Â1ARROW•weekofNov.14-20,2012
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Musician Logan Venderlic Artist returns to Cape Girardeau to perform. Read the story on page 5 +
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT PUBLICATION NOV. 14 - 20, 2012 Student run since 1911
Regents renew charter school sponsorship HANNAH PARENT STAFF WRITER
SoutheastMissouriStateUniversity sponsorsLiftforLifeAcademy,a charterschoolthatwasthefirstofits kindtoopenintheSt.Louisarea. Theschoolenrollsabout575 studentsandhasbeensponsoredby Southeastsince2000.Itstartedoffasa middleschoolandexpandedthrough the12thgradeinfallof2011. TheSoutheastBoardofRegents approvedanextensiononOct.19fora five-yearcontractwithLiftforLifethat willcontinueSoutheast’ssponsorship oftheorganization. VicepresidentoftheBoardof RegentsJimLimbaughsaidtheboard chosetosponsortheLiftForLife Academybecauseitwasgoingtobe governedbyavolunteerboardof directorsmadeupofcommunity leaders,ratherthanaprivatemanagementcompanylikeotherproposed charterschools. “Southeastwantedtogetinvolved increatinganacademicpathwayforSt. Louisstudents,”Limbaughsaid.“Forty percentofourenrollmentcomesfrom themetroSt.Louisarea,soitwas definitelyagoodinvestmentforusto getinvolvedwithLiftforLife.” Limbaughsaidthemostimportant goalistogetstudentsexcitedabout postsecondaryeducation,buttheyare notrequiredtoattendSoutheast. “PublicschoolsinSt.Louisare toughandtheeducationaloutcomes arenotalwaysverygood,”Limbaugh said.“Charterschoolsaremore structured,sothereislessdistraction. WechosetosponsorLiftforLife Academybecausetheyseemedtohave avisionforconsistencyandcontinuity inlearning.” SoutheastfreshmanDionneWagner
startedattendingLiftforLifeinthe sixthgrade.Shesaidthatherexperienceswithpublicschoolsbeforethat wererockybecausetherewasa differentprincipaleveryyearatthe publicschoolsheattended. “Irememberwhenmymom enrolledmeinLiftforLife,”Wagner said.“Myfirstyeartheretheywere alreadygivingusatourofSoutheast Universityandencouragingustothink aboutcollege.Idon’tthinkI’dbeata universitywithoutLiftforLife’s encouragement.Publicschoolsdon’t offerthesameopportunities.” AccordingtoDr.BillEddleman,vice provostanddeanoftheSchoolof GraduateStudies,LiftforLiferecieves $60,000foradministrativeneedsfrom thestateofMissourithanksto Southeast’ssponsorship. ThefounderofLiftforLife,Marshall Cohen,saidthatstudentswhoattend theacademycomefromSt.Louis’ poorestneighborhoods. “LiftforLifeAcademyhopestogive parentsanotherchoice,”Cohensaid. “WefocusongettingSt.Louisstudents academicallycaughtup.Wearemore hands-onthanpublicschoolsand placeemphasisonpostsecondary education.Weofferanotherchoicefor parents.” AccordingtoLiftforLife’swebsite, 95percentofthestudentsatthe academyareAfrican-Americanand over90percentofstudentslivein householdswithincomesbelowthe nationalpovertylevel. Theacademy’swebsitesaysthat mostnewstudentsenrollwithreading andmathskills1-3yearsbelowtheir gradelevel.LiftforLife’sattendance ratewas95percentinfall2011,as opposedto86percentintheSt.Louis PublicSchools. Recentresearchhasbeendoneon theeffectivenessofcharterschool
educationandhowitcomparestothe publicschoolsystemintheSt.Louis area. Anot-for-profitleadership organizationcalledFocusSt.Louisdid astudyon17charterschoolsintheSt. Louisareaduringthe2010-2011school year. FocusSt.Louisconcludedthat “charterschoolscanprovideapowerful modelforimprovingeducational optionsinlow-performingschool districts.However,accordingtothe latestdata,whilemanycharterschools areperformingbetterthanthe traditionalSt.Louispublicschools, noneofthe17charterschoolsmeet statewideacademicstandards.” Thereportemphasizedthattest scoresarenottheonlywaytojudge charterschools’performance.Itsaid oneproblemwithMAPtestingisthatit doesnottakeintoaccountwhere studentsstarted.Astudentmayhave improvedimmenselybutstillnotmeet statestandards.Thereportalsostated thatcharterschoolsarestillthebetter alternativetopublicschools,even thoughtheystillneedimprovementin someareas. LimbaughissurethatsinceLiftfor Lifenowaccommodatesstudentsuntil theygraduate,itwillbeabletokeepits students’educationmoreconsistent. “Expandingthecurriculumthrough highschoolisimportantbecausethe middleschoolstudentswon’thaveto gobackto[public]schoolinSt.Louis andpossiblygetlostintheshuffle,” Limbaughsaid.“Hopefullythe students’experiencesat[LiftforLife Academy]willgivethemthedesireto continuetheireducation.This expansionisabigchallenge,andthe potentialissignificant.Growthfor growth’ssakeisnotalwaysbetter.What wearemuchmoreinterestedinis outcome.”
SOUTHEAST SOCCER RECAP PAGE 2 +
BRIEFS Contribute Southeast-ailiated men’s work is published in anthology ASoutheastalumnus,professorandstudentwerepublishedinananthologycalled“ProudtoBe:Writingby AmericanWarriors”thatwasreleasedonVeteran’sDay, accordingtoapressrelease.Thisisthefirstvolumeina plannedseriesofanthologies. Threeorganizationsworkedtogethertopublishthe anthology:theSoutheastMissouriStateUniversityPress, MissouriHumanitiesCouncilandWarriorArtsAlliance. Threemembersofthemilitary,SoutheastMissouriState Universitymaster’sstudentLeviBollinger,professor emeritusofhistoryLarryBreezeandalumnusNicholas Watts-Fernandezwerepublished.
Grant Students will beneit from federal grant Afederalgrantworth$204,211awardedtotheMastersof ScienceinNursingprogramatSoutheastMissouriState UniversityinOctoberwillhelppaytuitionandfeesfor students. “We’llatleastdo16students,”saidDr.ElaineJackson, thedirectorofgraduatestudiesinthenursingdepartment atSoutheast.“Ifwehaveextramoneythenwemight considermore.” TheAdvancedEducationNursingTraineeshipfederal grant,presentedbytheU.S.DepartmentofHealthand Services,isforstudentswhoarestudyingtobecomefamily nursepractitioners,whichcoversfamiliesallthewayfrom birththroughdeath. “Anditwouldincludepregnantwomen–notdelivery, butkindofwatchingthemthroughtheirpregnancyand makingsurethatthey’restayinghealthyandtreatingthem,” Jacksonsaid. Studentseligibletoreceivebenefitsfromthegranthave tobepreparingtoworkinprimarycareinahealth professionalshortagearealikesoutheastMissouri. ReadthefullstoryatsoutheastArrow.com.
Survey Kent Library conducts online survey ThestrategicplanningcommitteeatKentLibrarywants userfeedback.Faculty,staff,studentsandalumniareasked toparticipateinasurveythatwillbeopenuntilNov.21. AnyonethattakesthesurveycanbeenteredtowinaKindle FireoroneofsevenWalmartgiftcertificates.Totakethe survey,visitsurveymonkey.com/s/KentSurveyorclickon thelinkontheSoutheastportal. BasketballphotobyAshleighLeeoftheUniversityDaily Kansan
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