In 2003, Education Update began the tradition of honoring teachers each month for their outstanding work on the “frontiers” of education.We are now continuing the tradition which will culminate in a ceremony in June 2005 with Chancellor Joel Klein in attendance. READ THIS MONTH'S HONOREES

COVER STORIES

A LOVE OF THE THEATER:
An Author, Graduate Student & Academic Speak (Part I)

Interview with NYU Theater Chair Kevin Kuhlke
By Joan Baum, Ph.D.
“When that [he] was and a little tiny boy,” as Feste—Kevin Kuhlke’s favorite role—says at the end of Twelfth Night, he wanted to be a musician, and he did became a guitarist. READ INTERVIEW

“What Do You Do With a BA in English?”
Just Ask Jeff Whitty
by Gillian Granoff
When Jeff Whitty, the wildly successful writer of Avenue Q, sat down to talk about his path as a writer, it became abundantly clear that the trajectory of his career read more like a Jack Kerouac novel than the libretto for a Broadway musical. READ ARTICLE

Are You Thinking of a Career in the Theater?
by Sarah Ann Mockbee
Fred Hemminger has fond memories of going to local high school musicals when he was in grade school, which was the only option for dramatic entertainment in his small, Ohio farm town, but he never considered pursuing a career in theatre until he was randomly assigned to a drama class during his freshman year at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. READ ARTICLE

EDITORIAL

Guest Editorial:
An Intellectual Education for All Children
By Sandra Priest Rose
Watching the History Channel at night on the heretofore arcane subject of the War of 1812, I learned that the fires in Washington, D.C. set by the British were eventually doused by a huge thunder and rainstorm followed by a tornado that sent the British scurrying. I also learned Dolly Madison was the last to leave Washington, having been preceded by her husband and all the craven legislators, while she saved important artifacts from the White House. Why wasn’t I ever taught these exciting facts in school? READ ARTICLE

SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS

Profiles In Education:
Interview with Howard Gardner, Harvard University
By Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Education and Cognition at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is a seminal thinker with a great influence on what’s happening in education today. Sitting in his office in historic Cambridge, just steps from Harvard Yard, I couldn’t help but feel the aura of the man, the educator, the writer, the philosopher and the mentor to scores of students and teachers around the country. READ INTERVIEW

Voting Rights and Citizenship Calendar Unveiled
A recent gathering of scholars, professors, politicians and members of the Department of Education was held at the New-York Historical Society to celebrate the publication of the CUNY/New York Times Knowledge Network Voting Rights and Citizenship Calendar. READ ARTICLE

Series: CORPORATE LEADERS IN EDUCATION
William S. Jasien, ING
by Joan Baum, Ph.D.
If ever a small orange pennant were to hang not too far from the red white and blue in American classrooms it would signal the achievement of a financial services multinational of Dutch origin with a 10,000 member presence in the U.S.A. in generously supporting public education by way of national competitions that each year award $240,000 to 100 deserving K-12 teachers and the communities they serve. ING, short for Internationale Nederlanden Groep–a Fortune and Forbes-listed corporation wanting to get its brand known—calls its scholarship program Unsung Heroes, but if the program proceeds at the extraordinary pace with which it began 9 years ago, its heroes won’t be unsung for long. READ ARTICLE

A Great Teacher at a Great Age:
Abraham Auerbach at 95
By Joan Baum, Ph.D.
Ninety-five year old Abraham Auerbach, autodidact, linguist, “malamud,” lets nothing pass that isn’t totally accurate. With gentle humor and a watchful concern that his interlocutor does not take offense, he explains, in an accented whisper, his head slightly propped up on a pillow, that, yes, he was and still is a “teacher”—he leads a class in intermediate Hebrew at the Jewish Council Center for Senior Citizens in Brooklyn —but to understand, “malamud” is not the right word (there’s a slight connotation of the healer, the feldshuh, in the Yiddish vernacular). READ ARTICLE

Out of the Past in the Sunshine State
By Jill Levy, President, CSA
There I was, sleepily channel surfing while lazing before the television during a recent vacation when I thought I heard voices from the past: members of the old NYC Board of Education. READ ARTICLE

PS 21 Honors Public Schools & Their Graduates
By Liza Young
New York City’s public schools nurture and enlighten students on a daily basis, fostering the educational, cultural as well as moral development of children. Public Schools for the 21st Century (PS 21), a non-profit organization, was founded based on its keen recognition of the fundamental role public schools play in our society and for the continued support and promotion of New York City’s public schools. READ ARTICLE

City Alums Reflect on Legacy of Alexander Hamilton
By Dorothy Davis
The subject of the New-York Historical Society’s major exhibit, “Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America,” on view until February 28, 2005, was a gifted child of another age, who overcame a devastating childhood to achieve greatness. READ ARTICLE

Marymount School Expands
Horizons with Nanotechnology Day
By Sarah Ann Mockbee
In recognition of Marymount School’s “Nanotechnology Day,” Dr. Susanne Arney of Bell Laboratories presented the school’s students with an engaging lecture on the practical benefits of research in nanotechnology, which by definition is the art of manipulating materials on a very small scale in order to build microscopic machinery. READ ARTICLE

Harlem Science Street Fair & Festival
By Jodi Lipper
The Harlem Children Society recently held its first annual Harlem Science Street Fair and Festival celebrating the achievements of 47 students from the inner city, under-resourced high schools, who were chosen to participate in the Society’s “Experiment with a Dream” science project. READ ARTICLE

COLLEGES & GRAD SCHOOLS

College Presidents’ Series:
An Interview with
President Ruth Simmons, Brown University
By Gillian Granoff
 “A life of success is not about imitating what others have done; it’s about searching for the things that matter to you and trying to make use of all the talent you have. Being successful is trying to do that with the highest degree of intention.” These sobering words of advice from Dr. Ruth Simmons are indicative of the path she took in her own career. READ ARTICLE

Linda Darling-Hammond Speaks at Teachers College
By Emily Weiner
Recently, Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, distinguished professor at Stanford University,  addressed serveral hundred professionals and students at Teachers College, Columbia University, about social reform, educational justice and teacher equality. READ ARTICLE

Facing the Challenge of the New SAT I
By Katherine Cohen, Ph.D.
The SAT I will experience a facelift on March 12, 2005, but it isn’t going to be without wrinkles. The impact of the new test will greatly affect this year’s high school juniors who will test for 3 hours and 45 minutes, instead of just 3 hours, and take a third writing section. READ ARTICLE

METROBEAT

Getting to the Heart of the Problem
by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Today, more than 36,000 of our fellow New Yorkers, including more than 15,000 children, did not have the good fortune the rest of us enjoyed. READ ARTICLE

State Ignored Threat of
Elevated Lead Levels in Water at 120 Schools
by Assenblyman Steven Sanders
The State Education Department (SED) and the State Health Department (DOH) have ignored, for over three months, results of a survey they conducted concerning levels of lead in drinking water at schools and daycare facilities. READ ARTICLE

An Investment in Family
and Education for Homeless Children
by Matilda Raffa Cuomo
HELP USA is the nation’s largest builder, developer and manager of supportive housing with comprehensive, on-site human services for homeless and low-income families, serving more than 2,500 families each year at fifteen facilities throughout the New York metropolitan area. READ ARTICLE

Working Together for Kids
by Randi Weingarten
Imagine NASA excluding its rocket scientists when planning a mission to Mars, or a hospital not consulting doctors when drawing up plans to build a new intensive care facility.  It’s a good bet that problems will arise down the road. READ ARTICLE

SPECIAL EDUCATION

National Society for the Gifted & Talented Launched
By Dorothy Davis
Gifted children are being left behind in the United States. According to some disturbing reports cited by the National Society for the Gifted and Talented (NSGT), a non-profit group, at its recent introductory meeting at the Harvard Club in New York City, “Currently, 21 states have no mandate to identify and/or provide programs for gifted and talented students.” READ ARTICLE

Choosing a Preschool for a Child with Special Needs
By Ronald S. Lenkowsky, Ed.D
New York City offers a wide array of services for children with special needs. But navigating the system, understanding and advocating for the right services and therapies for their child, and learning what to continue at home can be very difficult for parents. READ ARTICLE

FEATURES

Reflections on Brown University:
Peggy A. Ogden & Brown:
51 Years After Graduation
By Emily Weiner
For 55 years, Peggy Ogden and Brown University have continued to influence each other. Peggy fell in love with the school in 1949, when she made the decision to attend Pembroke, then the women’s college at Brown. READ ARTICLE

Adam Koplewicz, Brown ‘08 Receives Huber Award
By Nazneen Malik
“Today, my future looks bright,” says Adam Koplewicz in his acceptance at the 2004 National Achievement Awards Gala co-hosted by the non-profit organization, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic®. READ ARTICLE

A Celebration of Native American Culture:
Focus on Dr. Louis Ballard:
International Native American Composer
By Joan Baum, Ph.d.
While some went out trick or treating on October 31st, 1999 a group of music lovers with strong affinities for art and social action gathered for a lasting treat at Carnegie Hall that featured, among other works, a little known but highly regarded orchestral piece, Incident at Wounded Knee by Native American composer, Louis Ballard. READ ARTICLE

Great Adventure—Mashantucket Museum
By Jan Aaron
Just two and one-half hours by road from New York City, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Learning Center in northeast Connecticut takes you on a journey stretching back 1800 years and to the present again. READ ARTICLE

TECHNOLOGY & EDUCATION

Product Review:
Design Appliance’s Aerobics Mouse
by Mitchell Levine
A strong case can be made that the truest revolutions are those that solve a problem that we don’t yet know is a problem, but suffer from anyways. The Aerobics Mouse is such a product. READ REVIEW

Product Review:
Gigabyte Technology’s N512 Notebook
by Mitchell Levine
Multimedia laptops these days have an awful lot of bells and whistles, but not everyone that needs a notebook is a power user. Unfortunately, schools have needs that run the gamut of functionality: graphics for educational games; performance for specialty classes in graphic design and animation; high powered networking and 802.11b capabilities for in-class groups and tutorials; and plain vanilla usage like word processing. READ REVIEW

CHILDREN'S CORNER

From the Superintendent's Seat:
Getting Ready for the Big Chill
By Dr. Carole G. Hankin with Randi T. Sachs
This is being written just before we set the clocks back and adjust to a much faster nightfall to match the falling temperatures. We’ve switched over to our fall/winter wardrobes and are trying to get our children to realize that every day is now a “jacket day” until further notice. READ ARTICLE

BOOKS

Celebrate the Autumn with a Cornucopia of Books!
By Selene S. Vasquez
Going North by Janice Harrington. Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. (Farrer, 32 pp., $16.00).
A 1960’s autobiographical saga of an African American family on a difficult move from southern Alabama to Nebraska. Obstacles include limited shopping in “Negro Stores.” READ REVIEW

MUSIC, ART & DANCE

Town Hall Lab Stimulates Arts Ed
& Career Training in Schools
By Marvin Leffler
In a climate where too few high school students are learning to appreciate the arts both for their own sake as well as for a career path, The Town Hall, a New York City landmark concert venue, has recognized the need to fill the gap created by budgetary starvation. READ ARTICLE

Product Review:
John McLaughlin’s This is How I Do It
Improvisation Workshop DVD
By Mitchell Levine
Of all the components of musicianship, the most mysterious to the guitar student of virtually all levels is improvisation. Technical skills and sight-reading can be taught mechanically, although doing so in an inspired way is, of course, not so easy. READ ARTICLE

MEDICAL UPDATE

Medical Memories of the Marathon
By Dr. Hugh J. Carroll
On race day my beat was the Acute Care tent which was supplied with EKG, defibrillators, and every device and all of the supplies needed for a modern field emergency room. I was frequently delighted to find, among the volunteer Critical-Care staff, doctors who had been my students at various levels of their training. READ ARTICLE