Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
4B The Sentinel-Record, Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Back to school: Enrollment up a bit as kids return to school
government as they implement a new education law passed last December that returns to the states significant control over education policy. But the Education Department still plays an oversight role for the nation’s 100,000 or so public schools. States and schools are busy developing new accountability systems — a key component of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The law allows states and districts to design their own measures of achievement and progress, and decide independently how to turn around struggling schools. And while students still have to take federally mandated reading and math tests, the law encourages states to cap the amount of time students spend on standardized testing each school year. The Obama administration has recommended that districts cap the percentage of classroom time students spend taking required statewide standardized tests at no more than 2 percent. The Council of the Great City Schools says testing amounts to about 2.3 percent of classroom time for the average eighth-grader in public school.
JENNIFER C. KERR The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — No more staying up late during the week. Farewell to sleeping in. And, hello homework! The lazy days of summer are ending for millions of children as they grab their backpacks, pencils and notebooks and return to the classroom for a new school year. Some facts and figures to know as the new school year begins:
ENROLLMENT AND COSTS About 50 million students are expected to attend public elementary and secondary schools this fall. That’s up just slightly from the 201516 school year, according to the U.S. Education Department. They’ll be taught by some 3.1 million school teachers from pre-kindergarten through high school, with an average student-to-teacher ratio of about 16 students to each teacher. Around 249,000 teachers are new hires this school year. The growth of charter schools is continuing, with enrollment increasing from 800,000 in 2003 to 2.5 million in 2013, according to government figures. Some 40 states and the District of Columbia reported having about 6,400 charter schools. The U.S. spends about $11,670 per pupil, on average, on public school education. About 4.8 million students are expected to attend private school this fall, down slightly from the previous school year. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 3.5 million students, both public and private, will graduate from high school at the end of the school year.
LONGER SCHOOL YEAR Some schools are adding to the traditional 180-day year. In Washington D.C., for example, 10 public schools are moving to extended-year schedules. Students in those schools will have
The Associated Press
TO SCHOOL THEY GO: Public school buses are parked in Springfield, Ill. on Jan. 7, 2015. The lazy days of summer are
ending for millions of children as they grab their backpacks, pencils and notebooks and return to the classroom for a new school year. No more staying up late during the week. Farewell to sleeping in. And, hello homework! 20 more days per year than peers at other schools. They’ll have shorter breaks over the school year, which will run 200 days through all 12 months. The idea is less time away from school in the summer will help boost learning and achievement.
In the last 10 years, prices increased 34 percent at public institutions and 25 percent for private nonprofits. In all, 40 percent of 18- to 24-yearolds were enrolled in college or graduate school in 2014, according to Census Bureau numbers.
HIGHER ED
HOW U.S. STUDENTS STACK UP
The cost of college continues to rise. Undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board were estimated at $15,640 at public institutions, $40,614 at private nonprofit institutions, and $23,135 at private for-profit institutions for the 2013-14 school year.
The latest results from national math and reading tests show slipping or stagnant scores. Math scores were down for fourth and eighth graders over the last two years. It was the first decline since 1990. Reading grades were flat for fourth
World Trade Center mall reopens, shows progress since 9/11 ANNE D’INNOCENZIO The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The reopening — and reinvention — of the World Trade Center mall Tuesday reflects how much lower Manhattan has changed since the 9/11 attacks. Once a scene of massive destruction, the area is now a vibrant one of office towers and upscale hotels, with three times the number of residents as before the attacks, weekday employees in industries beyond Wall Street, and millions of tourists visiting every year. Shops from Apple to Forever 21 to H&M to John Varvatos will serve the increasingly diverse area where real estate experts say people have been eager for new stores and restaurants. The new spaces also let customers tap into technology, as some retailers use the space for their latest ideas. The location is a “symbol of hope, opportunity, progress and perseverance,” said Bill Hecht, chief operating officer of Westfield Corp.’s U.S. division. Westfield manages the retail properties, while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey owns the real estate. More than 100 stores will occupy the 365,000-square-foot center, with about 60 opening Tuesday and the rest by the winter holiday season. Ford Motor Co. is set to open this fall the first FordHub, a showroom for innovations that’s not a dealership. Shoe purveyor Aldo Group Inc. is using the opening to launch an app feature for its store, which will be rolled out to other locations. Digital billboards include a 280-footlong one. Food options include Eataly’s second Manhattan location, which features foods from Italy and coffee and gelato bars. It stretches along a four-block underground network that spans the bases of three office towers. While mostly below street level, light
beams in through the windows of the winged Oculus, designed by Santiago Calatrava, that top the transportation hub of 13 subway trains and river ferries. More than 300,000 commuters use it on a daily basis, many for jobs beyond finance in advertising and media. “When you look at how many people now live in the neighborhood, how many commuters work in the neighborhood and how many tourists now are coming to the memorial, emotionally it was a no-brainer and financially it was a no-brainer,” Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s retailing chief, said at the store’s opening Tuesday. More than 60,000 residents live within blocks of the World Trade Center area, about three times the number from right before 9/11. The former shopping mall in the World Trade Center was one of the most successful properties in the world, but catered to daytime weekday shopping, said Robin Abrams, vice chairman of The Lansco Corp., a real estate advisory firm. The new mall is expected to have a vibrant night and weekend atmosphere, and Hecht noted a deliberate move to include shops with necessities like drugstore Duane Reade. Westfield says 15 million travelers are expected to visit the areas from the U.S. and around the world next year to see the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and other nearby places of interest. There is no signage on the side of the mall that faces the 9/11 memorial. “We have huge respect for this site,” Hecht said. On the anniversary of the attacks, the skylight of the Oculus — meant to symbolize the image of a dove released from a child’s hand — will open to bring in a slice of the open New York sky. Westfield said ensuring safety and security at the mall is the highest priority for it and the Port Authority. Uniformed police and private security will be present at the mall, Port Authority
graders and lower for eighth graders, according to results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Globally, American students trail their counterparts in Japan, Korea, Canada, Germany, France and more. In reading, the U.S. ranks No. 16 in a global test given to 15-year-olds. Scores were worse for math, with the U.S. ranked 30th against students from other countries taking the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA tests.
NEW LAW OF THE LAND The nation’s schools districts are working with states and the federal
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Back-to-school supply costs are expected to decrease this year, but they’ll be offset by higher fees for after-school activities such as sports, according to the latest Backpack Index by Huntington Bank. The index measures the cost of supplies and extracurricular activities. For the 2016-17 school year, parents should expect to pay: —$659 for an elementary school child, a 1.5 percent increase compared to last year. —$957 for a middle school student, a 1.6 percent increase. —$1.498 for a high school student, a 6.8 percent increase. The report says higher fees for sports participation, especially in high school, are responsible for much of the increase.
The Associated Press
MALL REOPENS: Crowds gather for a celebration on Tuesday for the opening of the Westfield World
Trade Center mall in the oculus of the Transportation Hub in New York. spokesman Joe Pentangelo said, but declined to give specifics about any other measures. “As with any high-profile public location and transit center, there are extensive security measures that have been put in place with law enforcement and others,” Westfield said. The lower downtown area has about $6.5 billion in annual buying potential, said Jessica Lappin, head of the Downtown Alliance, which manages the downtown-lower Manhattan business improvement district. Hecht expects the mall will eventually generate about $1 billion in retail sales annually, making it one of the most productive of the company’s sites. Smythson of Bond Street, a British maker of luxury stationery and leather goods, has a store in midtown Manhattan but is “really excited to be downtown,” said Ruby Victor, the head of
marketing. Given all the foot traffic, she hopes being there will raise awareness of the company. “We’re still a niche brand,” she said. Real estate experts believe the mall will complement the nearby Brookfield Place, which opened in 2015 and features high-end shops like Gucci and Hermes. It will also be different from the Seaport Mall, which is being reopened next year and is focusing on catering to local residents. In addition to retail, a Beekman Hotel and Four Seasons Hotel as well as a performing arts center are coming, part of the $30 billion poured into the downtown area from public and private investment since 9/11. “Our sense is that there has been demand for a long time that wasn’t met,” said Lappin. “There may be some bumps along the way. This is an area that needs places to shop and eat.”
Renowned chef feeds Rio’s homeless with excess Olympic food JOSHUA GOODMAN The Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO — Twelve hours ago, Fagner Dos Santos ate his last meal: two hardened bread buns and coffee. For much of the past decade, the 33-year-old has been battling drug addiction while living on the streets of Rio. When he eats at all, it’s usually at a grungy soup kitchen or after picking through the trash. Now he and some 70 other homeless men are feasting on a three-course meal courtesy of one of the world’s top chefs. On the menu: Ossobuco with buttery baroa potatoes topped off with a gelato dessert. “Who would’ve thought food made for the cream of society would be served to a group of homeless men?” dos Santos said, gazing at the open, art-filled dining room and waiters in prim orange aprons that for a short while transported him away from his tough life. The gastronomic destination is the brainchild of Italian master chef Massimo Bottura. Using leftover ingredients from Olympic caterers and other local partners, Bottura created a gourmet soup kitchen, RefettoRio Gastromotiva ,
The Associated Press
FEEDING THE HOMELESS: Workers sit in the gourmet soup kitch-
en Refettorio Gastromotiva on Aug. 14 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Using leftover ingredients from Olympic caterers and other local partners, Italian chef Massimo Bottura created the gourmet soup kitchen that for a week now has been serving up meals to Rio’s homeless. that for a week has been serving up meals to Rio’s homeless population. The name is a play on the Latin word reficere, meaning “to restore,” and a nod to the communal dining rooms known as refectories that are a mainstay of monasteries. With questions swirling over the $12 billion price tag of South America’s first Olympics, Bottura wanted to make a statement about the
games’ sustainability by taking on one symbol of Olympic waste: the more than 230 tons of food supplied daily to prepare 60,000 meals for athletes, coach and staff. “This is a cultural project, not a charity,” said Bottura, who runs the Michelin threestar Osteria Francescana in Modena. “We want to rebuild the dignity of the people.” Bottura said he was inspired by Pope Francis’ advo-
cacy for the poor and modeled his project on a similar one he organized last year in an abandoned theater during the Milan world’s fair. His aim is to educate people about food waste in order to help feed the 800 million in the world who are hungry. It’s a message that resonates in Rio. Over the past year, as Brazil plunged into its deepest recession in decades, the city’s homeless population has struggled. In June, facing a financial calamity, Rio’s state government had to close or cutback service at 16 meal centers. The splurge on the Olympics has only heightened a sense of abandonment among the homeless, with many reporting being repeatedly removed by police from the city’s recently cleaned-up Lapa district, where Bottura’s restaurant is located. In contrast to the government-run centers, where meals are served on prison-like food trays with throwaway cups, the Refettorio is an epicurean’s delight, complete with designer wood tables, oversized photos of the staff by French artist JR and a long mural of the Last Supper dripping in chocolate by Vik Mu-
niz, one of Brazil’s top-selling artists. At night the space, built of corrugated plastic on a rundown lot donated by the city, looks like a lit-up box. For the Olympics launch, Bottura assembled a tour de force of local and international celebrity chefs. Once the games are over, the project will morph into a lunchtime restaurant, proceeds of which will fund evening meals for the homeless. Beneficiaries are selected by groups like one that runs a shelter for transvestites who work as prostitutes on Lapa’s libertine streets. Working the kitchen are graduates of local partner Gastromotiva, a nonprofit cooking school that has turned hundreds of Brazilians from the country’s neglected favelas into cooks. For many of the diners at RefettoRio, the food is unlike anything they’ve tasted before. But it’s the royal treatment they relish most. “Just sitting here, treated with respect on an equal footing, makes me think I have a chance,” said Valdimir Faria, an educated man who found himself alone on Rio’s streets, in a downward alcoholic spiral, after his marriage and life
in a city hours away fell apart. As dinner service got underway Sunday, a disheveled man identifying himself only as Nilson removed a few radish slices from his eggplant panzanella salad and deposited them in a plastic bucket holding a squeegee kit. “I thought it was paper,” he laughed, while trading a boisterous “grazie, grazie” with Bottura. Sunday’s meal was prepared by chef Rafael Costa e Silva, who normally dishes up fixed-price meals for $150 a head at his swank Lasai bistro in Rio. While he makes a living catering to the rich, he said he’ll never forget the experience of serving the poor. As dinner wound down, Costa e Silva emerged from the kitchen to thank his guests. It was Father’s Day in Brazil, and so for many of the men gathered who talked about life’s wrong turns and their estrangement from family, emotions ran high. “What you’ve enjoyed is a simple meal but one made with lots of love and care,” Costa e Silva said before the dining hall broke into applause. He wiped a tear from his cheek.“We wanted you to feel spoiled, for at least one night.”