Attleboro Democracy Magazine - Education Issue, 2012

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012
Spring, 2012
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Pledge to Our Readers
Cover Coelho photo, AHS graduation photo, by Christine Meehan
Although this magazine is edited and put together by Democrats, we aspire that anyone of any political affiliation can read and enjoy the Attleboro Democracy. Contact us at: attleborodemocracy@gmail.com
political persuasion
10
lioness of the Senate
Lee Harrison Attleboro Education 11 Q + A: BCC Dean Rodney Clark
13
The Attack on Teachers

Michael Levinson
15 Why college costs so Much

Alex Morash
17 19 20 21 22 24 25
The Drop-Out rate epidemic

Donna Maria Cameron
LINKS TO Creativity
Alan Makepeace
THE LITERACY CENTER

Joan Ricci
A scene from the 2011 Attleboro High School Graduation Ceremony.
Anti-learning in School
Emily Meehan
Features
p. 2 The Path to Progress Goes Through the Classroom
The Rule of the School

Evan Heller
A school committee member on educations role in the community. By David Murphy

______________________________________________
OBSERVATIONS OF A TEACHER
Arthur Kenyon
Rethinking senior Year

Andrew Meehan
p. 5 Public Educations Greatest Challenge
Attleboros former school committee Chairman discusses public schools future. By Ray DiCiaccio ________________________________________
27 28
Boston and Beyond the STEM Program

Lt. Governor Timothy Murray
On Public accountability
State Auditor Suzanne Bump
p. 6 The Presidents College Savings Plan

How President Obama will help students pay for the ever increasing costs of college. By Senator John Kerry
________________________________________________
The View From Washington:
The Neighbor Column: Multiple Mitt 30 Claire Naughton of Foxboro Stopping the Textbook Squeeze 33 California State Senate President
pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg
p. 8 If Johnny Cant Read, Lu Xiao Can
Watch the Dragon Rising in the East! 36 Professor Eric Drouart

Felt Philosophy: The Muppets: A Review
Walter Isaacsons Steve Jobs: A Review
In order to stay ahead, the U.S.A. must learn about China. Theyre already learning about us. By Tobey Reed
The Politics of Culture

By Michael Kutsch
38
41
39
By Andrew Meehan
42
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The Attleboro Democracy Presents: The Education Issue - Spring, 2012

(Photo courtesy of Class of 2011 AHS Classreports.org page)
By
A view of the entrance to Attleboro High School.
The Path to Progress Goes Through THE Classroom

By David Murphy
An at-large Attleboro school committee member explains his view of the importance of the school system to our community and to every other.
POLICY MAKERS, FOR PURPOSES OF POLITICAL UTILITY, HAVE A TENDENCY TO PRIORITIZE COMMUNITY COMPONENTS PURSUANT TO THE AUDIENCE TO WHICH THEY ARE SPEAKING. When addressing the local rotary club, those holding or seeking public office will talk about the importance of cultivating an environment that is good for small business. On campaign stops at churches or synagogues, we hear rhetoric on the importance of faith and values in society. And when an invitation to address the members of the Kiwanis or Lions Club is 2|Page
extended, the audience is reminded of the importance of volunteerism and service. Only when the demographics represented include parents of young children and even then only when those parents reside on the more affluent end of the socioeconomic spectrum do we hear talk about the importance of education. school is a That systems fallacy, continuously those improving enrolled
concept: the daily plight of parents to help their children have a better life than they themselves enjoy. Statistically, the correlation amongst educational advancement and earning power is irrefutable. Snapshots from the U.S. Census indicate that, on average, citizens with a college degree will earn nearly double the income of those with only a high school diploma. Meanwhile, those who fail to earn a high school diploma will, on average, hover around the poverty line.
should be a priority only for parents of currently perpetuated by politicians who have failed to identify educations unique role in the public policy portfolio. Putting aside specific debates about tax codes and specific questions that implicate basic notions of what constitutes fairness, most observers could agree that the overarching objective of public policy is to cultivate a secure and stable environment in which hard work is rewarded and progress is possible. If we accept that admittedly generic definition, then education begins to look less like a spoke in the wheel, and more like the center of political gravity. Only when a community collectively recognizes education as the intersection of economic policy and moral responsibility will it be prioritized such that the progress that is the underlying purpose of all public policy becomes sustainable. Progress one chapter is in often history identified to by benchmarks that signal the transition from another. Desegregation, the suffrage movement, and the evolving social norms with regard to marriage are just a few of the more obvious signs of progress. But progress is also at the heart of a seemingly more mundane
Average Monthly Income by Highest Education Level

$12,000 $10,000 $8,000 $6,000 $4,000 $2,000 $0
TOTAL
Source: US Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 Panel. For more information on sampling and non-sampling error see http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/source.html)
The link between educational success and economic opportunity is why an effective education policy must be a political imperative that transcends all demographics 3|Page
and interest groups. As a society, we simply cannot make progress unless education comes first. One of the reasons education policy is often relegated to a one-of-many status is that the progress it yields is not readily identifiable, nor rapidly attained. Progress does not come in the form of improved test scores, nor reduced dropout rates although both are welcome indicators in every school district. Progress from good education policy can take a generation to reveal itself. The manifestations of this progress include innovations that allow us to learn and work more efficiently, biomedical advancements that allow us to live longer and more fully, and literary achievements that help society to understand its past and its present more completely. Through the relentless pursuit of these types of triumphs, expanded emerge, economic and parents opportunities endeavoring will to
Making education a priority is not about resolving these specific issues, but rather elevating education to its rightful and unique place amongst all public policy issues. In the private sector, this will come in the form of employers recognizing the need for employees to devote the necessary time and energy to their childrens educational activities. Amongst the citizenry, this will mean residents understanding that the educational institutions in their city or town are whether they have children enrolled or not the cornerstones of their community. And with regard to government, this will mean considering the funding devoted to education as the most critical investment municipality. Advocating for a community-wide attitude adjustment can seem too abstract to turn into any sort of concrete political achievement, but that need not be the case. The reason politicians adjust their message according to their audience is because of well-defined political incentives. If we recognize the comprehensive progress that continuously improving school systems will yield, there will be no sector of the community failing to demand education as a top priority from all those seeking public office. With a unified community conferring top-priority status upon its schools, politicians will have no choice but to see education for what it is: the best and only chance for progress.
in
the
future
of
their
provide a better life for their children will have fulfilled their mission. But the question of how a community collectively identifies education as its top priority in order to generate the necessary political will remains. Establishing education as a top priority does not mean going to war over how to administer standardized tests, what role vouchers should play, or whether incentive pay makes sense for public school teachers. Those waiting for finality with regard to these issues are out of luck. Incidentally, it would be helpful to the rest of the community if those arguing over these issues did so respectfully, with an acknowledgement of the mutual validity that will keep these debates going indefinitely.
David Murphy is an at-large member of the Attleboro School Committee.
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Public Educations Greatest Challenge

By Ray DiCiaccio
The former Attleboro school committee Chairman discusses one giant upcoming obstacle for our nations schools: money.
The biggest challenge facing Public School Systems going forward is trying to maintain a high level of service with a budget that is either shrinking or not growing enough to meet a communitys educational need. Over the last two years having served as Chairperson of a local school system with a $59 million budget, we were faced with some grim financial realities that I believe will be challenging communities for years to come. If someone were to dissect the school budget of any school system today it would be safe to say that in most school districts more than 80% of the budget will go to personnel costs: employee salaries, health and retirement costs. If you next dissect the personnel cost portion of a districts budget, you will likely find that over 80% of a districts personnel cost are the costs necessary to pay our teachers. This is why too often over the years, when communities struggle with balancing their school budgets the discussion focuses around the teachers willingness to either forgo raises or agree to some kind of concession. It comes down to very simple math; to make a significant dent in your budget you need to address your greatest cost, the cost of your teachers. On the flip side its important to realize that the most valuable asset and tool available to a school district are their teachers. Without good teachers you will never have a good school district. In addition, without offering competitive salaries how can we expect to
attract the quality talent needed to maintain a good quality education in the future? The purpose of this article is not to debate teachers and their salaries and their worth to school districts but to just briefly point out something very basic and flawed with our long term public budgeting process: it is always based on projected growth, and growth we are finding is not something we can always count on. Our long term public budget process assumes it will receive an annual raise that will allow it to meet future higher costs. It is similar to family that earns $50,000 this year, expects a $2000 raise year after year and therefore spends and plans accordingly. If suddenly in year three they expect to be earning $56,000 but are told, sorry, due to the economic climate they are frozen at $54,000 for the time being, it can result in some significant changes in that household because while the income remains flat the cost of food, the cost of utilities, and other living expenses continue to rise. The same holds true I found in our school budgets. Even if teachers agreed to no raises our budget needs grew because of other factors like health care costs and other necessary expenses. I did not write this brief article to provide an answer to these issues; I wrote this because our future as a nation will be greatly affected by what type of education and educators we can provide our children. The concern is that if we continue to budget on the hope of continued economic growth we will find in many instances our growth in costs will outgrow any extra budget dollars we receive. Unfortunately with less dollars school systems will struggle to maintain high levels of educational services and personnel and ultimately this jeopardizes both our children and nations future.
Ray DiCiaccio is a former Attleboro School Committee Chairman.

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The View From Washington

The Presidents College Savings Plan
By Senator John Kerry
SOME BEDROCK VALUES HAVE ALWAYS DEFINED THE AMERICAN DNA. One of them is pretty fundamental: we believe in opportunity. We believe that everyone who wants to work hard and play by the rules should have a shot to succeed. We reject the downsizing of the American Dream. And the place where the rubber hits the road in making good on the promise of those bedrock beliefs all boils down to a simple question parents everywhere struggle to answer: can we afford college? This has always been something worth fighting for. It was at the center of my Senate race against Governor Weld in 1996 a big difference I had with President Bush in 2004 and here again in 2012 it will be a core principle at stake as President Obama runs for reelection. That's why President Obamas new plan to make college more affordable is so important. Over the past three decades, the cost of college has nearly tripled. The average in-state sticker price at a public university now exceeds $22,000 a year. Consequently, student loan debt has topped $1 trillion, surpassing credit card debt for the first time ever. This years graduates will leave college owing an average
Massachusetts Senior U.S. Senator shares how President Obama has helped students pay for college as well as the Presidents new plans to help make college more affordable for all Americans.
of more than $24,000 not a great way to start out in the workforce. We are stronger today because we have a President and Vice President in the White House today who get it on a personal level. When President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were married, they had about $120,000 combined in student debt. We combined and got poorer together, he quipped. Vice President Biden still talks about
President Barack Obama

Photo courtesy of WhiteHouse.gov
"the longest walk up a short flight of stairs" when a parent has to come tell their son or daughter that they just don't have the money to send them back to college. Those personal experiences seared into our leaders in the White House have motivated them every step of the way. Their first steps were to increase spending on Pell 6|Page
Grants, lower interest rates on student loans, restructure repayment plans for student loans to make them more affordable and, perhaps most dramatically, eliminated private banks as middlemen in student loans. That alone will save the federal government about $68 billion over 11 years. They did all that without the support of Congressional Republicans they did it by working with Senate and House Democrats. Believe it or not, Republican Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Budget Committee Chairman in the House, was outraged. He accused the President of having confiscated the private student loan industry. And he complained that the Pell Grant program is unsustainable the same complaint Republicans too often make when they want to get rid of an investment that's working for people who need it.
incentives
to
encourage
colleges
and
university officials to think creatively and with urgency about how to hold down the cost of a college education. What's the other side fighting for? Well, it's almost a coin toss to decide whether it's better if they speak their mind, or say nothing at all. The likely Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, argues that for-profit colleges run by businesses, are the solution. (Clearly something has changed when the Party of Lincoln forgets that Abraham Lincoln created the non-profit Land Grant Colleges that opened the doors of college wide open in the first place, not to make a buck but to make a difference.) But Romney after all has been in a footrace against even harder-right aspirants for the Republican nomination: Ron Paul thinks federal student loan programs should be eliminated completely, and Newt Gingrich, a former college professor, calls student loan programs an absurdity. What's at stake is more than an election it's the kind of country we're going to be. Politicians all talk about opportunity and the connection between our competitiveness as a country and the skills and education of our workers. But only one Party is willing to fight to give every American the chance to reach for that brass ring and keep America the world's economic leader in the 21st century. An economically-competitive America is a welleducated accessible America, but and a well-educated And that is America is one where college not only is affordable. something we know is worth the fight in 2012 and beyond.
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan

Photo courtesy of paulryan.house.gov
This 2012 election will be defined in large measure by the debate over the President's new plan to do more to make college affordable. He wants to double the number of work-study jobs to 1.4 million. He wants community colleges and businesses to form new partnerships to train workers for local jobs. He wants to keep loan interests rates at a low 3.4 percent (theyre scheduled to double in July) and prevent expanded education tax credits from expiring at the end of 2012. And most importantly, he wants to use financial
John Kerry is the Senior United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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If Johnny Cant Read, Lu Xiao Can.

By Tobey Reed
China and its students learn more and more about the United States every day. As one high school social studies teacher sees it, Americas students need to learn more about China if we want to keep our country ahead.
duty as a democratic nation to give our students the ability to compete in this ever complex and connected world. As a social studies teacher in a high school I am carefully following the current trends and looking for ways to better prepare our students and it is obvious that knowledge of China and Chinese culture and language are becoming more important. There has always 8|Page
CHINA IS PLAYING AN EVER INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN AMERICA. Our economies are increasingly linked for better or for worse. The politics between our two nations are nuanced and complicated. As a rising superpower China will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. It is imperative that our current students be prepared for this future. It is our
Public domain photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
been a shroud of mystery surrounding China as the mysterious East and as America is founded on European concepts of equality, liberty, and justice that have been influenced by Greco-Roman philosophies with a heavy influence from Judeo-Christian values. Economically America is based on Adam Smiths foundational Capitalist theory. On the other hand China is based on a long history of Confucian values that have been influenced by Daoism and Buddhism with a nice dose of Communism thrown in. In other words we are both foreign to each other. The best way to combat that otherness is through education. Public schools should put an emphasis on global education, including China. Our current students will grow up to be the leaders of tomorrow and they will be successful if they can navigate the foreign worlds and cultures that are presenting themselves as the powers of tomorrow. I know that the Chinese are preparing their students to deal with Americans. They start learning English at third grade and they are taught about American history and culture. Last year Attleboro High School hosted nine high school principals and teachers from China. The thing that struck me the most from their visit was what was not spoken about. One of the teachers was the full time SAT teacher at a high school of approximately 1800 students. What was interesting about that is the fact that I teach at an American high school of 1800 students and we do not have a full time SAT preparation teacher, but more importantly the College Board does not administer the SATs in China. All of her students will have to fly to Singapore or Japan in order to take the test. All of this to take a
test that will allow you to study in America. I cant imagine how many of my students would fly to the Bahamas to take a test in order to study in Europe. What motivates me is the idea that nations such as China are investing a lot in preparing their students to be the leaders of tomorrow. It is up to us to rise to the challenge and focus our education to prepare our students for tomorrow. President Obama referred to this as our Sputnik moment and I believe that it is and we should respond accordingly.
Tobey Reed works at Attleboro High School as the Social Studies Coordinator and the Asian Studies teacher.
China: Some Basic Dates & Events

Zhou Dynasty established Confucius born in 551 BC
1122 BC
Qin Dynasty established by first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shi Huang Qin Dynasty started the construction of the Great Wall of China. Ming Dynasty established Featured sea-farer Zheng He (13711433), whose exploring rivaled that of Christopher Columbus
221 BC
1368 AD
"Republic of China" established after a Chinese civil war
1912 AD
People's Republic of China established by Mao Zedong - AKA "Red China" or "Communist China"
1949 AD
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Online
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POLITICAL PERSUASION
Politics affects our policies, and the direction of our country. Whatever your political persuasion, we hope you enjoy a little bit of some featured political persuasion.
social justice. Yet somehow he found a way to work with Republicans to find compromises that most thought unachievable. The result: More than three-hundred bills that Kennedy wrote actually became law. Now consider Scott Brown, who has neither his predecessors leadership ability nor his concern for working Americans and no visible record of accomplishment. Instead, after three years in office, during which his obeisance to Tea Party Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul earned him the title Kentuckys Third Senator, Brown is now aggressively adjusting his voting pattern to obscure those Tea Party ties as well as his record of voting for Wall Street and against Main Street. By contrast, Elizabeth Warren, our presumptive Democratic Senatorial candidate, not only envisioned but also was the prime mover in creating an entirely new branch of government, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is dedicated to protecting consumers from the kind of predatory banking practices that led us into the Great Recession. accomplish in office! Imagine what she will Without question, Ms.
Lioness of the Senate

By Lee Harrison A former teacher, Elizabeth Warren is poised to take up the mantle of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, argues one supporter.
(Photo courtesy of Treasury.gov)
I was watching in 1962, when President Kennedys youngest brother Ted debated Ed McCormack for the Democratic nomination for Senator and launched his incomparable Senate career. Forty-six years later I was also watching when Ted told the 2008 Democratic National Convention that, I have come here tonight to stand with you to change America, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals, and to elect Barack Obama president of the United States. This, said Kennedy, is a season of hope new hope for justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few. Four years later, Massachusetts and the country sorely miss the man who came to be known as Lion of the Senate for his vision, his commitment to progressive ideals, and his leadership on a host of vital issues. In his friend Bob Shrums words, he became one of the greatest Senators of all time and the greatest of his time . responsible for more progress than many Presidents. Yes, Ted was a proud liberal in the tradition of FDR, championing interventionist government that works for economic and
Warren has the intellect and the drive to pick up Teds banner and become the Lioness of the Senate. Like Ted, Ms. Warren is a champion of social and economic justice, and her YouTube dissertation on the topic went viral because in two minutes she not only captured the essence of social and economic justice but also of what made America great. The video begins with Warren taking on conservatives who characterize calls for economic justice as class warfare. 10 | P a g e
No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own nobody, she said. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory and hire someone to protect against this because of the work the rest of us did. Then she concludes with her masterstroke: Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a chunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along. Has anyone said it better? She knows America is a house divided: The 99% vs. the top 1%. Average Americans are working harder for less than they did two generations ago, while the top 1% is buying luxury yachts and jewelry at Tiffanys. And unlike Scott Brown, she knows America cannot shrink its way to prosperity. We need to put people to work, she says on her website, by rebuilding our nations infrastructure. As recent polls suggest, her message is beginning to resonate, and if the people of After Attleboro students graduate from high school, they have a variety of options as to where to go to college, or whether they want to go to college. What would you tell graduating students (and their parents) about the merits of BCC when it comes to their posthigh school lives?
(Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Q+A
The Attleboro Democracy talked with Rodney Clark, Dean of Bristol Community College at Attleboro and Taunton. As Dean of the Attleboro Satellite campus of BCC, Clark is well poised to describe the merits of our local college, as well understanding the trends of collegiate education in general. Here was our Q + A with Dean Clark.
BCCs Fall River Campus.
Clark: The first thing I like to point out is the importance of considering the cost of Massachusetts work for her as they worked for obtaining a college education. Secondly, Ted, I fully expect to be watching TV again this students acquire a high quality, low cost education at Bristol Community College. In November when the future Lioness of the addition to preparing graduates to advance in Senate declares victory. their careers, we also boast some outstanding Lee Harrison is the Chairman of the transfer options to the state university system Berkshire Brigades, the countywide as well as to the various University of Massachusetts campuses. In addition, our Democratic organization. students successfully transfer to many private Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012 11 | P a g e
colleges and universities. This means that a student can complete the first two years of their post-secondary school studies at BCC then transfer to a four-year college where theyd have to complete just two more years to complete their baccalaureate degree. Students save an extraordinary amount of money by structuring their education in this way; its a perfect two-plus-two arrangement. Lets talk more specifically about cost. A public collegiate destination like UMASS Amherst costs roughly $22,000 a year for in-state noncommuters, and a private university like school like Boston University costs roughly $57,000 a year (data via both schools websites and collegeboard.com). How does BCC stack up finance-wise with those schools? Clark: A full-time student at Bristol can expect to pay approximately $4,500 per academic year (Sept May). The cost savings are quite remarkable when one recognizes that BCC students can and do transfer to these institutions and many others. A visit to our transfer affairs webpage will give someone a very clear picture of their options (http://www.bristolcc.edu/students/transfer/). Most schools have a have reputation for excellence in a certain discipline (biology, political science, business, etc.) What fields of study do BCC most allow its students to excel at? Clark: It might surprise you that thats a hard question to answer. Bristol offers associate degree and certificate programs in Liberal Arts, Business, Computers, Engineering, Health Sciences, Human Services and Office Administration. Students attend days and/or evenings and/or weekends and/or online. In addition, students can take their classes here in Attleboro or Fall River or New Bedford or Taunton or online, or a combination of all these options depending upon course availability. To that end, students seem to gravitate toward courses that fit their
work/family schedules, hence the rise in online course enrollments across all of BCC. What do you personally feel is most important when it comes to assessing students that apply to college? Grades? Standardized test scores? Extracurricular activities? Clark: All incoming students are assessed in English, reading, arithmetic and algebra. Depending upon how long someones been away from a classroom setting, this assessment helps us to know if a student needs developmental courses when they enter Bristol. As one might imagine, having solid reading skills, as one example, is a strong determinant in student success in a wide range of courses and programs. What skills do you believe students should be advanced in for the coming decade, given the poor economy, and the technological change and globalization that has been occurring? Clark: There are a number of transferable skill sets that everyone needs to improve upon technological, written, and spoken communication, cultural awareness/ globalization, current events, teamwork, math and reading comprehension. Do you believe students are leaving their K-12 educations proficient in those skills? Clark: It depends. Its hard to generalize. There are so many factors which impact a students ability to perform well in the classroom (work, family, etc.). Weve discovered that a great many students who enter BCC have other very real obstacles (nonacademic) which hinder their ability to succeed. In addition, because of the instability of the economy, half of our students attend part-time in order to satisfy other aspects of their lives (children, parents, work, and so on).
Rodney Clark is the Dean of Bristol Community College at Attleboro and Taunton. The Q + A was conducted by Andrew Meehan, Editor of the Attleboro Democracy.
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THE ATTACK ON TEACHERS

By Michael Levinson
Starting in the dairy state of Wisconsin, teachers across our nation have been under fire by dangerous reactionaries. As one former school committee member writes, teachers are essential to our education system, and it is vital to protect them for the sake of the students they serve.
ALTHOUGH FIFTY YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE PRESIDENT KENNEDY FIRST SPOKE THESE POWERFUL WORDS TO CONGRESS, THE MESSAGE STILL RINGS TRUE TODAY: THAT EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO THE PROGRESS OF OUR NATION.
(Photo courtesy of NASA.gov)
The education system in our country must be kept strong so that we can overcome the challenges which we as a people face. The importance of education can be seen in these trying and difficult economic times, as statistics show that college-educated individuals have an unemployment rate that is half of those with only a high school diploma. Despite the unequivocal importance of education to the
Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. Our requirements for world leadership, our hopes for economic growth, and the demands of citizenship itself in an era such as this all require the maximum development of every young American's capacity. The human mind is our fundamental resource. President
Kennedys Special Message to Congress on Education, Feb. 20, 1961
achievement of success in our nation, the public servants who educate the youth in our nation teachers are under attack from certain conservative reactionaries throughout our nation. Beginning in February of 2011, Scott Walker, the Republican Governor from the State of Wisconsin, proposed radical changes to the collective bargaining rights of the unionized teachers (along with other state workers) in his state. Specifically, his proposed
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budget
(which
included the
tax
breaks
for
Indiana, Ohio, and Minnesota, have mounted similar offensives against the collective bargaining rights of teachers. The disrespect shown to teachers in Wisconsin and in other states across our nation is shocking. These legislators who are proposing these outrageous laws are simply biting the hand that feeds them as I am sure these legislators had teachers instill in them the importance of civic duty which propelled them to become legislators. Instead of rewarding teachers and showing them respect, these lawmakers instead want to make teachers the enemy, despite the important role they play. In fact, within the past month, a Republican State Senator in the state of Alabama actually claimed that keeping teacher pay low is a Biblical principle, because it would allow only those with the true calling to enter the profession. I find it difficult to believe that the Bible requires us to treat poorly the educators of our youth. The future success of our nation rests strongly on the strength of our education system, and the strength of our system is linked to the quality of our teachers. If these conservative reactionary factions continue to attack teachers and see them as the enemy, the quality of teachers will surely drop, followed closely by the quality of our education system. We have to combat this attack on teachers and standup to these reactionaries for the strength and continued success of our nation, or else the anti-union sentiment exhibited in Wisconsin will spread to Massachusetts and, specifically, Attleboro.
corporations
and
wealthy)
stripped
teachers of virtually all of their collective bargaining rights except for the right to collectively bargain for wages. The proposed budget also required teachers to contribute a larger portion towards their pension and healthcare costs, and required any raise over the rate of inflation to be approved by referendum vote of the people of Wisconsin. Despite excessive protest which made nationwide news, and sit in demonstrations by teachers and other public employees at the Wisconsin state capital, the reduction of collective bargaining rights was eventually implemented, crippling and severely limiting the teachers ability to collectively bargain for their rights. In addition to hurting the educators of his state, Governor Walkers attack on teachers unions also had another lasting effect a loss of teachers, as many have now retired due to the limitations on collective bargaining rights.
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Governor Walkers attack on teachers unions is an affront to the educators who teach the students of that state. Teaching is a noble profession, with professionals charged with the important duty of teaching our students and providing a foundation for their future development. When Governor Walker chose to target the educators in his state, he made it abundantly clear to all that education and, more important, the teachers who fulfill the educational duties is not a priority. Unfortunately, Wisconsin is not alone, as reactionaries in other states, including Idaho,
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Governor Walkers disrespect for education perhaps is rooted in his own lack of education as although he attended 4 years of college he did not graduate.
Michael Levinson is a former Attleboro School Committee Member for Ward 6.

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THREE REASONS WHY College Costs So Much

By Alex Morash
For decades, the cost of attending college has been increasing. An area public policy commentator breaks down the three main reasons for the rising prices and what we can do about them.
(Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Why does college cost much?
President Obama highlighted higher education costs in his state of the union speech, even going so far as to state schools need to do their part to keep costs down. Up until now it was an almost unheard-of idea that schools can slow the rising cost of tuition. However, why is higher education so expensive? Higher education costs have been rising faster than inflation since at least 1980. From 1980 to 2004 inflation rose roughly 18-20% while the cost of higher education rose by over 250%. Today universities are increasingly charging $50,000 a year or more. Some argue that people should not look at the so-called sticker price of higher education because students receive discounts and financial aid. Yet, if this were the case one would expect student debt to stay relatively stable when compared to inflation. From 1993 to 2008 average student debt climbed from $9,250 to
over $1,900, a 58% increase after inflation! What many people fail to realize about financial aid is that most forms of aid are just loans; a student still needs to pay that back and in these hard times recent graduates are defaulting at the highest rates since student loan reform in the 1990s. There are many factors that go into higher education inflation. Some major factors are the higher education arms race, student access to too much government subsidized loans, and a complete lack of cost consciousness by the consumer and the institutions. The higher education arms race is led by elite institutions desire to be at the top of the rankings, attract the best students and have the most well-known professors. This has led to schools spending money on new facilities, amazing gyms and dorms, paying high wages for well-known faculty and in general has 15 | P a g e
created a spend, spend, spend climate at schools. In any normal business this type of arms race would be curtailed by the amount consumers are willing or able to spend. This is referred to as consumer cost consciousness. This cost consciousness is lost in higher education for two main reasons, the first being people believe the cost of education is almost always worth it and the government keeps intervening and supplies students with credit. It is true that a college education will boost ones income overtime. However, this does not mean one should spend $200,000 on a degree. The ever popular phrase that people on average make a million dollars more over their lifetimes with a college degree actually says little about college graduates wages. It instead tells us something about non-degree employees wages. Wages for workers with just a high school diploma have fallen off a cliff in the last forty years, while wages for college graduates have remained stable. College graduates wages have not been increasing faster than inflation for some time, so the more you pay for your education the more your education eats into your wages. Once this is understood ever increasing costs for education cannot be justified, in fact it means that higher education is becoming less valuable to students as its price increases. The other component to the disappearance of cost consciousness is government loans. The federal government gives each student
access to tens of thousands of dollars in loans every year and is constantly upping the limit. This means that students have the ability to pay higher and higher tuition and fee prices. Many free market thinkers believe that as students' ability to pay increases, schools will charge ever higher prices. Higher education costs are complicated and have many factors. However, just looking at these major problems in costs we can start to see possible solutions. The federal student loan program is one of these areas. Unless the federal government puts some restrictions on student loans, costs will continue to increase, students will default in ever higher numbers and taxpayers will be stuck with the bill. The federal government could restrict student loans solely for institutions that keep costs under control. Or only give loans at schools that agree not to charge a student receiving federal loans more than a set amount indexed to wages. If the school refuses the pool of potential students will diminish so much the institution would likely end up with less tuition fees than if it had agreed. Either way until the government or students start making cost conscious decisions, universities will continue to charge whatever they want and we will all be paying that high price! Alex Morash is a policy commentator with Rhody News and a member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee.
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THE Silent epidemic:

The drop-out rate, And what the city Of Attleboro is doing to combat it
By Donna Maria Cameron
No child grows up saying

"When I get bigger I want to drop out of school.
The director of the Attleboro Evening Diploma Program (AEDP) at Attleboro High School details what Attleboro did to lower its drop-out rate a silent epidemic that has coursed through other school systems.
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation refers to the nations high school drop-out rate as The Silent Epidemic, and with good reason. When students drop out of high school, the effect on the local community is devastating. In Massachusetts, almost one-quarter of families headed by high school drop-outs are poor; when the head of household is a single female, the poverty rate jumps to 55 percent (MassInc 2002). According to the Center for Labor Market Studies paper, more likely to be incarcerated than their similar aged peers who hold a college degree. Exoffenders with limited formal schooling have the greatest difficulty in obtaining employment and consequently run the highest risk of reoffending. Over their working lives, the average high school drop-out will cost taxpayers over $292,000 in lower tax revenues, and higher cash and in-kind transfer costs relative to the high school graduate. The consequences for Attleboro are too serious to ignore. We must therefore ask, what is the citys drop-out rate, what programs exist that address this problem, and what more can we be doing? In 2006, Attleboro High Schools drop-out rate was 5.5 percent, compared to 3.3 percent statewide. In 2011, the drop-out 17 | P a g e
The
Consequences
of
Dropping Out of High School, the 2008

joblessness rate of youth ages 16-24 who are high school drop-outs was 54 percent. Strikingly, high school drop outs are 47 times
rate fell to a low of 2.1 percent, compared to 2.7 percent statewide.

6 4 2 0 Drop-out Rate Drop-out Rate 2006 2011
Current enrollment stands at 85, of which 45 students are expected to graduate this May. The program is funded through a variety of sources. The school district provides the
AHS State-wide
facilities and one full time position. The federal government, through the Workforce Investment Act, underwrites the tuition for a small percentage of students (currently 6%). The remainder of expenses, and an including adjustment
The fall in our drop-out rate is the result of several new and innovative programs implemented by the school district, including early identification of at-risk students, a summer transition to high school program, a summer work and learning program, and a new School within a School program specifically for at-risk ninth graders. Despite these efforts, some students are unable to achieve success in the traditional high school setting. These students may transfer directly into our night school, the Attleboro Evening Diploma Program (AEDP), or return to AEDP after one or more semesters out of school. AEDP is a Massachusetts state accredited high school diploma program, under the auspices of the Attleboro Public Schools, which provides an alternative path to graduation for struggling students and high school dropouts from Attleboro and the surrounding communities. The program is intentionally small to allow for a student centered, individualized, and handson approach. The curriculum is based on the recommended 2009 Massachusetts Core Curriculum, thereby preparing students for either higher education or the skills necessary to obtain and retain employment. AEDP was formed in September, 2009 for youth and adults ages 16 to 25. In the first two years, 133 students were enrolled and 59 students earned their high school diploma.
classroom
teachers
counselor, is funded through local donations, and student tuition. When AEDP opened, the drop-out rate was five percent. While AEDP is not the only reason why Attleboros drop-out rate has fallen drastically, it has played a significant role. AEDP reaches beyond the current drop-out rate to address the needs of adults up to the age of 25. A student can be out of school for up to seven years prior to enrolling, thereby capturing the greatest number of students possible. By casting a wide enrollment net, AEDP provides Attleboro citizens with the opportunity for a high school diploma an opportunity few other programs in the Commonwealth provide. A thriving community is one where people are able to work, raise a family, feel safe, and enjoy the benefits of tax revenues such as good schools, fire and police services. The data reveals a grim picture. Without a high school diploma, both the individual and the community suffer. Attleboro has made tremendous strides in combating our nations silent epidemic. It is imperative that the city provides the resources necessary to continue the districts progress in lowering the drop-out rate.
Donna Maria Cameron is head of The AED Program at Attleboro High School.
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Very rarely, if ever, can I remember myself ever agreeing with someone so totally. Even stranger it was concerning education! Theres an old wise tale that says. Don't Discuss Religion or Politics. That saying should be modified to include education. So here are two links. The first is his website and the second is the actual video. http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/
LINKS TO Creativity
By Allen Makepeace
A high school teacher has found two lectures that will change the way you think creativity and schools go together.
If youre not prepared to be wrong, youll never come up with anything original. -Sir Ken Robinson, PhD So I was doing some research. Thats what teachers do by the way. This time I was researching creativity. Why? You might ask. Well, I am an art teacher and creativity is kinda high up on my mastery objectives. Definition: Mastery Objectives- What I want my students to learn that day. OKOK Can I teach creativity? Can students learn to be creative? Thats an interesting point, but also a point that we may discuss later. So anyway as I am goggling creativity, I come across this guy named Sir Ken Robinson PHD. I click on the link to find a video called, Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms. So as I begin watching, and my first thought is, hey this guy is funny! It was followed quickly by a more shocking revelation. Hes spot on! I hope you find these links as interesting as I did.
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_ch anging_education_paradigms.html
Alan Makepeace is a teacher at AHS.

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A Community Asset: The Literacy Center

HOW WOULD dIFFeRent IF READ? YOUR LIFE BE yoU CoULdnt
by Joan Ricci
The Attleboro Literacy Center provides valuable services to our beloved city. Its director tells us how.
labels). One third of the states workers dont have the skills to perform in the rapidly changing economy. Adults with low literacy are half as likely to vote, suffer adverse health outcomes, have lower incomes and are more likely to become incarcerated. In Attleboro, there are options for all. The Literacy Center was founded by a small group of volunteers in 1988 who believed that all people should have the opportunity to learn the basic reading and English language skills they need to become productive citizens in their community. Since then we have grown to serve 400 students each year. Our students are ages 16 80 and come to The Literacy Center to study for a GED, to learn English, to work on US Citizenship, to learn how to use computers, or to meet many other goals, important to their personal and financial 20 | P a g e
What would it be like to live in a
foreign country that has an alphabet that looks completely different? How would you handle shopping, going to the doctor, reading traffic signs, prescription labels, bank statements, job applications? Could you tell the difference between junk mail and importance notices? Would you be able to use a computer? Could you read a menu? These are all challenges faced by the students we serve every day and by many others in the state. In Massachusetts, 32% of adults scored below basic and basic in prose literacy (ability to read newspaper articles, brochures) and 26% below basic and basic in document literacy (ability to read job applications, bus schedules, drug and food
success. Students are born in the United States and in 45 other countries. All come together Over the years hundreds of Attleboro residents have served the Literacy Center in many capacities. The volunteer tutor program currently has 110 tutors. Our tutors allow us to serve people who cannot enroll in classes, either because of scheduling difficulty, learning disabilities that require one-on-one, or because of anxiety over past school failure. They provide encouragement and help. Many other volunteers serve on the Board of Directors, help with buildings and grounds or provide clerical assistance. Our philosophy is to offer flexible services to meet the needs of all. While students pursue their goals, they may change schedules and availability due to family or work obligations. We accommodate these changes through a schedule that includes daytime and evening classes and tutoring. On a small budget we have a great deal of success with the help of our many volunteers. The organization is well respected and appreciated in the community. We are located in the First Mayors House, where the students a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The support from the City of Attleboro is invaluable to us and allows us to continue to succeed in our mission to provide literacy services and educational support of the highest quality to individuals and families seeking to acquire the skills needed to attain personal and employment goals and our vision to seek out those who need literacy services, to teach them in a supportive atmosphere, and to enable them to become productive citizens in their community.
High School & The AntiLeaning Culture

By Emily Meehan Distractions from outside the school are polluting the atmosphere inside it.
Jersey Shores on tonight! When is the next iPhone coming out? Wheres the party at tonight? Nothings official until its Facebook Official. These are the thoughts going through the minds of todays students. My generation has become the first generation to focus most of, maybe even all of their lives on the internet and similar electronic media. Teenagers spend more of their time on Facebook, texting, and many learning. As I went through my four years of high school, I became aware of these growing trends of the 2000s. Teenagers became more intrigued with texting than reading, going on Facebook than homework, and watching Jersey Shore than sleeping. These sources of entertainment were not necessarily bad, but they started to interfere with academics. I watched students text on their phones during class rather than listen to the teacher, post 21 | P a g e other similar things that are unfortunately creating a culture that is against
Joan Ricci is the Director of the Literary Center.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Meehan
to succeed.
statuses saying they should be doing an essay on their Facebook, and watch television rather than study for their test the next day. Todays society is interfering with the academic lives of our young. I think the main thing to look at of these trends is certainly Facebook. Facebook has a produced society where its okay for a person to tell their every little detail of life to their friends, or strangers. Facebook is not healthy to a students brain. It can create stress, emotional fatigue, and laziness. Students do not need the stress of Facebook, not when they have the stresses of school to deal with. Facebook puts stress on ones popularity, how much attention one gets, and quite literally, it is often a waste of time. While high schoolers may seem the biggest example of all of the anti-learning culture, these trends have certainly made their way to the middle schools. I remember that when I was in middle school, things like Facebook and Youtube had just come out. Many kids used them, but had not become obsessed with them. Similarly, video games were obviously played by most students, but online gaming like that of the Call of Duty games was not as big as it is now. Even many kids didnt have cell phones. Now, middle school students are likely to have joined high school kids in texting all the time, playing video games online all day, and even spending hours on Facebook. Instead of middle school kids becoming addicted to new media when they enter high school, elementary school kids could now start becoming addicting to new media once they enter middle school. All the electronic devices and media arent necessarily bad. Texting your friends, watching
TV, playing video games, and surfing the web all are fun. But after four years of high school, and now after being in college, I realize that after a lot of time doing that stuff, they can prevent learning on the part of kids. To change these trends, we need to change our culture. I think parents need to be held responsible for the culture students accept and watch. Although teachers may really want kids to learn, and will want to teach kids to be in control of themselves when it comes to all the stuff around them, all the current trends in teen culture come from outside of school. No matter what schools do to try to create a good learning culture, thats where theyre going to have to change. Things like parent-teacher conferences, where teachers tell parents how their kids are doing could become more critical; will be more important than say, rules on cell-phone use in school. It all starts at home.
Emily Meehan is a student at Manhattan College.
The Rule of The School

By Evan Heller
To encourage creativity, schools need to lose their strict hierarchal ways, as one former student writes.
School is idealized as a place to foster the minds of youth in preparation for the outside world. 22 | P a g e
However, K-12 classrooms
seem
to be
Columbus Day and hear how Columbus discovered America! You accept this as fact. In eleventh grade you still get school off for Columbus Day, but are instead told that Columbus discovered a nation that had already been both inhabited and discovered by Europe by accident, and then proceeded to murder, rape, and desecrate the native people and their land. You accept this as fact as well. You can be presented with multiple truths, and accept them both without any further questions. Is it not scary that we are turning Americas youth into machines that do not question authority? But the adult who taught you these things is given the title teacher, and that makes their word law. Teachers often give the faade of being able to openly question course material and are usually glad to answer any question that a student may have that allows them to better understand the material as presented to them. However, any question that seeks to go beyond the scope of the course, to delve deeper into the realm of academia drink from the ocean of knowledge and inquisition, is utterly frowned upon, especially if it questions a claim made by the teacher, putting their authority at risk. What crueler way could be devised to rob a child of their desire to learn? Art Class, PE, what are they but ways to systematize creativity and recreation? Why cant kids learn by exploring their own world and asking for support or answers where they see fit? Why do we have to make schools, potential sanctuaries for children, into microcosms of the power-driven adult world that we will one day crudely throw them into any? Education needs to be reformed. School should be a place where success is determined 23 | P a g e
designed to teach kids three thingshow to memorize mundane facts, how to regurgitate that information back onto a piece of paper periodically, and how to take orders. Rather than letting children expand their minds, question the world around them, and flourish their creativity and uniqueness, students are taught to sit down, be quiet, and believe what theyre told. Particularly in middle school and high school, classrooms are set up and operated as a sort of totalitarian dictatorship. As a student you are: placed in a room not of your choosing, given an instructor without any say in the matter, told you are to respect and adhere to this instructor on the basis of their age and position, and be subject to all rules, agenda, and evaluation implemented by the instructor which is decided wholly at their discretion. On top of this, these are the conditions that they are mandated by law to oblige for over 15,000 hours (figure estimated from 13 years of schooling, 180-day school years, and 6.5 hour school days) from kindergarten until the end of high school. To put this in perspective, this would be Of equivalent going to school for 625 days straight, 24/7, no breaks and no sleep. course, that isnt even taking homework into consideration (because why should a teachers power not extend to their home life as well?) or afterschool activities that the school hosts. With no pay and no say, students are essentially slaves to the educational system. The way children are taught just enforces this power-driven system. Teachers tell students information. The students are told to believe the teacher. In first grade you celebrate
by ones effort and individual growth rather than how well one adheres to a hegemonic system, comprised of menial memorization and oftentimes arbitrary rules. If we were to change the system, school could be become more than a choreit could be a place for them to learn, live, explore, and grow. It could be a place where they want to be.
military? Disabilities within the family. Family income. Number of siblings. Does parent have a job? Relatives living in the family. Do they have a job? Recent death in the family? Is the household noisy? TV on most or all the time? Are friends often visiting? Does student have a study schedule at home? Is there a computer in the home? Does the student have a job? Does anyone in the home help the student with homework? Is there any pressure from home for the student to do well in their studies and behave in class? Are there any concerns not being met, that knowing about may get the student help? What is known and not known of teachers' background? Did the teacher major in the subject he/she taught? How many years teaching the subject and past evaluations? Were there slow learners and students with limited English in class? Was
Evan Heller is a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
a teaCheRs Observations
By Arthur Kenyon An experienced teacher shares his insights.
This is my observation, as a teacher for 34 years, on why school reforms fail. Too many students lack discipline at home. Many are disrespectful to their parents. This disrespect carries over into the classroom. Teachers and administrators have limited support or authority to correct the most disrespectful behavior. What is known and allowed to be known about a student? Family history: physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Single parent family. Any family member in prison, hospital or parent in the
there any allowance for this when teacher was evaluated? Does the school have a printed curriculum for teachers to follow for student learning? Does the state Board of Education have and distribute to all school districts the curriculum for all grade levels? Do school boards have the curriculum on hand and does each member have a copy, and are they required to read it? Teaching colleges need to be evaluated on the methods they use to turn out better teachers. The problems students may be burdened with can make it difficult for them to learn and a teacher to teach. Parents are teachers. All types of behavior are learning experiences. Education is a ticket for future employment.
Arthur Kenyon lives in Attleboro.
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academics, and start to dream of what they want to when theyre adults. Senior year is when that last phase starts to end. After winter or so of senior year, when students usually have a rough idea of what theyre going to do it leaves students often still focusing on finishing things like math, science, history, English, art, and gym, when in their minds theyre starting to focus on college or work, traveling, living expenses, and money. Thats why its time rethink senior year. Senior year at the high school level needs to be retooled so that students can be phased out of what we in college might call general education classes or the core curriculum and instead be prepared for what theyll be doing once they leave AHS, or other high schools. In regards to this, three things should be looked at as potential revisions of senior After four years of residing in the confines of Attleboro High School on 101 Rathbun-Willard Drive, a student becomes a high school senior, and gains all the perks. They get a shorter school year, with graduation in early June. Potential final exam exemptions if you can get an A in a course. The knowledge that, after December or so, when youve applied to colleges, or lined up a job, you can develop the disease known as senioritis and not have it be fatal. However, senior year in high school is unlike any other year for a student and yet often its not treated way. If elementary school is where kids first learn the simple basics of education, and middle school is where they start to expand on those basics and start to mature as people, high school is where students more or less finish the basics of year. 1) Make final exams more important Final exams for the high school are usually worth 10% of ones grade. Math-wise, thats not much. If I have an 80 in a class before the final exam, and I get a 50 on the final, Id end up with a 77. Not much of a drop-off. But nonetheless, after a long year of hard work, a student can reasonably find how much theyve learned in a subject through a final exam. However, that isnt how it works in college. In college, there are classes where finals are almost half your grade. You get a 50 in that, youre toast. So much more time in college is devoted to simple studying, as opposed to the worksheets homework. By making final exams more important in the last part of senior year, you help adjust 25 | P a g e and short answer questions students have to do in high school for
Rethinking senior Year of high school

By Andrew Meehan
Senior year of high school is like few others in a students life. However, it could use a few changes to make it better for the student who is looking to graduate.
students to how things will work in college. Obviously not everyone is looking at college, but for all students making finals more important at the very least will give them an extra reason to care about the final months of senior academics. 2) Allow for course requirements to be taken before the last semester/trimester As noted, sometimes there are students who are already know what theyre going to do when they graduate. Some are going to join the family business. Some are going to college where they already know what theyll major in. For those students, certain classes are preventing them from lazering in on their path for the future. For instance, a student whos going to college to get a degree in physical therapy is going to have a hard time justifying the importance of his or her English IV class. Many high school courses are required to be taken senior year. Heres a simple suggestion: allow students to take them earlier. If a student takes English III in the fall of junior year for instance, why shouldnt they be allowed to take English VI in the spring? That way, come senior year, if they werent focusing on English in their future, they could get it out of the way. This isnt to suggest that these graduation requirements arent important. Students should strive to learn the basics presented in a senior English class, or a senior math class, or whatever subject. Students should just be allowed to do it earlier, if possible, 3) Allow for internship periods Last May, a teacher in the Career office at Attleboro High School helped me get a summer job with an Attleboro accountant who worked at a Boston Law firm, who was also
expanding a business. It was a great job I made money, and learned something interesting and useful doing it. Perhaps this experience could be expanded for others, and not just for the summer. Instead, perhaps we could try something I call internship periods. In place of an elective that a student doesnt need to graduate, or some other class for instance, why not allow them to go to a professional who can teach them a craft theyre interested for a class period, then return to the high school? It could be unpaid, but the student would benefit from the internship. You do that for a semester, its almost the equivalent of a summer job in terms of experience. Professionals who can be certified by the career office could mentor students in their craft law, medical, carpentry, accounting, you name it. We have classes on those previous subjects at the high school, but an internship period would allow students to experience them from the vantage point of a literal business student setting. mentors For would most be, seniors, their transportation wouldnt be a problem, and the after certification, ensuring that students were on time, did their work, and returned to the high school promptly. Instead of cash, students would earn credits. Senior year is unlike any other year for a student in public schooling: By senior year, general studies should be coming to a close, and students school schedules should be shifting towards focusing on their futures outside AHS. Those three proposals could be beneficial in help promoting that goal.
Andrew Meehan is the Editor of the Attleboro Democracy.

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Governor Patrick and I often speak about generational responsibility. As a society, we need to make critical investments that will position the Commonwealth for a brighter future. Empowering a childs imagination with education that opens the door to STEM fields is one of the best things we can do to honor that responsibility. As lieutenant governor, I travel across the Commonwealth, meeting with leaders in both the public and private sector, to make sure our administration is doing everything we can to promote economic and community development. In my travels, I hear a common refrainthat Massachusettss highly skilled, educated and motivated workforce is our greatest asset. Then, the follow-up is usually this: there are jobs open, but companies are limited in their growth because they need more people who are well versed in STEM disciplines, whether that is a lab technician working with living cells, or a precision machinist able to work a computer-controlled milling machine. The Obama administration recently reported that only about a third of bachelors degrees earned in the United States are in STEM fields compared to approximately 53 percent of first university degrees earned in China and 63 percent in Japan. The same report also projected in the next decade, STEM occupations will increase by 17 percent, compared to 9.8 percent in other occupations. In Massachusetts, over the past few years, we have seen similar trends, which is why the governor and I, working closely with our partners in academia and the private and nonprofit sector, have brought special focus to improving and expanding STEM education, 27 | P a g e
STEM: Helping Children to Imagine a Boundless Future

By Lt. Governor Timothy P. Murray
Massachusetts is pushing programs for children to excel in science, technology, engineering, and math.
CHILDREN ARE LIKE SPONGES THEY SOAK UP SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM. I see it in my two young daughters who are easily captivated by morning cartoons, and find themselves imagining the next invention they can create, just like the inventors Phineas and Ferb in episodes on the Disney Channel. If children can be inspired by science on Disney, then we should find ways to engage students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) from the earliest days of their education.
from kindergarten on up. We have created the states first STEM Advisory Council, which I chair, to foster this strong partnership that is now driving a statewide effort to develop the right tools and resources to support a comprehensive STEM agenda. In September 2010, we released the states first STEM plan, titled A Foundation for the Future: Massachusetts Plan for Excellence in STEM Education. This plan goes further than we have ever gone before, setting targeted goals and benchmarks as we work with K-16 programs to promote STEM education, jobs, and workforce development. Last August, almost a year after launching the STEM plan, the advisory council endorsed six statewide programs to engage students, K12, in ambitious programs that will support the states long-term goals to improve STEM education and complement our investments in jobs and workforce development. In our administrations state budget proposal for FY2013, we have not only increased funding for general K-12 education to its highest level in state history, we have specifically funded STEM programs to keep up the momentum. Through the leadership of the STEM Advisory Council, and support from partners across the Commonwealth, we are creating a strong platform for STEM education that will help students access STEM learning experiences that will open their imaginations to the excitement of scientific discovery and technology development. In this way, we are helping our children imagine a boundless future as we also support the growth industries of our economy.
Public Accountability is the Key to Public Confidence

by State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump
Massachusetts state auditor details school financial corruption and how it was stopped.
A few months ago I released an audit on the heels of an inspector generals report that detailed apparently grievous wrong-doing at the Merrimac education collaborative. Ten public school districts representing at least 24 communities paid MEC to provide education services to their special needs students, but some of those funds were being used to inflate pensions, provide lavish entertainment, and support nobid contracts with a related non-profit. The condemnation of MEC came swiftly and loudly from the communities, the But Legislature, the media, and the public.
while MECs transgressions were extreme, it was clear to me as State Auditor that the problem that faced taxpayers and families of special needs students was bigger than a single rogue collaborative. Our audits of two other collaboratives, released at the same time as MECs, detailed similar problems and showed that the system governing education collaboratives was, in fact, broken. As a candidate for State Auditor, I vowed that my audits would not just end up on a shelf, but would be used to make government work better. So, when we released the audits, we also issued recommendations for 28 | P a g e
Timothy P. Murray serves as Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
legislation to enhance standards for financial accountability and internal governance and to improve oversight of collaboratives by state and local authorities. The problems the audits identified and the solutions they proposed were the subject of oversight hearings by the Joint Committee on Education. Our suggestions were embraced by the organizations representing collaboratives, school committees, and school superintendents, as well as by the states education department. They found their way into legislation sponsored by Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Representatives Alice Peisch and Brian Dempsey, and Governor Deval Patrick, and they were included in a bill passed last month by the Senate the House. The headlines of about MEC needs skepticism abusing students about taxpayers and potentially compromising the education undoubtedly trust. special fueled
reviewed lessons learned from an audit conducted by my predecessor concerning the states oversight of the anti-hazing law and recommended amendments to the law to require reporting of certain instances to bullying, so that we can determine which strategies to reduce its incidence work. Just last month, upon inquiry by two communities with large numbers of homeless families in temporary housing, we determined that the cost of transporting homeless children to schools in their hometowns should be funded by the Commonwealth, not the local school districts. Now we are conducting a cost survey of all school districts so that the Legislature may consider appropriating the necessary funds. The State Auditor is the elected public advocate for good Public government confidence and in accountability.
government programs is essential to help us get through these difficult economic times. And ensuring that the public is and should be confident in its government is what drives my agenda as your State Auditor. As we head into year two of my administration we intend to examine other systems across state government, and we hope to achieve the same kind of results. Success is a collaborative effort and I know that we have willing partners in the Patrick Administration, the Legislature, and the public. I hope to deliver a sense of assurance that there is someone in state government who is thirsty for government which is more efficient, more effective, more accountable, and more transparent.
governments capacity to uphold the public What has occurred in the aftermath, ought to instill confidence in however,
governments ability to identify and correct faults in the systems we rely on to meet public need. My offices impact hasnt been limited to the realm of education collaboratives. We issued a special report on business tax credits that helped spur the creation of a Tax Expenditure Commission to review all tax expenditures and make recommendations as to how we can add elements of accountability and transparency to our business tax policy. When a special commission on bullying prevention, headed by Attorney General Martha Coakley, sought recommendations on ways to strengthen the states bullying law, we
Suzanne Bump is the State Auditor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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test to see if you can make any sense of the Romney flip fops. The Essay section of the test I will save for another time. Multiple Choice Mitt Multiple Choice Test Each correct answer is worth 10 points
Multiple Choice Mitt

Education features multiple choice tests, and politicians give multiple answers. A former teacher gives us a multiple choice test for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
By Claire Naughton
(Public domain photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
1) Mitt Romney has said of illegal immigrants that they A. should have a chance to obtain citizenship. B. should have no special pathway to citizenship. C. did work on his lawn through a company he hired, but he knew nothing about it. D. should move to Canada. E. Both A &B. F. A, B & C
We all hear so much lately, because of the hotly contested Republican presidential race, about Mitt Romney flip flopping on issues. He seems to flip flop so often that he must have to see his chiropractor daily. At his age, it has got to be taking a toll on his back. Jay Leno said recently of one of the major flips that Romney invented Obamacare before he was against it. Conan O Brien mentioned Romneys ideological opponent, Mitt Romney from 4 years ago. If you go on line, though, you will find that this is actually nothing new, Romney has been doing this kind of thing for many years. During Romneys run against Ted Kennedy for Senate in 1994, when they debated, Ted Kennedy accused Romney of waffling on the question of abortion. Kennedy stated on the question-the choice issue, I have supported Roe v Wade. I am pro-choice; my opponent is multiple choice. As a former teacher, I have been inspired by those words to make up a multiple choice
2) About his political leanings, Mitt Romney A. recently, during his 2012 campaign, said I was a severely conservative Republican Governor. B. is hallucinating if he thinks that the electorate of Massachusetts would elect anyone for governor who they considered severely conservative. C. in 2002, during his Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign, stated that I am not a partisan Republican, Im someone who is moderate and my views are progressive. D. Both A &B. E. A, B & C.
3) Over the years, when Ronald Reagan has been discussed by Mitt Romney, he has stated: A. While debating with Ted Kennedy in 1994 I was an independent in the time of ReaganBush. I am not trying to return to Reagan Bush. B. In the mid 2000s he stated that Ronald
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Reagan was one of his heroes. C. That if he could look and act as relaxed as Ronald Regan did during his debates, he would shave his head. D. A & B. E. B & C.
4) Concerning the National Rifle Association, Romney has: A. said I dont line up with the NRA. B. joined the NRA. C. said Im after the NRA endorsement. D. doesnt have the guts to tell the NRA what he really thinks of them. E. All of the above. F. A, B & C
6) About asking for federal government earmarks, Romney A. collected millions of dollars for Massachusetts as governor and manager of the Salt Lake City Olympics Games. B. now says that one of the biggest differences between his Republican opponent, Rick Santorum, and himself is that Santorum is a big defender of earmarks. I oppose earmarks. C. dedicated a whole chapter in his book Turnaround about getting money from the Federal Government for the Olympics D. All of the above
5) About guns laws and gun ownership, Romney stated : A. during his campaign for governor of Massachusetts, We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them. B. during his 2008 Presidential campaign, Ive worked very closely with the Gun Owners Action League which is an affiliate of the NRA and we made some changes which I think they feel have been positive steps. And so you are going to see that, I think, hopefully in other states as well, as they make progress, perhaps further than Massachusetts has. C. on 1/10/07 I have a gun of my own, I go hunting myself. D. on 1/14/07, when asked by reporters at a gun show if he personally owned a gun, that he did not. E. All of the above.
7) On global warming A. Romney in 6/20/2011 stated I believe the world is getting warmer and that humans contribute that. And I also think that its important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may well be significant contributions to the climate change. B. In 10/2011, Romney said My view is that we dont know whats causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us. C. In 10/2011, a Romney spokesperson stated that Governor Romney has been consistent in his statements on global warming. D. All of the above. F. Both A & B.
8) Stem cell research A. was endorsed by the gubernatorial hopeful, Mitt Romney, saying that one day it could help treat his wifes multiple sclerosis. B. was vilified by Romney, who came out strongly against the use of cloned embryos in
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research in 2005. C. Romney now believes that anyone who can benefit from stem cell research should move to Canada. D. was renounced by Romney in his 2008 presidential campaign. He now agreed with Bushs decision to ban federal funding for research on excess embryos. E. A, B & D F. A & C
9) On health care reform A. in 2006, as Governor of Massachusetts, Romney proposed and signed into law, legislation requiring health care insurance for all state residents and provided a plan available to the individual that is deemed affordable according to state standards. B. in 2010, Romney opposed the new federal law which was in many ways similar to the Massachusetts healthcare reform passed during his term as Governor in Massachusetts. He opposed the law often scorned by Republicans as Obamacare because it did not have bipartisan support in Congress. C. advocates moving all of those who cant afford health care to Canada. D. Romney says he will put forth his own health care plan before debating President Obama. E. A, B & D F. C &D.
recession worse, but that he said the economy hadnt turned around. C. On July 4th, 2011 Romney said, Our president has failed us. The recession is deeper because of the President. D. Many Wall Street insiders believe that Mitt Romney could help the U. S. economy by buying Canada up in a leverage buyout, exploiting it for profit and then giving a portion of that profit to the U. S. to lower the national debt. Romney is considering it. E. All of the above. F. A, B & C
Multiple Choice Mitt Multiple Choice Test Score Sheet: 1.(F) 2(E) 3(D) 4( F) 5(E) 6(D) 7(D) 8(E) 9(E) 10(F)
What does my score mean?
70% or below: You have failed this test. You are a true Democrat, totally confused as to why anyone would vote for such a core valueless, lying bag of do-do. 80% : You are probably Unenrolled but call yourself an Independent. You mostly vote as a Republican, except for when you take out a Democratic ballot during the primary to vote for the least acceptable Democrat (which as far as most Democrats are concerned is still better than any Republican.) 90%: You are a true Republican and have been one since you were born. You have never thought about why you vote Republican. 100%: You are a Teabagger, bent on CHANGE, no matter what kind or by whom.
For the first time in my life I hope someone
10) About the economy and economic recovery: A. On 6/13/2011. Mitt Romney stated that President Obama didnt create the recession but he made it worse and longer. B. On 6/30/11 Romney denied that he ever accused President Obama of making the
failed my test!
Claire Naughton is a former Attleboro teacher. She lives in Foxboro.
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Stopping the Textbook Squeeze

By Darrell Steinberg, California State Senate President pro Tempore
College students shell out money for their textbooks every year. A new proposal, originating in California, seeks to make a cheaper online library. The proposals author tells how it could work in Massachusetts, and around the country.
well, with required textbooks draining their pockets to the tune of about $1,300 every year. Its no wonder that some professors routinely see several students drop their course after the first day or two, after those students realize they cant afford the textbook. Its no wonder that many other students try to navigate the course without buying the unaffordable textbook. Its no wonder that 33 | P a g e
Spend a half hour browsing a CampUs bookstoRe and yoULL likely leave with your mind reeling from textbook sticker shock. University Physics: $241. Intermediate
Accounting: $253. Chemistry: $218. Of course, none of this is breaking news for college students. They know the drill all too
(Photo courtesy of Andrew Meehan)
these exorbitant costs force many students to simply drop out of college altogether. Our struggling students are being squeezed at every end, from rising fees to higher costs of living to fewer opportunities for decent paying part-time jobs. And textbooks are a very big squeeze. It doesnt - it shouldnt - have to be this way. We can do something about it, and we can do it now. Using 21st century technology, and a decade of development and experience from top institutions like MIT and Rice University, we know its possible to provide students with the highest quality textbooks for a fraction of todays costs, if not entirely for free. Its called Open Educational Resources, or OER. Whats missing is a push to establish policy to make OER possibilities a reality to allow students in our college systems to access quality instructional materials for little or no cost. In California, Ive authored legislation (SB 1052 & SB 1053) which would launch development of open source textbooks for 50 of the most widely taken lower-division courses in our states public colleges and universities. We put those books in a virtual, online library through which students and faculty can access them for free. Still want a hardcopy book? Get a print version for about $20. Through a $25 million state investment, Im proposing we call on our brightest minds faculty, publishers, Silicon Valley and nonprofit foundations among others - to bring forward their best ideas and compete to generate this top-notch material. Maybe its brand new, maybe its based on existing work. And no one, including existing publishers, is
shut out from the game as we develop materials through a process of request for proposals. All of it would be created with an open license known as creative commons, allowing free distribution. Creative commons would also enhance faculty capabilities to create what you might think of as an I-tunes playlist for education. Just as youd customize your music playlist, professors and instructors could mix and match the material, reshaping it for their own courses. No, college faculty wont be mandated to use open source material. But with more affordable options that maintain high quality, Im confident theyll do the right thing. And as we launch OER development of these 50 most commonly-used textbooks, students would gain immediate relief by another legislative provision; publishers who sell texts to our colleges would be required to provide at least three free copies of each book for campus libraries to place on reserve. Right now, the paucity of library textbook copies is a common frustration for students. To no ones surprise, publishers arent exactly embracing this concept. In California for example, with more than 1.3 million public college students taking lower division courses spending an average of $1,300 a year on textbooks, were talking $1.8 billion for publishers. I have nothing against people making money, but Im driven more by the potential of enormous savings for our students and middle class families. Publishing representatives claim theyre already slashing prices. You wouldnt know it by hitting the campus bookstore. In fact in the past five years, the Consumer Price Index 34 | P a g e
shows textbook prices rising at more than three times the rate of inflation. Publishers also update textbooks every three years on average, sometimes with only minor changes, as a way to make used books obsolete more quickly. With digital open source materials, necessary changes can be made quickly and inexpensively. A spokesman for the Association for American Publishers even called our proposal textbooks for Wikipedia, questioning the quality that would result. Such criticism ignores the peer review built into my state proposal, establishing an Open Educational Resources Council comprised of top faculty from UC, CSU, and California Community Colleges to vet and approve the OER textbooks. The frustration being expressed this fall on our college campuses proves the point now is the time to implement the vision, to bring some measure of relief to our students and middle class families. A relatively small investment by our state can save Californians hundreds of millions of dollars every year. This is a model that can be replicated nationwide. Let me be clear; this is not a substitute for investing more in higher education. That is going to take time. But developing OER is a tool we can use to help. If we can provide something to soften the blow, we must do it. It is imperative that our college systems provide as much accessibility and affordability as possible. With a comprehensive program of Open Educational Resources, we can do better and we can be smarter in educating our future leaders. Now is the time.
Darrell Steinberg is the California State Senate President pro Tempore.
Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) is the President pro Tempore of the California State Senate. First elected to the Senate in 2006 and re-elected in 2010, his colleagues elected him as Senate leader in August 2008. Prior to joining the Senate, Steinberg served in the State Assembly from 1998 to 2004. Steinbergs service to Californians has earned him numerous awards and citations, including the 2010 Kennedy Library Foundations John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, the nation's most prestigious honor for public servants. Steinberg earned the award for leading a bipartisan effort to solve the states devastating budget deficit in 2009. Senator Steinberg has served as a strong advocate for children and mental health issues, and to improve the vitality and efficacy of higher education and public schools. Steinberg, 52, earned a BA in economics from UCLA and a JD from UC Davis Law School. He served as an employee rights attorney for the California State Employees Association for 10 years before his work as an Administrative Law Judge and mediator. Steinberg also served on the Sacramento City Council from 1992 to 1998. Steinberg and his wife Julie have two children - a daughter, Jordana, and a son, Ari.
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Watch the Dragon Rising in the East!

By Professor Eric Drouart
China is rising although it does have its challenges and flaws, as one business professor writes. Nonetheless, its clear that knowing about the growing superpower in Asia will come in handy.
exchange for the dollars we have sent them to pay for their products, China has re-invested these dollars buying U.S. Treasury bonds and financing the current federal budget deficit. China is now the second economy in the world; quite far behind the U.S. at this time but economic forecasts (if they are to be believed) show China passing the U.S. economy around the year 2030. It is very difficult to predict the future and China is facing dire challenges which are three-fold: The first one is the fact that its economic growth is slowing down, transitioning from an export-driven economy to one that will be focused more and more on 36 | P a g e
The visit in the U.S. in february of the Vice President of China, Xi Jinping, soon to be the leader of the Peoples Republic of China, underlined the very special relationship between our two countries. Whether we like it or are aware of it, our two economies are totally interdependent because of the trade and financial exchanges that have resulted from the entry of China into the WTO in 2001. For the past decade, the Chinese economy has grown double-digit over 10% year-on-year fueled by its exports of cheap, labor-intensive goods to developed countries like the U.S. In
satisfying the demands of its middle-class. Chinese workers especially on the industrial cities in the coastal areas are seeking more consumer goods and higher salaries and wages as well as better working and living conditions. This creates a problem for Chinas exporting industries that will encounter higher labor The costs that will reduce will their be competitiveness. second challenge environmental. Several rivers and cities are heavily polluted and access to clean air and water will become an increasingly important public health issue for the Chinese population. It is significant that China is striving ahead of the rest of the world to develop renewable energy. The Chinese government is reported to have made substantial investments ($30 billion) in wind turbine and solar cells technology. This is one area where the U.S. should invest to stay ahead and innovate in these new energy-saving and producing technologies, but China is already a leader in these technologies and gaining economies of scale and low-cost manufacturing. The third challenge is political. The economic growth has amplified the inequalities between the coastal areas and the more rural hinterland regions of China. There is also a greater awareness of local and provincial officials financial grafts and corruption. The Communist leaders in Beijing are worried that these inequalities could give rise to demonstrations and riots against the Party. This why it controls internet access and content and it is ruthless in its treatment of dissidents. Who could blame them? Millions of disenfranchised peasants could lead to a revolution against the regime and we all can
remember how the pro-democracy movement on Tiananmen Square in 1989 was ruthlessly suppressed in a military operation that left countless dead. The U.S. and other developed countries try to engage China in dialogue over human rights and the treatment of dissidents. China sees these attempts as infringements into its sovereignty and its domestic policies. This also could give rise to nationalistic reactions against the Western powers that invaded China in 1858 and negotiated unfair trade treaties (i.e. opium from Afghanistan traded by the British for Chinese goods). The future is built on history and the treatment of China by western colonial powers in the 19th century is the reason for their fierce nationalism and competition against the West. Little by little, in years to come, China will crave to be recognized by the international community for its economic growth as a super-power and will increasingly get involved in international crisis. This will be the ultimate challenge for the leaders of China, whether the western powers of the 20th century (the U.S. and Europe) will accept China as their equal to solve some of the worldwide issues of today like global warming and potential regional conflicts in the Middle East and other areas. There is no argument that with its population of 1.3 billion, the numbers are favoring China. It is my conclusion that all Americans and especially high-school and college students should all engage in a crash-course to learn the history of China and the Chinese language. This could become very handy in the very near future.
Eric Drouart, a native of France, is a visiting Business Studies Professor at Assumption College.
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Movies, books, television, and so much more, affect our society, and even our politics. The Attleboro Democracy presents its reviews of the latest culturally significant and notable happenings in the country.
WITTY, CLEVER, AND GLEEFULLY INSANE, ONE OF THE BEST FILMS TO COME OUT OF 2011, FOR KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE, WAS THE MUPPETS. The film stars Jason Segel as Gary, Amy Adams as Mary, his long-time girlfriend, and Walter, a Muppet newcomer, who plays Garys brother. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, and all the other felt friends weve come to know and love over the years round out the rest of the cast. When it is learned that Tex Richman, an oil merchant, is going to knock down the old Muppet Theater to drill for oil, the Muppets have to all reunite and raise ten million dollars to repurchase the theater and save it from destruction. Gary, Mary, and Walter are all on vacation during this fiasco. Gary and Walter, being huge Muppet fans, decide to help the 38 | P a g e
Felt Philosophy: The Muppets And What They Tell Us about American Identities
By: Michael Kutsch
Muppets save the theater. During Garys scramble to help the Muppets, he forgets about his ten year anniversary with Mary. When he shows up at the hotel, shes gone, and has left him a note. Mary states she has gone home, and has left Gary to decide if he is a man or a Muppet. Meanwhile, Walter is facing a dilemma of becoming integrated with the rest of the Muppets, or deciding to continue his life with Gary and Mary. It is at this point in the film where they sing the song, Man or Muppet. A shoo-in for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, Man or Muppet, is a duet between Gary and Walter, who are each going through a personal identity crisis of whether they want a life living mainly among humans, or among Muppets. Tagging along in the duet is Garys Muppet counterpart, as well as Walters human counterpart, played by Jim Parsons. Personal identity is an undeniable issue in todays society, as is social identity. Even though they are linked to one another, personal identity deals with finding ones self, while social identity has to do with how people develop a sense of membership in particular groups. When we define ourselves, we tend to confine that definition to societys stereotyping. We are not being our true selves, but instead a caricature of ourselves. At the conclusion of Man or Muppet, Gary accepts that he is a man, though a Muppet of a man, and Walter realizes that he is a Muppet, though a very manly Muppet. They acknowledge who they are, and yet feel that they can be more than just what society thinks they can be. They understand themselves and
have a sense of their own personal identity, as well as how they fit into society. Its knowing that you dont have to be labeled as just one thing that is the moral here, and that you too can be both a man, and a Muppet.
Michael Kutsch is a film major at Fitchburg State University.
Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs, and The Unorthodox Education of a Tech-billionaire: A Book Review
By Andrew Meehan IN AN AGE OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND GLOBALIZATION, PERHAPS NO MAN ON EARTH HAS AFFECTED THE WAY WE LIVE OUR DAILY LIVES THAN THE LATE CEO OF APPLE STEVE JOBS. As detailed in Walter Isaacsons recent bestseller, Steve
Jobs, the man who led in the making the Mac,

the i-pod, and more, was a visionary when it came to the technology industry. However, his educational path suggests a great lesson for the rest of us. The book itself is an enjoyable read. Walter Isaacson, author of biographies on Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Henry Kissinger, thoroughly reveals the Steve Jobs not shown to the public and the result is an even more fascinating human being. While the book does suffer at times from undefined technological 39 | P a g e
jargon often Isaacson will mention terms of technologically that to most may require a Google search Steve Jobs is accessible to the layman. It presents an objective look at a controversial figure, despite the fact that it was Jobs himself who approached Isaacson himself to write the book. Much of Jobs controversial nature stems from his business dealings. More also comes from Jobs character itself. For a multibillionaire, Steve Jobs had an unorthodox education and upbringing. Steve Jobs sharply delineated from that pattern the standard education for American children. Even as a child, Jobs was incredibly intelligent. Jobs described himself as bored in school, leading to poor behavior. From switching bike locks to of all things planting a small explosive under his teachers
was twelve, and working on a frequency counter, he needed a piece made by HP. This was a time when there werent unlisted phone numbers, so Jobs - as a twelve year old called the CEO Bill Hewlett and got both the part and a job working in a HP plant. In high school he did this again, making a collect call for a part manufactured in Detroit (Jobs lived in the San Francisco bay area), and received the part by air freight a few days later by fibbing that he needed to test it out for a new product he was making. This habit had clearly been a part of his identity since childhood. In fourth grade, when he arrived to Class Picture Day needing a Hawaiian shirt, he in a Tom Sawyer-like fashion managed to convince another student to give young Jobs his own. Jobs was often a cruel human being, a bully to his employees, but he had the precious gift of being able to talk his way into getting what he wanted. Schools look to enhance skills like math and English. Better yet, they seek to enhance technical skills, like engineering or design. Jobs was proficient in those fields, but his biggest asset was something many schools dont recognize and dont teach. If the example of Jobs says anything to society, perhaps its that certain intangibles could be developed in students as well. Steve Jobs acquired his fortune through a scarcely noticed talent, and not, as one would hope, through his public education. Sometimes the secret to success isnt traditional methods of learning. Thats what Steve Jobs teaches us the man who invented so much for us today.
desk Jobs showed an anti-authoritative

attitude (along with a knack for electronics) until he graduated from high school (before which, he was allowed to skip two full grades). He briefly attended Reed College for a semester, but soon dropped out. Techbillionaire drop outs are usually notorious for starting their businesses, like Bill Gates. Jobs instead dropped out to go on spiritual journey in India. Starting in high school, Jobs began smoking marijuana, and not long after began experimenting with LSD, hash, and acid. That isnt exactly the model we want our kids to follow. It begs the question with an education like that, how did Jobs become so successful? The answer lies in several anecdotes Isaacson makes note of. From an early Steve Jobs showed an uncanny ability to persuade people to give them what he wanted from them. When he
Andrew Meehan is the Editor of the Attleboro Democracy.

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Democracy Bulletin: Important Event!
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Note on photo credits: All photos not attributed were either the creations of or provided by our contributors.
Editors Desk To submit a letter to the Editor, please send an email to Attleboro Democracy at attleborodemocracy@gmail.com
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Closing Message Thank you for taking the time to read the latest edition of the Attleboro Democracy Magazine.
Our pledge to our readers is that although this magazine was edited and put together by Attleboro Democrats, we aspire that anyone of any political affiliation can read and enjoy what the magazine. The Attleboro Democracy is a magazine for everybody, not just one faction or party. This issue has focused on education. Whether youre a parent of a student, a concerned citizen, or a student yourself, you probably know that education is often essential to success and happiness, as well as an important part of the community. What we have tried to do in this issue is feature elected officials, teachers, community figures, and students, on school challenges, and how to improve them. In these days, education is more important now more than ever. We hope you enjoyed the work of our contributors as much as they enjoyed writing them. Our stated goal is: Striving for a Better Public Debate. As long as we keep writing, working, and thinking over the great issues of the day, thats what were going to keep trying to do. -Andrew Meehan, Editor March, 2012
And on the Attleboro Democrats website!
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Attleboro Democracy Magazine - Education Issue, 2012

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Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Pledge to Our Readers

Cover Coelho photo, AHS graduation photo, by Christine Meehan

lioness of the Senate

Lee Harrison Attleboro Education 11 Q + A: BCC Dean Rodney Clark

The Attack on Teachers

15 Why college costs so Much

The Drop-Out rate epidemic

THE LITERACY CENTER

A scene from the 2011 Attleboro High School Graduation Ceremony.

The Rule of the School

A school committee member on educations role in the community. By David Murphy

Rethinking senior Year

p. 5 Public Educations Greatest Challenge

Boston and Beyond the STEM Program

p. 6 The Presidents College Savings Plan

The View From Washington:

p. 8 If Johnny Cant Read, Lu Xiao Can

Watch the Dragon Rising in the East! 36 Professor Eric Drouart

The Politics of Culture

The Attleboro Democracy Presents: The Education Issue - Spring, 2012

A view of the entrance to Attleboro High School.

The Path to Progress Goes Through THE Classroom

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Average Monthly Income by Highest Education Level

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

David Murphy is an at-large member of the Attleboro School Committee.

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Public Educations Greatest Challenge

Ray DiCiaccio is a former Attleboro School Committee Chairman.

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

The View From Washington

President Barack Obama

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

If Johnny Cant Read, Lu Xiao Can.

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Public domain photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

China: Some Basic Dates & Events

"Republic of China" established after a Chinese civil war

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Online

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Lioness of the Senate

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

BCCs Fall River Campus.

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Public domain photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

THE ATTACK ON TEACHERS

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Michael Levinson is a former Attleboro School Committee Member for Ward 6.

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

THREE REASONS WHY College Costs So Much

(Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Why does college cost much?

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

THE Silent epidemic:

No child grows up saying

Dropping Out of High School, the 2008

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

rate fell to a low of 2.1 percent, compared to 2.7 percent statewide.

Attleboro Democracy Magazine, Spring 2012

Alan Makepeace is a teacher at AHS.