A PND News Alert. It's a tad unnerving, but it really drives home the importance of early literacy, family reading, and instilling a life-long love of learning.

Soaring dropout rates among high school students and diminished literacy skills among adults are contributing to an increasingly ill-prepared U.S. labor force and pose a serious threat to the nation's economic future, a new report produced by the National Commission on Adult Literacy finds.

Based on a two-year study of trends, challenges, and opportunities in adult education and workforce development nationwide, the report, Reach Higher, America: Overcoming Crisis in the U.S. Workforce (76 pages, PDF), finds that a growing percentage of U.S. workers is not prepared for careers in fields with growth potential such as health care, advanced manufacturing, and alternative energy.

Studies show that one in three young people in this country drop out of high school before earning their diploma, while nearly thirty million adults lack basic literacy skills. According to study director Cheryl King, a former deputy secretary and commissioner of adult education and workforce development in Kentucky, many of the estimated one hundred and fifty million workers in the United States age 16 and older require adult education and workforce development services, while the combined annual capacity of federal programs in these areas is only about three million people.

Funded in part by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the report recommends that workforce development services be expanded to serve twenty million workers a year by 2020 and calls for policies and partnerships at the state and federal levels to substantially increase the number of adults who earn high school diplomas or equivalent certifications; improve literacy skills among workers; and grow enrollment of adults in postsecondary education and job training activities. The report also singles out community colleges, which provide a third of the country's adult instructional services, as "vital educational forces" that can help strengthen the nation's labor force.

"We're at a critical crossroads in this country," said King. "The next steps we take on these issues will determine our economic standing, both at home and around the world, for decades to come."

“Report Urges New Approach to Adult Education, Workforce Development.” Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Press Release 6/27/08.

Chautauqua Gears for its Return to Carthage

CARTHAGE, Mo. -

The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) is partnering this year with the Powers Museum, Carthage Library, Friends of Carthage Public Library and Friends of the Webb City Public Library to offer the Council’s Chautauqua in Carthage and Webb City June 25-30.

This year’s theme, “That’s Entertainment!” will focus on scholar’s portrayals of innovative figures that helped democratize the field of entertainment, making events affordable and reaching new audiences. Those figures chosen to be represented this year are Thomas Edison, Margaret Mitchell, Walt Disney and P.T. Barnum.

Director of the Powers Museum, Michele Hansford, said this event – which is free – has been in the planning process since August and has a vast appeal.

“This event is both educational and entertaining,” Hansford said. “And since we started hosting the Chautauqua in Carthage in 1999, it’s been the one thing people really get into in this community.

“It only comes around every two to three years, and people are always asking when it’s coming back, so a lot of people look forward to this event.”

Chautauqua is a program format that illustrates experiential and interactive learning for the whole family, and is unique because it combines the “suspension of disbelief” of theatrical experience with interaction between the audience and the performer.

This year’s presenting scholars are: William Worley of Kansas City as Walt Disney, Jeffery Smith of St. Louis as P.T. Barnum, Hank Fincken of Indianapolis, Ind., as Thomas Edison and Debra Conner of Parkersburg, W.V., as Margaret Mitchell. Hansford said the actors are completely in character.

“They take questions after their performance and answer them as the people they are portraying,” she said. “It is only when they step out of character after those are answered that they answer questions as to how they researched for the character and etc.”

In addition to the programs presented by the troupe, an exhibit exploring entertainment in Carthage during the 1880s to the 1940s will be featured at the Powers Museum.

“This event has a historical precedence because of Carthage itself,” Hansford said. “Some of the most important people of the late 19th and 20th century visited Carthage as Chautauqua speakers.”

Evening performances will be held at the Carthage High School Auditorium while other programs will take place at the newly restored and expanded Carthage Public Library. Sunday’s final scholar presentation is scheduled for the Route 66 Movie Theater.

Local entertainment will be provided before each evening performance at the high school auditorium. Ragtime pianist Susan Cordell, traditional band Baled Green and Wired Tight and the Heartland Band of community musicians will be featured.

For more information on specific dates, times and locations for all the Carthage-Webb City Chautauqua events, call (417) 358-2667 or log on to www.powersmuseum.com.

Pike County Chautauqua will not concede to the rising waters of the Mississippi! The show must go on! Please join MHC and all of the hard-working people that made this Chautauqua possible. All the details are below. Enjoy!

From circus acts to movies, and popular fiction to popular music, "THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!" spotlights a broad range of mass entertainment by portraying innovative figures that helped democratize this field. Far from the highbrow, these figures brought often-inexpensive entertainment to new kinds of audiences.

Historical Figures

• P.T. Barnum portrayed by Jeffrey Smith
• Walt Disney portrayed by Bill Worley
• Thomas Edison portrayed by Hank Fincken
• Margaret Mitchell portrayed by Debra Conner

Schedule

The following list includes only the "main stage" presentations at Pike County Fairgrounds Pavilion, on Highway 54 east of Bowling Green. For details about additional programs, please check the Sponsor web site.

Thursday, June 19 - Margaret Mitchell

7:00 p.m. entertainment

7:45 p.m. Debra Conner as Margaret Mitchell

Friday, June 20 - P. T. Barnum

7:00 p.m. Entertainment

7:45 p.m. Jeffrey Smith as P.T. Barnum

Saturday, June 21 - Walt Disney

7:00 p.m. Entertainment

7:45 p.m. Bill Worley as Walt Disney

Sunday, June 29 - Thomas Edison - Afternoon program

2:00 p.m. Entertainment

2:45 p.m. Hank Fincken as Thomas Edison

Interesting grant RFP to kick off your weekend. This RFP targets schools that serve as "Centers of Community" and that offer supplementary educational services geared towards student achievement. As usual, this RFP comes from the Philanthropy News Digest, one of my favourite resources for non-profit organizations and grant-seekers.

The American Architectural Foundation, in partnership with the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, invites nominations for the Richard Riley Award, which honors K-12 schools that serve as centers of community, demonstrate innovative design ideas, and help to promote student achievement.

Sometimes referred to as "community learning centers," schools that serve as centers of community provide an array of social, civic, recreational, and artistic opportunities to the broader community, often clustering educational and municipal buildings together. These additional services and opportunities often improve student achievement and help maximize local tax dollars.

The award program is open to all existing public elementary and secondary schools in the United States. A $10,000 prize will be awarded to the winning school.

Visit the award program's Web site for further information and to download the award application form.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

A grant RFP for schools, nature centers, and other "not-for-profit places of learning" to support natural landscaping and use of native plants, as listed in the Philanthropy News Digest. Sounds quite interesting.

Wild Ones is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the use of natural landscaping with native plant species as an ecologically better alternative to traditional landscaping practices. Wild Ones members and chapters work with schools and nature centers to plant and maintain natural landscapes in these centers of learning. In 1996, the Wild Ones board of directors started the Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Fund to further foster such projects.

Schools, nature centers, and other nonprofit and not-for-profit places of learning (including houses of worship) with a site available for this stewardship project may apply for an SFE grant.

Project goals should focus on the enhancement and development of an appreciation for nature using native plants. Projects must emphasize involvement of students and volunteers and increase the educational value of the site. Creativity in design is encouraged but must show complete and thoughtful planning. The use of and teaching about native plants and the native plant community is mandatory and must be appropriate to the local ecoregion and site conditions (soil, water, sunlight).

Funds will be provided only for the purchase of native plants and seed. Cash awards range from $100 to $500 each. Successful grants are eligible for partnership with SFE native plant nursery partners for discounts on seed, plants, etc.

Complete grant program information as well as resources on natural landscaping are available at the Wild Ones Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Another grant RFP from our friends at the Philanthropy News Digest. Have a great weekend!

The Guitar Center Music Foundation's mission is to aid nonprofit music programs across America that offer music instruction so that more people can experience the joys of making music.

The Guitar Center Music Foundation accepts grant applications throughout the year from 501(c)(3) organizations. Qualifying applicants are established, ongoing, and sustainable music programs across the United States that provide music instruction to people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make music.

The grant committee reviews all applications three times yearly, and grant awards range from $500 to $5,000 each.

Visit the foundation's Web site for complete program guidelines, application procedures, and funding restrictions.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

A hearty "thanks" to Julie Douglas, MHC'S Family Porgrams Specialist, for sharing this great organization and their wonderful book list. The list offers a wide variety of humanities topics and multicultural perspectives. The categories for the 2008 awards include Multicultural and International Awareness, Nature and Ecology, and Teaching and Parenting Resources. Enjoy!

The 15th Annual Skipping Stones Honor Awards recognize 26 exceptional books and teaching resources. Together, they encourage an understanding of the world’s diverse cultures, as well as nature and ecological richness. The selection promotes cooperation, nonviolence, respect for differing viewpoints and close relationships in human societies. We present these outstanding books to you as the summer season stretches before us. It’s a time of year when we can travel to explore new places or to revisit meaningful ones. Reading books is another way to explore cultures, places and even other time periods. The winners are featured in our summer issue and also on www.SkippingStones.org. Welcome to the wonderful world of words!

A new Laura Ingalls Wilder exhibit is on display at the American Presidents Museum. The following article, from News-Leader.com, provides more further details and contact information. A big thank you to Patricia Zahn for bringing this to my attention.

A traveling 16-panel exhibit that focuses on the life and writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder will be on display at the American Presidents Museum, 2849 Gretna Road in Branson, through July 31.

“Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Journey of a Pioneer Family” was created through a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council and has been traveling to libraries and schools throughout the state.

In conjunction with the display, a pioneer activity day is planned for Friday, June 20, with activities for young visitors revolving around the pioneer life.

The panels contain photographs, documents and information on Wilder, her books including “Little House on the Prairie” and the Westward Expansion.

The American Presidents Museum has enhanced the panel exhibit with artifacts and lifestyle displays that may have been found in pioneer life. Visitors will actually hear Laura, as an adult, in the only known recording as she describes her life and writing the “Little House” books. Ingalls wrote her books from her family home on a farm in nearby Mansfield where a museum exists.

In addition to the Wilder exhibition, visitors to the museum can see a replica of the Oval Office, travel through periods of American history and view thousands of campaign, convention and inaugural artifacts.

Hours for the museum, located in the old Majestic Steakhouse building, are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.americaspresidency.org or call 334-8683.

An excerpt from a great article from GuideStar.com about the next generation of nonprofit leaders. Click the link below to read to full article. Enjoy!

New Survey Looks at Tomorrow's Nonprofit Leaders

When the Baby Boomers begin to retire en masse from the nonprofit sector, will the next generation be ready to replace them? And more important, will they be willing? These crucial questions are addressed in a new survey, Ready to Lead, conducted by the Meyer Foundation in cooperation with CompassPoint, the Anne E. Casey Foundation, and Idealist.org. Nearly 6,000 individuals took part in the survey, the majority of whom were employed within the nonprofit sector at the time, none of whom had ever served as an executive director.

Undertaken in September 2007, the survey is a follow-up to the 2006 report Daring to Lead, which revealed that three-quarters of current nonprofit executive directors planned to leave their positions within five years. The reasons given included general burnout and insufficient compensation for their efforts. This new survey suggests that the next generation of potential executive directors is well aware of this dissatisfaction and that they are watching it closely as they carefully choose the next steps on their career paths.

Although the results of the latest survey show an encouraging attitude among members of Generations X and Y toward the pursuit of a meaningful career in public service, they also reveal the numerous perceptions and stark realities that could drive potential leaders away from the nonprofit sector. The majority of the survey's participants had doubts about the financial viability of a nonprofit career, most notably worrying about their retirement years. More than two-thirds of the participants reported that they feel they are currently undercompensated.

Click Here to read the full article.

An excerpt from an article by the Webster-Kirkwood Times about the upcoming Chautauqua in Kirkwood, MO.

Chautauqua 2008 with the theme "That's Entertainment," is coming to Kirkwood from Thursday, June 5, to Sunday, June 8. At this year's Chautauqua, the public will be treated to live and lively musical entertainment followed by the Heartland [sic] Chautauqua scholars' portrayal of four innovative Americans.

The spotlight will be on Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Margaret Mitchell and P.T. Barnum. They represent a broad range of mass entertainment that helped democratize this field. Far from highbrow, these talented individuals brought often-inexpensive entertainment to new kinds of audiences. The public is invited to come and learn firsthand about these vastly different, talented Americans. The Chautauqua, open to all free of charge, will be held in the Lions Amphitheater in Kirkwood Park, located at West Adams Avenue and North Geyer Road in Kirkwood. Programs are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7, and one daytime presentation, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 8.

Each program will begin with music followed by an in-character performance by one of the four Chautauqua scholars, who bring their characters to life in historical dramatizations. The actor/scholar will then step out of character, talk, and answer questions from the audience about their character's accomplishments, their place in history and their impact on public entertainment.

The event is hosted by the Kirkwood Public Library and sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council.

The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) established the Chautauqua program in 1993 to provide Missouri communities with a festive educational program for all ages. Towns selected as Chautauqua communities for 2008 will host a four-day living history program.

A Chautauqua scholar will present a first-person representation of an historical figure related to the theme each day. Scholars present characters in costume, much like an actor would, in 30-40 minute monologues from a first-person perspective, speaking directly to the audience as if the audience has stepped back in time and are in their presence. Volunteers are needed and welcomed to help at this big event. To volunteer, or for additional information, call Jane Evans, chair, at 965-2049, or visit the library's Web site at http://www.kpl.lib.mo.us/.

Click Here for the full article and schedule of events.

From our friends at the St. Charles City-County Library District. All proceeds from the Book Fairs benefit libraries throughout St. Charles County. Enjoy!

Friends of the Library 2008 June Book Fair

Congratulations to Stormy Snow and the staff and volunteers of the American Presidents Museum!

NEW YORK, NY (May 5, 2008) – The Gilder Lehrman Institute has selected forty sites—including public libraries, academic libraries, and national park sites—to host its new Abraham Lincoln Traveling Exhibition, offered free through a grant from the NEH. Among the forty recipients is the American Presidents Museum of Branson, Missouri.

“Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, a Man for All Times” comes with an exhibition brochure and multimedia resource kit, as well as programming for public audiences and online access. It will also include an interactive DVD, “Decoding Lincoln’s Legacy,” produced by the History Channel for the exhibition and featuring historians David Blight, James O. Horton, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Richard Norton Smith.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is supporting the exhibition as part of its We the People program aimed at reinvigorating the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture. The Gilder Lehrman Institute developed the exhibition to mark the 2009 bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The exhibition will travel to communities across the nation, including sites in Maryland, Michigan, and Oregon.

“Public knowledge about Lincoln is dominated by a series of iconic images,” said Lesley Herrmann, Executive Director of the Gilder Lehrman Institute. “This exhibition will encourage a deeper understanding of Lincoln’s life, policies, accomplishments, and legacy by drawing on Lincoln’s own words.”

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. The Institute serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public. It helps create history-centered schools, organizes seminars and programs for educators, produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions, sponsors lectures by eminent historians, and administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state through its partnership with Preserve America. The Institute also conducts awards including the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and George Washington Book Prizes, and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection. The Institute maintains two websites, www.gilderlehrman.org and the quarterly online journal www.historynow.org.

From our friends at the St. Louis Writers Guild.

On Saturday, June 7, from 10 am until noon, St. Louis Writers Guild will host WALTER BARGEN, Missouri Poet Laureate, who will present a talk titled "The First Line is the Poem." You do not want to miss this historic opportunity to meet our first Poet Laureate and also learn what he has to say about poetry. This event will take place at Barnes & Noble-Crestwood, 9618 Watson Road, Crestwood, MO 63126. The presentation will include readings and books will be available for purchase and signing. Admission is free for SLWG members. The $5 fee for non-members will be fully credited toward dues if application is made within 30 days. Please help spread the word. For information, visit: www.stlwritersguild.org. For a chance at a $10 gift card from Barnes & Noble, please register to attend at: http://www.stlwritersguild.org/zfiles/calendarprograms/events/registration.php

Walter Bargen has published eleven books and two chapbooks of poems: Fields of Thenar (Singing Wind Press, 1980), Mysteries in the Public Domain (BkMk Press, UMKC, 1990), Yet Other Waters (Timberline Press, 1990), and The Vertical River (Timberline Press, 1995), Rising Water: Reflections on the Year of the Great Flood (Pekitanoui Publications, 1994), the chapbook At The Dead Center Of Day (BkMk Press, UMKC, 1997), Water Breathing Air (Timberline Press, 1999), Harmonic Balance (Timberline Press 2001), Vow of Hunger (Snark Publishing, 2003), The Body of Water (Timberline Press, 2003), The Feast (BkMk Press-UMKC, 2004), Remedies for Veritgo (WordTech Press, 2006), and West of West (Timberline Press, 2007). His twelfth book, Theban Traffic, is scheduled for publication in May 2008.

Walter Bargen’s poems and fictions have appeared in over one hundred magazines, including American Literary Review, American Letters & Commentary, Beloit Poetry Journal, Blue Mesa Review, Boulevard, Denver Quarterly, Georgia Review, International Quarterly, Iowa Review, Missouri Review, New Letters, New Novel Review, Notre Dame Review, Pleiades, River Styx, Seattle Review, Seneca Review, Sycamore Review, and Witness. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts poetry fellowship (1991); winner of the Quarter After Eight Prose Prize (1995), the Hanks Prize (1996), and the Chester H. Jones Foundation poetry prize (1997), and the William Rockhill Nelson Award (2005). In January, 2008, he was appointed to serve as the first Poet Laureate of Missouri.

The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Celebration will be held on Saturday, May 24, Noon to 5:00 p.m. The Meachum site is the first nationally recognized Underground Railroad site in the state of Missouri. The program includes a fully costumed re-enactment at 3:00 p.m. of the original freedom crossing with the Mississippi River as the natural backdrop. This year the reenactment will also include wagons with secret compartments and a posse on horses. The program will also include food, music and displays.

In the early morning of May 21, 1855 a small party of freedom seekers and their conductors crossed the Mississippi River at St. Louis, attempting to reach Illinois and eventually safety. The group had started their journey at a 'depot,' the home of Mary Meachum, a free woman of color and the widow of a prominent African American clergyman, John Berry Meachum. Some of the group was apprehended. Among them were Esther and her two children who belonged to Henry Shaw, a prominent St. Louisan. A detailed story of the escape was covered in local newspapers and Henry Shaw's records confirmed the facts. Thus was preserved for posterity a rare recorded example of an Underground Railroad event in Missouri. In December 2001, the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing was dedicated as part of the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.

The celebration will take place at the historic marker along the St. Louis Riverfront Trail in North St. Louis. The site is part of The Confluence, a network of conservation, heritage and recreation attractions along America's Great Rivers in the heart of the bi-state St. Louis region. This linked system of parks, historic sites, interpretive canters and multi-use trails is being developed by a unique partnership of public and private agencies.

This event is presented and hosted by Grace Hill AmeriCorps Trail Rangers with support from The Confluence Partnership, City of St. Louis, Elantas, Grace Hill Settlement House, Grossman Iron and Steel, Gunther Salt, Lange-Stegmann, Missouri Community Service Commission, National Black Tourism Network and The Honorable Dionne Flowers.

Directions: The event will take place at the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing along the Riverfront Trail. Take Hwy 70 to Adelaide. Exit and go east toward the River to Hall Street. Turn right and continue on Hall Street 3/4 mile to Prairie (look for the large Riverfront Trail sign), turn left on Prairie and follow through the floodwall to the parking area. Cyclists are encouraged to park their cars at the Biddle Plaza entrance to the Riverfront Trail (at Biddle and Leonor K. Sullivan) and pedal three miles to the site along the Riverfront Trail.

For more information on the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Celebration, contact:
Doug Eller, Grace Hill Settlement House, at (314) 584-6703
Angela or Ashely, Black Heritage Tourism, at (314) 865-0708

From our friends at the Philanthropy News Digest. Enjoy.

In order to be eligible, schools must be located in Dollar General's 35-state operating territory and must be within twenty miles of the nearest Dollar General Store. (A store locator is available online at http://www.dollargeneral.com/OurStores/Pages/StoreLocator.aspx.)

Funds must be used to enhance or expand the school's library, media center, or literacy programs. Programs or projects may target new readers, below-grade-level readers, readers with learning disabilities, or general literacy. Submissions will be judged based on creativity, statement of need, and use of funds.

Grants will range up to a maximum of $5,000 each.

Complete program information and application instructions are available at the Dollar General Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

I recently posted a blog about a grant RFP from the Lorax Challenge, (see What the Suess?!? A Grant RFP for the Lorax Challenge). While hunting for the proper spelling of "Thneed", I came across a Wikipedia article detailing the history and social impact of the story and the Lorax himself.

In said article, there was an interesting tidbit about The Lorax being a banned book. The Lorax? A banned book...seriously? I clicked a link to the Dixie State College Library website and was surprised, not to mention mildly amused, by the selections included in the list. Some of the reasons given are just downright silly, if not absurd. (Or in the case of Fahrenheit 451, painfully ironic)

This sent me on a tangent. After a little webferreting, I thought I would share a few of my favourite banned books and the "explanations" of why they are banned. This list is also available on the HumBook blog.
Riddle me this: What is/are your favourite banned book(s) and why was it/they banned?

Enjoy.

From Dixie State College Library

Fahrenheit 451
by: Ray Bradbury
Banned for being "dangerous", this book is set in the future, when all books are banned and people called 'firemen' enforce the laws against them. 451 degrees is the temperature that paper catches fire.

To Kill a Mockingbird
by: Harper Lee
Banned as recently as August 2001, in Oklahoma for "racially charged language."

James and the Giant Peach
by: Roald Dahl
A frequently banned author, this book was banned in a Florida elementary school because "it promotes the use of drugs, tobacco, and whiskey."

Of Mice and Men
by: John Steinbeck
Second most banned book in the U. S. in the 1990s. Banned for "racist language" in Florida and "vulgar language throughout" and "profanity" in Georgia.

A Wrinkle in Time
by: Madeline L'Engle
L'Engle is one of the 1990's most-challenged children's authors. This book was banned because it "challenges religious beliefs".

The Joy Luck Club
by: Amy Tan
Published in 1990, this book was banned because it "conflicted with the values of the community."

The Color Purple
by: Alice Walker
Banned from high schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the 1990s as "X-rated smut".

The Catcher in the Rye
by: J. D. Salinger
Banned because of "profanity, reference to suicide, vulgarity, disrespect, and anti-Christian sentiments" in 1991.

The Bridge to Terabithia
by: Katherine Paterson
Another Newbery Award winner, banned because of "anti-religion, language, and discussion of death."


From Forbidden Library

1984 . George Orwell. Harcourt. Challenged in the Jackson County, Fla. (1981) because the novel is "pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter." Big Brother doesn't want people reading such things.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Anne Frank. Modern Library. Challenged in Wise County, Va. (1982) due to "sexually offensive" passages. Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee (1983) called for the rejection of this book because it is a "real downer."

The Color Purple. Alice Walker. Harcourt. Challenged as appropriate reading material for an Oakland, Calif. High School honors class (1984) due to the work's "sexual and social explicitness" and its "troubling ideas about race relations, man's relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality." This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was finally approved for use by the Oakland Board of Education after nine months of debate. Banned in the Souderton, Pa. Area School District (1992) as appropriate reading for tenth graders because it is "smut."Removed from the Jackson County, W.Va. school libraries (1997) along with sixteen other titles.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl. Bantam; Knopf; Penguin. Removed from a locked reference collection at the Boulder, Colo. Public Library (1988), where it had been placed because the librarian thought the book espoused a poor philosophy of life.

A Light in the Attic. Shel Silverstein. Harper. Challenged at the Cunningham Elementary School in Beloit, Wis. (1985) because the book "enourages children to break dishes so they won't have to dry them." Removed from Minot, N.Dak. Public School libraries when the superintendent found "suggestive illustrations." Challenged at the Big Bend Elementary School library in Mukwonago, Wis. (1986) because some of Silverstein's poems "glorified Satan, suicide and cannibalism, and also encouraged children to be disobedient."

My Friend Flicka. Mary O'Hara. Harper; Lippincott. Removed from fifth and sixth grade optional reading lists in Clay County, Fla. schools (1990) because the book uses the word "bitch" to refer to a female dog, as well as the word "damn."

Where the Sidewalk Ends. Shel Silverstein. Harper. Challenged at the West Allis-West Milwaukee, Wis. school libraries (1986) because the book "suggests drug use, the occult, suicide, death, violence, disrespect for truth, disrespect for legitimate authority, rebellion against parents." Challenged at the Central Columbia School District in Bloomsburg, Pa. (1993) because a poem titled "Dreadful" talks about how "someone ate the baby." On the other hand, this book does present the negative consequences of not taking the garbage out.

The Bible The holy book of Christianity, it was claimed in Minnesota that its "lewd, indecent and violent contents are hardly suitable for young students."

A big "thanks" to Julie Douglas, MHC'S Family Programs Specialist, for passing on this great reading list from Read Aloud America. It lists a great variety of "Read-Aloud" books, categorized by age. These range from Toddlers and Infants all the way up to 9-12 Graders. There is also a list of timeless Family Favorites.

In addition for children's and adolescent titles, RAP offers a list of books for Adults readers and a great section on Resources for Parents and Teachers. The RAP Book List offers a wide range of books, covering an even wider range of subject. There is something for everyone. It is well worth a look!

Read Aloud America was founded in Hawaii in 1995 by Jed Gaines. It is a nonprofit 501(C)3 organization that promotes literacy, encourages a love of reading in adults and children, and increases children's prospects for success in school and life.

A grant RFP from the American Library Association, recently listed in the Philanthropy News Digest.

The American Library Association, in partnership with Spark Media, a Washington, D.C.-based production and outreach company, has announced an innovative library outreach program to enhance and increase the nationwide impact of Spark Media's documentary film, "Soul of a People: Voices from the Writers' Project." Major funding for the program has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The film and library outreach program is designed to acquaint public, academic, and special library audiences with the story of the largest cultural experiment in U.S. history — the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration — told against the backdrop of the Depression and 1930s America.

Click Here for more information

Click Here for the complete RFP

An announcement from the Philanthropy News Digest about the Jack Miller Center's Post-Doctoral Fellowship program. This program is for those who have recently earned doctoral degrees in the humanities or social sciences.

The Jack Miller Center for Teaching America's Founding Principles and History, a Philadelphia-based educational organization, has announced a new post-doctoral fellowship program, established with a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor.

The fellowships will be available on a national basis to students who recently earned doctoral degrees in the humanities or social sciences and are dedicated to strengthening the teaching of America's founding principles and history at the undergraduate college level. Fellowships have recently been established at Emory University in Atlanta and the University of Texas at Austin.

"These fellowships are of immense value to young scholars for a whole host of reasons, not least of which is they give them the time to turn their dissertations into publishable manuscripts or a series of articles in peer-reviewed journals," said Dr. Michael Andrews, vice president for academic programs at the center. "[Scholars also] gain valuable teaching experience and the opportunity to work with some of the leading scholars in the country — a very desirable credential as they enter the academic job market."

Click Here for more information and the full press release

Philanthropy News Digest posted an announcement about AT&T's new program focused on America's "dropout crisis".

AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have announced a four-year, $100 million initiative to help address the high school dropout crisis while strengthening student success and workforce readiness.

The AT&T Aspire initiative will provide grants to schools and nonprofit organizations working to help students graduate from high school and become better prepared for college or the workforce. In partnership with Junior Achievement, the program will offer a job-shadowing program for a 100,000 students nationwide, while underwriting research on how practitioners — teachers, principals, superintendents, school counselors, and school board members — perceive the dropout issue. It also will provide support for dropout prevention summits in all fifty states to be led by the America's Promise Alliance.

According to America's Promise, nearly a third of U.S. high school students — roughly seven thousand a day — drop out before graduating. And according to the Alliance for Excellent Education, students who are unprepared to enter college cost the U.S. economy more than $3.7 billion per year in lost earnings and remedial education costs.

"In the United States, 1.2 million students drop out of high school every year. This has implications for individuals and for our nation's global economic leadership," said AT&T chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson. "AT&T Aspire is about supporting the great work already underway to help our kids succeed in school, and helping students see the connection between education and their best future."

The full press release and more information are available on AT&T's website.

RFP for the Youth Prizes for Excellence in International Education competition, from the Philanthropy News Digest.

The Asia Society and the Goldman Sachs Foundation have announced the 2008 Youth Prizes for Excellence in International Education. Up to five winners will be selected to receive up to $10,000 each as well as an all-expense paid trip to New York City in November 2008 to receive their prize.

The 2008 competition asks students to create an in-depth written essay or multimedia feature examining a social or economic issue that has relevance to them in a global context. In the essay category, students will compare and contrast how the issue affects their community and a community abroad, as well as create recommendations for what lessons the two communities could learn from each other. In the multimedia category, students will explore how a global problem or challenge affects their life as an individual, as a member of their local community, and/or as a global citizen.

Click Here to read more Click Here to go directly to the RFP

Grant RFP for middle and high school student newspaper projects, from the Philanthropy News Digest.

The Newspaper Association of America Foundation encourages middle and high schools to partner with professional newspapers in their communities and seek funding to start, relaunch, or revitalize student newspapers, whether online or in print.

All public and private schools serving grades 7 through 12 and working in partnership with daily or nondaily professional newspapers are eligible to receive Student/Newspaper Partnership Grants from the NAA Foundation. Schools are also encouraged to seek a university or a college as an additional partner. Funding priority is given to startup student newspapers. However, grant applications to relaunch or revitalize former or current programs also will be considered. The NAA Foundation especially welcomes grant applications from urban, rural, or minority-majority schools.

Click Here to read more Click Here to go directly to the RFP

Grant RFP for music and dance ensembles, from the Philanthopy News Digest.

USArtists International is committed to ensuring that the impressive range of expression and creativity of the U.S. performing arts is represented at international festivals abroad. The program is managed by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation,with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Trust for Mutual Understandingfor engagements in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe.

The program works to strengthen the creative and professional development of U.S. artists by providing support for their performances at significant international festivals. Grants are available to U.S. dance and music ensembles that have been invited to participate in international festivals.

Click Here to read more
Click Here to go directly to the RFP

• Live coverage of Steve Jobs and Apple at WWDC
  Engadget is on hand to live blog WWDC. Need I say more? OK, how about the possibility of Google.Mac? Or final Leopard feature set? And what's this I hear about an iPhone?
• Gizmodo's New Liveblog for Apple WWDC 2007 Steve Jobs Keynote
  Gizmodo rolls out a brand new liveblogging system with comments for WWDC 2007 Steve Jobs Keynote at WWDC 2007 - check it out.

• TechSoup's NonProfit Second Life Extravaganza
  Anshe Chung Studios in China has been quietly building an amazing Second Life space, managed by TechSoup, for non-profits. A site featuring multiple bloggers with offices in this space has popped up chronicling this group's experiences. Soon this empty space will start to bustle with Linden citizens for Social Good. Take a look.

• Are you smarter than a fifth grader?
  From the editor of the tightened up "Do you know" ppt presentation making the viral rounds...