European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 8, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes May 1985 Dodds director defends 7period Day cafes it response to demand Tor excellence in education by Clint Swift Washington Bureau chief Washington the protests of some the seven period school Day is a carefully considered part of the department of defense dependents schools1 response to the National demand for excellence in the systems Beth saying she wanted to respond to newspaper accounts of teacher opposition to the Stephens maintained that the move grows naturally out of an earlier decision to require High school students to take two More required courses before they can the regional directors it was established after Stephens told the advisory committee on dependents which met Here last we do plan to inaugurate it and evaluate most Dodds High which now offer six classes a arc to offer the extra course Opportunity next Stephens said other changes the system had made recently to improve the educational process included increasing the minimum number of school Days each year to starting in the 198687 school and testing a master teacher program that would help spread the experience of Veteran teachers throughout the regions they work she said Dodds officials had considered lengthen ing the school Day but could not because of the need to bus students relatively Long distances in some parts of the the seven period Day will cause classes to be trimmed from 55 to 45 minutes in some but minimums for accreditation would not be she funding for More teachers is in the budget before Congress but has not yet been Stephens raised the Issue during her regular opening report on the state of the schools As parents and teach ers and committee members showed nearly unanimous but the Issue also had been placed on the commit tees Agenda by letters from at least three schools the Ramstein and Hanau High schools in Germany and the Rota High school in the Ramstein and Hanau letters raised questions about the educational soundness of the proposal and How it would Donald Aaberg of the Hanau advisory committee and Richard Ellson of the Rota advisory committee also were concerned because their groups had not been during the coming school our students and teachers will be adjusting to the most important curriculum change in the last 15 Ellson referring to the seven period this change by passed our curriculum review the local school advisory committee and the Community whose children we our faculty is unanimously opposed to this but our committee is divided As to whether the change will result in better or worse educational experiences for the students that we we Are Howe in the feeling if our committee has indeed been created by Public we should have some Impact on what happens in our the letters cited potential problems with funding and reduced time for teachers to know their students and Grade assignments and to prepare for teacher protests referred to by Stephens involved members of the overseas education association and the overseas federation of who passed out leaflets on consecutive weekends in where the Headquarters of Dodds largest Region is the teachers said that the change would increase their workload without an increase in pay and that Shorter class periods would make it More difficult for students to Stephens said the regions were being Given wide latitude in creating the extra she said that the seventh period did not even have to occur in the same Day As the present six and that alternative plans for implementing the extra class time had been supplied to the regional several of the teachers and administrators on the advisory committee said seven and even eight period school Days have been working in their in some places for up to 10 Judi who serves on the committee As a Par said South Korea Seoul High school runs eight periods by staggering lunch Priscilla Belang an English teacher at Bahrain High said seven periods Are rotated there six per Day Over a teachers can plan on the first period of each Day being a double one for labs or other special classes and there is a free period three Days a week during which students can make up missed tests or consult with Belanger noted for the record that the move places an extra Burden on but members of the administration committee on which she serves agreed that the advisory committee is not the place to negotiate working Germany of require proof of free tuition eligibility by Charlie Bowden staff writer Wiesbaden Germany Region officials have re vamped school registration procedures in an Effort to identify students who should be paying tuition but the change requires sponsors to provide documented verification that their family members Are command sponsored and therefore eligible for tuition free Atten dance at department of defense dependents in certain students who Are not command sponsored could be eligible for tuition free but Only on a space available the change is in response to criticism from within the defense department that the school system was not complying with the education act of 1978 and other the officials these directives in that commands on sorted children have first priority for enrolment in Over seas if a school still has enough teachers and then other eligible children can enrol As space available of particular officials is the question of in Loco Parentis those who Are not the natural or adopted children of a in a letter to Germany Region director Joseph Blackstead said the new procedures will ensure that schools comply with enrolment the new procedures Start this month with preregistration at the 140 schools in in the Mediterranean director Jerry Bloom said the Region centralized its registration process two years ago and is not planning any he said that when there is some question at a school about a students enrolment it is forwarded to the Region office at Torrejon for a copies of orders have always been a he avalanches kill 4 skiers Austria a four West German skiers died in two police three of them died in a Snow slide near an Avalanche about 20 Miles West of Here killed the according to alternating Waves of mild and cold weather in recent weeks have increased the danger of avalanches in the Atlantic Region officials Are studying the said spokesman Bob no decision has been made concerning a change in registration but he said the Region would probably Issue some guidance to schools concerning the placement of students into the proper Germany Region in an attempt to get some idea of the magnitude of the have audited re cords at several a Region official said that at every school the auditors were finding some mis although none he said the problems often resulted from inadequate information or a misinterpretation of enrolment information provided by the based on the Germany Region officials Esti mate that the school system is losing about million to million per year on students who should be paying the new procedure makes the sponsor responsible for providing the Correct officials the sponsor must Complete a registration questionnaire and provide documents to support the for the questionnaire asks whether the Spon Sor is on a command sponsored if the answer is the sponsor must provide two documents a current identification card and a copy of the travel orders to Europe bearing the Childs if the sponsor does not have copies of the school officials the sponsor must provide a letter from either the civilian or military personnel office certifying that the individual is serving a command sponsored children who Are not command sponsored Are entitled to a tuition free officials but Only on a space available Only about 450 students of enrolled in Germany Region schools fall into that cat officials believe that figure May change with the More stringent enrolment the sponsor also must sign a statement that makes the sponsor responsible for notifying the school of any change in employment status that would affect a Childs eligibility for tuition free officials said the required forms will be part of a take Home package provided by individual schools during pre registration this sponsors should Contact the school for copies of the which can be completed at Region officials military government of Chile extends state of siege 90 Days Chile a the military government has decreed a 90day Extension of the state of siege to keep opposition political activity banned throughout the published in the official retains curbs on the press and on Public gatherings until president Augusto Pinochet imposed restrictions on 6 to combat an upsurge of guerrilla sabotage and mass demonstrations for a Swift return to he has insisted on obedience to a Constitution that prolongs his authoritarian Rule until at least saudi says Oil demand is but open won reduce prices Kuwait a saudi arabian Oil minister has been quoted As saying that the world demand for Oil has hit a Low but open is determined to preserve the present Price the world crude Oil Market cannot Worsen Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani was quoted As saying by the Alatan newspaper in an interview in we Are determined not to allow prices to drop below their cur rent saudi Arabia is the leading member in the 13nation organization of Petroleum exporting open has been forced to drop its production ceiling and prices under pressure from a glut on the world Oil Market in the past three writer Carter Brown Dies books sold 55 million copies Australia a mystery writer Carter Brown has died Here at the age of family Friend Ken method in his 32year whose actual name was Alan wrote More than 270 books which sold More than 55 million copies around the who is also an official of the australian society or said Brown was probably Best known for his thriller the which was also made into a his death is a great loss to australian he was an example to us All in the Way he wrote and method told