gcpool
10-08 01:25 PM
Came across the same issue and was reffered to a top immigration lawyer who advised as posted by me above
Where did you get this information from? Can you please show a source?
Where did you get this information from? Can you please show a source?
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pappu
06-12 04:09 PM
This meeting is very important especially in light of recent remarks from Sen. Harry Reid. We have to find out more information on the background discussions on this. There is a possibility that either Administration is serious about it and wants to give time for people to come with a consensus or this delay may cost us this year's CIR.
LONGGCQUE
05-12 04:16 PM
A friend at my workplace is current and is waiting .... I know atleast 3 cases at my workplace who are current in May bulletin and waiting
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optimystic
09-10 04:43 PM
Glad you liked my thoughts. Just felt this might be a novel and practical campaign rather than doing flowers again or something else.
I think IV can even have such cubes available as IV merchandice and people can donate via a 'Send a F cube to USCIS' button probably !
<< BEGIN: Shameless request :
If you liked my ideas please give me some green dots so I could become eligible for IV chat. :)
END : Shameless request >>
I think IV can even have such cubes available as IV merchandice and people can donate via a 'Send a F cube to USCIS' button probably !
<< BEGIN: Shameless request :
If you liked my ideas please give me some green dots so I could become eligible for IV chat. :)
END : Shameless request >>
more...
Ramba
09-25 07:11 PM
Thanks for the reply. My lawyer told me that she has seen a case when the green card application was accidently submitted with a copy of an expired passport, and there wasn't any problem. However, she's not certain if this is what happens with every application submitted with an expired passport.
Could someone with experience related to this please reply? I'd really appreciate it.
Passport is a just a travel document to enter. Once entered legally, passport has no importance for immigration (GC) purpose. There is no need to renew the passport, unless you plan to travel. In fact, you dont need a passport to enter USA, if you have Green card. The important thing is that you have to always maintain legal status in US. If you are in non-immigrant status, you have to watch for I-94 expiry, and renew them on time. Not the passport. If you are apply for GC, USCIS want to confirm that you entered the US legally with valid visa and maintained your legal status in US. They dont care about the expiry of ypur passport.
Could someone with experience related to this please reply? I'd really appreciate it.
Passport is a just a travel document to enter. Once entered legally, passport has no importance for immigration (GC) purpose. There is no need to renew the passport, unless you plan to travel. In fact, you dont need a passport to enter USA, if you have Green card. The important thing is that you have to always maintain legal status in US. If you are in non-immigrant status, you have to watch for I-94 expiry, and renew them on time. Not the passport. If you are apply for GC, USCIS want to confirm that you entered the US legally with valid visa and maintained your legal status in US. They dont care about the expiry of ypur passport.
trump_gc
07-13 10:57 AM
If she has an EAD she should be fine with the status, if she does not have one, may be u could apply one for her
more...
logiclife
07-11 11:40 AM
There are legitimate ways to deal with such business situations. Its called "Fair buiness practices", something that many employers, especially the "Desi" ones may not have heard.
They should find an average amount of time a person spends on bench. Let's say the average time is 1 month out of year.
Then, they should recaliberate the salary to what would be worth 11 months of salary and set it up that way. Just like you count vacation pay and other benefits like health insurance, etc as "Cost of hiring/retaining".
No one stays on bench forever, but every once in a while, there are 2 weeks here and 3 weeks there when you are between projects or simply, moving from location A to location B. You cannot work while you are moving in your U-Haul truck. But then, if the employer were to pay for every single bench(non productive time), then its not hard to figure out how to fund that bench salary. They can fund it by cutting the wages across the board by 5-10%. Just like they fund vacation period. Vacation is also non-productive, unbillable time like bench period. But 2-weeks paid vacation is pretty standard in most jobs. Such non-productive times are accounted as "Cost" of hiring/retaining employees besides the salaries and other benefits like health insurance.
But like I said, honor-system and fair business practise is something many employers of this class of "Synergy employers" havent heard of. Employees, if participating in an unholy alliance, really shouldnt be responsible, coz they dont call the shots of how the businesses are run. The employer has to have more grey-matter in his head to work out a legal way of running business where non-productive times and benches are inevitable.
They should find an average amount of time a person spends on bench. Let's say the average time is 1 month out of year.
Then, they should recaliberate the salary to what would be worth 11 months of salary and set it up that way. Just like you count vacation pay and other benefits like health insurance, etc as "Cost of hiring/retaining".
No one stays on bench forever, but every once in a while, there are 2 weeks here and 3 weeks there when you are between projects or simply, moving from location A to location B. You cannot work while you are moving in your U-Haul truck. But then, if the employer were to pay for every single bench(non productive time), then its not hard to figure out how to fund that bench salary. They can fund it by cutting the wages across the board by 5-10%. Just like they fund vacation period. Vacation is also non-productive, unbillable time like bench period. But 2-weeks paid vacation is pretty standard in most jobs. Such non-productive times are accounted as "Cost" of hiring/retaining employees besides the salaries and other benefits like health insurance.
But like I said, honor-system and fair business practise is something many employers of this class of "Synergy employers" havent heard of. Employees, if participating in an unholy alliance, really shouldnt be responsible, coz they dont call the shots of how the businesses are run. The employer has to have more grey-matter in his head to work out a legal way of running business where non-productive times and benches are inevitable.
2010 let us know what you think
Berkeleybee
05-30 02:31 PM
As many of you have experienced, the pace of things here in general is slower than that of our home countries. Working in the project management, I often realize how hard it is to make the other party move faster when it is not involving the interest of the other side.
That is what makes me feel skeptical how much they would move, when we demand faster processing of our green card. Probably, the voice of our employer will be more effective. But is our employer losing anything from this slow process?
Even if our demand for more visa numbers is met and the retrogression problem is resolved, there is a big trap ahead waiting for us. Nobody really knows how much time it will take in the 3rd stage after all of us jump in and process our 485. It will be disastrous if it will be the same thing all over again.
It will do no good finger pointing for the lost time of ours in the past years. It does only good when we unite our voice and demand specific things to make up for the past.
Why is the green card so valuable to you? For me, it is the freedom of chaning jobs without making the new employer feel embarrassed.
If only they can allow us to submit I-485 regardless even though they can not process it until Visa number becomes current and if only they can remove the restrictions on AC-21 portability, these will save so many lives from being trapped.
These two legal changes which may be easier for the Congress, will actually make up for the lost time in our life waiting in line.
Maybe, it is time to be practical, realistic, and specific. Maybe, it is time to get smarter.
Asian,
Not sure what you are getting at here.
The managers amendment of S. 2611 does have the provision of filing I-485 even when visa numbers are not available. This provision exists precisely because IV asked for it.
Read the post on http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=15093&postcount=2
Berkeleybee
That is what makes me feel skeptical how much they would move, when we demand faster processing of our green card. Probably, the voice of our employer will be more effective. But is our employer losing anything from this slow process?
Even if our demand for more visa numbers is met and the retrogression problem is resolved, there is a big trap ahead waiting for us. Nobody really knows how much time it will take in the 3rd stage after all of us jump in and process our 485. It will be disastrous if it will be the same thing all over again.
It will do no good finger pointing for the lost time of ours in the past years. It does only good when we unite our voice and demand specific things to make up for the past.
Why is the green card so valuable to you? For me, it is the freedom of chaning jobs without making the new employer feel embarrassed.
If only they can allow us to submit I-485 regardless even though they can not process it until Visa number becomes current and if only they can remove the restrictions on AC-21 portability, these will save so many lives from being trapped.
These two legal changes which may be easier for the Congress, will actually make up for the lost time in our life waiting in line.
Maybe, it is time to be practical, realistic, and specific. Maybe, it is time to get smarter.
Asian,
Not sure what you are getting at here.
The managers amendment of S. 2611 does have the provision of filing I-485 even when visa numbers are not available. This provision exists precisely because IV asked for it.
Read the post on http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=15093&postcount=2
Berkeleybee
more...
wandmaker
04-27 03:02 PM
You might be denied based on the 365 days rule. When was your labor filed?
OP's 140 was approved in Aug 2008 and whereas the extension was filed in Feb 2009. It rules out the denial based on 365 day rule.
OP's 140 was approved in Aug 2008 and whereas the extension was filed in Feb 2009. It rules out the denial based on 365 day rule.
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suny_saini
08-05 11:46 PM
My case cannot be processed under CSPA, because the form I-824 was not filed within one year of the visa becoming available.
but i have a valid point mentioned after the follwing subject. please check if the point is valid.
ACC TO SUBJECT: CHILD STATUS PROTECTION ACT: ALDAC #2
REF: (A) 02 STATE 163054 (B) 02 STATE 123775
-------
If the principal applicant adjusted status in the U.S. and a derivative is applying for a visa abroad to
follow-to-join, then the date on which the derivative will be considered to have sought LPR status for
purposes of satisfying CSPA Section 3 will generally be the date on which the principal (acting as the
derivative beneficiary's agent) filed the Form I-824 that is used to process the derivative's following to
join application. Therefore, in cases involving a derivative seeking to follow to join a principal who adjusted
in the U.S., the derivative can benefit from the CSPA if the principal filed a Form I-824 for the beneficiary
within one year of a visa becoming available (i.e., within one year of the case becoming current or petition
approval, whichever is later). The instructions to Form I-485 (the adjustment application) advise aliens
adjusting status in the U.S. who have derivatives abroad to file a Form I-824 for such derivatives, and the
I-485 Form indicates that that Form I-824 can be filed simultaneously with the Form I-485
(READ MORE FROM http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/cspa.html )
I NEED HELP AND I THINK THERE IS ALWAYS AN ALTERNATIVE OF THINGS.
IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY ANY ANY ANY WAY???
CAN THEY APPROVE IF I REQUEST THEM ?
WHAT IS the way out?
I checked the visa bulletin from august 2003 to the dates when it was current for our category E3.
I have found this point please have a look and determine if there is a chance?
VISA WAS AVAILABLE FROM AUGUST 2003 TO JUNE 2005.
ACC TO LAW FORM i-824 SHOULD BE FILED WITHIN 1 YEAR OF VISA AVAILIABILITY.
SINCE THE I-824 WAS FILED ON AUGUST 2005 WHICH COMES WITHIN ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE
JUNE 2005. SO IS IT A VALID POINT TO BE ELEGIBLE TO PROCESSED UNDER CSPA?
ALSO there is a last hope
A 221(g) refusal will not be considered a "final determination," regardless of whether it occurred within
a year of August 6, 2002 or earlier. (The only exception to this would be if the alien's case was ultimately
terminated under INA 203(g) for failure to make reasonable efforts to overcome to 221(g) refusal. A
203(g) termination will be considered a "final determination.")
AND VISA AVAILIBLITY IS THE DATE WHEN THE PRIORITY DATES BECAME CURRENT OR THE DATE WHEN I-140 WAS APPROVED.
WITH this OR option in above line we can also consider the visa availibity date as the date when priority dates were current
Please correct me.
but i have a valid point mentioned after the follwing subject. please check if the point is valid.
ACC TO SUBJECT: CHILD STATUS PROTECTION ACT: ALDAC #2
REF: (A) 02 STATE 163054 (B) 02 STATE 123775
-------
If the principal applicant adjusted status in the U.S. and a derivative is applying for a visa abroad to
follow-to-join, then the date on which the derivative will be considered to have sought LPR status for
purposes of satisfying CSPA Section 3 will generally be the date on which the principal (acting as the
derivative beneficiary's agent) filed the Form I-824 that is used to process the derivative's following to
join application. Therefore, in cases involving a derivative seeking to follow to join a principal who adjusted
in the U.S., the derivative can benefit from the CSPA if the principal filed a Form I-824 for the beneficiary
within one year of a visa becoming available (i.e., within one year of the case becoming current or petition
approval, whichever is later). The instructions to Form I-485 (the adjustment application) advise aliens
adjusting status in the U.S. who have derivatives abroad to file a Form I-824 for such derivatives, and the
I-485 Form indicates that that Form I-824 can be filed simultaneously with the Form I-485
(READ MORE FROM http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/cspa.html )
I NEED HELP AND I THINK THERE IS ALWAYS AN ALTERNATIVE OF THINGS.
IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY ANY ANY ANY WAY???
CAN THEY APPROVE IF I REQUEST THEM ?
WHAT IS the way out?
I checked the visa bulletin from august 2003 to the dates when it was current for our category E3.
I have found this point please have a look and determine if there is a chance?
VISA WAS AVAILABLE FROM AUGUST 2003 TO JUNE 2005.
ACC TO LAW FORM i-824 SHOULD BE FILED WITHIN 1 YEAR OF VISA AVAILIABILITY.
SINCE THE I-824 WAS FILED ON AUGUST 2005 WHICH COMES WITHIN ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE
JUNE 2005. SO IS IT A VALID POINT TO BE ELEGIBLE TO PROCESSED UNDER CSPA?
ALSO there is a last hope
A 221(g) refusal will not be considered a "final determination," regardless of whether it occurred within
a year of August 6, 2002 or earlier. (The only exception to this would be if the alien's case was ultimately
terminated under INA 203(g) for failure to make reasonable efforts to overcome to 221(g) refusal. A
203(g) termination will be considered a "final determination.")
AND VISA AVAILIBLITY IS THE DATE WHEN THE PRIORITY DATES BECAME CURRENT OR THE DATE WHEN I-140 WAS APPROVED.
WITH this OR option in above line we can also consider the visa availibity date as the date when priority dates were current
Please correct me.
more...
ssdtm
12-12 03:56 PM
Leaving with expired I-94 is no issues. My wife recently went India, gave expired i-94 on passport. She did not give the latest i-94 that came with her H4. She got visa stamped from India, and came back without any issues.
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Dhundhun
06-08 01:36 PM
Dhundhun,
Thank you for your earlier help. I have one more question. My I485 with approved I140 EB2 catagory PD June 2006 is pending and God knows for how many days. My job as Mechanical Engineer is stable and employer is willing to help me. I have a PhD in Engineering with about 30 years experience in industry and teaching. However, because of industry work I do not have many publications. I am a Fellow of IEI and a recognised PhD guide in Indian University, can get good recommendations too. Can I try for EB1 in some catagory?
Thanks again
This site gives broad description of EB1 and its classification:
http://www.visaus.us/pages/greencard-EB1.htm
This is speciality area for lawyers: Can they put in EB-1(b) catagory, which is dependant on research/publication or EB-1(c) if on very senior management?
I think enough publications are required for EB-1(b), my couple of my friends with PhD could not get enough evidence to be placed in EB-1(b).
Thank you for your earlier help. I have one more question. My I485 with approved I140 EB2 catagory PD June 2006 is pending and God knows for how many days. My job as Mechanical Engineer is stable and employer is willing to help me. I have a PhD in Engineering with about 30 years experience in industry and teaching. However, because of industry work I do not have many publications. I am a Fellow of IEI and a recognised PhD guide in Indian University, can get good recommendations too. Can I try for EB1 in some catagory?
Thanks again
This site gives broad description of EB1 and its classification:
http://www.visaus.us/pages/greencard-EB1.htm
This is speciality area for lawyers: Can they put in EB-1(b) catagory, which is dependant on research/publication or EB-1(c) if on very senior management?
I think enough publications are required for EB-1(b), my couple of my friends with PhD could not get enough evidence to be placed in EB-1(b).
more...
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dixie
08-22 01:14 PM
Any US postgraduate degree + 3 years prior to I-140/I-485. Read the text of the bill for more details.
You mean 3 year experience in US no matter from where you got your masters degree or
Only US degree + 3 years experience will get exemption?
You mean 3 year experience in US no matter from where you got your masters degree or
Only US degree + 3 years experience will get exemption?
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willwin
04-05 09:16 AM
How you filled this much fast? You posted adds before you got PWD? My attorney is saying that we need to wait untill we get PWD to post adds
Well, I am not sure how it works but my attorney assured me that it's all taken care. Looks like the recruitment can happen prior.
Perhaps, the attorney team here on this forum can help us understand how this works.
Well, I am not sure how it works but my attorney assured me that it's all taken care. Looks like the recruitment can happen prior.
Perhaps, the attorney team here on this forum can help us understand how this works.
more...
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michael_trs
11-18 11:34 PM
485Mbe4001,
Sorry, I didn't understand...
Is it possible to switch to EB2 if my company already applyed for LC as EB3? Or I need to start with LC processing again - it means that I loose a year for LC processing, right?
Sorry, I didn't understand...
Is it possible to switch to EB2 if my company already applyed for LC as EB3? Or I need to start with LC processing again - it means that I loose a year for LC processing, right?
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SSNN
04-16 04:13 PM
Should we wait until my PD becomes current, to try to link our aplications? Is that necessary? Is there any danger that my husband's 485 application might get lost if USCIS denies our request to link his case to mine now since my PD is not current?
Don't know if this matters, but just this week, I got a RFE for employment verification. We have now sent necessary documents as requested by the dept.
Don't know if this matters, but just this week, I got a RFE for employment verification. We have now sent necessary documents as requested by the dept.
more...
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Hey Ram GC
05-05 04:18 PM
Are BHAI, kaise karu
I tried but could not,
I tried but could not,
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Tito_ortiz
01-16 11:37 PM
I am afraid the DreamAct folks will just again dig their own graves. That record number will just prove that the change.gov effort is a system which may not attend necessarily needs of Americans, but rather the will of anyone including foreign nationals and illegal aliens. Sorry, just wanted to share a honest reality.
I see that Dream Act folks are trying to get > 60000 points, to showcase their support. We need to match for the posts like Legal Immigration in there. Currently the top posts for "legal immigration" are around 2000 points. Not many ppl are not taking interest.
Please vote up on our causes! Easy job..but please act!
I see that Dream Act folks are trying to get > 60000 points, to showcase their support. We need to match for the posts like Legal Immigration in there. Currently the top posts for "legal immigration" are around 2000 points. Not many ppl are not taking interest.
Please vote up on our causes! Easy job..but please act!
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zoooom
05-05 04:10 PM
i second that...
GCSOON-Ihope
12-14 02:48 PM
Hi,
I am trying to e-file AP renewals by myself instead of using my expensive Attorney. I have a question. If you have successfully e-filed, can you please clarify ?
1)My wife was originally admitted into the US as H-4. But now after entering US on H4 and staying on h-4 for about 6 months she used her EAD to work. Her H4 visa was renewed and is still valid even though our Visa stamping on the passport has expired. So what should her class of admission be ? Should I write H4 or EAD ? AP form asks for class of admission.
2)If filing for both self and wife, should this be mailed in two different packets or one packet , two different envelopes ?
______________________________
If you are e-filing, by definition you won't need to mail anything (or almost, see below)!
I applied on-line for both EAD and AP, and it's really very simple.
You certainly don't need to pay those ridiculous fees to an attorney for that!
After e-filing, I received two weeks later in the mail a request to send ID pictures. That's the only thing I had to mail.
I am trying to e-file AP renewals by myself instead of using my expensive Attorney. I have a question. If you have successfully e-filed, can you please clarify ?
1)My wife was originally admitted into the US as H-4. But now after entering US on H4 and staying on h-4 for about 6 months she used her EAD to work. Her H4 visa was renewed and is still valid even though our Visa stamping on the passport has expired. So what should her class of admission be ? Should I write H4 or EAD ? AP form asks for class of admission.
2)If filing for both self and wife, should this be mailed in two different packets or one packet , two different envelopes ?
______________________________
If you are e-filing, by definition you won't need to mail anything (or almost, see below)!
I applied on-line for both EAD and AP, and it's really very simple.
You certainly don't need to pay those ridiculous fees to an attorney for that!
After e-filing, I received two weeks later in the mail a request to send ID pictures. That's the only thing I had to mail.
purgan
03-14 01:28 AM
So now we have it....an official National panel has declared it.
Immigration restrictionists are US schools have been doing just fine and so the country doesn't need scientists and engineers from abroad. Well, this just proves they have been llying all along...just because they don't like immigrants and don't want any competiton.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031301492_pf.html
===
Panel Urges Schools to Emphasize Core Math Skills
By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 14, 2008; A06
A presidential panel declared math education in the United States "broken" yesterday and called on schools to focus on ensuring that children master fundamental skills that provide the underpinnings for success in higher math and, ultimately, in high-tech jobs.[/B]
The National Mathematics Advisory Panel convened in April 2006 to address concerns that many students lack the know-how to become engineers and scientists. The 24-member panel of mathematicians, education experts and psychologists said yesterday that students need a deeper understanding of basic skills, including fluency with whole numbers and fractions. It urged more training and support for teachers and called on researchers to find ways to combat "mathematics anxiety."
Larry R. Faulkner, chairman of the panel and former president of the University of Texas at Austin, [B]said the country needs to make changes to stay competitive in an increasingly global economy. He noted that many U.S. companies draw skilled workers from overseas, a pool that he said is drying as opportunities abroad improve.
"Math education isn't just about a school subject," Faulkner said as the panel released its final report at Fairfax County's Longfellow Middle School. "It's fundamentally about the chances that real people all across this country will have in life. And it's about the well-being and safety of the nation."
Scores from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment showed 15-year-olds in the United States trailed peers from 23 industrialized countries in math.
The panel stressed that many students are simply befuddled by fractions. And one panel member noted that a recent survey of middle school students found that 84 percent would rather clean their room or take out the garbage than tackle math homework.
President Bush charged the panel with examining ways to ensure that students have a strong grasp of the building blocks needed for algebra, a gateway to higher math. Students who complete Algebra II are more likely to attend and graduate from college.
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the report's release was a "seminal moment" in math education and urged teachers, school boards, colleges, interest groups and parents to use it as a guidepost to refine instruction.
"I want every stakeholder in the equation of education to look at all of this and act on it," Spellings said. "I think there are very actionable steps right now. Teachers, starting today, can pay more attention to fractions."
The panel concluded that the math curricula and textbooks in elementary and middle schools typically cover too many topics without enough depth. It noted that countries in which children do best at math, including Singapore and Japan, emphasize core topics.
The panel identified benchmark skills that students need for a strong math foundation -- for example, that students be able to add and subtract whole numbers by the end of third grade. By the time students leave fifth grade, the panel said, they should be able to add and subtract fractions and decimals.
"I think the main message of this report is simple -- content is king," said Tom Loveless, panel member and director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.
It's not just lessons that need to change, the panel said, but also the nation's attitudes about math. In a culture in which parents say they "weren't good at math either," children assume they don't have the talent for numbers. The panel said that research shows that practice pays off and that adults need to give students that message.
The panel also weighed in on the long-running battle between traditionalists, who favor a focus on memorization and drilling, and those who prefer stressing concepts and letting students make connections on their own. Students need to know math facts and have automatic recall, Faulkner said, but they also need "some element of discovery."
"I think this panel has gradually evolved to the view that most members believe that most effective teachers draw from both philosophies at different times," he said.
The panel met a dozen times, heard testimony from groups and individuals and reviewed thousands of research papers. The panel said that it is "self-evident" that teachers need to have strong math skills but that more research must be done to find the best ways to prepare them.
Local educators, business leaders and interest groups were delving into the report yesterday afternoon. School officials in Montgomery and Fairfax counties said the recommendations mirror efforts underway to help more children successfully complete an algebra course by the end of eighth grade.
Roy Romer, former governor of Colorado and chairman of Strong American Schools, said the report illustrates a need for states to voluntarily agree on standards that are "uniform for all of America and benchmarked against the rest of the world." The nonpartisan group seeks to make education a priority in the 2008 presidential election.
"We include too much, we're much too broad and we don't go deep enough," said Romer, who also served as Los Angeles school superintendent. "We put out these textbooks with 750 pages, and if you're a fourth-grade teacher, you can't teach 750 pages. You have to be selective."
Immigration restrictionists are US schools have been doing just fine and so the country doesn't need scientists and engineers from abroad. Well, this just proves they have been llying all along...just because they don't like immigrants and don't want any competiton.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031301492_pf.html
===
Panel Urges Schools to Emphasize Core Math Skills
By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 14, 2008; A06
A presidential panel declared math education in the United States "broken" yesterday and called on schools to focus on ensuring that children master fundamental skills that provide the underpinnings for success in higher math and, ultimately, in high-tech jobs.[/B]
The National Mathematics Advisory Panel convened in April 2006 to address concerns that many students lack the know-how to become engineers and scientists. The 24-member panel of mathematicians, education experts and psychologists said yesterday that students need a deeper understanding of basic skills, including fluency with whole numbers and fractions. It urged more training and support for teachers and called on researchers to find ways to combat "mathematics anxiety."
Larry R. Faulkner, chairman of the panel and former president of the University of Texas at Austin, [B]said the country needs to make changes to stay competitive in an increasingly global economy. He noted that many U.S. companies draw skilled workers from overseas, a pool that he said is drying as opportunities abroad improve.
"Math education isn't just about a school subject," Faulkner said as the panel released its final report at Fairfax County's Longfellow Middle School. "It's fundamentally about the chances that real people all across this country will have in life. And it's about the well-being and safety of the nation."
Scores from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment showed 15-year-olds in the United States trailed peers from 23 industrialized countries in math.
The panel stressed that many students are simply befuddled by fractions. And one panel member noted that a recent survey of middle school students found that 84 percent would rather clean their room or take out the garbage than tackle math homework.
President Bush charged the panel with examining ways to ensure that students have a strong grasp of the building blocks needed for algebra, a gateway to higher math. Students who complete Algebra II are more likely to attend and graduate from college.
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the report's release was a "seminal moment" in math education and urged teachers, school boards, colleges, interest groups and parents to use it as a guidepost to refine instruction.
"I want every stakeholder in the equation of education to look at all of this and act on it," Spellings said. "I think there are very actionable steps right now. Teachers, starting today, can pay more attention to fractions."
The panel concluded that the math curricula and textbooks in elementary and middle schools typically cover too many topics without enough depth. It noted that countries in which children do best at math, including Singapore and Japan, emphasize core topics.
The panel identified benchmark skills that students need for a strong math foundation -- for example, that students be able to add and subtract whole numbers by the end of third grade. By the time students leave fifth grade, the panel said, they should be able to add and subtract fractions and decimals.
"I think the main message of this report is simple -- content is king," said Tom Loveless, panel member and director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.
It's not just lessons that need to change, the panel said, but also the nation's attitudes about math. In a culture in which parents say they "weren't good at math either," children assume they don't have the talent for numbers. The panel said that research shows that practice pays off and that adults need to give students that message.
The panel also weighed in on the long-running battle between traditionalists, who favor a focus on memorization and drilling, and those who prefer stressing concepts and letting students make connections on their own. Students need to know math facts and have automatic recall, Faulkner said, but they also need "some element of discovery."
"I think this panel has gradually evolved to the view that most members believe that most effective teachers draw from both philosophies at different times," he said.
The panel met a dozen times, heard testimony from groups and individuals and reviewed thousands of research papers. The panel said that it is "self-evident" that teachers need to have strong math skills but that more research must be done to find the best ways to prepare them.
Local educators, business leaders and interest groups were delving into the report yesterday afternoon. School officials in Montgomery and Fairfax counties said the recommendations mirror efforts underway to help more children successfully complete an algebra course by the end of eighth grade.
Roy Romer, former governor of Colorado and chairman of Strong American Schools, said the report illustrates a need for states to voluntarily agree on standards that are "uniform for all of America and benchmarked against the rest of the world." The nonpartisan group seeks to make education a priority in the 2008 presidential election.
"We include too much, we're much too broad and we don't go deep enough," said Romer, who also served as Los Angeles school superintendent. "We put out these textbooks with 750 pages, and if you're a fourth-grade teacher, you can't teach 750 pages. You have to be selective."