| Schools Hold Debate On Nation's History
The winners of the finals of the 10th National Schools Debate Competition which was held at the Teachers Hall last Friday, will be presented with their awards today by President J.A. Kufuor.
The St. James Seminary Secondary School from Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region, representing the Northern Zone emerged national winners when they beat Archbishop Porter Girls Secondary School from Takoradi representing the Southern Zone by 30 to 27 marks.
The topic for the debate, organised jointly by the National Planning Committee of the Golden Jubilee celebration and the Ghana Education Service was: "That the black man is capable of managing his own affairs." The winners spoke against the motion.
The Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Papa Owusu Ankomah, commended the two schools for their very good performance.
• Special ed tests must fall in line with feds
A delay in changing how Oregon tests special education students has left teachers scrambling and parents in the dark as some of the state's most vulnerable students face a dramatic shift in how they are assessed. And it didn't have to happen that way. "The (No Child Left Behind Act) was passed in January 2001, and they had five years to come up to compliance," said Patrick Rooney, a policy adviser for the U.S. Department of Education. "It made it very clear that all students would be tested on content standards." Oregon had tested special education students at their cognitive level, not grade level, and assessed students with severe disabilities on their mastery of daily life skills. If the state did not switch to testing all students at their grade level in academic subjects, it could have risked nearly $100 million in federal education aid, said Nancy Latini, Oregon Department of Education assistant superintendent of student learning and partnerships.
Break the Barriers Awarded $1.5 Million Grant to Support Physical ...
FRESNO, Calif. (FV Newswire) - Break the Barriers, Inc., the nation's premier sports-arts center uniting the able and disabled, today announced that it will receive $500,000 per year for the next three years from The Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP). The PEP funds will be used exclusively to improve and expand the physical education and afterschool programs in the Fresno, Clovis, Madera, Kings Canyon, Fowler and Golden Valley Unified School Districts. Program partners include CSU Fresno, Fresno and Madera County Offices of Education, Kids Kan, Inc. and, Joe Herzog, Region 28 chairman for the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAPHERD).
The Carol M. White Physical Education Program is part of the U.S. Department of Education that provides grants to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs for K--12 students in order to help them make progress toward meeting state standards for physical education.
Upgrade to high school’s heating/air systems set to begin May 31
Phase 1 of the heating and air conditioning upgrade at Calhoun County High School will begin May 31 and be completed by Aug. 10, the school district's finance director reported at the board of trustees February meeting.The work is part of the Calhoun County School District's $32.9 million facilities plan approved by the U.S. Department of Justice.The district plans to close Guinyard Elementary and John Ford Middle schools, spend more than $31 million to build a new K-8 facility in the lower county, build a middle-school addition at Sandy Run Elementary in the upper county and install a new heating and air conditioning system and a new roof at Calhoun High.District Finance Director Jerry Sullivan also noted at the Feb. 26 meeting that Phase 1A, which will be air conditioning for the gym, will not be completed until November.Also during the meeting, Superintendent Ken Westbury presented a plan to move the alternative school and adult education program from the old Bethlehem School building to new portables to be placed on the high school campus.
ECU Notes: Association honors ECU partnership commitment
The College of Education has received a national award for its collaboration with community colleges to meet the demand for more rural teachers. East Carolina University received the "Best Practice Award for Collaboration with Community Colleges" Feb. 27 from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education at the organization's annual meeting in New York. The university's collaborative effort is known as Wachovia Partnership East. "East Carolina University recognizes the importance of working closely with community colleges to support teacher candidates through their entire preparation from the community college to completion of a four-year degree," said Sharon P. Robinson, president and CEO of the association. "Without East Carolina's and the state's many community colleges' strong commitment to partnership, the profession would lose many potential teachers." John Swope, dean of the College of Education, who received the award on behalf of the university, said the honor highlights the college's motto of "Excellence through Partnership" and brings deserved recognition to its teacher preparation program.
Kindergarten Savings $310000 Less than Expected
Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon tonight clarified how much will be saved on transportation because of all-day kindergarten, which is $380,000 less than originally anticipated. The Board of Education approved a plan to implement three full days of kindergarten in the fall along with two days of classes that will end 2 hours earlier than the remainder of elementary students. At that time, Landon said school officials would save $390,000 in transportation costs. Landon said tonight during the announcements portion of the meeting that he "misspoke" and the actual savings will be $80,000. Board Chairwoman Mary Parmelee noted that the board approved the measure for its education value and not the savings, but she asked the board if any member wanted to bring the plan back for a re-vote.
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