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(11/17/08 5:00am)
Local schools are catching on to an academic trend that pits multiple-choice testing against a more engaging skills-based education.A study released last week by the Washington" D.C.-based think tank Education Sector attempted to define 21st century skills and to determine if those skills are as quantifiable as standardized education in a classroom setting.""New skills are needed in new ways today" which is largely a function of changing society" said Elena Silva, senior policy analyst for the Education Sector, who helped write the study.The study concluded that 21st century skills must be taught so that students can combine more than one skill at a time, not so that they can use isolated skills in separate standardized tests.Sheri Strickland, president of the N.C. Association of Educators, said it is apparent at the state board level that people are frustrated with No Child Left Behind, a federal law that aims to hold schools and students accountable through standardized testing.Standardized tests don't engage students because they only measure one skill at a time and combining multiple skills is necessary for problem solving today, she said.Additionally, students find it difficult to be engaged in classrooms when outside they are constantly exposed to more engaging forms of media like the Internet and computer games, she said.They are not in the environment they are in usually"" she said. We need to provide school environments that they find engaging.""Stephanie Knott" spokeswoman for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools" said a new district plan focuses on introducing new technology into classrooms.""When kids are asked to turn off technology when they come to school" they tune out" she said.One new program involves supplying every teacher at Carrboro High School with a new laptop, which is expected to encourage teachers to engage in technology.The school district hopes to eventually extend that privilege to Chapel Hill High and East Chapel Hill High, she said.Many of the elementary and middle schools are interested in a new technology called SMART Boards, which allow students to physically touch the board and engage with the technology, Knott said.Cheryl Bolick, associate professor in the UNC School of Education, said technology is not the only way to address 21st century skills, particularly for schools which have financial restrictions.Instead of just providing students with facts, Bolick encourages UNC education students to use primary sources when they teach so that children are able to interact with social sciences and even act as historians.Students are critical consumers of education" she said. One can now find information and then critique it" not just accept it."" Strickland said that no matter the method of teaching" the most important thing is to provide students with the best education possible.Part of that education she said" is preparing students for the real world. ""(Education) is driven by the economy and what is needed in the workforce"" she said. There is a need to be able to produce workers that have the skills that businesses and industries are looking for.""Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(10/24/08 4:00am)
Appalachian State University will be renewing its efforts to alleviate a statewide health care shortage. Students studying health-related professions will soon have a college all their own.The UNC-system Board of Governors approved last week a proposal five years in the making that will create a new College of Health Sciences and Allied Professions. It will combine departments previously spread out across the university's curriculum.Stan Aeschleman ASU provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs" said he hopes the college will increase the number of health professionals graduating in North Carolina.The state has been challenged in recent years by a shortage of health care professionals.""The college accommodates new health care programs and will give us the type of visibility and interest to better enable us to meet the needs of the state"" he said.Combining the departments will provide a more efficient advising and academic environment and provide more opportunities for students interested in health care, Aeschleman said.The departments of health, leisure and exercise science; nursing; social work; foods and nutrition; communication disorders and health management will be included in the college. Together these departments graduated 308 students in the 2007-08 academic year.On top of $4.2 million allotted for planning costs, an additional $1 million is needed to pay for a dean and administration and approximately $50 million is needed to build a facility in the future, Aeschleman said.David Mofford, ASU student body president, said the new college will be a great attraction for potential health care students.We're creating new programs and consolidating" he said. That is only a positive thing. Hopefully" it will bring in new students who are excited to be here.""James Deal" chairman of the ASU Board of Trustees said that despite the high costs" the change is necessary to address the needs of North Carolinians.""It is going to train more people to fill those empty slots and get the quality of treatment we would want them all to have"" he said.Discussions began about five years ago, when people began realizing the growing need for medical professionals, particularly nurses, in western North Carolina, Deal said. By 2011, there will be faculty in place and by 2012 there will be a building to house the departments.Paul Gaskill, the chairman of the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science, said the investment will enable medical personnel to keep health care costs down while improving quality.The cost of development is small compared to potential benefits over time"" Gaskill said. There is a huge job market in health-related fields. A higher quality labor force will have a positive economic effect.""Contact the State & National Desk at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(10/02/08 4:00am)
Political and religious oppression is sending scores of refugees to the Triangle area from Africa Iraq and Burma.They are attracted to ample research and job opportunities. About 8500 are accepting assistance from local organizations as they acclimate to their new home.For many refugees the biggest concern is learning the language.Morgan Price project coordinator for the N.C. chapter of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants" said that refugees come to the U.S. for a variety of reasons and most of the local refugees are coming from Burma.""There is an oppressive government. Some people say things like they're having land taken away from them" or are being used as a porter" or there's no political freedom.""Price's organization offers English tutoring as well as a mentoring program that matches volunteers with a family for at least six months to introduce the refugees to the area.The mentors help families use the bus system and find community activities. Most importantly"" the mentors provide stable and friendly faces in an unknown land.""All of our volunteers are awesome" Price said. With so many people" it is difficult to form those one-on-one relationships.""Raley White" a UNC sophomore who volunteers with the chapter" said that he became involved when he met Price last year.""I enjoy being an ambassador for learning about American culture" and I help them to feel more welcome in the country White said.White said many families have trouble fitting into new communities because of language constraints and discrimination but that tutors can help families meet friendly people and hopefully make the transition easier.Their reaction to me has been nothing but happiness in me being there he said. They are so grateful that when I insist that they don't give me some food they give me some food.Even though they have so little" it is heartwarming they would give some.""Mayra Hayes" the Guilford County School English as a Second Language director said that in the last five and a half years she has seen approximately 45 percent more refugees. The county has to accommodate more than 135 languages.Lacey Hendrix volunteer church coordinator for World Relief North Carolina" said her organization is working with 71 refugees.""For the next years we help where we can"" Hendrix said. There is a process of them learning American culture and speaking up for themselves.""
(09/28/08 4:00am)
The floundering economy might be at the top of the priority list for presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain but six institutions said they think higher education needs to be considered even in lieu of more pressing issues. Six of the predominant national higher education organizations drafted and presented a letter urging the candidates to address what they said were the five biggest concerns in higher education.Stephanie Giesecke the director for budget and appropriations for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities" said that she doesn't expect the letter to have immediate results but that she hopes it facilitates discussion.""I don't think we are asking them to act on anything right away"" she said. They might incorporate it into things they talk about in the next weeks to go. It helps to influence what they bring to the table and the new administration.""They hope the goals — easier access to higher education" maintenance of public trust and transparency protection of a competitive edge in research and education an emphasis on international education and proactive partnerships between the government and education institutions — will be incorporated into the candidates' platforms. Dan Hurley the director of state relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities" said the organizations decided to create broad goals to appeal to wider public support.""Part of the nature of the higher education community is that it is remarkably diverse and each of the associations represent different constituencies"" he said.College access and financial aid have been the most important issues for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Hurley said. Douglas Lauen, UNC assistant professor of public policy, said these proposals are common. He said he found the document bland, probably as a result of such diverse organizations issuing only one letter. Lauen said the letter failed to address primary and secondary education. With the presidential candidates talking about education policy, he said he would have expected the groups to examine the quality of high schools. Colleges and universities rely on high school to prepare students for college"" he said. Many would argue they are falling down on that."" Giesecke said that education is unlikely to be a top priority until the United States passes this economic crisis — even though education is important to maintain a competitive edge in the global arena.""At the beginning the top issue was war"" Giesecke said. Now the economy is such an overarching issue affecting everyone one way or another. (Education) just can't compete with Wall Street falling apart.""Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(09/24/08 4:00am)
Some members of the Brunswick County School Board think it's time to bring creationism to science class.But they will have to fight the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina before they can do so. The ACLU received an anonymous request for intervention from a Brunswick County teacher said Katy Parker the legal director for the N.C. chapter.Parker has contacted a school board attorney to discuss the issue.Within the next few days she will deliver a letter to the school board that alludes to the 1987 U.S. Supreme Court case Edwards v. Aguillard. That case ruled that teaching creationism is unconstitutional.Edd Dunlap section chief for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction" said they would prefer an advocacy group like the ACLU to take on the issue because DPI doesn't have the authority to impose its wishes on the school board.""If they wanted to pass that" we would have no authority to enforce policy" Dunlap said. But you would probably see … certain repercussions from the state board. There is state funding that goes to these schools systems.""The State Board of Education is DPI's last resort for blocking the Brunswick County board's efforts.Shirley Babson" chairwoman of the Brunswick County Schools Board of Education" said that she is sympathetic to parents who want creationism included in the science curriculum.""(Students) have freedom to express their opinions if they have an alternative opinion to what is being taught now"" Babson said.Although she supports creationism in the classroom, Babson said evolution must be studied for students to pass their end-of-grade exams and to graduate.Evolution fails to teach students about the importance of the mind and soul, she said. It is also being presented to students as fact and not as theory.But in Edwards v. Aguillard, the majority opinion said that introducing creationism into a school's curriculum is unconstitutional because it advances a particular religious viewpoint.Dunlap said creationism is a theory probably best discussed in a religion or philosophy course in which the subject matter is the discussion of different theories. Although evolution is only a theory, he said, it has a scientific evidence to provide it with some validity. Dunlap said that creationism versus the big bang theory isn't a new debate, especially since state science standards come up for revision so often.The last time the standards were revised was 2004, and they will probably change again within the next two years, he said.Eugenie Scott, the executive director of the National Center for Science Education, said that she's seen these cases in various states and she expects the N.C. case to be over quickly.What we're seeing in other states is an approach to smuggle creationism into the curricula under academic freedom for teachers" she said.Babson is aware of the strength of the opposition.I do not expect to win this battle Babson said. But since the spirit came and opened up an avenue to talk about it" it is good to talk about it .""Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(09/09/08 4:00am)
A UNC School of Education program that promotes greater literacy is one of many AmeriCorps partner organizations receiving state funding this year.The Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education will get a portion of the $4124795 in federal funds given this year to the N.C. Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service which distributes the money to N.C. programs partnered with AmeriCorps.Donna Rasmussen coalition program director" said as a former AmeriCorps volunteer she has seen what the funding has accomplished in the past.""I'd be watching the changes and the progress students made"" she said. I was seeing people pass their GEDs and getting things they never got before.""The coalition" which already exists in 16 places in the state is receiving more than $280000 to expand tutoring and literacy efforts for at-risk students.Alicia Hartsfield senior AmeriCorps program officer said North Carolina usually receives between $2.4 million and $2.6 million each year. The state can apply for additional federal funding to fulfill any unmet needs of those programs.In the past North Carolina has funded up to 16 AmeriCorps programs Hartsfield said. Although this year fewer programs are being allotted money" proposals for two new programs were accepted.Hartsfield said AmeriCorps partner organizations can address community's overlooked needs in North Carolina.""The communities are being intentionally provided with the ground work and foundation so they can continue their services" she said. We want these programs sustained by the community. When the members are gone" the needs will continue to be met.""To ensure that AmeriCorps funding is being used for its intended purpose" grant applicants must submit quarterly reports and participate in field reviews.Hartsfield said one of North Carolina's top priorities is to expand outreach to people with disabilities. Many programs are trying to increase the number of volunteers who have disabilities themselves.Some of the programs that receive AmeriCorps funding are receiving that money on top of funding from other avenues such as the Stokes Partnership for Children- AmeriCorps and Children Together" which also receive funds from the N.C. General Assembly.The program trains volunteers to serve as substitute teachers so that early child care instructors can attend workshops and pursue distance education.""It benefits the entire state by providing relief time so they become better teachers"" said Katie Snow, the program's coordinator. Children that they are serving have the benefit of better teachers.""Hartsfield said that AmeriCorps programs provide a wide variety of opportunities.""These programs are for anyone interested in changing local areas and encourages national service and reaching out to the community."" Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/11/08 5:00am)
Polls are prevalent in election coverage in part because they have proven accurate historically but this year the unique dynamics of each party's race have challenged pollsters' ability to make on-target predictions.In the 2008 presidential election Republican polls have produced reliable results but Democratic projections have been inconsistent.Nine major pre-election polls anticipated Barack Obama winning in the New Hampshire primary said Nancy Mathiowetz president for the American Association for Public Opinion Resources. Yet on the day of the primary" Hillary Clinton won the state.""Clearly something is happening on the Democratic side"" she said.She added that pre-election polls in South Carolina also anticipated Obama winning but not by a significant margin. Obama won a much higher vote percentage than many polls had predicted.In response to Democratic polling inaccuracies, Mathiowetz's association created a new committee to analyze hypotheses about what might have caused the incorrect predictions.She stated in an e-mail that the committee is looking at several possible explanations, including what is known as the Bradley Effect.""""That is where white respondents express higher support for a black candidate than how they actually vote in the election"" Mathiowetz said, explaining that voters do this to avoid appearing prejudiced.Fritz Wenzel, director of communication at Zogby International, an international public opinion organization, said there are several factors that could have swayed the New Hampshire and South Carolina election results.Obama was in the lead the day before the New Hampshire primaries. That same day, Clinton teared up in a cafe while being interviewed, a move that Wenzel said could have helped turn the tides.Immediately following Clinton's emotional speech, Wenzel said, the polls indicated that Clinton was not far behind Obama.In New Hampshire" 18 percent of voters made up their minds on election day itself he said. By 9 p.m. the night before" we were still unable to capture the Clinton wave.""UNC journalism professor Philip Meyer said another explanation for the unpredictable results is that Democrats are more cross-pressured because they believe they have to either support a black candidate or a female candidate. Although some Democrats are unsure of whom they support" he said they feel that they have to give an answer.Meyer said Republican candidates tend to fall along an ideological spectrum which enables voters to easily pick a candidate who aligns with their views based on where they themselves fall on that spectrum.On the other hand he said it can be more difficult for Democratic voters to pick a candidate because they tend to strongly like and dislike qualities within each candidate rather than simply assessing where each candidate falls on a spectrum.John Zogby president and founder of Zogby International stated in a press release that exit polls after Super Tuesday indicate a fairly solid lead for Republican candidate John McCain.Those same exit polls for Democratic voters foreshadow a serious competition between Obama and Clinton" he said.""These conflicts represent serious rifts in the Democratic Party" and the longer it takes to heal those rifts the greater the advantage for McCain and the Republicans he said.Meyer said polls are becoming less accurate as technology increases because pollsters can no longer guarantee that all sectors of a population are accurately included in the sample.The principle is simple: Each member of the population must have an equal chance to be represented in the poll" he said.Before, Meyer said, pollsters could more easily target certain households in order to make sure that the sample included all the diverse sectors of the population.Now, he said, factors like multiple phones, call waiting and a reluctance to talk to pollsters on the phone is limiting the ability of a poll to reach all necessary households.Meyer said that although polls might not be as accurate as intended, they are a necessary component of the election season.Polls keep people interested in the election"" He said. A basketball game would be boring without a scoreboard.""Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.