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Have students review the origin, purpose and function of the Electoral College. Ask students: What is the "winner take all" system? Are there any states that do not follow this system? If so, how do they determine their electoral vote allocation? How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidency? Next, divide students into small groups and assign each group a current swing state in the 2008 presidential race. Consult the CNN Electoral Map Calculator for a list of swing states. Then, refer groups to online resources, including CNN's Election Center 2008 on the CNN Politics site, to identify the following for their assigned swing state: * the number of electoral votes that are up for grabs * the state's key political issues * the U.S. presidential candidates' stances on these key issues * the state's demographic composition * the state's voting record in past presidential elections

Green issues are shaping up to be a key ingredient in the Democrats' strategy to turn disaffection with President George W. Bush's GOP into expansive down-ticket victories this November.

The issue of race has been intertwined with the history of the United States since its inception. It has brought out the nation's best and its worst - from the courage of the civil rights workers to the murderous terrorism of the Ku Klux Klan. Barack Obama's meteoric rise already warrants a chapter of its own, and his mixed-race heritage has already played a pivotal role in this year's election. It helped the Illinois senator win key primaries in Southern states like South Carolina. But it also cost him some white support in some struggling industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to polls.

Use our map to see the key areas in the contest to become the next president of the United States.

The latest breakdown by The New York Times of which states are considered to be in play in the presidential election, along with how all the states voted in the past five elections.

A host of energy policy experts agree that true "energy independence"-a key catch phrase of this presidential campaign-would be far more expensive and disruptive than either candidate is telling you. Our oil addiction hamstrings America's foreign policy and military, contributes to global warming and has robbed the nation of trillions of dollars. One of the country's leading energy modelers estimates that foreign-oil dependence cost our economy $750 billion this year, a little more than the daunting price tag of the proposed Wall Street bailout.

This should be a very informative debate. The video will be archived if you can't view it live. Looking forward to hearing an education focus for the Presidential election!

Join us for "Education and the Next President," a live debate from Teachers College, Columbia University, with Linda Darling-Hammond, education adviser to Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, and Lisa Graham Keegan, education adviser to Presidential Republican nominee John McCain. The event is being exclusively Webcast by edweek.org with generous support from NASSP. A video archive of the event will be available Wed., Oct 22, at noon.

ABSTRACT Introduction/Main Objectives: This study aims to determine the principal's strategy in improving teacher performance and the supporting and inhibiting factors of principals in improving teacher performance in educational institutions. Background Problems: indicators of problems in academic institutions such as the rare collection of lesson plans (RPP) in carrying out the teaching and learning process and teachers who lack discipline in punctuality in arriving and opening lessons and ending lessons. Novelty: Principal strategy concept in improving teacher performance in educational institutions. Research Methods: The type of field research means that the researchers used a qualitative method in which the data were in the form of words (not numbers) derived from data collection techniques, namely interviews, observation, and documentation. Finding/Results: The data analysis technique used is data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. Conclusion: The results of the research on the principal's strategy to improve teacher performance by 1) fostering teacher performance in seminars and training, 2) supervision or supervision of performance in the form of class visits every week and once a month, 3) fostering discipline of education staff by supervising the presence of teachers directly, 4 ) provide motivation 5) award. Supporting factors for principals to improve teacher performance are 1) completeness of facilities and infrastructure and 2) teacher enthusiasm to improve teaching performance. While the inhibiting factors are: 1) the lack of discipline of the teacher, 2) the mastery of the material and references, causing the teacher to be less mature in teaching preparation.