NEA Today articles from February 2005

NEA Today archives from February 2005

Hearts to you.
February 1, 2005... Growing up, I spent many an after-school hour riving and watching life in Louisiana's public schools. My mom and dad were high school teachers--each for more than 30 years--and every day at 3 when my elementary school let out, I'd skip to...

Showing them the love--and money.(President's Viewpoint)
February 1, 2005... This February, NEA hopes to make a little Black history of our own--as well as deliver a valentine, of sorts, to future public school teachers. We conceived of this idea as a way to help close the achievement gaps that currently exist in...

Doing the math.(upfront)(American elementary students do well in math, high school students below average)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Here's the bright news: A study released in December finds that compared with their international peers, American elementary and middle school students are faring pretty well in math and science, thank you. According to the Trends in...

Time out? Is there such a thing as being with your students too much?(upfront)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... AMERICAN TEACHERS work more hours with their students than do teachers in any other developed country. That would be 1,139 hours a year in elementary schools and a few hours less in secondary, according to a recent survey. The average number...

(Too much) love abounding.(upfront)(Valentines day celebrations in schools)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Is your school a jungle of flowers and balloons on Valentine's Day? Do you see more teddy bears than students? When it comes to celebrating Valentine's Day in schools, love isn't always so sweet. THE HOLIDAY may be full of fun for...

Take the break.(Notepad)(teachers, taxes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... With the first semester of school just about behind you, you're probably wincing at the amount of money you've already spent outfitting your classroom with supplies. Fortunately, you'll be able to claim at least part of those expenses on...

TV teacher.(upfront)(Ben Gray)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... He may be a TV producer and photojournalist, but, for all practical purposes, Omaha, Nebraska's Ben Gray is an educator. And he's using his journalistic expertise to help adults and kids understand important lessons about African-American...

Hygienic heroes.(upfront)(Web Site)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Hearing the familiar song of cough, cough, sneeze, snort? You're not alone. Cold and flu season has arrived and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say kids miss 22 million school days every year because of the common cold. ...

Mixed messages.(Insanity of the Month)(public schools evaluation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... ONCE AGAIN, large numbers of public schools have received failing marks for their performance on the federal No Child Left Behind law, while simultaneously scoring at the top of the pack on their own state accountability systems. It's a bit...

NCLB: test yourself.(upfront)(No Child Left Behind)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... YOU LIVE IT EVERY DAY, but how much do you really know about the so-called No Child Left Behind law? Find out by taking a test developed by NEA member Stan Karp for Rethinking Schools magazine. It's fun, it's enlightening, and you won't see...

Hunger rises again.(Global Takes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... At least 5 million children die of hunger every year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported in December. That comes to one every six seconds. The total number of people who are hungry grew to over 850...

Can Thais lift IQ?(Global Takes)(Thailand)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The government of Thailand has announced a drive to boost children's IQs by 25 percent over the next decade. The program will start before birth, teaching pregnant women how to help their children develop high IQ. Curricula will also be...

Safer but plumper.(upfront)(quality of life: now and then)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Were the "good old days" really that good? Not necessarily, according to Kenneth Land, a sociologist at Duke University, who analyzed seven quality-of-life indicators from 1975 to 2002. He found mixed results. YES, MORE CHILDREN live in...

America's founding myths.(Book Focus)(Founding Myths: Stories that Hide our Patriotic Past)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... Was Patrick Henry really the one to say "Give me liberty or give me death?" Did Paul Revere even take that famous Midnight Ride? Was Molly Pitcher actually a real person? The answers to these questions may come as a surprise. Ray Raphael...

Lights, camera, teach!(First 5 Years)(new teachers improvement program)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Teachers at Roosevelt Elementary School in Long Beach, California, have grown accustomed to being videotaped at work. It's not some kind of Big Brother spy operation, though. They're doing it to themselves, to help new teachers improve their...

Yikes! Not me!(Smile)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... WHILE GRADING ESSAYS for my 10th-grade class one evening, I came across a student's paper that was fairly well-written. This student was not doing well in class, and because there was such improvement, I wanted to tell her how proud I was of...

Organizing student information.(Two-Minute Tips)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... To keep my homeroom organized, I keep a three-ring binder with a plastic report cover pocket sleeve for each student. Each sleeve contains a contact card with home information, address, phone numbers, allergies, etc. This way I always have...

Border bonanza.(Two-Minute Tips)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... After 14 plus years of teaching and buying nearly all of the decorative borders available, not to mention going broke in the process, I came up with an alternative to expensive borders: I go to discount stores and buy their cheap rolls of...

Clearing a path for teacher diversity: a Nevada affiliate makes strides with novel recruitment effort, while NEA and the Tom Joyner Foundation start scholarship program.(Leading the way)(National Education Association)
February 1, 2005... Like a lot of school districts across America, Clark County in Nevada has plenty of students of color--and not many teachers who look like them. But unlike in many other places, NEA leaders there have a plan to fix the disparity. And...

Strike three for vouchers.(Florida)(voucher law, public school students)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... In an 8-5-1 decision, the First District Court of Appeal ruled that a 1999 voucher law, allowing students from struggling public schools to attend private or religious schools with taxpayer money, violates the state constitution. This is the...

School funding suit pays off.(Montana)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Montana Supreme Court ruled that the state's education finance system is not based on "educationally relevant factors" and fails to "adequately fund" Montana's public schools. And, to ice the cake, the court has found the state in...

A knockout in Atlantic City.(New Jersey)(Irvington Education Association's fight for winning the funds)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... For several months last year, state Education Commissioner William L. Librera blocked a union contract ratified by 700 teachers in the state-monitored Irvington school district. A big mistake. Irvington Education Association (IEA) members,...

Big district breaks the law.(Massachusetts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... In the state's second-largest city, the Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission (MLRC) found "probable cause" for prohibited labor practices complaints filed by the Springfield Education Association (SEA) against the school committee. The...

A state without settlements.(Michigan)(teachers, teacher assistants, without new contracts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... In December, the Michigan Education Association reported that 124 of its teacher and education support professional (ESP) bargaining units were without new contracts for more than a year. Heading the list: teacher and ESP members of the...

Sunnier news from the south.(Mississippi)(Mississippi Association of Educators' successful lobbying for educational finance)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Members of the Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) made their presence felt in the 2004 legislative session through phone calls, e-mails, letters, and visits to lawmakers. Their hard work won an 8 percent raise for teachers and...

Union is legal on campus.(Washington)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Professors at Eastern Washington University (EWU) have become the second faculty group in the state to formally unionize under a higher education bargaining law passed in 2002. By a margin of 338-46, the EWU faculty voted in November to let...

Shut up and sit down.(Alabama)(free speech)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Last autumn, Cindy Naylor and other teachers visited a Mobile County school board meeting to complain about excessive paperwork and student testing. The teacher applause during Naylor's remarks to the board so angered board President Lonnie...

Can all your kids read? Helping kids understand--and love--the written word has never been the exclusive task of the elementary teacher. Yet the hubbub around instruction and motivation often stops in the early grades. Which raises the question: What do you do when Johnny, the seventh grader, isn't getting it?
February 1, 2005... Think for a moment: When was the last time you read a comic book or pored through a slamming book of poetry? Been a while? It might not be a bad idea to reacquaint yourself, as more and more educators are doing in an attempt to put some spark...

Reading by the script: what's all the fuss about? With penalties looming under NCLB, educators are increasingly using 'scripted' reading programs to teach budding readers, but this newest trend in reading instruction has fast become a lightning rod for controversy.(No Child Left Behind )
February 1, 2005... As if sparks had hit midway through their reading lesson, the cheery kindergartners pop up from their seats and strike an attitude. Pretending to hold a mirror with one hand and brush their hair with the other, they sway their hips side to...

Reaching teens: back to the future: how teachers are using old favorites to hook the newest generation of reluctant adolescent readers.
February 1, 2005... Terri Kirk, a high school librarian in Paducah, Kentucky, was looking for a way to inspire adolescent males to read more, so on a whim she asked a student to recommend a few comics and graphic novels. Now, she says, "I can't keep these books...

NEA's read across America: is there a doctor in the house? More and more Americans are choosing not to read. Which is worse? Not reading because you can't or because you won't?(National Education Association)
February 1, 2005... When was the last time you picked up a book and read for your own pleasure? Not a magazine. Not a Web page. An actual book with characters and a plot. Can't remember when? You could be one of the millions suffering from aliteracy. That's...

'Hands off, heads inside!' School bus drivers have to keep order, too. Learn their secrets for managing wacky behavior--and traffic--at the same time.(Bus Behavior)
February 1, 2005... If you've ever car-pooled the soccer team or ferried the kids on a four-hour trip to grandma's, you know the feeling. You need to focus on the road, but the kids are noisily goofing off, or getting on each others' nerves--and yours. Welcome...

A better IDEA: the reauthorized federal education law should help educators reach students faster, more effectively, and with less pointless paperwork.(Special Education)(Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act)
February 1, 2005... When Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) on November 19, Daryl Gates, a middle school teacher from Shreveport, Louisiana, felt like Christmas had come early. "This IDEA will put a smile on the...

'She's my mental health': a school day for a paraeducator is full of twists, turns, hard work and, yes, some wacky moments. Just ask Santa Fe para Barbara Salazar, a powerhouse of a helping hand to a very grateful teacher.(Para Help)
February 1, 2005... It's still early--and chilly--this Santa Fe morning, and classes at Gonzales Elementary won't begin for another hour. But instructional assistant Barbara Salazar is already shuttling between the school office and her computer in Classroom 110...

No laughing matter: folk singer and activist Peter Yarrow talks about how music can change the world--one classroom at a time.(Music Power)(Operation Respect)(Interview)
February 1, 2005... It's the slice of school life that disheartens: Between 15 and 30 percent of students have either bullied a classmate or been bullied. And roughly 160,000 children stay home from school each day because they fear what a classmate might do to...

Battle cry: ante up! Grassroots lobbying targets Mississippi legislators. The goal: adequate funds for public schools.(spotlight)(Mississippi Association of Educators)
February 1, 2005... After 20 years in the classroom, Mimi Gray is a pro at convincing kids to do their work--but state legislators have a few lessons to learn too, she says, particularly when it comes to funding public education. Along with thousands of her...

'We're worth it!' Living wage crusader Debbie Minnick tells ESPs how to organize for a decent raise.(esp)(Education Support Professionals)(Interview)
February 1, 2005... Debbie Minnick, a Title I paraprofessional and the president of Education Support Professionals of Ithaca (New York), was recently honored by the National Committee on Pay Equity for leading a successful "living wage" battle in 2001-02 for...

Should tracking be abolished?(Debate)
February 1, 2005... [YES] As a former tracked high school student, I am against tracking. I was a "brain" in high school, always in the honors classes getting good grades. However, I feel that tracking unnecessarily classifies, labels, and segregates...

Computerized test creation & administration.(Product Roundup)
February 1, 2005... Simplify Testing. Improve Retention and Performance. Increase Pass Rates. Provide Accountability. CQuest Assessment Software allows you to easily create exams and prep tests. Tests are immediately graded upon completion, and a history of...

Earn continuing education credits from home.(Product Roundup)
February 1, 2005... Worn out climbing the salary schedule ladder? Tired of taking weekend and evening classes to gain your required continuing education credits? Now you can earn credits from home with ArmchairEd, Earn graduate and undergraduate credits from...

NEA Long Distance.(Product Roundup)
February 1, 2005... Exceptional value and service are yours with NEA Long Distance! Rates are as low as 3.9 cents per minute * with no monthly fees and no long-term commitment. Sign up now at www.owl.org or call 1-800-849-7057 today! * This rate applies...

NEA Professional Library: the bookstore for educators.(Product Roundup)(National Education Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... It takes inspiration to keep students motivated and excited to learn. The NEA Professional Library has the- innovative re-sources you need to revitalize your classroom. Each title is research based and designed for application in real...

Sound field: a guide to the listening~learning link.(Product Roundup)
February 1, 2005... Here's a free, informative guide for teachers interested in experiencing the pleasure of using their own natural calm voice, while the whole class is on task because they can hear every word. You'll also receive a fun poster lesson on how...

Travel. Learn. Repeat.(Product Roundup)
February 1, 2005... Show your students that learning doesn't stop when they leave your classroom. Explorica's high-quality, low-cost educational tours bring your lessons to life. Discuss art at the Louvre, ecology in Costa Rica, or federalism at the Jefferson...

Virtual Education Software, Inc. academic credit * CEU's * clock hours: earn 2 graduate credits for as little as $145 *.(Product Roundup)
February 1, 2005... Courses are on CD-ROM. Topics include: * Student Behavior * Classroom Discipline * Learning Disabilities * Aggression & Violence Available at over 65 accredited universities. * Fees subject to change based on...

WorldWideLearn.com.(Product Roundup)
February 1, 2005... Looking for Online Education? Visit WorldWideLearn.com/nea, the World's largest directory of online education. What we offer--at this site you'll find hundreds of online courses, accredited degree programs, certificates, professional...

You gotta have heart.(Health & Fitness)(achievers, teachers with physical challenge)
February 1, 2005... "Dance in the body you have!" --AGNES DE MILLE, DANCER, AUTHOR This Valentine's Day we're celebrating the love and dedication of teachers who've overcome serious illnesses or physical disabilities to teach--and inspire--children of all...

Ask the experts.(Health & Fitness)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Q: We've been married for 18 years and my husband and I still exchange little gifts--flowers for me, candy for him--on Valentine's Day. But this year, we need something dramatically different. We're struggling with elder care, family illness,...

Silly paperwork: what's the silliest paperwork you've had to fill out?(Bulletin Board)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Answer: We had to fill out a form that asked how paperwork we have and what it was used for. BILLIE SPRADLEY Eighth-grade English teacher Anniston, Alabama Answer: While I was off work for maternity leave 20 years ago, a...

Bathroom breaks.(Bulletin Board)(classrooms)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... What do you do about a student who keeps asking to go to the restroom during class? JOHN SANCHEZ Middle school English and journalism teacher Alta Loma, California Answer: When a student has to go, a student has to go, but...

Master's degree.(Bulletin Board)
February 1, 2005... I would like to get a master's degree, but I still have a student loan from obtaining my bachelor's. Are there grants or scholarships available to teachers like me? I really don't want go further JASON BURGAR Seventh-grade science...

Comparative poetry.(Bulletin Board)(teaching)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... On our Colorado fourth-grade reading exam, the items missed most often are about poetry. We read and write poems, but for this test, students have to compare poems. Does anyone know of good teaching materials for that? RITA CONLEY ...

Not rattled by snakes: ask Matthew Wilson why he hunts for rattlesnakes and this fourth-grade social studies teacher at Port Allegany Elementary School in Pennsylvania, will give you his patented answer.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... "AFTER 28 YEARS OF TEACHING FOURTH GRADERS, I may have some brain damage," he quips. The truth is, Wilson, an amateur herpetologist, is fascinated by the timber rattlesnakes that hide in blueberry fields and under large rocks in North...

Remembering the Titanic.(People)(Charles Haas)(Brief Article)(Biography)
February 1, 2005... Charles Haas' lifelong fascination with a sinking ship has proved to be a treasure trove for this New Jersey high school teacher. Haas, who teaches English and journalism, has co-written five books on the subject. And he claims to be the...

The book fairy: Phyllis Hall's commitment to connecting children and books has earned this Salt Lake City librarian a lot of frequent flyer miles.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, Hall, a library/media specialist at West Jordan High in Utah, has paid her own way to Peru to distribute more than 8,000 books to children in some of the most remote, impoverished areas of this South American country....

Giving his name back: former NEA President Braulio Alonso has received many honors throughout his career as an educator, but he confesses to mixed feelings about one.(People)(National Education Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... THE CITY OF TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA, named one of their new high schools after Alonso, a member of Florida Education Association-Retired. Even with all of his accomplishments, Alonso feels the honor may have come a tad too soon. "I'm certainly...

Attention student members.(Resources)(Jack Kinnaman Scholarship)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... THE JACK KINNAMAN SCHOLARSHIP helps college students defray the cost of higher education. The scholarship was created in memory of NEA-Retired Vice President and former Advisory Council member, Jack Kinnaman. To be considered for the...

Spruce up your school.(Resources)(Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation awards more than $2 million annually to diverse organizations across the United States through community and public school improvement projects and education scholarships for trade disciplines....

Calling captain planet.(Resources)(Captain Planet Foundation's grants for environmental projects)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Captain Planet Foundation offers grants between $250 and $2,500 for environmental projects that: * promote understanding of environmental issues * focus on hands-on involvement * involve children and young adults 6-18 *...

Help for music progams.(Resources)(Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation Melody Program )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation Melody Program provides musical instruments and instrument repairs to existing K-12 school music programs that have no other source of financing to purchase additional musical instruments and materials. Grant...

Brown v. Board exhibition.(On The Web)(precedent--setting court cases online)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... "With an Even Hand: Brown v. Board at Fifty" is an online exhibition that examines precedent-setting court cases that laid the groundwork for the Brown v. Board decision, explores the Supreme Court argument and the public's response to it,...

Looking for new fund-raisers?(On The Web)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... This breeze-through site offers a short list of interesting school fund-raising ideas and some new twists on old standards. The next time your school club needs money, why not sell something useful like first-aid kits, host a faculty contest,...

Feel it in your bones.(On The Web)(Education Committee of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... A project of the Education Committee of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), this site delivers no-nonsense, illustrated information on the body's support structure, focusing on areas such as bone structure, bone cells,...

An ocean of info.(On The Web)(Oceanus magazine online)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Interested in whales, oil spills, and the health and fate of our oceans? Then check out Oceanus magazine online. The site contains articles and commentary on the meaning and value of ocean research, engineering, and education at Woods Hole...

Reviled and revered.(On The Web)(Smithsonian Office of Education)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... From the Smithsonian Office of Education, this site for grades 3-8 uses five lessons to help students examine misconceptions about herps (the collective name given to reptiles and amphibians), discover how humans have viewed herps throughout...

Brushing up on U.S. immigration.(On The Web)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... This Library of Congress site offers multiple online exhibits examining immigration to the United States in the last few hundred years. Jewish life in America for the last 350 years, mid to late 19th-century Chinese immigration, images of...

Teaching about taxes.(On The Web)(www.irs.gov)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Why do we pay taxes? If your high school or community college students (or you for that matter) have ever asked this question, then look to the IRS Understanding Taxes site. Detailed lesson plans, interactive activities, simulations, examples...

Diversity calendar.(Resources)(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... FEBRUARY 1-28--BLACK HISTORY MONTH A time to reflect on the achievements, history, and contributions of African Americans. Created by Carter G. Woodson in the 1920s as Negro History Week, the celebration became month-long in 1976. ...

Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy.(Books By NEA Members)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... By Andrea Warren With a bleak-looking future in his own country, eight-year-old Long, an Amerasian orphan whose father was an American, escaped Vietnam at the end of the war. Through Operation Babylift, which airlifted children out of...

The Perfect Stage Crew: the Compleat Technical Guide for High School, College, and Community Theater.(Books By NEA Members)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... By John Kaluta A technical theater veteran shows it is possible to pull off a fantastic production on a limited budget in less than 40 days in this volume covering the nuts and bolts of putting a show together. The book tackles the most...

Keystone Stables: the Trouble with Skye.(Books By NEA Members)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... By Marsha Hubler Angry, 13-year-old, foster kid Skye Nicholson has been in so much trouble that she faces juvenile detention. Luckily, though, Tom and Eileen Chambers decide to give her one last chance and take her into their home....

Addressing legal issues around students' sexual orientation.(Take Note)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... A consortium of national organizations--including NEA--under the leadership of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), has issued a resource document to help school leaders address legal issues surrounding students" sexual orientation...

Teaching religions from the news.(Take Note)(online education)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Thirteen/WNET-produced newsmagazine program Religion & Ethics Newsweekly offers an online video workshop for high school and college educators that highlights the special resources that the news can offer for teaching about world...

Equality in schools.(In Print)(Sarah's Long Walk: The Free Blacks of Boston and How Their Struggle for Equality Changed America)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... The struggle to desegregate America's schools began 100 years before Brown v. Board of Education when a 5-year-old girl named Sarah was forced to walk past five white schools to reach her poor and overcrowded all-Black school. In Sarah's Long...

Standing short.(In Print)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... Michael Jordan isn't a basketball player--at least not this Michael Jordan. This Michael is the shortest kid in seventh grade. So when a pretty blond eighth grader named Macy starts to pay a lot of attention to him, Michael is amazed. Could...

Make the most of that campus visit.(In Print)(Spying on the College of Your Choice)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... With all the colleges out there, how can students be expected to choose which one will best fit them? A good source of information for students and their families, Spying on the College of Your Choice by Steven Oppenheimer acts as a guide...

True devotion.(In Print)(Hachiko Waits )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... Hachiko the dog waits every day at the train station for his owner, the Professor, to return. Then one day, the Professor does not return on the train. So Hachiko continues to wait for him... for 10 years! Inspired by a true story, Leslea...

Heads up from NEA Member Benefits: helping NEA members and their families "Make it Home.".(Resources)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Spring is home buying season, and now is the perfect time to think about your homeownership goals. The NEA Home Financing Program[R] offers a variety of home financing programs that make it easier for you to purchase a home or make the most...

Grant writing tips.(In Print)(Grant Writing for Educators: Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators, and Staff)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... Using Beverly A. Brownings' Grant Writing for Educators: Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators, and Staff, you will be able to improve your grant writing skills and increase the odds of receiving those much-needed grants. This...

A picture of Dad.(My Dad)(Children's Review)(Brief Review)
February 1, 2005... Anthony Browne's book, My Dad, uses colorful illustrations filled with imagination and exaggeration as a child describes the accomplishments of his father. Clad in his comfy bathrobe, the boy's dad can--literally--eat like a horse and wrestle...

A happy end.(In Print)(The Best Bottom)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
February 1, 2005... All of the animals at the farm gather together to decide who has The Best Bottom. Author Brigitte Minne's simple and amusing contest of tails features all the farm animals admiring the splendor of their own tails. With some resourceful...

Flying through history.(In Print)(Flying over the USA: Airplanes in American Life)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... Martin W. Sandier tells the story of American aviation in Flying over the USA: Airplanes in American Life. Sandier describes the exciting stories of the American pioneers in flight, and traces the path from hot air balloon flight to...

Poetry for animal lovers.(In Print)(Animal Poems)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
February 1, 2005... John Hollander edited this collection of Animal Poems. Discover which creatures inspired such literary heavyweights as Dickinson, Tennyson, and Wordsworth into writing. Vivid illustrations accompany the lively verse, and kids are sure to love...

Indoor air quality tools for schools promotional product available!.(What's Up at HIN)(Health Information Network)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Are you having trouble convincing your principal or superintendent to improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) in your school or school district? If so, EPA has created "The IAQ Tools for Schools Advantage," a 4-minute VHS video/CD-ROM package...