2 Tuesday, September 24,1996 4 ABC’ plan not easy as 1-2-3, teacher says ■ Schools are scrambling to enact the Legislature's latest education plan. BY WILLIAM GARVIN AND APRIL DEMERT STAFF WINTERS After a recent change in the public education policy by the N.C. General Assembly, teachers will be forced to leam their ABCs all over again. The ABCs of Public Education is a new plan set up by the state Board of Education in an effort to speed up progress in student achievement. The ABCs stand for accountability for each school, an emphasis on the basics of education and a transfer of control back to local schools. “One of the major aspects of this plan is to return control back to teachers, prin cipals and parents on a local level,” said Richard Thompson, deputy state super HBCU FROM PAGE 1 class for the day of honoring historically black colleges. “This day is special for me because it brings the whole campus together, it gives NCCU a day to celebrate," Wiley said. “Today makes me want to go out and register people to vote.” About 30 speakers emphasized the power of the vote to Bizarro Vou AP£ Not (joins out To j rurt until 'tou've cleanup UP ZOOIA. gk AS> ww ** UEXPRESS.COAA - P'g Ago PIST UNW£J?SAL PRESS SVwF'W ioB M *"“" Due to a critical shortage, we need your support NOW! arn TODAY as anew or returning* lifesaving plasma donor! JA\ SERA-TEC BSOLOGICALS // 1 1 1091/2E - mAMKUNST ' • M-THIO-7, FlO-4 • 942-0251 I I I | PLEASE PRESENT THIS AD. 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Z—' 1.800-300-PREP ✓ the most hours 0 the best instructors ✓ the best materials S* the best results M the lowest cost Chapel Hill's Intensive MCAT Prep Course! Wed., October | 1 1 1 I^ 4 All Students (Freshmen thru Graduate Students) All Majors Welcome! u * Minority Career Fair intendent This emphasis on local control in cludes allowing schools to set up their own specialized education program, de creasing the level of state-required test ing and giving each school district more financial independence. Besides giving local schools more con trol, the new plan will also make admin istrators and teachers more responsible for student success, Thompson said. “We’re holding individual schools more accountable,” he said. Thompson said the schools who have exceeded their preset goals by 10 percent would receive financial rewards. The principals of schools thathave not met the necessary requirements will be suspended and die school will be as sessed by an assistance team. The assistance team steps in once the state determines that the school has not reached its benchmark goals, a high per centage of students are not performing on their grade level and there is a down ward trend in achievement scores, Th students and other onlookers who gathered at the event. “I encourage you to vote because your vote makes a differ ence,” said Sen. Jeanne Lucas, D-Durham. With the recent Supreme Court ruling that declared District 12 unconstitutionally drawn due to gerrymandering, Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., has been surrounded in controversy. Watt said he believed the Supreme Court wanted to do away with his district because it had too much people power. Because the next president could have the power to appoint up to four justices to the Supreme Court during his tenure, Watt said as many people as possible should vote for a president who would represent their interests. “If we do this we will have a voice,” he said. Watt said students could not forget the legislative branch either, as those leaders control higher education funding. “You as students have vested interests in the outcome of these elections,” Watt said. “It’s about student loans and the amount of aid to education.” Watt encouraged students to go door to door, dorm to dorm, street to street and house to house to get people to vote. Alexis Herman, the director of the White House’s office of public liaisons, gave similar advice. “We want you all to be involved in the 3-T strategy. The first T is target, the second T tum-on and the third T turnout,” Herman said. “Target is for getting all unregistered voters to become registered voters. Tum-on is to encourage voters there is a reason why their vote counts. Turnout is for all voters to get to the polls.” Voter registration booths lined the campus during the day as encouragement, but final tallies were unavailable atpress time. Rep. Cleo Fields, D-La., was instrumental in organizing HBCU Day around the country. He encouraged citizens to vote about issues that concerned them and made them mad. “Today began an ongoing effort for exciting students to vote,” Fields said. “To get them out to vote for someone to protect education, believes in student jobs and education is important.” “/ think that every teacher works as hard as they can to teach every child, so I don’t think that the incentives will have a lot of effect. ” JUDY HENDERSON Second-grade teacher ompson said. Once an assistance team has been as signed to a school, they will evaluate each teacher’s separate performance to find out where the problem lies. If the assistance teams give a negative evaluation to a teacher twice, the teacher’s position will be terminated unless they successfully appeal their case. Some don’t believe that this system of rewards and punishments will work as well as it sounds. “I think that every teacher works as Freshmen-Graduate HUm mli wwm % / 111 \NtLoo4hl tc . AtU+J- Minority Career Fair October?), 1996 In the Great Hall from 12:30-5:00pm “A Semester Abroad Can Change Your Life” Come and find out about Year-Semester A spring language semester in Montpellier QgSg, Informational Meeting Wednesday, September 25, 1996 3*30-s:3opm Toy Lounge, 4th floor Dey Hall, UNC-CH Campus for directions, call (919) 962-0154 NEWS hard as they can to teach every child, so I don’t think that the incentives will have a lot of effect,” said Judy Henderson, a second-grade teacher at Wilkesboro El ementary School. Wilkesboro is just one of the schools that has begun the implementation of the ABC program. “It’s just like anything else, there’s good parts and there’s bad parts,” Henderson said. Henderson said one of the major ad vantages of the program was its emphasis on the basics of reading and math skills. She said she thought the major fault of the program is that it came from legisla tors instead of educators. Thompson said that the program will be flexible enough in its first year to deal with these problems. “We will constantly be reforming the program,” Thomson said. “It’s going to be a work in progress.” Markßoyster, chairman of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education, said the new program will not have as much of an effect in his district. “We are very fortunate to have al ready implemented plans for student achievement,” Royster said. “We are going to be looking at what we have been doing and fine tuning the programs we have in place.” Tuesday 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The Center for Teaching and Learning is conducting an in formal lunch discussion on "Dealing with Stu dent Fears and Anxieties About Course Sub ject Matter” in Union 208-209. 3:15 p.m. The University Counseling Center in Nash Hal] will hold a career clinic to help students develop a plan of action for choosing a major or career. The UCC will conduct a minority student support group to discuss the experiences and concerns that arise from being a member of a minority group at UNC on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m. in Nash Hall. 3:30 p.m. University Career Services will conduct Job Hunt 101 A, exploring your options workshop for seniors and graduate students in 209 Hanes Hall. In 307 Hanes Hall at 3:30 p.m., UCS will conduct an introduction to internships for underclassmen. 4 p.m. The UNC Study Abroad office will hold an information session on programs in Greece in2O7H Caldwell Hall. There will be an information session on internship programs in Europe on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m. in Union 226. 4 p.m. The International Studies Cur riculum will present a foreign service informa tion meeting featuring Peter Whitney, a diplo mat in residence. Everyone is welcome. For more information call Anne Scaff at 962-5442. Crews continue cleaning Fran-damaged gardens BY CHERRIECE WRIGHT STAFF WRITER Two weeks after Fran ransacked the area, cleanup efforts and costs continue to plague the staff of the Totten Center, Coker Arboretum and Mason Farm. Efforts are slow-going because ofhun dreds of large trees that are still down, and cleanup crews are still trying to reach hard hit areas. Totten Center Director Peter White said Monday that cost estimates were going to take time to finalize because of extensive damage to the center’s nature trails. The center is located on Old Fayetteville Road in Chapel Hill. “We have some big trees still down,” he said. “We are relying on the UNC ground crews to help out.” There was no damage to the Totten Center buildings, and the display grounds are open. White said only eight pine trees to 10 pine trees were lost. The nature trails remain closed on the 600 acres of grounds because of fallen trees, and plants that were ruined will have to be replaced, he Said. White said downed trees damaged buildings that were ready to be tom down Campus Calendar 5:30 p.m. The Orientation Office is recruiting orientation leaders! Attend the inter est session in the basement of Granville Tow ers East. Applications will be available at the interest sessions only. 5:30 p.m. “The Peace Agreement Three Years Later, Want to Know More?” Come join Haverim students for Israel and N.C. Hillel for dinner and a roundtable discussion. 5:30 p.m. The Senior Corps, the com munity service committee for the class 0f1997, will hold an interest meeting/sign-up for its four fall service projects in the Carolina Union Auditorium. 6 p.m. Green Games, a recycling/con servation group will meet in the Union base ment. Refreshments will be provided. 6 p.m. The UNC Scuba Club will meet in 106 Gardner Hall. All interested divert are invited to attend. There will be a discussion tonight about the Fall Break trip. If you cannot attend or would like more information call 967-7921. 6:30 p.m. Globe will hold its fiist meet ing of the year in the Campus Y basement. Join us in the discussion of international issues and how we will educate the UNC campus about them. 8 p.m. —The UNC Young Democrats will meet in Union 208. hems of Interest The Catalyst will hold a meeting on Ron Lieber will discuss his new book Taking Time Off: Thursday, September 26 at 3 p.m. at ' Bull’s Head Bookshop UNC Student Stores • 962-5060 Cljr Sally Car 9r?l at Mason Farm, and an emergency ac cess footbridge to the building was wiped out because of flooding. Nearly 1,000 students volunteered for a campuswide cleanup on Sept. 11, and several hundred went to Coker Arbore tum. “The students and faculty who helped were a big boon to our efforts," White said. “We felt pretty lucky when Wellspring Grocery (employees) devoted their efforts, but the students who came out were a real big help.” Coker Arboretum crews spent that day cutting and piling up wood for stu dents to haul away. The Botanical Garden support group will hold a second volunteer workday on Oct. 19. “A lot of students who enjoyed help ing us are coming back to help us again,” White said. White said he was pleased with Chan cellor Michael Hooker’s decision to can cel classes for the Sept. 11 cleanup. “I think it’s wonderful that (Hooker) recog nized that the campus grounds are a great part of the reason we are here and why we stay here." Hooker could not be reached for com ment. Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the second floor Union lobby. All are wel come. Carolina Chib Track and Field has prac tice Monday through Thursday at 5 p.m. on the track. Everyone is welcome! For more information call Nicole at 929-1345. The Health Sciences House now has three openings for female residents on the second floor of Carmichael Residence Hall. Please pick up applications at the Carmichael Desk. Applications are due by Oct. 11 in 225 Carmichael by 5 p.m. Student Health Service is forming a diabe tes support group. Call 966-6562 to enroll. The Human Rights Campaign needs vol unteers for phone operators, posting flyere, data entry and routine office tasks. Shuttle service from UNC to our RTP office is pro vided. For the Record The Sept 20 article ‘Nation to celebrate black college history* should have stated that a representative for Gov. Jim Hunt would speak at N.C. Central University on Monday. The Daily Tar Heel regrets the error.