utorak, 27.12.2011.
Brighton Hill Community College Is 'Satisfactory'
BASINGSTOKE’S largest secondary school has made progress since it was graded as “inadequate” by Ofsted in March – and there has been praise for the man who has now taken over as the permanent headteacher.
Charlie Currie has been leading Brighton Hill Community College as the interim headteacher after former head David Eyre retired months after the inspection result, which he publicly challenged Ofsted over.
Following the critical Ofsted report, Hampshire County Council, as local education authority, applied to the Education Secretary to replace the governing body with an interim executive board (IEB), which came into effect on September 1.
An Ofsted inspector, who visited the school in Brighton Way, in November, said the school is now making “satisfactory” progress in raising students’ achievement and addressing the issues for improvement.
Her Majesty’s Inspector John Daniell said in his report, published this month, that although attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 rose slightly in 2011, with 60 per cent of students gaining five or more A* to C grades at GCSE, including English and maths, this remains below the school’s target.
He said better progress has been made in music, drama and German, but the quality of teaching is variable, with some still inadequate.
The report said: “Where teaching is better, there is a correlation with good behaviour because students are challenged and therefore engaged in their learning.
“In some lessons, students’ good behaviour accelerated their rate of progress because they are enthused and motivated to succeed, whereas in others, inappropriate behaviour acts as a barrier to progress, which students say they find frustrating.”
Mr Daniell said the IEB had “set about making clear its high expectations in its mission to drive up standards.”
He added: “The interim headteacher and his team have accurately analysed the school’s existing strengths and areas for development, and have galvanised staff’s enthusiasm in tackling key issues head-on.”
Mr Currie said: “We were delighted with the outcome because it indicates that the school is making significant progress.
“We have been able to make outstanding headway in a very short time to put the school in the right place to progress. It (the grading) would never have been ‘good’. We were expecting, and hoping, it would be ‘satisfactory’. I was very pleased with it.
“It means we have been able to come a long way in a short time and that when we have our full inspection, which is scheduled to take place between March and the summer term, that we would expect by that time to have our ‘notice to improve’ removed.”
Basingstoke MP Maria Miller visited the school in November to find out how things were going.
She said: “I am delighted to hear about the progress that has been made at Brighton Hill Community College over a very short amount of time, and it is fantastic news that things are really getting back on track here.”
News By:
basingstokegazette.co.uk
- 11:15 -
ponedjeljak, 26.12.2011.
Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively Spotted In Vancouver
VANCOUVER, CANADA -- Caption At home with Ryan Reynolds isn’t a bad way to spend your holidays!
According to multiple reports, Ryan took rumored new girlfriend Blake Lively to his hometown of Vancouver this week.
According to People, the pair was spotted at the Original Cupcake Shop, where they purchased several cakes and various cupcakes.
“They seemed like a really sweet couple,” an employee told the mag.
Us Weekly also reported that Ryan, 35, and Blake, 24, were spotted on Monday night at Vancouver’s Tojos restaurant, with the actor’s mother and brother.
On Tuesday, the pair reportedly grabbed a bite to eat at Benny’s Bagels, with a source telling the mag that they were “really friendly,” but mostly only interacted with each other.
Prior to their Vancouver getaway, the “Green Lantern” co-stars were spotted together in New York City and Boston.
News By:
accesshollywood.com
- 11:04 -
petak, 23.12.2011.
Robert Pattinson, Sarah Palin And “Prometheus” In New TRAILER PARK
Three trailers have reached the Web as people attempt to scurry away from their laptops and enjoy the holidays with friends and family. But they are worth watching, so take a moment and enjoy the cinematic teases.
First, Ridley Scott has dropped our first look at “Prometheus,” a sci-fi adventure with a stellar cast (Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace) that most thought would be a prequel to his seminal “Alien” (and many still believe will be connected somehow). Either way, Scott’s return to science-fiction heralds attention no matter what he’s attempting, and so “Prometheus” is high on our radar heading into 2012.
Next up is “Bel Ami,” Robert Pattinson’s steamy period romance that finds the “Twilight” heartthrob sleeping his way through Europe in search of wealth and power. Now that sounds like a tough task for the young actor, don’t you think? “Bel Ami” opens in March. The trailer is an MSN exclusive.
Finally, Julianne Moore and Ed Harris tackle real-life politicians Sarah Palin and John McCain in HBO’s “Game Change,” the adaptation of the best-selling book about their failed presidential campaign. “So find me a woman,” Harris’ McCain says when looking for a game-changing running mate. And Moore’s impersonation of Palin is a game changer, indeed.
I take it back. That’s not an impersonation. That’s the spitting image of Palin. It’s scary. And the movie looks scary good, no matter what side of the political fence you fall on. All three films will be out next year.
News By:
hollywoodnews.com
- 11:19 -
četvrtak, 22.12.2011.
Carla DiBello Denies Speaking Out About Kobe Bryant
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- Amid stories surrounding the Kobe Bryant divorce, a new name emerged – Carla DiBello, who some reports suggested may have been romantically linked to the NBA superstar during his marriage to wife Vanessa.
On Tuesday morning, it appeared DiBello was speaking out about her relationship with Kobe, in a statement that confirmed the two were close friends, but nothing more.
However, now a rep for DiBello tells Access Hollywood that DiBello never issued any such statement linking herself to the NBA star.
As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, filed for divorce from the Lakers star on December 16, after 10 years of marriage.
In her filing, Vanessa cited “irreconcilable differences.”
News By:
accesshollywood.com
- 11:19 -
Final 3 Compete On ‘X Factor’; Simon Cowell Thinks He Knows Who Should Win
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- “The X Factor” and its $5 million recording contract is in America’s hands to decide.
Josh Krajcik, Chris Rene and the lone lady left standing, Melanie Amaro, took the stage for one last set of competition performances, and based on the judges’ comments, one contender may be in the lead. But who is it? Read on to find out…
Here’s how Round 1 went:
Josh, a burrito maker from Ohio, hit the stage with “Uninvited,” joined by Alanis Morissette. A little thrown off by the superstar power on stage, Josh was strong in his singing, but had a moment or two of insecurity standing next to the Grammy winner – and Simon Cowell noticed.
“Alanis — amazing, looks cute, by the way. Josh — I thought you were a little bit intimidated in the beginning,” Simon told the singer following his performance. “Then, as the song got into gear, I heard the old Josh back… It was an 8 out of 10.”
Chris dueted with Avril Lavigne on her song, “Complicated,” which featured one of the Santa Cruz performer’s own rap verses, something Josh’s mentor, Nicole Scherzinger, complimented.
“It was a little shaky in the takeoff… but your energy and the light around you is so flippin’ contagious,” she said. “You shined up there.”
Looking like the cat who got the cream, Simon introduced his contestant, Melanie, who sang “I Believe I Can Fly” alongside R. Kelly. Performing the tune in R. Kelly’s key signature made it less of a show piece for the powerhouse vocalist, according to Chris’ mentor, L.A. Reid.
“I felt you got a little bit over shadowed,” L.A. said.
Simon, however, praised his contender.
“You didn’t look like someone in a talent competition… It was a fantastic version of the song,” the Brit chimed in.
AH Nation Poll: Now that they’ve performed in the final, who should win “The X Factor”?
With no clear frontrunner in Round 1, Round 2 was anyone’s game as the contenders performed without superstar help and in Josh’s case, without any help at all. Just a lone man on stage, the Ohioan took out his guitar and gave a soulful rendition of “At Last.”
“This is what we call the $5 million song,” Simon said. “This is the song that’s gonna determine your fate… and what I liked about it was it was all about you, what we liked about it in the first place. This is gonna be a very, very close call tonight, I can feel that.”
Chris tugged at heart strings when he performed the song he did at his audition – his own composition – “Young Homie.”
Giving his all on stage alongside dancers and spruced up musical accompaniment, the young man was in his element and he was moved to tears by the end.
“You are magic!” Paula Abdul screamed. “You are the consummate singer/songwriter, performer… You make everyone fall in love with you.”
Melanie, then took to the stage for her final number – Beyonce’s “Listen,” complete with a choir and vocal runs that showed her true musical prowess.
“That is the Melanie I love,” L.A. said. “That wasn’t a $5 million performance, that was a $50 million performance.”
Simon, however, went one step further, telling Melanie she was the reason he imported his foreign reality competition stateside, and, perhaps, putting her in the lead.
“I brought this show to America because some of the greatest singers in this world are from this country, and you just proved that,” he said. “You, based on that performance tonight, you should be the winner of ‘The X Factor,’ because you’re gonna represent this country all over the world.”
“The X Factor” crowns a winner on Thursday night at 8 PM ET/PT on FOX.
News By:
accesshollywood.com
- 11:17 -
Angelina Jolie Will Cry If Kids Refuse To Travel
Angelina Jolie has admitted that she will break down in tears if one of her six children asks to be excused from the family's global travels.
The Hollywood actress and her partner Brad Pitt, who have three adopted kids and three biological tots, pride themselves on their nomadic lifestyle, settling for a few weeks at a time wherever their work takes them.
But Jolie knows eventually her children will want to live in one place and she can't bear the thought of leaving one behind.
"Right now they love it. If we're in the same place for two months they wanna know why we're not getting on an airplane," Contactmusic quoted her as saying.
"They really love to travel. Because they're such a big travelling pack, it's not one child moving around the world and missing friends, there's so many of them they have constant play dates and are always together.
"But I'm sure they're gonna say, 'Mum, let me stay home' and when that happens I'm gonna cry. I don't wanna settle, I love travelling, but we'll see.
"They'll probably end up living all around the world and my old age will be Brad and I travelling, trying to visit all our grandchildren in random countries," she added.
News By:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- 11:14 -
srijeda, 21.12.2011.
California Political Group Asks Kim Kardashian to Pay More Taxes
Progressive advocacy group, the Courage Campaign, may have found a way for Kim Kardashian to gain some fans after the backlash of her quickie divorce from Kris Humphries. It’s asking the reality star to pay more taxes.
"Surprisingly, [Kim] pays only one percentage point more in taxes than the average Californian, 9.3 percent," the organization says according to AdWeek.
The campaign asks Kardashian to support the Millionaires Tax, a California ballot measure that asks state residents who make more than $1 million a year to pay more in taxes to make up for state budget cuts, including ones to education, children and senior services, and road and bridge repairs.
The Courage Campaign goes on to point out that Kardashian "proudly boasts three separate closets for shoes, including one of her favorites, a pair of $2,500 Christian Louboutin lace and python booties," and could stand to pay a little more to relieve the state’s budget shortfall.
I have to say that the fact that she only pays 1% more in taxes than the average Californian who makes $47,000 a year is a winning argument for me. But, will Kim think so?
If you think Kardashian should support the Millionaires Tax, visit TaxKimK.com.
News By:
hollywoodreporter.com
- 11:25 -
Kendall Jenner Dishes On Kardashian Sisters
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- With Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner has three sisters to offer up advice on everything from guys to her career – but which one’s blunt honesty can sometimes come off as a little “mean”?
“I don’t have a favorite, I love them all!” Kendall told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Monday’s Access Hollywood Live.
So, who does the 16-year-old Kendall and younger sister Kylie, 14, go to when they need guidance on dating?
“It’s so hard right now. Sometimes, we go to Kim, but then when we go to Kim, Khloe is like, ‘Why are you going to Kim? Like, I have the husband!’” Kendall said with a laugh.
Kendall explained to Billy and Kit that Kim is the sister she looks to for guidance on her career as a model, but what about help with friends?
“I would say Kourtney, but sometimes Kourtney, she’s just like, she doesn’t care, so she could be like mean about things,” she explained.
As for Khloe, she “just gives good advice about everything,” the young reality star told Billy and Kit.
News By:
accesshollywood.com
- 11:17 -
ponedjeljak, 19.12.2011.
Why We Should Look East For Lessons In Education
The phrase "Go West Young Man" has lent itself to the English language for the past 160 years. But Education Secretary Michael Gove appears likely to ignore that advice as he looks to all parts east for inspiration on improving school standards in the UK.
He will today publish evidence from his independent review body on the national curriculum comparing the English system with the rest of the world. Mr Gove is aiming to make use other effective methods to provide what his officials call a "gold standard" curriculum here.
The report, by Tim Oates, director of research at Cambridge Assessment, will highlight places like Singapore and Hong Kong, which are at the top of international league tables. Singapore, for instance, insists its pupils learn their times tables by the age of nine – while Hong Kong teaches pupils about animal and plant cells by the age of 10 in science lessons instead of having to wait until secondary school. And the report does not just look to the Far East for inspiration – parts of Eastern Europe features in the list of countries to be marvelled at, too. Poland puts greater emphasis on classic books on its reading list for literature – the work of Homer and Sophocles as opposed to the three most popular books in GCSE exams, Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird. A glance at the international league tables for reading and maths standards shows evidence Mr Gove could cast his eye over other eastern countries, too.
The last Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) study in 2009 is topped by Shanghai, the first time China had entered schools for the survey. In Shanghai, pupils spend less time in extra-curricular activities such as sport, concentrating instead on preparing themselves for exams in the basics.
Then there is Finland. It has no league tables or targets; it instead relies on its teachers to prepare their lessons. Teaching there is the most sought-after career in the country.
But any attempt to "easternise" the curriculum over here is likely to have its opponents. "There are advantages to using international comparison data and it is right to view the curriculum in an international context but this must be put into perspective," said Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders. "We know the danger of putting too much stock in cherry-picked international statistics that do not factor in cultural context. The national curriculum must be right for pupils in this country, not a 'me-too' model based on what is done elsewhere."
A second part of Mr Gove's announcement – that the curriculum reforms are being put back for a further year to allow a greater debate on the shape they will take – is being welcomed by secondary heads. "It is encouraging to hear the Department for Education recognise that rushed and poorly debated curriculum change creates chaos for schools by allowing them too little time to prepare," Mr Lightman said.
Mr Gove said his review will be completed by the end of next year – rather than January – and will not be implemented until 2014. This is being interpreted by some as evidence that the review group has not come up with the solutions he would like, including a more traditional 1950s-style curriculum in its first drafts – a claim denied in DfE circles.
Leading by example: What the world can teach Britain
From Shanghai: Top for reading and maths in international league tables. Shanghai schools concentrate less on extra-curricular activities such as sport and spend more time preparing pupils for exams in the core subjects. Critics say we spend too much time on tests but we do try to insist pupils do two hours of physical activity – sport or physical education – a week.
From China generally: Children start formal primary schooling at the age of six or seven (in line with most European countries) instead of aged five as in England. The education budget was also increased by 9 per cent last year, compared with being protected from overall cuts and modest growth of about 1 per cent in England
From Singapore: Children learn their times tables and division in maths by the time they are nine. In England, this is a target for Key Stage Two, which covers seven to 11-year-olds. Secondary school pupils are taught about quadratic equations at 13 instead of 14 as in England.
From Finland: Teaching is the most sought-after profession with 16 candidates for every vacancy on a teacher-training course. All teachers have to have a Master's degree – thus enhancing the status of the profession. In England you can qualify with a third degree pass although Education Secretary Michael Gove is planning to tighten this to just those with 2:2 passes or better.
From Hong Kong: Children in primary schools are taught about plant and animal cells in science lessons at the age of 10 instead of waiting until they start at secondary school, as the system works in England.
From Poland: Reading lists concentrate more on the classics from the likes of Homer, Sophocles and Shakespeare. In GCSE exams, 90 per cent of the answers are based on the same three books – Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird. Shakespeare, though, is a compulsory part of the national curriculum.
Bottom of the class: how Britain scores
Reading
1. Shanghai-China 556
2. Korea 539
3. Finland 536
4. Hong-Kong 533
5. Singapore 526
...25. UK 494
Maths
1. Shanghai-China 600
2. Singapore 562
3. Hong Kong 555
4. Korea 546
5. Chinese Taipei 543
...28. UK 492
News By:
independent.co.uk
- 11:16 -
Students Have A Gift For Pentucket-Area Residents
WEST NEWBURY — It's the season of giving and Pentucket Regional High School Visual Arts Teacher Marcia Nadeau-Tanner and her Senior Studio and AP Studio art students are offering a unique gift to residents in the Pentucket communities.
As part of a new graphic design unit developed by Tanner this year, the students are seeking to create visual designs for residents' marketing or advertising needs. There is no charge for the service.
Under the supervision of Tanner, students will work with clients to design a marketing piece. Clients will receive both a hard copy of the final design and a "print-ready" electronic file.
Requests for the design services have already been submitted by the Pentucket Music Department, Boys Soccer Team, the Pentucket Fine and Performing Arts Foundation, Pentucket Education Foundation and High School Community Service coordinator.
Tanner explained that creating authentic learning experiences for students is in keeping with teaching children 21st Century Skills, a focus for the Pentucket Regional School District.
"Authentic leaning experiences require collaboration between school and community. The benefit of having students work and learn in real-life situations creates a powerful connection for engaged student learning," Tanner said.
News By:
newburyportnews.com
- 11:09 -
subota, 17.12.2011.
The Cost Of School Failure
IT is hardly surprising that so many pupils are leaving secondary school lacking literacy and numeracy skills when so many primary schools are failing to equip children for secondary school in the first place.
According to the latest primary-school league tables, more than 1,300 schools across the country are missing targets for pupils mastering the basics. Meanwhile, to this region’s shame, Hull and Wakefield are among the very worst performing areas in England, with Rotherham and North Lincolnshire not far behind, based on 11-year-olds’ performances in English and maths Sats tests.
This means that one in 10 boys is leaving primary school with the reading age of a seven-year-old, while one in 14 has the writing age of a seven-year-old. And with secondary schools already having enough on their hands without correcting the faults that primaries should have put right, the result is far too many teenagers leaving school still deficient in English and maths and therefore struggling at university or failing to find a job.
Indeed, the consequences reach even further. For, as Morrisons announced last week, many recruits even lack basic social skills such as turning up on time and making eye contact. Yet it is hardly surprising that, if children are not taught to read and write properly, they lack the self-confidence necessary for all kinds of simple social interaction.
This is a damning indictment of the education system and of primary schools in particular. And while education in itself cannot be relied upon to solve the problems of the troubled families identified by the Government yesterday in the wake of the summer riots, it has to form a large part of that solution. For if teaching is more effective, it becomes more attractive, and a child who feels he is learning and making progress has less incentive to skip school, roam the streets and look for trouble.
There are, of course, many excellent primary schools with top-quality teachers and the results to show for it. But far too many are failing in their basic functions and the cost of that failure is becoming too much for society to bear.
News By:
yorkshirepost.co.uk
- 11:24 -
Shock At Sudden Death Of Hythe Bay Teacher Marion Broom
FLOWERS, balloons and messages have been left outside Hythe Bay Primary in memory of an "inspirational" teacher who died suddenly last Friday.
Pupils, parents and colleagues created a colourful display in tribute to Year 2 teacher Marion Broom, who lived in Palmarsh and had worked at the school for 18 years, on Monday.
Head Carolyn Chivers said: "Everyone will tell you what a great colleague Marion was. She had a wicked sense of humour and loved to party – we have all agreed to put on our biggest, "blingiest" jewellery at the staff Christmas party next week in her honour.
"But there was another side to Marion – the caring colleague who mentored the new teachers in this school like a mother, would help anyone with anything and was never afraid of hard work."
Mother-of-two Mrs Broom, who was in her 40s, started as a cleaner at Hythe Bay and became a dinner lady, but her "talents were spotted" and she became a teaching assistant. She then studied for her GCSEs, A levels and a degree to qualify as a teacher. She was studying for a master's degree in education.
Mrs Chivers said: "If your child was ever taught by Marion, you will know she was able to get the best from any child, achieving the highest standards with the children in her classes. She had exceptional skills with our more vulnerable children, her patience and understanding ensured that she would always go that extra mile for them.
"Parents and carers loved her. She was never afraid to say it like it was, but in a kind and professional way of course. She understood the traumas of family life and would always lend a sympathetic ear to those who needed it. After her own family, the children and families at Hythe Bay were Marion's life.
"Len, her husband, was the real love of Marion's life. Our thoughts and prayers are with Len and the boys at this very sad time and, although we will all miss her more than words can say, the memories we all have of her will always make us smile.
A Facebook tribute page had gathered more than 100 fans by Tuesday. One, Claire McIllroy, wrote: "To this day, I have never found anyone who has been able to make me laugh as much as Marion did, or met anyone as wonderful, kind and truly inspirational. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have worked alongside Marion, in fact truly privileged! My thoughts are with Marion's family and everyone at Hythe Bay."
The creator of the page, RIP Marion Broom, wrote: "Thank you everyone for the wonderful display of love that was at the school this morning. I'm sure she will be looking down with a tear in her eye."
News By:
thisiskent.co.uk
- 11:22 -
petak, 16.12.2011.
Where To Now For UK Life Sciences?
The 2012 UK Life Science Industry Leaders Survey* highlights a concern that the UK is losing its position as a center for global R&D. Nick Stephens, chief executive of executive search organization RSA, presents results from the survey and draws out some themes that are relevant to the industry as a whole.
These are challenging times for the UK life sciences industry as it copes with a host of issues. Some of these are impacting the industry worldwide and others, such as the reorganization of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and the introduction of new commercial arrangements, are specific to the UK.
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Recurring throughout the report is a palpable concern that the UK could lose its position as a center for global pharmaceutical research and development. There is a belief that government could be doing more to support the industry, as this extract from the “Wave a Magic Wand” section of the survey suggests:
“Put a big flag on the cliffs of Dover and say the UK is open for business and welcomes world-class clinical research back to our shores. Get all the NHS Trust CEOs in a room and tell them that their jobs are on the line unless they get fully square behind the NHS, supporting and embracing research. Make rates of corporate tax and tax credits the envy on research the envy of the world.”
The survey is now an annual feature of the UK Life Sciences sector, so it is interesting to look back and see how, if at all, things have changed over the last 12 months. In 2010 the three key messages from life science leaders were:
• The UK is not competing effectively in the global marketplace
• Create the right environment for growing early phase, smaller companies
• Make the most of the NHS and a talent for innovation and discovery
2010 also highlighted four key issues: the cost of operating in the UK, reorganization of the NHS, regulatory burdens, and fiscal and tax incentives to enable small companies to grow.
Some targeted support for R&D
The government has made progress on this last point in terms of providing some targeted support for R&D. Foremost amongst these is the Patent Box scheme, which applies a 10% corporation tax rate to profits derived from all active patents from April 2013. This does give an incentive for companies in the UK "to retain and commercialize existing patents and to develop new innovative patented products."
There have also been new tax credits for R&D, whereby a company can set tax against National Insurance contributions and income tax. This is ideal for small biotechnology companies which tend not to make profits but instead innovate toward acquisition by larger companies. Another positive sign has been the Ł800 million ($1.25 billion) invested in the National Institute for Healthcare Research.
These rays of sunshine in an otherwise overcast economy have done little to raise the spirits of UK life science leaders. In 2010, 60% were optimistic about the government’s engagement with and support for the industry, but in the space of 12 months, half of these lost faith. Now just one in three general managers has a positive outlook; and this amongst a group that tends to exude a positive attitude no matter what the challenge.
Gauging value of new therapies
Further into the survey, the causes for concern become more concrete. Payer evidence mechanisms - gauging the value of new therapies across a range of criteria - are becoming an increasingly common feature of health care management and the UK is no exception. This year we polled leaders on the new UK value-based pricing system and the results were not positive. Three out of five felt that it would reduce market access (and therefore patient access to novel drugs). Over half felt that it would cause the UK to fall behind as an early launch market; 70% felt it would delay launches in the UK and 40%, that it would reduce return on investment.
The reorganization of the NHS and the associated changes to the model of engagement is a major issue in the UK because during the periods of change everything grinds to a halt. It exacerbates an already difficult situation where multiple “hurdles” limit patient access to novel and effective medicines. It’s a far cry from the days when a representative sat down and talked to a doctor who would then decide whether to prescribe a particular drug.
When it came to suggesting solutions for some of the current challenges, respondents highlighted the need for flexibility (organizations and process) and innovation. Central to this is the current enthusiasm for “open innovation” with external partners - for example R&D scientists in universities, small biotech companies, even competitors - to achieve new therapies and medicines.
Fears on off-shoring
In the UK’s preclinical R&D, there were concerns about off-shoring (90%), the cost of pre-clinical research (74%) and increasing regulation (64%). In clinical research and regulatory affairs, concerns center on the impact of NHS changes (90%), the cost and speed of clinical trials in the UK (81%), and increasing regulatory burden (68%).
The real concern for the UK pharmaceutical business is that business will go offshore. Pfizer’s decision to move its anti-infectives business to Shanghai (though recent changes in China may indicate a silver lining) was proof that the alarm bells were for real. Moving to emerging markets may no longer give huge cost-savings but it remains a very real threat to the UK
The general message from the survey is that the UK is doing itself few favors when it comes to making itself an attractive place to undertake clinical trials.
The UK is still the biggest and most appropriate current set up for research and development but it is going to have to do a lot more if it is to retain this position. Central to this is the alignment of the health care sector, regulatory environments and educations systems, to deliver positive outcomes for both patients and the industry. If the UK doesn’t do this, there are others that will. And it will be their patients and economy that benefit, Mr Stephens concludes.
News By:
thepharmaletter.com
- 11:45 -
četvrtak, 15.12.2011.
2011: A Year Of Protests
This year it’s been all about the cuts. Not since the heady days of the millions-strong turnout against the war in Iraq have we seen such a plethora of people ripping up their bedsheets to make banners and taking to the streets to express their discontent. The image of the Swampy-style demo-pro with unusual piercings and a dog on a bit of string is in the past. From Crouch End to Croydon, people have laid aside their political apathy, stopped moaning about the government while failing to vote, and started to speak up for the changes they want. Here’s a roundup of just a few of the protests we’ve seen this year.
Occupation
The movement in possession of tents, a ferociously efficient publicity machine and notoriously little in the way of demands have firmly pitched their London operation, both in the physical sense and in the consciousness of the city. On 15 October, a group of protesters made camp next to St Paul’s Cathedral in lieu of being denied entry to their original destination of Paternoster Square, home to the London Stock Exchange. Within a few days they created a second camp at nearby Finsbury Square, shortly followed by a third occupation, called the Bank of Ideas at a former UBS office building on Sun Street. Using the slogan ‘we are the 99%’ (which alludes to the concentration of wealth among the top 1% of income earners compared to the other 99%), the Occupy movement’s objections range from climate change to the banking crisis to government cuts.
The ensuing three-cornered battle, with the Church and the City of London Corporation (who own the land Occupy is, erm, occupying at St Paul’s) at the other two points, raged back and forth in the headlines with the Cathedral closing, then opening again, clergy resigning, evictions on then off then on again, thermal imaging-based accusations of being campaigning lightweights and finally complaints about organisers’ loss of control over the protest. Other occupations have proved less sticky; during the student demonstrations on 9 November, an attempt to occupy Trafalgar Square was unsuccessful as was a surprise occupation of mining company Xstrata’s offices on Panton Street.
Today’s Occupy Everywhere protest could see a great many more camps in unexpected places.
Occupation as a form of protest has become increasingly popular. Protesters against the late Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi’s regime occupied his son’s London mansion in March. In February, The Really Free School siezed possession of director Guy Ritchie’s Fitzroy Square abode and in September, justice secretary Ken Clarke found himself the target of a protest against the criminalisation of squatting. A November demonstration against changes in laws around squatting led to arrests in Parliament Square, which has harboured the long-standing peace camp as well as home to the late Brian Haw, who sadly passed away in July.
Every high-profile protest, however, leads to counter-measures on the part of the government to prevent the same thing happening in future: the proposed criminalisation of squatting will also cover occupy-style protests. Ten UK Uncut protesters who peacefully occupied Fortnum & Mason in March found themselves on the wrong end of an aggravated trespass conviction last month, just a few months after charges against 109 other protesters were dropped after police admitted deceiving them. Changes to by-laws could mean the Parliament Square camp’s (and indeed any occupying protest’s) days are numbered.
With the world’s eyes on London next year, the government are busy raiding the knee-jerk cupboard to introduce Beijing-style restrictions on protesting, which would mean that rather than await an uncertain outcome in a lengthy court case, police can quickly raid and clear an occupation.
Tuition Fees
The introduction of tuition fees in 1998 marked the end of ‘free education’ in the UK, but the removal of the cap on what universities could charge from 2012 has sparked outrage. Claims that the increases will leave graduates in thousands of pounds of debt as well creating an educational elite are among the objections. A demonstration in December 2010 resulted in violent clashes with police, vandalism and disorder, but hasn’t stopped students protesting. In January, Ciara Squires, studying at Queen Mary, University of London, told Reuters her reasons for marching:
‘Education should be free. My little sister is going to lose her EMA (grant) and drop out of college, and then she might not be able to go to university. Parliament is not listening to us and most of the people in college can’t vote, so we should be out here (marching), that’s the only way we can express our opinions.’
A further demonstration against tuition fee increases took place on 9 November and, despite a few contretemps, remained largely peaceful. Police were accused of attempting to intimidate protesters by writing to activists who took place in previous marches and publicising their intent to use baton rounds.
Were you an onlooker at the student protests? Photographer Luke Forsythe has put together an amazing gallery of people watching. Londonist reader Paul Williams was creative enough to map kettles too.
Women, Cuts And Equality
‘Don’t dress like a slut and avoid sexual assault.’ A Toronto policeman’s carelessly misogynistic advice led to global protests operating under the banner SlutWalk. London’s SlutWalk in June saw over 5,000 people marching for women’s rights and against the use of a woman’s appearance or behaviour to excuse rape. One protester gave her reasons for joining;
‘I am marching because my best friend still thinks that her rape was her fault, because the authorities never looked into it, and because it will always haunt her. And that is not okay.’
In another albeit less widely-reported demonstration in November – equality group the Fawcett Society urged people to protest against the disproportionate effects on women of government cuts. Protesters donned rubber gloves and dressed up in 1950s fashion to highlight what the Fawcett Society say is a ‘turning back of time’ on equality for women. Anna Bird, acting chief executive said:
‘Women have not faced a greater threat to their financial security and rights in living memory. Decades of steady, albeit slow, progress on equality is being dismantled, as cuts to women’s jobs and the benefits and services they rely on, turn back time on women’s equality. The number of women out of work is at a 23-year high, with cutbacks in the public sector hitting women particularly hard: two-thirds of the 130,000 jobs lost in local authorities since the first quarter of 2010 were held by women.’
The cuts to services and support groups for women were also highlighted in SlutWalk’s agenda. In October it was revealed that a Hackney project which runs rape crisis centres will lose a quarter of its funding next year while Labour call the cuts the ‘biggest attack on women in a generation’.
November has been a busy month in the world of protest. Anti-Miss World activists demonstrated outside Earl’s Court against the beauty pageant, again focussing on the judgement of women on their appearance: ‘we’re not ugly, we’re not beautiful, we’re angry’ was the message. December also saw merkin-clad protesters demonstrate against ‘designer vaginas’, or more specifically; ‘speaking out against surgeons profiting from body hatred, and raising awareness about the growing pressures on women to seek labiaplasty’. The Time Out article notes an increase in this surgery around the festive season, leading us to wonder if labiaplasty is enjoying (if that’s the word) unexpected popularity as the ideal present for that special lady in your life.
Anti-Austerity
While the anti-cuts demonstrations have often been an integral part of the other protests we’ve mentioned, the government’s austerity measures and their impact on every section of society is at the heart of it all. The March anti-cuts protest was one of this year’s major demos – over 250,000 people attended – the size and scale was astonishing and the BBC described it as the largest public protest since 20032s demonstrations against the Iraq war.
One of the key focus points of both the anti-cuts demonstrations and the student protests is tax avoidance. Several corporations including Goldman Sachs and Vodafone have been targeted by protesters, angry at the government’s lack of action. Len McCluskey of Unite said:
‘Our alternative is to concentrate on economic growth through tax fairness so, for example, if the government was brave enough, it would tackle the tax avoidance that robs the British taxpayer of a minimum of Ł25bn a year.’
Pre-Riots Protest
In August a peaceful protest took place in Tottenham over the shooting of Mark Duggan by police. At 5pm, around 120 of his friends and family marched towards the police station, but by 8pm violence had broken out which sparked some of the worst riots in living memory. The protest at what local people saw as the needless death of a young man was all but eclipsed by the subsequent events and the investigation into the shooting remains open.
Unemployment
The Fawcett Society weren’t the only ones going protest retro this year – Youth Fight for Jobs recreated the Jarrow March from 1936 when 200 people marched from Jarrow in South Tyneside to London. With around 1 million 16 to 24 year olds out of work and huge increases in the cost of higher education, young people are feeling the pinch. Youth Fight for Jobs National organiser Paul Callanan said:
‘Young people now face the worst attacks on our rights and living standards we’ve seen in generations. We will be marching from Jarrow to London in October to show this government that we will not see all the gains made by working-class people over the last century blotted out of existence.’
The march, remarkable for the sheer distance it covered (400 miles), started on 1 October and finished in Trafalgar Square just over a month later. Ironically, out of the hundreds who started the march, only a handful remained at the end – their numbers decimated by demonstrators who had to return to college, sign on or, in one case, start a new job.
Roads And Cycling
The controversial re-planning of Blackfriars Bridge to remove the 20mph limit was the catalyst for some two-wheeled protests in May, July and October. A tour of London’s most dangerous junctions followed in November to highlight poor road planning and frankly barmy cycle superhighway designs, some of which have been cited as partly to blame for the tragic deaths of several cyclists in London.
Embassy Protests
A regular occurrence, but less-oft-reported, partly because they tend to involve fewer people and partly because the cause can be thousands of miles away. London’s various embassies are the focus for campaigners with an axe to grind against a particular country or political regime. On the anniversary of 9/11 this year, Muslim extremists set fire to a US flag outside the US embassy though the organisation later found itself subject to a ban from the home secretary when they planned to repeat an Armistice Day poppy-burning stunt.
In February, the Libyan embassy was targeted by campaigners angry at the now-fallen Gadaffi regime and again in March when some protesters made it onto the roof, while the Syrian embassy came under metaphorical fire in June for allegedly threatening protesters in the UK. Another protest outside the US embassy, this time over the use of drones in Pakistan, resulted in 20 arrests. The German embassy also found itself under siege in August from protesters over Germany’s opposition to a UN inquiry into massacres in Burma. In December, what originally began as a static protest in central London over election results in the Democratic Republic of Congo ended with 140 arrests. A demonstration over the same issue the previous week led to the closure of Oxford Circus tube station.
We know that the above is by no means a comprehensive list of all the protests which have happened in the last year so please tell us in the comments of any others you know about.
News By:
londonist.com
- 11:33 -
Sound Science Shows No Virus
During the recent salmon virus scare, there has been a concerted effort by activists seeking to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about B.C.'s aquaculture industry using a combination of half-truths and illogical claims.
But they are wrong. Just recently both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) released statements in which they made it clear that using all accepted scientific methods available to them, they were unable to confirm the presence of the ISA virus in any samples tested.
The activist community claims the CFIA and DFO have worked together in an effort to cover up the presence of a virus which would have far reaching and devastating effects on wild salmon.
But to the scientific community this shows there is no virus. It could not be identified, and it could not be replicated in cell culture - a crucial part of the scientific process when it comes to testing for viruses.
Testing for viruses is something the CFIA takes seriously, does often and does well. Being responsible for the food safety of the entire country means that regardless of the industry involved they are able to enact measures when responding to a reportable virus.
If you consider the BSE (MadCow) and Avian Flu incidents you see that when drastic measures are needed, they are taken. But they have to be based on sound science.
In B.C., regular testing and high survival rates prove our fish are free of ISA, and our methodology and quality of sampling have been recognized as good science by some of Canada's top labs.
While it is true that the ISA virus can be deadly to farmed Atlantic salmon, the same has never been shown for Pacific species. The fear of mutation and potential devastation of wild stocks is unfounded, illogical and pure speculation.
And the thought that farmed B.C. salmon could be the only source of such a virus conveniently ignores over eight million Atlantics released into B.C. waters since 1905 in attempts to enhance sportfishing opportunities, and the fact that the first Atlantic salmon farm was located in Puget Sound nearly 15 years before Atlantics were farmed in B.C.
Finally, if there is a government conspiracy with aquaculture, why have we been hindered by excessive red-tape, government foot-dragging and endless buck-passing in our efforts to manage and grow our operations sustainably, using the best science and technology available?
News By:
canada.com
- 11:29 -
srijeda, 14.12.2011.
ICT Poor In Secondary Schools, Ofsted Says
The teaching of information and computer technology (ICT) is inadequate in a fifth of secondary schools in England, the watchdog Ofsted says.
Inspectors said teachers lacked the expertise and confidence to teach more demanding topics properly.
The report said areas such as databases and programming were poorly taught, with some pupils making more progress outside lessons than in them.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said ICT teaching was "far too patchy".
Of the 74 secondary schools visited between 2008 and 2011, achievement was good or outstanding in just 27 of the schools, satisfactory in 33 and inadequate in 14.
In 30 of the schools, nearly half of students reached the age of 16 without adequate foundation for further study or training in ICT and related subjects.
Ofsted said in some secondary schools, pupils were being spoon-fed small pieces of learning and there were no opportunities to develop an understanding of programming.
Continue reading the main story
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Young people need to be given the opportunity to learn ICT skills in an interesting, challenging and relevant way”
Miriam Rosen
Chief inspector
The report also noted that the numbers of pupils taking ICT at GCSE ICT had plummeted since 2007.
In 2011, 31,800 students sat the examination, compared with 81,100 in 2007 - a reduction of 64%.
However, in England's primary schools the picture was more positive, with teaching judged to be good or outstanding in nearly two-thirds of schools.
Of the 88 primary schools visited, achievement was judged to be outstanding in 11, good in 39, satisfactory in 33 and inadequate in just five.
In the summer, Google chairman Eric Schmidt said education in Britain was holding back the country's chances of success in the digital media economy.
Dr Schmidt said the UK needed to reignite children's passion for science, engineering and maths.
E-safety
Ofsted inspectors also highlighted concerns about children's safety while using the internet.
The report said: "While e-safety had been promoted effectively in all the schools visited as part of the survey, several of them had reported incidents of attempts to contact pupils inappropriately.
"In discussions with inspectors, the issue of underage use of social networking sites arose frequently, underlining the importance of schools continuing to maintain e-safety as a priority for staff training and awareness-raising with parents."
Chief inspector Miriam Rosen said: "In a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology, young people need to be given the opportunity to learn ICT skills in an interesting, challenging and relevant way.
"Schools should provide a range of ICT courses that are suitably matched to students' needs, support them with their learning and prepare them for higher education and for skilled work in a technological age."
'Patchy'
Mr Gibb said too many young people were not being equipped with the skills and knowledge they needed for further study and the workplace.
He said: "It's clear that ICT teaching is far too patchy - with outstanding work in some areas but real weaknesses in the quality of courses, curriculum and teacher training in others.
"We want to move away from the over-focus on buying computer hardware, which dates rapidly and towards teaching pupils to be technologically literate and quick to adapt.
"We are looking very carefully at ICT as part of the national curriculum review and have listened closely to the computing industry's calls for more rigorous computer science courses to help tackle the skills shortages facing high-tech industries."
News By:
bbc.co.uk
- 08:26 -
Engineering, Science Studies Seen As Way Forward For Youth
Vocational training and engineering and science education are crucial to the future of Cambodia’s youth if the country hopes to capitalise on new agricultural and industrial opportunities, education specialists said yesterday.
A panel of government officials and UNDP, ILO and UNESCO representatives spoke to journalists at Better Factories Cambodia ahead of the nation’s first National Youth Employment forum, which will be held tomorrow and Friday at the capital’s Phnom Penh Hotel.
Seng Sakda, director general of the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, said it was important to give young people skills relevant to Cambodia’s labour market.
“The education, skills and employment of Cambodia’s young people are critical for the growth of the economy,” he said. “This event will address youth employment before a national employment policy is implemented.”
The forum will bring together UN officials, international policymakers, civil society representatives and youths to discuss youth unemployment, education and skills development, business opportunities and emerging industries.
Tauch Choeun, director general of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, said the government was focused on equipping school students with vocational skills. This was partly a response, he said, to the number of university graduates who were being “mismatched” into employment that did not suit their qualifications due to a lack of jobs in certain fields.
Jose Bendito, economic development policy adviser with UNDP Cambodia, said many young people were seeking white-collar opportunities that Cambodia’s labour market couldn’t offer everyone, while few were given the chance to study engineering and science – disciplines essential to expanding industry.
Another issue, the panelists said, was the importance of creating enough jobs to ensure young people didn’t feel forced to leave the country for work.
News By:
phnompenhpost.com
- 08:25 -
Catholic Students Gather In Euclid To Explore Advanced Science
Sixth-grade students shuffled from room to room at St. John of the Cross Catholic School on Tuesday to learn various aspects of biomedical engineering.
This is the second year students will work to solve a human need while they explore advanced sciences and health issues.
Students from St. John, Our Lady of the Lake and Sts. Robert and William schools listened to science professionals speak about the value of advanced technology and learned how prosthetics are created.
The presenters told students that inventors are needed, and shared some of the current problems in the industry that would be very valuable to solve.
Tracy Davis, a Euclid public schools teacher and enrichment teacher at St. John, said she wants to highlight the importance of higher math and science.
“We’re trying to get people to realize that unless you up the ante in terms of math and science, you’re not going to get those high-paying jobs. (Euclid) is a hotbed of biomedical engineering technology and many of the people are coming in from the outside to get these jobs,” she said.
Davis also said it is important for students to be exposed to multiple options early so they can pursue the right education.
“If they can meet the challenge and get excited … and realize in middle school in sixth grade and realize, ‘Oh my goodness if I really like this and I want to do it I’m going to have to do (Advanced Placement) math, I’m going to have to start right now,’ ” she said.
In addition to being exposed to better opportunities in well-paying fields, the students also will have the chance to compete in Akron’s BEST Medicine engineer fair. BEST stands for Bridging Engineering, Science and Technology; and last year, many students from St. John won awards in the competition.
News By:
news-herald.com
- 08:22 -
utorak, 13.12.2011.
UK Experts: Too Soon For Brain Science Use
London - Criminal behaviour can't be blamed on how someone's brain is wired, at least not yet, says a report from British experts who examined how neuroscience is being used in some court cases.
"Having a psychotic brain is not a general defence against a criminal charge," said Nicholas Mackintosh, emeritus professor of experimental psychology at the University of Cambridge, who led the group that produced the report. "There's no such thing as a gene for violence."
The report was done by the Royal Society, the world's oldest scientific academy. The document is part of the group's ongoing investigation of the effects of recent advances in neuroscience on various parts of society, including education and the law.
Another report early next year will look at the potential implications of neuroscience on military and security issues.
Useful for parole hearings
After examining the state of neuroscience and how it might apply to the legal system in the UK, the Royal Society concluded it's too soon for the law to be swayed by scientists' understanding of the brain.
Still, brain scans have been cited in an increasing number of cases in the US. The authors of the report said they could one day prove useful for matters like parole hearings when trying to predict whether someone will commit another crime.
The scientists said that while some criminals, such as psychopaths, have different brain structures from most people, these differences aren't enough to release them from being legally responsible for their actions.
Some experts said it was too simplistic to think brain scans could explain human actions.
"When we see a brain image, we want to assume a blob correlates to a complex behaviour," said Carl Senior, a neuroscience expert at Aston University in Birmingham and a spokesperson for the British Psychological Society. Senior was not connected with the Royal Society report.
Other factors to consider
He said many other factors like a person's upbringing and circumstances determined whether a crime was committed - and that a brain scan wouldn't be able to show that.
The report cited data gathered in the US by one expert that suggested the number of cases where neurological or behavioural genetics evidence was used in criminal cases had doubled from about 100 to roughly 200 during the years 2005 to 2009.
That information was reported by Nita Farahany, an associate professor of law at Vanderbilt University's law school.
Mackintosh said most of those cases were for defendants on death row. He said neuroscience has not yet been used in British courts and is rarely used elsewhere.
However, he cited a case in Italy, where a woman was convicted of killing her sister and burning the body, and attempting to kill her parents. Her defence team introduced genetic information showing the defendant had brain abnormalities, arguing that she was mentally ill.
In August, the court cut the woman's sentence from life in prison to 20 years.
Age of criminal responsibility
Mackintosh wouldn't comment on whether he thought that was appropriate, except to say that genetic data and brain scans should only be used in exceptional cases.
He also suggested neuroscience might be helpful in determining things like the age of criminal responsibility, which in England is age 10.
"The science says a 10-year-old brain is still immature and developing," he said, adding that the brain generally isn't fully developed until age 20.
There has long been a debate in the UK about the age of criminal responsibility, provoked in part by the 1993 killing of Liverpool toddler James Bulger by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both 10.
In 2001, both were released and given new identities, but Venables was later sent back to a prison hospital.
Senior acknowledged it was tempting to look to neuroscience as a possible explanation of criminal activity but that to do so would be a mistake.
"We just know far too little about brain imaging to draw any conclusions right now," he said. "But let's revisit the situation in a couple of decades and see where the evidence stands."
News By:
news24.com
- 11:16 -
ponedjeljak, 12.12.2011.
East Africa: The Role Of A University In A Developing African Country
One of the positive developments in East Africa during the last two decades has been the enormous demand for higher education which has led to the mushrooming of universities and other institutions of higher learning in the region.
According to Ambassador Yeko Acato, Secretary to the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), they have so far registered five public and 27 private universities in Uganda. Makerere University is the oldest and most prestigious University in Eastern Africa.
When I graduated in 1970, there was only one university in the entire East African region and it was appropriately called, the University Of East Africa. The Class of 1970 was the last of the University of East Africa which had three constituent Colleges, namely Makerere University College, University of Nairobi and the University of Dar es Salaam.
Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, an alumnus of Makerere, was the one and only Chancellor of the University Of East Africa. Some prominent East Africans who are alumni of Makerere include President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya and former President Ben Mkapa of Tanzania. The entire university community of Makerere in 1970, including students, teaching staff and support staff was about 10,000, at most.
I am advised that today the student population of Makerere University, Kampala is at least 40,000 and counting. The population explosion at Makerere is both an opportunity and a challenge. Good, because it has opened the doors to a large number of people who are yearning for higher education for various reasons. Bad, because the quantitative success achieved at Makerere has been at the expense of academic excellence.
As Makerere expanded, the quality of education and the high academic standards which hitherto made the institution famous declined, quite drastically at one stage. In 1999, I expressed, in writing as an Old Makererean, my deep concern to then Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Ssebwufu, about the trend towards the commercialisation of Makerere. I copied my letter to Prof. Kayanja, Vice Chancellor of Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST) and Mr F. X. Lubanga, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education.
Prof. Kayanja agreed entirely with me while Prof. Ssebwufu argued that he was compelled by lack of resources to introduce private sponsorship of students. It, however, gives me pleasure to note that Makerere's academic standards are once again on the rise. Makerere of the 1960s had much better living conditions for both students and teaching staff.
Strikes by teaching staff were unheard of. Despite the relative decline in academic standards, the primary role and purpose of university education at Makerere and elsewhere in Africa remains the same. The primary role of a good university is not to produce job seekers and job makers. This erroneous assumption is a major root cause of the decline in academic standards. I believe the primary role of a university is to advance the growth of the frontiers of knowledge and understanding of our environment in all aspects.
In this regard, I recall an event which took place at the end of a week-long "Fresher's conference" in June 1967, when the Principal of Makerere University College, Prof. Y.K. Lule, administered an oath to all "Fresh Men and Women" at the Main Hall, followed by a reception. The oath we took was, in a nutshell, to seek the truth and nothing, but the truth; not to search for or create jobs. I have since then been owed by that oath.
The search for the truth, which contributes to the growth of knowledge, remains one of my primary goals in life. It is, therefore, regrettable that Makerere stopped that important practice. I believe our young people must be inspired and encouraged to pursue higher education and learning, first and foremost, to acquire knowledge for its intrinsic value because knowledge is power.
One of the primary objectives and ends of good education is, in fact, to develop and nurture a questioning and inquisitive mind; to be skeptical about easy promises and quick-fix type of solutions and to apply the lessons of history or past experience creatively.
Getting a good job is certainly important for survival, but that does not make job search the primary objective for going to school, especially for going to study at a university. If one looks around, most of the wealthy people in Uganda and Africa are not university graduates. I should like to express the hope that Makerere will, once again, focus on its historical and core role, which is to contribute to the advancement of the frontiers of knowledge by means of original research and sound teaching, for the benefit of humankind.
News By:
allafrica.com
- 11:18 -
UK Education System Plagued By Corruption
The UK education system is marred by numerous cases of cheating and breaching the rules, as disclosed by an investigation conducted by The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. The journalists reported that exam boards “coached” teachers on how to improve their students’ GCSE and A-level results. Our observer Sergei Sayenko has more details.
Undercover Daily Telegraph reporters attended 13 conferences organized by exam boards for teachers whose students were supposed to take different exams. The journalists found that chief examiners routinely informed teachers about future questions, areas of the syllabus that would be assessed and specific words or facts students must use to answer in questions to obtain higher marks.
As it happens, exam panels are competing with one another for attracting a greater number of schools. The exam boards that offer help in obtaining higher grades profit the most, since their exams become the most popular. A total of five such panels are working in Britain.
According to the journalistic inquiry, teachers are paying up to 230 pounds a day to attend seminars where they receive advice that goes far beyond the standard “guidance” and opens exam boards to accusations that they are undermining the purpose of exam syllabuses by encouraging “teaching to the test”.
Given the revelations, Education Secretary Michael Gove has called for a fundamental reform of the exam system and urged an official inquiry into the questionable practice.
The undercover investigation by The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian has produced tangible results. The Welsh Joint Education Committee – WJEC – has confirmed that chief examiners Paul Evans and Paul Barnes have been suspended over the findings. The advice which they gave during the so-called “consultations” was secretly videotaped by The Daily Telegraph reporters.
Both examiners were fired, apparently, in order to teach their colleagues a good lesson. Similar cases of exam cheating have been reported in the UK before, the most recent one involving the University of Wales, the second-largest institute of higher education in the UK founded 120 years ago. The university was abolished in October this year following a series of visa scandals.
This unprecedented measure was meant to draw the line under accusations of visa fraud and lack of control over foreign colleges accredited by the university to confer its degrees. A BBC inquiry revealed that foreign students paid money to obtain the answers to graduation exam questions. That enabled them to seek MBAs and apply for work visas. The effectively functioning scheme also spared the students the need to do a substantial part of academic work.
Judging by the recent scandals, the British education system, which used to be one of the world’s best just recently, is plagued by corruption. Some experts put the blame for it on the British authorities. The government of David Cameron has been taking measures to contain an influx of foreign students, on the one hand, and has been raising tuition fees at UK universities, on the other. As a result, many gifted citizens of the UK are shut out of higher education institutions and the British universities are open only for the wealthy.
News By:
english.ruvr.ru
- 11:16 -
subota, 10.12.2011.
Students Will Grade Teachers In New Evaluation Method
In a role reversal of who’s grading whom, students will play a part in evaluating their teachers for a new state initiative beginning in January.
The Georgia Department of Education is piloting a teacher evaluation system in 26 districts, including Richmond County, to measure how teacher effectiveness affects student achievement.
Richmond County teachers are accustomed to being evaluated in the past from a previous rubric, but the standards now take into account student opinion, student academic growth and how principals rate a teacher’s instruction based on 10 performance standards.
In January, the pilot program will launch in only five Richmond County schools, while all of the district’s teachers will go under the evaluation in the 2012-13 school year.
“It’s going to be a reflective tool,” said Missoura Ashe, the executive director for elementary schools. “If we don’t address ineffective teaching, we’ll never grow.”
The state is introducing the evaluations to fulfill the requirements of the federal Race to the Top grant, from which Georgia received $400 million for school reform. Richmond County will receive about 16 million from the pot.
In the 2013-14 school year, the evaluations will determine performance-based pay for teachers, although its still unclear whether grades will affect salaries or monetary supplements, according to Race to the Top communications director Jon Rogers.
Rogers said the evaluation system will be more specific than what most districts now use, so that instruction methods can be fully scrutinized and improved.
“Currently, teachers are labeled either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, so I think everyone agrees the system has to be improved,” Rogers said. “We want to provide more constructive feedback for teachers and principals to say ‘Hey, this is where they’re doing great, this is where they need to improve.’ ”
In classes and grades that have standardized testing, like math and reading, teachers will be graded on their students’ growth and achievement gap reduction on those tests. For subjects like chorus that are not state tested, schools will design pre- and -post tests to measure student growth, Ashe said.
In their opinion surveys, students will anonymously grade their teachers on areas such as how much they know about the subject and how well they communicate. For lower grades, pupils will address questions like “My teacher explains things so I can understand” with smiley or sad faces. The higher grades will answer questions on a five-point agree to disagree scale, which might give teachers a brand-new outlook on how they are perceived by students.
“Students are in the classroom, so who’s better to talk about the teacher’s practices than them?” Ashe said. “Teachers will really be able to reflect, and say ‘Wow, I didn’t know my students thought that way.’ ”
For the principals’ evaluation piece, the administrators will observe teachers twice over the year for 30 minutes each. They will use a rubric of 10 standards, ranging from how well they communicate to their instruction strategies.
Jamie McCord, the principal at Jamestown Elementary School, said teachers are not afraid of the evaluations because it will give them direction on how to grow.
Although being under the microscope is stressful, McCord said her teachers have gotten used to the old methods of evaluation and many see it as a way to become better for their students.
“We want to be excellent in everything, so if I have excellent teachers my students are going to be excellent,” McCord said.
Jamestown is one of the five pilot schools to test the evaluations along with Glenn Hills Middle, Morgan Road Middle, C.T. Walker Traditional Magnet and Academy of Richmond County. The schools, like all the pilot schools in the 26 districts, were chosen at random by the state.
Despite the benefits, evaluations often spark intense debate among educators for their accuracy and fairness. Race to the Top teacher-lead adviser Katherine Wood, whose job is to give a teachers’ opinion amid Race to the Top implementation, said the evaluations still give important insight.
“The more perspective on a teacher that we can get, the better,” Wood said. “To have student perception, to have the observations and for the student growth to be taken into account, it paints a bigger picture.”
News By:
chronicle.augusta.com
- 06:16 -
petak, 09.12.2011.
Future Of Executive Education
Spending on Executive Education declined rapidly in many markets in 2009, with business schools often reporting cuts of 20%-30%. However, a new international report, Executive Education Futures, found that just under 60% of purchasers believe spending will grow in the next 24 months.
Although total spend is important, corporate purchasers are focusing on value, often seeking to do more for less. However, value is judged not just on financial measures, but also quality of teaching, fit with the provider and impact.
CarringtonCrisp, who carried out the study, ran an online survey of both those studying and purchasing executive education, and carried out one-to-one interviews with firms currently using executive education programmes. Respondents were drawn from 51 countries.
Demand for executive education is greatest in the fields of strategy, general management and leadership. Least popular are enterprise and business growth and logistics and supply chain management. Key to a successful programme was a connection between teaching and real business issues. Academics with relevant and recent consultancy experience command a premium. One respondent commenting: There is always a risk of tutors not having enough direct business experience to help participants apply academic models to their daily business.
For those studying, cost is not the key to choice of provider, although one student said: Everything about the course was good just thought it was a little bit expensive i.e. felt like we were paying for the facility and not the programme.
While more than half of individuals carefully compare the cost of programmes before deciding where to study and say that value for money is more important than the actual cost of the programme, less than 10% will choose the lowest cost study option. Among corporate interviewees choice of provider is more about the fit with a particular company, understanding the culture and personal relationships, than it is about cost. An employer said: The academics wanted to showcase their tools and models, rather than understand the business and speak their companys language.
Cost may not be key for individuals, but the reputation of the business school/provider is very important. Twice as many individuals (50%) ranked Reputation of the business school/provider as Most Important when choosing where to study compared with any other option.
But where does reputation come from? Other aspects rated as important in making choices include course content, value for money, quality of teaching, personal recommendation and FT rankings of the business school as a whole and specifically its executive education services. Some corporates also reported that they find a number of the second tier business schools more flexible in meeting employers needs; there can be a trade-off between having academic stars deliver a programme and the ease of dealing with particular providers. Employers also dont want to pay bespoke prices and then feel that they are being offered something off the shelf. Several employers commented that some schools spend more time telling them they cant do what the employer wants and trying to shoe-horn them into something else, than trying to meet the purchasers needs.
Measuring the success of programmes will always be tricky. Individuals suggest that nearly 80% have a successful or very successful experience. However, just over a quarter of participants colleagues are keen to learn from them on their return to work.
Many employers use coaching to enhance the value of learning. Coaching can help embed knowledge, along with alumni programmes and tools such as Linkedin. Finding a way to sustain the impact and measure the growth of an individual and benefit to the business would be very valuable for many employers. Increasingly, one of the main requirements of purchasers is a greater focus on personalised learning plans.
Whatever terms are used, the focus for employers in the future will be to drive greater value for money from their spending on executive education. For some this will simply be expressed in money terms, for others as a better connection between content and work and for a further group it will mean being able to show a clearer, demonstrable impact upon staff performance on their return to work.
News By:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- 11:11 -
SECONDARY EDUCATION: ENS GRADUATES 1728 TEACHERS
THE HIGHER TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE YAOUNDE HAS GRADUATED ITS 50TH BATCH OF LAUREATES.
The graduation ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Higher Education, Jacque Fame Ndongo during a ceremony which took place at the Multi Purpose sports complex in Yaounde.
The laureates of the 50th batch of the Higher Teacher Training College, ENS, expressed their determination to contribute in moving the country forward by knowledge sharing.
Prof. Jacques Fame challenges the laureates to take advantage of the New Information and Communication Technologies to enhance pedagogic innovation and be identified as heroes and heroines.
He said “Your batch is peculiar; 50 years of maturity, experience and know-how. I therefore urge you to remain important actors as the country works towards becoming an emerging one by 2035.”
For the first time in fifty years, laureates specialized in Cameroon’s national languages and culture also graduated.
The 37 graduates and the head of the department, Zachée Denis Bitja’a Kody, said they will foster national unity and promote cultural diversity through the teaching of national languages.
News By:
crtv.cm
- 11:08 -
četvrtak, 08.12.2011.
Africa Fails To Profit From UN Carbon-Offset Scheme
Africa has been slow to tap investment through the U.N.'s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) carbon offset programme and stands to lose the most should talks to broker a continuation of the emission-reduction pact fall through.
Africa accounts for only two percent, or 76 of the 3,612 projects registered under the CDM programme, which lets firms in rich nations offset their climate-warming emissions by investing in emissions-reduction projects in the developing world.
"The balance sheet so far for Africa has not been a happy one with the CDM, but we should not discount the fact that actually quite a lot of money and projects have entered that pipeline but they have gone to other countries," said Achim Steiner, head of the U.N. Environmental Programme in Nairobi, Reuters reports.
Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, industrialised nations were legally bound to cut greenhouse gas emissions as the world faces rising sea levels and greater weather extremes.
Delegates from over 190 nations are meeting in the South African port city of Durban to discuss a new global deal to replace the Kyoto pact when the first commitment period on tackling climate change expires at the end of 2012.
Critics say the process of registering CDM projects is arduous, expensive and too complex for many African firms, though others argue the pipeline of projects seeking registration is growing.
"In the last 18 months or so (we have seen) a significant growth in CDM projects and a growth in capability of technical advisers and financial advisors to assist in these projects," said Karin Ireton, Director Sustainability at Africa's biggest banking group Standard Bank.
"We could see a much greater investment in cleaner technology projects in Africa if we manage to get a second commitment period or a transitional arrangement," Ireton said.
Without a future commitment under Kyoto to cut emissions beyond the end of 2012 when the first phase expires, there will be no demand for carbon credits or offsetting.
The meagre number of projects is also due to the fact that most poor African countries do not have many polluting industries, putting the continent at a disadvantage.
CDM A FAILURE?
Most profitable CDM projects have been those destroying industrial gases HFC-23 and N20 at adipic acid plants and the only sub-Saharan country to list such schemes is South Africa.
Africa's largest registered project eliminates gas flaring at the Pan Ocean oil field in Nigeria, effectively blocking more than 2.6 million metric tonnes carbon dioxide being emitted annually. The second biggest is a similar project at Nigeria's Kwale field, hindering about 1.5 million tonnes of emissions.
Other projects in Africa are much smaller, mainly tapping gases at landfills and using them to generate electricity.
"Due to an absence of heavy industry, it is hard to generate emission reductions with classic types of CDM projects. For example, with a green grid adding more hydroelectricity resource generates very few emission reductions," said Paul Soffe, associate director at project developer EcoSecurities.
Investors are concerned about the future of Kyoto, slowing global growth prospects, record CDM credit issuance this year and stricter limits for using credits in the European Union's emissions trading scheme after 2012.
The uncertainty has already had a knock-on effect on the CDM market, pushing primary investment down to $1.5 billion in 2010 from $2.7 billion in 2009 and $6.5 billion in 2008.
Benchmark U.N. carbon credits have also been hit and were trading at 4.92 euros as of 1232 GMT, just shy of the 4.53 euros on November 28.
But some critics say the scheme has never produced the gains that its proponents claimed.
"It (CDM) is a failure. What has it done. It was actually a distraction to delay action. Can you tell me what it has really achieved in Africa? Nothing," said Mithika Mwenda, coordinator for Pan African Climate Justice Alliance.
"Even if we turn the whole of Africa into forest, without addressing this problem where emissions are being produced, then I don't think we are going to do anything. We need action which is not happening there."
News By:
defenceweb.co.za
- 11:37 -
IP&TV World Forum 2012 Evolves Focus On Converging TV Market
London, 7 December 2011 – IP&TV World Forum, the world’s leading connected entertainment event, is set to be the best yet in 2012 following the announcement of keynote speakers from MTV, NBC Universal and Sony Network Entertainment. Focussing on the rapidly converging TV market, next year’s event will unite global players in the broadcast arena to provide unrivalled insight into the IP & Connected TV industry.
Now in its eighth year, the conference and exhibition will take place at London’s Olympia on 20 -22 March. It will provide international networking opportunities with service providers and broadcasters from varied platform backgrounds – Smart TV, OTT, cable, satellite and terrestrial TV – to compare experiences and brainstorm solutions for delivering multiscreen and multiplatform services.
The focus on connected entertainment and utilising social TV will be echoed by Kristin Frank, General Manager of MTV and VH1 Digital, who will give a keynote speech on the first day of the event. Frank, who is one of the world’s biggest innovators in broadcasting, comments: “Social media and second screen platforms are providing TV networks with new tools in the development of transmedia storytelling that will ultimately drive greater engagement and advertiser benefit.”
Gavin Whitechurch, Director of IP&TV World Forum, says: “This is an exciting time in connected entertainment, as OTT is now so pervasive and compelling that all service providers are seeking to harness over the top to enhance on-demand offerings, and IP connectivity to add new value to their services. The developed focus for 2012’s IP&TV World Forum reflects the evolving marketplace and will give delegates invaluable insight into new industry trends while giving them the opportunity to connect with peers and potential customers.”
Extending the topic of social TV and refining the relationship between audiences and content, Jesse Redniss, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Development at NBC Universal, will provide a talk on taking consumer engagement to the next level through gamification. Redniss drives the strategy in the digital sphere at NBC and has spearheaded gamification in broadcast, producing high quality games to promote the brand.
“The convergence between social, broadcasting and gamification is huge. I look forward to discussing this,” adds Redniss.
Also confirmed to deliver a keynote is Shawn Layden, Chief Operating Officer at Sony Network Entertainment, who will cover the subject of delivering compelling consumer services to multiple devices by leveraging the cloud. Layden reveals: “As digital entertainment extends from the living room and the laptop to everywhere people wish to enjoy it, the digital marketplace is transforming and the convergence of content, technology, services and the experience is the crucial nexus. We believe Sony is well positioned across this volatile landscape to play a leadership role in defining this new convergence and we look forward to sharing those views with the members of the IP&TV World Forum.”
IP&TV World Forum boasts a unique, innovative and case study driven programme featuring over 280 speakers, which is divided into four tracks focused on content business: IP opportunities, multiscreen entertainment, new user experience management and networks and architecture for TV. With more than 7,000 attendees and over 200 exhibitors expected to attend, the three day show is already set to be a huge success.
News By:
itwire.com
- 11:35 -
srijeda, 07.12.2011.
Saint Leo University Opens Innovative Lab For Students Earning Degree In Biology
Saint Leo University students pursuing a degree in biology are now better equipped to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems, from cancer to global warming. The Catholic, liberal arts university opened a renovated biology laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment to prepare bachelors in biology students for scientific trailblazing.
As the first major renovation to the Florida campus' Lewis Hall in over 40 years, the lab has been redesigned to facilitate teamwork and improve communication among students and instructors. Laboratory worktables and benches have been realigned, directing students' attention to the instructor and allowing students to engage more freely with one another.
The addition of several advanced technologies is helping raise the bar on research at Saint Leo. Molecular equipment—such as an RT-PCR machine and a gel imager machine—allows students to examine DNA, RNA and proteins in cancer cells. A large incubator makes it possible for students studying gene expression to grow bacteria cultures and other organisms. A Millipore water purification system provides ultrapure water, so students can prepare culture media without worrying about contamination in lab experiments. A walk-in cold room and a renovated chemical cold storage room provide a stable environment for research.
“The improved lab exposes students to the rich research scenarios they will encounter as scientists,” says Linda Bergen-Losee, M.A., biology instructor and lab director. “The new design allows students to collaborate with professors and peers, conveniently prepare materials for laboratory exercises, and engage with science in a more active way.”
Saint Leo University invested $800,000 in the lab renovations, and is planning to spend a comparable amount to revamp two additional labs in the near future for 1) environmental science and botany, 2) and cell biology and molecular biology.
The renovated biology lab is the first of many enhancements students can enjoy in the coming years at Saint Leo University. The faculty is currently redesigning the bachelors in biology curriculum, with plans to add concentrations in focused areas of biological study.
Located in Central Florida, Saint Leo University offers campus students the opportunity to use the outdoors—nearby beaches, lakes and parks—as an extension of the biology lab. For example, in an introductory marine biology class, students conduct research while canoeing along the Florida coastline. Additionally, botany and ecology classes make use of the campus grotto and neighboring state parks to study local flora and the ecological impact of tourism on mangroves and coastal ecosystems.
Currently, Saint Leo University's traditional liberal arts campus has 230 students pursuing a degree in biology, 25 students pursuing an environmental science degree, and 19 pursuing a medical technology degree. Saint Leo's biology students can complement their major with minors in criminal justice, education, chemistry and engineering. All biology seniors conduct independent research under the mentorship of a faculty member, and may continue onto graduate degrees in medicine, pharmacology, veterinary science and public health.
About Saint Leo University
Saint Leo ranks as one of the top universities in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report's “America's Best Colleges” list. Saint Leo's traditional liberal arts campus, located 30 miles north of Tampa, educates more than 1,900 students. Total enrollment across its campus, regional education centers, and online programs exceeds 15,000. Among the oldest Catholic universities in Florida, Saint Leo is one of the nation's 10 leading providers of higher education to the U.S. military, and is a nationally recognized leader in online education.
News By:
benzinga.com
- 11:08 -
French Immersion Goes Beyond Teaching French
The conventional wisdom used to be that if you allowed children to speak French at home, they would become confused. It would impede their progress academically and it would ensure that they had a hard time mastering the English language.
Misguided but presumably well-meaning teachers tried to convince generations of French-speaking parents that they did their children a disservice by continuing the French tradition at home. Fortunately, not all of them were convinced. But enough were.
By the 1960s, so many had abandoned the language of their parents and grandparents that it was deemed necessary to form a new organization dedicated to preserving the French language in Louisiana. That organization was the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana.
Better known as CODOFIL, that organization has done much to promote the French language and to reach out to other Francophone areas of the world.
One of CODOFIL's most significant contributions to French education has been the French Immersion programs. Immersion programs have taught children to speak French fluently, rather than to merely conjugate verbs and memorize grammar rules.
But the benefits have gone beyond even that. Today, standardized test scores are showing that bilingual kids are doing better in school than their fellow students who speak only one language. And that's across the board - even in English, which teachers once believed would be adversely affected by also speaking French. But it just makes sense.
There are many words in English that come from Latin. And French is one of the languages that evolved from Latin.
It stands to reason the two languages would share cognates — words that sound the same and roughly mean the same.
If you know the French word, you may well be able to guess the meaning of an unfamiliar English word just by the way it sounds. Yes, that can be tricky, but it seems to work more often that it doesn't. It's also easier to learn another language entirely, especially Latin-based languages like Spanish or Italian, if you speak French.
Another benefit has been that kids in immersion programs are exposed to the cultures of their teachers, who come from around the world. This is good. But it's also true that students need to be exposed to and help preserve the French language of Louisiana.
There are precious few native Cajun and Creole French speakers who enter the French Immersion program as teachers.
CODOFIL now has announced a plan to recruit education majors to get their degrees in France with the purpose of coming back and teaching in French Immersion programs.
This would be good news, if the plan comes to fruition. But it is to be hoped that part of the plan is to preserve the French of Louisiana, rather than to replace it with standard French.
There are so many words and phrases that give Louisiana French, in all its varied forms, its color and its vibrancy.
It is the verbal expression of a culture and a consciousness.
It would be a shame to lose it.
News By:
dailyworld.com
- 11:06 -
subota, 03.12.2011.
Solar Sail Satellite Returns To Earth
NanoSail-D2, the solar sail satellite deployed in low-Earth orbit, has successfully reentered into the Earth's atmosphere, says NASA.
After analyzing data about its return, NASA has announced that the satellite NanoSail-D2 has reentered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up. Far from being merely the end of its usefulness, NanoSail's reentry was actually the main goal of its mission. Deorbit and reentry occurred on Sept. 17, six months later than initially predicted, and allowed NASA scientists to observe the behavior of small solar sail in low-Earth orbit and during reentry. Engineers hope to use small solar sail technology to control the future reentry of satellites and space debris.
A solar sail is a spacecraft that makes use of sunlight for producing and controlling motion. Although the effect is too small to be observed in daily life, light actually exerts pressure on surfaces. Solar sails consist of a lightweight, reflective material with a high surface-area-to-mass ratio. As light shines on the surface of the sail, its pressure produces a gentle force that, over time, can accelerate a spacecraft to high velocities. Some engineers have speculated that large sails could even provide efficient means for traveling between planets and even to distant stars. NanoSail-D2 tests the technology on small scale, and is aimed at providing a means of bringing defunct satellites safely back to Earth. As both light and the wispy traces of the upper atmosphere produced drag on NanoSail's reflective sails, the spacecraft's orbit slowed and gravity slowly pulled it back down towards the Earth.
NanoSail-D2's early days were fraught with trouble. The original NanoSail-D was destroyed when its launch rocket went off-course and crashed into the Pacific Ocean in August of 2008. The replacement satellite NanoSail-D2 was launched on Nov. 20, 2010, but it too ran into trouble. Although the satellite made it safely to orbit, it failed to jettison from its parent satellite FASTSAT, aboard which NanoSail-D2 was piggybacking. To controllers' surprise, NanoSail unexpectedly ejected on its own from FASTSAT on Jan. 17, and deployed its sails two days later, allowing the mission to begin.
Because of its broad and highly reflective sail, NanoSail made an interesting target for observers of the nighttime sky. NASA and SpaceWeather.com hosted a joint astrophotography competition, challenging amateurs to capture images of NanoSail-D2 as it flashed in the night sky. In addition to generating a wider public interest in the mission, the photographs also gave controllers information about NanoSail's behavior while in low-Earth orbit, where interactions with the dynamic atmosphere made its flight somewhat unpredictable. Winners of the photography contest will be announced next year.
Studying NanoSail's deorbiting and reentry was a main goal of the mission. Engineers hope that in the future small solar sails may be attached to orbiting satellites in order to bring them back to the Earth's surface in a controlled manner at the end of their mission. Defunct satellites and other space debris, such as spent rocket stages, provide a collision threat to functioning satellites and manned spacecraft. NanoSail technology could allow controllers to bring old satellites safely down and out of harm's way.
News By:
digitaljournal.com
- 11:35 -
Advantages And Challenges Of Nuclear Power
While the state focused on an approaching freak late-October snowstorm, one that would devastate a large swath of Connecticut's power grid and raise serious questions about reliability and emergency response, a report was quietly released that could have more important long-term implications for the creation and cost of electricity in the state.
There is a certain irony that the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering released its report on Oct. 26. For the next two weeks media attention focused on electricity (or more accurately the lack of it), while the report "Advances in Nuclear Power Technology," went virtually ignored.
It concludes that expansion of nuclear power could provide the best means to meet the state's energy needs in the long term, do so without creating greenhouse gases, and supply needed energy-generation diversity.
If one or more new plants were built, the logical choice would be at Millstone Power Station in Waterford, where Dominion operates two reactors. It has the transmission infrastructure and is located in a region that would not view nuclear power as some alien presence.
Yet the authors of the report also recognize that the impediments are significant. No federal depository is available to accept the highly radioactive waste that is a byproduct of nuclear power. Financing the construction would be difficult. And nuclear power remains unpopular with an ill-informed public.
Academy
Chartered by the state legislature in 1976, the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering is a private nonprofit corporation patterned after the National Academy of Sciences. It advises state government and industry "in the application of science and engineering to the economic and social welfare." It has a reputation for objectivity and its report, requested by the Connecticut Energy Advisory Board, deserves serious consideration.
The report recognizes fuel diversity as critical to stabilizing electricity costs in Connecticut. Almost all power plants built in New England during the past decade use natural gas as their primary fuel. That gas must be imported. It is highly vulnerable to price spikes. Natural gas sets the market price and sets it high for Connecticut.
Connecticut's electricity rates have been the highest in the continental United States since 2007, with a rate now 69 percent higher than the national average, putting the state at a significant disadvantage in trying to keep and attract business and industry.
There are other factors driving the cost. Connecticut's deregulation plan, which required electric companies to sell their plants and buy power on the market, did not work. States that did not choose that course have lower prices.
Electrical grid congestion and lack of flexibility, particularly in southwestern Connecticut, requires the purchase of more power from less efficient, costly plants. Also adding upward price pressures are environmental regulations that require electric companies to purchase costly renewable resources and discourage coal plants.
The answer is not to ease environmental rules and boost pollution. Renewable sources, such as wind, solar and hydro can contribute, but will not be enough to meet long-term energy needs, the report concludes. The answer may be nuclear power. Over the last 10 years nuclear plants in the U.S. have operated at 90 percent of capacity and are not subject to the cost fluctuations of fossil-fuel plants.
Challenges
But any nuclear expansion plans would face major obstacles, including public opposition. A survey conducted for the academy found only 22 percent of respondents were very favorable or extremely favorable toward nuclear power, 45 percent were not favorable. Yet these opinions may come partly from ignorance, with 48 percent of respondents indicating there were no nuclear power plants in Connecticut or they weren't sure.
More significant was the decision by the Obama administration to abandon plans for a national nuclear waste depository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Sixty-six utilities have successfully sued the U.S. Department of Energy for breaching its contract to accept nuclear waste, with a potential cost to taxpayers exceeding $11 billion. Connecticut law prohibits any new nuclear plants until there is a place to dispose of the waste. State officials must apply pressure on Congress and the president to solve this problem.
Nuclear plants are expensive to build, $4 billion to $5 billion according to the report. To make that feasible would require long-term contracts for the electricity to be generated, assuring a return on investment. Also needed would be economic incentives that recognize the importance of energy diversification and possibly public/private partnerships, concludes the report.
Not being ready to build now has one advantage. Currently, five new-generation nuclear plants are under construction in southern states. Their successful completion and operation could help establish public trust in the technology.
That does not mean Connecticut has the luxury of time. The groundwork for potential nuclear construction in a decade or so should begin now. The state that built the first nuclear-powered submarine should not accept as its fate that high electric rates will forever place it at a competitive disadvantage.
News By:
theday.com
- 11:33 -
Art Education
It’s D-day at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, though hundreds of students and faculty at the 124-year old university won’t know what that means for weeks, if not months.
On Wednesday, Hugh Windsor, appointed by the provincial NDP government, delivered a report on the school’s future viability to his masters at the ministry of labour and advanced education, and the mood around the school in Halifax is less than cheery.
NSCAD University is facing a potentially catastrophic budget shortfall this year of more than $2 million, and speculation on its possible doomsday scenarios run the gamut from being forcibly merged with Dalhousie University to its outright closure. Windsor was given carte blanche in his recommendations — none of which have been made public, said a spokesperson for NSCAD; there is no timeline for its release — which is greater cause for worry.
How NSCAD arrived here is, of course, significant. A thriving international hub of art education since at least the late 60s, when it became a destination for a burgeoning crew of conceptual art superstars like Sol LeWitt, John Baldessari and Lawrence Weiner, the school recently undertook bold steps to expand. Its state-of-the art new campus in the Halifax port region opened in 2007, but it did so with a deficit. Ever since, up to 10 percent of the school’s annual, provincially-allotted budget has gone to debt servicing.
The larger question the NSCAD situation provokes, though, isn’t tied to the specifics of its particular crisis. In a tightening economy, art is typically a first target of public funders looking to shave valuable dollars. Art education, meanwhile, is expensive. Its demands for studio space and specialized equipment run far beyond the norm. So the question in the minds of some in the Nova Scotia provincial government is less whether NSCAD can survive, but whether it — and others like it — should.
“It’s like an engineering school — you’re constantly upgrading technology,” acknowledges Sara Diamond, the president of Toronto’s Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD), which fills a similar role here as NSCAD does for the Maritimes. As part of a practical package that folds fine arts education in with bleeding edge design technology, Diamond argues that the benefits of such institutions far outweigh their costs.
“Our students emerge as highly skilled and extremely adaptable,” says Diamond, who chairs an association of schools that includes OCAD, NSCAD, Emily Carr University in Vancouver and the Alberta College of Art and Design University in Calgary. “We hear from employers across all sectors, ‘we need your students. They’ve got the thinking and skills to turn around big problems.’”
John Kissick is the director of the School of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Guelph, which in recent years has become a virtual factory of successful Canadian artists. He suggests that fine arts unto itself is by no means a frill. “I could argue on and on, in terms of the skill sets needed in the marketplace today, that a studio arts education is as good as it gets outside of the professions,” he says.
Kissick is a graduate of the fine arts program of Queen’s University, which is undergoing its own crisis, suspending enrolment for the program for the 2012-2013 school year, though Dean of Arts and Science Alistair MacLean attributes this to the pending retirement of one of the program’s three full-time professors (“I was concerned with admitting new students without being certain we could fulfill course requirements,” he said).
For MacLean any crisis is a broader one. In a tightening funding environment — Ontario schools have been told to expect no funding increases for at least six years — universities chase dollars wherever they can find them. Art programs, he says “can be seen as boutique — they take up lots of space, they have small classes. So if they’re not healthy, they’re vulnerable.”
Then there is the argument that art has become overly-academic, applying unnecessary layers of intellectual rigour to what a broader public might assume to be an intuitive pursuit. Nonetheless, the vast majority of Canada’s best-known contemporary artists are art school graduates: Marcel Dzama, who received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba, or Jeff Wall, the most prominent of a set of renowned Vancouver photo-conceptual artists, who studied at the Courtauld Institute of the Arts in London in the early ’70s.
Luis Jacob, a Toronto-based artist who has built a significant international career without having gone through an art program, still acknowledges its significance. “An art school is really important for giving young people a community — a set of peers all trying to create their artistic identities together. That’s extremely important,” he said.
For Jacob, who has shown at the Guggenheim Musuem in New York and at the prestigious Documenta exhibition in Europe, the lack of community in his own artistic development left him craving it all the more. “This idea that artists sit alone in a studio and create things and then become successful isn’t true,” he says. “Art is a professional and social milieu, and art schools are a huge part of creating that.”
Diamond argues to not just to maintain that aspect, but augment it. “An art education is very intimate — there are low faculty-student ratios. You get a lot of student engagement in these environments,” she says.
Schools like OCAD have also evolved in recent years to lead cross-disciplinary learning across arts, humanities and sciences that bodes well for a future demanding innovation, she says. “We end up turning out independent, extremely flexible thinkers with interdisciplinary skills who are ready for anything.”
News By:
thestar.com
- 11:30 -
petak, 02.12.2011.
Popular Ilfracombe Headteacher Retires After 25 Years
THE popular headteacher of Ilfracombe Infants School is retiring at the end of term after devoting 25 years and her entire teaching career to the school.
Christine Thompson joined as a newly qualified teacher in 1986, later spending two years as deputy before serving at its head for the past decade.
She will be handing the reins to deputy head Theresa Hodge, who will be taking over as headteacher in the New Year.
The school has won a stack of honours during her tenure, including currently being ranked as “outstanding” by education inspectors Ofsted, while Key Stage 1 results are rated the second best in the whole of Devon and have remained significantly above national average for the past eight years.
In 2007 Christine was named Primary Headteacher of the Year for the South West at the annual Teaching Awards and shortlisted as a national finalist.
Other accolades included a Gold Artsmark Award as well as a Healthy School Plus and Investors in people awards, while in 2009 it reached the national finals of the Times Educational Supplement primary school of the year awards.
Christine has always remained unfailingly modest about these achievements and told the Gazette: “It’s not about me, it is about the children and what we have achieved for them.
“The Ofsted report was a real ‘wow’ moment. It was about the whole school community, the staff, governors and the support we get from our parents would be very hard to match.
“It has been a privilege to work at Ilfracombe Infants and I have an endless amount of happy memories to keep me going for a long time ahead into retirement.
“I have met and worked with the very best people, dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to meet the needs of our children.”
Christine did not begin teacher training until she was 28 and qualified at the age of 32. She and her husband Garry moved to Ilfracombe from Birmingham and he also taught in the town, working at Ilfracombe junior School until retirement two years ago.
She specialised in creative arts and has always worked to bring that into her teaching and the life of the school.
Her mentor and inspiration at Ilfracombe was previous head Mary Trewin, who passed away in 2005 but left a huge mark on the school and her successor:
“She was the most positive influence over my whole career and I have much to thank her for,” added Christine.
Mary’s drive saw the school win funding in 1998 to refit and extend the old Victorian building and do away with the six much-detested outdoor classrooms it had been forced to use.
“In everything you do, the children come first and in every decision you have to make, they are part of that,” said Christine.
“It has had its highs and lows, its ups and downs, but it has been the best rollercoaster ride ever.”
News By:
northdevongazette.co.uk
- 11:59 -
Kalinga Joins Celebration Of Education Week
TABUK CITY, Kalinga, Dec. 2 (PIA) -- The Division Office here celebrates Education Week, recognizing achievers in Department of Education programs and honoring teachers and DepEd employees who have retired from government service last year.
Schools Division Superintendent Norma Brillantes said the December 5-9 Education Week will be celebrated by the different schools. A separate culmination program will be held on December 20 to be conducted simultaneously with their Christmas break.
This year’s Education Week theme is “K to 12 Basic Education Program: Patuloy sa Tapat na Pagbabago at Pag-unlad.”
According to Brillantes, they will give recognition to outstanding teachers, non-teaching personnel and school managers in the Gulayan sa Paaralan programs and best performers during the Brigada Eskwela.
Awardees, she said, will receive plaque of recognition and the privilege to represent the division of Kalinga in the case of schools that emerged best in the gulayan and brigada eskwela. This aims to inspire every educator to do more for the school children to ensure their good future,” Brillantes said.
Brillantes said they will also honor the 2011 retirees who were dedicated in providing education to the communities.
There will be tree planting within the compound of the division office and establishment of division personnel own gardens, she said.
“The activity reaffirms and emphasizes the role of education in empowering and developing the young to be more productive citizens of the country and responsive to the needs of the times,” Brillantes said.
News By:
pia.gov.ph
- 11:57 -
četvrtak, 01.12.2011.
Partnership Works To Improve Student Math Skills
After a full day of teaching, some 35 educators settled in Wednesday for a three-hour lesson in a room at the Santa Maria-Bonita School District office.
The group of elementary and middle-school teachers sat at tables with others from their school, ready to absorb a lesson aimed at improving student mathematics skills.
Cal Poly Professor Kate Riley took her spot at the front of the make-shift classroom to begin the second of several teacher workshops made possible through a $250,000, one-year grant from the federal Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) program.
The grant allows Cal Poly and Santa Maria-Bonita to partner and prepare for the new California Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, which were developed to establish consistent and clear education standards for English-language arts and mathematics.
The goal is to better prepare students for success in college, career and a competitive global economy.
Fifth- through eighth-grade teachers who volunteered in Santa Maria-Bonita - picked partially because it is a "high-needs" district - are getting a jump start learning standards that don't launch until fall 2014.
"It's really above and beyond," Riley said of the teachers' commitment to 40 hours of learning and another 40 hours next summer.
Wednesday's lesson started with a focus on the meaning of fractions.
Simple enough, but teachers quickly discovered that, like their students, a lot of them were using different processes to come up with a correct answer.
"Your students are going to reason about the problems in many different ways," Riley said, referencing practice problems from a Powerpoint presentation. "I want you to do this with your students.
"As we go on through the year, we're all going to be wrong. You need to work outside your book."
Some teachers scrawled notes on workshop handouts while others enthusiastically explained how they determined what would be four-fifths of a piece of paper.
Stephanie Miller, director of curriculum and instruction for Santa Maria-Bonita, sat in on the workshop.
"It's really the teachers that make the difference," Miller said. "Our scores reflect that."
A number of teachers were brushing up on their skills, like Joy Snyder and Magda Eaker, both sixth-grade teachers at Adam Elementary who have been in the profession about 20 years.
"Doctors have to go through their" training, Snyder said, noting that she and Eaker went through a similar workshop a couple years ago. "You kind of feed off each other."
Arellanes Elementary teacher Kim Carey falls into a different category.
"I'm new," said Carey, who has two years of experience teaching a fifth- and sixth-grade combo class. "So I really need this. You have to be able to explain it."
The next workshop will be in January, when teachers from different generations will continue preparing to educate future generations.
News By:
santamariatimes.com
- 11:17 -
Science Teaching Must Be Top Class
THE call for children to experience more practical science in school has been backed by leading figures at the Centre for Life.
A Commons committee report recently warned that students were missing out on the practical studies that could inspire them to take up science.
The Centre for Life runs Europe’s largest practical science workshop programme in the form of Lifelab, and it’s an approach to education that chief executive Linda Conlon considers crucial to bringing through the next generation of scientists.
She said: “Everyone learns best by doing, and children are no exception. The Centre for Life is a science village where real science happens.
“We are able to capture some of that excitement through our education resource, Lifelab, which offers a huge selection of practical workshops and experiments focusing not only on science but also technology, engineering and maths.
“By keeping kids switched on to science and STEM subjects at critical stages in the curriculum, we are able to give them the best possible opportunity to pursue science as a future career.
“We are encouraged the Government agrees that practical lessons, fieldwork and fieldtrips are essential contributors to good quality science education.”
The Commons Science and Technology Select Committee published a report in September calling for measures such as a central resource for information on standard experiments and for exam boards to require courses to include fieldwork.
However, the Government responded yesterday by saying that while practical lessons are “essential contributors to good quality science education... it is not the place of the National Curriculum to prescribe the detail of how teachers should teach science”.
The committee has described the response as hugely disappointing.
Chairman Andrew Miller MP said: “We must make science an exciting subject to study and an obvious route to future employment.
“The Government agrees with this but has failed to show us how it will address the poor practical science experiences of many students.”
Life has seen a quarter of a million North East schoolchildren benefit from Lifelab workshops in the last 10 years, and education and outreach manager Noel Jackson said the aim is to support teachers in providing science experiences that are memorable, enjoyable and of lasting benefit.
Life is currently a partner in the Hands On DNA project, which is looking to give teens the opportunity to use cutting-edge lab equipment and the latest techniques to explore DNA and evolution. The project is run by the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres, and is supported by the Wellcome Trust.
News By:
nebusiness.co.uk
- 11:14 -
