AACRAO International Education Services (IES) Names Parchment Its Select Partner for Credential Exchange

WASHINGTON, DC and SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwired - Jun 13, 2013) - AACRAO International Education Services (IES), and Parchment, the leader in eTranscript exchange with more than 7,400 member institutions, today announced that AACRAO IES has selected Parchment as its "Select Partner for Credential Exchange." Parchment will serve as the eTranscript sending and receiving solution for AACRAO IES users.

AACRAO IES will combine its expertise in providing credential evaluations to individual, university and college, government and public sector users with Parchment's easy-to-use eTranscript sending and receiving platform. The partnership will yield operational efficiencies that complement the ever increasing interest of those coming to the United States to continue their education. The combined solution will be available end of summer.

"United States Colleges and Universities that depend on the accuracy and authenticity of an individual's international credentials have relied on AACRAO IES to interpret those documents for over twenty years. In order to continue to improve our service delivery we needed a technology partner whose system could help us provide greater efficiency and security," said Jeff Petrucci, Associate Executive Director, International Initiatives. "Parchment's eTranscript network of users closely mirrors AACRAO's IES user database. The ease of the eTranscript service seemed a natural fit to AACRAO's strategy going forward."

AACRAO IES serves as a leader in credentials exchange and evaluation. The organization delivers in excess of 10,000 evaluations each year to 1,500 U.S. postsecondary institutions, associations, state board and US government entities, receiving transcripts from nearly 20,000 international schools, institutions and accrediting bodies. In combination with its subscription based Electronic Database for Graduate Education (EDGE) AACRAO IES is a complete resource for those serving the International community.

By utilizing the Parchment Exchange platform, AACRAO IES will be able to provide faster processing, higher levels of security and first-ever automation for transcript receivers. Completing the improvements with new tracking/ reporting and analytics capabilities from Parchment, the international transcript sending and receiving environment will operate more smoothly than ever before possible.

Parchment, trusted by the largest member user community in education, has exchanged more than 9 million transcripts, and counts institutions from almost 80 countries among its active members. The company built the Parchment Exchange platform to serve as a one-stop solution that puts equal emphasis on both sides of the eTranscript equation -- sending and receiving. With features including touch-free, complete automation, the ability to work with any Student Information System (SIS) or Electronic Admissions Application (eApp) and the highest level of security for pdf and printed documents, Parchment makes the international transcript exchange process more straightforward.

"We're understandably thrilled to have been selected by AACRAO IES as its Select Partner for Credential Exchange," said Parchment CEO Matthew Pittinsky, Ph.D. "AACRAO is a critical resource for academic and enrollment services and serves the broadest international community of education admission and registration professionals. Like Parchment, AACRAO's goal is to provide administrative solutions that ultimately allow educational institutions to focus on students and their success."

About AACRAO IES
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) is a nonprofit, voluntary, professional association of more than 11,000 higher education admissions and registration professionals who represent more than 2,600 institutions and agencies in the United States and in over 40 countries around the world. The mission of AACRAO is to serve and advance higher education by providing leadership in academic and enrollment services.

AACRAO International Educational Services (IES) traces its roots to the AACRAO-USAID (US Agency for International Development) Cooperative Agreement whereby AACRAO provided evaluations of foreign educational credentials to USAID's Academic Advisory Service on students receiving scholarships to attend US colleges and universities beginning in the 1960's. With the cessation of the scholarship program in 1991, AACRAO opened the evaluation service to member institutions and the public.

About Parchment
Parchment is the leader in electronic transcript (eTranscript) exchange, allowing learners and institutions to collect, promote and share their education credentials in simple and secure ways. More than 7,400 active member high schools and postsecondary institutions, including 8 statewide initiatives, have exchanged more than 9 million transcripts using the Docufide by Parchment™ and Avow by Parchment™ SaaS platforms -- now collectively known as Parchment Exchange. Founded in 2003, Parchment Inc. is a venture-backed company headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, with offices in Roseville, CA, Denver, CO and Washington, DC.
Contact:
Media
Tiffany Hsu
AACRAO
Email Contact
202.263.0290

Rajeev Arora
Parchment
Email Contact
480-719-1646 ext. 1090

Jim Boyle
Boyle Public Affairs
Email Contact
571-213-3979

read more : http://finance.yahoo.com/news/aacrao-international-education-services-ies-133000442.html

Lysa Hlavinka Clemens Joins Career Education as Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

SymbolPriceChangeCECO 2.91 -0.05




SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Career Education Corporation (CEC) (CECO), a global provider of postsecondary education programs and services, today announced that Lysa Hlavinka Clemens has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives.

A 20-year veteran of private sector higher education, Clemens began her career with the University of Phoenix, serving as the company’s first marketing employee. In 11 years there, she managed both marketing and campus administration functions, developed the first corporate marketing department and introduced its first national brand and advertising strategy. She also established the university’s first inbound call center for interested students.

Clemens joined Strayer as Vice President of Marketing in 2001 and repositioned the institution’s brand for national expansion. She later advanced to Senior Vice President of Administration and ultimately Chief Administrative Officer. In that role, she oversaw Strayer’s campus expansion into 15 states and the market introduction of Strayer’s online programs. She later led marketing and served as Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer.

“During my tenure at Strayer Education, we took a network of small schools around Washington, D.C., and transformed it into a respected nationwide system of campuses with a leading online education platform,” said Scott W. Steffey, president and chief executive officer of Career Education. “A key member of that Strayer team was Lysa Hlavinka Clemens. I couldn’t be more pleased that she will now join Career Education at this critical juncture to lead our organizational re-engineering and our inquiry response center, while taking on other special projects.”

Most recently, Clemens served as Chief Operating Officer of Synergis Education, which provides marketing, enrollment, accounting, and retention services to small private colleges and universities. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Advertising from Arizona State University and her MBA from University of Phoenix.

About Career Education Corporation

The colleges, schools and universities that are part of the Career Education Corporation (“CEC”) family offer high-quality education to a diverse student population of more than 75,000 students across the world in a variety of career-oriented disciplines through online, on-ground and hybrid learning program offerings. The more than 90 campuses that serve these students are located throughout the United States and in France, the United Kingdom and Monaco, and offer doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees and diploma and certificate programs.

CEC is an industry leader whose institutions are recognized globally. Those institutions include, among others, American InterContinental University (“AIU”); Brooks Institute; Colorado Technical University (“CTU”); Harrington College of Design; INSEEC Group (“INSEEC”) Schools; International University of Monaco (“IUM”); International Academy of Design & Technology (“IADT”); Le Cordon Bleu North America (“LCB”); and Sanford-Brown Institutes and Colleges. Through its schools, CEC is committed to providing high-quality education, enabling students to graduate and pursue rewarding career opportunities.

For more information, see CEC's website at www.careered.com. The website includes a detailed listing of individual campus locations and web links to CEC's colleges, schools, and universities.


Contact:
Career Education Corporation
Mark Spencer, 847.585.3802
mdspencer@careered.com

read more : http://finance.yahoo.com/news/lysa-hlavinka-clemens-joins-career-172200538.html

Media Advisory - Global conference to feature investor education experts from six continents

IFIE-IOSCO Investor Education Conference June 20-21, 2013 in Toronto

TORONTO, June 13, 2013 /CNW/ - The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) is hosting the fifth International Forum for Investor Education (IFIE) and International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Global Investor Education Conference from June 20 - 21, 2013, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Ontario.

The conference theme focuses on changing investor behaviour across life stages - children and youth, working years and retirement. IFIE Chair and IIROC President and CEO Susan Wolburgh Jenah and IOSCO Secretary General David Wright will lead an exciting line up of high-profile speakers from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific Region.

Regulators and investor education practitioners will share best practices and learn about new research, tips and tools for implementing effective financial education, financial capability and investor literacy/education initiatives and programmes within their countries and organizations.
Event: IFIE-IOSCO 2013 Global Investor Education Conference - Delivering Dynamic Financial Capability and Investor Education Programmes: Changing Behaviour Across Life Stages

Date & Time: Thursday, June 20, 2013
11:30 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Friday, June 21, 2013
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Hilton Toronto
145 Richmond St. W,
Toronto, Ontario

Who: Susan Wolburgh Jenah, Chair, IFIE and President and CEO, IIROC;
David Wright, Secretary General, IOSCO;

Comedian James Cunningham will deliver an interactive session of Funny Money
- the programme he delivers to high school students
Other speakers and panelists from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the U.S.


Click here for full agenda and list of speakers

***

Chartered in 2005, the International Forum for Investor Education (IFIE) is an alliance of 28 organizations of regulators, industry associations and other interested stakeholders from 15 countries that promotes higher standards and information sharing in financial and investor education. IFIE serves as a clearinghouse for the exchange of information between providers of investor education from different jurisdictions, including organizations that are just beginning to develop investor education programs.

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), established in 1983, is the acknowledged international body that brings together the world's securities regulators and is recognized as the global standard setter for the securities sector. IOSCO's membership regulates more than 95% of the world's securities markets in over 110 jurisdictions.

The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) is the national self-regulatory organization which oversees all investment dealers and trading activity on debt and equity marketplaces in Canada. Created in 2008 through the consolidation of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and Market Regulation Services Inc., IIROC sets high quality regulatory and investment industry standards, protects investors and strengthens market integrity while maintaining efficient and competitive capital markets.

read more : http://finance.yahoo.com/news/media-advisory-global-conference-feature-193000026.html

Panel OKs Education Department to build schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department could use federal dollars to build schools for districts that suffer traumatic events such as those in Newtown, Conn., under an agreement the Senate education panel approved Wednesday.

Senators rewriting the No Child Left Behind education law agreed to expand the Education Department's authority to help schools face shootings, suicide or other disruptive events. The Education Department does not currently pay for school construction projects and the proposed changes could expand Washington's role in special circumstances.

"Like we help schools that are felled by natural disasters ... we should help schools that are felled by mass assassinations," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

Adam Lanza, 20, killed his mother at their Newtown home before going to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children.

Newtown schools have already received $1.3 million in federal aid to offset costs the district incurred after the December 2012 shooting as well as provide counseling and training for school officials.

Students have been moved to a remodeled school renamed Sandy Hook Elementary School in the neighboring town of Monroe. Officials in Newtown plan to build a new elementary school and Murphy proposed having Washington pick up some of the tab.

"This is a small town. They do not have the resources available to rebuild the school," Murphy said.

Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee opposed the proposal, saying it would shift the Education Department into the construction business.

"We have provisions for emergencies and disasters declared by the president that have construction of public buildings that are damaged," said Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the top Republican on the panel. "This seems to be a pretty big jump from a crisis management plan to" being responsible for 50 percent of the cost of new schools.

The changes would affect a relatively small program inside the Education Department. Since 2001, the department has given more than $33.5 million to 106 schools recovering from violence or other disruptive incidents.

The proposal comes as senators rewrite the massive No Child Left Behind law that governs all schools that receive federal tax dollars. The Democratic-led panel is scrapping the one-sized-fits-all national requirements of No Child Left Behind and instead giving way to standards that states write for themselves.

Other changes agreed to include a requirement for schools to report how much money they spend on school sports — broken down by team and gender.

"They know how much money they're spending. We're just asking that it's made public," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

As with most proposed changes, Republicans on the committee opposed measure.

"The girls' softball coach ... is going to spend more time filling out forms than working with girls," Alexander said. "It's hard for me to see how this is anything more than a huge burden on local schools."

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

read more : http://news.yahoo.com/panel-oks-education-department-build-schools-151701216.html

Capella Education Company to Report Second Quarter 2013 Results on July 23, 2013

SymbolPriceChangeCPLA 43.46 -1.07



MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Capella Education Company (CPLA), a provider of online post-secondary education, primarily through its wholly owned subsidiary Capella University, today announced that it will release second quarter 2013 financial results before the open of the market on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. A live conference call and Webcast discussing second quarter results is scheduled for the same day at 9:00 a.m. eastern time (ET).

To participate in the live call, investors should dial 866.385.4179 (domestic) or 702.928.7882 (international) at 8:50 a.m. (ET) and provide conference ID# 94688481. The Webcast will be available on the Capella Education Company web site at www.capellaeducation.com.

A replay of the call will be available starting on July 23, 2013, through July 30, 2013, at 855.859.2056 (domestic) or 404.537.3406 (international), conference ID# 94688481. It will also be archived at www.capellaeducation.com in the investor relations section for 60 days.

About Capella Education Company

Founded in 1991, Capella Education Company is a leader in online education, primarily through our wholly owned subsidiary Capella University, a regionally accredited* online university. In addition, Capella Education Company offers online education through Resource Development International Ltd. (RDI), an independent provider of United Kingdom (UK) university distance learning qualifications. Capella Education Company also owns an innovative startup company called Sophia (http://www.sophia.org) - a social teaching and learning platform that integrates education with technology.

Capella University offers online graduate degree programs in business, counseling, education, health administration, homeland security, human resource management, human services, information technology, nonprofit management and leadership, nursing, psychology, public administration, public health, public safety, and social work, and bachelor's degree programs in business, information technology, nursing, psychology, and public safety. These academic programs are designed to meet the needs of working adults, combining high quality, competency-based curricula with the convenience and flexibility of an online learning format. Currently, Capella University offers 43 graduate and undergraduate degree programs with 145 specializations. More than 36,000 learners were enrolled as of March 31, 2013, with about 75 percent of learners enrolled in graduate degree programs. For more information about Capella Education Company, please visit http://www.capellaeducation.com. For more information about Capella University, please visit http://www.capella.edu or call 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552).

Resource Development International Ltd. partners with a number of the top 100 universities in the UK to develop, validate and deliver UK higher education qualifications, predominantly through online courses. For more information, visit http://www.rdi.co.uk.

Sophia is a first-of-its-kind social education platform that offers students many ways to learn by making free, credible, academic content available to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. The site offers tens of thousands of tutorials created by hundreds of teachers and experts that are taught in a variety of ways. The platform further enhances the learning process by offering quizzes, assessing learning preferences and providing learning paths. For more information, visit www.sophia.org.

*Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), http://www.ncahlc.org. Capella University, Capella Tower, 225 South Sixth Street, Ninth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552), http://www.capella.edu.


Contact:
Capella Education Company
Investor Contact:
Heide Erickson, 612.977.5172
Heide.Erickson@capella.edu
or
Media Contact:
Mike Buttry, 612.977.5499
Mike.Buttry@capella.edu


read more : http://finance.yahoo.com/news/capella-education-company-report-second-143200884.html

Heritage Hangout: Common Core Education Standards

The rubber is meeting the road with the Obama Administration’s Common Core education standards.

As the standards start to affect students in the classroom, even the American Federation of Teachers has said that teachers are not ready to implement the new program.

Michelle Malkin has been covering the Common Core education standards push in depth this year. Her coverage has brought many of the details of these national standards and government overreach to light.

Some Members of Congress have taken notice. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) wrote this week in National Review Online that “U.S. Department of Education has become so congested with federal mandates that it has become, in effect, a national school board.”

Alexander described the plan he supports to turn education around:


It rejects the federal mandates that effectively created a national school board, prohibiting the secretary of education from prescribing standards or accountability systems for states. It maintains the requirement that states have strong standards and high-quality tests, but doesn’t write them for the states.

Join us here at noon ET on Friday for a Google+ hangout to discuss Common Core and the challenges facing parents, teachers, and students.

Our guests will be:

Jamie Gass, the Pioneer Institute’s Director of the Center for School Reform

Heather Crossin, parent and activist and co-founder of Hoosiers Against Common Core

Lindsey Burke, Heritage’s Will Skillman Fellow in Education

Get ready for the discussion with Burke’s contrast between parental choice and Common Core, and leave your questions for our panel in the comments below.

read more : http://blog.heritage.org/2013/06/13/heritage-hangout-common-core-education-standards/

Hillary Clinton addresses education, women, economy at renamed Clinton Foundation

Hillary Clinton greets a woman at the Conservation International dinner in New York City, May 15. (JP Yim/Getty …

It wasn't technically a campaign speech.

But Hillary Clinton, who notably was introduced by her husband, took the stage at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago Thursday to outline her commitment to early childhood education, opportunities for women and girls, and the need for economic development in the United States. Add to this the anecdotes she told about her childhood in nearby Park Ridge, and observers could easily envision what a 2016 campaign for the former secretary of state would look like.

"It is such a pleasure to be here in Chicago participating as a private citizen as a co-host," Clinton told the audience at the third-annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America), founded by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Following her decision to resign as secretary of state, Clinton joined her husband's foundation, which focuses on global health and economies, and the environment.

That organization is being renamed the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, Clinton noted.

She referenced her political experience several times during her speech, taking time to joke about the record number of trips she took while serving as secretary of state. "So after visiting 112 nations over four years, I’m still jet-lagged,” she said, noting how much she learned about how to help international communities.

Clinton used her appearance Thursday to outline the agenda she plans to pursue in her new role at the foundation. She said she will focus on early childhood education—something being heavily promoted by President Barack Obama through his universal pre-kindergarten initiative—and applying the latest brain research to young people's development. Additionally, she said she will advocate for economic development as a means to help people achieve the dream of having a "good job" and caring for their families. And she plans to continue encouraging equal opportunities and equal pay for women, and involving women in all aspects of society.

"When women participate in the economy, everyone benefits. This also should be a no-brainer," Clinton said. "When women participate in peace-making and peacekeeping, we are all safer and more secure. And when women participate in politics, the effects ripple out across society."

That last line—the only clear allusion to her potential presidential campaign—drew wide applause from the audience.

While Chicago is a city best known politically as the home of the current president, Clinton staked her own claim to the city several times Thursday during remarks about the economy, at one point calling it a "rising phoenix."

She also noted that at the heart of America, as her husband "is fond of saying," is the belief that "if you work hard and play by the rules, you will prosper, you will be able to make a better life for yourself and your family.


"I learned that lesson not far from here growing up in Park Ridge," Clinton continued. "One of my earliest memories as a little girl is helping my father in his small fabric printing business here in Chicago, lifting the silk screen, holding the paint squeegee."

A lot has changed, she said, "but our values still inspire the world and they still can guide our way forward."

read more : http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/hillary-clinton-addresses-education-women-economy-renamed-clinton-164557453.html

State cuts to education spur Philadelphia school budget crisis

Ned Resnikoff, @resnikoff
4:08 PM on 06/13/2013






(Children deliver letters written by Philadelphia public school students to the office of Gov. Tom Corbett as part of an effort organized by education groups to secure enough state aid to head off nearly 3,800 layoffs in the state’s largest school district on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy))

State and municipal governments across the country have been strip-mining their school districts in an attempt to defray budget deficits. In Michigan, an entire school district temporarily shut down due to lack of funds, while another fired all of its teachers. In Illinois, Chicago’s school board voted to “consolidate” its resources by permanently shuttering 50 schools.

And now it’s Pennsylvania’s turn. There the school district is moving forward with plans to lay off some 3,783 education professionals and scrap 23 schools as part of a plan to reduce its $304 million deficit. Defenders of the new budget have called it regrettable—but necessary.

The School Reform Commission, which drafted the plan, “made tough choices, but they made the right choice,” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a Democrat, said on Monday’s All In. “We need to downsize the system.”

But not everyone thinks such deep cuts are inevitable. Instead, critics see a man-made crisis, instigated by unnecessary reductions to state aid.

“What we’re seeing is just a dramatic loss of funding from the state,” said Democratic state Sen. Vincent Hughes, whose district encompasses parts of Philadelphia. “Basically, funding is being snatched away. It has a terrible impact on the classroom.”

When Republican Gov. Tom Corbett took office in 2011, Pennsylvania was facing a budget deficit of about $4 billion, thanks in part to the consequences of the recession. While the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) had apportioned some emergency stimulus funds to the state, the money was about to dry up as the relevant provisions reached their expiration date. So Corbett proposed an austerity budget that would cut over $1 billion from education.

But Corbett’s budget only imposed austerity on one side of the balance sheets. While cutting billions of dollars from education and other social spending, Corbett proposed that taxes stay where they were—or, in some cases, go even lower.

“It’s pretty simple,” Hughes told MSNBC. “Governor Corbett was elected, and he immediately began cutting education funding. At the same time, he gave tax giveaways to the largest corporations in the commonwealth.”

One of the greatest beneficiaries has been big energy. Pennsylvania has one of the lowest drilling fees for natural gas in the country, according to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC). In September 2012, the left-leaning budget think tank estimated that Pennsylvania would have collected some $538 million in revenue from shale oil fracking since 2009, if only the state had West Virginia’s natural gas tax.

While the final 2011 budget for the state cut less from education than Corbett’s plan suggested, it still slashed about $961 million. Roughly one-third of those cuts fell on the Philadelphia school district alone, PBPC director Sharon Ward told MSNBC.

“Philadelphia is the most extreme example of the problem, but it is only one of the school districts in Pennsylvania that is in extreme distress because of the budget cuts that occurred and the failure to do anything significant to respond or replace the dollars that were lost,” she said. The city of Allentown has also fallen on hard times, and recently laid off 99 teachers in order to save cash.

Ward said she believes the defunding of education has less to do with fiscal necessity than the state government’s vision of what education should look like.

“Their education priorities were privatization; they were vouchers and charter schools,” she said. “So they clearly wanted to move in a different direction, and so public education was not and is not the administration’s priority.”

A representative of Corbett’s administration told MSNBC that Corbett had “done the exact opposite” of defunding public education, at least if one includes his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.

“Including the proposed 2013-14 state budget, Governor Corbett has increased total state funding to public schools by $1.25 billion over the past three years—more than restoring the $1.1 billion loss of federal stimulus dollars in 2011,” wrote Department of Education press secretary Timothy Eller.

read more : http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/06/13/state-cuts-to-education-spur-philadelphia-school-budget-crisis/

Senate committee approves bill updating federal education law

By Lyndsey Layton, E-mail the writers


On a party line vote, a Senate committee approved a bill Wednesday to update the country’s main federal education law by erasing some of its most punitive aspects.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted 12 to 10 on the bill filed by chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), with Democrats defeating nearly every amendment Republicans offered.


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The two parties have been at loggerheads over the appropriate role of the federal government in K-12 public education.

Democrats said the federal government should be able to hold schools accountable for providing access to education for all children, regardless of race, income, ability or other factors.

“What we’re asking for is a system of shared responsibility with states and local school districts,” Harkin said. The federal government must act as a backstop to prevent states from “returning to old ways in which certain groups of students did not have access,” he said.

But Republicans argued that the federal government has been too heavy handed — especially under the Obama administration — and must cede control to states and communities, which they say are best able to provide for the needs of local children.

“It’s not about educating — it’s about who’s in charge,” said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.). “And this bill continues to focus on making Washington in charge of K-12 education, not a state, not a district, not a superintendent and certainly not a teacher.”

Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), the ranking Republican on the committee, offered the GOP alternative bill, which was defeated in a party line vote Tuesday. “We have some profound differences,” Alexander said.

Democrats and Republicans agreed on one thing: They both want to erase the most unpopular aspect of No Child Left Behind — the provision that requires schools to make progress toward all students being proficient in math and reading by 2014. If they fail to meet benchmarks, schools are subject to steadily escalating punitive measures.

That goal of proficiency by 2014 came to be widely seen as unrealistic, and officials from governors to school board members have been asking Congress to rewrite the law and replace the provision. No Child Left Behind, which was signed into law in 2002 by President George W. Bush, was due for reauthorization in 2007.

With Congress unable to agree on a new law, the Obama administration in 2011 began issuing waivers to states to free them from the requirements of No Child Left Behind. In exchange for waivers , states were required to adopt President Obama’s preferred education reforms.

That outraged Republicans on Capitol Hill, who accused the president of meddling in publicschools, an arena with a long history of local control.

“This isn’t right! This isn’t right!” said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), as he held up a three-inch-thick binder that detailed education reforms to which Kansas agreed to get a waiver. “We should not have to put up with this to get a waiver!”

Harkin’s bill retains a central requirement of the law — that states test students in math and reading annually from grades three through eight and once in high school. States would be required to make public those scores and the performance of students by race, disability and other categories. Those provisions are in the current law. But Harkin’s bill would lessen the emphasis on standardized tests by letting states use portfolios or projects to assess student performance. And his bill would allow states to come up with strategies for improvement, except in cases of the worst-performing schools. Under current law, states must choose from among four “turnaround” strategies prescribed by the federal government.

Alexander, a former Tennessee governor who served as education secretary under President George H.W. Bush, called the Democrats’ version “congested with federal mandates.”

Republicans want to leave to the states decisions about how to measure student achievement, improve schools, and gauge the performance of schools and teachers. They also want to sharply limit the authority of the education secretary.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), offered an amendment that would have allowed federal dollars to be used by poor children to pay for private school tuition. His plan was defeated by a 14 to 8 vote with two Republicans, Sens. Mark Kirk (Illinois) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), joining Democrats.

It is unclear when the full Senate will take up Harkin’s bill. “We’ll see you on the floor with this bill, uh, sometime,” Harkin said.

Across the Capitol, House Republicans have filed their own bill to replace No Child Left Behind, without any support from Democrats. That legislation is slated for committee debate July 19. Many observers think it is highly unlikely that Democrats and Republicans in both houses will come together to pass a comprehensive bill this Congress.

read more : http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/senate-committee-sputters-to-a-halt-on-education-bill-because-not-enough-members-show-up/2013/06/12/850e57f2-d37e-11e2-8cbe-1bcbee06f8f8_story.html

529 plan: Great tool for your kid's education

Jeff Reeves, Special for USA TODAY5:54 p.m. EDT June 13, 2013



(Photo: David Aaron Troy, Getty Images)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
For 2010-11year, average cost of tuition, room and board was $13,600 at public schools
At private schools, the tab averaged $32,000
A 529 plan is an investment account and gains are tax free

There's little that you can be sure of in this crazy economic environment, but one thing that seems certain is that most kids need a college degree to get ahead – and that their college degree is going to cost a pretty penny to obtain.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average cost of tuition, room and board for the 2010-11 academic year hit about $13,600 at the average public college and over $32,000 at the average private institution. Even adjusted for inflation, that's roughly double the cost of public college in 1980 and triple the cost of a private school.

Seeing all those dollar signs can be intimidating even for a family that is reasonably secure in its finances. But don't fret: There are tools you can use to plan for your child's education and make sure college is within reach.

And one of the best tools out there is a 529 plan.

Here are the basic advantages:

• Tax-free profits. A 529 plan is an investment account. Gains on your 529 investments are tax-free and qualified withdrawals are taken tax free. Depending on circumstances, some contributions to the account can be tax deductible, too.

• Anyone can help anyone. You can contribute on behalf of any beneficiary, so 529s are a great way for extended family or friends to pitch in. You can save for yourself, a relative or neighbor.

• Transferrable to family. What if your son Jimmy doesn't go to college and use his 529 savings? Well, you can transfer that cash to his sister Suzy's account instead with no penalty – or even to Jimmy's spouse later in life or back to you as if you decide to go back to school.

• Use when you're ready.There is no time limit on when the funds in 529s need to be used.

Clearly, having a dedicated savings account that grow your money tax-free is a great thing. Even so, 529 plans are not one-size-fits-all.

For starters, there are dozens of plans available to you to pick from and they all have very different rules – from fees they charge, to the minimum contribution and to the cap on how much you can save in the plan. As with any financial product, you need to read the fine print and compare plans to get the best option for you.

And most importantly, because 529 programs are issued by states, there are frequently tax deductions available to you if you stay in-state with your college plan.

For instance, Maryland residents who use the state-sponsored Maryland College Investment Plan can deduct up to $2,500 on their state income taxes. Pennsylvania residents using the Pennsylvania 529 College Savings Program get a whopping $14,000 state income tax deduction. But Florida, which has no state income tax, subsequently has no break to offer in-state residents.

When you shop for a 529, take into account this tax angle because you may find it beneficial to stay in state for a big deduction. On the other hand, you may find there's no difference in picking a plan from Alaska or your home state and have the flexibility to look at a wider array of options.

The other issue with 529s is the that they come in two flavors — a regular college savings program or a "prepaid" tuition plan.

College savings plans are straightforward, allowing you to save and invest your cash like a 401k and apply them to anything education-related — including books and dining hall expenses — at any institution.

But prepaid plans are less flexible in exchange for locking in the price you'll pay for college; there are stricter standards for eligibility, a smaller list of in-state schools in which to send the beneficiary, and limits on spending that exclude some items like room and board. This lack of choice is the price you pay for the ability to lock in the cost of college.

And of course, keep in mind that 529 plans are not designed to save for retirement or for other expenses. You'll always be able to get some of your money back, but you'll take a 10% penalty on earnings if you tap the cash for a "non-qualified" use. Depending on your plan, you could also incur tax penalties at the state level, too.

There's some research necessary, but the bottom line is that if you care about your child's education, a 529 is a powerful option. Just make sure to do your homework and find the right college savings plan for you and your family.

ONLINE RESOURCES

• The SEC has a special publication, An Introduction to 529 Plans, to help you understand specifics of how 529s allow you to invest and save for college.

• The website SavingFor College.com has a lot of good resources and attacks 529s from a lot of different angles. There are a few helpful tools and calculators here to help you on your college savings journey.

• Getting to the nitty-gritty, the 529 Plan Center from independent investment research firm Morningstar allows you to compare expenses, tax benefits and more for each specific plan. There's an interactive map that allows you to click on your home state and easily compare what's available to you depending on where you live.

Jeff Reeves is the editor of InvestorPlace.com and the author of The Frugal Investor's Guide to Finding Great Stocks.

read more : http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/06/13/529-tuition-college-education-degree/2145021/

Pejabat Eselon II dan III Kemendikbud Dirotasi

Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Mohammad Nuh | KOMPAS. com/Indra Akuntono

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Di tengah-tengah gonjang-ganjing serangkaian persoalan beruntun, mulai dari karut-marut distribusi soal ujian nasional hingga kasus dugaan korupsi di Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan bersiap merotasi pejabat besar-besaran.

Rotasi pejabat khusus tingkat eselon II dan III itu akan segera dilakukan dalam waktu dekat. Para pejabat pada bagian pendidikan dan kebudayaan akan bertukar posisi. Namun, Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Mohammad Nuh menyatakan, rotasi itu sudah direncanakan jauh hari, bagian dari reformasi birokrasi.

”Dalam waktu dekat, akan ada rolling internal antara bidang kebudayaan dan pendidikan. Kami ingin kedua bidang itu satu napas dan ada konvergensi. Kalau tidak, bisa jadi entitas eksklusif,” ujar Mohammad Nuh, ketika ditemui di kantornya, Selasa (4/6).

Rotasi itu, kata Nuh, semata- mata hendak menyatukan struktur organisasi bidang pendidikan dan kebudayaan yang kini satu atap di satu kementerian. Sebelumnya, bidang kebudayaan berada di bawah Departemen Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata. Rotasi itu tidak hanya dilakukan di lingkup pejabat direktorat pendidikan, tetapi juga lintas direktorat bidang pendidikan dan bidang kebudayaan.

Nuh menegaskan, rotasi itu tak terkait dengan rekomendasi Inspektorat Jenderal Kemdikbud dalam laporan hasil investigasi kasus ujian nasional dan dugaan korupsi di Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan. ”Tanpa rekomendasi itu pun pasti akan saya ganti juga, karena ini sudah rencana lama. Rotasi ini tidak bisa serta-merta karena sedang ada pekerjaan besar seperti UN dan kurikulum. Jangan sampai itu terganggu,” kata dia.

Pada laporan itu, seperti dikemukakan Inspektur Jenderal Kemdikbud Haryono Umar, sudah disebutkan rekomendasi tata ulang manajemen Kemdikbud sesegera mungkin. ”Kami beberapa kali sampaikan ini kepada Pak Menteri. Jika tak segera diperbaiki, akan muncul masalah seperti lemahnya pengawasan di UN atau korupsi,” ujarnya.

Untuk menjamin obyektivitas dan tepat dalam menempatkan orang, Kemdikbud akan melakukan tes. Tes juga dilakukan sejak tahun 2010. Proses rotasi dan penempatan para pejabat itu, kata Nuh, akan memperhatikan kompetensi dan rekam jejak setiap calon pejabat.

Riwayat penggabungan

Penataan ulang manajemen itu mendesak sejak kebudayaan bergabung kembali ke Departemen Pendidikan Nasional tahun 2011. Sebab, kebudayaan seakan bedol desa pindah besar-besaran ke Kemdikbud.

Oleh karena dinilai terlalu ”gemuk”, Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan dipangkas dari dua direktorat jadi satu direktorat saja. ”Karena boyongan ke Diknas, maka tradisi, budaya, dan gaya di Depbudpar yang beda pun dibawa ke Diknas,” kata Nuh.

Pemangkasan itu belum cukup karena ada masalah kultur kerja. Nuh mengakui tak mudah mengubah budaya kerja. (LUK)

read more : http://edukasi.kompas.com/read/2013/06/05/17112732/Pejabat.Eselon.II.dan.III.Kemendikbud.Dirotasi

Mendikbud Laporkan Dugaan Korupsi Kementeriannya

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Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Mendikbud) Muhammad Nuh.
BANAR FIL ARDHI

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan M Nuh melaporkan ke Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) tentang indikasi korupsi di kementeriannya, Rabu (29/5/2013) malam. Pelaporan ini merupakan tindak lanjut hasil investigasi Inspektorat Jenderal Kemdikbud yang menemukan dugaan penyimpangan APBN-Perubahan 2012 di Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan. Namun, laporan ditegaskan tidak terkait dengan penyelenggaraan ujian nasional.

"Beberapa hari yang lalu, berita tentang pemeriksaan dari Irjen terhadap Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan sempat beredar. Oleh karena itu, saya sampaikan hasil pemeriksaan dari Inspektorat seperti apa," kata Nuh di Gedung KPK, Kuningan, Jakarta. Menurut Nuh, laporannya diterima langsung oleh Ketua KPK Abraham Samad.

Laporan ini, kata Nuh, disampaikannya kepada KPK agar dipelajari lebih jauh. "Jadi, memang benar ada penyimpangan atau tidak, kami enggak punya kewenangan menentukan menyimpang atau tidak," ujarnya.

Nuh juga menegaskan, laporan ini tidak berkaitan dengan penyelenggaraan ujian nasional. "Bukan itu, di UN nggak ada pelanggaran. Saya tidak melaporkan itu," tambah Nuh.

Sebelumnya, Inspektur Jenderal Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Haryono Umar menyampaikan ada banyak dugaan penyimpangan APBN-P 2012 di Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan. Ditemukan pula dugaan penggelembungan dana di luar batas kewajaran dari APBN-P direktorat itu senilai Rp 700 miliar. Terkait potensi korupsi ini, KPK sebelumnya menyatakan akan menunggu laporan dari Kemdikbud.

read more : http://edukasi.kompas.com/read/2013/05/30/07523019/Mendikbud.Laporkan.Dugaan.Korupsi.Kementeriannya

Indonesia Mengajar Siap Berbagi "Resep"

Anies Baswedan. | KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesia Mengajar menyatakan terbuka untuk pihak lain yang ingin melakukan gerakan serupa di tempatnya masing-masing. Bahkan, Indonesia Mengajar siap berbagi "resep" jika ada gerakan serupa yang ingin dikembangkan.

Ketua Yayasan Gerakan Indonesia Mengajar, Anies Baswedan mengatakan pihaknya terbuka terhadap gerakan-gerakan serupa yang ingin dikembangkan dalam basis komunitas atau daerah.

"Kami terbuka sekarang kepada siapa pun yang mau meniru gerakan ini. Yang mau belajar keuangannya boleh, metodenya, manajemennya, trainingnya, boleh semuanya dipelajari supaya terus menular," tuturnya dalam talkshow bertajuk "Membangun Future Leaders Indonesia melalui Pendidikan" usai penandatanganan nota kesepahaman antara Kompas Gramedia dan Indonesia Mengajar di Hotel Santika, Kamis (30/5/2013).

Rektor Universitas Paramadina ini mengaku sudah mengetahui sejumlah gerakan serupa di tingkat kampus, kota bahkan di tingkat kabupaten, seperti IPB Mengajar yang dikembangkan para mahasiswa Institut Pertanian Bogor atau UGM Mengajar di Yogyakarta. Kini, juga diketahuinya gerakan serupa dengan nama berbeda, misalnya London School of Public Relation (LSPR) Peduli Pendidikan dan Tanimbar Movement di Kepulauan Tanimbar di Provinsi Maluku.

Anies menyambut baik munculnya gerakan-gerakan tersebut karena dampak baik ke dunia pendidikan justru akan lebih cepat tersebar.

"Saya tahu itu ada IPB mengajar, ITB mengajar, UGM mengajar, UI mengajar, sekarang LSPR. Tak penting namanya apa, tak penting siapa yang mulai duluan. Yang penting semua turun tangan. Datang saja ke Indonesia Mengajar, kita siap berbagi," tegasnya.

Namun, untuk tetap menjaga gerakan ini tetap pada relnya, yaitu ketulusan, Anies menyarankan untuk tetap menyelenggarakan gerakan ini berbasis pada para relawan.

"Kami selalu menganjurkan, kegiatan seperti ini panggil sukarelawan. Jangan wajibkan karena sukarelawan berangkat karena panggilan hati. Maka dia akan datang dengan hati. Kalau datang dengan hati, impactnya luar biasa," tuturnya.

"Saya selalu tekankan kepada para pengajar muda, Anda tidak dibayar. Bukan karena Anda tidak bernilai, tetapi karena Anda tidak ternilai. Jangan diwajibkan karena begitu diwajibkan, insentifnya itu adalah lebih bangga kalau berhasil menghindar. Kalau memang mau, jadikan ini sebagai sesuatu yang terhormat," tambahnya lagi.

Selain itu, Anies menyarankan agar setiap gerakan menemukan partner yang sehati dalam mengelola gerakan tersebut. Ide tanpa partner yang sehati hanya akan berjalan tertatih-tatih.

Dalam perjalanannya, Indonesia Mengajar menggandeng sejumlah partner. Dari pemerintah, Anies mengaku hanya meminta satu kata, "restu".

"Pastikan anda punya partner yg sehati dgn kegiatan ini, kalau tidak repot kita," tandasnya kemudian.

read more : http://edukasi.kompas.com/read/2013/05/30/18561579/Indonesia.Mengajar.Siap.Berbagi.Resep

Ini 12 Siswa Peraih Nilai UN SMP Tertinggi

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Beberapa peserta ujian nasional di SMP Sejahtera I, Kecamatan Sukaraja, Kabupaten Bogor, Jawa Barat, hingga sekitar pukul 09.00, Senin (22/4), masih bercakap-cakap sambil menunggu pengawas dan panitia ujian datang membawa soal di ruang ujian. Akibat keterlambatan pengiriman 144 kardus soal mata uji Bahasa Indonesia untuk 13.207 peserta ujian, Dinas Pendidikan Kabupaten Bogor memilih memundurkan jadwal ujian hari pertama se-Kabupaten Bogor, dari pukul 07.30 menjadi pukul 09.30.
KOMPAS/ANTONY LEE

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Pada ujian nasional (UN) kali ini, siswa dari Jakarta berhasil mengungguli tiga juta siswa para peserta UN beberapa waktu lalu. Dengan nilai rerata UN murni 9,90, Stella Angelina berhasil menjadi siswa dengan nilai rerata UN murni tertinggi se-Indonesia.

Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Mohammad Nuh mengungkapkan apresiasinya pada prestasi yang diraih oleh siswa asal Jakarta ini. Pihak Kemendikbud juga telah menyiapkan penghargaan serta beasiswa untuk para siswa berprestasi ini

"Kami tentu akan berikan penghargaan dan beasiswa bagi para siswa yang berprestasi ini. Nantinya mereka juga akan dimudahkan akses untuk ke SMA/SMK/MA," kata Nuh saat jumpa pers Hasil UN SMP/MTs di Gedung A Kemendikbud, Jakarta, Jumat (31/5/2013).

Berikut 12 nama siswa yang berhasil menjadi siswa dengan nilai rerata UN murni terbaik tahun ini:

1. Stella Angelina dari SMP Kasih Karunia Jakarta (9,90).
2. Petra Julian Abigail dari SMP Tarakanita 4 Jakarta (9,90).
3. Anak Agung Ayu Vira Sonia dari SMP Negeri 1 Denpasar (9,90).
4. Jessica Jane dari SMP Kristen 1 BPK Penabur Jakarta (9,89).
5. Shofiya Qurrotu'ayunin dari MTs Negeri 1 Malang (9,85).
6. Cahaya Carla Bangsawan dari SMP Negeri 2 Bandar Lampung (9,85).
7. Kirana Widiani Lestari dari SMP Negeri 85 Jakarta (9,84).
8. Setiati Nur Chasanah dari SMP Negeri 1 Magelang (9,84).
9. Maratus Solichah dari SMP Negeri 1 Salaman ( 9,84).
10. Farrel Gerard Adeovinson Rey dari SMP Masehi Temanggung (9,84).
11. Juligo Al Paraby Saragih SMP Swasta Al-Muslimin Pandan Tapanuli (9,84).
12. Biani Masita Himawan dari SMP Negeri 1 Denpasar (9,84).

read more : http://edukasi.kompas.com/read/2013/06/01/0935141/Ini.12.Siswa.Peraih.Nilai.UN.SMP.Tertinggi

Pak Doe, "Pahlawan Tanpa Tanda Jasa" Sungguhan...

| dok.Indonesia Mengajar


KOMPAS.com — Bagi Ratih Dwiastuti, Pak Doe adalah sosok guru yang menjadi panutan. Menurut Pak Doe, guru adalah seorang pemimpin yang memimpin dengan karakter.

Demikian pulalah dia. Pak Doe menerapkan pendidikan berkarakter jauh sebelum slogan-slogan karakter ditempelkan di kurikulum. Pak Doe, menurut Ratih, tetap menerapkan pembelajaran aktif, inovatif, kreatif, efektif, dan menyenangkan meski dengan sederhana.

Aura kepemimpinan dan semangat mendidiknya yang tinggi ditunjukkan dengan menyentuh langsung kehidupan setiap siswanya. Ratih pun melihat bahwa menjadi guru bukan sekadar rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran, melainkan juga karakter dan kepemimpinan dalam interaksi dengan para siswa.

Berikut catatan Ratih ketika menjadi pengajar muda di SDN 4 Langkahan, Aceh Utara. Ratih menemukan "pahlawan tanpa tanda jasa" sungguhan....



"One of The Avangers Langkahan"

Sosoknya memancarakan kesederhanaan dan wibawa yang elegan. Gaya berbicaranya santun, baik itu berbahasa aceh maupun berbahasa indonesia. Ditakuti atau lebih tepatnya disegani oleh mayoritas siswa di sekolahku. Karenanya beliau dipercaya memegang amanah bagian kesiswaan. Beliau adalah orang pertama yang hingga terminal terdekat menuju kota ketika awal-awal penempatan. Bapak Abdurrahman namanya. Pak Doe adalah panggilan akrabnya sehari-hari. Usianya sudah tidak bisa dibilang muda jika dibandingkan dengan guru lain di sekolahku. Ketika konflik sedang di puncaknya, Pak Doe menjabat sebagai geuchik (kepala desa) selama 6 tahun (1999-2005). Hingga sekarang beliau masih disegani dan dihormati oleh masyarakat. Bahkan geuchik penggantinya kerap kali berkonsultasi dengannya. Beliau sudah mulai mengajar ketika konflik. Pernah suatu kali beliau bercerita mengenai beberapa pengalamannya.

Ketika konflik sangat jarang guru yang mau mengajar mata pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia dan PPKN. Ketika itu Pak Doe memberanikan diri untuk mengajar kedua mata pelajaran tersebut di SMP Negeri 3 Langkahan (saat itu statusnya masih SMP persiapan, belum menjadi SMP negeri). Di tengah-tengah aktivitas mengajarnya, suatu kali beliau pernah disambangi oleh masyarakat yang tergabung dalam Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM). Beliau ditanya apakah mengajarkan Bahasa Indonesia dan pancasila atau unsur nasionalisme kepada anak didiknya. Kemudian beliau menjawabnya dengan sangat bijak dan sangat benar menurutku.

“Saya tidak mengajarkan nasionalisme. Saya mengajarkan karakter kebangsaan dan bertata negara. Kalaupun nantinya Aceh merdeka, anak-anak kita perlu tahu juga bagaimana caranya bernegara. Begitu juga dengan Bahasa Indonesia. Jangan sampai anak-anak kita hanya tahu ‘bahasa ibu’ saja. Ketika suatu hari ia merantau, maka tidak kesulitan lagi untuk berkomunikasi.”

Masyarakat GAM pun langsung memahami dan tidak terjadi masalah berkepanjangan. Menurutnya kurikulum berkarakter yang saat ini sedang in di Indonesia, sebenarnya sudah diterapkan sejak lama, hanya saja belum ada label ‘kurikulum berkarakter’.

Beliau juga pernah menjelaskan kepadaku tentang arti “pendidikan berkarakter”. Beliau menganalogikan bahwa mengajar tidak berbeda dengan memimpin. Ketika menjadi geuchik, beliau harus memahami karakter masyarakatnya. Begitu juga dengan mengajar. Beliau berusaha memahami karakter setiap siswanya sehingga bisa melakukan pendekatan dengan cara yang sesuai. Ada siswa yang harus ditindak keras, ada siswa yang harus ditindak secara halus. Selama ini para guru dibuat pusing dengan kurikulum yang berubah-ubah dan berlabel ‘berkarakter’. Tanpa ada label pun, Pak Doe sudah menerapkannya. Bahkan tanpa RPP, tanpa peraturan resmi dari pemerintah, beliau sudah menerapkannya.

Soal kreativitas pun tidak diragukan lagi. PAIKEM yang sedang gencar-gencarmya dikampanyekan, beliau pun menerapkannya. Berikut beberapa contoh dari penerapan PAIKEM di kelasnya.

Gambar tersebut merupakan hasil karya siswa di kelasnya untuk mata pelajaran IPA mengenai gaya dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perbedaan bunyi. Pernah juga beliau meminta siswanya untuk membuat simulasi alat peraga lain namun aku tidak sempat mendokumentasikannya, atnara lain miniatur parasut menggunakan kantong plastik hitam, benang, dan tali. Lagu-lagu pun kerap kali beliau ajarkan kepada anak didiknya.

Semangat mendidiknya tinggi. Beliau pernah pula bercerita mengenai pengalaman mendidiknya. Ketika belum memiliki sepeda motor, beliau mengayuh sepeda sejauh 3 KM di jalan berbatu untuk mengajar. Sehingga jika ada guru yang mengeluhkan jarak sekarang, beliau pun bisa menjawab, karena mayoritas guru sekarang sudah bermotor. Ketika sudah memiliki motor, beliau pernah menyambangi siswa yang tidak mau ikut ujian nasional. Rumah siswa tersebut bukan lagi di desa tempat sekolahku berada. Rumah siswa tersebut sudah pindah ke Aceh Timur (sekitar 30 KM dari rumah beliau). Beliau meyakinkan orang tuanya dan siswanya bahwa dengan mengikuti ujian nasional, itu sudah membuka celah untuk masa depan siswa tersebut dan keluarganya.Setelah beberapa kali dibujuk, akhirnya orang tua siswa menizinkan untuk tinggal sementara di rumah guru yang letaknya satu desa dengan sekolah dan mau mengikuti ujian nasional.

Aku simpulkan bahwa konsep teacher menurut Pak Doe adalah a leader who lead with character. Menerapkan pendidkan berkarakter, PAIKEM, serta memiliki aura kepemimpinan yang baik, membuat dirinya guru ideal di mataku. Beliau bukan PNS yang berpangkat paling tinggi, tetapi beliau selalu bersedia untuk mendidik siswa. Mulai dari mengajar di kelas, pembinaan, hingga mendampingi siswa ketika mengikuti olimpiade. Kualitas guru Indonesia tidak bisa dipukul rata ‘jelek’ atau ‘bagus’. Masih banyak sosok Pak Doe lainnya di negeri ini. Layaknya para superhero dalam The Avangers, para pahlawan tanpa tanda jasa ini pun tersebar dimana-mana, tanpa terlihat oleh masyarakat umum.


read more : http://edukasi.kompas.com/read/2013/06/03/18342110/Pak.Doe..Pahlawan.Tanpa.Tanda.Jasa.Sungguhan...