Monthly Archive for May, 2011

Zero-Tolerance Policy Creates a School-to-Prison Pipeline

Published on May 20, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

Interview, Jacob Simas, New America Media

EDITOR’S NOTE: Schools across the nation are increasingly adopting punitive measures as a way to control and deter violence and other disruptive behaviors. These “zero-tolerance” policies can encompass anything from metal detectors to increased police presence on school campuses to the handing out of expulsions and suspensions. But a rising tide of voices say that zero-tolerance policies are ineffective, and in fact only succeed in making matters worse by creating a “school and prison pipeline.”

Former NAM managing editor Annette Fuentes is the author of a new book, Lockdown High: When the Schoolhouse Becomes the Jail House, published by Verso. The book explores the reasons zero-tolerance policies have grown and investigates the impact those policies are having on students. She was interviewed by NAM associate editor Jacob Simas.

JS: We’ve witnessed a trend over the last 20 years or so, of schools embracing security and punishment as a means to control student behavior. Would it be safe to assume, then, that our schools are not as safe as they used to be?

AF: It would be very inaccurate [to say that]. Schools today are among the safest places for children to be, and that includes their homes and their neighborhoods. We know, the experts know, that the level of violence in our public schools is among the lowest level it’s been in in about 20 years. School violence peaked in the early ‘90s. Data from the National Center on School Violence… show clearly that incidents of violence in schools have been going down. And this parallels crime in general, in the wider society. So schools are in almost all cases the safest places for kids to be. That doesn’t mean that there are not incidents of school violence, but they have been so blown out of proportion that most people walk around thinking that another Columbine is just around the corner.

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Photo Courtesy of New America Media

Announcing Plenary Speaker Dr. A. Rechad Sayfoo for the 2011 Learning Conference

Published on May 17, 2011 in Conference and Headline. 0 Comments

We are pleased to welcome Dr. A. Rechad Sayfoo to the 2011 Learning Conference as one of our plenary speakers.

Dr A. Rechad Sayfoo is currently Professor; Regional Director and Coordinator and Graduate Research Supervisor of the Universidad Azteca, de Chalco (Mexico) for the East Africa region. He is also Manager and Director of Studies of the Vocational Training Institute (VTI) Mauritius. He further serves at the Board of Governors at the University of Technology Mauritius. Dr Sayfoo has a lecturing experience of more than 20 years. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering; Master of Business Administration and a Doctor of Philosophy [PhD] in vocational and technical education. He has introduced many technical courses and international examinations in Mauritius since 1975 and is at present acting as Regional Coordinator for the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM) and the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality (UK) for Mauritius.

For more information about our plenary speakers, please visit our website.

Announcing Plenary Speaker Santally Mohammad Issack for the 2011 Learning Conference

Published on May 17, 2011 in Conference and Headline. 0 Comments

We are please to welcome Santally Mohammad Issack to the 2011 Learning Conference as one of our plenary speakers.

Mr. Santally Mohammad Issack is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Technology and currently in charge of the Virtual Centre for Innovative Learning Technologies (VCILT) of the University of Mauritius. His area of research is educational technology. He has particular interests in personalisation of web-based learning and the instructional integration of Open Educational Resources in online courses. He was the team leader for the Mauritian Team on the SIDECAP project, an ACP-EU funded project on distributed education, led by the Open University of the UK. He has a number of publications in the educational technology field and is among the early pioneers of online learning in Mauritius. He has also been involved in a number of consultancy projects in e-Learning at the International level for the SADC, COMESA, the Hamdan Bin Mohamed e-University of Dubai and the Seychelles. After being awarded the outstanding young person in 2006 in Mauritius, he led the VCILT to be a finalist in the World Innovation Summit for Education Awards in 2009 and contributed to the VCILT in 2011 to receive the Commonwealth of Learning Award of excellence in the development of distance education materials.

For more information about our plenary speakers, please visit our website.

Announcing Plenary Speaker Tejanand Dewoo for 2011 Learning Conference

Published on May 17, 2011 in Conference and Headline. 0 Comments

We are pleased to welcome Tejanand Dewoo to the 2011 Learning Conference as one of our plenary speakers.

Mr. Tejanand Dewoo (also known as Shekar) is currently High School Principal at Le Bocage International School, Mount Ory, Mauritus. He holds a BSc Hon Maths (University of Delhi), Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (MIE), Principal Training Certificate for International Schools, PTC (Imperial College, London), MSc Human Resource Studies (UOM) and MA in Educational Management (University of Bath, UK). He is further a workshop leader for IB- International Baccalaureate, examiner; former Mayor of Curepipe and chairman of Agricultural Marketing Board, represented the LBIS in various international forums and has run many educational workshops.

For more information about our plenary speakers, please visit our website.

2011 Learning Conference Tour Announced – Unbelievable Mauritius Day Tour

Published on May 10, 2011 in Conference and Newsletter. 0 Comments

The Seven-Coloured Earth of Chamarel

Announcing the 2011 Learning Conference Tour – Unbelievable Mauritius Day Tour – Monday, 4 July 2011 – PM 10h00 – 18h30

$US35.00

The uniqueness of Mauritius lays in the fact that in spite of being small; it offers wide ranging natural and heritage attractions to the visitors. The ‘Unbelievable Mauritius’ trip has been specially tailored for learning conference delegates so as get a feel of Mauritius; its multi diversity and some fascinating landscapes.

Itinerary

* Institutional Visit- Royal College Curepipe
The Royal College of Curepipe is one of the oldest institutions of the Republic of Mauritius. The actual building
was completed in 1914, but the history of the Royal College of Curepipe stretches back to 1791.
* Trou-aux-Cerfs and Curepipe-La Marie-Petrin-GrandBassin
Curepipe has the extinct Trou aux Cerfs (Crater of Stags) volcano lying in the middle of the city. It hosts the
Curepipe Botanic Gardens, with the rarest palm tree of the world (unique specimen of Hyophorbe
Amaricaulis). Grand Bassin is also known as Ganga Talao and is a crater lake situated in the district of
Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is considered the most sacred Hindu place in Mauritius and there
is a Hindu Temple there.
*Alexandra Falls
Situated in the Petrin region, the Alexandra Falls is one of the most picturesque natural reliefs in the island.
* Black River Gorges National Park
Black River Gorges National Park is a national park in the mountainous south-western part of Mauritius.
Enjoy some breathtaking vistas at the Gorges. Many endemic plants and animals still occur in the park
including the Mauritian flying fox and all of the island’s endemic birds: Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon,
Mauritius parakeet, Mauritius cuckoo-shrike, Mauritius bulbul and the Mauritius olive white-eye.
* Chamarel
The Seven-Coloured Earth of Chamarel is one of the most amazing natural wonders. Volcanic rocks have
been powdered into sands which form beautiful patterns into the hillside, creating a most magical effect.
* Flic-en-Flac Public Beach
As the trip reaches its end, enjoy the mesmeric sunset at Flic-en-Flac. And on top of all, before the start of
the conference, the organisers invite you to enjoy one of the finest beaches of the island.

Important Notes
•    Packed lunch and refreshments will be provided, however, delegates should cater for extra provisions as required
•    You are most welcomed to bring swimming costumes, swim towels and sun lotion
•    Grand Bassin is a sacred Hindu religious place, it would be greatly appreciated if delegates have eaten non-veg
meals, do not enter the temples as a sign of respect for the local culture.
•    Entrance to Chamarel is included

Conference Tour – Unbelievable Mauritius Day Tour – Monday, 4 July 2011 – PM 10h00 – 18h30 (Further Information)
$US35.00

The High Cost of Low Teacher Salaries

Published on May 3, 2011 in News. 0 Comments

Image Courtesy of Holly Gressley

By Dave Eggers and Nínive Clements Calegari, The New York Times

WHEN we don’t get the results we want in our military endeavors, we don’t blame the soldiers. We don’t say, “It’s these lazy soldiers and their bloated benefits plans! That’s why we haven’t done better in Afghanistan!” No, if the results aren’t there, we blame the planners. We blame the generals, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No one contemplates blaming the men and women fighting every day in the trenches for little pay and scant recognition.

And yet in education we do just that. When we don’t like the way our students score on international standardized tests, we blame the teachers. When we don’t like the way particular schools perform, we blame the teachers and restrict their resources.

Compare this with our approach to our military: when results on the ground are not what we hoped, we think of ways to better support soldiers. We try to give them better tools, better weapons, better protection, better training. And when recruiting is down, we offer incentives.

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