COVER STORIES

“Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made
Modern America” at NY Historical Society
By Dorothy Davis
Education Update Publisher Pola Rosen and I toured the blockbuster Alexander Hamilton exhibit at the New-York Historical Society one recent morning with James G. Basker, who was wearing his hat as its Project Director. Under his other hats Dr. Basker is President of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Ann Whitney Olin Professor of English at Barnard College, Columbia University.
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Celebrate New Cultures and Customs in the
New Year at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan!
Experience Dora’s Latino World This January By Visiting The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Where Fun And Educational Programs And Performances Focus On International Culture and Customs!
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Hospitality Management Excellence at
Cornell University
By Nazneen Malik
The Cornell School of Hotel Administration has one of the most comprehensive hospitality management programs in the world. Founded in 1922 as the first of its kind, the Hotel School has had a tremendous impact on the development of the hospitality industry. READ MORE

SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS

Guest Editorial
The Time is Here for True Fiscal Equity
By Regina M. Eaton
Governor George Pataki’s 2005 State of the State Address made it clear us that he does not intend to cede school funding reform to the courts. But the courts have spoken. Now it’s time to act. In the coming weeks, Judge DeGrasse, the trial judge that heard the Campaign for Fiscal Equity vs. New York State (CFE) case, is expected to hand down a final court order to resolve the lawsuit. READ MORE

Corporate Contributions to Education
Interview with Eugene Lang
By Nazneen Malik
“Everything that happens in life that is worth noting seems to be a coincidence,” muses Eugene Lang, prominent businessman, and founder of the I Have A Dream Foundation (IHAD). Indeed, fortune has favored the 85 year-old philanthropist but one must recognize that his choices, ambitions, and persistent dedication to education have played a significant role in shaping his life’s trajectory. READ MORE


Eugene Lang’s Vision Makes Dreams Come True
The Chairman of Newmark, a leading commercial real estate firm, Jeffrey Gural, recently offered to 40 first-graders who live in the
Elliott Houses, a public housing development in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, the most incredible gift of their young lives at
P.S. 33 in Chelsea. READ MORE

Mercedes-Benz Launches First Lab at
Automotive High School
By Liza Young
The progress of the automotive industry depends on the developments and insights of major corporations, but to ensure continued success, the seeds of growth in the industry must be planted at the educational level, and as early as possible within the educational system.
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Outstanding Teacher of the Year Shares Lesson Plan
Mrs. Sharon Weissbart, first grade teacher at PS 111 in the Bronx and 2004 Education Update Teacher of the Year, submitted a lesson plan that she and Ms. Masucci, also a first grade teacher at PS 111, created for their classes. READ MORE

Profiles in Education:
An Interview With Ramon Cortines
By Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
I was delighted to meet Ray at his home in Pasadena, CA recently. Against the background of classical music and a book-lined library, we discussed various issues and trends in education over the years. Cortines was the Chancellor of New York City schools from 1993 to 1995.
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Theodore Kheel Receives Chancellor’s Medal
By Nazneen Malik
At a recent gathering at the CUNY Graduate Center, prominent labor lawyer and mediator, Theodore Kheel, was awarded the prestigious Chancellor’s Medal for his outstanding public service and continued commitment to education. READ MORE

Wallace Foundation Funds New Report on
After-School Programs
By Sarah Ann Mockbee
After-school programs have long been a staple in our communities and experts agree that children who are engaged in meaningful activities outside of school will benefit more than those students who do not. But until recently, only the experts were weighing in on just what is best for a child’s out-of-school time, while the voices of students and parents were not properly considered. READ MORE

OUTSTANDING TEACHERS OF THE MONTH

Outstanding Teachers of the Month-January 2005
Teachers are the backbone of our educational system. They richly deserve the recognition that Education Update gives them. Congratulations to this month's Outstanding Teachers of the Month in recognition of the vital role they play in our childrens' lives.
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COLLEGE & GRADUATE SCHOOLS

Interview with Barnard Professor Caryl Phillips
By Nazneen Malik
Recently, sixteen Barnard students returned from a ten-day trip to Ghana as part of a senior seminar course entitled Literature of the Middle Passage, the brainchild of award-winning author and Barnard English Professor, Caryl Phillips. READ MORE

METROBEAT

From ‘Infantilization’ to ‘Professionalization’
By CSA President Jill Levy
Ensconced in a conference room not too long ago with members of the Teaching Commission and their invited guests, I was immediately aware of the prospective power of the participants, not only as individuals, but also of the group as a whole. The group had the potential, as stated in its mission, “to raise student performance by transforming the way in which America’s public school teachers are recruited, rewarded, and retained.” READ MORE

How to Make a Difference in the New Year
By Matilda Raffa Cuomo
January 2005 is National Mentoring Month. According to the Mentoring Partnership of New York, a coalition of non-profit organizations has developed a major national initiative, in collaboration with the leading broadcast and cable networks to create January National Mentoring Month an annual, concentrated intense national and local media activity combined with extensive community outreach. READ MORE

MUSIC, ART & DANCE

The Making of a First Documentary
By Joe Charap & Josh Koplewicz
The small crowd, braving the cold winds of late October East Hampton, gazed at our industry passes then up at our young scruffy faces, their eyes glazed with a mix of envy and begrudged respect. We, two former New York City prep-schoolers (Friends and Dalton), had gotten our first film, a short-documentary entitled Pigeonmen, into the Hamptons International Film Festival this October. READ MORE

The Salzburg Festival Part 2
Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt:
Let’s Hear This Forgotten Masterpiece More Often!
By Irving Spitz
One of the memorable highlights at the recent Salzburg summer Festival was a performance of Die Tote Stadt (The Dead City),
an opera composed by Eric Wolfgang Korngold. READ MORE

BOOKS

Excellence in Education: The Making Of Great Schools By Merri Rosenberg
Consider just a few of these issues: safe schools, how to better integrate technology into the curriculum, extending the school day and the school year, how much homework is too much, figuring out successful strategies to develop community-based schools, finding foreign language and science teachers, managing gender disparities in achievement and coping with testing. READ MORE

Ninety-Six And Too Busy To Die
By Merri Rosenberg
Here’s something that might very well inspire those students who are currently enrolled in alternative high schools or similar programs.
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