Join us this Thursday at the Avery Research Center for a presentation by recent M.A. in History graduate, Joi Mayo. Her thesis explores the history of the Immaculate Conception School and how it encouraged Charlestons black middle and upper classes in the early part of the 20th century. This event is free and open to the public, and will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Parents will be expected to spend more time helping their children with schoolwork under plans to extend the reach of the national curriculum beyond the classroom and into the home. Headteachers welcomed Mr Oates’s idea but his proposal to use the statutory curriculum to prompt more parents to get involved with their children’s homework drew criticism from family campaigners 

A government adviser said encouraging parents to discuss lesson topics with children, and requiring pupils to read more widely outside school, could drive “the next stage of our development as a nation”.

Tim Oates, head of the expert panel on curriculum reforms for England, argued that the best school systems around the world involved significant levels of education at home.

Headteachers welcomed Mr Oates’s idea but his proposal to use the statutory curriculum to prompt more parents to get involved with their children’s homework drew criticism from family campaigners.

Mr Oates is chair of the panel of expert advisers working on reforms to the curriculum for the Education Secretary, Michael Gove. The first subjects in the new curriculum are expected to be taught in schools from September 2013.

Mr Oates, director of research at exam board Cambridge Assessment, said he wanted to encourage a debate on how the new curriculum might contribute to learning at home, a plan he has discussed with ministers.

He told the Times Educational Supplement: “The national curriculum could be one of the instruments which one uses to encourage wider reading among younger people. If they are doing it at home it may help us to close the gap between those from well-off and not so well-off backgrounds.

“If we have clarity in the national curriculum, parents from any social background would have a greater chance of understanding what it is that they should be doing at home at any one time which would help children’s attainment,” he said. “It could be just talking about a topic.”

Mr Oates conceded that ministers had “no legal power” to set levels of homework, but he continued: “one can put things in the national curriculum which obviously require a volume of work which couldn’t be entirely covered within the hours of school”.

National Association of Head Teachers said using the national curriculum to give parents a clearer view of what happens in class would be “positive”.

But Margaret Morrissey, from the pressure group, Parents Out Loud, said: “The national curriculum is already extremely clear.

“Every responsible parent already does the things that [Mr Oates] is suggesting and those that don’t will never do them in a million years.”

Mr Oates cited Finland, Singapore and Hong Kong as high-performing systems where “a lot more” learning takes place outside school to support work in the classroom.

Research has shown a lot of the after-school work in Asian countries was through private tuition, he said. But Mr Oates wants to ensure that changes do not drive more families towards tutors in England.

ends

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Emotions ran high today as laid off school system workers, including three members of the same family, packed the Huntsville school board’s meeting room to express frustration at losing their jobs.

The board upheld its decision in the layoffs of 40 support workers who were part of a reduction in force, or RIF, that was approved last month. At that time, 280 people lost their jobs, including 77 support workers who were past their probationary periods with the system.

Nonprobationary workers have the right to appeal their terminations. Today’s hearings were the first step in that process.

More hearings are scheduled to be held Wednesday.

Many of those who spoke up at today’s hearings have been working for the school system for decades, including Gary Tripp. Tripp, his son, Gary Tripp II, and his brother, Jerry Tripp, were all laid off in last month’s RIF.

Tripp’s wife, Christine Tripp, was laid off by the school system in February, along with about 140 others.

“It has been very hard, very stressful,” said Christine Tripp, who worked as a bookkeeper for the system. “You go from having three incomes in a large family to none.”

The elder Gary Tripp would have had 30 years with the system on June 30, his wife said, the same day his layoff is scheduled to become effective. The couple’s son has two small children to support.

It was a similar story for many of the employees.

Bryant Benson Jr., a landscape worker, told the board that he didn’t deserve to be laid off after having a good record with the system for almost 23 years.

“I’m close to two years until retirement,” said Bryant Benson Jr. “I don’t think it’s right. That’s all I can say.”

Brantley Drummond, another landscape worker, said he’s done the best job he could to support his 6-year-old son. He criticized the board for laying off the lower-paid system employees instead of going after those who contributed to the system’s financial crisis.

“I think it should have started with the people who messed up the money,” Drummond said.

Another worker, Freeman Milton, agreed.

“I just don’t think it’s right for someone else’s mistake to come back and bite us,” Milton said.

Lawyers for the workers questioned the manner in which employees were chosen for the RIF. They asked why their clients were chosen instead of other employees with similar time in the system and similar records.

“I haven’t heard any answer as to why (these employees) were terminated in the RIF,” said attorney Chris Lockwood.

Board attorney J.R. Brooks said that state statute does not require that the superintendent or the board give their reasoning. He said the law allows for terminations due to a “justifiable decrease in jobs in the system.”

Brooks added that the system for years has had more employees than it could afford. If the system had acted sooner on the $19.5 million debt it found itself in last fall, the results still would have been the same.

“All of these people would have been terminated sooner,” Brooks said. “That’s the mistake. It’s not that somebody made a clerical error.”

Brooks said after the hearings that the next step for employees who choose to continue fighting their layoffs would be to file a written notice of contest with the superintendent. They have 15 days to do so.

Their appeals would then go before a hearing officer, Brooks said.

If the hearing officer upholds an employee’s termination, an appeal can be filed with the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, the law states. That filing must be made within 21 days of the hearing officer’s decision.

Tripp said she is collecting unemployment and her husband, son and brother-in-law are still working for now. Gary Tripp is a supervisor in the school system’s mechanic shop. Gary II and Jerry Tripp are both carpenters.

None of the four have any prospects yet for new jobs, Tripp said.

“It’s really scary,” Tripp said. “But we’ll just hang in there and keep looking for jobs and pray that we find something.”

The Graduate Open Alliance is thrilled to be marching in the second annual Charleston Pride Festival Parade! Last year, there were thousands in attendance, and the GOA was featured in a news article in The Post and Courier. It was a huge success, and this year promises to be even bigger and better. There will be a block party, a celebration at Riverfront Park, and a march through North Charlestons beautiful Park Circle neighborhood—all to celebrate diversity and acceptance regardless of ones sexual orientation or gender identity. We hope youll join us for the festivities this weekend! Here are the details:

Friday, May 13:

Campus Issues Forum/Pride Decorating Pre-Party Drop-In With catering by The Glass Onion 7-10 PM My home, downtown (free parking) For directions, email me.

Wed like to present the opportunity to discuss the diversity issues that are important to you in a casual, informal environment! Our club leadership will be on hand to hear your suggestions for next year.

You will also have the opportunity to help make signs and decorations for us to use during Saturdays parade! Supplies will be provided.

Saturday, May 14:

Charleston Pride Parade Meet at North Charleston Elementary School-4915 DuRant Avenue by 9:15 AM for Parade Lineup (We will have a large Graduate Open Alliance banner)

Parade starts at 10:30 AM and will end by 11:15. Shuttle transportation will be available at the end of the parade to parking/Riverfront Park. See the Charleston Pride website for complete details.

Party with us for Charleston Pride! Whether youre straight, gay, or anything else— You are welcome! Feel free to dress in bold, bright, colorful clothing (shorts recommended). Youre also encouraged to bring your family, friends or significant other. March with us to celebrate the wonderfully diverse community in which we live, and stay for the fun party afterward in North Charlestons shiny new Riverfront Park. Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni are welcome to join us!

We hope to see you at both of these fantastic events! Also, we encourage you to connect with us on Facebook for the complete details: .

Happy Pride,

Adam Johnson

President, Graduate Open Alliance

A top Roman Catholic school favoured for the children of Tony Blair and Nick Clegg is set for a clash with the admissions watchdog over plans to root out unbelievers.

The London Oratory School in west London is proposing to introduce an admissions policy that favours children and parents who are more involved in parish life.

The move will be sure to mark out committed Catholics over so-called “pew jumpers” who conveniently discover religion to get children into popular faith schools.

It beefs up the school’s previous admissions rules that focused on the extent to which pupils meet the Church’s requirements regarding Baptism, Holy Communion and attending Mass.

But the change – being introduced next year – could bring the school into trouble with the official admissions watchdog which has already criticised other faith schools for breaching strict entry guidelines.

Last year, Ian Craig, the outgoing Chief Schools Adjudicator, warned schools against using complex points-based systems that benefit middle-class families heavily involved in church activities.

He suggested the move disadvantaged children with poorer parents who have less time to volunteer in the local parish.

In recent years, a number of faith schools have been ordered to re-draw their admissions policies for perceived breaches of the code.

Eight Roman Catholic schools in Newham, east London, were ordered to change admissions rules after asking parents and children to meet a local priest for a reference – a move which could favour more articulate middle-class families. A Sikh school was criticised for allocating points to parents who took part in community activities, which could penalise those who are unable to do so for work or family reasons.

The London Oratory is already among the most sought-after faith schools in England and regularly sends talented pupils to Oxford and Cambridge.

Tony Blair was famously criticised after bypassing dozens of nearby schools to send his sons across London to the Oratory.

And last year it emerged that Nick Clegg – an atheist whose wife is Catholic – was considering sending his son to the school next year, even though other state schools are closer to his home.

The school’s proposed admissions rules for 2012 prioritise children who regularly attend Mass on Sundays, those fulfilling the Church’s requirements regarding Baptism and whether candidates have received their Holy Communion.

Points are then awarded to recognise “service in any Catholic parish or in the wider Catholic Church by both the candidate and a Catholic parent”.

The Diocese of Westminster – which covers the Oratory – has already clashed with another faith school over its use of a points-based admissions system. It shopped Cardinal Vaughan School to the admissions regulator in a bitter battle with the school, claiming that its entry policy was too elitist.

But the Oratory could escape censure because the Government is currently planning an overhaul of the school admissions code in a move designed to slim down the document and give more power to individual head teachers.

Dr Craig, who refused to comment on the issue yesterday, is due to stand down later this year. The Oratory was also unavailable for comment.