BETTER GEORGIA

Once Again Lead The South.

Better Georgia is the state’s fastest growing progressive advocacy organization. We are here to make sure our elected officials listen to Georgia families and the people who work hard each day. We fight to make sure elected officials pass sensible laws and policies that benefit everyone, not just corporations and the political elite.

Want Storng Communities And Schools

Better Georgia is ready for our state to once again lead the South. We want strong communities and schools. We want quality jobs and a culture that attracts the best businesses.

Change Our State

The debate in Georgia has been between the right and the far right for too long. Better Georgia is working to change the debate and change our state. With your help, Georgia will be better than ever and you may join for free.

For more information please download the following web page:
http://bettergeorgia.com/

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”,

Prairie Dogs Support Better Georgia

About JSA

On high school campuses across the country, there are students concerned with what is happening around them – students who are interested in politics and government, foreign affairs, the law and education. The Junior State of America (JSA) was created by and for these young people. Since its founding in 1934, more than 500,000 student members have become active, informed citizens through JSA.

Read Our Mission Statement

What makes JSA so unique is that students organize every aspect of the organization, from the chapter level all the way to state and national administration. Our student leaders, elected by their fellow JSA members, plan and execute all of the conventions, conferences and political-awareness events held by JSA.

Exchange Of Ideas

JSA allows for an exchange of ideas through stimulating student debates, thought talks, problem solving and a variety of simulations. By participating in these activities, each member gains a more intelligent and informed viewpoint. JSA also provides a wonderful chance to meet and make friends with scores of other bright, involved students who have similar interests. It’s an experience that no young person would want to miss.

Organized At Local Chapter Level

JSA is a national organization organized at the local chapter level. These chapters collectively form regions which coordinate communication with chapters and run regional events annually. The regions form states which run three large overnight conventions a year, and the national level of general program operations.

Help Spread The Word

You can help spread the word about JSA by using the resources and tools provided on this site. The information in this section about JSA chapters and events, our videos about JSA Summer School, blogs by representatives of JSA states and the new-photo galleries can all contribute to giving prospective members a better understanding of what JSA is all about. See the section on how to start a chapter to bring JSA to your school at the following webpage:
http://jsa.org/

Cordially,
Woody Woodpecker
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”

Prairie Dogs Join The Local Chapter

Standards Are State Efforts

According to information posted on their web page: http://commoncore.learnmoregofurther.org affirms that Common Core State Standards are an effort to establish clear, world-class educational standards for English language arts and mathematics that states can voluntarily adopt.

Promote Critical Thinking

These standards promote critical thinking and applying knowledge – not rote memorization. They are designed to eliminate over-testing, and they will level the testing playing field among states.

Policymakers Choose Participation

It’s up to the state-level policymakers to either join or withdraw from participation in Common Core.

Standards Are Superior

Common Core State Standards are superior to standards currently in use in 39 states in math and 37 states in English.

Not Prepared For College

According to the ACT , 3/4 of students entering college “were not adequately prepared academically” for college courses.

Reading Proficiency Standards

Many states had “reading proficiency standards that would qualify their students as functionally illiterate by international standards.”

Define The Needs Of Students

Common Core State Standards “define what students need to know; they do not define what teachers should teach.”

Get Involved And How You Can Help

The quality of public education should be evaluated from the primary vantage point of the academic achievement of students. Are they learning more? Are more graduating from high school and are they better prepared for the next step in life? And so we ask you to help us support education reform, and continue this progress.

Act Now

Sign up and encourage your neighbors, community leaders, and lawmakers to commit to preparing our children for the challenges ahead.

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”

Prairie Dogs Learn The Facts About
Common Core Standards

Parents’ Guides to Student Success

The Parents’ Guides to Student Success were developed by teachers, parents and education experts in response to the Common Core State Standards that more than 45 states have adopted.

Guides For K-8

Created for grades K-8 high school English language arts/literacy and mathematics the guides provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared for college and career.

Parents’ Guides

• Parents’ Guide to Success Booklet Two-page Parents’ Guides (Color)
• Four-page Parents’ Guides (BW)
• Four-page Parents’ Guides (Color)
• Parents’ Guides to Student Success—Frequently Asked Questions
• State Education Agencies

Guides Include

Key items children should be learning in English language arts and mathematics in each grade, once Common Core Standards are fully implemented. Activities that parents can do at home to support their child’s learning. Methods for helping parents build stronger relationships with their child’s teacher.

What PTA Can Do

PTA can play a pivotal role in how the standards are put in place at the state and district levels. PTA leaders are encouraged to meet with their school, district and/or state administrators to discuss their plans to implement the standards and how their PTA can support that work.

Share The Guides

The goal is that PTA and education administrators will collaborate on how to share the guides with all of the parents and caregivers in their states or communities, once the Common Core Standards are fully implemented.
For more information please download the following web page: http://pta.org/index.cfm

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”

                        Prairie Dogs Help PTA Implement                                Common Core Standards

STEM Education Is A Critical Path To Success

Solomon Menashi spent the first part of his professional life running a highly-successful, high-tech manufacturing firm. For the past 10 years, he’s been working in education — teaching, leading, and learning. He is founder and Executive Director of Mindsurfers, which focuses on building the confidence, skills and enthusiasm of underserved students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math . Solomon holds an Ed.M from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. You can also follow him on Twitter at #mindsurfers.

Front and Center Issues

If you read the newspaper or follow the blogosphere, you cannot help but notice that STEM education is a front-and-center issue these days, a subject resonating in the classroom and the boardroom, as well as in the Oval Office. President Obama, in his 2011 State of the Union Address, declared STEM education a national priority:

Math And Science Education Lags

“The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree. And so the question is whether all of us — as citizens, and as parents — are willing to do what’s necessary to give every child a chance to succeed.”

Critical Path Securing Nation’s Future

He also stated that improved investment in STEM education is a critical path to securing our nation’s future: ” …Over the next 10 years, with so many baby boomers retiring from our classrooms, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science and technology and engineering and math.”

Muster Support

With the gauntlet thrown down, the task for all of us who care about education is to muster the support we need to prepare the next generation to effectively and efficiently pursue vital STEM careers — a challenge that will require assistants from many sectors. One key partner willing to help is the business community.

Participated in 2011 Summit

I was fortunate enough to participate in the recent MA STEM Summit 2011 where educators, business leaders, and government officials came together to discuss how collective action can contribute to improve education outcomes. It was a meeting full of terrific ideas and shared commitment, where the tone was set by the keynote speaker Dr. Linda Rosen of Change the Equation.

Many Challenges

In her speech, Dr. Rosen spoke to the many challenges of producing a well-educated workforce capable of thriving in an innovation economy as well as the need to encourage girls and minorities to consider STEM careers. She also spoke to the need for collaboration amongst government, educators and business and the mission of Change the Equation to create broad support for STEM education as an investment in our nation that empowers us all.

Start A Discussion As Educators

Today, there a keen national interest in support STEM learning, and we, as educators, have a real opportunity to make a significant impact on our nation’s future vitality and leadership. Business and government are willing to offer some support, but it is up to the education community to show the way. In the coming weeks, I hope we can start a discussion that highlights programs an initiatives that promote good STEM learning, while also giving voice to innovative and creative efforts by educators who are striving to make a positive impact on America’s future.

Comments And Feedback

I welcome your comments and feedback and for additional information download the following webpage: http://changetheequation.org/

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”

Prairie Dogs Participate In Critical Path To Success

STEM Education

Policy Analyst 

Casey Given is a DC-based editor and policy commentator for Young Voices. Previously, Casey worked as a state policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity, where he managed the organization’s labor and education portfolio. His writings on the topics have appeared in Education Week, The Hill, and The Wall Street Journal. Casey holds a rhetoric degree from the University of California, Berkeley and he recently wrote The Great Equalizer: How Online Learning Promises Every Student an Excellent Education

Online Learning

Over the last decade, online learning has brought school choice to new frontiers. Thanks to the Internet, a quality education is a click away for thousands of students who were previously unsatisfied with their brick and mortar public school. Unfortunately, this progress has met with considerable challenges. Several states stubbornly refuse to expand educational freedom online. In fact, many conservative educational reformers are even scaling back their state’s existing online programs, often in the name of preserving “local control” for district school boards.

Past Developments

This policy brief traces online learning’s past developments, present political challenges, and future prospects. It urges innovation in student performance evaluations and state authorization to combat the current deceleration of online learning options. After all, no control is more local than parents choosing the best educational opportunities for their child.

Tearing Down the Walls 

With stagnating test scores and graduation rates, American parents have had a lot of cause to be pessimistic about public schooling over the past half century. Fortunately, a glimmer of hope has started to shine over the past two decades for American school children. School choice has empowered millions of students from low income for failing public schools with access to a high quality education.

Public School Choice

Be it public school choice through charter schools and open enrollment or private school choice through vouchers and tax credits, educational freedom has improved so many youngsters’ lives. To the success of school choice is backed by hard data, too. More than two-thirds of studies after 2001 have concluded that charter school students make similar or significantly better test score gains than their district school companions.

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”

Prairie Dogs Unsatisfied With Brick And Mortar 

Public Schools

What Parents Should Know

Today’s students are preparing to enter a world in which colleges and businesses are demanding more than ever before. To ensure all students are ready for success after high school, the Common Core State Standards establish clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know and be able to do in math and English language arts from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Drafted By Experts

The standards were drafted by experts and teachers from across the country and are designed to ensure students are prepared for today’s entry-level careers, freshman-level college courses, and workforce training programs. The Common Core focuses on developing the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytically skills students will need to be successful. Forty-four states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have voluntarily adopted and are moving forward with the standards.

Measure Student Progress

The new standards also provide a way for teachers to measure student progress throughout the school year and ensure that students are on the pathway to success in their academic careers.

Learn More About Your State

Interested in learning more about the Common Core and the skills that students need to succeed? Find out what your state is doing to implement the standards, support teachers, and more on our “Standards in Your State” page.

How Developed

Learn more about how the Common Core was developed at our “About the Standards” page. See what’s different about the Common Core compared to previous state standards at “Key Shifts in Mathematics” and “Key Shifts in English Language Arts” pages.

Get The Facts

Get the facts about the Common Core on our “Myths vs. Facts” page. Get more answers on our “Frequently Asked Questions” page. For more information please download the following web page: http://www.corestandards.org/

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”

                 Prairie Dogs Help Parents Learn  About                              Common Core Standards

Add Value In Workplace

According to Craig R. Barrett, Former CEO and Chairman, Intel Corporation to compete in the twenty-first century, individuals and countries will have to add value in the workplace to command a high standard of living and be competitive in the global marketplace.

Education Is Key

Education is the key to adding value. The United States recognizes that its K-12 education is not doing the job. You need good teachers with content expertise, high expectations, and feedback systems to help struggling students and teachers. These three requirements are difficult to implement in a massive public education system designed more for working adults than for learning students.

Top Universities Recruited

We need to follow the lead of other countries and recruit teachers from the top of universities’ graduating classes. We might start by converting all schools of education to programs like “Uteach in Texas”, a program designed to turn content experts into teachers, letting potential teachers study subject matter they will be teaching rather than the mind numbing theory of how to teach.

Quality Of Teachers

Good tools help make education more interesting and exciting, but ultimately quality of education comes down to quality of the teacher.

Focus On Learning Same Material

The United States needs to open its eyes in regard to expectation levels in our K-12 system. Achieve, a non-profit education reform organization, has been working on a state-driven, internationally bench marked “common core” curriculum to replace today’s myriad state tests. This will be an effort to get all kids in the United States to focus on learning the same material by grade level, by subject matter, in alignment with other successful education systems in the world. Driving these changes at the local level can provide the political will to implement change and get states to lead the way.

K-12 State Monopoly

Catalyzing change in education is especially difficult because of entrenched bureaucracies and the K-12 state monopoly. There is opportunity to use competition to effect change via charter schools. In states like Arizona, Colorado, and Indiana, charter schools are given great leeway in how they operate. Schools should embrace more tension in the system through paying for performance, employing data systems that track how much a child learns from a teacher, measuring teacher quality, giving local administrators the ability to manage staff and finances, and comparing results to the best education systems in the world.

Room For Innovation

There is also room for innovation, such as distance learning, one-on-one computing in the classroom, and software tools. Good tools help make education more interesting and exciting, but ultimately quality of education comes down to quality of the teacher. Without good teachers and high expectations, we will continue to languish behind other OECD countries.

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”                                                                                                                           

                     Prairie Dogs Prepare For                        Global Market Place

Education And Job Training

If people and communities are to thrive, nothing is more important than education and job training. A workforce armed with the critical skills needed to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow is important not only to the success of our business, but also to a country’s ability to compete in the global marketplace. That’s why Chevron invests in schools and teachers. We focus on improving instruction in the key subjects of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and on helping provide the career and technical training that can lead directly to good-paying jobs.

Support Standards

Working with our partners, we take a comprehensive approach to investments in education by getting students excited about STEM, encouraging them to pursue STEM courses and ultimately, STEM careers. We support educational standards and proven curriculum that promote project- and problem-based learning. We also support teacher training, provide classroom resources, fund out-of-school activities, and develop partnerships with universities designed to strengthen faculty, curricula and student development. These investments don’t just help the communities in which we operate — they help us, too. Tomorrow’s Chevron engineers are today’s schoolchildren.

What We’re Doing And Success Stories

In 2013, Chevron invested nearly $94 million in education partnerships and programs worldwide. In the United States our total investment in education was more than $100 million over the past three years. This work has enhanced the educational experiences of more than 500,000 students in the United States. Because of that success, we have expanded our efforts by pledging an additional $30 million over the next three years (2013-2015) to support STEM education efforts nationwide.

Chevron Supports

How Chevron Supports America’s Future Innovators
and champions STEM education in the U.S., from K-12 and beyond. Through our programs and strategic partnerships, we help students and teachers get the tools and resources they need to take advantage of every opportunity STEM offers.

More Information About Chevron

Download the Infographic (48 KB) AND for more information please contact Chevron at the following web page: http://www.chevron.com/

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”
http://woodywoodchuck.com/

Prairie Dogs Are Excited About 

STEM Careers

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Citizenship

As a U.S. Citizen you have the right to vote, travel with a U.S. Passport, work as a Federal employee and much more. Learn all about these privileges and find out how to apply for U.S.Citizenship and Naturalization
U.S. Citizenship Application.

U.S citizenship Application
Citizenship Test Study Guide
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For more information Please download the following web page: http://www.us-immigration.com/

Cordially,
Woody Woodchuck
“Words of wisdom from the Prairie Dog”

Prairie Dogs Assist Immigrants With
                                         Citizenship Exam