Sixty five years ago today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 — better known as the GI Bill. It’s been heralded as one of the most important pieces of legislation to ever come out of Washington. This single measure alone helped build the middle class for which post World War II America was renowned. It did it by puting a college education and home ownership within reach of millions of veterans returning home after the war.

Continue reading "An Anniversary Worth Remembering-the GI Bill" »

Posted by Marion Blank at 01:30 PM
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Puns--at least the good ones--offer a win-win situation. They simultaneously make you think and make you laugh.

Here are a few that you might enjoy.

No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery. (It's amazing to think that in another generation, kids raised in a paperless high tech world, may not even know what this pun means).

A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

Continue reading "Creative Puns for Smart Minds" »

Posted by Marion Blank at 01:39 PM
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If you have a teen age child or know someone who does, high school is likely to be an important topic. If so, you may find it helpful to turn to the latest report on the top 1500 high schools in the U.S. The public schools are ranked according to a ratio which takes into account such factors as the number of Advanced Placements relative to the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured this way.

First on the list? A school aptly titled Talented and Gifted in Dallas Texas. For the complete list, go to http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160

Posted by Marion Blank at 05:20 PM
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English is said to contain more words than any other language on the planet. (Mandarin Chinese comes in second with about 450,000 words.) And this week, our mother tongue added its millionth word--Web 2.0! The term refers to the second, more social generation of the Internet. Given that over a dozen words are added to our language on a daily basis, it seems fitting that the landmark word identified this week deals with something that is so representative of the modern age.

The arrival was announced by the Global Language Monitor, a Web site that uses a math formula to estimate how often words are created. Of course, claims like this do not go unchallenged.

Continue reading ""Web 2.0"-A Celebration for the English Language" »

Posted by Marion Blank at 03:37 PM
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The figures about high school graduation rates in the United States are more than disheartening. The estimate is that approximately twenty-five percent of our nation's youth do not receive high school diplomas. it is a figure that is troubling at every level--for the students, for their families, and for the nation.

Against that background, the achievements of a high school in North Carolina are exhilarating.

Continue reading "Making The Seeming Impossible Possible" »

Posted by Marion Blank at 12:51 PM
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Tom Sticht, a well-known consultant in adult education has offered, for Memorial Day, an interesting piece about our history. It deals with the Civil War when the Union Army initiated the practice of enlisting freed African-Americans.

Continue reading "Literacy: A Sign of Hope in War" »

Posted by Marion Blank at 05:51 PM
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