Written by Megan Zingarelli
A High Cloud delegation traveled to New York City last week to meet
with a member of the British royal family. At a charity fundraising
event, High Clouders told Prince Edward about High Cloud's humanitarian
projects all over the world. The prince said the work sounded "jolly
good" to him and that High Cloud shares many goals with his
organization. High Cloud hopes to continue the relationship with the
prince's organization to expand and solidify humanitarian operations.
The prince was in New York to meet with students and donors for The
Duke of Edinburgh's International Award for Young People
(www.intaward.org). Edward, Earl of Wessex, stood in for his father the
Duke. Like High Cloud, the award organization helps children worldwide
to reach their potential. The organization focuses on community
service, physical recreation, and personal development through
"adventurous journeys" and skill building.
High Clouders met many other business people, attorneys, and
humanitarians in New York who urged High Cloud to stay in touch to
establish partnerships. These ranged from the Arab Bankers Association
to individual investors.
Neda Akbarzadeh, a High Cloud international project coordinator, attended the event.
"The thrill of having such chance has overwhelmed us all," she said.
"We are eager to use the synergy in advancing our mission and helping
out the young victims of the poverty around the world."
Please visit the High Cloud Community (http://highcloud.ning.com) for more information.
High Clouders meet with Prince Edward
High Clouders - Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Schools in Brazil need help
High Clouders - Sunday, June 14, 2009
Written by Megan Zingarelli
Luckily, High Cloud is already there to provide support. But this week's Economist has an informative article on the state of the school system and just what our organization may encounter when we're there.
Here's a sample of the article, and here's a link to the FULL STORY:
"GOD may be Brazilian, as citizens of South America’s largest country like to say, but he surely played no part in designing its education system. Brazil has much going for it these days—stable politics, an open and fairly harmonious society, an economy that has remembered how to grow after decades of stagnation—but when it comes to the quality of schools, it falls far short even of many other developing countries despite heavy public spending on education.
"First, Brazil suffers from teacher truancy. Teachers enjoy a “right” to five days’ absence a year with no warning or explanation, but some take many more. In schools run by state governments, 13% of all school days were lost owing to absent teachers in 2006. On a bad day in bad schools in bad states, teachers’ absenteeism can reach 30%. There are meant to be substitutes who can fill in for missing colleagues but this means that teaching lacks continuity—and there may not be enough stand-ins to go around.
"Second, too many pupils repeat whole school years over and over. And after a long time spent getting nowhere, lots of children drop out early. Just 42% complete high school. Improving the quality of schools so that more children pass would lead to a marked increase in the amount of money available for each pupil. To accomplish this Brazil needs qualified teachers, who are in short supply. Many have two or three different jobs in different schools and complain that conditions are intimidating and the pay is low."
Luckily, High Cloud is already there to provide support. But this week's Economist has an informative article on the state of the school system and just what our organization may encounter when we're there.
Here's a sample of the article, and here's a link to the FULL STORY:
"GOD may be Brazilian, as citizens of South America’s largest country like to say, but he surely played no part in designing its education system. Brazil has much going for it these days—stable politics, an open and fairly harmonious society, an economy that has remembered how to grow after decades of stagnation—but when it comes to the quality of schools, it falls far short even of many other developing countries despite heavy public spending on education.
"First, Brazil suffers from teacher truancy. Teachers enjoy a “right” to five days’ absence a year with no warning or explanation, but some take many more. In schools run by state governments, 13% of all school days were lost owing to absent teachers in 2006. On a bad day in bad schools in bad states, teachers’ absenteeism can reach 30%. There are meant to be substitutes who can fill in for missing colleagues but this means that teaching lacks continuity—and there may not be enough stand-ins to go around.
"Second, too many pupils repeat whole school years over and over. And after a long time spent getting nowhere, lots of children drop out early. Just 42% complete high school. Improving the quality of schools so that more children pass would lead to a marked increase in the amount of money available for each pupil. To accomplish this Brazil needs qualified teachers, who are in short supply. Many have two or three different jobs in different schools and complain that conditions are intimidating and the pay is low."
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