The Guardian (UK)

October 19, 2017

While critical literacy skills are part of every stage of the national curriculum in England, a new report from
the National Literacy Trust shows that children are not retaining what they’ve been taught. Some 20% of
children aged between eight and 15 believe everything they read online is true, and 35% of UK teachers say
pupils have cited fake news or false information found online as fact in their work. Reading comprehension,
a big part of the Key Stage 1 and 2 curriculums, is particularly important for preparing children to become
critically literate. It helps children accurately understand and interpret information by making connections
between what they read and what they already know, working out what is important, and spotting the
difference between fact and fiction. Other curriculum areas help to build the foundation skills needed to
develop strong critical literacy skills, such as reading a wide range of texts for different purposes, learning
about inference, and identifying how language structures and presentation contribute to meaning.

Education Week
October 19, 2017
High-flying school systems have something in common when it comes to recruiting, training, and deploying
school leaders: they take a systematic approach, according to a new study by the National Center on
Education and the Economy. Researchers from the Australian research group Learning First analyzed
principal training and development in Ontario, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. They found that the
school systems, which routinely score in the top 10 in math, science, and literacy on an international test,
had similar approaches to training principals: designing leadership development to reflect the system's
vision for its schools, such as professional norms for teachers and how schools are held accountable for
improvement; training leaders to manage professional learning organizations, including finding and
grooming teachers for leadership roles and shared responsibility; creating programs that build skills for a
dynamic work environment, including the need to be resilient and have strong critical thinking and
problem-solving skills; and ensuring that professional development continues throughout a principal's
career.
Steamboat Today (Steamboat Springs, CO)
October 17, 2017
Some students have an even harder time learning to read than most. These reading struggles can persist
even when students have average to above average cognitive abilities and explicit reading instruction.
Fortunately, in recent years, new research has allowed us to better understand how to help readers for
whom this is true. Current statistics indicate one in five students or 20 percent of people struggle with
learning to read. Regardless of whether a student has a diagnosed reading disability such as dyslexia, if a
child is struggling with decoding words, the treatment is often the same. In “Overcoming Dyslexia,” Sally
Shaywitz highlights that struggling readers need intense instruction that is systematic, research-based and
multisensory. There are many programs that Shaywitz discusses in her book such as Orton-Gillingham based
programs and Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program, or LiPS. Any program should include intensive
instruction in phonology, which is the ability to hear and understand how sounds are organized in words,
since this is often considered the core deficit in students with reading challenges.

Education Week
October 24, 2017
One of the Trump administration's first executive orders was directing federal agencies to search for—and
eliminate, if possible— regulations considered to be burdensome to the American public. On Friday, the
federal office for special education and rehabilitative services took its first crack at clearing the book of
"outdated, unnecessary or ineffective regulations." In all, 63 pieces of guidance from the office for special
education programs were identified for elimination, along with 9 documents fro the Rehabiliation Services
Administration, for 72 documents in all. But it's also important to note that within special education, there
are some pretty important regulations that cannot be eliminated or even substantively modified through
this process, because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act forbids it. Those include regulations
related to parental consent to initial evaluation or initial placement in special education, least restrictive
environment, timelines, and attendance of evaluation personnel at individualized education program
meetings.
Education Week
October 19, 2017
High-flying school systems have something in common when it comes to recruiting, training, and deploying
school leaders: they take a systematic approach, according to a new study by the National Center on
Education and the Economy. Researchers from the Australian research group Learning First analyzed
principal training and development in Ontario, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. They found that the
school systems, which routinely score in the top 10 in math, science, and literacy on an international test,
had similar approaches to training principals: designing leadership development to reflect the system's
vision for its schools, such as professional norms for teachers and how schools are held accountable for
improvement; training leaders to manage professional learning organizations, including finding and
grooming teachers for leadership roles and shared responsibility; creating programs that build skills for a
dynamic work environment, including the need to be resilient and have strong critical thinking and
problem-solving skills; and ensuring that professional development continues throughout a principal's
career.

Education Week
October 17, 2017
Many states have failed to enact policies that support young children from families in which languages
other than English are spoken, a new report from the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute has
found. In its survey and analysis of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the Migration Policy Institute
found that many states don't support the early learning of dual-language learners—which the organization
defines as children who are 8 or younger with at least one parent who speaks a language other than
English. The dual-language-learner population has grown by about 24 percent since 2000, and now
represents about 32 percent of the nation's children in that age group. A patchwork of policies across the
country has meant that many of the children lack access to high-quality prekindergarten courses, which can
boost school readiness and provide a foundation for future success in school. That lack of access
contributes to the gaps in achievement between English-learners and non-English-learners that begin in
elementary school and can continue throughout their K-12 education.
A grandmother and 5 Years-old Boy Died Because of Landslide
Berita.com, Kebumen: Family of grandma Sutiyem cried when she was removed from the heap of soil that
befell her body by SAR team. The landslides often occurred in Krakal Vilage, Kebumen, Central Java. But this
time the damage caused quite worse.
As reported by Evening News IndoTV, Tuesday (11/25/2014), heavy rains that occurred on Monday night, 24
November eroded soil and caused landslides that pile up 6 houses. A grandmother became victims of the
disaster. She could not save herself because she was asleep when the landslide came.
“It happened so fast. Even I could not save anything,” said one of the victims whose home was buried in the
ground.
Meanwhile in Cililin region, West Bandung, West Java, A number of houses collapsed due to heavy rains
that eroded settlements’ soil there. This incident caused a 5 year-old boy died buried under the ruins of the
house. While his father suffered serious injuries and had to receive treatment in Cililin hospitals.
Landslides also occurred in the District of Coastal Tassel, Pekan Baru, Riau. It caused a school building
collapsed due to buried in the ground. This incident made the schools was forced to dismiss the learning
activity until conditions getting better. Besides landslides, thousands of homes were flooded due to
overflowing of Siak River. Fortunately, there were no fatalities in this incident. (AN / Sun)

Tornado Destroyed Houses in Jember and Bali

Berita.com, Jember: Torrential rains accompanied by strong winds destroyed dozens of homes. People who
are living in a village in Jember, East Java did not believe that their homes were destroyed because of a
tornado.
As shown in IndoTV Afternoon News, Thursday (20/03/2014), when the incident took place, the people
overloaded by fleeing. “The wind was so strong we all ran out of the house because the roof and tiles
scattered,” said a villager. The residents whose houses broken have to evacuate to a neighbor’s house
whose house survived from tornado. The incident resulted loss up to tens of millions dollars.
Meanwhile, a tornado knocked down power lines and a number of trees in Denpasar Street, Gilimanuk,
Bali. As a result, electricity and telephone were disconnected. Strong winds also destroyed a temple there.
“The strong winds knocked down the fences outside and flew roof’s temple,” said one of residents.
According to BMKG Region III Denpasar, Bali, The strong winds that occurred in Bali called gusty wind which
has speed 34 knots per hour (AN)
 Nepal rescuers find 3 bodiesnear crashed US Marine

Nepalese rescuers on Friday found three bodies near the wreckage of a U.S. Marine helicopter that
disappeared earlier this week while on a relief mission in the earthquake-hit Himalayan nation, officials
said.
Nepal’s Defense Secretary Iswori Poudyal gave no details about the nationalities of the victims. The
helicopter was carrying six Marines and two Nepalese army soldiers.
The wreckage was found near Gothali village in the district of Dolakha.
The U.S. Embassy in Nepal had no immediate comment Friday.
The discovery of the wreckage, first spotted by a Nepalese army helicopter Friday, followed days of intense
search involving U.S. and Nepalese aircraft and even U.S. satellites.
The U.S. relief mission was deployed soon after a magnitude-7.8 quake hit April 25, killing more than 8,200
people. It was followed by another magnitude-7.3 quake on Tuesday that killed 117 people and injured
2,800.
The second quake was centered between Kathmandu and Mount Everest, and hit hardest in deeply rural
parts of the Himalayan foothills, hammering many villages reached only by hiking trails and causing road-
blocking landslides.

An Indonesian domestic worker has claimed that she lost her kidney without her knowledge while she
worked in Doha, Qatar, three years ago.
DOHA – Sri Rabitah, 25, told the Indonesian press on Monday that she only realized what had happened
before when she returned to her home and went to hospital complaining of constant back pain.
To her surprised, doctors told the young mother that one of her kidneys was missing.
Muhammad Iqbal, a foreign ministry official, said that her case was a “clear indication” of organ trafficking
and called for an urgent investigation soon.
Her employers allegedly told her to go for a medical check-up at a hospital, during which she was placed
under anaesthesia with no explanation.
“Without permission, I got an injection. The doctor said I was so weak, so I was told to relax,” Sri told the
Detik news site.
Sri said that she remembered being taken to a room containing medical tools before waking up in pain with
an inexplicable incision scar.
She claims that she was never given an explanation about what happened in the room at that time, and was
sent back home as her employers deemed her unfit to work.
Sri has said that she wants to fight back. “I want the government to sue the perpetrator. My kidney was
stolen,” she said.
French Renewable Energy Group set up in Indonesia
Jakarta (JP) – French delegates represent French companies which aim to tap into the huge potential in
Indonesia’s renewable energy sector.
A new group named the French Renewable Energy Group (FREG), comprises companies which have
interests in investing locally and a branch of France’s largest renewable energy organization, Syndicate for
Renewable Energy (SER).
FREG is expected to enhance business-to-business contact between French and Indonesian companies and
to encourage more companies to invest in Indonesia.
Furthermore, the group will work together with the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society (METI) to
develop renewable energy projects in the country.
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault said that France was willing to share its expertise with
its counterparts.
“We have many innovative and high-achieving companies in France. The new energy group that we have
formed in Indonesia will be a stage where we can show off France’s strengths in the energy sector,” said
Ayrault, who is also former French prime minister, during the FREG launch at the Energy and Mineral
Resources Ministry’s office.
He also hoped that the newly-founded group could strengthen bilateral cooperation in this sector. (The
Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, February 28, 2017 | 02:19 pm)

Indonesia signs LoI with Switzerland on vocational education

Jakarta (JP) – Indonesia and Switzerland signed a letter of intent (LoI) for cooperation to strengthen
Indonesia’s vocational education system. The cooperation will come under a dual education-and-training
system.
Switzerland Ambassador to Indonesia Yvonne Baumann said the dual system would help students combine
learning processes at school and in the workplace.
“Switzerland has consistently ranked among the world’s most competitive economies and has one of the
lowest rates of youth unemployment in the world,” she said after the LoI signing with the Industry Ministry
in Mojokerto, East Java, on Tuesday.
In addition to signing the LoI, the two parties are also seeking to assist a certain manufacturing sector and
link it with vocational schools (SMK).
The embassy has stated that to enhance bilateral relations with Indonesia Switzerland has allocated 75
million Swiss Franc (US$74.36 million) for various development projects in the 2017-2020 periods. The
funds will be allocated for private sector development, infrastructure, trade, and macroeconomics
assistance.
Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, the Industry Ministry launched a demand-driven vocational program named
"Link and Match" in Mojokerto to address the lack of skilled workers which has been a big problem that
hampers the development of some industries until now. (The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, March 1, 2017 |
01:20 pm)