World Heritage Student Exchange Programs is now looking for American families to host high school students from Eurasia. All these exceptional students have received scholarships through the U.S. State Department sponsored Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) Program and will spend an academic year in the U.S. This historic program seeks to foster democracy and values inherent in a free market economy. Your support of these students and this program reinforces the United States' commitment to education and opportunity throughout the world.

World Heritage is currently seeking host families for these well-qualified, bright, motivated and well-screened students coming from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. By living with local host families and attending local high schools, FLEX scholarship students acquire an understanding of American values and build on leadership skills. From the beginning of this program, FLEX scholarship students' work together after returning home to share what they have learned while in America and are making a significant difference in their home countries!

To become a host family or find out more about World Heritage and the prestigious FLEX Program, please contact local Area Representative Courtney Wade, at (720)-209-1145 or (866)-939-4111, via email at Courtney@World-Heritage.org or visit www.whhosts.com. World Heritage looks forward to welcoming you to the ranks of host families nationwide contributing to world peace and understanding through student exchange programs.

WORLD HERITAGE (FORMERLY SPANISH HERITAGE) IS A NON-PROFIT, TAX-EXEMPT, PUBLIC-BENEFIT ORGANIZATION.  WORLD HERITAGE IS OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED AS AN EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND IS FULLY LISTED WITH THE COUNCIL OF STANDARDS ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL (CSIET)

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today signed House File 215 into law, ushering in sweeping educational reform that will ultimately return Iowa's schools to a national leader.

The governor held his signing ceremony at North High School in Des Moines, where he praised the efforts of the many individuals across the state who helped shape the landmark reform.

"The 2013 education reform bill promises to provide all Iowa schools with the support they need to significantly raise student achievement," said Branstad. "Change is never easy. But it was particularly painful that we had to acknowledge that Iowa slipped over the past two decades from a national leader in education to the middle of the pack."

Reynolds noted the value Iowans place in strong schools.

"This landmark legislation speaks to how much Iowans value the importance of giving their children a world-class education," said Reynolds. "It  is the result of an extraordinary effort by many leaders over the past several years to reach agreement on the changes needed to restore Iowa schools to best in the nation and give Iowa's students a globally competitive education."

Major components of the legislation include :

• The governor's goal of transformational, systemic education reform
• Making the teaching profession more attractive with leadership roles and higher pay
• Creates a new process that calls for reliable student assessments that move us toward better teacher evaluations with student achievement growth as one component
• Historic school choice legislation that offers independent accreditation for private schools and strengthens home-school freedoms
• Changes the school finance formula so that "allowable growth" is replaced by 100% state aid

###

Ottawa, Kansas - Kaitlyn Stinson of Davenport was recognized for her achievements during Ottawa University's spring honors convocation on April 18, 2013, in the Fredrikson Chapel.

Kelly was honored for her participation in Champions of Character National Sportsmanship Awards, Women's Soccer.

SPRINGFIELD - May 30, 2013. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon praised members of the Senate today for their adoption of House Joint Resolution 33, following its unanimous passage this morning in the Senate Education committee. The resolution urges all colleges and universities in the state to prominently feature a link to federal College Scorecard information on the school's website and work together to design and publish an Illinois College Scorecard with data that supplements the federal data.

"A college credential is a prerequisite for in-demand jobs in our economy, but college affordability is a barrier for many students," said Simon, the state's point person on education reform. "Making it easier for college-seeking students to access the federal College Scorecard means vital information - like average cost and completion rates - is readily available to help students find a college or university that fits their needs and their budget. I thank Sen. Lightford and Rep. Jakobsson for sponsoring this resolution and for their leadership on education issues."

In her first two years in office, Simon visited each of the state's 48 community colleges and 12 public universities. Students at each campus identified affordability as a major barrier to their college success. The College Scorecards clearly identify average costs, graduation rates, loan default rates, and areas where students can better estimate costs based on their personal goals.

"Choosing the right college or university is a big decision, and it is important that students and their families have access to information that will enable them to evaluate schools," Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) said. "The College Scorecard will make it easier for students to compare important college and university information that will help them pick a school that best meets their needs."

HJR 33 not only encourages degree and certificate-granting institutions in Illinois to link to the federal College Scorecard, but also to work together across institutions to design and publish an Illinois College Scorecard with data that supplements the federal data. Simon intends to create a working group this summer to design the Illinois version.

"Having this information readily available is important to students and families across the state as they plan to pursue higher education," said Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D-Urbana). "As we work to boost college completion rates, it is important that students have the resources they need to make the best decision to achieve their dreams."

The resolution was adopted last week in the House. The federal college scorecard can be found here.

###