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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
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January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
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Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 23, 2009
/ 5 Tishrei 5770
In community schools no child is left behind
By
Nat Hentoff
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Education has been my most important beat for more than 50 years. Obviously, the future of this nation depends on students learning not only the academic essentials but also how to think for themselves as actively participating citizens of this republic. President Obama's secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, now has nearly $5 billion in "Race to the Top" stimulus funds to enable each child to be a confident lifelong learner, not just a nameless statistic in national reading and math scores. At least, I hope that is his goal.
It was in Chicago, where Duncan was in charge of the public schools, that Randi Weingarten, on taking office last year as president of the American Federation of Teachers, showed the way to begin to actually deal with the rising dropout rates, racial gaps in achievement and increasing lack of preparedness for colleges, not only community colleges.
What Weingarten said and I hope Duncan heard it was that the No Child Left Behind law "is too badly broken to be fixed." (Amen!) In signaling "a new vision of schools for the 21st century," she asked:
"Can you imagine a federal law that promoted community schools schools that serve the neediest children by bringing together under one roof all the services and activities they and their families need?"
As I told her after that speech, the new Weingarten surprised me. When she was head of the New York United Federation of Teachers, I had been reporting her focus on higher salaries for members of her union and stronger clauses in union contracts that would make it even more difficult for principals to get rid of incompetent teachers. When I called, she said that, for once, she was glad to hear from me, and now that she has a national platform, she will encourage more "community schools."
Slowly, various versions of such schools are beginning to take shape around the country. Arne Duncan should take careful note of New York Daily News reporter Meredith Kolodner's "Real success story" (Oct. 12). Last year, at Public School 636 (when it was known as P.S. 304) in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, "only about a third of fourth-graders were reading at grade level." Now 44 percent are. It is vital to know that at P.S. 636, "one in five kids is homeless and living at one of 10 area shelters."
The change began a year ago with an after-school program primarily financed by a federal grant from the After-School Corporation "to maintain the extra programming other schools have been forced to trim because of budget cuts." The purpose: "to link enrichment activities to what's going on in the classroom."
Says Principal Danika Lacroix, "I just knew that the kids did not have successful experiences academically. They needed to feel good about being in school."
Now, reports Kolodner, nearly every child at P.S. 636 "is dancing, cooking, fencing or building robots until 6 p.m. … In one after-school cooking class, the instructor reinforced a reading sequencing lesson by having the kids photograph the steps of making guacamole and arranging the images in correct order."
Part of the changes at P.S. 636: "Hallways once filled with fistfights are now calm, and test scores are rising." Explains one of the after-school instructors: "When we first started, the kids were extremely aggressive. Enrichment allows for team-building and respect, and that helps them work in the classroom together."
Kids are not the only ones being enriched. The principal shows how this partial "community school" has affected the relationship of parents to P.S. 636: "We have families who come in who need shelter. We have mothers who come in and say. 'My husband's beating on me.' We make sure they get help."
Says Lakisha Samuels, mother of a third-grade daughter and first- and fifth-grade sons at the school, "This is the best thing that could have happened to us."
The cost, Secretary Duncan, for each child's enrichment is $1,700 a year. The stimulus billions should cover that.
Looking ahead to a future of full-scale "community schools," Joanne Yatvin, a public school teacher and administrator for more than 40 years in Portland, Ore., wrote on the New York Times letters page (Oct. 17): "How about turning schools in poor neighborhoods into year-round community centers, with health and dental services, nutritious meals, up-to-date libraries and computer labs, after-hours tutoring and recreation for children" and "job training, counseling, recreation and educational classes for adults." Yatvin, whom I've interviewed, adds that this would be "far more effective than allowing more charter schools and establishing a system of teacher merit pay, as Education Secretary Arne Duncan intends to do."
And, President Obama, this could become change we can really believe in. Whatever success or failures in your administration, 'community schools" would strengthen this nation in so many lasting ways.
At P.S. 636, Marilyn Medina, mother of a mildly autistic fourth-grade daughter, says: "Since she's been here, her self-esteem has grown. She's reading at a third-grade level. She's dying to be a cheerleader. I'm at peace."
You hear that cheer, Arne Duncan?.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Nat Hentoff is a nationally renowned authority on the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights and author of several books, including his current work, "The War on the Bill of Rights and the Gathering Resistance". Comment by clicking here.
Nat Hentoff Archives
© 2006, NEA
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