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Adopt-a-school programs are cropping up nationwide as many communities tune into the benefits the programs offer students and community members. According to the American Chemical Society, which operates such a program, “Adopt-a-school fosters a better sense of understanding of the community's school system, strengthens and improves school programs and curricula, and creates a sense of personal involvement and interaction between organizations and schools.�

The benefits of adopting a school extend to all parties. The organization that adopts the school receives positive public relations through its involvement with such an integral part of the community. The school benefits from the involvement, as students are enriched through programs that expand their knowledge base. The school’s staff and faculty are supported in their efforts.

Indeed, the program can be a win-win for everyone if it is implemented well. Consider these four examples of positive adopt-a-school programs and the stellar results they have reaped for both the schools and the community at large.

Fort Hood

According to a report in the Killeen Daily Herald, this military base received national recognition in 2008 for its effective adopt-a-school program, winning the National Civic Star Award. Fort Hood partners with neighborhood schools in eight different Texas school districts every year, involving more than 5,000 soldiers and 2,500 teachers in the program. Soldiers go into the schools, read with the kids, and act as mentors. When the soldiers are deployed, many keep in touch with the children while they are away from home.

In addition

Arizona has made national headlines not once, but twice, in the last few weeks. First, the state was the subject of numerous protests over an immigration law that allows police to require documentation from any individual stopped in the state for another violation. Opponents of the bill are concerned that recent decisions will lead to racial profiling in the state.

More recently, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed in elementary and secondary schools. Once again, her decision has raised the ire of many, including . However, proponents of the bill state that the ban will actually improve race relations among the various cultures living in Arizona, rather than deepening any divide that may exist.

This video from PBS discusses the issue.

Step Two: Ethnic Studies in Schools

Currently, Arizona schools offer a number of different ethnic studies programs, including specialized courses for African-American, Mexican-American, and Native American classes that teach subjects such as history and literature that originate from those cultures. The studies are designed to explore the role of various ethnicities in American history and their contributions to literature.

An article on cites one portion of the bill, which reads, "Public school pupils should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people." Brewer

While the Civil Rights era made tremendous strides in fighting for equality, could segregation still plague our public schools five decades later?

In April, a federal judge found that a Mississippi school district was "flagrantly" violating a desegregation court order. The Walthall County school district has been ordered to change its attendance policies, as reported by . Unfortunately, this report is not the first to appear about a southern school in the throes of resegregation accusations.

Is segregation returning to our public education system? Perhaps it is time to look at the policies surrounding our schools to find out.

A Brief History

The history of government involvement in desegregation only goes back about half a century. In 1954, the case resulted in the Supreme Court's decision that "racially segregated schools" were "inherently unequal." The following year, the Court outlined a plan for racial desegregation, with orders for segregated schools to make the appropriate changes "with all deliberate speed."

However, some schools did not make the necessary adjustments expeditiously, and in 1969, the Court came out with another ruling to push the desegregation process along. Alexander vs. Holmes County Board led to the Court requiring schools to desegregate right away and operate only as "unitary" schools in the future.

Today's Problem

Since the Alexander vs. Holmes County Board decision, schools have worked toward desegregation

During his time in office, President Barack Obama unveiled his proposal for overhauling the No Child Left Behind Act. This is a move of tremendous importance to public education. The NCLB Act was supported by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress when George W. Bush introduced it in 2001, but many education policy workers and politicians have become critical of the law in the years since its passage.

The law has come under attack for several reasons:

• Encourages Teachers to “Teach to the Test.â€� Critics say that the law has demoralized teachers and forced them to “teach to the testâ€� rather than making instructional decisions based on the best interests of students.

• Encourages States to Dumb Down Standards. Because the standardized tests which are so important to NCLB are based on state standards, the law created what Secretary of Education Arne Duncan calls a “perverse incentiveâ€� for states to make their standards as low as possible, ensuring that a maximum number of students achieve passing scores.

• “Utopianâ€� Goals. The Obama administration, according to the , has called NCLB’s goal that 100% of public school students will achieve proficiency in reading and math “utopian.â€�

This video looks at some of the issues with No Child Left Behind.

President Obama’s Proposed Changes

To fix the weaknesses of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Obama administration is proposing several

Forget Adam and Eve or sex education. The latest curriculum controversy surrounds global warming. In fact, South Dakota’s legislature recently passed a resolution that called for the “balanced teaching of global warming.� Global warming, the resolution states, is “a scientific theory rather than a proven fact.�

Some States Mandate That “Both Sides� of Global Warming be Addressed

According to the , South Dakota is not the only state to have introduced legislation addressing the question of how global warming should be taught in schools. Among the other states that have taken or are considering such steps include:

• Texas - The Texas Board of Education declared in 2009 that public school teachers must present both sides when discussing global warming and evolution.
• Kentucky â€� A bill recently introduced in the Kentucky legislature encourages teachers to discuss “the advantages and disadvantages of scientific theories,â€� as the Times reports, including “evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning.â€�
• Louisiana â€� Louisiana’s state legislature passed a law in 2008 that says that the state board of education “may assist teachers in promoting ‘critical thinking’â€� on subjects such as evolution and global warming, according to the Times.

This video from PBS looks at attempts to rein in climate change education.

Why Global Warming and Evolution Are Linked Together

Legislators may be using the question of whether global warming should be taught as a