East Chicago Central High School history teacher Gale Carter was chosen, along with 19 other teachers, to participate in a 21-day study tour in China, administered by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) and the Indiana University East Asia Studies Center. The 3-week tour included six cities (Beijing, Xi’an, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and Shanghai), three boat cruises, a midnight train ride, a ride in a rickshaw, and an unforgettable ride on a yak in the mountains of Shangri-La.

The group toured traditional sights such as the Great Well, the Terra Cotta Warriors, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, as well as newer sights like the 2008 Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium and the Water Bubble. They also observed time-honored crafts like calligraphy and silk-, pottery- and noodle-making. Evenings were spent at cultural events like acrobatic performances, the opera and the symphony.

Public schools see decline in enrollment as charter schools grow

Fifth-grader He' Shawn Hicks works on math problems in Laura Charpentier's class at Charter School of the Dunes in Gary. The school and Thea Bowman Leadership Academy are up for renewal this year. (Photography by Heather Eidson.)

Over time, charter schools can perform just as well, if not better, than traditional public schools, proponents of charter schools said. Charter schools operate with more freedom from regulations than their traditional counterparts, and most follow a particular educational vision or charter.

There is high demand for these schools in urban areas where there is a perception that traditional public schools are not as successful. In the state, charter schools are clustered in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Gary. But Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett said it should not be a question of better or worse.

There are sales and then there are price cuts.

Meijer says it is offering more of each this holiday season.

And in doing so, the Midwest retailer plans to hold its own against the country’s biggest retailers, Walmart and Target, in a holiday price war.

On Wednesday, Grand Rapids-based Meijer Inc. announced it has dropped prices up to 30 percent on more than 400 popular toys from Barbie to Star Wars Legos.

Teachers can ‘progress monitor’ skills on daily basis

Hand-held devices and a connection to a database are allowing East Porter County kindergarten through second-grade teachers to offer students quicker help in reading and mathematics.

The East Porter County School Corp. board heard a report on mCLASS, a diagnostic assessment program developed by the Wireless Generation company, from Morgan Township Elementary School teachers last Monday. The technology allows teachers to “progress monitor” students with quick assessments on the student Palm Pilots, intervention specialist Jeanne Akins told the board. Teachers can see results instantaneously, and the ongoing data can help target instruction and remediation by indicating what has been working and what hasn’t. The data allows quick groupings of students and even suggests interventions, Akins said.

Check out our “New Arrivals” online newsletter, coming to NWI inboxes every Wednesday morning. There’s a lot going on between issues of NWI Parent, and we don’t want you to miss a thing! We’ll keep you informed on the latest parenting news and trends, family-friendly events, local destinations and resources, great products, and engaging blogs from Northwest Indiana parents. Subscribe today and stay connected. See this week’s newsletter here.

From the NWI Parent Inbox—We’re always keeping our eye on what’s new and what’s going on in Northwest Indiana. Here’s today’s submission, sent by the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority:

The six animated displays depicting scenes from the holiday movie classic, A Christmas Story, will be open to the public, free of charge, beginning November 1, 2009 until January 10, 2010 at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond. The Welcome Center is located at the intersections of I-80/94 and Kennedy Avenue South.

The Christmas Story Comes Home exhibit scenes include; Higbee’s Department Store Window, Flick’s Tongue and the Triple Dog Dare, It’s a Major Award, Santa’s Mountain at Higbee’s, The Bumpus Hounds, and the Parker Living Room. The displays were first showcased in 2003 in the windows of the Herald Square Macy’s in New York City.

Events for the 2009 holiday season have been scheduled and include a Festival Weekend on December 5 and 6, where visitors have the chance to meet and purchase personalized autographs with five cast members. The “Mommy’s Little Piggy” Eating Contest, the Write a Theme Contest—What I Want for Christmas, as well as the “Oh Fuuudge!” Tire Changing Relay will be held in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Individuals are encouraged to learn more and sign up online at AChristmasStoryComesHome.com.

Mobile lab comes to Dolton junior high

Roosevelt Junior High School eight-graders Andre Strickland, left, wears a mask as he inspects a rat while Jesus Hogue, center, also looks in as KiJana Roland points to the diagram with the name of the body part. (Photograph by Jim Bis/The Times.)

Roosevelt Junior High School seventh- and eighth-grade science students were given the chance Wednesday (Nov. 4) to tackle something bigger than the dissection of a worm.

They got to dissect a rat.

The University of Illinois Extension Mobile Science Lab visited their school for two days, and Dr. Olyewole Ajifolokun, a veterinarian educator, conducted four classes a day for 11 students per class for those youngsters who wished to pay the $4 fee. Most of the science classes the mobile lab offers are free but students had to cover the cost of the rodent.

Educational children’s show premiered on Nov. 10, 1969

Big Bird is seen during the taping of an episode of Sesame Street in New York.
(The Associated Press)

Big Bird is leaving Sesame Street!

That’s what he decides on the Sesame Street season opener. A rapping real-estate agent pitches him on migrating to a new habitat (”habitat,” the episode’s “Word on the Street”). After sizing up a beach and a swamp for his new habitat, Big Bird chooses a rain forest.

But then he comes to his senses with a musical number.

“Sesame Street is my habitat!” he sings. “Sesame Street is my home!”

Parents frequently wonder if it’s good or bad to share a bed with their young infants. Much of the answer to this question is based on intuition and cultural perspectives rather than on solid data pointing to “truth” or to an equivocally correct answer. Thus, in spite of the many studies already performed, co-sleeping remains a controversial topic with its recommendation or discouragement essentially left up to the parents. It should be noted that bed sharing is well-accepted and promoted as the norm in many cultures, but it is not as popular a choice in the United States as it is in many other societies.

The benefits of bed sharing may be substantial. For example, we know that infants who sleep with their mothers are nursed longer, but other possible factors instead of bed sharing could explain this association. Bed sharing is thought to foster bonding between parents and the infant. This would seem to make sense, but unfortunately, there have not been studies to prove this intuitive outcome.

Most of the negatives about bed sharing (and co-sleeping on the same sofa) are related to the risk of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Studies confirm that bed sharing is a significant risk for SIDS only in mothers who smoke, and that babies under 12 weeks of age are at greatest risk.

Length of exposure to violence not age is key factor

Students prepare to start another day at the Louis Nettelhorst Elementary School in Lakeview. (Photograph by Alison Fox/MEDILL.)

Experts say many children who witness domestic violence at home lack coping mechanisms leading to violence in schools.

October was Domestic Violence Month, highlighting an issue that often results in children with violent streaks and an inability to resolve conflicts, experts say.

“With teenagers, you’re going to have more aggressive behaviors,” said Catherine Malatt, the manager of coordinated school health/crisis intervention with Chicago Public Schools.