http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-612763.mp3
Albany, NY – THE HEAD START REAUTHORIZATION BILL,
PT. 1 OF 2 -
Education is receiving lots of attention in Washington these days, what
with No Child Left Behind up for renewal, as well as the Higher Education
Act. Meanwhile, the Head Start Reauthorization bill still languishes in
Congress. Versions of the bill have finally passed both the U.S. House
of Representatives and the Senate. TBOOK just spoke to the Chairman
of the House Education and Labor Committee, Representative George
Miller's office. His spokesman told us the Head Start legislation has now
gone to conference committee. When it gets out of conference, the
compromise bill must then be re-approved by both houses of congress
before being sent on to the White House for the President's signature.
As of our show production deadlines, this did not look likely to happen
soon. Some major areas of contention include: assessments to measure
pupil learning, increasing teacher certification requirements (ala NCLB),
and the fight over how the money is distributed to states. This week we'll
define how Head Start has changed over the past four decades, and hear
what studies say about its effectiveness. Next week we follow the
multi-billion dollar money trail, and also find out how Head Start has been politicized. Helping TBOOK address these issues is a real authority on
Head Start. Dr. Ron Haskins is Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution
in Washington, where he's Co-Director of the Center on Children and
Families. Dr. Haskins is also Senior Consultant at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Senior Editor of The Future of Children. He was Senior Advisor to the President for Welfare Policy at the White House.
Glenn Busby reports. (11:18)
SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR K-12 EDUCATION PROGRAMS
TEACHER-ASTRONAUT, BARBARA MORGAN -
The space shuttle is scheduled to blast off this month for an 11-day
mission. And it will carry and educational payload that includes two
Growth Chambers loaded with basil and lettuce seeds. There will be
a list of activities led by teacher - turned astronaut, Barbara Morgan.
Morgan began her teaching career in 1974 on the Flathead Indian
Reservation in Montana. And she serves on the National Science
Foundation's Federal Task Force for Women and Minorities in Science
and Engineering. NASA Assistant Administrator for Education,
Joyce Winterton, says the agency's goals include attracting, retaining,
and improving students for the science, technology, engineering, and
math disciplines...the so-called STEM subjects. In an interview before
lift-off, Astronaut Morgan said, Every aspect of everything that's going
on in that mission...there is something that connects to every discipline
we teach...and it's stuff that kids seem to be motivated by.
Now, in her own words...
Glenn Busby reports. (5:32)