Jim Victor Junior Achievement Golf Classic on Monday, May 5, 2014

Moline, IL - Grab your golf clubs and participate in the Jim Victor JA Golf Classic on May 5, 2014.  Not only will you enjoy a great day of golf, but you will help Junior Achievement empower students to make a connection between what they learn in school and how it can be applied to the real world.  JA of the Heartland serves more than 53,000 students in 260 schools and youth organizations throughout its 24-county service area.

Community participation is important for the success of JA programs. All proceeds from the golf classic will be used to help cover the cost for JA's financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs in area schools.

The Jim Victor JA Golf Classic will be held at Davenport Country Club and TPC at Deere Run in the Quad Cities on Monday, May 5.  Tee time is at noon with registration and warm-up at assigned course starting at 11:00 a.m. Golfers are invited to the Player Award Reception at the Davenport Country Club immediately following play.  The reception is a great networking event with wonderful auction items to bid on.

An additional tournament is scheduled for Monday, May 12 at Kewanee Dunes Golf Club in Kewanee, IL.

Register online for either event at www.jaheartland.org.

If golf is not your game you still have the opportunity to support JA's mission by being a "Spirit Golfer" with a $50 donation. Spirit Golfers receive a player gift and an invitation to the Player Award Reception.

Special thanks to event sponsors including title sponsor Jim Victor and course sponsor HNI Corporation.  For more information contact Leslie Corlett at (309) 277-3919 or leslie.corlett@ja.org.

About Junior Achievement USA™

Junior Achievement (JA) is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and fiscal choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provides relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches four million students per year in 124 markets across the United States, with an additional six million students served by operations in 119 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

Locally, Junior Achievement of the Heartland serves 24 counties in eastern Iowa, western Illinois and Grant County, WI.  Each year more than 53,000 benefit from a JA learning experience.  Visit www.jaheartland.org for more information.

Federal Government Approves Flexibility Needed for Successful Implementation of State Strategies to Improve Student Learning

CHICAGO - After pushing for more than two years, Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced today that Illinois has won approval from the United States Department of Education for its request for flexibility from parts of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law to improve the quality of education for Illinois' schoolchildren. The approved waiver gives Illinois needed flexibility to continue its progress in implementing a comprehensive strategy to improve education in Illinois by closing achievement gaps, supporting our most challenged districts and preparing all students for college, career and beyond.

"Today's approval is a big step forward that will allow Illinois to do what's best for our kids and improve the quality of education throughout our state," Governor Quinn said. "In 2011, we enacted landmark education reform that made our schools stronger and more accountable. Now, with this federal approval, we will continue to improve the quality of education in Illinois and better prepare our students to be successful in college, career and beyond."

Illinois has moved forward already with many elements of the waiver, including the adoption of college and career ready learning standards in English, Language Arts and Mathematics in the summer of 2010. In 2011, Governor Quinn signed landmark education reforms that strengthened accountability in our schools and training for teachers, administrators and school board members. The historic measure set clear standards for teacher evaluations and prioritized performance above tenure. These reforms represent unprecedented statewide agreement on issues that continue to be unresolved across the nation.

"The best economic tool a state can have is a world-class education system, and that's why we have been fighting to get this done since day one," ISBE Chairman Gery Chico said. "Schools across Illinois are already putting in place many elements of our plan for student success and this approval will allow us to fully implement our comprehensive plan to make Illinois' education system the best in the nation."

The approved waiver also calls for a new state and district accountability system. Illinois will implement a multiple measure system that look at an entire school and district, not simply a test score. In addition, the Illinois accountability system calls for a renewed focus on closing achievement gaps, turning around the lowest-performing schools, building capacity for school improvement and enhanced transparency.

"We still believe that a top priority must be for Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, but short of that, a waiver does allow us to move forward and work with local districts to do what's best for students," State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch said. "Despite the delay in our waiver approval, Illinois educators have moved forward with elements of our plan and the commitment to college and career preparedness for all students, including the implementation of new, internationally benchmarked learning standards and 21st century assessments of student learning."

The federal education law has been due for Congressional reauthorization since 2007. In the absence of reauthorization, President Obama announced in September 2011 that the administration would grant waivers from NCLB to qualified states.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Quad City Arts Arts Dollar$ program, Rivermont Collegiate is able to waive tuition for Summer at Rivermont art courses for low income students.

Summer at Rivermont offers a variety of summer enrichment courses for preschool through 8th grade, which are open to the entire Quad City community and held on the Rivermont Collegiate campus in Bettendorf. Please note there is a limited amount of grant money and courses will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Those interested in these scholarships are strongly encouraged to enroll early. Though Summer at Rivermont offers courses in a wide variety of subjects, these scholarships are only applicable to art courses.

Art courses offered include Digital Photo Phrenzy (4th-8th grade, June 30-July 3), Mythical Clay Creatures (1st-3rd grade, July 7-18), Amazing Architecture in Clay (4th-6th grade, July 7-18), Screen Printing Extravaganza (3rd-8th grade, July 21-25), and Mural Masters (5th-8th grade, July 28-August 1).

For complete details on courses and scholarship eligibility and to enroll, visit www.RivermontCollegiate.org or pick up an application at Rivermont Collegiate - 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf, IA 52722.

Arts Dollar$ grants help fund art projects and programs that emphasize community involvement. Funding for Arts Dollar$ is provided by The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, Deere & Company, and Doris and Victor Day Foundation. Quad City Arts recognizes The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation for their contribution, which supports dramatic expansion of the Arts Dollar$ program in 2014.

Begin Reading Here - With My First Library Card!

Rock Island, IL: Great beginnings start with reading, and to help children build the habit, the Rock Island Public Library has rolled out a brand-new library card just for children under age 6.

My First Library Card acts like a library training card, introducing children ages birth to six to the wide variety of library materials that help develop their reading skills. Research shows that reading to children actively builds brain cells, strengthening existing connections, and adding new ones.

"We know that reading, and being read to, builds brain development, especially in the first five years," says Susan Foster, Rock Island Library Children's Services director. "Getting books into the hands of children is critical to their healthy development, and to their later capacity for reading and learning."

The card features the image and shape of Rock Island Library mascot Max Reader Mouse, and includes built in limits to help parents control use and teach good library habits. Children can use the card to check up out up to 10 children's items at Rock Island Library locations, with no overdue fines. "The limit helps parents keep track of what their children have checked out, and to help teach children how to take care of library items. Having your own library card is a simple way to build both responsibility and the love of reading at a young age," adds Foster.

The card is available to children ages birth to six living in the Rock Island Library service area, which includes residents of Rock Island, and of the Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District. To apply, a parent or guardian must sign for the child and present a photo ID and proof of residency. Lost or damaged items will be billed to the parent or guardian.

Due to the fine forgiveness feature, My First Library Card may be used by the child only at Rock Island Main, 30/31 or Southwest Branches, for Rock Island items. The card automatically expires on the child's sixth birthday, at which time the child will be invited to apply for a "big kid" library card.

Before the introduction of My First Library card, cards were only available for ages six and older.

For more information about Rock Island Library services and programs for children, teens and adults, visit the library's online branch at www.rockislandlibrary.org, call 309-732-READ (7323) or follow the library on Facebook or Twitter.

Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library serves the area through three locations, which include the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities that provide resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate the imagination.

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