www.EDUCATIONUPDATE.com Award Volume VIII, No. 5 • New York City • JANUARY 2003 Winner FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS & STUDENTS Vice Chancellor Chancellor Robert Adelaide Sanford Bennett Regent Robert Johnson Regent Milton Cofield MMEETEET Regent Geraldine Chapey THETHE Regent Diane O’Neill McGivern RREGENTSEGENTS Regent James Tallon, Jr. NNEWEW YYORKORK’’SS Regent Judith Rubin Regent Anthony Bottar EEDUCATIONDUCATION PPOLICYOLICY MMAKERSAKERS Regent Arnold Gardner Regent James Dawson Regent Joseph Bowman, Jr. U.S. POSTAGE PAID U.S. POSTAGE VOORHEES, NJ Permit No.500 PRSRT STD. Regent Merryl Tisch Regent Harry Phillips, III Regent Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez Regent Saul Cohen 2 Award EDUCATION UPDATE ■ FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS & STUDENTS ■ JANUARY 2003 Winner COMMENTARY GUEST EDITORIAL EDUCATION UPDATE Getting to Work Is There One Way to Teach Reading? Mailing Address: By STUART DUNN Phonics? Whole Language? 276 5th Avenue, Suite 1005 With the elections over, Mayor Bloomberg New York, NY 10001 has begun to address the city’s budgetary prob- By SANDRA PRIEST ROSE sion and because inaccurate spelling imprints email: [email protected] lem. While I don’t agree with the particulars of Is there one way to teach reading? Phonics? itself on the brain and is hard to correct. www.educationupdate.com his plans to raise revenues, I do agree that rev- Whole Language? Once the students understand the idea that let- Tel: 212-481-5519 enue increases are needed to prevent disastrous Yes, there is! And this is where all points of ters stand for sounds and these sounds make up Fax: 212-481-3919 reductions in services. This is particularly true view can converge. Everybody can be right. most of the words in our language in a pre- of the public schools. He now must face up to What is at issue is only WHEN you do what. dictable way, and they are at ease sounding out PUBLISHER AND EDITOR: getting the state to pay a fair share of the cost So, let’s sweep away the conflicts and proceed words independently, then directing them to Pola Rosen, Ed.D. of public education here in the city. to what we can all agree on: comprehend what they are reading in a thought- ASSOCIATE EDITORS: The school system can, and should, continue Teaching the sounds of the language with their ful way is appropriate. Here all the elements of Heather Rosen, Adam Sugerman, to work to improve efficiency particularly by appropriate letter symbols from the beginning is different types of writing (fiction, non-fiction), Rob Wertheimer reductions in personnel in the district offices essential. elements of stories (character, plot, conflict) and ASSISTANT EDITOR: and central administration. Savings in these Helping students to understand what they are appreciation of beautiful writing all have an Marie Holmes areas will be needed to help fund teacher salary reading is essential. important place in a reading program. increases and necessary additional personnel Teaching students to write clear sentences, A good writing program can also be started EDITORIAL INTERNS: such as assistant principals and teaching spe- paragraphs, compositions is essential. early by beginning with writing simple declara- Leah Bourne, Robert Stiles cialists. The mayor has recognized that the cost Now we can proceed to the best order in which tive sentences, moving to paragraphs and then to PRODUCTION MANAGER: of school construction in NYC is outrageous to do things, as supported by vast federal compositions teaching the structural elements of Rick Sulz (almost three times the average cost per square research of educational studies and as based on each. Writing helps clarify thought in subject foot of equivalent construction outside of the current neurological studies. matter which might be of great interest to the stu- GUEST COLUMNISTS: city). The chancellor should also examine the Teach letter sounds and letter symbols from dent or can allow expressions of deepest feelings Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D. (Dr. Toy), Mayor cost of maintenance and repairs. The mayor the very beginning. As soon as the child learns a and concerns. Michael Bloomberg, Matilda Raffa Cuomo, should assure transparency in this area by pro- few letter sounds, he or she can immediately put This is a well-rounded reading program that Donald Feinfeld, MD., Dr. Carole G. viding the city council with the information them into words. Simultaneously writing and will equip students to explore the entire universe Hankin, Chancellor Joel Klein, Rob that it has requested. sounding out simple words at first, and more of myths, fairy tales, history, science, human Langston, Lorraine McCune, Ph.D., Alfred The budgetary problem should not be per- complicated ones later, helps the child fix in his thought for the rest of their lives and give them Posamentier, Ph.D., Sandra Priest Rose, mitted to distract from the fact that the schools mind what is being taught, while reinforcing eye that which gives all of us our humanity, an Randi T. Sachs, Assemblyman Steven require immediate attention. For months, the training. Children’s eyes have to be trained to go understanding of times past, of other countries, Sanders, Ian Taubin mayor was consumed with reorganizing school in the direction in which we read and write in of other peoples, and of one another. STAFF WRITERS: governance. More recently, the mayor and English. This careful training helps prevent read- References: The Writing Road to Reading. Jacob Appel, Joan Baum, Ph.D., Kim chancellor have begun to focus on substantive ing, writing and spelling reversals. Accurate New York: William Morrow, 1990; Report of the Brown, M.C. Cohen, Hope Glassberg, changes. Perhaps all the reorganization and spelling is important both for good comprehen- National Reading Panel: An Evidence-Based Tom Kertes, Katarzyna Kozanecka, Adam relocation wasn’t merely “rearranging the Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature Kushner, Mitchell Levine, Sybil Maimin, chairs on the deck of the Titanic.” and its Implications for Reading Instruction, Merri Rosenberg, Chris Rowan, Andrew In recent weeks policy initiatives have been While the program of transfers can provide 2000.# Schiff, Neil Schuldiner, Deborah Young announced which could make a difference in immediate help for students in failing schools, Sandra Priest-Rose is a founding trustee of the the children’s education. The hard part is con- in the long run, these schools cannot simply be Reading Reform Foundation, www.readingre- BOOK REVIEWERS: verting these policy changes into actions. The abandoned. They must be brought up to an formny.org, and Chair, Lincoln Center Institute Harris Healy, III, Lillian Shapiro, most comprehensive of these is the citywide acceptable level. In this regard the initiatives for the Arts in Education. Selene Vasquez public school choice program under the No announced to improve principal leadership and COMICS: Child Left Behind Act. This program initiates a accountability is quite hopeful, including the Francis H. Brummer, Bruce Wotring transfer process for eligible children from fail- planned financial incentives to get the best IN THIS ISSUE ing schools to “better performing schools,” principals to transfer to low performance MEDICAL EDITOR: Commentary/Editorial . 2 Herman Rosen, M.D. including transfers across home district lines. schools. Now we need a similar program for Spotlight on Schools . 3-9, 18-19 How the receiving schools will accommodate teachers. Special Education . 10-11 MODERN LANGUAGE EDITOR: the potential flood of transfers remains to be Altogether, there appears to be real move- Music, Art & Dance . 12-13 Adam Sugerman determined. Perhaps, the chancellor is count- ment on the part of the mayor and the chancel- Children’s Corner . 14 MOVIE & THEATER REVIEWS: ing on the fact that parents will not take the lor. Making the schools work for all of our chil- TEACHERS OF THE MONTH .. 15 Jan Aaron necessary actions to get their children trans- dren is a long-term project—but the journey Medical Update . 16-17 ferred. Let’s hope that this is not the case.# begins with the first steps. # Colleges & Grad Schools. 20-23, 28 MUSIC EDITOR: College Directory . 20 Irving M. Spitz LETTERS Calendar of Events . 23 POLITICAL COMMENTARY: P. 2 & 11 Gift Giving Guide . 24-25, 28 Stuart Dunn To the Editor: To the Editor: Technology & Education . 26-27 “Realistic Math Makes Sense for Students” [Re: “Realistic Math Makes Sense for Homeschooling. 28-29 SPORTS EDITOR: (December 2002) brought to mind a conversa- Students”] Try comparing the salary scales of Student Journalists. 28 M.C. Cohen tion I had with a math teacher. My son, who Robert’s teachers both here and there. My Sports & Camps. 29 Film & Theater Reviews . 29 WEB DESIGN: now has a Ph.D. in mathematical logic, was in guess is that if the teachers from there taught Neil Schuldiner, Rick Sulz, middle school at the time and the teacher algorithms here Robert would come out with Books . 30 Tutors . 31 Tamara Wiesen remarked that his solutions to problems were so flexible understanding and if Robert’s teachers Careers . 32 creative. My response at the time was that that from here tried to teach flexibility Robert ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT: MetroBEAT . 33 was because nobody ever taught him how to Martin Lieberman, Manager. Rosalyn would come out mush. There is more than one Museums As Educators . 34 solve the problems. variable here. Bacani, Steve Bailey (212) 721-9444, Resource & Reference Guide . 35 Dawn Clayton, Mitchell Levine, Francine J. Wald, New York, NY Stephen Wilson, Baltimore, MD Chris Rowan, Andrew Schiff GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: TO Neil Schuldiner, Rick Sulz, Education Update Tamara Wiesen Education Update is published monthly by FROM Winner Education Update, Inc. All material is copy- righted and may not be printed without Silver Hill Hospital of the express consent of the publisher. Best POSTMASTER: Mental Health Excellence in Education Send address changes to: Media Award Journalism, 1999—2000 Education Update Columbia University Business P.O.