What's Working in Education? Aprendiz in San Paulo, Brazil

By E. Alana James E. Alana James
Level: Basic PLUS

E. Alana James, EdD, is ?all about helping people and organizations reinvent their lives. An independent academic and Director of ReinventingLife.org, her work focuses on ...

As can be seen all over the world, many neighborhoods in inner cities in Brazil face decay, and loss of belief in their schools. This is not the case in San Paulo, Brazil however where citizens are finding their educational system is now integrated with family life. This is the work of The Associacao Cidade Escola Aprendiz (City School Apprentice Association). Unifying over 30 partners, who at various times come in to the community and gather with school children and their families, the organization works to revitalize neighborhoods by bringing cultural events to families near their homes, often in school buildings. Known as the neighborhood school project, in development since 2007 they have to their credit: the prevention of closing of neighborhood schools, doubling enrollment in schools that were slated to close, and recuperating old building structures to make auditoriums for neighborhood theater (Teatro da Villa). The theater alone has given more than 150 performances and served almost 4,000 students.

Neighborhood schools, or full-service community schools as they are known in the United States, are especially useful in neighborhoods challenged by difficulties due to poor economic conditions, older buildings in need of reworking, and often loss of community connectedness. Often built through a partnership between public schools and a local nonprofit, full-service community schools offer programs including the arts, sports, language classes, and health clinics. The model has many positive economic attributes including: sustained use of capital resources, enhanced programming, bringing extra funds into the school district through the nonprofit, as it encourages community involvement and volunteerism. Professor Kantor from the Harvard business school considers the neighborhood school a model for local development and community building, and pursued the subject in a recent meeting with President Barack Obama in the United States.

The example set by Aprendiz is a good one. Since 1977 they have published 16 books, produced three films and one CD, using methodologies developed by the organization that supports community educational experiences throughout Brazil. Their model has been so well received by the Brazilian government that they were recently credited by the Ministry of Education with being a foundational source in a countrywide program to replicate a neighborhood school model in 5,000 schools. 2010 was slated for an additional expansion to another 5,000 schools, bringing the number of neighborhoods impacted by community building-school enhancing events to 10,000. Recognized by UNESCO and UNICEF in 2004 as an educational model to be replicated worldwide, Aprendiz brings hope, artistic creativity, and revitalization to neighborhoods through education.

Would you like to learn more about how your voice can make a difference to the future of education? If you are a student, a parent, an educator or any other type of concerned party who may want to pursue the conversation or host strategy meetings with others, join the network by registering with http://www.futureofeducationproject.net/ and we will keep you in touch with the group as it grows. Dr. E. Alana James, writes on and facilitates participatory action research studies where people research their own particular dilemma is an effective way to address complex issues that otherwise can cause despair. Through PAR, local adaptations can be implemented and evaluated simultaneously. This strategy allows for a world of individuals to work together through the net to re-design education.

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Article Submitted On: November 23, 2010

New Unmanned Underwater Vessel Needed For the US Navy - I'll Explain

The number of new Naval Submarines in the world is drastically increasing, so much so that it's becoming a real problem. There is more to keep track of and more nations testing our naval bases and infringing upon our waters, seeing just how close they can get without detection. Okay so, we know something needs to be done, but it does not really make sense to chase each one of them around with a submarine crew of high-tech Navy sailors, we have enough to do keeping peace in the world, maintaining readiness, and chasing pirates.

So, let's make a bunch of UUVs or Underwater Unmanned Vehicles which can match the speed of any of the submarines of any of the other Navies in the world. Let's make them so the units can attach themselves quietly to the enemy submarine using high powered magnets which stay powered up by using the relative water flow. The UUVs will have a giant rudder on them for their size which will make the submarines steering extremely difficult, and cause it to move through the water very slowly from the extra drag.

If the Submarine surfaces then the little UUV will merely unhook itself and hang back a mile or so, while the submarine crew inspects their sub and finds nothing wrong. Then once it dives again the little pain-in-the-butt UUV will re-attach and do the same thing. And the enemy Navy sub won't know what the heck is wrong. Finally, after the enemy sub heads for home and gets within 50-miles the little UUV will send an electro-magnetic pulse into sub, rendering all its electronic useless. Then it can detach undetected and swim away.

The foreign Navy will have to tow their sub into port crippled, and we can all have a big laugh at the Starbucks down the street from our research center. What do you say boys, I have a couple of designs in mind. Ah, ha ha, ha ha! Two can play the game of cat and mouse, and we intend to win! Next time an enemy sub breaks down, guess who?

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.

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Article Submitted On: December 06, 2010

Florida's Universities Are Teaming Together And Making The Best Of Their Grants

Public colleges and universities in Florida have received millions of dollars in grants to help enhance the programs that they offer in engineering, health and medicine. The money, provided as part of what's known as Scholars Boost Grants, Clustering Grants and R&D commercialization grants, were distributed in November by the New Florida Initiative, a program established to enhance science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, degree programs in the state. The New Florida Initiative is designed also to produce graduates who can further progress in business, health care and education and transform the state's economy to one that's considered sustainable.

The grant winners plan to put some of the grant money towards working together to establish "cluster industries" and recruiting and keeping teaching scholars. Florida Board of Governors Chair Ava L. Parker, citing modern day challenges in Florida, was quoted in an announcement. She suggested that the university system can't afford the state universities suffering financially by using up all their funding and resources. They are enormously important not only to the regions and communities they serve, but they have a great effect on the state's financial future. Following are some of the initiatives that the grants are to help fund:

An Orlando university, in addition to partnering with an institution in Tallahassee to establish an aerospace institute that might help NASA workers update their skills, is to spend part of its grant money on research towards developing engineering technologies such as wind tunnel technologies. As part of the wind technology program, the Orlando institution wants to sponsor a week long summer engineering camp for high school students interested in this field, information from the university shows.

An agricultural and mechanical university in Tallahassee received a grant to recruit a new professor of mechanical engineering, according to its university's blog. This university also received a grant that it intends to share with two other institutions to establish a Health Workers Research and Training Institute, the blog noted.

The university in Tallahassee that's teaming up with the Orlando institution for the aerospace institution plans to put additional grant money towards a team project involving its College of Medicine and a Gainesville institution. The project would involve creating a statewide network of university affiliates where people could connect professionals with research physicians and scientists on efforts such as monitoring the effects of a mild traumatic brain injury among youngsters in organized sports or looking at how information technology might help with monitoring diet, exercise and obesity related health risks in children and adolescents.

The Gainesville university itself received six other collaborative grants as well. With these grants, the institution and others throughout the state are to work together on studying climate change, addressing health care needs in rural and urban communities, enhancing supercomputing abilities throughout the state, plus developing a high-performance prosthesis. In Fort Myers, a grant provided to a university is to pay for a chair who, among other things, could help advance renewable energy research and help with the institution's plans for developing an innovation hub. The studying of renewable energies such as solar, wind and bio-fuel will take place at this 241-acre research park with a brand new 50,000 square-foot building.

A university in Miami plans to put its grant money towards hiring a biomedical engineering professor to lead a Department and Center for Adaptive Neural Systems at its College of Medicine, information on the New Florida Initiative website shows. A Palm Beach County-based university announced plans for recruiting a professor and chair for an ocean and mechanical engineering program where students, among other things, would work in areas such as ocean energy. This same institution is to put New Florida Initiative grant money towards establishing a neuroscience cluster with the Max Planck Institute, a non-profit research organization based in Germany and establishing a location in South Florida.

The Palm Beach County-based university and Max Planck, along with the Scripps Research Institute, are located in the same Jupiter, Fla., community. As Florida universities continue to receive grants and high-tech firms continue to establish themselves in the state, more of these firms might be located within research parks on state college and university campuses. Students who are interested in fields benefiting from these university program changes and enhancements should apply for scholarships and grants. Education Connection is a great tool for matching students with schools and merit awards as well as other forms of tuition assistance.

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Bologna Process: What Does It Mean?

The process involves new requirements for degree and transcripts. In accordance with the ECTS (European Credit Accumulation and Transfer System), a bachelor's degree can be obtained only for three years. That's why business schools should prepare themselves to treat European three-year education at the same level with American four-year one.

However, European education should not be put on a stage with Indian BComm, which is not equivalent to bachelor's degree and requires further preparation for admission to a business school. In addition, this year prepares changes in requirements for transcript.

More bachelors, more masters. The most significant implications of the Bologna Process include increase in the number of graduates with a bachelor's degree. Experts already estimated universities will prepare more than 2.4 million students per year, when the Bologna process finally enters into force. This will also lead to an increase in the number of applicants wishing to obtain master's degree.

Reduction of training time significantly saves costs. In addition, three years in the university seem more optimistic than four. However, higher education often delayed by 5 or even 7 years in pre-Bologna Europe. Students were not placed in strict framework, so the end of training depended on their desire.

Besides, only a small number of students "survived" until graduation. Consequently, only "selected centenarians" had a chance to become masters.

Thus, Bologna process makes higher education attractive. Certainly, some students will go to work immediately after the bachelor's degree, but saved time will necessarily make them think about the prospect of returning to the alma mater.

If considering continuation of training after a certain experience, MBA turns ideal. Maybe this trend would not be particularly pronounced for American students, but European applicants will definitely feel changes.

However, one cannot make predictions so early, as Europe has its own view on what students will do. Professors doubt popularity of MBA will increase. On the contrary, they consider an employer's perception towards bachelor's degree will change. They believe bachelor's degree is enough to move up the career ladder.

Established MBA markets in Britain and United States feature different trend. Number of students wishing to continue their education after bachelor's degree will be reduced to 20-25%, which is 500,000-600, 000.

More willing to study abroad. Bologna process will reduce amounts of money government annually spends on student training. Moreover, it provides smooth transition to paid education. The same system of assessment of knowledge will allow students moving freely from one country to another, without losing valuable years of education.

This is a huge minus for European MBA, since students will strive to secure business schools accepting students with sufficient academic knowledge. On the other hand, changes caused by Bologna process can attract American students.