Two Honolulu schools are included on the roster of 289 schools nationwide dubbed as No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools.

They are Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School and Waikiki Elementary School. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond Simon this week honored the Blue Ribbon schools at a ceremony in Arlington, Va.

The program recognizes schools that have either placed in the top 10 percent of the state in test scores or have at least 40 percent economically disadvantaged students and have shown dramatic improvement in their test scores over three years.

MONETARY POLICY SYMPOSIUM SET

A symposium featuring representatives from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and a simulation of the Federal Open Market Committee will be held today at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

Three teams of Hawai'i Pacific University students, and two teams each from UH-Manoa and UH-Hilo will participate. The symposium — set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Kuykendall Hall, Room 101 — is free and open to the public.

The event also will include a presentation, starting at 12:45 p.m., featuring a real-time Federal Open Market Committee simulation, with university students portraying committee members and voting on monetary policy and the target Federal Funds interest rates.

KOREA HONORS UH PROFESSOR

The Republic of Korea this week awarded its Citizen's Medal of Merit (Mokryongjang) to Edward Shultz, interim dean of UH-Manoa's School of Pacific and Asian Studies.

Shultz received the award in a ceremony at Honolulu's Korea Consulate in recognition of his contributions to the development of U.S.-Korea relations and his support of the Korean community in Hawai'i, according to a UH news release.

In addition to his role as interim dean, Shultz, a professor of Asian studies and former director of the Center for Korean Studies, is serving as interim assistant vice chancellor of UH International and Exchange Programs.

AUTISM PROJECT GETS $800K GRANT

Jenny Wells, an assistant professor in the College of Education Special Education Department at UH-Manoa, has received a four-year, $800,000 grant from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education for Project Manawa Kupono, which focuses on preparing educators to improve outcomes for students with autism.

The project adds new emphasis to the severe disabilities track of the established Masters of Education in Special Education program at the university. One goal of Project Manawa Kupono is to move educators from paraprofessional roles, such as skills trainers, into professional teaching roles.