I spent some time in special education classes as a child for a physical handicap -- a bone disease that, thankfully, that did not progress far enough to cause permanent damage.  Of course, my participation in these classes was more about the additional revenue the school would receive from the state than any benefit I received concerning my handicap.  Now, I will qualify this with the acknowledgment that there are likely many good people caring for these children in most schools.  However, like any public school teacher, these special needs teachers are strangers caring for children that especially need the loving kindness of mom. A hat tip to Fearfully and Wonderfully Made for this article from CNN about children forced into cell-like school seclusion rooms.   (UPDATE: Just an update to note that I never saw anything like this article describes.  I didn't really spend much time there.  But, I do remember one incident of a teacher berating and humiliating a quadriplegic student for soiling himself.)  "Seclusion rooms, sometimes called time-out rooms, are used across the nation, generally for special needs children." "A few weeks before 13-year-old Jonathan King killed himself, he told his parents that his teachers had put him in 'time-out.'" "The room where Jonathan King hanged himself is shown after his death. It is no longer used, a school official said." "'We thought that meant go sit in the corner and be quiet for a few minutes,' Tina King said, tears washing her face as she remembered the child she called 'our baby ... a good kid.'" "But time-out in the boy's north Georgia special education school was spent in something akin to a prison cell -- a concrete room latched from the outside, its tiny window obscured by a piece of paper." "Called a seclusion room, it's where in November 2004, Jonathan hanged himself with a cord a teacher gave him to hold up his pants." Now, your state may offer you all kinds of "help" for your special needs children, even if you home school.  But, is that something you really want? In other instances of alleged abuse, from the article: A Tennessee mother alleged in a federal suit against the Learn Center in Clinton that her 51-pound 9-year-old autistic son was bruised when school instructors used their body weight on his legs and torso to hold him down before putting him in a "quiet room" for four hours. Principal Gary Houck of the Learn Center, which serves disabled children, said lawyers have advised him not to discuss the case. Eight-year-old Isabel Loeffler, who has autism, was held down by her teachers and confined in a storage closet where she pulled out her hair and wet her pants at her Dallas County, Iowa, elementary school. Last year, a judge found that the school had violated the girl's rights. "What we're talking about is trauma," said her father, Doug Loeffler. "She spent hours in wet clothes, crying to be let out." Waukee school district attorney Matt Novak told CNN that the school has denied any wrongdoing. A mentally retarded 14-year-old in Killeen, Texas, died from his teachers pressing on his chest in an effort to restrain him in 2001. Texas passed a law to limit both restraint and seclusion in schools because the two methods are often used together.

Guest Post By Liz Donnelly of www.FamilyFitnessGuru.com 1. Put on that fitness-minded personality Wether you desire a flat belly or just the time to workout, you have to start it all with your attitude. If you are determined to improve your fitness “no matter what,” the you will most likely be successful. Usually this takes the manifestation of anger with your appearance or lack of energy or poor health. Once you’ve made up your mind to be fit, then it’s time to don that “fit-minded personality.” This is where you tell yourself multiple times daily that you have a tight mid-section, that you deserve a flat belly, if that’s your goal, for instance. Promise yourself that you’ll do something every day to work to that end. Your subconscious will listen to you. It doesn’t decipher between good and bad affirmations, it will simply apply what you always tell it. Are you saying or letting others say that you’re “fat” or “overweight” or “thick-waisted”? Time to change those words into “slender” or “sleek” or “tight”. This is also part of changing yourself from the top down, so to speak. What you think about yourself has great impact on your esteem, performance and outcomes. For example, becoming more aware of your body will get you to focus on changes to make like sitting or standing tall to prevent your belly from popping outward. You can apply fixing yourself from the top down in all aspects of your life not just fitness. (For example, telling yourself to have patience will help you be more inclined to notice those times when you are losing your temper.) The big lesson here, especially if you’re the kind of mom or dad who puts him or herself last on the priority list, is that you do need your self-improvement time and that you do need the increased energy, self confidence, strength, etc. to help you meet your many demands, especially keeping up with your kids, right? So the next step is just as important: 2. Get educated on fitness So many people lose their desire to workout and eat well because they either tune out the important messages that tell them why they must do so, or they possibly are not aware of the reasons. So the more you educate yourself on exercise and nutrition, the better off you’ll be to be inspired to keep yourself and your family health and active. This website is a good place to start. In particular, you can get FREE downloadable booklets on exercises for children and for yourself by subscribing to FamilyFitnessGuru updates. Look at the upper right side of the page above the side margin. There are also a host of books on the topic of fitness and articles in the paper on almost a daily level. Scour what you can and be informed. After all, you know yourself and your family best and you will remain motivated to stay fit the more you keep in touch with good information. 3. Now, it’s time to make time for fitness Getting a better working body does take time. If your particularly out of shape, then you must realize that it probably took some time for you to degenerate to this level. Even if you relatively fit, you still need to build in time for your workouts. Talk it over with your spouse, partner or own brain (if you’re a single parent like me) and literally write down and schedule your workouts. For me, I have to do some of my workouts during the week before I teach my 5:45 a.m. Fitcamp class. At other times, I have to schedule evenings after the kids go to bed. If you are with a partner, then you can alternate times to best suit your schedules, especially if the kids are awake and need supervision. If you’re a single parent and you are the residential parent, meaning the kids are with you the majority of the time, then you will have to do a little creative planning and think outside the box as to how you’ll get child care and get the freedom to work out. Many gyms have daycare-style facilities at which you can leave your kids for the duration of your exercising. Of course, if you don’t belong to a gym, then your next course of action is enlisting babysitting help with neighbors, friends or relatives. The next step is to join a local civic group that has a lot of parents as members (like a Junior Women’s Club (for moms) or Early Childhood PTA or regular PTA (for moms and dads). Some times making inquiries within groups like these will give you leads of fellow parents who are in a babysitting network. There is typically no charge for something like this. Your only payment is being available to watch someone else’s kids. There are options for just about any situation in terms of finding time (really its making the time) for your workouts. If you really want it, then you will make it work for you. (I hope you really want it!) 4. Do it! Nike has it right, if they still use that old tagline, that is. You really just have to start exercising. Your body was made to move. So, if your parts seem the Tin Man’s after a rain storm, then it’s all the more reason to continue to do your workouts consistently and stay “oiled up.” “What’s ample?” you might ask. Building an hour and a half weekly is a good place for beginners (30 minutes 3x/week). From there, you can add an additional 30 minutes. Ideally, you want to put in 5-6 days of movement. And it doesn’t have to be in the form of a formal workout. Schlepping things around in the garden or shoveling snow are excellent ways (depending on how intense) to move and burn calories. “What exercises do I do?” Well, start by signing up for FamilyFitnessGuru updates (look at the upper right area of the side margin) so you can download the “Top 5 Exercises for Moms & Dads.” You’ll get tons of details on how to perform those basic exercises to help you get on the road to fitness. My hope is that you’ll be consistent with your plan and notice results to help you stay motivated. Good luck and keep forging ahead! Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach

I have agreed to become a guinea pig in Jon Le Tocq’s newest 12 week fitness program. Jon is the founder of www.StormForceFitness.com. Although I cannot divulge the specifics of the program, I will be giving updates on my progress or pain, whichever is most appropriate for the day. As part of a cardio test, today included a 5K which was absolutely awful for me. I am hardly an endurance athlete as most of my training has been sprinting over the last two years. I’m embarrased to say it took me 35:20 minutes to complete the endurance portion of the workout. Ugh! I am looking forward to a program being already written for me, rather than writing one myself. This is a perfect time to start a new 12 week program. Do you realize it’s only 12 weeks until the official revealing, Memorial Day? That is usually the first time the shorts and tank tops come out. Will you be ready? My 12 week nutrition course started today and there are some women on board. They will learn so much during the next 12 weeks. They will never again fall victim to the commercial hype and weight loss scams. If you missed this session, don’t despair, I will host another one soon. My husband has been gone for a week and we still have two more weeks remaining before he returns from his special training for work. It has been rough, but we are pretty busy everyday and it helps the time go quickly. I will be happy when he returns. The day he gets back, we are driving over to South Bend to attend a homeschool convention. This year we are attending two after not attending any for the past 2 years. I really need a pick me up. I am fast approaching the last year of high school for my oldest and college is suddenly looming ahead. I don’t know where the time went, but it sure snuck up on me fast. Any tips and suggestions for preparing for that is appreciated. We are attending a seminar at one of the conventions that details getting a B.A. in less than two years for $5,000. I’m looking forward to that one! Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach

Posted by: Considering Homeschooling The North Dakota Home School Association (NDHSA) 2009 Home School Convention is March 19-21, 2009 in Jamestown, ND.  Workshops and guest speakers include: Michael P. Farris is Chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association and Chancellor of Patrick Henry College. George Escobar is the founder of Advent Film Group (AFG) and has over 20 years experience in film, television and interactive media. He has worked for top executives in the industry including Sony CEO, Fox Network and TELE-TV SVP. Prior to AFG, Escobar was VP of Product Development for Discovery, Executive Director for AOL/Time Warner and is former producing Fellow from the American Film Institute Conservatory. He holds seven U.S. patents in technology and user-interface design. Most recently, George co-produced, directed, and scripted COME WHAT MAY in association with Patrick Henry College (PHC). Mike Farris, founder and chancellor of PHC, plays the moot court coach in the movie. COME WHAT MAY was made by and stars homeschooled students. George acknowledges, “When I was in Hollywood I was a marginal Christian. I knew Christ, but I didn’t live for Him. Now, as a more mature Christian, I can clearly see and appreciate why the Lord literally pulled me away from Hollywood. I might have grown to become a successful filmmaker, but I would have been an ineffective ambassador for Christ. The Lord first had to mold and remake me as a homeschool dad of three sons and a devoted husband to my wife, Claire, for 20 years. More importantly, I needed to learn that the Lord comes first in everything I do. That includes my family, church, education, world view, my craft as a filmmaker, the people I work with and the organizations I support.” Theresa Deckert lives in Devils Lake, ND with her husband Jeff. They have been homeschooling in the state of North Dakota for 24 years. Their two oldest children have graduated from their homeschool and are married. Theresa is currently homeschooling a senior and a 2nd grader. She and her husband serve on the board of the North Dakota Homeschool Association. She is also part of the legislative team working toward a better law for our state and the Lake Region Area Homeschoolers. Her passion as a board member and a workshop leader is to represent and help those who are just beginning this amazing journey called homeschooling. Steve Demme and his wife Sandra have been married for over 29 years. They have been blessed with four boys: Isaac, 28; Ethan, 26; Joseph, 23; and Johnny, 21. With God’s help, they have all been home educated. Steve addresses a variety of topics at homeschool conferences to encourage parents in their God-given responsibilities of raising and training their children for His glory. He and Sandra have created the Math•U•See Foundation, a nonprofit corporation to assist and encourage parents and families with cassettes, booklets, and other helpful resources. Steve is the author and founder of Math•U•See. He served in full or part time pastoral ministry for many years after graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. www.stevedemme.com Lois Walfrid Johnson believes that an important part of her call as an author is to restore the spiritual dimension to our understanding of history and religious and political freedoms. Her 29 books and 17 updated editions include three historical series and 21 novels: the Adventures of the Northwoods (1906-07, transition years in MN, WI, and upper MI) and Riverboat Adventures (1857, immigrant, steamboat, and Underground Railroad history). In her Viking Quest series (approximate year 1000) Lois shows a world view in which Vikings came to raid and encountered Christianity. When enough of them became Christians the raids stopped, and courageous sailors changed world history. In the fifth novel, The Raider’s Promise, Lois’ characters join Leif Erikson in founding the only authenticated Viking site in North America. For a partial list of awards received see www.loiswalfridjohnson.com and click the “about Lois” tab. Peggy Ployhar serves as the MACHE (Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators) Special Needs Coordinator with the goal of “Empowering parents to love homeschooling the special needs children God has chosen for their homes.” She says that homeschooling was God’s chosen blessing for their family, an adventure that started almost 6 years ago when her oldest son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Peggy’s passion to serve God where He calls and motivate others through her speaking and counseling to do the same, has given countless individuals the courage to step out in faith and trust. She believes that being in the will of God is the cornerstone of the Christian walk and therefore her lessons, lectures and retreats all center around bringing individuals back to truth in all life circumstances. Peggy is the former MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Area Coordinator for MN, ND and SD, and she is certified by the American Association of Christian Counselors. Peggy lives in Apple Valley, MN with her husband Doug and their three children, two cats and one dog. Victor Storkel is founder and president of Virtue in Knowledge Publications. He is first a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and has committed his life to follow and apply the teaching of the Bible in all areas of life and to follow the example of Jesus Christ under the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He is also a national speaker and author on the topics of education and critical thinking skill development. He has been a featured speaker at National Home Education Conventions across the country for the last 10 years. He and his wife Gail have 3 children, Crystal, James and Collette. In his spare time he enjoys studying God’s Priceless Word, travel, golf and soccer. www.virtueinknowledge.com Allen Wold is a former farmer from Wheaton, Minnesota. He has been married to his wife Beth for thirty-two years, and together they have three children and one grandchild. He farmed for twenty-seven years before God led him to enroll at Oak Brook College of Law, a Christian college. He graduated in October 2007. Since the school was online, he homeschooled himself in law while continuing to homeschool his two youngest children.

Posted by: Considering Homeschooling The North Dakota Home School Association (NDHSA) 2009 Home School Convention is March 19-21, 2009 in Jamestown, ND.  Workshops and guest speakers include: Michael P. Farris is Chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association and Chancellor of Patrick Henry College. George Escobar is the founder of Advent Film Group (AFG) and has over 20 years experience in film, television and interactive media. He has worked for top executives in the industry including Sony CEO, Fox Network and TELE-TV SVP. Prior to AFG, Escobar was VP of Product Development for Discovery, Executive Director for AOL/Time Warner and is former producing Fellow from the American Film Institute Conservatory. He holds seven U.S. patents in technology and user-interface design. Most recently, George co-produced, directed, and scripted COME WHAT MAY in association with Patrick Henry College (PHC). Mike Farris, founder and chancellor of PHC, plays the moot court coach in the movie. COME WHAT MAY was made by and stars homeschooled students. George acknowledges, “When I was in Hollywood I was a marginal Christian. I knew Christ, but I didn’t live for Him. Now, as a more mature Christian, I can clearly see and appreciate why the Lord literally pulled me away from Hollywood. I might have grown to become a successful filmmaker, but I would have been an ineffective ambassador for Christ. The Lord first had to mold and remake me as a homeschool dad of three sons and a devoted husband to my wife, Claire, for 20 years. More importantly, I needed to learn that the Lord comes first in everything I do. That includes my family, church, education, world view, my craft as a filmmaker, the people I work with and the organizations I support.” Theresa Deckert lives in Devils Lake, ND with her husband Jeff. They have been homeschooling in the state of North Dakota for 24 years. Their two oldest children have graduated from their homeschool and are married. Theresa is currently homeschooling a senior and a 2nd grader. She and her husband serve on the board of the North Dakota Homeschool Association. She is also part of the legislative team working toward a better law for our state and the Lake Region Area Homeschoolers. Her passion as a board member and a workshop leader is to represent and help those who are just beginning this amazing journey called homeschooling. Steve Demme and his wife Sandra have been married for over 29 years. They have been blessed with four boys: Isaac, 28; Ethan, 26; Joseph, 23; and Johnny, 21. With God’s help, they have all been home educated. Steve addresses a variety of topics at homeschool conferences to encourage parents in their God-given responsibilities of raising and training their children for His glory. He and Sandra have created the Math•U•See Foundation, a nonprofit corporation to assist and encourage parents and families with cassettes, booklets, and other helpful resources. Steve is the author and founder of Math•U•See. He served in full or part time pastoral ministry for many years after graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. www.stevedemme.com Lois Walfrid Johnson believes that an important part of her call as an author is to restore the spiritual dimension to our understanding of history and religious and political freedoms. Her 29 books and 17 updated editions include three historical series and 21 novels: the Adventures of the Northwoods (1906-07, transition years in MN, WI, and upper MI) and Riverboat Adventures (1857, immigrant, steamboat, and Underground Railroad history). In her Viking Quest series (approximate year 1000) Lois shows a world view in which Vikings came to raid and encountered Christianity. When enough of them became Christians the raids stopped, and courageous sailors changed world history. In the fifth novel, The Raider’s Promise, Lois’ characters join Leif Erikson in founding the only authenticated Viking site in North America. For a partial list of awards received see www.loiswalfridjohnson.com and click the “about Lois” tab. Peggy Ployhar serves as the MACHE (Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators) Special Needs Coordinator with the goal of “Empowering parents to love homeschooling the special needs children God has chosen for their homes.” She says that homeschooling was God’s chosen blessing for their family, an adventure that started almost 6 years ago when her oldest son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Peggy’s passion to serve God where He calls and motivate others through her speaking and counseling to do the same, has given countless individuals the courage to step out in faith and trust. She believes that being in the will of God is the cornerstone of the Christian walk and therefore her lessons, lectures and retreats all center around bringing individuals back to truth in all life circumstances. Peggy is the former MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Area Coordinator for MN, ND and SD, and she is certified by the American Association of Christian Counselors. Peggy lives in Apple Valley, MN with her husband Doug and their three children, two cats and one dog. Victor Storkel is founder and president of Virtue in Knowledge Publications. He is first a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and has committed his life to follow and apply the teaching of the Bible in all areas of life and to follow the example of Jesus Christ under the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He is also a national speaker and author on the topics of education and critical thinking skill development. He has been a featured speaker at National Home Education Conventions across the country for the last 10 years. He and his wife Gail have 3 children, Crystal, James and Collette. In his spare time he enjoys studying God’s Priceless Word, travel, golf and soccer. www.virtueinknowledge.com Allen Wold is a former farmer from Wheaton, Minnesota. He has been married to his wife Beth for thirty-two years, and together they have three children and one grandchild. He farmed for twenty-seven years before God led him to enroll at Oak Brook College of Law, a Christian college. He graduated in October 2007. Since the school was online, he homeschooled himself in law while continuing to homeschool his two youngest children.

This course will set you apart from the workforce, give you an edge. It will teach you how and give you the credentials to boss others around. Develop your organizational skills. Prepare yourself for management positions. DSST Principles of Supervision is a course for you.The DSST Principles of Supervision exam is a 3 credit Business exam that covers material taught in a college level introductory course in management and organizations. It includes the roles of a supervisor, management functions and organizational environment. A complete course description can be found here. This was our second business exam and we recommend taking it after CLEP Principles of Management. Here are the materials we used, our study method and what you must know to pass. Materials abound for this exam but the good news is that most of them are low cost and there is so much cross over from CLEP Management that you are most of the way there.Here is what we used: Peterson's online exams DSST Principles of Supervision (DANTES series) (Dantes Subject Standardized Tests (Dantes)) InstantCert (both the cards and the forum feedback)Our method for this exam was quick and intense. We studied the Peterson's tests, using the wrong answer study method from another post, paying special attention to the explanations of each question. One of my students said, "Test yourself silly". Study and memorize the feedback from the InstantCert forum. Take the official practice test and when you are scoring in the 60's you should be good to go. This test was updated this summer and we took the new version. Pay special attention to the details. Another student said, "They hound you on the details".You must know the core material from CLEP Management. Focus on:Leadership StylesSupervisor's RolesTheories of Supervision in practiceMake sure you can match theory to theorist, theorist to name, theory to its definition, definition to theory, theory to real lifeInternational and Domestic TradeInternational and Domestic EconomicsEmbargosTariffsBusiness LawUnionsLots of employee hiring proceduresHuman Resource ManagementHave fun with this one. Some of the questions were unfamiliar, but with logic and a little background in Team Policy debate or in the business world you may do well.

So, how do CLEP exams stack up as to difficulty? It is hard to say with precision because College Board and Dantes do not publish their overall pass rates, but the military posts their pass rates online. Military testers can take CLEP or DSST (Dantes) exams for free which could influence their choice to take an exam “cold” or without a lot of preparation. That being said, here are the military pass rates, arranged easiest to most difficult.2008 Pass Rate for Computer-Based Military TestingCLEP/DSST Exam – Pass RateDSST Technical Writing – 94%CLEP Spanish Language – 88%DSST Introduction to Computing – 83% (or 53%)*DSST Introduction to Business – 81%DSST Ethics in America – 82% (or 30%)*CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature – 71%DSST Here’s to Your Health – 70% (or 41%)*DSST Principles of Supervision – 69%CLEP Principles of Management – 67%DSST Business Mathematics – 66%DSST Human Resource Management – 65%CLEP Principles of Marketing – 64%CLEP German Language – 64%CLEP Freshman College Composition – 64%CLEP French Language – 63%DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement – 62%DSST Personal Finance – 61% (or 31%)*DSST Environment and Humanity – 60%DSST Management Information Systems – 58% (or 33%)*DSST Foundations of Education – 56%CLEP Western Civilization 1 – 55%DSST Fundamentals of Counseling – 55%DSST Organizational Behavior – 53%DSST Introduction to World Religions – 53% (or 30%)*DSST Astronomy – 52%DSST Principles of Physical Science 1 – 52%DSST Introduction to Modern Middle East – 49%DSST Business Law 2 – 48%CLEP Social Sciences and History – 47%CLEP Introductory Sociology – 45%CLEP Western Civilization 2 – 44%CLEP Introductory Psychology – 42%DSST Lifespan Developmental Psychology – 42%DSST Human Cultural Geography – 40%CLEP College Mathematics – 40%DSST Criminal Justice – 40% (or 35%)*CLEP Natural Sciences – 40%CLEP Information Systems and Computer Applications – 40%CLEP English Composition with Essay – 39%CLEP Humanities – 37%DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union – 37%DSST Substance Abuse – 37% (or 39%)*DSST Civil War and Reconstruction – 35%DSST Western Europe since 1945 – 35%DSST Art of the Western World – 34%CLEP English Literature – 33%DSST General Anthropology – 33%CLEP History of the United States 2 – 32%CLEP History of the United States 1 – 31%CLEP Biology – 31%CLEP English Composition – 31%CLEP Introduction into Educational Psychology – 29%CLEP Precal – 28%DSST A History of the Vietnam War – 27%CLEP American Government – 24%DSST Principles of Statistics – 24% (or 49%)*DSST Fundamentals of College Algebra – 23% (or 12%)*CLEP Principles of Macroeconomics – 22%DSST Principles of Financial Accounting – 22%CLEP Human Growth and Development – 22%CLEP Introductory Business Law – 21%CLEP Principles of Microeconomics – 20%CLEP American Literature – 18%CLEP College Algebra – 17%CLEP Calculus – 17%DSST Money and Banking – 16%DSST Principles of Finance – 11%CLEP Financial Accounting – 7%CLEP Chemistry – 4%DSST Physical Geology – 2%Bear in mind a few details. These pass rates are for 2008 military on base computer versions of these exams. Some have been modified since these results were compiled. The best way to make an exam easy is to work hard, use the best materials available and study for exams that interest you. And a sure fire edge is being a member of InstantCert.More later on what makes an exam easy.*New updated DSST exams

Business majors have several core requirements and for most this is one of them. This 3 credit exam is fairly broad as it covers marketing, management, stocks, insurance and types of businesses. It is better to tackle this fact based exam after you have built a vocabulary in the above topics. On the exam you will find all the technical business lingo and a few simple scenarios. That being said, make sure you study for the updated refreshed version and not the one retired in August of 2009. Here are the materials we used to study for the older version, our method and a list of must knows for the exam. The best materials for this exam come from knowledge of marketing, management and business. We used the following:DSST Fact SheetStandard Deviants: Marketing(not the most wholesome material with some adult humor that was unnecessary)InstantCert (A++ for this exam)Our method was based on timing and crossover. My students took and passed CLEP Management and DSST Supervision prior to beginning this topic. Both said those exams prepared them for Business, possibly with no additional study. We took one week to prep for this test since it was being updated and our materials were for the older version. They also studied the Business cards on InstantCert until they were quite familiar with them. Here is what you must know for the older version:TQMMediation and ArbitrationNAFTATypes of BusinessesTypes of CorporationsFunctions of ManagersFranchise SystemForeign TradeTax PolicyTypes of Stocks & BondsInsurance, premiums, deductionComputing and Computer terminologyMarketing, demographic, geographicHere is a link to the new version. Make sure to compare the fact sheets and note the differences. I'll update this post if I hear of better materials for the new version.

News from the Library of Congress2021 National Film Registry, Latinos in Public Media & More 'Return of the Jedi' Among 25 Eclectic Films Joining National Film RegistryLibrarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced the annual selection of 25 influential motion pictures to be inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Selected for their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation's film heritage, the newest selections include epic trilogies, major roles for Jennifer Lopez and Cicely Tyson, extraordinary animated features, comedy and music, and films that took on racially-motivated violence against people of color decades ago.Learn more about the 2021 National Film Registry. The “tick, tick … BOOM!” Research at the LibraryWhen Lin-Manuel Miranda visited the Library on Oct. 10, 2017, not many people knew about it. Clad in jeans and sweatshirt, the celebrated “Hamilton” creator quietly made his way to the Performing Arts Reading Room.There, with two companions, he began sifting through? the papers of theater composer Jonathan Larson. The trio was on a mission to bring one of Larson's works to cinematic life.Learn more. The 2021 Library of Congress Holiday CelebrationWatch the 2021 annual Library of Congress Holiday Celebration, streamed live from the Great Hall. This event honors three of the winter holidays customarily commemorated in the U.S.: Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa.Watch the livestream. Holiday Gift Guide at the Library of Congress ShopDeck the halls, the Library of Congress Holiday Gift Guide has arrived! Explore our unique collection of holiday themed items, all inspired by the Library.Shop the Library's Holiday Gift Guide. The Library Adopts New Digital Collections StrategyAs of this fall, the Library has a new blueprint for collecting born-digital content. The updated strategy succeeds a digital collecting plan implemented in 2017, whose objectives have been mostly achieved. But the new strategy also goes beyond that plan. The new? five-year plan covers the full lifecycle ofborn-digital materials.Read more. New Magazine: Gifts That Keep GivingOver the decades, donations from civic-minded citizens have helped build the extraordinary holdings of the Library of Congress. Also, a new collection chronicles the creation of G.I. Joe and an 18th-century volume provides the earliest slave narrative in the United States. Learn how? generations of civic-minded citizens have helped build the Library's collections in the latest issue of the Library of Congress Magazine (LCM).? Read the new issue of the Library of Congress Magazine. Friends of the Library of Congress brings together a community of donors committed to preserving this nation's cultural memory. This group is integral in advancing the Library's mission to engage, inspire, and inform and help make everything possible from digital resources to public programming to exhibitions.Join now and take part in unique opportunities to see, experience, and learn from the Library's staff and collections first-hand.

Hello! In order to more effectively communicate with our educator audience, we encourage you to subscribe to our regularly updated education blog, “Teaching with the Library of Congress.” If you’re not familiar with our blog, check it out here.? This "News for Teachers" list will no longer be active, and we’ll focus our outreach efforts to you via our regular blog posts. Please click here to subscribe to the blog.We’re grateful for your interest in our education programs and resources, and hope you continue to enjoy them in the future.Learning and Innovation OfficeThe Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is excited to announce that the Chronicling America Historic Newspapers website is in the process of transitioning from the legacy Chronicling America interface to a new Chronicling America interface and back-end search infrastructure. In Spring 2024, visitors going to chroniclingamerica.loc.gov will be re-directed to the new Chronicling America website, which will continue to provide free access to historic digitized newspapers. The exact date will be announced in the coming months on the new Chronicling America Website Migration page, on the Chronicling America Historical Newspapers email list, and also added to the home pages on both versions of the Chronicling America website. The current version of the website will be officially sunset later in 2024.Users are encouraged to begin using the new Chronicling America website for research. A Research Guide on using Chronicling America in the new environment is available. In the new system, the digitized newspapers will become part of a larger Library of Congress digital collections framework that recently received major upgrades to accommodate future growth and expansion of the collection. New website features include faceted browse options (refine searches by ethnicity, location, subject, language, etc.), improved image viewing, improved Advanced Search options, and more. The new interface also allows users to browse digitized titles in a map. Uploads to the new interface are now automated so you may notice that there are more pages available in the new interface than the longstanding version of Chronicling America. As part of the updates, the United States Newspaper Directory 1690-Present has also been migrated into a separate searchable collection. Users can access the new Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, which is a searchable index of newspapers published in the United States since 1690. This directory can help identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them. For a detailed overview of the Directory, search tips, and FAQs, please consult the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries: A Guide for Researchers.  Digital Humanities scholars and researchers who access the collection via computational methods will continue to have access to bulk OCR but should transition to using the Loc.Gov API at loc.gov/apis. Bulk OCR downloads can be accessed from the longstanding OCR Data page until further notice when a new "Datasets" page will be made available on the new site.Chronicling America was originally launched in 2007 and later updated to the current version of the website in 2011. Since that time, the site saw the growth of the collection to include over 21 million newspaper pages from every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). Co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), NDNP continues to award funds to cultural heritage institutions around the United States to participate in the program.Please send feedback about the new website to ndnptech@loc.gov and subscribe to the Chronicling America Historical Newspapers email list for more updates.

What’s New Online at the Library of Congress – November 202311/24/2023 11:11 AM ESTInterested in learning more about what’s new in the Library of Congress’ digital collections? The Signal blog shares updates on new additions to our digital collections and we love showing off all the hard work of our colleagues from across the Library. Read on for a sample of what’s been added recently and some of our favorite …body {font-size: 1em; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; color: #333333;}

Timothée Chalamet's update to Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka gives a cheery lesson in hard work, kindness, and the benefits of the free market.

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