COVER STORIES
Women
Shaping History 2004:
Women’s History Month is a time to reflect on the achievements
of women in the past. It is also a time to recognize the
achievements of contemporary women who have made outstanding
contributions in various fields. Education Update interviewed
a number of multi-faceted, fascinating, dynamic, intellectual
women who have improved the lives of people all over the
world. Here are their responses to the following questions:
What factors were instrumental in your choice of a career?
Describe a pivotal point in your career.
What direction did you take as a result?
What achievements are you proud of?
What obstacles have you encountered? How did you overcome
them?
Who were some of your mentors? How did they inspire you?
What advice would you give to young women in our society
who are striving for success?
What are your future goals?
In
Honor of Women’s History
Month:
First Catholic College for Women:
College of New Rochelle
By Joan Bailey, Ph.D.
The College of New Rochelle began its historic mission
in higher education in 1904 when the State of New York
recognized it as the first Catholic college for women in
the state. In the century since, CNR continues to respond
to the contemporary needs of women and helps its students,
women and men, transform and transcend the traditional
roles of women and men. Education at CNR honors women’s
perspective and experience. . . READ
MORE
Title IX Comes of Age:
Eliminating Gender Discrimination
by Martha Mccarthy, Ph.D.
It seems appropriate when celebrating women’s history
to address developments pertaining to Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972, a landmark piece of legislation designed
to eliminate gender discrimination in educational programs
that receive federal funds. . . READ
MORE
TEACHERS OF THE MONTH
Outstanding Teachers of
the Month - March 2004
READ
MORE
SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS
Education as the Key to
Progress
by Matilda Raffa Cuomo
In the second edition of my book Who Mentored You: The Person
Who Changed my Life, seventy-eight prominent people recalled
how mentors contributed to their success in life by influencing
and advising them in their earlier years. . . READ
MORE
From
the Principal’s Desk:
Developing the Habit of Reading
by Nigel Pugh
Every student should be required to read a self-selected book
daily. Students must be given opportunities to learn how to
select appropriate books, and be given time at home and school
to read, write about and discuss these books. Like literate
adults, students need to develop the habitof reading. . . READ
MORE
The Grace Institute: Helping Underserved Women
by Sarah N. Lynch
When Carolina first came to the United States about 13 years
ago, she had a lot going for her: she could speak four languages
and she held a BA in journalism. But despite these skills,
there was something missing: she had never used a computer
before in her life. . . READ
MORE
$1
Million Gift to Bronx Kids & LD
Kids in NYC
by Paul Friedman
The Morrison & Foerster Foundation will grant a total of
$1,000,000 to five nonprofit organizations across the country
over and above its customary giving. All five of the projects
chosen for these unique grants seek to address the needs of
children: providing educational services to learning-disabled
low-income youth throughout New York City and to low-income
preschool children in the Bronx; assisting recently emancipated
foster youth in Northern California’s East Bay in finding
housing and learning how to live independently; offering drop-in
emergency weekend services to homeless youth in Los Angeles;
and providing early intervention treatment for autistic toddlers
and young children on the San Francisco peninsula. . . READ
MORE
New York Academy of Science Sponsors
Science Fair at CCNY
by Adam Sugerman
The Great Hall at City College at 137th Street and Convent
Avenue was buzzing with hundreds of students voices, judges
listening to presentations at each exhibit, and students conferring
with each other about their projects. Students were chosen
randomly by this roving reporter to explain their hypotheses,
their choice of project and their mentors. . . READ
MORE
Identifying Young Einsteins
by Marie Capurro, M.Ed.
For most students, school provides an opportunity to learn.
Unfortunately, this is not true for all students, particularly
the gifted and talented. Although gifted and talented students
have great potential to make positive contributions both as
children and as adults, educators and policy-makers often fail
to recognize that for genius to thrive, it must be nurtured.
. . READ
MORE
International
Perspectives From Mt. Fuji to Kawasaki, US Educators Learn
in Japan
by Sharon Kaplan, Ed.D.
During a break in my morning workshop I noticed many of the
participants were gathered in front of a large picture window
with their cell phones in hand. As I approached, I realized
they were not using their cell phones to talk, but were taking
pictures of a breath-taking sight. Mt. Fuji, some 60 miles
away, was radiating against a bright blue sky. . . READ
MORE
Fields at Bank Street College Urges Mayor to Drop 3rd Grade
Retention Plan
Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields called on Mayor
Michael Bloomberg to drop a controversial plan to retain 3rd
graders if they do not pass tests in reading and math. The
meeting, which was held at Bank Street College of Education,
centered around Fields’ opposition to “social promotion,” urging
the mayor and education officials to revisit the plan and establish
a panel of experts to explore ways to better address the issue.
. . READ
MORE
NEW JERSEY NEWS
$1M
Grant to Boys & Girls Clubs
of America
The grant, funded out of the Department of Community Affairs,
was presented at the Clifton Boys and Girls Club. McGreevey
underscored the importance of his new initiative, New Jersey
After 3, by focusing on the success of programs like Boys
and Girls Clubs.“By giving children a safe place
to go after school to learn and be inspired, the work of
the Boys and Girls Clubs is making a difference in the
lives of thousands of children all across New Jersey,” said
McGreevey. . READ
MORE
McGreevey Creates Education Commission
In an effort to ensure New Jersey families’ hard-earned
dollars are being used to provide their children with a quality
education, Governor James E. McGreevey today signed an Executive
Order creating the Education Mandate Review Study Commission.
The Commission will be tasked with evaluating and identifying
State mandates that are wasteful and inefficient, and recommending
changes or eliminations of the bureaucracy, so more dollars
are going towards improving education. . READ
MORE
Honoring Foster Care Volunteers
Governor James E. McGreevey recently focused on his commitment
to protect New Jersey’s most vulnerable children by
honoring community volunteers and organizations, which have
contributed meaningfully to the foster care community. He
urged more people to become foster parents. “New Jersey
is blessed to have individuals and organizations, such as
those we are honoring today, who have worked tirelessly to
improve the lives of children in foster care,” said
McGreevey. “Today, which we officially proclaim as ‘Foster
Children’s Day,’ we are asking others to follow
in their footsteps by joining their efforts and even by opening
up their hearts and their homes to foster children.”.
.
READ
MORE
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Johns Hopkins Study Shows Audiobooks
Help LD Students
Students with learning difficulties showed a 38 percent increase
in content acquisition reading scores after using RFB&D’s
AudioPlus® textbooks on CD, a published study in Learning
Disabilities Quarterly reports. . . READ
MORE
Department
of Ed. & UFT Agree
on Special Ed Reform
Consistent with last April’s announcement of the special
education reform plan, the approximately 960 teachers who,
under the old system, were working exclusively outside of the
classroom as education evaluators have returned to the classroom,
and school psychologists are now performing the evaluation
tasks for which these education evaluators were responsible.
. . READ
MORE
COLLEGES
Shakespeare,
Einstein, & The
Bottom Line:
A Teachers College Event at AMNH
by Joanne Kontopirakis
Professor of Public Policy at the University of California
at Berkeley and author David L. Kirp joined Richard Heffner,
the Host of Channel 13’s “The Open Mind” at
the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) recently, under
the aegis of Teachers College to discuss Kirp’s recently
released book, Shakespeare, Einstein, And The Bottom Line:
The Marketing of Higher Education. . . READ
MORE
College
President's Series:
Dr. Lucie Lapovsky: Humanitarian Economist
at the Helm of Mercy
College
by Joan Baum, Ph.D.
Although the mission of Mercy College sounds pretty much like
statements from other private, independent, comprehensive institutions,
its dynamic president, Dr. Lucie Lapovsky, quickly distinguishes
its pursuit of access and excellence. Mercy’s goals constitute
not a wish list but a record of achievement. With an easy-going
manner that’s worn only by the confident, President Lapovsky
notes the expansion of campuses, an increase in enrollment,
a dramatic rise in retention and the tripled graduation rate,
not to mention the innovative programs begun or enhanced over
the four years she’s been president, many validated by
significant awards from foundations such as Ford and Sloan.
. . READ
MORE
Iraq Roundup for College Students
by Adam B. Kushner
Any demographer can tell you why there are more commercials
for Viagra during the evening news broadcasts than for Play
station: young people—even many thirty-somethings—simply
don’t follow current events. Yet, by the unwritten rules
of suffrage, people older than 18 are expected not only to
understand the world, but also to elect representatives based
on that understanding. . . READ
MORE
So You Want To Be A Psychology Major
by Sarah N. Lynch
Although she always had a strong interest in psychology, it
was not until college that Lisa Son really began to explore
the research side of psychology. . . READ
MORE
Product
Review:
Musical Spanish
by Pola Rosen, Ed.D
Sad to say, but true: when students are asked to name their
least favorite academic subject, study after study has shown
that “language study” ranks high in their lists.
What should be an incomparably broadening cultural experience
seems to have become, in the minds of many, a sterile exercise
in rote memorization and “drill and kill.”. . .
READ
MORE
American Students Study Abroad in Growing Numbers
Despite a weak economy and post-9/11 concerns, American students
continue to regard study abroad as a critical component of
their higher education experience. The number of U.S. university-level
students receiving credit for study abroad in 2001/02 increased
4.4% from the previous year, reaching a record total of 160,920,
according to Open Doors 2003, the annual report on international
education published by the Institute of International Education
(IIE) with funding from the State Department’s Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs. . .
READ
MORE
Going to College in Canada: Team Teaching Examined
by Nile S. Kurashige
From a student’s perspective, there are both benefits
and disadvantages to multiple professors teaching one class.
Benefits include an exposure to more professors and ideas as
well as a variety of teaching styles. A professor with the
greatest expertise can teach each content area. The student
thus benefits by exposure to the latest research, especially
important in upper level courses. Differences in approaches
to the subject matter may lead to a broader understanding of
the material. . . READ
MORE
Pace U Reopens World Trade Institute
Two years after its operations and conference centers were
destroyed in the attack on the World Trade Center, the World
Trade Institute of Pace University (WTI), a major institute
for international trade education, has reopened its doors
at new facilities on Pace’s campus in downtown New
York. . . READ
MORE
CCNY Pres. Gregory Williams Honored
by Gov. Pataki
Gregory H. Williams, President of The City College of New York,
was honored by Governor George E. Pataki at the New York
State’s 9th Annual African-American History Month Kick-Off
Celebration in Albany recently. . . READ
MORE
CCNY-Led
Weather Expedition Receives
Explorers Club Award
The prestigious Explorers Club of New York has presented its
Flag Award to City College weather expert Edward E. Hindman
and his faculty team for leading a group of CCNY and Bronx
Community College students to the 10,500-foot Storm Peak
Laboratory (SPL) in the northern Colorado Rockies recently.
. . READ
MORE
CHILDREN'S CORNER
From the Superintendent's Seat:
Supporting Success at Every Stage
by Dr. Carole G. Hankin with Randi T. Sachs
We learned a few weeks ago that for the second year in
a row, a student in our District has been named an Intel
Finalist. Three others were named Semi-Finalists. Daniel,
the Finalist, is one of only 40 students in the nation
chosen to compete in Washington, D.C., in March for what
is often called “the
Junior Nobel Prize.” He told me he was thrilled and
surprised to have won this honor (which includes a $5,000
scholarship that will help go toward his Harvard tuition),
and how he was really hoping to go on to further success.
The level of achievement our students reach is amazing, and
we can see how important it is for parents and schools to
nurture their children’s
interests. . . READ
MORE
IF YOU ASK DR. McCUNE:
About Learning From Your Students
by Lorraine Mccune, Ph.D.
In every course that I teach I ask my students to find a child
to observe for 6--10 weekly visits during the semester. When
they ask what to look for, I tell them to use their human radar,
perhaps think about what we are studying (how children learn…their
attachments to adults, etc.). Rather than an observation protocol,
I believe that attending carefully and sensitively to a student
and thinking about the child’s experience is an extraordinarily
enriching process. I ask the students to write about each observation…not
taking notes during, but rather after their time with the child.
This helps them to focus on what they notice. . .
READ
MORE
Best Socially Responsible Toy Products
by Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D., (Dr. Toy)
Children greatly benefit when you provide toys and products
that offer them the opportunity to learn more about social
issues and community. These products will help your child to
learn more about caring about environment, animals, and themselves.
Children gain from understanding about the world around them.
. . READ
MORE
SEEDS
Teaches More than Just Plants
A new classroom curriculum, Garden Adventure SEEDS (Science
Exploration, Education and Discovery Series) for kindergarten
and first grade, premiered last spring to select educators
with resounding success. SEEDS teaches about plant parts
while strengthening inquiry, literacy, and numeracy skills.
Subsequently, SEEDS rolled out to more than 30 schools, close
to 100 curriculum units were sold, and approximately half
a dozen teacher-training sessions were conducted. . . READ
MORE
MEDICAL UPDATE
Ethical
Challenges in Pediatrics
by Joanna R. Leefer
Developments in genetics, reproductive technologies and other
disciplines have brought new challenges in every area of
medicine. This is particularly true in pediatrics. New advances
in all areas of treatments have created complex ethical questions
for the provision of care and for research with children.
. . READ
MORE
Weill Cornell Faculty Elected to Institute of Medicine
Two outstanding physician-scientists at Weill Cornell Medical
College have been elected to the Institute of Medicine of
the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors
bestowed by the scientific community. They are Dr. Flint
Beal, Chairman and Anne Parish Titzell Professor of Neurology
and Neuroscience and Dr. Jean Pape, Professor of Medicine
in the Division of International Medicine and Infectious
Diseases at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Pape serves
as Director of the Cornell University Infectious Diseases
Research and Training Unit in Haiti. . . READ
MORE
The National Museum of Health and Medicine
by Janet M. Burns
Museums play a vital role in public education, awareness, and
understanding. The National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM)
has a particularly long history of serving the public in this
capacity in its 142-year tenure as the nation’s only
medical museum. In fact, the NMHM’s specimens and artifacts
were the first museum collection in the country and are currently
the only in Washington, D.C. to be registered by the U.S. Department
of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark. Since it’s
founding, the museum has remained dedicated to documenting
the evolution of health and medical issues in American society,
and to sharing its collections with as many people as possible.
. . READ
MORE
Latest Preventive Tests for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment
at Beth Israel
by Gina Pozadas
Continuing their commitment to early detection of cardiovascular
disease, the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the Heart
Institute at Beth Israel offers cutting-edge screenings that
identify new risk factors as key to assess the risk of developing
heart disease, which remains the nation’s number one
killer. The EBT heart scan and advanced cholesterol testing,
used to test those with an intermediate risk level, can predict
and prevent up to 95% of heart attacks and are often covered
by health insurance. . . READ
MORE
Attorney General Demands More Private Medical Records of Women
In an ominous attack on women’s reproductive health and
their right to privacy, the Justice Department first demanded
that at least six hospitals across the country turn over patient
medical records on certain abortions performed there. Now U.S.
Attorney General John Ashcroft is demanding that Planned Parenthood
affiliates in Pennsylvania, Kansas, mid-Missouri, New York
City, Los Angeles, San Diego and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan
area turn in hundreds of private medical records from the clients
they serve. . . READ
MORE
Women Physicians Honored in New Web Site
A new Web site from the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
promises to become an invaluable resource for students, educators
and anyone else with an interest in medical history. . .
READ
MORE
CHESS FOCUS
A Winner? Maybe ... A Champion?
Not Necessarily! Observations of a Chess Mom on Ultimate Success
by Cathi Belcher
I’m a Chess Mom. For the last ten-plus years my kids
have been playing some serious games. They’ve won some
tournaments and titles, and lost some; but more than this,
they have experienced a world which has taken them traveling
beyond their wildest dreams, both geographically and personally.
They’ve also learned a lot of lessons from this mind
sport, which can at times become an obsession. As a mother,
it is interesting to see what really goes on at tournaments,
and to discover – thru observation—that winning
a lot of games does not necessarily make a player a champion.
. . READ
MORE
What Does It Take to Become U.S. Champion?
by Courtney Hader
What does it take to become a US Champion? The students at
P.S. 116 can tell us! Elizabeth Berg, Spencer Berkman, Jane
Handorff, Paul Handorff, Nitai Leve, Marc Anthony Parrino,
R.J. Parrino, and Alex Streopoulus make up the P.S. 116 chess
team. They have recently been named the US Champions in the
K-5 Section, with Marc Anthony Parrino becoming the co-champion.
To become a great chess team it takes determination, discipline
and practice. It also takes the ability to get back up when
you are knocked down. As many of our students and parents know,
it has taken years of hard work to become champions, but it
has been fun. . . READ
MORE
Chess in Education: A Perspective
by Gary Ryan
Kids love chess! If you are a kid, you already knew that. It’s
a no-brainer. If you are a parent or teacher, you might be
surprised. But it’s true. Boys and girls really like
chess. And not just a little bit, but a lot. . . READ
MORE
BOOKS
Logos
Bookstore’s Recommendations
by H. Harris Healy, III, President, Logos Bookstore
In the later stages of winter as one may become more tired
of the daily routine at work and somewhat unmotivated in
purpose and direction, a great book for a wonderful pick
me up in the workplace is The Six Fundamentals Of Success:
The Rules For Getting It Right For Yourself And Your Organization
by Stuart R. Levine, former CEO of Dale Carnegie and Associates,
as well as a former New York State Assemblyman, and currently
Chairman and CEO of Stuart Levine & Associates LLC, an
international consulting and leadership training company.
. . READ
MORE
Baruch
Professor Writes “Bankable
Business Plans”
Reviewed by Merri Rosenberg
While this isn’t a substitute for an M.B.A., it’s
certainly a helpful and practical shortcut for would-be entrepreneurs
who are clueless about how to put together a business plan
that will attract investors. . .
READ
MORE
Succeeding
At Your Interview:
"A Practical Guide for Teachers”
by Rita S. Brause, Christine
P. Donohue and Alice W. Ryan
Reviewed by Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
In 2004, many college graduates are embarking on new teaching
careers, seeking personal fulfillment as well as a way to contribute
to society. Indeed, a wonderful advertisement recruiting new
teachers in New York City asks who will remember your name
in years to come; your 4th grade students. Be a teacher. .
. READ
MORE
‘March’ to
the Beat of Great Books!
by Selene S. Vasquez
Poetry: Ages 3 thru 6
Delightfully familiar poems and rhymes, such as “Baa,
Baa, Black Sheep” and equally lovely though less familiar
words from Wordsworth, Tennyson and Blake. Colorful illustrations
of sweet faced youngsters and baby animals in soft pastel hues.
A treasure of rhythmic language for the young at heart. . .
READ
MORE
MUSIC, ART & DANCE
A
Stellar Music Lineup of Tradition & Innovation: Carnegie
Hall
by Joan Baum, Ph.D.
A week later than originally planned, Carnegie Hall announced
its 2004--5 season, combining a well attended news conference
about the spectacular events that will be seen and heard
in Stern Auditorium, Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall with
a memorial tribute to Carnegie’s young and dynamic
executive director, Robert J. Harth, whose untimely death
shocked the arts community. Speaker after speaker—Sanford
I. Weill, chairman of Carnegie’s Board, Ara Guzelimian,
the hall’s
artistic administrator, the illustrious conductor Pierre
Boulez, diva Marilyn Horne, and renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma—spoke
warmly and admiringly of Harth’s vision and in effect
dedicated the new season to realizing his hopes and goals.
. . READ
MORE
Falstaff at the Vienna Staatsoper: Another Triumph for Bryn
Terfel
by Irving Spitz
Verdi’s last opera, Falstaff, which premiered in 1893,
when he was just a few months short of his 80th birthday, is
a summation of his creative genius. The masterful libretto
written by Arrigo Boito, himself a composer, was based largely
on Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor but also incorporated
material from Henry IV. Indeed it can be said without question
that Verdi and Boito succeeded in creating one of the greatest
operatic adaptations of Shakespearean material; its only serious
rival being its predecessor, Othello. Falstaff was written
after Verdi’s second opera, the comedy Un Giorn Di Regno,
was a resounding failure. . . READ
MORE
METROBEAT
A Kick in the Teeth
by Randi Weingarten, President, UFT
Mayor Bloomberg has said repeatedly that he wants voters to
judge him on how well he improves New York City’s public
schools. Research shows that the most important factor in
improving schools is having a qualified teacher in every
classroom, so it would seem logical for the Mayor to make
his first priority the recruitment and retention of good
teachers. . . READ
MORE
Chancellor
Concedes School HIV & AIDS
Curriculum
is in Critical Condition
Assembly Hearing Highlights Where Education is Truly a Life
or Death Matter
by Assemblyman Steven Sanders
Last month, as chairman of the Education Committee, I co-chaired
a public hearing to assess HIV and AIDS education in the city
schools, and testimony of Chancellor Joel Klein himself, as
well as of others, revealed that the curriculum is outdated
and not in compliance either with state or city regulations.
Similar gaps were identified in the broader curriculum known
as Family Living and Sex Education. .
READ
MORE
Gambling with Destiny:
Rethinking NYS Funding Priorities
by State Senator Liz Krueger
Over the past several months, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity
(CFE) and the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) have been
calling on the state legislature and Governor Pataki to provide
a $2 billion down payment in response to the state court of
appeals mandate that education funding inequities be remedied.
In response, the Governor has dedicated $325 million of revenues
generated from “video lottery terminals” to increase
education funds. In so doing, the Governor continues to disregard
the rights of our children. Banking on state sanctioned lottery
terminals to fund public education is yet another example of
misguided priorities and bad public policy. . READ
MORE
Whatever Happened to Childhood?
by Jill Levy
I thought I learned my lessons well in developmental psychology,
but apparently I’m wrong. That is the conclusion I must
draw based on the recent decision by corporate America to re-institute
a retention policy for NYC third graders. Although all research
proves that holding children back doesn’t work in the
long-run, and despite the fact that we tried it in New York
City and it failed, the newest managers of the NYC public schools
think that they can make it work. . READ
MORE
ONLINE LEARNING
St.
John’s U Offers Distance
Learning Degree
Addressing the need for highly qualified school administrators,
St. John’s University will offer a fully online Master
of Science and Professional Diploma in Educational Administration,
the first in New York State and the only one to use full-time
University faculty. “This program is designed to
provide needed flexibility without reducing quality, eliminating
the necessity to travel to attend classes at particular
times and places, while engaging participants in high levels
of online interaction with each other and the professors,” said
Jerrold Ross, Dean of the School of Education. . . READ
MORE
TECHNOLOGY
Product
Review:
Digital Frog International’s
ScienceMatrix
by Mitchell Levine
Although some theorists like Clifford Stoll may be skeptical
about the ultimate benefits of our school system’s emphasis
on multimedia delivery of curricula, almost everyone agrees
that this currently reigning paradigm is going to remain the
state of the art for the foreseeable future. That’s not
necessarily a bad thing: in many ways, technology can really
spark student interest in a way that more traditional methods
haven’t. Few people from my generation have strongly
nostalgic memories of our freshman biology lectures. No one
liked plying Formaldehyde-saturated viscera with a trocar in
my class, and mentioning cytoplasm, Golgi apparatus, or endoplasmic
reticulum to them is rather unlikely to garner even a fleeting
glimmer of recognition. . . READ
MORE