U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Facilitating Outstanding Classrooms Using Size Reduction (FOCUS) Act of 2011 [bill summary, PDF], which the Senator says would provide states with the resources they need to reduce class sizes across the early grade levels in order to provide students and teachers with an educational environment that encourages maximum student academic growth, Education News reports. Murray’s bill will also put in place evaluation tools to assess the program’s effectiveness…
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Mom gives back-to-school shoes to 700 needy kids in murdered son’s name
For Lynn Alderman, August is the cruelest month. It’s the month her son, Joey, was born. It’s also the month he was shot and killed three years ago in what authorities believe was an attempted robbery at a gas station, reports the Huffington Post.
“If I could, I would just sleep from July 31 until September 1,” she told the Huffington Post. “On August 10, he died, and on the 23rd, it was his birthday. Having to deal with those days, it just hits you.”
But this year, Alderman commemorated the month of August in an uplifting way. She channelled her despair to help other children in Joey’s honor by providing 700 needy kids in her Charlotte, N.C., community with back-to-school shoes last weekend……Read More