Show 10A Standard-Exame- Friday Nov 23 1990 r i Gtandcrd-Gxcminc- r als State school board change is needed One of the more significant recommendations of a State Education Governance Task Force formed to identify improvements in Utah’s public education system would dramatically change the way state school board members are elected In the plan prepared for introduction in the 1991 Utah Legislature task force members see a greater public interest and participation in deciding the composition of the board a government entity that has suffered immeasurably from poor image lack of respect and is considered less than effective The plan is designed to give the governor a strong role in choosing the state board Critics wrongly — such as Ogden school board president Brent Cherrington — see the proposal as a way for more affluent and prominent Utahns to monopolize board participation Cherrington also raises the potential for such a plan to filter down into local elections which as he has pointed out could remove the autonomy enjoyed on a local level Nonesense Local school board elections have never n failed to field a good of candidates people with local curriculum and closely who are associated in determining local educational needs Under the proposal making its was through the legislative process the governor would appoint a nominating committee in each of the nine districts from which a board member is chosen cross-sectio- ed seven-memb- George of Arabia er Four committee members would represent teachers school administrators parents and local school board members while three others would be citizens at large Once in place the committee would accept applications and nominations for state school board positions eventually selecting two candidates for the November elections to be chosen by the governor Intensified efforts would be made to increase voter awareness of candidates’ positions and capabilities as well as focus on the importance of the state board in educational governance Currently state school board members are elected from nine geographic districts statewide with any legal voter living wi thing each district having the chance to file for that office Frequent unfavorable publicity prompted the task force The state school board has been unfavorably compared to the Utah Board of Regents which establishes policy for the state’s institutions of higher learning School board critics often characterize the regents — mostly made up of prominent influential community leaders and business men and women — as the best example of efficient educational governance The Utah Board of Education which has responsibility for the state’s public schools has suffered tremendously from poor public perception and has been targeted for criticism mostly in recent years because of misjudgments in the selection of state school superintendents The state school board made a giant stride in reviving itself just two months ago when it made an excellent apn and highly regardpointment in Jay Taggart a ed administrator to be superintendent Finding a different formula for electing or choosing state school boards is not new idea Several bills in recent legislative sessions have been clearly targeted at either eliminating or changing the selection structure With the appointment of Taggart and his abilities to deal directly and forcefully with issues calling on the know ledge of his past experiences as well as his engaging people skills has already been effective in stifling squabbling conflicts and overcoming indecision However one commendable move does not necessarily end dissatisfaction dissention and unrest that have enveloped the elected State School Board for the past decade Significant alternatives must be addressed if Utah public schools are to be streamlined and in harmony with the advances in education that can be expected in the next century We must not pass up this opportunity to look at alter-nati- v e ways to reform the state school board Changes are necessary in the manner and direction of public schools governance to ensure delivery of quality edchildren ucation to Utah’s school-ag- e well-know- Flowers of genius Scripps Howard Editorial Sews Service It gratifies a taste for irony that art works by Vincent Van Gogh continue to fetch unprecedented sums His “Garden of Flowers' was auctioned off the other day for S836 million almost twice the previous record for any drawing Eunng his life Van Gogh was utterly unsuccessful and impoverished All his gifts and passions were impractical His gorgeous canvasses piled up unsold his private life was stormy and only in his love for his brother Theo did he find a h2p?y and lasting bond with another human soul Vet in death this least worldly of artists triumphs He migrs supreme in the slickest cf all arenas the art market Tycoons and dealers compete for the ultimate cachet of having a Van Gogh Besides irony there’s justice in this state cf affairs — once you get past the incongruity of measuring genius in millions Bush's quandary: To call or not to call WASHINGTON — A dilemma by definition is the unavoidable choice between two equally unattractive alternatives Since Aug 2 when Iraq invaded Kuwait President Bush has been impaled on a dilemma’s horns Now he has another tough decision to reach The choice on Aug 2 was clear Bush was damned if he intervened and damned if he didn’t He chose to send in the 82nd Airborne Division In the beginning he enjoyed apparent widespread support To listen to the radio talk shows that support is slowly eroding The president’s approval rating has fallen under 50 percent He needs a boost Once again he faces a hard choice between calling or not calling Congress back into session The risks are evenly balanced If Bush could be assured that a resolution of firm support for his action would be overwhelmingly adopted it would be worth the effort Such a gesture by Congress would carry a strong message to Saddam Hussein in Iraq that American resolve has not wavered The president’s hand would be strengthened A ringing resolution of congressional approval would encourage our allies in this venture The trouble is that the leadership cannot give such assurance Let us recall a recent piece of dumb-shoIn the House Rep Dante Fascell of Florida took the lead in crafting House Joint Resolution 658 It was a long document that began by condemning Iraq’s unprovoked aggression and went on to “affirm’ the president's five stated objectives and to “support" w James J Kilpatrick the deployment of troops in the Persian Gulf region The resolution concluded by acknowledging that Bush had reported his actions to Congress in compliance with the War Powers Resolution of 1973 On Oct 1 the House passed HJR 658 by the resounding vote of 380-2- 9 The Senate meanwhile was engaged with its own Concurrent Resolution 147 It was a much shorter document carrying the uncertain beat of muffled drums In the Senate version Congress “strongly approves the leadership of the president in successfully pursuing” the adoption of UN resolutions Congress “approves the actions taken by the president in support of” the five goals And Congress “supports continued action by the president in accordance with United States constitutional and statutory processes to deter Iraqi aggression and to protect American lives and vital interests in the region” On Oct 2 the Senate approved its concurrent resolution by a vote of 96-- 3 The House sent its resolution to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee It died there The Senate sent its resolution to the House Foreign Affairs Committee It died there It was an ignominious performance all the way If this was the best Congress could do in the first week of October what could be expected of Congress in the first week of December? The president urgently needs an expression of strong bipartisan support What need is a tentative Milquetoast resolution adopted by a widely divided vote An irresolute resolution would be worse than no resolution at alL Other avenues ought to be explored for providing the moral support that Bush deserves House and Senate leaders made a helpful gesture by joining the president this week in Saudi Arabia If major national organizations — veterans groups labor unions patriotic societies professional and trade asexsociations — would adopt blow of strike could a pressions support they against the rising voices of discontent And these voices are rising The press has to cover the visit to Iraq by Ramsey Clark This notorious peacemonger may be a limp noodle but his name makes news Student protesters are always good for a photograph Those who fear another Vietnam are entitled to be heard — but they ought not to be the only voices that are heard Bush is right in what he has done so far He has stated the five goals clearly and repeatedly: to achieve Hussein's unconditional withdrawal to restore the legitimate government of Kuwait to provide for stability in the Persian Gulf to protect American lives and to move toward a new world order of peace His policies are to stop aggression to help our friends and to protect our national in Middle Eastern oil These are sound goals and prudent policies It is high time for those who support the president to let him know it Universal Press Syndicate he does not watered-dow- n self-intere- st Brain disorder blamed for hyperactivity CHICAGO — The mother who phoned was in tears The school had just told her that it could no longer put up with her son He was too disruptive too hyperactive too unruly He disturbed the classroom so the other children couldn’t learn He took an unfair share of the teacher’s time Some other arrangements would have to be made “I don’t understand” the mother sobbed “He really is a good boy He’s all right at home I know he tries He promises me over and over that he will behave in class And then I get another call from school that he's making trouble again “What's wrong with him?" Researchers took a giant step toward answering that question last week when they reported identifying a specific abnormality in the brain linked to the inability to pay attention and control hyperactive behavior In studying the brains of adults who have been hyperactive since childhood researchers found that their brain activity as measured by glucose metabolism significantly lower particularly in two key areas known to be involved in the control of attention and motor activity The finding should help settle a decades-lon- g debate by showing that hyperactivity reis a neurological disorder and not merely ally inappropriate behavior reflecting some kind of emotional problem or lack of discipline or inadequate parenting The research makes it clear that stimulant drugs such as Ritalin do act to treat a real neurological disorder They are not as some critics of such medication charge merely drugging children who are exceptionally creative or too boyishly exuberant to get along with a prissy teacher The newly found link between brain and behavior is one more reminder that what appear to be emotional problems are not netev- s brigh-but-bor- Joan Beck that many of the sarily psychological theoretical foundations of psychotherapy are faulty and that the need for more neurological research of all kinds is urgent — and will surely be rewarding The research was done by a National Institute of Mental Health team headed by Dr Alan J Zametkin The study was published in the Nov 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine The adults who participated in the study were not only hyperactive themselves but also were the parents of children diagnosed as being hyperactive It’s estimated that about 28 percent of the biologic parents of hyperactive children suffer from the same problem children Two to 4 percent of all school-ag- e are abnormally hyperactive (the condition is y now known medically as attention disorder) Boys outnumber girls by 8 to Symptoms include easy distractibil-it- y impulsiveness difficulty in paying attention and an aimless sort of restlessness Such youngsters are usually worse in group situations where there are lots of distractions They are not only a problem in the classroom and elsewhere but often also to themselves Many children seem to outgrow hyperactivity m adolescence especially if they get appropriate help But 3'J percent to 50 percent cf hyperactive children turn out to be hyperactive adults They are often marked by antisocial behavior by low education and job achievement drug abuse suicide attempts rate of accidents and a Researchers can’t yet offer parents a quick and easy test to identify which youngsters reattention deficit disally have a order and which may just be unusually deficithv-peractivit- 1 e brain-base- d exuberant active youngsters or simply brats who enjoy acting up and need some training in proper behavior But the study does give parents justification for allowing phy sicians to prescribe Ri-tal- in or (methy Iphenidate) dextroamphetamine for a hyperactive child Paradoxically the drugs are stimulants But they help children with a attention deficit disorder to calm down and concentrate perhaps by increasing the activity in the areas of the brain where it is abnormally brain-base- d low In contrast children whose inappropriate behavior really does have a psychological basis usually react as expected to a stimulant drug They get worse “They start climbing up the file drawers in the doctor’s office and swinging from the chandelier at home” said one neurologist Stimulant drugs aren’t just an easy solution for all children with brain-basehyperactivity however The medication can be highly effective even dramatically so in many cases But the drugs can have side effects They do require careful medical monitoring And hyperactive children may still need some behavior modification training and help with school skills But for parents like the mother who called me years ago the new study at least provides some answers beyond price They aren't bad parents Their child isn’t a bad kid They aren’t crazy Neither is their child It's not the d fault of the school What they arc faced with is a medical problem no more judgmental a situation than a hundred other childhood ills All the answers haven't been found yet There is no permanent cure But researchers now know where to look Only the parents of a hvperac-tiv- c child realize how much that is wnrh Chcuzi 7r ' |