This article describes how the 2006 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in New Orleans will long symbolize the significance of libraries and librarians to a convention city--and to the community around it. As the first major convention in the Crescent City since the ravages of Hurricane Katrina ten months earlier, the conference…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…

After a difficult year for colleges and universities in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, the enrollment outlook for this fall is a lot brighter. Tulane University reported last week that 1,375 high-school seniors had committed to attending, a 56-percent jump over last year's 882 new freshmen. Xavier University of Louisiana reported that it…

This paper examines the suicide rates of 23 cities and counties in Taiwan from 1983 to 2001. We found that a combination of economic and social variables can significantly account for the tremendous variations in suicide rates across Taiwan's cities and counties over the last two decades. The level of income per capita in a region appears as the…

Understanding the post-storm landscape of education in New Orleans and the metro area requires a grasp of some of the pre-storm realities of New Orleans public schools. This article will provide a brief overview of three arenas important to understanding the educational landscape of New Orleans--parish governance, desegregation and private…

Guidelines to help local school systems in Maryland develop a comprehensive emergency plan and to increase student awareness are offered in this handbook. Following the introduction, chapter 1 outlines the roles of all participants in emergency planning and response. Chapter 2 describes the process for preparing an emergency plan, including…

Post-tornado support groups were organized by the Greene County, North Carolina disaster coordinators and the Pitt County outreach workers from the Community Mental Health Center sponsored tornado follow-up project. The most significant intervention used was the emphasis on creating a climate of group support by establishing a forum for…

This plan was developed to prevent any unnecessary loss of Rhode Island's library resources in the event of a disaster. Representatives from public, academic, and special libraries, town clerks' offices, and historical societies formed the Rhode Island Disaster Information Task Force, which collected materials from a wide range of institutions.…

Although not intended as a complete manual, the guide gives families a better chance of surviving and recovering from a major emergency by helping them learn what emergencies and disasters could occur in the area, how to prepare for them, what action to take in emergencies, and how to develop emergency skills. The guide explains what supplies to…

The goals of this program were to alert Florida's academic and public librarians to the nature of fire- and water-related disasters, train them to prepare for and respond to emergency situations in ways that would minimize damage to collections, and establish a statewide library disaster recovery network. These goals were met by means of the…

Severe weather is an element of nature that cannot be controlled. Therefore, it is important that the general public be aware of severe weather and know how to react quickly and appropriately in a weather emergency. This study, done in the community surrounding the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, was conducted to compile and analyze…

Every school needs an effective disaster recovery plan that is flexible, comprehensive and designed to take into account unexpected disasters. Presents guidelines for preparing such a plan, with immediate and long-range recovery procedures. (MD)

Disasters are becoming the key concern of many nations. The term disaster usually meant for natural calamities. There of course may be a human hand behind each of the disasters, whether its' impact is small or large. Disasters can be categorized into natural and man made. In the case of natural disasters there may be some natural indicators to…

""The Achiever" is a monthly newsletter designed expressly for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) $17 Million Awarded in Advanced Placement Grants; (2) After the Storm: New Orleans School Maintains High Standard…

This issue of the monthly newsletter for the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) includes the following articles: (1) New Majority Leader Supports School Choice; (2) Bush: End Discrimination Against Religious Organizations; (3) Paige Establishes New School Recognition Program; (4) Congress to Take Up IDEA; and (5) CAPENotes.