Back to School

Latvia is set to hold a referendum on February 19th, to decide whether Russian should officially be the countrys second national language. Currently, 44% of the population are Russian speakers, however, 16% of the population are ethnic Russians, who do not hold Latvian citizenship thus are not eligible to vote.* According to Latvian law, more than half of Latvian voters must vote in favour for the proposition to pass.

The proposal does not have the backing of President Andris Berzins. “Granting the Russian language the status of the second state language is the denial of Latvia as a national state and it contradicts the basics of the Satversmes (Constitution),” he said. Parliament rejected the bill in December, after a petition signed by 187,000 citizens was forwarded to the Government by the Dzimtā valoda (Mother Tongue) organisation.

Latvia most recently regained independence from Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 2004, Government reforms introduced restrictions on the use of the Russian language in schools.

*Figures sourced from New Europe Online

Welcome to a new year on the Education Front. I hope our readers enjoyed their holidays and are ready to tackle some education issues.

This year, the blog is going to particularly focus on three areas. As always, we will cover many more topics. But these three are worth digging deeply into:

DISD’s selection of a new superintendent and the election of reform-minded trustees. These go together because the Dallas school district will have a hard time selecting a new leader who wants to pursue reforms backed by research without board members who are committed to the same changes.

The type of reforms I’m talking about include developing a stronger pipeline of teachers and principals, focusing on fundamentals for middle schools so students do not fall far behind in those years, and using real-time data to drive classroom decisions.

Some of these reforms I covered in last week’s review of DISD’s progress, but they are worth pressing for again this year.

The work of the Texas Legislature’s education committees before the 2013 session begins. I am especially going to focus on where the Legislature stopped last year.

That means coming up with legislation that helps districts develop teachers and get rid of bad ones. That means helping districts improve their middle schools. And that means determining how efficiently districts spend money.

The Texas Senate worked on legislation in these areas, but the House didn’t take the same lead. This interim work period is the time to lay the foundation for passage next year of reforms like these in both chambers.

Concentrate on what makes for quality teaching. I want to hear from teachers, administrators, academics and others about what separates an exceptional instructor from his or her peers.

We got into this some last year when we discussed teacher evaluations, classroom leadership and career paths for teachers. There is no magic bullet for schools, but clearly they can’t improve without enough innovative, capable instructors.

We will get into this subject with blog entries, guest blogs, Q&As and, of course, your comments.

So, here is to 2012. I look forward to lively, civil conversations on these and other topics.

Recipients of this year’s awards are Dr Lareen Newman, Dr Guido Parra, Dr Jennifer McKinnon, Dr Amy Slater, Dr Claire Jessup, Dr Paul Gardner-Stephen, Dr Morton Burt, Dr Tobias Loetscher, Dr Suzi Adams and Dr Lynley Bradnam.

Each winner will receive a cash prize of $2,500 to enhance their research networks, as well as a certificate to be presented at an official awards ceremony in the new year.

Launched in 2009, the annual awards aim to recognise, reward and promote individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to research at the University since finishing their PhD.

“These awards recognise excellence in research across all faculties, and are testament to the strong, dynamic research culture we have here at Flinders,” Professor Barber said.

“On behalf of the University, I extend my sincere congratulations to each and every recipient, and I hope you continue to inspire your students and colleagues to make their mark – as you have done – in research.”

“It encourages and motivates you to go on with what you’re doing, and it’s also nice to have people recognise that your research is worthwhile,” Dr Loetscher said.

Why Higher Education Will Jump Start a Career – Jane M Sawyer Tips are provided for anyone considering why enrollment in additional education beyond high school or a college degree is beneficial for their career.

Unfortunately, the unemployment rate remains high in this country and probably will be for years to come. People caught in this unemployment tight spot sometimes have little chance of reentering the work force with their current job skills. One solution to this problem is enrolling in higher education for retraining or updating current job skills. This approach is often an advantageous approach for rejuvenating or jump starting a new career.

One contributing factor for the high unemployment rate in the U.S. is people with only a high school degree. Although a high school degree is still important, this degree limits a persons upward mobility within a company or even traps them in a declining occupation.

Why? Because the U.S. is shifting from a manufacturing based economy to a service and knowledge based economy, where higher education is essential for employment stability (Economic News Release USDL-09-1503, Bureau of Labor Statistics).

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — Five students have been disciplined and the wrestling season left uncertain following an investigation into hazing at Fernandina Beach high School.

The investigation is over.

Officials found that upperclassmen on the wrestling team were paddling freshmen on the team, Sharyl Wood, executive director of administrative services for the Nassau County School Board, confirmed today.

Wood did not give details on their punishments, grade or level of involvement. No one was expelled, she said.

All the team’s coaches were suspended from their duties as coaches, including the head coach and at least one assistant, said Wood.

She said no one would be able to wrestle this season unless a replacement coach could be found.

“The future of the wrestling team is in jeopardy,” said Wood.

It is unclear at this point whether there will be wrestling season.

As far as further updates, Wood says they will have to determine soon whether or not there will be a season.