NATION AND WORLD
University Daily Kansan, January 19, 1984
Page 9
Bell says better software can aid learning
By United Press International
WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Terrel Bell said yesterday that he wanted to help bring America's schools into the computer age by developing "futuristic" programs to teach math and writing.
Bell said that his proposed fiscal 1985 budget, which will be presented to Congress later this month, would include funds for the development of computer software for these key subjects.
"It would be futuristic, but the longest journey begins with the first step," Bell said in an interview. "The time to start is now."
"We want to spend more of our research and development monies in the development of computer software. Schools are buying computers — it is almost a fad — but much of the software leaves a lot to be desired."
Bell, who has been in a battle with the
Office of Budget and Management over financing, declined to say what his budget proposal would total or what individual segments would cost.
President Reagan took office vowing to abolish the Education Department, but in the past year, with education emerging as a main political and domestic issue, he has put such plans on indefinite hold.
OTHER BUDGET PROPOSALS would include funds to help develop performed-based teacher pay plans and to expand college work-study programs that would pay students as tutors for adult illiterates, Bell said.
Bell also said that the immediate fate of his crusade to upgrade schools would be decided, in part, by state legislatures — many of those that are now from merit pay to higher grades ranging from merit pay for teachers to tougher graduation requirements.
"I FHEY ENACT the reforms,
'I believe we will see a far-reaching and
possibly significant change in American education," he said.
Terrel Bell
Much of Bell's comments focused on his desire to plug in education to better serve students.
"One reason many teachers don't assign as many writing assignments as they should is because it, is sort of self-inflicted punishment," he said, noting the piles of papers they have to grade.
In order to help the states in this area, he said, "We would like to develop software packages for small, inexpensive micro-computers in two areas where we think we have serious problems" — writing and math.
Bell said that computer experts had told him "software can be developed where much of this hard work can be done." The teacher's a slave mechanism for the teacher.
The education secretary said that he also wanted programs for pre-algebra and algebra.
U.S. captains deny Nicaraguan charges
By United Press International
PALMEROLA, Honduras — Two U.S. Army survivors from the Nicaraguan gunfire that killed an American pilot denied Nicaragua charges yesterday that they were on a spy mission while in Afghanistan, where they have strayed over Nicaraguan territory.
Capt. Robert Green, 39, and Capt.
Christopher B. Maitin, 27, both army
engineers, gave their first public
account of the attack last Wednesday
from Chief Warrant Officer Jeffrey Schwab, who was piloting the hellcaster
The three were "on a routine administrative flight, we had no knowledge we were lost and the pilot gave no indication," said Maitin at a news conference at the U.S. military
base at Palmerola, 60 miles north of Tegucigalpa.
The base is U.S. headquarters for the Big Pine II maneuvers, in which Schwab was participating when killed.
THEY SAID THEY were 4,000 feet above an open valley when the firing first started, coming from light automatic weapons and a small machine gun, and the first shot hit the helicopter at 3,000 feet.
"We saw the tracers and heard rounds popping. When it hit, it felt like it stopped us in air," said Maitin, of Enos, Mont.
"The pilot (Schwab) executed a superb, basically miraculous, landing without power on a road we later powered to be in Honduras." Maitin said.
Asked if they could have straved over
Nicaragua, Green, of Dothan, Ala.
replied, "It's possible."
Questioned on reports that the three had flown deliberately to the border to inspect the new road project being built by Honduras, Green said, "We had no mission to do road construction or anything of that nature."
IN RESPONSE TO A charge from Nicaragua that the three were deliberately lay low over Nicaragua to survey the Nicaraguan base at La Limonera, Green said. "That's not true."
we didn't see anything on the ground." Green said. Both officers denied that they had ever been involved in intelligence work.
The two said all three men immediately jumped out of the aircraft and buried their faces in a ditch.
knew when he got hit. He was directly in front of me. I had buried my head in him.
But they learn it in a great
interaction with Schwab, Maitlin said, "I
He said Schwab was in the ditch with them and had ngt been hit beforehand. Both men denied a Honduran army report issued hours before that said they had raised their hands in surrender.
"ALL I WANTED to do was get out of the area alread," said Green. "I was able to run behind a hill along the road" while the firing was still going on.
They said they were on a routine flight to El Aguacate, a Honduran army base, where they said they were building an airstrip.
The strip, which U.S.-financed Nicaragua rebels have claimed is being expanded for their use, will be 6,000 to feet long when finished, the two said.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Donald Albaeta, saying he wanted to avoid "partisan bickering and a media extravaganza" in an election year, Wednesday abruptly called off public hearings in his office. Rep. Donald Reagan's 1980 campaign inspired Jimmy Carter's papers.
By United Press International
Albosta, D-Mich., had planned to reagain aides, including White House chief of staff James Baker and CIA Director William Casey, to testify before his House committee on the subject. A second subcommittee started Jan. 26.
He said he would request instead that key witnesses sign sworn statements, subject to perjury laws, regarding their knowledge of how Carter materials reached the Reagan campaign. The White House said President Reagan has asked his aides to cooperate.
ALBOSTA'S ACTION appeared to defuse a potentially irritating election year issue for the White House, and provided confirmation that subcommittee investigators have been unable to prove that the passing of Carter's debate briefing book to the Reagan campaign.
Aubusta, however, asserted that his panel's seven-month investigation has "borne considerable fruit, as will be demonstrated when the subcommittee's findings are released." Sources said panel investigators also found other government documents, besides the debate briefing book, in Reagan campaign files.
Albosta did not rule out future hearings. In a 3 $ _{1/2} $ -page statement,
"RECENTLY I HAVE become concerned that holding public hearings on the highly charged issues involved in a presidential election year could have unwanted, undesirable and possibly counterproductive consequences," Albosta said.
Congressman calls off '80 campaign inquiry
be said he is postponing the hearings "until further notice" for fear they could "degenerate into partisan bickering and a media extravaganza."
Rep. Daniel Crane, R-Ill., the ranking minority member on the committee, said in a statement that Albaosa, in the spirit of nonpartisanship, also should seek testimony from members of the Carter administration, including those to the National Security Council."
Albosta, noting that there are still serious "unresolved conflicts" in the recollections of some Reagan campaign officials, said, "it appears that not all of the unwinter state agency subcommittee ... have been truthful."
Albsta indicated previously that some of the material could have come out of a Carter administration NSC meeting.
Chief among the conflicts has been Baker's recollection that he received a copy of the Carter briefing book from Casey, and Casey's statement that he does not remember seeing it.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY SKILLS PROGRAM
A REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL, aid has told the FBI, which is still investigating, that political consultant Paul Corbin claimed last spring that he delivered the briefing book to Casey. Corbin has denied the allegation, according to sources.
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