http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-891862.mp3
Albany, NY – STUDENT VETERANS: AN UPDATE
THE 21ST CENTURY G-I BILL -
In an update the U.S. Defense Department has just announced it is resuming payments for college courses and job training for spouses who had already applied for grants, when the popular program was abruptly stopped a few weeks ago.
Tommy Thomas, Deputy Undersecretary for Defense, who oversees the grants, apologized for suspending them without first notifying the thousands of military spouses enrolled. We reported on that program here on The Best of Our Knowledge more than a year ago.
Called Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts, spouses of active-duty military service members and of reservists called to active duty, could apply for up to 6-thousand dollars to pay for college tuition, or costs associated with professional licenses and certificates.
The response was overwhelming. 98-thousand spouses are enrolled, and more than 38-thousand more applications are pending. If all of them were to receive the full grant amount, the estimated cost would be nearly FIVE TIMES the program's budget. Hence, the temporary suspension.
Meanwhile, after a fall semester plagued by delays and backlogged payments, the Department of Veterans Affairs says it has now issued the majority of spring-semester benefits to veterans in college under the most recent version of the G-I Bill.
From Eastern Kentucky University, TBOOK finds out how the new federal law is helping today's veterans make the switch from soldier to student.
Ron Smith reports. (6:48)
THE ROLE OF COMIC BOOKS IN THE CLASSROOM
Part Two: The Psychology Behind the Visual and Written Impact On the Literacy Experience -
You may have heard that some textbooks are reducing the amount of text, and increasing the volume and size of pictures.
It should come as no surprise then, to learn that more comic-style books are being used in classrooms. The sale of graphic literacy is exploding worldwide. Libraries and books stores in the U.S. are setting aside entire sections to display it.
Marshall George, Professor of English and Literacy at Fordham, says "If you look at the literature, some of these books are quite good." Stephen Weiner, Director of the Maynard Public Library in Massachusetts, told Education Week "As we become a more visual society, schools will recognize the usefulness of these novels."
TBOOK Producer and Host, Glenn Busby, spoke with Francoise Mouly, Publisher and Editorial Director for TOON Books. Mouly is also the Art Editor for The New Yorker magazine. Mouly believes "Comics have a unique ability to draw young readers into a story through drawings." She says "Visual narrative helps kids crack the code that allows literacy to flourish."
Glenn Busby reports. (9:00)
**(Attention Listeners. To read more about TOON Books online, and see their new spring releases, go to www.toon-books.com.)**
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY -
Paris celebrated International Literacy Day recently, with a conference on Harry Potter.
The UNESCO event brought together a crowd of international translators and educators to talk about the teenage wizard's global appeal.
His adventures have now been translated into 67 languages. TBOOK heard from some of those translators who were in France to share the magic.
Network Europe's Brent Gregston reports. (2:21)