Pretty Woman

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Three Dallas Schools Make Newsweek? Best 100 High Schools L

The human body art - beautiful woman artist pastes the chart
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Three Dallas Schools Make Newsweek? Best 100 High Schools L

In their May 8, 2006, issue, Newsweek listed their Best 100 Public Schools across the nation. They ranked the schools using a ratio of the number of Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students within a school, divided by the number of graduating seniors. The 2006 list was based on the 2004-2005 school year. Their aim is to acknowledge those schools that do the best job of preparing average students for college, regardless of their economic background.

Three Dallas schools made the list with one taking top honors. Dallas schools?Highland Park High School weighed in at number 18 with a ratio of 4.735. Dallas schools?Science and Engineering Magnet took honors at number eight with a ratio of 6.275. Dallas schools?Talented and Gifted (TAG) High School had a 14.128 ratio and ranked number ONE! What an achievement for the Dallas schools.

Located near downtown Dallas in an impoverished neighborhood, TAG exemplifies how a school can meet the Dallas schools?goals of providing an excellent education for each and every child. The racially mixed student body receives a high-level of learning that challenges each child to achieve. TAG focuses on getting students into college through AP courses, providing the same opportunities to its students as the wealthy private schools.

Some educators refer to schools like Dallas schools?TAG as a boutique school, catering to special interest while ignoring course variety. Educators, including those in the Dallas schools, have been demanding reform for over 10 years; yet, they cannot agree on what works. In the ?0s, the thought was to make all students college ready through a rigorous core curriculum. In the ?0s, school choice and testing became the norm. Now, some are calling for dumping the entire public school system; while others see smaller schools, class size, and a boutique focus as optimum.

Even when a plan is working as it is in Dallas schools?TAG High School, opposition still rears its ugly head. Some believe that the smaller school loses the social acclimation that the larger high schools provide. They say that maintaining quality is difficult and the coursework lacks substance. Proponents of Dallas schools?TAG say that these Dallas Schools?students get more teacher and counselor attention and the children are less likely to get lost in the crowd, which gives the students an edge.

TAG is one of the Dallas schools that is committed to helping students achieve their best, encouraging each and every student to aim high. They stress the importance of attending college and try to make the AP as much a part of students?lives as music or hanging out with their friends. While only 30 percent of high school students across the nation take any AP courses at all, each TAG student is required to take at least one, with most students taking more.

Dallas schools?TAG and other boutique schools like it have increased the number of minorities taking AP courses, increasing their chances to attend college. According to the College Board, which administers the AP, four times as many Hispanics and three times as many Blacks took AP courses in 2005, as compared to 10 years ago.

Newsweek cited Dallas schools?TAG student Fanny Frausto, age 18, who has taken 16 AP courses and scored high on many of them. She scored a five on her final three-hour exam. Her transcript is definitely atypical for a public high school student, showing a seemingly impossible schedule of classes. She attends MIT on scholarship in the fall of 2006.

Dallas schools?teachers at TAG go the extra mile for their students. They assist the youth in learning to meet deadlines, constructing essays and organizing their time, managing workloads, and dealing with the tension and nervousness students may feel during testing.

Schools that consistently have high achieving students and programs were not included in Newsweek? list. Their ratio formula only measures test participation, rather than testing success. Also, due to inconsistencies, the formula does not include drop out rates or state testing scores.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Mba

Baltimore Schools Designate Six Schools As Persistently Dang

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires that all states report any schools that are considered persistently dangerous. The state of Maryland is only one of six states that have reported having such schools. Some metro areas with similar or worse problems report no dangerous schools at all.

Since each state sets its own suspension limits for reporting, the NCLB provision is inconsistent across the nation with many states ignoring it all together. The state of Maryland, however, takes it seriously with rules that are more stringent than most other states.

A ?ersistently dangerous?school designation means the school has a high rate of suspensions for serious offenses. These are violations of assault on another student or teacher, bringing a weapon to school, setting a fire at school, or sexual assault of any type.

The six schools designated as dangerous by the Baltimore schools are:

?Calverton, Thurgood Marshall, and Highlandtown Middle Schools ?These schools have been considered dangerous by state standards for the past four years, with Highlandtown closing before the fall of 2006.

?Liberal Arts at Walbrook, Dr. Roland N. Patterson Sr. Academy, and Dr. W.E.B. Dubois High School were all added this year.

The Baltimore schools also had six such schools last year. The number of suspensions and expulsions for dangerous offenses declined at five of the six schools, with three dropping off the list for this year.

A dangerous designation is serious for any of the Baltimore schools. Parents with children attending these schools are notified of the situation and given the option to transfer their children to other schools, as long as the transfer is completed before the beginning of the next school year.

The dangerous schools provision in the No Child Left Behind Act does have some Baltimore schools educators concerned:

?First, it makes some of the Baltimore schools appear to be the most violent in the nation, though some public schools in other states that ignore the provision or set the suspension limits high are in a much worse shape.

?Second, some Baltimore schools educators question whether an entire school is being labeled for the repetitive acts of only a few students. The Baltimore schools new Academy for College and Career Exploration is one such example. This year it was given a warning and put on probation for only six incidents of suspension for a serious offense. With only 300 students, it quickly hit the state? ceiling, while larger schools do not.

?Third, some Baltimore schools teachers have argued that designated schools become even more chaotic. With principals who are reluctant to give suspensions, the violence at school escalates, while sending the wrong message to the other students ?no punishment for breaking the rules.

Other Baltimore schools educators, however, like the reporting provision. It puts a much-needed focus on improving discipline at these schools, nipping the problem in the bud ?before it is beyond repair. An example is Calverton and Thurgood Marshall. Though still on the list this year, suspensions for serious offenses have dropped significantly over last year.

Designated Baltimore schools do not receive any additional funding to help with their problems; however, the Baltimore schools must present a plan to the state on its strategy to improve these school situations.

The Baltimore schools is committed to resolving the issues in these six middle and high schools. Baltimore schools administrators know that quality educational opportunities only come in a safe learning environment that is free of violence and disruption.

Washington D.C. School District Takes Aim At Language And Cu

Washington D.C. School District Takes Aim At Language And Cu

Washington D.C.? Language Access Act

In 2004, the Washington D.C. enacted the Language Access Act. The Act was created in order to grant greater access to and participation in public schools and other public services for those residents that have limited or no English proficiency. The Act is designed to address four crucial areas of language use and access to public services. These four areas are: the need for and the offering of oral language services; providing of written translation of key documents into other languages that have populations constitutes 3% or 500 individuals, whichever is less, of the population served or encountered, or likely to be served or encountered; establishment of language access plans that best services these populations; and finally creating language access coordination. The District of Columbia is focusing at this time on these five languages; Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Amharic. As a public service the Washington D.C. School District has also made steps to provide adjustments in its language and cultural education programs.

Washington D.C. School? Diverse Population

Washington D.C. Schools are composed of one hundred sixty-seven schools and special learning centers. The breakdown of Washington D.C. Schools includes: one hundred one elementary schools, eleven middle schools, nine junior high schools, twenty high schools, six educational centers and twenty specialty schools. These schools educate nearly sixty-six thousand students with the majority made up of 39,161 elementary school students. Washington D.C. Schools have a rich diverse student population with more than one hundred twelve different foreign languages that represent one hundred thirty-eight different nationalities. Out of these students almost 13% can be said to belong to a language minority group and another 8% can be classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP) or Non English Proficient (LEP/NEP) learners. The ethnic breakdown of the Washington D.C. School District includes nearly 85% African Americans, 10% Hispanics, 4% Whites, around 1% Asian Americans. In an effort to address the needs of this student population Washington D.C. Schools center their attention on the younger learners. Washington D.C. Schools operates sixty-nine Head Start programs aimed at pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. It also runs six Montessori programs. It is now aiming at improving its language programs. Presently, Washington D.C. Schools operate eight two-way full immersion Spanish/English.

Implementing New Two-Way Language Immersion Programs

The Shepherd Elementary School, one Washington D.C. School, is working to develop new two-way language immersion programs for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. The school is seeking to enroll pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students who speak French, Spanish or other languages in an effort to create new immersion programs. The programs will begin in late August, so Washington D.C. Schools are asking for immediate responses for those parents interested in the program. Right now the plan is for students to receive either Spanish-English or French-English content taught by fluent English and target language teachers. The dual language program is connected to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program that begins in all grades in late August, 2006. As part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program students also receive education in culture and cultural diversity which includes: Children develop an understanding of self within a community. Begin to identify similarities and differences among people (e.g., gender, race, culture, language, abilities); demonstrate an emerging respect for culture and ethnicity. (Will learn some words of another language. Tastes a snack that a classmate from another culture brings to school.); and demonstrate emerging awareness and respect for abilities. (Listens to a story about a child with a disability. Includes children with disabilities in play.)

Nursing Degrees Through Online Continuing Education

Nursing Degrees Through Online Continuing Education

If you are interested in a career in nursing, you will at one point or another begin a search of schools that you might wish

to attend. A nursing degree is very valuable nowadays and can open many doors to different health and medical positions with

even greater pay scales. Moreover, most technical and trades schools offer online equivalents of their nursing degree

programs.

1. Why Nursing?

A career in nursing is the most frequently enrolled in program even when compared with business, legal, and other trades

degrees. Enrolment has become easier than ever - often you can enroll online by filling out a form or two.

2. What Program Should You Choose?

When one registers to study nursing, you can actually choose between several different nursing programs. Some of the

categories in the nursing continuing education include the following -

- Accident Precautions
- Biological Agents
- Cardiovascular Studies
- Critical Care Nursing
- Degenerative Conditions
- Home Health Care or Community Nursing
- Hormonal Conditions
- Maternal Health
- Mental Health Nursing
- Nursing Management Issues
- Pediatric and Perioperative Nursing
- Legal Nurse Consultant Courses
- Nurse Home Administration Courses

3. After You Finish Your Online Education

If you sucessfully complete your final examinations, a degree will be mailed to you and you can use it to apply to any job it

is relevant towards. One of the advantages of taking such programs is it provides you additional knowledge for you to be

competitive enough in a career in nursing. Graduating with only a baccalaureate degree will just contain you in a position

and gradually make you stay there until you retire.

4. The Benefits Of Online Learning

- Learn according to your own schedule
- No transit time fees to and from school
- Significantly less expensive than a traditional education
- Almost all nursing degrees have an online counterpart

5. Nursing as a profession

Nurses acknowledge that the nursing profession is an essential part of the society from which it has grown. The authority for

the practice of nursing is based upon a social contract that delineates professional rights and responsibilities as well as

mechanisms for public accountability. The practice of nursing involves altruistic behavior, is guided by nursing research and

is governed by a code of ethics.

Nursing continues to develop a wide body of knowledge and associated skills. There are a number of educational paths to

becoming a professional nurse but all involve extensive study of nursing theory and practice and training in clinical skills.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Comes To W

International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Comes To W

Shephard Elementary School Immersion Program

Washington D.C. Schools are eager to begin a new language immersion program at the primary school level. Beginning in August of 2006, pre ?Kindergarten students of various foreign language backgrounds will join the new language immersion program. In particular, French and Spanish speaking children are needed to start this two way immersion experience. Students participating in the program will receive either French ?English or Spanish ?English content classes taught by teachers fluent in the target language. Children born in late 2001 and early 2002 and speak a foreign language are encouraged to enroll.

The Shepard Elementary School program is part of the Washington D.C. Public School System? ongoing efforts to integrate the International Baccalaureate Program into the elementary school level. Beginning in August 2006, all grade levels at Shepard Elementary school will begin participating in this internationally recognized program.

The Primary Years Program

The Primary Years Program is designed to teach the whole child through a range of interdisciplinary activities. Designed for students aged three through twelve, it involves an overall development of the mind, body, and heart and focuses on the needs of the child in all forms of development, including social, physical, emotional, cultural, and academic. The curriculum is published in English, French, and Spanish. The Primary Years Program is designed to prepare students for the International Baccalaureate Program, a college preparatory program offered at high schools throughout the world, including many locations in the United States. The introduction of the Primary Years Program in Washington, D.C. is in response to the large international community that lives and works in the area.

How Shepard Became an IB World School

In order to teach the Primary Years Program, Shepard had to go through several stages to ensure that the curriculum would reflect an international standard. Washington D.C. schools first entered the Consideration Phase, as they conducted research into the ability for schools like Shepard to meet the rigorous requirements for admission to the program. The district conducted an in ?epth analysis of the philosophy and curriculum as well as identifying the resources that would be needed to implement the Primary Years Program.

During the Candidate Phase, the school goes through all the necessary procedures for implementing the new program. This involves training teachers to use the new curriculum as well as gathering the resources necessary to deliver the program. Shepard Elementary School then must implement the program for a full school year in order to complete this phase. The Washington D.C. school district will assist Shepard in beginning the program in August of 2006. This trial phase will determine how well Washington D.C. schools are able to handle the rigorous demands of this international school system.

At the end of the trial phase, scheduled for August of 2007 for Shepard Elementary School, a delegation from the International Baccalaureate Organization visits the school. During this visit, the delegation members decide if the school has shown success in implementing the curriculum. If the school does well, the school becomes authorized to offer the program and attains the internationally recognized status of International Baccalaureate World School. The IBO will continue to visit and monitor the school? progress every five years.

Teacher Training

The teachers at Shepard Elementary received special training in order to meet the demands of the internationally recognized curriculum. Before becoming authorized to teach the program, the principal, administrative staff, and the teachers all undergo training of some sort. Some teachers attend IBO workshops. Many of the teachers in the Washington D.C. school district attended school based training organized by the IBO. Teachers are also encouraged to keep up ?to ?date using IBO? online curriculum center in addition to attending conferences and workshops.

Shepard Elementary has taken the first steps to bring Washington D.C. public education to an international level by entering these first phases of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program.

Nothing Seems To Scare Parents More Than The Prospect Of Pay

Nothing Seems To Scare Parents More Than The Prospect Of Pay

In a recent survey, 300 parents of school-age children were asked to list in order the fears which inspired the most horror. Believe it or not, the high cost of college tuition came well above the safety of their family, terrorism, and crime.

Most of the so-called experts seemed somewhat surprised by these results. Not me. I've received a great many letters over the years from parents on the subject of ?tudent Loans?and the hardships they have caused these families.

As a rule, I have always advised these parents to max out their retirement accounts before they consider saving for college fees. After all, there is little or no financial aid for retirement, but there's plenty of help for college fees once you know where to look. So why is it as rational adults, we can and do understand from a dollars-and-cents perspective that this advice is perfectly correct, but as parents, we seem more than a little uncomfortable with it.

Student Loans are big business and there is no shortage of companies out there willing to lend you the money required to pay these fees. The average cost at a public college is around $12,127 a year, according to the College Board, and at the private institutions they can average as much as $40,000. So how do we as parents reconcile these two conflicting forces tugging at our savings and our conscience?

Lets try and find some middle ground for this problem. After all, who wants to live with that nagging feeling that we are somehow neglecting our children by not making any effort to save for the education. We should aggressively seek out grants. Kalman Chany, author of "Paying for College Without Going Broke," notes that many people fumble their chances for more aid by waiting to apply until after they've done their taxes or after their children have been accepted to a college. By that time, many work/study and other campus-based programs are tapped out. At virtually all schools, the earliest financial aid deadline falls before acceptance letters are even mailed out.

According to the American Council on Education, more than 1.5 million students who could have qualified for Pell Grants - a form of financial aid that doesn't have to be repaid - didn't even bother to apply. Most public data suggests that's not all the money that's being left on the table. To see if your child is eligible for grants go to http://studentaid.ed.gov

There are a large number of reward programs out there that will put money into your tax-deferred college savings account as a thank-you for shopping at certain retailers. It may only be small amounts, but it's free money that's not coming out of your pocket. Two of the most popular are Upromise and Littlegra, both of which have websites that are well worth the visit. Ben Kaplan, publisher of http://ScholarshipCoach.com, was awarded $90,000 in scholarships when he was applying to college in the late 1990s. "It helped me immensely to know that my family couldn't pay for my whole education," he says.

There's a lot of research out there that has shown that success in life has much more to do with our children's overall ambition than where they go to school. This is a point you may want to think about when deciding between an Ivy League school, along with the six-figure loan that goes with this route, and a public school with a largely free ride.

Don't get ripped off trying to find scholarships. The fear of high college tuition bills leads a great many families to shell out for something you don't need. Stay away from the pitch "Pay us to search our vast database and win you a scholarship - and we'll apply for you!" Generally, you shouldn't have to pay to find or apply for any scholarship. There are plenty of web sites out there that have searchable databases that you can scour for scholarships and grants absolutely free.

Your?Money Matters By Carl Hampton the bestselling Author of ?rom Credit Despair To Credit Millionaire?br />
Have an opinion or a question you would like me to answer, then write me! http://www.CarlHampton.com

Stressing The Field Of Interest In Post College Admission Es

Many students often struggle in selecting a topic for their post college admission essays, including MBA essays (or graduate school admission essay) as part of the requirements in gaining admission to a school of their choice. In most cases, the school itself will present a topic(s) for the post college admission essay which the student can expound on and this will become a good starting point or guideline for the post college admission essay, including MBA essays.

In many instances, however, the student is left to fend for himself, where the admission essay questions posed are very general and open. In such cases, the applicant is left in the dark, not having an ounce of an idea on what to write about in his post college admission essay, including MBA essays.

In very simple terms, a post college admission essay including MBA essays, should tell a basic picture of yourself. It should be able to present a clear and definite description of you as a person, including the things that you love to do, the things that make you laugh or cry, your experiences at home, at school, in your local church, fun and adventure with friends, basically the things that make you who you are at the present moment, which in turn convey to the reader (admission officer) why you are good candidate for admission to their graduate program.

However, a very important aspect that should never be absent in any post college admission essay including MBA essays, is a precise and detailed narrative of a candidate's academic experiences. More specifically, it should be able to express in genuine terms accounts of how the candidate was able to obtain good grades in certain subject areas that are considered as major subjects in the course he is taking up. At the same time, don? avoid addressing weaker grades or negative marks. Face them head on and provide a good and logical explanation in the post college admission essay, including MBA essays.

Let us suppose, for example, that a student has finished his undergraduate studies in journalism and wants to take up a master degree in the same field with specialization in literary criticism. In his post college admission essay, he can detail an experience in one college subject where the teacher asked them to produce three short stories by the end of the semester. Since literature has always been his favorite subject, the student was able to meet the requirement early and was even able to receive a high grade from his teacher at the end of the course.

The sample given above is just one of the many ways by which a candidate can elaborate on the concept of presenting specific accounts on how he fared in his major field of concentration as expressed in his post college admission essay, including MBA essays.

Other related accounts can and should be given in post college admission essays to better persuade admissions officials that the applicant is well-versed in his field and has the required ability to pursue higher learning in the same. Needless to say, a student's excellent grades on his major subjects denotes expertise and passion in his chosen field. It gives clear indications that the field he has decided to pursue is one that greatly interests him. As such, he is able to pour all his energy and efforts, and more so, his heart and soul into it, resulting in grades that are outstanding. Generally, this gives the admissions officer the feeling that the applicant is focused and driven to achieve in his chosen field of study.

Focusing on your field of concentration as a topic in your post college admission essay including MBA essays, is an effective way of convincing admissions officials that your application is worth giving due consideration because you showed focus and the desire to pursue your chosen field of study. More so, if in using such a topic in your post college admission essay including MBA essays, you are able to show specific instances in one or two subjects wherein you were able to excel.

Ways To Pay For Your College Education

Ways To Pay For Your College Education

Many of us dream of obtaining a higher education in order to fulfill our dreams; however the financial reality is that obtaining a college education can be difficult. While there are myths commonly circulating that there are a number of scholarships available to help defray the costs of college, the truth is that while you may be eligible for one or more scholarships these generally won? cover the entire cost of your education. Even in the event that you obtain a full ride scholarship covering the duration of your college there are other expenses that won? be covered. Therefore, it is imperative to look at all the ways you can utilize to fund your college education.

It? always a good idea to begin exploring financial aid as quickly as possible. Depending on your parent? income you may or may not be eligible for federal financial aid; however, you never know unless you try. As soon as your parents have their income tax return information it is important to go ahead and fill out your FAFSA application and get it into the system. If you are eligible for financial aid you may qualify for grants, which do not have to be repaid once you graduate.

You should also begin exploring various scholarships for which you might qualify and start getting the applications filled out. Ideally, you should start this as soon as you begin your senior year because some deadlines may arrive sooner than others.

While most people would prefer not to end their college education by being in debt the reality is that it may be quite necessary, particularly if you are attending a private college or you plan on completing post-graduate work. When it comes to student loans, there are a number of options.

One such option is a federal student loan. This type of loan has a number of advantages, including lower interest rates and being able to defer the loan until after you graduate. A federal student loan can be either subsidized or unsubsidized. If the loan is subsidized then the government will cover the interest on the loan until about six months after you graduate, at which time you become responsible for the loan. An unsubsidized loan is not covered for the interest and you may need to pick up the tab for the interest before graduation. The amount of money you can borrow with either type of loan varies based on how far you are in school and whether you live at home or independently. Federal student loans are not based on income or credit guidelines.

Another option would be to take out a private student loan. You will be susceptible to credit and income guidelines with this type of loan and there may also be maximum loan amounts that apply as well. In addition, interest rates may be higher and repayment terms may not be as flexible as with a federal student loan. Still, if funds from other sources including federal student loans are not enough to cover all of your education costs, a private student loan may be a good option.