the hispanic outlook-12 magazine 10/05/2015

OCTOBER 05, 2015 VOL.1 NUMBER 7

from the publisher of The Hispanic

Outlook in Higher Education Magazine

WWW.K12HISPANICOUTLOOK.COM

Goodbye, Maria

SONIA MANZANO REFLECTS AS SHE

RETIRES FROM “SESAME STREET”

PUBLISHER

PRESIDENT AND CEO

VICE PRESIDENT

EDITOR IN CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

ART & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE DIRECTOR

MEDIA RELATIONS DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

JOSÉ LÓPEZ ISA

TOMÁS CASTELLANOS NUÑEZ

NICOLE LÓPEZ ISA

MEREDITH COOPER

MARY ANN COOPER

RICARDO CASTILLO

JAVIER SALAZAR CARRIÓN

MARILYN ROCA ENRÍQUEZ

GARY COOPER

CONTENTVOLUME 01, ISSUE 07

K www.k12hispanicoutlook.com

Editorial PolicyThe Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine Inc.® is a national magazine. Dedicated to exploring issues related to Hispanics in K-12,

The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine Inc.® is published for the members of the K-12 education community. Editorialdecisions are based on the editors’ judgment of the quality of the writing, the timeliness of the article, and the potential interest to the readers of

The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine Inc.®. From time to time, The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine Inc® will publish articles dealing withcontroversial issues. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and/or those interviewed and might not reflect the official policy of the

magazine. The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine® neither agrees nor disagrees with those ideas expressed, and no endorsement ofthose views should be inferred unless specifically identified as officially endorsed by The Hispanic OutlooK-12 Magazine®.

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Cover and article photos courtesy of Sesame WorkshopCover photo by Richard Termine

FINDING AND LEAVING "SESAME STREET"Sonia Manzano reflects as she retires from her 45-year role as Maria

MAKING THE GRADEVeteran educator offers advice to teachers and parents

READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?This month OutlooK-12 features “The World’s Spookiest Booklist” courtesy of Reading Is Fundamental

SPECIAL BILINGUAL ARTICLE / ARTÍCULO BILINGÜE ESPECIALUnivision Network Welcomes “Sesame Amigos” / La Cadena Univision Le Da La Bienvenida a “Sesame Amigos”

THE NATION'S REPORT CARDHispanic students' scores up in U.S. history, geography from 2010; overall increases seen since 1990s

NEWS AND TRENDSThe latest education-related stories from across America

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EXTRA CREDIT

Finding and Leaving

“Sesame Street”Sonia Manzano Reflects on Her Life as She Retires

from Her 45-Year Role as Maria on “Sesame Street”

Anyone who grew up watching the acclaimed children’s educational television program “Ses-

ame Street” will fondly remember this question. Repeated sever-al times during the show’s theme song, it’s really asking how to get to a place where there’s “sunny days” and “friendly neighbors” and where “everything’s a-okay.” But for one of Sesame Street’s most beloved res-idents, finding her way to this hap-py place was a difficult journey that challenged her own innocence.

Emmy award winning Sonia Manzano has portrayed Maria on “Sesame Street” since 1971. Orig-inally cast as the local librarian, her character eventually married,

became a mother and worked at a variety of jobs all while acting as a nurturing supporter and comedic foil to an array of colorful puppet characters. Now, after announcing her retirement at the American Li-brary Association’s annual confer-ence, Sonia reflects on her life in her new autobiography “Becom-ing Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx.”

“It was a tumultuous child-hood,” Sonia said in an online video on the America Library As-sociation’s YouTube channel. “My father was an alcoholic, and he was violent, and my mother was battered, and it was a topsy-turvy world of hope and despair, hope and despair.”

The book, which explores So-nia’s life up until she auditioned for “Sesame Street,” describes a chaotic world where a father can be com-forting one moment and then kick-ing in a television in a drunken rage in the next, where neighbors attri-bute a husband bashing his wife’s head into a radiator as a sign of loving her so much and where a lit-tle girl discovering that she has ten fingers and ten toes gives her peace that “there is order in the universe.”

“And I found sanctuary on tele-vision, and I talk about that in my book,” Sonia said. “And I found sanctuary in stories when they were available to me. As I said, it was a very mean environment, and there was a lack of books.”

“Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?”

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Although her first role on “Ses-ame Street” was a librarian, Sonia explained that she had very little experience with libraries growing up since as she recalled there might have been a small library in her public school, but it had very few books. Instead, Sonia remembers teachers being the ones who helped her discover literature.

“The teachers who showed us books are memorable to me,” Sonia said, recalling her fifth grade teach-er’s expressions as he read “Char-lotte’s Web” to her class. “I com-pletely identified with Charlotte. I thought Wilber was just a…not my favorite character,” she smiled.

Although books and television gave Sonia, a first generation New Yorker by birth, a safe haven grow-ing up, they also initially reinforced a sense of not fitting in because her Puerto Rican ethnicity.

“It’s very interesting for me and sometimes a challenge to get across to young people that when I was a kid there were no people of col-or on television,” Sonia said. “And there were no people of color in books either primarily. And I grew up wondering how I was going to contribute to a society that didn’t see me because I felt invisible some-what. I mean, I couldn’t articulate that in my brain as a little kid, but that was the sensibility that I had.”

For young Sonia, however, ev-erything changed when she saw the 1961 movie “The West Side Story.” Set in New York City, the musical is a modern day retelling of Shake-speare’s “Romeo and Juliet” where two rival gangs are fighting in large part because of racial differences. One of the gangs, The Sharks, was made up of immigrants from Puer-to Rico, and for Sonia that was an eye-opening experience.

“It was the first time I had seen Latin people or Latin culture, and it was particularly and specifical-

ly Puerto Rican culture, which is what I am,” Sonia said, adding that she is a New York Puerto Rican or Nuyorican. “And it was fascinating to me.”

Beyond finally seeing her cul-ture being depicted in a form of media, Sonia also began to under-stand what art is and how it can im-pact perceptions and sensibilities.

“What used to be ugly neigh-borhoods all of a sudden beauti-fied because certainly that movie is beautiful to look at, and I think I had my first inkling of what art was,” Sonia said. “Art is taking something that’s banal and mak-ing it glorious. You know, putting your own sensibility onto it.”

Inspired by this knowledge and encouraged by her teachers, Sonia auditioned for the High School of Performing Arts, a place that Sonia described as being as alien to her as another planet.

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Maria and Luis' wedding

Viewers watched Maria grow up on "Sesame Street"

Maria becomes a mother

6 · October 05, 2015

“It might has well have been Planet X to go from the Bronx from an inner city school to this school in Manhattan that had kids from all over the city who had very good elementary school edu-cations,” Sonia said. While Sonia had had limited exposure to books, she soon learned that her class-mates had been around books their entire lives.

“I really saw how lacking my inner city education had been,” she said. “I had to do a lot of catching up.”

Although there were challeng-es, Sonia went on to excel at her career. In addition to being nomi-nated twice for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Performer in a Chil-

dren’s Series, she currently holds 15 Emmy Awards for her former work as a member of the “Sesame Street” writing staff, wrote for the Peabody Award-winning children’s series “Little Bill” and has written four books one of which was cho-sen as a Pura Belpré Honor Book. Other accolades include receiving the Congressional Hispanic Cau-cas Award in Washington, DC; the Hispanic Heritage Award for Edu-cation and the New York Women in Film and Television Muse award for outstanding vision and achieve-ment. Sonia was also inducted into the Bronx Hall of Fame in 2004 and voted one of the most influen-tial Hispanics by “People Magazine en Español” in February 2007.

My father was an alcoholic, and he was violent, and my mother was battered, and it was a topsy-turvy world of hope and despair, hope and despair.” Sonia Manzano

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Maria, Elmo and Luis


And while the idealistic world of “Sesame Street” may seem far re-moved from Sonia’s chaotic child-hood, the two are connected with the show being designed to help children who face unequal educa-tion opportunities like Sonia once did.

“‘Sesame Street’ as everyone knows was set in the inner city, and there was a particular reason for that,” Sonia explained. “Our first target audience were children in the inner city who were under served, and we thought that if they learned they basic cognitive skills, they could start kindergarten on an even level with their middle class peers.”

In addition, “Sesame Street” was designed so children would not feel that sense of “invisibility” that Sonia did growing up. One of the key gathering places on “Ses-ame Street” has always been the stoop, which as Sonia explained was purposely populated from the very beginning of the series with people of different races and back-grounds. She said this was done so the kids watching the show “could find somebody on television they could relate to and feel part of the community.”

But as much as these basic les-sons about shapes and numbers and friendship, Sonia said she wants children to take away from her life in its entirety that they have the power to live meaningful, hap-py lives no matter what challenges they face.

“I didn’t become Maria in spite of my childhood. I became Maria because of my childhood,” she said. “Any life is worthwhile, and you can make something of it.” •

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Maria, Luis, Oscar and Gordon

Abby, Big Bird, Maria and Luis

Rosita and Maria

8 · October 05, 2015

Sonia Manzano retiring as Maria is not the only big change for the residents of Sesame Street. Big Bird, Cookie Monster and all of their friends will be appearing on HBO as early as later this fall.

According to “The New York Times” Sesame Workshop, the non-profit that produces "Sesame Street," has licensed out the beloved children’s series to air on HBO before airing on PBS for the next five seasons.

In addition, the series will also be roughly doubling its episode production from 18 to 35 per year and is currently working on additional educational programs for children.

As a public television mainstay, “Sesame Street” has in the past not relied on commercials for funding and instead received financial support from such avenues as merchandising and PBS fund drives. In recently years, however, children have relied less and less on PBS to catch the latest episodes of “Sesame Street” and instead have been utilizing streaming and on-demand viewing. As a result, Sesame Workshop has had to cut back on the number of "Sesame Street" episodes produced and shelve other projects.

As part of the deal, HBO has also licensed more than 150 past “Sesame Street” episodes as well as episodes from additional Sesame Workshop titles, including “The Electric Company” and “Pinky Dinky Doo.”

Change of Address“Sesame Street” Moves to HBO

Photo by Richard Termine

Chris, Alan, Snuffy, Big Bird, Leela, Mando, Maria, Luis, Bert, Ernie, Oscar, Abby, Elmo and kids


Sonia Manzano’s former “Sesame Street” puppet costars will soon be part of two new museum exhibits, honoring the work of the late Jim Henson.

One of the world’s most famous puppeteers, Henson helped to create new innovations in the art of puppetry. Best known for being the creative force behind the Muppets, his body of work also includes such television shows as “Sesame Street” and “Fraggle Rock” as well as movies like “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth.”

Slated to open in mid November, the Center for Puppetry Arts’ new The Worlds of Puppetry Museum in Atlanta, Georgia will feature a wide array of Henson’s puppets and artifacts including “Sesame Street’s” Big Bird, Elmo, Grover, Bert, Ernie and Cookie Monster. Other Henson creations scheduled to appear in the exhibit include the former Muppet couple, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, as well as Red and Mokey Fraggle and Fozzie Bear.

“Great museums are characterized by their ability to continually educate, inspire and evolve,” Vincent An-thony, Center for Puppetry Arts founding Executive Director, said. “Our team has been preparing for this day for many years, and we are thankful for the generous contributions from the Jim Henson family, our benevolent donors, generous members and the support of our community.”

Also planning to open this year is The Jim Henson Exhibition and Gallery in The Museum of Moving Imag-es in Astoria, New York. Like the exhibit in Georgia, the Henson family has donated items to be featured in the exhibit including costumes and production design materials as well as (of course) puppets. “Sesame Street’s” Elmo, Bert, Ernie and Count von Count will be part of the exhibition as well as “Fraggle Rock’s” Gobo Fraggle and Muppets Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Statler, Waldorf and the Swedish Chef. In addi-tion, the museum will host educational programs and family workshops as well as a traveling version of the exhibit scheduled to launch in 2016.

“It’s only fitting that this extraordinary collection of puppets, costumes, props and more should find a home in New York where imagination and free expression are part of the fabric of our city,” former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, adding that “anyone who’s watched an episode of ‘Sesame Street’ sees the inspiration provided by the vibrant neighborhoods and characters that make our city so extraordinary."

For more information about these exhibits, visit http://puppet.org/believeinmakebelieve/#henson and

http://www.movingimage.us/exhibitions/2013/11/06/detail/the-jim-henson-exhibition-and-gallery/

“Sesame Street” Characters to Be Featured in Two New Museum Exhibits

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Q: I am an elementary school guidance counselor. Last year my district hired a full-time, in-house clinical psychologist. Many of my colleagues have questioned the need for my position. Do you have any thoughts about how I should respond?

A: In many ways you are comparing apples to oranges. Guidance counsel-ors are in the “hope business.” Thera-pists are in the analysis business. True, the two fields overlap, but while psy-chologists are trained to remain aloof, most counselors are more directly in-volved in the learning process. Almost all counselors are former teachers and, as such, understand the classroom fairly well. Few therapists ever were full-time instructors and have a more theoreti-cal approach to instruction. Research clearly demonstrates that in a school environment guidance counselors are far more successful than psychologists. Overall, having both professions in a school is a positive thing. But given a choice, I personally would rather have a good guidance counselor over a thera-pist in a school setting any day.

Q: My best friend became the school’s principal two years ago. In my opinion the level of discipline and academic achievement has di-minished. She now has tenure, and I fear the school will get even worse. Should I convey my thoughts to her?

A: The history of education in Amer-ica has been to often take excellent teachers and make them poor admin-istrators. A simple analogy is that great athletes rarely make good coaches. What worked for them in their given sport does not easily translate to oth-ers. It is very easy to criticize anoth-er individual’s performance, but if you truly want to help your school and your friend, it is a far superior position to of-fer specific ideas to improve the learn-ing environment. All teachers should try to be supportive of their adminis-trative staff and at the same time have good lines of communication. All ad-ministrators need to have good listen-ing skills and if something isn’t work-ing, make effective changes. Give your friend more time. Two years is a brief amount of time to acquire all the nu-ances of running a school.

Q: Maybe you can help solve a wa-ger that my former college room-mate and I have. Both of us teach in the same community. I bet the most important school years are the high school years. My old friend feels the middle school years are more sig-nificant. We decided your vote will determine who wins our gentleman’s wager.

A: In my humble opinion it is actu-ally the first years of school that carry the most importance. Your district’s kindergarten and first grade teachers probably have the hardest and most important task in the student’s develop-ment. A strong foundation in learning makes all later instruction much easier just as a shaky foundation makes every education who is to follow’s job much harder. Despite my opinion, however, teachers at all levels of education can have a very significant impact on their students to the point that they can be life changing for them. So my simple advice is to shake hands and consider it a tie because all educators despite grade level do the most important job in our society.

If you would like to write to Gary for advice, please email [email protected]

MAKING THE GRADE

IT'S USEFUL AT TIMES TO HAVE A FRESH PERSPECTIVE TO “MAKE THE GRADE.” WITH THIS IN MIND WE HERE AT OUTLOOK-12 HAVE CREATED A SPECIAL COLUMN WHERE YOU, OUR READERS, CAN WRITE TO US WITH YOUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL QUESTIONS AND GET PERSPECTIVE AND INSIGHTS FROM OUR RESIDENT AWARD-WINNING EDUCATION VETERAN AND CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST GARY COOPER. AN EDUCATOR FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS, GARY HAS TAUGHT STUDENTS FROM NURSERY SCHOOL TO COLLEGE AND IS ALSO A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR.

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Get ready to aprender, bailar and jugar (learn, dance and play) with your favorite furry friends

on “Sesame Amigos,” a brand new 30-minute Spanish-language show produced by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind “Sesa-me Street,” exclusively for Univision. Season 1 of “Sesame Amigos” is part of the award-winning Saturday children’s programming block, “Planeta U.”

Through “Sesame Amigos’” 26 new episodes, kids will build their inner strength, develop their moral compass and learn important edu-cational lessons with trusted and en-gaging characters that kids love and moms and dads count on. In each show, kids will play learning games and get up and dance with Elmo, who will encourage kids to participate throughout the show. They’ll travel to “The Furchester Hotel,” a hilari-

ous segment featuring Elmo, Cookie Monster and new friends that teaches creative problem-solving and working together. Next they’ll explore far off lands and learn about cooperation in “Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures.” Finally they’ll laugh out loud with Cookie Monster, the star of “Cook-ie’s Crumby Pictures,” who proves that patience takes practice.

Each show will also feature a segment where Elmo, Lola, Rosita and friends interact with a Univision celebrity in a fun setting. Featured Univision celebrities include “Sal y Pimenta” hosts Carlos Calderon and Lourdes Stephen, “Primer Impacto” correspondents Tony Dandrades and Jackie Guerrido, “Despierta Améri-ca’s” Maity Interiano and William Val-dez and Univision Deportes’ Pablo “La Torre de Jalisco” Ramirez. In addition to Univision talent, the show will fea-

ture other Hispanic celebrities such as Vahdir Derbez, Diego Luna and Leslie Grace.

“‘Sesame Amigos’ is a new and innovative show designed specifically for Spanish-speaking families in the U.S.,” Alberto Ciurana, president of Programming and Content, Univision Communications Inc., said. “While versions of “Sesame Street” air in more than 150 countries, ‘Sesame Amigos’ will provide Spanish-speaking pre-schoolers the tools they need to suc-ceed in the United States.”

“We are thrilled to be debuting our first season of “Sesame Amigos” with our partners at Univision,” Steve Youngwood, Chief Operating Officer of Sesame Workshop, said. “Since our founding, ‘Sesame Street’ has revolu-tionized early learning by using media to make educational opportunities accessible to all preschoolers. ‘Sesame Amigos’ will further our mission of helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder by reaching new Hispanic audiences with our funny, furry con-tent and characters in ways that reflect their language and culture.”

“Planeta U” (Planet U) is an award-winning educational and in-formational (E/I) programming block aimed to appeal to kids of all ages, from pre-school to high school. This safe zone for all young viewers airs on Saturday mornings from 8:00-11:00 a.m. ET/PT (7:00-10:00 a.m. Cen-tral) on the Univision Network.”

Univision Network Welcomes “Sesame Amigos,” “Sesame Street’s” First-Ever Spanish Language Show Especially Made for U.S. AudiencesKids Can Now Laugh, Play and Learn with Elmo, Rosita, Cookie Monster And Friends During The “Planeta U” Saturday Morning Children’s BlockLatino Celebrities Include Diego Luna, Carlos Calderon, Tony Dandrades, Pablo Ramirez, Aislinn Derbez,Vadhir Derbez, and more!

"Sesame Amigos" - "The Furchester Hotel"

12 · October 05, 2015

EXTRA CREDIT

Prepárense para aprender, bailar y jugar con sus amigos favoritos de peluche en “Sesame Amigos,”

un nuevo programa de 30 minutos en español producido por Sesame Work-shop, la organización sin fines de lucro detrás de “Sesame Street,” exclusiv-amente para Univision. La primera temporada de “Sesame Amigos” es parte del galardonado bloque matu-tino de programación infantil de los sábados, “Planeta U.”

Gracias a los 26 nuevos episodi-os de “Sesame Amigos,” los niños aprenderán a tener seguridad en ellos mismos y desarrollar su integridad, además de aprender importantes lec-ciones con los personajes cautivador-es y de confianza que les encantan a los chicos y con los que mamá y papá pueden contar. En cada programa, los niños aprenderán mientras juegan y se pondrán a bailar con Elmo, quien los animará a participar durante todo el programa. Viajarán al “Hotel Furches-ter,” un divertido segmento con Elmo, Cookie Monster y nuevos amiguitos que les enseñará a resolver problemas de manera creativa y a trabajar juntos. Luego explorarán lugares muy lejanos y aprenderán a cooperar en “Las fab-ulosas aventuras de Bert y Ernie.” Fi-nalmente, se reirán a carcajadas con el Monstruo de las Galletas, la estrella de “Cookie’s Crumby Pictures,” quien prueba que tener paciencia requiere práctica.

Cada programa también ofrecerá un segmento en el que Elmo, Lola,

Rosita y sus amigos interaccionarán con una celebridad de Univision en un lugar divertido. Entre las celebri-dades de Univision que se presen-tarán estarán los conductores de “Sal y Pimenta” Carlos Calderón y Lourdes Stephen; los corresponsales de “Prim-er Impacto” Tony Dandrades y Jackie Guerrido; Maity Interiano y William Valdez de “Despierta América”, y Pab-lo “La Torre de Jalisco” Ramírez de Univision Deportes. Además del tal-ento de Univision, se presentarán en el programa otras celebridades hispanas como Vahdir Derbez, Diego Luna y Leslie Grace.

“‘Sesame Amigos’ es un programa nuevo e innovador, creado específi-camente para las familias hispano-hablantes en los Estados Unidos,” Alberto Ciurana, presidente de pro-gramación y contenido de Univision Communications, Inc., dijo “Si bien se trasmiten versiones de Sesame Street en más de 150 países, ‘Sesame Amigos’ ofrecerá a los niños en edad preescolar que hablan español los recursos que necesitan para tener éxito en los Esta-dos Unidos”.

“Es un gran gusto para nosotros estrenar nuestra primera temporada de ‘Sesame Amigos’ con nuestros so-cios en Univision,” Steve Youngwood, funcionario principal de operaciones de Sesame Workshop, dijo. “Desde su incepción, ‘Sesame Street’ ha revolu-cionado el aprendizaje inicial usando medios de comunicación para hacer que las oportunidades educativas estén

al alcance de todos los niños en edad preescolar. ‘Sesame Amigos’ promov-erá nuestra misión de ayudar a los niños a desarrollar la inteligencia y ser más fuertes y bondadosos al trasmitir a nuevas audiencias hispanas nuestro contenido divertido y personajes de peluche de maneras que reflejen su id-ioma y cultura.”

“Planeta U” (Planet U) es un galar-donado bloque educativo e informati-vo de programación que se propone atraer a niños de todas las edades, des-de la edad preescolar hasta la secund-aria. Este lugar seguro para todos los pequeños televidentes se trasmite los sábados en la mañana, de 8:00-11:00 a.m. Este/Pacífico (7:00-10:00 a.m. Centro) por la Cadena Univision. •

La cadena Univision le da la bienvenida a “Sesame Amigos,” el primer programa de “Sesame Street” en Español especialmente para las audiencias en los Estados UnidosLos niños ahora pueden reír, jugar y aprender con Elmo, Rosita, Cookie Monster y sus amigos durante el bloque matutino de programación infantil de los sábados, “Planeta U”La lista de celebridades latinas incluirá a Diego Luna, Carlos Calderón, Tony Dandrades, Pablo Ramírez, Aislinn Derbez, Vadhir Derbez ¡y más!

‘Sesame Amigos’ es un programa nuevo e innovador, creado específicamente para las familias hispanohablantes en los Estados Unidos.”Alberto Ciurana, presidente de programación y contenido de Univision Communications, Inc.

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In the spirit of Halloween, we at OutlooK-12 are proud to present “The World’s Spookiest Booklist” courtesy of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). The largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States, RIF’s mission is “to motivate young children to read by working with them, their parents and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life.”

READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY

“The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree”by Stan and Jan BerenstainISBN-13: 978-0394839103Publisher: Random House, Inc.

For over 50 years the Berenstain Bear fam-ily has been entertaining and teaching chil-dren about such topics as manners, friend-ship, honesty and family. In this full-color illustrated book Mama Bear watches from the window of the bears’ home as three brave little bear cubs set off for an adven-ture. Bringing with them a flashlight, a stick and a rope, the three follow a dirt path into the woods to explore the inside of a mysterious old tree.

“Happy Halloween, Stinky Face”by Lisa McCourtIllustrated by: Cyd MooreISBN-13: 978-0545285421Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

"Mama, what if Mrs. Petry doesn't know it's really just me at her door? What if she gets so surprised from my super-scary costume that she throws her candy bowl up, and it lands on her head, and candy spills all over?" It's al-most time to go trick-or-treating, but first Stinky Face has just a few questions for Mama. As always, Mama loving-ly addresses each and every one of her child's concerns.

“There’s a Monster Under My Bed”by James HoweIllustrated by: David RoseISBN-13: 978-0689714092Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

Something is under Simon’s bed. He can hear it breathing. Is it a monster? Simon knows one thing for sure. He has to find out. He shines a flashlight under the bed to discover that there really is something hiding there—but just what is lurking under Simon’s bed in the dark? This warm and humorous story will delight any child who has ever envisioned monsters lurking in the bed-time darkness.

14 · October 05, 2015

“Where the Wild Things Are”by Maurice SendakIllustrated by Maurice SendakISBN-13: 978-0064431781Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

In this children’s classic, readers are in-troduced to Max, a little boy who likes to run around in a wolf suit and make mischief. When his mother sends her wild child to his room without din-ner, Max embarks on a great adventure where he sails to the world of the wild things. But can a child survive in a place filled with monstrous creatures? In Max’s case, not only does he survive but also becomes their king!

“Bone: Out from Boneville”by Jeff SmithIllustrated by: Jeff SmithISBN-13: 978-0439706407Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

In their first adventure the three Bone cousins, Fone Bone; Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone, are thrown out of Bon-eville and become separated and lost. One by one, they find their way into a deep, forested valley and reunite at a farmstead run by tough Gran’ma Ben and her spirited granddaughter, Thorn. But little do the Bones know that there are dark forces conspiring against them.

“Goblins Don’t Play Video Games”by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton JonesISBN-13: 978-0439043977Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

In this the 37th title in the “The Ad-ventures of the Bailey School Kids” series, Melody is determined to win a hand held video game about goblins. Although her friend, Howie, says that goblins are not real, there are some pretty weird grown-ups living in Bailey City. Could the new computer teacher really be the Great Goblin from Mel-ody's video game? The Bailey School Kids are going to find out!

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“The Mystery of the Runaway Ghost”by Gertrude Chandler WarnerIllustrated by Hodges SoileauISBN-13: 978-0807555514Publisher: Albert Whitman & Com-pany

Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny of “The Boxcar Children Mysteries” book series visit an old farmhouse and learn the legend behind a painting there. Long ago when a traveling artist painted a scene from the farm, he saw something that shouldn’t have been there. Did the artist see a ghost? And now the owner of the house has discovered a series of riddles and clues that the children must work hard to solve.

“Vampires”by Marc Tyler NoblemanISBN-13: 978-1410925008Publisher: Reed Elsevier, Inc.

In this “Raintree Atomic” book series title, young readers can explore the fact and fiction behind one of the world’s most infamous monsters. Do vampires exist? What do they look like? What are their powers and weaknesses? Can they turn into anything besides a bat? What are they like in legends from oth-er countries like Mexico and Bulgaria? Learn the truth—if you dare!

“Dracula”by Bram StokerISBN-13: 978-1503261389Publisher: Dover Publications, Inc.

During a business visit to Count Drac-ula’s castle in Transylvania, a young En-glish solicitor finds himself at the cen-ter of a series of horrifying incidents. Jonathan Harker is attacked by three phantom women, observes the Count’s transformation from human to bat form and discovers puncture wounds on his own neck. Harker escapes home, but a friend’s malady involving blood loss and throat wounds initiates a frantic vam-pire hunt.

READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY

16 · October 05, 2015

“Frankenstein”by Mary ShellyISBN-13: 978-1435137684Publisher: Barnes & Noble

Dr. Victor Frankenstein never considers the consequences of his obsession. For years, he labors to create a new race of intelligent beings. He spends his nights scrounging body parts from graveyards, slaughterhouses and hospital dissection rooms. By day, he experiments in his secret laboratory, perfecting the creature that he believes will worship him as a god. But this hubris is not his sin.

“Twilight”by Stephanie MeyerISBN-13: 978-0316015844Publisher: Hachette Book Group USA

Isabella “Bella” Swan is positive about three things. First, her classmate, Ed-ward Cullen, is a vampire. Second, there was a part of him (and she didn’t know how potent that part might be) that thirsted for her blood. And third, she had fallen unconditionally and ir-revocably in love with him. The first book of the series, the Twilight saga has been adapted into movies and become a worldwide phenomenon.

“Uncle’s Trunk”by Julie AustadISBN-13: 978-0738899435Publisher: Xlibris Corp

Beverly Lawson and her two children, Rick and Lori, inherited a house from Beverly’s late Uncle George, a house that contains a mysterious trunk and a shadowy creature with red eyes. The family learns the shadow is the pirate Captain Ramos who has been sent by a witch to modern times on a mission. With the witch holding his daughter captive, Ramos needs two items to re-turn home—but what are they?


NO CHANGEin eighth-graders' performance in U.S. history, geography, civics since 2010

Story compiled by Mary Ann Cooper

Editor’s Note: As Hispanic Heritage month, a yearly celebration of the history and culture of Hispanics, winds down for this year, the U.S. political season begins in anticipation of the 2016 presidential race. These two realities should remind students and teachers across the country how important it is to master history, civics and geography. As George Santayana wrote in "The Life of Reason" in 1905: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That’s what makes the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation's Report Card, disappointing for the general population of eighth graders but encouraging for Hispanic eighth graders.

The overall academic per-formance of eighth-graders in U.S. history, geography and civics has remained

unchanged since 2010, according to The Nation's Report Card: 2014 U.S. History, Geography and Civ-ics, though Hispanic students have made gains in U.S. history and ge-ography. Compared with the first U.S. history assessment in 1994 and first civics assessment in 1998, overall average scores are higher — but in 2014, three percent or less scored at the Advanced level in any of the three subjects. Geography is the only subject of the three in which there has not been a change in overall scores since its first assess-ment in 1994.

The results are from the Na-tional Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation's Report Card. NAEP

But Hispanic students' scores up in U.S. history, geography from 2010; overall increases seen since 1990s

reports performance using av-erage scores and percentages of students performing at or above three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient and Advanced. The Ba-sic level denotes partial mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for grade-appropriate work; Profi-cient denotes solid academic per-formance and Advanced represents superior work.

The National Center for Ed-ucation Statistics, which admin-isters NAEP as a way to measure what American students know and can do in various subject ar-eas over time, administered the three separate assessments to na-tionally representative samples of more than 29,000 eighth graders in total across the country. Each assessment was given to a different group of eighth grade students, and contained multiple choice and con-

structed-response questions. The 2014 results show that 27

percent of eighth grade students performed at or above Proficient in geography, 23 percent scored at or above Proficient in civics and only 18 percent did so in U.S. history. Among those students, a small per-centage —three percent or less — scored at the Advanced level in any subject.

"Geography, U.S. history and civics are core academic subjects that must be a priority. They rep-resent knowledge and skills that are fundamental to a healthy democra-cy," Terry Mazany, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees NAEP, said. "The lack of knowledge on the part of America's students is unaccept-able, and the lack of growth must be addressed. As a country, we must do better."

18 · October 05, 2015

The reports also include re-sponses from eighth graders about their experiences studying the three subjects. For example, students re-ported that they read material from a textbook less frequently while listening to information present-ed online and using computers at school for social studies more fre-quently in 2014 than in 2010.

"The way students are ab-sorbing information is changing," Chasidy White, an eighth grade geography and history teacher in Brookwood, Ala., and a Nation-al Assessment Governing Board members said. "Instruction needs to meet students where they are to improve learning. In my classroom, that means embracing technolo-gy and incorporating discussions about current events. I encourage

all teachers to use these reports to spark new ideas for their classroom practices."

One of the bright spots in these reports is the increase in perfor-mance among Hispanic students whose scores in 2014 across all three subjects are higher than the scores seen in each subject's first assess-ment year. Caucasian students are the only other racial/ethnic group with this improvement trend.

The Governing Board plans to have the U.S. history, geography and civics assessments adminis-tered to eighth and twelfth grade students next in 2018. For the first time, these three assessments will be entirely computer-based — a model by which all NAEP assess-ments will be administered. High-lights from each subject are:

The way students are absorbing information is changing. Instruction needs to meet students where they are to improve learning.”Chasidy White, a National Assessment Governing Board member

“Image licensed by Ingram Image


U.S. history – This assessment asked questions in four themes: de-mocracy, culture, technology and world role. For example, a democ-racy-themed question asks students to identify the effect of a Supreme Court case:

The Supreme Court's 1803 deci-sion in Marbury v. Madison es-tablished the court's power to:

A. Impeach a presidentB. Decide whether a federal law is constitutional C. Resolve conflicts between statesD. Resolve conflicts between the president and Congress

The correct answer is B, which 41 percent of students selected.

Both male and female Hispan-ic students have made gains since 2010. The average score for female Hispanic students is up four points; male Hispanic students scored five points higher.

Scores are higher in all themes except technology since 1994. In the context of the U.S. history as-sessment, technology focuses on the transformation of the Ameri-can economy from rural frontier to industrial superpower and its impact on society, ideas and the environment.

A score gap between male and female students did not exist in 1994; however, it did exist in 2014, with male students scoring four points higher than female students.

Geography – Questions on this assessment measured students' knowledge in space and place; en-vironment and society; and spatial dynamics and connections. For Image licensed by Ingram Image

20 · October 05, 2015

example, an environment and so-ciety-themed question asked stu-dents to use a map to explain the impact of ocean currents on a con-tinent:

The Brazil and the Peru currents affect the climate of South Amer-ica. Explain what effect each of these currents has on the tem-perature and rainfall of their ad-jacent land areas.

Seven percent of students received the highest score rating of "Complete."

Since 1994, lower-performing students have made gains, result-ing in four percent fewer students below the Basic category and five percent more at the Basic level.

Since 1994, score gains for Af-rican American and Hispanic stu-dents (11 and 10 points, respective-

ly) have been larger than those for Caucasian students (four points).

Since 2010, Hispanic students have made a four-point gain; how-ever, their achievement gap with Caucasian students did not change significantly.

There has been no statistically significant change in the gender gap since the assessment began in 1994.

Civics – Students were asked about civic life, politics and gov-ernment; the foundations of the American political system; govern-ment embodiment of American democracy; the relationship of the U.S. with other nations; and the roles of citizens. For example, a short-answer civics question about world affairs asked students to ex-plain the benefits of international interactions as they relate to trade, treaties and agreements, and hu-

manitarian aid. In 2014, 62 per-cent of eighth graders' responses were rated as "Complete."

Hispanic students' scores have increased since 1998, narrowing the achievement gap with Cauca-sian students by eight points.

Although there have been gains among lower-performing students since 1998 with a higher percent-age of students scoring at Basic and a lower portion below Basic, there has been no change in the percent-age of students overall scoring at or above the Proficient level since 1998.

The scores of African American male students have increased by six points since 1998.

Civics is the only subject without a significant gender gap: The four-point gap between male and female students in 1998 has closed. •

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News and Trends in K-12 Education from Across America

New Study Finds “Sesame Street” Improves School Readiness

Washington, Wellesley, Mass. and College Park, Md. --

Research coauthored by Welles-ley College economist Phillip B. Levine and University of Mary-land economist Melissa Kearney finds that greater access to “Sesame Street” in the show's early days led to improved early educational out-comes—supporting that television can have a positive societal impact.

"With so much emphasis on early childhood interventions these days, it is quite encouraging to find that something so readily accessible and inexpensive as ‘Sesame Street’ has the potential to have such a positive impact on children's school perfor-mance in particular for children from economically disadvantaged communities,” Kearney said.“Drs. Kearney & Levine's research

reaffirms the intention Joan Ganz Cooney and the team that created ‘Sesame Street’ set out to accom-plish. We are thrilled to see the positive effects of ‘Sesame Street’ as a population-based intervention – especially for those less privileged," Dr. Jennifer Kotler Clarke, Vice President, Research and Evalua-tion, Sesame Workshop, said. •

22 · October 05, 2015

MGA Entertainment Launches New Project Mc2 S.T.E.A.M.-Based Franchise

San Diego, Van Nuys, Ca-lif. - MGA Entertainment,

the world's largest private toy company, has unveiled its new, S.T.E.A.M.-inspired property, Project Mc². The franchise includes a spy-themed Netflix original series produced in partnership with Awe-somenessTV; short form digital content airing on AwesomenessTV and DreamWorksTV YouTube

channels; and a toy line comprised of fashion dolls alongside authen-tic S.T.E.A.M. experiment kits.

"My goal with the Project Mc² franchise is to encourage girls ev-erywhere to be interested and pur-sue S.T.E.A.M-based careers, so in my lifetime, I can see the CEO of Apple, Amazon or Intel be a wom-an," Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment, said.

Taking girl empowerment to the next level, the dolls were de-signed to represent real girls. Each character has a unique cultural backstory, face sculpt and is engi-neered to stand at a different height. In addition, the line features activ-ity kits like Grow-Your-Own Rock Sugar Jewelry and Make-Your-Own Soda Can Robot. •

Photo courtesy of MGA Entertainment


News and Trends

I&I Announces Launch of Immersive Language Game: “Think Bilingual!”

San Francisco, Calif. -- Interact and Immerse, Inc. (I&I), an iPad

application development company, has launched its new game, Think Bilingual!

Available for iTunes download, Think Bilingual! takes a unique ap-proach to language learning. In the storyline, the user helps a family of space aliens on earth. In each sit-

uation, the user plays the game by listening to the target language.

“Other apps show a flashcard of a fried egg,” Christopher Loux, co-founder of I&I, said. “In our game, you fry an egg in a pan. To learn directions, you drive a car in the gameplay. You learn by doing, by playing, just as a child acquires language. Genuine immersion

guides the learner to think in the target language.”

Established in 2012, I&I has the company mission to “break down the walls between gaming and education.” Since its launch Think Bilingual! has featured lessons in English, Spanish and French. Ad-ditional languages are scheduled for development. •

Image courtesy of Interact and ImmerseImage courtesy of Interact and Immerse

24 · October 05, 2015

Arizona Dairy Farmers Give Back to Community by Supporting Education Through Milk Mustache Contest

Phoenix, Ariz. -- With the launch of Arizona Milk Pro-

ducers annual scholarship pro-gram, Arizona high school seniors and college students can win one of three scholarships by taking a milk mustache photo and upload-ing it to Instagram or the Arizona Milk Producers website. Scholarships will be awarded as follows:• First place--$12,000 scholarship

• Second place--$10,000 scholar-ship• Third place--$8,000 scholarship

Throughout the program, stu-dents will also be awarded tickets to ASU, NAU and UofA football games.

To enter, students need to upload a photo of their best milk mustache to Instagram while tag-ging @azmilkproducers and using

the hashtag #ampscholarshipcon-test. The photo must feature a dairy product, such as milk, yo-gurt or cheese, and the student must also specify which college football tickets they want by us-ing the following hashtags: #asu, #uofa or #nau.

Official rules, details and drawing dates are posted on the official sweepstakes at www.dairy-councilofaz.org. •

Last year's first-place winner was Meaggan, a senior at Young Ken High School in Buckeye


News and Trends

Horatio Alger Association Officially Opens Applications for Its 2016 Scholarship Programs Nationwide

Washington -- Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished

Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educa-tional organization, has announced that applications are open for its 2016 scholarship programs. With the goal of awarding more than $10 million in undergraduate and graduate scholarships in 2016, the association operates one of the larg-est privately funded, need-based

scholarship programs in the coun-try. Applications for national- and state-level scholarships are being ac-cepted through October 25, 2015.

Students interested in applying for scholarships must meet a series of requirements related to educa-tion, character and family income. Once chosen, Horatio Alger Schol-ars are provided with resources to ensure a successful higher educa-

tion experience, including financial aid advice, access to guidance and crisis counselors, mentoring pro-grams, channels to interact with other scholars, tools to manage the disbursement of funds and access to educational staff for assistance with their scholarships.

For more information or to ap-ply for a scholarship, visit https://www.horatioalger.org/scholarships •

Source: Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.

26 · October 05, 2015

VIF Partners with A+ Schools to Develop Arts-Integrated Professional Development

Chapel Hill, N.C. -- VIF Inter-national Education, a global

education partner of K-12 schools and districts, has partnered with A+ Schools to provide globally themed arts-integrated profes-sional development to teachers through the VIF Learning Center.

The A+ Schools Program was established in 1995 by the Kenan Institute for the Arts and now is

administered by the North Car-olina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Re-sources. The program’s goal is to help schools build enhanced, arts-integrated learning opportu-nities for all students. By doing so, students in A+ Schools devel-op innovative ways of thinking, learning and presenting informa-tion.

“Both VIF and A+ have years of experience incorporating global and arts into instruction,” Ana-maria Knight, VIF’s director of cur-riculum and instructional design, said. “It’s powerful that these two organizations with such long his-tories of working in education can come together to create a unique partnership that will benefit both students and teachers.” •


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the hispanic outlook-12 magazine 10/05/2015

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