Hearing on Autism Services

Melanie asked me to post this so that more people would see it:

Hi,

I have worked with some children with autism and have seen many families who don't get insurance covered for diagnosis and treatments for those on the Autism Spectrum. There was a press conference scheduled today at the Capitol in Lansing. There is a hearing on December 13 at 9am in front of the Health Policy Committee at the Capitol to get the bills about the insurance coverage for families passed. You can find more information on their website: http://autisminsurancemichigan.blogspot.com/.
On this website there's an email address that you can send a letter about your experiences with families who have children with autism and let them know how a lack of access to Autism Services has impacted these families. This website also provides the address, time, and more information about the bill.

Please attend this hearing on the December 13, 2007 to support these families!! We need as much support as possible!

Melanie

Talk on No Child Left Behind

“Considering the Policy and Practice of No Child Left Behind”

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Erickson Hall, room 252
Refreshments served

Since it was signed into law in 2002, the reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (more commonly known as No Child Left Behind – NCLB) has been a controversial piece of federal legislation designed to improve the educational opportunity and achievement of students across the country. For this conversation, we have invited panel of educators to talk about the law from their perspectives, including involvement in reauthorizing the law, urban classroom teachers, and urban principals. We will explore the disparities and connections between the policy and the practice, as well as the effects and potentials of the law.

Additional Information:
Overview of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/education/no_child/basics.html

Evaluating 'No Child Left Behind' by Linda Darling-Hammond. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070521/darling-hammond

A Chance to Make it Better: Reauthorization of the ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act by Sharif Shakrani. http://www.educ.msu.edu/neweducator/spring07/NewEd-spring07.pdf, see pp. 28-31.

Urban Perspectives is offered through the Urban Educator Cohort Program -MSU College of Education

A story you don't often hear about the Holocaust

I came across an article in the LSJ last week called "Exhibition honors Muslims who saved Jews from Nazis". Since I had spent part of the day rereading some books about the Holocaust written for children, my mind jumped to the idea that this is a story that doesn't get told. (Both in its particulars and in a more general sense that the Muslims in the story are the heroes and don't see Jewish people as enemies.)

Jim in Bold: Safe Schools Event

Here's an announcement up the Safe Schools
event that is happening this week!

Jim in BOLD
View the award-winning documentary film
Jim in BOLD. This film explores the
complicated struggles and hopes of gay
and lesbian teens in America.
Discussion will follow the film.

Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007 4:00 - 6:00 252 EH Erickson Hall
Pizza will be served.

Rowling "outs" Dumbledore

A friend just sent me a link to an article about a comment that J.K. Rowling made stating that her character from the Harry Potter series, Albus Dumbledore, is gay.

Keeping in mind that he is a fictional character, I'm trying to think about how he is being constructed and how what it means to be gay is being constructed in her comments, the text, audience comments, and the media. I'll post on this later after I've had some time to mull it over.

Read the article and let me know what you think!

Community event: Cowboys and Indians

This isn't really a "community event" in the sense of how we've used the term so far, but it is happening in our community...

A friend of mine has a daughter who goes to East Lansing High School. She mailed me today and wrote:

It's homecoming week, 2007. Students dress up every day with a different theme. Yesterday was CEOs and Secretaries. The theme of Homecoming this year is Cowboys and Indians. The seniors are the Cowboys.

What do you think? (I'll weigh in later!)