Cecil. J. Picard Center for Child Development

[NewsCopy]

Ground was broken Friday for a 40,000 square-foot building next to the LITE Center for the Cecil. J. Picard Center for Child Development, where research goals of the former state superintendent of education can be fully realized. Expected to be built within two years at a cost of $7.2 million, the new complex will include a research library, distance education conference center, and an analysis center for tracking Louisiana children’s educational progress from birth to age 25, making it one of the nation’s premier child development centers. Picard championed the power of research and hard facts in forming opinions and policy for public education, said Gov. Kathleen Blanco at the event. Facts proved the significance of the state’s LA 4 program, which focuses on shaping children’s learning habits before they leave the fourth grade, to state legislators last year. “It’s pretty exciting to know that facts can drive funding,” Blanco said. The Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development was established at UL in 2005, and is now operating in temporary offices at O.K. Allen Hall. Twenty researchers focus on areas like early childhood and K-12 education, and the center partners with agencies like the Office of Youth Development, the Office of Mental Health and the Department of Education while evaluating state programs like LA 4. The rest of the story Bob Moser bmoser@theadvertiser.com

[CajunFun]

Today's article for ultoday is the first half of an interview with Billy Ray Stokes, Director of the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development. This is a major facility that will be added to the UL Research Park, one with international implications. But there has been very little about it in the news. In fact, we were surprised to find that ultoday was the first publication, anywhere, to interview Mr. Stokes about any of this.

In an unusual move, I have also left the essay on the Sports Mentality as the top article. Some of the responses we have received, on and off campus, are surprising, even concerning.

We're not interested in supplying answers; we're interested in asking questions, and starting discussions. What are the pitfalls associated with major athletics? What do we want our program to look like in 10 or 20 years? What programs are models of how we want to do it? What programs are exemplars of what we want to avoid?

Please, you guys & gals are important. By your activities on the boards, and your conversations around town and on campus, you have great influence over who we are, and where we're going.

There are a lot of things at other schools that we have all complained about. This is our chance to talk about them. Let's work to make sure that we don't fall into those traps.

So please make comments on the article. Geaux Cajuns!

[NewsCopy]

  The Univerty of Louisiana's Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong learning has received the final $400,000 of a $1 million donation from the Special Children’s Foundation for research into child obesity.

The center, named for the former state superintendent of education, will help the center implement individualized physical fitness reports in pilot schools through the state in an effort to reduce obesity among Louisiana’s school children.

The rest of the story

By Walter Pierce
The Ind.

[NewsCopy]

  State-of-the-art Data Technology Room and Conference Center Highlights of Building

Construction officially began on the Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning in University of Louisiana's Research Park.

Ratcliff Construction Company, of Alexandria, La., leads the construction effort on the 40,000-square-foot facility, winning the bid against seven companies at $5.6 million. Construction is anticipated to take 16 months, or 480 days, to complete.

“ It feels like it’s been a long time coming, but in the grand scheme of construction projects, it has actually happened pretty quickly,” says Dr. Billy R. Stokes, Executive Director of the Picard Center. “We are excited for the state and the university, as well as the Picard family and the Special Children’s Foundation, whose support and generous donations have allowed the Picard Center to develop and grow. We have all been waiting to see this day come to fruition.”

The new Picard Center building will be located beside the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) Center on East Devalcourt Street, as an integral part of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Research Park.

When complete, the state-of-the-art complex will house the entire Picard Center operation, in addition to UL’s Educational Counseling unit, the Center for Innovative Learning and Assessment Technologies, the Educational Foundation and Leadership Department, the Center for Gifted Education, and the Department of Psychology.

The building will include a room of museum-quality memorabilia from Cecil J. Picard’s career, a data analysis room with state-of-the-art computer stations, and the Loyd Rockhold Distance Education and Conference Center, complete with distance learning opportunities and video conferencing capabilities.

UL Provost Dr. Steve Landry notes, “The University is excited that the construction is beginning because we are very eager to bring this outstanding and diverse research and education team together in one state-of-the-art facility. The synergy is sure to foster impressive innovation.”

Since the Picard Center’s establishment at UL in 2005, it has brought more than $34 million into the university, through contracts, state appropriations, capital construction dollars and foundation contributions.

“ The entire Picard Family is both excited and humbled that my father’s dream of this educational research center of excellence having its own home will finally be a reality,” says Tyron Picard, son of the late Cecil J. Picard.

Sharon Holder, President of the Special Children’s Foundation and donor of the Picard Center, echoes Picard’s sentiments, stating, “My father, Loyd Rockhold, and I are really excited to see our dream become a reality. We look forward to a terrific future for the Picard Center and for all the valuable work they do.”

The Picard Center, named in honor of former State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard, is dedicated to providing high-quality research and strategic evaluations of programs that address learning from birth through adulthood and investigates ways to bring scientifically-based research to bear on public policy in all areas of education, health, quality of life and workforce.

UL Press

[NewsCopy]

  All eight educators honored during the fourth annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Symposium and Celebration are graduates from universities in the UL System.

Four of the eight educators honored as Louisiana’s best earlier this year received degrees from the University of Louisiana campus located in Acadiana.

Louisiana’s Teacher of the Year Julia Williams, Superintendent of the Year John Bourque, Middle School Teacher of the Year Debbie Reed and Principal of the Year Mary Ellen Donatto are all University of Louisiana (L) alums.

“ The educators honored during this very special event represent the high-caliber and devoted teachers, principals, administrators and staff who teach and nurture the 650,000 student who are enrolled in our public schools, and I am delighted we take time to celebrate them with these well-deserved distinctions,” said Keith Guice, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education president. “We cherish their dedication and talent. Likewise, we are fortunate to garner the support of business and community leaders, who also recognize the value of these outstanding educators and who generously contribute their resources to make this extraordinary event possible.”

Williams was selected from 24 Regional Finalists for Teacher of the Year, who were also honored during the event.

Teacher and principal of the year regional finalists received a certificate for one night’s stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel; four gallons of ice cream from Blue Bell Creameries; a restaurant gift card for dinner for two; and a $500 check from Dream Teachers.

The state-level winners of the teacher and principal of the year competitions received Community Coffee for one year in the principal lounge; a CPS 32 pad Pulse set and a mobile interactive whiteboard from e-Instruction; a summer’s supply of drinks and a cooler from Coca-Cola Bottling; a classroom set of Active Expressions from AIX Ed Solutions; four tickets to Blue Bayou Water Park, compliments of Coca-Cola Bottling; a book from Barnes and Noble; two tickets to the Baton Rouge Little Theater; two tickets to a music concert from the New Orleans Arena; four tickets to Audubon Zoo or Aquarium; a $50 gift certificate from Whole Foods; and a $2,000 check from Dream Teachers. The overall teachers of the year for each grade level will also receive a laptop from Dell Computers.

In addition to the Mercedes, Williams received two-round trip airline tickets to anywhere in the continental United States, courtesy of Baton Rouge Metro Airport; four-day car rental from Enterprise Rent-A-Car; jewelry, compliments of Cohn Turner; and a SMART Board™ 685 with UX60 projector – an interactive whiteboard system, complete with document camera, SMART interactive response system (one class set – 32 units), technology training, and software, valued at more than $17,600, from SMART Technology.

Dream Teachers, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 for the purpose of recognizing Louisiana’s finest educators and educational leaders and to encourage educational excellence, served as presenting sponsor of the event.

UL PRess

[NewsCopy]

  LAFAYETTE — A new report released by the University of Louisiana's Picard Center suggests physically fit students are more likely to academically outperform their unfit peers.

The report also reveals that a third of Louisiana school children are obese.

“We can say with confidence that in Louisiana, our students’ physical fitness is impacting their academic performance,” said Holly Howat, the Picard Center’s director of health and obesity research.

The rest of the story

By MARSHA SILLS
Advocate Acadiana bureau

[CajunFun]

The guy who made the Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning has died...

http://ultoday.com

The Center is a growing force in Louisiana. How we got it is interesting...

https://forumeus.com/sh...ad.php?t=6781

[CajunFun]

This is pretty interesting, Jindal wants to coordinate Heath, Social Services, Juvenile Justice & Education to address at-risk youth.

If it works, it helps the kids, reduces crime & unemployment, and improves education.

http://ultoday.com/node/3269

[BeauCajun]

Yes, very interesting. The program my wife manages for DHH is the initial step used in prevention of at risk youth. It begins before the child is born.

Her Master's thesis and Doctoral research project researched the benefits of this early intervention.

As an FYI, DHH Secretary Greenjeans is not "friendly" with this early intervention.

[CajunFun]

_ Yes, very interesting. The program my wife manages for DHH is the initial step used in prevention of at risk youth. It begins before the child is born.

Her Master's thesis and Doctoral research project researched the benefits of this early intervention.

As an FYI, DHH Secretary Greenjeans is not "friendly" with this early intervention. _

One of the things that gets lost in the debate over 'social programs' is this: If I had a program (sadly I do not) that increased the level of education for the poor/at-risk, and from that reduced the crime rate, reduced welfare rolls, and decreased prison populations, would most conservatives be interested in talking about it?

Most of the conservatives I have talked to have said 'Yes'. Because let's face it, crime prevention, welfare and prisons are REALLY expensive.

So the problem isn't social programs, it's social programs that don't work.

Well, I'm not for those either. But we get so angry arguing about our differences, we sometimes forget to seek out areas of agreement.

I suspect that Jindal is trying to save money in the short run by consolidating these things. But if it's done right-- and doing it right is very, very hard for government-- then the payoff down the road could be enormous.

And I am very hopeful that the Picard Center will be one of the principal entities helping with this. Because rather than 'I think this or that,' the Picard simply says, 'This is what the research data shows.'

And that is very powerful, and extremely useful.

[CajunFun]

http://ultoday.com/node/3562

[MetryCajun]

Finish this sentence.

...are teaming up to give underprivledged youths access to plastic surgery?

[CajunJack55]

What are things that need special support??

[ultoday]

This is one of the biggest things UL has landed in our history. It is greatly enhancing our influence in the Capitol, and with educators across the state, and our academic reputation across the US and beyond.

And it will continue to grow.

http://ultoday.com/node/4018

[Boomer]

_ This is one of the biggest things UL has landed in our history. It is greatly enhancing our influence in the Capitol, and with educators across the state, and our academic reputation across the US and beyond.

And it will continue to grow.

http://ultoday.com/node/4018 _

Will this eventually be transferred to the LSU Board--I mean education being so important to let UL a member of the UL Board handle this!!!!! Also Ole Billy Ray is an alumnus of Tech---maybe it will go to Ruston----Yes I tease but stranger things in this state have occurred on a regular basis!!!!