Museum offers lessons on freedom and diversity
Educating Afghan women and girls
Safe schools now the law in N.Y. state

Albert Shanker, the AFT's late president, is one of 350 people featured at the new National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. Located in the heart of the city's most historic area, the museum, which opened in January of this year, seeks to combat violence and bigotry by celebrating the nation's heritage of freedom and diversity. It honors men and women who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments by standing up to inequity and injustice and reaching out to help others.

Using computer interactives, exhibits and videos, the museum salutes heroes from both U.S. and abroad; men and women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their schools and communities; and even the ancient biblical heroes who inspired this nation's Founding Fathers. In addition to Shanker, the museum pays tribute to notable Americans such as Jackie Robinson, Jonas Salk and Cesar Chavez, who organized the farm workers union. Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Winston Churchill are also among the "heroes" honored by museum exhibits.

The cornerstone of the museum is the Liberty Education Center. The center has a resource library where students and educators can look up topics ranging from the Anti-Defamation League to lessons on democracy and citizenship, as well as training programs for teachers.

"Although the museum is intended for visitors of all ages, its message is particularly important for young people," said Irvin Borowsky, the museum's founder and chairman. "We want them to know that heroism isn't a rare quality that only a limited few possess but rather something we can all achieve if we support our country's principle of freedom and participate in the betterment of our society."

The museum offers special hands-on lessons for student groups. It can accommodate up to 50 students per visit. For additional information, visit the museum online at www.nationallibertymuseum.org or contact the museum at 215/925-2800.

Educating Afghan women and girls

A campaign to help Afghan women and girls return to school has been launched by the Campaign To Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan. Spearheaded by the Feminist Majority Foundation, the back-to-school campaign helps provide educational opportunities to Afghan women and girls who cannot attend school in their own country and who have few options for attending school elsewhere.

A resolution adopted by delegates to this summer's AFT convention notes that "human rights have been greatly abused by the imposition of gender apartheid in Afghanistan by the Taliban armed militia," which came to power in 1996.

"Afghan women, many of whom are educated and were employed, are now forbidden by the Taliban to work, to attend schools and are denied medical care," the resolution points out.

The resolution calls on the AFT to "encourage the AFL-CIO to urge the U.S. government and the United Nations to not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government in Afghanistan."

The campaign, whose co-sponsors include the AFT, asks groups and individuals to recruit scholarships from U.S. colleges and universities for the Afghan Women's Scholarship Program; urge the U.S. government and the United Nations to increase education, health and humanitarian assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan; or adopt an Afghan girl's school in Pakistan or Afghanistan to exchange letters, photographs, etc. with its teachers and students.

For information, contact the Feminist Majority Foundation at 703/522-2214 or 323/651-0495.

Safe schools now the law in N.Y. state

A safe schools bill that gives teachers the authority to remove disruptive students from the classroom and raises an assault on a teacher or school employee to a felony has been passed by the New York Legislature and signed into law by Gov. George Pataki.

The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), which lobbied for five years for the new law, said the law would help its efforts to raise standards of student behavior and achievement. "One or two chronically disruptive or violent students should not be allowed to poison the learning environment for everyone else," NYSUT executive vice president Alan B. Lubin said following passage of the legislation. "Requiring school districts to develop and enforce strict codes of conduct, and giving teachers the authority to remove those students whose bad behavior prevents them from teaching--and the rest of the class from learning--are smart approaches to improving the learning climate."

The new law, titled Project SAVE, for Safe Schools Against Violence in Education, requires that boards of education adopt a detailed code of conduct and that school districts report all violent incidents to the state education department. It also calls for ensuring that training in school violence and prevention be made available to teachers and that students in grades K-12 receive instruction in citizenship and character education.

American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO - 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20001