Month: May 2012

District leaders say the legislature is hurling Arizona toward another lawsuit

When an old school bus breaks down, Higley Unified School District sent a truck to push the bus out of the road. Then their truck broke down, too.

That’s the least of Arizona schools’ problems. Districts like Kyrene School District are facing the summer’s scorching heat with coolers that could break down at any moment, which could send kids home to their parents so emergency repairs can be made.

Higley’s situation mirrors the larger problem of funding for school facilities in Arizona: not only are schools breaking down, but there’s no way to fix the problem.

After budget talks about overhauling school building maintenance flopped, the legislature has continued to cut off funding to regular school repairs in violation of the state Constitution and a previous court order.

Every 14.2 minutes someone in the United States dies by suicide.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website, men are four times more likely to die by suicide, even though women are more likely to attempt suicide. Marian Binder, the director of Counseling and Psych Services at The University of Arizona, said that this is because men are more likely to follow through with their attempts. Reported suicide rates are the highest between the ages of 40 and 59 years old, but that age demographic could be shifting to a younger age group.

When Maria Taracena moved 10 years ago from Guatemala City, Guatemala to Tucson she didn’t speak English.

“It took me awhile to become accustomed to the way of living,” Taracena said. “I’d say the biggest transition though was learning English.”

Now, after living completely immersed for 10 years in the United States, Taracena is fluent in English. She also still speaks Spanish daily at home with her family and her Spanish-speaking friends in the Tucson community.

Even though being bilingual has been shown by researchers to have certain benefits for cognitive development, there are currently only three bilingual schools to foster that development in Arizona—according to the Arizona Department of Education website.

Listen to bilingual speakers in the Tucson, Ariz. community talk about the impact of two languages on their lives and professions.

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In the trade of education, quality teaching has always been a hot button issue.

To recognize quality teachers in Arizona, the Arizona Education nominates a teacher of the year to represent excellent teachers and to give new teacher role models, said Bobby O’Boyle, the executive director of the Arizona Educational Foundation.

The Arizona Educational Foundation is a non-profit corporation which aims “to administer programs that develop and celebrate excellence in PreK-12^th grade public education in Arizona through community partnerships,” according to the AEF’s website.

Quality teachers don’t distinguish themselves by a single trait or teaching strategy, but by commitment, adaptability, and great care for students, distinguished teachers say.