Teachers will have the opportunity to study for a day with the U.S. poet laureate for 2004-2006, Ted Kooser, when the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet spends a week in Hawai'i for appearances and workshops.

The Nov. 10 workshop session — "What makes poetry? And why teachers should care" — is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Veteran's Day holiday at Windward Community College. Registration is $40, if paid by Oct. 27, or $50 after that. The fee includes lunch and two books, "The Poetry Home Repair Manual" and "How to Eat a Poem." Workshop sponsors are offering "scholarships" on a first-come, first-served basis for DOE teachers.

Kooser's O'ahu appearances also include:

Nov. 6: 7 p.m., free reading at UH-Manoa Campus Center ballroom;

Nov. 7: 2-4 p.m., workshop for writers. Fee $25.

Nov. 9: 7 p.m., free reading at WCC's Paliku Theater;

For more details and registration information, go to http://library.wcc.hawaii.edu/kooser or call 236-9236.

IDEAS

TUITION GIFTS EARN TAX CREDITS

Thousands of Iowa students will benefit this school year from a new school tuition tax credit bill signed by Gov. Tom Vilsack in June.

The Educational Opportunities Act establishes a 65 percent tax credit for individuals who make contributions to approved school tuition organizations that distribute scholarships to families for the school of their choice.

To qualify, a family's annual income must not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty level. School tuition organizations must spend 90 percent of funds raised on scholarships, and the scholarships may not exceed the tuition at the private school.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, The Achiever, September 2006

EDUCATION Q&A

READING PROGRESS

Q: Are American students performing better in reading now than in the past?

A: Overall achievement scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading assessment shows a mixed long-term trend for the country's 9-, 13- and 17-year-old students (the ages for which it tests). The average reading scores at ages 9 and 13 were higher in 2004 than in 1971. The average score for 17-year-olds in 2004 was similar to that in 1971.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education