ATLANTA ? Nearly half of America's public schools didn't meet federal achievement standards this year, marking the largest failure rate since the much-criticized No Child Left Behind Law took effect a decade ago, according to a national report released Thursday.
The Center on Education Policy report shows more than 43,000 schools ? or 48 percent ? did not make "adequate yearly progress" this year. The failure rates range from a low of 11 percent in Wisconsin to a high of 89 percent in Florida.
The findings are far below the 82 percent failure rate that Education Secretary Arne Duncan predicted earlier this year but still indicate an alarming trend that Duncan hopes to address by granting states relief from the federal law. The law requires states to have every student performing at grade level in math and reading by 2014, which most educators agree is an impossible goal.
"Whether it's 50 percent, 80 percent or 100 percent of schools being incorrectly labeled as failing, one thing is clear: No Child Left Behind is broken," Duncan said in a statement Wednesday. "That's why we're moving forward with giving states flexibility from the law in exchange for reforms that protect children and drive student success."
State's scores varied wildly. For example, in Georgia, 27 percent of schools did not meet targets, compared to 81 percent in Massachusetts and 16 percent in Kansas.
That's because some states have harder tests or have high numbers of immigrant and low-income children, center officials said. It's also because the law requires states to raise the bar each year for how many children must pass the test, and some states put off the largest increase until this year to avoid sanctions.
The numbers indicate what federal officials have been saying for more than a year ? that the law, which is four years overdue for a rewrite, is "too crude a measure" to accurately depict what's happening in schools, said Jack Jennings, president of the Washington, D.C.-based center. An overhaul of the law has become mired in the partisan atmosphere in Congress, with lawmakers disagreeing over how to fix it.
"No Child Left Behind is defective," Jennings told The Associated Press. "It needs to be changed. If Congress can't do it, then the administration is right to move ahead with waivers."
Waivers fix the immediate problem but likely will make it much more difficult for parents to understand how schools are rated because progress will no longer be based on just one test score.
Under the 11 waivers already filed, states are asking to use a variety of factors to determine whether they pass muster and to choose how schools will be punished if they don't improve.
Those factors range from including college-entrance exam scores to adding the performance of students on Advanced Placement tests.
At least 39 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, have said they will file waivers, though it is unclear how many will get approved.
Republicans in Congress say Duncan and President Barack Obama are using the waivers to push a "backdoor education agenda" that will ultimately let schools off the hook.
"The law needs to be fixed and it needs to be fixed in Congress and not by executive action," House education committee Chairman John Kline, a Republican from Minnesota, said in September after Obama announced the waivers.
Under No Child Left Behind, states that have tough standards are punished and schools that make progress but don't hit benchmarks get treated the same as schools that see performance dip, Jennings said.
"A lot of educators saw the weaknesses in No Child Left Behind even when it was rolled out ? that this day and time would come," said Georgia schools Superintendent John Barge. "It's kind of a train wreck that we all see happening."
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Follow Dorie Turner on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dorieturner.
BRUSSELS ? Russian officials indicated Thursday that their country may offer more than the $10 billion it already has promised the International Monetary Fund to help support the struggling euro currency.
Speaking at a news conference with EU President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: "We are ready to invest the necessary financial means to back the EU and the eurozone. We are ready to consider other measures of support."
He didn't elaborate, but Russian officials have said their country would offer up to $10 billion to the IMF to help support the euro. And Arkady Dvorkovich, a Medvedev economic adviser, indicated Thursday the total may be greater because Russia has a big economic stake in the EU, where a debt crisis is dragging down economies and the 17-nation eurozone.
"We are ready to contribute our part via the IMF. We are committed to do it. Ten billion dollars is the minimum commitment," Dvorkovich told journalists reporting from the 28th EU-Russia summit in Brussels, where other major issues included visa liberalization and alleged fraud during Russia's parliamentary election last week.
Last week, EU governments said they would give the IMF euro200 million ($264 billion), which in turn could help out the eurozone. The fund also expects other nations to participate in the rescue fund.
Medvedev said it is in Russia's interest to assist its largest trade partner overcome the economic crisis.
Russia exports more to the EU than to any other market, and Russia is the EU's third-largest trading partner. Total trade amounts to euro245 billion ($318 billion). Russia also is the EU's most important source of energy imports, accounting for nearly a quarter of its natural gas consumption and 30 percent of its oil.
Medvedev said that 41 percent of his country's foreign currency reserves are denominated in euros.
"Russia is interested in the EU's preservation as a powerful economic and political force," Medvedev said. "We have advantageous ties, and for us united Europe is very important."
Van Rompuy, meanwhile, acknowledged that Russia and the EU "are strongly interdependent." Van Rompuy was hosting Medvedev for the twice-yearly meeting.
The summit came as the World Trade Organization was set to approve Russia's long-delayed membership on Friday. Russia ? the largest economy still outside the WTO ? has been trying to join for 18 years. A Swiss-brokered deal with Georgia last month cleared the last major hurdle for Russia.
Medvedev thanked the EU for its support of Russia's candidacy, saying: "It will give a strong impulse to our cooperation."
Van Rompuy said: "Russian WTO accession is a major achievement (which) opens a myriad of possibilities for trade and growth."
Medvedev dismissed complaints about the conduct of Russia's Dec. 4 legislative elections. On Wednesday, European Parliament speaker Jerzy Buzek called for new free-and-fair elections and a probe into reports of fraud and intimidation at Russian polling stations.
"It means nothing to me," Medvedev said.
The EU has avoided overt criticism of the elections, which have sparked massive anti-government protests in Moscow and other Russian cities.
After years of negotiations, the two sides also launched a set of joint steps that will lead to visa-free travel for Russian citizens ? a long-standing goal in relations. The measures include the introduction of biometric passports, as well as improved border management to combat transnational crime, terrorism and corruption.
Officials said Syria and Iran were also discussed. Russia has blocked a bid by the United States and EU nations to impose sanctions against Syria, where a government crackdown on dissidents has killed thousands of people. Russia opposes any further moves against Iran, whose nuclear program worries the West.
___
Slobodan Lekic can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/slekich
1. Have you created or been in more than three RPs that haven't finished?
Yes, sir.
2. Of these RPs, how long did it take for them to die out?
Anywhere from a month, to seven months.
3. What are common reasons for RPs not finishing? 'Nobody posted' is already implied, so if you can give more specific reasons, that would be better. Eg: Exams, plot wasn't going anywhere so people lost interest, the GM closed it down (Why?), etc etc
The roleplay kept getting pushed further and further back due to a particularly daunting post that was coming up next - something that would require a ton of outside research, a lot of collaboration, or just plain time and effort! I've also seen roleplays die because the GMs planned out all the background and setting content so enthusiastically, but did not at least sketch out a plot. There was no inciting incident planned. No first rung to breach. The Gobi Desert of roleplays is more often than not where things fall apart.
4. Was there any attempt to revive the RP? If so, what actions were taken?
I've mass PM'd people, read up on past posts, done a few test posts. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In duo RPs, it often gets things back up and running. With groups, if you wait too long, people may have deleted characters to move on to something more current.
5. Have you been involved in RPs that have reached a conclusion?
In the forums, but not with the RP tab.
6. How long did these RPs run for?
Oof, like, three or four numbers?
7. Were there any significant reduction in the number of players towards the end of the RP? If so, why?
No, sir. It was a duo RP from start to finish.
8. Were there any major rearrangements of the players in your RP? If so, why?
Understand for this one, I'm no longer talking about the completed Duo RP. In other RPs, I have taken over the parts of characters that belong to users who have become uninterested, or just straight up left the site completely. That can often change the dynamic completely.
9. Were there extended periods of inactivity? If so, what did you do to revive it?
Someone leaving on a vacation can spark inactivity. Making sure to hound them once they set foot back on Gateway usually rectifies this.
10. Did you have to 'reboot' the RP at any time?
I had to reboot a very early forum RP I did. I've rebooted many RPs over old roleplaying websites from ages old, to now.
11. What keeps you interested in an RP?
The idea of writing a story with someone, collaboratively, and catching the same creative flow. It's fascinating to me to watch something unfold like that.
12. If you do lose interest in an RP, do you tell the GM/other players your concerns? If not, why?
Generally, no. I haven't been in that position.
13. If you decide to leave an RP, do you give a logical exit of your characters?
I've done that only once. I gave permission for the GM to take over my character.
It often seems like Hollywood moms are bikini-ready just seconds after giving birth. But Tori Spelling is one celebrity who's in no rush to lose the baby weight -- especially since she welcomed her third child, 2-month-old Hattie,right before the holidays. "I’m going to give it until after January -- deal with it then," the reality star, 38, tells iVillage. "Plus, Dean makes me feel great. He loves me at any shape and size."
Healthy piglets? Not with sulfonamides!Public release date: 5-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Prof Anja Joachim 43-125-077-2200 University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna
One of the most common types of neonatal illness in piglets is coccidiosis, a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract caused by the unicellular organism Isospora suis. There are many reasons for attempting to control the disease, ranging from animal welfare considerations to pure financial concerns. Unfortunately, however, the literature contains no clear guidelines on how this should be done. Sulfonamides are frequently suggested as suitable preventative agents and so Joachim investigated the level of protection they afforded to suckling pigs under standardized conditions of infection. Together with Hans-Christian Mundt of Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany, she was able to show that sulfonamides can indeed be used to control piglet coccidiosis. However, the use of these agents is associated with a considerable amount of work and therefore and because of the short half-life of sulfonamides in pigs and the difficulty of predicting the appropriate time for treatment they do not seem really suitable for use under conditions on farms.
So what hope is there for farmers and for pigs? Fortunately there is another drug available to treat coccidiosis: toltrazuril. Joachim and Mundt showed that a single application of this drug was able to control the disease under their standard conditions of infection. And their work has been extended by Tanja Kreiner and colleagues in Joachim's group at the Vetmeduni Vienna, who investigated the use of toltrazuril on pig farms in Austria. The findings confirmed that pigs treated with toltrazuril are significantly healthier and suffer significantly less from diarrhoea than pigs that are not treated. Interestingly, pigs kept under poor conditions of hygiene have an increased risk of becoming unhealthy or developing diarrhoea, even when given toltrazuril. It is thus clear that applying the drug is not sufficient to prevent pigs from developing diseases caused by other agents: good hygiene also has an important part to play.
Despite this caveat, Joachim is optimistic. "Our findings show that sulfonamides are not really suitable for use on farms but toltrazuril appears to work very well for the control of coccidiosis. The cost of treating animals is considerably lower than the financial losses due to the disease, so we would recommend all farms where coccidiosis is diagnosed to treat their pigs with this drug."
###
The paper, 'Efficacy of sulfonamides and Baycox against Isospora suis in experimental infections of suckling piglets' by Anja Joachim and Hans-Christian Mundt was published in the journal Parasitology Research (2011, 109:1653-1659). The second paper, 'Influence of toltrazuril treatment on parasitological parameters and health performance of piglets in the field - An Austrian experience,' by Tanja Kreiner, Hanna Lucia Worliczek, Alexander Tichy and Anja Joachim is published in the journal Veterinary Parasitology (2011, 183:14-20). The work was performed together with Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany (Joachim & Mundt) and with the Vetmeduni's Institute of Population Genetics (Kreiner et al.).
About the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine
The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna is the only academic and research institution in Austria that focuses on the veterinary sciences. About 1000 employees and 2300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna, which also houses the animal hospital and various spin-off-companies.
http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at
Scientific contact:
Prof Anja Joachim, E Anja.Joachim@vetmeduni.ac.at, T 43-1-25077-2200
Released by:
Klaus Wassermann, E Klaus.Wassermann@vetmeduni.ac.at, T 43-1-25077-1153
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Healthy piglets? Not with sulfonamides!Public release date: 5-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Prof Anja Joachim 43-125-077-2200 University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna
One of the most common types of neonatal illness in piglets is coccidiosis, a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract caused by the unicellular organism Isospora suis. There are many reasons for attempting to control the disease, ranging from animal welfare considerations to pure financial concerns. Unfortunately, however, the literature contains no clear guidelines on how this should be done. Sulfonamides are frequently suggested as suitable preventative agents and so Joachim investigated the level of protection they afforded to suckling pigs under standardized conditions of infection. Together with Hans-Christian Mundt of Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany, she was able to show that sulfonamides can indeed be used to control piglet coccidiosis. However, the use of these agents is associated with a considerable amount of work and therefore and because of the short half-life of sulfonamides in pigs and the difficulty of predicting the appropriate time for treatment they do not seem really suitable for use under conditions on farms.
So what hope is there for farmers and for pigs? Fortunately there is another drug available to treat coccidiosis: toltrazuril. Joachim and Mundt showed that a single application of this drug was able to control the disease under their standard conditions of infection. And their work has been extended by Tanja Kreiner and colleagues in Joachim's group at the Vetmeduni Vienna, who investigated the use of toltrazuril on pig farms in Austria. The findings confirmed that pigs treated with toltrazuril are significantly healthier and suffer significantly less from diarrhoea than pigs that are not treated. Interestingly, pigs kept under poor conditions of hygiene have an increased risk of becoming unhealthy or developing diarrhoea, even when given toltrazuril. It is thus clear that applying the drug is not sufficient to prevent pigs from developing diseases caused by other agents: good hygiene also has an important part to play.
Despite this caveat, Joachim is optimistic. "Our findings show that sulfonamides are not really suitable for use on farms but toltrazuril appears to work very well for the control of coccidiosis. The cost of treating animals is considerably lower than the financial losses due to the disease, so we would recommend all farms where coccidiosis is diagnosed to treat their pigs with this drug."
###
The paper, 'Efficacy of sulfonamides and Baycox against Isospora suis in experimental infections of suckling piglets' by Anja Joachim and Hans-Christian Mundt was published in the journal Parasitology Research (2011, 109:1653-1659). The second paper, 'Influence of toltrazuril treatment on parasitological parameters and health performance of piglets in the field - An Austrian experience,' by Tanja Kreiner, Hanna Lucia Worliczek, Alexander Tichy and Anja Joachim is published in the journal Veterinary Parasitology (2011, 183:14-20). The work was performed together with Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany (Joachim & Mundt) and with the Vetmeduni's Institute of Population Genetics (Kreiner et al.).
About the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine
The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna is the only academic and research institution in Austria that focuses on the veterinary sciences. About 1000 employees and 2300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna, which also houses the animal hospital and various spin-off-companies.
http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at
Scientific contact:
Prof Anja Joachim, E Anja.Joachim@vetmeduni.ac.at, T 43-1-25077-2200
Released by:
Klaus Wassermann, E Klaus.Wassermann@vetmeduni.ac.at, T 43-1-25077-1153
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's armed forces have shot down an unmanned U.S. spy plane that violated Iranian airspace along the country's eastern border, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.
An unidentified military official quoted in the report warned of a strong and crushing response to any violations of the country's airspace by American drone aircraft.
"An advanced RQ-170 unmanned American spy plane was shot down by Iran's armed forces. It suffered minor damage and is now in possession of Iran's armed forces," IRNA quoted the official as saying.
No further details were published.
Iran is locked in a dispute with the U.S. and its allies over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusations, saying its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and that it seeks to generate electricity and produce isotopes to treat medical patients.
The type of aircraft Iran says it downed, an RQ-170 Sentinel, is made by Lockheed Martin and was reportedly used to keep watch on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan as the raid that killed him was taking place earlier this year.
The surveillance aircraft is equipped with stealth technology, but the U.S. Air Force has not made public any specifics about the drone.
Iran said in January that two pilotless spy planes it had shot down over its airspace were operated by the United States and offered to put them on public display.
The Islamic Republic holds frequent military drills, primarily to assert an ability to defend against a potential U.S. or Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities.
Tehran has focused part of its military strategy on producing drones for reconnaissance and attacking purposes.
Iran announced three years ago it had built an unmanned aircraft with a range of more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers), far enough to reach Israel.
Ahmadinejad unveiled Iran's first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft in August 2010, calling it an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies.
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Public release date: 5-Dec-2011
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