Reaching Out Community Services Raises $20,000

Brooklyn-based Reaching Out Community Services (RCS) honored a number of community leaders including Rocco Basile of Basile Builders as “Man of the Year” at their 3rd annual gala which raised $20,000 to help feed those in need.

The organization will continue to offer relief to over 3,800 families that depend on food supplies and social services provided by RCS. During 2011 thus far, hundreds of people have depended on us for help in their time of need. Today's economic challenges have made life difficult for many, and they are finding themselves on a food pantry line hoping for food.

The fundraiser will help RCS with its ongoing programs expenses. The next event will be the 3rd Annual Walk For Hunger on September 24, 2011.

How the Economy has Impacted Non-Profits

A 2010 State of the Nonprofit Sector report showed only 18 percent of the more than 1,300 nonprofit leaders surveyed expect their organizations to end 2010 in the black. While in 2009, 35 percent of organizations ended the year with an operating surplus. 61 percent of those organizations surveyed have less than three months of cash available, and 12 percent have no cash.

80 percent of nonprofits expect to see an increase in demand for their services in 2010, while only 49 percent expect to be able to fully meet that demand. Organizations are taking a number of steps to maintain, and expand — service delivery during this period of economic uncertainty. Collaboration is big now, with 52 percent stating they have collaborated with other organizations to provide programs, 43 percent have added to or expanded their program offerings, 18 percent have expanded the geographic area served by their programs, and 60 percent have become more engaged with their board.

The economic crisis on foundations includes the fact that there is expectation among grant makers that the field of philanthropy will become more strategic as a result of having weathered the economic crisis. In addition, the long-term impact of the crisis on their own foundations are forcing engaging in "being more focused and disciplined in executing our strategy” as well as “more robust strategic planning,” and “more focused use of the foundation’s capabilities.”

This means the field of philanthropy will become more strategic as a result of the world’s economic crisis. There have been declines in overall consumer demand and our country’s highest unemployment figures in a quarter century, so it is no surprise that nonprofit community has suffered as well.

Children of the City in Sunset Park near Brooklyn, New York, is actually growing, according to their Chairman of the Board Rocco Basile, who has been affiliated with the charity for a number of years. In fact he even has a website devoted to nonprofits. Visit http://www.roccobasile.net/

(Source: The Foundation Center.)

Hugh Jackman is Guest of Honor at Children of the City Gala

Last week Hugh Jackman, Tony and Emmy Award winning actor and producer, was the Guest of Honor at the Brooklyn, New York-based Children of the City Benefit to help raise awareness of the educational needs and social challenges of underprivileged children in Brooklyn communities. The evening was hosted by WABC Features & Lifestyle reporter Lauren Glassberg as the guests gathered at New York's Pier Sixty.

Rocco Basile, chairman of the board of directors of Children of the City was honored by District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, for his efforts in supporting the non-profit. Brooklyn Retail Market Manager for TD Bank Eileen Holmes, was honored with the 2010 Children’s Champion Award.

The benefit was an opportunity to bring about awareness of the challenges the children have to face. Founder and President Joyce Mattera, who has dedicated her life to helping disadvantaged and neglected children talked about the fact that there is a 48 percent dropout rate in the Brooklyn community, which as more than 30,000 children. One out of four are living in abject poverty.

Children of the City is dedicated to changing the culture of poverty. Visit www.childrenofthewcity.org.

Rocco Basile Reports: Mathew Encourages Talent

“My job is to encourage talent.”


As you know I report things happening at my charity Children of the City, as well as add information to my website on educational trends and such at www.roccobasile.net.

But here's a really inspiring story I wanted to share ... Mathew is a tutor in Children of the City’s Create Success After School Program in Sunset Park near Brooklyn, NY.

He basically teaches kids the skills they need to come up with a strategy for learning. And he believes that creativity is the key. Matt inspires confidence and boosts his students' self esteem.

He mixes it up with drama, games, and group presentations like last semester's reading of Shakespeare’s “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream.” This helps promote public speaking, listening skills and comprehension.

A communications major, Matt grew up in Sunset Park. He was making a documentary in El Salvador when he realized he wanted to teach, so he moved back to his old neighborhood and rearranged his work schedule to free up his afternoons to help teach the kids at Children of the City.

-- Rocco Basile

Children of the City's Mission

The mission for Sunset Park-based Children of the City, located in Brooklyn New York has remained the same since 1981. They try to reach at-risk inner-city youth and their families. Children of the City's goal is to connect families to resources to address their current crises in an effort to change the culture of poverty.

One of their programs, Strong Minds and Strong Homes, is a volunteer-based outreach effort that meets children and families where they live. Strong Minds - Strong Homes (SMASH) is a volunteer-based effort that meets children and families in Sunset Park and connects them with services they might not otherwise seek out on their own.

The goals of this program include:

1) Building a healthy community - by increasing connections between community members and service providers.
2) Empowering parents to meet basic physical needs of their children - by connecting them to food pantries, employment services, clothing providers, and other social service groups.
3) Equipping parents to raise healthy children - by helping to train and support them to use healthy developmental strategies to raise their children. This helps reduce neglect and child abuse.
4) Increasing educational opportunities for children - by advocating at local schools and connecting them with supplemental academic programs.

I also have other information about this and other programs that Children of the City sponsors on my educational website www.roccobasile.net.

Children of the City also believes in the importance of mobilizing its community members to work together for the good of everyone in the neighborhood. Each year the organization trains 50 volunteers from the Sunset Park community. Each person commits to giving 10 hours every month conducting outreach for children and families, over 12 consecutive months.

I do it and it is the best feeling in the world to give back to a community.

-- Rocco Basile

Survey Says Nonprofit Giving Has Declined 10% due to Economy

In order to keep an eye on my chairites from time to time I review research and statistical informatio n to post on my website http://www.roccobasile.net/. According to survey findings released by the Foundation Center, giving will likely decline by more than 10 percent since 2008. The survey is the result of interviewing and obtaining the responses of 600 foundations. What’s more, continued reductions are expected throughout 2010.

The year has suffered declines in overall consumer demand and our country’s highest unemployment figures in a quarter century, so it is no surprise that the future outlook for the nonprofit community has been impacted by the recession. The field of philanthropy will become more strategic as a result of the economic crisis.

The majority of experts believe that the nonprofit sector will emerge stronger but agree that ultimately there will be fewer organizations. U.S. foundation giving suffered an estimated 22 percent drop in foundation assets in 2008. Earlier this year, the Foundation Center estimated that 2009 giving by the nation’s more than 75,000 grant making foundations would “decrease by around eight to 13 percent, and at this time, it seems as if it is likely the decline will be even more.

The economic crisis has forced nonprofits to adjust their operating costs. More than two-thirds of respondents to the September 2009 said they have in some way reduced operating expenses since the beginning of the economic crisis, even those that still have endowments. It seems that some nonprofits are trying to preserve the value of their endowments, so that they will not permanently diminish grant making capacity, while others have determined they will be smaller institutions going forward and are making necessary staffing and expense adjustments.

How are they cutting back? Many have reduced operating expenses since the onset of the economic crisis, by reducing staff travel and salaries. Two-thirds of the respondents that cut expenses reported reducing staff travel budgets and/or limiting staff to attend conferences. A little over one-third indicated that they had also reduced staff training and professional development opportunities.

A larger share of respondents expect that their giving will be lower in 2010 (26 percent) than higher (17 percent). Larger foundations, those giving over $10 million, are more likely than smaller foundations to reduce their giving further next year. While asset averaging generally limits the impact of modest economic fluctuations on annual giving, the extreme 2008 asset losses will not be balanced out by 2007 asset growth and the 2009 turnaround in the market.

Finally, the impact of the economic crisis on foundations has been twofold. 1) There is a clear expectation among grant makers that the field of philanthropy will become more strategic as a result of having weathered the economic crisis. 2) The long-term impact of the crisis on their own foundations are forcing engaging in “more robust strategic planning,” “more focused use of the foundation’s capabilities,” and being “more focused and disciplined in executing our strategy.” The focus of other types of long-term changes cited by survey respondents ranged from governance to grantee relations to investments.

The Foundation Center’s next Foundation Giving Forecast Survey will be conducted in January 2010, with results released in the March 2010 edition of Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates.

The annual Foundation Giving Forecast Survey and made it available to approximately 5,000 large and mid-size U.S. community, independent, and corporate foundations.

-- Rocco Basile
Source: Foundation Center, 2009 http://www.foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/researchadvisory_economy_200911.pdf

The Cycle of Poverty Broken: One Family at a Time

In Brooklyn New York, it is hard to believe that one in three families are living in poverty. But since 1981, the charity at which I am on the Board of Directors - Children of the City - has served the underprivileged children.

The organization started out as a children’s prevention outreach in the early years, but our services have evolved to include trauma intervention, counseling, an after-school and summer program, courtroom and legal advocacy, social work, guardianship, financial counseling, youth mentoring, and other as-needed services to help children and their families achieve success in education, social relationships, home, financial and career.

Almost half of the students who have participated in this program believe it helped them from getting involved in drugs.

Family volunteers like Robert and Maritza Fred have helped to raise over 25 foster children within the Children of the City program, and several of whom they have legally adopted. Maritza is lively and loquacious. They have made a life long commitment to help restore families, as volunteers.

When the kids come home from school Robert takes them to the park. Later it’s time to sit around the kitchen table with Maritza to do homework, read and talk about their day. The Freds treat all of the children equitably, making them feel safe and secure about their place in a loving, nurturing household.

As you know, my website http://www.roccobasile.net/ focuses on educaiton, and the charities in whcih i am involved with, including the historical events at Children of the City, who reaches children at home, at school, on the streets and playgrounds, and at its facility. A dedicated team includes many certified professionals, along with 50 highly committed and trained volunteers who visit close to one thousand children every single month.

During the year we maintain current information on over 500 families in the community representing approximately 2,000 children, and we are able to be a positive influence to the young lives we reach every and every day.

--Rocco Basile

The Latest in Education News

Funds Cut for Public School Reform

In a Washington Post article today, staff writer Bill Turque said that Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has eliminated funding for an independent evaluator assigned to assess the progress of public school reform under Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee. This was according to the revised 2010 budget he submitted to the D.C. Council late Friday.

These proposed moves reflect the council's discontent with what members see as a lack of transparency and accountability in the mayor's efforts to transform the District's struggling public school system.

Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) and the council are free to restore the funding cut when they vote on the revised budget July 31. But speaking to the council Monday at a hearing on Fenty's plan to close a two-year, $666 million revenue shortfall, city administrator Neil Albert urged that the governance structure established in 2007 remain intact.

Abu Dhabi Opens New York University

In a move where Abu Shabi is looking to bolster its educational credentials, Dhabi is planning to open New York University's newest campus next fall alongside cultural landmarks such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi and a new Guggenheim on Saadiyat island.

NYU Abu Dhabi is one of several ambitious projects that the emirate has funded as part of its 2030 Initiative. This is a multibillion dollar plan. Abu Dhabi has been propelling its profile more than its neighboring emirate Dubai, a littery symbol of oil-funded development.
Qatar currently leads the Gulf States in educational ventures. A development outside Doha dubbed Education City is home to several American universities including elite private universities such as Georgetown and public universities such as Texas A&M.

Wichita State University Upgrades from VCR to Milestone IP Video Surveillance

Milestone appears to be flexible and scalable for campus expansions, and very easy to manage.
Milestone is still so easy to use, even with upgrades: put up a new server, install the software, load the DLK, and it is done. -- Rocco Basile

Have you Heard About PROJECT RED?

It is a fact that many of our country's high shcool students enter college with inadequate skills. The National Education Computing Conference (NECC) posted a press release saying the Project RED coalition has launched their new Project RED initiative, an effort to put technology on a more stable basis within the challenging environment of education funding.

The lead author of this project and CEO of The Greaves Group, Tom Greaves said, "We all have anecdotal stories about how technology works and saves money while improving teaching and learning. But we need a full-bore national study to investigate cost-savings and revenue enhancement at the state level."

Project Red's team will research the schools in its database of approximately 3,000 K-12 technology-rich schools. The characteristics of technology use to transform learning will be analyzed to create a model for other schools. The technology-transformed schools that have at least 95 percent of their students using a computing device with Internet access will also be studied to determine what cost savings schools realize when they use technology as part of their everyday teaching and learning.

Most states know how much money is spent on remedial courses for these students - costs that frustrate state legislators because they feel they are paying for educating the same students several times. One of the bright spots in technology's investment pay-off has been the ability to reduce costs while improving both learning and attendance through online credit recovery courses.

This will revolutionize the way we look at technology - not as a cost, but as a way to personalize learning and to change the way students learn by making technology-assisted learning among recognized best practices, rather than an exception.

Technology holds the promise of allowing us to re-engineer our educational system. Project RED's importance has been recognized by a number of national education associations, including National School Boards Association (NSBA), American Association of School Administrators (AASA), Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and Software Information Industries Association (SIIA).

The technology-transformed schools are defined as any elementary and secondary school where students have consistent daily access to the Internet. Go to ProjectRED.org to find out if your schools are already included inthe program. -- Rocco Basile

Rocco Basile is Proud of Angel

As a father, Rocco Basile knows how tough it can be to be a Dad, and how instrumental a father is in shaping a child’s life. That's why Basile and the charity he works closely with, Children of the City, are proud of Angel Lopez, a 24 year old former gang member,

Angel’s dad was incarcerated when he was a boy, and his Mom had drug problems. Several well meaning relatives tried to help, but the lack of a male authority figure led Angel to search for role models among the gang leaders that he thought were so cool.

Then one day about four years ago a Children of the City youth outreach counselor started visiting with Angel’s nephew, in order to listen to what Angel was saying. Soon, Angel started making appointments to talk with the counselor himself because he wanted to be a good father to his son and daughter. He married the mother of his children and endured the hardships that were required to quit the gang. He credits Children of the City with helping him with his education, a job, and learning how to be a better parent.

What would Angel's life been like if he had found Children of the City when he was a child? Committed to volunteering at Children of the City, Angel said, “I reach out to the kids. I try to give as much of myself as I can ... I tell them the truth about the streets. I warn them about jail, the diseases, and everything else that is out there when you switch to the fast lane. I let them know that I had a choice, and they have choices."

--Rocco Basile

























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The Mother Teresa of Sunset Park is Honored

On March 25 Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes honored Children of the City's Joyce Mattera at his third annual Extraordinary Women’s event. In honor of Women’s History Month, Joyce Mattera was recognized for her accomplishments and contribution to the Sunset Park community. As you know, I am on the Board of this fine organization, and my website is devoted to the betterment of children's education.

District Attorney Hynes unveiled a huge calendar, in the lobby of 350 Jay Street, for the month of March with each day dedicated to one of the extraordinary women who were nominated by Brooklyn residents. Hynes bestowed the title of Special Ambassador to Joyce Mattera, formally acknowledged at a ceremony on March 25 in the Ceremonial Court Room at Brooklyn Borough Hall, along with other women.

Children of the City's Executive Director and Founder Joyce Mattera, is lovingly referred to by many as the "Mother Teresa of Sunset Park." She has devoted herself to helping others through service to children and the families of Sunset Park, Brooklyn since 1981. --Rocco Basile

Support for Children of the City's Children

Back in December, on the the 20th, the charity that I so fondly support - Children of the City - facilitated a very special Christmas for one unfortunate little girl and her family.600 children and 100 adults were invited to the headquarters of Children of the City located where hundreds of toys and gifts were distributed. There were dozens of volunteers during the entire week of December 15-19 who helped wrap gifts that were donated as well as funds.

Joyce Mattera, Founder and Executive Director said, "Children of the City was glad to facilitate receiving the donations because our partners knew we could get it into the hands of the neediest children.”

Earlier that same week, a young girl named Angela was undergoing some difficult times. Through the Winter Wishes Project facilitated by New York Cares and Morgan Stanley, Angela had not gotten her wish list in on time to receive any gifts.

“When we read her letter we all were moved" Mattera said. Angel's father had recently passed away and her mother said they couldn't afford Christmas this year.

Children of the City was able to confirm the details of their situation, then asked its partner Morgan Stanley to help us facilitate fulfilling this little girl's Christmas wish. One of their employees, George A., generously purchased clothes, other items, and assembled a brand-new bicycle for her just two days before the event. Angela exclaimed, through her tears, that this was the "best Christmas ever!"

Christmas toys and gifts were donated by several partners of Children of the City, including my family's business, Basile Builders, St. John's Bread and Life, Brianna's Hair Salon, NYCRC, Hamption Christian School in Virginia, Payless Shoe Source, New York Cares/Morgan Stanley, and many others.

"We know these are tough economic times and we are glad for the opportunity to show that we care about the children and families in the community we serve" said Mattera. "We are glad that Angela was able to enjoy Christmas this year."-- -- Rocco Basile

The New Obama Administration and Education

Prior to his election to President of the United States, Barack Obama said he will reform the No Child Left Behind, invest in early childhood education: implement a comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan to provide support to young children and their parents, and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.

Obama and Biden also said they will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 in exchange for community service, covering two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university. They also said they would make community college tuition completely free for most students.

As many of you know, my website http://www.roccobasile.net/, shares news and the statistics on the state of education in the country - so any new improvements to our ailing education system is music to my ears.

At his inaugural speech at the U.S. Capitol President Obama mentioned that, "our schools fail too many." Now that they are settled into their new posts, President Barack Obama and the new Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have set a tone of bipartisan cooperation on challenges that are facing our country's schools.

Despite the prospect of cutbacks in school budgets nationwide, the education community in Washington is optimistic about the future according to Jack Jennings, the president of the Center for Education Policy, an advocacy organization.

President Obama believes that giving money to education will stimulate the economy but his opponents believe that he is trying to increase long term funding to schools. He has proposed doubling federal funding for charter schools, who can apply for up to $600,000 in start up money from the federal government.

As a Board member for programs like the Joe DiMaggio Awards Committee at Xaverian High School, (my alma mater), we have long known how financial assistance helps the quality of education that the school can provides its students. Xaverian offers the very best in secondary education by serving young men from disadvantaged backgrounds, including learning disabilities and students in financial need. In fact, if it were not for the generosity of alumni, parents and friends, many of these students would not be able to afford the quality, college-preparatory education our school offers.

In fact, the Joe DiMaggio Award Gala is the major fundraiser for Xaverian, and since the inception of the program in 1994 more than 100 young men have graduated from this special initiative and all have gone on to four-year colleges. Every year the DiMaggio Award outdoes the previous in money raised and national media attention.

-- Rocco Basile

Food Drive Feeds Hundreds; Christmas Drive is On!

One of the charities that I support, among others listed on my website http://www.roccobasile.net/, is - Children of the City - who rounded up 100 volunteers from all over New York to give away Thanksgiving meals to needy families this last November. Over 700 adults and children, about 119 families in all, got a 25-lb box of food to feed a family of six. They either received a turkey or ham.

America's Second Harvest stated that, "one in five people standing in line at a soup kitchen this Thanksgiving was a child." And it is sad to say that one in four children in New York City live in poverty. More than 16,000 homeless children sleep in the New York City shelter system each night.

My family and I helped again this year, and as always, it's truly rewarding.

****

Christmas without a gift is the reality for many of these children living in poverty. I would like to encourage you to put a smile on a child's face this year via a tax-deductible gift to the Children of the City's 2008 Christmas Project. This year we are partnering with New York Cares and St. John's Bread and Life. Since 1981, thousands of children have received a Christmas present thanks to these folks who know the true meaning of Christmas is giving ...

To donate simply click this link. Happy holidays! -- Rocco Basile

New Education Secretary Arne Duncan Announced

President Elect Barack Obama just named his Education Secretary -- longtime friend and fellow Harvard alum Arne Duncan, who headed the Chicago public school system. He has a reputation as an educational reformer, and will be very strong for our country as part of the strengthening of student math and reading skills as an educational trend in the New Year, a topic I cover on my website http://www.roccobasile.net/.

Duncan was responsible for closing then reopening and improving a once failing school known as the Dodge Renaissance Academy on the West side of Chicago. Now 79.4 percent of their students meet or exceed state goals; in reading, 69.7 percent of the students meet or exceed the goals.

Focus to attention is what most students need to improve their skills in reading and math. We know this from the work being done at Childrenofthecity.org, in Brooklyn, New York. This charity recently rallied together over 100 volunteers to distribute free Thanksgiving meals to needy families at their facility on Sunday November 23, 2008, feeding over 700 adults and children. 119 families in all came to Children of the City and received a Thanksgiving meal which included a 25-lb box of food to feed a family of 6 and either a ham or turkey.


“One in five people standing in line at a soup kitchen this Thanksgiving was a child. 1 in 4 children right here in New York City live in poverty” said the organization's Joyce Mattera, Executive Director and Founder.

--Rocco Basile

The Cost of Education Today

Today's New York Times had a Letter to the Editor response to a prior article by writer Tamir Lewin that was published on December 3, 2008 focusing on how College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S. based on the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Eric J. Furda, the dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania wrote that there are some institutions like his that do offer aid to students. There, undergraduate students who are eligible for financial aid are offered no-loan packages, regardless of family income.

He went on to say what this means is that students from typical families with incomes that are less than $40,000 per year will pay no tuition, nor room or board. Penn accepts students based solely on academic and other strengths, not on families’ ability to pay. And despite the current economic crisis, they remain steadfast in this commitment to educate the best and brightest young people, regardless of economic background.

Here's my favorite part of his comments... Penn’s founder Benjamin Franklin once said, an investment in education pays the greatest interest.

As I continue the work I do for my two charities, including Children of the City and the Joe Dimaggio Award Committee, for my Alma Mater, Xaverian High school (left photo), it is rewarding to know that the youth participating in these programs will have a chance to attend college and universities, because of the care we are putting into helping them now. My website, http://www.roccobasile.net/ features many of the exciting programs that are in progress.

But it is pretty sad to read the some of the statistics in the report. College tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007 while median family income rose 147 percent. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last ten years, while students from lower-income families, on average, get smaller grants from the colleges they attend than students from more affluent families.

-- Rocco Basile

Final Stages of No Child Left Behind

On November 13, officials discussed the final Title I regulations to strengthen No Child Left Behind (NCLB) ED during a national teleconference. Back on October 28 U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings had announced the final regulations to strengthen and clarify NCLB, focusing on improved accountability and transparency, uniform and disaggregated graduation rates and improved parental notification for Supplemental Education Services and public school choice.

As I follow educational trends and often post interesting facts on my website http://www.rocccobasile.net/. I thought perhaps this slide show from the teleconference call would be of great interest to those who did not yet read it.

Click here to see the PowerPoint presentation of slides. This discussion was led by ED officials who were involved in developing the regulations and who are helping states, districts, and schools implement them. The focus was on regulations related to high school graduation rate, supplemental educational services, and public school choice.

Basically, the reforms introduced into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) by the NCLB have changed the way that states and districts approach educating all students to achieve high standards.

Now, the final regulations respond to the lessons learned from six years of implementing the reforms, and build on the advances states have made with their assessment and accountability systems. --Rocco Basile

President Elect Obama and Educational Reform

I was doing some detailed research online and studying how things might change insofar as education with the new president in office. As you know I support education via my charities - http://www.childrenofthecity.org/ and also on my educational website http://www.roccobasile.org/. But with the new president, there will be new policies. It is important that we all know what these are.

President elect Obama has been a leader on educational issues throughout his career, and in the Illinois State Senate he was a leader on early childhood education, helping to create the state's Early Learning Council. In the U.S. Senate, Obama has also been a leader in working to make college more affordable. His first bill sought to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,100.

Obama also helped pass legislation to achieve that goal in the recent improvements to the Higher Education Act, and he has also introduced legislation to create Teacher Residency Programs and to increase federal support for summer learning opportunities.

Unlike some of the other early childhood education plans, the Obama-Biden plan places key emphasis at early care. Their "Zero to Five" plan will provide support to young children and their parents, and unlike other early childhood education plans, the Obama-Biden plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama and Biden plan to create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school. They will:

• Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama and Biden will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both.
• Affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama and Biden will also provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families.

Here are other key promises:

Barack Obama will reform No Child Left Behind
Both Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. That is why he plans to improve the assessments used to track student progress, and measure a student's readiness for college.

Invest in early childhood education
This comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children as well as their parents, helping states move towards a voluntary, universal pre-school system.

Make college affordable to all Americans
Barack Obama and Joe Biden have plans to create what they are calling a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 in exchange for community service. It will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students.

Obama has some aggressive plans. Check out his Education Website. -- Rocco Basile

Watch the entire video by clicking below:

Education in Thailand Poses Long-term Threat

In my research for my own educational trends website, http://www.rocdcobasile.oprg/, I often come across interesting articles about educational situations, or trends from other countries. The country of Thailand's political stability is a mess because of the months-long standoff between the administration and the People's Alliance for Democracy. What is more compelling however, than this country's politics, is the quality of basic education. It is this issue that will pose a long-term threat to the country, according to a recent report by the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment.

Left: These children are members of the Palong, a Mon-Khmer tribe found mostly in Burma's Shan state.

Halfway into the five-year evaluation of the performance of both primary and secondary schools across the country, the bad news is out. One-fifth of the 22,811 schools did not pass, and with more than 12,800 schools yet to be evaluated, since most of them are small ones located in remote areas, the chances of these passing the standard are remote, as they are already struggling to find enough money to run the schools, as well as teachers.

This is such a sad story in a country with a government where politicians taking the helm of the ministry of education do it for position and for the sake of their party, and not for the students.
And even through teachers are considered very important when general elections come, and are influential in rural areas they too can convince voters who to cast the ballot for when the time comes to vote. This is why many policies and projects target the teachers.

In Thailand, over the past eight years, there have been only two ministers in education who were qualified and praised by educators keen to see improvements in education.

Perhaps the country should consider a template for improved education that works from other countries, and cities, like the program instituted in Brooklyn, NY by Children of the City. Volunteers help the children with their homework, and provide a community environment where kids want to learn.

--Rocco Basile

The source for tis article came from Saritdet Marukatat, a News Editor, Bangkok Post.

Statistics on Our Country's Education

According to a website called Charity Navigator, there are about 1.5 million elementary school teachers and 1.1 million secondary school teachers in the United States, and the amount spent, by average, on home schooling per child in the United States is about $450. Here are some more interesting statistics, and you'll find other data on my website at http://www.roccobasile.org/.

• There are between 8 and 15 million children nationwide are unsupervised at the end of each school day;
  The average deaf child isn't introduced to English until age six, upon entering school.
  87% of Americans aged 18 to 24 have completed high school with a diploma or an alternative credential such as a General Education Development (GED) certificate;


• School districts in the U.S. with the highest child poverty rates have $1,139 fewer state and local dollars to spend per student than the wealthiest districts; and


• When among 18- to 24-year-old Americans are given maps, 70 percent cannot find New Jersey and 11 percent cannot find the United States.

This country is in a sad state when it comes to the education of our youth. And based on the charities that i have been working with, the only resolution are programs that actually do make a difference, like Children of the City.

On October 30 we had a Friends and Legislators Cocktail Party which was hosted by Commerce Bank. The purpose of the event was to bring together individuals from the New York business community, political community, and philanthropic community to continue dialogue around educational, social, and humanitarian needs of disadvantaged children and families in Greater New York.

Before Christmas we will be hosting our annual toy drive. Stay tuned with more info.

-- Rocco Basile