Curriculum Update
By District Administration
October 2006

"We're trying to stimulate students to first of all have a connection to the ocean and maybe stimulate them to go after a career in marine science or ocean exploration," says Capt. Philip Renaud, executive director of the foundation that held a similar expedition around the Seychelle Islands in the Indian Ocean eight years ago. "We really feel we need to ingrain the conservation issues in young people."

The five American schools taking part were mainly magnet or charter schools with marine science programs, including Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia.

The reasons for the expedition included generating the first wide-scale habitat maps of the islands and conducting specific coral and fish surveys. -AP

Curriculum Eases Transition for Spanish-Speaking Students
A curriculum from Mexico has come to Palm Beach County Fla. classrooms this year, thanks to a cooperative program with Mexico's Education Ministry to enable Spanish-speaking students in the county to take more than 600 courses in their native language. Lessons in math, reading, social studies and science are provided on DVDs and through satellite hookups, and the content is also offered to Hispanic family members.

Palm Beach administrators believe that the program will benefit many of the nearly 19,300 children enrolled in classes in English for speakers of other languages, and the district is aligning the Mexican curriculum with state and local standards. "This is a great service for our kids," says Margarita Pinkos, a senior policy adviser for the U.S. Department of Education, and "hopefully we can disseminate it throughout the country." -OED

http://www.districtadministration.com/v ... id=940&p=3
This is page 3 of this site. There is some interesting info on the other pages