- The Department of Education in its "America Goes Back to School" campaign declares the following six key issues important to those who support public education:
Recruiting and Preparing Quality Teachers
Over the next decade American schools will need to hire 2.2 million teachers. At least half of these will be first-time teachers. To encourage and better prepare new teachers, start a mentoring program in which experienced teachers help beginning teachers or initiate a teacher recognition program to publicize good teaching.
Expanding After-School Programs
The demand for after-school programs continues to exceed the supply by about two to one. There will be an awareness-raising event on Oct. 12 called "Lights On!," where after-school programs nationwide will host open house sessions for parents, community leaders, elected officials and the media.
Increasing Pathways to College and Careers
Over the next ten years 80% of the fastest growing jobs will require a college education or long-term training. A "Think College Early" campaign for middle school students and their families could provide information on course requirements, necessary admissions tests and financial planning and assistance.
Getting High Standards into Every Classroom
A national study found that 83% of high school students who took algebra and geometry went on to college within two years of graduation. Only 36% of those who did not take algebra and geometry went on to higher education. To help students improve their math skills, organize a math night with other parents, a math club that meets regularly or recruit volunteers to tutor children in a child care center or after-school program.
Making Schools Safe and Drug Free
Some schools recently have experienced tragic and violent events. A coalition is needed to identify long-term prevention objectives for improving student safety and conflict resolution programs. All of these preventative programs should include law enforcement professionals, mental health providers and youth-serving organizations within schools and the community.
Modernizing and Building Schools
Three-fourths of schools report needing a total of $127 billion for repairs and renovations. What is needed is a group to assess the condition of school buildings and formulate a plan to make schools a center of learning for the whole community, with space for after-school programs, adult education and literacy classes, and community service projects.
The above issues can be found at the Department of Education Web site, www.ed.gov/Family/agbts.
WHAT YOUR CHAPTER CAN DO
- The issues can be meaningful to your members in light of what we know and admire about the global ORT network of schools. Ask members who have visited ORT schools to discuss what they have seen in the context of the issues. Speak about the job training and planning provided by our U.S. schools and programs.
- Recognize exceptional teachers in your local area, participate in mentoring programs and donate books through our "Adopt-A-Shelf" campaign.
- Many chapters have initiated career day activities in middle and high schools, and others have speakers who go to elementary and middle schools and talk about their jobs (what they do, the necessary schooling).
- Organize coalitions to address academic standards, student safety and the need for greater funding for schools. WAO members are highly skilled at attracting people to meetings. Qualified members should consider running for their local school board.
- School funding and high standards are the buzzwords of the 2000 election campaigns. Members should discuss the urgency to get out every vote. October bulletins should carry the message. Also, to help people in your community who may have difficulty getting to the polls, your chapter can organize car pools.
Kansas voters reject creationism
- Kansas Board of Education candidates who supported creationism and wanted to de-emphasize evolution were defeated in GOP primaries this past August in what was the most expensive election in the state's history.
The unsuccessful candidates were the same conservative board members who led the board a year ago and downplayed evolution in the state's science curriculum. They supported deleted references to the age of the earth, the big bang theory and some aspects of evolutionary theory.
Political scientists commented that conservatives fare much better when the issues are vague and races low-profile. But the fight isn't really over, conservatives say, and promise to make science curricula an ongoing battle in the state of Kansas.
The results of the Kansas election are encouraging to us as members of Women's American ORT, but we must be aware that the creationism message is being disseminated to the public and continuing the pressure on the church/state wall of separation.
WHAT YOUR CHAPTER CAN DO
- Present programs on "creationism vs. evolution," inviting speakers from local universities and colleges. Departments of education, anthropology and biology can offer good speakers. Many rabbis and clergymen are also willing to speak on the subject.
- Your chapter could also investigate where your local and state Boards of Education stand on the issue. Many nonprofit organizations have information on the subject. See www.au.org, www.aclu.org and www.pta.org.
- Remind your members how important it is to vote and to encourage others to vote if they support government that opposes church/state infringements, displaying the Ten Commandments in schools, the motto "In God We Trust" on classroom banners or posters and a moment of silence at the start of a school day. Our elected officials do much to safeguard the freedoms we value. To read up on the candidates and your elected officials, take a look at www.vote-smart.org.
literacy facts
- It has been said, "Until third grade, children learn to read; after third grade, they read to learn." According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 40% of third-graders read below grade level. (And the percentage is even higher in many of our inner cities.) Forty million adults in the U.S. read and write at or below fifth-grade-level (that's 1 in 4 adults!), 21 million Americans cannot read at all and 70% of Americans arrested are illiterate.
WHAT YOUR CHAPTER CAN DO
- Many chapters have members who volunteer to read to children in schools, libraries and community centers. This involves little or no training and is usually a commitment of one hour a week. Look at the Web site of the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy, www.njcl.net, for ideas and activities.
- Members can contact public and school libraries to see how they can help children and adults. Many libraries offer programs that start at the beginning of the school year, including story hours, puppet plays and promoting the issuance of library cards. See www.reachoutandread.org, www.bpl.kidzone.org and www.bplinfozone.org. The last two are sites of the Brooklyn Public Library for kids and teens.
- Donate new books to a local site of your choice through our "Adopt-A-Shelf" campaign.
recommended web sites
- political:
thomas.loc.gov
Find out the status of bills in Congress.
www.dnet.org
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters (www.lwv.org). Has information on local, state and federal elections.
www.grassroots.com
"Your political action network." Allows you to take action on issues including education, family & youth, women, and health & science.
www.speakout.com
Promotes activism. Allows you to sign a petition, take a survey, send a message and join a debate.
www.jewishpublicaffairs.org
Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
www.naral.org
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League.
Sites of the Democratic, Republican and Green Party presidential candidates:
www.gorelieberman.com
www.bush2000.com
www.votenader.com.
- education:
www.ed.gov
Federal Department of Education. Lists promotions, activities and the federal budget for education.
www.ctredpol.org
Center on Educational Policy. A national, independent advocate for education.
reviewing progress - Beijing+5
- The Beijing Conference held in 1995 saw the birth of the Platform for Action. It specified 12 critical obstacles to women's advancement which required concrete action by governments and civil society. Included in the lists were women and poverty, education, health, violence, armed conflict, the economy, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms for advancement, human rights, media, the environment and the girl child. Governments adopting the Platform committed themselves to the effective inclusion of a gender dimension in their governance. The 2000 Conference, Beijing+5, was a review of the progress made in implementation of the specific items.
The Conference got bogged down by the politics of a very small number of nations, according to Ambassador Betty King, representative to UNESCO, U.S. Mission to the U.N. A final document did evolve from the meeting, but she felt that an overhaul of the assessment process is in order both to simplify language and to cut costs. In the review of the Conference by the Jewish Caucus, there was relief at the relative absence of anti-Israel rhetoric. Many of the Jewish women's groups, including members of the Israeli delegation, showed an interest in selecting one of the issues to work on together. The issue that seemed to gain the most interest was domestic violence.
The Beijing+5 Conference renewed the commitment of NGOs to act on behalf of women. It means continuation of the efforts towards the empowerment of women so that they may be equal partners with men in decision-making on all levels.
Women's American ORT Election 2000 Guidelines
These guidelines and precautions must be observed in relation to elections. You must review them thoroughly, and keep in mind that these policies apply to any and all elections, local, statewide or national, primary or general.
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code denies tax exemption to organizations that, directly or indirectly, support or oppose political parties or candidates for any elective office. This prohibition applies to local, state, national, primary and general elections. Any and all activity on behalf of or in opposition to parties and candidates for political office, however insubstantial, is strictly forbidden to Women's American ORT as a 501(c)(3) organization, as is any activity that could be interpreted as intervening or participating in a political campaign. As a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, we must maintain a scrupulous neutrality in the campaign and election process. A single infraction could lead to the loss of tax-exempt status.
Prohibited activity includes, among other things, the making of awards or citations to, or the holding of public functions in honor of, or featuring a candidate during or immediately prior to a campaign for public office; the use of the organization's mailing list, facilities, letterhead, staff or fund raising machinery, on behalf of a candidate or party.
Noting I.R.S. Regulations concerning candidate questionnaires, the opinion gathering process and the publication thereof, we advise against any echelon of Women's American ORT involving itself in the publication of the views or voting records of candidates.
In the event that a candidate for public office makes a blatant anti-Semitic statement or remark, or engages in activity that is anti-Semitic in nature, the organization may speak out against such a statement or activity, but should do so in a way that does not refer to the candidacy or to the election. A public conference or forum that focuses on such an individual who is a candidate for office should not be held.
Neither chapters nor any other Women's American ORT unit of organization should use funds, either directly or indirectly, to set up a 501(c)(4) agency or a political action committee (PAC) for the purpose of supporting or opposing a candidate.
Individuals, even if they hold leadership positions with Women's American ORT, may be active in coalitions, PACs or other organizations whose purpose is avowedly political, so long as individuals do not engage in such activity in their organizational capacities.
Any WAO member - acting as an individual - can participate in political activities as long as she does not engage in such activity in her organizational capacity.
Remember - with regard to any aspect of elections, no question is insignificant. Erring on the side of caution should be the rule.
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