The Why of SisterPlay.com
A few weeks ago I was asking someone to take a look at SisterPlay.com. I explained that it was a website I had developed over the last three years. The young lady looked me in the eye and asked "Why?" I thought about it for a minute and then I answered her question. I would like to share my response with you.
Initially, I started the site, at that time YouthPlay.org, to share with other parents information that was beneficial to my child's academic success. As the development of YouthPlay reached maturity, I began to expand the site to include other information and discussions I felt would be helpful to the community. Thus, SisterPlay.com.
If I step back and look at the site as it is today, I would describe SisterPlay.com as a collection of the things that are close to my heart--my child, my sisters, family, friends, young people, education, interesting discussion, a good time and Southwest Georgia.
In a nutshell, that is the why of SisterPlay.com.
A few weeks ago I was asking someone to take a look at SisterPlay.com. I explained that it was a website I had developed over the last three years. The young lady looked me in the eye and asked "Why?" I thought about it for a minute and then I answered her question. I would like to share my response with you.
Initially, I started the site, at that time YouthPlay.org, to share with other parents information that was beneficial to my child's academic success. As the development of YouthPlay reached maturity, I began to expand the site to include other information and discussions I felt would be helpful to the community. Thus, SisterPlay.com.
If I step back and look at the site as it is today, I would describe SisterPlay.com as a collection of the things that are close to my heart--my child, my sisters, family, friends, young people, education, interesting discussion, a good time and Southwest Georgia.
In a nutshell, that is the why of SisterPlay.com.
Bittersweet Days
Almost thirty years ago, I sat in a literature class staring at the first "F" I had ever seen in a literature class. My father had received orders to Germany and I wanted so much to graduate from Thomasville High School. The only way to do that was to accelerate my studies which meant taking three English classes in one semester.
The counselors were glad to enroll me in two of the classes but were reluctant to enroll me in a satire class--they felt it was beyond my capabilities. I enrolled and shortly found out that it was certainly was beyond my current capabilities. I stared at that big, fancy cursive "F" that I had worked so hard for. I thought that I would just have to try a little harder. My next assignment brought another big, fancy cursive "F."
To put this in perspective, I had known I wanted to go to college since I was a small child. I had studied and prepared to go. I had already been accepted into to two pretty good universities and had scholarship offers, but I was discovering that there was this entire group of students who were in these classes that were above my own--classes and levels that I had no knowledge of. It was a devastating reality.
Upon receiving the second "F", I went to this teacher and explained that I had to pass this class and that I was willing to do whatever was needed. She worked with me and I managed to get out of the class with a "C." I learned more in that class about writing and analyzing written works than any literature class I had or have since taken. I also learned that I was capable of learning this materiel, and should have been learning it all along.
I am sure that experience shaped much my thinking about certain issues today. Yesterday I introduced that my child to that teacher. And just as it was almost thirty years ago, that teacher will still be teaching primarily white children those higher level skills. What a bittersweet day--joy for my child and tears for how far my community has come.
Surviving Father's Day Without a Father
Today is Father’s Day. I will spend much of the day remembering my father and what he meant in my life. I will think about sitting in his lap, his fatherly advice and what it meant to have his guidance as I transitioned from adolescence into adulthood. I will think about how very much I miss him.
But mostly, I will be thinking of my own child whose father died almost four years ago. I will think about how she will not even be able to call her father today and wish him a Happy Father's Day. I will think about the many memories she will never have the opportunity to make and how difficult this day must be for her. And, I will thank God for the beautiful, smart young lady she has become despite the statistics.
Every once in awhile I will pick up a newspaper or magazine, with an article reminding me that research studies show that children without fathers actively involved in their lives have much higher rates of depression, suicide, violence, gang involvement, criminal behavior, educational failure, drug and alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancy.
Like any other single mother, I wish with all my heart that my child could have her father in her life. But, certainly in my case this is not going to happen. I would never condone having children out of wedlock, taking divorce lightly, or single-parenthood as a choice. But even if a child is born out of wedlock, even the parents are divorced, and even if single-parenthood was a choice, we are all in the same situation--we have children that we are raising without fathers.
It would be so wonderful if instead of articles letting us know the pitfalls, there were more articles that would give us advice on how to keep our children from being one of those statistics.
Happy Father’s Day!
A Magnet School for Thomasville, Georgia
I hear my hometown, Thomasville, Georgia, is getting a magnet school. When one hears the term "magnet school," I think there is the tendency to equate the term with success. Some magnet schools are successful, and many are not so successful.
In my hit-and-miss research of Georgia magnet schools, there was one school that stood out for me. It stood out because it was a small school in a community with a mean average income well below the state average, a heavily black student population (like Thomasville), and a record of outstanding performance for all of its students. That school is Augusta, Georgia's Johnson Magnet.
Now, I don't know if our school administration in Thomasville has the talent or the desire to extract this kind of performance from all of its students but it does have an example in Johnson Magnet that says it can be done.
That said, I would be negligent to not mention two points:
1) Richmond County, the home county of Johnson Magnet, seems to at least at the high school level have a record of academic performance, unlike the Thomasville School System, that does not appear to run heavily across racial lines.
2) The Richmond County school system has at least one school comprised of an all black population, East Augusta Middle School, and that school like Thomasville's virtually all black Harper Elementary has a history of dismal performance in comparison to its more diverse counterpart Jerger Elementary.
To sum all of this up, a magnet school if administered properly can be a wonderful addition for our high achieving students. The flip-side, I'm not sure our resources are best used by focusing on our high achievers, afterall these students are already excelling.
But then, no one asked me or any of the other parents that I know for our opinion.
Sipping My Morning Coffee
I'm sitting here pecking away while pondering what I am going to wear to church as I sip on my morning coffee. As I peck, I thought I would share with you some of the things that have been on my mind lately--I suppose this is in part because they are all over my my radio and my television:
Well, back to sippin' my mornin' coffee.
Black History Month: Jump Into the Melting Pot
Make Time to Really Get to Know Your Neighbors
The United States is often referred to as a "melting pot" -- a place where people of many different cultures and beliefs live together. Many contend that because of this mix of people, our country is more interesting than it would be if everyone were the same. Some think otherwise.
But do most Americans know enough about the different cultures and beliefs of their co-workers and neighbors to ascertain if this is true or not?
Cultural Celebrations Absent of Other Cultures
Having attended many Black History Month programs, I have observed that most of them were full of other African Americans. I find these celebrations to be enjoyable and educational. However, it seems to me that the programs would also benefit other cultures, other ethnicities.
And, I think it would be enlightening to know more about their history and culture.
Attend Celebrations of Other Cultures
The opportunity is certainly there. We celebrate Black History Month this month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, Hispanic Heritage Month in September and American Indian Heritage Month in November. That is just to name a few. If we look around us, there are many opportunities to learn more about the many peoples that comprise our America.
Carter G. Woodson is known as the “Father of Black History.” He founded Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month. His message was that Blacks should be proud of their heritage and that other Americans should also understand it.
Taking Dr. Woodson’s assertion a step further, perhaps all Americans should be proud of their heritage and other Americans should also understand it. This would likely benefit race relations.
Explore Other Cultures Online
In addition to attending gatherings, there are many wonderful books and websites that present the opportunity to explore different cultures. Many of the websites offer not only news and information but also interactive opportunities:
AsianAvenue.com– Meet people in your community, express yourself, and find information that reflects Asian cultures and perspectives.
Asian Community Online Network– Brings together Asian American and Pacific Islander non-profit organizations and concerned individuals to share news and information about the community.
BlackAmericaWeb.com– An interactive, timely and credible source for news and information covering aspects of daily African American life, featuring a wide array of viewpoints and perspectives.
Black Voices–America Online source for issues facing the African American community. News from the world of sports, entertainment, health and family.
CodeTalk—Federal, interagency, Native American Web site designed specifically to deliver electronic information from government agencies and other organizations to Native American communities.
HispanicOnline.com— An interactive, timely and credible source for news and information covering Hispanic issues.
Latino USA– Provides diverse audiences with multiple perspectives on issues affecting Latinos while fostering cross-cultural understanding.
SisterPlay.com—The melting pot of the worldwide web. The Race Relation section features a collection of the best ethnic websites on the web. The discussion board is great avenue for getting to know one's neighbors.
Race Relations at SisterPlay.com
It seems these days that most of the comments I get on SisterPlay.com are regarding the Race Relations area. People find the links to websites featuring a diverse mixture of peoples great. But, the Diverse Views on Race section seems to throw some people for a loop. They don’t know how to take it. Some of the views are quite politically correct, but then some are far, far from anything correct—and, on both sides of the spectrum. The question I get often is “What are you trying to start?”
My answer is “an honest discussion about race.”
Most of the people I have honest discussions with about race look just like me. However, most of the things I would label as misunderstandings, misconceptions, or gaps in perspective deal primarily with other peoples. So, what is the point of discussing those things amongst us?
Sometimes I watch the CNN shows with the panels of prominent educators and entertainers speaking freely about race relations, but “really”, what does that do for race relations with regular everyday folks? Most of us don’t even watch those shows.
As many of you know, I am retired military. I have had quite a bit of “diversity training” in my civilian employment, but no one deals as honestly and upfront with race relations as the military. They deal with it and move it on out of the way. They start you off with the discussions in your first few weeks and they don’t cease until you leave the service. I guess it has something to do with there is no place for racism or racial tension in a war—so they deal with it before getting there. Is it perfect? Is it the fix all? Does it eliminate racism or racial tension? No. Resoundingly no! But its much better than a fancy one day seminar to check off the diversity training block.
I don’t think that it is realistic for honest discussions about race to really happen in most workplaces today—at least not around the water cooler or in the lunchroom. I don’t even think it is desirable, because most people are just not prepared for that kind of honesty at work and neither are most workplaces equipped for the possible consequences of such discussion. On the other hand, most of the people I know really only interact with other races at their place of employment. I guess its what is known as a “Catch 22.”
But we do need to have the discussions.
I know this is going to sound cliché, but my best friend in this whole vast world is not of my race. And we have had many discussions regarding this issue, some of them quite uncomfortable—but most of them enlightening. Because of these discussions and the many discussions in the my military life, I think I come to the table with much less racial baggage than many the people I have met over the years.
I created the Race Relations area at Sisterplay.com, this blog, and the SisterPlay.com Community Discussion Forum as a place where people could have honest, civil discussions on Race Relations in a non-intimidating forum.
That’s what I’m trying to start!
Academic Excellence: Many Children Left Behind
According to the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) released on October 19, most of our nation’s 8th graders are performing at or above the basic achievement levels in reading and math—some better than others, whites much better than blacks.
Twenty nine percent of the 8th graders in public schools perform below the basic performance level in reading while the remaining 71 percent score at or above the basic level. In mathematics, 32 percent perform below basic while the remaining 68 percent perform at or above.
When race or ethnicity is thrown is into the mix, the results become quite disturbing. Only 19 percent of white students perform below basic in reading, while an alarming 49 percent of black students score below the basic achievement level. In mathematics, 21 percent of white students perform below basic, while 59 percent of black students perform below basic.
The numbers become more disturbing for black students if one explores the percentages of students achieving at the: 1) basic achievement level; 2) proficient level--which is where a student really needs to be performing at a minimum and; 3) advanced performance levels.
As disturbing as the NEAP results are they are no less indicative of the situation of our students than the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Tests (PSAT), Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT), state sanctioned assessments such as Georgia's Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) and Georgia High School Tests (GHGST), or other academic performance assessments.
Education may be the only thing—beyond faith—from which African Americans have been able to see tangible economic progress. Without an adequate and fair education system the fate of a large segment of African Americans and others trapped in its grips seems hopeless. Without an adequate education how does one improve their economic situation in today’s workforce? The answer is only by chance itself, for the majority will stay poor—an economic condition that some will use as an excuse for not educating their children.
Recent court decisions have made it easier to resegregate schools and seemingly accept the provision of a less than adequate education as lawful. Regrettably again, in many cases parents and students may not possess the knowledge to identify a less than adequate education until the young person’s self-esteem is permanently damaged along with her dreams when he or she discovers she cannot pass a high school graduation test or a college entrance exam.
The urgency of dealing with such issues became unmistakably apparent in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court rendered decisions limiting how much a factor race can play in the selection of students and struck down a point system giving minority preference in college admissions. Those rulings were expected to affect admissions practices at public colleges nationwide, as well as scholarship, tutoring, internships and fellowship programs reserved for blacks, Latinos and Native Americans. The court’s rationale was also expected to influence private colleges and universities, other government decision-making and the business world. Therefore, it is imperative that all children be fully prepared to compete on a fair playing field in the future, for the Supreme Court clearly expressed that the days of affirmative action are numbered.
According to a statement released by Russ Whitehurst, Director of the Institute of Education Sciences and Acting Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, the overall findings for the 8th grade, show an increase in average mathematics scores, and a decrease in average reading scores. In reading, the percentages of White students performing at or above Basic and at or above Proficient declined. In mathematics, the percentages of Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, and White students performing at or above Proficient increased. The White-Black score gap narrowed in mathematics. The White-Hispanic score gap narrowed in both mathematics and reading.
I am still prayerful that somewhere in the heart of our justice system still lives the spirit of the justices who changed America with decisions such as Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education. Not because of the decision itself, but because of their grasp of the essence of what it means to be an American citizen.
Perhaps in an ideal world, we could all come from the same level and competitive playing field in our home environment but we know that it is not feasible—mostly due to the history and economic culture of America. But it is foreseeable that with laws insisting upon a fair and adequate education system, there could be a level playing field for the resources and expectations we should have for each child when they step into a classroom in our United States.
A.R. Linder is the editor of SisterPlay.com, a compilation of websites showcasing Southwest Georgia. A cornerstone of the website is a wonderful area called YouthPlay.org --a collection of many of the websites she has used in educating herself and her child. Ms. Linder is a graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. She has over 15 years of experience in training and workforce development.
Thank You Mrs. Parks
She paid her fare, sat down in a seat and refused to move when told. What Ms. Rosa Parks did that day may not sound momentous, but it was a different time. It was a time when just staying alive as a Negro was a struggle – perhaps some would say not so different than today. But unlike today, there were burnings, there were bombings, there were Jim Crow laws, there was segregation, there was blatant disdain and hate for Negroes--black people were lynched for not doing what white people asked. So as we talk about the wonderful things that we as a people have accomplished, lest we not forget the many Rosa Parks who accomplished what might seem not so formidable tasks today amidst horrendous circumstances. If we listen to the civil rights documentaries, read their biographies, and embrace the stories of our parents and grandparents, then we might begin to fathom—we might begin to understand. As we say our farewells to Ms. Rosa, let us be uplifted by her inspiration. After all, if she was able to inspire such change in those times, just imagine what we might be able to accomplish in these times. Thank you Mrs. Parks.
Face-to-Face with War
The mother of a son who was killed in Iraq is camped out in Crawford, Texas, trying to get a face-to-face meeting with the vacationing George W. Bush. Cindy Sheehan wants to tell the president that he should pull all American troops out of Iraq. Her son, Casey, died at age 24 in the Sadr City section of Baghdad on April 4, 2004.
According to press reports, Sheehan said she decided to come to Crawford after Bush said once again that US troops are dying for a noble cause and the mission must be completed. Now, she says, she wants to ask the president, ''What did my son die for?"
The President is currently in Crawford for a five-week stay away from Washington, the longest presidential retreat in at least 36 years, according to The Washington Post.
It seems like such a simple request.
I really don’t know that it is the best idea or practical for the president to schedule private individual meetings with the parents of fallen soldiers. But then it is not hundreds of parents who are making the request. It is one grieving mother who is only a few miles away from the president’s ranch.
It seems to me that this meeting would just be the right thing to do even if it might only slightly ease this mother’s pain. It seems to me that it would also send a sincere message to many other war parents as well.
I’m not the president. I have not a child. I am a mother.
Supreme Court Justice Appointment: A Crapshoot?
To some the resignation of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is a ray of sunshine. It is the opportunity for President Bush to fill an unexpected position on the highest court in the land with a justice whom he hopes will help to fulfill his conservative legacy. But the keyword in that last statement is “hopes.” If there is any doubt to just how skittish these appointments can be, one can look back to President Theodore Roosevelt’s first appointee Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Eisenhower’s appointee Chief Justice Earl Warren, or Truman’s appointee Tom C. Clark. One might even take a look at more recent history — President Reagan’s not-always-predictable appointee Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. It seems that when one is sworn into the most secure job in the United States, they sometimes began to see things a little differently.
No, no, no! Not Sesame Street
A House subcommittee voted yesterday to sharply reduce the federal government's financial support for public broadcasting, including eliminating taxpayer funds that help underwrite such popular children's educational programs as "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," "Arthur" and "Postcards From Buster" and others. The loss of $23.4 million in federal funds for children's educational shows -- which PBS calls its "Ready to Learn" programs -- could mean the elimination of these programs. For many these shows are the only connection to structured education prior to Pre-K or Kindergarten. Such cuts appear in direct conflict with the goals of programs such as the much touted "No Child Left Behind Act." Small public radio stations, particularly those in rural areas and those serving minority audiences, may be the most vulnerable to federal cuts because they currently operate on shoestring budgets. In his budget sent to Congress in February, President Bush had recommended reducing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget only slightly.
Prosecutions for Civil Rights Crimes Heal Nation
On June 21, 1964, three civil rights workers who came to the south to register Negro voters, were shot to death and their bodies were bulldozed 17 feet under an earthen dam. On Monday July 13, the trial of 80-year-old Edgar Ray Killen for the murder of the three civil rights workers began in Philadelphia with jury selection. Nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in the first half of the 20th century and seven presidents between 1890 and 1952 petitioned Congress to end lynching. But nothing got through the Senate. The Senate is now ready to officially express its remorse over the failure to outlaw lynching in the United States. Although decades too late, every prosecution, every apology and every effort intended to make amends for the past is a part of the healing of own our country. It is very difficult to demand other nations atone for their sins, when we have not atoned for our nation’s sins. The rest of the world is not oblivious to our history.
Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month
The month of May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Approximately 13.5 million U.S. residents say they are Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other races. This comprises 5 percent of the total population. In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important anniversaries: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and the completion of the transcontinental railroad (May 10, 1869). In 1992, Congress expanded the 10-day observance to a month-long celebration. Per a 1997 Office of Management and Budget directive, the Asian or Pacific islander racial category was separated into two different categories: “Asian” and “native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander.” Interested in celebrating? Visit the featured sites at Race Relations at SisterPlay.com for more information.
Minimum Wage Rate Hikes: Investing in People
Florida has just joined the ranks of 14 other states in promoting economic development, saving the taxpayers money, and beginning the transition of many of the state’s poorest workers out of poverty. Florida’s minimum wage rate rises to $6.15 an hour. For legislators concerned about the rising costs of public services, the hike might actually bring some not-so-obvious relief. Less state money will be necessary to subsidize housing, Medicaid, and other public services for the working poor. At the same time, with more money in their pockets, folks are likely to inject some of their cash into local economies. And that also means more sales tax dollars will flow into the treasury of the state government. While it is commonly believed that unskilled teenagers working after-school jobs constitute the bulk of the workers earning the minimum wage, in actuality 80 percent of low-wage employees are adults 20 or older. Thank goodness, Florida finally figured it out--but not Georgia and most of the other states. How often have we heard the mantra-- tax cuts bolster the economy by placing more money in the hands of consumers and entrepreneurs. Why not try applying this philosophy to our citizens? I believe I read somewhere that “President Bush also understands that, over the long run, wealth is created by hard-working, risk-taking individuals, not government programs.” Let’s put a little of that understanding in our nation’s poorest households.
How About "My Life So Far--Kinda"?
Lately, Jane Fonda seems to be on every talk and news show I watch marketing her new book “My Life So Far" and movie Monster-in-Law.” I really, really like Fonda. She is a very talented actress—I’m almost buying her version of the events that led to that explosive photo of her in Vietnam. Fonda has stood up for what she has believed even when it was extremely unpopular. And, she does some pretty great things for our communities. A matter of fact my child actually participates in one of the youth centers she has sponsored in Southwest Georgia. But still I can’t get a handle on this “universality” concept Fonda is pushing. Generally speaking, I belong to the elite group known as poor folks. A lot of the young people in the programs Fonda sponsors also belong to this group. I have listened to her story several times and I am just not grasping how a rich, privileged, talented, beautiful woman can expect a group of poor, underprivileged girls--many of whom have no dad in their lives-- to grasp how one who was blessed with so much can expect them to relate to her “disease to please” resulting in her paying other women to join her and her then husband in bed. I'm just not feeling it. Like Oprah before her, I think maybe she could have shelved this book. Or at least, she could have left out this portion because I see no purpose other than a bit of sensationalism to sell a few (well, maybe a lot) more books. Fonda has plenty of dirty laundry to air without going this far. I would have been just as happy with my “My Life So Far—Kinda.” Nevertheless, I am still a big fan. Fonda's fearlessness and honesty are admirable, and my doesn’t she make all of us a little less fearful of aging.
Jump Into the Melting Pot: Experience Cultural Diversity
Pati Poblete’s editorial really put into perspective just how much we can glean from the cultural experiences of each other. I don’t know if Pati is Asian, African American, Hispanic, White or another race. I just know that I was able to relate to her experience in diversity, although my own experience was somewhat different. For a few moments she let me into her world.
I truly believe that most people in this country desire positive race relations. But it seems that the subject is so sensitive that it is rare that we have honest, heartfelt dialogue without opening up old wounds or aggravating fresh ones. In the workplace we watch what we say. Even when we casually chat with friends who are outside of our culture we tend to have careful conversations. But the more we converse, the more we interact, the more we read, the more we study, the more comfortable we become--perhaps never fully grasping, but getting closer. And the closer we get to understanding, the closer we come to positive race relations.
Are Our Public Schools Without Hope?
Apparently, billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates doesn’t think so. We know he’s brilliant. We know he cares. When we watch him at the podium, we know he has a weakness—public speaking. But most importantly, whether we agree with him on all points or not, we know his heart is in the right place. And he is willing to do what many are not—put up or shut up. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested $2.3 billion since 2000 in new visions of education, with smaller schools and more personalized instruction to prepare young people for the working world and post-high school learning. There is an ongoing debate regarding the adequacy of our public school systems. Gates is saying clearly that our public schools are obsolete, but he’s not abandoning them. He’s helping them.
Most of us have been tuned in to the Terri Schiavo situation. The subject is a top search mover on the most popular search engines. Updates are on every news channel. Many are anxiously awaiting the autopsy results. Lawmakers are reassessing current laws. And, everywhere we look there is an article on living wills. Even minority individuals who have a history of distrust of the medical system and have generally shunned living wills are thinking about life and death decisions and who should make them. And still, many don’t have a living will. Although the case has spurred much conversation, many of us are still no closer to knowing what we would or should do given these life choices than we were before the Schiavo situation.
Death of A Pope
The Vatican announced that Pope John Paul II died at 9:37 p.m. on April 2 after a long public struggle against debilitating illness. He was 84. People from all religions and cultures around the world join billions of Catholics around the globe as they mourn the passing of Pope John Paul II.
John Paul had ruled over the large and diverse body of Catholics for over 27 years. The 2002 Official Catholic Directory lists the U.S. Catholic population at 65,270,444. Catholics represent 22.9 percent of the total population of the United States. There are more than 25 million Hispanic American Catholics, 2 million African Americans , and nearly a half million Native Americans.
Under John Paul’s leadership the church saw an increase in members from all races, and an increase in the number of minority men ordained into the priesthood. In 2000, Pope John Paul II made history when he asked for forgiveness for many of his church's past sins, including its treatment of Jews, heretics, women and native peoples. It was believed to be the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that one of its leaders sought such a sweeping pardon.
The list of potential successors to Pope John Paul II are as diverse as his followers. Members of the College of Cardinals, some of whom have flown in from foreign countries, are meeting as a conclave, a pope-selecting body. Only those under the age of 80 will have a vote; there will be no limit on the number of candidates. If after 30 ballots no one receives a two-thirds majority, the margin for victory can be reduced so that a simple majority could choose the next pope.
Is the "No Child Left Behind Act" Working?
Most parents want the very best for their children. In today's world, that is unlikely if the child does not possess an adequate education. A new study raises concerns about the No Child Left Behind Act, although students are doing better on state verbal and math tests--and, the gap between white and minority student scores is closing. We're probably going to have to pay teachers more. And the money to close an educational divide that has been perpetuated for years must finally be spent. That is, if the problem is truly to be fixed. The real answers lay in whether or not we are really ready to put forth the long-term money and resources necessary to address the problem or if we are going to continue to hide behind the excuse of bad legislation.
