EDC Online Reports: August 12, 2004

August 12, 2004 - Issue # 8

Education Development Center, Inc.

Improving education and health worldwide since 1958.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In this issue:

INTERNATIONAL
1. Teachers in Yemen Learn to Use the Internet for Classroom Instruction
2. Videos to Educate Marginally Literate Girls from Laos to Thailand
3. EDC Joins Bertelsmann Foundation to Advance Health in German Schools

UNITED STATES
4. EDC White Paper Discusses Potential of E-Learning for Teachers
5. Benefits of "One-to-One Computing" Detailed in Study of Laptop
Initiative
6. Video Offers Young People Strategies to Prevent Bullying in Middle
School
7. Smaller is Better, According to Policy Statement from National Forum to
Accelerate Middle Grades Reform
8. Featured Web Tour: Resources for Parents

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

1. Yemen Online: EDC to Train Yemeni Teachers on Classroom Uses of the Internet

Yemen is one of the least developed countries in the Arab world, a society where literacy rates for girls and women run as low as 30 percent, while poverty rates are correspondingly high. In a bold pilot project beginning this September, USAID will wire 24 Yemeni high schools to the Internet for the first time. EDC and its partners iEARN and World Links will train teachers to use the new technology as well as conduct research on the impact of the initiative, notably on the experience of girls.

2. From Laos to Thailand: Using Videos to Educate Marginally Literate Girls

Along the Mekong River Young girls around the Mekong region are drawn to cross into Thailand by media images of safe, healthy, and well-dressed youth with money in their pockets, enjoying a comfortable life. But what the young Laotian girls don't see before they cross the Mekong River are the large number of illegal migrants unable to survive on the little money they take home from work. The young girls are often exploited by unscrupulous employers, denied health services, and given little opportunity to further their education. This pilot project is using video compact disc technology -- already very popular in the region -- to meet critical learning needs among these young girls and other groups of at-risk youth.

3. Advancing Health and Learning in German Schools: EDC Joins Bertelsmann Foundation for Healthy Schools Project

The German Bertelsmann Foundation announced the formation of a four-year partnership with EDC aimed at advancing health and learning in German schools. The new partnership will work to improve the health and learning of German students and their teachers. Together, the partners will provide support and evidence-based resources for high-quality education, healthy school environments, school-community coalitions, as well as targeted health interventions in an effort to produce good educational results by fostering health.

4. E-Learning for Educators: EDC White Paper Discusses the Role of E-Learning in Teacher Professional Development

In a white paper prepared for a recent U.S. Department of Education Leadership Summit, EDC Vice President Glenn Kleiman discusses ways that e-learning approaches can be used to help meet the teacher quality requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. In his paper, "Meeting the Need for High Quality Teachers: e-Learning Solutions," Kleiman presents principles of effective professional development and discusses ways that e-learning can serve as a component of a successful program.

5. Laptops in School: Study Outlines the Benefits of One-to-One Computing for Students, Teachers

According to a study released this week by SRI International and EDC, an overwhelming majority of grade 6-12 teachers and students in the Henrico County, Virginia, public school district have benefited from the use of laptop computers. The Henrico County program has provided 25,000 laptops to students and teachers and is the largest single-district "one-to-one computing" initiative in the United States.

6. Bullying in Middle Schools: EDC Video Offers Alternatives to Violence

Bullying and other forms of violence -- from fighting to weapon use -- can happen in any school in any community. In most cases, there are bystanders who see violence happening or hear about it before it occurs. Often, however, bystanders do not know what actions they can take to prevent violence or keep it from escalating. Voices Against Violence, a ground-breaking video created by HHD, addresses the critical role that bystanders -- both adults and youth -- can play in preventing school violence.

7. Smaller is Better: Policy Statement from the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform

Fewer adolescent students would slip through the cracks if their schools were smaller and more personal, according to the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. The EDC-based group recently called upon federal, state, and local policymakers to provide resources and support for creating small schools at the middle-grades level.

8. Featured Web Tours: Resources for Parents: Preschool and Elementary Years Resources for Parents: Middle and High School Years

Parents can play a vital role in their children's education. Research shows that parental involvement with children's education -- even before school starts -- enhances student performance. Numerous EDC projects develop materials and resources that parents find useful as they raise their children. Many of our projects also provide resources to deepen parents' connections to their children's schools and enhance their involvement with schools and communities.

type full url here

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you have comments about the EDC Online Report or any items mentioned, we'd like to hear from you. E-mail us at: onlinereport@edc.org.

If you would like to subscribe to the EDC Online Report, simply enter you e-mail address below and press submit.

EDC does not rent, sell, or otherwise distribute to third parties the e-mail addresses on this list. You can always modify your info or unsubscribe from the list via a link at the bottom of every e-mail we send.

Newsroom