©1997 Susan May Tell, All Rights Reserved

Homage to Mother’s Day, May 2001: Mothers and Daughters
In 1872, Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the lyrics to the Battle Hymn of the Republic proposed the idea of making May 14 a day of observance called Mothers for Peace Day. Although the purpose was to promote peace, the idea evolved into having a day devoted to honoring motherhood, and on May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a day of national observance in recognition of the nation’s mothers.

Matilda Cuomo and Maria Cuomo Cole: A Mutual Admiration Society by Merri Rosenberg
The relationship between Matilda Cuomo and her daughter, Maria Cuomo Cole suggests that as much as mothers influence their daughters, daughters can exert a similarly powerful influence on their mothers when there is a mutually admiring relationship. (more)

Erica Jong and Molly Jong Fast: Two Generations of Author by Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
Erica Jong, the quintessential feminist, credits her mother, a painter, with imbuing her with feminism. “My mother was passionate about her work and fierce in her feelings about women.” (more)

Boards of Education Presidents Across the Country by Sarah Elzas
School Boards are institutions that can conjure up plenty of images of political squabbling, forced ideologies and bureaucracy, especially in large, urban cities. While these systems sometimes seem to have a life of their own, they are still made of up individuals—superintendents, chancellors, board members. (more)

Addressing Education at Columbia Forum by Sybil Maimin
Education was the theme of this year’s David Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum at Columbia University. Educators and civic leaders engaged in spirited exchanges about “Urban Education: Making New York City Public Schools Work for the Community.” People stressed the need for money, accountability, parent and community involvement, and standards, as well as the instability created by high superintendent turnover. (more)

A Brave New World at P.S. 247 by Tom Kertes
‘Technology evens the playing field’ is the simple, but important tenet Brooklyn’s District 20 Superintendent,Vincent Grippo, does business by. (more)

Principals for a Day: Opening Eyes, Forging Bonds by Sarah Elzas
On the surface, PENCIL’s Principal for a Day (PFAD) program is straightforward: bring a person from the business, entertainment or public service world to interact with a New York City public school for a day. But the results of these encounters are as complex as the people involved and the schools they encounter. (more)

Comparing Principals’ Leadership by Myriam Pichon
For my Masters in education at the University of Bordeaux in France, I visited several high schools in New York City. I observed that the principal’s leadership greatly influenced the behavior of the students. (more)

Fulbright Scholars Discuss Immigration by Jacob M. Appel
The four young scholars lounging in the lobby of the Hotel Roosevelt were a diverse set, even by New York City standards. Austrian, Gabrielle Tischler, teaches German at historically black Dillard University in New Orleans; Japan’s Mikiko Tachi is a doctoral candidate in American Civilization at Brown University; Francisco Perez Ferreira of Panama has nearly completed his studies in financial services law at IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law; and Sujintana Hemtasilpa, a Thai public administrator, has procured a year’s leave to pursue a masters degree at Syracuse. (more)

High School, the Polish Way by Katarzyna Kozanecka
Liberated from Stuyvesant High School for a week of mid-winter recess, I crossed six time zones to see a different school. Motivated by a love of my native country and a desire to experience daily life there, I went to my father’s high school, Liceum Ekonomiczne, in Kalisz, Poland. (more)

New York Center Addresses Violence Prevention by M.C. Cohen
Recent statistics show that violence in schools is down; in the 1992-93 school year there were 54 violent deaths in the United States, compared to 16 last year. Still, our schools are far from safe. (more)

For Randi Weingarten, It’s Been a Very Good Month by Stuart Dunn
On April 12, Mayor Giuliani announced the completion of contract negotiations with District Council 37. According to the NY Times, the contract calls for a four percent increase retroactive to April 1, 2000, another increase of four percent retroactive to April 1, 2001, and an increase of one percent, which the district council’s locals can distribute in any way they want. (more)

CUNY Community College Report
A new report, Rising to the Challenge: Exemplary Community Colleges in a Revitalized City University of New York, identifies some of the challenges CUNY’s community colleges face in a new, fully integrated university system. (more)

The Role of Schools in Addressing Violence: Zero Tolerance by Matilda Cuomo and Deborah Lans
As we have increasingly come to know, violence begets violence. As we consider how to address violence in our schools, we need to focus more broadly on all the ways our society tolerates and teaches others to tolerate violence. We need to teach our children that violence—whatever its form—will no longer be tolerated. (more)

College Scholarships compiled by Kathryn Newman
With the ever-climbing cost of college, most people who want to continue their education will need help paying tuition. Thousands of scholarships are available, but few are well publicized. Here are a few of the many lesser-known scholarships. (more)

Oregon Leadership Institute
Student performance, dropout rates, and school violence are just a few of the issues educators attending the University of Oregon’s (UO) summer leadership institute will take on as part of their “ContinUO commitment.” (more)

In Short (more)

Innovator: Cornell’s Medical Dean, Antonio Gotto by Jacob M. Appel
Much humor has developed surrounding the relationship between physicians and attorneys. From the medical man’s point of view, “doctors heal the poor and the sick, while lawyers sue them.” So it is a breath of fresh air to hear such a prominent physician as Cornell Medical College Dean Antonio Gotto admit that he once wanted to serve at the bar. (more)

Ask The Eye Care Specialist (more)

Relief for Teaching Hospitals
Congress has enacted the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) which will lessen the burdens imposed on teaching hospitals by the balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) during the next five years. (more)

Music Therapy for People with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Disease
Music may benefit the four million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s and could potentially help many of the one million Americans with Parkinson’s disease, according to several studies that have looked at music therapy’s effect on memory and other mental activities. (more)

Speaking to Young Children about Death and Dying by Tarima Levine
The concepts of death and dying rarely find their way into toddler or preschool curriculum. Although we don’t want to conceive of young children having to cope with death, there is a possibility that it will happen, such as with a pet or grandparent, and teachers need to be prepared for what to say. (more)

What Is New in Early Childhood Education? by Dr. Lorraine McCune
In a January column in Education Update I drew on a chapter written with Mary Zanes, a preschool educator, regarding the use of play strategies within the school environment. The newly published book, Psychological Perspectives on Early Education: Reframing Dilemmas in Research and Practice includes the entire chapter and provides exciting new information for educators and policy designers on a variety of topics. (more)

Speaking to Young Children about Death and Dying by Tarima Levine
The concepts of death and dying rarely find their way into toddler or preschool curriculum. Although we don’t want to conceive of young children having to cope with death, there is a possibility that it will happen, such as with a pet or grandparent, and teachers need to be prepared for what to say. (more)

Regent Harry Phillips Visits Syosset Schools by Dr. Carole G. Hankin with Randi T. Sachs
Harry Phillips, III, a Regent of The University of the State of New York, recently came to observe the Syosset School District. The University of the State of New York (different from SUNY, State University of New York, the state’s public university system) was established in 1784 and is the oldest continuous state education entity in the U.S. (more)

How to Think Like Einstein by A. Ernest Mance
“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” -Albert Einstein (more)

Celebrating Asian Heritage Month with Books by Selene S. Vasquez (more)

Logos Bookstore’s Recommendations (more)

Students Call for Raise in Activity Funds at Budget Hearing by Sarah Elzas
Chancellor Harold O. Levy released the preliminary version of his budget for the 2001-2002 school year in the wake of the historic decision in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit that found the State funding formula to be shortchanging NYC and thus violating students’ constitutional rights. The public was invited to comment on the nearly $14 billion budget at a recent public hearing. (more)

Child Care, Family Style by Dynishal P. Gross
Like many Americans, Yvette Gore Graham has held a number of jobs in her adult life. She has been a bank teller, a cosmetologist, a security officer, and has even served in the military. For many years, she worked as a health aide in nursing facilities and in private homes. However, none of these jobs became a stable career, and the late 90s found Yvette and her family dependent on public assistance. (more)

May 2001 Editorials (more)

Anti-Harassment Policies in Public Schools: Are They Vulnerable? by Martha McCarthy, Ph.D.
In February 2001, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals rendered a surprising ruling, Saxe v. State College Area School District, striking down a Pennsylvania school district’s anti-harassment policy and thereby overturning the lower court’s decision. (more)

Debunking Fears about Child Health Plus at CB7 by Sybil Maimin
The greatest number of uninsured children live between West 166th Street and Dyckman Street in Washington Heights. Yet free or low-cost health insurance, Child Health Plus, is available to legal residents ages 0 through 19 via a simple application form. Citizenship is not required. (more)

Selling Buildings Helps City by Mayor Rudy Giuliani
One of the keys to New York City’s success throughout its history has been willingness to embrace change. As our city begins a new century, it is appropriate that we look for ways to ensure that New York remains vital and committed to the pursuit of excellence. That is why we are taking steps to upgrade facilities for the Board of Education. (more)

Theatre Review: Laugh Attack at Union Square Theatre—“Bat Boy: The Musical” by Jan Aaron
Can a Bat Boy discovered in a cave in Hope Falls, West Virginia, find happiness in New York? Yes—judging from the laughter and applause at the Union Square Theatre. (more)

Television Review: lose-Up on Teen Life: American High by Jan Aaron
PBS’s teenage reality show, “American High,” is a few weeks into its13-part run on PBS. The critically acclaimed program that aired briefly on the edgier Fox network was created by documentary-film maker R.J. Cutler (“The War Room,” a behind the scenes look at the 1992 Clinton Campaign). (more)

A Conversation with the Lyric’s Joan Kretschmer by Irving Spitz
Joan Thomson Kretschmer is the Lyric Chamber Music Society’s founder, Artistic Director and pianist. Founded in 1997, the Lyric had its first concert in1998 and continues to be dedicated to providing musicians an opportunity to perform chamber music (more)

Grants For Teachers Who Use American Music
For the fourth year, the National Music Foundation will award cash grants of up to one thousand dollars to teachers of any subject, in any grade K-12, and in any academic setting, who create lesson plans using American music. (more)

An Operatic Jewel on Lake Zurich by Irving Spitz
Opera buffs please take note. To hear great opera, go to Zurich. The Zurich Opera may not be the first company that springs to mind when thinking of great opera, but in fact it can hold its own with the most prestigious houses in the world. (more)

Music Therapy for People with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Disease
Music may benefit the four million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s and could potentially help many of the one million Americans with Parkinson’s disease, according to several studies that have looked at music therapy’s effect on memory and other mental activities. One study, conducted at the University of California, Irvine, found that people with Alzheimer’s who listened to a Mozart sonata greatly improved their scores on memory tests. (more)

School of Music & Art Receives Grant
The Alumni & Friends of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts has received a five-year, $1.125 million grant under the Talented Students in the Arts Initiative (TSAI), a new collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Surdna Foundation. (more)

Violence Prevention through Theater
After the Columbine High School shootings on April 20, 1999, Adina Taubman, an actress and playwright, began a series of interviews with members of the Columbine community. (more)

A Necessary and Enduring Power by Matthew Elias Koch
The recent scandal around Bill Clinton’s pardoning Mark Rich has called into question the President’s absolute power to pardon. The power to pardon is one of the few the President has without interference from Congress. It is important to understand why the founding fathers gave it to the President, and it is equally important to evaluate whether their reasons are still valid today. (more)

Children’s Art Exhibit Raises Vision Care Awareness
Four children received recognition as winning artists of this year’s vision awareness poster contest during a ceremony at the Richard York Gallery in Manhattan. The contest was designed to educate the public about the importance of vision and vision care. The winning posters are on 1,000 city buses, visible to 19 million riders. (more)

QCC Runs Homebound Program
Queensborough Community College is accepting applications for its External Education Program for the Homebound, which enables those with disabilities to pursue a college degree from their homes. (more)

Playing Catch and Beyond by M.C. Cohen
Betsy, a bright seven-year old had been diagnosed with a learning disability by her school. Her disability not only affects her as a student, but also on the playground, as students who have trouble with reading and other academic subjects can also be clumsy. (more)

Staten Island High Launches Website
New Dorp High School on Staten Island has launched the first fully interactive web-based communications system for a New York City public high school. (more)

Online in Florida: A New Approach to High School
Florida is leading the technology race by teaching students via a statewide Internet high school, according to the Miami Herald. Florida’s computer-based curriculum, called the Florida Online High School, is free-of-charge to residents. (more)

Online Database for Undergraduate Science Programs
GrantsNet, a free web site that provides information on biomedical research grants and fellowships, introduced a new database on undergraduate-level programs. (more)

Family-Friendly Puerto Rico: The Beach and Beyond by Jan Aaron
We are walking down the palm lined path behind the Inter-Continental Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My guide is a curly-haired moppet, Lara, with one hand in mine and the other clutching a sticky red lollipop. Lara, on loan from her mom, shows me the hotel’s day camp where she plans to make sandcastles. Almost all major hotels here have supervised daycare facilities. (more)

Letters to the Editor for May 2001 (more)