Intergovernmental agreement adopts efficiency, effectiveness reforms

SKOKIE – Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will celebrate an education reform milestone on Wednesday at Niles West High School. School officials will sign a "Classrooms First" agreement, a step toward educational efficiency and effectiveness at Niles Township High School District 219 and Skokie/Morton Grove School District 69.

Beginning this fall, Niles West High School and its largest feeder district will share faculty and instructional tools in order to maximize resources and reduce remediation. The reforms are largely based on the findings of the Classrooms First Commission, which Simon chaired and which issued a report detailing its recommendations in 2012.

Simon will join District 219 and District 69 officials at the signing ceremony, which will feature a series of talks by district instructors and a tour of the high school following the presentation and signing.

TIME: 9:30 a.m.

DATE: Wednesday, Aug. 20

LOCATION: Black Box Theater, Niles West High School, 5701 Oakton St., Skokie

Six others receive honorable mentions

Rock Island, Ill. - Three students from across the country were awarded first, second and third place at the national level of Modern Woodmen of America's 2014 School Speech Contest. Six others received honorable mentions.

Chloe Thurlow, an eighth-grade student at Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden, Maine, was awarded first place. Jaye Carvelli, an eighth-grade student at Lumberport Middle School in Lumberport, West Virginia, was awarded second place and James Thiriot, a fifth-grade student at E. Melvin Honeycutt Elementary School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, placed third.

First-, second- and third-place winners of the fraternal financial services organization's annual contest earn a $2,000, $1,500 or $1,000 savings plan and two award plaques - one for the recipient and one for the school. Modern Woodmen financial representatives sponsor the local contests.

Teresa Collins, New York, New York; Hanna McCaw, Andrews, North Carolina; Daniel Denenberg, Omaha, Nebraska; Katie Jensen, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Remy Arroyo, Anaheim, California; and Abigail Zindars, Mukwonago, Wisconsin, received an honorable mention in the contest.

The topic for this year's nationwide contest was "the importance of healthy living." Modern Woodmen asked all student speakers to consider how maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important for individuals, communities or the nation as a whole.

The School Speech Contest, one of six youth educational programs sponsored by Modern Woodmen, is provided to schools across the country at no charge. For more than 60 years, students have gained confidence and improved their communication skills by participating in this contest. More than 100,000 young people competed in 2013, of which 23 advanced to the national judging in June.

As a tax-exempt fraternal benefit society, Modern Woodmen sells life insurance, annuity and investment products not to benefit stockholders but to improve the quality of life of its stakeholders - members, their families and their communities. This is accomplished through social, charitable and volunteer activities. In 2013, Modern Woodmen and its members provided more than $20 million and more than 507,600 volunteer hours for community projects nationwide.

To learn more about Modern Woodmen and its free youth educational programs, visit www.modern-woodmen.org.

DAYTON, OH (08/14/2014)(readMedia)-- Erron Vandemore of Bettendorf, IA, will attend the University of Dayton as part of one of the largest classes in the University's history, as the school exceeded all enrollment goals and received a record 16,918 applications for the 2014-15 academic year.

At 59 percent, the overall selectivity remains competitive, including more than 1,000 out-of-state students and nearly 200 international students.

The University plans to welcome about 2,200 first-year students when classes start Aug. 27.

"We are exceptionally pleased with the quality and the size of the incoming class," said Sundar Kumarasamy, vice president of enrollment management and marketing. "With increasing competition in Ohio and nationally for a declining number of college-aged students, we are gratified to see the University of Dayton's continued broad appeal all over the world. It's a resounding endorsement of the academic quality and value of a Catholic, Marianist education."

The fall class is also expected to boast the highest average test scores in school history and more diversity as well, with the number of African-American and Hispanic students up significantly.

With the number of applicants on the rise in recent years, the University of Dayton is bucking a trend among private schools in the region. Approximately two-thirds of 35 small private colleges in the Midwest have experienced two consecutive years of smaller entering classes, according to a May 9 report in Bond Buyer. Some private universities in the Midwest have faced layoffs, and one recently merged.

Kumarasamy suggests the uptick in enrollment is due to:

• Expanded efforts by the deans and faculty in the recruitment effort, particularly for minority students.
• A transparent, guaranteed four-year tuition plan that promises scholarships and grants will increase every year to offset any tuition increases. In addition, the University has eliminated all fees and offers up to $1,000 annually for textbooks.
• The NCAA men's basketball tournament run with the Dayton Flyers appearing in the Elite 8 for the first time in 30 years.
• A strategic decision to diversify the University's enrollment to combat the demographic trends in the Midwest. The number of students from outside Ohio continues to outnumber in-state students, with 54 percent expected to enroll from outside the state and internationally.
• Other value-added distinctions, including a four-year graduation pledge; a four-year guarantee of University housing to first-year students who make that choice; and study-abroad scholarships for select programs, including China.

"The University of Dayton has added these features because they align perfectly with our mission," Kumarasamy said. "We want our students to graduate in four years, experience our distinctive highly residential campus and study abroad because all graduates need to be exposed to global issues and cultures. It's part of our Catholic, Marianist mission to prepare students to succeed in diverse and global environments."

The University of Dayton is a top-tier national, Catholic, research university and Ohio's largest private university. Founded by the Society of Mary (the Marianists), the University of Dayton educates students for excellence in scholarship and practical wisdom, grounded in faith and reason, to build community and partner for the common good.

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced the State of Iowa has been awarded a National Governors Association (NGA) grant to assist in continuing their innovative educational and workforce development programs within Iowa. The grant is worth up to $170,000, and was awarded after the governor's office submitted a proposal to the "NGA Policy Academy on Aligning the Education and Training Pipeline to the Needs of the Economy."

"Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I know that in order for Iowa to remain competitive in developing and attracting high-quality, world-class careers, we must continue to provide effective education and job-training," said Branstad. "We're pleased to receive this grant from the National Governors Association to continue advancing Iowa's skilled workforce and innovative education programs."

The grant will help Iowa continue to advance innovative programs like the Skilled Iowa Initiative, the Governor's Science Technology, Engineering and Math initiative, Home Base Iowa, the Iowa Apprenticeship and Job Training program and other programs aimed at closing the middle-skills gaps.  A variety of state entities will collaborate with private sector, non-profit, and educational stakeholders to continue to advance Iowa's efforts to grow our talent pipeline.

"Today's announcement of new funds for workforce and education development is yet another win for hardworking Iowans," said Reynolds. "We're proud that Iowa's unemployment rate has dropped nearly thirty percent and more Iowans are working than ever before, but if we're to continue to be globally competitive, we must continue to innovate."

The NGA initiative is part of 2013-2014 Chair's Initiative of Oklahoma Gov. Marry Fallon titled, "America Works: Education and Training for Tomorrow's Jobs."