Less than half of high school graduates who took the SAT in 2013 were prepared for college, continuing a five-year trend.

Less than half - 44 percent -- who took the ACT had the reading skills necessary for college. That's down from 53 percent in 2009. And nearly a third failed to meet standards in four areas: reading, English, science and math.

The failures have persisted despite years of new tests, new curricula and new demands on teachers, notes educational researcher and consultant Charles M. Reigeluth, author of "Reinventing Schools: It's Time to Break the Mold," (www.reigeluth.net).

"We continue to approach the same problems with the same sorts of solutions, despite the fact that they're not working," he says. "Instead, we need a fundamental shift in how we educate our children. Our public school system was designed to meet the needs of a long-ago era - the Industrial Age. It's not working because we're now in the Information Age."

Teachers unfairly shoulder much of the blame for the lack of progress, he notes, but they're hamstrung by roles and rules that don't work for 21st century students.

"We need to change from teacher-centered education to learner-centered. In the Industrial Age paradigm, teachers are a judge and a perceived threat. In the Information Age, they should be guides and coaches who help students overcome obstacles," says Reigeluth.

His multidimensional approach includes reducing bureaucracy in schools; encouraging students to teach each other with teacher supervision; having interns and other paraprofessionals, including retiree volunteers, assist with guiding student learning; and creating an "educational cooperative," where a community's adults can earn access to learning resources, advancing their own education, in exchange for helping students learn.

"The new paradigm can significantly reduce the cost of education while increasing the quality," says Reigeluth, who outlines the five new roles teachers would have in this redesigned system.

•  Mentor ... the same 20 to 30 students for several years, addressing all aspects of student development. Students and teachers would develop the deeper relationships that foster real caring on both sides. Mentors would help students prepare a personal learning plan for each project period, six to 12 weeks, including helping each student and his parents choose appropriate instructional goals, subject to standards set by the community, state and nation. Mentors would also help identify and support the best means for each student to achieve those goals.

•  Designer ... of student work options, mostly projects or tasks, to engage students in the learning process. Open educational resources developed by teachers throughout the country and available to all educators for free via the Internet can alleviate much of the burden of the designer role.

•  Facilitator ... of the learning process, which entails monitoring student progress, enhancing student motivation and coaching student performance.

•  Learner ... the teacher is always learning with the students, about students, from and for the students. The teacher does not have all the answers, but the teacher helps students find answers. And the teacher is always learning more about how best to meet students' needs. The new paradigm provides sufficient support for teacher learning.

•  Owner and manager ... of the school. Like lawyers and accountants in a small firm, teachers would be partners who own their public school and make decisions about its operations, including budgeting and staffing. This model is already a success at the Minnesota New Country School and other EdVisions schools. This role elevates teachers to that of true professionals, rather than workers controlled by an all-powerful bureaucracy.

"These new roles offer empowerment to those who are most affected by our system, the student and the teacher, the latter of whom I suggest calling 'guides' to better reflect their new roles," Reigeluth says. "The new roles better serve students in the age in which we live."

About Charles M. Reigeluth

Charles M. Reigeluth is a distinguished educational researcher who focuses on paradigm change in education. He has a B.A. in economics from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in instructional psychology from Brigham Young University. He was a professor at the Instructional Systems Technology Department at Indiana University, and is a former chairman of the department. His new book, "Reinventing Schools," (www.reigeluth.net), advocates and chronicles a national paradigm change in K-12 education. He offers presentations and consulting on this topic.

Rock Island, IL - The Foundation for TJX Companies, Inc., one of the leading off-price retailers of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide and owner of TJ Maxx and Marshalls, provided Christian Care with a $5,000 grant to support its rescue mission and domestic violence shelter.

"We are tremendously grateful for the support that the TJX Foundation has given Christian Care," said Elaine Winter, Christian Care's Chief Executive Officer. "This funding will help us provide shelter and food for so many individuals in the Quad Cities. Last year, for example, we sheltered nearly 230 men, women and children and provided nearly 60,000 meals. With the changing seasons, we expect that the need for food and shelter in our community will be even greater, so this funding is arriving at a good time."

Christian Care is transforming the lives of homeless individuals, victims of domestic violence, veterans, men and women coming out of prison, and those with mental illness. Its two facilities?a domestic violence shelter for abused women and children and a rescue mission for homeless men?provide safe shelter, nutritious meals, clothing, counseling, self-development programs, referrals and guidance to those in need. Its services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the goal of nourishing the bodies, minds, hearts and souls of the men, women and children who come seeking a new way of life. If you know someone in need, call the Christian Care crisis hotline any hour of the day or night at (309) 788-2273.

###

The Muscatine Art Center holds tens of thousands of objects in its collection. Like many museums, only a small percentage - as little as one percent - of the collection is on view at any given time.

On Thursday, September 11, 2013, the Muscatine Art Center will offer behind-the-scenes collection storage tours for those interested in seeing the storage area and learning how the staff documents, cares for and manages the collection. The tour is from 5:30 to 6:45 P.M.  Space is limited to 12 people  and registration is taken on first come, first served basis.

Don't miss this opportunity to see stored treasures from the Art Center's permanent collection. Join a tour group for a truly unique experience as you hear about how the museum operates from the inside out and have your individual questions answered by staff.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Rarely seen "cool stuff" from the Art Center - art objects and artifacts that tell fascinating stories about Muscatine and/or the region.
• Main collection storage areas and hidden storage areas in the Musser Museum.
• Textile and print storage.
• The original Musser Carriage House and Musser Museum basement.
• Explanation of how museums keep track of collections.

BOOKING INFORMATION:

• Tours are limited to a maximum of 15 people. Please indicate the tour time you would like to be a part of.
• Tours are for adults and children over 12 years of age (12-16 year olds need to be accompanied by an adult).
• Tour duration is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• As a courtesy to other participants, please be on time.
• Physical accessibility is somewhat limited with the full behind-the-scenes tour including narrow stairs. Please notify us at the time of booking of any special requirements.
• For security reasons, you may not take mobile phones, cameras, videos, other electrical equipment, bags, food or drinks on the tour. All personal items must be checked before the tour departs.

Call NOW to reserve a place in the Muscatine Art Center's Behind-the-Scenes experience!

EVENT DETAILS:

What: Muscatine Art Center's Behind-the-Scenes Collections Storage Tour

Who: Hosted by MAC staff

When: Thursday, May 9, 2013

Times: 5:30-6:45 PM

Where: The Muscatine Art Center

Admission to this tour is FREE.

Please contact Melanie Alexander, Director, with any questions or concerns at

563-263-8282 or by email  at malexander@muscatineiowa.gov.

The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine, Iowa. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday evenings until 7:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated. Go to www.muscatineartcenter.org for more information about programs and events and to download a class brochure.

Congressman: The Guard deserves the funding they need

Washington, D.C. - As a budget shortfall potentially threatens the Iowa National Guard's September training exercises, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today pushed the House Appropriations Committee to approve a reallocation of funds that would allow the Guard to hold its scheduled drills.

A high participation rate in previous training exercises this year, along with higher than expected training costs, has contributed to a $2.4 million budget shortfall in the Iowa National Guard's budget. If that shortfall is not addressed, it could jeopardize Guard drills scheduled for September. It is expected that the National Guard will submit a reprogramming request that will allow them to transfer money between accounts, allowing the proposed drill to go forward as scheduled.

"It's important that the Iowa National Guard has the resources they need to conduct their scheduled exercises?and that members of the Guard who rely on income from this training aren't exposed to unnecessary financial hardship," Braley said. "The Iowa National Guard has done a tremendous service to our state, both domestically and abroad, and it's important that they have the funding they need."

Braley's letter to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee urges them to approve any reprogramming request made by the Guard that would allow them to carry out their currently scheduled exercises.

"After all the sacrifices made by our brave men and women in uniform, we should do everything in our power to ensure that the National Guard has the funds required to carry out their scheduled training sessions," Braley wrote.

Braley has been a consistent advocate for Iowa's National Guard. This year, he repeatedly fought proposed cuts to the Iowa National Guard, citing their work on behalf of Iowans in the aftermath of natural disasters and in combat deployments outside the United States. In December of 2012 he joined Rep. Tom Latham in efforts to block cuts to the Des Moines Air National Guard.

A copy of Braley's letter is available below.

September 4, 2014

The Honorable Rodney Frelinghuysen              The Honorable Peter Visclosky

Chairman                                                           Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Defense                                Subcommittee on Defense

Committee on Appropriations                            Committee on Appropriations

H-405 Capitol Building                                       1016 Longworth HOB

Washington, DC 20515                                      Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Visclosky,

It has come to my attention that The National Guard has an approximate $101 million funding shortfall for the remainder of the fiscal year, with the Iowa National Guard's portion of the shortfall totaling roughly $2.4 million. This has raised the possibility of canceling scheduled training drills for the month of September.

The possibility of cancelling drills is extremely troubling and would lead to a loss of income for Guard members?many of whom rely on the income for basic necessities. After all the sacrifices made by our brave men and women in uniform, we should do everything in our power to ensure that the National Guard has the funds required to carry out their scheduled training sessions. I urge you to remedy this issue by swiftly approving any reprogramming request submitted by the National Guard.

Thank you for your consideration on this important matter and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,