New Film Delves Into Children's Education In Steel Town

The topic of school education was spotlighted two years ago in a great documentary, "Waiting for Superman". Even before that, some great films about school and teachers came out, cases in point being "Stand And Deliver" and "Lean On Me", as well as "To Sir With Love" and "Blackboard Jungle". But a new film chronicles a school needing change badly.

Inspired by true events, "Won't Back Down" (PG), tells the tale of Adams Elementary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It seems that this school doesn't quite care enough about the students, but more about the teachers getting their benefits. One teacher though does care enough about educating kids better. Meet Nora Alberts (Viola Davis), who had shown passion for teaching until the system began to deprive her energy. She also has a young man who is having trouble with math skills, as well as a destroyed marriage.

Nora meets up with a single mother, Jamie Fitzpatrick (Maggie Gyllenhaal) whose daughter attends Adams and has a dyslexic problem that her teacher doesn't understand. Attempts to talk to the principal are to no avail, thus she and Nora team up to try to fix the problem.

But they have to battle with the other teachers as well as bureaucratic policies to turn the school towards the right direction. Nora and Jamie manage to collect signatures going door to door, making for one great sequence using visual effects as the pair go from one floor to another in their attempts to obtain votes to help out.

Meantime the other teachers, which include an energetic music teacher (Oscar Issac) who does fall for Jamie; Nora's fellow teacher and friend Breena (Rosie Perez); and a very snooty teacher named Deborah (Nancy Bach) who is only concerned with getting her tenure, are scared of losing their jobs and benefits.

Finally Jamie gets in contact with the head Union official, Evelyn Riske (Holly Hunter). Evelyn tells Jamie she is fighting a losing battle, yet believes the children should be educated better than they are. Nora then approaches Olivia Perez (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), an administrator who goes by the rules but does like Nora's ideas to help the school.

It comes down to the finale, taking place at the school board with the Union members pitting against Nora, Jamie and the concerned parents who want a change for the better..

Daniel Barnz co-wrote the script and directed the film which gets the viewer involved with the story and the two leads. It is an important issue we face today as we want to have children be better educated so they can go on to have fine lives. While it is intended well, I felt that there should have been a little more meat to the story and how it strongly affects the kids.

The film does concentrate heavily on Jamie and Nora who have a common goal and have good chemistry joining forces. But I wished that some of the supporting characters were better fleshed out and not shallow like they are portrayed.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is very good as the single mother of the dyslexic child, but she also has a secret of her own that is revealed during the board meeting. She comes off as a caring person trying to balance her life having two jobs and making sure that her kid gets the education she needs.

Viola Davis is so good, turning another worthy performance of a woman who have been beaten by the current system but is ready to fight back and make her workplace shine better. She really is an inspiration here, showing grace while being wounded in life.

While it was good to see Rosie Perez again, her role is one-dimensional but does make the best of it. Oscar Issac seems charming enough and does have good chemistry with Gyllenhall, but his character doesn't have enough to do. Holly Hunter and Marrianne Jean-Baptiste do journeyman work in their roles yet the script should gave them a little more to do.

The cinematography of Ronan Osin does get the essence of the Pittsburgh streets nicely while Marcos Zarvos' score is amiable. The editing should have been a little bit tighter but that one scene of Nora and Jamie going door to door was a marvel to view.
This movie took me back to my elementary school days and looking back at that I feel that most teachers were older and didn't want to retire. I had a very bad 5th grade teacher who always wanted to use me as a whipping post. I was mostly at the wrong place at the wrong time, thus I was unjustly punished. And yes she was old; I felt like she was just collecting her paycheck and not caring for any of the kids unlike my 4th and 6th grade teachers who were young at the time and concerned.

I felt strongly that if I had the chance to do it, I would either go to a private school or be homeschooled. It seems this day and age most kids have taken that road and for the most part are successful.

"Won't Back Down" is a likable try to make the viewer understand about how schools are operated today. But I wish the film would have been given a stronger case than it does. Nonetheless I do recommend it somewhat for the performances of Gyllenhall and Davis, as well as making a good conversation point after viewing.

Writing for Children - Step-By-Step Through Educational Publishing

If you enjoy writing nonfiction and love to research topics in all sorts of different subject areas then educational publishing just might be right for you. Many educational publishers need writers. Surprisingly, though, these publishers generally don't advertise that fact to writer's magazines or market guides. So here's how to get started in this active market.

DEVELOP A FOCUS

There are basically two different areas of focus you can take in educational publishing. The first is on writing nonfiction (and some fiction, too) that will be used directly by children (sometimes with the help of a parent or teacher). This type of material includes reference books, early-readers, remedial readers, textbooks, educational games, workbooks, and even CDs.

The second focus available in the educational market is creating and developing materials that will be used with children by parents, librarians, and teachers. These materials include everything from books of language arts activities designed to help teachers in the classroom, to books of bulletin board ideas and finger puppet patterns.

It doesn't really matter which focus you choose. There are dozens of opportunities available for writers who want to develop educational materials directly for kids, as well as opportunities for those writers who wish to develop materials for teachers and parents to use with kids.

ASSESS YOUR SKILLS AND BACKGROUND

To develop a focus in educational publishing you will need to assess your skills and background. If you have experience as a preschool or elementary school teacher or librarian, for example, there are many educational publishers who might like to work with you.

Do you speak fluent Spanish, in addition to English? Then you might be able to freelance for educational publishers that produce books for children who are learning English as a second language.

Even if you don't speak Spanish (or any other foreign language for that matter) and you've never been a librarian or a teacher, you can still break into children's educational publishing. Many publishers don't require authors to have a background in education. They simply want good writers who know how to thoroughly research a topic and write about it in a way that children will find interesting and easy to understand. An excellent way to test your researching skills will be to research different educational publishers. Find out which ones do hire writers without teaching experience, and which ones do hire writers to develop projects they create in house (more about this later).

DEVELOP YOUR RESUME OR BIO

Once you develop a focus for the type of educational materials you want to create, you will need to let publishers know you're available and what you have to offer. For this you will need a brief bio or a resume. A bio (short for biography) consists of a few sentences or paragraphs that describe your background and publishing experience. The back inside cover of most books (both fiction and nonfiction) usually includes a short bio of the author. Read the bios of a few of your favorite authors until you get the hang of how a bio should be written. You probably won't have as much publishing experience as your favorite author, but you'll still be able to come up with a sentence or two that describes your work as a writer and/or educator. It might be something as simple as, "Mary Roberts is a former third grade teacher with over 20 years of experience in the classroom. While she was teaching, Ms. Roberts developed a wide variety of activities to use with her students."

A resume is longer than a bio. It should include a list of your publishing credits, any writing related experience, and a list of your teaching experience (if applicable), as well as your education.

In addition to a bio or resume, you'll need to get good at writing cover letters. A cover letter simply introduces you to the publisher and explains that you are either looking for assignments with this publisher or you wish to submit your own ideas for publication. If you hope to submit your own ideas for publication, you'll need to learn how to write a proposal or prospectus. Many publishers have guidelines for proposals at their website. In fact, some publishers even have a form you can complete online that will let you pitch your idea directly to an editor to see if there's any interest in your idea before you go to all the work of developing a full proposal.

Generally, a proposal should include an outline or a table of contents for the book you are proposing, an introduction or overview, and enough sample pages to give editors a clear idea of the book you are proposing, as well as your writing style. If you're proposing a book with illustrations, yet you're not an illustrator, don't worry about the illustrations. Simple drawings that make your ideas clear will be sufficient. Usually the publisher has artists on staff, or will hire an outside artist, to illustrate your book if it is accepted for publication.

STUDY THE MARKETS

Once you've developed a bio or resume, it's time to start studying the markets. Skim through the pages of a current children's book market guide to find listings for a wide array of educational book publishers that produce materials for children, parents, and educators. Many of these listings include the URL for each publisher's website. Go to publishers' websites that you are interested in writing for to see if manuscript submission guidelines, along with information about their current needs, are posted there. Search these websites carefully. Sometimes the manuscript submission guidelines are a bit difficult to find. Look under the "About Us" or "Contact Us" pages if you don't see a link directly to submission guidelines. Once you get to the guidelines, study them carefully. Also, study the kinds of books and other materials this publisher publishes by looking through their online catalog or list of products.

Also send off for publishers' catalogs, then look through them to see how much space is allocated to each subject. If most of the space in a catalog is allocated to products about science, for example, then you will have a better chance of selling science related products to this publisher than you would materials for other subject areas.

CONTACT PUBLISHERS

Once you've developed a bio and resume, and you've studied several educational publishers, you'll need to contact the publishers that interest you. If you don't have a manuscript you wish to submit, but would like to write for a particular educational publisher, send a cover letter asking if they hire writers to develop titles they create in house. Include your bio or resume, along with a few clips of articles you have published (if you have them) or some writing samples.

As you gain writing experience and acquire more writing credits, chances are you will also develop more contact with other writers. Learn to network with these people to find out about additional opportunities with educational publishers.

In the end, most educational publishers just want good writers and researchers. If that describes you, then educational publishing just might be what you've been looking for to get your writing career off the ground.

The Parents Should Take Some Control Over Their Children's Education

The education of children is so important nowadays that you shouldn't leave it up to the schools. Schools do their best but there is more to giving your children a head start in life than what is taught in schools. Schools can only do so much and if your child starts to get left behind in any subject it is time for you - the parents - to step up and do something about it. And that is not going to the school and throwing a tantrum.

It is time to start taking control of your child's future. In Asia the education of children is so important that most students do extra classes outside of school hours. And they nearly all try to learn English. Because they know if they can get ahead in English they will have a very good chance of getting a good job.

In the Western World there doesn't seem to be as much emphasis on education. Schools have gone from a place of learning to some place for kids to go during the day. Elementary children's education in the west is still very good but in high school it starts to fall down.

I think a lot has to do with attitude towards the future. Over the last 30 years we have had a good life and kids have never worried about the future. But that is about to change and I think that will affect the attitude of children towards to education. In China before the economic miracle children needed a good education to survive. But now over the last 10 to 15 years this generation has only seen magnificent cities grow out of the paddy fields. So the children's education standards are dropping dramatically. They are catching up to the west in more ways that one.

Parent's Involvement in Children's Education

ABSTRACT

The importance of parental involvement as an accelerating and motivating factor in their children’s education is a worldwide-accepted fact. This research project provides an in depth explanation along with specific reasons, the importance of parents’ involvement in their children’s education. It also discusses the parenting techniques, their types and their consequences if neglected. It also describes the ways to measure the outcome of the positive parental involvement. Furthermore, it mentions the teachers involvement and the difficulties faced by the teachers in getting parents involved in their children’s (this is further supported by the examples of two teachers who with their deliberate efforts won the parents over to devote their maximum attention towards their children), single-parent involvement, children’s own efforts to improve their academic levels and joint home-school based interventions. A detailed analysis of the different main ideas is given, based on the findings from other research surveys and projects.

INTRODUCTION:

Parental involvement can be seen to fall into three types: 1) Behavioral, 2) Intellectual and 3) Personal. The research explores the effect of multi-dimensional participation of parents and the resulting progress of children in their studies when different parental resources were dedicated to them. Actively participating parents help their children in their academic development by going to schools and participating in open houses. By keenly observing the behavior of their children they can rightly judge the kind of behavior or the allocation of resources required by their children. Such caring parents can also motivate teachers to become more attentive towards a particular student, thus maintaining the cycle of parent-teacher involvement. Encourage Building up cognitive and perception abilities in a child is a major concern in the upbringing of the child. The way the parents involve their children in cognitive learning is by exposing them to different cognitively stimulating activities and materials such as books, electronic media and current events at home. This helps the child to practice all sorts of language comprehending skills at the school. The results show a remarkably positive behavior at the school and with peers.

Two parenting processes namely the Supportive Parenting (SP) and Harsh Parenting (HP) helped a lot in the research of parental involvement in their children’s education. By adjusting the levels of supportive parenting, different levels of successful outcomes were observed. Supportive parenting in even kindergarten students yielded positive results. Four measures of supportive parenting were used in the study, they were:

1. Proactive teaching.

2. Calm discussion in disciplinary encounters.

3. Warmth.

4. Interest and involvement in peer activities.

The assessments were conducted when children entered kindergarten and when they reached grade 6. There was a factor noted to hinder children’s development: family adversity. It was the result of a multipurpose negative process that included the risk of low socio-economic status, single-parenting and family stress. Child maladjustments were found to be more common in families with such adversities. No matter how much negative impacts were cast, SP was found to overcome the risks associated with family adversity. SP was strongly related to adjustment procedures in grade 6 children who had single parent family or experienced low socio-economic status (SES) in their early childhood.

In a way to socialize their children, parents adopted the techniques of calm discussion and proactive teaching. They helped lessen the behavioral problems by carrying long discussions with their children, cultivating in them a sense of respect, calmness and peace of mind. Mothers also participated actively in reducing the peer stress among their children. It is also a widely accepted fact that supportive parenting plays an important role in the children’s development of empathy, prosocial behavior and emotional competence. On the negative side, the absence of supportive parenting may be related to the development of internal problems such as anxiety and depression.

Lack of the necessary parental care and attention is the main factor for the subsequent rise in the percentage of juvenile delinquency (crime among children). The absence of parental instructions causes children to develop irreversible behavioral and emotional problems. They in order to seek attention, resort to crimes thinking that in this way they could fulfill their wishes. They may revert to uncontrolled violence if not kept an eye upon. Such criminal activities cannot be brought to a halt until their distressing symptoms of low self-esteem, depression, dysphonic mood, tension and worries, and other disturbances are relieved. And the importance of parents’ role in this regard cannot be over-emphasized.

In an effort to describe parental involvement, many researchers use a term “Transition”(Lombardi, Joan). “Transition” is used to describe the time period in which children move from home to school, from school to after school activities, from one activity to another within a pre-school, or from pre-school to kindergarten. The untiring endeavors of teachers in the phenomenon of transition cannot be ignored. They prepared the children and their parents to face the problems of adjusting to elementary school programs that had different psychology, teaching styles and structure than the programs offered at the kindergarten

level. In the elementary level schools the teachers had to face serious challenges in motivating the parents to take interest in their children’s activities. The teachers adopted different methods to involve the parents in day-to-day classroom and home activities. They used to send notes, invitation of parent-teacher meetings, invitation of parental guidance sessions and training sessions, continuously directing the parent’s attention towards their children. Patricia Brown Clark suggests that it is very important to keep the line of communication between teachers and parents open, so that the parents can interact with the teachers and get up to date information of their children’s school activities. One way to involve parents is to schedule school events and arranging classroom activities such as volunteering for libraries, acting as classroom aides or efficiently organizing lunch breaks. The teachers also opt for making phone calls at the children’s houses to keep in touch with the parents and getting to know the extent to which they are contributing towards the welfare of their children. Apart from the above activities, the teachers also assign home activities for both the parents and their children so that the parents remain indulged in their children and the children get to study at home. However, it was a bad and disappointing experience for the teachers when many of the parents failed to respond as expected. Many of the parents were so overwhelmed with their official work that they could hardly take out some time for their beloved children.

Moreover, for some parents their schoolings were not positive and character-boosting experiences, therefore they preferred to keep a distance from their children’s school as well. This made it really difficult and at times impossible for teachers to bring the parental involvement to the desired level. Nevertheless, the activities of two teachers proved greatly fruitful in making parents involved in their children. They were Carlos Valdez, an art teacher and 8th grade class sponsor, and Mike Hogan, the school’s band director. They did it by involving parents in music festivals and other school ceremonies. They proved to be great examples for the future teachers to come.

If the children’s academic development programs are to prove successful they must share two characteristics:

1) Developmentally appropriate practice:

A child’s academic progress is clearly reflected by the appropriate practice he/she administers while in school life. During transitions from pre-school to kindergarten, a child if given the exact developmentally appropriate practice tends to learn a great deal of language and playing skills. He develops a keen interest in exploring his environments and interacting (without hesitation) with his adults.

2) Supportive services:

These include the assistance that the school provides to low-income family students. The services include health care, childcare and community care. This strengthens the relation between school and children and creates a sense of security and confidence among the children. They get to learn that their communities are a part of their school since the school’s supportive services strive to help community development.

It is commonly believed that children are good self-teachers. Their self-initiated strategies help improve their expression, creativity, intellectual capabilities and extra-curricular skills. This idea is proved by the documentation of young children’s work provided by Reggio Emilia :

“The Reggio Emilia educators highlight young children’s amazing capabilities and indicate that it is through the unity of thinking and feeling that young children can explore their world, represent their ideas, and communicate with others at their highest level.”(Edwards, Pope. C, Springate, Wright.K)

The climax rests in the fact that how the parents would know that their sincere involvements are really proving worthwhile for their children. The answer lies in the attitude of the children. The degree of parental involvement can be judged by a child’s attitude towards his school subjects, his academic desires and achievements. There is a direct relationship between academic achievements and the attitude towards school. Schunk in 1981 had the following idea of aspiration or academic desires:

“Level of aspiration is defined as one’s subjective probability that he or she will reach a certain level of education.”(Abu, H. & Maher, M)

As a result children who received adequate parental concern were found to be much more confident in their academic desires and achievements than those who could not get the right amount of parental concern.
The individual involvement of mothers and fathers also plays a vital role in the behavioral development of a child. Students from one-parent household were observed to show less positive attitude towards schools and studies as compared to students from two-parent households. One study aimed at investigating parental concern showed that despite mothers’ sincere endeavors, the role of fathers could not be ignored and both served as an important foundation for the future progress of the child. This can be proved from the following fact:

According to a recent report from the National Center for Educational Statistics (1997), compared to their counterparts, children with involved fathers are more likely to have participated in educational activities with their parents (e.g., to have visited a museum or a historical site with their parents in the past month), and are more likely to have access to multiple types of resources at home as well (as measured by the proportion of parents who belong to community or professional organizations, or regularly volunteer in the community). (Flouri, E. And Buchanan, A, Pg.142)

Also, the parental involvement has been discussed and implemented in terms of interventions or prevention programs, which are nothing but safety measures taken to assure healthy and perfect upbringing of the child. The study uses school-based and home-only intervention programs to find out the extent of intellectual capabilities found in children from different family backgrounds. The success of one school-based interventions can be proved from the following fact, which was a part of “Education Service Improvement Plan 2001-2005” of Edinburgh:

----The Scottish Executive Discipline Task Force, which studied the causes of poor behavior among pupils in schools produced a report of 'Better Behavior - Better Learning' in June 2001. The report included 36 recommendations for action, which were then turned into an Action Plan in 2002. Many of these have implications for the Education Authority. (Craig Millar Instep Project)

Franchise Opportunities - 7 Benefits of Children's Education Franchises

If you have a background as an educator, a daycare provider, preschool provider, or are an entrepreneur or a business executive that loves children and would enjoy the challenge of making a difference in their educational lives, perhaps a Childhood Education and Development franchise might be the perfect business for you.

In general, education is one of those industries that people invest in no matter what the economic climate. In fact, in difficult financial times, families invest more heavily in educating their children because they want their kids to have better opportunities than they had themselves, so childhood education is most definitely a recession-proof industry.

Below are 7 of the top features of a Childhood Education franchise opportunity.

1. Currently, the child education industry generates about $60 billion in annual revenue and provides more than 3.5 million jobs.

2. Normal business hours. You won't be working during the evening or on weekends. Business is conducted during "normal" business hours, so it truly is a lifestyle opportunity.

3. It's a business you can truly feel good about. Promoting education, whether via standard teaching practices, or by utilizing a tutoring curriculum, is, in itself, a "feel good" type of business.
Making a difference by providing a positive influence in the life of a child is the ultimate "win/win" relationship.

4. Most available opportunities feature low start up and operating costs. Some can be run from a home office.

5. State of the art software is provided, which effectively manages all student academics.

6. Professional tutors are readily available. Many franchisees never have found the need to advertise for tutors.

7. As the owner/franchisee, your only role is to run the business. You will be managing people and scheduling sessions. You will not be providing the core service, but leveraging the time and efforts of others.

Some Children's franchise businesses have specific niches and features that they focus on. They may specialize in early educational enhancement, language education, art education programs, educational technology solutions, and tutoring programs, to name a few. 

If you're not aware of specific franchise opportunities that are available to you which contain those features, seek the free assistance of a professional franchise consultant. You'll find that there are great children's education franchise businesses meeting your requirements that you may have never heard of or even considered. As an experienced franchise consultant, I can help you zero in on your skill set, goals, and background to assist you in determining which opportunity is the best match for you.