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Reasons behind Burgeoning Enrollments at Alford High School

Benjamin Porter — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:34:13 +0000

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Alford High School is one such institution that is regarded among the best when it comes to online high schooling. Being one of the pioneering high schools to give an online high school diploma, Alford High School has developed and introduced some of the most innovative process in online education to make e-learning as easy and flexible as possible.

With the advent of such new procedures and processes, the process of e-learning has become remarkably simple and effective. This has led to a big wave of students coming in to join the ranks of many already present and has led to an enormous rise in the number of individuals associated with the online academic world.

The enrollment rate at Alford High School’s diploma program has shown a similar trend but at an accelerated pace. T

Moving to rhymes ‘boosts results’

Kate McDermott — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:59:56 +0000

The exercises mimic the earliest reflexes made by a baby

Researchers are to investigate whether following a set of systematic movements for 10 minutes a day in class can boost pupils results.

The Primary Movement project involves getting nine-year-olds to do set exercises to nursery rhymes and will be tested in 40 schools in north-east England.

The exercises mimic the earliest reflexes made by babies and foetuses.

The theory is that children can be held back if such reflexes persist.

Trisha Saul from the Primary Movement project said: “Some of the songs and the nursery rhymes will be familiar, its the movements that are different.

“These are the are designed to replicate movements the foetus makes in the womb and the baby makes in the first six months of their life.”

‘Into a butterfly’

She explained how such reflexes become inhibited in most children within the first year of life.

Broward and Miami-Dade county schools consider social media policies for teachers, students

Natalie Lasseter — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:08:43 +0000

In the real world, students are expected to follow along with their teachers, and if they like them even better.

But in the virtual world of social media, should principals and school districts know when students “like” their teacher’s profile page on Facebook, or “follow” them on Twitter?

The question is up for discussion as Miami-Dade and Broward lay the groundwork for social media policies that address its growing use among teachers and students.

Miami-Dade School Board member Raquel Regalado is proposing a measure to be discussed at Wednesday’s board meeting that would require school staff to notify principals if they have accepted friend requests from students on social networking sites.

“If you’re doing it in the capacity as a teacher, the school site administrator should know,” Regalado said.

UMaine Coach Issues Play4Kay Head-Shaving Challenge

Benjamin Porter — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:01:03 +0000

Richard Barron, the UMaine womens basketball coach, announced recently he would shave his head bald if the community raises $10,000 for the Play4Kay initiative, which raises funds for the Kay Yow Foundation to support breast cancer research. If the goal is met, Barron will shave his head at center court following the Black Bears home game on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Yow was the N.C. State womens basketball coach who died from breast cancer in 2009. Barron knew Yow and was an assistant coach at N.C. State in the two years after her death.

UMaine has already raised $3,055 second-highest in the country so far out of around 200 teams toward the goal. To donate, go to .

Extreme Cold Can Grip Texas

Natalie Lasseter — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:29:13 +0000

Q: When did the worst period of cold weather occur in Texas?

A: The record was more than 100 years ago, says Texas A&M University’s John Nielsen-Gammon, who also serves as the state climatologist. “On Feb. 12, 1899, both Texas and Oklahoma had its coldest weather ever,” he reports. “On that day, all of Oklahoma was below minus-10 degrees, while one-half of Texas was below zero. Galveston Bay had areas of ice in it. Most cold waves in Texas aren’t that bad because the cold air tends to move east quickly, but on this particular day the air mass was so cold and large that there was little that Mother Nature could do to prevent it.”

Texas coldest recorded weather occured in 1899

Q: What about other cold periods?

A: In December 1895, Amarillo had a cold spell in which the city spent 261 consecutive hours below freezing. In January 1

City says three separate closure protests won’t derail PEP’s vote

Kate McDermott — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:09:32 +0000

A snapshot from one of two Panel for Educational Policy meetings about school closures in 2011.

Boisterous protests against school closures have long been accused of lending a circus-like atmosphere to the annual meetings where the Panel for Educational Policy votes on closures. This year, though, the opposition will actually have three rings.

Three separate groups are planning protest actions during tonights PEP meeting, where the citywide school board is set to vote on — and presumably approve — 23 school closures and truncations. (Changes to two schools were taken off the table yesterday.)

City officials have vowed not to let the protests disrupt the panels proceedings, suggesting that panel members and protesters alike could be in for a long and potentially combative night. Last year, the panel approved 22 closures in two separate meetings that each lasted well past 1 a.m. In 20

Boys Basketball: Muir runs away from Arcadia, 77-64; Pasdena overcomes four-point deficit at the half to beat Pasadena, 52-46.

Kate McDermott — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:45:12 +0000

ARCADIA — What started out like a close basketball game the Muir High School boys basketball turned into a track meet in the third quarter.

The visiting Mustangs used their trademark swarming defense to create scoring in transition, going on a 20-3 run and never looking back to dispatch Arcadia 77-64 on Monday night in Pacific League action.

The latest result was nowhere near when the teams met in the league opener, Muir (19-1, 8-0) needing overtime period and 38 points from Jelani Mitchell to get past Arcadia (9-11, 2-6).

This time, Mitchell and the high-flying Mustangs showed their defensive prowess, limiting Arcadia to empty baskets on nine of 10 possessions and five turnovers during Muir’s offensive spurt that started with the Mustangs leading 36-33 with 6:58 left in the game.

“I didn’t know all of those numbers but I did think the guys played with a lot of energy in that third quarter,” Muir coach Gamal Smalley said.

South Texas’ Premont High School cancels sports programs

Natalie Lasseter — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:38:30 +0000

With Premont High School facing the prospect of closing because of financial and academic problems, it has decided to cut its sports programs for this spring semester and the fall semester of 2012, reports The Caller.

Premont is a 2A high school. Think of Premont ISD as the now-defunct Wilmer-Hutchins ISD. It has long been struggling academically and also has some economic hurdles to clear. The district will save about $50,000 each semester by cutting sports and plans to open two new science labs with the money.

“Our urgent situation requires swift and drastic action,” Superintendent Ernest Singleton said to the Caller.

Football recruiting: Santa Margarita juniors land Pac-12 offers (update)

Benjamin Porter — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:56:24 +0000

Santa Margarita junior center Dane Crane (6-3, 295) and junior right guard Erik Bunte (6-7, 301) has been offered by Colorado and UCLA, respectively.

Crane and Bunte each started for the Eagles devastating offensive line in 2011. Look for both to pick up more offers.

Santa Margaritas other outstanding junior lineman is also the biggest: right tackle Riley Sorsenson (6-5, 316).

Please send football recruiting news to Dan Albano at dalbano@ocregister.com

GL Homes finds spot for west Boynton charter school; preserve-land plan discontinued

Natalie Lasseter — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:17:52 +0000

WEST PALM BEACH — The battle to build a charter school on preserve land inside one of the county’s last agricultural enclaves came to an abrupt end Tuesday, after a Sunrise-based homebuilder said it had found a 14-acre site for the project inside one of its future developments.

The announcement by GL Homes means that Palm Beach County commissioners will no longer have to consider a controversial change to the county’s long-term growth plan that would have allowed the school to rise in the 20,500-acre Agricultural Reserve west of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.

Commissioners last month authorized county planners to start working on the change and were scheduled to hold a public hearing on it later this year. But the seven-member board on Tuesday unanimously agreed to withdraw its request after GL Homes said it found a site for the school within its Amestoy project, near the northwest corner of Boynton Beach Boulevard and Lyons Road.

The county has already approved 785 homes as part of the project, which also sits inside the county’s Agricultural Reserve. K

UCLA hires Spanos as D-coordinator

Benjamin Porter — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:49:17 +0000

< ![endif]--> UCLA has hired Washington Redskins linebackers coach Lou Spanos as the Bruins’ defensive coordinator, the school announced Tuesday.

“I am thrilled a coach with Lou’s NFL background and defensive pedigree has agreed to join our staff. Now that our coaching staff is complete, I’d like to thank Dan Guerrero for his support as we sought to bring the finest coaches in football to UCLA,” coach Jim Mora said in a statement. “We have a collection of men that will not only be mentors to our student-athletes, but given their experience at the highest levels of football, will also be able to provide them a blueprint for competing and winning, and reaching their athletic potential.”

Spanos’ hiring was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. The Bruins’ staff under Mora is now complete. You can revie Read more…

U of Minn., Crookston chancellor to retire

Kate McDermott — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:26:23 +0000

CROOKSTON, Minn. University of Minnesota, Crookston Chancellor Charles Casey plans to retire at the end of the school year.

Casey made his announcement during his “State of the Campus” address. His last day as chancellor will be June 30.

Casey has been UMC chancellor since September 2005. He also has held other university leadership roles, including serving as a member of the Board of Regents and as dean and director of University of Minnesota Extension.

During Casey’s tenure the Crookston campus saw significant enrollment gains, including four consecutive years of record enrollment. The number of degree-seeking students hit a record of 1,600 for the 2011 fall semester.

Video: New Haven Press Officer Confronts Reporter — Resigns

Natalie Lasseter — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:17:41 +0000

The confrontation between New Haven Independent reporter Melissa Bailey and a New Haven schools press official has gotten attention on Jim Romeneskos blog — and now the school official has turned in his letter of resignation. Not everyone thinks the situation is as cut and dried as it may seem, including some of the 120 commenters on the New Haven Independent site and Hartford Courant columnist Rick Green. What do you think?

Newton’s Laws Teaching Unit: Lessons and Guides to Address All Learning Styles

Benjamin Porter — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:14:12 +0000

Students engaged, active, on-task and learning: thats the ideal situation in any instructional situation. With the articles presented in this Newtons laws table of contents, that ideal instructional situation is possible. Use the lessons in these articles to teach about motion and gravity, then, use these as tools for re-teaching and making connections to other subject areas such as mathematics and physical education. Your students will learn and your instruction will be dynamic and focused. That is guaranteed.

Newtons Law Study Guides

This article is the first article to use on Newtons laws, serving as an introduction to the series of articles that follow for teaching students about motion, speed, acceleration and velocity. Use this resource for building students understanding of motion.

Introduction to Motion

This introductory lesson introduces students to the unit of study on motion.

Accountability sought from UC, CSU systems

Kate McDermott — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:29:14 +0000

California’s public colleges and universities are changing too many rules unilaterally and should be more accountable to the public, the state’s independent Legislative Analyst’s Office said in a report released last week.

California State University is setting its own rules for raising executive salaries; the University of California is shifting who is eligible to enroll; and community colleges are hoarding data that should be open to the public, say the higher education experts who advise the Legislature.

To fix the problem, the state should create a system for higher education oversight, according to the report, which points back to 1960 when the California Master Plan for Higher Education warned of the need to keep a watchful eye on the state’s three higher-education systems.

For years there was such a body, the California Postsecondary Education Commission.