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Fwd: Navigating the College Maze With First-Generation Students

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Education Week <newsletters@edweek.org>
Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2015 at 10:02 AM

	Please add us to your address book to ensure our emails reach your inbox.
	Helping Students Find a Good College Match Finding a college that's a good fit is challenging for any student, but especially for those who are the first in their families to attend college. In this webinar, we'll hear how one high school counselor helps her first-generation students navigate the college-planning maze. And we'll review national research that can offer guidance about the best ways to help first-generation and low-income students avoid key stumbling blocks on the road to college. Underwriting for this webinar has been provided by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Guests: Jessica Howell, executive director of research, College Board Lauren Quigley, director of college counseling, Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria (New York) This webinar will be moderated by Catherine Gewertz, associate editor, Education Week Register now for this free live webinar. Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015, 2 to 3 p.m. ET Can't attend? All Education Week webinars are archived and accessible "on demand" for up to four months after the original live-streaming date. Editorial Projects in Education, Inc., 6935 Arlington Road, Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814. EPE is the publisher of Education Week, Digital Directions, Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook, edweek.org, teachermagazine.org, DigitalDirections.org, and TopSchoolJobs.org. Copyright © 2015 Editorial Projects in Education.

 

Fwd: 'The War on Terror is Creating More Terror' - Ron Paul's Nov 30 Column

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ron Paul Media <info@ronpaulinstitute.org>

Dear Subscribers: We hope you enjoy receiving Ron Paul's Weekly Column direct to your mailbox. Please help Ron Paul fight back against the neocons by donating to the Ron Paul Institute. Daniel McAdams Director, Ron Paul Institute Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. The War on Terror is Creating More Terror The interventionists will do anything to prevent Americans from seeing that their foreign policies are perpetuating terrorism and inspiring others to seek to harm us. The neocons know that when it is understood that blowback is real – that people seek to attack us not because we are good and free but because we bomb and occupy their countries – their stranglehold over foreign policy will begin to slip. That is why each time there is an event like the killings in Paris earlier this month, they rush to the television stations to terrify Americans into agreeing to even more bombing, more occupation, more surveillance at home, and more curtailment of our civil liberties. They tell us we have to do it in order to fight terrorism, but their policies actually increase terrorism. If that sounds harsh, consider the recently-released 2015 Global Terrorism Index report. The report shows that deaths from terrorism have increased dramatically over the last 15 years – a period coinciding with the "war on terrorism" that was supposed to end terrorism. According to the latest report: Terrorist activity increased by 80 per cent in 2014 to its highest recorded level. …The number of people who have died from terrorist activity has increased nine-fold since the year 2000. The world's two most deadly terrorist organizations, ISIS and Boko Haram, have achieved their prominence as a direct consequence of US interventions. Former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Flynn was asked last week whether in light of the rise of ISIS he regrets the invasion of Iraq. He replied, "absolutely. …The historic lesson is that it was a strategic failure to go into Iraq." He added, "instead of asking why they attacked us, we asked where they came from." Flynn is no non-interventionist. But he does make the connection between the US invasion of Iraq and the creation of ISIS and other terrorist organizations, and he at least urges us to consider why they seek to attack us. Likewise, the rise of Boko Haram in Africa is a direct result of a US intervention. Before the US-led "regime change" in Libya, they just were a poorly-armed gang. Once Gaddafi was overthrown by the US and its NATO allies, leaving the country in chaos, they helped themselves to all the advanced weaponry they could get their hands on. Instead of just a few rifles they found themselves armed with rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns with anti-aircraft visors, advanced explosives, and vehicle-mounted light anti-aircraft artillery. Then they started killing on a massive scale. Now, according to the Global Terrorism Index, Boko Haram has overtaken ISIS as the world's most deadly terrorist organization. The interventionists are desperate to draw attention from the fact that their policies contribute to terrorism. After the Paris attacks, neocons like former CIA director James Woolsey actually pinned the blame on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden! He claimed that because of Snowden's revelations about NSA surveillance the terrorists were using sophisticated encryption. He even called for Snowden to be hanged because of it. But it was untrue: the Paris attackers did not use encryption, and other groups had used encryption long before the Snowden revelations. Terrorism is increasing worldwide because of US and western interventionism. That does not mean that if we suddenly followed a policy of non-interventionism the world would become a peaceful utopia. But does anyone really believe that continuing to do what increases terrorism will lead to a decrease in terrorism? Copyright © 2015 by RonPaul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given. Please donate to the Ron Paul Institute Read online: http://bit.ly/1IiTQnZ Our mailing address is: PO Box 1776, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566

Fwd: Do the neocons want a world war?

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Ron Paul <RonPaul@ronpaulinstitute.org>

Dear Friend, The neocons never rest! They are constantly working to start new wars and get our soldiers killed. Hillary Clinton and John McCain called for Russian planes to be shot down in Syria, and today that is just what happened. Do they really want a world war?   The neocon view, as Rahm Emanuel once said, is "never let a serious crisis go to waste."  My Institute for Peace and Prosperity has a different philosophy: don't let the warmongers get away with it!   The bodies were barely cold in Paris before Bill Kristol began calling for more invasions – Syria, Iraq, wherever! The neocons actually desire events like the tragedy in Paris and the shoot down of a Russian plane because it keeps the war machine going. If the wars stopped, people like Kristol would be out of business.   But while the neocons were babbling away on television, something else was happening: people were flocking to the Ron Paul Institute to read the truth.   Right after the Paris attack, 2.5 million people read what we had to say at the Ron Paul Institute. You would not believe how many people joined in the discussions on our social media. Our website had a huge surge of visitors.   We are fighting back and millions are taking notice.   While the Beltway think tanks use their $100 million budgets to churn out war propaganda 24/7, it is true that my Institute has a small budget. No neocon foundations are crossing our palms with silver. Or even copper.   The truth is the wolf is at the door. Just as we are reaching more and more people at this critical time, the lack of money to keep the doors open threatens the cause of peace. Without your help we are going to go out of business. But your tax-deductible donation to my Institute can do so much good. It will even give Bill Kristol a major case of heartburn!   Advocates of the totalitarian state are demanding more of our civil liberties be scrapped. They are even calling for the hero Ed Snowden to be hanged! Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Ron Paul Institute and the sooner the better!   Let me end on a personal note: I have been involved in many activities over the years, but this special Institute is dear to my heart. The last thing I would want is for it to close down just when our voice is being heard. Please help us out.   Thank you so much,   Ron Paul

Fwd: UPMC INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: City Council District 6 - DISTRICT 6 NEWS <no-reply@apps.pittsburghpa.gov>
To: Subscribers <no-reply@apps.pittsburghpa.gov>

	UPMC INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Sent 11/24/2015 @ 1:38 pm UPMC has reached out to the District 6 Office to advise that they are currently seeking applicants in the following programs: 2016 Finance/Accounting Summer Associates Program: A full time, 11 week paid summer internship for students currently in their sophomore or junior year of college who are interested in a Finance or Accounting career Finance Management Rotation (FMR) Program: A two year leadership development rotational program for Finance/Accounting majors who have/will graduate in Spring 2015, Winter 2015, or Spring 2016.  GPA requirement is 3.2 and above. The FMR program is the most time sensitive.The deadlines are fast approaching. Interested students can send their resume directly to Megan Metcalf (metcalfme@upmc.edu). Megan is also available to answer any questions regarding either program. UPMC, like many other Pittsburgh organizations, struggles with getting people to relocate to Pittsburgh, that is why Rob DeMichiei (UPMC's CFO) wants to leverage networks in the Pittsburgh community.  He is committed to diversity and wants UPMC to be introduced to the friends, neighbors, nieces and nephews, etc. and give them the opportunity to stay in Pittsburgh and have a great career.  Please share this information with your networks. Thank you, District 6 Office
	© 2015 City of Pittsburgh | City Council District 6 | | Having trouble seeing this message? Click here to view it in your browser. If you would like to unsubscribe from DISTRICT 6 NEWS, please click here.

Fwd: [New post] For University Makerspaces to Succeed, Incoming Freshman Need a “Maker Mindset”

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Remake Learning" <donotreply@wordpress.com>
Date: Nov 24, 2015 12:28 PM
Subject: [New post] For University Makerspaces to Succeed, Incoming Freshman Need a "Maker Mindset"
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:

Sarah Jackson posted: "Universities around the country are adding makerspaces to their campuses. At a Crafts Center at Tufts University, undergraduates work on kilns and experiment with printmaking materials. And at a Scenic Shop at Santa Clara University, students construct se" New post on Remake Learning For University Makerspaces to Succeed, Incoming Freshman Need a "Maker Mindset" by Sarah Jackson Universities around the country are adding makerspaces to their campuses. At a Crafts Center at Tufts University, undergraduates work on kilns and experiment with printmaking materials. And at a Scenic Shop at Santa Clara University, students construct set pieces and props for the school's theatre. And in at University of California, Berkeley, engineering students print body parts in a 3D printer to help children with physical disabilities. MakeSchools, a project from Carnegie Mellon University and the National Science Foundation, has profiled 46 colleges and universities that have committed to supporting a culture of making on their campuses, whether by building a makerspace or adding courses. Although the universities' makerspaces range in size, sophistication, and goals, each sees value in providing making opportunities for their students as a way to cultivate the kinds of collaborative thinking and innovative problem-solving required in today's world. [pullquote] The trick will be creating a pipeline of students who are makers before they start college. [/pullquote] A goal, says Daragh Byrne, a research scientist at CMU who heads up MakeSchools, is to create versatile thinkers, ready for anything. In a press release, Byrne said the initiative and universities are working "to showcase how making is an enormous catalyst for innovation that leads to economic, societal and community impact." The trick will be creating a pipeline of students who are makers before they start college, rather than immersing them quickly in the maker mindset after they arrive. What universities need, in other words, is a pipeline of makers. Pittsburgh is certainly doing its part, as we've reported here on numerous occasions. Across the city's varied makerspaces, young people are not only learning the craft, but they're learning the type of problem-solving, design, and critical thinking skills colleges are looking for. For example, at the Y-Creator space, an afterschool program in Pittsburgh, kids learn "human centered design" by creating prototypes and then building products that solve a problem or hurdle that a person or a community faces. Last year, they made safe-cycling much more stylish with a shirt that lights up and changes color depending how fast you ride your bike. In many ways, they're ahead of the college students when it comes to a making mindset. The first year of the MakeSchools network focused on documenting what "making" looks like on campuses, and not surprisingly, the most prevalent examples are coming from engineering and robotics programs. But some are beginning to blend the disciplines and transcend academic departments. Case Western's "think box," for example, is a 50,000 square foot hub of cross-disciplinary innovation benefiting broader Cleveland, and University of Illinois Urbana's space is housed in the business school. In Oregon, the makerspace is focused on bridging art and architecture for community-based projects. The ultimate goal may be to solidify "making" in the university community, even as a new form of degree. And perhaps one day, admissions systems too will look beyond the SAT to recognize the competencies evident in a maker project.     Sarah Jackson | November 24, 2015 at 12:28 pm | Categories: Blog Post | URL: http://wp.me/p46hoI-74A Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Remake Learning. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://remakelearning.org/blog/2015/11/24/for-university-makerspaces-to-succeed-incoming-freshman-need-a-maker-mindset/

Fwd: Paris and beyond . . . we'll get what we ask for

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "John Hemington" <jehemington@verizon.net>
Date: Nov 19, 2015 5:37 PM
Subject: Paris and beyond . . . we'll get what we ask for
To: "John Hemington" <jehemington@verizon.net>
Cc:

So much has been said and written about the ISIL attack on Paris including massively intemperate assertions by American presidential candidates concerning how we and our allies should respond to the horror of the attack.  Little attention has been given to thinking about just what ISIL intended to accomplish by this action or its other terror assaults in the Middle East and elsewhere.  Few Americans seem to understand that such attacks and threats of further attacks are little more than attempts to lure the U.S. and its allies into more of the same militaristic attacks in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt and other so-called flash-points around the world.  This is an important issue so I will address it at some length here and in the attachment.

It may appear to be counterfactual, but the only way ISIL can succeed in the long-term is for the attacks of Western powers to continue in these now volatile areas.  Western bombing and military incursions increasingly lead to economic, social, and cultural devastation in the region providing almost endless new recruits for ISIL.  Beyond that, increasing hostility toward refugees fleeing from the various war zones brought to the Middle East – primarily by U.S. actions beginning with the jihadists in Afghanistan during the Reagan administration and exacerbated by the entirely illegal assault on Iraq under George W. Bush and Dick Cheney – over the past two decades or more provides convincing evidence to many Muslims (particularly those who are poor, suffering and dislocated) that the West is truly waging a war against Islam.  Admitting refugees into this country when we are largely responsible for their becoming refugees is the moral and just thing to do.  Yes, there may be some among them who want to do us harm, but there are many more non-Muslims already among us who commit heinous acts the equivalent of terrorism on a daily basis.  That a few of these refugees might act violently is no reason to turn all of them away.

Our leaders at almost all levels of the political infrastructure, the security establishment and the military all seem to be blind to this picture; and their blindness is reinforced by the steady repeating of their bleating calls for vengeance for the terror and the isolation and rejection of Muslim refugees from the wars we created and sustain.  A convincing argument can be made that this is something more than simple blindness and willful ignorance; that it is the intentional outcome of a policy designed to create and maintain chaos in the Middle East.  That it is in the interests of the military-security complex, the defense industry and contractors, and the politicians who reap enormous campaign contributions from these sources.  I have previously laid out my reasoning for believing that this is true so I won't belabor point here.

ISIL as many experts have conceded exists because Paul Bremer, Cheney's Proconsul in Iraq, elected to disband the Iraqi army and send them home with their weapons and no pay.  They were humiliated, angry and talented military strategists.  Some of them were incarcerated in Abu Gharib where they were radicalized by Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi the current ISIL leader and began planning to take the region back from Western control and interference.  But ISIL has always understood what few in the West recognized, that their best hope of prevailing would come through extending the level of violence inflicted upon the region by Western powers and, in particular by the United States.  These are hard-core fundamentalists who are quite willing to sacrifice themselves for a long-term goal.  But they are a tiny minority of the Sunni Islamic world and they also understand that continued attacks on the region by Western powers are their only hope for drawing substantial numbers of new recruits to their cause.  And the West is obliging as if it were Pavlov's dog.

It is interesting to note that our government has known for quite a long time that these same terrorists and ones before them have long been funded and armed by sources from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait – all allies in the region.  Yet our leaders have steadfastly refused to acknowledge or intervene to stop this funding.  Any American concerned about this threat should demand to know how this could be and why we are not taking action to stop it.

In the United States, the conversion of our former constitutional democracy into an essentially autocratic national security state maintained by two neoliberal political dynasties supporting a thoroughly neoconservative agenda, accomplished by convincing most of a compliant population into believing that we were under constant threat of terrorist attack.  This has allowed the leaders almost a free hand to operate in the absence of any oversight whatsoever.  As a result the United States now has over 150 military bases around the world and troops stationed in 135 different countries, many operating covertly in highly secretive black-ops sites in non-belligerent nations.  And what do we have to show for it?  The answer is unfortunately too easy – nothing good.  The incomprehensible military budget and deployment of troops has not in any real sense of the word made any American citizen safer.  There are now more, not fewer, terrorists wanting to attack Americans and others around the world.  And, there are more homegrown white Christian terrorists supported by the NRA attacking us here at home.

So where do we go from here?  The simplistic answer offered by most politicians and cheered by far too many Americans is on the offensive.  But this is what we have been doing consistently for many years and the situation has only become worse.  In fact, a very good argument can be made that were we able to completely wipe ISIL off the map another ISIL would simply pop up to take its place.  This is not a way between nation states where one side can surrender and the war is over.  This is a war of destitution and despair.  It is between people who believe, for good reason, that they are being warred against because of the religion or ethnic origins.  It is people who have effectively lost hope and faith in the nation states in which they were raised and have experienced years of attacks and assaults from Western nations claiming to free them from dictatorial persecution and improve their lives.  Yet all that it has brought is death, devastation, dislocation and destitution.  What is needed is not more war, but more peace to remove the threat of ISIL.

But this is the problem.  There is no indication that Western nations in general and the United States in particular have any desire to see peace in the region.  Following the "war" in Iraq (that is the three week period in which the Iraqi army was defeated) the U.S. promised to rebuild the country's infrastructure and return the society to peaceful functionality.  But nothing like this ever occurred.  What reconstruction that did take place was largely slipshod with massive amounts of money siphoned off by corrupt American contractors.  Once the entirely predictable insurgency commenced most such efforts were abandoned.  Ditto for Afghanistan.  But in Iraq, not only did Paul Bremer fire the military; he also established a law that Bathe Party members could not be employed in infrastructure work.  So there was another impoverished and angry group of Iraqis ready to take to the streets.  Plus, there was no one left to operate the infrastructure necessary for the nation to function.  This was not some accidental bad decision, it was intentional policy designed to fragment and alienate Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq – and it worked.

So our policy in the Middle East has killed hundreds of thousands and rendered millions homeless and refugees throughout the region; and by any rational assessment has been and continues to be an abject failure.  So here we are being told by our leaders in Congress and our presidential candidates that what we need is more of the same – only with more intensity – causing ever more death and destruction.  Sure sounds like a brilliant idea to me.  Perhaps it's time the American people came to their senses and recognize the military/security/intelligence/ political/financial combine for what it is – a gigantic corrupt and immoral monster clawing out the hearts and souls of Americans and raining death and destruction wherever it goes.  Only when the American people wake up to this will we begin to see meaningful and rational policies implemented with regard to relations with the rest of the world – and only then will we once again become safe from terrorism.

I have assembled a series of articles into the attachment of this e-mail.  This is an extremely important issue and I hope that you will take the time to read through them and listen to the videos linked in them. 

There is a second attachment dealing with a closely related issue, the U.S. relationship to Russia and the extremely frightening rhetoric now being circulated suggesting that we should put Russia in its place and, if necessary, attack it.  This is a basic premise of the neoconservative agenda which included fomenting and financing the Ukrainian "color" revolution which overthrew a democratically elected government (albeit a corrupt one) to replace it with another thoroughly corrupt government which would favor Ukrainian ties with NATO and neoliberal economic policies.  The American Empire will brook no dissent and take no prisoners (well, we do take prisoners, torture them and hold them without charges as long as we choose).

My apologies for making this so long, but there is so much hateful information and misinformation circulating out there that I felt it was sufficiently important to deal with at length.

 

John

 

 

Fwd: "Winter in the pool" for the club members

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Nikola Malezanov" <malezanov@gmail.com>
Date: Nov 19, 2015 12:15 PM
Subject: "Winter in the pool" for the club members
To: "TWP" <tigerwaterpolo@googlegroups.com>, "twpmiddleschool@googlegroups.com" <twpmiddleschool@googlegroups.com>
Cc:

Dear Tiger Water Polo Family 

I hope you are all doing well. The winter schedule is on and its updated on the website. The High School players will start next week.

I just wanted to explain the "Winter in The pool" program that you probably have seen already and our club members status.

We designed this program for NODDLE Ball and Youth players to train/play every Sunday instead of 5 Sundays a season. 

We also would like to get some NEW high School players and some NEW Middle School players that will try the sport as well.  I attached the flyer.

Our Tiger Water Polo members will be involved to train/play with their respective groups on those Sundays. They do NOT need to register nor pay for this. Only the NEW players do.

We hope to have enough interest to form 4 teams per age group towards the end of the Winter and have a league that will end with a championship on FEB 28th with a Big Water Polo Festival that will include all kinds of awards. 

We would love to get some help from you to recruit some more new faces in the sport.: school friends, neighbors, younger siblings...

The Flyer is attached

--

Nikola Malezanov

Tiger Water Polo

North Allegheny Water Polo

412-716-8247

Like us on facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/tigerwaterpolo

Twitter

@waterpolotiger

www.tigerwaterpolo.com

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Fwd: Register your Students for the FREE Pittsburgh Scholarship Boot Camp this Saturday!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Brown, Brian" <brian.brown@pittsburghpa.gov>
Date: Nov 19, 2015 11:39 AM
Subject: Register your Students for the FREE Pittsburgh Scholarship Boot Camp this Saturday!
To: "Brian Brown" <brian.brown@pittsburghpa.gov>
Cc: "LaTrenda Leonard" <latrenda.leonard@pittsburghpa.gov>, "Harry Johnson" <harry@bmecommunity.org>

Hi Everyone,

BMe Pittsburgh will be hosting a FREE Scholarship Boot Camp for high school students this Saturday, November 21, 2015 at Barack Obama Academy. 

If you work with or know of any high school students that could greatly benefit from learning about scholarship opportunities, please share this attached flyer, and have them register to attend the event on Saturday. Light refreshments will be provided for all attendees, and students will be entered into the new 'BMe Pittsburgh Raffle' for major upcoming prizes and gifts. 

Registration Link: 

Click Here To Register for the Pittsburgh Scholarship Boot Camp! 

Thank you, hope your students can attend! 

Brian 

Brian Brown

Youth Equity & Access Associate

My Brother's Keeper 

AmeriCorps VISTA

Office of Mayor William Peduto

414 Grant Street, 5th Floor

Pittsburgh, PA, 15219 

Mobile: 412-722-7500

Email: brian.brown@pittsburghpa.gov

Fwd: 2015 Report to the Community on Public School Progress

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Carey Harris" <charris@aplusschools.org>
Date: Nov 16, 2015 12:00 PM
Subject: 2015 Report to the Community on Public School Progress
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:

Your guide to Pittsburgh's public schools.

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Read our report on your computer, tablet,or phone easily this year. 2015 Report to the Community on  Public School Progress in Pittsburgh Graduation and Promise eligibility up; gaps persist in achievement, attendance and suspensions Dear supporter of public education in Pittsburgh, Today, we released our Annual Report to the Community on Public School Progress in Pittsburgh. I wanted to share with you some progress that's been made over the past four years that are a testament to the hard work of so many in our district to focus on getting students prepared for college and career. But that joy over the progress made is also tempered with some significant challenges for our students. Change is difficult, but not impossible. Graduation rates are up. More of our schools are showing contributions to academic growth that exceed state averages. Performance on the Keystones is improving. This is a testament to the hard work of teachers, students, and parents in the past years.  Read about more positive trends. While we commend the district for the progress it is making, there are some sobering trends in the data that call for urgent action. Sadly, half of our tested third graders, 827 students, are not reading at grade level by third grade, leaving them behind in the coming years when they need to read to learn.   Read more about the significant challenges that we report.  Over the next few days parents and caregivers with children enrolled in Pittsburgh Public Schools and under the age of five will have the report mailed directly to them. We urge you to get the facts, visit a school, and get involved to help improve our schools. We would be happy to discuss the results with your school, community group or place of worship. Click here to request (scroll down) a presentation or call our offices at 412.697.1298.  Sincerely, Carey Learn More  Stay Connected       1901 Center Ave., Suite 302A, Pittsburgh, PA· 412.697.1298

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