Sunday, February 20, 2005

I'm Gonna Knock You Out


I'm Gonna Knock You OutPhoto by Clarisel
Originally uploaded by clarisel.
Education Corner

Teens, Let Your Voices Be Heard: Final Call to Sign Petition to Save Music Education

- February 25 is Last Chance to Join Justin Timberlake, Nick Lachey, Amber Tamblyn, Sean Paul, Clay Aiken, and a Host of Others Who Have Signed Nationwide Petition Going to Congress -

CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A national online petition drive to support music in America's schools is coming to a star-studded Congressional presentation next month, but teens everywhere can still participate by visiting http://www.themusicedge.com/ before the February 25 deadline.
On March 9, talented young performers Justin Guarini, Diana DeGarmo and John Stevens from Fox's American Idol and the legendary Commodores will join other artists and education advocates to deliver the tens of thousands of petition signatures personally to members of Congress and visit Capitol Hill to make their case for saving music education in schools. The non-profit effort to let kids tell the world they want music in their lives and in their schools is an initiative of NAMM, the International Music Products Association, its non-profit affiliate the American Music Conference (AMC) and its teen web site, http://themusicedge.com/, along with TEEN PEOPLE and Fanscape, a youth entertainment marketing company.
The petition to Congress on behalf of music education got its start in June 2002, when Justin Timberlake broke the news on MTV's Total Request Live. Since then, TEEN PEOPLE and themusicedge.com have encouraged thousands of young people to add their names alongside celebrities like Clay Aiken, Nick Lachey, Sean Paul, JC Chasez, Nick Cannon, Yellowcard, Amber Tamblyn, Ashlee Simpson, Pharrell Williams, Fefe Dobson, Ben Jelen, Samaire Armstrong and Adam Brody.
"Hundreds of thousands of kids are losing the opportunity to participate in school music programs because of drastic budget cuts in arts programs," says Joe Lamond, President and CEO of NAMM, which promotes the benefits of music, music research and music education. "Music education offers too many benefits to developing minds for this issue to go unnoticed. We need to give kids the opportunity to have a well-rounded education, and we need to empower more of them and their parents to voice their concerns."
The petition's delivery to Congress highlights NAMM's national activities to advance support of music education during the month of March. TEEN PEOPLE, NAMM and AMC urge teens across the country to sign the petition on themusicedge.com before February 25, and help keep school-based music programs alive.

About NAMM

The International Music Products Association, commonly called NAMM in reference to the organization's popular NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $16 billion global musical instruments and products industry. The association's activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of nearly 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM, interested parties can visit http://namm.com/ or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).


About AMC

Founded in 1947, AMC is a national non-profit educational association dedicated to promoting the importance of music, music-making and music education to the general public. For more information on the American Music Conference, go to http://www.amc-music.org/.


About TEEN PEOPLE

TEEN PEOPLE, a National Magazine Award winner for General Excellence, is the definitive voice of youth culture. Launched in January 1998, TEEN PEOPLE became the first pop culture magazine for teens that focuses on stars, style and substance. With an editorial mix covering celebrities and entertainment, fashion and beauty, real teens and their accomplishments, TEEN PEOPLE keeps its readers clued in to what's now, what's next and what matters. Published ten times a year with two newsstand special editions, TEEN PEOPLE's guaranteed circulation is 1.45 million. TEENPEOPLE.COM is the magazine's official website.

About Fanscape

Founded in 1998, Fanscape is a leading youth entertainment marketing company focused on Online and Field Marketing through Grassroots Marketing, Fanscape Media Network, Market Research, and Corporate Partnerships. Through entertainment client partners Fanscape keeps an open and active dialogue with over four million 13 - 29-year-olds, specializing in providing an exclusive and dynamic link between young consumers and their lifestyles.

Source: American Music Conference
Web site: http://www.themusicedge.com/
http://namm.com/
http://www.amc-music.org/

Sunday, February 06, 2005

San Juan, Puerto Rico, casa Albizu Campos

Photo by the "docman." Stop in and view his photos at flickr.

Enjoy his and more photos at the Puerto Rico Sun photo group too: http://flickr.com/groups/prsun/
Community news

MNN COMMUNITY MEDIA GRANTS WORKSHOP (Aqui se habla español)Tuesday, February 8, 6PM

2005 Community Media GrantsAvailable to 501c3 nonprofits and community organizations based in
Manhattan. (Individuals should come too!)

DEADLINE FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS: February 14!

Read the grant description and download forms.
http://mnn.org/cm/grants.html


(Let's get the money for our projects now!)


PRdream/MNN Satellite Community Television Facility
161 East 106th Street, First Floor
(between Lexington and Third Avenues)

For info call: 212.828.0401, between the hours of 3PM and 6PM, or
email us at info@prdream.com.




=======================================

ART EXHIBITION
@ MEDIANOCHE

"The space beyond silence"
--a site-specific collaborative project exploring perception

Artists : Jamie Allen, Helen Dennis, Yoona Kang, Eileen Mack, La Manga
Curated by: Mónica Núñez Laiseca

February 10 - March 3, 2005

OPENING RECEPTION: : Thursday, Feb. 10, 6-8 pm
ARTIST TALK: Saturday, Feb. 19, 4-6 pm

Guided by Spanish curator Mónica Núñez, "the space beyond silence" is a
site-specific collaboration between artists from different cultures and
media. The exhibition examines how distraction affects our ability to
perceive, and seeks to reveal a dimension within reality where we can
"re-enchant" ourselves with our perceptions. This is the dimension
defined in the exhibition as the space beyond silence.
Upon entering the gallery, a backdrop of large-scale photographic
drawings reflects the urban streetscape beyond the gallery walls. At certain
times of the day, the views captured in these drawings frame the projection
of a dance piece by La Manga that has been rehearsed in the gallery late at
night. Gallery visitors looking at these images are videotaped by
surveillance cameras that trace their movements in the space. An old TV
monitor juxtaposes the surveillance videos to footage of a video
performance in which a sleepless Yoona Kang gets ready to cook a technological soup. A soundtrack made with pre-recorded, whispering sounds, scores the exhibition.
"The space beyond silence" features works by Jamie Allen (Canada),
Helen Dennis (U.K.), Yoona Kang (Korea), Eileen Mack (Australia) and La Manga
(Mexico). Through common sounds, images and visceral performance each
artist explores the idea of silence in relation to sensory experience,
perception, and location.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"The Space Beyond Silence" is presented as part of "PLACE" -- a
year-long series of exhibitions that explore the role of network technologies in
transcultural experience organized by MediaNoche.

ABOUT MEDIANOCHE

MediaNoche provides artist residencies and exhibition space for artists
working in new media. The first of its kind, MediaNoche seeks to
connect Spanish Harlem, a.k.a. El Barrio to all parts of the globe that
recognize its long history of music, art, poetry and dance.

GETTING THERE

MediaNoche is located at 161 East 106th Street, in the cultural
corridor of Spanish Harlem, just blocks from Museum Mile. The gallery is open
Tuesday through Friday, from 3PM to 7PM and by appointment. For more
information, visit http://www.medianoche.us or call 212.828.0401.


# # #

MediaNoche is a project of PRdream.com and acknowledges support from:
NY Foundation, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Lower Manhattan Cultural
Council, The Fund for Creative Communities, and former NY State Senator
Olga Mendez.
========================================

source: Judith Escalona, director

PRDREAM.COM
161 East 106th Street
(212)828-0401

http://www.prdream.com
Empowering community through technology
========================================

Thursday, February 03, 2005

IMG_0157


IMG_0157
Originally uploaded by jammpr.
Photo by "jammpr." Go view his photos of El Tren Urbano at flickr.

While at flickr, check out the Tren Urbano photo group too. http://flickr.com/groups/trenurbano/

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Community News

STUDY FINDS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST SPANISH-SPEAKING LATINOS SEEKING ACCESS TO MEDICAL BENEFITS AT D.C. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

80% of Spanish-Language Testers Faced Major Hurdle at DHS

Washington, DC - An independent study commissioned by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Latino civil rights organization in the U.S., found that language barriers and related discriminatory practices at the District of Columbia's Department of Human Services (DHS) have drastically limited access to medical services, such as Medicaid, for the District's large Spanish-speaking community. According to the report, 80% of Spanish-speaking Latinos who participated in on-site visits and telephone testing faced at least one serious hurdle in obtaining vital medical benefits at DHS.
"This is the first study to compare the treatment of Spanish-speaking Latinos and English-speaking non-Latinos seeking medical insurance, and the results are appalling. The enormous disparity in the medical services and personal treatment these Spanish-speakers received from the District of Columbia's Department of Human Services is unacceptable and clearly violates federal and city law," said Janet Murguia, President and CEO of NCLR. "People are at their most vulnerable when seeking medical help for themselves and their children. They deserve better, as does everyone in our city. Any time a group of people is shut out of accessing basic medical care, it becomes a public health crisis for all of us."
The Equal Rights Center (ERC), a nonprofit civil rights organization that was commissioned by NCLR to conduct the testing, sent matched pairs of Protected (Latino Spanish-speaking) and Controlled (non-Latino English-speaking) testers at the end of 2003 to the DHS centers located at 508 Kennedy Street N.W. and 645 H Street N.E. The matched testers also made telephone calls to the appropriate DHS centers. Both the Protected and Controlled testers sought information about obtaining medical benefits for their U.S.-citizen children. The testers rated their experiences according to five factors, including whether DHS staff provided services and benefits applications and responded to requests for supporting documentation in the appropriate language, and whether DHS staff made any discouraging comments or asked questions that were not related to benefits eligibility. Follow-up telephone tests were conducted at the end of 2004.
"Our analysis found that the Spanish-speaking Latino testers faced a 20% to 30% discrimination rate on each factor evaluated when visiting DHS facilities," said ERC's Executive Director, Bruce E. Kahn. "Some were asked inappropriate questions that were not relevant to their requests for benefits. In our follow-up phone calls, we found that approximately two out of three times a call was made there was no available Spanish-speaking DHS representative. Given that people's health is at stake, this points to a serious lapse in the provision of necessary mandatory service."
"Having a federal law in place for 40 years should have led the District to comply with language requirements that make it possible for Spanish-speaking Latinos to access DHS medical benefits," said Dr. Juan Romagoza, Executive Director of La Clínica del Pueblo, a nonprofit bilingual, bicultural community medical clinic in the District. "Having the City Council pass the Language Access Act a year ago should have finally addressed the situation. While there have been some improvements, this testing shows that the problem is far from resolved. When will the District's Department of Human Services take this problem seriously? We are talking about people's health and their right to obtain appropriate medical care as specified by the law."
As a result of the study commissioned by NCLR, the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) is reaching out to the Latino community in Washington, DC to further document the extent and consequences of discriminatory denial of access to government health benefits. During the next few months, Hispanics in the District will be urged to contact WLC with accounts of their own experiences in seeking medical benefits through the District's DHS.
"If Mayor Williams and the City Council do not take action to correct this serious problem once and for all, we will be forced to examine all of our legal options under District and federal law," said Denise Gilman, Director of the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project of WLC. "We encourage individuals who have experienced this type of discrimination at DHS to contact the Washington Lawyers' Committee. At a minimum, we will look to file civil rights complaints with the relevant local and federal government agencies."

###


source: NCLR release

Sunday, January 30, 2005

Malecon de Arroyo


Malecon de Arroyo
Originally uploaded by GinoPR.
View scenic photos from Arroyo by Gino at his site at flickr.

El Tren

http://flickr.com/groups/trenurbano/

View photo collection of Puerto Rico's new Tren Urbano.
On Education

Advanced Placement Proves Gateway to College Success
More Students Succeeding on AP(R) Exams in All 50 States: New York, Maryland, Utah, Florida, California, and Massachusetts Lead the Way

Equity Gap Closed Among Hispanic/Latino Population

Washington, DC--(HISPANIC PR WIRE)--January 25, 2005--As the Advanced Placement Program(R)(AP(R)) approaches its fiftieth anniversary (1), the College Board, the not-for-profit membership association that administers the AP Program, has released the first-ever Advanced Placement Report to the Nation, showing that all 50 states and the District of Columbia have achieved an increase in the percentage of high school students succeeding in college-level AP courses. Research shows that strong correlations exist between AP success and college success—students who succeed on one or more AP Exams are much more likely than their peers to complete a bachelor’s degree in four years or less.(2)
“When students are challenged in high school, they gain the confidence to go to college and succeed once there,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “We are very pleased with the results of the Advanced Placement Report to the Nation. AP students, parents, educators, and policymakers should be congratulated. More high school students than ever before are succeeding on college-level AP Exams, exams that are more rigorous than ever before.”
Across the nation’s public schools, 13 percent of students in the class of 2004 demonstrated mastery of an AP Exam by earning an exam grade of 3 or higher—the grade predictive of college success (3). Only 10 percent of the class of 2000 accomplished this goal.
New York is the first state in the nation to see more than 20 percent of its graduating class achieve a grade of 3 or higher on an AP Exam. The states of Maryland, Utah, Florida, California, and Massachusetts are close to this level of achievement, each with between 18 and 20 percent of students earning a score of 3 or higher on an AP Exam.
Although 37 states and the District of Columbia have lower results than the nationwide average of 13 percent, every single state and the District of Columbia saw a greater proportion of its class of 2004 score a 3 or higher than occurred within its class of 2000. AP achievements for each state’s class of 2000 and class of 2004 are detailed in the report. (See AP Report to the Nation, Table 1, page 5.)

AP Highlights from Around the Country

-- Nationwide, 13.2 percent of the class of 2004 scored 3 or higher on one or more AP Exams, up from 10.2 percent for the class of 2000.
-- States showing a five-year increase of between 4 and 6 percent include Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Colorado, Connecticut and Washington state, (see AP Report to the Nation, Table 1, page 5).
-- In New York State’s class of 2004, more than 21 percent of the students scored 3 or higher on one or more AP Exams.
-- Maryland, Utah, Florida, California, and Massachusetts, all had AP success rates between 18 and 20 percent for the class of 2004 (see AP Report to the Nation, Table 2, page 7).

AP and College Readiness
The U.S. Department of Education’s landmark 1999 study Answers in the Tool Box showed that a high school curriculum of “academic intensity and quality” such as is found in AP courses is a powerful predictor of bachelor’s degree completion. These findings were particularly pronounced among African American and Hispanic/Latino students who had taken AP or other rigorous courses (4). New research conducted by the University of California:Berkeley “emphatically supports” many earlier studies’ findings that an AP Exam grade of 3 or higher is “a remarkably strong predictor of performance in college.”
This study concludes: “The subject-specific, curriculum-intensive AP Exams are the epitome of ‘achievement tests,’ and their validity in predicting college performance should not be surprising.” (5)
“AP enables students to receive a taste of college while still in an environment that is more intimate and nurturing than the large lecture halls where introductory college courses are frequently taught,” said Trevor Packer, executive director of the AP Program.
“Effective AP teachers work closely with their students, giving them the responsibility to reason, analyze, and understand the material for themselves. As a result, AP students can develop new confidence in their academic abilities.”
While lauding the expansion of successful performance on AP Exams, the Advanced Placement Report to the Nation also notes that many more students enter college each fall than have first been prepared through successful completion of an AP course. Gaps currently exist in each state between the percentage of students who entered college in fall 2004—56.8 percent—and the percentage of students who had mastered an AP course—13.2 percent. (See AP Report to the Nation, Table 2, page 7.)
“Closing these gaps is one solution for improving college graduation rates,” said Caperton.

2004 AP Program Snapshot

School Participation
Worldwide, 14,904 schools participated in the AP Program. 14,144 of these schools are located in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia; 760 of these schools are located outside of the United States or in U.S. territories.

Of AP schools in the United States, 11,196 are public schools (an increase of 417 schools since 2003) and 2,948 are nonpublic schools (an increase of 103 schools since 2003).

These schools offered an average of seven different AP courses.

Student Participation
-- Worldwide, 1,101,802 students took 1,887,770 AP Exams.
-- The mean AP Exam grade was 2.96.
-- Female participants: 56.2 percent
-- Male participants: 43.8 percent

AP Courses
Of the 34 AP Exams, the five taken by the greatest number of students were:
-- U.S. History (262,906)
-- English Lit. & Comp. (239,493)
-- English Lang. & Comp. (198,514)
-- Calculus AB (175,094)
-- U.S. Gov’t. & Politics (112,894)

Closing Equity Gaps in U.S. Public Schools
In the past, African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American students have been significantly underrepresented in the pool of AP examinees, but much progress has been made over the past five years. Most significantly, in U.S. public schools, the proportion of Hispanic/Latino students within the pool of AP Exam takers now matches the proportion of Hispanic/Latino students in U.S. public schools overall: Hispanics/Latinos made up 12.8 percent of the class of 2004, while an impressive 13.1 percent of AP Exam takers in the class of 2004 were Hispanic/Latino. (See AP Report to the Nation, Figure 1, page 9.)

“There is good news and progress is being made, but there is still work to be done to ensure that underrepresented minority students are encouraged to participate in AP classes,” said Caperton. “The College Board calls for schools to make every effort to ensure that their AP classrooms reflect the diversity of their student population,” added Caperton.

AP Potential(TM), a free Web-based tool available to school administrators, uses correlations between performance on PSAT/NMSQT(R) test questions and success on AP Exams to identify students likely to score a 3 or better on a given AP Exam. These data help educators ensure that no student who has the chance of succeeding in AP is overlooked. The state of Florida uses AP Potential to identify such students in its public schools, and has had great success in increasing the number of traditionally underserved students who are succeeding on AP Exams.
In U.S. schools, African American and Native American students remain significantly underrepresented in AP. Nationwide, African American students make up 13.2 percent of the student population, but only 6.0 percent of AP Exam takers, and Native Americans make up 1.1 percent of the student population, but only 0.5 percent of the AP examinee population. (See AP Report to the Nation, Figure 1, page 9.)
“Educators and caregivers must work to ensure all children have the opportunity to achieve,” said Dr. Joe A. Hairston, superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools. “AP is an important tool to help students prepare for and succeed in higher education.”
There have been major increases in African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American students scoring 3 or higher on AP Exams:
-- Between 1996 and 2004, there has been a 164 percent increase in the number of grades of 3 or higher earned by African American students on AP Exams (8,696 in 1996 versus 22,923 in 2004).
-- Between 1996 and 2004, there has been a 197 percent increase in grades of 3 or higher earned by Hispanic/Latino students on AP Exams (29,689 in 1996 versus 88,217 in 2004).
-- And among Native American students, there has been a 115 percent increase from 1996 to 2004 in grades of 3 or higher on AP Exams (1,416 in 1996 versus 3,048 in 2004).

(See AP Report to the Nation, Figure 3 on page 11 and Figures 4 and 5 on page 12.)

Part Two of the Advanced Placement Report to the Nation uses data from all schools participating in AP worldwide to identify schools currently leading internationally in AP participation and performance. Part Two also includes performance information for each of the AP subject areas.
The College Board's Advanced Placement Program enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Thirty-four courses in 19 subject areas are offered. Based on their performance on rigorous AP Exams, students can earn credit, advanced placement, or both for college.

A Word About Comparing States and Schools
Media and others occasionally rank states, districts, and schools on the basis of AP Exam results, despite concern that such rankings may be problematic. AP Exams are valid measures of students’ content mastery of college-level studies in academic disciplines, but should never be used as a sole measure for gauging educational excellence and equity.

(1) The 2005-06 academic year will be the fiftieth anniversary of the AP Program.
(2) Wayne Camara. “College Persistence, Graduation and Remediation.”. College Board Research Notes (RN-19). New York, NY: College Entrance Examination Board, 2003
(3) Each AP Exam is scored using a five-point scale: 5—extremely well qualified; 4—Well qualified; 3—Qualified; 2—Possibly qualified; 1—No recommendation.
(4) Clifford Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns and Bachelor’s Degree Attainment (1999), U.S. Department of Education.
(5) Saul Geiser and Veronica Santelices, “The Role of Advanced Placement and Honors Courses in College Admissions.” (Berkeley: Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California), 2004

Saturday, January 29, 2005