Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of visiting with Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez, Principal Neddy Alvarez and her staff at Western High School, located in the Clark County School District, in Las Vegas. The school undertook a comprehensive effort to completely transform the culture of the school and added a motivated group of talented teachers. Western altered  the school day to add opportunities for students to get additional credits toward graduation and created smaller learning groups. As part of these comprehensive changes, the school's leadership also focused on four main reforms to transform their school. First, improvements started with the change in the relationship between the school and students to create a caring atmosphere at the school. Using the "Capturing Kids' Hearts" strategies, school leadership and teachers began building a trusting environment and students and families described seeing changes aimed at improving student outcomes and ensuring the success of every student. The school day was altered to add more options for students to obtain additional credits toward graduation. Students and teachers were grouped into "houses," so that smaller groups of teachers and counselors could create one-on-one relationships with students. Teachers and counselors said that the altered school day provides time to address student's individual concerns and develop individualized learning plans to put every student on a path to graduation. The school also made changes to encourage parents to support school and encourage real dialogues between parents and the teachers and leaders at Western. Funded in part through the United Way, the school created a family engagement center to get parents more involved in their children's education, particularly parents of English language learners. Parents like Ally Gaona and Martha Mendez told me that they had a voice and the tools to engage in their children's learning and that they recognize that the main responsibility for their children's learning must rest... Students and teachers were grouped into "houses in order to   _  . A) provide time to address student's individual concerns. B) add more options for students to obtain additional credits toward graduation.. C) create one-on-one relationships with students. D) develop individualized learning plans to put every student on a path to graduation.
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Former South African president Nelson Mandela died on 6 December 2013 Beijing time .President Jacob Zuma announced it in a televised speech to the nation. He was 95. Those 95 years were remarkable. At the age of seven, he entered a local school, where he was given the name "Nelson", after Admiral Horatio Nelson of the Royal Navy, by a teacher who had difficulty in pronouncing his African 'name. That name, Rolihlahla , means  "troublemaker" . In 1927, when Mandela was nine, he decided to become a lawyer, influenced by the cases that came on his father. In 1942 Mandela entered politics by joining the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa's major liberation movement and today the country's ruling party. It was during this time that he and a small group of mainly young members of the ANC got down to a task transforming the party into a mass movement. In 1952, he was charged and brought to trial for his role in the campaign of fighting against Unjust Laws and given a prison sentence. The 1950s turned out to be a time of hardship and suffering for Mandela-he was banned, arrested and imprisoned.    While in prison, Mandela studied by correspondence with the University of London, earning a Bachelor of Law degree. He never faced with his teachers, but his name was familiar to all the teachers by means of his writing letters.    After spending 27 years in prison, Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994. He united a fearful country, bringing together blacks and whites in harmony When South Africa was living through violent and troubled times. After serving a five year term as president of the country, he retired from public life, though not from the public eye.     He is the greatest son of the nation and a great father of his people. More than l, 115 awards and honors, even the Nobel Peace Prize had been on him. More than 85 streets, roads, avenues, bridges, highways had been named after Mandela. How old was Mandela when he retired? A) 95. B) 91. C) 81. D) 76.
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Laura was married for 6 months. Her husband was using drugs. She didn't want her son or her unborn baby to live that way, but she was afraid to ask her husband to leave. She left him a note instead. After reading the note, Laura's husband waited for her to come home and then beat her and her son.     He smashed(......)dishes, pictures and toys and left the house in a terrible mess . He said it was all her fault. After Laura cleaned up the mess she went to the hospital. She was badly hurt all over her body, but the baby was fine.     Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job. She was ashamed to ask for help from the police, courts or women's shelters. Laura wanted her marriage and family to work. Sometimes her husband was very nice to her. She decided to try harder se her children could have a home and a father. Laura joined a church and told a priest about her problem. But her husband kept using drugs and hurting the family. Finally, she told her husband she loved him, but they should live apart for a while. He beat her again. The priest had called and could tell Laura was in trouble. He came over to talk to her, He asked the husband to go out for a while. Laura packed up her kids and left. Her husband went to jail. Laura got a lot of help from groups that help women who have been beaten. Now she is in college, has her own apartment and works on special projects at a women's shelter. "We got out , and it changed the life for me and my children. You can do it. You can break the cycle." Laura said. Which of the following is NOT true? A) Now Laura works on a special project at a women's shelter. B) Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job. C) After Laura cleaned up the mess, she went to the church. D) Laura was ashamed to ask for help from organizations.
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Goals can help you do, be and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen. Successful and happy people have an idea of how their life should be and they set lots of goals to help them succeed. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It's like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which is laid out for her on a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong turns. The other driver has no goal or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drives without an aim around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas and oil. Which driver do you want to be? Winners in life set goals and follow through on them. Winners decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren't difficult to set--and they aren't difficult to reach. It's up to you to find out what your goals and ideals really are. Research tells us that when we write a goal down, we are more likely to achieve. Written goals can be reviewed regularly,and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular way, you are able to make yourself be continuously alert to situations that will further your goals. According to the passage, successful people are different from unsuccessful ones because  _  . A) the successful people set goals for everything and can get help from others B) the unsuccessful people always set unrealistic plans for themselves C) the successful people set goals in their lives and make plans to carry it out D) the unsuccessful people make plans for everything but can not work hard

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