How will does the year round calendar affect raleigh schools

Raleigh Schools, in the Wake County district of North Carolina, have been praised for doing a lot of things right. This is especially true in the area of diversity. In 2000 the Raleigh Schools’ goal has been to limit the number of students receiving reduced lunches to 40% per school. Many studies have shown that large amounts of poverty negatively affect all students, and Raleigh Schools were praised for this racially blind method of ensuring diversity. Organizations as diverse as the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, the Bush administration and many educational organizations commended the move.

That’s not to stay that Raleigh Schools have not had some struggles. 30 of the 143 Raleigh Schools currently exceed the 40% goal. Still, most board members and educators have been pleased with the results. Another initiative, which has garnered both praise and criticism, may put the diversity gains of Raleigh Schools at risk.

Back in 1989 Raleigh Schools first implemented voluntary year round schools. Year round schools make better use of facilities, and help students retain more knowledge by giving many shorter 3-week breaks as opposed to the traditional summer vacation. Mainly affluent families signed up for those voluntary schools, as childcare is hard to come by during those 3-week breaks for financially strapped working families. The Raleigh Schools’ Board responded by assigning specific neighborhoods to each year round school, and involuntarily assigning children to schools. Here’s the problem.

Some parents don’t want their children bussed to schools on the year round calendar, in neighborhoods where they were not comfortable socially, or that were too far from their homes. Recently, those parents of Raleigh Schools won a court ruling that requires parental consent to send children to year round and modified calendar schools. While parents may see this as a win, civil rights advocates and Raleigh Schools’ educators in favor of diversity are very concerned.

African American community leaders, including Raleigh School Board vice chairman Rosa Gill, are urging parents to consent to keep their children in the year round school to strengthen both diversity and academic strength. Many of the children opting out of the year round school option do so because their parents say that they don’t fit into that more affluent environment. On the reverse side, some better-off families want to opt out in order to attend traditional or more desirable schools as well. Either scenario threatens the balance of diversity for which Raleigh Schools have received great acclaim.

Do parents know what’s best, or are they unintentionally contributing to academic struggles at Raleigh Schools? The court has ruled, and the nation will watch Raleigh Schools closely for the outcome.

Spark your toddler s creativity and imagination

By age six months onwards, your toddler has become even more curious about his surroundings, experimenting on various things, putting on his mouth whatever he gets his hands on. It is by this time that you see that your baby is excited to explore the world around him. It is also by this time that you have to level-up to more advanced ways to hone two of the most important aspects of his overall development—his creativity and imagination.

One effective way to stimulate your kid’s creativity is to fill his world with colors and shapes. Redecorate his baby color themed nursery by painting the walls with vibrant colors and maybe even turning it to a mural wall painted with kid friendly characters and drawings. Adorn his room with decorations of various shapes, colors and sizes.

Give him toys that will incite his creative imagination. Building blocks are ideal toys for this age, not only because it works to improve fine motor skills but also encourage your kid to use his imagination to build. Stacking toys such as stackable cups and pails are also exciting for your kid and will also be good for the stimulation of his creativity.

Do toddler art projects with him. Who says a toddler like your kid is too young for an art project? There is no age limit for anyone who desires to be a Picasso or a Van Gogh. However there are appropriate art projects for every age especially for kids. For your toddler kid, you can engage him in a little painting session. Paint his feet and hands with non-toxic, water-based and hypoallergenic poster colors and have him put his hand and foot marks on a piece of paper or canvass. This will not only spark his creativity but also elicit giggles from him. Just be sure that you clean him thoroughly afterwards and that he does not put his hands in his mouth during the activity.

Encourage imaginative pretend plays. You may not find your toddler zooming around pretending to be Superman like his older kid brother but it doesn’t mean that he can’t engage in his own kind of imaginative pretend plays. As early as now, you can encourage pretend plays by playing with your kid. For example, you can pretend to be characters in a story, use his Baby Einstein puppet to act like a wizard while you are the princess and your toddler is the hero of the story.

Read books to him. Toddlers are fascinated with books especially those that have vivid and colourful visual prints and images. Engage him to browse at these books while you go on to read to him the adventures of little duckling or the classic Pinocchio. Remember, even though you’re toddler is too young to completely comprehend an entire story, this is a stepping stone in stimulating his imagination.

Your toddler has untapped creativity that needs to be honed. It is up to you as parent to awaken his creative imagination, and help him make it bloom and flourish.

Pro and cons of home schooling

Home schooling is a popular way to educate children all around the globe for a variety of reasons. Main home schooling pros and cons follow.

Cons

Level of Learning - Too many people think that those children who are home schooled will not receive appropriate levels of education compared to students learning in public and private schools. On the contrary, parents of home scholars work with their local boards of education, principals and / or other educational consultants to ensure they are meeting the requirements set forth.

Socialization - Another negative viewpoint is that those students who are studying at home do not get to mingle enough with their peer groups and other instructors, administration and school personnel and teachers. And that's just hogwash. Students at home meet with others in home school groups to tour all types of local and far away places that coordinate with their study plans. And equally if not more important, home school students are introduced to real life people throughout their days: bankers, grocers, and other professionals introduced through their program studies and real life as they go around on errands with parents.

Lack of Routine / Regimented Days - Some view a lack of disciplined hours Monday through Friday with home schooled students as negative. However, many home school parents establish routines at home, too. Children are not left haphazardly running around the streets unattended.

Lack of Real World Environment & Prep - And still others believe that home schooled children will lack environmental and other preparation for real life that public and private school supposedly teach their students. Again, more hogwash. Home schooled children learn science, technology, music, gym, any and all subjects - only more thoroughly, because they are focusing on what they are learning, not being bored with subjects taught over and over to help slower paced learners so that everyone is up to speed.

Pros

Private for Less Money - A home school education is like enjoying private education without the cost. Students get more one-on-one help, targeted lessons and advanced learning opportunities as their teachers do not have to teach to all levels, often covering lower-learning levels that bore more average and advanced learners.

Improved Targeted Subjects - lessons in the home school environment are also to be customized much more easily than those in public and private school. Results include much higher levels of education with targeted useful knowledge to help students after graduation.

Higher Grades - Home schooled students are known to average much higher grades than their peers in public and private schools. Many get accepted to top colleges and universities on scholarships.

Boredom Busters - Home schooling allows students to move ahead to better topics.

Draw up a future with video game design

If there is one area that technology has enhanced by leaps and bounds it is the world of video game design. With stunning effects and graphics, video games are more popular than ever. Just when it seems they can't get any better, something comes along that allows them to continue to amaze and astonish many with lifelike detail and captivating features.

Those who enter this field not only love video games but also have a great respect for all that goes into creating them. Behind every great game there are a number of elements that work together to create a mind-blowing end product. A lacking in any one of these elements can mean the difference between a game that flies off the shelves and a game that barely makes it off the clearance rack.

More than anything, video game design consists of teamwork. From concept to finished product, individuals trained in graphic design, computer animation, marketing and public relations are only a few of the job titles associated with this type of career. Each has their own various skills that are not only beneficial but also crucial to the production of video games.

As the popularity of technology and video games skyrocket with no end in sight, many educational institutions have begun offering courses in video game design and animation. Students can learn how to create games, develop software, use animation mathematics and master coding languages. These state of the art skills provide a well-rounded education in order to prepare one for a career in the real world of video games.

The amount of high tech skills in this field is likely to require a Bachelor's degree in order to be considered for basic entry-level positions. A Bachelor's degree will give the fundamental knowledge of the field and can require as little as three years to obtain. With time and experience, one can then move up and branch out on their career path with further education.

With a Master's degree one will not only have high-level software programming and design under their belt but the ability to oversee the coordination of large productions. While the head of a division faces large responsibilities and challenges, their training gives them all the skills they need to effectively handle the development process from start to finish. It is a career that is highly challenging but just as satisfying and rewarding.

Those with degrees in video game design can count on a good starting salary that only gets stronger with time and experience. The more skills under one's belt, the better their income will be. Employers in the video game industry are always looking to be the best and can only do so by hiring those with the top skills.

As technology constantly evolves this field in and out of different phases, one must have a flexible personality that can roll with the inevitable changes. It is also a field that is competitive, requiring individuals to have a winning attitude. Because of the amount of computer programming that is involved, a person interested in this field can expect to update and learn new skills on a regular basis.

Those interested in video game design have the benefit of knowing theirs is a career choice that shows no sign of slowing down. As new technologies combine, individuals in this vocation have the very opportunity to be at the forefront of shaping part of a population's culture. Despite the fact that video games have become a billion dollar industry, elements of video game history have managed to become a unique reflection of the times and the world we live in.