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AwardWinnerVolume XI, No. 3 • New York City • NOVEMBER 2005FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS & STUDENTSwww.EDUCATIONUPDATE.comPRSRT STD.U.S. POSTAGE PAIDPermit No.500VOORHEES, NJ

2 EDUCATION UPDATE ■ FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS & STUDENTS ■ NOVEMBER 200510TH ANNIVERSARY CONGRATULATIONS FROM AROUND THE NATIONA Passion for Education - Ad astra per aspera By POLA ROSEN, Ed.D.It all started with a belief in the power of education to change people’s lives and enable them to “reach the stars through hard work.” After graduationfrom Barnard, I went to NYU Law School determined to be one of Ralph Nader’s Raiders. Two years later, I enrolled in a doctoral program at TeachersCollege, Columbia University for a degree in special education. After teaching, supervising, college teaching and raising three children, I realized theneed for information in one organized forum to enable parents to make informed decisions for themselves and their children, for educators to share bestpractices, for informing the corporate sector of the needs in education that would affect their future work force.Beginning in my home with an eight-page newspaper, I soon outgrew our quarters to a small neighborhood office, then on to midtown. The passionfor sharing knowledge with others has never diminished over the years. I’m indefatigable at deadline. The excitement of seeing the newspaper cometogether each month with an array of people, places and events in education has never ceased.The thrill of new ideas, new programs, helping others lead more fulfilling lives will always continue to inspire me.Most of all, watching the excitement of a child learning will never cease to amaze me.Judith Shapiro, PresidentBarnard College, New YorkCongratulations to Barnard alumna Dr. PolaRosen, and to everyone at Education Update, onyour 10th anniversary of publication. At Barnard,we admire your triumphs in award-winning journalismand your commitment to excellence ineducation. With gratitude and appreciation, welook forward to another next decade of in-depthcoverage of the events, issues, individuals and institutionsshaping contemporary education.Howard Gardner, Professor of EducationHarvard UniversityI have been reading Education Update regularlyfor years. It presents a comprehensive and impressivelynonpartisan view of what is happening ineducation in New York and beyond. Recently, I’vebecome a part-time New Yorker and I look forwardto learning firsthand about some of the initiativesthat I first encountered in my perusals of EducationUpdate.With best wishes.Matthew Goldstein, ChancellorCity University of New YorkOn behalf of The City University of New York,it gives me great pleasure to congratulate EducationUpdate on its 10th anniversary. Through yourexemplary leadership, the newspaper has establisheditself as a vital resource for educators, parents, andstudents by covering everything from educationaltheories to the latest technologies and by providinga forum for strong and disparate voices.As the issues facing K-12 education and highereducation grow more complex, the University isparticularly grateful for the opportunities EducationUpdate provides to explore new ideas and revisitestablished tenets. The newspaper is giving expressionto fresh perspectives and, in the process,bringing together a strong community of individualsand organizations committed to a bettereducational future. We are proud to be part of thatcommunity.Congratulations to you and the entire staff foryour dedicated and thoughtful work in reachingthis milestone, and please accept my very best wishesfor the continued success of Education Update.Sigurd Ackerman, MD, President & MedicalDirector, Silver Hill HospitalNew Canaan, CTThere is a great need for bringing advances in thehealth sciences to public attention and EducationUpdate does an especially good job in doing justthat. I congratulate you on your 10 years of successand look forward to the next decade of reading myregular copy.With very best wishes.Michael R. Bloomberg, MayorThe City of New YorkIt is a great pleasure to send greetings to EducationUpdate’s talented staff and congratulate them on 10years of journalistic excellence.Dr. Pola Rosen and the entire team at EducationUpdate have been a tremendous source of informationfor our City’s schools, colleges and universities.Through their award-winning newspaper andwebsite, they have assisted countless teachers, principals,college presidents and parents in providingNew Yorkers with a high-quality education.We must ensure that every New Yorker receivesthe education they need to be effective leaders intheir workplaces and communities, and I thank youfor efforts on behalf of this important cause.Please accept my best wishes for a memorableyear and continued success.Laurie M. Tisch, ChairCenter for Arts EducationWarmest congratulations to Pola and her verygifted staff on the 10th anniversary of this important,informative and most interesting publication.Keep it coming!Jennifer J. Raab, PresidentHunter College, CUNYHunter College congratulates Education Updateas it celebrates its 10th anniversary. Your coverageof the crucial issues in education is essential readingfor educators, parents, and all those concernedwith educating students. Your incisive news storiesand thought-provoking columnists make EducationUpdate a first-rate publication.Congratulations as you embark on your secondprize-winning decade.Carmen Fariña, Deputy Chancellorfor Teaching and LearningI congratulate Education Update on this auspiciousanniversary. Your coverage of issues frommany different perspectives and across public, privateand parochial schools drives the disseminationof best practices for everyone in education.Matilda Raffa CuomoFounder & PresidentMentoring USAFormer First Lady NYSCongratulations Pola on ten years of superb publicservice, helping to promote better education,the indispensable ingredient of a successful society.It has been an honor to contribute to your instructiveupdate of issues and solutions by describingthe benefits of afterschool programs includingMentoring USA for at risk youth. I’m sure you willcontinue to devote your bright mind and powerfuldetermination to other worthy projects and I lookforward to working with you.Augusta Souza Kappner, PresidentBank Street CollegeOn behalf of Bank Street College, I extendhearty congratulations to you on the tenth anniversaryof the publication of Education Update.And I extend equally hearty congratulations toyou and your staff on the exceptional quality ofthe articles you produce.The range and depth of topics is immense,covering education issues across the spectrum,from preschool to college. The range of contributingwriters is also impressive, including manyof the leaders in education, both in the City andacross the country. Further, you often reveal thelinks between seemingly disparate issues, sparkingthoughtful debate among your readers.Education Update is a fine publication—indeed,a necessary one for all in the field of education,and we at Bank Street look forward to your nextdecade.continued to page 18IN THIS ISSUESpotlight on Schools . . . . . . . 3-7, 10-13, 15Special Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9Music, Art & Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1510 th Anniversary Feature . . . . . . . . . 20-21Colleges & Grad Schools . . . . . . . . . . 28-31Children’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Theater & Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34-35Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36MetroBEAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Resource & Reference Guide . . . . . . . . . 37Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38EDUCATION UPDATEMailing Address:17 Lexington Avenue, A1207New York, NY 10010Email: ednews1@aol.comwww.EducationUpdate.comTel: 212-477-5600Fax: 212-477-5893PUBLISHER AND EDITOR:Pola Rosen, Ed.D.ADVISORY COUNCIL:Charlotte K. Frank, Ph.D., Senior VP,McGraw-Hill; Augusta S. Kappner, Ph.D.,President, Bank St. College; Alfred S.Posamentier, Ph.D., Dean, CCNY; AdamSugerman, Publisher, Palmiche Press;Laurie Tisch Sussman, Chair, Center forArts EducationASSOCIATE EDITORS:Heather Rosen, Adam Sugerman,Rob WertheimerGUEST COLUMNISTS:Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Dr. CarolHankin, Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, Jill Levy,Randi T. Sachs, Randi WeingartenSTAFF WRITERS:Jacob Appel, J.D., Stevanne Auerbach,Ph.D., Joan Baum, Ph.D., MichelleDeSarbo, Marsha Mack Frances, GillianGranoff, Richard Kagan, Mitchell Levine,Sybil Maimin, Merri Rosenberg, EmilySherwood, Ph.D., Liza YoungBOOK REVIEWERS:Harris Healy III, Lillian Shapiro,Selene VasquezMEDICAL EDITOR:Herman Rosen, M.D.MODERN LANGUAGE EDITOR:Adam SugermanEDITOR-AT-LARGE:Steve BaileyMOVIE & THEATER REVIEWS:Jan AaronMUSIC EDITOR:Irving M. SpitzPOLITICAL COMMENTARY:Stuart DunnART DIRECTOR:Neil SchuldinerGRAPHIC DESIGN:Jeremy DiamondADVERTISING DEPARTMENT:Martin Lieberman, Manager.Joanna Leefer, Mitchell Levine,Nancy KontosEducation Update is published monthly byEducation Update, Inc. All material is copyrightedand may not be printed withoutexpress consent of the publisher.POSTMASTER:Send address changes to:Education UpdateP.O. Box 1588NY, NY 10159Subscription: Annual $10.Copyright © 2005 Education UpdateEDUCATIONUPDATEIS ANINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPER

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS3United Nations AssociationHonors Leonore Annenberg“Education is the foundation of society” accordingto Leonore Annenberg who was representedat the gala awards dinner recently by her youngestgranddaughter, Liz. Dr. Lucia Rodriguez, VP,UNA-USA said, “Only through education can wehave hope for the future.”Amb. William H. Luers, Pres. UNA-USAHonoree Angelina JolieUPDATE ON CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH, 2005By HAROLD S. KOPLEWICZ, M.D.This month’s issue of Education Updatehighlights the tenth anniversary of a publicationthat has been integral in informingschool professionals about important health,education and parenting issues.In partnership with the NYUChild Study Center, EducationUpdate has been at the forefrontin disseminating informationabout child mental health.Their comprehensive coverageof the diagnosis and treatmentof psychiatric disorders in relationto learning issues, socialinteractions and family wellbeingcan have a profoundeffect on enhancing a child’soverall psychological development.Similar to families throughoutour country many childrenin New York City have psychiatricillness. Whether as complexas autism; as disruptive asattention deficit disorder or asdebilitating as Post TraumaticStress Disorder (PTSD) thesechildren require their parents’and teachers’ time and attention.Every two minutes anotherchild is diagnosed with apsychiatric illness. The diagnosisis often made after yearsof despair for parent and child.Millions of other children are never properlydiagnosed or treated. These disorders rob childrenof the ability to learn, make and keepfriends and enjoy life.Over the past year our children have beenexposed to extensive suffering from a tsunami,hurricanes, earthquakes, bombings and manyother human tragedies. Thousands of childrensurvived these disasters while millionsof others around the world have observed horrificsights via media coverage. Many childrenhave been separated from their families, losttheir homes, their neighbors, pets, and friends.These situations put children at high risk fordeveloping PTSD, anxiety and depression.These disasters can have a particular effecton children in New York who lived through theWorld Trade Center attacks in 2001. Exposureto one traumatic event renders a child morelikely to experience a negative reaction tofuture traumatic events. Watching disasterson television can be detrimental to a child’smental health, as indicatedby research that children whoviewed more television newsof the attack were two timesas likely to develop symptomsof PTSD than children withless TV exposure. Teachersand other school personnelplay a key role in the care ofchildren after traumatic eventsand need to monitor their ownmental health and stay alertto students’ needs during difficulttimes.Helping children feel safe inunsafe times should be a highpriority for parents, teachers,mental health professionalsand all those caring for children.Our hope is that withincreased awareness of childmental health issues, the stigmaof having or being a childwith a mental health problemwill be diminished and somedaycompletely eliminated.We congratulate EducationUpdate on their 10 year anniversaryand look forward tothe next ten years of workingtoward this goal together.#Dr. Koplewicz is Founder and Director ofthe NYU Child Study Center and the Arnoldand Debbie Simon Professor of Child andAdolescent Psychiatry.

4 SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005President Michele Tolela Myers, Sarah Lawrence CollegeBy JOAN BAUM, Ph.D.Delighting in fact that Sarah Lawrence is knownas “most inky college” because of the extensivepresence of writing in all classes, PresidentMichele Tolela Myers also notes with pleasureanother possible designation: “most idiosyncratic.”Though much has changed in the college’sover 75-year history, including going coed (in1968) and veering from the earliest mission toeducate only young women of polite society, basicpremises have remained and indeed have been themain reasons why Sarah Lawrence College (SLC)is considered a “hot” college. Under the sevenyearstewardship of Dr. Myers, who holds a Ph.D.in Communication Studies from the Universityof Denver and a diplôme in Political Science andATION STARTSIMAGINATION.Economics from the University of Paris, the definingcharacteristics of SLC have been enhanced:individually designed student curricula, basicallyfree of course requirements; a 6 to 1 student-facultyratio, a 15-member class maximum, and areputation for progressive education, incorporatingthe ideas of John Dewey.Although at least half her time as president thesedays has to be spent fundraising – hardly untypical– President Myers ensures that she hears from studentsthemselves about how the college is meetingtheir expectations. They came to SLC, they tellher at her monthly at-home suppers, because ofits “idiosyncratic” reputation for allowing themto design their own programs, in conjunction withfaculty mentors called “dons,” who also serve asEDUCATION STARTS• GROUP RESERVATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTEDWITH IMAGINATION.EDUCATION STARTS• FREE TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDES AVAILABLEWITH IMAGINATION.• JOIN VIP EDUCATORS CLUB FOR FUTUREFREE PREVIEW SCREENINGS — TO REGISTER,FAX INFORMATION TO 212.336.5028COLLEGE PRESIDENTS SERIESconstant advisors and ready resources throughouttheir college careers. SLC students don’t “majorin” subject matter and, with the exception ofexposure to the humanities, social sciences andscience and mathematics and the arts, meet curricularrequirements by participating in courseseminars and working on rigorous research projects(a couple of examples cited by the presidentinvolved national recognition and publication). Ofcourse, the monthly suppers also provide the presidentwith a chance to hear complaints, which shetakes seriously—trying to reduce occasional dormcrowding, widening social life, but essentially shetakes heart that the students volunteer that theyPresident Michele Tolela Myers“adore their courses.”“That’s the beauty of our program,” the presidentDesign-your-own studies, Dr. Myers points out, proudly declares—she gets “goose bumps” justmakes students directly responsible for their own thinking about it—the college doesn’t lock studentssuccess, a curricular way of life that has provedin, force them to declare specializations. Itparticularly attractive to students, men as well gives them broad exposure to liberal arts whereas women (a third of SLC’s students are male), they learn primarily how to learn. As the countrywho are not that comfortable with traditional grows bigger, more homogenized, SLC takes prideor mainstream colleges and who are passionate in “swimming upstream” with idiosyncratic curricula.about pursuing their own desires and needs. SoWhat all students also share—one of themany colleges seem to be simply clones of one college’s main criteria for admission—is an appreciationanother, Dr. Myers says, but there’s no mistakingof and competence in writing. “EveryoneSLC. The workload is heavy, much like graduate writes, in every class, all the time.” Retention isschool, the president adds, but admissions policieshigh. So is morale, much of it, the president says,remain competitive. Of course, demographics the result of on campus improvements that gener-have changed from the 30s. About 70 percent ous donors, mostly alums, have made possibleof SLC students come from public high schools through a capital campaign. The centerpiece is the(overwhelmingly from NY and CA), with at least Heimbold Visual Arts Center that has transformedhalf receiving major financial aid. Twenty five study in the arts and technology and the addition ofpercent are students of color. About 70 percent go much needed social spaces for students.on to graduate school. Approximately 40-45 percentThough it would seem impossible for suchmay be attracted to the visual and performing a busy person to pursue her own “inky” ways,arts, but they elect to broaden their reach. Thus, President Myers tries to manage time for a novelwhat at another college might be, for example, a she’s been working on for a number of years called“pre-med” major, at SLC is “pre-med AND”—a Something Borrowed, about plagiarism. 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NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS5INTERVIEW WITH SUZANNE WRIGHT:EDUCATION LEADER & PASSIONATE ADVOCATECORPOR ATE LEADERS IN EDUCATIONBY POLA ROSEN, Ed.D.Education Update (EU): With regard to youreducation what are some of the challenges you’vefaced and how have you met them?Suzanne Wright (SW): The biggest challengeI’ve ever faced is when my then-2-year-old grandson—ourfirst grandchild—was diagnosed withautism in March 2004. There is no way to describehow utterly devastating it was to discover thatChristian had developed a mysterious neurologicaldisorder with no known causeor cure. We watched helplesslyas this delightful, apparentlynormal little boy beganto lose his ability to interactwith the outside world. Forour entire family, it has beenheartbreaking.What made it even morechallenging was discoveringhow many of our questionshad no good answers. Whichtherapies should our grandsonhave? Which work best? Where do we go forhelp? Because of the dearth of long-range clinicalstudies on autism, there are no standard treatmentprotocols. Our family—just like every family inthis situation---was left to figure things out for ourselves.We assembled a team of specialists on ourown, willing to try anything that might help. Unlikemany other families struggling with autism, though,we were fortunate that we didn’t have to sell ourhouse or take on a huge burden of debt to pay fortreatment. The costs can be staggering.During our struggles to help our grandson, wefelt hopeless. There seemed to be nothing wecould do. But we couldn’t give up. We finally realizedthat there was something we could do. Wedecided to launch Autism Speaks in order to makea difference for our grandson and for the more than1.5 million individuals in the U.S. suffering fromautism. Autism Speaks was launched in February2005, thanks to the overwhelming response fromthe autism community and friends like Phil Geier,Mel Karmazin, and especially Bernie Marcus, whodonated $25 million to get us up and running. Sowhat began as private heartbreak has become a verypublic and heartfelt mission.This experience has been,and continues to be, the greatestchallenge of our lives,both personally as we witnessour loved ones strugglewith autism on a daily basis,and publicly as we work tofind some answers. ThroughAutism Speaks, we areraising funds for vital biomedicalresearch, promotingawareness about autism, andsupporting education programs for children withautism. We’re not going to stop until we have conqueredautism—one child, one voice at a time.EU: Who were some of your mentors?SW: I don’t have any traditional mentors butI’ll say that my husband is the person I admiremore than anyone in the world, and he has beenincredibly supportive of everything I have triedto accomplish in my life, most especially withour efforts to found Autism Speaks and makeit a significant force for positive change in theautism community.continued to page 12BOB WRIGHT: CEO & CHAIRMAN,By POLA ROSEN, Ed.D.It’s no accident that NBC Universal chairmanand CEO Bob Wright has reached the top of hisfield. His media empire includes NBC, MSNBC,CNBC, Telemundo, and Bravo, as well as stakesin the History Channel and the A&E network,among many others. He’s received the GoldenMike Award, and is a board member of New YorkPresbyterian Hospital.Talent and opportunity certainly contributed tohis success, but so too has hisextraordinary sense of discipline,work ethic and relentlessfocus on achievement.Such qualities, he admittedin a recent telephone interview,were inculcated duringhis formative years on hisnative Long Island, wherethe young Wright was educatedat an all-boys parochialhigh school, Chaminade, thatcatered to the sons of policemen,firemen and civil servants.“It was a bare bones school that produced alot of high achievers; they rapped your knuckleswith a yardstick,” Wright recalled. “It was avery strict, achievement-oriented environmentthat focused on discipline. The school’s missionto educate middle-class children is a marveloustarget. It almost guarantees success. The parentsare really interested in their children’s education.You receive a positive view of yourself, and doend up being really productive.”Such lessons were further reinforced whenWright went on to the College of the Holy Crossin Massachusetts, where he earned his undergradu-NBC UNIVERSALate degree, and at the University of Virginia LawSchool where he received his law degree.As he steadily rose on the corporate ladder,moving from the legal field to business, Wrightsaid he never “ had official mentors.” Instead, hechose to “work for people whom I’ve consideredas mentors,” among them General Electric chairman,Jack Welch. As Wright said, “I picked myjobs carefully.”Used to challenges, and clearly someone whorelishes the kinds of opportunitiesthey provide, Wrightis ready to tackle the rapidlychanging media environmentin which he now works.“Personal communications,and broad personal communications,are inevitably onthe increase,” Wright admitted.“There’s the Internet,and pod-casting, which givespeople the ability to publishtheir own opinions and makethem available to a large audience. That’s rapidlygaining attention for the foreseeable future and we’llsee more of it.” Wright recently posted his own blogon a trip to visit his reporters in Louisiana.So even though Wright represents a more traditionaland conventional media company, he finds it“exciting” to be in the thick of this new landscape.“The challenge to news organizations that havemore traditional and formal ways of presentingopinions is providing information and opinions innew ways,” he said. “Younger people, more thanolder people, are more used to hearing opinion, notcontinued to page 12

6 SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005TOWN HALL HONORS LAURIE M. TISCH & PETER YARROWBy LIZA YOUNGCelebrities and visionariesrecently gathered atthe lavish Princeton Clubfor the gala celebrationof Town Hall’s 84th season.Town Hall has a richhistory dating back overfour scores, when suffragistsbuilt the area toserve as a meeting spot tofurther their movement,and continues through thepresent day to serve asan ideal acoustical settingfor grand musical performances,while maintaininga mission of culturallyserving the communitybeginning at a young age,through programs suchas The Magic of Theatre,which uses theatre to helpchildren develop dailylife skills.President of TownHall, Marvin Leffler,expressed excitement in beginning the newseason, indicating readiness to embrace thechallenges of a dynamic cultural horizon.The celebration at the Princeton Club alsoincluded the bestowal of “Friends of the Arts”awards. President Leffler presented Laurie M.Tisch, one of today’s foremost icons in culturaladvocacy and philanthropy, with a plaque in “recognitionof abiding achievement, enrichment, andsupport of the arts.” Tisch graciously acceptedthe award, thanking her family and colleaguesfor the role they have played in her mission (offurthering the arts in education). Tisch is currentlyserving as board chair on the Campaign forEducational Equity, founded to understand and(L-R) Marvin Leffler, President, Town Hall & Dr. Charlotte Frank, Sr. V.P. McGraw-Hill; with Honorees Laurie Tisch & Peter Yarrowultimately overcome inequities in education.She praised Town Hall as “one of the greatcenters of artistic excellence” and described herfellow honoree, the legendary Peter Yarrow, ofPeter, Paul and Mary, as having “compassionand generosity…making life more meaningful,especially for children.”President Leffler, in presenting the award toYarrow, introduced him by stating: “If we hadan index card with the name Peter Yarrow onit, where would we file it, with song writers?Yes. Under songwriter, performing artist, activist,visionary…But how many would initiallythink to file him under educator?” In line withthe noble mission of Town Hall to use theChris Whittle Redesigns the AmericanPublic Education SystemBy EMILY SHERWOOD, Ph.D.“Imagine that upon your arrival at an airlineticket counter, you are told, ‘Only 70 percent ofour flights will make it to their destination. Whichwould you like, the window or the aisle?’” Andso Chris Whittle, founder and CEO of EdisonSchools, a for-profit corporation that partners withschool districts, charter boards and states to raisestudent achievement, challenges his audienceto take a fresh look at the American system ofpublic education, wherein 15 million students arefunctionally illiterate and never make it to theireducational “destinations”. Speaking at a recentluncheon of the CEI-PEA (Center for EducationalInnovation-Public Education Association) headedby Sy Fliegel, held at the Harvard Club, Whittlerefers to his new book, Crash Course (reviewedin the October 2005 Education Update) as hecontrasts public education with the profit-makingairline industry: “If 30 percent of Boeing’sairplanes were crashing into the bay, they’d say,‘We’ve got a design problem…Well, there are 13schools in this state with a 100 percent failurerate. I’d say the old design for public educationhas outlived its time!”In the style of Freakanomics authors Dubnerand Levit, Whittle peppers his remarks withoddly contrasting statistics to drive home hispoint that public education is due for a paradigmshift. “America has more illiterate children thanEngland has children.” “There are more blackmen in prison than in college.” “The US spends$27 billion on research and development inhealth care versus $260 million on R & D ineducation…We spend a hundred times more tohelp adults live longer than to allow children tolearn more…Where is the NIH of education?”The Department of Education, notes Whittle,shouldn’t be the national compliance agency, asit has become with its No Child Left Behind”mandate; instead, DOE should refocus its financesand commitment on research and developmentinitiatives to change our failing schools.Noting that cities and even states don’t have theresources to take on such large-scale R & D,Whittle urges the federal government to “createthe NASA of public education!” Whittle brandsthe lack of America’s investment in educationalR & D as a “national failure of imagination.” Andwhy have we been so negligent? Whittle claimsthat it’s because a majority of wealthy, influentialpeople in America, including our Congressionalrepresentatives, send their children to privateschools. “What would happen in New York Cityif we closed all the private schools and didn’tallow anyone to move to the suburbs? We’d havebetter public schools, that’s what we’d have,”chortles Whittle. “The key is to own this issue!”Cautioning that some of his ideas are just springboardsfor thoughtful policymaking, Whittle hassome solutions for public education up his sleeve.What if we doubled or even tripled teachers’salaries, from a NYC average of $46,000 to arange of $90-$150,000 a year, “so that people canchoose among the professions of doctor, lawyer,or teacher and it’s not an economic sacrifice tobe a teacher?” Conceding that in the current highschool model it would be “too expensive” forsociety to do that, costing $1000 more per year inan individual household’s taxes, Whittle suggestsadapting the university model where teachers arein the classroom fewer hours and students spendmore time on self-directed learning. “Whether ornot this will work for high schools, I don’t know.But I do know that we should be spending R & Dmoney to find out!”During the lively question and answer periodthat follows Whittle’s presentation, some audiencemembers take him to task on his proposedremedies. Which reading curriculumcontinued to page 7power of music to educate youngsters, Yarrow,has expanded his social crusade using musicto include furthering the moral development ofchildren. Yarrow, in 2000, founded the organization,“Operation Respect,” as part of a movementdesigned to build a culture of mutual respect andsensitivity among children.The spark for this movement was lit whenYarrow was touched, at a Folk Festival, by asong entitled, “Don’t Laugh At Me,” whose lyricsinclude: “Don’t get pleasure from my pain.”The song is used within the context of curriculumdesigned to teach children conflict resolution.Yarrow’s program has reached summer camps,girls and boys clubs, and schools throughout thecountry.Yarrow, in acceptingthe Town Hall “Friends ofthe Arts” award creditedhis mother—who taughtEnglish, speech and dramato high school students—forinspiring his work: “It wasshe who gave me a senseof the connection betweenthe arts and the humanity inpeople it can inspire.”Charlotte Frank, SeniorVice President of McGrawHill, was warmly thankedby Yarrow for her instrumentalrole in the creationof Operation Respect.Yarrow recounted theday he came to talk withFrank at a time when shewas the head of curricularinstruction.Frank, in her humorousretelling of the story, said,“I was in the middle ofworking on getting out testscores when I was told that a Peter Yarrow wasat the door. I responded that I didn’t have time.When I was told he wasn’t leaving, I asked,‘Who’s Peter Yarrow?” Frank realized he was thePeter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, and thusbegan the collaboration which Yarrow describedas “paving the way” for his mission which heconsiders as important as the one he was involvedin during the Civil Rights movement.The celebration at the Princeton Club would notbe complete without a performance by Yarrow,who played his famous “Puff the Magic Dragon”as well as “Don’t Laugh At Me,” with the audiencejoining in to sing along.#

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLSHeart Disease #1 Killer of WomenLord & Taylor hosted a “heart-healthy” breakfastfor executive women to launch the NYC partof a national campaign for awareness of heartdisease as the leading cause of death in women.Irene Pollin, author and Founder of Medical CrisisSytems stated that out of 25,000 women screenedover the years, 40 percent discovered problemsthat they never knew about. Dr. Lori Losca, cardiologistat Columbia-Presbyterian underscoredknowing our personal risk factors and exercising atleast 30 minutes per day. Cathy Moriarity-Gentile,known for her role opposite Robert DeNiro inRaging Bull, urged women to pay attention tothemselves and have screenings. Donna Hanovergraciously presided over the event radiating animage of health, exercise and sensible eating.#(L-R) Cathy Moriarty-Gentile &Donna HanoverPhoto by Diane BondareffCUNYʼs New York StateCenter for Advanced Technologyin Photonics ApplicationsSeeks7CLAREMONT PREPARATORY SCHOOLClaremont Preparatory School is the first independent on-going school to open in Manhattan in the last 50 yearsand the first nonsectarian K-8 school below Canal Street. We accommodate 1,000 children: 400 K-5 with 70 studentsper grade and 600 children 6-8 with 200 students per grade. In small classes that maximize individual attention,Claremont Prep strives to engender in its students intellectual curiosity, appreciation for the arts, athletic skill andsportsmanship and an enduring love for learning.We have recruited a faculty with myriad experience, wisdom, warmth, and developed a challenging, rich andsophisticated curriculum. Our philosophy combines the best of tradition and innovation, providing our studentswith a solid foundation in humanities, social and natural sciences, foreign languages, the arts and technology.Our Lower School students begin their educational journey by working and playing together in classrooms thatare structured yet foster independence, creativity and individuality. We encourage our youngest students to workcollaboratively, communicate effectively, seek answers and develop confidence that every goal can be achieved, aswe impart the skills necessary for future academic achievement.Our Upper School students master academic skills while they develop their abilities as conceptual, criticalthinkers. The classroom facilitates rigorous, lively analysis of ideas and issues. We encourage our students to takeintellectual risks and embrace learning as a lifelong and joyful endeavor, while we help them navigate the complexterrain of early adolescence. Claremont Prep graduates are articulate, confident and academically prepared for thechallenges of high school, college and adulthood.Our students enjoy Downtown Manhattan’s many museums and parks and a redeveloped waterfront forrecreational activities. Claremont Prep capitalizes on its unique location in the financial center of the world. Thecity becomes our classroom and a laboratory for learning. History and current affairs become tangible for our studentas they experience the political and social structure of the city firsthand. By bringing children into the heartof government and commerce and by drawing upon its resources through courses, speakers and field trips, weencourage student to understand economics, politics and urbanism.Claremont Prep is located at 41 Broad Street, just south of Wall Street and convenient to public transportation.Our home, the former Bank of America International Building, was built in 1929. Its grand hall, adorned withresorted historic murals, houses our new auditorium and performing arts center. We have developed a state-ofthe-artfacility of over 100,000 square feet of classrooms, art studios, language, science and computer labs, a library,cafeteria, outdoor play spaces and regulation gym and a swimming pool.#CP-Ed For information Update and 080205 admissions, 8/1/05 please call 8:36 212-232-0266 PM Page 1New York State companies to support its cuttingedge research and help the companies with theirproduct development in homeland defense, lasertechnology, semiconductor devices and opticalimaging. This partnership includes hands-ontraining programs in photonics research forundergraduate and graduate students, includingunderrepresented minorities and women.Contact: Dr. Myron Wecker, (212) 650-8261mwecker@ee.ccny.cuny.eduwww.cunyphotonics.comKindergarten — Eighth GradeCLAREMONT PREPARATORY SCHOOLis the first independent ongoing school to open in Manhattan in50 years and the first nonsectarian, K-8 school below Canal Street.We are located just south of Wall Street and convenient to publictransportation. Our new facility of over 100,000 square feetincludes state-of-the-art classrooms, art studios, language andscience labs. Students enjoy a brand new library, cafeteria, outdoorplay spaces, a regulation gym and a swimming pool.For more information, CALL 212-232-026641 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004 • Tel 212.232.0266 • Fax 212.232.0284 • www.claremontprep.org

8 SPECIAL EDUCATION ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005NYU Child Study Center LaunchesPublic Education CampaignLook out this Halloween for a caped avengeradorning telephone kiosks around New YorkCity. This boy, featured on one of the first adsin the NYU Child Study Center’s public educationcampaign, suffers from Tourette’s. Likemany other children in New York City who feelashamed about their disorder, he attempts to hidebehind his mask and cape.More than 10 million children and adolescentsin the United States suffer from a diagnosablepsychiatric illness, and nearly 70 percent neverreceive treatment. These disorders rob childrenof the ability to learn, make and keep friendsand enjoy life. The NYU Child Study Centerhas announced the launch of a children’s mentalhealth public education campaign so kids withTourette’s and other mental health disorders don’thave to feel ashamed any more.With this campaign the Child Study Centerhopes to raise awareness of these disorders andprovide information on how parents can get helpfor their children. The campaign, which consistsof five color ads, was designed pro bono byBBDO New York. Display space on telephonekiosks around New York City was donated byVan Wagner Communications. The ads will alsoappear in The New York Observer, New YorkMagazine and Education Update.“We are extremely grateful for the generosityof BBDO New York and Van WagnerCommunications,” said Harold S. Koplewicz,M.D., director of the NYU Child Study Center.“Their contributions have allowed us to create acampaign that will help parents, educators and thegeneral public recognize the signs that their childrenmay be suffering from a mental health disorder.”Each of the five ads focuses on a differentdisorder including: Anxiety, Tourette’s Disorder,Depression, Attention Deficit HyperactivityDisorder, and Learning Disorders.One of the first ads to appear will highlightTic and Tourette’s Disorder with the headline“Sometimes the hardest part about being a kidis being a kid.” The ad provides additionalinformation on the disorder, “Being a childis not easy if you are one of the 20 percent ofschool-age children affected by Tic disorders.Children with Tourette’s, a chronic tic disorder,often also have problems with attention oranxiety. Tics and Tourette’s are very treatable,but if ignored can have a negative impact ona child’s self-esteem and development. MostTic disorders begin around age six, but canstart as early as age three. Early interventionis crucial.”The campaign also directs the public toAboutOurKids.org, the NYU Child StudyCenter’s website, where scientifically soundinformation on mental health and parenting canbe accessed including: The Parent Letter, over300 parent-friendly articles, and a comprehensiveA-Z Disorder Guide.“This advertising was designed to help createawareness of the NYU Child Study Center and tolet people know that there is a place in New YorkCity for families and children to get help withthese issues,” said Scott Higgins, BBDO NewYork Art Director on the project, “We are proudto have been a part of this effort.” #The NYU Child Study Center is dedicated tothe understanding, prevention and treatment ofchild and adolescent mental health problems.The Center offers expert psychiatric services forchildren and families with emphasis on earlydiagnosis and intervention.Founded in 1884, Staten Island Academy is an independent, collegepreparatory school educating students from pre-kindergarten throughhigh school. Whether in the classroom, through community service,on the playing fields or theater stage, the Academy difference shinesin every student.For upcoming Admission Open Houses, call 718.987.8100Staten Island Academy715 Todt Hill Road, Staten Island, NYwww.statenislandacademy.org

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ SPECIAL EDUCATION9Do college age students diagnosed witheither ADHD or Learning Disabilities haverights to accommodations in college. If sowhat is the procedure?It is controversial. Rights of college aged studentsare typically protected under the AmericanWith Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights lawnot a education law. The crux of the controversyis whether this law applies to all schools or justpublic schools and to what extent. This is whyseeking the advice of a civil rights attorney ishelpful in this area. Generally speaking differentschools have degrees of accommodations and eachhave different procedures. However, all schoolsrequire formal documentation of the presenceand history of the disability. If this is somethingimportant to you, then it is advised to inquire withthe schools concerned, as to what their policiesregarding accommodations for students diagnosedwith ADHD or Learning Disabilities are. If theyoffer no accommodations then it may be prudent tosearch for a school that does meet your needs.My 6 year- old child was recently diagnosedwith Learning Disabilities and I am feelingvery guilty. Is it my fault? Could I have doneanything to prevent it?No. It is clear that you didn’t intentionally giveyour child a learning disability. Currently theexact cause of Learning Disabilities is unknown.It seems that the interaction of biological and environmentalfactors contribute to the development ofGROUP FOR ADHD - ASK THE CLINICIANthese learning issues. At any rate it is more productiveto concentrate on the rehabilitation of anytype of disability than on whom or what to blame.It is beneficial for you to learn strategies to helpyour child. For example, you can learn to advocatefor your child in school. You can also learnabout the services that are available for your child.In addition, it is important for you to discover supportservices for yourself. You will need help tohone in your own skills in parenting a child withspecial needs. There are books and programs thatwill offer you skills to use at home which reinforcesremediation of your child’s difficulties. And finally,you will probably need some help in dealing withyour own frustrations and concerns.Is ADHD more prevalent in this generation?If yes, then why?The real question is whether the diagnosis ofADHD is more prevalent to which the answer isyes. It is not clear whether the increased rate ofdiagnosis is due to more occurrences or whetherit is due to increasingly sophisticated diagnostictools. Recent research has provided moreknowledge about the nature of the disorder andconsequently heightened the awareness of ADHD.An advantage of such research is the developmentof improved instruments that are more sensitivelyattuned to symptoms of ADHD. Therefore, manychildren who used to be labeled as simply lazyor unmotivated are now appropriately recognizedas suffering from ADHD. The disadvantage ofthis heightened awareness is that diagnosticianstend to over-generalize the symptoms of ADHDcriteria. Attention and concentration problemscan also occur due to emotional stress, anxiety,and depression and not just the neuropsychologicalimpairment of ADHD. Due to the increasedawareness of the disorder, clinicians may oftenrely too heavily on their subjective judgment andless on objective psychometric tools. As a result,many kids are being given the “title” of ADHDwith less accuracy hence the increased rate ofdiagnoses. Regardless of a formal diagnosis, ifyour child is having trouble, it is always a goodidea to seek help.#Group for ADHD is a private mental healthclinic in Manhattan, founded by Lenore Ruben,LMSW, CHT, EMDR, and Orly Calderon, Psy.D.,a NYS licensed psychologist.The mission of Group For ADHD is to createeffective methods of coping with ADHD and LD byfocusing on the individual’s strengths.Please email your questions to:info@GroupForADHD.orgsubject line: Ask the clinician.Winter 2005 Open House:Satruday, April 9Satruday, March 12Satruday, April 30Satruday, April 9Open House Hours: 9am - 2pmSatruday, April 30Open House Hours: 9am - 2pm•

10 SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005NEIGHBORHOODS—EAST END AVENUESuburbs in the City?By MARSHA MACK FRANCESFamilies love living on East End Avenue becauseof Carl Schurz Park, spectacular river views, theAsphalt Green with its Olympic size pool andelegant schools [such as Spence, Chapin, andDalton], the FDR and the whole city. The newdevelopment at 170 East End designed by PeterMarino will enhance the aura of luxury that East Schools &YouConsultations For ParentsMaking Choices PreK-8th GradeBrooklyn & ManhattanPublic & Independent Schools718-230-8971www.schoolsandyou.comEnd Avenue offers and will have a squash court,among other family amenities. 180 East End evenhas a rooftop pool with dazzling city views. MayorBloomberg may choose to live in his other mansion,but past mayors Guliani, Dinkins, and Kochwere often seen at barber shops, local spots, andpolling places asking “ how am I doing?”Quieter than downtown, with more dogs andcats, lined with trees, well policed and safe,and with prewar and postwar coops and thecities newest high end condo, and with historicNEW LEADERS FOR NEW SCHOOLSMore than ever before, our nation’s prosperity and democracy depend on whether we drive dramaticchange in schools so that all of our young people—not just a few—reach high levels of achievement andknowledge. The evidence is clear: the leadership of effective principals is fundamental to school improvementand success.Yet at just the time that school change and effective leadership are more urgent than ever, urban schools arefacing shortages of qualified principals due to rising retirements, record student enrollments, and the uniqueneeds of the growing charter and small schools movements. In New York City, given the low student achievementand the retirement of 56 percent of the principal corps in the last five years, the need for exceptionalleaders is great. To meet these challenges, we must expand the pool of outstanding future school leaders andcreate an alternative pathway for them into successful principal positions.New Leaders for New Schools is a national nonprofit organization devoted to promoting high academicachievement for every child by attracting, preparing and supporting the next generation of outstandingleaders for our nation’s public schools. Founded in 2000, we have created intensive leadership recruitmentand development programs in partnerships with large urban school districts including Baltimore, Chicago,Memphis, New York City, Oakland, and Washington, D.C. New Leaders for New Schools aggressively attractsextremely talented people to become urban school principals. We provide rigorous, hands-on training, whichincludes coursework and a year-long residency, and provide our New Leaders with ongoing support, includingnetworking and a life-long community of peers.To date, there are 237 New Leaders influencing the lives of 118,000 students across the nation. As one of NewLeaders for New Schools founding cities, the New York program is focused on making a wide impact acrossthe City, with 56 New Leaders impacting 28,000 students. By 2008, we will have 100 New Leaders impactingthe lives of 50,000 students across New York. We project New Leaders will lead 11percent of the entire NewYork City school system by 2012. We are dedicated to leaders with dreams of creating and leading schools thatcan prepare every child for the 21st century.We encourage you to learn more about New Leaders for New Schools by visiting our website atwww.nlns.org.Orientation Fairs For Parents ofPre-School Children With DisabilitiesThe New York City Department of Education(DOE) announced that each of the DOE’s tenregions will host orientation fairs in Novemberfor parents of pre-school children with disabilitiesentering kindergarten in the fall of 2006. Thefairs will provide information about the transitionfrom pre-school to school-age special educationservices, including the timeline for evaluationand recommendations for kindergarten programs.Each year, approximately 10,000 pre-school childrenwith disabilities enter kindergarten and earlyparental involvement is essential to ensuring asmooth transition. The orientation fairs will beheld in each of the ten regions throughout themonth of November. At each fair, senior specialeducation administrators, including District 75personnel, will be on hand presenting informationand answering questions. Parents will begiven an orientation guide that summarizes thetransition and will be invited to sign up for toursof representative school-age programs. Parentsseeking information may call 311 or visit theDOE website at http://www.nycenet.edu/Parents/Essentials/Special+Education/Documents.htmwhere the schedule of orientation fairs and orientationguide are available.#Henderson row houses, there are many familysized residences in the mid range of Manhattanprices. With Doctors Hospital demolished andtwo new luxury buildings developed in the area,East End Avenue is in transition. Inspired byits founders George and Annette Murphy andsupported by many prestigious neighbors TheAsphalt Green has an outdoor astro-turf field,fitness center, children’s theater, Olympic-sizedpool, indoor track and basketball courts andis the hub of children’s sports activities all yearLYCÉE FRANÇAIS DE NEW YORK505 EAST 75th STREET, NEW YORK, NY10021. Multicultural and bilingual Private school70 years experience inFrench-American Education. Graduates attend the most prestigiousNorth American colleges and universities as well asFrench institutions of higher learning,. New York High School Diploma andPreparation for the Baccalaureatround. The Asphalt Green features a full scheduleof organized and school athletics. This neighborhoodis a refuge from the hustle, bustle, noise,and the commerce of other parts of Manhattan.After living here for thirty five years I still seethis as a place where our children’s children willplay, go to school, make lifelong friends andexplore this wonderful city, feeling proud of theirneighborhood.#Marsha Mack Frances is Executive VicePresident with Douglas Elliman Real Estate.. More than 50 nationalities representedfrom nursery to 12th gradeThe Dwight SchoolThe DwightTheSchool is aDwightcoeducational, collegeSchoolpreparatory schoolproviding a traditional, individualized, and challenging course of study.Dwight offers the highly-regarded International Baccalaureate Programin The Nursery Dwight - Grade TheSchool Twelve. is a Dwightcoeducational, college Schoolpreparatory schoolThe providing a School traditional, is comprised individualized, of families and challenging from the Greater course New of study. 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November Please contact 2, 2005November 22, September 22, 2005 the Admissions Office * at QuestDecember 1, 2005October 6, 2005November 15, 2005Nursery November 17, SchoolNovember 10, 20052005(212) 724-2146, ext. 1 or at admisssions@dwight.eduNovember 17, 2005 Open Housesto reserve your* QuestDecember 1, 2005October 6, 18, 2005place.November 15, 2005Nursery SchoolOctober November 18, 2, 2005November 17, 2005November Open Houses 22, 2005September November 2, 17, 22, 2005* QuestNovember 22, 2005December September 1, 22, 2005 2005October November 6, 2005 17, 2005A reservation is required. October Please 18, contact 2005 * Quest the Admissions Office atDecember 1, 2005October 6, 2005(212) October 724-2146, 18, 2005 ext. 1 or at admisssions@dwight.edu November 2, 2005 to reserve your place.November A reservation 2, 2005 is required. November Please 17, contact 2005 the Admissions Office at(212) November A 724-2146, reservation 17, 2005 ext. is 1 required. or at admisssions@dwight.edu Please contact the Admissions to reserve Office your at place.(212) 724-2146, ext. 1 or at admisssions@dwight.edu to reserve your place.A reservation is required. Please contact the Admissions Office atA reservation is required. (212) 724-2146, Please contact ext. 1 the or Admissions at admisssions@dwight.edu Office at to reserve your place. (212) 724-2146, ext. 1 or at admisssions@dwight.edu to reserve your place.

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS11A POTENTIAL WIN FOR ALLBy RANDIWEINGARTEN,UFT PRESIDENTAfter almost two years of abitter struggle, New York City’spublic school teachers havereached a tentative agreementwith the city that has the potential to be good newsfor educators, students, administrators and all NewYorkers who care about our schools.As I write this, more than 100,000 educatorsacross the city are in the process of ratifyingthis agreement, which the United Federation ofTeachers’ Executive Board and Delegate Assemblyhave overwhelmingly approved.I am cautiously optimistic it will be ratified,but there is no denying that many of our city’seducators are angry. Despite being ignored at thebargaining table for far too long, teachers rolledup their sleeves and worked hard with our kids toproduce record test results.They did this while making 15 percent lessthan their colleagues in the surrounding suburbs—and while watching their professional judgmentswapped for rigid classroom mandates dictatingeverything from exact lesson timing to the arrangementof chairs in their classrooms.This agreement helps to rectify the problems ofthe last two years. It provides a much-needed payincrease—15 percent over 52 months and morethan 33 percent when combined with our lastcontract. It will allow New York City’s schools tobetter compete with the suburbs for teachers andhelp attract and retain quality teachers—a goal thatall people who care about schools share. Salariesfor future new teachers would rise to $42,512 from$39,000 and the top salary would go to $93,416from $81,232. At the same time, the teachers, whoalready work so many extra hours outside of school,are putting in more time in exchange for a portion ofthe increase in this and the 2002 contract.The agreement removes onerous micromanagementfrom the classroom. For two years, educatorshave sought an answer to their plea to “let teachersteach.” This agreement puts the professional judgmentof teachers back in the classroom where itbelongs. No longer will teachers be disciplined forthe format of bulletin boards, the arrangement ofclassroom furniture and the exact duration of lessonunits.It also provides some common sense safeguardsto the changes the mayor and the chancellor soughtand retains important due process measures foreducators such as tenure.Though principals will have more leeway toassign teachers to such things as homeroom, hallpatrol and cafeteria duty during professional activityperiods, there are important protections againstharassment or bad management. And city officialshave agreed that if they are wrong and principalsbegin to harass teachers, they will reopen the provisionof the contract concerning critical letters inteachers’ personnel files.Students in need of extra help particularlybenefit under the new pact, which adds 10minutes to the school day for tutorials andtest preparation. This new use of extendedtime—a provision that changed four times infour years—will establish a uniform school day.Except for multi-session schools and District 75,(special education) children will go to school for6 hours and 20 minutes, and children who needit will get intensive help in small groups of 10 orfewer students to be held after school Mondaythrough Thursday for 37 1/2 minutes.The pact also creates a bachelor’s degree salaryline of at least $32,500 for paraprofessionals,finally helping to make the position the middleclass job it should be.With this agreement, educators make importantgains while preserving core rights. It keeps educatorson the path to more competitive pay whileproviding principals with the additional discretionthey sought. But the discretion does not come withoutappropriate protections for teachers. Now it isup to management to use the changes in a way thatrespects educators and helps children.I hope we can put the struggles of recent yearsbehind us and use this agreement as a starting pointfor more collaboration and respect for the greatwork our educators do. They and our 1.1 millionschool children deserve no less.#MANHATTAN MEDIA HONORSOUTSTANDING SCHOOLS WITH2005 BLACKBOARD AWARDSBy MICHELLE DESARBORepresentatives from 28 of New York City’smost outstanding schools recently gathered at 1Time Warner Center for the 2005 BlackboardAwards, a ceremony recognizing public, private,independent and charter schools that foster communityand excellence in education. Attendees includedAssemblyman Steve Sanders, Scott Stringer,Jonathan Bing, and Senator Liz Krueger.Sponsored by Manhattan Media, Accenture, andWachovia, the celebration began with a sumptuousand elegant spread of hors d’oeuvres andwine. Manhattan Newspaper Group ExecutiveEditor Christopher Moore welcomed the crowd,reading a letter from Mayor Bloomberg offeringcongratulations and gratitude to award recipientsfor their hard work. Manhattan Media Presidentand CEO Tom Allon introduced Pulitzer Prizewinningauthor and Master of Ceremonies FrankMcCourt. Allon, a good friend of McCourt,recalled meeting the former Stuyvesant HighSchool English teacher for dinner one eveningwhere he expressed his dream of having his ownnewspaper column. “ ‘Everyone reviews music,movies, and television shows. Meanwhile, publichouses, schools, and houses of worship arethe most important institutions in our society andno one ever reviews them,’ ” remarked McCourt,much to Allon’s amusement.McCourt’s observations were just as full of witand truth from behind the podium. “Teaching is oneof the most neglected professions in this country,”said the author. “The most dramatic place in thiscountry is not the courtroom, but the classroom. It’svery subtle, but you’re always dealing with moraland ethical issues. It’s also very dramatic whenyou are dealing with teenagers they’re constantlyin love and full of hormones!” McCourt then presentedawards to elementary, middle, and highschools in the Outstanding, Rising Star, and Newand Noteworthy categories. Some schools wereawarded special citations, while others receivedrecognition from corporate sponsors.Outstanding elementary schools includedP.S. 290 (Manhattan New School), the EthicalCulture School/Fieldston Lower, and Holy Nameof Jesus School. P.S. 333 (Manhattan Schoolfor Children), Allen-Stevenson School, and St.Hilda’s and St. Hugh’s received Rising Starawards, while Philosophy Day School was thewinner in the New and Noteworthy category.Learning Spring Elementary School receivedSpecial Citation.In the Middle Schools category, M.S. 255 (SalkSchool of Science) and Rodeph Sholom Schoolwere deemed Outstanding, and Nightingale-Bamford School was the recipient of theManhattan Mortgage Award for OutstandingMiddle School. Rising Star Middle Schoolsincluded J.H.S. 104 (Simon Baruch), ManhattanCountry School, and St. Aloysius School.Special citation was given to Merrick Academy,Renaissance Charter School, Bronx PreparatoryCharter School, KIPP Academy Charter School,and Amber Charter School.Among the High Schools, Bronx High Schoolof Science, Columbia Grammar and PreparatorySchool, and Regis High School fell under theMarsha Mack Frances,Executive Vice President212-650-4829200 EEA, #9AMove right into this mint condition home with beautiful river and city views throughout. Gracious foyer leadsto elegant living room with enclosed balcony that adds another dimension to the living room. New windowedkitchen with high quality appliances, honed black absolute marble counter-tops. Three Master Bedrooms.Two beautiful new marble Baths. Excellent closet space. Great building. Fabulous light on high floor. Maintenanceincludes all utilities A very special family apartment. 2% flip tax.Douglas Elliman Real Estate • 980 Madison Avenue Gallery • New York, NY 10021Open House October November 19th 30, at 6:15 9:00 pm am RSVPi Outstanding category. Rising Stars included UrbanAcademy Laboratory High School, RiverdaleCountry School and Cristo Rey New YorkHigh School. Lower East side Preparatory HighSchool received the Steve Zimmerman AccentureTechnology Award, and Special Citation went toLouis D. Brandeis High School and ManhattanComprehensive Night and Day School.The principals and vice principals who acceptedthe awards expressed their delight and gratitudebehind the podium. “I have a great job,”said Salk School of Science principal SusieSmith. “A couple of days ago, I broke up anargument between two students who were fightingover who would get the last copy of a book inour library.” Lower East Side Preparatory HighSchool principal Martha Polin, who acceptedthe Accenture Technology Award, said, “I’mthe luckiest principal in New York City. I havea school full of 17 to 22-year-olds that no oneelse seems to want. But I’ll take them any day.They really want to graduate. They really wantthe American dream immigrant and Americanstudents alike. They want to work for it.”Winning schools went through a 3-part evaluationprocess. After students, teachers, and parents filledout an Internet survey, an advisory board assessedthe results and, based on editorial judgment at theWest Side Spirit, received recognition. #For more information on how to participate inthe Blackboard Awards, visit http://www.blackboardawards.com.

12 SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005Gilder Lehrman Institute RecognizesHistory Teacher of the YearThe Gilder Lehrman Institute of American Historyrecently announced the 2005 History Teacher ofthe Year Award to Rosanne Lichatin, a U.S. historyteacher at West Morris Central High Schoolin Chester, New Jersey. Mrs. Lichatin’s 30-yearcareer in education includes experience in bothelementary and secondary levels of instruction. Shecurrently teaches a Pre-Advanced Placement U.S.History I class as well as U.S. History II, and isactively involved in the International BaccalaureateProgram as a mentor for students doing research inthe area of history. Mrs. Lichatin is a member ofthe National Council for History Education and theOrganization of American Historians. In addition,she is a co-advisor of the National History Club,which was launched in 2003 at West Morris CentralBob Wrightcontinued from page 5with opinions. It’s a growing phenomenon. There’llbe people who’ll willingly try to get other straightfacts, and they don’t have a problem with that. Andolder people are increasingly comfortable withopinions. It’s a growing phenomenon. There’ll bepeople who’ll willingly try to get other opinions, atone end or the other end of the spectrum.”Although his work as head of a major broadcastingcompany is truly a 24/7 commitment, Wrightnevertheless has embraced volunteer roles that aredeeply significant to him and his family. As a trusteeof his alma mater, Holy Cross, Wright understandsthat his mission is to assist the small, private liberalarts college in its fund-raising needs. “I’m there toraise funds, and contribute funds,” Wright acknowledged.“My expertise lends benefits to the board, athelping with fund-raising efforts and contributing tothe business agenda. We want to create a sufficientSuzanne Wrightcontinued from page 5High School. Laura Bush, First Lady of the UnitedStates, presented Mrs. Lichatin with her award at aceremony in New York City on October 14th.Inaugurated in 2004 by Preserve America, theHistory Teacher of the Year Award is designed topromote, celebrate, encourage and honor the teachingof U.S. history in America’s classrooms. TheGilder Lehrman Institute was selected by PreserveAmerica and the White House to coordinate andpresent this annual award, which honors one outstandingK-12 teacher of American history fromeach state and U.S. territory.History teachers at every level, from elementarythrough high school, are eligible for nomination,and each state winner is a finalist for thenational award. #endowment to match more prestigious schools.”Recently, Wright and his wife, who live inConnecticut and have three grown children, learnedthat one of their grandchildren was autistic. InFebruary of this year, they launched a foundationto promote awareness of the autism epidemic andto raise funds to support autism research. AutismSpeaks is working with the Ad Council to create anational campaign to promote awareness of the earlysigns of autism and to encourage early detectionand intervention. Autism Speaks is also a leadingadvocate for the Combating Autism Act, currentlypending before Congress. “This law would morethan double Federal funding for autism research andwould increase resources in every state for the earlydiagnosis and treatment of children with autism,”said Wright. “This is perhaps the most importantthing to happen short of a cure.” Autism Speaks alsohas a comprehensive website for families strugglingwith autism at www.austismspeaks.org.#EU: Are there any memorable teachers orschool anecdotes that you would like to sharewith our readers?SW: I decided to go to college after my youngestchild was out of the house. It’s something I alwaysdreamed of doing —but I had no idea it would be sochallenging. I spent many a night practically in tearsat the kitchen table trying to write my term papers.It’s one of the most rewarding accomplishments ofmy life and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.Bob was absolutely wonderful through thewhole process, always encouraging me and makingme believe that I could do it. And believe me, therewere times when I sat in the classroom surroundedby 20-year-olds and wondered what I was trying toprove. But I’m grateful for the experience...and thediploma. No one can take that away from me.EU: Your website reaches parents and professionals.How do you plan to increase the numbersof visitors to the site?SW: Our new website is designed for two differenttypes of users; those who want to becomeinformed about autism and those who want to getinvolved with Autism Speaks. Our “be informed”track takes users through the information they needif they have a newly diagnosed family member,providing information about therapy options, treatmentsand legal rights. Of particular interest in our“be informed” area is a new special feature called“expert find” that enables users to input their zipcode and be provided with a list of autism serviceproviders and medical professionals in their area.Our “be involved” track provides users with theopportunity to get involved in our many AutismSpeaks fundraising events and to make secureonline donations. We also have a news sectionthat is updated several times a day with the latestnews from the autism world, including scientificresearch studies, articles from around the globe,lectures and seminars, and news regarding autismlegislation. And our popular ”In Our Own Words”column allows our users to share their personalstories with our community. By being a comprehensivesite with new material every day we believewe will become the number one Internet portal forthe autism community.EU: Are there any plans for increasingresearch?SW: Our primary goal at Autism Speaks is toraise money to support autism research. We havejust released an RFP soliciting grant proposals of upto $100,000. In particular, we are targeting establishedscientists at major universities who have notworked in the autism field. Our goal is to attract thebest and brightest minds to autism research.EU: Are there any plans to increase the numberof public and private school programs forautistic children?SW: As the number of children diagnosed withautism grows, the demand for schools and servicesalso increases. In the past few years there has beengrowth in the number of programs and treatmentproviders for people with autism, but not nearlyenough to support the huge and growing populationof autistic individuals. It is also important forus to work with state and local agencies to ensurethat parents and adults with autism are able to getmedical reimbursement for autism treatments andtherapies. Autism is a medical diagnosis and yetmost therapies and treatments are still not coveredby medical insurance.EU: How can we build a national organizationand build legislative awareness?SW: Autism Speaks seeks to be a strong unifyingvoice for autism awareness and legislation.We are working with the Ad Council to create amajor new public service campaign that will createnational awareness of developmental milestonesand of the importance of early diagnosis and earlyintervention. In addition, Autism Speaks has takena leadership role in supporting the CombatingAutism Act of 2005, currently pending beforeCongress, which calls for more than doublingfederal funding for autism research. The bill wouldalso create screening programs and early interventionstandards in all 50 states.#

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLSON LOCATION EDUCATION:SCHOOL WITHOUT WALLSBy GILLIAN GRANOFFIn the late 1980s, Alan Simon, a Brooklynnative and aspiring actor was making a living asa per diem substitute teacher. Though the salarywas stable, he felt dissatisfied. “I always felt likeone of the kids,” he says. Simon had always harboredthe dream of becoming an actor. Althoughhe never formally studied acting, his theatricalnature drew him to the field. His parents’ belief inthe value of education influenced Alan to pursueformal studies in college where he majored inEnglish with a minor in Education.In 1980 he was hired by the musical Frankensteinto work as a tutor on set. He never anticipatedthat this temporary assignment would evolveinto a career.A year and half later he was approached by acolleague who suggested the idea of a starting atutoring service for young actors.Simon’s discouragement was soon dispelled twoyears later in the fall of 1982 when he was hiredsimultaneously by the production company of EasyMoney to tutor kids on set and on the productionof Almost an Eagle. He then tutored child actorson both the Cosby Show and Kate and Ally. Thebusiness expanded when the show Les Miserablesrequested that he hire teachers in the local citieson tour. The once simple project, now called OnLocation Education, has expanded and built itscredibility within both the education and entertainmentindustries.Simon insists that the relationship with the homeschool is an essential barometer for the child’sprogress. Some teachers provide syllabi and OnLocation keeps a portfolio of the student’s progressfor review by teachers in his home school.In 1995, Simon’s business faced an obstacle withschools that were forcing children to make a choicebetween formal enrollment in school or pursuingtheir acting. Simon conceived of The School forYoung Performers in response to this need. Hedeveloped a new component of the business thatallowed students to earn academic credit whileworking on set. The school, with an accreditedNew York State K-12 curriculum has been coined“A School Without Walls” providing teachers onsite that easily accommodate a schedule of workingactors traveling with a production.The School for Young Performers currently enrolls60 students, including kids of the Ringling Brothersand Barnum and Bailey Circus. Ringling Brothershires the teachers and On Location Educationprovides head hunters for teachers and overseesstudent progress, as well as providing exclusiveon-set enrollment.Teacher recruitment is a major component of thebusiness. When selecting teachers, Simon looksfor candidates who have a sense of humor andflexibility. The school recruits college graduateswho are considering a fulltime teaching career aswell as retired teachers who enjoy a flexible scheduleand the travel it provides. Simon describesideal candidates as “mavericks,” people who likethe life on the road.It is not at all uncommon, Simon statesfor parents looking for an alternative to homeschooling to enroll their child in the School forYoung Performers as well as hiring On LocationEducation to provide additional tutoring.Alan Simon who once dreamed of being onstage himself struck the ideal balance betweenwork that integrates his two passions. Both components,On Location Education and The Schoolfor Young Performers combines his belief in educationwith his dedication and love for the fieldof entertainment. He sees himself as advocateon behalf of the child. In addition to lobbying onbehalf of child labor laws, and procuring workpermits for his clients, he has worked in New Yorkfor a bill to set aside accounts for children in theindustry. He stays informed within the industryand is the Co-Chair of the Screen Actors GuildYoung Performers Committee. He is also active inActors Equity, American Federation of Teachers,and educates both parents and children throughseminars on college campuses on how to integrateeducation with a career.The proof of Simon’s success lies in the work ofits graduates, and its list of clientele among whomare Natalie Portman, and members of The Sopranos,and The Lion King. For young child actors, athletesand others who struggle with the decision to pursuea careerin entertainment,Simonhelps them toThe Salvation TherapeuticFoster Boarding Home Programis looking for individuals tobecome a part of our team andHelp a Child in NeedWe are looking for homes inBrooklyn and Manhattan.You will receive a generous stipendto cover your expenses.The Marvelwood SchoolA Guided Journey to Achievementbalance careerwith study.On LocationEducation andthe Schoolfor YoungPerformersoffers themthe chance tonurture theirtalents whilek e e p i n gtheir optionsopen.# 131-800-440-9107 or 860 927-0047www.marvelwood.orgEmail: admissions@marvelwood.org• Grades 9 – 12• College prep curriculum• 4:1 student teacher ratio• Community service• Full interscholastic sports program,clubs• Excellent faculty: friendly, supportive• Summer school program forgrades 7-11, focusing on reading,writing, ESL, and math skills• Beautiful mountaintopcampus: hiking, canoeing, biking,fishing

14 MUSIC, ART, & DANCE ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005CAREERS: CHANA MLOTEK, FOLK SONGSThe Woman Isaac Bashevis Singer Called“The Sherlock Holmes of Yiddish Music”Michael Tilson Thomas & Chana MlotekBy JOAN BAUM, Ph.D.Belying her age by years, the sturdy octogenarianmoves with purpose and quiet determination, upthe steps, down the steps, across the floor, finallypropelling visitors into a small office wonderfullycrammed with books, many by her—hundreds ofsongs and poems and oral histories. A couple ofphotos of herself being hugged by the famouscomposer and conductor Michael Tilson Thomasmodestly adorn the wall, though it could easily bewallpapered with honorary plaques and certificates,including the Lifetime Achievement Award shereceived two years ago from the YIVO* MilkenArchive of American Jewish Music and the JewishTheological Seminary at an international conferencein New York on Jewish Music in America.At that time the much-loved and admired writerfor the Jewish Forward, whose detective column,Perl fun der yiddisher poezye –“Pearls of YiddishPoetry,” a unique bi-weekly which includes a Q &A” and a “Readers Recall Songs” section, vowedthat she would not be slowing down. “Every daythere’s something new to be done.” Now, two yearslater, the indefatigable Chana Mlotek is still deepin research, chasing down answers to queries thatpour in from readers and fans all over the worldabout Yiddish music. Indeed, as she starts to speakto her visitors, the phone rings. “You need art musicsongs? When would you like to come in? “Thecomputer in back of her blinks with a full screenof emails. When the archival world started goingdigital, the energetic Chana Mlotek learned aboutcomputers. No generation gap for her. Her son,Kalman, a composer, conductor, arranger, and theexecutive director of the Folksbiene Theatre, theoldest Yiddish theatre in the world, assists with thecolumn, her older son Mark is on the board. ButChana is at the helm.The Mloteks—husband Joseph, who died a fewyears ago, and was Chana’s soul mate and partner—were a formidable team for decades, sharing thecolumn and pursuing and publishing original andtransliterated versions of Yiddish scores and texts,providing historical accounts of provenance, contextand significance—Hasidic and liturgical pieces,ballads, sad shtetl songs about orphans and youngwomen left alone and glad songs about rabbis, weddingsand dancing. The Mloteks also tracked downtheatre music, operettas. poets, composers, authorsof Holocaust poetry. Shoshtakovitch, Chana notes,was particularly taken with Yiddish music, as wereRavel, Prokofiev, Gershwin. Much of what Chanaand Joseph identified would otherwise have neverbeen known because so much was destroyed or lostin the war. A letter arrives from a survivor who hadbeen a child in a concentration camp. One day, herecalls, a boy sang “My Yiddishe Mama” so movinglythat the Nazi officer gave the Jews anotherbowl of soup. Chana publishes the account. A weeklater, a letter arrives: I was the boy who sang thesong. A week later, another letter—I was in thatcamp, it happened. (The song, written in 1925 byJack Yellen and Lew Pollack, was made famous afew years later by Sophie Tucker.) Other examplesonly hint at the extent of Chana Mlotek’s sleuthing.She discovered, for example, the oldest pieceof extant Yiddish music so far—an 1892 song bySholem Aleichem, who wrote it in Odessa and waslater set to music by a student.American born (her parents came from WhiteRussia, her husband Joseph from Poland afterthe war), Eleanor “Chana” Gordon, who got aB.A. from Hunter College and then took graduatecourses at UCLA, where she met Joseph in 1948,was, along with Joseph, one of 12 participants inthe first course in Jewish and Yiddish folklore atan American university. Why the great interest inYiddish today, particularly in Eastern Europeancountries and Germany? Chana needs no momentto reflect: Klezmer, for one, a movement to attractyoung people to music and Judaism. But shealso points out that the third generation, movingaway from assimilated parents who did not wantto talk about their own parents or the Holocaust,is embracing Yiddishkeit, Yiddish culture, withjoy, part of ethnic America’s search for roots.The symbol of Yiddish folksongs, incidentally, isthe Golden Peacock. Want to know why? Machschnell to 15 W. 16th Street and to the remarkableChana Mlotek.#*YIVO (www.yivoinstitute.org), the YiddishScientific Institute for Jewish Research, founded in1925 in Vilna, Poland (Lithuania) and since 1940,headquartered in NY, is “the world’s preeminentresource center for East European Jewish Studies.”CAREERS: ANA MARIA MARTINEZ, OPERABy JOAN BAUM, Ph.D.It comes as a surprise to learn that this “beautifulwoman with the fascinating voice,” as theLondon Times referred to her recently, “one ofthe most sophisticated of lyric sopranos singingtoday,” is just this month making her debut atthe Metropolitan Opera. Perhaps one reason liesin scheduling—Ana Maria Martinez, the ladywith the “velvety mezzoish half-tints in the midand bottom range” and “gleaming top” notes,has been making debuts all over the countryand in Europe, wowing audiences with hersound. Nonetheless, the Met is the Met—is sheat all intimidated by doing Micaela in Carmenon that big, big stage, with only three days ofrehearsal? She pauses, a modest laugh, an honestanswer—not really. She knows the stage,having been a finalist in the 1993 MetropolitanOpera National Guild Council auditions. It’sactually “a warm and cozy feeling” to be upthere, she says, it looks smaller from that pointof view, but “just don’t look up,” a friend hadsuggested, or “you’ll be saying, Oh my God!”She’s been on other stages, of course, all overthe world, including Broadway, appearing at19 as a Kit-cat girl in Cabaret singing “MoneyMakes the World Go Round.”For Ana Maria Martinez, however, it’s musicthat makes the world go round, a passion shefelt she was born to pursue as early as five,when she started to play piano and discoveredshe could play by ear. To her regret, however,she was not pressured to take lessons in theory.Though she holds a B.A. and M.A. in musicfrom Juilliard, she had to learn ear trainingand sight-reading fast. Of course, conservatorytraining is a must for any serious musician butso is a well-rounded education, which includesthe sciences as well as the humanities. So manyoperas, she points out, have their origin in greatliterature (though there is no Micaela in ProsperAna Maria MartinezMerimee’s novella, Carmen). She notes thatJuilliard now has an arrangement whereby studentswho qualify can take courses at Columbia,and Columbia undergraduates can audition forJulliard. She is particularly pleased with thisprogram because this curricular diversity buildson the demographic diversity of the studentbody at Julliard. And so, when she talks to highschool students thinking about careers in music,she urges them to go for a bachelor’s degree at auniversity with an excellent music program, notavoid discipline but at the same time not specializeto the extent of avoiding social skills. At 15or 16, the voice is still too unformed, she tellsthem, and thoughts about life commitments premature.She also cautions those in their twenties,when the voice matures, not to let competitiondrive them too hard, especially if they want to besinging into their fifties and sixties.Her interests have been wide and varied.Though she has always loved opera and has beensinging with the likes of Plácido Domingo andAndrea Bocelli (a CD she made with Domingocontinued to page 32PIANO INSTRUCTIONDeveloping talent in children for over a decadeSupportive & encouraging learningenvironmentHigh standardsEmphasis on positive attitude andattention to detailManhattan School of Music, MannesCollege of Music alumnusRegular performance opportunitiesReferences availableAngelo Rondellopianist, teacher, lecturer(347) 365-2314

16 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 20052 10th Anniversary Celebration 22 September 1995 2

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE2 10th Anniversary Celebration 2172 January 1998 2

18 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 200510 TH ANNIVERSARY CONGRATULATIONS FROM AROUND THE NATIONCharlotte K. Frank, Ph.D.Senior Vice-PresidentMcGraw-Hill Companies, NYCThe reach and impact of EducationUpdate became even clearer to me whenI received a call from someone in Brazilwho found me by reading EducationUpdate’s web page. The fact is that thisremarkable publication is the windowthrough which educators and others seethe world of education. It is a pleasureto congratulate the publisher on 10years of achievement and ever growingimportance to the community it serves.Dr. Lorraine Monroe, DirectorLorraine Monroe Leadership InstituteI look forward to each issue ofEducation Update to learn about theexciting things my colleagues are doingto transform children’s lives.Dr. Marlene Springer, PresidentCollege of Staten Island, CUNYI am pleased to congratulate EducationUpdate on its 10th anniversary, and lookforward to many more years of your finepublication. You provide an invaluableresource for the educational community.Edith Everett, PresidentEverett FoundationFormer CUNY TrusteeEducation Update has a valuable placein my own education. It keeps mecurrent on important issues and happeningsin education and does so ina succinct and readable way. I lookforward to receiving it.Congratulations.Blanche E. Lawton, PresidentWomen’s City Club of New YorkCongratulations to Education Updateon celebrating its 10th Anniversary!Your commitment to bringing educationnews and issues to the public isa great service to us all! Kudos!Marcia Lynn Sells, Asst. VPPlanning & Program DevelopmentOffice of Gov. & Commun. AffairsColumbia UniversityCongratulations on Education Update’s10th Anniversary. I have enjoyed the articlesthat the paper presents each monthand it has been extremely helpful in mywork in government and communityaffairs. I wish you another 50 decades.Chana Mlotek,Music Archivist, YIVOWe congratulate you on your newspaper’stenth anniversary. We appreciateyour dedication to propagating the noblecause of education. This institute, theYIVO Institute for Jewish Research haslong been devoted to the Yiddish educationand research of Ashkenazic Jewryand is proud to have sponsored, amongothers, the Jewish cultural-educationalEPYC program in the high schools.Dr. Susan ErberSuperintendent, District 75It is a pleasure for me to participatein the chorus of congratulations forEducation Update, as you celebrate your10 Year Anniversary. Your publicationprovides a much-needed reliable sourceof information on educational programsand ideas, in a most timely manner.As Superintendent of D75, a NewYork City Department of Educationschool district serving special needsstudents, I have recommended yourpublication to both staff and parentsover the years. All who subscribe havehad only positive feedback about yourorganization.I congratulate Education Update onreaching its 10th Anniversary, and lookforward to its continued success.Lois B. DeFleur, PresidentBinghamton UniversityState University of New YorkCongratulations to Education Update!I am pleased to extend congratulationsto Dr. Pola Rosen, the editors, and thestaff at Education Update. Many educatorsbelieve that Education Update isan essential tool for keeping us currentabout events in the field.For ten years, your publication hasserved the entire education communityby providing breaking news and thoughtfulcommentary. You help higher educationadministrators to stay informed anddevelop policy. Kudos to your publicationfor a decade of excellence, and bestwishes for the next ten years.Dr. Alfred S. Posamentier, DeanSchool of EducationThe City College of New YorkCUNYI am delighted that you have reachedyour first milestone of 10 years of excellenteducation news coverage. In NewYork City, where several decades agothere were many more newspapers thanthere are today, there was a great void tofill. Education Update has done a splendidjob providing coverage of educationstories and events of the New York Citymetropolitan area. I wish you well asyou embark on your second decade. Iam convinced you will continue to growand keep the populace in this importantregion of the country informed in whatcould be one of the most importantfields in our society: the education programfor our next generation.Kudos!James G. Basker, PresidentGilder Lehrman Institute ofAmerican History, NYFor ten years, Education Update hasbeen a valuable resource for students,teachers, administrators, parents and anyonewho cares about the future of education.Congratulations Dr. Rosen and theentire team. Best of luck in the future.Arthur Levine, PresidentTeachers CollegeCongratulations and happy anniversaryto Education Update for your firstdecade of fine reporting on educationissues that matter. You are appreciatedfor your attention to detail, your focuson people, and your willingness to tellthe good news as well as the bad. Maythe next ten years bring you even greatersuccess.Gregory H. Williams, PresidentCity College of New York, CUNYOn behalf of all of us here at The CityCollege of New York, it is a very greatpleasure to congratulate Dr. Pola Rosenand her staff on the 10th Anniversaryof Education Update. Your highly professional,critical coverage of the challenges,opportunities and triumphs ofeducation—and the men and womenwho make them possible—has helpedto shape the course of one of the mostimportant aspects of our civil society.As an educator with more than 30years of experience in the field, I am particularlypleased that Education Update“gets it.” Your reporting reflects the deeptruth, too little remarked, that publiceducation is truly a K–16 enterprise,and that the health of our society andthe success of our citizenry dependsnot only on our primary and secondaryschools, but also on the public collegesand universities that educate the majorityof our citizens.We at CCNY are proud to pursue thismission, and honored to find a partnerin Education Update.And we very much look forward toyour next decade.Sandra Priest RoseFounder & Trustee, Reading ReformFoundation of New YorkCongratulations on your 10th anniversary!You are to be commended for creatinga forum in which many different pointsof view can be presented.Dr. Carole G. HankinSuperintendentSyosset Central School DistrictCongratulations to Education Updateon your tenth anniversary! It is greatto be part of a publication that doessuch a fine job covering today’s issuesin education. You are a valuable sourcefor educators, parents, and anyonewho is concerned about the future ofour children.Lee Iacocca said it very well. He said,“In a completely rational society, thebest of us would aspire to be in educationand the rest of us would have tosettle for something less, because passingcivilization along from one generationto the next ought to be the highesthonor and the highest responsibilityanyone could have.” You are one ofthe best!Joel I. Klein, ChancellorNYC Department of EducationMy congratulations on EducationUpdate’s tenth anniversary. The newspaper’sbroad and balanced coverage ofschool issues has helped inform publicdiscussion of school reform and hasprovided significant value to the entireeducational community. I look forwardto many more years of success.Randi Weingarten, PresidentUnited Federation of Teachers, NYCYou’ve put a spotlight on educationin New York City! Keep it up, keep itshining.Jill Levy, PresidentCouncil of School Supervisors& AdministratorsBrooklyn, NYThe Council of School Supervisors andAdministrators congratulates EducationUpdate on its 10th year. CSA is proud tobe a continuing part of this informativeand essential publication.Assemblyman Steven SandersChairman, Committee on EducationNew York StateHappy 10th anniversary, EducationUpdate! Congratulations on a triumphantdecade in which you have set anew hallmark of excellence in educationjournalism and commentary aboutthe huge and changing issues facingour schools. You are an indispensableresource for parents, educators, educationprofessionals and public policy makers.Wishing you continued growth andsuccess in the years to come. Bravo!Clive GillinsonExec. & Artistic Dir., Carnegie HallHollis Headrick, DirectorWeill Music Institute, Carnegie HallCarnegie Hall congratulates EducationUpdate on 10 years of service to theeducation community and for its role inmaking the public aware of the progressbeing made in arts education.Jacques d’Amboise, DirectorNational Dance InstituteThe National Dance Institute andJacques d’Amboise extend their warmestwishes and admiration to EducationUpdate on their 10th year.BRAVO!!!!!Mark O’Connor, Violinist/ComposerHearty congratulations on 10 years ofdoing a tremendous job of sharing the giftsand inspirations of education with teachers,principals, parents, administrators and students!Thank you, most especially, for yourinclusion of the arts... music, theatre, visualarts and dance in the pages of EducationUpdate in print and online. Your doing sosays loudly and clearly that the arts are animportant component of American education...today and every day.

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE1910 TH ANNIVERSARY CONGRATULATIONS FROM AROUND THE NATIONJoan S. Freilich, Vice ChairmanConsolidated Edison, Inc.My heartiest congratulations to you andto the Education Update staff and supporterson reaching your 10th anniversary!Today, Education Update is clearly aninvaluable resource for students andtheir parents, and for schools, collegesand a wide range of organizations andcompanies that provide related services.What may not be as well known is thatthis publication also provides an importantresource for local corporations suchas Con Edison, helping us to communicatewith young people who are ourpotential employees, as they preparethemselves for entering the workforce.We wish you continuing success, andhope that you are around for manydecade-anniversaries to come!Margaret I. Cuomo, M.D.Happy 10th Birthday to Dr. PolaRosen and the staff of Education Update.Many thanks for creating a publicationthat enlightens and enriches the livesof parents, teachers, and students. Yourbold experiment has enhanced the livesof your readers. You have my admirationand gratitude.Rodney J. Croft FRCS FACSConsultant SurgeonLondon, UKMany congratulations on EducationUpdate’s birthday which celebrates thefirst decade of superb journalism whichhas enriched and cross fertilised thefountain of knowledge for hundreds ofthousands of people around the globe.Continue onward and upward andplease do not forget to invite me to the21st birthday party!!Cecelia McCarton, M.D.President and CEOThe McCarton SchoolAll of us here at The McCarton Schoolcongratulate you on your 10 years ofsolid contribution in the field of educationalawareness and knowledge.A growing school like ours needs andappreciates people with your energyand expertise.May the success of these first 10 yearslead to an even more successful second10 years.Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D., Pres.Center for Genetics, Nutrition & HealthWashington, DCCongratulations on Education Updatebeing 10 years old! What a wonderfulfeeling. I very much appreciatereceiving Education Update because itprovides very complete information onthe roles that many educators play inenhancing the development of students.I particularly like your “Spotlight onSchools” section and have been verypleased to contribute to the “MedicalUpdate” section.Ronald ThorpeVP & Director of EducationThirteen WNETNew YorkIt is remarkable that Education Updateis about to celebrate its 10th Anniversary.Congratulations! Not only has this venturebeen a job well done, but you havedone it against the long odds that faceany such undertaking while never compromisingon the vision you have set forthe publication.Over the years, you and EducationUpdate have had a regular spot in ourlife at Thirteen and especially withinthe Education Department. No otherlocal education press has covered ourwork consistently and as fairly as youhave. Education Update is always a placewhere we are proud to be.Three cheers for your first decade, andanother three for the next!Dr. Robert Alfano, DistinguishedProfessor of Science & EngineeringThe City College of New YorkCUNYI am delighted to extend my congratulationsto Education Update onthe occasion of its 10th Anniversarycelebration. For the past decade yourpublication has been a source of keeninsight, information and enlightenmentfor educators, parents and students.I am also pleased that you haveemphasized the importance of developingresearch skills in our studentsfrom middle school through the universitylevel.There has never been a greaterneed for a publication like EducationUpdate, which focuses intensely onthe educational issues and programsthat shape our young people and, byextension, that will impact the futureof our nation.Best wishes and good luck for manymore decades of success.Bonnie Kaiser, Ph.D., DirectorPrecollege Science Ed. ProgramsThe Rockefeller UniversityNew York, NYCongratulations to you and to allat Education Update on your 10thAnniversary. What a proud milestone inbringing the news about the best city inthe world to the nation. It is incrediblewhat our community is able to accomplishby rolling up our sleeves everydayand getting in there and making thingsbetter for the students and teachers inNew York City.I read Education Update as soon as itlands on top of my overloaded desk!I think every organization takes onthe character of its leader. EducationUpdate is first-rate because of youand your ability to find and nurturetalent- just as our teachers doeveryday. Congratulations and bestwishes.Leonard S. Blackman, Ph.D.Prof. Emeritus of Ed. & PsychologyTeachers CollegeColumbia UniversityThis is to congratulate you and yourstaff on the 10th anniversary of EducationUpdate. It is an excellent newspaper. Ifind it to be well written, informative,and responsible. It keeps me currentwith the fast moving developments ineducation. I read it from cover to coverand find the time well spent. My onlyregret is that I did not subscribe to itearlier. I recommend it to anyone in thefield of education.Karen B. Winnick, AuthorLos Angeles, CACongratulations to Pola Rosen andEducation Update and its staff on yourtenth anniversary. You have been a giftto for everyone who cares about education.Dr. Geraldine Chapey, MemberBoard of Regents, NYSCongratulations to Dr. Pola Rosen onthe occasion of the tenth anniversaryof Education Update. Her high quality,lively, informative and enjoyable articlesare of great interest to educational leaders,teachers, parents and the communityand are a superb resource anda strong force for change. Best wishesfor a bright and exciting future forEducation Update.Frank Scalzo, Ph.D.Education Program SpecialistNASACongratulations to Education Updateon its 10th Anniversary! A sincere thanksfor keeping national formal and informaleducation communities, as well asthe general public up to date on thelatest curriculum materials, programs,and fellowships, which are designed toimprove their daily lives. NASA greatlyappreciates your assistance with the disseminationof our vision and mission,especially our mission to “inspire thenext generation of explorers...as onlyNASA can”.Susan Elliott, PrincipalEleanor Roosevelt High School, NYThe first time that I saw EleanorRoosevelt High School written up inEducation Update, I felt like we hadmade it to another tier. Thank you allfor all that you do to keep informationschools and educators current forall. Congratulations on your 10th yearanniversary.Wishing you many more to come.Cynthia Stein, MD, MPHHarvard Center for Cancer PreventionCongratulations on 10 years of excellenteducation news coverage. I can’twait to see what the next decade brings!Keep up the great work.David Neeleman, FounderChairman and CEOJetBlue AirwaysEducation Update’s relevance and voiceis more important today, on its 10thanniversary, than ever before. Bringingthe educational community togetherthrough its pages helps bridge resourcegaps while developing the professionalsensibilities of our teachers, parents andstudents. On behalf of JetBlue’s 9,000crewmembers, we thank you for the past10 years of service to our community.Dr. Alice Belgray, ChairThe Children’s Book CommitteetBank Street College, NYCongratulations to Pola Rosen andthe staff at Education Update for 10years of professional reporting and presentationof the many issues that concernpeople in education and relatedfields. The paper has grown into aprestigious organ, and we look forwardto its monthly appearance with eageranticipation. Here’s to many more yearsof successful publishing!Joan Washington, PrincipalPS 811QCongratulations on the occasion ofyour 10th Anniversary! For ten yearsyou have been bringing pertinent, balanced,challenging, and stimulatingnews to the education community. Asa New York City Principal, I appreciatehaving a publication that printsthe various unions’ analyses, healtharticles, parent views, administratorand teacher opinions, as well as CityHall reports, book reviews and more.Education Update does not shy awayfrom provocative topics, such as highstakes testing and the state of SpecialEducation. You find NY State Regents’interviews, Superintendents’ visions,articles on the often forgotten ArtsEducation and Science Research. Themovers and shakers from the educationcommunity contribute to EducationUpdate, allowing one to stay on topof latest trends. One of my favoritesections is the Outstanding Teachersof the Month, which celebrates thegreat works happening in our schoolseveryday by exceptional teachers. TheChancellor has attended this eventevery year, which proves to me thatEducation Update has brought the bestout of the entire NY City school community!Once again, kudos to all, andhere’s to many more decades of awardwinning issues!Christine D. Cea, Ph.D.NYS Institute for Basic Research inDevelopmental DisabilitiesBest Wishes to Pola Rosen, Editor.Happy 10th Birthday Education Update,a valuable and informative publicationfor educators and families.continued on page 39

20EDUCATION UPDATE | NOVEMBER 2005DISTINGUISHED INTERVIEO the Places We’ve Been,CHANCELLORMATTHEW GOLDSTEINCity University of New YorkCHANCELLORJOEL KLEINNYC Department of EducationDR. HOWARD GARDNERHobbs Professor of Cognition &Education, Harvard UniversityERICA JONGAuthorROBERTRAUSCHENBERGArtistNELSON MANDELAFormer President, South Africa& Nobel Peace Prize RecipientTED KOOSERUnited States Poet LaureateROB REINERActor, Director & Founder,I Am Your Child Foundation

WS THROUGH THE YEARSthe People We’ve Seen…NOVEMBER 2005 | EDUCATION UPDATE21GOV. GASTONCAPERTONPresident, College BoardMATILDA R. CUOMOFormer NYS First Lady &Chair of Mentoring USADR. MAYA ANGELOUReynolds Professor, Wake ForestUniversity & Pulitzer Prize WinnerRAY CORTINESFormer NYC Schools ChancellorLAURA BUSHFirst Lady of TheUnited States of AmericaCYNTHIA NIXONActress & Advocate,Alliance for Quality EducationITZHAK PERLMANViolinistDR. JOSEPH G. McCARTHYDirector, Inst. of ReconstructivePlastic Surgery, NYU

22 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 20052 10th Anniversary Celebration 22 August 1998 2

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE2 10th Anniversary Celebration 2232 September 2000 2

24 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 20052 10th Anniversary Celebration 22 February 2001 2

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE2 10th Anniversary Celebration 2252 March 2001 2

26 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005210th Anniversary Celebration 22 July 2003 2

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE2 10th Anniversary Celebration 2272 August 2004 2

5X13 5/31/05 11:20 AM Page 128 COLLEGES & GRADUATE SCHOOLS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005Laurie Tisch, TrusteePresident Arthur LevineNo generationbetter reflectsthe American Dreamthan ours.Charles Rangel, US House of Rep.Michael Rebell, Director CFEGeneration Baruch.We may not look like we’re part of the samegeneration, but while we grew up at different times,we come from the same place.We attended a collegewhose campus was New York. And we got there viathe IRT, not the LIE, which was good, because it’seasier to do your homework hanging on to a subwaystrap than a steering wheel. We all worked hard,became the first members of our families to graduatefrom college, and pulled ourselves up by our ownbootstraps to achieve success. And if that sounds likethe American Dream at work, it is. It’s what brings ustogether and makes us one generation.Now we need your help so that future generationscan join Generation Baruch and help keep thedream going.Above, from left: Max Berger, Class of ’68, Senior Partner, Bernstein,Litowitz, Berger and Grossmann • JoAnn Ryan, Class of ’79, MS ’83,President and CEO, Con Edison Solutions • Alan Liang, Class of ’05,Baruch BBA in Finance, CUNY Honors College • Evelyn Taveras, Classof ’96, Baruch BBA in Marketing Management, Senior Media Planner,Della Femina Rothschild Jeary & PartnersFor more information on how you can support future generations,please call 212.802.2900. Or visit www.baruch.cuny.edu/bcf/.The City University of New YorkTeachers College Symposium ExposesSocial Costs of Inadequate EducationBy MICHELLE DESARBOAt Teachers College’s recent symposium, “TheSocial Costs of Inadequate Education,” a panel ofeducation experts convened to discuss the resultsof a 1972 study on the subject. Moderated byDarlyne Bailey, Vice President for AcademicAffairs and Dean of Teachers College, the panelconsisted of Professor Henry M. Levin andRichard Rothstein (both of Teachers College)and discussant J. Douglas Williams, from theUniversity of New Brunswick in Canada.The report, entitled “The Cost to the Nation ofInadequate Education,” analyzes what occurredeconomically in a group of African-Americanmales between the ages of 25 and 34 and alsoassesses other elements like crime rates andparticipation in public assistance and the laborforce. The study initially garnered attention afterits 1972 release but became less and less prominentwith the increasing political visibility of theVietnam War.In his report, “Dimensions of EducationalInequality Across Races,” Rothstein, a TischProfessor and Research Associate at the EconomicPolicy Institute of Teachers College, took a closerlook at a varied cross section of racial and ethnicgroups and the many effects poor education hadon differing aspects of their lives. For his presentation,Rothstein chose to focus on the differencesbetween African-Americans and whites.The results of the report are staggering. Onaverage, 4/5 of white students test better thanAfrican-American students. But the differencesbegin much earlier: in fact, they start in thewomb. About 25 percent of black mothers failto receive any prenatal care while 11 percent ofWhite mothers do not get prenatal healthcare.There is also a major disparity between the raceson healthcare. 14 percent of African-Americanchildren ages 18 and younger are without healthinsurance. Half as many white children in thesame age group go without insurance. Rothsteinnoted that in a California study, experts foundone doctor for ever 4,000 residents in one poverty-strickenmajor urban area. In addition, blackchildren are more likely to enter school sufferingfrom problems with vision and anemia. In fact,iron deficiency anemia is more prevalent in blackchildren under 5 at a rate of 19 percent than inwhite children at 10 percent.The differences continue through preschool.Many preschoolers watch TV instead of playing,which diminishes the development of hand/eyecoordination. According to the study, 40 percentof African-American children watch more thanBy LIZA YOUNGOne of the soundest investments for the financialand moral future of society is proper managementof education. Significant educational gapsremain between whites and low income minoritygroups, spawning the creation of the Campaign forEducational Equity. At the recent symposium atTeachers College of Columbia University, underwrittenby the Laurie Tisch Foundation, a memberof the TC Board of Trustees, entitled “The SocialCosts of Inadequate Education,” a wealth of informationwas provided regarding the social ramificationsof inadequate education, balanced by presentationsof experts in educational research who shedlight on promising pathways in education.Ronald F. Ferguson, of Harvard University,enlightened the audience with his idea of schoolreformation, which he describes as needing to occurat the level of a national movement. He envisionsthe move towards educational equity as foundedon school transformation within the frameworkof whole-district reform. That is, school reformtowards equity requires adequate training ofteachers for involvement, but also comprehensivedistrict support in terms of leadership andappropriate accommodations in the classroom toimplement changes.Ferguson indicated standards called for by theCouncil of Great City Schools as including a“school board focused on policy-level decisionsthat support improved student achievement and ashared vision between superintendent and board.”He provided the example of Union City, NewJersey, which over the course of ten years movedfrom the second lowest performing district in thestate to leading in test scores among New Jersey’slargest cities. Rather than the State taking controlover the district, the Board gave the authority tocompletely revamp the system, with Tom Highton,then principal of the Gifted and Talented schoolappointed as Superintendent and Fred Carrigg,then supervisor of bilingual and English as a secondlanguage (ESL) education chosen as executivedirector of academic programs.The transformation occurred through a comprehensiveexamination of what was not workingwith design of new policy which is annuallyreviewed, and revised as necessary; effectivecommunication between policy makers andimplementers; active support of teachers; properlytailoring programs to the respective needsof localities, such as geared literature to those forwhom English is a second language.Within the home, Ferguson underscored therole of parenting, stating that parents need to becontinued to page 31 continued to page 31

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ COLLEGES & GRADUATE SCHOOLS29MARY GORDON SPEAKS WITHLEWIS FRUMKES AT MARYMOUNTMANHATTAN COLLEGEBy RICHARD KAGANIt’s the Age of Reality TV, of the ten secondsound-bite, and packaged non-fiction releasebased on the latest shooting spree. And, fictionwriter Mary Gordon is concerned. She has spent27 years carving out a distinguished career asa novelist, writer of short stories, novellas, andThe Shadow Man, a memoir about her late father.She is a Professor of English at Barnard Collegeand this year is also Chairperson of the EnglishDepartment at Barnard College.Mary Gordon is one of the leading lights of literaryfiction in America today. She is the currentWriter-In-Residence at Marymount ManhattanCollege, where recently, she gave the first oftwo talks or “conversations with the audience”slated for the year.Before an attentive audience in the ReginaPeruggi Room, Gordon spoke about her love offiction, and of her own creative process in howshe approaches writing a book. Gordon made therather somber observation, that “this is one of thepanic moments in literary history.” Gordon wenton to note, “It is conventional wisdom amongpublishers that (literary) fiction is finished—thatnobody wants to read fiction, that people want toread non-fiction.”It’s tough to publish literary fiction pieces for ageneral readership in America today. Gordon citedthat Atlantic Monthly, recognized as one of themost important venues for presenting fiction, nowonly publishes one issue devoted to literary fictiona year, in its August issue. Harper’s publishesonce a month, and The New Yorker comes outweekly. “And that’s it,” Gordon said. Yes, thereare specialized publications that do put out worksof fiction, but they don’t reach a mass audience.Corporations have taken over the publishingbusiness and now demand a profit on the booksthey sell. When Gordon started out in the publishingworld 27 years ago, having a profit margin of2 to 5 percent on a work of fiction was considered“quite respectable.” Now, a writer needs a profitmargin of 20 percent—a mega hit. That, or comeup with better ideas. Gordon noted that whenMusic gives a soul to the universewings to the mind,flight to the imagination,fshe was starting out, a publisher could make upthe profits with a “hit” book, if a particular workof fiction had smaller numbers. In today’s marketplace,your book needs to generate excitementand a nice profit.Gordon decried the impact of Reality TV in ourculture. “(It’s) as if somebody coming into yourhouse photographing you brushing your teeth ismore real than Anna Karenina, which I find quitescary.” The need for the newest blockbuster bookis so strong, publishers just churn out books inhopes that one hits the jackpot. “They really don’tknow what works,” says Gordon.Well, her literary work has worked. Her latestnovel Pearl appeared last winter. “I’ve neverhad a time when I didn’t have a project going,”Gordon noted. “As I finish one project anotherproject is pushing its way to front of my brain.”Gordon writes every day. On days she teaches,she may write two to three hours. On days notteaching, she devotes more time to writing. “Myjob is not to think about writing,” she said. “Myjob is to write.”How does she get her ideas? Gordon says it’sas if “a group of squatters moves into my houseand they don’t seem to be leaving. I don’t knowhow else to explain it. It’s just that an idea germinatesand then some will go away and some willstay.” She mentioned that she tries not to repeatit herself. A member of the audience thoughtthat she was brave. “It is a little scary,” Gordonresponded. “(But) bravery to me is going into arestaurant and saying I’d like my steak very welldone.That’s bravery.” That line got a big laughfrom those in attendance.After her talk, Gordon stayed on to sign copiesof her books.Lewis Frumkes, Director of The Writing Centerat Marymount Manhattan College hosted theevening. Frumkes, a noted writer himself, saidthat a writer needs to persevere. “You can’t foldup when you send a piece to The New Yorker andthey turn you down.”#To find out more about The Writing Center atMarymount Manhattan College, call 212-774-4810.and life to everythingf...PLATO Finish whatyou started.Flexible SchedulingIndividualized StudyExciting Possibilities Offering:B.A. • B.S.M.A. • M.Ed.M.F.A. • Ph.D.M.A. in PsychologyContact:888.828.8575www.tui.edu photo by Ann CardinalA different approach

30 COLLEGES & GRADUATE SCHOOLS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005DR. JEROME BRUNER SPEAKS AT COLUMBIA TEACHERS COLLEGE:“EDUCATING A SENSE OF THE POSSIBLE”By EMILY SHERWOOD, Ph.D.When Dr. Jerome S. Bruner took the podium ona recent evening at Columbia University’s LernerHall, a palpable tingle permeated the packedauditorium. The audience, mostly TeachersCollege students and faculty who had assembledfor the kickoff Virginia and Leonard Marx lectureof the 2005-06 academic year, knew they werein the presence of greatness, and indeed, Bruner,who in 1941 received his Ph.D. in Psychologyfrom Harvard University where he co-foundedand directed their Center for Cognitive Studies, isnow widely regarded as one of themost influential twentieth centurywriters and thinkers to apply principlesof psychology to moderneducation and curriculum theory.Noting that there is “no greaterchallenge than thinking ahead tohow effectively to educate theyoung to face the changes we knoware coming in the next generation,”the 90 year old Bruner, currentlyUniversity Professor at NYU LawSchool, proceeded to captivate hisaudience with an intellectuallyrigorous and at times abstractlyphilosophical discussion of hislatest work in the area of “intersubjectivity.”Bruner explains that “we constructand we reconstruct our world, not just with bricksand mortar, but by creating and re-creating themeaning of different things,” a process that takesEducation UpdateJune 2004 IssueP.O. #: 13572place largely through social interaction, whereinthe role of culture is key to shaping the mind.Bruner’s theory of “cultural psychology” standsin sharp contrast to the more reductionist theorythat the mind is simply a mechanism for informationprocessing (“the exchange of intersubjectivitytranscends Freud,” Bruner adds.) We are “themost fanciful and searching of species, as wellas the most quarrelsome and unpredictable. Welike capricious disagreement,” observes Bruner.And so it is crucial that modern psychology andeducation take into account the “import of sharingnotions of how things work. We depend oneach other to have common views.” Ultimately, itis this “struggle between the conventional and thepossible in the way we view the world” that has2-1/4 x 1-3/41enormous implications for educating new generationsof learners.Quickly moving from the theoretical to pragmaticapplication of his principles, Brunerexhorts those in the field of education to “transmitconventional ideas but encourage studentsto make the leap to imagine the possible,” to beever-mindful of teaching “alternative views ofthinking.” To wit, is history merely an account ofwhat happened, or an interpretation? “There isno history without historiography,” Bruner adds,vehemently answering his own question. “Historymust include the study of possibilities:Why did this happen rather thansomething else? If we make it a studyof dates, places and facts, we don’tdo justice to the teaching of history.”Likewise, science, math andlanguage arts should be imbued with“the challenge of different possibilities,”according to Bruner. “We mustteach not to present fact, but to openup questions.” Bruner urges moderneducators to include more fictionwriting in their curricula: “We needmore consciousness-raising from narrative,”he exhorts, noting that hisDr. Jerome Brunercollege freshmen wrote alternativeversions of plays, work that was “fullof the invitation of possibilities.”On a personal note, Bruner shares with theaudience that his pedagogy was heavily influencedduring his formative years by growingup with an older sister who would constantlychallenge his sense of reality. “The shape of mymind was formed by preparing myself to answerher questions,” he laughs. And so Bruner hascontinued the cycle by challenging new generationsof students to question and think criticallyabout their world. Perhaps no one could say itbetter than famed Harvard educator and cognitivepsychologist Howard Gardner, born nearly30 years after Bruner, who wrote in a 2001 bookon Fifty Modern Thinkers in Education. FromPiaget to Present, “Jerome Bruner is not merelyone of the foremost educational thinkers of hisera; he is also an inspired learner and teacher.His infectious curiosity inspires all who are notcompletely jaded.”#COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY DIRECTORY2Making adifference togetherthrough studentdirected learningMaking aBachelor of Arts in EducationMaster of Arts in Education-Study at home--Short intensive residencies-Join an an engaged learning community with a a rich history in in adultand progressive educdation.The next semester begins January 13, 2006Begin with an eight-day intensive residency in VermontG O D DA R D C O L L E G E123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield, Vermont 05667NEASC ACCREDITEDMaking a1-800-906-8312www.goddard.edu admissions@goddard.eduTHEBA NKSTREETAPPROACH Learn how to bea great teacher.Please mail to:College Directory - Education Update17 Lexington Ave., Box A1207New York, NY 10010MAIL THIS COUPON➂Bank Street Graduate SchoolThursday, November 17, 5:15PM 610 West 112th St, NY, NY 10025www.bankstreet.edu 212.875.4698 ➃Name:__________________________________________________________Address:_______________________________________________________City:_________________________________State:___Zip:_______________Phone (incl. area code): ____________________________________________________Come to Goddard as you are.Leave the way you want to be.I Am Interested In Applying❑ Freshman❑ Transfer❑ Day ❑ Evening❑ H.S. Student❑ TeacherAs My Status❑ CollegeStudent1-800-468-4888www.goddard.eduOpen House May 14th- Plainfield, VTPlease circle catalogs you wish to receive:1 2 3 4PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR PHONE NUMBER November 2005

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ COLLEGES & GRADUATE SCHOOLS31An Innovative Performance Teaches Adolescent Drug Addicts to “Act Out” on StageBy GILLIAN GRANOFFRecently, the DayTop Treatment facility hostedan intimate group of parents, probations officers,and teachers to witness a moving portrayalof the cycle of addiction recovery and relapse,and strategies to recognize, address, and respondto the signs and symptoms of addiction.The presentation opened with a movingdepiction of the life of an addict and his parent.The father emotionally recounted with rawnessand honesty his son’s progression and gradualdeterioration from a good student and lovingchild, to a failing student, whose misbehaviorescalated into stealing, lying and manipulatinghis parents. His addiction culminated in hisstealing his brother’s prescription medication,an incident that threatened his brother’s lifeand prompted his parents to have him incarcerated.Faced with imprisonment, he wasadmitted to the DayTop Center. His emotionaltale was an earnest warning to parents in theaudience to be attentive to and to help them toidentify the signs of addiction.Moments later, a nice looking young boydressed neatly in a blue collar button downshirt, suit, and tie timidly approach the podium.He carried a briefcase and seemed eerily maturefor his age. With grace and honesty, he retold,in his own words, the story of his struggle withaddiction. His voice full of remorse echoedwith the earnest sounds of young man tryingto be accountable for his mistakes. In the audiencewas a mix of probation officer, teachers,recovering addicts and parents.In addition to helping addicts to confronttheir behaviors, the DayTop treatment programoutlines the important role parents should playin prevention and treatment. DayTop counselorsemphasized the proactive role parents mustplay in checking up on and closely monitoringthe activities of their children. The counselorshighlight the importance of communication,and implementing structure and urge parentsto draw a clear line for their children betweena right and a privilege. Speakers encourageparents to pay more attention to subtle warningsigns, such as changes in behavior, friendships,hobbies and interests of their children. Theyencourage parents not to be afraid to ask theirchildren tough and embarrassing questions.Founded in 1963 the DayTop Center, nowpresent in 26 centers nation-wide, has been aprototype for similar programs throughout theworld. The program boasts a high success rateand a pledge to return children to the communitywho are not only drug free but mature,responsible and productive citizens.The program’s approach is one of behaviormodification. The goal is to cultivate a “ healingfamily” to aid clients in their recovery.Under strict supervision, clients are encouragedto take responsibility and face their feelingsin a tightly controlled but safe environment.A major component of the program is itsrigorous demand for openness and honesty ofits clients, in a supportive environment focusedon fostering the development of patients’ selfrespect and respect for one another.Integral to the therapy is a performance piece,entitled the “Concept,” by current recoveringaddicts. The performance, conceived anddirected by Lawrence Scharow is based on thereal life experiences of recovering addicts inDayTop Village. It is an interactive piece usedas a therapeutic tool to aid in the resident’srecovery and to raise community awareness togive a raw and honest portrait of the reality ofdrug addiction. The play conceived in 1963 hascontinued to page 33CFE (DeSarbo)continued from page 286 hours of television a day while only 13 percentof white children do the same. However,when it comes to providing their children withnon-school experience, black and white parentsbreak even; 74 percent of white parents and 70percent of black parents tell stories, play gamesand sports, do puzzles and visit museums withtheir kids.Later on in life at the high school level, 3/4 ofblack students receive their high school diplomaswhile 84 percent of whites graduate. Ifthey go on to employment, African-Americansearn 76 percent of what whites do. Overall, theaverage black adult has earnings at 41 percentof the national distribution. The typical Whiteadult has earnings at 54 percent of the nationaldistribution.J. Douglas Williams subsequently discussedthe role that education plays in inequity acrossracial groups. “The extent of inequality isgreatest in the academic domain,” he said.Since language development is one of the biggestprecursors to school readiness, Williamsturned his focus to literacy. “Students makethe transition from learning to read to readingto learn around the end of the second grade orthe beginning of the third grade. If this doesn’thappen, you end up with struggling readers,”he says. Indeed, there is actually a mathematicalformula that calculates the number of wordsa child should know by a certain age. If yousubtract 12 from the child’s age in months,square that number and double the result, youwill know how many words s/he knows.But language is not the only indicator ofdevelopment. Experts also consider how muchgeneral knowledge a child has, the social andcognitive skills they possess, and their physicalability. “Kids who start low tend to stay low,”said Williams. “We can identify who needsintervention early on without failing kids.”He says this is possible by looking less at percentagesand more at the levels of outcomes.Students can be grouped by ability to get thehelp they need in order to achieve balance.“The issue of educational equity is a moralissue. It is an issue of justice, and it’s an issueof fairness. It’s important not to lose sight ofthat. We have a moral obligation to fairnessand justice,” concluded Levin. “The one thingwe have to be careful of is the suppression ofinformation that may not necessarily translateinto immediate action.”#CFE (Young)continued from page 28more cognizant of their influence on children.Ferguson highlighted five variables of preschoolparenting which research has demonstrated ascontributing to school readiness, which are: nurturance,discipline, teaching, language and materials.In studies, whites scored higher on these parentingdimensions than minorities, which can be partlycontributed to resource inequalities.In line with Ferguson’s emphasis on the essentialrole of parenting to school performance, Dr. CliveBelfield, Dept of Economics, Queens College,provided a comprehensive examination of the roleand state of early childhood education. Researchhas demonstrated far-reaching, long–term positiveeffects of pre-kindergarten on the individual andon society, with participation in such programsleading to reduction in the future in the high schooldropout rate, crime, and teen pregnancy.Belfield described that access to early educationis actually higher for African-Americans than forwhites although examination of access to preschoolacross the poverty line reveals that rates arelowest for those just above the poverty.The challenge for attaining the promises Pre-Kprograms offer, according to Belfield, is to ensurethat the most disadvantaged kids are gettingaccess to quality pre-school. The caliber of pre-Keducation directly impacts the results it will generate;the gains of Head Start were not equivalentto those of Model Programs—the latter wouldrequire more funding.Belfield further described the debate ofUniversalizing Pre-K versus targeting it. WhileUniversal pre-school is more politically correct,due to funding limitations it would likely occur ata smaller scale, and according to Belfield, “smalluniversal public subsidy is neither fully efficientnor especially equity enhancing.”Janet Currie, Department of Economics,Columbia University, a discussant at the program,expressed the view that there is hope for closingthe educational gap as seen through examples suchas Union City and model pre-school programs.She also indicated that more research is neededwith respect to ideal parenting interventions—forexample, with respect to the findings that parentinginterventions have not increased math scores,she emphasized the need for more research to findout “ what works pedagogically.”Currie applauded Ferguson’s earlier call foropen revelation of research findings among minoritygroups, positive or negative. Such revelationsand research conferences as this pave the roadtowards reaching equity in education.#S A R A HL A W R E N C EThe Art of Teaching Master’s ProgramInformation SessionThursday, November 10 from 4 to 6 pmBoulder Building Small seminar classesconnecting theorywith teaching practice,leading to a Master ofScience in Education Student teaching andfieldwork in tri-statearea public andalternative schools Students preparedfor certification inEarly Childhood,Childhood ordual certification Students of diversebackgrounds andexperiences areencouraged to applyFor information contact:Sarah Lawrence College Office of Graduate Studies1 Mead Way, Bronxville, NY 10708(914) 395-2371 x236, grad@slc.edu or visit us atwww.sarahlawrence.edu/teachingPart-time/full-time studyand financial aid available

NOVEMBER 2005After-School Programs toBe Overhauled In Much-Needed ReformBy MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERGMetroBEATEDUCATIONcontinued on pageUPDATE29• 32Education and learning should not end with thefinal school bell of the day for the 1.1 million childrenin our public school system. Thanks to a newCity program, called out-of-school time, or OST,we will make sure that our children get the helpand activities they need after school, on holidays,and over the weekends—at no cost to parents.Two years ago, I brought social service providersand City officials together to look athow we could improve City-funded after-schoolprograms. Much like the City schools system,we found a failing system with no accountabilityand no standards. That had to change—and ithas. Just as we have infused accountability intoour public schools, the City’s 1,400 youth programswill be reorganized into a high-quality,high-standards and accountable OST system.Over the next three years, we have committed$200 million to the OST initiative. This yearalone, we have established 550 new, high-qualityprograms that serve 47,000 young people at acost of $47 million. By next year, we expect thenumber of students taking part in OST programsto grow to at least 65,000.The system will be vastly superior to whatcame before it. We will target neighborhoodswhere the need for OST programs is the greatest:where the percentage of school-aged children ishighest; where many children for whom Englishis not their first language live; where there arehigh concentrations of children in low-incomefamilies; and where student school performancehas lagged. For the first year, sixty percent ofthe OST funds will go to 58 zip codes that meetthese high-needs criteria. Because of this targeting,there are significant after-school programsin previously underserved communities such asthe Rockaways and parts of Staten Island.We are also making sure that these programsare comprehensive and meet the needs of workingfamilies. They will operate five days a week,every week, but also for the first time all daylong on school holidays. Many will also operateduring the summer. That assures hard-workingparents that their kids are in a safe and stimulatingenvironment when they’re at work andschool isn’t in session. They will offer the kindof rich mix of academic support, recreationaland cultural experiences that all children need.The programs will be accountable for thefirst time. All programs receiving contracts wereselected through a citywide competitive screeningprocess, and are being held to rigorous performancestandards. We will provide free training toprogram staff—and that’s going to translate intobetter service for students and parents.We are also making sure that the new programsare closely tied to our overall effort toimprove education for all our children. TheDepartment of Education has identified 15 prioritymiddle schools across the city where childrenwill receive enhanced after-school tutoring.The work will be supported by a $1 milliongrant from the Clark Foundation.When I took office, the City schools systemwas in disarray, and our children were not gettingthe education they deserve. In just fouryears, we have already started to reverse yearsof neglect—by giving the system accountabilityand setting high standards. This long overduereform of after-school programs will accomplishthe same thing after the school days ends.#Steven Sanders To LeaveThe AssemblyAssemblyman StevenSanders announced recentlythat effective January 1,2006 he will retire from the State Assemblywhere he has served for the past 28 years andbecome a member of Crane and Vacco, a governmentconsulting firm. Sanders, who representsa district on Manhattan’s East Side, haschaired the Assembly Education Committeefor the past 11 years, the longest such tenurein the state’s history. He noted that “in strictcompliance with state law,” he will not lobbyon any matter with any member or staff of theState Legislature for two years.“I have made this decision based uponpersonal and family considerations and certainlynot based on any dissatisfaction withthe Assembly,” said Sanders. “My time in theState Assembly has been incredibly rewardingand I thank Speaker Silver for his leadershipand his personal friendship.” He alsoindicated that his health following open-heartsurgery earlier this year “is very good.”Sanders cited as some of his notable legislativeachievements the enactment of universalpre-kindergarten and smaller class sizeprograms; the switch to mayoral control ofthe New York City public school system; thelargest increase in public education funding instate history (accomplished during his tenureas Education Committee Chairman); passageof the law giving equal rights to gays andlesbians; his advocacy for people with disabilities;and the Community Mental HealthReinvestment Act, which overhauled fundingof local mental health programs as large psychiatrichospitals were closed.“I have loved representing my constituentsthese many years and enjoyed very much, nomatter how tough the battles have been, fightinghard for the public interest. I am proud ofwhat I have accomplished in Albany and inNew York City,” he said.“I thank my talented and dedicated staff forworking so hard to serve my constituents andto make this state better.“As I move from the public sector to theprivate sector my priorities will not shift. Mylife has been about promoting good publicpolicies that help ordinary New Yorkers. TheCrane Vacco firm has given me a wonderfulopportunity to continue those pursuitsto make government work better. I considermyself exceedingly fortunate to be able towork with such experienced and capablepartners as Connie Crane and former AttorneyGeneral Dennis Vacco. Oftentimes, much canbe accomplished in moving government fromthe outside.”Sanders concluded his announcement withsome personal reflections: “I will always cherishmy time in the State Legislature, whichwill always be the high watermark in myprofessional life. I will certainly miss workingday to day with the dedicated membersand the hardworking staff of the Assemblyand Senate. Still, the one constant in life ischange, and for me and my wife Tammy Jo,this is a change for the best. I look forward tothese new challenges and opportunities.”#Assemblyman Sanders is chairman ofthe Education Committee. E-mail him atsanders@assembly.state.ny.us or phone212.979.9696. His mailing address is 201East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003.PATTING YOURSELF ON THE BACKCAN DAMAGE YOUR ROTATOR CUPBy PRESIDENTJILL LEVYIt took less than 24 hours after the city andUFT announced a tentative teachers’ contractfor Chancellor Joel Klein to crow about hisperceived victory. In a letter to Principals,Klein focused on the powers he believes hewrested from the arms of the UFT and handedto Principals.Rather than take the high road, he cannothelp himself from carrying out his desire toprove to Principals that he and no one elseis their champion. Credit for good outcomesshould be shared when it is appropriate to doso. Simply to pat oneself on the back is a saddemonstration of hubris and potentially damagingto one’s rotator cuff. What Klein did not do,and what a good leader would know to do, is towait until a deal is thoroughly completed andthen, clearly and with specificity, explain theterms and potential impact of the agreement.Principals want to understand the ramificationsof this new contract and the impact itmight have on their own evaluations. Yet,Klein is silent about the implications, waitingperhaps to use the terms of the new contract topublicly hold Principals to a new standard ofaccountability without telling them what thatmight be.Maybe some would think it was nice thatthe Chancellor sent his braggadocio letterto Principals. It is hardly nice that he hasnot committed himself to a new contract forthe very same Principals, Assistant Principals,Supervisors and Education Administrators. Bythe way, in case anyone thinks he doesn’t wanthis pound of flesh from our CSA contract, thinkagain! And in the remote case you believe hedoesn’t want even more authority over schoolleaders, you really have another thing coming!Almost 2 1/2 years have passed since the lastcontract expired and the Chancellor is crowingabout another union’s contract! What about hiscommitment to leadership?I recently had an interesting meeting withsome parents, one of several meetings scheduled.A group of highly educated, creative andarticulate moms spoke with me over coffee, teaand hot chocolate.Their children spanned the grades from elementaryto high school and most of them hada variety of choices regarding their selectionof schools.It was clear that none of them had any ideaabout how to get problems resolved, who hadthe authority to make changes, where the districtoffice or district superintendent is located,or what the role of the parent coordinator is.They told me about calls to the regional officethat went unanswered, about leaving messagesand not receiving a callback.Several said their Principals seemed cautiousabout making decisions or responding toquestions and often deferred them to the LocalInstructional Superintendents. The LISes, inturn, told them that they did not have theauthority to address their issues. Several parentshad new Principals, and although theyfound them to be receptive to questions, theyseemed unsure of their authority. One momexpressed strong feelings for her Principal,who did what she believed was right and wasrespected for taking a position that advocatedfor children and parents.Nevertheless, the oft-repeated theme wasone of concern: If these women could not getanswers to questions, how could less-sophisticated,less-educated parents with less timeor with poor or no English skills ever get ananswer from the DOE about their concerns, orfeel that they could advocate appropriately fortheir children?#Jill Levy is the President of the Council ofSchool Supervisors and Administrators.VISIT US ONLINEWWW.EDUCATIONUPDATE.COM3 million audited hits per monthon our newly updated andarchived website.Ana Maria Martinezcontinued from page 14in 2001 won the Latin Grammy Award forbest classical recording), she also adores Latinmusic, particularly mambo. And there was evena time she thought of becoming an astronaut!She has been quoted as having observed thatNovember 19 is not just the date of her Metdebut but also the anniversary of the discoveryof Puerto Rico, her birthplace—her mother isPuerto Rican, her father, Cuban. Her mother, shenotes, has already announced she will be attendingthree performances of Carmen. Mature nowin gauging her voice, Ana Maria Martinez hasincreasingly turned her attention to dramaticinterpretation. Micaela, a small-town peasantgirl, in love with Don José who leaves her forCarmen, is not the sweet, frail reed she is oftenmade out to be. She goes to great lengths tofind her prodigal lover and despite her romanticnaiveté is a strong woman—she has “chutzpah”in confronting him, and her determination canbe heard in the music, especially in her aria withits long sure legato line that she will undertaketo make sound like “melted butter.”On November 8th fans will be able to hearher on a new CD: Ana Maria Martinez: Songsand Arias, and be grateful that thoughts of spaceflight never trumped those for the operatic stage.Besides, she got to meet a female astronautrecently when she and Bocelli, doing a concertin Houston, were given a VIP backstage tour ofNASA. In the meantime, music lovers should getready for her Met launch on November 19th.#

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS & STUDENTS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE33FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT’S SEAT:Itʼs Conference Time, Do Your HomeworkBy DR. CAROLE G.HANKIN WITH RANDI T.SACHSNow that your children aresettled into school, it will soonbe time for the parent-teacherconference. Chances are, yourschool held an open house at the beginning ofthe term, so you’ve at least had an opportunityto see your children’s teachers and heard themdescribe their plans for the year regardingcurriculum, grading, and the like. The parentteacherconference is your turn to speak directlywith the teacher about your child. It’s a timeto address any concerns you have about yourchild’s academic progress, his or her comfortlevel in the class social scene, and your expectationsfor the remainder of the school year.Even if the school year is going along relativelysmoothly, you need some advance preparations tomake your scheduled conference a productive timefor you, the teacher, and your child.Above all else, you do not want to be unpleasantlysurprised. Has your child been bringing homeschool work on a regular basis for your review?If the answer is no, take a look in your child’sbackpack. You should be able to ascertain the levelof success your child is having in school from theteacher’s comments on homework and the gradeson tests and quizzes. If the work you see is at anunacceptable level, you will want to work with theteacher in formulating a plan for improvement.Hold a preconference session with your childand gently evoke as much information as you canabout school. Ask what they like in school, whatthey dislike, who they find cooperative or uncooperativein the class among their peers, and howcomfortable they feel in lunch, recess, and gym.These are the times of day when a child has theopportunity to do most of his or her socializing. Ifyour child says that “there’s nothing to do,” or “noone good to play with,” that should raise a red flagyou need to discuss with the teacher.Ask your children what they would do if theycould change anything at school. Then, write downwhat you learn and prepare some questions youcan bring to the conference. It’s a good idea tonote your child’s favorite classroom activity andmention that to the teacher as well. You don’t wantto give the impression that you are there to fix theteacher’s classroom—just to discuss how yourchild is progressing.Finally, remember that the conference is a twowayconversation. Listen to what your teacher hasto say about your child. Does the teacher have thesame or different concerns than you have? Givewhat he or she says due consideration. If the 15or 20 minutes you have scheduled are not enough,then ask the teacher if you can continue your conversationat another time, then get out your calendarand set a date. Make sure to end the conferenceon a cooperative, friendly note with the teacher.You are your child’s most powerful advocatein school. His or her teacher has a tremendousinfluence on your child’s school experience. Usethe conference time to form a team of support andpositive reinforcement for your child and yourtime will be very well spent.#MOVIESHATCHING A PLOT:DISNEY’S CHICKEN LITTLEBy JAN AARONThe sky’s the limit when it comes to actionin Disney’s update of Chicken Little, acomputer animated film that puts a 21stcentury twist on the well known 18th centuryEnglish folk tale. Here director Mark Dindal andhis team of writers send all the pretty animalsto be judged at a fair, leaving the misfits to ultimatelysave the world. In a star-studded cast areChicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff, NBC’sScrubs) and Buck Chuck, his dad, (voiced byGarry Marshall, (The Princess Diaries). A glitteringarray of top pop stars lends their voices tothe song-filled soundtrack. Judging from laughterduring my screening and my informal exit poll,kids liked the film.The film’s new spin turns the old fable into anengaging tale about a misunderstood chicken andhis desire to have his dad believe in him. In themodern world, when Chicken Little is hit on thehead by an acorn, and proclaims “the sky is falling,”he embarrasses his dad (Garry Marshall), aformer baseball star, who must explain to his son’sgaff to townsfolk as well as multiple media.Then the town of Oakey Oaks, becomes knownfor its great acorns and infamous chicken whoseclaim “the sky is falling” caused chaos. Here,the bull runs the china shop, bats are optometristsand penguins sell tuxedos, the mayor isa real turkey, and chickens play baseball. Littlejoins the baseball team and leads them to victory,earning his dad’s respect and becoming thetoast of the town.But when the chicken champ is hit on the headfor the second time and the sky really is falling,he fears being labeled crazy. So he calls on hisbest pals—Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack), an uglyduckling but beautiful friend and advisor; Runt ofthe Litter (Steve Zahn), a timid 900 pound porker,and Fish Out of Water, a nonverbal gurgler—tohelp him save the day, without sending the towninto a new panic.In a non-stop action adventure sequence, payinghomage to some other recent space alienfilms as well as earlier Disney animations, theteam returns their town to peace, with the ensuingballyhoo resulting in a Hollywood movie deal.(G- rated; 76 minutes)#CHILDREN’S CORNERNYC Childrenʼs Services Officials RollOut New Plan: “Rethinking Child Care”By EMILY SHERWOOD, Ph.D.Can Mayor Bloomberg and the NYCAdministration for Children’s Services (ACS)follow through on their promise to reform thecity’s early child care system? Recently, the NewSchool University’s Milano Graduate School ofManagement and Public Policy brought togetherofficials from ACS as well as a panel of childcare advocates to discuss the specifics of a muchheraldednew plan, “Rethinking Child Care,” forimproving accessibility and continuity of the city’searly child care services while ratcheting up theirefficiency and accountability.Based on data that show that high quality, earlylearning programs can and do improve children’schances for later successes in school and in life,“Rethinking Child Care” is rethinking big. JohnMattingly, ACS Commissioner, kicked off theMilano program by promising that “we’re goingto make some history in early childhood care.”His plan hopes to coordinate a patchwork quiltof centers and home-based providers that providesubsidized care to more than 135,000 NYC childrenunder the age of six, and that are currentlyoverseen by three separate city agencies: ACS, theHuman Resources Administration (HRA), and theDepartment of Education (DOE).Mattingly’s Deputy Commissioner, Dr. AjayChaudry, a former Milano faculty member andauthor of Putting Children First: How Low-WageMothers Manage Child Care, filled in the detailswith a six-point strategic plan worthy of anyFortune 500 company:With data showing that the current systemaccommodates only 30 percent of the estimated275,000 children from low-income families inNYC and only seven percent of children undertwo (and research shows that a huge portionof human development occurs under the ageof two), the ACS will shift services to targetthe neediest families. The plan will eventuallymodify contracts to reimburse providers based onactual enrollment and enable programs to enrollvoucher and private-pay families.Because current red tape discourages familiesfrom seeking services, the plan will simplifyenrollment forms, streamline eligibility and community-basedenrollment, and redesign the parentinformation system.To improve and monitor the quality of care,ACS will develop a single assessment mechanismwhile improving the oversight of homebasedcare and performing background checks oninformal providers.To improve facility expansion and management,the plan will train and support sponsors totake responsibility for maintaining and negotiatingtheir own leases, while developing new facilitiesin underserved areas.To remedy the fragmented child care system,the ACS will coordinate inter-agency data oversightand integrate its own child care and HeadStart functions.To streamline services for low-income families,the City will integrate the child care provided byHRA (to recipients of public assistance engaged“Act Out”continued from page 31played on Broadway and in countries aroundthe world.The performers, actual clients in the treatmentcenter, reenact their lives before andafter their recovery to depict the behaviors andpressures that led to their addictions. The playfollowed with an interactive discussion amongaudience and cast members.The moving honesty of the performers dissolvedboundaries between the attendants andthe addicts. During the question and answerperiod, a female probation officer asked ain work activities) within ACS.Most panel and audience members welcomedACS’ program overhaul as long-overdue. Severalagency directors expressed concern about the newrequirement that providers attain 100 percent clientenrollment in order to maximize systemicefficiency. One provider stated her concern that thiscould force agencies to serve only the most stablefamilies. Dr. Chaudry defended the requirement as ameans for redistributing services from underutilizedprograms to those with greatest need, and he promisedthat ACD will offer technical assistance to helpproviders improve their service utilization.Some providers further questioned whether theefficiencies included in ACS’ model, such as the100 percent utilization requirement, are actuallybudget cuts masking as program overhauls. Panelmember Helen Blank, Director of Leadership andPublic Policy at the National Women’s Law Center,noted that “the picture in Washington is not verybright,” referring to a House Ways and MeansCommittee spending bill that would enact multibilliondollar federal budget cuts in child care programsover the next five years. “To raise money forHurricane Katrina victims, new funds must be offsetby cuts in other programs,” added Blank.However, she urged that it is all the more “essentialthat states and communities lead the way” forthe rest of the country. “Keep telling the people inWashington that you’re on the right track, becausethey’re on the wrong one,” urged Blank.In a telephone interview with Sandy Socolar, ChildCare Analyst for District Council 1707, AFSCME,Education Update has learned that there is fardeeper community concern about ACS’ proposedrealignment. For starters, the plan was a “completesurprise…developed in-house….without communityinvolvement,” according to Socolar. Amongthe most egregious problems, the new 100 percentenrollment requirement “changes the fundamentalbedrock funding policy for day care centers.” Ifreimbursement moves to a per child basis based onattendance, “boards of directors won’t know if theyhave enough money to pay their staff.”A second major concern is the new stipulationthat agencies take on the direct leases with theirlandlords. Because the city is entitled to terminateits contract with an agency at any time, bothlandlords and agency boards of directors wouldbe hesitant to assume the financial risk of a leasewithout NYC backing. But the real “elephant inthe living room,” according to Socolar, is ACS’assertion that it will shift its funding to underservedage groups.“ACS will still have to provide voucher fundingfor the school-aged children whom they planto displace from currently existing child care centers,which will not leave ACS with the funds tosupport more infants and children. Furthermore,infants and children can be well served at muchless cost in family day care homes,” assertsSocolar. Socolar promises that the day careunions will “put together an improved plan. Wehope to point out misdirection and move it in theright direction,” she concludes.#young addict who’d been arrested several times,whether the fear of incarceration had helped todeter his drug use. “Yes,” he answered with anironic sense of appreciation.As the sobering reality of the day settled in,participants and clients gradually shuffled outof the office at 50 West 42nd Street. Despiteshedding some tears, the resonance of the lessonsof the day inspired both DayTop treatmentperformers and audience; the struggles of theclients left a lasting impression.Schools interested in bringing a performanceof “The Concept” can contact the public affairsoffice of DayTop at ssatline@daytop.org#

34 TECHNOLOGY & EDUCATION ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005 WELCOME TO THEINTERACTIVE CLASSROOM OUR CLIENT LIST OF NYPS • BEACH CHANNEL HS • BROOKLYL N COLLEGIATA E • BROOKLY Optional $195.00Stand not included.LaminatorThe TCC-2700 roll laminator offers high-end lamination features.An adjustable temperature and speed control provide precise, professionallaminating. The Teflon coated heat shoes provide a clearand scratch-free lamination. This laminator can handle materialup to 1/8 inch thick and can use lamination film up to 10-mil thick.One year limited warranty.MSRP $1995.00 Sale Price $1379.00Work Station for LaminatorLaminating rolls for HOTPricePart#Thickness Width Length Per RollLR-1.5X12/500 1.5mil 12” 500ʼ $19.00LR-1.5X18/500 1.5mil 18” 500ʼ $29.00LR-1.5X25/500 1.5mil 25” 500ʼ $36.00LR-1.5X27/500 1.5mil 27” 500ʼ $42.00LR-3X12/250LR-3X18/250LR-3X25/250LR-3X27/2503mil 12” 250ʼ $24.003mil 18” 250ʼ $36.003mil 25” 250ʼ $48.003mil 27” 250ʼ $52.00Pouch Laminator TCC-SM330$195Optional $195.00Stand not included.Approved VendorNYC Dept of EdVendor ID # 383292472R BEL SISTERS • JACQUELINE K. ONASIS HS • JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 143 • LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL • MLK JR HIGH SCHOOL • MONROE BRONX SCHOOL • NEW WORLD HIGH S CHOOL • PUBLIC SCHOOL 100 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 122 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 139 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 155 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 156 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 165 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 171 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 186 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 188 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 188 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 209Q • PUBLIC SCHOOL 221 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 24 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 246 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 255Q • PUBLIC SCHOOL 32 • PUBLIC SCHOOL 52Q • PUBLIC SCHOOL 53K •T TA L • IS 090 MIRAL N HIGH SCHOOL • CAMPUS MAGNET HS • CHANNEL VIEW SCHOOL • COBBLE HILL SCHOOL • FDNY HIGH SCHOOL • HS FOR ENVIRONMENTA Real-time instructor-student interactionInstant polling and survey analysisSelf-paced student assessmentsAnonymous student feedbackAutomatic grading and reportingSeamless integration withMS PowerPoint ® Scalable from small classroomsto 300+ seat auditoriumsOUR OUR OUR OUR OURQUILL STAPLES OFFICE PRICE PRICE PRICE PRICE PRICEPRICE PRICE DEPOT Qty1-10 Qty11-29 Qty30-50 Qty51-79 Qty 80+ENX 82V 360W $21.99 $24.15 $22.99 $13.99 $12.99 $11.99 $10.99 $8.99EYB 82V 360W $17.99 $19.95 $18.99 $12.99 $11.99 $10.99 $9.99 $7.99FXL 82V 410W $22.99 $31.49 $29.99 $14.49 $13.74 $12.94 $12.44 $11.94just for your info ENX AND FXL Lamp look the sameToll Free # 888.578.5252Fax # 888.578.2884www.teachingedge.com

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ TECHNOLOGY & EDUCATION35PRODUCT REVIEWBytes for Learningʼs Ultrakey 5By MITCHELL LEVINEAlthough not everyone would agree on theactual educational efficacy of the current emphasisin our schools on computers, there’s littledoubt that in the New York City schools, at least,they’ve become a focus. From tutorial software,to Internet research, to specialized classes ingraphics and Web design, students spend moreand more time in front of a monitor.A strong case can be made, then, that forstudents needing to interact with most digitaltechnology, keyboarding skills are the equivalentof literacy. As one’s ability to decodewritten language is a controlling factor in theirSmartdeskʼs iFlip ComputerSuspension SystemBy MITCHELL LEVINEOver the last couple of years, thousands of studentsand teachers have received portable computersas part of an initiative carried through by theDepartment of Education and the Laptop Foundationof America. Unfortunately, one built-in problem persists:The districts in the public education system thatmost critically need access to the technology alsohave the least space to utilize them in. A serious issuethat needs to be resolved as well is the question ofhow the systems can be safely deployed for use bygrowing and physiologically vulnerable students.The iFlip manufactured by SmartDesk, inc. canprovide a dependable, practical solution to all of theabove concerns. Designed for ergonomic stability,the stand enables a cantilevered position, so youcan place your keyboard to extend out over the frontedge of your desk. According to the company’s site,OSHA maintains that reclining in your chair createsa more neutral ergonomic posture conducive to therecommended frequent shifts of position.For those school districts that distribute laptopsfor students to use at their desks or in computerlabs with reclining chairs, the iFlip will representa considerably improvement in the ease withPRODUCT REVIEWwhich their hardware can be reliably mountedand easily removed when needed. A set of wheelsin the back of the unit provide ease of lateralmovement, while a surface contact area under thelip provides enough resistance to keep the standfrom moving while you type. Although gettingaccustomed to a steeper angle of inclinationwhile working at a laptop does take some time,I was more comfortable using my Toshiba at atable during my trial of the product than any othermethod of laptop suspension I’ve used so far.On another front, heat rises, so, when a laptopsits flat on a surface, the heat produced by theCPU is trapped. The added air space, when thelaptop rests on the rear levelers, also promotesairflow. More airflow equals less heat buildup, akey factor in the lifespan of any laptop.For anyone who would like to be able to comfortablyuse their laptop at a desk or table whilepromoting safe posture, protect their investmentby preventing overheating, and eliminatehazardous drag when clearing their workspace,Education Update recommends the iFlip. Formore information, call 1-888-660-5057, or log onthe companies’ site at www.smartdesk.com#access to learning, an educational computeruser is limited by their ability to manipulate akeyboard. In timed exams in tutorials, typing isa factor in returned grades. Unfortunately, formost, typing instruction is still caught up in the1950s with programmed learning hardly evenan. Thankfully, Bytes of Learning has broughtkeyboarding pedagogy into the 21st centurywith its latest version of its seminal keyboardingtutor, Ultrakey 5. Unlike many of the productsreviewed here, Ultrakey isn’t really a tutorialprogram. Essentially, it’s an updated versionof the old tachistoscope: pour text files into theapplication and it flashes them word by word ona viewing screen at variable rates of speed. Onceyou’re done reading, a quick test will informyou as to exactly how successfully you wereable to process the material.On the other hand, simply undergoing thisprocess trains the eyes and cortical centers tooperate more expeditiously, which is why theproduct also has its “educational mode.” Aseries of suggested drills is given to exploit thisphenomenon, and, after undertaking one, I canhonestly say that it not only exercised my readingcapacity, but acted as a general mental hotfootas well. Once the reading has commenced,typing instruction follows with a variable rate ofspeed determined by the instructor.Full report capabilities are available, and theone of the most exciting features is the serversoftware that Bytes of Learning provides toboth students and teachers. Students can accesstheir classroom instruction online for an interactivekeyboarding lesson anywhere they have anInternet connection, while teachers can fullymonitor their progress from any location aswell. It’s important to note that this is not aWeb-based product—tutorial lessons are onlyaccessible from within the software itself, andnot from an Internet site.That’s the best recommendation I can give.For more information, log onto the company’ssite at www.bytesforlearning.com.# Standards-Based Technology ProjectsTeacher-Friendly, Classroom Ready Plans, Procedures,Rubrics and Samples for easy Curriculum IntegrationLanguage Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Scienceand Religion (non-religious version also available)“Just What You Need to Know” GuidesFor learning & teaching Word Processing, InternetResearch, Presentations, Charts & Graphs and LiteracyBased on National Education Standards (NETS)Scope & Sequence of Technology SkillsTechnology Skills Checklists for every Grade LevelMedia Center Coordination & Communication MaterialsTechnology Plan Template for your school to customizeTimely Information & Classes for Parents PROJECTSK-2 Cross-Curricular Projects $2753-5 Cross Curricular Projects $4756-8 Cross Curricular Projects $5759-12 Cross Curricular Projects $275All Projects $1195GUIDESWord Processing $225Internet Research $175Presentations $175Spreadsheets $225All Guides $595SKILLSTechnology Skills Check Lists $275Coordination Materials $225Technology Plan Template $225All Skills & Templates $595BEST SKILLSComplete TechnologyIntegration Kit $1695

36 BOOK REVIEWS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOVEMBER 2005Logos Bookstore’s RecommendationsIt is quite interesting to find out what bookssome book clubs are reading for discussionthese days. The Kill Your TV Reading Group(KYTV) which meets at the bookstore is discussingMoab Is My Washpot, the actor StephenFry’s autobiography ofMoab Is Myhis first 20 years for itsWashpotmeeting on Wednesday,November 2, 2005. Fry’sBy Stephen Fryaccount of his troubled(Soho, $13)youth and introspectivemusings on his past is fas-cinating reading as he portrays himself as anunhappy misfit in the several English boardingschools he attended and as a more rather welladjustedperson when he was in prison serving asentence for credit card fraud. All this happenedbefore his successful completion of exams toenter Cambridge University where he becamepart of a famous group of actors which includedKenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson and HughLaurie, and later played Jeeves to Hugh Laurie’sBertie Wooster in several dramatizations of P.G.Wodehouse’s famous stories.Fry shows the reader the richness of hiseducation through his method of expression ashe paints a vivid picture of English boardingschool life of the mid 1960’s and early 1970’s.His mention of the Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Bandbrings forth a nostalgic note to his English andAmerican contemporaries. I for one rememberthat group with fondness not only for theirmusic and satire, but also for the “cool” statusit gave me when I introduced this group to mypeers at boarding school.Mr. Blue by MylesMr. BlueConnolly was recently discussedby the St. Ignatius(Loyola Press, $11.95)of Loyola Church bookclub. This 1928 classicis about a modern day JBy Myles Connolly“saint,” J. Blue who gives away his money tothose in need, lives in a packing box on the roofBy H. Harris Healy, III, President,Logos Bookstore1575 York Avenue (Between 83rd and84th Sts.), New York, NY 10028(212) 517-7292, Fax (212) 517-7197WWW.NYCLOGOS.CITYSEARCH.COMof a thirty floor New York City skyscraper, fliesa kite for recreation and talks about Jesus andlife when he is back from pilgrimages overseas…Later, he resides in Boston witnessing tothe poor. Blue is not only a man of action, he isalso a man of thought as shown by the excerptsof several of his letters. This is a short novel ofideas and actions worth reading.Meanwhile, on Monday, November 14, 2005at 3 P.M. during Children’s Story Time, theauthor, Ruth Bolling and the illustrator, TraceyDahle Carrier of Mouse Tales: Things HopedFor, Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany will showtheir book and tell their story. Autographedcopies of the book will be available. Novemberis also a good time to shop for the holidays.Come get your Thanksgiving, Hanukkah andChristmas gifts. Come one, come all to Logos.Upcoming Events At LogosWednesday, November 2, 2005 at 7 P.M.,KYTV Reading Group will discuss Moab Is MyWashpot by Stephen Fry.Monday, November 14, 2005 at 3 P.M.,Children’s Story Time presents Ruth Bolling,author and Tracey Dahle Carrier, illustratorof Mouse Tales: Things Hoped For, Advent,Christmas, Epiphany.Monday, November 14, 2005 at 7 P.M., theSacred Texts Group led by Richard Curtis willdiscuss the book of Proverbs, and the Song ofSolomon. Bring your favorite proverbsWednesday, November 16, 2005 at 6:30 P.M,Meet and Greet, at 7 P.M., Museum presentationsand more with the Bonnie Manter NewYork Network Group. Further info:bonniebeatonmanter@hotmail.comWednesday, December 7, 2005 at 7 P.M.,KYTV Reading Group will discuss House OfMirth by Edith Wharton.Transit: 4, 5, 6 Subways to 86th Street, M86Bus (86th St.), M79 Bus (79th St.), M31 Bus(York Ave.), M15 Bus (1st & 2nd Aves.)Review of Going Public With OurTeaching: An Anthology of PracticeREVIEWED By MERRI ROSENBERGHere’s what’s been missing from teachereducation: a hands-on, practical,engaging series of narratives that providean authentic sense of what happens whenpedagogical theory is left behind and teachers(veterans and neophytes alike) are in theirclassrooms with their students.It’s an invaluable contribution to the teachereducation field, and a volume that I would urgeeducation deans hand out to their students theminute they enroll.Obviously it’s not meant as a straight-throughread. Rather, its usefulness lies in the self-containedchapters that permit readers to selectthose issues that most concern them. Developedas part of an initiative of the Carnegie Academyfor the Scholarship of Teaching (CASTL), thisbook incorporates private journal entries, earlyteaching portfolios, websites, op-ed and opinionessays, and so forth. For more information,see http://goingpublicwithteaching.orgIn part, this book exists to respond to practicalquestions and issues teachers face everydayin their professional lives. These can be concernslike first day of school jitters, or managingan ethnically diverse class, or even how tocope with the interruptions that ensue whenchildren are always leaving for a pull-out class.These are the kinds of issues that can makea teacher feel successful—or not—yet aren’texactly the stuff of professional conferencesand staff development days.As the editors suggest, “Too often...teachersare treated as if they cannot be trusted to makedecisions about teaching and learning...as iftheir classroom practice has to be monitoredand controlled...teachers have to be able toengage in professional activities...as a regularpart of their work.”Precisely.There are many gems nestled inside this text,any one of which could be just what a newteacher needs to get past the early months inthe classroom—or could reinvigorate a veteranteacher who’s concerned that she’s lost herspark, in the midst of bureaucratic paperworkand the relentless pressure of accountability.Some chapters are stronger, or more compellingthan others. I’d particularly recommendTim Boerst’s analysis of the first day of school,in which he realizes that the conventionalapproach may in fact undermine what he seeksto accomplish with his students during therest of the year. He writes, “Instead of tryingto teach procedure as discrete topics on thefirst day of school, I could teach students theprocedure when they needed to know them,in order for them to participate in a meaningfuldiscussion.” He argues for a project-basedclassroom, in which students are authenticallyengaged in meaningful work, as contributing toa school’s underlying ‘culture of quality,’ worthyconsiderations for any teacher and principalto discuss.Similarly, Lois Brandts’ insightful and provocativeexploration of the impact of pull-outprograms, not only on the children who participate,but on those who remain in the classroom,should be required reading. Her analysis ofhow these interruptions disrupt the day, andeffectively reduce the classroom teacher to atraffic cop, moving children between resourceroom teachers and specials, is compelling.There are other terrific chapters as well—Marsha Pincus’s exploration of drama she usesto challenge her students as part of her effortto “repair the world” and make a difference;Yvonne Divans Hutchinson’s respect for herAfrican-American students’ community andculture as a way to give them tools to “thinkwith texts;” or Cynthia Ballenger’s experiencesworking with Haitian-American pre-schoolersin Massachusetts.While this text would be invaluable for educationstudents and first-year teachers, I’d recommendthat principals take a look, too. Anyone of these chapters would offer a “teachablemoment” with positive repercussions.#Edited by Thomas Hatch, Dilruba Ahmed,Ann Lieberman, Deborah Faigenbaum,Melissa Eiler White, and Desiree H. PointerMace. Published by Teachers College Press,Teachers College, Columbia University–NewYork and London ( 2005) : 316 pp.DISNEY GIVES SCHOOLS FIRST-CLASS TREATMENTWhen you let your students discover the wonder and joy of Disney on Broadway, we’llmake the experience unforgettable! This school year give your students a day to rememberby taking advantage of Disney’s educational program, which provides schools with specialrates for groups of 15 or more for Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Tarzan.In addition, because we know you want to provide the necessary adult supervision,Disney gives educators one free ticket for every 15 purchased at both shows. Flexible policiesallow teachers to pay in full 2–3 months before the performance. Disney invites schoolsto dedicate an entire day to the theater and to enhance the group’s experience by taking ahistorical tour of the New Amsterdam Theater the morning prior to the performance. Builtin 1903, the New Amsterdam has long been the crown jewel of Broadway’s theaters. Aftera two-year restoration process that led to the theater’s re-opening in 1997, the theater nowhosts Disney’s Tony Award winning musical, The Lion King. The New Amsterdam Theater isthe perfect venue for events ranging from 15 to 1,800 people. The theater and its two historicrooms, the Ziegfeld Room and the New Amsterdam Room, can accommodate everythingfrom a full production to an intimate candlelight dinner. For more information please callAmy Andrews at 212-282-2907.We will help teachers arrive to the theater prepared. For every show, Disney has developedstudy guides that help teachers develop projects, discussions and activities. And, forthose students who always have a question after most Wednesday matinees, members ofthe cast, orchestra or crew are available to appear for special Q & A sessions with students.Students can also enjoy discounts on Disney on Broadway souvenir merchandise, as eachmember of your group will receive a merchandise coupon for great savings at the theater.Teachers can also arrange special lunch savings at McDonald’s Times Square location,which, seating over 2,000, specializes in school groups customized for any budget. Finally,groups save on Gray Line New York bus charters, as special Disney promotional rates areavailable.#For more info or to book call 212-703-1040 or 1-800-439-9000, fax 212-703-1085 or emailBVTGgrouptix@disney.com. Or visit www.disneyonbroadway.com.

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ RESOURCE & REFERENCE GUIDE*RESOURCEANDREFERENCEGUIDE*37BOOKSBank Street Bookstore112th St. & Broadway(212) 678-1654Exceptional selection of books for children,teachers and parents. Knowledgeable staff.Free monthly newsletter. Open Mon-Thurs 10-8PM, Fri & Sat 10–6 PM, Sun 12–5 PM.Logos Books1575 York Ave. (@84th Street)(212) 517-7292A charming neighborhood bookstore located inYorkville featuring quality selections of classics,fiction, poetry, philosophy, religion, bibles andchildren’s books, and greeting cards, gifts andmusic. Books can be mailed. Outdoor terrace.High Marks In Chemistry1-877-600-7466Over 65,000 books sold. HIGH MARKS:REGENTS CHEMISTRY MADE EASY BY SHARONWELCHER (College Teacher, Chairperson andteacher of high school review courses). Thisbook is your private tutor-Easy review book forNEW regents (second edition) with hundredsof questions and solutions, Get HIGH MARKS$10.95. Available at Leading book stores or call(718)271-7466.www.HighMarksInSchool.comTransition Matters:From School to Independence: A Guide andDirectory of Services for Youth with Disabilitiesand Special Needs in the Metro New York Area.500 pages, $35.00 + $8 postage andhandling ISBN 0-9678365-6-5. Availableat local and on-line booksellers or directfrom Resources for Children with SpecialNeeds, Inc. 116 East 16th Street/5th floor,New York, NY 10003 212-677-4650 (phone),212 254-4070 (fax) or visit us online atwww.resourcesnyc.orgCAREER COUNSELINGFor Educators, Parents, Students,Admin, & OthersThinking of CHANGING CAREERS or JOBHUNTING? Seek clarity, support, more throughall the steps. Contact experienced boardcertifiedCounselor. Rose Mary Colorafi, MA:646-732-3198CAMPSThe Camp Experts & Teen Summers30 East 81 Street Suite 7CNew York, NY 10028Tel: 212-288-7892Fax: 212-288-1069Web: www.campexperts.com“The Camp Experts & Teen Summers” is aFREE advisory service for all your children’ssummer needs. Serving the NYC area foralmost 20 years, Joanne Paltrowitz along withAlison Paltrowitz & Susan Zimny (specialneeds division) have done the research toprovide you with appropriate summer choices.Representing over 900 programs this team ofEXPERTS has visited and screened programsfor your children. Call 212-288-7892 or emailTHE CAMP EXPERTS at: info@campexperts.com. www.campexperts.comJoanne Paltrowitzjoanne@campexperts.comCOLLEGESNovember Events at Sarah Lawrence CollegeEXHIBIT“Listening in Color” Paintings by JoelleSanderOct. 1 through Nov. 28Monday – Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.Friday 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.Saturday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.Sunday 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.Esther Raushenbush Library. - FREEAn associate director of the Center forContinuing Education at Sarah LawrenceCollege, Joelle Sander’s work will be displayedin her first one-woman exhibit, “Listening inColor.” Sander was recently chosen by the NewYork art dealer Phil Alexandre of the AlexandreGallery to be represented in the 92nd streetYMCA’s faculty/student exhibit commemoratingthe 75th anniversary of Y’s Art Center. Foradditional information on the exhibit, pleasecall 914-395-2470.READINGFriday, October 21, 2005Bill KnottWednesday, Nov. 30Heimbold Visual Arts Center6:30 p.m. - FREEThe Graduate Writing Program at SarahLawrence presents a reading by Bill Knott,a poet and Associate Professor at EmersonCollege in Boston. Knott is the author of tenbooks of poetry, including Love Poems ToMyself, Rome in Rome, Laugh at the End of theWorld, and most recently, The Unsubscriber.For additional information, please call914-395-2411.CONTINUING EDUCATIONJASA: Jewish Association ForServices For The Aged132 West 31st Street, 15th Floor, NYC(212) 273-5304Sundays at JASA, Continuing Educationfor Adults 60 and Over at CouncilSenior Center. Call 212-273-5304 forcatalog and information about courses.DANCE PROGRAMSNew Dance Group Arts Center254 West 47th St.NYC, NY 10036(212) 719-2733 • www.ndg.orgMusical Theater Program for kids/young adults.Dance classes in all disciplines. Teaching/rehearsal space available. Located betweenBroadway and 8th Avenue.HOME SCHOOLINGScienceSchoolHouseHome Schooling Parents! Do you need scienceresources that meet the New York statecurriculum standards?The content in the ScienceSchoolHouseDiscover!Science library has been recognizedby some of the largest and most progressivestates as meeting 100% of their requiredlearning outcomes for specific science coursesin grades 6-12. All of our CDs feature interactivemultimedia tutorials, two fully narrated textlevels, beautiful photographs and illustrations,scores of interactive exercises, half-hour videodocumentaries (plus lots of short video clips),quizzes, test banks—and our revolutionarynew 3D Virtual Lab. Approved for purchase bythe New York City Department of Education.For more information on our titles inastronomy, geology, oceans, weather, lifescience and the environment, visit our websiteat scienceschoolhouse.com or call us at 1-888-666-6362 TODAY!MED & HEALTH SERVICESNYU Child Study Center550 First Avenue, NYC(212) 263-6622.The NYU Child Study Center, a comprehensivetreatment and research center for children’spsychological health at NYU Medical Center,now offers specialized services for attentiondeficithyperactivity disorder, anxiety-relatedproblems, consultations for learning disabilitiesand giftedness, and seminars on parenting andchild development. Call for more information.Advanced Degrees in Medicine,Science, and the Health Professions atNew York Medical College Valhalla,New York; (914) 594-4000;www.nymc.eduPASSES TO HEALTH CLUBS& YOGA STUDIOSFitness Alliance(212) 808-0765/www.health-fitness.orgGet 400 free passes for the best fitness, yoga,dance, martial arts, sports, swimming, pilates,and more. Just sign up for the New YorkFitness PassBook, all for the one-time sign-upfee of just $65, to go anywhere, anytime, allthroughout the year, to enjoy and discover thebest for free. Just go to www.health-fitness.org for details, or call the American Healthand Fitness Alliance at 212-808-0765. Hurry,*they're going fast.SCHOOLSDarrow SchoolDarrow School an independent, co-ed, boardingand day school in New Lebanon, New York, offersa comprehensive college-preparatory curriculumwith a range of courses in writing and literature,history, languages, mathematics, sciences, andthe arts. The beautiful mountainside campusis located on the site of the historic Mt.Lebanon Shaker Village. For more informationcall (518) 794-6000The Harlem School of the Arts645 St. Nicholas Ave., NYC(212) 926-4100 ext. 304Learning continues after school at The HarlemSchool of the Arts, an after school conservatorywhere the arts educate, stimulate and motivateyour child. Music, dance, theater, visual artsand much, much, much more!!SCHOOL RECRUITMENTNEW LEADERS FOR NEW SCHOOLSBecome an Urban School PrincipalNew Leaders for New Schools is a nationalnon-profit organization with one clear mission:promoting high academic achievement forevery child by attracting, preparing, andsupporting the next generation of outstandingleaders for our nation’s urban public schools.This year we are seeking over 100 highlymotivated individuals nationwide to become NewMath TutoringHigh School & Junior High2 Sample Hours, No ChargeArithmetic Advanced Calculus212.228.1642917.297.2389Leaders Principals in Baltimore, California’sBay Area, Chicago, Memphis, New York City,and Washington, D.C. Successful applicantshave a record of success in leading adults, K-12teaching experience, a relentless-drive to leadan excellent urban school and most importantlyan unyielding belief in the potential of allchildren to achieve academically at highlevels.The New Leaders for New Schools’ Prioritydeadline is November 15, 2005 and Finaldeadline is March 1, 2006. All applicationsmust be submitted on-line at www.nlns.org.If you have any questions please email us atnewyorkinfo@nlns.org or call 646-792-1066.SCHOOL PROFESSIONALSFor All Your Substitute Needswww.SchoolProfessionals.cominfo@schoolprofessionals.com212-916-0825Finally, a one-stop service whose sole focus isrecruiting, interviewing and providing qualifiedsubstitutes for elementary, middle and highschools. One quick call to us means nothaving to interview and hire on your own,eliminating the worry and work of finding lastminute replacements, “doubling-up,” or evencanceling classes. Our proprietary roster of prescreenedcandidates enables us to quickly find aprofessional precisely matched to your school’srequirements, saving you the time and expenseof scrambling to meet last-minute needs. And,with 24/7 coverage, you can request staff at anytime - even at night or on weekends. Schoolscan get started today by calling 212-916-0825or e-mailing info@schoolprofessionals.com toregister for our services.SPECIAL EDUCATIONThe Sterling School,(718) 625-3502Brooklyn’s private elementary school forDyslexic children offers a rigorous curriculum,Orton - Gillingham methodology and hands-onmulti-sensory learning. One-to-one remediationis also provided. If your bright LanguageLearning Disabled child could benefit fromour program please do not hesitate to contactDirector: Ruth Arberman at 718-625-3502.TUTORSMath TutoringHigh School and Junior High. Two SampleHours, No Charge. Arithmetic to AdvancedCalculus. Call (212) 228-1642 or (917) 297-2389 ★★★

38 EDUCATION UPDATE ■ FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS & STUDENTS ■ NOVEMBER 2005HYPERACTIVE TO HYPER-PRODUCTIVETHE OTHER SIDE OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONLANDMARK COLLEGE AWARDED $1M GRANTLandmark College has been awarded a 3-year, $1.029 M. grant from the Department of Education.Landmark will partner with five community college systems from across the U.S., conduct comprehensiveBy BEN MITCHELLneeds assessments at each college to determine their ability to serve students with learning disabilities, andASSISTANT PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS AT LANDMARK COLLEGEwill then implement a customized online LD professional development program at each partner college.We all know students who struggle: turning work in on time, leaping into action, deciding what needsto do, predicting how long things take, following through. How easy is it for you -- after going all topieces – to pick them up, figure out what they are and put them back together? This is Executive Function,and most AD/HD researchers are pointing to executive function as being the key challenge. So how doesthe student who struggles with time management, organization, work completion turn into the highlyproductive doctors, lawyers and CEOs that so commonly identify themselves as having AD/HD?For the most part, researchers like Dr. Thomas Brown or Dr. Russell Barkley suggest that the only treatmentfor executive function difficulties is the various stimulant medication used to treat AD/HD studentssince the eighties. Generally, medication is useful in increasing one’s capacity for active working memory.Some of us have so many ideas, so many interests, so many directions to move at the same time that webecome overwhelmed and simply shut down; medication can provide the mental space to sort things out,even Barkley and Brown will say they don’t always solve the problem.At Landmark College, we have found that when students can capture all their projects and activitiesinto a reliable system, they can tackle that list systematically – even move into hyper focus. The problemis not so much the number of impulses, ideas and directions as much as the inability to keep track of themall at the same time. Many students need simply to establish a system to externalize executive functionprocesses in order to free up mental space.Over the past 10 years during which Landmark College has actively recruited students with executive functiondifficulties – ADD, ADHD, Executive Function Disorder – we have found the key to addressing executivefunction difficulties is for these students to become experts on their own situation -- to understand the variousobstacles they will likely face and collect a “menu” of options.The partner schools include: The Community College of Vermont ; The Community College of AlleghenyCounty, PA; The Houston Community College System , TX; North Harris Montgomery Community CollegeDistrict, TX; and Western Nevada Community College.The project, A NEEDS-BASED BEST PRACTICES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FORTEACHING STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SETTING, isbeing funded under the Demo Disabilities program (Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students with DisabilitiesReceive Quality Education) and is being lead by Dr. Steve Fadden, Associate Director of the Landmark CollegeInstitute for Research and Training and Dr. Linda Hecker, Director of Educational Services.Landmark College President, Dr. Lynda J. Katz noted that “The development of the online resource will givecommunity college educators free access to a source of focused, practical strategies and techniques for enhancingtheir educational practices. This project promises to have a significant impact on the capabilities and capacityof community colleges around the nation to more effectively serve students with learning disabilities.”Landmark was one of about twenty colleges awarded grants in what was a highly competitive competition.Other awardees included Clemson University, Colorado State University, DePaul University, KentState University, University of Washington, University of Alaska, University Wisconsin and City Universityof New York.The grant award from the Department of Education covers 90 percent of the costs of the project, with theother 10 percent to be supplied from non-governmental sources.Landmark College is recognized as the nation’s leading college for students with learning disabilitiesand/or AD/HD.For more information contact: Brent E. Betit, Ed.D. Executive Vice President, Landmark College; RiverOne of the most effective strategies is “Coaching.” Whether it’s executive coaching, like David Road South, Putney, VT 05346. Phone: 802/387-6797. Email: bbetit@landmark.edu. Website: www.landmark.eduAllen’s “Getting Things Done,” Life Coaching like the Coach Training Institute or ADHD coaching fromLandmark College, the coach lends executive function ability to allow the student to capture projectsand ideas, and determine what the next action would be. Rather than a traditional “to do” list that has,“research paper” as a single item, a “next action” is doable: “Dig through book bag and find note cardswith research from Tuesday.” The mental energy required to move from an overwhelming project -- research paper -- to the simple task -- organize note cards -- may be insurmountable, without a coach.Students who can capture all of their projects into a system that is understandable and doable begin to change the way they view the world. Rather than fall behind, putting out fires, overwhelmed by broken promises,students learn to track their executive thinking somewhere outside their mind. For many, this heralds the beginning of an extremely productive period; for the first time, they are able to work closer to their true potential.With or without medication, this is the transformation that must take place.Calendar of EventsNOVEMBER 2005Camp FairRESOURCES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIALNEEDS, INC. PUBLISHES SECOND EDITION OFAFTER SCHOOL AND MOREResources for Children with Special Needs, Inc. (RCSN)is an independent, not-for-profit information, referral,advocacy, training and support center in New York Cityfor parents and professionals looking for programsand services for children from birth to 21 with learning,developmental, emotional or physical disabilities. RCSNis one of a national network of more than 100 ParentTraining and Information Centers designated by the U.S.Department of Education. For more information seewww.resourcesnyc.org.Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc.115 East 16th Street, 5th Floor NY, NY 10003tel: 212-677-4650EntertainmentTHREE HOT SHOWS- Tarzan- Beauty & The Beast- The Lion KingCALL: 212-703-1040 or 800-439-9000FAX: 212-703-1085disneyonbroadwaygroups@disneyonline.comwww.disneyonbroadway.com/groupsEventsNEW LEADERS FOR NEW SCHOOLS30 W. 26th Street, Second FloorNew York, NY 10010Phone: (646) 792-1066Web: www.nlns.orgBecome an urban school principal.Join the movement to ensure that every child achievesacademic excellence and reaches their full potential. Tolearn more about how you can apply to become a 2006New Leader, attend one of our upcoming information sessions!You can RSVP for an information session throughour website www.nlns.orgSARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGEPhone: (914)395-2219E-Mail: judiths@sarahlawrence.eduGold Star Families for Peace Co-Founder to Speak atSarah LawrenceCeleste Zappala, a co-founder of Gold Star Familiesfor Peace, will speak at Sarah Lawrence College onThursday, November 10th at 6 p.m. in the College’sEsther Raushenbush Library as part of the Women’sHistory Lecture Series. Zappala’s lecture, “An UnanticipatedJourney,” in which she will discuss the loss of herson, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, to the War in Iraq, is freeand open to the public. For additional information, call914-395-2411.Gold Star Families for Peace is a national organizationof families with loved ones who have died in the IraqWar. As a co-founder of this organization, Zappala, asocial worker and director of the Mayor’s Commissionon Services to the Aging in Philadelphia, united herfamily with others to honor the memory of the fallenby “speaking out for truth, peace and accountability inthe Iraq conflict.” Zappala’s son was a member of thePennsylvania Army National Guard who was killed inBaghdad on April 26, 2004.“Gold Star mothers like Celeste Zappala and CindySheehan remind us that U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistanare not cartoon superheroes but real-life sons,daughters, brothers, sisters, parents, sweethearts andneighbors,” said Priscilla Murolo, director of the graduateprogram in Women’s History at Sarah Lawrence. “Weowe it to them to discuss and debate the policies that putthem in harm’s way. Anything less would be a betrayal ofour best traditions.”In the news recently for their support of Cindy Sheehan,whose efforts to ask President Bush the reason why herson died in Iraq have received national attention, GoldStar Families for Peace hope “to provide support andempower those who have been victimized by the invasionof Iraq, raise awareness in the United States aboutthe true human costs of war and reach out to familieswho have lost a loved one as a result of the war.”PHILOSOPHY DAY SCHOOLis a unique and innovative day school providing a richclassical education emphasizing a love for the pursuit ofwisdom and the development of exceptional character.The carefully structured and nurturing environmentencourages academic and personal confidence, and ahappy and generous disposition.We are located in a graceful mansion, just steps fromCentral Park and NY’s finest museums - resourceswhich our students enjoy as part of our richly integratedcurriculum.CALLIOPE PLAYHOUSEThe Philosophy Day School is pleased to inaugurateCalliope Playhouse, a performing arts series for childrenaged 4-10 and their families. The series, held on selectSundays, includes drama, music, puppetry, storytelling,mask and dance. The School offers this series as anopportunity for children to be inspired by high-caliberperforming artists.November 13 - The Mystic Paper Beasts will perform“Art Fool”, an antic play with 25 masks that looks atcreativity, inspiration and the art of making art. A maskworkshop will follow.November 16 - “Tiger Tales”, a shadow puppet playperformed by the Chinese Theatre Works. Traditionalstories recount with sly humor the Tiger’s rise to power,his abusive reign and ultimate downfall. A puppet workshopwill follow.November 30 - “Life Cycle Stories” with storytellerJane Hughes Gignoux, author of Some Folk Say: Storiesof Life, Death and Beyond, and composer/musicianBarry Keating, Muppets collaborator and Tony nomineefor Starmites. The performance includes audienceparticipation.December 4 - Big Apple Playback Theatre, HannahFox, Artistic Director, concludes the fall series with itsdelightful blend of storytelling, improvisation and fun,all based on stories from the audience. Improvisationworkshop will follow.All performances Sundays at 3:00 pm at the PhilosophyDay School, 12 East 79th St., NYC.Children $10.00, Adults $15.00Reservations necessary.Call 212 744-7300 ext. 201Open HousesTHE COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE29 Castle PlaceNew Rochelle, New York 10805Join us for an open house at CNR’s Graduate School tolearn about Master’s Degrees and Certificates in:* Art & Communication Studies (Art Education, ArtTherapy, Studio Art, and Communication Studies)* Human Services (Career Development, Guidanceand Counseling, Gerontology, and Community-SchoolPsychology)* Education (Early Childhood Education, ChildhoodEducation, Gifted and Talented Education, SpecialEducation, Literacy Education, Educational Leadership,and Multilingual/Multicultural Education TESOL).When: Tuesday, November 15, 5:30 pmAt the Student Campus Center at the College of NewRochelle; 29 Castle Place, New RochelleWhen : Wednesday, December 7, 5:30 pmat the Mooney Center at the College of New Rochelle at29 Castle Place, New Rochelle.For further information call (914) 654-5334.LANDMARK COLLEGEPutney, VermontPhone: (802) 387-6718Web: www.landmark.eduFall 2005 Open HousesSaturday, November 12th9am - 2pmPOLY PREP COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL9216 Seventh AvenueBrooklyn, NY 11228Phone: (718) 836-9800Web: www.polyprep.orgMiddle SchoolsFor students entering grades 5-8 in September 20069:00 AM to 11:00 AMMonday, November 14Monday, November 28Upper SchoolsFor students entering grades 9-11 in September 20069:00 AM to 11:00 AMFriday, November 111:00 to 3:00 PMWednesday, November 30PHILOSOPHY DAY SCHOOLNursery - Grade 412 East 79th StreetNew York, NY 10021Phone: (212) 744-7300Web: www.philosophyday.orgOpen Houses - 2006-2007 School Year:Wednesdays, 8:30 am - 9:30 amSeptember 14th - December 14th(Except NOVEMBER 5th and November 23rd)TOURO COLLEGENEW YORK SCHOOL OFCAREER AND APPLIED STUDIES1870-86 Stillwell AvenueBrooklyn, NY 11223Phone: 718-265-6534 x1015Fax: 718-265-0614Every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 am - 7:00 pmSundays 11:00 am - 5:00 pm.at 27-33 West 23rd StreetNew York, NY 10010212-463-0400 ext.500UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDAPensicola, FloridaPhone:800-263-1074Web: www.uwf.eduOpen House SaturdayJanuary 21, 2006February 18, 2006March 11, 2006April 22, 2006ProgramsTHE COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE GRADUATESCHOOLOffers Three Fall Programs for ChildrenRegistration for the fall semester is now underwayat The College of New Rochelle’s Graduate SchoolEducation Center for the: 1) “Can Do” Program forelementary school age children; 2) After SchoolReading Program; and 3) Speech and LanguageEvaluation and Therapy for students in preschool to8th grade.The “Can Do” Program, open to elementary schoolagechildren, is one-on-one and is conducted bygraduate students in special education, guidance,or school psychology, under the supervision of theGraduate School faculty. This program includesthorough educational testing with simultaneous tutoringin reading, math, social studies, and science. Theemphasis is on building learning strategies. Interviewsand a final conference are conducted to discuss testfindings and progress.The After School Reading Program is one-on-one andis conducted by graduate students in literacy education,under the supervision of the Graduate School faculty.This program offers assessment and tutoring of readingand writing problems.The Speech and Language Evaluation and TherapyProgram is provided by graduate students in speech andlanguage pathology in a one-on-one setting, under thesupervision of the Graduate School faculty. The focusis on vocabulary, phonics, understanding and followingdirections, comprehension of oral and written information,and formulating grammatically correct sentences.Programs include interviews with parents and a finalconference to discuss test findings and progress.The per child fee ranges from $100-$200; financialaid is available. Space is limited for both programs.For further information or to register, call MarjorieScholnick, Director of the Education Center, at (914)654-5333 or contact Barbra Nitzberg (914) 654-5285.WorkshopsGROUP FOR ADHDLenore Ruben LMSW. CHT. EMDROrly Calderon, Psy D. NYS Lic. PsychologistCathy Wein, PhD, NYS, Lic. Psychologist250 West 57th Street #723New York, NY 10107Phone: 212-586-2135Now Forming --- call to reserve spaceParents Discussion Group For parents of ADHD and/orLearning Disabled childrenTopics: Myths and realities about ADHD and LearningDisabilities. Deciphering what these terms mean clinically,educationally, and legally in plain language. Methods ofcoping for parents, family and child. Active techniquesto prevent home from becoming a battleground. How toadvocate for your child. Exploration and sharing of strategiesthat help and of pitfalls to avoid.10 weekly sessions beginning Jan 13, 2005$40. per person per session$60. per couple per sessionThere is a 10% discount for prepayment of series.RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIALNEEDS, INC.116 E. 16th St. 5th FloorNY, NY 10003Phone: (212) 677-4650Presents What’s Out There and How to Get It2005-2006 Free Training SeriesFor Families and Professionals Needing Programs andServices for Children with DisabilitiesGary Shulman, MS.Ed.:212-677-4650www.resourcesnyc.orggshulman@resourcesnyc.orgManhattanDecember 20, 2005 Community Resources 10:30 AM-12:30 PMWest Harlem Head Start 121 W. 128th Street, NYC 10027March,22 2006 Turning 5:Transition to School Age 10AM-1:00 PMApril 12, 2006 Community Resources 10 AM-12 NoonUniversity Settlement 184 Eldridge Street NYC 10002January 24, 2006 Opciones Educativas 10AM-1PM( enEspanol)BrooklynDecember 8, 2005 Community Resources 10 AM-12NoonJanuary10, 2006 Transition from School to Adult Life 10AM-1 PMFeb. 2, 2006 Advocacy Skills for Parents 10 AM-1 PMMarch 28, 2006 Early Childhood Services : Birth to 5 10AM-1 PMBronxDecember 7, 2005 Education Options for Children withSpecial Needs 10AM-1PMJanuary 4, 2006 Early Childhood Services: Birth to 510AM-1PMFebruary 1, 2006 Community Resources 10AM-12NoonMarch 1, 2006 Advocacy Skills for Parents 10AM-1PM

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS & STUDENTS ■ EDUCATION UPDATEThe Big Apple Circusʼ One-Room SchoolBy MICHELLE DESARBOTucked away just outside the heart of LincolnCenter, the Big Apple Circus appears quiet andstill from the outside, a series of nondescripttrailers behind a quaint white picket fence. Butthe silence belies the busy activity within. A visitto the 60-foot trailer known as the One RingSchoolhouse, a place where children whose familiesare involved in the circus (and children whoparticipate in the circus themselves) go to receivetheir education, proved that learning environmentscome in all shapes and sizes.The Schoolhouse is well-heated with wood panelingand individual cubicle-style desks where studentsChristian, Sergey and Nick receive instructionfrom teacher Melody Courtney. Since eachstudent is at a different grade level, Courtneymust conduct a different lesson for each studentsimultaneously. While 9th grader Christian doesa science experiment with seeds in one area, 5thgrader Sergey and 6th grader Nick take a geographytest in another. With a smaller environment towork with and fewer students to keep track of thanthe typical teacher, Courtney is able to manage thethree tasks simultaneously.The atmosphere seems less formal than that ofthe average classroom. There is no rigid schedulehere; the boys choose when they take their tenminute breaks for fresh air and hot chocolate, andif one finishes early, he can go home. Older studentslike Christian, Nick and Sergey meet from9 a.m. to noon while younger children take afternoonclasses from 1 to 4 p.m. Unlike the traditionalschool week, classes at the One Ring Schoolhousemeet Wednesday through Sunday with Mondaysand Tuesdays as “weekends.” With no shows onMondays and Tuesdays, students are free to spendtime with their families and each other.In addition, teachers use the city as a wayof supplementing their lessons. One class, forexample, took a field trip to Historic RichmondTown on Staten Island, another to the Museumof Natural History. There are tutors available whohelp students with specific subjects. And the richblend of multi-cultural backgrounds of studentsalso serves as a learning tool; performers hailfrom England, France, the Ukraine, Bulgaria andMexico to name a few.Ten-year-old Sergey, for example, is originallyfrom Moscow, Russia. His mother is a juggler andhis father is part of a balancing act. Before comingto the Big Apple Circus with his mother, Sergeyand his family were involved in the circus inMoscow, occasionally traveling through Europe toperform. He began his education at the One RingSchoolhouse two months ago in September. Oncethe season ends, he will go back to Moscow withhis mother. “I like this school,” he says. “I havefriends here like Christian and Nick. But a lot ofmy friends are at home in Moscow.”Thirteen-year-old Christian Stoinev, on the otherhand, has been at the Schoolhouse for nearly sevenyears. Having made his circus debut at the age offive in an act with his father, he has had his currentact in which he does tricks with his pet Chihuahua,Scooby, for roughly a year. On his breaks, Stoinevgoes back to Orlando. “I have a lot more friendsin Orlando,” he says. “But I’d rather have sevengood friends than 32 people who pretend to beyour friends and really aren’t. Here, I’ve beenaround people who are 18-20. I’ve matured as aresult,” he says. “Nick and Sergey have friendstheir age so it’s different.” Stoinev some day hopesto play a professional sport like football, baseballor basketball but remains realistic about pursuingit as a career. “If my sports career doesn’t workout, I’d like to study film and eventually becomea director. I’m still young and I’m still learning, soit’s really exciting to me.”And as the One Ring Schoolhouse shows, thepossibilities are endless. Past graduates Kathrynand Max Binder completed Kindergarten throughhigh school and went on to Barnard and Dartmouth,respectively. With such a learning environment tonurture and guide their education, Stoinev andother students are able to dream big.#Illuminating Parallels from Kyoto, JapanBy TED FISH, Ed.D.On a typical morning at the Kin Kaku elementaryschool in Kyoto, Japan, students line up inthe stone courtyard outside while a teacher makesannouncements for the day. When the announcementsare finished, the children are directedinside, where they head to their classrooms afterquietly slipping off their shoes.Surely one morning spent visiting a singleschool cannot provide a comprehensive viewabout the state of education in an entire country.But it, along with an assortment of conversationswith school and government officials, can providea glimpse, and that glimpse was illuminatingfor its stark parallels with education in America.Start, for example, with the pressures of keepingchildren safe. When asked what the biggestproblems were that he faced as an educator,Mr. Ito, the first year principal of the school of600, did not hesitate. “Security,” he announcedthrough a translator. “We must worry about keepingour children safe.”For Mr. Ito, safety concerns encompass gettingchildren to and fro school (one Japanese districthas pioneered the use of a student ID card that activatesas soon as children file out of a gate, whichvia a link to a GPS system, allows parents to monitorprogress home with their computers and cellphones), as well as keeping them secure from thethreats of intruders when classes are in session.School safety was a concern that surfaced inevery conversation I had during my ten days inJapan. The highly publicized case of a 17 year oldOsaka boy who had entered an elementary schoolwith a knife, fatally stabbing one teacher andwounding many children, was just going to trial.Mr. Ito’s second greatest concern was achievement.“We have one classroom teacher,” heexplained, moving his arms at different heightsto emphasize his point, “and so many children atdifferent levels.”A third concern was the increasing disparityof opportunities based on economic status. Twoblocks away, a new private elementary school isset to open in a year. The annual tuition will be 1.5million yen, which translates at current exchangerates, to approximately $14,500 per year. Onlythe children of the traditionally wealthy, or ofdoctors, lawyers, engineers and businesspeopleare able to attend such schools.And finally, he decried the erosion of traditionalvalues that have been fundamental in Japan’sextraordinary educational and economic successin the past six decades. Although teachers stillcommonly work twelve-hour school days andstudents are exceedingly orderly by Americanstandards, the students are no longer eager toautomatically put forth the effort of their parent’sgeneration, and the school day has been reducedfrom 6 to 5 ½ days.“We are slipping,” Mr. Ito said, sadly andearnestly, “not like America where everythingis tops.”A conversation with Muchiko Heida of theJapan Tourist Bureau reflected the same concernsabout safety, diminishing work ethic, and theemergence of a two-tiered education system,separated by class.In addition to independent day schools, concernabout being admitted to top level universities hasgenerated a thriving after school tutorial business,which, as a result of the price, is limited tothe affluent.Japan is not known as an egalitarian society.There is a strict social code that has long takencues from position and age. Egalitarianism, atleast with respect to educational opportunity, hasbeen the hallmark of the United States. Perhapsthat explains the surprise on Mr. Ito’s face whenI assured him that “everything is no longer topsin America,” and that we, too are struggling withsimilar educational dilemmas. #Dr. Ted Fish is Founder of Philos Institute, aneducational consulting firm in Santa Fe, NM thatprovides evaluation and training for schools inthe areas of literacy and leadership.10 TH ANNIVERSARYCONGRATULATIONSFROM AROUND THE NATIONcontinued from page 19Don Winter, ChairNancy Ploeger, PresidentManhattan Chamber of CommerceCongratulations on your 10th anniversary!We have been a partner withyou since your paper’s inception and ithas been a great pleasure to watch thegrowth of your publication. Your coverageand outreach to the community,educating parents, teachers and thegeneral public on NYC’s schools andeducational issues has been a neededand worthwhile endeavor!So again, please accept our congratulationsand much continued success!Rich CalvarioNational Product ConsultantTIAA-CREFEducation SavingsCongratulations on hitting thedecade mark—a tremendous accomplishmentfor such a valued publication!Sometimes the hardest part about being a kid,is being a kid.Being a child is not easy if you are one of the 20% of school-age children affected byTic disorders. Children with Tourette’s, a chronic Tic disorder, often also have problemswith attention or anxiety. Tics and Tourette’s are very treatable, but if ignored can havea negative impact on a child’s self-esteem and development. Most Tic disorders beginaround age 6, but can start as early as age 3. Early intervention is crucial. Call the NYUChild Study Center today to find out how your child can be helped.NYU Child Study CenterGIVING CHILDREN BACK THEIR CHILDHOODWWW.ABOUTOURKIDS.ORG - (212) 263-662239Carole EverettSt. Luke’s School, NYCCongratulations on your 10th year ofbringing education news to the public.I first started reading Education Updatewhen I worked at the Nightingale-Bamford School on the Upper EastSide and would find the newspaperat the Citibank on Madison Avenue.I read it with great interest due to thevariety of articles about both publicand independent school education.For the past two years, I was runninga school in the Caribbean. I readprofessional publications, but misseda journal with such broad appeal.Now that I am working at St. Luke’sSchool in Greenwich Village, I lookforward to reading Education Updateon a regular basis again. Thank youfor covering so many important topicsin education.Rhoda Makoff, Ph.D.Los Angeles, CAWishing you the very best for bringingthe very best to education.

EDUCATION UPDATE ■ FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS & STUDENTS ■ NOVEMBER 2005Summer Seminarsfor high school and middle school teachersand national park service rangersthe Gilder Lehrman institute of american historyThe Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announces summer seminars for 2006.Seminars are tuition-free. Participants receive a $500 stipend, books, and room and board. In-service and new teacher creditavailable. Public, parochial, independent school teachers and National Park Service rangers eligible.Seminars limited to thirty participants per seminar by competitive application. Preference given to new applicants.DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONSApplications must be postmarked by February 1, 2006.To download an application, or to apply online, visit www.gilderlehrman.org or call us at 646-366-9666June 25-July1The Great Depression, WorldWar II, and the American WestDavid Kennedy andRichard WhiteStanford UniversityThe Colonial Era:Structure and TextureJohn DemosYale UniversityThe American Civil War:Origins and Consequences,Battlefields and HomefrontGary Gallagher andEd AyersUniversity of VirginiaThe Civil War inGlobal ContextThomas BenderNew York UniversityInterpreting the ConstitutionJack Rakove andLarry D. KramerStanford UniversityRhetoric and AmericanDemocracyJames EngellHarvard UniversityJuly 2-8LincolnGabor S. BorittGettysburg CollegeThe American Revolution(4th-8th grade teachers only)Andrew RobertsonNew York UniversityJuly 9-15Passages to Freedom:Abolition and theUnderground RailroadDavid Blight, James O. andLois E. HortonYale UniversityThe Age of LincolnRichard CarwardineOxford University, U.K.Visions of theAmerican EnvironmentPatricia LimerickUniversity of Colorado, BoulderThe Great Plains:America’s CrossroadsElliott WestUniversity of Colorado, BoulderAmerica between the WarsAlan Brinkley andMichael FlammColumbia UniversityNew York in the Gilded AgeKenneth T. Jackson andKaren MarkoeColumbia UniversityThe Era of George WashingtonGordon WoodBrown UniversityJuly 16-22The Atlantic WorldPhilip MorganPrinceton UniversityNorth American Slavery inComparative PerspectiveIra BerlinUniversity of MarylandReconstructionEric FonerColumbia UniversityJuly 23-29The Cold WarOdd Arne WestadCambridge University, U.K.The Worlds ofThomas JeffersonDouglas L. WilsonMonticello andthe University of VirginiaJuly 30-August 5The Civil Rights MovementAnthony BadgerCambridge University, U.K.