Recognizes Teacher Appreciation Week, Thanks Teachers Across Illinois for Making a Difference

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today congratulated this year's 2014 Golden Apple Award winners for their excellence in teaching and thanked them for making a difference in the future of Illinois' students. The award, which is one of the education community's most prestigious, was presented this week to ten outstanding teachers for excellence during National Teacher Appreciation Week.

"I congratulate each of our Illinois' Golden Apple Award Winners - you are truly the best of the best," Governor Quinn said. "Our teachers educate, motivate and support students across Illinois and in many ways serve as the backbone of our society. It's fitting during National Teacher Appreciation Week that we thank this year's winners and all teachers across the state for making a difference in the lives of Illinois' youngest citizens."

The Golden Apple Award is presented by Golden Apple, a leader in advancing the teaching profession in Illinois for 29 years. The award recognizes outstanding teachers for their role in helping build a strong, educated society. This year's Golden Apple Award winners are as follows:

-Luke Albrecht, Crown Community Fine Arts Academy, Chicago

-Mary Benton, Hawthorn Middle School South, Vernon Hills

-Joseph Casanovas, Helen C .Peirce School of International Studies, Chicago

-Roosevelt Griffin, Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, Harvey

-Madeline Kobayashi, Philip Rogers Elementary School, Chicago

-Michael Novak, Park View School, Morton Grove

-Rozy Patel, Edgebrook School, Chicago

-Anand Sukumaran, Mary Gage Peterson Elementary, Chicago

-Melissa Talaber Matwyshyn, St. Nicholas Cathedral School, Chicago

-Margot Van Dyke, O'Neill Middle School, Downers Grove

The 2014 honorees were selected from a pool of 620 nominations and 272 applicants of 4th to 8th grade teachers throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Golden Apple winners receive an honorarium, a tuition-free semester sabbatical at Northwestern University and become lifetime members of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, which supports and assists teachers in developing their skills and encourages students to pursue a career in education. John Quinn, the Governor's younger brother and long-time history teacher and boys basketball coach at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, received the Golden Apple award in 1992.

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today that he will be visiting various elementary, middle and high schools throughout Iowa's Second Congressional District on his "Our Schools, Our Future" Tour. Loebsack was recently chosen to serve as Ranking Member, the senior most Democrat, of the House Education and Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education. At each visit, Loebsack will get a tour of the school and meet with various stakeholders including principals, teachers, counselors, school board members and parents.

"For our country to remain competitive in the global marketplace, we must ensure our kids receive the best education possible," said Loebsack. "From pre-school all the way through high school, it is our responsibility to provide children with the tools they need to succeed and enable them to achieve the American Dream. I look forward to seeing the innovative ways Iowa schools are preparing our children and also listening to their concerns so I can bring their experience and ideas back to Washington."

Loebsack will make stops in Clinton, Muscatine, Davenport, Burlington, Keokuk, Iowa City, West Liberty, Ottumwa, Osceola, Newton and Chariton. Details for each stop will be announced at a later date. Members of the media and cameras are invited to attend.

NORTHFIELD, MN (05/08/2014)(readMedia)-- Laura Beck was among more than 1000 St. Olaf College students who were recognized for achievement at the college's annual Honors Day convocation on May 2. Beck, from Bettendorf, is an Individual Major and Computer Science major. She was awarded membership in Alpha Psi Omega . Beck is the daughter of Timothy and Martha Beck.

Honors Day recognizes students who have been awarded scholarships and fellowships, including Fulbright scholars, Goldwater scholars, and senior members of leadership and academic honor societies. It also recognizes academic achievement.

The ceremony began with a colorful academic procession led by St. Olaf President David R. Anderson '74, and the address to students was given by Religion Professor Eric Lund. The ceremony was followed by a reception for students, parents, friends of the college, faculty and staff.

One of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges, St. Olaf College offers a distinctive education grounded in academic rigor, residential learning, global engagement, and a vibrant Lutheran faith tradition. St. Olaf provides an uncommon educational experience that fully prepares students to make a meaningful difference in our changing world.

By Kara Kerwin

Americans are fans of fantasy and myth - the resounding success of franchises like Twilight and Harry Potter offer strong evidence to support this claim. But when it comes to our education system, Americans must learn to distinguish fact from fiction.

This is especially true of our nation's charter schools. Despite the fact that over 2.5 million children are served by over 6,500 charter schools across the country, the majority of Americans have been swayed by tall tales and misinformation about the role of charter schools in our public education system.

One of the most common misconceptions is that charter schools are privately funded institutions. A recent survey from the Center for Education Reform (CER) found that only 20 percent of Americans correctly identified charter schools as public schools. Charter schools are in fact independent public schools that are held accountable for student results.

Another myth asserts that charter schools take money and resources away from the public school system. This could not be further from the truth. Like district public schools, they are funded according to enrollment and receive funding from the district and the state according to the number of students attending. In fact, charter schools actually do more with less, receiving 36% less revenue on average than traditional public schools.

When a student's family relocates and moves from one public school system to another, the public school system itself does not lose any money. The same can be said of a student moving from a conventional public school to a charter school. When a child leaves for a charter school the money follows that child. This benefits the public school system by instilling a sense of accountability into the system regarding its services to the student and parents and its fiscal obligations.

Additionally, research shows that charter schools have a positive impact, or "ripple effect," on neighboring public schools. A Harvard University study found that in Arizona, public schools neighboring charter schools scored increases in math achievement of more than three times that of schools with no charter schools in their communities. As the focus continues to shift from the needs of the system to the needs of children and parents, our children are better served.

Critics are quick to claim that because charter schools operate independently, they have lower teaching standards and less accountability than conventional public schools. This is pure fantasy. Charter schools design and deliver programs tailored to educational excellence and community needs. Because they are schools of choice, charter schools are held to the highest level of accountability - consumer demand. If they fail to deliver, they are closed.

Another common myth is that charter schools "cream" more advantaged students from traditional public schools. The reality, however, is that a majority of charter school students are non-white, or minority students. Only 45 percent of charter students are white, while 52.5 percent of public school students are white. Additionally, 61 percent of charter schools serve a student population where over 60 percent qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch.

Seventy-three percent of Americans support the concept of charter schools. The short story is that charter schools work, and are an asset to a public educaiton system that is slow to embrace innovation despite an ever-changing and increasingly global world. As the nation marks the achievements of the charter school movement during National Charter Schools Week, it is important for parents, teachers, students and all of those involved with charter schools to share their successes so that all Americans can learn more about institutions committed to accountability and choice in education, and for lawmakers to take note so they can improve charter school laws, and in turn improve public education, in their state.

Kara Kerwin is President of The Center for Education Reform, a K-12 education policy and advocacy organization based in Washington, DC.