though only 3 percent of such referrals were mandated by state law. Nearly 75 percent of special education students had been suspended.

Schools expelled more boys than girls and more minorities than whites, and suspended or expelled students were three-times more likely to be in contact with law enforcement, according to the study. Lastly, while half of Texas schools enforced the disciplinary programs as expected, 22 percent had higher discipline rates than expected, and 27 percent less. The authors said this is proof that some schools are doing a better job with discipline than others.

Nonwhite students and students with specific educational disabilities were especially likely to be removed from the classroom for disciplinary reasons, the reports authors concluded. In addition, students who were suspended or expelled were at increased risk of repeating a grade, dropping out, or coming into contact with the juvenile justice system.

While the report analyzed the problem, finding solutions will require parents, teachers, administrators and lawmakers to unravel the causes. Creating better relationships between students, parents, teachers and administrators will be vital, the authors said.

Eissler said he wants to learn more Monday about how younger children and special education students are treated and how schools are enforcing discipline. He cited anecdotal reports of police issuing citations to young children with bad consequences for the kids.

The Senate Education Committee will also investigate these issues. This is one case where everyone hopes they can find a better, more cost-effective solution.

Shut up, shouted one staffer, unaware that a digital recorder was hidden in the pocket of 10-year-old Akian Chaifetz.

Go ahead and scream because guess what? Youre going to get nothing until your mouth is shut.

• VIDEO: YouTube: My Son Was Humiliated
• STORY: NJ teacher, aide heard bullying autistic boy

Oh Akian, you are a bastard.

But after the boys father, Stuart Chaifetz, released excerpts of the tape in an online video last week, millions of people learned what was said at the Horace Mann Elementary School.

Now, educators and others are trying to figure out just what the incident means.

What happened in the classroom is not excusable and should not have happened, Cherry Hill school officials said in a statement Friday. But while vowing to learn from the experience, the officials assert, We believe this regrettable incident is an anomaly.

Others arent so sure. They say special-education programs in many communities may lack the support and expertise needed to benefit children with disabilities.

Staffers who abuse special-education students dont appear to have the skills they need … and clearly dont have the supervision they need, said Brenda Considine, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Coalition for Special Education Funding Reform.

Its ironic that this stuff is garnering so much attention because we just passed one of the toughest anti-bullying laws in the country aimed at stopping kids from bullying one another, said Considine. Heres clear-cut evidence that (school employees) are engaged in bullying.

The Cherry Hill incident wasnt the first such case in New Jersey.

In Deptford, a 15-year-old special education student made a covert video last year that appeared to show bullying by his teacher. The Gloucester County Special Services District is seeking to dismiss the teacher, who was suspended without pay in November.

And Stuart Chaifetz says hes heard from thousands of concerned parents and bullying victims, some with special needs, since he posted a YouTube video with excerpts of the recording. The video has drawn more than 3.7 million viewers in the past week.

Chaifetz says people responding to the video include parents who have suffered and who are in the exact same situation as I am and who are asking for advice on how to put a wire or a digital recorder on their child.

Assemblyman Dave Rible, a Republican from Monmouth who has called for improvements to special education in New Jersey, said he understands the outcry. No one wants to see their children degraded or hurt.

Rible last week urged legislative action on a measure hes sponsored to create a task force of special-education experts.

The whole crux of my bill is to examine special education, how were spending money there and how we can improve it, said Rible. If were providing a service, weve got to provide the best possible service.

He and Considine expressed concern that special-education students could suffer as districts seek to cut costs by bringing such services into their schools, rather than paying steep tuitions to private organizations.

Im not against public schools, said Rible. But weve got to make sure those teachers are provided the tools that they need.

Among other measures, Considine said, administrators should regularly pop into special-education classrooms to monitor staffers performance. And she said detailed records should be kept for each student, so that potential problems can be addressed as early as possible.

There has to be a school-wide culture of support, said Considine, acknowledging that would require an investment of time and money. Educating kids with disabilities is more challenging.

That challenge can require special-ed teachers and aides to have an extra reserve of tolerance.

If you take autistic children, for example, they can get upset over something and it may have nothing to do with the actions of the teacher, observed Jay Kuder, chair of the Language, Literacy and Special Education Department at Rowan University. It could be something sensory like a smell in the room or even how bright the lights are.

Chaifetz said he hid the recording device in his sons pocket after the school reported uncharacteristic outbursts by the child.

Steve Wollmer, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, said the overwhelming majority of teachers, and especially those in special education, respect their students.

Becoming a special education teacher is not for everyone, said Wollmer. It is challenging work, and the vast majority of special education teachers are sensitive to the needs of their students and know how to keep them safe in the classroom.

At the same time, he noted, We live in a brave new world and the reality is people have access to technology on a massive scale. Teachers are susceptible to audio- and video-recording, and you should know that what you say can be captured and replayed.

Cherry Hill officials say all staffers heard speaking inappropriately on the video are no longer with the district, and that others in the classroom that day are on leave while an investigation continues. The district has not identified any of the employees, but an attorney for Akians teacher, Kelly Altenburg, says she was not present when the offensive language was recorded.