Education Update - July 2002

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8 SCHOOLSPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ JULY 2002NASA’s Education Programsfor High School Students“START SOMETHING” & TIGERWOODS FULFILL KIDS’ DREAMSBy FRANK SCALZO, Ph.D.NASA’s Educational Programs provide supportfor systemic improvement, teacher preparation/enhancement,curriculum support anddissemination, student support, educationaltechnology and research and development.Some notable NASA student and teacher supportprograms in the NYC/Metropolitaninclude the American Museum of NaturalHistory’s Planet Earth interactive exhibit,Summer High School Apprentice ResearchProgram (SHARP - provides gifted and talented,ethnic minority students with an opportunityto work with a scientist or engineer onNASA research and development projects),New Jersey Middle School Distance Mentoringproject at Stevens Institute of Technology(implemented at five Hudson County schools),the NASA Educational Resource Center at CityCollege of New York, and a number of researchprojects at colleges throughout New York, NewJersey and Connecticut..NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies(GISS), founded in 1961 as a division of theGoddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) inGreenbelt, MD, is located at 2880 Broadway inNYC. Current research, under the direction ofDr. James Hansen, emphasizes a broad study ofGlobal Change, which is an interdisciplinaryresearch initiative addressing natural and manmadechanges in our environment, which is aninterdisciplinary research initiative addressingnatural and man-made changes in our environmentthat occur on various time scales andaffect the habitability of our planet.In 1994 Carolyn Harris and Dr. Hansenfounded the Institute on Climate and Planets(ICP), by recruiting talented and underrepresentedstudents and teachers from NYC areahigh schools and CUNY undergraduates, toparticipate on summer research teams and workwith graduate students and NASA scientistson research projects to improve what is knownabout Earth’s Climate and Global change.ICP faculty fellows formulate and implementEarth Science curriculum materials, whichare aligned with national standards andintegrated into existing high school and collegecourses.#Frank Scalzo, Ph.D. is an EducationSpecialist at NASA in NYC. He can be reachedat 212-678-6038.By TOM KERTES“Start Something”, an educational programborn out of the cooperation between the TigerWoods Foundation and Target Corporation,encourages kids between the ages of 8 and 17to identify a specific personal desire or goaland begin taking actual and specific stepstoward achieving their dreams.It all started when Earl Woods, Tiger’s father,wrote a book that propounded the theory thatall kids carry something special within themselves.“As parents and educators, it is our roleand our duty to help kids figure out their goalsand then show them how they can achievethem,” Earl Woods said.Woods partnered with Target Corporation, asocially-minded company that spends 5 percent of its taxable income – around $ 2 milliona week – on the community, particularly onchildren and their education. Thus, in the year2001, “Start Something” was born.When Tiger first described to kids the spiritdriving the project he said, “I challenge you. Idare you. I challenge you to be a winner inwhatever you choose to do, whatever you careabout. I challenge you to make a difference inthe world, to reach higher and farther than youever imagined. I challenge you to “StartSomething.”“Start Something” offers 10, two-hour sessionsthat students can attend individually or ina group. The first five sessions help kids thinkabout their dreams and goals in order to comeup with an Action Project, which is based onthose ideas. Sessions six and seven are devotedto completing the Action Project. During sessionseight through 10 kids have an opportunityto reflect upon their efforts.Upon completion of the program, the studentscan apply for scholarships ranging from$100 to $5000, which are used to fund theirspecial interest or hobby. Over the course of theyear, over $300,000 are awarded in scholarships.“Start Something” aims to build character, tohelp kids learn to care about others and to teachthem right from wrong. Though many of thechildren’s goals and dreams involve buying aninstrument or attending music or soccer camp,some has dealt with providing medical supportto a village in Africa or traveling to Australia tospeak at a conference on Fetal AlcoholSyndrome.“We’ve had a great success so far,” said AnnAronson, director of Community Relations atTarget. “Over 77,000 children are participatingin the program this year, led by teachers, coachesand a host of other volunteers.”Dr. Richard Gallagher, the noted child psychologistwho is the director of the ParentingInstitute at the New York University ChildStudy Center, is a great supporter of the program.“Start Something” is special because itengages kids in the active pursuit of concretegoals,” he said. “Other programs may talkabout goals in a positive way. But most neverchallenge kids to actually do something aboutthem.”#DR. JOYCE COPPIN HONOREDBY ALFRED POSAMENTIER, Ph.D.As a part of the celebration on April 3, 2002in Vienna, Austria to commemorate the tenthanniversary of the very fruitful cooperationprogram between the Austrian school system,the New York City Board of Education and theCity University of New York, the Minister ofEducation, Elisabeth Gehrer bestowed uponDr. Joyce Coppin, Supervising Superintendent,New York City Board of Education, theAustrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art(first class). This is one of the highest honorsthat the Austrian government rewards thosewho have done extraordinary service to theircountry. Dr. Coppin has not only been involvedwith this cooperation since its inception, buthas been one of the main promoters of themany activities that have linked the educationalsystems in the two countries. Thus the government(nominated by the ministry ofEducation, approved by Parliament, andbestowed by the President) showed its appreciation.It is often asked how a small country, whosepopulation is about that of New York City, canrelated to just a city. The response is that bothlocales have been havens for immigrants, bothare hosts to the United Nations, and both arerespective cultural centers. Some of the cooperativeventures are the New York City VirtualEnterprises program, the visiting math and scienceteachers program, lots of student, class,teacher, and administrator exchanges, and aCCNY masters degree program for Englishteachers in three cities in Austria.#Alfred S. Posamentier is the Dean, School ofEducation, The City College of New York,CUNY
JULY 2002 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLSSCHOOL9Paige Discusses After-School ProgramsBy TOM KERTES(Exclusive to Education Update)President George W. Bush’s “No Child LeftBehind” initiative has a quartet of major components:accountability for results; flexibilityand local control; expanded parental optionsand doing what works in the classroom. “Andthese points apply equally to after-school andsummer programs, whether they’re provided inor out of the classroom,” Secretary ofEducation Rod Paige said recently at a SatelliteTown Meeting.According to Secretary Paige, after-schooland summer programs are extremely important.“The parents of more than 28 million schoolage children work outside the home and asmany as 15 million “latch-key” children returnto an empty house on any given afternoon,” hesaid. “All studies have shown that after theschoolbell rings, too many children withoutadequate supervision may neglect necessaryschool-work or, worse, fall prey to negativeinfluences. In fact, children are at a greater riskof being involved in crime, substance abuse,and teenage pregnancy in the hours afterschool– peaking between 3-4 p.m.”“Yet, since, in spite of all this, after-schoolprograms are so inadequately funded, creatinglocal partnerships with corporations, faithbasedorganizations, and the community isextremely important,” said Michael LeFlore,the Director of IMPACT Afterschool Programin Phoenix, Arizona. “Our success in doing thathas allowed us to keep our programs in linewith state standards and provide a diverse outlookon education that has led to higher gradesand greater parent participation.”Variety in quality programming is also of theessence. “In the INTEL Computer Clubhouse,we really try to keep a club atmosphere – itseems to inspire children,” said RomaAvellano, Education Manager on INTELCorporation. “The computers are organized inclusters, they are not facing the wall. The studentslearn skills that people use as professionals– so we use the very highest technologyavailable in our music studio and video editingcenters. And the students’ creativity is furtherencouraged and enhanced by the presence ofadult and older student mentors.”“We did this because we felt that society hasdeveloped a technology gap between childrenof different backgrounds,” Avellano added.“And we could not allow this technology gapbecome first a skills gap, and then an achievementgap.”Carla Sanger, Executive Director of LA’SBEST, one of the nation’s most outstandingafterschool programs, spoke of accountabilityand results. “We must work within articulatedhigh standards,” she said. “We have 17,500kids coming to work with us each and everyday. And the outcome measures are sometimessurprising: among others, one that made us feelgood was that children have reported greaterconfidence in going to adults in problem-solvingsituations after working with us.”LA’S BEST has also shown positive resultsin reading ability, increase of self-esteem, andpride in learning. According to one of the highschool mentors “this is great; when I have childrenI’ll be able to teach them myself about awhole variety of different things.”All participants agreed that the No. 1 key to aquality afterschool or summer program isinvolvement in the school, talking to teachers,talking to parents, talking to kids. “We have tofind out what’s real to the children, we must haveadult mentors who really, really listen,” Sangersaid.#HOW THE CONSTITUTIONWORKS FOR STUDENTSBy ARI MCKENNAIn a sparsely furnished courtroom inManhattan recently, students from IS 89 hadthe opportunity to mock-try a Supreme CourtCase on National Security vs. The FirstAmendment. Equipped with suits, some robes,a large wooden hammer and some soundknowledge of the Constitution, the studentsplayed out the case, which lingers in the shadowof the September 11 th attack on the WorldTrade Center and explores democracy.IS 89 is only one of approximately 400schools in the New York area that take part insuch activities, due to their collaboration withthe Constitution Works (TCW) program. Nowin its fourteenth year TCW is a veritable harbingerof conscious and active future citizenswho will participate in government.Here is how The Constitution Works works:The Board of Education offers a supplementaryprogram, which satisfies requirements in socialstudies and language arts to teachers of civics,social studies, and related subjects. TCW,whose full-time staff includes Thomas Stokes(Executive Director), Rosa Taveras (ProgramManager), and Eric Neutoch (ProgramAssociate), holds training workshops for thoseteachers, brushing them up on their constitutionalknowledge, introducing them to methodologiesconcerning group work, interdependence,and active student participation, andeventually putting them through a role-playedcourt case.Before they return to the classroom they aregiven a “unit” to introduce to their respectiveclasses. While some units may be moreinvolved with the Executive or Legislativebranches, most deal with the Judicial branchand are usually recent Supreme Court caseswith current implications.Students start with groundwork introductionon relevant excerpts from the Constitution andthe Bill of Rights. As the process continuesthey receive roles and engage specifically withtheir own “unit.” Upon the teacher’s request,TCW provides technical support in the form oflaw students from Fordham University, volunteerattorneys, and TCW staffers who are ableto help kids on a more one-on-one basis.TCW is involved with public, private,Jewish, and Catholic schools as well as someadult education centers. It is privately fundedbut has recently been seeking public fundingwith the help of Borough President VirginaiFields.While working with a bilingual class thatTCW services, Taveras noticed an interestingphenomenon: many of the South American studentsrefused to take the side which was inopposition to the government because theywere “afraid of punishment.” At this point,Taveras explained the first amendment’s secondclause, involving free speech and freepress. Taveras notes that the American studentshad no such qualms about opposing the state;“they don’t see it as going against the government,they see it as ‘this is my right.”The Constitution Works has reached about100,000 students, establishing and sending outinto the future a “Reserve of Uprights” of sorts,emerging young citizens aware of their ownpersonal-political contexts who will participatein government with acuity, awareness andknowledge.#Skills for school. Confidence for everything else.For more than 20 years, Sylvan has helped over a million childrendevelop a love of learning. We get results through a proven process thatworks — the Sylvan Advantage ṬM• We begin by identifying each child’s specific needs, then we provideindividual attention and personalized lesson plans.• Sylvan teachers are highly trained and certified — and just loveteaching.• We keep you updated every step of the way with regularly scheduledconferences and progress reports.If your child is struggling in school or just isn’t being challengedenough, call Sylvan today.www.educate.comNow with 6 convenient locations in New York CityCall us today at 1-800-EDUCATEREADING MATH WRITING STUDY SKILLS SAT ® /ACT PREP
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