Thursday, December 17, 2009

Mr. President, Meet Mr. Ohno


Barack Obama and Apolo Ohno are two of the 16 individuals profiled in our new 16 Extraordinary Multiracial Americans. It's the latest release in our (now 11-title) Extraordinary Americans series.


Like the other titles in the series, 16 Extraordinary Multiracial Americans contains 16 easy-to-read biographies, each including extension activities, background notes, a vocabulary list, references, and more. They're known as "hi-lo readers" -- high content, low readability level. As American society becomes more multiracial and more diverse, titles such as these help strugling readers understand the value and promise of our changing demographic landscape. (Oh and by the way, they're fun to read!)

Bio This, Bio That


We have a double-barreled "Bio" introduction at Walch this month.


First of all, we've just released our new Hands-On Science: Introduction to Biotechnology title. It's pretty remarkable -- 20 lessons that get middle or high school students deep into the worlds of cloning, natural antibiotics, jobs in biotech, much more. When you think "21st century careers," biotechnology is right up there, and we think this new title goes a long way in helping students understand and think about the field's potential.


Second, we have a new free download in our Teachable Moments series. It's called Fly Eyes and Whale Hearts, and it zeroes in on biomimicry. That's a whole new field in which man-made design looks to natural solutions and ideas. Neat stuff, and it ties in nicely with the biotechnology title, above.


Take a look, and let us know if there are other contemporary scientific topics you think we should explore!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I went to a school board meeting this week to listen in on a discussion regarding budgets cuts and the impact on class sizes.

I should say, as background, that our schools are both excellent and small. That said, the issues they are struggling with are widespread.

Our schools are facing a state budget curtailment of $326 per K-12 student this year. In ‘10/11 they are facing a curtailment of $697 per student, and in ‘11/12 anticipate a curtailment of $557 per student. And, of course, when the stimulus $ dry up who knows what the budget will be.

I was astonished by the magnitude of these cuts. We live in tough times, and we all are being forced to cut back. Most districts are facing tough decisions and have very limited resources.

That said, I respectfully asked our school board to maintain a focus on resources in the classroom. It’s of paramount importance that we fund education sufficiently, and the top priority must be to ensure that teachers and students get what they need to teach and learn.

I hope that districts everywhere place student learning first. And I also hope that Walch can continue to help them save with targeted, research based curriculum delivered at a fraction of the cost of traditional “one size fits all” materials. We can help a district do a lot more with a lot less. That seems to be particularly relevant these days!

-Al.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

More Math in Maryland?

Tuesday's edition of The Baltimore Sun had an intriguing article about the (possible) future of high school mathematics education in Maryland: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.regents01dec01,0,408359.story

The gist of the story is that the University of Maryland's Board of Regents is considering requiring students to take four years of high school mathematics -- not three -- when applying to the university system. Even if a student completes algebra II by the end of 11th grade, he/she would still need to continue with another math course in 12th grade.

The article notes that "The requirements would align with a national trend toward toughening math standards, part of a larger quest to produce more science, technology, math and engineering, or STEM, professionals. The National Governors Association is leading an effort to develop core standards for high schools across the nation and those standards might include similar math requirements."

Walch Education's programs in Maryland align well with this "toughening math standards" approach, especially version 2.0 of our Maryland Algebra/Data Analysis and our Building Math program, which develops STEM skills.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

25% off all titles at Walch.com thru December 31st!

Well, that headline pretty much says it all. If you go to www.walch.com, you'll see that we're running a site-wide sale on each and every title we carry -- well over a thousand. The sale is for 25% off, for all orders shipped by December 31st, and you have to order on the site. It's just our way of thanking custoemrs at the end of the year.

Enjoy!