Appalachian State in Public Eye After Win Over Michigan

Who would have thought it? Well, some might have. The Mountaineers from North Carolina were two-time national champions at their own division level.

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An exciting start to the college football season: A team that many people never heard of defeats one of the best in the country.

If you follow American sports, then you know we are talking about the Michigan-Appalachian State game. It happened on September 1st at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, in front of more than 100,000 people.

Appalachian State University is in Boone, North Carolina. Its team plays in a stadium that holds about 25,000 people.

The Mountaineers of Appalachian State and the Wolverines of the University of Michigan normally do not even play each other. Michigan is in the newly named Football Bowl Subdivision, the top level of college football. Appalachian State plays in the Football Championship Subdivision.

But they decided to meet for the first time. Michigan agreed to pay Appalachian State $400,000, win or lose.

Teams like Michigan need victories, even a victory over a lower division team, to get into big, nationally broadcast bowl games. These games are worth millions of dollars at the end of the season.

Fans expected an easy Michigan win. After all, in the preseason, sports experts had considered Michigan the 5th best college football team in the country.

But Appalachian State is a two-time national champion at its own division level. And its players wanted to show they could play well against a nationally ranked team. And they did.

The final score was Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32. The game quickly became known as one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

The win has brought national attention to Appalachian State. Local stores reported a huge increase in orders for college clothing and other items. And the university chancellor expects more students to seek admission next year.

The university has more than 13,000 undergraduates and 1,600 graduate students. It has four colleges and a school of music.

Last Saturday, at home, Appalachian State defeated another North Carolina school, Lenoir-Rhyne College, 48 to 7.

The Wolverines also played again at Michigan Stadium. And they lost for the fourth time in their last four games, this time to the University of Oregon. The score was 39 to 7.

Virginia Tech Report Criticizes Mental Health System, School Actions

An official committee presents its findings about the April killings of 32 people by a student.

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A committee gave its findings last week about the Virginia Tech shootings in April. The committee appointed by Virginia's governor and led by a retired state police official called for more than 70 changes. The goal is to prevent a similar tragedy in Virginia or anywhere else.

On April 16th Seung-Hui Cho, a student, killed 32 people and wounded 17 before killing himself. Among other things, the Virginia Tech Review Panel discussed his mental health history.

In 1999, he wrote in middle school about killing himself and others. This was after the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado. His teachers thought he should get treatment, which he did.

He also received services in high school. But school officials thought privacy laws prevented sharing this information with Virginia Tech.

There, he caused a number of troubling incidents. The report says the university in Blacksburg did not intervene effectively. It says no one knew all the information and no one put it all together.

The committee pointed to problems with Virginia's mental health system. It also found widespread misunderstanding about federal and state privacy laws.

In 2005, a court judged the young man a danger to himself and ordered him to get treatment. But he was not ordered into a hospital. Still, his name should have been added to federal and state lists of people barred from buying guns.

Virginia law did not make that clear. Governor Tim Kaine has moved to deal with this. But Virginia officials found that less than half the states report any mental health information to a federal database used for gun purchases.

At Virginia Tech, emergency services reacted quickly after two people were killed early that morning. But the report says police may have been too quick to decide that a possible suspect was probably no longer in the area. And top administrators are criticized for failing to send out a warning message about the shooting for almost two hours.

Minutes after that, the shootings began in Norris Hall. Still, the committee says quickly securing all buildings would not have been possible.

Some victims' families want the university president and police chief to resign or be dismissed. The governor rejected that idea.

Virginia Tech began a new school year August 20th, a day after a ceremony for a memorial to the 32 victims.

Note: Photo courtesy of the Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Debating Year-Round Education

Some families and businesses oppose programs that keep schools open all year. Second of two reports about school calendars in the US.

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Today we continue our discussion of school calendars in the United States.

Some people say the traditional calendar of 180 days no longer meets the needs of American society. They point out that students in most other industrial countries are in school more hours a day and more days a year.

Critics also say a long summer vacation causes students to forget much of what they learned.
Schools are under pressure to raise test scores. Some have changed their calendars to try to improve student performance. They have lengthened the school day or added days to the year or both.

This can be costly if schools need air conditioning on hot days and school employees need to be paid for the extra time.

Local businesses may object to a longer school year because students are unable to work as long at summer jobs.

Some schools have a year-round schedule. The school year is extended over twelve months. Instead of a long vacation, there are many short ones.

The National Association of Year-Round Education says almost 5% of public school students attend year-round schools. It says almost all of the states have some public schools that are open all year.

Some parts of the country had year-round programs in the 19th century, mostly for economic reasons. They felt it wasted money to use school buildings for only part of the year.

Year-round programs can also reduce crowding in schools. In one version, students attend school for nine weeks and then have three weeks off. The students are in groups that are not all in school at the same time.

Another year-round calendar has all students in school together for nine weeks and off for three. This is meant to provide the continuous learning that can be lost over a long break.
But year-round schooling has opponents. They say it can cause problems for families when they want to make summer plans. And they say it interferes with activities outside school -- including summer employment.

Some experts say no really good studies have been done to measure the effect of school calendars on performance. But some educators think year-round schooling especially helps students from poor families that lack educational support at home.

Some (Adults) Call for Shorter Summer Break for US Kids

Why American students traditionally get a long vacation.

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The traditional American school year begins in late August or early September. It ends in May or June, followed by summer vacation.

Why such a long break? Because long ago, young people had to help their families harvest the summer crops. At least this is what people today may think.

The reason has more to it. A recent report from an education policy center at Indiana University explored the historical roots of the traditional school calendar.

In the early days of the United States, children were not required by law to attend school. School calendars depended on local needs.

Students in rural areas went to school for no more than six months of the year -- half in the summer, half in the winter. They worked on family farms during the other months.

City schools were often open much longer, some for 11 months of the year. Parents were happy to have a place for their children to go while the parents worked.

National leaders took a fresh look at schools after the Civil War, in the 1860's. They saw a free public education as a way to help support a strong democracy and prepare workers for new industries. Immigration was increasing and so was the student population.

More and more people saw the need for a system of required education. But they had different ideas for the calendar.

Many city schools wanted a shorter year and a longer summer break. The schools were often crowded. There was no modern air conditioning and air pollution from factories was a problem.
Hot days would make it difficult to learn. A long summer break would also give teachers time for other jobs to add to their low pay.

Many rural educators, however, pushed for a longer school year. They thought it would keep children safe from industrial dangers at a time when there were few child-labor laws. They also thought it would lead to a better prepared workforce.

So the traditional school calendar was a compromise, with roots that now go back about a century and a half. The average school year used to be 170 days. Times have not changed much. Today the common average is 180.

But some experts think the traditional school calendar needs to change because the needs of the nation have changed. This thinking has led some schools to keep students in class longer. More on that next week.

Teacher in Space Answers Questions From Students

Barbara Morgan and other astronauts take part in video link from International Space Station.

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"Good morning, Discovery Center -- good afternoon. We're happy to be here with you. This is Al Drew, Clay Anderson, Dave Williams and I'm Barb Morgan. And we are ready for your first question. Welcome aboard the International Space Station."

That was teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan, speaking from more than 320 kilometers above the Earth.

CHILDREN: "Hello from Idaho!"

And those were the students she was greeting in the northwestern state of Idaho. They gathered at the Discovery Center in Boise on Tuesday to ask the astronauts questions by video link.

The astronauts already knew what the questions would be. One student asked what stars look like from space.

Basically the answer was that the space shuttle and the space station are kept brightly lit, so it is difficult to see a lot of stars.

BARBARA MORGAN: "In fact, one way to think about that when we're on the International Space Station and all the lights are on when we look outside, it's very much like trying to look at the stars when you're in Boise. You can see some, but then if you go up high in the mountains, up to McCall, and you have all the lights out, that's what it will be like once we undock from [the] station and we can turn all our shuttle lights out, and also for the station folks they can turn all their lights out."

Barbara Morgan taught elementary school in McCall, Idaho, before she trained for space. She and six other astronauts arrived Friday on the shuttle Endeavour to bring supplies and new equipment to the international station.

Barbara Morgan is 55 years old. She taught for many years before she became an astronaut.

QUESTION: "Hi, I'm Sarah Blum. How does being a teacher relate with being an astronaut on this mission?"

BARBARA MORGAN: "Well, astronauts and teachers actually do the same things. We explore, we discover and we share. And the great thing about being a teacher is you get to do that with students. And the great thing about being an astronaut is you get to do it in space. And those are absolutely wonderful jobs."

Barbara Morgan first prepared for a shuttle flight more than 20 years ago. She trained in case NASA needed a substitute for Christa McAuliffe, its choice to become the first teacher in space.

Then, in 1986, Christa McAuliffe died with the Challenger crew when the shuttle exploded shortly after launch.

After the disaster, NASA officials barred other civilians from shuttle flights. But in 1998, they created a new position for teachers to become fully trained astronauts. Barbara Morgan is NASA's first "educator astronaut" launched into orbit.

One of her first tasks was to operate Endeavour's robotic arm to inspect the shuttle for any launch-related damage. Cameras showed a small area hit by a piece of protective foam that fell off the fuel tank. NASA officials say the damage is not a safety threat but they are deciding what to do about it.

Note: Picture depicts Astronaut Barbara Morgan on the space shuttle Endeavour.

FREE EducationUSA ADVISING AT AMERICAN EDUCATION FAIR

The American Institute in Taiwan will sponsor an EducationUSA booth at the 2008 AIEF Spring American Education Fair in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung. EducationUSA Advisor will be available to meet with potential students and parents about opportunities for study in the USA.

EducationUSA is global network of educational advising centers which actively promote United States higher education by offering accurate, comprehensive, objective and timely information about educational opportunities in the United States.

In Taiwan, there are two EducationUSA centers which provide Taiwan students and their parents with information on how to make a study plan, choose a U.S. school, find financial aid, apply for admission, obtain a U.S. student visa, and prepare for departure. Thousands of students interested in studying in the U.S. got started on this path at one of Taiwan's EducationUSA Advising Centers. For more information about EducationUSA Advising Centers, programs and free group sessions, please log on to http://www.educationusa.org.tw/.

Nicholas Papp, Director of AIT's American Cultural Center, oversees the EducationUSA program in Taiwan "We look forward to seeing and talking with Taiwan students at the American Education Fair," Papp said. "The U.S. remains the top choice for overseas study in Taiwan. Our doors are open, and we warmly welcome you to join the nearly 30,000 Taiwan students who are realizing their dreams by studying in the USA."

Advisors from Taiwan's EducationUSA centers will be available to meet students at the 2008 AIEF Spring American Education Fair events in Taipei on March 23 and 24 at the Howard Plaza Hotel; in Kaohsiung on March 25 at the Grand Hi-Lai Hotel; and in Taichung on March 26 at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel.


「留學美國」諮詢中心將在美國教育展提供免費諮詢服務

美國在台協會將在2008年美國教育基金會（AIEF）春季美國教育展，於台北、高雄和台中舉行時，設置「留學美國」攤位。「留學美國」諮詢中心的顧問會在現場，提供有關美國進修機會的資訊，給有意留學美國的學生和家長。

「留學美國」是由各地教育諮詢中心組成的全球網絡，透過提供有關美國教育機會的正確、完整、客觀且及時的資訊，來積極推廣美國高等教育。

台灣有兩個「留學美國」諮詢中心，為台灣的學生和家長提供如何擬訂留學計劃、選擇學校、申請入學許可、尋找獎助學金、取得學生簽證和準備出發的資訊。有數以千計對留美有興趣的的學生，是從這兩個諮詢中心之一展開他們的留學之路。有關「留學美國」諮詢中心、相關活動和免費團體諮詢的更多資訊，請上網站查詢﹕http://www.educationusa.org.tw/。

台灣的「留學美國」計劃，由美國在台協會美國文化中心主任潘柏楷負責。他表示﹕「我們期盼在美國教育展會場與台灣的學生碰面和交談。」潘主任說﹕「美國仍舊是台灣學生出國留學的第一選擇。我們的門戶敞開，熱誠歡迎大家加入將近三萬個正在美國進修、努力實現他們夢想的台灣留學生。」

台灣「留學美國」諮詢中心的顧問，在春季美國教育展期間提供服務的時間和地點是﹕3月23、24日在台北市福華大飯店；3月25日在高雄市漢來大飯店；3月26日在台中市長榮桂冠酒店。

Few US Schools Now Named for People, Especially Presidents of Fun

Study warns of loss for civic education in trend toward choosing names of things like animals or trees.

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Public schools in New York, America's biggest city, commonly have numbers for names. But this is unusual. In the United States, the process of naming a school often involves parents and the community as well as elected school leaders.

Researchers say school names can show civic values and also shape them. For example, naming a school after a historic person becomes a way to teach students about that person's importance in history.

A new study examines the naming of American public schools. The study is from the Manhattan Institute, an organization that does public policy research.

The study shows that fewer and fewer schools are being named after people. Instead, more schools are being named after the local area or natural features like hills, trees or animals. The researchers say these changes raise questions about the civic duty of public education.

They looked at seven states with 20% of all public school students in the country. They found similar results in every state: new schools are less likely to be named after people.

This is true especially with presidents. For example, in Arizona, public schools in the past 20 years were almost 50 times more likely to be named after such things as landforms or plants.

In Florida, out of almost 3,000 public schools, the report says five honor George Washington, the nation's first president. 11 honor the manatee, an endangered sea animal found in that state.

In fact, the study says that today, a majority of all public school districts nationwide do not have a single school named after a president.

School officials say they try to choose names that will not offend anyone. For example, a few years ago, the city of New Orleans banned the naming of any school after a person who owned slaves. Other school systems have rules against naming new schools after any person, living or dead.

The researchers say naming a school after a person can lead to important debates about democratic values. They call for more research to identify the causes and effects of the changes in school names.

The causes may include changes in American culture as well as in the political control of school systems. One area worth exploring, they say, is the link between trends in school names and weak results for public schools on measures of civic education.