A Retrospective View by NYC's Former Deputy Chancellor
by Diana Lam
Experience is a powerful teacher. Public perception matters. As a public servant, I had a clear responsibility to make decisions and choices that were beyond any possible appearance of impropriety. READ MORE

Summer Seminars for Teachers Sponsored by NEH 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... READ MORE

Too Little? Too Late?
by Al Sikes
At a recent business forum, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein reiterated a widely held belief that public education is broken. He talked about the system's failure to educate kids in...
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Visit Excellent Middle Schools On the Web READ MORE

March 2004

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 habit of 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. . .
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$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

February 2004

No Relief for Education in Bush's State of the Union
by Linda Hodge
President Bush's 2004 State of the Union address left the education community, once again, concerned that there is little relief in sight for our nation's struggling public education system. READ MORE

Keeping the Best Teachers in City Classrooms
by Randi Weingarten, Pres., UFT
Study after study shows that, with the exception of parents, the single most important ingredient in a child's success in school is the quality of the teacher in each classroom. READ MORE

From the Superintendent's Seat
by Dr. Carole G. Hankin with Randi T. Sachs
Giving our young children the love of learning is the optimum goal for parents and educators. In our elementary schools in Syosset, we have found that children will always want to learn something new when it concerns a topic that they have a personal interest in, and we have the evidence... READ MORE

Sesame Street Curricula at 35
by Joan Baum, Ph.D.
Anna Housley-Juster couldn't be happier working as the Assistant Content Director of Research at Sesame Workshop. "It's what I wanted to do all my life," she says, bubbling over with enthusiasm, the chance to design and test out programming, formats, feedback that make learning fun. READ MORE

Reaching the World
by Michelle Accorso
Ms. Sue Capote, a third grade teacher at CES 70 in the Bronx, set out for a voyage this school year without even leaving her classroom. READ MORE

Advocating for Our Children
by Jill Chaifetz
Judge Jack B. Weinstein of the Eastern District of New York has provisionally approved a settlement in the lawsuit brought by former students of Franklin K. Lane High School (FKL) alleging that they were illegally pushed out of school. READ MORE

President Richard Cook and Hundred Year Association Grant Awards
The Hundred Year Association of New York today granted its top KeySpan Corporation Charles E. Inniss College Scholarship for sons and daughters of career New York City employees to Jessica Hernandez, a junior at New York University. READ MORE

New City Hall Academy
New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced the creation of a new after-school program at City Hall Academy that will enable high school students to fulfill the Participation in Government graduation requirement. READ MORE

Florida HS Students Teach Seniors About Internet
EarthLink, one of the nation's leading Internet service providers, AARP Florida and Orange County Community Action launched Generation Link in Orlando recently, bringing together seniors, net-savvy teenagers and the Internet. READ MORE

January 2004

Internet Censorship: US v. American Library Association
by Martha Mc Carthy, Ph .D.
With the mind-boggling growth of the Internet, policy makers have become increasingly concerned about protecting children from viewing pornographic and other harmful materials via cyberspace. Since 1996, Congress has made several attempts to enact legislation to shield children... READ MORE

Ranked Chess Player Only 12 Years Old
A 12-year-old girl and New York City public school student from the Bronx has accomplished the impossible—in just 18 months she has advanced from a complete unknown to become the 74th best woman chess player in the nation. READ MORE

Dr. Joyce Coppin by Joan Baum, Ph .D.
It's a Friday afternoon, and Dr. Joyce R. Coppin, Chief Executive of the Division of Human Resources and the Center for Recruitment and Professional Development for the Department of Education, apologizes for being late (by only 10 minutes)—she was at a meeting, "having fun." As the... READ MORE

MIT Gives 10 High Schools Grants for Inventions
More than 180 students at 10 high schools across the country are getting the chance this school year to work on teams to create inventions that benefit their schools or communities. These students, and their teachers and mentors, are this year's recipients of the prestigious... READ MORE

New Journal of Education Published by CCNY by Adam Sugerman
The New Educator: A Journal of Educator Recruitment, Development, and Support is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal soon to be published by the City College of New York School of Education. This is the first such journal to be published by a CUNY school of education. It will... READ MORE

From the Land of Honalee to P.S. 77: An Outpouring of Love by Joanne Kontopirakis
Ivy Sterling, principal of P.S. 77 in Brooklyn, was wearing a bright red jacket and shiny Christmas pin. A warm woman with a voice like honey, she took time to spread caring to students and uplift all that she met. "Hello. Did you have fun today?" she asked students leaving the gymnasium. READ MORE

Sciabarra to Lead New Office at Dept. of Ed
Elizabeth Sciabarra has been appointed Chief Executive of the newly created Office of Student Enrollment Planning and Operations. In her new role, Ms. Sciabarra will drive the Department of Education's effort to connect the issues of student placement, zoning, and enrollment to the... READ MORE

Virtual Enterprises Brings HS Entrepreneurs Closer to Reality
by Michelle Accorso
When you were sixteen did you know what a "break-even" point was? Yet on a recent afternoon, at the World Financial Center, high school kids were speaking with ease and confidence about all the aspects that go into creating a business, specifically their own. They may be virtual... READ MORE