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OpEd / YOU TESTIFY \ / HRSTANPUN \ ( CHENEYNTI \ TESTIFY I \ TOGETHER’. 7 MR* Letter policy The Forsyth County News wel- ____ comes your opinions on issues of public concern. Letters / l~ must be signed and f fAa < | include full address and a i daytime and evening J | |ST| t I phone number for verifi- J I /®| I cation. Names and home- / towns of letter writers will \JWkJW / be included for publication without exception. \ • Telephone numbers will not \\ be published (f~~ \ Letters should be limited to 350 B / \ words and may be edited or con- S\\ densed. The same writer or group may only submit one letter per month for consideration. | Letters must be submitted by • H noon Wednesday for Sunday pub- JU eiW7 lication. We do not publish poetry or blanket letters and generally do not pub- ‘ v lish letters concerning consumer complaints. Unsigned or incorrectly identified letters will be withheld. Mail letters to the Forsyth County News. P.O. Box 210, Cumming. GA 30028, hand deliver to 302 Veterans Memorial Blvd., fax to (770) 889-6017 or email to editor@forsythnews.com. Strong arm tactic eyed WASHINGTON Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is being urged by colleagues to threaten to close down the Senate for the rest of the year unless Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle ends his disruptive tactics. In addition to menacing all judicial nomina tions, Daschle is now preventing legislation from being sent to Senate-House conferences to resolve differences in bills passed by both Houses unless the outcome is guaranteed. Sen. Jon Kyi of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, and other conservatives want Frist to counter Daschle by bringing the business of the Senate to a halt. This would mean passing an omnibus appropriations bill and then awaiting the outcome of the elec tions. Democrats could not offer their pet amend ments, but it also would prevent passage of a budget resolution and, therefore, kill any chance of making the Bush tax cuts permanent. Delay indicted? The word spread through Republican circles on Capitol Hill is that a runaway Democratic prosecutor in Texas may indict House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, creating upheaval in the GOP leadership. DeLay is a Republican hero for orchestrating the off-year congressional redistricting that promises to produce six additional House seats for his party. However, District Attorney Ronnie Earle in Austin may bring an indictment against DeLay for alleged illegal cash payments in con nection with the redistricting fight. That would force DeLay to step aside as majority leader at least temporarily. DeLay predicts there will be no indictment, but concedes the old saw that a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich if the prosecutor so desires. Earle indicted Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in 1993 on trumped-up charges, but he dropped the case after the trial judge's ruling indicated that, in effect, there was no case. ’’Stay in Pittsburgh” Teresa Heinz Kerry, Sen. John Kerry's viva cious wife, was a major asset on the campaign trail during the primary elections but has run into backstage criticism since then - particularly in Philadelphia last week. Mrs. Kerry asked Rep. Bob Brady, master of ceremonies at the event, whether she could intro duce Gov. Edward Rendell (who in turn would introduce the prospective Democratic presiden- — Robert Novak yr time you come to Philadelphia, leave her in Pittsburgh (Mrs. Kerry’s hometown when she was married to the late Republican Sen. John Heinz)." Funding the left The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) dropped spon sorship of a conference in Washington June 1-4, "Youth and Health: Generation on the Edge," that espouses left-wing causes after conservative Republican congressmen protested. The Bush-bashing MoveOn.org, funded by billionaire investor George Soros, is one of the conference's presenters. Also included are the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), which does not qualify for federal family planning grants because it advocates abortion, and the pro-abortion United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The House Republican Study Committee last Wednesday drafted a letter to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and AID administrator Andrew Natsios expressing "great concern and disappointment" over funding of the conference by their agencies. Louisiana logjam The sudden interest in a political comeback by Republican former Gov. Buddy Roemer is threatening to deflate high GOP hopes for win ning a U.S. Senate seat from Louisiana for the first time since Reconstruction. Polls show Republican Rep. David Vitter leading Democratic Rep. Chris John, retiring Sen. John Breaux's handpicked successor, and Democratic State Treasurer John Kennedy. Roemer, an ex-Democrat who served a contro versial hitch for governor (1988-1992), could change all that if he enters the race with better name identification than any other candidate. In Louisiana's non-party free-for-all election. Roemer and Vitter could divide up the Republican vote and lose to a Democrat. With Democrats strongly challenging Republican-held seats in Colorado, Oklahoma, Alaska and Illinois, Republicans may have to take Louisiana to keep control of the Senate. Robert Novak is a nationally syndicated columnist and a television commentator. Alternative teacher prep ‘way to go’ By Dr. Holly Robinson and Eric Wearne For the Forsyth County News When Georgia decided in 2001 to expand the teacher base by accelerating teacher training to allow professionals from other fields into class rooms, the state's Professional Standards Commission devel oped the Georgia Teacher Alternative Preparation Program, or GATAPP. This program was created in part to meet the immediate and spe cific needs of school systems and to provide an innovative and efficient transition to the profession. The National Center for Education Information has tracked alternative teacher programs since New Jersey began the initiative in 1983. By 1998, 41 states and the District of Columbia had some type of alternative certifica tion. Now all 50 states and the District have some type of alternative teacher certifica tion. GATAPP is an alternative option for individuals with a bachelor's degree to acquire the knowledge and skills for successful teaching in a rea sonable time frame. While still young, the program promises to become an effective model for using a classroom-based approach to develop individu als with broad-based work experiences, skills, content knowledge and abilities into excellent teachers. The two-year program includes two phases: an inten sive four- to six-week summer introduction, and a series of continuing education classes and meetings with colleagues, instructors and administrators. To be eligible, candidates must hold a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution, a GPA of 2.5 or higher, passing scores on teacher certification exams, recommendation from a school system as a new hire and passing the educator employment background check. According to Roy Einrein- tial nominee). The candidate's wife then launched into a 10- minute speech about her early life in Mozambique and on the iniquities of George W. Bush, but forgot to introduce Rendell. After the event concluded, Brady told a Kerry aide: "Next hofer, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, Georgia has set high criteria for acceptance into the pro gram. The GATAPP teachers hail from such diverse back grounds as accounting, com puter and information technol ogy, engineering, forestry, legal, military, manufacturing, retail, media and the arts. They bring maturity, work experi ences and new excitement to the classroom. At Parks Middle School in Atlanta, second-year GATAPP teacher Stacey Webb provides sixth-, seventh- and eighth grade remedial math instruc tion. Webb, who has a degree in mathematics and actuarial science, worked for four years in international finance with American Express. She finds her corporate experience helps her create more authentic tasks for her students. With her experience in data analysis in corporate America, she is comfortable with her ability to assess student data and inter pret the results. Parks Principal Michael Sims prais es the commitment of his GATAPP teachers, seeing a willingness to "go beyond the call of duty.” Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states are respon sible for reforming teacher licensure and certification, alternative certification, teacher testing for subject mat ter knowledge and assisting teachers in becoming "highly qualified." Os the $2.175 bil lion allocated nationally to implement Title 11-A, Georgia has received more than 575 million. The goal is to raise student achievement in the academic subjects. Fortunately. GATAPP teachers are considered highly qualified under Georgia's defi nition for NCLB: They will hold bachelor's degrees in sub jects related to what they teach; take tests to prove their subject competence, and be in an approved program leading to a renewable certificate. cam p 4 weeklong summer camp for boys and girls designed to enhance player skills and promote salvation, character and self-esteem through the game of basketball Camp Winner's Kit Ev«ry camper in your program rocoivot ffi I *' t, ■ I r'WuPda>'»awar* • Upward'_rr( Hasketbif' I , . 'irvo’.v.J . • Upward Camp Adtur Sutlie Upward Basketboll Camp also provides: 1 fl • tqial W>i<r-\ and rtqiial t#»rng vma tor web ? '- pan cipant -Kg V gardes a~(1 Uu I dovr'lnpnm* tonMHy * chin rcjardess rt p.por.cnrp ~ ifetrafe 1 - * • ftus arp oevotKrs and Script re norm) tare ' f f Camp Dates: Thursday, June 3- Saturday, June 5 Grades 1-3: 8 am - 12 Noon Grades 4-8:1 pm -5 pm Cheerleading (grades 1-8) Bam -12 Noon (Grades are based on the 2003-2004 school year During camp, boys and girls will be on mixed teams) Early registration cost is S4O per child Starting May 26, registration cost is SSO per child Cumming First United Methodist Church 770 Canton Hwy • Cumming, GA 30040 Questions? Call: (770) 887-2900, ext 219 FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Wednesday, April 28.2004 I Not all systems have been willing to hire these new edu cators, wanting first to see their success rate. So far, how ever, the program has proven to be a positive initiative for Georgia schools and students. Officials expected about 200 potential career-switchers in 2001, the first year the pro gram was offered, but more than 4,000 showed up for the statewide information ses sions. When school opened that year, 707 professionals, including physicians, lawyers and architects, were teaching in the classrooms of Georgia. The average age of the first GATAPP class was 33 years. Fifty-one percent were minori ty and 29 percent were men. Many had taught or had been substitute teachers in their local schools. In the 2002 class, the number of candi dates grew to 717, of whom 43 percent were minority and 31 percent were men. Recently released GATAPP statistics for 2003 continue to show diversity, growth and statewide geographic distribu tion. There were 594 candi dates, of which 34 percent were male; in 2003, 18.2 per cent of Georgia's teachers overall were male. Only 16 chose not to complete the pro gram. The ethnic distribution is noteworthy: 42 percent black, 53 percent white and the remaining 5 percent includes Hispanic, Asian and American Indian. They were hired by more than 80 school systems. In 2003, 77.9 percent of Georgia teachers overall were white. This alternative teacher preparation model has also created partnerships between several school systems and universities such as Georgia State. Columbus State and Armstrong Atlantic, among others, regional educational service agencies and the Professional Standards Commission. Charles Cumiskey of Columbus State's GATAPP is awaiting his fourth class of new teachers. As proof of the program's success, he cites more than 60 "well-received" teachers in 10 school systems in that region. GATAPP teachers are "not as fragile as teachers fresh out of college, and have real matu rity," says. Cumiskey, a veteran K-12 educator. People are now calling him to inquire about the program and his teachers include an architect, lawyer and retired business leaders. Rosa Shelton teaches math at Marshall Middle School in Muscogee County. After grad uating from college she worked in the technology field in Washington. "Teaching is such a creative field," says Shelton, now a third-year GATAPP teacher. She says she loves interacting with the chil dren. GATAPP is proving the promise of an effective class room-based option to prepare new teachers. In a 2002 survey conducted by the Professional Standards Comm-ission, 92 percent of respondents "some what" or "strongly" agreed that the GATAPP program had provided them the necessary skills and training to be effec tive teachers. As one program teacher explained, "This is challenging, but if you know in your heart that you want to be a teacher, GATAPP is the way to go." Dr. Holly Robinson is sen ior vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. Eric Wearne, a research assistant at the Foundation, is a Ph D. student in educational studies at Emory University and a for mer high school teacher of English and debate. The Foundation is an independent think tank that proposes prac tical. market-oriented ap proaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians. Nothing w ritten here is to be construed as nec essarily reflecting the views of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature. PAGE 11A