Summit aims to get older adults in classrooms to improve student success & promote healthy lifestyles

Springfield, IL - The Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department on Aging today are co-hosting the first Illinois Summit on Aging and Education to highlight the best intergenerational practices designed to improve student performance, increase graduation rates, and promote healthy lifestyles.  Today’s summit at Illinois State University in Normal will mobilize resources to address two critical economic issues:  dropout rates and health.  The goal is to come up with new solutions through intergenerational partnerships.

“We know that having older adults in the classroom positively impacts students’ lives and academic performance,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. “This summit is an exciting opportunity to build more bridges across generations to support student achievement and lifelong healthy habits. It couldn’t come at a better time as we launch more efforts to improve the rigor and relevance of education in schools across Illinois .” 

One successful intergenerational program is at Naperville Community Unit District 203, which boasts more than 125 older adult volunteers who read to students and serve as mentors and tutors. The program recently expanded to incorporate a class in which high school students teach their older counterparts new computer skills.  By giving the older adult volunteers access to the district’s wellness program, students get a firsthand look at how good habits can benefits their lives. 

The Illinois Summit on Aging and Education is just one of the efforts of a year-long campaign called 2010:  Year of the Engaged Older Adult.  Governor Pat Quinn made the call to action to get individuals and families engaged in efforts to benefit their communities and the state.  IDoA Director Charles Johnson is leading this statewide initiative that started when Illinois was selected to participate in the National Governors Association (NGA) Policy Academy on Civic Engagement of Older Adults.  The project is designed to improve the health and lives of older adults by increasing their involvement in service, learning, and work.

 “We encourage everyone, especially older adults, to join in efforts in your community to improve education and promote healthy lifestyles through service,” said Director Johnson.  “And this historic summit will help draft an agenda and outline a plan of action toward improving the quality of life for people of all ages and helping to

 Illinois Summit on Aging and Education address critical social issues.  The intergenerational partnership will create a brighter future for today’s children and future generations.”

The first Illinois Summit on Aging and Education is taking place from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.., on the campus of Illinois State University at the New Alumni Center at 1101 N. Main Street , in Normal . The summit includes a joint session of conference participants and policymakers highlighting the ways all generations can work together to increase graduation rates and promote healthy lifestyles.                                                                                    

 For more information on the summit, log on to www.solit.siu.edu/GenServeGen.

Describes it as “The sleaziest in GOP politics” and “ bombards Illinois with commercial full of lies”

Chicago, IL - As payback for Congressman Mark Kirk’s repeated votes in favor of the disastrous Bush budgets, Karl Rove unleashed a false, negative attack ad to distract voters, according to “Alexi For Illinois” campaign.

U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias, who refuses all corporate PAC and federal lobbyist money, called on Kirk to denounce Rove’s history of lies and disclose where the money came from to produce this misleading ad.

“It’s not surprising that Karl Rove – the architect of the Bush-Kirk economic policies that drove our economy to the brink of collapse – is now bringing his bags of Washington-insider money to bailout Congressman Kirk,” Giannoulias said. “Illinois voters are sick of Karl Rove and Mark Kirk politics.  Both are funded with millions of corporate special interest money, and both aren’t afraid to lie when it suits their political ambitions,” Giannoulias said.

FACT CHECK: KARL ROVE’S LIES ABOUT ALEXI

Rove lie: Alexi is quite a driver … Drove his family bank right into a ditch.

The truth: The disastrous Bush-Kirk economic policies  of the last decade brought the American economy to the brink of collapse.  More than 200 community banks have been shuttered in the last year as the Wall Street banks were bailed out and small businesses were left to fight on their own.  While Alexi has taken his share of the responsibility, only 9 percent of Broadway Bank’s non-performing assets were made during his time there. Nearly all of the loans that caused the problems were made in 2007 and 2008, just as the Bush-Kirk economic policies began wreaking havoc on the national real estate market.

Rove lie: As treasurer and head of the Bright Start fund, he fell asleep at the wheel, losing 150 million dollars college savings money.

The truth: Under Alexi’s stewardship, the Bright Start program went from one of the worst in the country to one of the top five. Several independent analyses such as Money Magazine and Consumer Reports ranked Bright Start as a top college savings program in 2009.  [Money Magazine, 4/17/09; Consumer Reports, 4/09].  In June 2010, Bright Start was ranked by Kiplinger’s as one of the top 529 school savings programs for the second straight year.  [Kiplingers, 6/10]

Even Congressman Kirk has admitted that the problems experienced in one of Bright Start’s 21 funds was the fault of Oppenheimer, not the Treasurer’s office. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, “Kirk addressed a controversy involving Giannoulias’ stewardship as state treasurer of the Bright Start college savings program-and appeared to take Giannoulias’ side… Kirk went after “a state bureaucrat that has a bad record.” Asked by a reporter who that bureaucrat was, Kirk replied it was the person who ran the Oppenheimer “core plus” fund-who is not a state employee.” [Chicago Tribune, 10/12/09]

Rove lie: Alexi also purchased a $26,000 SUV using Bright Start funds.

The truth: Bright Start, like all 529 plans, is set up as a self-sustaining, fee-based program. Fees are used to pay for program operations. Administration guidelines permit the purchase of vehicles. No investment money was used to purchase the vehicle.

 Statewide averages increase or hold steady on all tests

Springfield, IL —The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released statewide test results that show Illinois elementary school students continue to make progress, while scores for high school students on state tests remain unchanged. ISBE released the state averages for the 2010 tests, which were given to students in grades 3-8 and 11 this past spring. The overall average for all state tests increased slightly from 75.5 in 2009 to 76.4 in 2010.

“Overall we’re seeing students and schools make progress in Illinois and that is a positive sign, but we know there is a disconnect between elementary and high school,’’ said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. “We believe that our Board’s adoption of new Illinois Learning Standards and the development of new assessments to match those new, higher standards will provide better cohesion between elementary and high school. We’re setting the bar higher for everyone with the new standards, focusing on a college and career readiness pathway that begins when students first start school.’’

The most recent tests were given in March and April. Students in grades 3-8 took the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) in reading and mathematics while students in grades 4 and 7 were tested in science. Students in grade 11 take the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE), which tests students in math, reading and science. 

Overall student performance on the ISAT increased from 79.8 in 2009 to 80.9 while the average percentage of students meeting and exceeding on the PSAE stayed unchanged this year from last at 53. Students with disabilities whose participation in ISAT or the PSAE would not be appropriate take the Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA). The state average on the IAA increased from 66.5 to 68.6 in 2010. 

In addition to the Board’s adoption of new Illinois Learning Standard in math and English, Illinois is a governing member of the 26 state Partnership for Assessment for College and Careers (PARCC) that will develop a new generation of tests aligned to the new standards to measure students’ knowledge and skills. While Illinois schools are now beginning to align to the new Illinois Learning Standards, which are higher and clearer than previous ones, new state tests will not be available until the 2014-15 school year.

ISAT Statewide Averages in Reading/Percentage Meets and Exceeds

Grade 3                 2006                               70.7

2007                                                                            73.0

2008                                                                            71.7

2009                                                                            72.2

2010                                                                            73.7

Grade 4                 2006                               72.9

2007                                                                            73.7

2008                                                                            73.2

2009                                                                            73.8

2010                                                                            73.7

Grade 5                 2006                               68.5

2007                                                                            69.7

2008                                                                            73.5

2009                                                                            73.5

2010                                                                            74.7

Grade 6                 2006                               72.8

2007                                                                            73.4

2008                                                                            79.0

2009                                                                            79.9

2010                                                                            81.2

Grade 7                 2006                               72.0

2007                                                                            73.4

2008                                                                            77.7

2009                                                                            77.5

2010                                                                            77.5

Grade 8                 2006                               79.2

2007                                                                            81.8

2008                                                                            81.4

2009                                                                            83.6

2010                                                                            84.1

ISAT Statewide Averages in Math/Percentage Meet and Exceeds

Grade 3                 2006                               85.6

2007                                                                            86.8

2008                                                                            85.1

2009                                                                            85.2

2010                                                                            86.3

Grade 4                 2006                               84.8

2007                                                                            86.4

2008                                                                            84.6

2009                                                                            85.7

2010                                                                            86.0

Grade 5                 2006                               78.6

2007                               82.5

2008                               81.4

2009                               82.4

2010                               83.4

Grade 6                 2006                               79.1

2007                                                                            81.4

2008                                                                            82.6

2009                                                                            82.4

2010                                                                            84.6

Grade 7                 2006                               76.1

2007                                                                            79.4

2008                                                                            80.4

2009                                                                            82.8

2010                                                                            84.4

Grade 8                 2006                               78.2

2007                                                                            81.3

2008                                                                            80.4

2009                                                                            81.7

2010                                                                            83.7

ISAT Statewide Averages Science/Percentage Meets and Exceed

Grade 4                 2006                               79.8

2007                                                                            79.8

2008                                                                            76.2

2009                                                                            76.8

2010                                                                            76.7

 Grade 7                 2006                               80.9

2007                                                                            79.3

2008                                                                            79.1

2009                                                                            79.5

2010                                                                            82.4

PSAE Statewide Averages/Percentage Meets and Exceed

Reading                           Math                     Science

2006            58.4                               53.6                               50.8

2007            54.1                               52.7                               51.0

2008            53.3                               53.0                               51.2

2009            56.9                               51.6                               50.5

2010            54.0                               52.7                               52.4

In conjunction with upcoming October Online Auction, Floating World Gallery presents an encore of “The Great Wave: An Introduction to Japanese Wood Block Prints,” a free seminar Saturday, October 2 at 1 P.M.

Free event presents timely history and collecting strategies to enlighten the public and potential participants in Oct. 9 online auction

Seminar attendees have opportunity to also take in exciting new exhibit of Japanese post-war paintings and contemporary ceramics

 
Chicago, IL – In conjunction with their October online auction, Floating World Gallery (FWG), the nation’s premier art gallery specializing in Japanese print art, reprises their popular free seminar, “The Great Wave: An Introduction to Japanese Woodblock Prints” at 1925 N. Halsted Street, Saturday, Oct. 2 from 1 to 3 p.m. A brief reception with light refreshments will follow the presentation.
 
The Oct. 2 seminar will be conducted by the gallery’s Director of Exhibitions Elias Martin. Martin will provide insights into the many genres of Japanese prints, by exploring the history of the art form, along with production techniques, connoisseurship and collecting strategies, with an eye toward investments. The seminar will reference the works of renowned artists including Katsushika Hokusai (”The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” 1830), Joichi Hoshi (“Night Scene,” 1977), Kiyoshi Saito (“Camellia,” 1948) as well as European artists significantly influenced by the art form such as Paul Jacoulet a 20^th Century French woodblock print artist known for a mixing the traditional Ukiyo-e style with his own techniques. The event will also provide everyone from novice to seasoned collector the opportunity to view museum quality prints up close. The event precedes FWG’s next online auction, scheduled to begin Saturday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. Central Time. The lots will be viewable at least one week before the auction at auctions.floatingworld.com and at the gallery during normal gallery hours. For more information call 312-587-7800.
 
Those attending the Oct. 2 seminar will also have the opportunity to take in “Creating What Has Never Been,”an exhibition of Japanese post-war paintings and contemporary ceramics,at the gallery’s Lincoln Park location Sept. 24 to Nov. 19, 2010. The exhibition showcases internationally renowned painters and contemporary ceramic artists known for the revolutionary quality of their artwork.
 
Floating World Gallerypresents “The Great Wave: An introduction to Japanese Woodblock Prints” Saturday, Oct. 2 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 1925 N. Halsted St. Admission to the seminar is free, however space is limited. For reservations, email classes@floatingworld.com. For more information call 312-587-7800.
Floating World Gallery, located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, takes its name and inspiration from the English translation of Ukiyo-e,a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and 19th centuries, referring to an evanescent, impermanent world of fleeting beauty.
 
Floating World Gallery (FWG)  has been one of the world’s leading dealers of modern Japanese art for more than 20 years, offering clients, private collectors and institutions the highest quality works of art. Initially a web-based gallery, FWG opened its new 8,200 square-foot gallery space on Halsted in October 2009 and is now actively engaged in helping to educate the public and increase awareness of the rich world of modern Japanese art.