Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 10, 1997, edition 1 / Page 4
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Bl PARTS AN FROM PAGE A1 *if this incentive was not included. I-, Slots for the children of charter school founders would only be Jeserved for the first year of the Ichool's existence, Oldham added. ?C But as the House and Senate ;bills move into conference, there "remain provisions in the House tbill that trouble some Black ? Legislative Caucus members. ?* One point of contention is the debate over retirement and other ;benefits. Some legislators don't ;feel that state benefits should fol low educators who leave the tradi tional school system to teach at charter schools. Oldham distinguished between what he called public charter schools and private charter schools. He is opposed to benefits following teachers who leave the traditional public school system to work at charter schools that have private funding sources, in addi tion to the state's pupil-by-pupil allotment. "My feeling is that as long as it is a public charter school, then the teachers who are public school teachers should be allowed bene fits," said Oldham. One example of a public charter school, said Oldham, would be a traditional public school that has been grant ed a charter. He also included Winston-Salem's LIFT Academy in the description of a public char ter school. Formerly a private, not-for profit institution geared toward students who have been suspended or expelled from the public school system, LIFT is expected to receive much of its funding as a charter school from the state. Charter schools are indepen dent, deregulated public schools that operate outside the school district. Parents, teachers and community members may start up a obarter school, or existing public or private schools may apply for a charter. Charter schools are funded per pupil. Seventy-five percent of a charter school's teaching staff must be state-certified. The original charter school leg islation allowed teachers a leave of absence from the traditional sys tem to work in charter schools without jeopardizing their accu mulated benefits. The Senate's version mandates that teachers who leave the tradi tional public schools can keep their benefits only if the charter school allows the local school board power over hiring and fir ing. "That's more power than what [school boards] have over schools now," said Wood. Public school principals are responsible for employing and dismissing their u school's faculty and staff. "In my opinion, it was a con scious effort by some to hobble the charter school movement," he added. Though Rep. Larry Womble, D-Winston-Salem, supported Wood's bill, he agreed with Oldham's evaluation of charter school status, and said a charter school is "not really a public school in the truest sense." "Public schools cannot deny anyone," Womble stated. He remains worried that the bill's pro vision guaranteeing placement for students of existing schools that have been granted charters will promote elitism. Womble is also suspicious of opening the charter school cap to schools with a majority at-needs population. "I'm just wondering what the rationale behind that is," he mused. This provision, said Womble, may further separate stu dents classified as learning dis abled, who are predominantly minority, from those classified as gifted, the majority of whom are white. Regardless of remaining reser vations, charter school proponents are heartened by the bipartisan support. The minority-party sup port from the Republican-con trolled House could sway sentiment in the Senate, which is predominantly Democrat. "Because of [the Black Caucus'] support, there's a chance the bill could become law," said Vernon Robinson, executive direc tor of the North Carolina Education Reform Foundation. Robinson and his organization led the statewide charter school move ment. LEARNING Jrom page AI ?es as a result of poor vocabulary skills Ray's children, growing up with more advantages than he had "known as a child, began to experi - ence similar problems in education. "My kids were coming away . * with gaps in their education," said .' Ray. His elementary school-aged daughter came home one day with : a spelling list that included the twords "hour" and "our." The youngster received a perfect grade ? \ on the spelling test, said Ray, but " her mother noticed that when the gir! wrote the words in a sentence, she used them incorrectly. "She wrote, 'Hour house is on Willow Street,"' said Elaine Valentine-Ray. After studying similar gaps in -, the education of their other four children, the Rays launched an assessment of the manner in which - their children were taught. "We started to realize the whole educational system was the prob . lem," said Ray. - ? The result of their study is The Processes of American Education: What Every Parent Should Know. The Rays formed their own pub lishing company. Praxis Publishing Group, and expect the book to be available for sale by spring 1998. The book is intended as a guide for parents to navigate their chil dren through the rough waters the Rays call the public education sys tem. "Just as Adam Smith hypothe sized that an invisible hand guides and directs the free market. I posit the theory that an invisible hand also guides and directs the institu tion of public education." Ray writes. "As indicated in the text of this material, it has a proclivity toward preserving the traditional American values and institutions ? the status quo." Some of the conclusions drawn by the Rays are as follows: ? Exit exams for high school seniors should not be necessary, if the students have truly completed 12 years of education. ? Teachers say they want parents involved at school, but balk at par ent involvement in education. ? Since parents are products of the education system, they have built-in insecurities about challeng ing the system. ? The movement to raise stan dards in schools is simply political rhetoric without practical applica tion. "Standards aren't where the problems lie," said Ray. The prob lem lies in the high numbers of stu dents who aren't meeting existing standards; thus, said Ray, it makes _ no sense to raise these standards even more. "We need to say to teachers, 'we're going to raise the standards on you,"' he added. And beware of being pacified by good grades, the Rays warn par ents. "[Children] can come home with an A, but go back and ask them to explain to you how they got to an answer," said Ray. The Rays feel that far too much responsibility rests on children for the quality of their education. "[We] expect doctors to provide the best medical attention possible in the hospital for the mildly ill or terminally ill patient, regardless of who was responsible for the exis tence of the condition," the Rays write. "Likewise, it is the professional responsibility of the public school teacher to make whatever effort necessary to ensure the intellectual proficiency and well-being of their students in the classroom," they conclude. Too many teachers give up on children who come to the class room at a disadvantage compared to their more affluent peers, said the Rays. And some of those who have not given up are falling victim to good intentions gone wrong. Allowing ebonies or any other type of slang to be spoken in the classroom is harmful, the Rays asserted. "Everything in our democracy is based on language," said Ray. "This culture is based on standard English language." Ray used his own life as an example. "I came from the projects to mainstream America," he said. "I embrace the English language ? it's a beautiful language." To correct these wrongs, the Rays advocate a lobby for parents, or a kind of union for parents based on the national teachers' union, the American Federation of Teachers. In the meantime, said the Rays, parents need to become actively involved in their children's educa tion. They recommend purchasing the best dictionaries as beginning tools, and using the materials with their children. , "A major key to improving the public education system is to gain a proper education and training per spective of your own," said Ray. Roseboro \ selected as Housing Authority Director BY BRIDGET EVARTS Thm chuomclt Suff Writer ine Housing nuiDomy of Winston-Salem's board of?j commissioners named Marie t1 Roseboro the permanent* executive director. Roseboro served as interim director after former director Art Milligan left HAWS last, December to lead the j Tampa, Fla.t housing authority. Roseboro was selected from 120 candidates, most of , whom applied from outside of North Carolina.. Roseboro is a native of Winston-Salem and worked 1 as a regional account manag er with Oolden State" Insurance before accepting the interim position. As HAWS director, Roseboro will be responsible for 5,500 residents and an annual bndget of $25 mil lion. * PRESENT from page A1 Rebecca and Mary Francis * Ingram, has operated on Washington Drive for nearly 22 years. A March 1995 fire, however, left it without a home. Since mov ing into a new masonry building last November, business has been ; brisk. The 60-seat restaurant * $erves breakfast, lunch and dinner * to a hungry crowd. Customer traffic is crucial to the successful revitalization of Washington Drive. To sustain a variety of businesses, the block must not only attract customers from the immediate area but from outside the community as well. Crime may be one reason some potential customers stay away. A few years ago, the High Point Police Department used fed eral grant money to establish a stronger presence in the Washington Drive area. Four police officers worked out of a resource office on Washington Drive. Neighborhood watch pro grams were set up and people began to trust the police. The information residents shared with the police increased law enforce ment, says Capt. John Gregory, who heads the police department's investigation bureau and was for merly District I commander. The resource office, however, faces an uncertain future under the police department's reorganization. Next week: Envisioning and investing in Washington Drive's future. Aunt Myrtle ??I Jufy ?> You are somethfr^SPEClAL and tpteof a kintk\ Your Niece : : Evelyn Simmons / 1 :?H ? f 1. Piedmont Federal keeps all home loans. We do not sell your mortgage to out-of-state investors. 2. Loan Rates are locked in at application for up to 60 days. If rates go down before you close, you will get the lower rate. 3. Closing costs are generally less because we close all loans in our offices and since we make the loans, we generally have fewer fees. 4. All Piedmont Federal offices are full service. All applications and closing can be handled at the location most convenient to you. 5. We approve all loans - Only our approval is necessary and no outside parties are involved (excluding those loans that require mortgage insurance). 6. We have fast service. Our experienced personnel make the process move as smoothly and quickly as possible. In fact, closings are generally within 30 days of application. ?' 7. You'll get a mortgage loan account book with your Piedmont Federal loan - You'll always know how much you've paid and your loan balance. i 8. You'll always have ready access to all your account information since we maintain your loan. Plus you'll be dealing I with the same people that made the loan for I you. j t 9. Escrow accounts are not required for home loans (except 90% loans). ! 10. Piedmont Federal's caring staff is the ; most important reason of all. , i ? * v ' i t i ^tec^nontSfideta/ ttr Wln8ton-Salem?Kflmer8vile*Ctemmons?N.WIiowboit>*Boon> CSM5R Member FDIC i i ? i \ . . i
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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July 10, 1997, edition 1
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