Latest news with #ForAll
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Glasgow Film Theatre board members quit after Israel boycott decision
On Thursday, The National told how Glasgow Film – the company which runs the GFT – said it would not fully endorse either the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement or the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). Glasgow Film said this was in order to retain "independent decision making" and uphold its "commitment to Cinema For All". READ MORE: 'Do something!': Question Time audience member in fiery row with Labour MP on Israel Now, three members of the GFT board have resigned, raising concerns about the processes leading to the decision. Dr Sarah Wishart, one of the members who quit, claimed the board had not signed off on any letters or statements regarding the decision before they had been sent to staff and the media. On Thursday, Wishart shared a statement on social media, which the three members read out during a board meeting on Tuesday. It reads: "Unfortunately, due to the decision making and processes leading up to this evening, we have no choice but to resign from the board of Glasgow Film Theatre, effective immediately. "This is a decision which we undertook with great thought, care and consideration. "We recognised our responsibility as board members, and wished to see issues related to BDS/PACBI through to their conclusion. "However, we cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve on the board of the GFT. "In addition to our concerns related to governance and decision-making processes, we are also deeply concerned about the attitude the GFT has shown towards our unionised workers. READ MORE: Gaza ceasefire talks continue as Israel issues forced displacement orders "We intend to follow this statement with individual written resignations to formally conclude our time on the board." Earlier this year, front-of-house and cleaning staff at the GFT staged a boycott on handling any goods connected to the BDS movement, which resulted in Coca-Cola products no longer being served. Campaign group Art Workers for Palestine Scotland then published an open letter to the GFT calling for the cinema to adhere to the BDS movement and endorse PACBI. The letter was signed by more than 1400 people and included the likes of Ghassan Abu-Sittah, rector of the University of Glasgow and filmmaker Ken Loach. Glasgow Film has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
School Reform Program, Known for Science of Reading Approach, Looks to Grow
Success For All, a teaching approach using the science of reading, could expand to 150 more schools in the next three years with the help of $13.5 million in grants from an anonymous donor. Success For All, developed in the late 1980s by two Johns Hopkins University professors, relies heavily on phonics and group learning, with students reading whole story books instead of textbooks. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter It has shown outsized gains in some cities and was recently featured in episodes of the 'Sold a Story' podcast about surprisingly high reading scores in the small, Appalachian city of Steubenville, Ohio. Used in about 500 schools nationwide, Success for All's foundation is offering $100,000 'scholarships' to help cover training, learning materials and teaching coaches to 50 district, charter or private schools that are adopting it in each of the next three years. Most of the $15 million needed for the scholarships comes from a single donation from a family foundation that wishes to be anonymous. Success For All officials said the donor gave the program $200,000 a few years ago. After being taken on a tour of schools in Virginia using the approach, the family offered $13.5 million — the largest donation ever for the donor — to help launch it in schools with large numbers of low income students. Julie Wible, CEO of the Success For All Foundation, said the donor wanted to improve literacy for low-income students — and Success For All offered more than just a curriculum, but also a change in teaching styles and social-emotional help for students. 'This concept of supporting an entire school gave them clarity about how to guarantee improvement in schools,' Wible said. 'A high quality reading model is critical but it will not be enough to significantly change an entire school.' Most of the grants for this fall have already been awarded, but Success For All is still accepting applications for a few that remain. Success For All estimates that schools will spend about $150,000 in the first year of adding the program, then lesser amounts the next few years. Wible said the program wanted to help schools, but still wanted them to have 'skin in the game' so they would be committed to the shift. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which added Success For All at 18 of its schools in the 2023-24 school year, was awarded scholarships in this first round to add it to four more this fall. Robert Tagorda, chief academic officer for the archdiocese, said the archdiocese chose Success For All because they believe it will help low-income students, including many who are learning English as their second language. The program is already showing gains, so the archdiocese will apply for additional scholarships to add more schools for the 2026-27 school year. Success for All received significant federal funding in the 1990s amid President Bill Clinton's push to support students at Title I schools but was essentially shut out of President George W. Bush's Reading First initiative, prompting a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education's inspector general. The program rebounded during the Obama administration when it received an i3 grant designed to scale up evidence-based initiatives. More recently, the program has received attention through coverage of reading gains in Steubenville, Ohio, which started using Success For All in 2000. Once known for a well-publicized rape case involving its high school football team, the Steubenville school district drew better notice in 2016 when Stanford University researchers showed the district with much higher reading scores than expected at schools where nearly every student is considered economically disadvantaged. The district has also been an outlier for its lower-than-expected absenteeism rates for its socioeconomic issues. At the same time, strong test results in elementary school have faded by high school. The 'Sold a Story' podcast, widely credited with shifting national debate about reading instruction toward the science of reading, had three episodes about Steubenville this spring. Episodes covered the district's use of Success For All the last 25 years and challenges it faced in winning approval from Ohio and other states as a science of reading approach because there was no textbook that could be reviewed. Wible said the program now has approval from most states. Lynnett Gorman, Principal of Steubenville's Pugliese West Elementary, a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School, credits Success For All for the district's strong results. 'It really has helped our students be successful,' she said. 'I hope schools who are interested apply for the grant scholarships. What a great opportunity.'
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
India awarded WHO certificate for eliminating trachoma at 78th World Health Assembly
Geneva: At the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus awarded India the Certificate of Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) stated that this recognition highlights India's sustained efforts in disease elimination, its focus on preventive healthcare, and its continued commitment to the vision of Health For All. The milestone was announced during India's participation in the 78th World Health Assembly, which officially began on May 19 in Geneva. According to a post shared by the MoHFW on X, the Indian delegation is being led by Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. "Today marks the commencement of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The Indian delegation, led by Punya Salila Srivastava... is actively participating in the Assembly, reflecting India's continued commitment to strengthening global health systems and advancing international collaboration," the ministry said. India's presence at the World Health Assembly underscores its larger role in global health governance. The delegation's active involvement aligns with India's consistent efforts in supporting multilateral health initiatives and highlights the nation's leadership in public health challenges, including neglected tropical diseases such as trachoma. The 78th World Health Assembly is scheduled to run from May 19 to 27 under the theme "One World for Health." According to WHO, May 19 marked the official opening, with deliberations on the Pandemic Agreement scheduled later in the day. May 20 is expected to see the adoption of the agreement and discussion on the Proposed Programme Budget for 2026-2027. Additional highlights include a Ministerial Roundtable on data and sustainable financing on May 21, and the presentation of public health prizes and awards on May 23. The Philippines' Teodoro Javier Herbosa has been elected President of the 78th World Health Assembly. One of the Assembly's major challenges this year is reconciling a large funding shortfall ahead of the next two-year programme budget. With the United States' intended withdrawal from WHO further impacting finances, a proposed 20 per cent hike in mandatory member contributions is on the table but remains uncertain. Broader staffing and governance reforms are also expected to be discussed.
Scotsman
20-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
John Swinney's poundshop Farage act is a price gladly worth paying
Scotland's fishing industry has been 'surrendered' by the UK government and 'negotiated away' during the talks to reset Brexit. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Voters might assume such alarmist rhetoric came from Nigel Farage, but these were the words of our self-styled progressive First Minister John Swinney. Brexit is where the language of nationalists converges. The fishing industry is not a large part of Scotland's economy. Roughly two pence in every £10 generated here comes from sea fisheries. By anyone's reckoning that seems out of proportion to the First Minister's focus, and here's the rub – the deal that John Swinney is rivalling Farage to oppose doesn't even change the terms on which EU boats access our waters, it just extends the current rules into the next decade. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Furthermore, it comes with a £360 million UK-wide Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to target assistance at coastal communities. SNP leader and First Minister John Swinney at St Mary's For All in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Picture: Robert Perry/PA Wire I am a realist, so I do not want to say that yesterday's deal represents a change in season from the nationalist nuclear winter that has gripped Scotland and the rest of the UK for much of the past 15 years. But maybe it is a sign changes will come if we can focus on stuff that makes even small differences in real lives. It's a tantalising prospect for anyone sick of the flags-with-everything diet. The significance of this agreement extends well beyond fishing. It represents a broader shift from nationalist division towards practical governance — jobs, economic stability, and everyday living standards. Under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the UK government has embraced pragmatic, results-driven policymaking, prioritising realistic solutions over divisive nationalism. Without being revolutionary, the deal will have impact. It will make it easier to export and import food and drink, so lowering prices and increasing choice. The Tories' flawed Brexit deal cut food exports by 21 per cent and imports by 7 per cent. Some sectors, including fishing, were hit particularly hard while others, such as Scotland's seed potatoes, lost all their EU market. We have a chance to reverse those setbacks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There will be other benefits. EU travel will become simpler with access to e-Gates for UK passport holders and pet passports will return. A youth mobility scheme is coming, expanding opportunities for young people. Perhaps more important than even the economics is the new Security and Defence Partnership. This will strengthen all of Europe's response to Vladimir Putin at a moment of extreme danger. Faced with Russian imperialism the worst mistake would be to think we can, as in the past, rely on American guarantees or to hope to make ourselves so small on the international stage the big boys won't notice us and leave us alone. The Russian threat is not just an assault to our sovereignty, but also to liberty and our way of life. The reason Putin unites many on the far left and the hard right in admiration is his deep illiberalism. Demonstrating our willingness to resist is to make a stand over values as well as over borders. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The past ten months has not always been easy for Labour, but the record of real achievements is mounting up. If the price for that is Mr Swinney's poundshop Farage act, I will gladly pay.
