CAMPUS AND AREA
University Daily Kansan, January 18, 1984
Page
Lawrence High to make graduation harder
By ROBIN PALMER Staff Reporter
Lawrence High School will increase its graduation requirements for students graduating in 1988, a member of the state Board of Education said yesterday.
After 1987, students will need an additional credit in math, science and social sciences to graduate. The school is also conferring additions to its curriculum.
Linda Allen, an LHS counselor, said the requirements were made to upgrade the college preparatory curriculums and to provide practical classes for students who did not plan to attend college.
Another reason for the change is the desire of some universities for stronger preparation in certain subjects, said Mike Downing, supervisor of student services.
*Education for the past years has been under fire because reading levels
have drawn national attention," he said. "Each school district has now looked at its curriculum to see what they were doing in these areas."
ADMISSIONS OFFICIALS at the University of Kansas said that the changes probably would not affect the number of students enrolling at KU or other universities but would affect some academic areas positively.
"The effects of these changes will be positive on student preparation and performance in the classroom," said Linda Thompson, director of admissions. "Students should be better able to compete academically."
If high school students are better prepared before they get to college, colleges may also be able to cut the number of remedial classes, Thompson said.
The last 10 years have shown a trend toward weak college preparation because students knew they could get into universities without college preparatory classes, Thompson said. As colleges have tightened their requirements, so have high schools, and students are beginning to take the preparatory classes.
JOHN H. VIGNERON, accreditions specialist for the state board and state director for the North Central Association for colleges and schools, said that high schools nationwide had to adopt the minimum requirements outlined by state school boards to be accredited.
National minimum requirements for accreditation include the following: four years of English or language arts, out of which three must be English; three years of social studies, out of which one must be United States history and a half year must be science out of which one must be a laboratory class; two years of math; and one year of physical education.
THE NATIONAL SCHOOL Board requires eight units of electives coupled with the 12 units of required classes for a total of 20 units. Vigneron said.
LHS has also increased elective
credits by one, but has raised the total graduation requirement by four credits. Students now require 21 credits before graduating.
THE GRADUATION Requirement Committee at LHS complied the new graduation requirements and submitted them for approval by the Curriculum and Intrusions Team, Secondary Administrators, the Planning and Coordinating Team and finally to the Lawrence School Board
Reasons for the changes are partially the result of the impact of approximately 25 reports by review groups on teacher preparation, teacher-student ratios in high school courses. However, the "Natural Report" that was commissioned by President Reagan has had a stronger influence than others, Vigneron said.
Alen said, "The intent here is to provide classes on all levels of ability and not to direct only at the college preparatory students."
Peace can grow from grassroots, counselor says
By ROB KARWATH Staff Reporter
Bypassing governments and getting people to talk about peace on a person-to-person basis may solve the conflict in the Middle East, a family counselor and expert in conflict resolution said last night.
Although the idea sounds simple, it is gaining support worldwide. James Ricketts and
"There is a lot of grassroots energy going on around the world," he said. "People aren't waiting to be rescued by the superpowers."
Reagan spoke to about 40 people in
the Council Room of the Kansas Union. His speech was titled, "The Peace Movement in the Middle East: Win-Win Alternatives to Coercion for the Arab-Australian Struggle." After the meeting, he about an hour to answer questions.
Reagan will get a chance to test his method for solving conflicts in March when he travels to Israel to conduct a seminar with 12 Israelis and 12 Arabs.
THE SEMINAR WILL be in a small village northeast of Tel Aviv, Israel's capital, and will concentrate on training Israeliis to solve their conflicts peacefully.
Money for the trip has come from
many sources, Reagan said. The seminar is in the process of applying for aid from the Agency for International Development in Washington, D.C.
The approach we're using is very human, very personal," he said. He described the Arabs and Israelis he will be working with as common people.
THE CONFERENCE HAS been in the planning stages since October 1982. Reagan said that one of his friends thought up the idea.
After Reagan wrote a 10-page syllabus for the conference, copies were passed around at a meeting of the group. From there, it was distributed in
several small towns in Israel and people began to call him wanting to participate in the conference.
"When we first got into this, we said we wouldn't mediate." Reagan said. "We were willing to share whatever knowledge we had without mediating."
Too often in traditional conflict-solving methods, Reagan said, the two sides start arguing before all their ideas have been aired.
Instead, he said, the two sides must
not forget these differences at first and
then move on.
"Otherwise, the idea can die before it is born." he said.
ASK backs bill giving more financial awards to education students
By CINDY HOLM Staff Reporter
Kansas students majoring in education could receive up to $3,750 in scholarships under a bill now being considered by the Kansas State University KU's director of the Associated Students of Kansas said yesterday.
The committee will vote next week on whether to recommend to the House the teacher scholarship bill, which asks for 300 scholarships of $1,500 a year, said Chris Edmonds, the director.
Legislative research in Topeka estimates that the program would cost the state between $900,000 and $1 million a year.
THE SCHOLARSHIP WOULD be renewable for up to five semesters upon proof of good academic stand- ing defined by the Board of Regents.
To qualify for a scholarship, students would have to be Kansas residents in their junior year and be enrolled in, or have been accepted into, a college program. They also would have to pass a competitive examination.
The bill requires that after graduating, scholarship recipients teach in Kansas one semester for every semester that they received a scholarship or that they repay with interest the money they received.
"The loan in one way or another would be returned to the state," Edmonds said.
Edmonds, Topeka sophomore,
and two other ASK representatives testified yesterday to the House committee on behalf of the bill
Although the scholarship bill would directly benefit only education students, it would help all students by decreasing the amount of money education students use for general scholarship funds, he said.
ASK HAS DESIGNATED the bill its top priority this semester because it would provide incentives for students to enter teaching, he said.
"The scholarship program is part of a more comprehensive program designed to attract more and better qualified students into the field of education, hence improving the quality of education in Kansas," he
The teacher scholarship bill is the first step of many needed to improve education at all levels, elementary to post-secondary. Edmunds said
State Rep. John Solbach, D-
Lawrence, agreed that the bill would be more effective as a part of a package of education legislation.
Solbach said that alone the scholarship bill would not improve the teacher situation in Kansas. He said that because of low salaries, students might teach in Kansas only as long as the scholarship required or they might choose to teach in another state and repay the loan.
Edmonds said other education issues included salary increases, higher academic standards and a program suggested by the governor.