COVER STORIES
Historical
Reforms At The Department of Education
The Finances of Educational Reform
by Noreen Connell
Pundits have greeted Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Children
First plan as a bold departure from almost 30 years of community
control.
They have it wrong. Children First is a bold departure from
105 years of a strong mid-level education bureaucracy in New
York City. Under a myriad of different governing structures
since 1898, now relegated to the dustbin of obscure urban history READ
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My Vision for Parental Involvement
in the New York City School System
by Joel I. Klein Special
to Education Update
Parents, along with their children, of course, are the most
important stakeholders in our public schools. If there is one
thing that comes across loud and clear from parents in each
and every Children First meeting, it’s that we need to
provide parents with multiple opportunities to communicate
their views to decision-makers in our schools.
READ
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Revolution in Education
by Alexandra Shimo-barry
Mayor Bloomberg made good on his promise to shake up New York
City’s schools. In sweeping reforms, Mayor Bloomberg
centralized management of the city’s schools and overhauled
the curriculum earlier. Most schools will get a new, unified
curriculum in reading, writing, and mathematics and phonics-based
reading instruction. READ
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Leaders in Our Community
by Mark Herz
Education Update chose four among the myriad illustrious individuals
serving as role models and guiding the way for more equality
in our society. The Michigan case underscores the importance
of core values still not achieved. READ
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TEACHERS OF THE MONTH
The Outstanding Teachers of the Month
for February 2003 -
NEW!
The Outstanding Teachers of the Month for January 2003 have
each been nominated by their colleagues, students, parents,
principals and superintendents. Education Update has selected
five nominees for their outstanding work on the “frontiers” of
education... READ
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SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS
Stuyvesant Students Meet
Chilean Novelist
Isabel Allende
by Katarzyna Kozanecka
Stuyvesant Spanish teacher Milton Diaz inserted parentheses
into the curriculum of his AP Spanish Literature class,
so that his students might... READ
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Computing Advice from Colwell,
National Science Foundation
Leader
by Rita R. Colwell, Ph.D.
One of my favorite yardsticks of wisdom comes from Ralph Waldo
Emerson over a century ago. “The invariable mark of wisdom” he
said, “is to see the miraculous in the common.”
As scientists, engineers, and educators, we are... READ
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Dr.
Margaret Cuomo Maier & Matilda
Cuomo Introduce Italian Language at Concordia Language Villages
by Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
What do Chelsea Clinton, the Kennedy grandchildren and the
Cuomo grandchildren have in common? They attended an internationally
recognized... READ
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“Dedicated” – 1.
devoted to a cause, ideal or purpose; 2. Victor Rodriguez,
Supt. of District 19 in Brooklyn
by Joan Baum, Ph.D.
A modest, soft-spoken man, whose concern for the 30 schools
in his charge comes across as an unusual and admirable mix
of appreciation... READ
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How Does It Add Up? Views
on Math Education
by Alfred Posamentier, Ph.D.
Once again it seems that mathematics has garnered front stage
on the education agenda. Many people have had less than euphoric
experiences with mathematics... READ
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A Conversation with Deborah W. Meier
by Merri Rosenberg
Teaching hadn’t been part of Deborah W. Meier’s
original game plan.
As the mother of three young children, studying for a doctorate
in history... READ
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Mentoring USA:
Filling
The Gap In Supplemental Education Program
by Matilda Raffa
Cuomo & Denise
Castagna
We know half of New York City high school classes graduate
within four years and only 70% of our youth receive high school
diplomas. New Yorkers are hopeful... READ
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February in History
by Chris
Rowan
The Romans added February to their calendar around 700 B.C.
February is named after Februus, the Roman god of Purification.
READ
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COLLEGES
College Presidents Series
President Stephen Adolphus: Interboro Institute
by Joan Baum,
Ph.D.
Although the president for less than three years of Interboro
Institute, a two-year business college dedicated to serving
the poor, mainly minorities, Stephen H. Adolphus says...
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MEDICAL UPDATE
Two Teen Deaths in NYC
by Andrew Schiff
Despite a state law signed by Governor Pataki that required
local school districts to have defibrillators on hand at
all times, two deaths recently... READ
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A Clarion Call for Action
for School Health Centers
by April Lee, M.D.
School health centers offer unique alternatives to the traditional
medical office setting in providing health care for children
and youth. If the health center is school-based, it is located...
READ
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Rockefeller University Names Sir Paul Nurse, President
Paul Nurse, a British Nobel laureate and head of Cancer Research,
UK, is taking over as Rockefeller’s 9th president.
Dr. Nurse shared the Nobel prize in 2001 for his work...
READ
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Was Kennedy Too Sick to
be President?
Humanities and Science Mesh in Program at Weill
Cornell Medical College.
by Alexandra
Shimo-Barry
In a lecture at Weill Cornell Medical College, Boston University
historian Robert Dallek discussed Kennedy’s secret life
of sickness and medication. Dallek was granted exclusive access...
READ
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MUSEUMS
Teens To Explore Their Roots
in New Summer Program
The Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical
Society today announced the launch of a new summer program
for New York area teens seeking to explore their roots
and family history.
READ
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CHILDREN'S CORNER
Best Toys for February Fun
and Learning
by Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D. [Dr. Toy]
Parents and teachers should look for products that have
enduring qualities, are reasonably priced and will help
children to learn. I suggest a good mix... READ
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Just Take a Deep Breath
by Dr. Carole G. Hankin with Randi T. Sachs
We’re either feeling it or talking about it, but the
subject is all around us. What we’re talking about is
stress. Stress seems to be almost an accepted... READ
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Playful Learning and Creative
Societies
by Mitchel Resnick, Ph.D.
In the 1980s, there was much talk about the transition from
the “Industrial Society” to the “Information
Society.” People began to see information, not natural
resources, as the driving force in...
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special Education
Update Around the Nation
Compiled by Andrew Schiff
Important Events Around the Nation OSEP Joint Personnel Preparation/
State/Improvement/CSPD Conference, will be held at the Marriott
Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C., from February 19 to
February 21. The theme for the 2003 Joint Conference is...
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BOOKS
Saul Bellow, Nobelist 1976
by Lillian Shapiro
Bellow, of Russian Jewish background, displays characteristics
of that heritage in his writing. There is an outward appearance
of cynical humor, self-deprecation while inwardly the soul
is... READ
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The Blue Spruce by Mario
Cuomo
Reviewed by Merri Rosenberg
So who knew that former New York state governor, he of the
ringing oratory and soaring rhetoric, would be just as effective
slipping into the gentler cadences of a fond grandfather?
READ
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Matilda Cuomo Authors New
Book
by Merri Rosenberg
Without the influence of Martha Mullins, Jane Murray and Carol
Locke, it’s a fairly safe bet that I wouldn’t
have pursued a career in journalism.
These three women were some of my teachers at the Berkeley
Carroll Street school in Park Slope (formerly known in my day,
the 1960s and early 70s, as the Berkeley Institute), and ultimately
had more to... READ
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Logos
Bookstore’s
Recommendations READ
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MUSIC, ART & DANCE
The Zurich Opera Does It
Again!
by Irving Spitz
A riveting and innovative performance of Schubert’s
rarely heard opera Fierrabras. In 1822, the director
of the Court Opera Theatre in Vienna requested the 25 year-old
Franz Schubert to... READ
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The Wild Thornberrys
by
Jan Aaron
See it now at a local multiplex or later on video, but don’t
miss The Wild Thornberry’s Movie. The animated film version
of the popular Nickelodeon TV show, follows the adventures
of... READ
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METROBEAT
New
York City Is Still America’s
Safest Big City
by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Public safety is City government’s most basic responsibility.
And despite unavoidable budget cuts, during 2002 we’ve
made New York an even safer place, by continuing dramatic
reductions in... READ
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Assembly
Will Fight Governor’s
Devastating $1.25B Cut to Schools
by Assemblyman Steven Sanders
The devastating $1.25 billion cut to public education proposed
by Governor Pataki on January 29th (of which about $500 million
would come from aid to New York City schools) would be the
largest reduction to... READ
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MOVIES AND THEATER
Bag Full of Fun: The Cat's
Meow
Paper Bag Players
by Jan Aaron
The cat’s in and out of the bag and crooning a happy
tune in “The Cat’s Meow” by The Paper Bag
Players. This famous children’s troupe takes its name
from its clever sets: Everything is paper or... READ
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CAMPS AND SPORTS
How
Basketball Players Spend Their Money
by Tom Kertes
NBA players are vastly different from other wealthy people.
They’re taller than most surgeons, they’ve
got a better jump shot than most security traders, and
their move off the dribble can usually...
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TECHNOLOGY
Arttango: A Valuable
Art Program
by Dr. Pola Rosen
A unique name for a unique program, Arttango is instructive,
colorful, fun, interactive and perhaps make you feel like
you’re “dancing with art.” Because of
budget cuts, many schools don’t... READ
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Lewis Frumkes, Director, Marymount Manhattan College Author
Series Hosts Susan Orlean
by Joan Baum, Ph.D.
Though she looks nothing like Meryl Streep who played her in
Adaptation, a quasi-fictional account of the difficulties faced
by a diffident and blocked screenwriter in trying to adapt
her nonfiction prose... READ
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Lind
Electronics’ PowerMax
90
by Mitchell Levine
As useful as current portable computers are, one feature that
has not matched the frenetic norms of Moore’s-law-paced
technical evolution is battery life. A complete charge of
the lithium-ion battery on...
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Laptop Privacy Hood
by Neil Schuldiner
The primary selling-point of mobile computing is the ability
to condense the processing power of a desktop computer into
a compact, sleek frame which can be conveniently utilized...
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