Friday, February 29, 2008

We’re Number 1

We’re Number 1
The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and some of the lowest education scores among developed countries. It is not difficult to see the connection.

Berkeley accused of racism over failure to return tribal bones

State Senate leaders chastised UC Berkeley administrators Tuesday for trampling on the civil rights of Native Americans by not returning the remains of thousands of their ancestors held in storage at a campus museum. Read the rest ...

Stripper Mom on Oprah

A college-educated mom turns to dancing at a gentlemens' club Continue reading ...

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Steuben library offers test-taking resource

"We are delighted to offer this service free of charge to the community."

Steuben library offers test-taking resource February 27, 2008 Southeast Steuben County Library has introduced a new resource for those facing standardized tests. via Star-Gazette.COM

Continue reading ...

Consider Options Before Borrowing Money To Support Your Education

If you are thinking for borrowing money to support your
education, try to ask yourself first if you have savings left
that you can use instead of taking out a student loan from the
school of your choice. Also, think if you can get by with less
by way of holding down expenses, or if you can do something
great, like working more, either in the academic year or during
vacations just to support your education.

Also, think for the possible scholarships that you can apply
for, or you can be qualified for. There are actually a lot of
options left for you out there. The best move to take now is to
know and understand them.

Estimate Your Loan Payments

It is worthy to note that the more you borrow for your
education, the higher is the amount of your monthly repayments
will be once you finish your degree. So if possible, try to
estimate your loan payments. There are a number of student loan
repayment calculators out there that you can use to do the math.
What's more, you have the chance to calculate your monthly
payments based on the estimated starting salary of your chosen
occupation.

The Essential Borrowing Tips Now that you have pondered enough
about your student loan with the things you have to consider
before borrowing, as well as with the amount you need to borrow,
I guess it is now important for you to look at the most
recommended tips for borrowing student loans.

Just consider the following:

1. Start by looking at the award letter given to you by your
servicer. From the letter, figure out which need-based loans you
have been qualifies for and for what amounts.

2. After looking at the full financial picture, such as the
awarded aid, education cost, and family share, you should then
consider settling on an amount that you actually need to borrow.

3. The rule is: never borrow more than you need. Always note
that as a student loan borrower, you are not required to take
the full amount of the loan you have been offered.

4. Don't ever forget about student employment as an alternative
for borrowing. Even though working at a job can seem like an
extra burden for students, so is struggling with high loan
repayments after college.

5. Apply for the student loan right away. This is very
necessary especially if you want to ensure that the loan is
approved as well as the money paid to the college before you
have to make your first student account payment.

6. The key to successful application is to follow the loan
application instructions carefully. Note that any mistakes you
make will delay receipt of the funds.

7. When you are applying for a Stafford or Direct student loan,
be prepared for the amount that is paid to the college to be
less than the amount you signed for. Usually, a fee of up to
four percent will be deducted from the student loan. This
deduction occurs before the check is sent to the college of your
choice.

8. If you already figured out the exact amount you are
borrowing before any borrowing process begins, you should start
keeping track of your student loan tab, which is what your
monthly repayment amount will be after you graduated from
college. There are student loan calculators out there than can
do the math for you.

9. If instances occur that you find yourself needing more than
the amount that's been offered in your award letter, it is
necessary to contact with a financial aid counselor before
taking on an additional loan.

10. And, if you do take on an additional, unsubsidized loan,
just consider making interest payments while attending your
degree. The interest won't be much and this will help you save
money. If you delay or capitalize the interest payments, you
will end up having to pay back significantly less than.

Also, after leaving college consider purchasing a home instead
of getting an apartment. My wife and I fortunately did this a
few years after we left school, and we were able to pay back my
$26,500 student loan with a simple refinance that also lowered
our mortgage payments. We were able to do that within 8 months
of purchasing the home! What a relief it still is to this day
knowing that my education has already been paid back in full!

As mentioned, planning and thinking your moves for taking out
student loans is very necessary for a successful borrowing. If
you do consider what have been mentioned above, then there is no
doubt for you not to attain your dream education, and even a
successful career in the future.

Description

Ask yourself first if you have savings left that you can use
instead of taking out a student loan from the school of your
choice. Also, think if you can get by with less by way of
holding down expenses, or...

About The Author: Don Alexander is owner of
http://leading-online-business.com and writes on a variety of
subjects. To learn more about this topic Don recommends you
visit http://www.leading-online-business.com

Nordgren promoted to AP recruiting role

Sarah Nordgren, director of state news for The Associated Press, has been named a deputy managing editor for the news cooperative, taking on responsibility for global recruiting. Read the rest ...

Student Loan Consolidation Info - Managing Your Money While You Are Getting Your Education

Managing your money now, while in school, will help you to lessen the amount you will have to borrow making the amount you have to pay back mush less as well. If you can spend some time now learning to handle your money now, you will be better off throughout your whole life.

Developing a realistic budget for the time while you are in school and also for after graduation. This will keep you from borrowing more than you need to finance your education. The less you borrow for your education the less you will have to pay back giving you a more secure financial future.

Learn to cut down on your living expenses and get them to the bare minimum. You are a student right now and will be able to afford a much nicer lifestyle after your career has started, but for now try to cut corners everywhere you can. Think about getting a roommate to cut your rent and other living expenses in half. Next time you want to see a movie think about the cost to rent one verses the cost to actually go to the movie theater. Pack your lunch whenever you can instead of eating out. This alone can save you a lot of money every week that you could be using toward your student debt load. Always try to be as thrifty as you can when it comes to spending money.

If you use a credit card for purchases, try to pay the balance in full each month as this will save you money in the long run because you won't have any interest charges added to your original amount charged.

The best way to manage your money is by establishing a budget and sticking with it. Always try to resist the urge of using a credit card or your student loan funds to pay for items that fall within your budget. Think about your purchases to make sure the item is something you really need before spending anything on it.

Try to work part-time while attending school to help pay for your daily expenses. Some courses of study offer a work-study program that allows you to study and get professional experience all the while earning the money you will need for the day to day things that come up.

Also try to remain enrolled in school for at least the minimum amount of time required to qualify for the deferment of your student loan whilst you are in school, this will free up money you can use for daily living expenses.

Ian Wilkie is a published expert author of many Student Loan Consolidation Informationis articles and owner of - http://www.mystudentloanconsolidationinformation.com your one-stop online resource for Student Loan Consolidation Info.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

DELAWARE: Test scores show improvement in science, social studies

Delaware Secretary of Education Valerie Woodruff says results of standardized tests show steady, continuous growth in science and social studies. via Daily Times

Continue reading ...

Skee-Ball, Sex, and Licorice Ropes

When I was a child, I was obsessed with the game “Skee-Ball.” I was uniquely gifted with ball-handling, and starting at age 8, I began dominating the local skee-ball circuit. I didn’t care for trophies or medals. Thankfully my uncle was a welder, and he was able to melt my hardware down so I could use it to cap some of my molars. When I was 10, I got a pretty bad bout of carpel tunnel, and I had to have a special skee-ball brace made. It didn’t matter; I still made First Team All-Skeets i Read more ...

Mentor??? Who Needs A Mentor?

Mentor??? Who Needs A Mentor?
Character Education, Mentor, Mentors, Success System

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Race could tilt Texas state Board of Education in social ... - Dallas Morning News


Race could tilt Texas state Board of Education in social ...
Dallas Morning News, TX - 4 hours ago
Those aligned with social conservatives contend it is their turn to shape education policy in Texas. "The way it breaks down on almost every issue is 8 to 7 ...
Evolution on Trial in Texas Board of Education Battle Wired News
Religious right may gain sway over State Board of Education Fort Worth Star Telegram
Two seats on State Board of Education contested in March 4 primary 590 KLBJ News Radio
all 8 news articles
Read more ...

MassBay under fire for big spending

Massachusetts Bay Community College spent at least $450,000 in the past fiscal year on a range of marketing, public relations, and consulting firms, an unusually large outlay for a two-year school that has renewed controversy on the Wellesley campus and raised eyebrows throughout the community college system. Read more ...

Jamie Lynn Spears: GED Graduate

"I haven't thought about what I might study"

Posted at February 25th, 2008 3:56 pm by Free Britney Filed under: Jamie Lynn Spears Doing her best to stay out of the spotlight after revealing boyfriend Casey Aldridge got her pregnant, Jamie Lynn Spears, 16, ... via The Hollywood Gossip

Read the rest ...

links for 2008-02-26

links for 2008-02-26
links for 2008-02-26 Category: SMU's Deal With Bush :: Inside Higher Ed :: Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education '"What self-respecting university would accept a censored library?" said Rev. William McElvaney, a professor emeritus of preaching and worship at SMU's theology school, and one of the leading critics of the library.' (tags: US politics academia stupid) Crystal bells stay silent as physicists look for dark matter Still nothing, at higher sensitivity than ever before. (

Monday, February 25, 2008

Spotlight from the MacArthur Foundation

The Spotlight Blog, "blogging the field of digital media and learning," is supported by the MacArthur Foundation. Postings are sparse at this time, but should pick up to reflect the Foundation's continuring involvements with digital media and learning projects.____JH

_____

"Each week this Spotlight will provide a central focal point for "what's important" in the emerging field of digital media and learning.  But that's not all. This Spotlight is part of Digital Bridges, an initiative to bring coherence and collaboration to the field. Concretely, this site offers the public a first opportunity to get involved by signing up to get notified of major news and collaboration opportunities. This spring we will launch a larger Knowledge Network to centralize these efforts"

Continue reading ...

Myth vs Fact-Part 247

Ongoing Educational SeriesAmong the Believers are men Who have been true to Their Covenant with Allah, Of them, some have fulfilled Their obligations to Allah (i.e. they have been Killed in Allah's Cause), And some of them are (still) waiting" (33.23) So we wrote this in its place in the Quran. Read the rest ...

Talking points for Wednesday

Talking points for Wednesday
This Wednesday is our state's Library Legislative Day when librarians from all types of libraries throughout the state descend on St. Paul to visit with their senators and house members about our organization's platform. This will also be the day when our "media specialist in every building" bill gets it first hearing. Below are our talking points for that bill, written with the help of Linda Wise, Leslie Yoder and Lisa Finsness. Talking Points for MEMO/MLA Platform Plank In order for a stude

National Geographic Invests In Online Education Startup ePals (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance)

National Geographic is investing an undisclosed amount in online education and community startup ePals, and as part of the deal will also supply educational content for the ePals learning projects. Read the rest ...

Sunday, February 24, 2008

California's schools gird for steep cuts

California's schools gird for steep cuts
Schwarzenegger's budget plan triggers trims in programs and plans for layoffs in L.A. County and elsewhere.

The Long Beach school board voted to close an elementary school this week. The Rialto Unified School District, in what is believed to be the first such action in the state this year, sent notices to 305 employees including teachers, informing them that they may not have a job next fall. The San Francisco school district may take city "rainy day" money to help balance its budget.

Babson plans to start using wind power this spring

Babson plans to start using wind power this spring
The Skystream 3.7 sounds like the name of a corporate jet that burns as much fuel in an hour as a sport utility vehicle does in a year of driving. In reality, the 3.7 sits on the other end of the environmental scale: It's a wind turbine slated to fuel part of Babson College starting this spring. Babson, which has ...

Reading Is Fundamental Does Not Deserve A Reduction In Force

On February 12, the true Lincoln's Birthday, I read in USA
Today that the Bush Administration proposes to eliminate Federal
funding for Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), a non-profit program
that has distributed 325 million new books to more than 30
million children over the past 42 years.

RIF has been a popular program on both sides of the political
aisle. RIF's founder was Margaret Craig McNamara, then-wife of
former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara who served in the
Kennedy and Johnson Administrations; she was a former teacher
and reading tutor who started the program by delivering used
books to three Washington D.C public schools. More recently,
First Lady Laura Bush, and her mother-in-law, former First Lady
Barbara Bush have served in very visible roles.

I wonder what a self-educated man like President Lincoln would
have said about closing down a reading program, so I did a
little checking to find out: is RIF succeeding, or failing, in
its mission?

While the USA Today article mentions that RIF has not been on
the chopping block since 2001, the truth is that its budget has
been approximately $25 million for the past five years, this
according to the U.S. Department of Education's Web site (see:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/rif/funding.html). Funding for RIF
increased from $23 million in FY 2001, the last Clinton budget,
to $24 and $25 million in FY 2002 and 2003, the first Bush
budgets. After 2003, the funding was essentially frozen at $25
million each year.

However, in government budget-speak, a freeze is the same as a
cut; salaries, administrative expenses and the costs of books
have gone up. The need for books, however, has not gone down.

Yet I go to expectmore, a site co-developed by his agency to
rate federal programs by their effectiveness—and RIF is not
listed in the program database!

So, the American people don't even know why the White House
considers RIF to be ineffective.

It's only proper to find out what RIF did wrong, and why the
White House wants to take it out of the budget. The USA Today
article mentions a preference for a merit-based competitive bid,
over an automatic grant to RIF, but why, when a non-profit has
done this successfully for 42 years? Is it because they'd prefer
not to fund an organization run by a former Clinton appointee?
Cronyism has been part of every political administration since
there have been politicians. However, RIF's board is a mix of
public and private members; more than 140 publishers
participate. This is hardly an organization of political
patronage and "no show" jobs.

I'd prefer to think that the Bush White House would like to cut
out RIF because of poor performance; so would those who are
supposed to receive books.

So, I looked at the Performance Plan for RIF. It's posted on
the U.S. Department of Education's Web site. It lists a
baseline, the number of books that RIF was expected to place
into the hands of low-income children, as well as the actual
total.

I might have thought that RIF could not distribute as many
books in 2004 and later years, because it had less money to buy
books. In 2003, RIF had a baseline of 3.7 million children to
receive books, later raised to 3.9 and 4 million for 2004 and
2005. RIF distributed no fewer than 3.6 million children each
year. RIF didn't meet the baseline in 2004 and 2005, but it's
hardly a failure to distribute the same number of books — which
cost more each year — with less money.

Then in 2006, the last year that federal data is available, RIF
distributed books to nearly 4.5 million children - using less
federal money than the year before.

That's hardly an example of a failing program; in fact, one
would have to wonder what RIF could have accomplished with an
extra million or two.

The USA Today article has a comment by Clay Johnson, deputy
director of the federal office of Management and Budget. Citing
him directly from the article, Johnson says that "we are calling
out as ineffective some sacred cows. It's not enough to say
'Isn't it lovely?' We want it to be a lovely program that
works."

With respect to RIF, the Bush White House has picked the wrong
sacred cow to slaughter.

About The Author: Stuart Nachbar has been involved with
education politics, policy and technology as a student, urban
planner, government affairs manager, software executive, and now
as author of The Sex Ed Chronicles. Visit his blog,
http://www.educatedquest.com

What Should You Consider Before Studying to Become a Medical Transcriptionist

Medical transcription can be a very good work at home job. The hours are generally flexible, and you can choose to find your own clients or work for a service.

On the other hand, it can be demanding, with deadlines that need to be met, and a very high standard of accuracy. Add that to changes in technology, and it's important you consider many factors before you spend money on your medical transcription education.

The first things to look at are your own skills. Can you type fast? Your transcription speed is generally slower than your typing speed. The faster you already are, the better.

How's your grammar? Spelling? If you have a lot of trouble in these areas, you're going to have a harder time succeeding as a transcriptionist.

What about your work space? While you don't have to worry about others overhearing the kids arguing in the background while you transcribe, such distractions will have an impact on your productivity, and hence your income.

How self motivated are you? Can you work well without direct supervision?

This is one of the biggest pitfalls of working at home. With no supervisor around to see what you're doing, it's easy to let home life get in the way of working. You can't allow this to happen. Medical transcription is typically paid on production, not hourly. You don't work, you don't get paid.

Also talk to your family about what you want to do. I can tell you from personal experience that not everyone will respect a work at home job as a real one. I was asked for 3 years by my mother-in-law when I was going to get a job when I worked as a medical transcriptionist. That it could be a real job was a hard fact for her to absorb because when she had stayed at home the only work she did was volunteer work.

Do you have or can you get high speed internet? More and more companies are having transcriptionists download the dictation off the internet rather than telephone lines, and this requires a high speed connection.

You should also be aware of potential future developments in technology that will impact the medical transcription industry. While many fear that voice recognition will do away with the need for transcriptionists, so far it is not nearly accurate enough, takes too long to train the software for the taste of many doctors, and will still need to be checked by a human due to the many similar sounding terms used in medicine.

Some companies are already hiring medical transcription editors to review transcripts created by voice recognition software.

And of course, you do have the schools to consider. There's the need for it to have a good reputation with employers. If no one will hire you because they don't like the track record of the school, you've just wasted potentially a couple thousand dollars and months of your time.

Check the schools out. Make sure that they have a solid reputation with employers. Some are partnered with potential employers, which can mean that students who do well enough have a better shot at available jobs.

Cost matters to pretty much everyone, and it's hard to find financial aid for most online medical transcription programs. But many will have payment plans, so you can find something that will work with your budget.

As a work at home career, medical transcription is a pretty good one. It's future is as yet promising, despite the fears new technologies generate, and despite outsourcing. The pay is good, the hours generally flexible. It's not a bad deal.

Stephanie Foster is a former medical transcriptionist and runs http://www.medicaltranscriptionbasics.com/ for people considering becoming medical transcriptionists. Get more tips on choosing the right medical transcription school at http://www.medicaltranscriptionbasics.com/education.htm

Roper Industries to buy CBORD Group

Industrial products maker Roper Industries Inc. said Thursday that it will buy "smart card" maker CBORD Group Inc. for $367 million, including $23 million in tax benefits that can be used over time. Continue reading ...

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Dooooooh!

Dooooooh!
Just got this email. About 18 years too late. Doh! Dear Brown Alumni, Today the Brown Corporation approved a new financial aid policy that eliminates loans for students whose family incomes are less than $100,000, reduces loans for all students who receive financial aid and no longer requires a parental contribution from most families with incomes of up to $60,000. Beginning in the fall of 2008, the new provisions will apply to all current students who receive financial aid, including the

Universities Offer Promise For What More Money Will Buy

Universities Offer Promise For What More Money Will Buy

"And $200 million a year for five years would start to put us back in the game."

By DAVID ROYSE Associated Press Writer TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Florida's universities exist for a reason: to provide a college education to all students in the state who are academically qualified. via WTLV


UCLA to seek court protection for animal researchers

The university said it will ask a Superior Court judge in Santa Monica to limit the activities of animal rights groups and activists, including websites.

Seeking to protect scientists who conduct experiments using animals, UCLA will go to court today to request a temporary restraining order against animal rights groups and activists accused of harassing university researchers. Read more ...

The long road back

The long road back
The English High School, a historic icon and once one of Boston's premier learning institutions, has become one of the city's worst schools. This year, it must improve or face closure. This story is the first of several about the students, teachers, and headmaster at English as they try to reverse the school's troubled course.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Educational Toys for Toddlers that Stimulate Learning

Children are considered toddlers if they are older than one year. This means that they are now ready to graduate from their infant toys. Because they have grown, they can hold toys and carry them around with ease. Parents should now buy them toys suitable for their growth. Physical, emotional, social and mental development also comes into the pictures and there are toddler toys that can help them achieve it. More and more toys are now made not by just merely playing with it but also learning something from it.

Toddlers are now appreciative of the things that you show them. Plus, they are now able to understand the instructions and the things that you tell them. More so, toddlers are curious and perhaps will grab the new toy you present him.

Toys that may be of interest to him can be puppets. Create the illusion that the puppets are really talking to your child. Make your kid talk to the puppet and tell him that the puppet is his new friend. Rocking horses can also be a toy for him. He can enjoy and imagine that he really is riding a real horse.

Stacking rings gives him the idea of what big and small is. Arranging them accordingly can make the child understand the meaning of biggest to smallest and vice versa. Jack in the box is another toy you can give him. This toy helps the child understanding the meaning of hide and surprise better.

Push toys are a great way in helping the child balance himself. Also, push toys guides the child in being able to push things without tripping over it. Floor puzzles are also other great toys for your toddler. Because they always want to be on the floor, these puzzles enable them to have more fun.

Other toys suitable for your toddler are the treasure box and alphabet block. They take learning in a whole new level. Treasure boxes can be a nice storage for other toys while alphabet blocks helps toddlers to read the letters.

Musical pull toys are great to use when the toddler is about to sleep. The melody and tune of this toy can help put your toddler to sleep faster. It helps that kids have background music while sleeping so that there will be brain stimulation.

Even though most of the time, toys are only as plainly toys. But come to think of it, there are benefits brought by these. With toys, children are able to share and lend their stuff to others. Also, toys are also a means that enables children and parents to bond together. They help in building a relationship of love and trust between them that nothing or no one can ever break. Toys are just a medium in making the family ties stronger and it also helps children establish friendships among kids their age. Toys really can do a lot of things in this world. Also, taking good care of the toys ensures that they can be passed down to their future children.

Rachel Nunez is ready to answer your kids toys questions. For more tips and information about toddler toys, please check out http://www.thekidstoystore.com.

Clinton tries to energize trailing presidential bid

Clinton tries to energize trailing presidential bid
Sen. Hillary Clinton fended off questions about the future of her presidential bid on Friday, insisting her remarks at a debate were not a farewell but declining to promise she would stay in the race after must-win votes in Ohio and Texas on March 4.

Study For A Forensic Science Degree Online

Television programs like Cold Case Files and CSI have prompted an increase
in the publics fascination with forensic science. What is not generally
known, however, is that forensic science is a field that involves much more
than is shown on television. Everyone knows that forensic scientists work in
an area of law and are responsible for examining evidence to solve crimes.
But they do more than work in labs, testing samples of DNA. Forensic
scientists also visit crime scenes, study the crime locations, and are
witnesses in court cases.

Sometimes, these scientists can make mistakes if they dont follow
established procedures, which include keeping exact files on the evidence in
a case. In some cases, these mistakes can have a negative impact on innocent
lives. Several individuals have been sentenced to death on the basis of
expert forensic evidence and testimony. Later on, it was discovered that
these people were innocent, and the real criminals were apprehended. In
these cases, science save an innocent life, and the courts could provide
justice. Recently, over eleven individuals were released from a Chicago jail
after new forensic evidence showed they were innocent. These people had
already spent years in jail as a result of mistakes made in the legal
system.

You can get a degree in forensic science online in just a few years. To earn
a degree, you need to have a previous degree in biology, physics, chemistry,
or physical science in order to register. Some online colleges require a
minimum of a bachelors degree in one of these subjects before you can begin
courses in forensic science. If you want to find a degree program in this
field you should consult organizations such as the American Board of
Criminalistic-ABC, American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors-ASCLD,
National Forensic Science Tech Center-NSFTC, International Association of
Forensic Science, and International Association for Identification-IAI and
International Society for Forensic Genetics, and International Association
for Identification-IAI and International Society for Forensic Genetics.

Degrees in forensic science may cover budget analysis, forensic accounting,
working in a morgue or hospital, studying DNA, or working with computers.
There are many areas in which you can work after getting a forensic science
degree. Computer forensics involves investigations of evidence by tracking
information via computer technology. It is a new field, but expertise in
this area increases daily. Computer forensics involves extracting data from
various media and presenting the evidence collected to the courts. This
field uses extensive software programs and applications. The FBI, CIA, and
other law enforcement agencies use forensic science with computers to
resolve their cases.

An online forensics degree requires more work and specific background
education than other online degrees, but if you want an exciting career with
many opportunities and a chance to make a difference, do not let this keep
you from pursuing on online degree in forensic science.

To find more advise about medically related qualifications visit

http://medicalassistantssite.com

Courses Curry Favour with Foreign Students

Courses Curry Favour with Foreign Students
FOR overseas students doing courses in Australia, life can be sweet. Cities such as Melbourne offer excellent educational opportunities and a dynamic cultural scene.Herald Sun Thu, 21 Feb 2008 5:00 AM PST

The ABC of politics

Once Aristotle, a political philosopher, while delivering lecture to the youth of Athens in the compound of his school called Lyceum said that regimes and societies which would not educate their people about politics are destined to perish gradually. Read the rest ...

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Yale plans for biggest growth in decades

Yale University is moving forward with plans to build two residential colleges, an expansion that could lead to the largest increase in the student body since the Ivy League college began admitting women in 1969. Read the rest ...

Capella Education Company Announces Investor Conference Schedule for Feb. and March 2008 (Centre Daily Times)

Capella Education Company (NASDAQ: CPLA), a provider of exclusively online post-secondary education through its wholly owned subsidiary Capella University (www.capella.edu), today announced its schedule to present at the following investor conferences in February and March 2008: Continue reading ...

Black home-schoolers grow

"What is happening is that home schooling has gotten to the point that there are so many support services that whether you're white or whether you're a minority, it's much easier to try it than it was 10 years ago"

For the most part, the reasons that led Alicia Huff to home-school her four children mirror those of her peers in the Columbia area.

She and her husband wanted to teach their children, ages 10 to 18, a certain set of values; customize a curriculum to address their children's unique needs; and create a close family environment.

But the Huffs have one more motivating factor -- the achievement gap in public schools between black and white students.

Minority students and children living in poverty tend to have difficulty with standardized tests. Read more

Read more ...

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Student's deportation roils New Mexico town

School attendance falls and emotions rise in Roswell after a senior falls into the hands of immigration authorities.

This conservative city on the barren eastern plains of New Mexico long had been spared the acrimonious debates over illegal immigration that have racked so much of the Southwest. Continue reading ...

Three Ways to Boost the Education Part of Your Resume (Without Spending a Fortune)

In the past, I've suggested people pursue full degrees.
I've also suggested going to school part-time, in the
nighttime, online, in executive-focused programs, and so
forth.

The point is to make sure you keep on top of things in your
line of work, and while that's important in general, it
becomes even more important when it comes to changing jobs.
And still more important if your job change isn't a lateral
thing. You may, when you distribute your resume, be
thinking about a whole new set of responsibilities, a new
target market, a new industry.

So, what are you going to do about it, if you're not going
to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for a new degree?
before you start your job search, do a little planning in
advance, and scope out these three education ideas:

1. Use your company's continuing education job benefits, if
any.

I'm often surprised by the number of people who smack their
heads and say, "Oh, yeah! I forgot I could do that!" The
company benefits manual isn't usually a page-turner, but
it's well worth digging into for nuggets of gold like
continuing education reimbursement.

That may require you to stay on a while after you finish,
or else you'll have to pay for it out of your own pocket.
But if your next executive position could more than make up
for the difference - through salary and/or benefits - then
go for it.

2. Create learning blocks in your day.

Not blocks as in "roadblocks," but block as in time. Heck,
you can always use a break from what you're up to in the
course of a day, just to keep up your effectiveness and
productivity. Why not do something useful with your breaks?
A walk around the block is good for your body, and a bit of
reading and research is good for your mind.

3. Ask your boss about industry-specific or job-specific
training.

Whether on not your company has a continuing education
benefit, they may also pay for training as part of the
departmental budget. Workshops and seminars may not have to
focus on specific job tasks, either - leadership and
team-building training may fall into the approved spending
parameters.

Just one step today - put it on your calendar - and then
follow through. That's all! And soon, you'll have learned a
few new and useful tricks to share when you start your next
resume-to-new-job process.

About the Author:

Allen Voivod is the Chief Blogger for ResumeMachine.com,
the leading resume distribution resource for managers,
executives, and professionals looking to accelerate their
job search results. Get the attention of thousands of
hiring agents with the largest and most frequently updated
recruiter database on the web, and dive into a wealth of
immediately useful career articles and blog posts - all at
http://www.ResumeMachine.com !

Notre Dame tuition to rise 4.8 percent

Tuition at the University of Notre Dame will increase 4.8 percent for undergraduates next fall to $36,340 a year, the school announced Tuesday. Read more ...

Spotlight from the MacArthur Foundation

The Spotlight Blog, "blogging the field of digital media and learning," is supported by the MacArthur Foundation. Postings are sparse at this time, but should pick up to reflect the Foundation's continuring involvements with digital media and learning projects.____JH

_____

"Each week this Spotlight will provide a central focal point for "what's important" in the emerging field of digital media and learning.  But that's not all. This Spotlight is part of Digital Bridges, an initiative to bring coherence and collaboration to the field. Concretely, this site offers the public a first opportunity to get involved by signing up to get notified of major news and collaboration opportunities. This spring we will launch a larger Knowledge Network to centralize these efforts"

Read more ...

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Choose These Terrific Online Software Programs To Learn

Choose These Terrific Online Software Programs To Learn
It is very difficult and complicated for you to learn new skills to advance your education . Many people have full time jobs as well as children so trying to fit in a set schedule for such options oft...

Whoopi Goldberg sticks up for gay penguins

On 'The View,' supports the 'gay penguin book' as an educational resource. Continue reading ...

Life-long education: Alex Salinas

Life-long education: Alex Salinas
When Alex Salinas saw the pain his mother experienced while toiling the fields as a migrant worker, he made the decision to stop the cycle.

Police: Dead student victim of serial...

"On March 29, 1988, Bridgette and Jeffrey Denison were given the incredible gift of their daughter Brianna. On January 20, 2008, she became the daughter of our entire community"

Police: Brianna Denison was strangled by rapist who has attacked others Body was in a grown-over lot by a business park on Reno's south side Spot is about 8 miles from house where Denison was last seen early ... via CNN

Read more ...

Tax Credits For Education Costs

Tax credits are available for qualified education expenses paid by taxpayers who are continuing their education. A qualified education expense is defined as an expense that is paid during the tax year for fees and tuition requied by an eligible educational institution for the purpose of student enrollment and attendance. It does not matter how the expenses are paid, only that they are valid. Expenses that are not considered valid are those paid for room and board, medical expenses, student health fees, transportation, personal living expense, insurance, course-related books, supplies, equipment, or any non-academic activity or non-credit course. This basically leaves only tuition costs as valid education expenses.

If a deduction for education expense is taken on any other portion of the personal tax return, it cannot be used in the calculation of a Hope or Lifetime Learning credit. If a Pell grant or a scholarship is received, the taxpayer must deduct the amount of the grant or scholarship from qualified expenses. Since most Pell grants and scholarships are taxable, taxes may be imposed, but the tax credit can be taken as well. Taxpayers can use any prepaid amounts made on the current years tax return if all other guidelines have been followed.

The Hope credit and the Lifetime Learning credit cannot be taken jointly. A taxpayer must select one or the other. The Hope credit can be taken only in the first two years of college as defined by the educational institution. It cannot total more than $1500. The Lifetime Learning credit is set at a maximum of $2000 for 2005. It cannot be taken together with the Hope Credit, even if expenses exceed Hope limits. If this is the case in the first two years at the educational institution, the taxpayer may include the excess on Schedule A.

Educational credits are limited by the level of income and the adjusted gross income totals. When calculating these credits, taxpayers must consider their income and expense levels and their current student status, since the Hope credit expires after the second year of higher education. Excess expense deductions can be taken under the itemized deduction expenses on Schedule A, if a Hope or Lifetime Learning credit is at the maximum.

Taxpayers and eligible dependents of taxpayers are allowed to take these credits. In general, the expenses of dependent students are claimed by their parents or legal guardians. Students who cannot be claimed as someones dependent can take the education credit even if they are not paying the expenses.

Everyone who can take the credit should do so. Higher education can be very expensive, so anyone furthering their education in order to improve their future financial situation should take advantage of the relief provided by the education tax credit.

To discover more tips about education and tax credits visit http://juniorcollegesuniversity.com

Monday, February 18, 2008

UConn hopes to start offering black studies major in fall

UConn hopes to start offering black studies major in fall
Students at the state's flagship university will be able to earn degrees in the study of black history and culture starting this fall if a state board approves the school's plans.

Didactum--Online Tools for Teachers

Didactum--Online Tools for Teachers

I've just begun to explore the Didactum site; registration is required to gain complete access to the instructional tools. Also, to fully utilize the Didactum course creation tools it's necessary to have a webcam and an electronic tablet. The web site is still in an experimental version and contains no classes; we'll see how it develops in the coming year. I've quoted below from the About page at Didactum. ____JH

_____

"What is Didactum? Didactum.org is the place for teachers: finally, teachers can reach millions of students worldwide. Didactum.org gives teachers the tools needed to record a class with a webcam and digital blackboard. Teachers can also record classes live using a camcorder or camera phone. Didactum.org is the website for all teachers in many subjects and languages."

"Mission. Didactum.org is a web-based service that connects teachers and students. Using a webcam, microphone and a digital blackboard, a teacher can recreate the classroom learning experience for students from the comfort of their home. Students can communicate easily with Didactum.org using tutorial comments and a familiar web-based instant messenger. The premise of Didactum.org rests on three principles:

1.       That a renewed commitment to education needs to be established worldwide. The commitment must define and evolve educational standards.

2.       That the learning and teaching potential of students and teachers is mostly undervalued. This value can be realized through a time-shifting of the educational experience.

3.       That the potential for the transformation of a child in the most remote area of the world through time-shifted education cannot be ignored."


Wimberley says it hasn't given up 'Robin Hood' fight

Wimberley says it hasn't given up 'Robin Hood' fight

"It makes me sick to stand here and say we need to make the payment"

A day after stepping back from the brink in its refusal to make its state-mandated "Robin Hood" payments, Wimberley school officials pledged to keep fighting the state's school funding system, either in the ... via MySA.com


Sunday, February 17, 2008

How business can save the world

When Milton Friedman famously stated that "the social responsibility of business is to increase profits," he furnished ammunition to both free market evangelists and their critics. Where libertarians see profit as the basis of stability and opportunity, others see only greed and rapine. The relationship between the bottom line and the betterment of society is a fraught one, and politicians, ... Continue reading ...

The clowns at LAUSD

The clowns at LAUSD
Who was in charge of the school district's failed payroll system? No one -- and that should be enough to send Supt. Brewer packing.

There's an old "Far Side" cartoon that shows a lecture hall filled with seated dinosaurs. Diagrams fill the blackboard, and a huge reptile is speaking into the microphone at the podium. "The picture's pretty bleak, gentlemen," he says. "The world's climates are changing, the mammals are taking over, and we all have a brain about the size of a walnut." It's an image of doomed and clueless gigantism that will resonate with anyone who read Times staff writer Joel Rubin's recent reconstruction of the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District's great payroll fiasco.

Psychology Career Education and Advancement

Understanding a Psychologist

Psychologists use their skill and expertise in various fields like management, health, law, education and even sports. This is because people from every field need counseling and psychological help. Essentially, a psychologist should have very good communication and interpersonal skills.

As a psychologist, you should be able to connect emotionally with patients to help them deal with their problems. What any individual psychologist does depends on their level of expertise and interest. A school or clinical psychologist or one with a private practice can set their own hours. They do not have to work long hours like the psychologists who work with hospital and government organizations do.

Another aspect of a psychologist's job is conducting tests and experiments. These help them to understand their patients and their behavior.

Training and Education

It is not enough to just have formal training - it is important to back up that training with experience and practice in the field. A graduate degree is a must for every psychologist; a bachelor's degree in a particular field of expertise to be precise is mandatory. People who want to become school psychologists have to earn special degrees by completing three years of graduate school and a one year internship.

Those who want to become clinical psychologists or counseling psychologists with a private practice and those who want to get into teaching or research require a doctorate or PhD after their Masters degree. This takes up to seven years to acquire.

Licensing is a big part of becoming a psychologist. It is necessary for psychologists to be certified and have a license before they can start their practice. The American Board of Professional Psychology certifies and awards those who have excelled in psychology. Anyone who wants to apply for a psychologist's license has to pass a National Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. This test is popular among those who have completed their Masters degree in Psychology. This gives them the advantage of licensed psychologists. Remember that psychiatrists are also physicians, but psychologists are not.

Getting a job as a psychologist is a tedious process. You can either apply through agencies or school placement offices. If you want to start your own practice, then seek help from a professional association. For listings of job options professional journals, ads, Internet and newspapers are the best place to look.

Scope and Pay

It has been forecasted that the jobs for psychologists will grow and increase at a faster rate than most other jobs. This depends on the kind of psychologist you are, your skills and your qualities. Psychologists practice in the field of healthcare, in drug and substance abuse clinics, schools and public and private organizations, and especially in social services. Organizations and companies also use the expertise of the psychologists to understand consumer behavior and help them with marketing techniques.

The field of psychology is never boring and gives candidates several career fields to choose from. If you enjoy working with people and solving problems, then you just might be cut out for this exciting career.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six
sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Eisner donates $1.75M to honor professor

Eisner donates $1.75M to honor professor
Former Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner has donated $1.75 million to Denison University to honor one of his favorite professors, the school said Friday.

Committee to re-draft Right to Education Bill - Hindu


Committee to re-draft Right to Education Bill
Hindu, India - 9 hours ago
NEW DELHI: The Centre has set up a committee to re-draft the Right to Education Bill, 2005 by addressing the issues raised by the States and other ...
Continue reading ...

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Natick schedules nonbinding vote on Redmen name

Natick schedules nonbinding vote on Redmen name
NATICK - These Redmen are not fading away without a fight. A group wanting to preserve Natick's controversial sports moniker scored a victory when the town's board of selectmen voted 5 to 0 Monday night to put the issue to a public vote.

Feeding the OCD Tendencies

Feeding the OCD Tendencies
My world is better when all pertinent information is collected and listed. Lifehack.org just posted The Ultimate Student Resource List, thereby improving the alignment of the universe. Don’t you feel lighter, more organized, supremely in control of yourself and everything around you? I really, really, very much do. Posted by Alexa Harrington

My world is better when all pertinent information is collected and listed. Lifehack.org just posted The Ultimate Student Resource List, thereby improving the alignment of the universe. Don’t you feel lighter, more organized, supremely in control of yourself and everything around you? I really, really, very much do.

Posted by Alexa Harrington


Analysis: Confidence in Fed amid crises

Analysis: Confidence in Fed amid crises
When it comes to turning around the troubled economy, many people have confidence Ben Bernanke and his Federal Reserve colleagues can get the job done.

Friday, February 15, 2008

California students fare well in AP exams

California students fare well in AP exams
About 20% of public school pupils scored three or better in at least one test. But black students lag.

California public school students continued to outperform their peers in most states on Advanced Placement tests last year, and the state's huge population of Latino students was a particular bright spot, according to reports issued by the College Board on Wednesday. But the state's overall performance slipped slightly from the previous year, and African American students performed dismally compared with their counterparts of other races.

Too much surfing online shortens attention span

Too much surfing online shortens attention span
Q. I've heard many reports that kids are reading less and less these days, but most of them fail to include all of the time they spend online. My impression is that kids are reading and writing more than ever. While most online text generally doesn't qualify as literature, I'd guess that it's more thought-provoking than sitting in front of ...

Campus stunned by N. Illinois shooting

Campus stunned by N. Illinois shooting
Word of the ambush attack inside a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University on Thursday sent panic throughout the sprawling campus.

Waterbury Board of Education wants $156.5 million (Republican-American)

Waterbury Board of Education wants $156.5 million (Republican-American)
WATERBURY --- The Board of Education on Monday approved a $156.5 million budget request for the 2008-09 school year, a 5 percent increase over current spending.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Freshman Norms Survey

UCLA does an annual survey of incoming American undergrads. The CIRP Freshman Survey is part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) and is administered by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. The 2007 freshman norms are based on the responses of 272,036 first-time, full-time [...]

UCLA does an annual survey of incoming American undergrads.

The CIRP Freshman Survey is part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) and is administered by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. The 2007 freshman norms are based on the responses of 272,036 first-time, full-time students at 356 of the nation’s baccalaureate colleges and universities. The data have been statistically adjusted to reflect the responses of the 1.4 million first-time, full-time students entering four-year colleges and universities as freshmen in 2007.

The 2007 results came out recently and the info on helicopter parenting has me concerned. Either we’ve all been wrong about helicopter parents and their over-involvement in their kids’ education, or the young’uns in question like being helicoptered. Here’s what the survey found out about

Parental Involvement:

While college officials nationwide say they have seen an increase in parents who are heavily involved in the college experiences of their children, a strong majority of today’s college freshmen believe their parents are involved the “right amount,” according to UCLA’s annual survey of the nation’s entering undergraduates.

The report suggests freshmen show a dependency on parents when making college-related decisions.

“When parents intervene in their children’s college life and decision-making, students may not necessarily develop their own problem-solving skills, which may limit developmental gains in their learning experiences,” said John H. Pryor, a co-author of the report and director of CIRP.

A majority of freshmen considered their parents’ participation in their college careers to be the “right amount,” with 84 percent reporting the “right amount” of parental involvement in their decision to go to college, 80.5 percent in their decision to attend the college at which they enrolled and 77.5 percent in dealing with college officials.

Conversely, nearly one in four freshmen (24 percent) report that their parents displayed “too little” involvement in helping them select college courses, and 22.5 percent say their parents were not involved enough in helping choose college activities.

Along with parental involvement, the survey also covered:

“Habits of Mind” for Learning:

The report identifies a troubling pattern in students’ study habits for lifelong learning. While a large majority of freshmen report that they use the Internet on a daily basis to seek information, only a few within the classroom are cultivating the essential “habit of mind” of checking the accuracy and reliability of the information they receive.

“Students’ frequent use of the Internet shows a preference for information that is easily accessible, but that information is not necessarily reliable and accurate,” Hurtado said. “Learning how to evaluate knowledge claims is an essential part of a liberal education, and we expect that colleges will have to be more intentional about integrating information literacy in the education of college students today.”

Impact of Social Networking Sites:

While the popularity of social networking Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace runs high — 86.3 percent of incoming freshmen report that during the last year of high school they spent at least some time on such sites each week — students still spend relatively more time in an average week studying, working and “live” socializing.

Time spent on social networking sites appears, however, to be related not to less “live” socializing but to more time spent in other social activities. Students who used social networking Web sites more often were also more likely to socialize with friends and attend parties. This did not seem to have any significant impact on the number of hours a week students spent studying.

Diversity-Related Issues:

Attitudes about diversity continue to change among incoming first-year students: 36.7 percent of students expressed the personal goal of helping to promote racial understanding, a 2.7 percentage-point increase from 2006 and the highest this figure has been since 1994. Not surprisingly, the figure escalates among students at black colleges and universities, where 64 percent see this as an essential or very important personal goal.

Interest in the global community is advancing as well. When this item was first placed on the questionnaire in 2002, following the attacks of Sept. 11, 43.2 percent of students reported that they had an interest in improving their understanding of other countries and cultures; in 2007 that proportion became a majority, at 52.3 percent.

Freshman support for same-sex marriages has expanded steadily, from 50.9 percent 1997 to 63.5 percent in 2007. The issue, however, reveals a wide gender gap: 55.3 percent of male freshmen report that same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status, compared with 70.3 percent of female students. Gender differences appear on other issues, as well: More than half of all males (53.7 percent) agree with the statement that undocumented immigrants should be denied access to public education, compared with 43.5 percent of all female students; 43.3 percent of males and 39.2 percent of females at black colleges agreed.

Reasons to Attend College:

Academic quality remained the top reason for choosing a college, cited by 63 percent of students — a 5.6 percentage-point jump from 2006 and the highest this figure has been in 35 years. And college affordability is now more than ever a priority for students, with the importance of being awarded financial assistance increasing 5.1 percentage points from 2006 to 39.4 percent in 2007, also the highest this figure has been in 35 years.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

Continue reading ...

A.L. Brown wins North Carolina Lighthouse School Award

"This is an extremely exciting announcement for Kannapolis City Schools"

The North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development has honored A.L. Brown High School for its excellence and innovation. via Salisbury Post

Read the rest ...

The Cape Town Open Education Declaration

The Capetown Declaration has been under discussion in the UNESCO OER online discussion group (to join the community of interest go to this site) and has also been discussed in several blogs (see Stephen Downes' critique and David Wiley's defense of the Declaration).

My own view is that the Declaration is worth reading and worth supporting (I signed on as a supporter today). However, open educational efforts do extend far beyond the traditional educational settings that are emphasized in the Declaration. One reason that I maintain two blogs about learning resources is because I am interested in furthering the use of open educational resources by academics and students in traditional academic institutions, but I am also committed to furthering the wider scope of self-directed and collaborative educational endeavors that are powerfully enabled by the Internet and the Web.

At the widest extreme, concerns about how OERs and the Web should develop resemble Dionysian versus Apollonian tensions, i.e., tensions between those who want the most freedom, access, and openness and those who want the most reliability, accuracy, and usefulness; those who want to fund developments bottom-up and those who want to fund developments top-down; those who want wide, full, sweeping projects and those who believe in small-scope, local, practical projects. These kinds of arguments never end, because they reflect differences in temperament, plus real differences in needs and desires in different places at different times. The OER polarizations are similar to the contrasts between discovery science and confirmation science or the contrasts between basic research and applied research--neither type of science or research is better or worse than the other, but they are fundamentally different. The current Cape Town debate is useful, because it highlights important differences in educational emphases, intents, and values that will persist. Neither side will "win," but both can contribute. ____JH

_____

The Cape Town Open Education Declaration

This is a preview version of www.capetowndeclaration.org. The site launches mid-January 2008. Send feedback here.

The Cape Town Open Education Declaration arises from a small but lively meeting convened in Cape Town on 14-15 September 2007. The purpose of the meeting was to accelerate the international effort to promote open resources, technology and teaching practices in education. The participants represented many points of view, many disciplines and many nations. All are involved in ongoing open education initiatives.

In Cape Town, this group explored how their separate initiatives could work together to achieve much broader, deeper impact. They explored strategies for opening up and enlivening the world of education. The first concrete outcome of this meeting is the Cape Town Open Education Declaration. It is at once a statement of principle, a statement of strategy, and a statement of commitment.

The meeting that led to the Cape Town Declaration was jointly convened by the Open Society Institute and the Shuttleworth Foundation. Together with others who attended the meeting, the education and information programs of these foundations have committed to pursuing the strategies outlined in the Declaration.

Open education is a living idea. As the movement grows, this idea will continue to evolve. There will be other articulations, initiatives and declarations that will go well beyond the terrain covered in Cape Town. This is exactly the point. The organizations and people behind the Declaration are committed to developing and pursuing additional open education strategies over the coming years, especially in the areas of open technology and teaching practices. We encourage others to do the same.

The Declaration has already been signed by the Cape Town meeting participants. When this site launches officially in January, we hope that thousands of learners, educators, trainers, authors, schools, colleges, universities, publishers, unions, professional societies, policymakers, governments, foundations and other kindred open education initiatives will join us. If you are interested, let us know.

Read more ...

The LeMill Web Community for Teachers

The LeMill world-wide web community (viewable in twelve languages) contains an impressive  online set of resources for teachers, which are attractively and functionally displayed within the web design. The resources include contents, tools, teaching methods, and stories/cases.  Although the educational resources available through LeMill are mainly at the K-12 level, higher education materials are also included (see, for a fine example, the "Brief History of New Media").  Since all the resources at LeMill are web-based, nothing needs to be downloaded or installed, editing of the resources can be accomplished within a web browser. Also, all of the resources are freely available under a Creative Commons attribution-sharealike license.

View the LeMill Overview for a quick orientation to the site, then examine the Tour and the FAQ. From there users can explore by browsing or searching resources and can also register to participate in the community. (Thanks to Teemu Leinonen for recent information about LeMill.)___JH

_____

"What is LeMill? LeMill is a web community for finding, authoring and sharing learning resources. First at all, you can find learning resources. You can use the resources you find in your own teaching or learning. You can also add your own learning content to LeMill. You may edit your content and combine larger chunks of learning resources from individual media pieces. If you wish you may also join some of the groups producing or editing learning resources. In LeMill the content is always easily found where and whenever you need them."

"Is LeMill another Learning Management System (LMS)? No - LeMill is not LMS. LeMill is a web site engine to author and share learning resources. All content in LeMill server are free/libre/open for all web users. Anyone may also start their own LeMill website. You can download LeMill engine, install it on your own server and put it online. After this you will automatically be part of the global network of LeMill servers. Because of this we like to say that LeMill is 'do it yourself' learning resource website engine. We love to see schools and other educational institutions taking LeMill in use."

Read more ...

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Animal Sense Devices Are Fun, Educational?

Cool article... weird Brits. Read the rest ...

Ronaldo Best In World” - Is The English Media Naïve?

As a person who was born and educated in England, but has Italian parents and was largely brought up the ‘Italian way’, I am perhaps well placed to understand the difference between the English and Italian/continental way of thinking, not only in football, but in culture as a whole. Read the rest ...

Michigan lags in creating high-wage jobs

A new study says Michigan and three of its largest cities -- Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing -- are lagging other states and cities in creating high-wage jobs that require a college degree. Read the rest ...

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

South Africa: Responsibility, Accountability Vital for Better ... - AllAfrica.com


South Africa: Responsibility, Accountability Vital for Better ...
AllAfrica.com, Washington - 20 hours ago
Employees of the Education department and its institutions must be principled and accountable in their daily work, in order to improve school results and ...
Things to teach our children The Times
Pandor unveils school ‘pledge’ The Times
An encouraging start to Pandor’s loyalty pledge (VIDEO) The Times
all 23 news articles
Read more ...

Rencontre conjointe éducation-habitat : Benbouzid et Moussa à Oran (El Moudjahid)

Rencontre conjointe éducation-habitat : Benbouzid et Moussa à Oran (El Moudjahid)
M. Boubekeur Benbouzid, ministre de l’Education nationale et M. Nourredine Moussa, ministre de l’Habitat et de l’Urbanisme, présideront, aujourd’hui à Oran, les travaux d’une rencontre conjointe éducation-habitat.

Prescott's future is uncertain

With dwindling student populations across the district, officials at the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District are considering closing the Colonel William Prescott Elementary School and moving its students to other schools. Continue reading ...

Wealth Creation Education Vs Traditional Education

There is a stark difference between a wealth creation education and the education that is received by the majority of worldwide scholars at traditional schools and colleges. While each type of education serves its own purpose, those who expect to rise above a traditional working life will need to upgrade to an education for the modern world a 21st Century education.

An Education Based In Tradition

Today's formal educations - that is, what is taught in schools, colleges, and universities the worldwide, from kindergarten through graduate programs - are based in the traditions of education founded at least 100 years ago. Common sense alone tells you that an education hundreds of years old is hardly modern enough to really teach you how to succeed in a modern, 21st Century world of wealth creation.

One hundred years ago (and more) when the foundations of modern education were laid, the majority of the people dreamt of being wealthy, but few ever thought financial wealth was within reach. Instead, they prepared themselves and their children for a lifetime of working to meet their basic needs and survive. They lived hard, honest lives, but reached for little more.

The educational systems developed during these times strove to meet the people's demands for a rounded education capable of preparing children for a lifetime of hard work for a day's pay. They succeeded admirably. Today, that very same basis lays the foundation for the educational systems all over this modern world. Students are prepared to get a job, to earn a paycheck, and little more.

Life In The 21st Century

What is lacking in today's modern schools is financial education. Schools today have not moved beyond that model of preparing to earn a paycheck. They have not given scholars the tools they need to succeed in this new world, this financial world based on models and systems and investments. The traditional education has left its students at a severe disadvantage in terms of wealth creation.

Because to succeed in wealth creation, to gain financial independence, to make money beyond the weekly paycheck, people today need to know more; they need to know what the wealthy know about achieving financial stability, building wealth, and creating a secure life free from financial stress. And with national programs the world over failing the retiring elders of their nations, creating wealth is no longer a luxury - it's a necessity.

Learning To Create Wealth

The wealth creation education picks up where traditional education leaves off. It teaches the student - who can be of any age, in any stage of life - how to take the paycheck they've learned to earn thanks to traditional schools, and turn it into more; in short, (in the words of Jaime McIntyre of the 21st Century Academy) "how to have money work for you, not just work for money".

However, realizing that wealth creation is about far more than just learning investment strategies, the wealth creation education goes above and beyond and creates a holistic approach to making money; one that educates the mind, body, and spirit, one that teaches the student how to change all the aspects of his or her life that impedes financial freedom.

A lasting wealth creation education, the kind that sets a person up for a lifetime of making money that makes more money, teaches the critical components of creating wealth.

- Wealth creation teaches the emotional intelligence to consciously manage decisions, as opposed to letting emotions unconsciously rule the day.

- Wealth creation teaches the financial intelligence and strategies necessary to make money in today's modern money systems.

- Wealth creation teaches the four key skills that the wealthy have mastered, including creative thinking, negotiating, communicating, and marketing.

- Wealth creation teaches how to live a life that is focused on results, driven by purpose, and oriented for action.

- Finally, a wealth creation education teaches how to design a life set for financial freedom and wealth creation.

Reviewing this list, it is apparent that none of these are things that are taught to any useful degree during a traditional education. Nevertheless, these are the core components, as identified by financial masters such as millionaire Jamie McIntyre of the 21st Century Academy, which are necessary to succeed in wealth creation.

In an ideal world, students would have gained all the skills necessary to succeed financially in life and build a strong financial future. Unfortunately, quite the opposite is true. Fortunately, however, today there is access to education that goes far beyond what is being taught in the traditional classroom. Today, there is easy access to a wealth creation education.

Sean Rasmussen is a stock market, property investor, wealth creator and internet marketer. His blog deals with Wealth Creation and the strategies therein. You can find it at http://www.universalwealthcreation.com/wealthcreation

Driver education might be cut (Battle Creek Enquirer)

MARSHALL — After discussing on Monday the possibility of eliminating district-provided driver education classes, the Marshall Public Schools Board of Education plans to vote on the issue at its March 10 meeting. Read the rest ...

Monday, February 11, 2008

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
I like to think of myself as an open-minded girl. I embrace non-traditional teaching methods (not literally, duh). But I have pondered the following Guardian UK article to death (pun lacking tact) and I just can’t find even a smidgen of a golden educational thread in what appears to be a gigantic vat [...]

I like to think of myself as an open-minded girl. I embrace non-traditional teaching methods (not literally, duh). But I have pondered the following Guardian UK article to death (pun lacking tact) and I just can’t find even a smidgen of a golden educational thread in what appears to be a gigantic vat of WTF?!

I was hoping for maybe a deeply hidden “wax on, wax off” lesson. Perhaps something about coming to a greater understanding of human pain and suffering because the student has designed a pain-inflicting device. But I just can’t get past the part about how architecture and design (and education in general) should, at its very basic levels, be about lifting up and strengthening the mind if not the spirit. If the assigning instructor does have a deeply meaningful higher purpose in mind, it might be in his best interest to spew that info sooner rather than later.

“And For Your Homework, Please Design a Torture Device”

An architectural school was at the centre of a row last night after it emerged that students were required to design a fully operational torture device.

The project, part of a masters course aimed at first-year students of the University of Kent’s School of Architecture, was described as “sick”. One student has lodged a complaint on the grounds that he was uncomfortable about carrying out the brief. Illustrated by a skull and a view of a Gestapo electric torture chamber, the brief handed to a class of students at the school was to “design, construct and draw a fully operational prototype torture device based on ergonomic principles”.

They were encouraged to “be original” and instructed: “You may use a historical precedent as a point of departure or attempt to develop something completely without precedent. Through design development we hope you may advance your understanding of ergonomics as it pertains to torture.”

Paul Hyett, a former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) responsible for the Treatment Centre for Torture Victims in London, said the school was dabbling in “dangerous territory” and called for the project to be stopped.

Hyett said: “It’s sick. Architecture should be about enriching our lives culturally and lifting the spirits of the people who live or work in the buildings we create. There is absolutely no circumstance where any piece of equipment for torture has any positive use in our lives or our society. This is monstrously complicated territory and I don’t think that amateurs should mess around in it. I’m appalled.”

George Ferguson, also a past RIBA president, said: “Architecture isn’t practised in some Britart external gallery. What we should be teaching students is about people-friendly buildings and it is obtuse to start with extreme discomfort as a way of teaching it. I would understand it in a philosophic course but I do not begin to understand it in a serious architecture course.”

The head of the University’s architecture department, Professor Don Gray, confirmed that one of the 12 students had complained. He said: “The only person who has raised any objection has been given the opportunity to address the project from a different angle. I agree that it is a slightly shocking introduction to a very serious long-term design project. I’m neither justifying it or defending it but that is how we are going about it.”

The two-week project was designed by course tutor Mike Richards, in advance of a project to design a new headquarters for Amnesty International.

Posted by Alexa Harrington


The Scholastic Art Awards

The Scholastic Art Awards
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