text:
A credit union is a cooperative, not-for-profit financial institution organized to promote thrift and provide credit to members. It is member-owned and controlled through a board of directors elected by the membership. The board serves on a volunteer basis and may hire a management team to run the credit union. The board also establishes and revises policy, sets dividend and loan rates, and directs certain operations.
The Result:
Members are provided with a safe, convenient place to save and borrow at reasonable rates at an institution which exists to benefit them, not to make a profit.
Most financial institutions are owned by stockholders, who own a part of the institution and intend on making money from their investment. A credit union doesn't operate in that manner. Rather, each credit union member owns one "share" of the organization. The user of credit union services is also an owner, and is even entitled to vote on important issues, such as the election of member representatives to serve on the board of directors.
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text:
Who's remaining in the free-agent pitching market isn't good, and it seems as if the Mets are thinking who they currently have is better.
The Cubs want Ben Sheets and appear willing to spend the $12 million or so it would take to get him. He's good when he's healthy, worth the coin, but there's no guarantees he'll hold up. Ditto with Mark Mulder, who's talking with Milwaukee.
The Mets waited for the market to come back to them on Joel Pineiro and the pricing might well have. So has the competition to get him: Los Angeles, St. Louis and Washington are linked to him as well as the Mets. Washington also has interest in Doug Davis. Can't imagine the Nationals getting both, but what if?
That leaves us Jon Garland, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, John Smoltz, Mike Hampton (been there done that), and Chien-Ming Wang.
There are flaws with all of them, just there are flaws with the Mets rotation, which now has four arms, three of them coming off surgery (Santana, Perez, Maine). They'll liable to get Garland as their No. 5 and call it an offseason.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Australia has a wide range of traditional meals, which has been formed by the people who settled in the country and the indigenous and colonial societies.One of the most beautiful things about Australia is the coastline, which of course means there is plenty of seafood! Another traditional meal along with beef, cattle, sheep, and wheat, which were strongly influenced by the British and Irish, and as well as fast food which is a common meal for many Australians.The development of modern Australian cuisine is a very important part in why we have our traditional meals today! The list below could help you if your searching this kind of food and cuisine.This businesses offers your type of menus.
Bronzed Aussie
Garlo's Aussie Pie Shop
Outback Steakhouse
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Hide Sushi
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Bar Amá
Casbah Cafe
Alfredo's Mexican Food
Café Brasil
Urban Masala
Ekkamai Thai Restaurant
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Outback Steakhouse
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Eva's Lechon & Deli
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Bodhi Kosher Thai | Order Food Online | Clorder


text:
Aliya Biggs - Care, General Care Projects in Vietnam
I have recently returned from four months travelling where I spent the first month in Hanoi volunteering in the Hope Centre, a school for children with mental disabilities such as autism and Down's Syndrome, and those with cerebral palsy.
I am currently on a gap year and starting university in September where I will study psychology, with the aim of becoming a child clinical psychologist. I decided to volunteer in Vietnam because it is a country I have always wanted to visit, and has such a fascinating culture.
Landing in Vietnam
Arriving in Hanoi airport I had no idea what to expect! I'd done some reading on Hanoi before I arrived but it didn't mention just how busy the city actually was; motorbikes everywhere! I was picked up from the airport from a member of the Projects Abroad team and was driven to the office for my induction. This included more detailed information about my care projects and the problems I might face there, as well as difficulties there could be adjusting to the local culture and homesickness.
After a quick language lesson I was shown around the local area and the centre of the city, then taken to my volunteer house. Everyone was so welcoming and happy to answer any questions I had, which made me feel a lot less anxious about my new surroundings.
My Accommodation in Vietnam
I lived in shared volunteer accommodation with other volunteers who were from all over the world. One of the reasons I enjoyed my time in Vietnam so much was because of the amazing people I lived with for that month. Despite all of us speaking different languages and having different cultures we all got on so well and had so much fun! We also had Tuyet, our Vietnamese cook, who made us the most amazing food I have ever eaten, and even tried to teach me how to cook.
Our house was a 20 minute walk from the main city centre (the Old Quarter) or a 10 minute taxi, and there were many amenities nearby including supermarkets, loads of clothes shops, parks and a gym. It was also only a five minute walk away from my care placement, which was very handy when the children had their three hour lunch break, allowing me to go and visit some of the city's tourist sites, or just to have a quick nap!
My Care Placement
I volunteered at the Hope Centre in a class of 15 children who were the oldest in the centre, ranging from 9-13 years old. The majority of the children had autism or some form of pervasive personality disorder, as well as three children who had Down's syndrome. The centre was well equipped and very clean.
My day began at 8.30am where I played with the children before lessons began at 9am. While the teachers worked with those who could read and write, I helped look after two children called Zim and Yung who were unable to do this. We played counting games, made shapes with lego and worked on coordination by playing with balls. Morning lessons finished at 10am. The children were allowed 30 minutes to run around and play with each other before lunch time. Most of the children were able to eat by themselves, but some of the children required hand feeding. Myself and the three other teachers shared this job.
After lunch I helped set out the sleeping mats for their 3 hour nap time. This lasted from 11.30am to 2.30pm. I got to the centre at 2.15pm to help the children wash and put away the mats. The children then had an afternoon snack. After they'd eaten it was time for the afternoon lesson. These involved the whole class. We did many different activities designed to help improve the children's physical abilities like balancing games, throwing balls into baskets and threading beads. These were my favourite lessons as I was able to play with all the children and really get to know them. The children even put on a play for the other children and staff!
The day finished at 4pm when I helped the children put on their jackets and shoes ready to go home.
Leisure Time
During the week I and the other girls in the house liked nothing better than sitting back and relaxing in front of the TV, or getting a full body massage in the nearby spa after a tiring day at work. That all changed at the weekends though! I took an overnight train to Sapa with a group of other volunteers where we spent two days trekking through the mountains and rice fields, learning about the different ethnic minorities in Vietnam; and another weekend we went on an oriental cruise two day cruise round Ha Long Bay, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
On the weekends when we weren't travelling, we spent time visiting the many tourist sites in Hanoi. I went to the ethnic minority museum and the Old Quarter, where I spent hours exploring all the alleyways and shops. It's fair to say you can never get bored in Hanoi, there's always so much to see!
Leaving Vietnam
Leaving Vietnam was one of the hardest things I've ever done - I wished I could have stayed there longer. It was very upsetting saying goodbye to the children in my class who I'd spent nearly every day with for a month, and had gotten to know so well. It was harder still saying goodbye to all the amazing and hopefully lifelong friends I made there. I will never forget the time I spent here, and the experience has made me a much stronger person and made me even more determined to achieve my aim of becoming a psychologist. I can't wait to come back!
Aliya Biggs
Dit ervaringsverhaal kan verwijzingen bevatten naar het werken in of samenwerken met weeshuizen. Lees hier meer over het huidige beleid van Projects Abroad ten aanzien van vrijwilligerswerk in weeshuizen en de overgang naar gemeenschapsgerichte opvang voor kinderen.
Dit verhaal is een persoonlijke ervaring van een vrijwilliger op dit project en dus een momentopname. Houd er rekening mee dat jouw ervaring hiervan af kan wijken. Onze projecten veranderen constant, omdat we inspelen op de lokale behoefte en we voortborduren op de behaalde resultaten. Ook verschillende weersomstandigheden kunnen de ervaring beïnvloeden. Lees meer over wat je kunt verwachten van dit project of neem contact met ons op voor meer informatie.


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It was a week of glamour and fashion on the Orange Coast.
The Oscar buzz culminating the so-called "Awards Season" in Los Angeles reached south on the San Diego (405) Freeway as local glamazons and fashionistas turned up the volume on style for the final weeks of winter 2012.
Kathryn Moore, founder and chief executive of the upscale personal style company known as STYLE 2020 in Newport Beach, headed to Beverly Hills with her style team. It included the ultra-classy blonde Lisa Marmorino, talented lead stylist Zeena Abidi, classic beauty Michelle Devereux and internationally recognized makeup artist Tyler Wright. They went to Beverly Hills to work a bit of magic at a private charity event hosted by Beverly Hills doyenne Daphna Ziman on behalf of a super cause known as Children Uniting Nations.
The evening unfolded in the Ziman estate, formerly owned by one of the iconic Warner brothers, and attracted Hollywood celebs and international press. The Newport style posse mingled with Connie Stevens and her daughter Joely Fisher, Rosanna Arquette, Stephen Bishop, Joe Bologna and the very funny Fran Drescher.
Also supporting Children Uniting Nations was chanteuse Lainie Kazen, actress Jane Seymour, Nia Peeples and Lakers basketball star Metta World Peace.
The STYLE 2020 team arrived with experts in fashion, grooming and jewelry courtesy of Newport's Black, Starr & Frost, which added a touch of class, O.C. style, to the affair.
The world of jewelry and fashion is taking notice this month as America's premier house of fine jewelry, Tiffany & Co., introduces a new alloy they are calling RUBEDO.
This new precious metal — a blending of different sources and ratios of traditional metals, including gold, silver and copper — exudes a rich and warm blush tone that complements both gold and silver jewelry. The official debut of RUBEDO marks the first time in Tiffany's 175-year American legacy that a new alloy has been introduced to the market.
The collection, which takes the jewelry aficionado from classic to contemporary design, is new in store at Tiffany & Co.'s South Coast Plaza salon in the capable and talented care of store director Michael Botsko.
And speaking of awards season glamour, Tiffany & Co. diamonds were the talk of the red carpet at the 84th Oscar presentation Sunday in Hollywood. Stars such as Cameron Diaz and Kate Hudson chose to accent their dazzling entrance with plenty of exquisite sparkle. Both stars wore classic diamond necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings to the annual fashion parade.
THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.


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BARTLESVILLE, Okla., Dec. 15 (UPI) -- An Oklahoma teen was jailed under $1 million bail for allegedly trying to recruit schoolmates in a plot to shoot up and bomb their high school, authorities say.
Police allege in a court affidavit that Sammie Eaglebar Chavez, 18, tried to enlist other students in a massacre scheme Wednesday in the Bartlesville High School cafeteria. He was arrested Friday and charged with planning, attempting or conspiring to perform an act of violence, the Tulsa World reported.
Washington County District Judge Curtis DeLapp set his bail at $1 million.
"Sammie tried to recruit other students to assist him with carrying out a plan to lure students into the school auditorium where he planned to begin shooting them after chaining the doors shut," Bartlesville Police Lt. Kevin Ickleberry wrote in the affidavit.
"He also told them that if the students assisting him did not do what they were supposed to do, he would not hesitate to kill them and/or himself."
Police learned of the plot Thursday afternoon when notified by school administrators who had been alerted by a student, the affidavit stated. Chavez wasn't in school Thursday.
Chavez allegedly told students he would place bombs by the auditorium doors and detonate them when police showed up.
Police allege Chavez told a teacher last week he had bought a Colt .45-caliber gun and had practiced firing it.
He also allegedly tried to obtain a map or diagram of the high school facilities, used a school computer to search for information about a rifle and researched how to make pipe bombs and about the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado.
Bartlesville High parents were warned Friday that administrators had learned of a rumor about a student "was planning to potentially harm students and staff."


text:
This module covers how to search the WSU Libraries Online Catalog.
When you have completed this module of EMPOWER, you will be able to:
- recognize that the catalog contains more than just books
- find items using a variety of search strategies
- identify a call number and locate items within the library
Original EMPOWER material ©2007-2008 is a tutorial developed by Wichita State University Libraries. EMPOWER incorporates material from inflite, a tutorial developed by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis ©2003, and Searchpath, a tutorial developed by Western Michigan University, ©2001-2002, both of which are based on material from TILT, a tutorial developed by the Digital Information Literacy Office for the University of Texas System Digital Library, ©1998-2002. This material may be reproduced, distributed, or incorporated only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the EMPOWER Creative Commons License.


text:
Need spare vehicle parts?
Welcome to the Car Spares Quotation Network.
It's easy to get the spare parts you need and it does not matter if is a bit of DIY or your a garage fixing a customers vehicle. Anyone can use this site to find New, Used & Reconditioned parts from many different Suppliers & Breaker Yards.
There is no need to search around for a supplier, This web site will bring the suppliers to you with the products you want.
Compare the prices of all your quotes in one place.
Communicate with & Buy direct from the suppliers
View ratings of suppliers by other customers.


text:
cmus (C* MUsic Player) is a small, fast and powerful console audio player which supports most major audio formats. Various features include gapless playback, ReplayGain support, MP3 and Ogg streaming, live filtering, instant startup, customizable key-bindings, and vi-style default key-bindings.
Install cmus, available in the Official Repositories.
Alternatively, there is also a development version available in the AUR called cmus-gitAUR.
Cmus comes with a great reference manual.
$ man cmus $ man cmus-tutorial $ man cmus-remote
Starting Cmus
To start cmus, type:
$ cmus
When you first launch cmus it will open to the album/artist tab.
Adding Music
Press Template:Keypress to switch to the file-browser tab so we can add some music. Now, use the arrow keys (Template:Keypress, Template:Keypress), Template:Keypress and Template:Keypress to navigate to where you have audio files stored. Alternatively, you may use the vim bindings (Template:Keypress, Template:Keypress) to navigate up and down through your music.
To add music to your cmus library, use the arrow keys to highlight a file or folder, and press Template:Keypress. When you press Template:Keypress cmus will move you to the next line down (so that it is easy to add a bunch of files/folders in a row) and start adding the file/folder you pressed Template:Keypress in to your library. This may take a bit if you added a folder with a lot of music in it. As files are added, you will see the second time in the bottom right go up. This is the total duration of all the music in the cmus library.
Playing Tracks
Press Template:Keypress to go to the simple library view. Use the (Template:Keypress and Template:Keypress arrow keys (or Template:Keypress, Template:Keypress) to select a track you'd like to hear, and press Template:Keypress to play it. Here's some keys to control play:
- Press Template:Keypress to pause/unpause
- Press Template:Keypress/Template:Keypress (or Template:Keypress, Template:Keypress) arrow keys to seek by 10 seconds
- Press Template:Keypress/Template:Keypress seek by one minute
Press Template:Keypress for a quick overview of the current keybindings and settings. To change a setting or keybind, just select it (Template:Keypress/Template:Keypress keys) and press Template:Keypress. This will put the command for the current setting in the command now (bottom left of your screen), which you can edit to put in a new value/key.
Remote Control
Cmus can be controlled externally through a unix-socket with
cmus-remote. This makes it easy to control playback through an external application or key-binding.
One such usage of this feature is to control playback in Cmus with the XF86 keyboard events. The following script when run will start Cmus in an xterm terminal if it isn't running, otherwise it will will toggle play/pause:
#!/bin/sh # # Author: Dennis Hodapp # Filename: cplay # Requires: cmus # # Tests if cmus is running and starts it if it isn't. # Else it toggles play/pause. # This command will break if you rename it to # something containing "cmus". TERMINAL=/usr/bin/xterm SHELL=/bin/sh if ! ps aux | grep -w "cmus$" | grep -v grep > /dev/null ; then $TERMINAL -e $SHELL -c cmus & > /dev/null else cmus-remote -u fi
To use the previous script in Openbox, copy the code above into a file
~/bin/cplay. Make the file executable using
chmod +x ~/bin/cplay. Next edit
~/.config/openbox/rc.xml and change the following key-bindings to look like this:
<keyboard> <keybind key="XF86AudioPlay"> <action name="Execute"> <command>cplay</command> </action> </keybind> <keybind key="XF86AudioNext"> <action name="Execute"> <command>cmus-remote -n</command> </action> </keybind> <keybind key="XF86AudioPrev"> <action name="Execute"> <command>cmus-remote -r</command> </action> </keybind> </keyboard>
Now when you use the
XF86AudioPlay key on your keyboard, cmus will open up. If it's opened already it will then start playing. Using the XF86AudioNext and XF86AudioPrev keys will change tracks.
There are 7 tabs in cmus. Press keys Template:Keypress-Template:Keypress to change active tab.
Library tab (1)
Display all tracks in so-called library. Tracks are sorted artist/album tree. Artist sorting is done alphabetically. Albums are sorted by year.
Sorted library tab (2)
Displays same content as view, but as a simple list which is automatically sorted by user criteria.
Playlist tab (3)
Displays editable playlist with optional sorting.
Play Queue tab (4)
Displays queue of tracks which are played next. These tracks are played before anything else (i.e. the playlist or library).
Browser (5)
Directory browser. In this tab, music can be added to either the library, playlist or queue from the filesystem.
Filters tab (6)
Lists user defined filters.
Settings tab (7)
Lists keybindings, unbound commands and options. Remove bindings with Template:Keypress or Template:Keypress, change bindings and variables with Template:Keypress and toggle variables with Template:Keypress.


text:
Have you ever wanted to tell your boss to take this job and shove it, but fear a future that involves you depressed in your bathrobe weeping at daytime television with no purpose in the world? Well banish that thought from your head, and banish your job blues if you can, because a new study says when it comes to your happiness, quitting your crappy job just may be the best thing you can do.
That's right, they found people who are unemployed are actually happier than those in jobs that stress them out and aren't fulfilling. Just having a structured day and a purpose when heading off to a job each morning isn't enough if when you get there, you're miserable.
Interesting, and it makes sense in some respects. I'd certainly be happier sitting home watching TLC's Baby Story over and over than having a bad boss yell at me all day for using the wrong kind of paper clips. But, uh, what if I had to hawk my TV because I couldn't pay my bills?
From what I read of the study, they didn't interview any unemployed people who were evicted from their apartment and had nowhere to go about their happiness. I'm no scientist, but I'd venture to guess they'd be happy to go back to stapling with any kind of staple necessary. They say money can't buy happiness, but most people get pretty grumpy when they're hungry.
Now if your income wasn't going to be affected one way or another if you worked in the crappy job or stayed home, then I can't imagine anyone not being happier choosing the latter. I'd even venture to say that a good majority of people in amazing jobs they love would be happier not working IF they were going to make the same salary. I think most people can find plenty of purpose if they have the cash in their pocket.
The takeaway here is that job satisfaction is important to our health, because it's likely a rare day that anyone is going to pay you NOT to work. So if you're in a crappy job, quit -- but you'll probably be happiest if you have another one lined up first.
Have you ever had a job that made you unhappy? How did quitting it affect your happiness?
Image via emdot/Flickr


text:
The XTR-20BPs are yet another astonishing breakthrough for Definitive Technology.
The XTR-20 matches the distinctive XTR series look – a gorgeous hand-polished,
aircraft grade Aluminum enclosure. Because they use the same active drivers
and tweeter as the rest of the XTR series they're perfect for use as compact,
convenient surround speakers in a system made up of larger XTR main speakers.
The XTR-20BP comes with an easy-to-use wall mount bracket and a convenienet
support foot when you want to use it on shelf or table. State-of-the-art engineering
technology delivers the classic level of Definitive Technology sound quality:
wide, dynamic soundstage, pinpoint imaging, and superb realism. Packed into
the compact enclosure are proprietary damping technologies that ensure total
rigidity, angled mid/bass drivers in PolyStone baffles, and a sophisticated
Crossover Network.
Superior Performance Components
Each Mythos® Gem contains two 3-1/2 inch XTDD mid/bass drivers that are angled
in opposite directions to broaden the midrange dispersion for the kind of diffuse
soundfield sought after by home theater enthusiasts for surround loudspeakers.
Use the XTR-20BPs for surround channel duties and you'll be rewarded with spacious
and enveloping surround effects that will make you feel like you're in the cast
of the movie.
The array's 1 inch Pure Aluminum dome tweeter produces extended highs that
reveal nuance and shimmer without a trace of edginess.
Rock-Solid Enclosure
Mythos Series enclosures are hand-polished gloss Black aircraft-grade extruded
aluminum with proprietary damping technologies that ensure total rigidity. All
components are mounted on a resonance-free PolyStone baffle. These rock-solid
construction technologies along with state-of-the-art drivers and tweeter serve
to deliver classic Definitive Technology sound quality: wide soundstage, spacious
imaging, high dynamic impact, and superb realism.
What's In The Box:
Approximate Dimensions:
Warranty Information:
Fill out the form below to request Better Price for this product.
Enter your zip code for a more accurate delivery estimate.


text:
Seventh in a series of occasional articles.
The Perkins Elementary School in South Boston is barely visible behind rows of nondescript brick buildings inside the Old Colony public housing development. Students make do without the most basic amenities, eating breakfast and lunch at their desks, taking gym classes at a Boys & Girls Club, and checking out books at a neighborhood library.
About three miles away in a crime-ridden Dorchester neighborhood, the Holland Elementary School stands like a beacon. Nestled among fruit trees, Holland sports two cafeterias that serve freshly prepared meals, an indoor basketball court, an Olympic-size heated swimming pool, a soundproof music room with red and white electric guitars, and a library with more than 7,000 books.
The stark differences between these two schools extend well beyond their facilities. Perkins, with its bare-bones surroundings, often propels students in early grades to great academic heights on standardized tests, while Holland struggles to get students to understand reading and math fundamentals.
Across Boston, astonishing inequities exist among the 78 city-run early-education centers, elementary schools, and K-8 schools, according to a Globe analysis of their test scores, facilities, and programs. The conclusions offer a rare glimpse into the state of the city's public schools:
- Half were built between 1896 and 1932, and many buildings lack basic amenities. Four don't have cafeterias; 22 schools lack auditoriums; 30 are without gymnasiums; and 59 schools, three-quarters of those surveyed, do not have athletic fields.
- An impressive facility often does not equate with a stellar academic program. Other schools with meager facilities, such as Bradley in East Boston, Hale in Roxbury, and Mozart in Roslindale, had some of the highest reading and math scores on last spring's Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams in the third grade. By contrast, some schools with swimming pools - such as Hennigan in Jamaica Plain, Marshall in Dorchester, and Mildred Avenue in Mattapan - landed in the bottom.
- Despite their popularity, smaller schools don't necessarily outperform larger ones. Although small schools tend to dominate the top rankings in MCAS, the School Department in June closed several small schools, such as Farragut in Mission Hill and Emerson in Roxbury, due to poor performance.
The disparities add an agonizing layer to the school-selection process, underway for the next school year, as parents weigh what matters most for their child's education and happiness: A nice building or solid academics? An outstanding music program or rigorous science instruction? A school near home or one with an after-school program?
. . .
THE UNEVEN distribution of great facilities and programs underpins Boston's elaborate school-lottery system, which was designed to give students a chance of getting into the best schools, and is also the reason the process is so harrowing. Some students win, gaining access to one of the city's best schools, while other deserving students are consigned to schools with poor records of achievement, substandard facilities, or both.
"The reality is there are not enough good schools,'' said Kim Janey, senior project director for the Boston School Reform Initiative at Massachusetts Advocates for Children, a Boston nonprofit.
"People put all their hopes and dreams in their children's education. That's why not getting one of their [school] choices is so hard, because the alternative is not something you can live with,'' said Janey, who believes the superintendent is working hard to remedy academic and achievement disparities.
To improve equity among the city's schools, Superintendent Carol R. Johnson has pursued an aggressive overhaul of schools, setting ambitious performance goals that often exceed state averages.
The plan has led to the closure of nearly a dozen elementary schools because of poor performance, the expansion of several successful schools, and the designation of a large swath of schools in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain - areas stricken with immense poverty and too many low-achieving schools - for intensive intervention.
But too few schools are rising to the challenge, according to the Globe analysis.
To ensure more students are skillful readers by fourth grade - when students must tackle more challenging material in a variety of subjects, such as science and math - Johnson instituted a new reading program two years ago and added two key benchmarks to monitor progress along the way.
But less than three dozen schools last spring met Johnson's goal of having at least 75 percent of their first-graders reading at grade level, according to a Globe review of scores from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, a standardized test that measures a student's knowledge of phonics and other reading skills.
Performance was even worse in the third grade. Only Perkins and three other schools met or exceeded Johnson's goal of having 72 percent of students score proficient in reading on the MCAS.
Two dozen schools had less than a quarter of their third-graders reaching proficiency.
In an interview, Johnson acknowledged the uneven quality of academic achievement and facilities and stressed that more work remains to provide "excellence and equity'' to every student across the district.
"I think we can achieve equity, but we will have to make some tough decisions about how to direct the resources we have to help students off track to catch up, and at the same time not shortchange the students who are already on track and could achieve even more,'' Johnson said.
"This is not a game of winners or losers. The real issue for us, and the country, is making sure every single student has the best chance at the best education possible.''
. . .
CREATING EQUITY - an issue so deeply interwoven in the desegregation of schools nationwide - has dogged urban school leaders for decades.
In Massachusetts, small cities such as Malden demolished their old elementary and middle schools about a decade ago and replaced them with K-8 schools designed to offer similar programs and amenities.
But in Boston such a dramatic reconstruction of schools would be too costly. The city has built less than two dozen early-education centers, elementary schools, and K-8 schools in the last four decades.
Johnson said it is not coincidental that some of the city's newer buildings have among the worst academic records.
Many of the newer schools, including those built as far back as the 1970s, are in distressed neighborhoods where the need to overhaul public education has been the greatest.
Some of these schools, including Holland, are slated for drastic restructuring, in hopes of raising the quality of its academic programs to the same caliber as its facilities.
"A positive environment can make students feel more excited and happy about being in school, but we as a school need to do a better job at creating more students who can perform at proficient levels,'' said Jeichael Henderson, principal of the Holland Elementary School, on Olney Street.
Henderson is trying to raise academic performance by changing math and reading instruction, providing teachers with more training and classroom preparation time, and offering more tutoring to students.
But finding success in a building with nearly 800 students - half of whom speak a language other than English - has proved difficult. And even if a rebound occurred, Henderson said, many parents may be reluctant to send their children to a school in a neighborhood that has seen about a half-dozen homicides since June.
As it is, when students start doing well at the school, parents often seek a transfer to another public or private school with a reputation for academic rigor, he said.
"People feel threatened by the community,'' Henderson said.
. . .
BOSTON HAS HAD greater success in turning around small schools, often located in older facilities. While the smallness increases the odds of success, the schools also share other traits: an inspirational principal, devoted teachers, and tenacious parents committed to changes.
The number of good schools has risen over the last decade, said Laura Perille, executive director of EdVestors, a Boston nonprofit that has recognized six Boston schools in recent years for making dramatic gains on the MCAS.
"There are schools across the district that can and are making the changes,'' Perille said. "But the work is not finished.''
Turning around a low-achieving school can seem daunting at first.
When Barney Brawer became principal of Perkins in 2005, the school of about 200 students was under a state mandate to reverse years of dismal academic performance that had prompted many parents to shun the school.
"MCAS scores were pretty horrendous and getting worse,'' Brawer said. "We were off everyone's radar screen.''
Over the past six years, Brawer said, the school carefully rebuilt its reading and math programs and injected new life in other subjects. To promote better physical well-being among students, for instance, the school painted a blue walking track around its building, built a new playground, and created an outside classroom for science lessons.
. . .
THE OVERHAUL is not a complete success yet. Although students do well in the early grades, performance slides off notably in the fourth and fifth grades, as the school's more talented students transfer to private schools or to other public schools that offer specialized programs to help students gain admission to the city's competitive exam schools.
Some staffers say they wish their building could provide some basic venues, such as a cafeteria.
In a first-grade classroom last month, about two dozen students ate chili, beans, and rice at their desks, which were covered by placemats brought in by their teacher, Melissa Leverett-King.
"When they are in their classroom all day, it's like they are prisoners in their desks,'' said Leverett-King, noting that setting up for breakfast and lunch and cleaning up afterward cuts into precious minutes of instructional time.
But at the same time, Leverett-King said she is enchanted by the historical character of the building, such as the creaky hardwood floors, marble walls, and student coat racks and cubby holes concealed under pull-down wooden doors.
Brawer said he is hoping to gain additional space for the school by leasing a soon-to-be-vacant building next door that has been housing Head Start.
As Tarso Ramos, a Roxbury father, scouted schools at one of the city's annual "showcase of schools,'' held last month at a Jamaica Plain school, he had already conceded that he and his wife may not find the dream school for their son.
"It's like a series of trade-offs,'' Ramos said of the school-selection process. "So you figure out the right mix and what you can live without.''James Vaznis can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @globevaznis. Matt Carroll of the Globe staff contributed to this report.