The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced it will participate in a three-year, $75-million public-private partnership with five other states to develop long-term reform strategies for their lowest-performing schools. Illinois was selected to join the initiative, along with Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, Massachusetts and New York by Mass Insight Education and Research Institute, a Boston-based non-profit education organization focused on closing achievement gaps.
"We’re excited to work with these states and Mass Insight to identify and implement new strategies to turn around struggling schools," said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. "This initiative, funded by an unprecedented amount of federal dollars and private donations, calls for dramatic broad-scale interventions."
Announced February 2nd, 2010, the Partnership Zone Initiative will be funded by a variety of private and public sources, including increased federal funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Additional money for these six states could also be awarded through the federal Race to the Top competitive grant program.
As part of the 2009 - 2010 Broadway Series, the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center proudly presents Disney's Beauty and The Beast Saturday and Sunday, March 6th & 7th, 2010 for three performances. In a tale as old as time, this Disney classic tells the story of Belle, a young woman in a small, provincial town, and the Beast, a prince trapped under an enchantress's spell. If the Beast can learn to love and to be loved, the spell will be broken and he will be transformed back to the prince he really is. But time is running out, and if the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he will be doomed for eternity. Tickets are on sale now for Beauty and the Beast, the sixth longest-running show in Broadway history! Don't miss it!
Identity theft is on the rise, as approximately 10 million Americans fell victim last year. While nothing can guarantee you won't become a victim yourself, there are many ways to minimize risk. "No matter if you're shopping, drawing money from the bank, or simply taking out your trash, it's important to take precautionary actions," says Dr. Nelson Ludlow, CEO of Intellicheck Mobilisa, a developer of wireless security and identity systems for the government, military and commercial markets. Ludlow's Defense ID System has scanned millions of IDs, identifying over ten thousand criminals and suspects with zero false positives. "Remember, people aren't always who they say they are, both online and in the physical world," he adds, noting identity fraud more often occurs in person than online. With this in mind here are some tips from the experts at Intellicheck Mobilisa on safeguarding your identity:
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