Have you heard about the new teacher campaign? It is called,  “Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher” -- an ad campaign that was made possible by the generous support of Jones New York In The Classroom ,  The NEA, Sacholastic, Staples. 100,000 posters of this campaign have been distributed to schools nationwide, which I love because,  as you know my website, www.roccobasile.com, advocates educational news.

This campaign was also featured Spring 2010 in Time Inc.’s magazines including, Country Weekly and O, The Oprah Magazine, and County Weekly.  In the ads you will find Kurt Warner, two-time NFL-MVP, Alec Baldwin from 30 Rock, and Academy Award nominee James Franco.

Here is the exciting news.  These fabulous ads are available as free posters now!  Just email posters@teacherscount.org noting your your name, address, etc. and they will send you the latest edition.  Best of all it is all free!

Our Spring 2010 edition includes two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner , NBA star Stephen Curry , 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin and Academy Award nominee James Franco.

--Rocco Basile

Rocco Basile (second from right) and the Children of the City Board are photographed at the recent July 20, 2011 Annual Benefit Gala, held at The Lighthouse Chelsea Piers, New York. The gala celebrated the Brooklyn-based charity's 30th anniversary serving familities.

The celebrities were celebrating along with founder Joyce Mattera (center) 30 years of rescuing some of the city's most at risk children. "Thirty years ago I saw these hurting children and knew I had to do something to help. Over the years, so many celebrities have joined in helping rescue our most at risk children," Joyce told the crowd, and last night was no exception.

Children of the City has been serving the underprivileged children in Sunset Park, Brooklyn since 1981, and the organization began as a children’s prevention outreach in the early years. Today the services include counseling, mentorship, educational support, financial and career guidance, social and life skills training, legal guardianship, and more.

More than a thousand children are visited monthly, in aaddition to services that are provided to hundreds more every werek. Referrals help connect the families with Children of the City's partnering agencies, with the goal of helping to  break the cycles of abuse and poverty. -- Rocco Basile

One person with a mission is hoping to train schoolteachers in a manner that “explodes the traditional, course-based paradigm that has been adopted by traditional schools of education over the past century.” Norman Atkins is the founder of a network of charter schools. His organization is called Relay. This method is intended to ensure a future of instructional methods teachers use that are known to work, so they will be held accountable for each student's performance.

Public education is thought to be failing millions of children in the United States, to the point where they won't have the skills needed  survival or success in the 21st century. Relay's intent is to vastly improve the education of our teachers. Concerns that most teachers are unprepared yet many have more credentials than ever before including Master’s degrees, a requirement for permanent certification in only a few states, including New York and Kentucky.

The National Center for Education Statistics has data indicating that 52 percent of kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers have a master’s degree or higher — which often qualifies them for better pay, yet there is little evidence that getting a Masters degree provides better student achievement. There were 178,564 master’s degrees in education awarded in 2008-2009  accounted for 27 percent of all the master’s degrees distributed in the U.S.

Current trends in some states are planning reform, everything from raising the standards at traditional schools to charter schools to the online network apporoach in order to further prepare teachers.

New York state even invited nonacademic institutions to apply to receive $12.5 million in grants for the purpose of developing and then  offering master’s degree programs in teacher preparation that are more "clinical."  Yet many of today's teachers bypass traditional education degrees, and simply go to work in schools with temporary licenses, and some of them have had  just a few weeks or months of training.  Around 500,000 of tour country's 3.6 million teachers have entered the field this way. One culpret is via Teach for America, where teachers work within high-poverty areas through public education systems.

The good news is that there are a number of states stating thatthey are going to create alternate routes for becoming a teacher, witho increased standards.

--Rocco Basile

An article in the New York Post on March 11, 2008 said, "New York Giants Super Bowl hero David Tyree and local businessman and Bay Ridge resident Rocco Basile will be honored Thursday at the Children of the City's Night of Champions Benefit Gala.

Tyree has been a supporter of the Children of the City program for the past three years. Basile helped establish the after-school program by securing resources and funding for the program. They will both receive the program's highest honor, the Children Champion Award.

Hosted by the New Jersey Nets' Richard Jefferson, this annual fund-raising event has additional celebrity support by actor Steve Schirripa, who will serve as Master of Ceremonies."

In a recent Chronical survey of 180 businesses it has been determined that the recent shaky economy is challenging charitable giving which will probably be flat in 2011, and this is gifts from bigger companies in the U.S.  Although the giving  of cash did rise by 13 percent,  after the recession there was  a decline in giving of 7.5 percent in 2009.

Of course, some companies provide product donations along with cash gfts, making the numbers for 2010 look stronger, which actually makes giving appear to have risen nearly 20 percent.

Of the  107 companies from the Fortune 500 providing projections, seventy-four of them said they expect this year's giving to remain about the same as as last year.  And while six percent expect a decrease, twenty-seven are expecting total giving to increase. while six expect a decrease.

-- Rocco Basile

I am pleased to post the invitation and a sponsor deck for my charity Children of the City. If you know anyone who would like to attend or sponsor this wonderful chairty event  - please read on!

WHEN: This year's gala fundraiser is on Wednesday July 20, 2011; Cocktails 6:30pm with a Reception @ 7:30pm.

WHERE: The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers - Intersection of Eleventh Avenue & 21st Street, Manhattan

HOW MUCH? Individual Dinner Seats $400; Business attire. tax deductable.

WHAT: Silent and live auctions, open bar, live band, and dancing.

Sponsorship Opportunities

$35,000: Title Sponsor

Email us here for more info on this project. Benefits Include:

Acknowledgement as Title Sponsor in all related press releases, event correspondence and event journal

Prominent signage at Event

3 Tables of 8 Guests

Access to VIP section with celebrity guests during cocktail hour

Photo opportunities with celebrity guests

Inside front full-page advertisement in Event Journal

Vendor Information distributed at Event

2 full-page ads in COC Newsletter over a course of four issues

Web site link for 12 months beginning December 1st, 2010

$20,000: Sponsor a College Bound Project

Email us here for more info on this project. Benefits Include:

Acknowledgement as Crisis Intervention Sponsor in all related press releases, event correspondence, event journal and Tribute Book

Gold-Level seating for 8 guests

Access to VIP section with celebrity guests during cocktail hour

Photo opportunities with celebrity guests

Full-page advertisement in Event Journal

1 full-page ad in COC Newsletter

Listing in thank you note following event

Promotional material to be included in Gift Bags

$15,000: Sponsor an Academic Development Project

Email us here for more info on these projects. Benefits Include:

Acknowledgement as Academic Development Sponsor in all related press releases, event correspondence, event journal and Tribute Book

Gold-Level seating for 8 guests

Access to VIP section with celebrity guests during cocktail hour

Photo opportunities with celebrity guests

Full-page advertisement in Event Journal

1 full-page ad in COC Newsletter

Listing in thank you note following event

$10,000: Sponsor a Crisis Intervention Project

Email us here for more info on this project. Benefits Include:

Acknowledgement as College Bound Sponsor in all related press releases, event correspondence, event journal and Tribute Book

Gold Level seating for 8 guests

Access to VIP section with celebrity guests during cocktail hour

Photo opportunities with celebrity guests

Half-page advertisement in Event Journal

1 half-page ad in COC Newsletter

Listing in thank you note following event

$7,500: Exclusive Sponsorship of the Dinner

Email us here for more info on this project. Benefits Include:

Table of 8 guests

Prominent signage onstage

Access to VIP section with celebrity guests during cocktail hour

Photo opportunities with celebrity guests

Acknowledgment of sponsorship in Tribute Booklet and Gala Program

Listing in thank you note following event

$5,000: Sponsor a Child

Email us here for more info on this project. Benefits Include:

Table of 8 guests

Access to VIP section with celebrity guests during cocktail hour

Name Recognition at Gala as Child Sponsor

Acknowledgment of sponsorship in Tribute Booklet and Gala Program

Listing in thank you note following event

$3,500: Exclusive Sponsorship of the Cocktail Reception

Email us here for more info on this project. Benefits Include:

4 Event Tickets

Prominent signage throughout Cocktail area

Acknowledgment of sponsorship in Tribute Booklet and Gala Program

Listing in thank you note following event

Advertising Opportunities are also available.

For more information, please contact us at (718) 436-0242 ext. 20 or email us here.

- Rocco Basile

Last year it appeared as if the New York City graduation rates improved slightly, but students being ready for college was lagging, according to the 2010 college readiness data. (Source: The State Education Department.) Only 21 percent of New York City public high school students in the 2010 graduating class were prepared for college and careers, meaning just one in five high school graduates are actually ready for college.  These numbers can be compared to the rest of New York state where 36.7 percengt or two in five graduates are ready. 

Compared to the class of 2009, NNYC's graduation rate improved slightly and was at 61 percent for the Class of 2010.  The number was   59 percent for 2009's Class of 2009.

"This data underscores the urgency of our efforts to continue to raise standards, improve assessments and support the highest quality teaching in all of our classrooms," said New York State Board of Regent Chancellor Merryl Tisch.

Graduation rates from high schools are one important measure in a school's overall performance. The new data also underscore a wider achievement gap between black students and white students: The 2010 graduation rate for black students is 56 percent,  compared to 76 percent -- some 20 percentage points lower than white students.

-- Rocco Basile