Schools In Maryland

With the Maryland treasury flush with cash, Gov. Parris N. Glendening is considering sending state aid for the first time to private and religious schools for computers and books, a spokesman said yesterday.Although the governor has not made a final decision, he has sent signals to people interested in the issue that he is leaning toward what would be a significant change in state policy.Such a move would likely ignite a debate on state government's proper role in assisting private and religious schools.

Inadequate funding drives parents to raise funds for schoolsThe Sun's article "PTAs may contribute to school disparities" (Sept. 20) explained a great deal about fund-raising efforts by local PTAs. But it never answered the key question: Why do local PTAs try to raise so much money?Sure, individuals quoted in the article said they wanted to improve their children's schools, but why is this necessary? Because the schools in Maryland (and Harford County in particular) are grossly underfunded.

Students and teachers across Maryland will gain access to hundreds of dollars worth of Microsoft software for the price of a single textbook, thanks to an agreement between the software giant and a consortium of Maryland schools.Under the three-year contract, schools will pay $42 for a suite of Microsoft's most popular word processing, spreadsheet, database, and development software -- programs normally sold to educators for $150 each and to the general public for $500 or more.Microsoft has forged similar deals in other states, but this is the first to include such a diverse collection of institutions, officials said.

The private liberal arts college remains a halcyon image of higher education in many minds - caring professors on cloistered campuses teaching small classes the eternal truths of literature and science, molding young minds into those of responsible, thoughtful citizens.But how is King Lear or Newton going to help you find a job in the high-tech, information-driven, Web-based 21st century?Goucher, Washington, Western Maryland and Hood are four Maryland nonsectarian, traditional liberal arts colleges.

Lawmakers will hear testimony today on legislation that would govern the founding of charter schools in Maryland and that could open the door for federal aid for them.Maryland is among about 15 states without the regulations required by the federal government for this aid.Charter schools are public schools operated by a group or institution with a contract, or charter, and with varying degrees of independence from school bureaucracies. They have become a rallying cry for reformers who see them as key to improving public schools by increasing competition for students and providing models of better ways to teach children.

Hundreds of private school pupils, parents and teachers gathered at the State House last night to continue a 3-year-old quest to get state aid for Roman Catholic, Jewish and other nonpublic schools.The schools are seeking $14 million to pay for expenses such as textbooks and technology improvements.Last night, children held up signs saying, "It's about time!" and "We want our fair share," but the lobbying effort might fail this year.Gov. Parris N. Glendening did not fund the request in his proposed budget unveiled last week, and a spokeswoman says he does not plan to include such funding in a supplemental budget.

It's 5 p.m., and Malissa Ruffner sets aside files at GreenMount School and darts out to collect her children from soccer practice.The director -- one of six mothers who founded the private school in Wyman Park -- takes pride in being a soccer mom. After all, parents' involvement with children is the keystone of the cooperative that developed the school, she said.When GreenMount opens Sept. 2 to its largest enrollment -- 65 pupils -- Ruffner will work to maintain the parent cooperative and provide the quality education she fought for as an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.

W. Byron Forbush II has run Friends School for 38 years. He wanted no surprises at his goodbye party.But the students didn't heed their departing headmaster.At a well-planned convocation, they rolled out an unexpected, and momentarily breathtaking, gift -- a ceramic table set with more than 1,000 tiles, each painted by a student or faculty member to represent the 1,010 students and "many faces of Friends School."The glib Forbush was surprised, though speechless for only seconds."I'm not sure I can even respond to that," Forbush said, his voice filling with emotion.

As part of a nationwide effort to curb media violence, Maryland's attorney general is asking elementary school students rather than their parents to turn off violent television shows and videos today.Students across the state are being urged to write letters expressing their views about violence in the media and how it affects them, as Maryland's contribution to the nation's second Tune Out the Violence Day.The effort is sponsored by the National Association of Attorneys General."I believe it is time our kids make their voices heard on the barrage of violence piped into their homes each day," said Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. "Last year my message was to parents.

Fifth-graders Wayne Chang and John Noh needed information about dragons -- those mythical creatures that have long inhabited books and children's fantasies. Now, those fire-breathers are coming alive in another medium -- the Internet."Dragons didn't really exist," says John, 10, a student at Centennial Lane Elementary School. "We found a Web site that was about Chinese dragons. Then we presented our project."Gov. Parris N. Glendening will stop at Centennial Lane this afternoon in a series of visits to schools to kick off Maryland's Net Weekend.