After a rocky, 10-year journey, charter schools in Tucson and across Arizona are showing signs of success. Arizona now has 517 charter schools, the most per capita in the country. Ninety-three percent of the state's charter schools are rated "satisfactory" or better according to the Arizona Learns school labels, up from 76 percent in 2002, according to the state Department of Education. Tucson's school operators attribute their charters' success to students and parents who hold schools accountable for results.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, "The Education Innovator," Feb. 2 edition

MIGHTY MO EXPERIENCE

SHIPBOARD LEARNING

History books come alive onboard the Battleship Missouri Memorial, where students can walk in the footsteps of World War II Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the hundreds of U.S. sailors who fought for freedom.

Nearly 10,000 students from across the country last year visited the Missouri where WWII ended. They visited the Surrender Deck, saw where U.S. sailors slept, ate, lived and worked.

The Missouri, or Mighty Mo, experience begins before the visit through lesson plans and teacher resources that can be used in class. Memorial staff also make visits to classrooms to orient students with what they will experience.

For more information on the Battleship Missouri Memorial's education program, call 455-1600, ext. 231; e-mail edu@ussmissouri.org or visit ussmissouri.org.

KIDS AND BOOZE

TIPS TO PREVENT ALCOHOL ABUSE