COVER STORIES

Women Shaping History 2011

For the past 15 years, Education Update has been honoring “Women Shaping History.” While it is a time to reflect on the achievements of women in the past, it is also a time to recognize the achievements of contemporary women who have made and are continuing to make outstanding contributions in various fields.  Some of the women who have appeared in Education Update in the past have been: Maya Angelou, Suzanne Wright, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Laura Bush, Edith Everett, Sandra Priest Rose, Dr. Lorraine Monroe, Laurie Tisch, Renee Fleming, Marilyn Horne, Erica Jong, Kerry Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt II & Jane Goodall.

• LEYMAH GBOWEE - Nobel Laureate & Liberian Activist
• PRESIDENT SUSAN FUHRMAN - President, Teachers College, Columbia University
• PRESIDENT DEBORAH SPAR - Barnard College
• PRESIDENT JENNIFER RAAB, Hunter College
• LINDA MACAULAY, Philanthropist, Ornithologist
• CHANCELLOR NANCY L. ZIMPHER,  The State University Of New York
• DR. RANDI HERMAN - First Vice President, Council of School Supervisors & Administrators
• ROSEANNE HAGGERTY, MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award
• PRESIDENT REGINA PERUGGI, Kingsborough Community College
• DR. CIARA HARRAHER, Neusurgeon
• RITA DIMARTINO, CUNY Trustee
• DR. LISA CHIPPS, Dermatologist

FUTURE LEADERS

• Future Leader: Dominique Carson

International Education

The Israel Sci-Tech Aviation and Space High School and College Prepares Students for the Future
By Adam W. Sugerman
How many schools do you know of that have their own portable planetarium and a telescope?...READ MORE

Teaching English in Buenos Aires
By McCarton Ackerman
Thousands of college graduates across the country head to cities and towns throughout the globe to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) to international students, but many of them are now forgoing Europe or Asia for the international metropolis of Buenos Aires....READ MORE

Education Update's Interns Travel Abroad
Dominican Republic
By Grace McCarty
As I read through my volunteer paperwork while lying in bed on a quiet January evening, I could not imagine why foam earplugs were on the packing list....READ MORE

Education Update's Interns Travel Abroad
Studia, Mangia e Godere a Firenze, Italia
By Dominique Carson
Most people will gather around family and friends on New Year's Eve or watch the ball drop in Times Square, but I was getting ready to embark on a new journey....READ MORE

EDITORIALS & LETTERS

GUEST EDITORIAL
Education is Key to Understanding the Past, Shaping The Future
By Ruth E. Acker, J.D.
How can women shape history? Sometimes it takes just one indomitable force; sometimes we need to band together to create change....READ MORE

EDITORIAL
Reflections on Women 2011
By Dr. Pola Rosen
The Last Lions, a poignant National Geographic documentary of a lioness nurturing her three cubs after her spouse dies, evokes echoes of the women’s movement in Liberia....READ

Letters to the Editor - MARCH/APRIL 2011
....READ LETTERS

SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS

On Location InterviewS with Superintendents
Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho
Two-and-a-half years ago when I was appointed superintendent, we were a system that was basically bankrupt, with a total fund reserve of less than $4 million to protect a $5.5 billion entity....READ INTERVIEW

On Location Interviews with Superintendents
Las Vegas Superintendent Dwight D. Jones
By Marisa Suescun
Las Vegas-Nev.—Dwight D. Jones, newly minted Superintendent of Clark County School District, has a saying, a sort of inspirational dictum, he repeats time and again to those around him: “Hope is not a strategy.”....READ INTERVIEW

Wildlife and Marine Biologist Teach Lessons of BP Oil Spill
By Sybil Maimin
Awarded the “Noisemaker Award” by MORE Magazine for researching and publicizing the impact of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, marine biologist Dr. Susan Shaw has a lot to say....READ MORE

Talking About the Holocaust to Children
By Sybil Maimin
A large group of concerned parent-members of The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism met with Elizabeth Edelstein, director of education at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, to discuss “How Do We Talk To Our Children About the Holocaust?”...READ MORE

Students Fight for a Dream
By Giovanny Pinto
For many young people in this country the thought of reaching economic advancement through academia is nothing more then a dream, no matter how hard they work. Juan-Carlos, who wishes to only be identified by his first name, is one of those people....READ MORE

Pearl River Students Make Small Steps for Big Change
By Rich Monetti
Pearl River Middle School teacher Jim Guerci has picked up on a global competition that helps children realize they can implement change in the world....READ MORE

New Report Reveals School Boards’ Strong Commitment to Advancing Public Education
A groundbreaking report released by the National School Boards Association (NSBA), the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, and the Iowa School Boards Foundation gives new insights into the workings of America’s nearly 14,000 school boards....READ MORE

COLLEGES & GRAD SCHOOLS

COLLEGE PRESIDENTS' SERIES
Dr. Jamshed Bharucha, President, The Cooper Union
By Joan Baum, Ph.D.
Some people may not know or remember the full name of Cooper Union, the world-renowned higher education institution for engineering, architecture and technology, located in Lower Manhattan....READ MORE

THE DEAN'S COLUMN
Anticipating Heads and Tails
By Alfred Posamentier, Ph.D.
With the recent emphasis on the study of probability at many secondary school grade levels — where not so many years ago the topic was relegated to the end of the Advanced Algebra course — there are many misconceptions that need to be addressed, as well as enlightenments that can, and ought to be introduced....READ MORE

CUNY Chancellor Re-imagines Funding Possibilities
By Jennifer MacGregor
Matthew Goldstein, the chancellor of the City University of New York, spoke at the Harvard Club recently, emphasizing that public higher education is in crisis mode because of budget deficits, and administrators have to be creative when they look for ways to continue their mission of educating the public....READ MORE

International University Rankings  and the Race for World-Class Status
The Ranking Game: Who Wins, Who Loses?
By Rachel Gellert
It seems that nowadays everything can be measured by rank....READ MORE

Dr. Jane Goodall Delivers Keynote at Second Annual Expo at NYU
By Rachel Gellert
The energy was contagious in NYU’s Eisner and Lubin Auditorium as over 250 excited local public middle and high school students proudly displayed their team science projects at the second annual Sci-Ed Innovators Expo & Symposium.”...READ MORE

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Pilots & Special Needs Young People Fly with Challenge Air
By Adam Sugerman
Fort Lauderdale-Fla.—Challenge Air, an organization that helps “build self-esteem and confidence in youth with special needs through the experience of flight” recently held an event at the Executive Airport in Fort Lauderdale with Education Update on site....READ MORE 

Barnard College Hosts Annual Scholar and Feminist Conference on Disability
By Catherine Rolfe
The Barnard College Center for Research on Women held its annual Scholar and Feminist Conference this February, with a focus on disability through a feminist lens....READ MORE 

NY Disabilities Festival Shines Light on Conquering Challenges
By Karen Kraskow
This weekend I went to the Reelabilities NY Disabilities Festival. I thought I’d share a few thoughts in the event that interest might be generated for next year’s festival, usually some time in Jan. or Feb....READ MORE

CAMPS & SPORTS

Seacamp marine sciences summer camp
The Young Man and the Sea
By Adam Sugerman
Imagine teenagers dreaming about snorkeling above a coral reef, swimming in the warm clear waters among parrotfish, sea turtles, yellowtails, angelfish and sergeant majors over dozens of coral species....READ MORE

Selecting A Camp For Your Special Needs Child
By Gina Maranga, Director of Program Operations, Block Institute
When selecting a summer camp for your child with special needs, first ask yourself if the child is ready for the camp experience....READ MORE

Usdan Center Public Art Exhibits, In March And April 2011
Works by students of Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts’ Honors Art Intensive will be exhibited at two public spaces during March and April 2011....READ MORE

Blackbirds Win on Senior Day, 86-72
By Richard Kagan
Amid all the excitement and hoopla surrounding St. John’s Red Storm’s terrific season, The Long Island University Blackbirds have created a season to remember for their followers in Brooklyn....READ MORE

TECHNOLOGY

NJ Panel Grapples with Education Technology Issues
By Judith Aquino
More efforts are needed to promote professional development and garner the support of decision-makers to help schools implement advances in technology, said panelists at a New Jersey technology conference....READ MORE

MEDICAL UPDATE

Comprehensive Autism Treatment Center Coming to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, along with its affiliated medical schools Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College, announced its collaboration with the New York Center for Autism to establish the Institute for Brain Development, a comprehensive, state-of-the-art institute dedicated to addressing the pressing clinical needs of individuals living with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disorders of the brain, across their lifespan....READ MORE

Nashville’s Only Four-Star Restaurant Teams Up With Charter School for Nutrition Education
In Nashville, Tenn., a new program to attack childhood hunger and obesity caused by poor nutrition combines hands-on gardening experience with classroom instruction to show children how to make the right choices in what they eat....READ MORE

MUSIC, ART & DANCE

Wynton Marsalis, Jazz Legend: Performer and Educator
By Joan Baum, Ph.D.
One of the most surprisingly informative moments in a Wynton Marsalis interview comes when the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and Music Director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) will suddenly, naturally, joyously interrupt his verbal discourse to make bopping sounds....READ MORE

DVD Attracts Jazz Lovers Young and Old
By Joan Baum, Ph.D.
They may seem at first an odd couple — the former Supreme Court Justice and the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, but here they are together on a newly released DVD, “Let Freedom Swing: Conversations on Jazz and Democracy: A Resource for Teachers,” featuring Wynton Marsalis and Sandra Day O’Connor. A teacher’s guide, crafted in conjunction with Teachers College at Columbia University, the cleverly titled “Let Freedom Swing” certainly qualifies as an unusual collaboration....READ MORE

Art and Medicine Merge in Tibetan Medical Exhibit
By Jennifer MacGregor
Nine Tibetan Lamas from the Drepung Loseling Monastery created a “Medicine Buddha” sand mandala after a prayer ceremony that included meditation, chanting and instrument playing at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, as part of an exhibit that merged science and art through Tibetan medical painting....READ MORE

Children Create Opera
By Joan Baum, Ph.D.
“Let Your Character Soar” it says on the front window of The Springs School in East Hampton. And did it ever recently, when one of The East End’s best kept artistic secrets, the Springs School’s annual fourth grade Creating Original Opera Program, was once more on delightful display at East Hampton’s Guild Hall....READ MORE

MOVIES & THEATER

MOVIE REVIEW
Grieving and Getting on in ‘Rabbit Hole’
By Jan Aaron
In “Rabbit Hole,” director John Cameron Mitchell shows us a an upper-middle-class couple deadened by grief at the loss of their toddler son, and how they try to get on with their lives that are now tinged with melancholy....READ MORE

BOOKS

Logos Bookstore’s Recommendations
By H. Harris Healy, III, President, LOGOS BOOKSTORE
March and April are great months to come to Logos Bookstore as there are many books, cards and gift items for St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2011, Easter, April 24, 2011 and Passover, April 19-26, 2011....READ MORE

CHILDREN'S CORNER

FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT’S DESK
Plan Now for Summer to Give Your Child the Best Opportunities
By Carole G. Hankin with Deborah French
Spring is finally here — though I wondered more than once over the past few months whether it would ever arrive, didn’t you?...READ MORE

Children's Writings
Featuring the writings of Elan Romero, Grace Mooney, Kate Diament....READ MORE