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Group sets course to act on prisoners, poverty, education: Delegates split over helping ex-felons vote.

Jul. 11--NAACP delegates from around the country called for action from local, state and federal governments on issues that ranged from environmental racism to voting rights for former felons.
During a day of official business Tuesday, delegates attending the national convention in Detroit voted on dozens of legislative resolutions that will set the organization's course.
Many resolutions passed without opposition, but a motion to reaffirm the push for national programs to assist prisoners as they re-enter society generated lengthy debate.
The resolution called for legislation that addresses housing, voting rights, education and job training for ex-offenders. Delegates appeared to be most torn on when to push for voting rights -- on release from prison or once all legal and financial obligations have been met, which often can take years after parole.
Coretta Graham of Corpus Christi, Texas, said the right to vote is a privilege, and people who engage in heinous crimes need to be held accountable.
Melvin Butch Hollowell, the Detroit Branch NAACP's general counsel, disagreed.
"We believe the right to vote is not a privilege; it is a right, and we ought to give that right to people upon their release from prison," Hollowell said.
Ned Sloan, a delegate and attorney from Washington, D.C., said: "We should understand very clearly the purpose for having these conditions on ex-offenders. The reason these things happen is to suppress and eliminate people from voting. ... When a person is arrested and serves his time, all rights should be restored."
The delegates tabled the resolution during the morning session but agreed later to amended language. They voted to push to restore ex-felons' rights immediately upon release.
Among other legislative resolutions delegates approved:
--A national empowerment campaign to eradicate poverty. The campaign is designed to provide a comprehensive approach to fighting poverty for families, including emphasis on health care and education.
--A call to Congress to restore prisoners' Pell Grant eligibility to promote higher-education opportunities for inmates.
--A push to have the federal government insist that state school boards provide statistics about dropouts in a standardized manner, including a breakdown by race. States also would be encouraged to decrease the dropout rates and increase the graduation rates of minority students.
--A call to the federal government to establish special state funds to provide incentives for black people to enter the teaching profession and for African-American teachers who are seeking certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
--An active protest movement to evaluate school history textbooks for omissions, distortions, biases and insufficient coverage of the contributions of Africans and African Americans, with an emphasis on the antebellum period.
--A promise to take a leadership role in advocating for solutions to environmental issues. The organization also will push for local, state and federal laws to reduce environmental ills that impact certain communities.


Make skills a top priority

The IT profession has urged the new prime minister to introduce incentives to encourage employers and IT professionals to invest in training a skilled IT workforce.
Nick Kallisperas, director for delivery at IT suppliers association Intellect, said skills should be top of Gordon Brown's agenda. He said it was fundamental to ensure that the graduates coming out of the academic system have the skills to meet businesses' needs.
Philip Virgo, strategic adviser at the Institute for the Management of Information Systems, said he hoped that Brown would give more weight to E-Skills UK, the joint public/private sector IT skills body, in formulating government policy.
Elsewhere, the Institute of Directors called on Brown to devote more resources to fighting e-crime. "More effort needs to be put into security products and incentives for ISPs to stop the criminals," it said.
Brown must be open on IT projects, p6
Richard Swann IT Infrastructure manager Institute of directors, called for tax breaks for businesses investing in Green IT equipment. "Introducing of efficiency ratings [for IT systems], as with domestic 'white goods', would also help," he said.
David Roberts, chief executive at IT management group The Infrastructure Forum, agreed. "Computer crime seems to have taken a back seat so it would be good if more attention and resources could be given to fighting against it."
Stephen Way, divisional IT director Johnson Matthey called for the government to champion the use of open-source software. "It would help increase competition, break down monopolies and reduce incentive driven software purchasing decisions.


EDUCATION AND TRAINING : MEPS BACK EU-WIDE FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING QUALIFICATIONS


Broad support has been given by MEPs for the creation of a European Qualifications Framework, in a vote in the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee on 7 June.

The EQF, as planned by the European Commission, would be a reference tool for comparing different qualifications available in the member states. It would be a system of eight reference levels, setting out criteria regarding a person's knowledge, skills and wider competences. The intention is that qualifications would be assigned an EQF level, thus making it easier for them to be understood cross-border. The EQF would cover general and higher education, as well as vocational education and training.

Points made by MEPs include that, by 2012, all new qualification certificates and diplomas should contain a clear reference to their appropriate EQF level. The same date should apply for documents issued under the Europass system to make reference to the EQF.
The committee also stresses that informal and non-formal learning should receive appropriate recognition through the system. One amendment states that particular attention should be made to qualifications acquired by people in the course of caring for children or dependents. Member states are also urged to recognise the growing importance of online education services.
Once legally established, the EQF would be used by the member states on a voluntary basis. The dossier is being dealt with by Parliament under the co-decision procedure. Although the Employment Committee, and its rapporteur Mario Mantovani (EPP-ED, Italy), are principally responsible, the Culture and Education Committee also participates under the enhanced cooperation' process.


Childhood Education

School in the park: bridging formal and informal learning environments

Pedro and his fellow 3rd-graders sit on the floor in the San Diego Air and Space Museum, listening to the museum teacher explain the lift and drag of an airplane. Pedro raises his hand and asks, "Isn't that Newton's third law of motion?"
Karen, a 4th-grader, is studying a photograph in the Museum of Photographic Arts and explains to her companion, "You can tell that this photo has a lot of pixels because the picture is so clear."
Eight-year-old Theodosia explains to her teacher that she understands why students are told to be very quiet in the IMAX theater, because a whisper can be heard from one end of the theater to the other. "The ceiling is a parabola," Theodosia states. She has learned about parabolas from a lesson on sound at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
Where is this happening? In San Diego, California, 800 public school students from the inner city are attending a program called School in the Park (SITP), for approximately one-fourth of their 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade education. This unique program blends rigorous academic standards (formal learning) with hands-on, experiential curricula (informal learning), using community resources at 10 institutions within San Diego's famous Balboa Park. From 6 to 9 weeks a year, these students study at the park's museums (and the San Diego Zoo) with museum educators. This dynamic teaching/learning context fosters students' active engagement in authentic, multi-sensory, purposeful exploration and study, and is carefully articulated with state education standards. Exciting? Sure. Effective? Without a doubt. Since the inception of School in the Park seven years ago, SITP students' standardized test scores have consistently risen. But why? What are the guiding learning principles that drive its success?
School in the Park and Brain-Based Learning
Over the last several decades, discoveries in neuroscience have shed new light on how the brain learns. In concert with constructivist theories, the emerging educational focus on brain-based learning increases our understanding of how human beings construct knowledge. The SITP learning environment reflects several key interrelated principles of brain-based learning: 1) where there is meaning, there is learning; 2) there is no learning without emotion; 3) movement facilitates learning; and 4) making multiple connections between new information and prior knowledge enhances memory (Caine & Caine, 1994).
Principle 1: Where there is meaning, there is learning. While studying about the saturation point at the Fleet Science Center, Marianna's eyes widened as she exclaimed: "Now I know why I have sugar in the bottom of my cereal bowl every morning!"
The brain is both a perceiver and a generator of patterns. Caine and Caine (1994) posit that the brain searches for meaning by sensing patterns or forms of organization/categorization in information. If these patterns are not perceived, the information is meaningless. (Every teacher knows that blank look a student gets in his/her eyes when the search for meaning is unsuccessful.) Building on prior knowledge helps ensure that students will find these patterns and, thus, bring meaning to the new learning. In the brain, these connections between new learning and prior knowledge are actual, physical bonds. Learning is, indeed, a physical process (Zull, 2002). The billions of neurons in the brain connect with one another in precise ways to form tightly bound networks that provide our schema for everything, from our concept of "bird" to our more complex vision for world peace. When the brain detects a relationship, or pattern, between new information and existing bundles of neurons, a whole series of chemical reactions take place, which result in the physical connection of the new information into existing neural networks. Thus, the brain is literally rewired. And, while students individually and collectively must build their own neural connections, teachers play a major role in creating an environment that facilitates purposeful meaning-making (Bruner, 1986; Vygotsky, 1986).
Principle 2: There is no learning without emotion. Jose can be heard talking in the hall of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. His class is studying the chemical properties of matter. The group is supposed to be waiting quietly, but Jose exclaims, "I always liked science, but this science is sooo tight!"
Emotions drive one's attention and help bring meaning and value to new learning (LeDoux, 1996). Zull (2002) explains how chemicals activated by emotions provide us with strong links to long-term memory. While emotions are critical to learning, however, some can actually interfere with cognitive processes. Fear, for example, is counter-productive to higher levels of learning, because the chemicals that are subsequently released can inhibit the creation of neural connections. Most of us may remember situations in which we were so frozen with fear that our minds simply seemed to go blank. Conversely, when one has feelings of joy, belongingness, curiosity, and a sense of control, a different combination of chemicals is present that facilitates neuronal connections. For this reason, teachers need to promote learning environments in which students feel secure and supported. Finally, an environment that promotes learning often evokes strong emotions in students because they are intensely engaged. Teachers must engage and work productively with a wide range of student emotions to facilitate robust learning.
Principle 3: Movement facilitates learning. One morning in the Museum of Man, SITP students entering a classroom found a mock-up of an archaeological dig on their table. They were told that it was their job, as archaeologists, to define the site. Groups of students were assigned different tasks, such as measuring bones, examining skulls, and studying the site. The room was busy with discussion and movement as students considered all aspects of their investigations. They moved around the room to check out charts and other information that was available to help them solve the mysteries of their dig.
At the San Diego Junior Theatre, 4th-grade SITP students learned about California's Gold Rush as they created a play about that era. To get a sense of what life was like for the pioneers seeking gold, students acted out traveling through the desert, climbing the mountains, taking a sea voyage, and following a prairie trail.
Learning is an active, physical process. For too long, physical movement and cognitive thought have been considered very different processes--one done with the body, the other with the head (Hannaford, 2005). Recent brain research refutes this assumption. New technologies have allowed neuroscientists to look more closely at the functions of the cerebellum, a more primitive part of the brain traditionally associated with movement. What they have found is that the cerebellum is intricately linked to multiple areas of the more evolved part of the brain (the cerebrum) having to do with memory, language, attention, spatial perception, and decision-making (Hannaford, 2005). In retrospect, this revelation should not be surprising. One need only watch the Olympic games to appreciate the multiple skills and knowledge necessary to execute a triple axel, a complex dive, or a gymnast's floor routine. We are using movement even as we talk, write, type, or draw. By using movement as a very purposeful part of instruction, we help students create neural connections that strengthen learning.
Principle 4: Making multiple connections between new information and prior knowledge enhances learning and memory. SITP students study the Silk Road for one week while in the San Diego Museum of Art. Students easily assimilate new information about camels and silkworms, because they have had an opportunity to study these creatures at the San Diego Zoo. This background knowledge sets the tone for new learning as students express such sentiments as, "Oh, I know about camels. I know what they can do. I saw them at the zoo."
The word "holon" (Koestler, 1972) means that all things are part of something bigger. We see this within the fields of art, religion, biology, literature, mathematics, physics, history, and so on. But we also recognize the connections across these disciplines. Indeed, it is the interconnections with other disciplines that give each of them their greatest function, meaning, and value. The brain has tremendous potential to be a master integrator. It is not pre-wired for segregated math, reading, social studies, and science. On the contrary, such departmentalization is as ill-suited to the brain as a bicycle would be to a world traveler. It may be appropriate to accomplish part of the trip, but will not be enough for the entire journey. The way in which we learn new information plays a crucial role in determining the breadth and depth of linkages that our neurons forge. If students are to exploit the magnificent integrative capacity of their brains, the manner in which new information is presented to them needs to be thoughtfully considered. Caine and Caine (1994) refer to orchestrated immersion--teaching/learning that taps students' senses, evokes their relevant prior knowledge and experiences (both formal and informal), and provides a rich context in which students may interact with their environment in multiple, purposeful ways.
Lessons Learned From School in the Park
Of course, not every school has the fiscal or contextual opportunities to create an actual School in the Park. Still, the learning principles that guide SITP can be used to create more vital, engaging environments within the more traditional classroom. Perhaps a good place to begin is with the right question. Instead of asking, "What do students need to know?," one might better ask, "How do students learn?" Below are descriptions of three SITP instructional activities, followed by suggestions for adapting each activity for use within the regular school environment.
The Scientific Method and the Principles of Aerodynamics--Grade 5
Goal: To help students use the scientific method to study basic principles of aerodynamics. (Duration: three to four 60-minute lessons)
SITP Activity:
* Students tour the Air and Space Museum, intent on answering the question: "What does it take to fly?" They observe hot air balloons, gliders, airplanes, and military aircraft. They discuss why flying machines look as they do and why they are made of certain materials (i.e., why they need to be made of light, yet strong and durable materials). They discuss the structure of birds' bodies (i.e., hollow bones and strong breast muscles, which makes them lighter and more capable of flying). Students explore why changes in aircraft design came about and how trial and error helps scientists achieve new understandings.
* The scientific method is introduced by using familiar examples so that students understand it as a natural thinking process. For example, if Hector lost his jacket somewhere in the Natural History Museum, how might he go about finding it? He could retrace his steps from the time he entered the museum to the time he left. He could first check the places where he thinks he most likely left it. He could ask different people who work at the museum if they have seen his jacket. He could look in the museum's Lost & Found. All of these activities are ways of investigating the question "Where is Hector's jacket?" Such numerous examples can help students understand that scientists use a similar process for answering questions, a process called the "scientific method."
* The PBS video Flight (part of the series from Bill Nye the Science Guy, available from Disney Educational Productions) is used to show the different forces of flight (lift, thrust, drag, gravity, the Bernoulli effect, differences in air pressure, etc.).
* The museum educator passes out different types of balls and has students quickly observe the properties of the balls without bouncing them. The class is asked to generate a hypothesis about which ball will bounce the highest, and what might affect the height of each ball's bounce (e.g., carpeted surface; the ball's weight, texture, and composition). Students are also asked if it matters whether or not the balls are dropped at the same time and from the same height. Once students have generated a hypothesis and made decisions about procedures, they proceed to test their hypothesis by dropping the balls. Noting the results, the museum educator then leads a discussion of critical variables and constraints related to key principles of aerodynamics.
* Students build Styrofoam gliders (inexpensive, simple kits are available at many toy stores or hobby shops). The students go outside and, in small groups, roll out 25 yards of masking tape (string also may be used) and mark each yard. Taking turns, each student launches his/her glider while another student notes where the glider lands. Students record both distance and accuracy. When all students have had the opportunity to fly their gliders one time, they come together as a whole group and participate in a discussion with the museum educator about the principles of aerodynamics. They consider how they might make changes/adjustments to their gliders in order to achieve greater distance and accuracy. Students can make these adjustments, understanding that they may change only one variable at a time. They retest and re-measure. Each student then shares his/her results, while explaining: 1) what adjustment he or she made, 2) the reason the adjustment was made (based on the aerodynamic principles learned), and 3) the resulting change in distance and accuracy.
Possible Adaptations for the School Environment. You can introduce the scientific method and the basic principles of aerodynamics in your classroom. Teachers may find the Science Buddies Web site on the scientific method useful (www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/scientific-method.shtml). If space permits (either indoors or outdoors), the glider experiment may be used. If space is limited, however, teachers and students may want to visit the NASA Glenn Research Center's Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics Web site (www.grc. nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/bga.html) for other activities that may be better suited for their particular school environments. Regardless of the activity used, it is critical that students have the opportunity to actively use the scientific method to experiment with fundamental aerodynamic principles.
Properties of Sound--Grade 3
Goal: Through experiment and exploration of exhibits, students will understand the basic properties of sound. (Duration: two to three 40-minute lessons)
SITP Activity:
* Students are introduced to the idea of sound with the short video clip Learning About Sound (from the Learning About Science Series, Activities Integrating Math & Science [AIMS] Multimedia, ISBN-0-8068-40595, www.aims-multimedia.com), which highlights the critical properties of sound.
* To observe the relationship between vibrations and sound, students perform active experiments, using tuning forks, cork, a glass of water, Ping-Pong balls, and string.
* Students tour the Explorazone exhibits on sound at the Balboa Park Reuben H. Fleet Space Museum. At the EchoTube exhibit, students learn why higher pitched vibrations reach their ears first (because they travel more directly and bounce less against the walls of the chamber). At the Oscylinerscope exhibit, students will observe how white lines help us see the guitar strings vibrate (because they act as a strobe light to freeze the motion of the strings).
Possible Adaptations for the School Environment:
* If available, use the video cited above or have students explore the Primary School Sound and Waves Web site (http://library.thinkquest.org/11924/sound. html).
* Do the experiments with the tuning forks, cork, etc. Teachers can find a helpful lesson plan by visiting the Rutgers University Web site and searching for "Physics & Astronomy Lesson Plans" (www.iit.edu/~smile/ph9536.html).
* Have students make straw flutes or other musical instruments that make noise when vibrated.
* Have students produce different sounds using coat hangers and spoons.
* Strum a guitar and allow students to feel the vibration.
* Use tambourines, finger cymbals, or other instruments to demonstrate vibration.
* Discuss the experience of hearing a car stereo "vibrating" sound across the street. This also would be a good lead into the study of the human ear.
The California Gold Rush--Grade 4
Goal: Students will understand the struggles and successes of early pioneers as they moved from the eastern United States to the west in search of gold. Create a dramatic presentation portraying the lives of the early pioneers. (Duration: three to four 60-minute lessons)
SITP Activity: Educators at Balboa Park's Junior Theatre use the California Gold Rush to teach social studies and visual and performance arts.
* In the theater classroom, students learn how to project their voices, speak in front of an audience, and create a presence.
* While in the theater classroom, the educator and students also can discuss what it was like to "go west," highlighting the many difficulties and dangers that frontier people faced (i.e., difficult modes of transportation, the amount of travel time, and a new way of life in the West once they arrived). The search for gold often came up empty, and so gold seekers had to turn to other jobs (e.g., merchants, sheriffs, teachers, bankers, seamstresses). At times, they were lonely, frustrated, and sad, and they missed their families back home. Mining for gold was not all they had expected it to be.
* The theater educator encourages students to put themselves in the place of those early pioneers and think about what they might write in a letter to relatives and friends back east. This discussion leads to students working in small groups to write a short skit.
* The theater educator demonstrates how to dramatically express emotions, and students practice these methods as they rehearse their skits.
* Each skit is videotaped and sent back to school with the class.
* Students also learn a traditional pioneer square dance.
Possible Adaptations for the School Environment: Similar lessons may be used at school.
* Skits and square dancing are excellent opportunities for learning through movement. For more information on teaching basic dramatic performance techniques, teachers may want to visit the following Web site: Kids 4 Broadway (www.pacificsites.com/~kidsplay/free.htm). Simple square dances can be found at the Scatter Square Dance Web sites (www.edb.utexas.edu/coe/depts/kin/Faculty/slacks/crpac/folkdances/ SCATTER_SQUARE_DANCE.html) and (http://members.tripod.com/~noriks/ENGLISH/514100e.html).
* Readers Theater might be used as a vehicle to learn about life in the Gold Rush days. Students could read such books as Dear Levi by Elvira Woodruff (1998), By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman (1998), and Patty Reed's Doll by Rachel Laurgaard (1989).
* Students can calculate distances for their trip west to determine how long it may take to reach their destination.
* Students can create dioramas of their journey.
* They can perform dances for other classes.
Conclusion
Certainly, teachers are responsible for teaching students what they need to know, but more focused attention on the processes of learning might open new avenues of pedagogical possibilities. These avenues may be paved with Web-based technologies that bring museum exhibits from around the world to the classroom; podcasts from museum educators, artists, doctors, archeologists, and shopkeepers; and virtual tours of the Gettysburg Memorial, a California mission, and the human body. Educators also might simply take their students right outside the classroom door to examine the insects in the mud puddle, the dimensions of the basketball court, or the clouds in the sky. This blending of formal and informal learning environments, whether actual or virtual, presents students with the most fertile of fields in which to learn. As one SITP student exclaimed as he was identifying geometric patterns on an armadillo's shell, "This isn't learning--this is fun!"
References
Bruner, J. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Caine, R., & Caine, G. (1994). Making connections: Teaching and the human brain. New York: Addison-Wesley.
Dewey, J. (1966). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. New York: The Free Press.
Fleischman, S. (1988). By the great horn spoon! Boston: Little, Brown.
Koestler, A. (1972). The roots of coincidence. London: Hutchinson Press
Laurgaard, R. (1989). Patty Reed's doll: The story of the Donner Party. Sacramento, CA: Tomato Enterprises.
LeDoux, J. (1996). The emotional brain. New York: Touchstone.
Hannaford, C. (2005). Smart moves. Arlington, VA: Great Ocean Publishing.
Vygotsky, L. (1986). Thought and language (A. Kozulin, Ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Woodruff, E. (1994). Dear Levi: Letters from the Overland Trail. New York: Knopf.
Zull, J. (2002). The art of changing the brain: Enriching the practice of teaching by exploring the biology of learning. Sterling. VA: Stylus Publishing.

UNESCO Courier

Education for all
IN spite of a decrease in the world illiteracy rate, the absolute number of adult illiterates is still growing, notably because of the population increase. There were 760 million illiterates in 1970, 814 million in 1980 and, if present trends continue, there will be 900 million illiterates towards the end of the century. Illiteracy can thus be regarded as a major challenge to the international community.
But the democratization of education is not simply a matter of quantity. The aim must be to ensure "equal opportunity for all' by giving the "best opportunities to each'.
The extension of education
One of Unesco's main priorities in its action over the next ten years will be to foster the development and renewal of primary education, coupled with literacy training for adults. This should be intensified and closely associated with formal education, which retains all its importance. However, there is often a need for it to be better adapted to local requirements so as to avoid any break with the rural world.
The aim will be at one and the same time to develop educational facilities in the most deprived areas, to mobilize all available resources, to stimulate the effective co-operation of the whole community and to promote innovative approaches. Special importance will be attached to the training of personnel able to teach children, to run adult literacy programmes and to promote innovative activities aimed at facilitating the entry of young people who have left school into the world of work.
The democratization of education
The second plank in the strategy will be to place the principles of equity and justice at the very core of educational action. The Organization will continue to fight against all forms of discrimination in education and to assist in promoting measures to enable the most disadvantaged social groups to exercise their right to education.
The democratization of education appears to be inseparable from lifelong education. This implies the broadening of educational possibilities to be made available at every stage of life to those who have not had access to the school and university system and who wish to complete their education.
In the context of lifelong education, adult education takes on a new improtance as a means of achieving both personal fulfilment and vocational recycling. Special attention will be paid to increasing adults' job mobility, in particular through co-operation between adult education bodies and workers' and employers' organizations. Furthermore, one of the most important tasks of adult education is to prepare adults for the exercise of their civic responsibilities and the management of community affairs, making use of the educative support of the means of communication.
Not only does lifelong education imply educative activities for the elderly, it also involves the development of pre-school education which, among other things, enables compensation to be made for certain socio-economic and socio-cultural disadvantages.
The education of women
Girls and women are still in the minority in education in many countries and the proportion of girls and women tends to decrease progressively as the level of education rises.
One of the most urgent problems, however, is still that of illiteracy among women (in 1980 33.9 per cent of women aged 15 years and over were illiterate, as against 23.3 per cent of men) which may have particularly harmful effects on the future of the younger generations.
Here Unesco's activities, carried out on a broad basis, will draw on the social and human sciences in order to demonstrate the economic, social or cultural factors which, in different contexts, impede the access of girls and women to, and their participation in, education. It will also aim to highlight the effects, on education itself, of the relatively large proportion of women in the teaching profession.
Unesco will co-operate with Member States in order to assist them in framing policies to reduce the number of illiterate women. Assistance will be provided for the improvement of national educational and vocational guidance services as part of the programme to promote eaual access for girls and women to scientific studies at all levels of technical and vocational education.
Education in rural areas
In many countries, most people live in the rural areas. Here the problem is to increase the number of schools and universities established in rural areas and to improve the quality of rural educational services. In rural zones, schools and universities are often too distant from the homes of children and young people, many schools do not offer a complete educational cycle, many teachers have only meagre qualifications and school buildings and materials are often inadequate. The task is to ensure an improved contribution of education to the development of rural areas and to increase its relevance to the needs of local populations, whilst avoiding any division between "urban education' and "rural education'.
The handicapped, refugees, migrants
Unesco's aim will be to help certain groups to overcome the obstacles which prevent them from exercising their right to education to the full. Action will stress measures to detect and prevent handicaps and will pay special attention to educating the parents of disabled children, informing the public of the problems raised for individuals and societies by the integration of disabled persons and of the solutions that have been found to these problems, and applying special educational methods adapted to specific needs.
There are ten million refugees in the world, of whom five million are in Africa. Unesco will continue to co-operate with UNRWA on the education programme for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. It will provide technical support for the HCR's (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) educational activities for refugees and will encourage the governments of host countries to introduce special curricula for refugees into their education system. Unesco's educational assistance to national liberation movements will be expanded and focused above all on making the right to education a reality.
A major problem is that of migrant workers and their families. Action will be concerned with adapting secondgeneration migrants to the living conditions of the host country--chiefly by helping them to obtain a command of the language--and preparing them to integrate subsequently in their home countries. Special attention will be given to the teaching of the mother tongue, and to the mutual recognition of degrees and diplomas. Other activities will seek to provide immigrant children with special instruction to keep them in touch with the cultural values of their countries of origin.
Photo: The villagers of Ban Nong Pai in north-east Thailand voluntarily gave their time to build this experimental child care centre. The basic design was prepared by Unesco but modified by the villagers to make the best use of locally available materials. UNICEF helped with the purchase of materials the villagers could not obtain themselves.
Photo: In 1978, after the liberation struggle, 52 per cent of the adult population of Nicaragua was illiterate. In 1980, aided by Unesco and the international community, the Nicaraguan Government launched a national literacy campaign, mobilizing some 270,000 volunteers to form the People's Literacy Army. Within six months more than 400,000 people had been taught to read and write and the illiteracy rate had been reduced to 13 per cent. Above, a team of literacy teachers in Nicaragua.
Photo: Unesco co-operates with UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) in providing educational services for Palestinian refugees in the Near East. Right, lessons begin again in a school in Chatila camp, Lebanon, after the massacres which horrified the world.
Photo: A remarkable offort has been made in the developing countries over the past two decades to increase enrolment in school. At the primary level, the enrolment ratio increased from 61 per cent in 1960 to 86 per cent in 1980. But soaring populations have compounded the difficulties. As the drawings, below, illustrate graphically, to maintain an enrolment ratio of 86 per cent in the year 2000 the numbers actually enrolled would have to increase by some 50 per cent, and by 75 per cent if a 100 per cent enrolment ratio was to be achieved.

Childhood Education

Using picture books to support young children's literacy.

Five-year-old Levi is listening to his teacher read Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail (Salley, 2004). This richly woven and engaging tale includes several unfamiliar words, like "lollygagging," "skedaddle," and "persimmon." It also contains phrases that Levi has never heard before, including "my sweet little pattootie" and "no sirree." Because the art and text so beautifully express the joy of eating a persimmon, Levi asks questions about the fruit once the teacher has finished the story. The next day, the teacher brings several persimmons to class. As the children examine them, cut them, and taste them, they recall the events in the story, sing the song that is part of the story, and remember such rich descriptive terms as "powder-puff tails." Later, in the art area, Levi draws a sketch of a persimmon and tries to write the word, coming up with "PRSMN." The children ask to sing the song about persimmons for the next several days. The teacher suggests that they change the words to create their own version. She writes their version on large chart paper. In the library area, two weeks after the initial whole-group story reading, three children are making the "RRRRRR" sound of Papapossum's stomach as they point to the text in the book that matches the sound. Two of them decide to go into the art area and make puppets to act out the story. As the teacher watches them glue wiggly eyes and a tail made out of yarn onto a large oval shape they have cut out from cardboard, she asks, "What do you think are some good things about not having hair on your tail?"
This example shows the multiple ways in which a picture book can support literacy in the classroom. Literacy skills can be embedded when using an engaging children's picture book, as in the example above, instead of focusing on skills in isolation (as in "letter of the week" types of activities).

How Do Picture Books Support Literacy?

The benefits of storybook reading are well documented (Aram & Biron, 2004; Neuman, 1999; Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000; Strickland & Morrow, 1989). As preschoolers, children should be active participants in picture book reading--chiming in on the refrain of predictable books, dramatizing stories they love, and reciting the text of books "so familiar that they have been committed to memory" (Jalongo, 2004, p. 91).
A joint position paper issued by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the International Reading Association (cited in Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000) states, "The single most important activity for building ... understandings and skills essential for reading success appears to be reading aloud to children" (p. 8). Neuman (1999) explains how storybook reading helps children gain general knowledge, practice cognitive thinking, and learn about the rhythms and conventions of written language.
Vygotskian theory supports the notion that through interaction with text (written by other authors or themselves), "children transfer the understandings and skills they have gleaned from dialogues with others to their own literacy-related discourse ... they converse not just with themselves but also with the text narrative" (Berk & Winsler, 1995, p. 115). Creating opportunities for young children to explore literature, individually and in small groups, helps this discourse to flourish. Through such activities as looking through new books, rereading (or "pretend reading") stories that the teacher has read, imagining new endings for popular stories, or creating artistic renderings of favorite stories, young children can interact with text in meaningful ways. In considering extension activities for literature, teachers should consider whether the activity grows naturally out of the literature, encourages students to thoughtfully reexamine the book, and/or demonstrates something the reader has gained from the book (Routman, 1991, p. 87).

Definition of a Picture Book :

A picture book is different from a children's book that contains illustrations. In a picture book, both the picture and text are equally important. There exists "a balance between the pictures and text ... neither of them is completely effective without the other" (Norton, 1999, p. 214). They contain at least three elements: what is told with words, what is told through the pictures, and what is conveyed from the combination of the two (Jalongo, 2004). A fourth element is the child's personal association with the book. Anyone who has read a good picture book has experienced the unique magic and beauty of this relationship. The story line is brief (about 200 words) and straightforward, with a limited number of concepts; the text is written in a direct, simple style; illustrations complement the text; and the book is usually 32 pages long (Jalongo, 2004). Classic picture books that fit these criteria include Keats' The Snowy Day (1962), Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985), and Ringgold's Tar Beach (1996). They are more than "cute little books" or useful teaching tools, however; they "also exist as an art form that transcends the functions of informing, entertaining and providing emotional release" (Jalongo, 2004, p. 13). They can be fiction or nonfiction and the illustrations can be photographs as well as drawings, paintings, or collage.
Language Learning With Picture Books
Picture books not only expose young children to words and pictures, they also provide the following experiences that support the dispositions and feelings in learning how to read (Jalongo, 2004):
* Holding Attention: with powerful vivid illustrations
* Accommodating Difference: within the developmental differences of individual children
* Giving Pleasure: within an intellectually stimulating context
* Challenging the Brain: as the brain seeks patterns out of the complexity of stimulation from text and illustrations at the same time
* Provoking Conversation: hearing stories increases children's vocabulary
* Connecting Experiences: from home and family to stories
Oral language is a key area of literacy development in early childhood. The components of language skills include: Communication, Forms and Functions, Purposeful Verbal Interactions, and Play With Language (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2001). In one classroom of 3-year-olds, the teacher has read Vera B. Williams' "More More More" Said the Baby (1997) to individual children and small groups many times, at their request, over a two-week period. She has documented the ways in which the children have practiced the four components of language skills as they connect with elements of the picture book (about the ways that three families show their love for the children in their family):
* Communication: The children pretend to be mommies, grandmothers, and uncles putting their babies to bed, singing to them and kissing them goodnight.
* Forms and Functions: Some children scold the "babies" when they don't go right to sleep, others sing in a gentle voice, and some pretend to laugh as they tickle the "babies."
* Purposeful Verbal Interaction: In their play, the children problem solve how to undress the "baby" and put her in the cradle quietly, as she has fallen asleep while the "grandma" sang to her. Two other children figure out what materials to use to make a blanket when they can't find the blanket that used to be in the dramatic play area.
* Play With Language: The children make up funny names for the babies (with reference in their play to one of the babies in the book who was called "Little Bird"). They call the babies "Little Quacky Duck" and "Puppy Poo Poo."
In another classroom, the teacher supported one child's language and cognitive development after reading Ehlert's Eating the Alphabet (1993). She watched the child begin to create "vegetables" by cutting orange, brown, and green pieces of foam and gluing them onto her paper. The child then said to the teacher, "When you do this, you have to use your imagination." The teacher responded, "That's very true when creating art. I like how you used the word 'imagination.' " The child then went over and brought back Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are (1998) and said, "This is an imagination book, because you can see in the pictures that his room changes. It's pretend." The child was clearly responding to the illustrations and text of the two books, and synthesizing the information in her conversation. The classroom environment had supported this learning through its accessible art area, rich selection of books, flexibility allowing children to bring books into the art area, and the scaffolding conversation between the child and the adult.

Rich Vocabulary
A preschool teacher is reading Giraffes Can't Dance (Andreae, 1999) to her class of 4-year-olds. The lavish, colorful illustrations help to illuminate the rich text describing animals dancing in a contest. Verbs like "prance" and "sway" and phrases like "buckled at the knees" and "swishing round" are new for the children. Rhyme and alliteration appear throughout the book; for example: The warthogs started waltzing
and the rhinos rock'n'rolled.
The lions danced a tango
That was elegant and bold.
When the children ask about the waltz and tango, the teacher downloads these two types of music from the computer for the children to listen to during center time. She puts the book into the music center so that the children can look at the illustrations of the warthogs, rhinos, and lions dancing as they listen to different types of music. She stays in the music center for a while so that she can explain which type of music is played for each type of dance. Her questions invite the children to compare and contrast the two different styles. They don't have to ask about "buckled at the knees." The illustration clearly shows what this means.
The fact that reading to young children supports language development is clearly evidenced in the literature (Aram & Biron, 2004; Bus, van IJzendoorn, & Pelligrini, 1995; Hargrave & Senechal, 2000; Koralek, 2003; Schickedanz, 1999). When the story reading includes explanations of particular words, dialogue about new vocabulary, high-level questions, and other active participation by children, that language development is further enhanced (Hargrave & Senechal, 2000).
Although such wordless picture books as Good Dog, Carl (Day, 1989) do not fit the traditional definition of a picture book, they are a wonderful way to encourage children to use expressive language, as they use visual literacy and knowledge of story sequence to become the author of the story (Owocki, 2001). Teachers can audiotape children's voices as they "read" the story to their friends and keep the tape in the listening area with the book.
Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
Phonological awareness is "the ability to hear, identify and manipulate the sounds of spoken language (hearing and repeating sounds, separating and blending sounds, identifying similar sounds in different words, hearing parts of syllables in words)" (Seplocha & Jablon, 2004, p. 2). It includes "the whole spectrum[,] from primitive awareness of speech sounds and rhythms to rhyme awareness and sound similarities and, at the highest level, awareness of syllables or phonemes" (Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000, p. 124).
As children listen to songs, nursery rhymes, poems, and books with repetitive words and phrases, they begin to play with language. For example, when chanting alliterative phrases, such as, "Splash, splosh, splash, splosh, splash, splosh" to describe the river and "Squelch, squerch, squelch, squerch, squelch, squerch" to describe the "thick, oozy mud" in Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt (1997), children revel in the sounds and begin to want to create their own descriptive, playful phrases. Teachers can begin by reading the book, inviting children to join in the repetitive parts with their voices while slapping their knees to the rhythm, and helping them to create their own versions of the story (hunting other animals in other environments). A perfect companion to this book is Axtell's We're Going on a Lion Hunt (1999). This version, situated in the jungle, also contains lots of alliteration and rhythm as the suspense builds to a crescendo. Using both books, followed by a compare and contrast discussion, encourages higher order thinking and promotes ample use of rich descriptive language, as well as analysis and attention to phonological awareness.
Children learn to pay attention to the sounds in spoken language through rhymes, chants, nonsense words, and poetry. Many picture books, such as the Dr. Seuss books, contain predictable rhymes, rhythms, alliteration, and a great deal of word play that invite children to complete lines, make up nonsense words, and engage in other types of phonological-based activities, when these types of activities are promoted by the teacher.
Phonemes are the building blocks of words. They are "perceivable, manipulable units of sound; they can be combined and contrasted with one another in ways that matter to language users, that is, in ways that make possible the production and perception of words" (McGee & Richgels, 2004, p. 20). The ability to hear phonemes (i.e., words that begin or end with the same sounds) is called phonemic awareness. It is more finite, more related to specific letters and sounds, and usually develops later than phonological awareness. It is a critical skill for reading and writing. It usually does not develop spontaneously, but is supported as teachers plan activities and interactions that draw attention to the phonemes in spoken words (Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000).
As mentioned above, phonological and phonemic awareness can be supported when teachers choose books to read aloud that focus on sounds. Many picture books are based on songs that children love to sing. Among them are Miss Polly Has a Dolly (Edwards, 2003), The Itsy Bitsy Spider (Trapani, 1997), and Miss Mary Mack (Hoberman, 1998). Reading/singing these books, and making up new words to the familiar tunes, promote the development of phonological and phonemic awareness.
In a mixed-age class (3- to 5-year-olds), 3-year-old Jacob runs over to his teacher, bringing a piece of paper that is colored with red marks and taped to two Popsicle sticks. He says, "Look, I made a stop sign for our bus." His older friend Deshawn says, "No. You have to put S on the sign and some other letters if you want it to be a real stop sign." Deshawn shows him where and how to add the letters SDP. The teacher had read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Willems, 2003) several days earlier, and some of the children were making "things that go" in various areas of the classroom. The main character of the story, the pigeon, is just like a 3-year-old: impulsive, easily frustrated, and seeing the world only from his own perspective. The children, like the pigeon, wish they could really drive. So, they make a three-dimensional bus from a dishwasher crate that the teacher placed in the art area (after moving around some furniture), an airplane from some chairs in the dramatic play area, and a train in the block area. The teacher had suggested that 5-year-olds Rebecca and Devone write instructions for how to drive their train. They are writing on large chart paper taped to the wall in the block area. They are figuring out how to write "Don't Go Too Fast." Devone says, "Don't starts like Devone, with D." They make some other marks on the paper, followed by FS and an exclamation mark. Their teacher had pointed out the many exclamation marks contained in the book. She draws their attention to the page on which the pigeon describes the sound of the bus as "Vroom-vroom, vroomy-vroom!," and suggests they try to figure out how to write some noises that their train makes. Five-year-old Aisha decides to write "CHKU CHKU CHU! CHU!" on a separate piece of paper. The exclamation mark was used in this picture as well as on the large chart made by the children. This example shows how easily the children transfer the phonemic and phonological awareness skills linked to prior knowledge, engaging picture books, and play.
Teachers can support language development and cognitive thinking through such activities as reading multiple versions of the same folktale (e.g., a traditional version of "The Three Little Pigs," Lowell's The Three Little Javelinas (1992), and Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! (1989)) and asking children to compare and contrast the versions. Creating new endings to favorite stories and/or planning open-ended art projects that synthesize knowledge (e.g., a mural depicting metamorphosis, as explained in Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1981), helps children learn to synthesize information. Assembling diverse collections of subjects of interest from particular books, such as Bread, Bread, Bread (1993) or Hats, Hats, Hats (1993), both by Ann Morris, and charting which are the favorites, help children learn to evaluate and

discuss others' opinions.

Print-Rich Environments
Research has shown that when additional literacy props and tools are added to various centers in preschool classrooms, children's conversations and understanding of written language are enhanced (Neuman & Roskos, 1991; Schickedanz, 1999). Literacy props include the types of things that would naturally occur in each of the centers, such as recipe cards, coupons, cookbooks, pencils, and notepads in the kitchen area. Using picture books to support these literacy tools makes play scenarios even richer. For example, one teacher read The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza (Sturges, 2002). The book contains funny and interesting ingredients from the hen's kitchen, such as pickled eggplant, anchovies, and blue cheese. The teacher saw how eager the children were to make their own shopping lists, copying words from the labels of the variety of strange and interesting items that the teacher brought into the kitchen area (marinated artichokes, hearts of palm, Kalamata olives, etc.). The children and teacher ultimately made real individual pizzas, choosing their own toppings.
In order for children to extend the experiences they read about in books, they must have many other literacy tools to do so. Art areas with open-ended materials from which children can choose, writing/drawing tools and other implements, a variety of types of paper, paint, three-dimensional materials, and long periods of time to work on independent or collaborative projects are important. For example, one kindergarten teacher always finds several of her children engaged in book-making activities after she reads high-quality picture books. After reading The Napping House (Wood, 1994), some of the children made felt figures of the characters in the book in order to reenact the story with their flannel board. Additionally, the children made their own version of the book, called "The Kindergarten Napping House," in which each child contributed a page with various texts, according to their writing abilities and interests.
Picture books focused on writing, such as Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (Cronin, 2000), offer a perfect vehicle through which teachers can introduce writing for a purpose. Just as the cows type their complaints to the farmer, children can voice their opinions in print on issues related to classroom problems or concerns.
Exploring picture books and creating lists of the types of literacy tools (or making prop boxes) that would support the content of specific books is a valuable exercise. Additionally, thinking about which books should be included in each of the early childhood interest areas (changed regularly, to allow for changes in children's interests, themes, etc.) is important.
Teachers also should consider the needs and interests of specific children when considering which books to read to individuals. One teacher noted that Quincy was having difficulty creating rhymes. So, she read Trapani's (1998) The Itsy Bitsy Spider to him. Then, using a flannel board, Quincy acted out the song with a flannel spider and other props. The next day, the teacher extended this activity even further. She put other felt animals next to the flannel board and invited Quincy and Fatima to change the animals and make up a new song. Together, the two children giggled as they sang, "The itsy bitsy kitty went up the water spout. Down came the water and cried the kitty out. Out came the sun and the kitty cried away and the itsy bitsy spider went out the day-de-day."

Conclusions

The text and illustrations of high-quality picture books weave rich stories that can excite and surprise children, make them laugh, make them wonder, and make them think. Turning each page brings another element to the magic. Whether the pictures are photographs, black-and-white line drawings, unusual designs, paintings, woodcuts, or collage, the visual art form excites the young audience. Whether the text is factual, fictional, historical, readily identifiable to the listener, or something from another culture, the stories fill young children with a multitude of ideas, words, and questions.
Using the wealth of classic and new picture books available, adults can support literacy in ways that are engaging to children. Picture books should be a part of every day in the early childhood years. Reading to children and engaging them in activities that encourage the use of expressive language, phonological awareness, and high-level thinking is critical for the development of the skills and dispositions that are necessary for reading and writing.
In the picture book Book! (George, 2001), a preschool child opens a present and falls in love with his new picture book. He typifies the relationship young children can have with books when he says: I'll take you on a wagon ride to my secret place,
Where both of us can hide.
After that, we'll find an empty lap before I take
my nap.
We'll read you warm and snug, Book!
I'll give you a hug, Book!
Open wide.
Look inside.
Book!

Thank you to Darcee Chaplick, Christina Komsa, Lisa Mufson, Joe Murray, and Sage Seaton for sharing their experiences with children.
References
Andreae, G. (1999). Giraffes can't dance. New York: Orchard Books.
Aram, D., & Biron, S. (2004). Joint storybook reading and joint writing interventions among low SES preschoolers: Differential contributions to early literacy. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19, 588-610.
Axtell, D. (1999). We're going on a lion hunt. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Berk, L. E., & Winsler, A. (1995). Scaffolding children's learning: Vygotsky and early childhood education. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Bosschaert, G. (2000). Teenie bird and how she learned to fly. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Bus, A. G., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Pelligrini, A. D. (1995). Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Review of Educational Research, 65, 1-21.
Carle, E. (1981). The very hungry caterpillar. New York: Philomel Books.
Cronin, D. (2000). Click, clack, moo: Cows that type. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Day A. (1989). Good dog, Carl. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Edwards, P. D. (2003). Miss Polly has a dolly. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group.
Ehlert, L. (1993). Eating the alphabet. New York: Harcourt Brace Company.
George, K. O. (2001). Book! New York: Clarion Books/ Houghton Mifflin.
Hargrave, A. C., & Senechal, M. (2000). A book reading intervention with preschool children who have limited vocabularies: The benefits of regular reading and dialogic reading. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15, 75-90.
Hoberman, M.A. (1998). Miss Mary Mack. Hong Kong: Little, Brown.
Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2001). Creative expression and play in early childhood. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Jalongo, M. R. (2004). Young children and picture books (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Keats, E. J. (1962). The snowy day. New York: Viking Juvenile.
Koralek, D. (Ed.). (2003). Spotlight on young children and language. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Lowell, S. (1992). The three little javelinas. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon.
McGee, L. M., & Richgels, D.J. (2004). Literacy's beginnings: Supporting young readers and writers. New York: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.
Morris, A. (1993). Bread, bread, bread. New York: HarperCollins.
Morris, A. (1993). Hats, hats, hats. New York: William Morrow & Company.
Neuman, S. B. (1999). Books make a difference: A study of access to literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 34, 286-311.
Neuman, S. B., Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2000). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Neuman, S. B., & Roskos, K. (1991). Peers as literacy informants: A description of young children's literacy conversations in play. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 6, 233-248.
Norton, D. E. (1999). Through the eyes of a child: An introduction to children's literature (5th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.
Numeroff, L.J. (1985). If you give a mouse a cookie. New York: HarperCollins.
Owocki, G. (2001). Make way for literacy: Teaching the way young children learn. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann & Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Ringgold, F. (1996). Tar beach. New York: Dragonfly.
Rosen, M. (1997). We're going on a bear hunt. New York: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division.
Routman, R. (1991). Invitations: Changing as teachers and learners K-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Salley, C. (2004). Why Epossumondas has no hair on his tail. New York: Harcourt.
Schickedanz, J. A. (1999). Much more than the ABC' s: The early stages of reading and writing. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Scieszka, J. (1989). The true story of the three little pigs. New York: Penguin Group.
Sendak, M. (1998). Where the wild things are. San Diego: HarperCollins.
Seplocha, H., & Jablon, J. (2004). New Jersey early learning assessment system: Trainer's box. Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Department of Education.
Strickland, D. S., & Morrow, L. M. (1989). Emerging literacy: Young children learn to read and write. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Sturges, P. (2002). The little red hen makes a pizza. New York: Puffin.
Trapani, I. (1997). The itsy bitsy spider. New York: Charlesbridge.
Williams, V. B. (1997). "More more more," said the baby. New York: HarperCollins.
Willems, M. (2003). Don't let the pigeon drive the bus! New York: Scholastic.
Wood, A. (1994). The napping house. New York: Harcourt.
Janis Strasser is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Holly Seplocha is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey.

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27 ways to please a poetry editor: these easy, time-tested strategies could improve your odds of success.(Poet to Poet)

If you consider yourself a serious poet--and I think most readers of this column probably do--you know already that there are plenty of details to be aware of when you're submitting your work to journals and contests. Nobody needs to tell you, for example, that you should enclose a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) with every submission, and that a cordial cover letter is essential. And no one needs to politely remind you that stuffing an envelope with umpteen poems and sending the entire overweight bundle to a single journal is a seriously misguided idea.
But there are other, more subtle strategies you can use that are very likely to please potential editors and publishers, even though they'd probably never admit it. You may already be using some of them as a matter of course, but there may be others you've never thought of before. And even though some might seem a bit superficial, or appear as if they have little or nothing to do with the quality of your submission, there's simply no denying that certain small touches can help you get noticed by weary editors. As one of them--the editor of an acclaimed journal--admitted to me in a recent e-mail: "Even though the quality of the poetry that's submitted to me is my primary consideration, I can't help confessing that certain simple courtesies make a difference."
What kinds of simple courtesies? Just imagine yourself in the shoes of that overworked, underpaid editor. Picture him or her confronting a wall of envelopes each morning, every one of them containing the printed equivalent of the sweet bird of hope. What will cause that jaded editor to confront your entry with a little extra interest? Here are no less than 27 editor-endorsed, easily accomplished suggestions.
ONE Always remember that submitting a group of poems is much like going for a job interview. First impressions do make a difference. Neatness does count.
TWO Consider using a slightly heavier, stationery-quality stock for your submission (but keep it completely unadorned--no designs, no illustrations!). This is not essential, by any means, but it comes across as a nicely subtle gesture.
THREE Avoid using 8 1/2-by-11-inch envelopes. They will end up at the bottom of a tall stack of business-size ones and might increase your wait for a response.
FOUR Be sure to put adequate postage on the envelope if you're sending a group of five or six poems, especially if you're using that slightly heavier stock. At least you'll be reasonably certain that your submission will get to its destination, and it will give the subliminal impression that its safe arrival is important to you.
FIVE Affix the stamps neatly. It may sound silly, but stamps haphazardly plastered on an envelope can create a negative impression, like showing up at an important interview with a shirttail hanging out.
SIX Find out which journals have published the work of the poets you most admire. (Refer to the Acknowledgements page in the poets' chapbooks and book-length collections.) Visit the Web sites of these journals, whose editors clearly share your own good taste in poetry. Finally, submit to some of them yourself. This is a splendid strategy for expanding and focusing your range of submission possibilities.
SEVEN Always check out the Web site of any journal you're considering, for submission updates and other essential information. This is where you might find out that they're not considering new submissions till next year, or only during certain months, etc. Knowing such things saves considerable time.
EIGHT Remember that every journal has its own set of submission guidelines, and some of them may be quirky. Follow them to the letter!
NINE Find out the name of the current editor, or poetry editor, of the journal to which you're submitting, and address that person by name in your salutation: either by last name (Dear Ms. Arbiter:) or--better--by first and last name (Dear Ann Arbiter:).
TEN Keep cover letters short. Above all else, do not provide a long list of the journals you've been published in. Cite only the most impressive three or four.
ELEVEN If your publication credits are still limited to, say, last month's South Side Shopper and Justin Timberlake. com, don't mention them. Why? Because they won't do you much good. Better to have no citations at all, which is quite acceptable.
TWELVE If you're a student, don't talk about it in your letter. Identifying yourself as such could suggest that your poetry is not yet ready for prime time--even though frequently this is not at all the case.
THIRTEEN If you're under 30, it's probably OK to say you've studied with a famous poet, but only if she or he has given you specific permission to do so.
FOURTEEN Never ask for feedback on your poems. Poetry editors are swamped and have no time to provide critical comments.
FIFTEEN Always include your e-mail address in your cover letter.
SIXTEEN Don't even think about sounding charming or witty in your cover letter. It absolutely won't come off the way you want it to, and it might wind up working against you. Be courteous and businesslike instead.
SEVENTEEN Speaking of charming: Never, never mention in your cover letter that you are the owner of a cat, dog, horse or any other pet. It is simply not relevant and reveals you as an amateur.
EIGHTEEN On a happier note, keep in mind that good editors and poetry editors want to discover great new poems. They would love to be the first, or among the first, to publish a future major American poet!
NINETEEN For a single submission, it's a good rule of thumb to pick no less than three and no more than six of your worthiest poems. Put your best poem first, your second-best second, your third-best last.
TWENTY Don't send out a submission that exceeds 10 pages. If you write long poems, send fewer of them. TWENTY-ONE Don't mix "used" copies of your poems with fresh ones when you prepare your submission. All copies should be fresh, and the folds should match up.
TWENTY-TWO Haven't heard a word in response? Don't query until after at least three months. I usually wait more than six months.
TWENTY-THREE Even if a journal tells you that simultaneous submissions are OK, try very hard not to do this. They don't really want you to, even if they say it's fine. It can lead to unfortunate hassles over who got it first. (If you're over 50, ignore this advice. Life's too short.)
TWENTY-FOUR Keep great records so you don't inadvertently submit the same poems to two different places, or send the same poem to the same journal twice in a row.
TWENTY-FIVE If one of your poems is accepted, wait at least three or four months after the poem is published--not accepted, published--before you submit to that journal again (unless you're specifically asked to do so). Don't run the risk of making a pest of yourself.
TWENTY-SIX If you're submitting to a journal staffed by students and/or professors, be aware of the academic calendar and time your submissions accordingly. For instance, most university journals don't read in the summer, even though they may accept submissions all year. If you do send work in June, July or August, be prepared not to hear back until well into October.
TWENTY-SEVEN If you receive a rejection slip with anything written on it, even as little as "Sorry and thanks," that's a code invitation that says it's OK to submit again soon. Of course, you can submit again even with a completely blank rejection slip, but wait a while.
Keep in mind that these suggestions might not do a thing to improve your acceptance rate, but they might help you get your work noticed. Having said this, there's no denying that the best suggestion I can make is that you simply write more wonderful poems. After all, it's the quality of the poetry you submit that will determine the final outcome, no matter what.