We
Honor African-Americans
Mike
Jarvis:
St. John’s Basketball Coach
By
M.C. Cohen
Mike
Jarvis believes in education. Just listen in on one of his press
conferences after a St. John’s basketball game. Win or lose, Jarvis
never fails to mention that a basketball arena is just another
type of classroom and that an educational experience just took
place. (more)
In
Memoriam:
Clarence G. Robinson, MD
By
Herman Rosen, M.D.
I
was fortunate to have been closely associated with Dr. Robinson
for many years, working with him on many of his endeavors. I recall
fondly spending time with him at New York Police Department events
at Rodman’s Neck and seeing his delighted face at a surprise 75th
birthday party his family planned for him. Dr. Robinson had a
smile and a friendly hello for everyone and everyone responded
in kind. (more)
Sylvia
Woods: The Queen of Soul Food By
Marylena Mantas
Growing
up as an only child in Hemingway, South Carolina, Sylvia Woods,
owner of the renowned Sylvia’s restaurant in Harlem, would break
candy into several pieces and give it to the neighborhood children
in exchange for playing with her. Her childish actions indicate
that from early days, Sylvia possessed those qualities that later
helped her pave the way to success: determination, business orientation
and adoration for good company. (more)
Sheila
Evans-Tranumn:
Associate Commissioner of Education By
Joan Baum, Ph.D.
An
interview with Sheila Evans-Tranumn, Associate Commissioner for
the New York State Education Department and a New Yorker with
solid roots in the public school system, could not be more timely.
The big word in her challenging professional life is “accountability”
– the very “A” word Mayor Mike Bloomberg was invoking in his annual
address on the state of the city on January 30th. “We
must have mayoral accountability in education,” he said, adding
that his interest is “not about power. (more)
Beverly
Withers:
One Woman’s Journey To The Opera By
Marie Holmes
Beverly
Withers, a soprano in the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, has been
making music for as long as she can remember. She began taking
piano lessons at the age of seven, and “practicing was always
a delight.” Since the piano stood in the family living room, well
within everyone’s earshot, Withers’ family often had to force
her to stop practicing. “I actually remember the day that
they had to peel me off the piano bench,” jokes Withers. Her love
of music soon blossomed into what Withers herself describes as
a “driving, relentless urge to sing.” (more)
Marian
Wright Edelman: Children’s Advocate By
Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
Growing
up in a family of 12 foster children tended to by her nurturing
mother and minister father, Marian had to care about children.
Her role as child advocate par excellence for the past
25 years has finally culminated in the landmark comprehensive
legislation Leave No Child Behind. Both New York senators are
behind it as are 80 House co-sponsors. There is still much work
to be done before passage. The bill focuses on childcare and health
care. “There are 12 million children living in poverty and 80
percent live with working parents that have no child care. There
is no reason for that in the richest nation in the world,” Wright
avers forcefully. She adds, “Bush is using words but not putting
the dollars behind the words.” (more)
Teachers
Gather to Learn High-Tech Methods
at Thirteen/WNET National Teacher Training Institute
Approximately
225 educators from across New York City gathered at the Jamaica
Learning Center/Auxiliary Services for High Schools Institute
in Queens to turn stagnant two-dimensional lesson plans into fully
engaging learning experiences with the click of a mouse or remote
control. Adding the web and video to formulaic standards-based
lessons is part of Thirteen/WNET NewYork’s National Teacher Training
Institute (NTTI). The Institute aims to use methodology in a segmented,
interactive way to engage students and create enthusiasm. Lessons
on the flat pages of a book take on a whole new dimension when
viewed on video or investigated on the Internet. (more)
US
Poet Laureate Launches Project to Encourage Poetry in High Schools
US
Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, has launched Poetry 180,
a new website designed to encourage the appreciation and enjoyment
of poetry in high schools around the country. The site, www.loc.gov/poetry/180,
is featured on the Library of Congress’s home page. The Poet Laureateship
is an appointed office within the Library of Congress’s Scholarly
Programs Office. (more)
From
Horror to Hope By
Matilda Raffa Cuomo
In
the wake of September 11, the children of New York City need,
more than ever, to gain an understanding of other children’s cultures.
Structured mentoring programs, like Mentoring USA, provide an
ideal opportunity for children to learn about diversity from their
mentors. Mentoring USA has made a special offer to counsel all
participants in its program on how to best deal with the tragedy,
in part by using it as a platform upon which to discuss the importance
of tolerance and peaceful resolution. (more)
Inside
District 15 with Superintendent Carmen Fariña
“A
District That Is Really Moving” By
Marylena Mantas
On
the first Tuesday of every month, parents and educators of Community
School District 15 gather at local restaurants and dine together.
The “dinner date” initiative, launched to support local businesses
and the district’s public school system, which receives a percentage
of the proceeds, has become possible after months of systematic
meetings seeking to open the lines of communication among members
of the district. (more)
Student
Journalist
Private
Profits, Public Lands:
Old-Growth Logging on National Forests By
Sera Bilezikyan
Only
four percent of old-growth forests remain standing in the Northwestern
United States. Old-growth trees are defined as being at least
32 inches in diameter, and ranging in age from 200 to 1000 years
old. Despite the fact that many ancient forests are on public
lands, these majestic trees are in immediate danger of being logged.
(more)
It
is Time to Reexamine the Responsibilities
of Supervisors & Administrators By
Jill Levy
“You’ve
got mail!” or some other signal on the computer demands your immediate
attention. An entire ream of paper lies at the foot of the fax
machine. The mailman has left what appears to be his entire mailbag
in your office. If you are lucky enough to have several phone
lines, they have not stopped ringing since your arrival. Students,
parents, teachers, and other staff members are lined up at your
door competing for your undivided attention and the school day
hasn’t even officially started. Welcome to the world of the principal
and the assistant principal. (more)
AOL,
Bank Street, UFT & NYU Help New Educators By
Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
Judith
Rizzo, Deputy Schools Chancellor, recently spoke at “The New Educator
Support Team” (NEST) event, launched by a collaboration of AOL,
the Bank Street College of Education, the UFT and New York University
to ensure the success of new teachers. (more)
Teachers
College Holds a Teach-In for Educators By
Bruce Myint
New
York public school teachers face tough challenges in the wake
of the September 11th attacks. Their task: to help
young people face the complicated issues surrounding 9/11 while
promoting cross cultural awareness and understanding. It is a
difficult undertaking, but at a recent Teach-In, hosted by Teachers
College, Columbia University, roughly 500 school teachers and
administrators from the metropolitan New York area met to do just
that. (more)
Students
At Old Saybrook HS Rebuild First Submarine By
Tom Kertes
It’s
no secret that educators in schools across the country are desperate
for ways to kindle their students’ interest with new and innovative
lessons. But few can match the extraordinary project led by Scott
Schoonmaker, the Principal at Old Saybrook High School, Connecticut.
“We will build an authentic life-size, working replica of the
Turtle, the first submarine ever used in warfare,” Schoonmaker
said. (more)
Geography
Corner By
Chris Rowan (more)
February
in History (more)
A
New Series on College Deans
Entering
the Dean’s Office:
Alfred Posamentier, Dean, School of Education, CCNY
By
Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
Entering
into Dean Alfred Posamentier’s office, the eye is tantalized by
a splendid array of gem-like antique maps, prints and memorabilia
of the composer, Richard Wagner, all so closely displayed that
one cannot see the color on the wall. Reflections of the dean’s
deep interest in music and mathematics abound, reflecting his
deep abiding respect for learning and education. Indeed, according
to Posamentier, “education reflects who we are, what we want to
do and our mission.” His comments are inspiring to his students
for they are the ones to go out in the world to teach others.
(more)
The
Second in a Series on New College Presidents
President
Bob Kerrey Harnesses the New School By
Jacob M. Appel
After
only a few minutes chatting with New School University President
J. Robert “Bob” Kerrey, one might easily forget that he heads
a university and not a country. The former Nebraska Governor and
two term United States Senator quickly steers the conversation
to national politics, weaving a policy tapestry in which funding
for higher education and the economic welfare of the country are
inextricably intertwined. (more)
Furst
on First in Marymount Manhattan College’s
2002 Best-Selling Authors Series By
Joan Baum, Ph.D.
As
Marymount Manhattan College’s irrepressible Writing Center Director
Lewis Burke Frumkes puts it, Alan Furst, master of espionage and
intrigue, has been called the new John Le Carré– not that there’s
anything wrong with the old one. In fact, however, though not
as well known, as Carré, Furst, a well published journalist and
author, to date, of six published novels (there are more, I don’t
acknowledge them), has, with the recent paperback issue of his
latest book, Kingdom of Shadows, claimed the spotlight
with a shining all his own. (more)
Teachers
College Announces 2001 Alumni Award Winners
Each
year Teachers College in New York City honors its distinguished
alumni. The
following individuals were honored recently for their outstanding
contributions to society.
(more)
Weill
Cornell Medical College Advances
The
Immune Deficiency Causing Type 1 Diabetes
EDITED
By HERMAN ROSEN, M.D.
An
article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation
by lead authors Drs. Noel Maclaren and Anjli Kukreja of the
Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College investigates
60 patients with immune-mediated type 1 diabetes. The study addresses
what predisposes to this condition, and the latest measures for
diagnosis and therapy. The authors suggest a new strategy for
combating the disease: stimulate rather than suppress the patient’s
immune system. (more)
Interview
with Dr. Herbert Pardes,
President, NY Presbyterian Hospital By
Joan Baum, Ph.D.
He
seems to know everyone–the operative words are “know” and “everyone”–
“know” because Dr. Herbert Pardes has been a distinguished psychiatrist
and department head for so long that he’s developed a sure intuitive
sense of the staff, faculty, and students he meets, and “everyone”
(or just about) because his incredibly extensive résumé indicates
a lifetime of scholarship, medical practice and high-level administrative
appointments. (more)
MD-PhD
Training Program for Minority
Students Receives $500,000 Challenge Grant
The
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has pledged a $500,000 challenge grant
over the next three years to help create a $1 million endowment
for the Gateways to the Laboratory Program, a joint endeavor of
the Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. Program of Weill Cornell Medical
College, The Rockefeller University, and Sloan-Kettering Institute.
Gateways is a unique summer internship program which gives college
students from underrepresented minority groups, who have completed
their freshman or sophomore years with distinction, the opportunity
to acquire one or two summers of experience in a leading laboratory.
(more)
Teaching
the Dream to Preschoolers By
Margaret Blachly
In
our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, inclusion classroom of three
and four year olds at the Bank Street Family Center, we teach
the children from the very beginning that every single one of
them is special and unique, and that differences are something
to be valued. We also teach them to use their words to negotiate
problems and we help them to respect each other’s feelings. (more)
From
the Superintendent’s Seat
The
Making Of A Museum By
Dr. Carole G. Hankin with Randi T. Sachs
A
number of years ago, children at a Syosset elementary school found
what appeared to be animal bones in the schoolyard. They brought
them to their teacher and asked how they could find out where
they came from. The teacher turned to her principal, who in turn
asked her colleagues if anyone could help. An administrator at
one of our middle schools said she knew a paleontologist and he
might be able to help. He did. Dr. Bryn Mader told us that the
bones were from a deer and praised the students for their discovery
and curiosity. (more)
Logos
Bookstore’s Recommendations
(more)
Special
Education Book Review
Dealing
with Chronic Illness By
Merri Rosenberg
Few
experiences can be as daunting for a parent as raising a child
with a chronic illness. When that illness is hemophilia, the challenge
quotient gets ramped up considerably. The specter of a child having
potentially life-threatening bleeds, figuring out how to allow
that child to enjoy childhood’s ordinary moments and milestones,
and confronting one’s own anxieties is potentially a minefield
fraught with scary missteps. (more)
February
Book Reviews
Enjoy
the great scholarship of literature
available for Black History Month. By
Selene S. Vasquez (more)
A
Saving Grace By
Lillian L. Shapiro
In
these days of bewilderment and a struggle to understand what has
happened to us in a world we usually took for granted we keep
looking for some balance, reassurance and courage to meet the
demands of our daily responsibilities. It is almost impossible
to escape the endless special television reports plus the running
ribbon beneath the program with staccato announcements of what
is happening without absolute confirmation of those events. What
has always been a necessary escape for me—from my childhood on—was
to turn to some book which would take me away from what was distressful
in my daily life. (more)
Antics:
Snow
Dogs & WayDownTown By
Jan Aaron (more)
Movie
Based On Pulitzer Prize Book: Newspaper Life In Small Town By
Jan Aaron (more)
Museum
for African Art: Relevant and Alive By
Tom Kertes
Pop
quiz time: How many institutions in the United States deal with
the exhibition, appreciation, and interpretation of African art?
The logical answer would be, oh, maybe 20? 30 Even 50?
(more)
MUSEUM/MUSIC
EVENTS Children’s
Museum of Manhattan (more)
African
History Month Events in NYC (more)
Music
Festivals in Israel: Solace for the troubled By
Irving Spitz
Israel’s
musical life, always strong, is flourishing, in spite of its economic
and political troubles. One reason is that the country has received
a tremendous boost in the last two decades by the influx of a
large number of competent musicians from the former Soviet Union.
Partly as a result of the availability of this new talent, a number
of new orchestras have been set up and older established institutions
have been strengthened. All of these orchestras give regular subscription
concerts; in addition, Israel hosts several international music
festivals. (more)
The
Courage to Face Dyslexia: A Personal Student’s Voyage
By
Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
Adam
Koplewicz, a sophomore at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School,
speaks candidly about living with dyslexia. His research, reading
and experiences have enabled him to share his knowledge with the
expertise of a graduate student. (more)
Parents
With Developmental Disabilities By
Dr. Joel M. Levy
Hollywood
has finally learned that characters playing the role of people
with developmental disabilities don’t have to be seen as misfits.
No longer does a character have to encompass virtually every stereotype
associated with a particular disability.
(more)
Ice
Hockey School:
The New York Rangers are Cheering for Children By
Tom Kertes
The
New York Rangers may be struggling a bit as a hockey team, but
their commitment to the community in general, and education in
particular, is well-thought-out and organized.
(more)
A
Very Special Olympics By
Tom Kertes
Throughout
the 1960s Eunice Kennedy Shriver—President Kennedy’s sister and
the wife of Sargent Shriver, the creator of the Peace Corps—maintained
a day camp for children with special needs on her farm in Maryland.
The activities that took place at that camp were the original
impetus for the special Olympics, an event that leaves no one
who watches it unmoved. (more)
Product Profile: PC TableTote By
Mitchell Levine
Blame
it on the new millennium, future shock, or just successful marketing,
the reigning concept in education procurement today is “technology.”
While some might argue about the ultimate utility of this current
sprit of technical acquisitiveness, the only thing no one seems
to be able to do is ignore it. With massive initiatives like the
New York Board of Education’s experiment in distributing laptops
to the 4th grade students of districts 6 and 10 already in play,
our administrators intent to bridge the “digital divide” has never
been clearer. (more)
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