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If local school officials have their way, the experimental kind of pay-forperformance scheme that benefited Betz —and her students—may become common for America’s teachers, especially those in struggling schools. Merit pay has long been controversial—teachers unions traditionally opposed it, school administrators complain it can be expensive and unwieldy, teachers say it forces them to compete against each other. Last week, as congressional hearings on the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind got underway, the tone was divisive, and it became clear that reaching consensus on changes to federal school-reform laws would be a long and difficult process....

Small, intense, academically focused and emotionally connected. It’s a new—and exhausting—way of running a high school. But Osewalt, his 29 teachers and the 430 students say they wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re at the vanguard of the biggest wave of school reform to hit that classic American institution, the comprehensive high school, in 30 years. In the last 15 years state legislators and the federal No Child Left Behind laws have been swiftly remaking elementary education with the single-minded goal of getting more kids to their grade level in reading and math....

The insurance adjusters have come and gone, the rubble of thousands of looted businesses has been cleared away and Los Angeles is physically ready to start the enormous task of rebuilding (to put it in perspective, however, the total estimated damage from five days of rioting was put at $735 million, less than 5 percent of the value of property destroyed by Hurricane Andrew). But is it psychologically ready? The city council has enacted only one significant measure affecting reconstruction efforts, streamlining most permit procedures while setting stricter standards for liquor stores....

Will the deals ever stop? Last year was the biggest ever for the merger biz, and Bollenbach’s battle for ITT gets ‘97 off to a prodigious start. It also gets dealmakers’ pulses pounding, since it’s expected to be a long, messy fight that will stop them from fretting about the hefty fees they missed during last year’s glut of friendly, low-fee deals. Hilton’s roll of the dice is motivated by this: High-end hotels are nearly bursting with visitors, but no one wants to invest in more bricks and mortar....

Harmony is often easier to achieve in music than in diplomacy. Washington downplayed the warm response given to the U.S. orchestra. “We consider this concert to be a concert,” said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. “It was not a diplomatic coup.” Yet for a moment last week, the American orchestra’s unprecedented presence in North Korea muted the bellicosity that has so often characterized exchanges between the United States and the nation President Bush has dubbed part of the “Axis of Evil....

Since its creation in 1962, the CAP has managed the European Community’s agricultural budget. At Euro 42.8 billion, it’s half of the total EU budget. The CAP doles out subsidies and bails out farmers during crises. It has in the past, anyway. Now the effects of mad cow have drained Euro 971 million from CAP reserves. Every percentage-point drop in beef represents an additional Euro 215 million in lost revenues to farmers....

Then again, what kind of life is Charles living? Not, apparently, the one his subjects would like him to lead. In a recent poll, only 16 percent picked the prince as their favorite royal; a different survey found that 49 percent believed there would be no House of Windsor in 50 years. “It’s a big setback,” says Harold Brooks-Baker, head of Burke’s Peerage, the blueblood bible. “Breaking up other people’s marriages has always been considered, even by the upper classes, a great sin....

There are two things about that moment I will not forget. One is the way the men looked, how they sounded and comported themselves. I watched one as he got ready to leave and was struck by the fact that the usual bearing of White House personnel in these crisis call/dinner party situations-studiously serious, a tad self-important, unconcealably proud to be called to duty while the rest of us wallow in our meal, an ever so slightly perceptible swagger to the exiting stride from the party-all this was totally absent....

A half mile away, his daughter, Burbuqe Dylatahu, 32, was also shaken by the NATO attack. From her second-floor window, she watched as a dozen Serb policemen wearing camouflage uniforms and black masks poured from two armored personnel carriers and three tanks and turned their flamethrowers on the abandoned headquarters of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Hours later, Serb policemen kicked in her front door. “Leave your house now or we’ll kill you,” they shouted....

SHAPE UP Start saving. Now. Stash your cash someplace safe, like a money-market mutual fund. Check your credit score, the number lenders live by, at myfico.com. Figure out how much house you can afford at bankrate.com. BE REALISTIC Make a dream-house wish list, then a reality list of the things you can’t live without, says Ilyce Glink, author of “100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask.” Start shopping on realtor....

This question originally appeared on Quora. - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Answer by Justin Gomer, Ph.D, Lecturer, American Studies, UC Berkeley, on Quora: As an 11-year old in the mid-1990s I was a member of an all-star baseball team that played a handful of games in Guangzhou, the capitol of the Guangdong province in southern China....

The president may soon wish he’d turned to someone else. Those loans are now at the center of the latest Whitewater drama: a bank fraud and conspiracy trial that starts this week in Little Rock. Independent counsel Kenneth Starr charges that Branscum and his business partner Robert Hill used bank funds to make illegal contributions to the 1990 Clinton campaign – and deliberately concealed the Clinton campaign’s large cash withdrawals from federal regulators....

a power-sharing cabinet that includes Sinn Fein, the IRA’s political wing. The deal broke a 19-month stalemate over implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and restored self- government to Northern Ireland for the first time in a generation. But it’s still far too early to celebrate. The new deal will be tested soon–and often. That’s partly because unionist good will has a strict, three-month timetable: the UUP’s ruling body will vote again in February on whether unionists should remain in the executive cabinet....

By the time finals roll around, your time is precious—every minute counts. Which is why scheduling is essential during the weeks (er, days) prior to exams. So as not to go totally bonkers during this stressful time, make a realistic study schedule for yourself, too. Leave yourself time for breaks—you’ll be taking them anyway—and be sure to prioritize according to which class you’ll need to study for the most. The syllabus is one of the most important papers your professor will give you....

For example, in the mixed number 1 3/4, 1 is the integer. In the example 1 3/4, 3 is the numerator. For example, 4 is the denominator in the mixed fraction 1 3/4. For example to find a lowest common denominator for 15/4 - 3/2, multiply the 15 and 4 by 2 and multiply the 3 and 2 by 4. You should get 30/8 - 12/8. Then you can subtract the fractions....

Sometimes, we don’t like people because they are a bit too much like us. In other words, you may not like that the person is a bit snobby without realizing that that’s a trait you don’t like in yourself. Coming to that realization can help you accept the other person. [2] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Business Review Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices Go to source Part of the solution is forgiving the trait in yourself, too, and working to be better....

To handle your hedgehog, gently pick it up by scooping your hand under its belly and lifting it up. Then, you can hold your hedgehog in your hands, or sit down and let it rest in your lap. [2] X Trustworthy Source Animal Humane Society Leading animal welfare nonprofit organization providing medical care, training education, and resources for animal owners Go to source Try to handle your hedgehog for at least 30 minutes every day while you’re trying to tame it....

Hold the treat around four or five inches away from your dog’s nose. Reward the dog once it paws at your hand. This reinforces the behavior that you are trying to train. [1] X Expert Source Alexis TorielloCertified Dog Behavior Consultant Expert Interview. 23 February 2021 Don’t grab your dogs paw and try to force the high-five. Wait patiently for your dog to paw your open palm. Once the dog high-fives your hand, say “high-five” and reward your dog....