Teach For America Offers Hispanics the Opportunity to Have a Positive Impact in Their Community

/PRNewswire/ -- Teach For America, the prestigious national team of teachers, announced today that it will soon end their selection period for new teachers for the 2010-2011 school year. The final deadline for submitting applications is February 19, 2010. Those interested can obtain information about requirements and present their applications online at www.teachforamerica.org.

Teach For America is a non-profit organization whose goal is to eradicate inequality in education through the recruitment and training of professionals and outstanding recent college graduates from all backgrounds and professional areas. The organization offers them an excellent opportunity to help their communities while at the same time allowing them to obtain a full-time job with a competitive salary, health benefits, financial support and training in different areas to ensure their success as educators and offer them the tools to become leaders and highly qualified professionals inside or outside the field of education. Additionally, becoming a member of Teach For America carries great prestige. BusinessWeek's 2009 ranking of "Best Places to Launch a Career" Teach For America came in at #7 and for the third year in a row was the top ranked non-profit organization.

Teach For America seeks individuals from all origins who have demonstrated leadership skills, high achievement in academic and extracurricular activities as well as in their work and family responsibilities. They will dedicate themselves to teaching in public schools, both in urban and rural areas, for a period of two years, offering the students in these low income communities, such as Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Chicago and Dallas, the opportunity to receive a high standard of education that is comparable to that found in schools in higher-income communities.

This 2009-2010 school year, Teach For America placed more than 4,000 new teachers in public schools in low-income communities across the country, representing the largest incoming corps in its history. They are now teaching in 35 urban and rural regions in over 100 school districts in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Some 7.3% identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino, which represents an increase of over 1.3% compared with the previous school year.

Although students in low-income communities have the potential to reach the same academic levels as those students in more affluent communities, they confront additional challenges associated with growing up in poverty. On average at a national level, nine year-old students who live in low-income communities are academically three grade levels below students who live in high-income communities. Only 50% of these low-income students will graduate from high school, and those who do, on average, perform on an eighth-grade level. Only one in every 10 of these students will obtain a college degree. This considerably affects Hispanic students, who are three times as likely to live in low-income communities.

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Over 3,000 Schools (and Counting) Set to Participate in The American Math Challenge as Practice Week Kicks off

/PRNewswire/ -- With a target of registering 1 million students, this is the last week for kids across the country to sign up for the American Math Challenge! Schools and students can register until November 6, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. ET by logging on to www.americanmathchallenge.com.

The Challenge, which takes place from November 9 - 16, invites middle school students nationwide, ages 9-14, to sign up free of charge to compete online against other American students of similar age and ability in real time, 60-second mental arithmetic games.

The fun officially starts today, with the American Math Challenge Practice Week, which lasts from November 2 - November 6 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Students are sharpening key strokes and practicing their arithmetic as they gear up to compete.

The student with the highest score will be declared American Math Champion and receive a Minted Gold Medal. Up to three top students will be chosen to represent the United States as Team Ambassadors on World Math Day, in March 2010.

The American Math Challenge is hosted by The MATHCOUNTS Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes middle school mathematics achievement, and powered by Mathletics, the learning platform from 3P Learning, the global leader in online mathematics education.

Best-selling author and Guinness World Record Holder as the "Fastest Human Calculator" Scott Flansburg is Ambassador for the Challenge. Flansburg earned his title for his ability to process numbers with amazing speed and calculator accuracy. He can add, subtract, multiply, divide - and even do square and cube roots - all in his head.

Now, "The Human Calculator®" (a nickname given to him by television host Regis Philbin) is using his extraordinary gift to inspire students, teachers and "non-math" people, demonstrating that arithmetic really can be as easy as "0, 1, 2, 3."

"Students compete in a multi-player game environment, inclusive of all levels of math ability, making math exciting" Flansburg notes. "Results show that participants will make significant improvement in their mental arithmetic skills and have fun in the process. All school children and homeschoolers are invited to participate."

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2009 Great American Teacher of the Year is Named

The Ron Clark Academy, in conjunction with Great American Financial Resources, selected its first Great American Teacher of the Year – Dr. Aimée Burgamy. Burgamy is a middle school art teacher in Lilburn, GA, who serves as the lead teacher for twenty-five middle school art teachers in Gwinnett County. She is the winner of the National Art Association's Jr. National Art Honor Society Sponsor of the Year award and was recently named as her District Teacher of the Year. Burgamy received her PhD in Art Education from University of Georgia in 2009.

The hour-long awards gala, which was broadcast LIVE to millions of viewers via public access channels and web streams, was held at the W Atlanta Midtown Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Burgamy was one of five finalists selected by an esteemed panel of judges, who voted Friday afternoon on the winner. During her acceptance speech with some of her students by her side, Burgamy energetically expressed the importance of highly creative and effective teachers. She also encouraged those members of the audience with an interest in teaching, “to join in on the fun!”

The 2009 Great American Teacher receives a cash gift totaling $15,000 from Great American Financial Resources - $10,000 for personal use and $5,000 for his/her school, a Promethean Active classroom, a Complete Audio Enhancement System for his/her classroom, a DELL Color-Laser printer for his/her classroom and a personalized DELL Tablet PC.

Sponsors of the 2009 Great American Teacher Awards include Great American Financial Resources, Inc.; The Coca-Cola Company; Comcast Communications, Inc.; Verizon Wireless, Delta Air Lines, the preferred air line of The Ron Clark Academy; Promethean; DELL, Inc.; Audio Enhancement; Presentation Services; Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia, Inc., Image Master Productions; and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Please visit www.ronclarkacademy.com to learn more about next year’s awards. To see a rebroadcast schedule of this year’s awards show, please visit the Florida Education Channel website at www.fec.tv. Comcast will also feature highlights of the program during its Red Carpet segment on CNN Headline News in early December.

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Sept. 11th Education Trust/Social Studies School Service Launch Free Resources to Address Call for Teaching About 9/11

/PRNewswire/ -- The following was issued today by Social Studies School Service and Sept. 11th Education Trust:

Who: The Sept. 11th Education Trust and Social Studies School Service

What: Free video-streaming Remembrance Video, Classroom Discussion Questions, and Website designed to share thoughts and questions.

Where: www.learnabout9-11.org, available August 31, 2009 - December 31, 2009

Why: The Sept. 11th Education Trust, a prominent 9/11 nonprofit organization, and Social Studies School Service, a leading provider of materials for K-12 schools, have created The Sept. 11th Education Program: A National Interdisciplinary Curriculum, the first comprehensive curriculum on the subject. They are making available for a limited time a free resource for teachers designed to spark an historical discussion about Sept. 11th. The video Remembrance features moving primary-source interviews with survivors, family members of those who perished and others who were a part of the events that transpired following the terrorist attacks. It comes with thoughtful discussion questions and may be used independently or as a starting point for teaching the entire curriculum.

"On Sept. 11, 2001 thousands of innocent civilians were attacked by terrorists on U.S. soil. Educators and parents need a resource that provides the tools to think critically about these historical events and to share information on a subject that affects us all," said Dr. Aaron Willis, Chief Education Officer for Social Studies School Service. "This Remembrance Video is a great way to start teaching The Sept. 11th Education Program curriculum, or it can be used independently to build understanding of this critical part of American history."

"Our driving force in creating this curriculum is to ensure that our future generations never forget the sacrifice thousands of individuals made at the hands of terrorists. By making this primary source video and the discussion questions available free of charge, we are helping students learn to think critically and civically," Anthony Gardner Founder and Director of The Sept. 11th Education Trust and brother of 9/11 victim, Harvey Joseph Gardner III.

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Make Money This Holiday: Do You Qualify for AFSA's Scholarship Contest?

/PRNewswire/ -- Whether Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas, the holidays are a time of goodwill, cheer, and above all, giving. Therefore in the spirit of the season, the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) is spreading its goodwill and cheer by giving back to the community.

This Dallas-based trade group is calling for high school seniors to enter to win $20,000 in scholarships in its National Scholarship Contest, http://www.afsascholarship.org/. So with time off for the holidays, what better time for students to apply for scholarships, like AFSA's National Scholarship Contest, in hopes of winning one of life's most treasured gifts: an education?

More exciting than a Reindeer sweater, AFSA's National Scholarship Contest is the gift that keeps giving, guaranteed to give $20,000 this year, and that money can go a long way to put dreams of a further education within reach. Since 1996, AFSA has provided nearly a quarter of a million dollars in scholarships to help fulfill the educational dreams of students from across the nation.

This online contest is unlike many traditional scholarships. That's because instead of writing an essay, applicants will read one. That's right! To apply, students go online and read a short essay about sprinklers and fire safety. After finishing, they complete a ten-question quiz on what they just read. Each correct answer gives the student a chance at winning one of ten $2,000 scholarships (maximum 10 chances per entrant).

To be eligible, applicants must be a high school senior during the 2008-2009 academic year who will attend a U.S. college, university or trade school in fall 2009. Winners are randomly selected to receive a scholarship payable one-time directly to their respective institution of higher learning.

Year after year, students die in campus-related fires. Through this scholarship, AFSA hopes to create greater awareness - and therefore, a safer future - by educating students who otherwise may not recognize the importance of fire safety.

The AFSA Scholarship is open to U.S. citizens and legal residents. Deadline to entries is April 1, 2009. For details or to apply, visit http://www.afsascholarship.org/.

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