Reflections on the New Academic Year By Presidents & Experts

To Members and Friends of the City University of New York Community
By CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein
The purpose of this communication is to inform you of actions recently taken by Governor David Paterson and The New York State Legislature and the impact on the CUNY operating budget....READ MORE

Hunter College
By President Jennifer J. Raab
As president of Hunter College, I have the great privilege each fall of witnessing some 20,000 students emerge on campus to live out nothing less than the American Dream....READ MORE

Baruch College
By President Kathleen Waldron
You may have read in the papers recently that the cost of tuition and board at a private college in New York can run upward of $40,000 a year....READ MORE

Greetings from NYS Associate Commissioner Sheila Evans-Tranumn
Parents and families are the first and most important educators of children....READ MORE

The College of Staten Island Reaching New Heights
By President Tomás D. Morales 
This new academic year, we welcome to campus 27 new faculty members....READ MORE

Queens College, City University of New York
By President James L. Muyskens
Queens College may be located on 77 beautiful acres in Flushing, but our campus is everywhere....READ MORE

Herbert H. Lehman College
By President Ricardo R. Fernández
Lehman College of The City University of New York (CUNY) begins the Fall 2008 semester with a number of exciting events that celebrate the College’s fortieth anniversary, including an Award Gala and fundraising dinner on October 23....READ MORE

Leave No Community College Behind
By President Antonio Pérez,
Borough of Manhattan Community College, The City University of New York
Community colleges are hardly a new concept—indeed, they first opened their doors in the early 1900s, and by the early 1960s there were nearly 500 throughout the nation....READ MORE

Summer Jobs - Part II
Nathan Marcus, 19,
Hofstra University, Rising Sophomore
...READ MORE

GUEST EDITORIAL & LETTERS

GUEST EDITORIAL
Debate The Issues, But Remember That NYC Public Education Has A Heritage of Success
By Louise Mirrer, Ph.D.
The past year brought a raft of new ideas for improving the city’s public education system, including paying students for good performance and appointing an economist to help close the achievement gap...READ MORE

Letters to the Editor - AUGUST 2008
..READ MORE

SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS

UNION PRESIDENTS SPEAK: RANDI WEINGARTEN — AFT & UFT
Protecting the Classroom
By Randi Weingarten
As summer draws to what seems like a much too rapid end, parents, children and teachers across New York City are preparing for the challenges of the new school year with a renewed sense of optimism—and with good reason.....READ MORE

UNION PRESIDENTS SPEAK: Ernest Logan — CSA
Welcome Back
By Ernest Logan
September is always an exciting time for school supervisors and administrators.....READ MORE

Outstanding Educators of the Year 2008 Share Best Lessons & Techniques
Ellie Greenberg
Principal, P4K, Brooklyn, NY
School Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) has given us a way to organize the school environment and create a positive school climate by providing proactive supports and interventions along a three-tiered continuum of strategies.....READ MORE

Science Educators Find Interactive Workshops at NY Botanical Garden
By Jamie Boyer
Through The New York Botanical Garden’s Professional Development Program, science educators in the tri-state area are expanding their knowledge about plant biology and ecology through innovative, hands-on workshops and professional development seminars.....READ MORE

U of Oxford Launches New Centre For Ed Assessment
Recently the University of Oxford officially launched the Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment. The centre was established by a grant from Pearson PLC.....READ MORE

Protection from Retaliation for Filing Employment Discrimination Claims
By Martha McCarthy, Ph.D.
Assertions that employees are the victims of retaliation for filing discrimination complaints are increasing.....READ MORE

My Granddaughter Learns to Read
By Sid Trubowitz
My granddaughter, Gabriela, not quite 2, has her own version of reading.....READ MORE

Eric Nadelstern, CEO, Empowerment Schools
On the second day of the Democratic National Convention, I can't help but feel that 54 years after Brown vs. Topeka, history is being made by nominating the first African-American Presidential candidate, and perhaps, our first black President....READ MORE

COLLEGES & GRAD SCHOOLS

Rockefeller University: Dr. Bonnie Kaiser’s HS Scholars Score!
By Dr. Pola Rosen
Rockefeller University has the unique distinction of serving as part high temple to science, having more Nobel laureates that any other university in the country, part free post-graduate education, and part botanic gardens surrounded by acres of green along the banks of the East River....READ MORE

The DEAN’S COLUMN
Crossing the Bridges
By Alfred Posamentier, Ph.D.
New York City, which is comprised mostly of islands (as a matter of fact the only part of the city that is part of the mainland of the United States is the main part of the Bronx—of course, excluding City Island), is blessed with many bridges. We have bike and track races that traverse several bridges throughout the tour....READ MORE

Addressing the ‘Mis-education of Children’: The Urban Education Initiative at Bank Street
By Katy Gurley
In a front page article in late August, The New York Times described the frantic search many school systems face in finding enough qualified teachers to fill classrooms for the opening day of school....READ MORE

Hunter College: Humanitarian Trip to Honduras, Part I
By Justine Rivera with Lauren Witter
New York City is often known for its rude people and tough streets, but there is a group of people who may be changing this stereotype....READ MORE

Today’s Peace Corps
By Jonathan Beuttler
For young adults, the choice to volunteer is becoming more and more a popular career choice....READ MORE

Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County
By Beth Lilach
Intolerance, bullying and hate crimes continue to escalate in America....READ MORE

WAGNER COLLEGE, STATEN ISLAND, NY
New Teacher Academy Given $10K For Scholarships
The UAU Capital Foundation, an arm of United Activities Unlimited, announced recently in a press conference at Wagner College that it has given a grant of $10,000 to provide scholarships for the New Teacher Academy, a partnership of Wagner College and Columbia University’s Teachers College....READ MORE

SPECIAL EDUCATION

FROM THE NYU CHILD STUDY CENTER: ASK THE EXPERT
A Good Loser Can Be A Winner
By Dr. Glenn S. Hirsch
Stephanie, aged 4, stamps her feet in frustration when she loses a game of cards with her brother....READ MORE

College Remedial Reading: Is it Too Late?
By Lisa K. Winkler
For every teacher, beginning the school year brings a mixture of trepidation and excitement....READ MORE

Charley’s Fund: A Mother’s Take On Muscular Dystrophy
By Tracy Kramer Seckler
Our vacation week in the Hamptons could not have been more glorious....READ MORE

Distinguishing A Bad Mood From Depression In Teenagers: Harvard U
The teenage years are a time of emotional highs and lows....READ MORE

The Jewish Guild for the Blind Scholars Begin Freshman Year at College
Legally blind high school graduates are off to college after receiving major scholarships from The Jewish Guild for the Blind....READ MORE

CAREERS

Born to be Wild
By Julie and Megan Maher
There aren’t many who swim with sharks by day and rock out on a stage at night, but Hans Walters does just that!..READ MORE

MetroBEAT

Accountability is the Key to Improving New York’s School System
By Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
I still remember the day I graduated from high school—even though it was longer ago than I’d like to admit...READ MORE

MOVIE & THEATER REVIEWS

MOVE REVIEW:
American Teen: Close Up On 17
By Jan Aaron
In time for back-to-school, American Teen is a documentary that follows the lives of five teenagers in one small town in Indiana through their senior year in a high school....READ MORE

CHILDREN"S CORNER

FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT’S SEAT
Make Video Games a Family Experience
By Dr. Carole G. Hankin
In this day and age, modern technology has been growing by leaps and bounds, and nowhere is this more evident than in our own homes....READ MORE

MEDICAL UPDATE

Wii-Habilitation:
Using Video Games to Heal Burns
Video games—often regarded as nothing more than mindless entertainment for lethargic kids and teens—are proving to be an effective, new tool to motivate patients to perform rehabilitation exercises.....READ MORE

A Shortcut for Communication Between Brain Cells
For the first time, Weill Cornell scientists have learned important details illustrating how neuronal cells in the brain communicate at a microcellular level.....READ MORE

Easing the Pain of Diabetes
To ease pain and numbness associated with diabetes, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell physician-scientists are studying a drug previously used for depression to treat peripheral neuropathy.....READ MORE

Striking at the Heart of Hepatitis B Virus
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell clinician-scientists are studying how a new drug might be used to treat chronic hepatitis B infection (HBV).....READ MORE

BOOKS

Logos Bookstore’s Recommendations
By H. Harris Healy, III
Who is Briton Hadden? The Man Time Forgot. A book of the same title by Isaiah Wilner presents the reader the creation of Time Magazine and the life story of its true founder, Briton Hadden....READ MORE

Help for Kids for Hurricane Katrina Anniversary
Hurricane Katrina occurred three years ago, but its effects are still being felt, particularly by children. And, with more recent weather tragedies in mind, the Louisiana Children's Museum (www.lcm.org), and Think It Ink It Publishing (www.thinkitinkitpublishing.com) have teamed up to help....READ MORE

MUSIC, ART & DANCE

Polar Light: Greenland Photo & Drawing Exhibit at Look North Gallery
Wings World Quest is pleased to announce a collaboration between Look North Gallery and Al Gore's The Climate Project—Polar Light: Greenland....READ MORE