Document Story

With the accountability framework recently released for Washington state public schools, educators at Franklin Elementary School say they are prepared for the added pressure of meeting standards as a new Title 1 school.

“In the last few years we have been above standard in math and reading state requirements,” Principal Brian Moore said, “But there is a little more attention paid to Title 1 schools, and we are aware of that.”

The document draft was released from The Washington State Board of Education on December 1st with the title, “Draft Accountability Report, December 2009”. The document introduces new audit and school monitoring standards. The SBE’s Accountability framework includes a document emphasizing Washington state educators’ active plan to monitor and examine schools’ progress and identify schools in need of intervention as well as identifying exceptional schools deserving praise. The framework includes federal and state standards and records progress and a plan of action from schools, especially those receiving federal funds. This would include Title 1 schools like Franklin Elementary School that became school-wide Title 1 this year.

Moore said the school has in the past been monitored by the Adequate Yearly Progress report, part of the No Child Left Behind Act set forth by the Bush Administration. Moore said standards are the same for Title 1 schools, but Title 1 schools are the first to be looked at and closely monitored for student progress.

School district Superintendent Paul Strum said, “Public schools and public districts that receive federal funds are required to comply with the accountability laws and policies of both the federal government and their state government, currently being the No Child Left Behind Act.”

Moore said that since becoming school-wide Title 1 extra funds have provided a little more leisure for accountability processes. Moore said the funds help create more resources needed for helping students who are struggling in reading or math.

“We have been able to receive about $100,000 of extra funds, which has been huge in creating programs designed to help struggling students.” Moore said.

Title 1 is a Federal Education Program designed to provide funds for programs that specifically adhere to students struggling to meet state standards in subjects such as reading and math. There are two types of schools in Title 1, target-schools and school-wide. Target-schools receive funds for programs to help the students most-in-need of extra tutoring to meet state standards. However, school-wide Title 1 allows enough funds for all students to benefit from specialized programs, not just those who are considered below the standard. To become school-wide Title 1 requires at least 40% of students to be on free or reduced lunch.

Franklin Elementary is currently at 42% of students with free or reduced lunch, a number Moore said has gradually increased due to the inflation of population in areas of Pullman.
Moore said the Sunnyside area of Pullman has increased in new houses being built, subsequently building up the student body at Sunnyside Elementary School. Because of this more families located near college hill have had to switch to Franklin Elementary School.

“It’s not so much an increase in the poverty level, rather it’s a shift in the concentration of low-income students,” Moore said, “ Many families living on college hill are considered ‘temporarily low-income’, usually because the parents of these students are also college students, and now instead of these students being distributed between the elementary schools, they have all transferred here.”

The Title 1 program at FES is currently ran by Sue Schell, along with other para-professionals. Schell said part of the accountability is tracked by assessments made in the classroom for all Title 1 students.

“We usually do some sort of short weekly assessment, then we graph the results to track and monitor individual progress as well as school progress.” Schell said.

Schell said they are currently using a program called DIBELS, which apparently still has a few kinks to work out.

“Some of the grade-leveled assessments are tricky because one student will be above the grade-level and another student well below grade-level, it’s not a continuum of results, and the way the assessments are set up make it difficult to pinpoint where some students fall in progress.” Schell said.

Moore said when it comes time to be audited; the faculty at Franklin Elementary School is positive and proud of the student progress they have seen since becoming school-wide Title 1.

Sources:

Paul Sturm: psturm@psd267.wednet.edu

Brian Moore: 509-334-5641

Sue Schell: 509-334-5641

online story

Forget waiting for your 10-year high school reunion to find former friends, there’s a new way to reconnect with past classmates. Janos Szablya, who graduated from Pullman High School in 1972, began the Pullman High School-Vintage Edition facebook page in order to reconnect with other alumni, and through networking discovered generations of post-grads.

The idea to create the page came about when a reunion photo was in the works for all former students who had been in the old building of Pullman High School. Although Szablya’s class size was not large, about 125 people, those coordinating the event found it difficult coming up with a way to get everyone involved, especially those that had been foreign exchange students, or locals that have since moved abroad.

“Without the university students Pullman has a very small community, when I went to high school everyone in the school knew everyone, your families all knew each other,” Szbalya said, “ Everyone was very much a part of everyone else’s lives, I felt that those who have moved away should still have the opportunity to be involved.”

Thus, Janos Szablya began a facebook page to spread the word about the photo opportunity. Szablya said he was surprised by the amount of people in his generation who were using the technology, and the sites’ membership number increased quickly. Now with 201 members, the facebook page has become a source for reconnecting, sharing, and supporting classmates ranging from the 1930s -1970s, Szablya said.

The page has eliminated the need for stashing old phone numbers in a shoebox, a method Szablya used up until he began the site, which is also the way he was able to contact the first members.

Most updates on the pages’ wall include general inquiries such as what became of a certain person or personal information posts, but recently support from old-friends to former student Gloria “Glo” Wiley, who has since died, have dominated the space. In her last days Szablya began frequently commenting on the site giving updates on Wiley’s health and inviting former friends to call or visit her in the hospital.

“The support and responses from others have been amazing,” Szablya said, “Gloria was very well liked in high school, and people do care.”

Another event included invitations to the former high school’s basketball coach Ray Hobbs’ 80th birthday party.

“A lot of people wouldn’t have made it to that party if I hadn’t written about the party, he died shortly after, and people were grateful I posted the information and that they were able to be there.” Thornton said.

But the older generations aren’t the only ones using facebook to stay connected with other classmates; the Pullman High School class of 2009 has a page as well. With posts concerning senior skip day and dates of departure for college, students of the 2009 class are a little less excited about finding peers online.

“Younger people already have their own pages and are pretty well connected, this was new for us.” Szablya said.

As for current students, Pullman High School has begun using the course management system Moodle to help keep students and teachers connected. Moodle is similar to Blackboard and Angel learning, used by WSU faculty and students, said Principal Joe Thornton of Pullman High School.

“With facebook, the faculty can’t manage it, there’s an upside and a downside to groups on facebook for students.” Thornton said.

Thornton said the upside to a facebook page for current students can be keeping connected with peers on school-based events, the downside being that students may tend to write inappropriate messages that are then associated with the school. Because negative messages may be conveyed outside of school, the school cannot take disciplinary action on the students who writes it, Thornton said.

“I’ve come across some pages with hateful language about other students or staff members, and it’s unfortunate.” Thornton said.

However, Szablya said he has opened the page to all alumni of Pullman High School, not only to include newer generations, but also to help connect the dots with former classmates’ families who may now be in high school.

“I have six brothers and sisters, and that’s the case for a lot of other families I knew, that’s almost 10 years of having siblings in high school, so the more generations I include, the more people I can ultimately reconnect with.” Szablya said..

Sources:

Janos Szablya: 484- 620-3360

Joe Thornton: 332-1551 ext. 202

Trend Sources

Dr. Laurie Smith: 335-6388

Jamie Smart: 334-3411

Jon Downing: jd1101@wsu.edu

Erin King: erin_king@wsu.edu

Ericia: private, will give to Ben if needed.

Trend: Sexual Orientation: taboos in middle and high schools

Although grade schools in Pullman boast having progressive sexual education programs that promote abstinence and include contraception information, the cultural aspect is still lagging. In fact, there is an entire demographic that is almost completely ignored during the sex-education process, the gay community.

“We try and keep things very broad,” said Jamie Smart, the Healthy Living teacher at Lincoln Middle School, “There are so many different opinions about that topic, we tend to avoid any details.”.

Smart said if students ask specific questions concerning sexual orientation, she could legally answer them, but instead tries to keep neutral and simple about the matter. Most middle and high schools do not differ from Smart’s tactics, in some cases; sexual orientation is not allowed to be part of the curriculum.

Jon Downing, a member of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community at Washington State University, went to high school in Coeur d’Alene. “My sex-education teacher was a lesbian, openly, and she still wasn’t allowed to discuss sexual orientation,” Downing said, “I’m sure if someone spoke to her in private, she would answer any questions, but I also know most people wouldn’t be comfortable asking questions like that in front of a class.”

The cultural aspect of sex-education among schools has a large impact on the comfort-level of student’s seeking information about sexual orientation and the gay community. According to the Washington state Department of Health’s guidelines for sex-education, the curriculum must be both age-appropriate and culturally appropriate. But what does this mean? And who decides what is culturally appropriate? Apparently, any topic considered to be “uncomfortable” by the community, can therefore be nixed from the curriculum. However, the guidelines also state that sexuality (including sexual orientation) may be included in sex-education courses. So who then, decides whether or not it is culturally appropriate to discuss sexual orientation?

In short, the teacher has the power to decide whether or not to give information about sexual orientation and same-sex relationships. Parents also have the right to preview any material that will be used during sex-education.

One WSU student, Ericia, worked on a project for a Women’s Studies class that involved handing out fliers or pamphlets containing resources for the gay community.

“Our target was people in high school, we wanted to give out fliers containing information about local resources for gay students” Ericia said, “We were basically brushed off by the staff, we were told that Pullman High School didn’t have any openly gay students, so the information was irrelevant.”

But, as most people will notice, just because a person is not openly gay or lesbian, does not mean they do not exist in the schools. This assumption could be considered dangerous, as it pertains to the social stigma that being gay is not normal and makes people uncomfortable, and therefore should not be discussed unless asked about. Suppressing information about sexual orientation to young students therefore reinforces student’s to feel uncomfortable about the subject, creating a non-sequitor of cause and effect. Students will not be open about their sexual orientation because there is lack of information about it, and there is lack of information about the gay community because no one is open about it.

Smart argues that the age of the students at the middle school also deters her from discussing sexual orientation. However, studies show that people in the gay community report having noticed a difference from other students as far as attraction as early as eight or nine years old.

“I may not have known I might be a lesbian at the time, but I recognized that I didn’t have crushes on all the boys my friends did, and I just didn’t make that connection,” Ericia said, “If schools got the information out about sexual orientation earlier, the earlier people in that community could recognize, accept, and adjust personally, that goes for people who are gay and straight.”

Dr. Laurie Smith, a psychologist who teaches at WSU said there is around a 10 year gap between people recognizing they may be gay, and actually coming out to friends and family, which is usually in late adolescence or early adulthood. “Information about sexual orientation should be both discussed and encouraged earlier, sexuality is a big part of human development, it’s an uncomfortable topic because we are told it makes people uncomfortable, but the younger you teach diversity, the younger that will fade.” Smith said.

Smart also argues that the sex-education process tries to stick to technicalities, biology/anatomy, abstinence, and contraception being its biggest staple points. But even in its most technical aspect, same-sex relationships have just a great of risk of spreading STDs as opposite-sex relationships.

“I never heard about Dental Dam’s in High School, we learned about contraception, but for anyone who was a lesbian, it was like, ‘we don’t need contraception, no condoms, no pregnancy’, when lesbians can just as easily spread STDs.” WSU student Erin King said.

Overall, Dr. Smith suggests a well in-depth sex-education program is best suited for students, including sexuality, relationships, and anatomy/biology of sex.

“We all know that abstinence- only programs don’t work, never have, sexual orientation is just another aspect that needs to be examined and included in sex-education” Smith said

Math...

1. $7,885
2. 83%
3. mean: $67,500 Median: $40,000 neither
4. I have to ask my dad :)
5.25%
b. 25%

6. 10%
7. Median $207,000 Mean:
8. I would get 4 slices, everyone else gets three.
9.Pullman,
10. $150,000

peer edits

1.1. The 2,800 square-foot four bedroom house will be built on a concrete foundation.

2. Carlton, the owner of Palouse Synergy Systems, said eastern Washington could be transformed into a renewable energy leader if people understood the benefits.

3. “I got a double with a full bath,” said John Gardner, WSU Vice President of Economic Development and Global Engagement. “I lived in Gannon-Golds for two years, and then I switched over here—[this is a] huge difference.”

4. PCEI is hoping to offer workshops similar to the artists’ studio roof, so that locals can value and know how to implement sustainable techniques, she said.

5. “The new dorm is likely to receive the silver rating,” Gardner said.

Everything we do has a consequence,” Englund said about sustainability methods, consumption, and ecological footprints. “We just have to be aware [of] the butterfly effect.”

6. He also raises money for student scholarships.

7. She said she has been ostracized in her dorm, and if things keep going like they are she might move to another hall.

8. Though helping to improve Pullman’s atmosphere, SEL doesn’t make Pullman immune from the recession, Sherman said.

profile edits

Katie Berger

Everyone recognizes Sue Schell as she walks through the halls of Franklin Elementary School. She greets students in their small reading groups and watches students sound out words and listen to stories. If it weren’t for Schell, these groups may not be in place.

Schell helps coordinate the school-wide Title 1 program that helps students who are struggling in academics, especially reading. Schell said it was a joint effort to get the ball rolling on Title 1, but it has been very beneficial.

“When you see students, even the ones who aren’t struggling too much, excel within these groups, you realize how important it is,” Schell said.

*Good background below. Here, though, gives us a quick sense of the news. Has spending on this program increased? Has it decreased? Is it at-risk? What’s new with this program?

Title 1 is part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides financial assistance to states and school districts to meet the needs of at-risk students. Each year, Washington schools receive $xxx,xxx to provide extra instructional services to students in mathematics, reading and writing.

Schell became involved with the program 15 years ago, and has watched its progression from a target to school-wide program. Title 1 is federally funded with each state receiving funds. The State Educational Agency then awards certain schools funds based on the number of low-income students each school has.

Franklin Elementary School qualified this year to become a school-wide Title 1 school. This means that more than 40 percent of students are on either free or reduced lunch, which qualifies the school for more funding. This also allows for much more flexibility within the program, Schell said. Now, instead of teachers assessing students and only involving at-risk students in the Title 1 program, any students may qualify.

The program at Franklin includes four paraprofessionals. These are teachers specially trained in reading modules, comprehension, phonetics, and other reading tools. Throughout the day, these paraprofessionals, including Schell, meet with groups of four to six students in different grade levels to work extensively on areas where the students are struggling. The program works as a preventative tool to ensure that all students are meeting state standards in education. The earlier learning problems are addressed, the better the outcome, Schell said.

(transition) In Spokane, the program isn’t limited to Franklin. On a recent Tuesday at Sunnyside Elementary School, Lorna Bruya worked with …

“Can you sound out ‘H’?” Lorna Bruya said to a first grader during a reading session. Bruya is another Title 1 teacher at Sunnyside Elementary School. Lorna also has been involved with Title 1 for 15 years, and has worked closely with Schell on educating themselves on better techniques to teach reading.

“In 1995, Sue and I both volunteered to go to a two-week summer Reading Leadership workshop at Western Washington University,” Bruya said “Margaret Moody, from New Zealand, spoke at this workshop, and New Zealand has the most extensive knowledge about literacy and reading. It was very exciting.”
Bruya said it can be difficult to watch some students backslide over the summer. Remaining patient, staying optimistic, and giving plenty of praise for a student’s success helps stay in focus for the greater cause. (what are we trying to say here? Can we clarify?)

“sometimes, it takes a while for some things to click for students,” Bruya said, “but when it does, and when you see them get excited and talk to their friends about books they’ve read or want to read, it’s very rewarding then.”

Good. See notes in text. Need a stronger new angle. I only see 2 sources in the story. With a third, this is an ‘A’ paper. 88/100

Document story ideas

Based on several records found within the U.S. Department of Education for Washington state, WASL averages, and trends. The records show that about 49% of tenth graders in Washington have completed and passed the WASL in 2008. One story idea could then be new techniques teachers are using to prepare students to pass the WASL in all categories.

I also found a record for SBE Accountability 2009, stating that by December 1, 2009, school districts in Washington will need to give information about a proposal for Accountability Index, Voluntary assistance to districts, and Required Action in no improvement for schools struggling to meet standards. I thought I could possibly go to both the Pullman School District as well as each individual school to see what they are working on for these proposals.

blog non-fun

1. UFO, UFO, Guatemala
b. London

2 Drastic swings in test scores lead to questions of cheating (state), Ruling's by California's worker safety appeal board questioned (OSHA, Federal)

3.http://www.rcfp.org/foi_lett.html

4.-
5.-

Profile

Everyone recognizes Sue Schell as she walks through the halls of Franklin Elementary School, she greets students and paraprofessionals in their small reading groups and smiles as she watches students sound out words and comprehend stories. If it weren’t for Schell, these groups may not be in place.

Schell helps coordinate the school-wide Title 1 program that helps students who are struggling in academics, mostly focusing on reading. Schell said it was a joint effort to get the ball rolling on Title 1, but it has been very beneficial.

“When you see students, even the ones who aren’t struggling too much, excel within these groups, you realize how important it is.” Schell said.

Title 1 is Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides financial assistance to states and school districts to meet the needs of educationally at-risk students. The goal is to provide extra instructional services to support students with performance standards in mathematics, reading and writing.

Schell began being involved with Title 1 15 years ago, and has since watched its progression from a target to school-wide program. Title 1 is federally funded with each state receiving funds. The State Educational Agency then awards certain schools funds based on the number of low-income students each school has.

Franklin Elementary School qualified this year to become a school-wide Title 1 school. This means that over 40% of students are on either free or reduced lunch, and therefore qualifies the school for more funding. This also allows for much more flexibility within the program, Schell said. Now, instead of teachers assessing students and only involving at-risk students in the Title 1 program, any students may qualify.

The program at Franklin includes 4 paraprofessionals. These are teachers specially trained in reading modules, comprehension, phonetics, and other reading tools. Throughout the day, these paraprofessionals, including Schell, meet with groups of 4-6 students in different grade levels to work extensively on areas where the students are struggling. The program works as a preventative tool to ensure that all students are meeting state standards in education, the earlier learning problems are addressed, the better the outcome, Schell said.

“Can you sound out ‘H’?” Lorna Bruya said to a first grader during a reading session. Bruya is another Title 1 teacher at Sunnyside Elementary School. Lorna also has been involved with Title 1 for 15 years, and has worked closely with Schell on educating themselves on better techniques to teach reading.

“In 1995, Sue and I both volunteered to go to a two-week summer Reading Leadership workshop at Western Washington University,” Bruya said “Margaret Moody, from New Zealand, spoke at this workshop, and New Zealand has the most extensive knowledge about literacy and reading, it was very exciting”.

Bruya said it can be difficult to watch students backslide sometimes over the summer, but remaining patient, staying optimistic, and giving plenty of praise for a student’s success helps stay in focus for the greater cause.

“I feel Title 1 is justified all the time,” Bruya said, “sometimes, it takes a while for some things to click for students, but when it does, and when you see them get excited and talk to their friends about books they’ve read or want to read, it’s very rewarding then.”

Sources:

Mark Rodgers: 332-2617

Sue Schell: 334-5641

Lorna Bruya: 334-1800

Records

1. Enrique is a convicted sex offender who was also a foster parent. Journalists found DSHS public records

2n February of 2005, The Spokesman-Review requested access to something called BART, which was overseen by something called the “Mitigating Circumstances Review Board.” Find the news story that resulted from this request.

The request for the access to BART resulted in a story about state employees that were working with vulnerable populations despite having criminal records that should have disqualified them.

Page 3. This is an internal records release form. How is this different from a public records request?
Internal records release forms means that it is not a public record, therefore a request from the agency is required.

Page 4. This is the agency’s response to a records request. What does RCW 13.50.100 say about public records?
because it is a juvenile justice case, meaning if there is information that is alleged, or protected by the RCW, than the agency has the right to redact the information.

a. one of the copies could be a draft that is overlooked and then re-written accordingly, but both remain public documents.

b.Father Joe claimed that he had grabbed the boy's hair when he was sitting down and when the boy abruptly got up it ripped out his hair.

c.The alleged forms of corporal punishment included open-hand smacking and pushing, whereas the admitted forms are hacking 5 times with a witness, these forms of punishment were later thrown out.

d. could be from the attorneys

e. drafts that are filed are exempt from public records in order for review in private.

f

1. Population- 41.664
2. white- 35151
3. 48.2%
4.32083
5.26.7%

Building Costs\

2004- $21.8 million
2005- $40.06 million
2006- $34.5 million
2007- $31.9 million
2008- $14 million

Federal Grants and Insurance
1. $5.1 million
2. $122.9 million
3. block, formula, project

Population-
a. 46,786

Agenda-



Health Care

1. Whitman County and San Juan County
2. 29.2%

Profile Ideas

I was hoping to focus on one of two things, but within the same scope. I had an idea to do a profile on a woman I recognize from when I worked at a daycare. She is a single mother of 5 children and works a minimum wage job. All of her children are in day-care, which is very expensive. I would like to find out more about her, she always seemed very stressed but interesting. This woman represents the realities of many women today. Especially those living near or below the poverty line. This is important because our new president has spoken about changing government policies for needy families as well as the social working process.

If that doesn't work out, I would like to shadow a day care owner or Manager. Daycares are extremely expensive to run, and have little or no government support. Also, if a daycare can get enough money to run properly, than most parents cannot afford the price for adequate care. This means cutting corners, even if its not kosher. This could be child-teacher ratio's, supplies, food, etc. This is also important because Gov. Gregoire has also spoken about changing regulations in daycares and more funding for early education. The money to fund both of these ideas comes from tax-payers. Both of these story ideas are fairly underrepresented, and focus on early education is seldom. But it is important because people should care about their childrens' education, whether or not they are parents, because these children grow into adults that will run the country, and we should keep in check that they are actually learning.

Is it libelous?

1. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.


2. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site


3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist.”

1. Because this is a direct quote, we can't change the nature of what Karen said. However, the second part of this quote could be considered libel, even if he is deceased, depending on whether or not he has an estate.

2. This is considered libel if it is not true. Megan Fox clearly identifies herself with the gender of a female, and therefore such claims need to be examined and clarified to not be libelous.

3. Who said this? someone's opinion is not fact, and should not be printed in this context, because even if it is just someone's opinion, it can be read as fact and considered libelous.

Enterprise Story

Outline:
I. Introduction
A. Who is Del Teade?
B. What is the Colfax Schools Foundations?

II. Where did CSF come from?
A. Where does the money come from?
B. How many high school students benefit?

III. What are the issues?
A. Funding?
B. Advertising?
C. How are awardees selected?

IV. The Plan
A. what are the ideal circumstances?
B. How can the community help?
C. Why is it important to keep?


Since its start in 2002, the Colfax Schools Foundation has delved out 12-15 scholarships per year for Colfax High School’s students seeking higher education, but the funding is still struggling, according to Del Teade, 75, who is president of the foundation.

“It’s been frustrating,” Teade said, “You try to set up something good for the community and think it’s this great idea, and then it becomes a slow progression.”

Teade, who was born and raised in Colfax, attended Central Washington University and graduated in 1958, he now continues farming wheat, canola, and mustard with his son nearly full-time. But Teade also remains active by giving back to his community.

Teade became affiliated with the Colfax Schools Foundation in order to fulfill a long-standing tradition in Colfax. That tradition is to give something back to the community upon reaching the 50 year mark since graduating Colfax High School. Along with friend and post-peer Juanita Morasch, Teade decided giving something back to the schools was only appropriate.

“There was a small scholarship fund back in the 1940s, and that way we had some seed money of about $1,500, so we decided to bring that back.” Teade said.

But it hasn’t been easy to raise the funds anticipated by the people involved in the foundation. Depending on donations mostly from alumni, it has been difficult to bring in enough money for adequate scholarships, Teade said. The Colfax School Foundation competes with other foundations including those for the library and hospital. Even the Whitman County Golf Club has a foundation, and everyone is fighting for the buck, Teade said.

The foundation is also affiliated with Parent Teacher Organization for Colfax High School as well as the Rotary Club to combine other scholarships to be handled by the foundation. The local Les Schwab Tire Center also contributes to funding for the foundation. However, Teade said he would still like to see more contributions made by alumni.

“We send out about 500 letters each year to alumni requesting donations, but the turnout has been very disappointing” Teade said.

The foundation recently added a link on the Colfax School District website in order to both promote the foundation as well as simplify the donating process. The website link includes paperwork for both applicants who want to receive scholarships as well as donation paperwork. Anyone can donate whatever amount they wish to the foundation, and a paw print with the donator’s name will appear on a special wall within the high school in appreciation, differentiating depending on the amount donated.

The scholarships range from $500 to $1,000 for recipients, and the foundation makes every effort to assure equal evaluation for selecting awardees. We try to understand “late bloomers” in school, Teade said. We take into consideration students who may have problems at home or maybe haven’t had the best grades but make an honest effort to do well, Teade said. But we also take into consideration students who have accelerated in school as well as being involved in their community, Teade said.

The scholarships are made out to both the student and the secondary school they have selected to attend. The scholarships can be used for any secondary education including trade schools, community college, and four-year universities. We understand that not all students are interested in attending a four-year university, Teade said. But if we can students motivated to attend any secondary-education, that’s great, because those skills will go far, Teade said. And with the economy struggling and cost of tuition rising, there’s more need for financial aid, Teade said. But it is difficult to fund when everyone is watching their spending, Teade said.

Although the Colfax Schools Foundation is still struggling to reach the status members of the board hoped for, Teade remains optimistic.

“It’s taken a few years to get the steam rolling for this, but any extra attention we can get for it is great.” Teade said.

Source:
Del Teade: 509-307-3132 (wife’s name is Merna, sweet lady)

Larry Craig Arrest

U.S. Senator Larry Craig allegedly seeks same-stall bathroom action in the Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport on August 28. Sen. 

Craig denies any lewd conduct despite pleading guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Craig claims arresting officer Sgt. Dave Karsnia misconstrued his actions. 

Enterprise story Idea

I found an idea that could work for the enterprise story. There is a non-profit organization called the Colfax School Foundation that works to raise money for scholarships for Colfax students' upper-education. It is mostly funded by donations, and is an interesting topic when you look at the census for typical household earnings as well as the percentage of the population that earns at least a bachelor's degree.

quotes

1. "Mary is trying hard in school this semester," her father said.

 

2. "Early in the show," Steven Wright asked, "How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?"

 

3. Did Steven Wright say, "If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you"?

 

4. "No,  I cannot get you to the airport in fifteen minutes," the taxi driver said.

 

5. Gov. Peterson said she will support a tax increase this session. "Without it, schools will close," she said.

 

6. "My favorite line is when Jerry Seinfeld said, 'My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law'" Smitty said.

 

7. My French professor said my accent is "abominable".

 

8. She asked, "Is Time a magazine you read regularly?"

 

9. When did Roosevelt say, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself"?

 

10. "Can you believe," Dot asked me, "that it has been almost five years since we've seen each other?"

 

 

Adapted from the University of Purdue’s Owl Resources, the World Wide Web and other assorted online back alleys.

Outline and Sources

I. Nut Graf
a. why might extra material not get shown?
b. who decides?

II. Didn't show speech.
a. why?
b. parents?

III. Policies.
a. school district policy
b. JES vs. FES guidelines.

IV. Presented the speech.
a. to who?
b. why?
c. Parent response?

V. Future decisions to show extra material.
a. importance?

Sources:
Craig Nelson: 509-332-2617
Rachelle Brown: 509-334-5641 ext. 619
Kim Keifer: 509-334-5641
Joni Stevens: 509-332-2617

Political story

Teachers get the green light on showing extra material in classrooms, including President Obama’s speeches, with only a few regulations, according to Principal Craig Nelson at Jefferson Elementary School.

Political issues can be tricky to introduce in a classroom setting, especially with younger children, and more importantly, their parents. “If an angry rally of parents came to the superintendent or myself concerning material that may be shown in class, then we probably wouldn’t show it,” said Nelson. But if a teacher can prove the material’s educational value and can present it in a non-biased and age-appropriate manner, than the teacher has the right to teach the material, said Nelson. President Obama gave a speech directed towards students ages K-12 concerning the first day of school. Some teachers decided to show the speech, others did not. But how does a teacher decide if material is appropriate for class? And how can that teacher prepare for a negative response from parents?

“As a high school student, one of my teachers set up the T.V. for us to view the launch of the space shuttle, Columbia. We watched in horror as it exploded in the air, and we realized that we just saw the whole crew die. That has stuck with me, and I believe that some things are best viewed at home and discussed with families” said Rachelle Brown, the Title Reading and Math Paraprofessional at Franklin Elementary School. I don’t think it is a good idea to show things like that live, I would always suggest recording it, reviewing it, and then showing it in class, Brown said.

This idea of waiting to view or excluding material that could seem controversial or perhaps present problems is not uncommon. “We did not plan on showing the speech,” Said Kim Keifer, Secretary for Franklin Elementary. “It was really up to the teachers, but as far as I know, none of them have shown it and probably won’t,” Keifer said.

According to the Pullman School District Administrative Procedure 2311.1P, teachers who wish to show video or film in classroom must meet criteria that will enrich or aid the curriculum, and teachers must place principle above personal opinions or prejudices. In addition, teachers must receive permission from a principal or superintendent to show the film. Any film or video with a rating above “G” also requires a signed parent permission form in order for students to view the content.

Teachers taking time to review a speech prior to showing it is beneficial for both designing lesson plans around the material to provide validity for its use and preparing teachers for possible questions from parents or students. “if you are watching something for the first time with your students, you aren’t prepared for the teaching moments that come up… I think that if you haven’t briefed yourself before presenting materials, there are so many lost chances and potential risks” Brown said.

Because President Obama’s speech aired on September 8^th, elementary teachers in Pullman were given an extra day to review the speech and then later decide whether or not to show it to their students.

Joni Stevens, a fifth grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary, said she received an email from the Superintendent and Administrator providing information about the protocol for showing the speech in class. Teachers were to send out a letter to parents saying that they planned on viewing the speech in class and giving them the option to preview it, Stevens said. Stevens said she had no parent objections, and after the speech was reviewed the class discussed its main message. Stevens said she felt no political controversy was within the speech, and that its message was basically for students to be in charge of their own education and for students to do their best.

Most of the teachers who felt the speech was age-appropriate showed it, and I certainly encouraged it as well, Nelson said. We as teachers are trying to be good at giving information about outside occurrences, this speech is an example of that, Nelson said.

However, some teachers still felt the political nature of the president giving a speech was a risk for upsetting parents and could perhaps create controversy in teaching agendas. “I think that if the speech had been a long standing tradition and given and shown in school by each president, it may have been a totally different situation. It wouldn’t give a perception of perhaps pushing political views or ruffling any feathers—it would just be part of the back-to-school tradition,” Brown said.

Political story ideas

I would like to focus on the President Obama speech from the 8th and Jeff Williams' rally of angry parents to prevent the speech being shown at elementary schools. The speech was not shown at the Pullman elementary schools, and many parents kept their kids from school that day to watch the speech. The importance here is not the actual speech, but more the role of the schools for events such as this. Is it a judgement call of school officials to show/not show such public speeches? Is it a policy? What will happen in future events similar to this? At what point can we draw a line between what children deserve to know about what's happening in their country versus feeding them some sort of propaganda?

Nathan Cohen Speech

Students listened intently and applauded with gratitude toward Nathan Cohen who gave a speech about his contemporary art on Thursday in Pullman.

There was a rare quiet in the moments before the artist took to the podium. Whereas coordinators warned that the student turnout for such an occasion as an artist’s speech would be sparse, the Fine Arts Auditorium was nearly full of professors and aspiring student artists. Whether or not the turnout was a result of sheer curiosity, or for class credit, the audience was nonetheless respectful while waiting for the guest. After being introduced, Nathan Cohen received not only applause but what felt to be genuine appreciation for his ideas. The speech was advertised as being his explanation for his new geometric art, but quickly became part of the bigger picture for all artists to relate to.

Cohen, who spent much of his childhood in New Mexico and has lived or traveled to endless locations worldwide to exhibit his art, credits his travels and the history of the world to his inspiration. “What drives us to make images?” Cohen said. The speech included personal photos of places such as Chaco Canyon, New Mexico and their relation to historical accounts of humankind's strive to record images. Our ancestors may have imagined Earth a certain way, but they couldn’t actually see it, and it’s important to see how they perceived it, Cohen said. The emphasis is placed on time and space for Cohen’s motivation, as well as attention to detail. “Our desire to create images transcends our human capabilities,” Cohen said.

Cohen’s attention to other artists’ attempts at detail and surfaces created inspiration for the three-dimensional geographical art Cohen is currently exploring. Surfaces can be evocative of memories, it is important to know how to make surfaces appear real, Cohen said. Other elements such as light and its importance on the change it makes in an image was also a technique Cohen is exploring. Cohen said he works closely with many scientists and engineers to conjoin new inventions such as invisibility-enabling cameras with images to create an entirely new look at the art represented.

The bright colors and intricate structure of Cohen’s pieces have received great appreciation and invitations to paint murals in locations such as Tokyo and Cuba. When asked what message Cohen tries to convey through his art, he modestly replies there isn’t one. “It’s not appropriate to hand people a perspective, they have the right to find their own,” Cohen said. Instead, Cohen said he has a rather optimistic view of his art in that he tries to create new perspectives for others and in return inspire others to create something else.

“I loved his photos, I had heard abut Cohen previously and his take on space and time is wonderful,” said Tamra Helm, an art professor at WSU. During Cohen’s speech not one audience member appeared to be disenchanted. Rather professors and students alike listened and received the speech as a lesson, an outside perspective that was not the self-praising of an artist, but the crediting to many other artists and experiences that give the artist the ability to convey art. “I like that he focused on the physicality of art, landscape, and the ancient arts,” said Garric Simonson, an art student at WSU. Cohen motivates other young artists to travel and find their own ideas to understand the endless possibilities of art. The photos you see can never justify the reality of a situation, Cohen said.

Sources:

Tamra Helm: 509-337-5367

Garric Simonson: garric_simonson@wsu.edu

Nathan Cohen: contact@nathancohen.co.uk

Swine Flu

President Floyd addresses the prevention of more Swine Flu cases in Pullman on Tuesday and the unnecessary panic the outbreak has caused. 

"Fortunately, as most of you know, the symptoms of this flu have been quite mild in most of the people on our campus who have contracted it; by most accounts, it has been milder than the usual cases of seasonal flu" Floyd said.

Dr. King's speech

In one of the greatest demonstrations in the history of our nation, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of justice and the pursuit of happiness in Washington D.C. today. 

With thousands of civilians listening intently, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, " After the emancipation proclamation, 100 years later, the negro still is not free". Addressing such issues as segregation, discrimination, poverty, and justice, the people cried: Now is the time. 

Notes:

The greatest demonstration in the history of our nation, emancipation proclamation, 

100 years later, the negro still is not free. 

segregation, discrimination, poverty, 

prospects of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

pay wages

the riches of freedom, the security of justice. 

promises of democracy, now is the time.

now is the time

we must be guaranteed

I have a dream. 

sweltering with the heat of injustice

let freedom ring. thank god almighty, we are free at last

Questions for Jonathan Randall

1. How do foreign affairs in the U.S. differ in coverage versus in France?

2. Was it ever difficult to find a good approach to a story because of emotional conflicts or personal opinion based on your experiences?>

3. Was there any point when you thought, I can't do this anymore? What's the point? if so, how did you overcome this?

4. What is your overall goal when you write a foreign affairs piece? what do you ultimately want readers to take away from it?

5. Who is your biggest influence as far as morale and ethical decisions goes?

beat selection/stories/possible sources

Beats:

I have chosen to write focusing on an education beat, specifically grade schools, learning centers and daycares. . I think this focus is important because it is usually overlooked, especially when it comes to personal stories. Many education stories involve district meetings or school board’s decisions with a few primary resources rather than an individual affected by the decisions.. Many Pullman locals have children in grade school, and parents would appreciate information given from different perspectives in the media about their community public education system. I think covering education will provide both happy feel-good personal stories as well as a few issues surrounding early education. Examples of issues include increased shortage in special needs teachers/assistants in conjunction with an increasing number of students with Autism. Also, other smaller but equally substantial issues could include teacher-student ratios and their effects on attention and learning or new techniques for standardized testing.

Education is important on several levels. It is important on a national level because all public schools will be affected by any larger change with things such as expenditures in federal funding. Covering education is important on the state level because the state government ultimately decides the amount of funding a public school shall receive as well as standardization, teacher salary, and curriculum. This in turn affects local public schools, in which many local citizens have children attending. Therefore it is important to cover all aspects, federal, state, and local.

Good sources to consider to within my proximity would be sociologists, school counselors and psychologists, school officials, PTA, teachers, and even students. With Gov. Gregoire pushing initiatives that promise change in schools, what’s really being done and who is paying for, benefiting from, affected by these changes? How are teachers being compensated for extra time spent tutoring students? How much does Washington spend for standardized tests? Are they working to improve students overall education? How are daycares training staff for early learning? The three articles below focus on similar ideas that I would like to cover. The first has to do with the national issue of the economy and parents’ and schools’ attempts to save money for back-to-school shopping. The second article is focused on the improvement of special needs facilities at a high school, and the third article covers an elementary school’s decision to offer an all-day kindergarten to save money on student transfers. All of these articles pertain to my beat, however I would still like to have more humanistic levels in my articles.

1. New Special Needs classroom training/techniques, with an emphasis on children with Autism

2. Day care employee training, employee satisfaction, and difficulty with funding

3. PTA involvement, what parents are involved and its effects on students' learning.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/01/kitsap-shoppers-going-back-to-school-on-a-budget/

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/01/central-kitsap-high-improves-facilities-for/

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/aug/28/all-day-kindergarten-coming-to-pearson/

Possible Sources: Jefferson Elementary

Brian Moore
Principal
brianm@psd267.wednet.edu

Kim Keifer
Secretary
kkeifer@psd267.wednet.edu

Jane Rosenberg
Counselor/ Psychologist
jrosenberg@psd267.wednet.edu

Susan Horstman
Counselor/ Psychologist
shorstma@psd267.wednet.edu

Runell Gallina
Special Education
rgallina@psd267.wednet.edu

Co-President
Amy Tull
334-5864
amybtull@hotmail.com

Co-President
Julie Tarlyn
334-4486
julietarlyn@hotmail.com

PTA ^

Mark Goddard - Executive Director, M.Ed.

Phone: 509-334-1234

Email: director@pullmanlearningcenter.com

beat ideas

I am interested in doing possible beats about k-12 education in Pullman as well as law enforcement and different cultural aspects at WSU.  Possible ideas for education may include disability compensation, teacher/student ratios in public schools, standardization in public schools, and funding. Ideas for law enforcement may include police distribution within Pullman, procedures for certain crimes, defense, and liability. Cultural aspects at WSU may include christian fellowship, gay communities, and students who are parents, etc.