The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine

READING RAINBOWREVAMPED FOR THE DIGITAL GENERATION

JANUARY 04, 2016 VOL.1 NUMBER 10

from the publisher of The Hispanic

Outlook in Higher Education Magazine

WWW.K12HISPANICOUTLOOK.COM

PUBLISHER

PRESIDENT AND CEO

VICE PRESIDENT

EDITOR IN CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

ART & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE DIRECTOR

MEDIA RELATIONS DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

JOSÉ LÓPEZ ISA

TOMÁS CASTELLANOS NUÑEZ

NICOLE LÓPEZ ISA

MEREDITH COOPER

MARY ANN COOPER

RICARDO CASTILLO

JAVIER SALAZAR CARRIÓN

MARILYN ROCA ENRÍQUEZ

GARY COOPER

K www.k12hispanicoutlook.com

Editorial PolicyThe Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine Inc.® is a national magazine. Dedicated to exploring issues related to Hispanics in K-12,

The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine Inc.® is published for the members of the K-12 education community. Editorialdecisions are based on the editors’ judgment of the quality of the writing, the timeliness of the article, and the potential interest to the readers of

The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine Inc.®. From time to time, The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine Inc® will publish articles dealing withcontroversial issues. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and/or those interviewed and might not reflect the official policy of the

magazine. The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine® neither agrees nor disagrees with those ideas expressed, and no endorsement ofthose views should be inferred unless specifically identified as officially endorsed by The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine®.

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Cover photo courtesy of Reading Rainbow

“READING RAINBOW” REVAMPED FOR THE DIGITAL GENERATIONLevar Burton’s first children’s book helps kids cope with tragic events

MAKING THE GRADEVeteran educator offers advice to teachers and parents

READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?This month OutlooK-12 features book titles from the award-winning children’s television series “Reading Rainbow”

"I LIKE TO SEE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR SCHOOL"Student Organizes Food Pantry for Peers in Need

THE NATIONAL REPORT CARD’S FINDINGSDeclines in key subjects for fourth and eighth graders

NEWS AND TRENDSThe latest education-related stories from across America

CONTENTVOLUME 01, ISSUE 10

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HONOR ROLL

It all began with a butterfly. When the award-winning chil-dren’s television program “Read-ing Rainbow” first premiered

in 1983, the first “character” that children saw was an animated but-terfly. Trailing a rainbow behind it, the magical insect transformed kids and their surroundings into such things as a king with a cas-tle and astronauts flying through outer space, symbolically showing the impact of books on the imag-ination and development of young minds.

Today, roughly three decades since it concluded its 155 episode run, “Reading Rainbow” has been updated for a new generation of

AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S EDUCATION PROGRAM “READING RAINBOW” REVAMPED FOR THE DIGITAL GENERATION

children who will be trading in a butterfly for a digital hot air bal-loon.

Created for children ages two – nine, the new Skybrary® is a web-based digital library of hand curat-ed children’s books and story-driv-ing educational video field trips. Available both online and through digital devices, young readers and pre-readers pilot their own personal hot air balloons among Skybrary’s seven uniquely themed islands: an-imals, music, adventure, science, heroes, friends and family. These engaging worlds feature over 500 books from esteemed authors and acclaimed publishers and are made available to children as “read by

myself ” or “read to me” and con-tain interactive elements that en-hance enjoyment while preserving the reading experience.

Returning to this latest ver-sion of “Reading Rainbow” is the show’s original host and Executive Producer LeVar Burton who hosts over 150 newly produced and clas-sic video field trips to places like the White House, the Los Ange-les Ballet, the Grand Canyon and Cirque du Soleil.

“Our brand of storytelling, our way of reaching out to kids, our way of showing them that the world is of infinite experience and that you can literally go anywhere in the world in your imagination,

Story compiled by Meredith Cooper

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HONOR ROLL

go anywhere be anything, that’s a valuable message,” Burton said in an online video.

Making the transition from television to digital media, however, created a challenge that took the 12-time Emmy award-winning actor out of his comfort zone.

“We had done television. The brand had been incredi-bly successful on TV. And yet there was this new world devel-oping of digital entertainment, and we knew that there was an opportunity to do something different,” Burton said. Taking advantage of this opportuni-ty, nonetheless, would not be an inexpensive investment, so Burton turned to the popular crowd-funding website, Kick-starter, to try to raise the funds for Skybrary.

“I had huge fear about the crowd funding move,” Burton recalled. “I was just not sure it was the right thing to do, how-ever, at the time, it seemed like the only thing to do.”

Despite his reservations, the “Reading Rainbow” Kick-starter campaign was a huge success with donations hitting the $1 million mark within the first 11 hours. Live video tak-en of Burton at the time shows him becoming choked up by the support.

“I don’t know what to say. We’ve just crossed the million dollar threshold. It is our first day,” he said before his voice began to crack with emotion. “I am overwhelmed.”

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a minimum monetary goal. With contributions from a loyal fan base (including “Family Guy” creator Seth McFarlane who pledged to match dollar for dollar every do-nation made up to $1 million) “Reading Rainbow” not only met their Kickstarter goal but actually exceeded it by over 600 percent. This positive showing of support has opened the door to expanding the Skybrary concept to classrooms as well as internationally.

“We are actually looking at contemplating moving to Latin America. We’ve got our eye on China. We’re really serious about ‘Every child, everywhere,’” Burton said, referencing “Reading Rain-bow’s” mission of “bringing a pas-sion for reading to Every Child, Everywhere.”

One of the things that Burton said he was most proud of about the Skybrary app is that kids com-ing to the app are reading on av-erage 194 thousand books a week. In addition, he has said that he is incredibly excited that Skybrary is also available on the web since anyone with an Internet connec-tion can access the service’s library of books, regardless if they own a tablet computer. For Burton, using modern technology to allow more children to have greater exposure to books goes beyond its educational impact and touches on something both historical and personal.

“I come from a people for whom reading was punishable by whipping or death just three gen-erations ago,” he said. “And I am able to travel every week with any

book I choose at my disposal. And I live in a world where that’s pos-sible. That’s a miracle as far as I’m concerned.” Burton went on to explain that he considers his work with Reading Rainbow and reading in general a luxury, which is some-thing he would like to see change.

“I guess why this work is so important to me is because I don’t want it to need to be a luxury,” he said. “I believe that if you can read in at least one language, then you are my definition of free. I want to make sure that there is a choice out there for children and for their parents that is good for kids. And that’s why I do what I do.” •

For further information about Skybrary, including Skybrary options for class-rooms, visit www.readingrainbow.com

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LEVAR BURTON’S FIRST CHILDREN’S BOOK HELPS KIDS COPE WITH TRAGIC EVENTS

As the host of “Reading Rainbow,” Levar Bur-ton is no stranger to children’s literature. During the show’s 26-year run, he introduced

kids to a variety of age-appropriate book titles and continues to do so today with “Reading Rainbow’s” new digital Skybrary.

Now, however, when a child picks up a book to read, they may see Burton’s name on the cover.

For the first time, the award-winning actor has co-written his own children’s book. Titled “The Rhi-no Who Swallowed a Storm,” the book stars talking animals and has a timeless quality, yet Burton’s inspi-ration for it came from the modern world.

“Our children live in a world much more com-plex and dangerous than the one in which we our-selves grew up—a world of school shootings, bomb-ings and natural disasters of every variety; and it’s impossible for children to escape repeated exposure

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to these tragedies from an incessant 24-hour news cycle,” Burton writes in the book’s intro. “Our challenge as parents is to help put these trag-ic events into context for our chil-dren. That’s the inspiration be-hind ‘The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm.’”

Following the story within a story format, the reader is first introduced to a little girl mouse named Mica (named after Burton’s daughter) who is afraid of a storm outside because a year earlier, her home was destroyed by a hurri-cane. Her father comforts her by reading her a book about a rhino whose home is also destroyed by a storm. The rhino manages to swal-low the entire storm in what would normally be the heroic climax of the story. Instead, however, Bur-ton takes the reader in a different direction with the rhino going on a journey to find a way to deal with the storm inside of him, which be-comes a metaphor for emotional trauma and healing.

Right after swallowing the storm, for example, the rhino is spun like a tornado and winds up in a deep hole where he becomes trapped. This scene is figuratively and literally being stuck in a dark place, and it is only because other animals come to his aid that the rhino is able to get out of his self-made dark hole. Later, the rhino’s journey takes him to a wallowing spot where he deals with both the physical pain of holding a storm inside of himself and the negative emotional impact of the storm coming into his life.

“Stories make difficult issues more approachable for youngsters and give parents and their children a safe haven to discuss feelings and emotions that may be hard to ex-press,” Burton writes. “For my first children’s book, I wanted to offer up a way for children to learn how to live in a world where bad things seems to happen to good people.”

In addition to the struggles of the main character, the story also

shows how others recognize and understand the rhino’s struggle and help him as he deals with the storm. The animals who save him during the dark hole scene are symbolic of rescue workers and are referred to as heroic. The wallowing spot scene introduces both the reader and the rhino to the character of the tortoise whose advice is instru-mental in helping the rhino take the next important step in his jour-ney. In fact, every scene involving the rhino (and Mica for that mat-ter) reinforces the main message of the book as stated by Papa Mouse:

“You’re never really alone when bad things happen. There are fam-ily and friends and even people we don’t know who are always there to help us through the tough times.” •

“The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm” is recommended for children ages five – seven. For more information visit www.readingrainbow.com

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MAKING THE GRADE

THE HISPANIC OUTLOOK-12 MAGAZINEwww.k12h ispan icou t look .com/spa in -p rogram

summer inmadr id@hispan icou t look .com(201) 587-8800

Summer Program for Jr. & Sr. High School StudentsSpanish Conversation and more in Madrid, Spain

STUDY OVERSEAS IN MADRID

Hispanic OutlooK-12 will conduct its fiftieth SUMMER PROGRAM in Madrid, Spain. Based at the International House, it

provides an ideal location for travel and study due to Madrid’s close proximity to major centers of Spanish culture, and

its easy access to the rest of the country.

The program consists of two weeks of Spanish conversation beginning June 26, 2016. You will attend classes in the

morning, take part in city visits in the in the afternoon and the early evening as well as Saturday tours, Sunday cultural

activities and evening “tertulias.”

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Q: We are a group of our teachers that use your classroom manage-ment methods. Although we are meeting with considerable success, our principal does not want home-work graded. He claims homework is practice and should never receive a letter grade. Can you advise us?

A: I very much advocate that all home-work should be traditionally graded. My experience is that graded home-work is taken more seriously. Since homework reinforces what students learn in class, the better a student pays attention in class, the better chance they will have to successfully complete their homework assignments. With this in mind, a student’s classwork and homework will both improve if a stu-dent knows that they will receive a letter grade for their homework. In fact, the letter grade can help form a clear con-nection in the student’s mind between their classwork and their homework and on how one directly impacts the other. Usually almost all students com-prehend the importance of classwork and homework and tend to flourish in this environment. However, if a child is struggling with this method, by all means abandon this practice and find a suitable replacement method. In gen-eral, tests should have a much greater weight than a homework assignment. However, my more than 40 years of experience has been that eventually all students benefit from these practices.

Q: The administration in my elemen-tary school are not big fans of your methods. In particular, they feel that a student’s behavior should not im-pact report grades. A number of us use your prescribed practices but are meeting with administrators’ hostili-ty. What should we do?

A: My whole philosophy is based on trying to reward students for their efforts and behavior. Never in my thoughts should students’ grades be lowered for poor decorum. In my eyes almost all children regardless of age enjoy receiving some benefits for do-ing the right thing. With regards to the report card grades, if done correctly, a student’s grade may only be elevat-ed a small amount. Hypothetically, if a report grade is between B and C, I might consider elevating it to the high-er grade of B based on effort and be-havior. For the most part relatively few grades actually receive this treatment, but students’ work habits and behavior improve dramatically.

Q: I’m a kindergarten teacher, and I have a student that I am very cer-tain has autism. I am the parent of an autistic child, so I know the signs very well. But when I approached this student’s parents, they became furious and lashed out at me, say-ing that their son doesn't deserve to be "wrongly labeled" because I'm a "lousy teacher." They've also threat-ened to involve my principal and the school board and even sue me per-sonally if I don't drop this. The whole situation is getting out of control, and in the meantime, my student is not receiving the help that I believe he needs. What should I do now?

A: Kindergarten teachers are the first line of defense. It is their job to be-gin to identify learning and social is-sues that a child may be having. Often parents or guardians are unwilling to accept the possibility of potential prob-lems with their child. If your school has a child study team, bring this concern to their attention. Give your principal a heads-up, if you haven’t already. In my opinion you have done your job, however, if you want to, you can also find information on the Internet about autism. A couple of good websites to start with are www.autism-society.org and www.autismspeaks.org. Politely of-fer the parents of this child a copy of this information and let the chips fall where they may. Good luck, and you are living proof why I consider the kin-dergarten teaching position one of the toughest in all of education.

If you would like to write to Gary for advice, please email [email protected]

MAKING THE GRADE

IT'S USEFUL AT TIMES TO HAVE A FRESH PERSPECTIVE TO “MAKE THE GRADE.” WITH THIS IN MIND WE HERE AT OUTLOOK-12 HAVE CREATED A SPECIAL COLUMN WHERE YOU, OUR READERS, CAN WRITE TO US WITH YOUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL QUESTIONS AND GET PERSPECTIVE AND INSIGHTS FROM OUR RESIDENT AWARD-WINNING EDUCATION VETERAN AND CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST GARY COOPER. AN EDUCATOR FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS, GARY HAS TAUGHT STUDENTS FROM NURSERY SCHOOL TO COLLEGE AND IS ALSO A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR.

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STUDENT ORGANIZES FOOD PANTRY FOR PEERS IN NEED

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Senior Lexi McMahan's teachers say she's an exception-al teenager, more compassionate than many of her peers and keenly aware of the world around her.

It didn't surprise them when the senior at Eastern Hancock High School stepped up to co-ordinate the school's food pan-try, which provides students at risk of being hungry with food to eat during the weekend when school-provided meals aren't available.

What started as a project for the school's service learning class last year has turned into a way for McMahan to help her peers and to make a difference in her small community.

Each week, 45 to 50 local high school and middle school students have the opportunity to visit the makeshift food pantry set up in a resource room at the school. Orga-nizers hope by providing the ser-vice to students, they won't need to worry about the next time those in need will eat when the dismissal bell rings Friday afternoon.

McMahan spends many hours a week coordinating the pantry to ensure it's filled with snacks her peers will enjoy. She's a member of the school's National Honor Soci-

ety and helps oversee a commit-tee charged with giving time each month to restocking if it's needed, organizing the food and making sure it's ready for when students visit Friday during homeroom.

Guidance counselor Jenn Lightcap said the Hancock Coun-ty Food Pantry approached the

school about setting up a pantry for students, and efforts began last year. The local food pantry pro-vides the nonperishable goods, and students are responsible for picking up the food when the school's pantry needs to be re-stocked and for organizing the take-home items each week.

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Additionally, student organi-zations have raised money for the Hancock County Food Pantry and have conducted food drives with collected food being donated to the school's pantry. Some staff mem-bers at the school also have mon-ey taken from their paychecks and donated to the community pantry to help provide more funding to feed students and needy families throughout Hancock County.

The county food pantry is in downtown Greenfield. Years ago, it started a program in local ele-mentary schools that sent students home with a backpack full of food each week, but a similar program wasn't being offered to older stu-dents, according to Dawn Early-wine, school pantry coordinator for the Hancock County Food Pantry.

She organized the program at Eastern but relies on students and staff at the school to keep it run-

ning. The lessons the students who organize the pantry learn are in-valuable, she said.

“They can help someone that might be their classmate in second period without ever knowing it,” Earlywine said. “It's amazing what they're doing.”

Lightcap, who is one of the guidance counselors who shop with students each week, said she knows the food pantry makes a difference in the lives of students at Eastern Hancock. Those students wear gratitude on their faces, she said.

“They don't always say (thank you), but I see it,” she said. “You see it in their reaction when they're in here.”

For McMahan, it's gratifying to be making a difference in her small school; though the process is confi-dential — only guidance counsel-ors know which students utilize the pantry — her heart swells when she

“About 60 students in grades sixth through twelfth who would benefit from the food pantry. About 45 of those students utilize the pantry each week.”

notices students eating the snacks she recognizes on the bus or in the classroom.

McMahan wanted to be part of the service learning course that launched the pantry, but the class

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didn't fit into her schedule. Then she considered taking it over for her se-nior project – a course requirement for students preparing to graduate. When the National Honor Society took over the pantry, she stepped up to lead the effort, said Kelli Brown, the organization's adviser.

“She was going to get credit for it, and now, she's just doing it be-cause that's who she is,” Brown said of McMahan.

She and Lightcap agree Mc-Mahan is empathetic and loving. It doesn't surprise them she puts so much effort into the food pan-try when she could spend her senior year doing something else.

“I would say Lexi is an excep-tional kid,” Lightcap said.

McMahan said she just wanted to find a cause through which she could see the impact she was mak-

ing; the food pantry proved a per-fect fit.

“I like to see a difference in our school,” she said. “I see it happen. I see the impact, and I think that keeps me going, and it makes me feel like I did something to help others.”

The school's guidance coun-selors identified about 60 students in grades six through twelfth who would benefit from the food pantry. About 45 of those students utilize the pantry each week.

Brown said the food pantry fills a gap.

During the week, students can eat breakfast and lunch at school, but over the weekend, the school can't provide those meals, which might leave students hungry if there's not much food at home.

Most of the food in the pantry doesn't make a full meal but serves as something to eat between meals. Needy families can get ingredients to make meals at the community food pantry but might not have much snack food in the house, Brown explained; plus, most stu-dents don't want to make a whole meal.

The students utilizing the food pantry look forward to visiting, Brown said. And administrators are happy they're not sending students home for a weekend when there isn't much for them to eat.

“It provides the opportunity for us to make sure they're not hungry on Saturday,” Brown said. “School is a very safe place for a lot of stu-dents, and we want to try to pro-vide that same safety at home if we can.” •

Source: (Greenfield) Daily Reporter, http://bit.ly/1ljqjjFInformation from: (Greenfield) Daily Reporter, http://www.greenfieldreporter.com

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.This is an AP-Indiana Exchange story offered by the (Greenfield) Daily Reporter.

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TO COMMEMORATE THE RELAUNCH OF “READING RAINBOW,” WE HERE AT OUTLOOK-12 HAVE DEDICATED THIS MONTH’S EXTRA LONG SCHOOL LIBRARY SECTION TO BOOKS FEATURED ON THE EMMY AND PEABODY AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM.

READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY

“SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW” by Stacey SchuettIllustrated by Stacey SchuettPublisher: Dragonfly BooksISBN-13: 978-0679885498

Time zones and the international dateline are at times confusing even for adults. In this imaginative book, children are taught how many very different things can be happening at the same moment but in different places all around the world. Whimsically illustrated and filled with maps, the story illustrates how while a baker slides bread into an oven in Europe, a herd of elephants is asleep in Africa, a pod of whales is singing near Antarctica where penguins huddle and a little girl is sleeping in Madagascar and dreaming about tomorrow. But still elsewhere, to-morrow isn’t a dream—it’s already here.

“A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER”by Vera B. Williams Illustrated by Vera B. WilliamsPublisher: Greenwillow BooksISBN-13: 978-0688040741

After a fire destroys their home and possessions, Rosa, her mother and her grandmother begin putting money in a glass jar, so they can save up enough to buy one big, comfortable chair. Her grandmother finds bargains on things like tomatoes and puts the sav-ings into the jar. Her mother brings home her waitressing tips for the jar every night and is sometimes too tired to stay awake to actually see them go into the jar. Even Rosa helps out at the diner where her mother works by doing little tasks like filling ketchup bottles and peeling onions. But the jar is very big, and filling it all the way to the top is not going to easy.

“BRINGING THE RAIN TO KAPITI PLAIN” by Verna AardemaIllustrated by Beatriz VidalPublisher: Puffin BooksISBN-13: 978-0140546163

This rhythmically rhyming story de-scribes the Kapiti Plain, a place so green it is like “a sea of grass” that is full of wildlife. But when a drought sends many of the larger animals migrating out of the area, it looks like the once picturesque plain is going to shrivel up. However, all is not lost when a large rain cloud appears overhead, but this cloud needs a little help to get a rainstorm started. And so it is up to Ki-pat, a young boy who takes care of a herd of cows, to figure out how to make the cloud rain, so the grass will be green and lush again, so his cows will not starve and so the Kapiti Plain will return to its former beauty.

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“IMOGENE'S ANTLERS” by David SmallIllustrated by David SmallPublisher: Dragonfly BooksISBN-13: 978-0517562420

Young Imogene wakes up one morning to find that she has sprouted antlers. Un-flappable, Imogene takes the whole thing in stride even though her new antlers are making everyday tasks like getting dressed and walking through doorways a great deal more difficult. And to make matters worse while there are those who like Imo-gene’s new “head gear,” her mother is not taking her daughter’s transformation very well at all and faints every time she comes into the view. The effervescent, softly colored illustrations incorporate all the humor inherent in this tale that teaches a subtle lesson about acceptance.

“WHOEVER YOU ARE”by Mem FoxIllustrated by Leslie StaubPublisher: HMH Books for Young ReadersISBN-13: 978-0152060305

Everyday all over the world, there are children laughing and crying, play-ing and learning, eating and sleeping. They may not look the same. Their homes may look very different from each other’s. Their schools may also be set up and structured in completely dissimilar ways. And, yes, they may not even speak or write the same lan-guage. In fact, their lives may be quite different. But inside, they feel the same joy and sorrow and pain and love and have far more in common than at first it may seem. This folk art-inspired picture book reminds us to celebrate our differences while never forgetting how we are all connected.

“LIANG AND THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH”by DemiIllustrated by: DemiPublisher: Square FishISBN-13: 978-0805008012

Long ago in China a poor boy named Liang earns money by gathering fire-wood and cutting reeds. His one wish is to paint, but he cannot afford a paintbrush. Liang’s luck seems to change one day when suddenly he finds himself the owner of a magical paintbrush. Now whatever pictures he paints come to life! Everything is going well for young Liang until a greedy emperor finds out about his special paintbrush. Now Liang must paint for the emperor who just wants to exploit the young artist. It will take more than just magic for Liang to free himself from the wicked ruler, but for-tunately, he has a plan.


“HOW MUCH IS A MILLION?”by David M. SchwartzIllustrations by: Steven KelloggPublisher: HarperCollinsISBN-13: 978-0688099336

Ever wonder just what a mil-lion of something means? How about a billion? Or even a trillion? Well, you do not need to wonder no any longer. Mathematician David M. Schwartz and il-lustrator Steven Kellogg join forces to knock complex numbers down to size with some help from Marvelosis-simo the Mathematical Magi-cian. Delightful illustrations fill this book where numbers become very visible, tangible concepts. For example, to il-lustrate how large a number a million is, the book’s pictures show that a tower made of a million kids standing on each other’s shoulders would reach higher than even airplanes can fly in the sky. It’s a math class you’ll never forget!

“THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE: AN AESOP FABLE”Adapted and illustrated by Janet StevensPublisher: Holiday HouseISBN-13: 978-0823405640

Aesop’s fables are among the best known and most loved of children’s literature. In this retelling of the classic tale, cartoonish images and amus-ing visual touches give the story a modern feel without betraying its timeless messag-es of the importance of per-severance and the pitfalls of overconfidence. The tortoise, for example, now wears blue sneakers as he sweats and runs on two legs. The hare, on the other hand, sports a pair of brightly colored, striped run-ning shorts. And as an extra learning lesson, many of the animals in the story have the first letter of their names on their shirts (T for Tortoise, H for Hare, etc).

“THE PURPLE COAT”by Amy HestIllustrated by: Amy SchwartzPublisher: AladdinISBN-13: 978-0689716348

Every year in the fall when the leaves “start melting into pretty purples and reds and those bright golden shades of pumpkin” Gabrielle gets a new coat. And every year her coat looks the same—navy blue with two rows of buttons and a half belt in the back. But this year Gabrielle wants a purple coat. Her mama laughs at the idea, but Ga-brielle is quite serious. Alone with “Grampa” in his cozy tailor shop, Gabrielle does some fast-talking. Still, even Grampa is dubious. His solu-tion makes “The Purple Coat” a very special book, just right for every child who has ever wanted to try something dif-ferent.

“COULD BE WORSE!” by James StevensonIllustrations by: James Ste-vensonPublisher: Greenwillow BooksISBN-13: 978-0688070359

To Mary Ann and Louise, Grandpa is pretty boring. Every day he always eats the exact same thing for break-fast and reads the paper. And no matter what happens, he always says the same thing: “Could be worse.” The dog ate the sofa cushion? “Could be worse.” Getting a splinter? “Could be worse.” The bike has a flat? “Could be worse.” A sneaker has a hole in it? “Could be worse.” Lost a kite in a tree. “Could be worse.” Then one day he surprises them with a story so amaz-ing and so incredible, there’s only one thing they can say about it—and they do and never quite see their “boring” grandpa the same way again.

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“THE PHILHARMONIC GETS DRESSED”by Karla KuskinIllustrated by: Marc SimontPublisher: HarperCollinsISBN-13: 978-0064431248

It is Friday evening. The sky is getting darker and dark-er, and lights are starting to come on in the houses and the apartment buildings. Here and there, uptown and downtown and across the bridges of the big city, 105 people are getting ready to go to work. Some of them take showers while others prefer to bathe and will even take bubble bathes. Some shave or trim their mustaches nice and neat. Others put on dusting powder and a little jewelry. Then they all get into special black and white clothes and travel to midtown with their musical instruments. There, at 8:30, they will meet up and work together playing beauti-ful music in an orchestra.

“THE PAPER CRANE”by Molly BangIllustrated by: Molly BangPublisher: Greenwillow BooksISBN-13: 978-0688073336

A restaurant owner is proud of his busy roadside diner. He’s hardworking and loves cooking and serving food to his many customers. But ever since a new highway replaced the old road, fewer and fewer customers stop to rest and eat. In fact, days sometimes go by with no customers at all. Soon, the restaurant owner is poor and spending his time polishing empty tables. Then one day a poor stranger ap-pears at the door. His clothes are ragged, but he has an “un-usual gentle manner,” and the restaurant owner feeds him. For his kindness, the strang-er gives him a gift that will change his fortunes, a magical paper crane.

“HOW A BOOK IS MADE”by AlikiIllustrated by: AlikiPublisher: HarperCollinsISBN-13: 978-0064460859

In this humorous look at the world of book publishing, a cartoonish kitten who likes books suddenly wonders who created the book that he is reading. What he learns is it is not just one person (or cat in the this case) who is responsi-ble for making his book but a team of professionals includ-ing: an author-artist (illustra-tor), an editor, a publisher, a designer, a copyeditor-proof-reader, a production-director, a color separator, a printer, a publicity and promotion director and a salesperson. Filled with funny moments, the story talks about the col-laborative effort to create books in a way that children will be able to understand and enjoy.

“BORREGUITA AND THE COYOTE: A TALE FROM AYUTLA, MEXICO”by Verna AardemaIllustrated by: Petra MathersPublisher: Knopf Books for Young ReadersISBN-13: 978-0679809210

In many stories lambs are portrayed as gentle but meek characters who are more often than not the victims that need to be rescued from a larger predator. But in this tale, the lamb (borreguita) is ready to take on her foe no matter how big or dangerous he might be or how much the odds are against her! A large but oafish coyote is ready to have lamb for his next meal, but the bor-reguita uses her wits to trick the carnivore and stay off his menu. Bold, colorful illus-trations compliment the en-ergetic narrative where brains are definitely more powerful than brawns. In addition, the book has a Spanish glossary to help with pronunciation.


THE NATION'S REPORT CARD SHOWS DECLINES IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Fourth- and Eighth-Grade Mathematics and Eighth-Grade Reading Scores Decline Compared to 2013; Fourth-Grade Reading Score Is Unchanged

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WASHINGTON, DC – Average fourth- and eighth-grade mathemat-

ics scores and the average eighth-grade reading score declined be-tween 2013 and 2015, according to The Nation's Report Card re-leased today. The average fourth-grade reading score was unchanged over the two-year period. In both grades, national mathematics and reading scores in 2015 are higher than those from the first assess-ments in the early 1990s.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – also known as The Nation's Re-

port Card – is the largest nation-ally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various subject areas. NAEP is ad-ministered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). It is frequently referred to as the “gold standard” of student assessments.

“Since the early 1990s, we have seen progress especially in mathematics,” said NCES Acting Commissioner Peggy Carr. “In 2015, however, we saw declines in mathematics in both grades and in reading at grade eight. The find-ings were different for fourth-grade

reading, which held steady from 2013. We also see some bright spots in the scores of individual states and urban districts.”

National ResultsIn fourth-grade mathematics,

the average scale score in 2015 was 240, a decline of one point from 2013. In eighth-grade mathemat-ics, the average scale score in 2015 was 282, a decline of two points from 2013. The NAEP scale ranges from 0 to 500.

“For the first time, we see score declines in mathematics, but we don't yet know if this is a trend

20 · January 04, 2016

downward,” Carr said. “We need to exercise caution until we see the results from the 2017 assessment.

The Nation's Report Card also reports data by different demo-graphic groups, such as Black, His-panic, Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native. None of the achievement gaps be-tween White students and students in any of the other groups changed by a statistically significant margin from 2013 and 2015.

Although national results showed decreases in mathemat-ics and grade eight reading, the achievement of children in cit-ies had no statistically significant changes since 2013 in either sub-ject or either grade level.

Student performance on NAEP is also reported by achievement lev-els. There are three NAEP achieve-ment levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Proficient on the NAEP scale represents competency over challenging subject matter.

In 2015, there was a decrease in the percentage of students scor-ing at or above Proficient at both grades in mathematics and for eighth graders in reading when compared to 2013:

In fourth-grade reading, 36 percent of students scored at or above Proficient (no significant change from 2013, and an eight percentage point increase since 1992).

In eighth-grade reading, 34 percent of students scored at or above Proficient (a two percentage point decline from 2013, and a five percentage point increase since 1992).

In fourth-grade math, 40 per-cent of students scored at or above Proficient (a two percentage point decline from 2013, and a 27 per-centage point increase since 1990).

In eighth-grade math, 33 per-cent of students scored at or above Proficient (a two percentage point decline from 2013, and an 18 per-centage point increase since 1990).

State ResultsState results are varied with

some states making gains though the majority of states saw declines in either one or both grades in math-ematics. In fourth grade two juris-dictions (the District of Columbia and Mississippi) made score gains in both subjects between 2013 and 2015. The District of Columbia, Mississippi, and the U.S. Depart-ment of Defense schools (DoDEA) saw score increases in fourth-grade math in 2015, and 16 states saw score declines when compared to 2013. In fourth-grade reading scores in 13 states increased and scores declined in two states. At grade eight no state made score gains in mathematics and 22 states saw score declines. One state (West Virginia) made score gains in read-ing between 2013 and 2015, and eight states saw score declines.

“Since the early 1990s, we have seen progress, especially in mathematics. In 2015, however, we saw declines in mathematics in both grades (fourth and eighth) and in reading at grade eight.”

“For the first time we see

score declines in mathematics, but

we don't yet know if this is a trend

downward.”

Urban District ResultsThe Nation's Report Card

also measures progress in some of America's urban school districts through the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) program. Fourth- and eighth-graders in 21 urban districts participated in the mathematics and reading assess-ments in 2015. Average scores for large cities, used as a benchmark for comparing results for districts, held steady over the two-year peri-od since the last assessment in both grades and subjects.

Average scores increased in both subjects in three districts at either grade four or grade eight – the District of Columbia (DCPS), Miami-Dade and Chicago:

Average scores for the District of Columbia Public Schools increased between 2013 and 2015 in both subjects in fourth grade.


Average scores for Miami-Dade increased in fourth-grade math and eighth-grade reading.

Average scores for Chicago in-creased for eighth-grade math and fourth-grade reading.

The 2015 math and reading as-sessments were given to fourth- and eighth-graders in public and private schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Department of Defense schools. State scores are for public schools only. In 2015, 279,000 fourth graders from 7,900 schools and 273,000 eighth graders from 6,200 schools participated in the assessment. Samples of schools and students are drawn from each state and from the District of Co-lumbia and Department of Defense schools.

Visit http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/ to view the report.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, within the Institute of Education Sciences, ad-ministers NAEP. The Commission-er of the National Center for Edu-cation Statistics is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project.

The National Center for Educa-tion Statistics, a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, is the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to educa-

tion in the U.S. and other nations. NCES fulfills a congressional man-date to collect, collate, analyze and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports and re-view and report on education activ-ities internationally.

The National Assessment Gov-erning Board is an independent, bipartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, ed-ucators, business representatives and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to set pol-icy for NAEP. •

SOURCE: The National Center for Education Statistics

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22 · January 04, 2016

25 YEARSserving the unique needs of the Hispanic community in higher education

The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education [email protected](201) 587 8800Image licensed by Ingram Image

News and Trends in K-12 Education from Across America

First Lady Michelle Obama Honors The Telling Room

WASHINGTON – Ibrahim Shkara, 19, of Portland,

Maine received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program award from First Lady Michelle Obama on behalf of The Telling Room.

“Accepting this award from the First Lady on behalf of The Telling Room is an experience that I'll nev-er forget,” Shkara said. “It shows

me that people recognize and val-ue the power of programs that can change the lives of children.”

When he was eight years old, Shkara and his family fled a war-ravaged Baghdad and moved to Cairo. He was uprooted again in 2012 when his family moved to Portland, Maine. There, he joined the nonprofit writing center, The Telling Room.

Photo Source: whitehouse.gov

Since its founding in 2004, The Telling Room has engaged more than 12,000 youths in vari-ous programs, including their cre-ative youth development program, Young Writers & Leaders, which has served teens from around the world, including Africa, Asia, Cen-tral America and Russia. •

24 · January 04, 2016

Photo source: The Illinois Science and Technology Institute (ISTI)

1200+ High Schoolers to Participate in Innovative Problem Solving Program

CHICAGO – The Illinois Sci-ence and Technology Institute

(ISTI) announced the expansion of its Research & Development (R&D) STEM Learning Exchange.

Now in its third year, this pub-lic-private effort connects students to future STEM careers. This school year, through STEM Challenges and the Mentor Matching Engine (MME), the R&D STEM Learning

Exchange will reach more than 1,200 students at 29 Illinois high schools.

The STEM Challenge program matches participating schools with leading corporations and research institutions. From January through May 2016, students will work along-side experts from Illinois companies and together spur real-world innova-tion. Their work will be showcased May 19, 2016.

Students will also work with industry and academic mentors on research projects through the Men-tor Matching Engine (MME). This invitation-only, web-based platform was developed in partnership with the Illinois Math & Science Acade-my (IMSA), connects Illinois high school students and teachers to STEM professionals who serve as online mentors. •


News and Trends

National Geographic Launches 'Find Your Park, Love Your Park' Activities, Interactive Map and Curriculum to Celebrate National Park Service Centennial with Support from Subaru of America

WASHINGTON – To cele-brate the hundredth anniver-

sary of the founding of the National Park Service in 2016, the National Geographic Society with support from Subaru of America, Inc. has launched the “Find Your Park, Love Your Park” educational initiative, developed to teach fourth graders across the United States about the importance of U.S. national parks

and to empower students to pre-serve and protect them.

National Geographic has devel-oped five free downloadable activity modules for educators, including an interactive map of all U.S. national parks. These modules provide edu-cators with activities for students, including documenting animal tracks, geocaching scavenger hunts, using digital maps to explore differ-

ent parks and discussing concrete ways students can help solve chal-lenges facing national parks.

The “Find Your Park, Love Your Park” educational initiative comple-ments the National Park Service and National Park Foundation's Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque movement to celebrate and share inspirational stories from national parks nationwide. •

26 · January 04, 2016

Eric Carle’s Beloved Children’s Books Brought to Life on Stage Gets US Premiere

NEW YORK – Acclaimed chil-dren’s author and illustrator,

Eric Carle has delighted three gen-erations of readers with his books featuring his distinctive collage art and iconic characters. His most fa-mous book “The Very Hungry Cat-erpillar,” which was first published in 1969, has sold more than 41 million copies worldwide.

This January, Jonathan Rocke-feller’s critically acclaimed produc-tion of “The Very Hungry Caterpil-lar Show” will get its U.S. premiere. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show,” features a menagerie of 75 puppets during a 60-minute show that faithfully adapts four of Eric Carle’s beloved books for the stage: “The Artist Who Painted a Blue

Horse,” “Mister Seahorse,” “The Very Lonely Firefly” and, of course, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

“The Very Hungry Caterpil-lar Show” will begin performances on January 30 and will celebrate its opening on Sunday, February 7 with an initial run through March 27, 2016 at the 47th Street Theatre (304 W 47th St.). •

Image Courtesy of HungryCaterpillarShow.com


News and Trends

STEM Ecosystem Leaders Meet with White House Officials

WASHINGTON, DC – Lead-ers from 27 local and regional

networks for STEM learning came together to exchange strategies for building all students’ STEM knowl-edge and expertise through multi-sec-tor “ecosystems” that bring together schools, out of school programs, businesses, institutions of higher ed-ucation and STEM-rich institutions such as museums.

The education, business and community leaders who participated also met with White House officials to discuss equitable STEM educa-tion and federal STEM policy.

“The President has called for all of us to think of creative and effective ways of getting all of our students engaged in STEM education,” not-ed John Holdren, Assistant to the

President for Science and Technolo-gy, and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “It’s heartening to see so many communities working locally and to-gether in response to the President’s call to action.”

Each of the 27 STEM Learning Ecosystems that gathered in Wash-ington, D.C. received hands-on, in-dividualized technical assistance. •

Photo Source: whitehouse.gov

28 · January 04, 2016

Jobs for Kentucky's Graduates and Integrity Staffing Team Up to Help Louisville Students Succeed

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jobs for Kentucky's Graduates (JKG)

and Integrity Staffing Solutions are working together to ensure more students graduate from The Acade-my @ Shawnee in West Louisville and are better prepared to enter the workforce.

JKG is one of 32 state affiliates of the Jobs for America's Gradu-ates (JAG) national nonprofit. The

program is designed to help under-served students overcome obstacles to graduation and career success through mentoring, tutoring, ac-ademic support and engagement with employers, and links to social services, among other interventions.

Some Jefferson County high school students attending Shaw-nee, for example, are earning their pilot's licenses, working on experi-

ments that will be flown into space or preparing to attend the U.S. Na-val Academy.

Once students earn a high school diploma or General Educa-tional Diploma, JKG mentors work with them for 12 more months to ensure they transition successfully into post-secondary education, en-try-level careers or the military. •


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