Nebraska City, Neb. (July 12, 2011) - Children's Discovery Garden in Iowa City announced today that it earned the national designation of a certified Nature Explore Classroom from the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation.

The first Nature Explore Classroom is located in the Tree Adventure attraction at Arbor Day Farm, the Arbor Day Foundation's interactive conservation venue in Nebraska City, Neb.

Nature Explore Classrooms are part of the Nature Explore program, a collaborative project of the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation. Developed in response to the growing disconnect between children and nature, certified Nature Explore Classrooms are designed to help fill the void by educating young children using research-based principles for integrating nature into their daily learning.

These classrooms, which are being developed across the country, offer interactive elements - including musical instruments made of natural materials, climbing structures, wooden blocks, small waterways, garden areas, and natural materials for building and creating art - that give children important and inspiring nature experiences. While connecting children with nature, such unstructured play and activities are shown to enhance concentration, develop creativity and problem-solving, relieve stress, and improve skills in many areas.

Children's Discovery Garden is located at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center, 220 South Gilbert Street in Iowa City. Outdoor classrooms that are designed according to principles described in the Dimensions Foundation's Learning With Nature Idea Book are eligible to become certified Nature Explore Classrooms. In a certified Nature Explore Classroom, children can create visual masterpieces in a nature art area, build with natural materials, climb on natural structures, and practice their balance, agility, and creativity in areas designed for music and movement.

"Children's Discovery Garden has taken an important leadership role in a profoundly needed initiative to connect young children with nature, setting a wonderful example for education centers across the country," said Susie Wirth, Nature Explore outreach director for the Arbor Day Foundation. "Everyone at the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation appreciates the commitment Children's Discovery Garden has made to the Nature Explore program and to providing nature education opportunities for young children."

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WASHINGTON -- Working to make sure law students who take out taxpayer-backed student loans are in a position to pay back loans and to help prevent an increase in default rates, Senator Chuck Grassley is asking the American Bar Association about the quality of its accreditation of the nation's law schools.

"The ABA has tremendous power with its authority to accredit law schools in the United States," Grassley said.  "Concerns about the ABA's performance have been raised by important watchdogs over this process, such as the Department of Education's accreditation experts, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity.  I'm asking the ABA to account for its work on behalf of both law students and taxpayers."

In a letter of inquiry to the President of the ABA, Stephen N. Zack, Grassley cited a June article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that reported the ABA was "out of compliance with 17 regulations [of the Advisory Committee], including the need to consider student-loan default rates in assessing programs."  Grassley also referred to an April article in The New York Times about ABA-accredited law schools offering "more scholarships than [they] plan to renew[.]"

"The number of students attending law school and the amount they borrow is increasing while their ability to secure jobs and pay back the loans is decreasing as jobs disappear," Grassley wrote in a letter sent today.  "The result is that millions of federally guaranteed taxpayer dollars are being borrowed at the great risk that many students may not be able to pay off their loans."

In addition to looking out for taxpayers, Grassley said his oversight of the law-school accreditation process is related to his position of Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the health of the legal profession.

Grassley is seeking a complete response from the ABA President to a number of detailed questions about the ways in which the ABA assesses eligibility for accreditation.  A copy of his letter is here.  The text of a Chronicle of Higher Education article cited in the letter follows here.  The New York Times articles cited in the letter are available here and here.

June 9, 2011, The Chronicle of Higher Education

American Bar Association Takes Heat From Advisory Panel on Accreditation

By Eric Kelderman

Alexandria, Va.

The American Bar Association drew intense scrutiny on Thursday from a federal panel that reviews accrediting agencies.

The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which advises the U.S. education secretary on accreditation issues, used a meeting here to review the applications of 10 accrediting agencies to be recognized by the federal government.

Of the 10 agencies being reviewed on Wednesday and Thursday, all were recommended for continued recognition, though eight of them must submit a report within 12 months to show that they have corrected flaws revealed by the department staff.

But several members of the committee expressed reservations about approving that status for the American Bar Association, which was found to be out of compliance with 17 regulations, including the need to consider student-loan default rates in assessing programs; to solicit and consider public comments; and to set a standard for job placement by its member institutions.

Arthur E. Keiser, chancellor of the Keiser Collegiate System, said that an accrediting agency would not accredit an institution with 17 outstanding issues. "There is a real concern that this agency doesn't get it," he said.

Anne D. Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, was one of three committee members who opposed the motion to continue the bar association's recognition, saying that she had no confidence it would be in compliance within a year.

Representatives of the association assured the committee that the changes recommended by the department were already in the process of being carried out and would be completed in time.

The bar association also got a negative review from a group of legal faculty members, the Clinical Legal Education Association, which accused the ABA of considering changes in its standards that would "strip important protections of academic freedom and faculty-governance rights ... by eliminating tenure and security of position for deans and faculty members," according to written comments submitted by the faculty group.

Faculty members at 65 law schools as well as a half-dozen faculty associations have voiced opposition to the proposed changes, said Jennifer M. Roberts, an associate professor of law at American University and a board member of the legal-education association.

Bar-association representatives at the meeting said the changes opposed by the faculty group were still under consideration and had not been made final.

In the end, a majority on the federal advisory committee voted to continue the bar association's recognition, but expressed frustration that they could not take stronger actions or at least state their concerns with stronger language.

The Sting of Judgment

The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, which assesses more than 850 career-oriented colleges, was another agency that felt the sting of the committee's judgment.

Like most other groups under review, the council must submit a report within a year to show that it has corrected several problems. But the committee also rejected the council's request to accredit doctoral-level programs.

The council, which accredits mostly for-profit and online programs, has been piloting the accreditation of doctoral programs in business administration, computer engineering, and pharmacy for several years. But the Education Department staff's report said that the council also states that it is approved to accredit doctoral programs, though it can actually approve programs only through the master's level.

Both the Education Department staff and committee members concluded that the council was not yet prepared to approve doctoral programs, especially in the health and veterinary fields, as it proposed to do.

Committee members voted unanimously to accept the department's recommendation, including allowing the council to reapply for permission to oversee doctoral programs when it has met the department's concerns about standards.

UPLAND, IN (07/12/2011)(readMedia)-- Brett Vacek of East Moline, IL was named to the Spring 2011 Dean's List at Taylor University.

Full-time students are named to the Dean's List when they have earned a GPA of 3.60 or higher for the term and at least 12 hours carry credit point values.

About Taylor University: Founded in 1846, Taylor University is an interdenominational liberal arts university of evangelical faith located in Upland, Ind. The 2011 U.S. News and World Report survey America's Best Colleges ranked Taylor the number one Baccalaureate College in the Midwest. It marked Taylor's fourth straight top ranking following ten straight years of being ranked in the region's Top Three.

Taylor University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

On the web: http://readabout.me/achievements/Brett-Vacek-named-to-Deans-List-at-Taylor-University/2811748.

Three Education Bills Will Equip Youth with Anti-Violence Training and Help Students Struggling in Math and Reading

CHICAGO - July 8, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation that will help students across Illinois to learn about how to prevent violence and resolve conflicts peacefully. The Governor also signed bills into law that will help elementary school students who are struggling with math and reading by ensuring that they spend more classroom time on these vital subjects.

"All of our students deserve a quality education, taught in a school that is free of violence," said Governor Quinn. "Through these new laws, we are working to improve math and reading instruction for our struggling students while taking steps to address violence among our youngest children."

House Bill 1204, sponsored by Rep. Constance Howard (D-Chicago) and Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago), requires Illinois school districts to educate all students about ways to prevent violence and resolve conflicts peacefully. Older students in grades four through 12 have received this instruction since 1995, but in recent years violence among younger students has increased. The new law, which takes effect immediately, extends this important guidance to students enrolled in kindergarten through third grade, empowering them at an earlier age with a better understanding of how to handle conflicts appropriately.

House Bill 139, sponsored by Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) and Sen. Annazette Collins (D-Chicago), requires school districts to emphasize reading and math during summer school instruction for students who have fallen two grade levels behind in those subjects for two consecutive school years. Currently, there is no specific requirement in place to ensure that struggling students spend more classroom time on these critical subjects. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2012.

"I would like to thank Governor Quinn for signing this bill into law and helping meet the needs of struggling students. Basic skills such as reading and math are necessary tools for a child's successful school career," said Rep. La Shawn Ford. "I hope this law continues to build on Illinois' commitment to reforming education, supporting teachers and continuing to close the educational achievement gaps found in underperforming communities."

House Bill 2397 sponsored by Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Aurora), requires school boards across Illinois to promote at least 60 minutes of reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade for students who are one or more levels below their grade proficiency. Currently, there is no reading requirement in place. This new law takes effect immediately and will encourage schools across Illinois to provide more robust reading instruction.

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