North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 09/19/1997

It was September 19 and I did what they murdered in North Carolina. Hello welcome to the Friday edition of North Carolina now well he's made it to the start of another weekend. Time to stretch out and relax tonight producer Ted Harrison takes us to a North Carolina company that's been providing the perfect excuse for even the most ambitious of us to take a break from our plans. We'll head out east to visit the people of Hatteras hammocks and we'll speak with Dr. Robert Connor the director of the

National Humanities Center about the 50th anniversary of the Fulbright educational exchange program. But first we start with a story about a new teaching method that answers the what and the why. Now when you were in school did you ever wonder why you were studying certain material and whether you'd ever have any reason to use it I know I did. Well some North Carolina educators are using a teaching method which makes sure that kids see the relevance of everything they learn where real onboard takes us to Guilford County to see how it works. Guilford County probably isn't a place where you'd expect to find a revolution taking place. But that's exactly what's happening in the school system here. It's a revolution in teaching and learning at Madison Elementary School in northeast Guilford County and the revolutionary approach is called the Paideia method.

Today it challenges students to ask questions. Work together and communicate better. The goal is to create independent thinkers and problem solvers. Children as young as these kindergartners become active participants in their learning through discussions and hands on projects. Thank you very much in the Paideia method. Each unit of study integrates the basic curriculum areas into one theme for example to learn about the elevation of North Carolina's mountains. These fourth graders use skills in math science reading writing and social studies to create three dimensional models with today and integrating all the subject matters. The thematic approach makes it relevant to their daily lives so they can understand why they're doing what they're doing and they're very interested. The teachers are excited and the kids are excited and and they're having a good time while they're learning and oftentimes they forget that they're alarming because they're having so much fun.

What do you hear. Yeah. Yeah right. What. In this second grade class students are creating a map based on a story they have read. Working together as a group they're developing thinking skills that will help them in their daily lives. Input data classrooms teachers spend very little time lecturing. Instead they become coaches and facilitators as they guide the children to learn on their own through projects research and seminar discussions in today as students get to do so many interactive activities where they get to make products and projects they do a lot of research. They are totally involved the student is totally involved in the learning process. Studies have shown that when you actually do something or you teach it to someone else as we often do and today you retain it more in understanding you have a true understanding for it. What you're learning another important part of the day is teaching

students to give to their community. One of the projects we do here is we we study animals and then they actually have they do research. We make a book and we actually take the book on the animals to the Natural Science Center and it's on display there for people who come to visit the animals. They can take this book with them and all the children's research is in this book so that the kids can actually see where their work has a value in the community. Supporters of the program say that in addition to subject knowledge the Paideia approach also teaches children skills that will benefit them in college and careers. Do you think it will help them be successful in life because they're going to have problem solving skills. They're going to know how to get along with each other because they have worked in groups and they have learned to question. They have warned to come to solutions and they also learn to resolve the conflicts they have out on the playground or in the classroom successfully. So we're also

teaching human relations skills. You can just see their face in the glow in their eye when they've been successful or when they've completed a project. They found an answer on their own. No one had to give them the answer they were able to find it and complete the project without any problems and it's something that they can show ownership. So the excitement is they are day in and day out and it just makes me happy to come to school that I can see the children that excited along with feelings of accomplishment and self-worth. The children have also achieved higher test scores. In fact students at the 31 per day of schools in Guilford County have done so well. There are plans to implement this method in all of the counties 94 schools over the next three years. The teachers are happier because they unlock the key to many more students than they had before by just using the direct instruction methodologies. The students are happier because they're able to demonstrate their learning so achievement is up. Parents satisfaction and teacher satisfaction is up. And that can't

help but help. School district this goal to implement the Paideia method system wide is a first for North Carolina but it also places Guilford County schools on the path to making national education history. It's significant because Guilford County is unusual in that it's both a large school system and has a wide variety of schools. That means that if you think of what goes on here as a kind of glorious experiment once we have been successful here and we believe we will be so that it will be worth the investment for Guilford County parents then that sends a strong message to the rest of the country that what happens here can be replicated in urban areas like New York or East St. Louis or Miami and it can be replicated in rural areas like the Midwest. And while being a nationwide model is flattering educators that Madison Elementary School are focused on fine tuning a method that is working very well for their students.

We have seen constant growth and we do think this is the way about the future because it's effective and parents are happy and can. Parents and teachers are really enthusiastic about what they do and there see all kinds of achievement in all areas for all children. Currently there are 75 schools in 14 states 31 of those schools are in Guilford County. Community leaders are also supporting this innovative teaching approach. Recently the Joseph M. Briand Foundation gave the Guilford County School System 1 million dollars so that teachers in every public school can be trained in the potassium method. Well still of had find a shady spot between two trees the perfect location for a Maiden North Carolina hammock. But before we relax Let's get caught up on today's statewide headlines with Michel Louis. Mitch thanks Maria. Good evening everyone. Topping our news tonight some members of North Carolina's congressional delegation are lobbying hard to protect tobacco farmers. Representative Eva Clayton whose district produces more flu cured tobacco than any other in the

nation urged Congress to continue the federal tobacco program. Clayton so has the tobacco program has helped many small farmers remain on their land. Representative Bob Etheridge told the Senate Agriculture Committee that any settlement with the tobacco industry must include guarantees on purchases of domestic tobacco and on the price paid for that tobacco. And Senator Jesse Helms hinted that he may use Senate rules to slow any deal that appears to be treating the tobacco industry unfairly. North Carolina State University is planning a one million dollar research center devoted entirely too to Styria research. The toxic organism that is raising health concerns across the mid-Atlantic coast. NC State officials put the new research center on a fast track at the urging of Governor Jim Hunt in recent weeks reports of sick fish and ill boaters and fishermen in Maryland and Virginia have prompted both states to earmark millions of dollars for food Styria research. In a related story the governors of Maryland Delaware Virginia and West Virginia met today in Annapolis to discuss the different approaches the states are taking to the

problem. Governor Jim Hunt and the governor of Pennsylvania sent representatives to the meeting. Chappy an International Paper Mill is back in court lawyers today form the state of Tennessee asked an administrative law judge to overturn a waste permit given to the paper mill in Haywood County. They say it allows too much pollution to flow into the Pigeon River which in turn flows into Tennessee. Environmentalist and Tennessee residents have complained for years that champion has not done enough to curb discharges. The judge in the case ordered officials from both states to file statements describing their dispute by October 30 first. The opposition is mounting to Chevron's notice that it wants to drill for oil and natural gas off the North Carolina coast. Congressman Walter Jones sense he plans to co-sponsor a bill to prohibit drilling offshore nationwide. Senate President Pro Tem Mark bass nights as residents of the Outer Banks aren't likely to go along with the plan. And Governor Jim Hunt says he can't keep the company from applying for the permit but says the state will take a long hard look at the proposal. Chevron USA says that it would like to

begin exploratory drilling as early as the year 2000. Seven straight years of escalating numbers of rabies cases is leading state officials to consider a beefed up state wide testing program. Public health officials report the number of confirmed rabies cases has grown from 10 in 1990 to 640 to so far this year. In response the state plans to spend more money on rabies testing and allocate enough funds to pay for one more additional public health veterinarian bringing the total up to two. The disease has reportedly reached most of the counties in the state. And now for a look at tomorrow's weather it will be hot across North Carolina on Saturday most of the state will see highs around 90. Sunny skies with breezy conditions are on tap for most areas. And in business news clearance from the federal government is allowing the global trans Park Authority to move forward with plans to extend the runway at the Kinston regional jet port. FAA approval of the trans park environmental impact statement allows the project to continue with construction

plans. The trans Park Authority is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to secure the required permits and hopes to begin construction early next spring. The global trans park air cargo and manufacturing complex promises to be a boon to the economy of eastern North Carolina. Loews companies is planning an expansion that will add 65 new stores they will use a 100 million dollar bond sale to pay for the expansion program. The North Wilkesboro based home improvement chain already has 400 15 stores across the nation. And now for a look at what happened on Wall Street today. The Fulbright educational program is celebrating its 50th anniversary because of this

prestigious milestone a year long study has been completed by an international committee that committee has recently presented a report to President Clinton which assesses the current state of the program and offers recommendations for the future. A member of the Fulbright Study Commission is Dr. Bob Connor the director of the National Humanities Center and joins us this evening Dr. Conner Welcome to the program. Let's start by you giving us an overview of the full Fulbright program what's its mission its mission really was Senator Fulbright when the program got to stablish right off the second world war. And his goal was through international understanding. He made no bones about it. He saw the exchange of young people of thoughtful people of all ages across national boundaries as being the best long term way that we could encourage peace in the world. So with it being the 50th anniversary of this program it's time to stop and assess the situation see what's going on. The National Humanities Center took a major role in this

assessment tell us about that. Well as you know we're a Center for Advanced Study a scholarly center about a year or so ago President Friday came to me and he felt there was a real need to take a new look at this program. And when we help out and I say absolutely in part because I've been a Fulbright of myself I had a certain personal role and obligation in this but also because our centers dedicated to strengthening education and were very global minded. And it seemed just a natural thing if we could help we wanted to pitch it. OK so you were part of this panel in the National Humanities Center sponsored this recommendation. You came up with this report. It basically did what. Well it took a tough look. Tough low low was our phrase for this I think we were all very sympathetic to this program we knew it had a tremendous track record. There are now 200 50000 full of writers around the world that's a tremendous bunch of people. But we want to look very closely at how it was

run. What ways it could be run more effectively and what the right level of support for it was as well. And what did you find. Well we we found certainly that that fundamental mission was still valid today. You want to rephrase it maybe in a globalizing economy you want to talk about it and think about a little bit differently maybe the fundamentals are great while we were deliberating an administrative change was made we didn't. I have direct responsibility for that. But the program moved from one agency over to the State Department and we clearly saw that that would have some upsides and better coordination was possible. But it also meant that I had to be protected in a larger bureaucracy had to be attention had to be focused on it. We felt that there were a lot of administrative reforms that could maybe could be made that would make it more cost effective and we felt that the rather heavy budget cuts it's received in the last couple of years needed over time to be reversed and to bring it back to that

level so that we have something like least a thousand US students each year and roughly that same number of teachers and scholars going overseas. It's takes going to take a little budget pushing to do that. Any of these recommendations do you foresee as being more difficult than others to accomplish. Money is always the most difficult. And so how is that going I mean how is that been received. What delights me is the reception we've had for this. We presented that report of the White House to President Clinton and his. He came in with the secretary of state the sector of education where they talk very warmly about the recommendations and turn to the secretary of state in a sector of education so I think these are good recommendations don't you think they ought to be done. And guess what. They nodded affirmatively. Then we went up to the Senate just a week or so ago at a gathering sponsored by our senior senators Senator

Helms and small they were about the importance of this Senator Helms was very gracious very responsive to this and a number of all the senators particularly Senator Lugar from Indiana. I spoke with I think real feeling for this they understand how important it is to young people how exciting it can be for the way a whole life whole career changes and what a tremendous pool of talent we've got now as a result of this program over 50 years teaching in our schools right here in North Carolina writing in newspapers with a better understanding maybe even in television shows understanding the international dimension of things much more clearly. Well you partially answered my next question and I was going to ask you with all the international implications that the Fulbright program has. How does it benefit the average North Carolinians Let's bring this closer to home. Well I think the the most obvious and immediate one is through better teaching and

better understanding of the communication that we do in schools and through the media. But what surprised me is we sat and had some of these hearings and discussed things and people is how often it effects questions like international trade and of course you think about that I think well that's something very remote from me. But our North Carolina economy is as you know is increasingly benefiting from strong exports and good international trade. We would talk to people and they'd say we went into tough negotiations with a foreign country. We expected a really rough sledding. And then as we sat we discovered that since that on the other side were people from abroad who'd come to the United States to benefit from these Fulbright just as well as having no Americans going overseas it's a reciprocal program. And the negotiations went much better thanks to that degree of understanding. I can't translate that immediately into dollars in our economy but there's just no doubt that it's having a

positive effect all over the United States and certainly in North Carolina. And it certainly has a big impact on the major universities throughout the state as well. Absolutely. I think every single major college and university here has in one way or the other benefited from that program. All right well Dr. Kahn I want to thank you for your time here this evening and I wish you well in implementing your recommendations. Thank you it's a delight to be here. Thank you. Even though the calendar reads September there is still a lot of time for outdoor living before it

gets too cool. And for many of us outdoor living means relaxing producer Ted Harrison found a company in Greenville that makes relaxing easy Michel Louis reports depending on your source of information. The hammock was invented either by Indians in Central America or a student of the Greek philosopher Socrates. Today the sleeping nets come in a variety of styles and Hatteras hammock sells between 70000 and 100000 hammocks a year. The most popular is a two person eighty four by 60 inch model a two person bath. This one sells for about one hundred forty five dollars and it can be made in about 45 minutes weaving a thousand feet of rope by hand. If your thoughts are stuck in the old days of the canvas hammock then you need to move into today's world. The variety of hammocks swings and accessories is enough to make you want to take a nap.

And then my niece we talk about the term cocooning. People want to spend time around their own home. Even during the recessionary times we saw great growth in the hammock industry and with Hatteras hammocks primarily because we feel people might have skipped that trip across the country or maybe they went a year without buying a new car and they just nestled into their own backyard a little bit more fixed and created their own haven took a vacation without ever without ever even leaving their own home. How does hammocks is what is called a vertical integrated company. That means they produce all the major components of the units. The room for the hammocks is made on site and then moved into the large open manufacturing room here Weavers moving at a dizzying speed. Make you forget the product is designed for goofing off. The company's sewing operation produces the pillows toppers and other accessories. In another section

the connectors are tied which will be attached to the body of the unit as the wooden structures are drilled stamped and varnished steel stands are constructed here. This company began with the founder Walter Perkins selling a few habits out of the trunk of his car. Then he took one of the hammocks apart so he could improve on it. And by 1987 Hatteras hammocks was the largest Rube hammock manufacturer in the world. In recent weeks the company got even bigger buying out a competitor Pawleys Island hammocks. We always prided ourselves on coming out with new types of hammocks and types of hammock swings and hammock stands. When I was of through National Design Awards these types of things fed the growth and the hazmat Hatteras hammocks. Are now a sister company

policy on hammocks out of Paula's Island South Carolina was always renowned for the brand name the the name has been around for over 100 years and it's a brand name that carries a lot of the mystique about it. And one goes to Pawleys Island South Carolina they realize that this could that this could very well be the birth of the hammocks the birthplace of the hammocks as we know it. The Pujas represents a 50 percent growth to Hatteras hammocks. The new company will be called the hammock source for hammocks and themselves are a cation in your own backyard. When you figure that hetero's Hammett's has grown by 20 percent a year since 1990. You've gotta believe that's a lot of backyards. The major season for hammocks begins just before Father's Day. Well that brings to a close another week here in North Carolina now. Thanks for sharing part of your evening with us. Looking ahead to

next week we'll bring you a profile of conservationist Hugh Morton the owner of Grandfather Mountain. So please make plans to be with us next week until Monday. Have a great weekend. Good night everyone.