Another enlightening month of Leadership Las Vegas has opened my eyes to a few things that I believe everyone in the Southern Nevada community should be made aware of. Everyone seems to have an opinion on education. However, few people have the opportunity to view it from the inside out. That is exactly what Leadership Las Vegas Class of 2009 spent the month of January doing.

On the evening news we hear of sub-standard test data and other negative outcomes while school administrators and teachers struggle to meet the requirements of the infamous No Child Left Behind legislation. Very rarely do we hear of all the excellent programs provided by the Clark County School District (CCSD). Now, the problems are compounded by current financial crisis. Now, more than ever, the future of Nevada depend on public support.

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Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman invited the Leadership Las Vegas Class of 2009 to his office on Friday for an informal introduction to the Office of the Mayor. The experience was great. Mayor Goodman was, as always, extremely cordial and answered all of the questions we had for him.

Mayor Goodman spent most of the allotted time addressing what he called the “fight of the city’s life.” For over a decade, Goodman has worked tirelessly toward his vision of a redeveloped and revitalized downtown. Economic ups and downs have created some delay. However, there has never before been an obstruction to these efforts as dark and deceptive as recent efforts put forth by the  Culinary Union. Culinary Local 226 may actually have blown enough smoke to create a problem for the City Council. But, are citizens so blind as to sign petitions without knowing the implications?
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If you are a teacher or a home school parent …

you MUST have this tool!

This is the perfect site for parents, students, and teachers who are trying to develop or implement K-12 curriculum with budgetary concerns in this economy. I would suggest that any of my readers who have not tried www.helpme2teach.com go immediately to the site and give it a try! The site was developed by a teacher with over 40 years of classroom experience. She has hand-selected the sites and categorized them by subject matter. Did I mention this endorsement is for my mom? Regardless, it is an invaluable tool used by hundreds of teachers, homeschool parents, and even students who need additional explanations of concepts they just don’t get from their textbook.