MAEC -- Articles on Exemplary Programs

NEWS ARTICLES ON EXEMPLARY PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES

In Closed Schools, History Lessons (Washington Post, July 17, 2008)
For Nancye Suggs, the call from D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's office about nearly two dozen schools she planned to close was bittersweet: Suggs said that she was heartbroken about the loss, in one fell swoop, of so much history but that she was ecstatic Rhee was offering her a chance to retrieve some of it.
A School Where One Size Doesn't Fit All (Washington Post, July 17, 2008)
Growing up in Montgomery County, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and getting a law degree from Harvard, Alan M. Shusterman had been called brilliant but didn't feel that great. He got a job in corporate law with a large Boston firm, but that didn't work for him, either.
Development Firm Is Picked For Library-School Project (Washington Post, July 11, 2008)
The city has picked a developer for a site that includes Janney Elementary School and the former Tenley-Friendship Library, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced yesterday.
W.Va. Receives Grant to Improve Teaching and Learning (West Virginia Department of Education, July 10, 2008)
The West Virginia Department of Education has received a $45,000 national grant from the Knowledge Works Foundation to develop initiatives that transform teaching and learning.
Learning a silent language (Delaware Online, July 10, 2008)
The silence in Mary Beth Tkach's classroom might stand out among the 50-plus education camps hosted by Delaware Technical & Community College in Stanton this summer. Although there was no noise, there was communication. The 9- to 12-year-olds in this classroom were members of the weeklong American Sign Language camp, and Tkach was sharing her 35-plus years of sign language experience.
More Educators Experimenting With ‘Open Content’ (Education Week, July 10, 2008)
Leaving their textbooks to gather dust, Houston middle school teacher Ardith A. Stewart and her students studied science this spring by assembling much of their curriculum on a class “wiki.” The materials included students’ written postings on class topics and projects, grading rubrics, and discussion questions that Ms. Stewart prepared or obtained from teachers in other parts of Texas and the United States.
Home-schooled kids left out of Subway contest (Baltimore Sun, July 7, 2008)
Children darted across the grass carrying small balloons and then plopped to the ground trying to pop them. The relay runners came back and slapped the hands of the next children, as the games progressed for the springtime ritual known as Field Day.
Experts Urge Longer Day to Raise Scores (Washington Post, June 25, 2008)
To improve middle schools, a Maryland education panel proposed yesterday giving students more class time, ensuring they are ready to complete algebra by eighth grade and enrolling them in a foreign language course by sixth grade.
Teachers try out other careers (Delaware Online, June 21, 2008)
Sponsored by the state Department of Education, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware Business, Industry, Education Alliance, the externship program placed 53 teachers and four guidance counselors in 31 businesses last week. The objective was to research how well Delaware academic standards and classroom lessons reflect the needs of employers and in many cases alter curriculum to better prepare students for the work force.
UDC Reaps a Bumper Crop From Agriculture Measure (Washington Post, June 20, 2008)
The giant federal farm bill passed by Congress this week will help Iowa corn growers. It will help Kansas wheat barons. It also will help James Allen, who dreams of bringing pigweed to the back yards of Washington, D.C.
6 Montgomery High Schools Ranked Among Top 100 in U.S. (Washington Post, June 19, 2008)
Montgomery County high schools turned in their strongest showing yet on the 2008 Challenge Index, the best-known ranking of U.S. high schools.
2 School Entrepreneurs Lead the Way on Change (NY Times, June 19, 2008)
As the founder of Teach for America, a nonprofit program that recruits elite college graduates to teach in low-income schools, Wendy Kopp has presided over many triumphs, and the group’s annual dinner last month was another. It raised $5.5 million in one night and brought so many corporate executives to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York that stretch limousines jammed Park Avenue for blocks.
W.Va. Cited for its Work on 21st Century Skills (West Virginia Department of Education, June 17, 2008)
For the second time in two years the West Virginia Department of Education has been recognized for its 21st Century Learning initiative. West Virginia was one of six states to receive the 21st Century Practice of the Year Award for 2008, which commemorates the nation’s preeminent state-led 21st century skills initiatives.
Lincoln Co. Schools to Operate Biodiesel Facility (West Virginia Department of Education, June 17, 2008)
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller and West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine helped Lincoln County High School celebrate the grand opening of its Agriculture Education Biodiesel Center.
D.C. Alters Youths' Pay Method (Washington Post, June 16, 2008)
More than 19,000 young people are set to begin working in the D.C. summer jobs program today, and this time city officials say they've figured out a way to be sure they get paid.
2008-09 Schools of Excellence Announced (West Virginia Department of Education, June 2, 2008)
Eight West Virginia schools have earned the prestigious Schools of Excellence award for the 2008-09 school year.
Nine Del. high schools listed among best (Delaware Online, May 21, 2008)
Nine Delaware high schools made Newsweek's nationwide list of top schools, released by the magazine this week. Ratings are based on Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2007, divided by the number of graduating seniors.
Learning Essentials (Education Week, May 21, 2008)
In a hallway at New Holland Core Knowledge Academy, students walk by a chart that maps out what each class is studying in each subject at the K-5 public school in Gainesville, Ga.
Nearly Death Professor Teaches English (NY Times, May 21, 2008)
After three degrees, after five universities, after 40,000 pupils, and after 84 years, 10 months and 25 days, John Kuhlman has circumnavigated his way back to the essentials of education: a teacher and a student in a room.
Area Teenagers Making a Mark On the World (Washington Post, May 19, 2008)
But between those essays and tests, a growing number of young people are carving out time to reach beyond the classroom. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the percentage of teenagers taking part in community service projects more than doubled from 13.4 percent in 1989 to 28.4 in 2003-05.
Area Teenagers Making a Mark On the World (Washington Post, May 19, 2008)
But between those essays and tests, a growing number of young people are carving out time to reach beyond the classroom. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the percentage of teenagers taking part in community service projects more than doubled from 13.4 percent in 1989 to 28.4 in 2003-05.
Honors Courses Give Way To AP Rigor (Washington Post, May 19, 2008)
Honors classes, once the pinnacle of pre-collegiate study, are gradually being eliminated at some of the region's top high schools, on the theory that the burgeoning Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs have rendered them obsolete.
In print or online, her words earn prize (Baltimore Sun, May 19, 2008)
A 22-year-old poet from Towson - who can't decide whether she'll keep blogging on the Internet or printing her work with an antique hand letterpress - walked away from her Washington College graduation yesterday clutching a check for more than $67,000.
Educators Learn to use Robotics (WBOY-TV, May 18, 2008)
The NASA Facility Educator Resource Center is training teachers on ways to incorporate NASA's "LEGO N-X-T" robots in the classroom and after school programs. Educators had a chance to train in basic principles of the software in order to program robots to complete challenges. Officials say robotics can teach science and math concepts.
Aiming to Coach Students to Excellence in Exams (NY Times, May 18, 2008)
As public schools everywhere gear up for the annual state assessments, few others have as much to prove — or as much at stake. Newton, with 500 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, has come under escalating sanctions under the federal No Child Left Behind law because many of its students have scored below proficiency on the standardized test known as NJ ASK, which covers language arts, math and science. It is one of only 4 schools in this city — and among 38 schools in New Jersey, 57 in New York and 6 in Connecticut — that have missed testing benchmarks for seven consecutive years and now risk being shut down or overhauled if there is no sign of improvement.
Keep Boys And Girls Together In The Classroom To Optimize Learning, Research Suggests (Science Daily, May 14, 2008)
Boys and girls may learn differently, but American parents should think twice before moving their children to sex-segregated schools. A new Tel Aviv University study has found that girls improve boys’ grades markedly at school.
Jazz Breaks Up D.C.'s Arts Dirge (Washington Post, May 13, 2008)
The announcement, made with great fanfare from the stage of the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, was dramatic: This spring marks "the return of music to the D.C. public schools," said Deputy Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson.
Shaping the Leaders of Tomorrow (Washington Post, May 13, 2008)
The Youth Leadership Greater Washington program, which runs from January to June, brings together a diverse "class" of 35 to 45 high school sophomores and juniors from across the Washington region each year. The program looks for teenagers who demonstrate leadership qualities -- at school, at home, at church or in any other arena.
Bush signs student loan market stabilization plan (Washington Post, May 8, 2008)
President George W. Bush signed into law on Wednesday a program to stabilize the $85-billion student loan industry, addressing lenders' warnings of a possible loan shortage in coming months.
Mock trial team will vie for title (Delaware Online, May 8, 2008)
The Charter School of Wilmington is ready to lay down the law when its students compete in this weekend's National High School Mock Trial Championship, confident they will make the First State proud.
Prayer At School (Washington Citypaper, May 8, 2008)
Ballou Senior High School’s first Prayer for Peace club concluded with students, school staff members, and local activists holding hands in a circle and making pledges to their community. The meeting was part Christian service and part self-affirming gathering at a District public school that garners attention primarily during its worst moments, like when three students were shot near the school in January.
W.Va. Students Display Talent and Interest at Nation’s Only Social Studies Fair (West Virginia Dept. of Education, May 8, 2008)
About 1,200 students from across West Virginia presented their research on various topics on Friday as the West Virginia Department of Education hosted the nation’s only statewide Social Studies Fair at the Charleston Civic Center.
Student turnout on school board post impressive (Baltimore Sun, May 5, 2008)
Grownup politicians would drool over the voter turnout generated by the election for the new student member of the county school board.
'She Doesn't Let A Bad Day Show' (Washington Post, April 27, 2008)
Young's students and colleagues describe her as enthusiastic, energetic, passionate, motivating, well-prepared, dynamic, dedicated, inspiring and awesome -- in their opinion, the perfect pick for the 2008 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award in Charles County. "She is perhaps one of the most fun-loving and caring teachers I have ever met," fellow teacher Meredith Stojkovic wrote in a letter nominating Young for the award. "She unfailingly greets her colleagues and students with a smile and encourages a chuckle with a joke; she doesn't let a bad day show."
3 Schools Are Given $100,000 Grants (Washington Post, April 24, 2008)
Three schools in the District were awarded grants of $100,000 each yesterday and lauded as "champions of quality" at a fundraising gala for a philanthropic group dedicated to improving the lives of children in the city.
Gardens grow students in all sorts of ways (Delawawre Online, April 24, 2008)
There's probably no elementary school in the country that can boast as many children who say they love vegetables as much as the students at East Dover Elementary School. Even if they don't like to eat them, they love them. After all, they raised them from seeds.
McDowell County Schools to Dedicate New Southside K-8 School (West Virginia Dept. of Education, April 23, 2008)
McDowell County will dedicate the new Southside K-8 School on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 1 p.m. The new school brings together approximately 540 students from War Elementary, built in 1922, and Berwind Elementary, built in 1921.
W.Va. Superintendent Inducted Into WVU College of Human Resources and Education Hall of Fame (West Virginia Dept. of Education, April 21, 2008)
West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine has been awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2008 and inducted into West Virginia University’s College of Human Resources and Education Hall of Fame. Paine, who has served as West Virginia's 25th state superintendent of schools since 2005, was one of six inductees to be admitted to the Hall of Fame on Friday.
More Teachers Taking Hands-On History Lessons (Washington Post, April 17, 2008)
Despite the No Child Left Behind law's requirement to rate schools based on reading and math test scores, many school systems are finding ways to bolster other subjects, such as the social sciences, in an effort to avoid narrowing their curriculum.
Forced to Choose Between Loves (Washington Post, April 17, 2008)
Dear Extra Credit: You wondered whether people involved in public high schools had experienced forced choices between sports and other activities. Remember the marching-band issue -- the mandatory marching-band issue? I was one of the original parents of Concerned Band Parents in Fairfax County, and we corresponded with you a number of times about this topic.
Hylton Teacher Is Honored for Helping Students Envision History (Washington Post, April 17, 2008)
Lisa Racine, a history teacher at C.D. Hylton High School in Prince William County, does not care much for textbooks in the classroom. Instead of reading aloud from a monstrous history book, Racine instead will teach topics playing music, such as an Alan Jackson song related to the Sept. 11 attacks, or with photographs from the civil rights era that depict violent protests in Alabama.
She Makes Learning a Ride, Not a Drag (Washington Post, April 17, 2008)
As a science teacher, Herr has to explain complex concepts that often are perceived as dry, but she is always looking for innovative ways to bring those ideas to life, according to those who nominated her. In 2003, Herr wrote a book on how teachers can use everyday objects to inspire learning. She also recently completed a program for science teachers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
With Mentors at Their Sides, Girls in Need Write Their Stories and Find New Lives (NY Times, April 16, 2008)
On Saturdays during the school year and all week in the summer, PinChang Huang, 16, leaves her home in Queens just after dawn and boards a crowded van bound for a nail salon on Long Island.
Fairfax Postpones Vote About Student Behavior Study (Washington Post, April 11, 2008)
The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously last night to postpone a decision on whether to accept a school system report that showed racial and ethnic gaps in certain measures of achievement in character education.
D.C. Teams Compete in National Debate Championship (Washington Post, April 11, 2008)
Although they had never been teammates before and attend different D.C. public high schools, Angela Lubkeman and Betika McKeever were determined to win. The goal was to capture the inaugural Chase Urban Debate National Championship in Chicago on Saturday at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
The Wal-Mart Efect: The family’s millions multiply merit pay, charters and other conservative education ideas (Arkansas Times, April 10, 2008)
Education has always been a priority for the Walton family. Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, for instance, founded the Walton International Scholarship program, which pays for students from South American countries to attend one of several private universities in Arkansas and was set up with the goal of counteracting the spread of communism on that continent.
AP Scores Don't Necessarily Reflect Teacher's Skills (Washington Post, April 3, 2008)
I expect a few Advanced Placement teachers might take umbrage at your comment that a talented class that produces no AP scores above a 3 "is a glaring indicator that the teacher needs to be retrained or replaced." ["Race Can Be Another Hurdle to Quality Education," March 13].
Overbrook wins mock trial state championship (Philadelphia Inquirer, April 1, 2008)
On a rainy first day of baseball season, Overbrook High School coach Philip Beauchemin was busy fielding a different kind of team - lawyers-in-training. Overbrook's mock trial team gathered yesterday to celebrate its win on Saturday in the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Mock Trial Competition.
History Students Try On Colonial Living for Size (Washington Post, March 27, 2008)
Welcome to Colonial Day at Darnestown Elementary, where fifth-graders recently spent the day learning what it was like to live, work and play in a Colonial American village. A well-loved tradition at the school, Colonial Day first came to life 10 years ago when social studies teacher Luanne Deppa and several parents decided they wanted students to experience the Colonial living and not just read about it in a textbook.
Nearly All Area AP Teachers Get Passing Grades in Audit (Washington Post, March 25, 2008)
When the College Board announced last year that every high school Advanced Placement teacher would have to prove he or she was actually teaching a college-level course, there was widespread fear the process would purge worthy teachers from the program, weeding out good courses along with the bad.
Debate Returns to T.C. Williams (Delray Sun, March 18, 2008)
Nearly a dozen students are meeting at least once a week to learn to research, study, speak persuasively and debate pressing social issues. They are lead by local government affairs professional and consultant Nick J. Sciullo, and ACPS staffers Mary Downs, and Michelle Christensen.
Struggling school to start block scheduling (Delaware Online, March 18, 2008)
The Brandywine School Board voted unanimously Monday night to implement block scheduling at Brandywine High School, part of restructuring plans for three schools to take effect next school year. Under block scheduling, 45-minute periods at the school will be doubled to 90 minutes, giving students more continuous, in-depth time to work on subjects.
A Product of Private Schools, Advocating for Public Education (New York Times, March 17, 2008)
ZEKE M. VANDERHOEK, the upstart behind the extravagant, much-debated idea that paying teachers at his fledgling charter school $125,000 a year will translate into a top-notch education for students, is tethered by circumstance to a chair in his Chelsea office. It should be noted that Mr. Vanderhoek, 31 and showing the signs of an addiction to almond croissants, had to be coerced into making time to chat.
West Virginia ProStart Students Win $400,000 in Scholarships (West Virginia Department of Education, March 17, 2008)
The West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Hospitality Education and Training (WV HEAT) announced today the results of the 7th annual WV HEAT ProStart Hospitality Cup Competition held at the Greenbrier on March 7 and 8, 2008. Students on the first, second and third place teams from both the culinary and management divisions of the competition were awarded scholarships from ten post-secondary schools to be able to pursue advanced training in culinary arts or hospitality management after high school. The total value of all of the scholarship offers awarded was more than $400,000.
30 W.Va. Schools Receive $300,000 for Reading Programs (West Virginia Department of Education, March 17, 2008)
Thirty West Virginia schools have been awarded $10,000 each to fund summer reading programs for at-risk children in kindergarten through fourth grade. The grants are available through WV READS, which was formed as a result of legislation passed in 1998 to ensure that all public school students are reading at grade level in elementary school.
Kids, parents embrace 'Saturday Academy' (Delaware Online, March 17, 2008)
On paper, Lewis Dual Language Elementary School in Wilmington seems like it should be failing. It has a student population generally on the trailing side of national and state achievement gaps: 99 percent of Lewis students are minorities; 86 percent are low-income; and 65 percent have limited English proficiency. Yet high state test scores contributed to the Red Clay Consolidated district school's "superior" state rating last year.
Second-graders learn about life cycles by raising trout for release (Post-Gazette, March 16, 2008)
For nearly four months, McKnight Elementary School teacher Christian Shane has had to vie for the attention of his second-graders while a bunch of brook trout zigzag through a fish tank behind his desk. Not that he minds: It was his idea to sign up for the Trout in the Classroom project, which gives students the opportunity to raise trout, monitor their life cycle and ultimately release them to their natural habitat.
'Superior' language program needs funds (Delaware Online, March 16, 2008)
Indian River's English Language Learner population has increased from 259 children in 2001 to 683 this year. In the same period, state ELL funding has dropped from $530 per student to $212. That's $145,047 this year -- only enough to pay for half a teacher and three paraprofessionals district-wide.
'Reading First' program is model for others (Delaware Online, March 16, 2008)
The days of mastering your ABCs by the end of kindergarten are over. The expectations for today's children exceed those of their parents. Just six months into the school year, students in Jonni Wolskee's East Dover Elementary classroom read books on their own, copy sentences and digest plays to perform in small groups.
Class Schedulers Think Outside the Blocks (Washington Post, March 10, 2008)
In most public high schools in the Washington area, classes last as long as 90 minutes apiece and course lineups for each student alternate every day under the block-scheduling innovation that took root a decade ago. Campuses often use color coding to remind students where to go. Fairfax High School, for one, has "blue days" and "gray days."
Learning by Going (Washington Post, February 21, 2008)
It wasn't exactly a hard decision, but it wasn't an easy one, either. After years of attending graduate and law school, practicing law and working in international relations, Matthew Wheelock made a decision: He was going to become a teacher in the D.C. public school system.
AP Trends: Tests Soar, Scores Slip (Education Week, February 19, 2008)
While more American public school students are taking Advanced Placement tests, the proportion of tests receiving what is deemed a passing score has dipped, and the mean score is down for the fourth year in a row, an Education Week analysis of newly released data from the College Board shows.
Students, Parents Rise In Defense of Programs (Washington Post, February 7, 2008)
Almost 200 Fairfax County residents last night protested school budget proposals that would increase class size, cut subsidies for Advanced Placement tests and trim programs that serve minority or disadvantaged students.
Finding Time for Success (Washington Post, February 4, 2008)
Under mounting pressure to raise achievement in public schools, a handful of states and cities and many charter schools are seeking to squeeze more hours, days and even weeks into the academic calendar to ensure students get the reading and math lessons they need without sacrificing music, art or even recess.
Middle School Debate Urges Students to Research and Think Critically (Baltimore Sun, January 8, 2008)
"Remember, for good debaters, it doesn't matter what side you're on," said Nan Dove, the Gifted and Talented Program resource teacher at Oakland Mills Middle School. So Emily gathered her thoughts and made her arguments. Emily is one of about 25 students at the Columbia school taking part in a debate program run by Dove. Since August 2006, the county has required all middle schools to have such programs, and has started a twice-yearly competition between schools.
DC Mulls a Return to Pre-K – 8 Schools (Washington Post, December 30, 2007)
Reflecting a shifting national philosophy on how to educate middle-grade students, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is considering expanding several elementary schools to include students up to eighth grade, going back to a pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade structure once the norm in the District.
Cab Calloway teacher recounts trip to Japan (Delaware Online, December 20, 2007)
The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program fellowship, sponsored by the government of Japan, provides American primary and secondary school teachers and administrators with fully funded, three-week study tours of Japan. "The program is designed to increase understanding between the people of Japan and the United States by inviting U.S. elementary and secondary educators to visit Japan and share their experiences with fellow Americans upon their return." Four teachers from each state are chosen for the fellowship each year.
Technology goes the distance for students (Baltimore Sun, October 28, 2007)
A spiral wraps around a graph, curlicues seemingly drawing themselves on the computer screen in front of Chesapeake High School senior Matt Phipps. The computer is broadcasting the work of teacher Josh Dorsey, who is drawing a helix 14 miles away at South River High School. He is also laying the foundation for a calculus 3 lesson on calculating the movement of objects through multiple dimensions (think of a satellite hurtling through space).
Success Amid a Shift (Washington Post, October 4, 2007)
A lot has changed since 1989, the last time St. Andrew Apostle School in Silver Spring won a Blue Ribbon from the U.S. Department of Education. Once a uniformly white, English-speaking campus, St. Andrew has seen dramatic demographic change in the past few years. The school that celebrated its second Blue Ribbon yesterday with blue balloons and cupcakes with blue frosting has a 41 percent minority population, with students who speak a dozen native tongues.
Students learn new ways to communicate (Delaware Online, September 26, 2007)
Silver Lake Elementary School students practiced last week how to greet their server at a Chinese restaurant -- in Chinese. Like all Appoquinimink School District fourth-graders this year, they are taking exploratory classes in four world languages: French, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.
'First Steps' in two languages (Delaware Online, September 24, 2007)
At the new First Steps Primeros Pasos early learning center in Georgetown, lessons are repeated in English and Spanish. Signs and posters around the classroom are bilingual, and two of the three instructors are native Spanish speakers. "We deal with integration here," said Executive Director Lynne Maloy. "We're teaching our Spanish speakers English and our English speakers get to learn Spanish. We want everyone to have an equal chance to succeed, because education is the name of the game."
'First Steps' in two languages (Delaware Online, September 24, 2007)
At the new First Steps Primeros Pasos early learning center in Georgetown, lessons are repeated in English and Spanish. Signs and posters around the classroom are bilingual, and two of the three instructors are native Spanish speakers. "We deal with integration here," said Executive Director Lynne Maloy. "We're teaching our Spanish speakers English and our English speakers get to learn Spanish. We want everyone to have an equal chance to succeed, because education is the name of the game."
Finding Their Voices (Washingt Post Magazine, August 26, 2007)
Baltimore's Urban Debate League is part of a burgeoning national movement to bring debate to inner-city kids, with similar programs launched in more than 20 cities over the past decade, from Detroit to Chicago to Kansas City to Washington. The program in the District is still in its infancy: Approximately 300 students regularly participate, many from the city's charter schools. Colin Touhey, director of the District's program, says debate has reached a crucial turning point here, with the city's new chancellor willing to embrace and expand the program throughout the public schools.
Pittsburgh Building ‘Nation’ of 9th Graders (Education Week (Subscription Only), August 23, 2007)
Bitter experience has shown this city that if students are going to leave school, they are most likely to do it between the 8th and 9th grades. To combat that problem, the school district has launched a full-on campaign to get its rising freshmen into high school and keep them there.
Stemming the Summer Slide (Washington Post, July 29, 2007)
Summer can be the enemy of the schoolteacher: Students forget their math. They stop reading. And in the case of those with limited English skills, they lose their newly acquired words. So at 22 elementary schools in the poorest enclaves of Montgomery County, summer ended early.
Learning the ropes early (Baltimore Sun, July 18, 2007)
Woodlawn High School was almost empty on a recent day, except for a group of boys in Room 228. The boys are part of Youth REACH (Resilience, Effort, Awareness, Creativity, Honesty). The summer program, designed to prepare incoming freshmen for their four years at Woodlawn High, is another in a series of efforts by the student organization 100 Strong Male Role Models to give youngsters at the Baltimore County school the tools to succeed.
Fixing D.C. Schools: Mentors Help Boys Become Men (Washington Post, June 21, 2007)
"Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College," is a program sponsored by Pi Upsilon Lambda, the Prince George's County chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. The program provides no-cost academic support to county high school students as part of the fraternity's effort to boost the number of youths from Prince George's who graduate from high school and go to college.
Fixing D.C. Schools: A Philadelphia Story: Successes at a Big-City System (Washington Post, June 12, 2007)
As D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty implements his plan to seize control of the struggling public schools, Philadelphia and a handful of other cities are showing signs that it is possible to repair broken school districts, but only through extraordinary effort. The school systems making the largest gains are united by some common threads: Government and school leaders have set aside differences and harnessed their power behind reforms, superintendents have brought an intense, persuasive leadership style to the process, and efforts have concentrated on raising the test scores of the lowest-performing students.
Montgomery Aims to Fill In Gaps for Teen Immigrants (Washington Post, March 26, 2007)
Montgomery County school officials announced a pilot program tailored to recent immigrants who have had little formal education although they are reaching the age when most native-born Americans graduate from high school. The program, Students Engaged in Pathways to Achievement, would begin this summer at Wheaton High School, a campus serving a large immigrant population, and focus initially on about 15 students in their late teens. Students would be taught functional English, with an emphasis on career-specific vocabulary.
Steward School recruiting Latino students for program (Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 23, 2007)
The Steward School has created the Latino Education and Advancement Program, where at least 20 rising eighth-grade students from the Richmond area will spend six weeks this summer taking classes in English-as-a-Second Language, Spanish for native speakers, technology, math, physical education, English and study skills taught by bilingual instructors. The school created this initiative to address the gap that exists for a significant portion of the Richmond minority community.
Congress Looks to WV Schools for Guidance (WBOY-TV, March 21, 2007)
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee invited West Virginia's Superintendent of Schools to Washington D.C. Tuesday to testify about a new initiative underway here at home. The Mountain State is one of two states with a lesson plan that educators say is ahead of the curve.
As Push for Longer Hours Forms, Intriguing Models Arise in D.C (The Washington Post, February 5, 2007)
At the Washington Jesuit Academy, students with an expanded schedule have shown such improvement on test scores that D.C. officials are looking to add similar programs to city's public schools.
Report Explores School-Day Length (The Washington Post, February 5, 2007)
Elena Silva, senior policy analyst at the Washington-based think tank Education Sector, summarized the growing interest in longer school days and years in her report "On the Clock: Rethinking the Way Schools Use Time," available at http://www.educationsector.org.
Report Explores School-Day Length (The Washington Post, February 5, 2007)
Elena Silva, senior policy analyst at the Washington-based think tank Education Sector, summarized the growing interest in longer school days and years in her report "On the Clock: Rethinking the Way Schools Use Time," available at http://www.educationsector.org.
White House honors Frankford principal (The Daily Times, January 31, 2007)
Among its list of honors, Frankford Elementary in Frankford, DE, has been named a Delaware Department of Education Superior School 2003 through 2006, a No Child Left Behind National Blue Ribbon School in 2004, recipient of The Education Trust Dispelling the Myth Award in 2005, a national Title I school in 2004 and an Intel and Scholastic School of Distinction in 2006. With a significant Hispanic population and 75 percent of the student body coming from low-income families, the fact that Frankford has managed to stack up such a number of distinctions coupled with consistently solid performance on the Delaware Student Testing Program caught the eye of the education-minded first lady.
A celebrated school gets to show off (The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 12, 2007)
U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, was especially pleased with Stanton, where 86 percent of the students come from low-income families. Over four years, the number of fifth graders scoring at the highest level - advanced - soared from 1.2 percent in math and reading to 42.1 percent in math and 29.8 percent in reading. The school's initial jumps were so large that the district verified them by having some students retake the tests.
Science Labs: Beyond Isolationism (Education Week (subscription required), January 10, 2007)
Separated from the curriculum, the science lab often has been considered a failure. Boston is trying to put them back together.
Schools Seek and Find 'Gifted' Students (Washington Post, January 3, 2007)
Montgomery County's screening process has evolved in a continuing effort to identify more low-income, black and Hispanic students who are gifted. Nonetheless, those groups remain underrepresented, and a coalition of community groups has urged the school board to abandon the gifted label. Evie Frankl, co-chair of the Montgomery County Education Forum and a leader in the movement to do away with officially sanctioned giftedness, believes education leaders award the designation liberally as "a gift to the white middle class, to keep them in the school system," rather than to serve the goals of diversity and inclusiveness.
Schools win honors for achievement (Delaware News Journal, December 11, 2006)
Five Delaware elementary schools have earned national or state recognition for closing the achievement gap. The schools were named national or state Distinguished Title I schools for their work in exceeding the requirements of No Child Left Behind for two or more years.
Escaping 'Average': Innovative Programs Make the Case That High-Level Classes Aren't Just for the Gifted (Washington Post, November 28, 2006)
Throughout the country, the desire to coax average students into high-level courses has inspired many innovations. Nearly all seek to teach students how to take notes, write papers and prepare for exams. They harness what is perhaps the greatest force in U.S. schools -- the urge to be a part of a group -- by giving the students a sense they are moving onto the college track with others who share their doubts and middling academic records.
Selling Parents On Public School (Washington Post, November 28, 2006)
In the D.C. public schools, where declining student enrollment has long been the rule, Strong John Thomson Elementary in downtown Washington has defied the odds and increased its student population by 20 percent.
Cammack Elementary Named Exemplary For Five Consecutive Years (The Herald Dispatch, November 15, 2006)
Cammack Elementary was recently named a West Virginia Exemplary School for the fifth consecutive year, said principal John Hanna. The award is based on Adequate Yearly Progress set forth by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In Cabell County, Cammack is the only school to reach the distinction this year and the only school to be recognized for five consecutive years since 2001
Editorial: Backing Student Success (Philadelphia Inquirer, November 9, 2006)
News stories recently highlighted a disturbing, old problem: the urgent need to help ninth graders in Philadelphia's public schools improve their academic success rate, be promoted to 10th grade and to stay in school until graduation. My church, the First United Methodist Church of Germantown, began confronting the problem in 1998 when we realized that 50 percent of students enrolled in our urban high schools here were dropping out at alarming rates in the ninth grade and were not graduating.
Class Helps Kids Pick High School (San Francisco Chronicle, November 7, 2006)
This year, every eighth-grader at four San Francisco middle schools is taking a crash course on choosing a public high school. The course was created and is taught by a consultant who isn't charging the district a dime.
A New Tack to Help High-Schoolers At Risk: College (The Washington Post, November 7, 2006)
Although most schools offer college-credit opportunities, those that tailor to disadvantaged students, including those who might drop out, are less common. That's a niche schools are seeking to fill, as part of a movement called early college high schools. These schools put secondary students on college campuses, often on track to earn two-year associate's degrees along with their high school diplomas at no cost.
Symbol of Hope: N. Phila.’s Stanton Elementary Wins a National Honor for Finding What Students Need and Helping Them Succeed (Philadelphia Inquirer, October 30, 2006)
An elementary school in the heart of North Philadelphia has grabbed the national spotlight for dramatically improving its test scores. How did M. Hall Stanton Elementary School do it? "It's all about challenging people to move to the next level," Principal Barbara Adderly said. Adderly inspired her staff to carry out her vision to boost student achievement using test data to identify struggling students and improved teaching methods to help them.
Dover school honored: Blue Ribbon for Fairview; Reading program helps earn award (NewsZap, October 24, 2006)
To Fairview Elementary School principal Marcia A. Harrison, winning a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Program award began with fostering a belief in the Dover school's teachers, staff and students. The award honors schools that reflect the No Child Left Behind goals of accountability and high standards.
Learning How to Score Points with Kids (The Baltimore Sun, September 27, 2006)
Rhonda Pindell-Charles of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools is a driving force behind "FamilyHood Scores!," a program that county schools developed in partnership with 14 county and city organizations and with businesses to help parents get more involved in their children's education while also playing basketball.
Learning About Science Isn't Necessarily a Drag (The Baltimore Sun, September 26, 2006)
Deep Creek, a technology magnet school, hosted a performance of a science education show called FMA Live!, a presentation of skits and demonstrations accompanied by hip-hop music that is intended to illustrate the principles of Newtonian physics and get young people interested in science.
Program's Top 'Goal' is Students' Success (The Baltimore Sun, September 24, 2006)
Families Learning Together uses small-group and one-on-one sessions, as well as home visits, to build literacy and parenting skills in an effort to boost student performance in school. The program - a state and locally funded program - has existed in Carroll County's school system in various forms for the past 16 years.
A Young Work Force Helps Out (The Baltimore Sun, September 24, 2006)
Prospect Mill Elementary School's Job Squad program gives fifth-graders a chance to learn responsibility and serve others.
Windows HS: Microsoft Designs a School System (CNN.com, September 7, 2006)
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has famously called high schools "obsolete" and warned about their effect on U.S. competitiveness. Now, his company has a chance to prove that it can help fix the woes of public education. After three years of planning, the Microsoft Corp.-designed "School of the Future" opened its doors Thursday, a gleaming white modern facility looking out of place amid rows of ramshackle homes in a working-class West Philadelphia neighborhood. The school is being touted as unlike any in the world, with not only a high-tech building -- students have digital lockers and teachers use interactive "smart boards" -- but also a learning process modeled on Microsoft's management techniques.
Chief Proposes Year-Round Classes to Aid Ailing Programs (The Washington Post, September 4, 2006)
D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey is proposing year-round classes at five mainly low-achieving schools in an effort to give students more time in the classroom by shortening the long summer break. The proposal, which is the school system's first attempt to adjust the traditional calendar, will probably ignite a local and nationwide debate: Education experts extol the benefits of a year-round calendar, citing studies that show significant knowledge loss over the summer, but many parents argue that children need downtime. Janey said he expects to select the five schools -- at least three of which would be low-performing -- by December.
Longer Classes Coming to All Chesterfield Middle Schools (Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 27, 2006)
Chesterfield County's 12 middle schools are going to a block schedule this year that will include semester-long science and social studies classes. School officials are hoping to cut down on discipline issues in between classes, but teachers are worried about condensing a year's worth of material into one semester. Block schedules mean that students have eight 90-minute periods over two days. They operate on an odd-even schedule - students have classes 1, 3, 5 and 7 on odd days, and classes 2, 4, 6 and 8 on even days.
Recent Grads Tutor Student Teachers (Philadelphia Daily News, August 24, 2006)
Recent Philadelphia public-school graduates talked yesterday with prospective teachers about what it takes to connect with city-toughened teens. Their talk was part of a three-day "Pipeline to the Future" professional-development series intended to prepare rookie teachers for the harsh realities of urban schools.
Hire Education for Recent Grads (Philadelphia Daily News, August 22, 2006)
A few months ago, Gov. Rendell and members of the School Reform Commission celebrated a historic moment: The creation of a new path to lead Philadelphia public-school graduates into high-paying union jobs. The Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council agreed to accept between 250 and 425 apprentices from the city's public schools over the next four years. Now, to make good on that promise - and with the fall cycle of apprenticeships about to start next month - the school district and the Building Trades Council are hosting an Apprenticeship Career Fair and Expo.
Making the Transition to Kindergarten (Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 21, 2006)
In the late 1990s, University of Virginia professor Bob Pianta conducted national surveys of parents and educators about their experiences shifting to kindergarten. What he found is that the most common ways schools reached out to families occurred after the school year was under way. Pianta, who teaches education and psychology, wants to see schools do more before the school year starts.
Education Researchers Hail Ohio's Classroom Strategy (Cleveland Plain-Dealer, August 15, 2006)
Educators agree that the single most important factor in a child's education is the quality of the teacher standing in front of the classroom. If that's true, Ohio and Nevada are good places to attend school. The Education Trust, a Washington, D.C.-based research group, identified the two states as having the best strategic plans to distribute qualified teachers to every classroom.
July Classes for Struggling Schools Eyed (Philadelphia Daily News, August 10, 2006)
Philadelphia School District officials are mulling an intervention strategy that would require struggling students at the 60 lowest-performing elementary schools to take classes into July, district CEO Paul Vallas said yesterday. The plan would create what Vallas called a third semester, running from May 15 to July 15. School normally ends around the third week of June.
Teaching Kids, Strengthening Community (The Baltimore Sun, August 6, 2006)
17-year-old Alleah Patrick is one of 22 Towson students dispatched to public schools in Cherry Hill this summer, and one of about 75 expected to tutor there when the academic year begins. She is a small part in a burgeoning experiment pairing the university, city government, the school system and neighborhood groups in an attempt to revitalize Cherry Hill, and to bring more and better-prepared teachers to Baltimore's schools.
Safe, Effective Learning Environment Earns Honors for Oakland Mills Middle, 11 Other Schools (The Boston Herald, August 6, 2006)
Yvonne Smith, principal of Oakland Mills Middle School, noticed a change this past academic year. Office referrals and pupils with repeat discipline problems decreased, and she attributed the changes to Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, a program that rewards good behavior while discouraging bad behavior.
Program to Aid Truants Draws Fire (Philadelphia Daily News, July 31, 2006)
Some teachers at University City High School are protesting a program that allowed seniors who missed 70, 80, even 100 days of the school year to graduate on time last month - after taking 12 Saturday classes. The teachers have filed a union grievance charging that John Chapman, then principal of the school, did not give them proper written notice that students' failing grades were changed to passing.
Chesco Teachers Visit Mexico to Bridge Cultural Divide (The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 31, 2006)
Some teachers in Chester County are traveling to Guanajuato state, where most of their Latino students come from, to learn more about their lives there. Several dozen have been part of a weeklong West Chester University graduate school class that started in 2001 called Humanizing Teaching and Learning: Integrating a Mexican Perspective.
Program Readies Disabled Youth for College (The Washington Post, July 17, 2006)
About 6 million Americans receive special education services, designated for students whose mental or physical limitation affects their learning, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Increasingly, such students are aiming for degrees: 11.3 percent of undergraduates nationwide reported a disability during the 2003-04 academic year, compared to 7.7 percent during the 1989-90 school year, according to the most recent department statistics. Special education has shifted over the past decade from getting students to functional levels on basics like reading in favor of encouraging them to move to advanced levels of study and tackle more complex subjects, said Lynda Van Kuren, a spokeswoman for the Council for Exceptional Children.
Parents Recruited For School HIV Program (The Washington Post, July 13, 2006)
Parents will help educate students about HIV-AIDS under a D.C. schools program scheduled to begin in the fall. Administrators hope to have as many as 75 parents undergo a three-day training program this summer to prepare them to take on a variety of roles in and out of the classroom, including providing information directly to students and assisting teachers.
Carroll Wants Money Classes (The Baltimore Sun, July 12, 2006)
Alarmed by statistics that suggest high school graduates lack a basic knowledge of money management, Carroll County school officials want to join a handful of other local districts that require students to pass a financial literacy course to graduate.
Through Art, Students Find a Positive Picture (The Baltimore Sun, July 11, 2006)
A monthlong program run by a community center and a local nonprofit instills confidence in East Baltimore youths while teaching art and life skills.
Event Tailors College Prep Advice to Hispanic Teenagers (The Washington Post, July 8, 2006)
Wilberg, 16, said his construction-worker dad persuaded him to go to college by dragging him to a work site a few years back. But when it comes to applying, he said, his parents -- Salvadoran immigrants who never studied beyond high school -- are at a loss.
Program Focuses on Tolerance (The Baltimore Sun, July 2, 2006)
About a year ago, Liberty High was the first school in Carroll County to host a two-day leadership workshop called, "Student Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together." More commonly known as SPIRIT, the program is a collaboration of the U.S. Department of Justice and local schools. It is aimed at increasing understanding across racial and ethnic lines to alleviate tensions among students and help them develop better relationships.
Steering Minority Teens Into Teaching (The Washington Post, June 29, 2006)
In an attempt to entice more minority and disadvantaged students to become educators, Prince William County school officials are launching a partnership with a New York-based nonprofit organization that will help high school graduates earn significant college scholarships if they decide to become teachers. Prince William school officials hope to begin the program in the fall with about 50 students from the freshman, sophomore and junior classes. Once the students are accepted, the nonprofit organization, Today's Students, Tomorrow's Teachers, will link them with paid mentoring teachers in their schools, place them in SAT preparation courses and help them apply to a select group of colleges that promise to reduce the students' tuition by at least 50 percent.
Education Offers Freedom; You Just Have to Say Yes (Philadelphia Daily News, June 27, 2006)
The Freedom Summer program for Philadelphia children includes a curriculum that strengthens areas such as math and reading, while allowing a sense of belonging and a relaxed, creative environment. It revolves around the principles of Kwanzaa, the African-American cultural observance, emphasizing the coming together of people for a common goal.
Teachers Are Selling Study Guides Online (Rocky Mountain News, June 27, 2006)
For all those teachers who take work home at night, creating lessons they hope kids will like, the reward is a good day in class. Now there could be another payoff: cash. Teachers are selling their original lectures, course outlines and study guides to other teachers through a new Web site launched by New York entrepreneur Paul Edelman. The site, teacherspayteachers.com, aims to be an eBay for educators. For a $29.95 yearly fee, sellers can post their work and set their prices. Buyers rate the products.
Girls Rejoice in Girlhood at Annual Conference (The Washington Post, June 25, 2006)
Girl Power! is a 32-week after-school program designed exclusively for girls ages 9 through 15 in Fairfax County. The program focuses largely on preventing drug and alcohol use, but it also allows the girls to talk about sexual abuse, eating disorders, relationships and other topics they may shy away from in a coed setting, said Clara Marshall, coordinator of the county's Girl Power! program and a substance abuse counselor.
Students' Special Needs Targeted (Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 23, 2006)
Not every child can hack it in a traditional classroom. Some children need something different -- more one-on-one supervision, a different class schedule, time outdoors. The list goes on. To catch those students early and to cater to their individual needs, Henrico County Schools' administration yesterday proposed creating a systemwide department of nontraditional programs.
Planting a Math Seed (The Baltimore Sun, June 2, 2006)
The Project Seed program - which uses directed questions to introduce algebraic concepts to elementary and middle schoolers - is one of several new mathematics initiatives planned for next year in Baltimore County.
Data Analysis Helping Teachers Tailor Lessons (The Dallas Morning News, May 30, 2006)
In addition to keeping long-recorded information such as attendance and grades in a single, accessible place, some new data-management systems note each standardized-test question, the skill it measures and each student's answer. By matching student errors with skills tested, the systems show who knows what. Systems can also spot classwide weaknesses, so teachers know when they are underteaching, or misteaching, particular topics.
Older Students Who Need Basics Pose Challenge (The Washington Post, May 29, 2006)
Although many immigrant students excel in school, a few, such as Velasquez, have so little education in their native language that they pose a special challenge when they enter local schools. They lack the basic skills necessary to benefit from traditional programs -- known as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) -- that are designed to acclimate immigrants to the U.S. educational system.
City Schools, Unions OK Jobs Program (The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 25, 2006)
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission and local union leaders said yesterday that they would guarantee hundreds of school district graduates jobs in the city's higher-skilled labor trades, turning a predominantly white workforce increasingly diverse. Under the proposed agreement, the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, made up of 14 trade unions, would offer at least 250 apprenticeships - and probably as many as 425 - to recent school district graduates over the next four years. The program could begin as early as September.
Students Hear a Voice of Authority on Literacy (Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 2, 2006)
Police Office Mark Kearney, Waynesboro's crime prevention officer, helped establish the Book'Em Foundation several years ago to promote the literacy program. Fairfax's adoption of Waynesboro's BE a Reader, Cops in School Reading Program is hopeful, he said.
Program Places Newspapers on School Bus (Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 28, 2006)
About six weeks ago, The Times-Dispatch Newspaper in Education program started a pilot program called "Reading on the Bus" on Hanover County's school bus No. 192, which carries students to Patrick Henry High School and Liberty Middle School. The newspapers are free for the pilot program. If the initiative is successful, The Times-Dispatch will sell papers to schools to place in buses at the standard Newspaper in Education price of 8 cents per copy.
For Latinos, Tips on Financial Aid (The Baltimore Sun, February 27, 2006)
Organizers of the Fells Point session of College Goal Sunday, held at the headquarters of Education Based Latino Outreach, wanted to focus on helping immigrants, a group that often finds the aid-application process daunting.
Wisdom, Knowledge of Elders Stream Into Area Classrooms (The Washington Post, February 21, 2006)
A recent study in Maryland showed that in schools where older adults were a regular fixture—with volunteers working 15 hours a week—reading scores went up, and kids had fewer behavioral problems than their peers at other schools. The adults, meanwhile, had fewer falls, expanded their social circles and performed better than their peers on a memory test.
Putting Learning First (The Baltimore Sun, February 17, 2006)
After spending an hour working with Jefffers Hill Elementary School pupils on homework assignments, Eric Cole, a 17-year-old senior at Oakland Mills High School, watched with a look of accomplishment as his mentees played an intense game of Connect Four. "I really wish someone came to me when I was in elementary school," Cole said. "It's nice that the kids have someone to talk to who is not a teacher." The activities were part of a mentorship program at Jeffers Hill in which the Alpha Achievers of Oakland Mills High School provide hourlong tutoring twice a week.
Where One Plus Many Equals Success (The Baltimore Sun, February 6, 2006)
The idea came to Linda Eberhart in 2002, when she was Maryland's Teacher of the Year. Traveling around the state, she got to hear from lots of other teachers about what was working in their classrooms and what wasn't. The next year, Eberhart rounded up some fellow fifth-grade teachers in Baltimore schools and gathered them in her classroom at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School in Bolton Hill. The subject: math. How children learn it, where they struggle, what motivates them. There were only about 15 teachers at first, but word quickly spread. Now the group has swelled to about 150.
Senior Tutors a Plus for Pupils (The Baltimore Sun, February 5, 2006)
Harper's Choice Middle School and the Office on Aging collaborate in the classroom.
Canines Helping Young Readers (The Baltimore Sun, February 5, 2006)
Gabriella is one of 38 Howard County third-graders who participate each Saturday morning in Dogs Educating and Assisting Readers (DEAR), a 10-week program run by Fidos for Freedom in collaboration with the Howard County Library. It targets improving the confidence and reading skills of pupils such as Gabriella who read for 45 minutes each week to one of Fidos for Freedom's therapy dogs.
Helping Foreign Students Fit In (The Washington Times, February 4, 2006)
The Prince George's County school system is trying to help Stella and other foreign-born students overcome such obstacles with its Newcomer Groups, classes designed to help them break cultural barriers and adjust to life in a new world.
Another Chance for Older Ex-Students (Philadelphia Daily News, February 1, 2006)
The Career and Academic Development Institute, near 12th and Vine streets in Center City, Philadelphia, is one of three small schools the school district has operated since fall 2004 to educate overage students who have amassed few graduation credits.
Making the Grade for Free Ride (Philadelphia Daily News, February 1, 2006)
Good grades and attendance will soon earn Philadelphia students free rides to and from school. Officials from the school district and the local NAACP yesterday announced a partnership to begin providing free SEPTA tokens next fall to striving students.
School Programs Gang Up on Bullying (The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 1, 2006)
Penn Central Middle, in Bucks County's Pennridge School District, is one of many schools in the region and nation that have started anti-bullying programs to address the differences in the way boys and girls bully. Schools started taking bullying much more seriously after the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The more bullying was discussed and researched, the more obvious it became to school officials that girls and boys have different favorite methods.
High Scores Fail to Clear Obstacles to KIPP Growth (The Washington Post, January 31, 2006)
It is a crucial moment for one of the most closely watched educational models, the Knowledge Is Power Program, a way of teaching fifth- through eighth-graders that has produced some of the best math and reading scores in low-income neighborhoods across the country. Despite its impressive record, administrators and policymakers are responding slowly to KIPP's desire for more space and support.
New Way To Teach To Math Adopted (The Washington Post, January 29, 2006)
When some teachers and parents began considering a proposed alternative math program at Neabsco Elementary School that did not rely on hardcover textbooks, they were skeptical. The program -- "Investigations in Number, Data, and Space" -- uses mostly worksheets and often poses math questions as real-life anecdotes, requiring students to show how they can solve a problem in many ways rather than merely scribble answers based on memorized formulas.
Filling Demand for Discipline (The Baltimore Sun, January 27, 2006)
The 11 newest cadets in Patapsco High School's U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps have their reasons for enrolling. Some said they want discipline, and a few said they have friends in the program or need a way to stay busy. Others have military aspirations. One girl added that she likes the uniform. Even more students could get the chance to sign up next fall. Given the level of interest among local middle and elementary school children, school officials want to hire another retired military officer to expand Patapsco's JROTC program from about 105 to 160 students.
Say 'No' to Bullying (Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 27, 2006)
In its third year, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing and No Name-Calling Week Coalition of more than 40 national education organizations asked students to submit essays, poetry, music, artwork or other creative expressions that conveyed experiences and feelings about name-calling and bullying in their schools. No Name Calling Week began Monday and ends today. The project seeks to draw attention to name-calling, a form of bullying, in schools and to provide tools to educators and students to initiate dialogue to eliminate the problem.
1st Class Passes Anti-Truancy Program in D.C. (The Washington Times, January 25, 2006)
Ten seventh- and eighth-graders yesterday graduated from the District's first truancy-diversion program in a ceremony that highlighted efforts to combat school absenteeism.
Opinion: Program Immerses in Foreign Language (The Washington Times, January 23, 2006)
"In my last column, I described Rosetta Stone, a language-learning software program that helps students learn through immersion and visual cues. In a subsequent interview with the company's director of learning, Duane Sider, and the director of home-school sales, Nick Ropp, I learned the history behind the software."
'Work-Study' School Set For 2007 (The Washington Post, January 20, 2006)
The first private high school in the area to support itself largely through wages earned by students working one day a week for local employers will open in Takoma Park in fall 2007, the Archdiocese of Washington announced yesterday. Archdiocese officials said the new Cristo Rey school, based on a work-study model first tried in inner-city Chicago 10 years ago, will be its first new archdiocese high school in more than 55 years. It will open on the site of Our Lady of Sorrows School, a parish elementary school closing this year because of declining enrollment.
D.C. Guard Getting Funds To Educate Dropouts (The Washington Post, January 19, 2006)
The District has received $500,000 as part of its 2006 congressional appropriation to set up a military-style education and physical training program aimed at high school dropouts. The National Guard Youth Challenge program is operating in Puerto Rico and more than 20 states. The District will add $300,000 to the federal funding.
New City Program Designed to Match Girls with Mentors (The Baltimore Sun, January 19, 2006)
One caring adult can make a difference in a young person's life, the saying goes. That's the philosophy City Council President Sheila Dixon has embraced with the Young Women in Action Girls Mentoring Program, a new initiative targeting girls at six Baltimore middle schools. About 60 girls from each school will be chosen to participate in volunteer-led workshops addressing issues that include peer pressure, conflict resolution, health and dating. Pupils eventually will be paired with mentors from the community.
Local Schools Target 'How to Read and Learn' (Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 18, 2006)
By the time students reach high school, teachers assume they know how to read. But rising dropout rates and high numbers of U.S. high school graduates who can't read well have prompted many high schools, including in metro Richmond, to look at literacy programs for older students.
District Tries New Method of Test Prep (The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 17, 2006)
The Philadelphia School District is expected to announce today changes in the way students are prepared for standardized tests, capping a nearly two-year campaign led by a group of high schoolers upset at how getting ready for the exams interfered with their academic lives. Under the new guidelines, students won't be pulled out of core-subject classes to prepare for tests, and preparation work will not be done in such classes, said Gregory Thornton, the district's chief academic officer.
Street Backs Idea for Boarding School (Philadelphia Daily News, January 16, 2006)
Mayor Street, impressed with a proposal to open the city's first public boarding school, has thrown his support behind the plan and has directed city social services director Julia Danzy to explore how the city can help fund it.
A Tag-Team Effort in Learning (The Baltimore Sun, January 13, 2006)
Inclusive co-teaching uses teamwork to help get high school freshmen up to speed in math, English. The practice pairs a general-education and a special-education teacher to instruct a mixture of general- and special-education students. The idea is that all parties will benefit from the additional resources and attention.
Committee to Assess Block Scheduling (The Baltimore Sun, January 8, 2006)
Responding to complaints by teachers and students about the extra work resulting from block scheduling, a new committee has been charged with recommending alternatives to the schedule used in Anne Arundel County high schools.
Math Program Adds Up to Success (The Baltimore Sun, January 8, 2006)
Trish Bristol concedes that she had some trepidation about a new math program that her school, Roye-Williams Elementary School, launched several years ago. The program used by her first-graders -- some of whom struggled with math early in the school year -- consisted of homework activities such as filling candy orders, figuring mileage and playing homemade games. But after a year of watching her pupils excel in math, she and the other first-grade teachers at the Havre de Grace school were unanimous in their request to ditch the textbook approach and switch full time to a program that uses activities to detect how youngsters approach math and then directs the instruction accordingly.
Tutoring Group Back in School (The Washington Times, January 7, 2006)
A nonprofit tutoring group evicted from a D.C. public school has been reinstated and will resume its program Monday, an organization official said. "It's a great feeling," Brian Carome, executive director for Project Northstar, said yesterday. "It's scary when you think you don't have the support and cooperation of D.C. public schools. And we started believing that we didn't." Northstar had run the program inside Lemon G. Hine Junior High in Southeast for about a decade before principal Willie Jackson said Dec. 5 that tutors could no longer use the school because officials had not filed a yearly building-use agreement.
New IB Program OK'd for Meade (The Baltimore Sun, December 9, 2005)
The Anne Arundel County school board's unanimous decision this week to expand the International Baccalaureate program to Meade High School will relieve some of the crowding in an overcapacity program at Old Mill High School and eliminate the need for a lottery, school system officials say. Two months after declining to expand the program that was championed by former Superintendent Eric J. Smith, board members agreed Wednesday to institute the IB program at Meade beginning in the fall of the 2006-2007 school year for ninth-graders who live in the Meade attendance area.
School Behavioral Programs May Improve Grades (CNN.com, December 7, 2005)
School-based programs that target students' emotional, social and decision-making skills are likely to also boost their academic achievement, a team of Washington researchers reports. Their findings suggest that more broadly focused interventions can have a wider-ranging effect than those that specifically target academic achievement.
Tainted Program a Hit at Hunter School (The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 6, 2005)
AT HUNTER Elementary School, more than 95 percent of the students live in poverty, and the buildings closest to the school are abandoned. Such realities have not stopped the 600-plus pupils, teachers and Principal Olivia Dreibelbis from feeling fortunate. "We are the most advanced school in any setting, private or public, in the metropolitan area in terms of technology," Dreibelbis said last week. At the heart of Hunter's success, she said, is a partnership with K12, Inc., a relatively new company headquartered in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. K12 made headlines earlier this year when its co-founder, ex-Education Secretary William J. Bennett, left after making a racially charged remark - that aborting blacks would reduce crime - on a radio program.
Time's Up; Put Down Your iPods (The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 5, 2005)
The Lower Merion School District, which already offers teachers podcasting for professional development, is testing a program set to begin in a few weeks that will allow 18 teachers and their students to make podcasts. Each teacher will get a video iPod to work on proposed projects such as podcasts of physics experiments and grammar jingles. The completed projects, similar to radio shows via the Internet, will be posted on the district Web site and can be downloaded to a computer or other mobile device.
Math Gains Add Up (The Washington Times, December 5, 2005)
It's hard to imagine anyone at a cocktail party braying about their ignorance of science, history or reading comprehension. Cathy Seeley, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Reston, hears people eagerly confess their lack of math skills "more than I would like to." Ms. Seeley partially blames the old math -- the way teachers taught mathematics to previous generations.Modern math classes emphasize "functional relationships," says Ms. Seeley, who adds that her organization works with the CBS series "Numbers" to help its characters solve crimes via math. One example is comparing cell phone plans. Teachers can give students two comparable plans and let them use algebra to determine which is more cost effective. One might offer an instant rebate, while the other allows for more free minutes per month, for example.
Plugging Kids Into Computer Help (The Baltimore Sun, November 30, 2005)
Teiana Underwood, a 14-year-old freshman at Centennial High School, says that she has to churn out up to five essays a week. "They must be typed," said Underwood, who does not have a computer at home and previously had to type her assignments on one of two computers shared by dozens of students at an after-school program. "In high school, I have to print out all of my essays." Underwood's plight got a little easier this month when she and the 55 other students who attend the Homework Club in the Roger Carter Recreation Center and nearby Hilltop Community Center in Ellicott City got access to eight new computers and Internet service, courtesy of corporate and service organization donors.
Teachers Taking Note - of How They Teach (The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 30, 2005)
Teachers in the Haverford district are training in ways to measure student learning well in advance of test day. The goal is to improve how they teach so their students will do better.
Building Ties Across Cultures (The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 6, 2005)
Latino, white and African American students mingle in easy camaraderie, playing Ping-Pong and practicing break-dancing. In the computer lab, students research the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Called the Garage, the center on South Union Street once sheltered cars. Now it shelters and cares for Kennett Square's youths.
Md. School Closes Achievement Gap (The Washington Post, October 31, 2005)
At North Glen Elementary School in the spring, all but one of the 16 black students in the third grade, including Joshua Franklin, scored well enough on the statewide Maryland School Assessment test to be rated proficient. They scored higher than almost every other group of black third-graders in Maryland. Over the past three years, this Anne Arundel school has achieved a goal that eludes most of the nation's public schools. It has closed the achievement gap between black and white students.
School Size: Is Smaller Really Better? (The Seattle Times, October 26, 2005)
Mountlake Terrace High School was supposed to lead the way in the national movement to remake large high schools into smaller ones that graduated more students and better prepared them for college. But the school that reorganized itself into five small academies with one of the first Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Small Schools Grants in 2001 is also serving as a cautionary tale about the difficulty of change.
As 'No Child' Answer, Tutoring Generates Complex Questions (The Washington Post, October 24, 2005)
What appeared to be an easy way to address a component of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act has become anything but. The federal government, state education departments, local school systems and many of the 1,700 or so private education companies offering tutoring are battling over complex rules. Just who can tutor what, to whom—and where?
Low-Income Students, Top-Notch Education (The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 24, 2005)
In what national education officials say will be a first in the country, Germantown Academy and Project H.O.M.E. in September will open a private elementary school in North Philadelphia to prepare talented, low-income youngsters to attend top prep schools.
Low-Income Students, Top-Notch Education (The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 24, 2005)
Project H.O.M.E., cofounded in 1989 in North Philadelphia by Sister Mary Scullion, helps to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness by providing an array of services to adults, children and families. In what national education officials say will be a first in the country, the prestigious school and Project H.O.M.E. in September will open a private elementary school in North Philadelphia to prepare talented, low-income youngsters to attend top prep schools.
Center Helps Moms Balance Kids, Education (The Baltimore Sun, October 23, 2005)
Reva Coleman, 17, hadn't planned on having a baby, but it happened anyway. Now she's got 5-month-old Jeremyah to think about, and that means she's working nearly 40 hours a week at a local Rite-Aid to help support her young family. But she hasn't given up on school. She has three classes to go before she can graduate from Meade Senior High School. She's on track to finish by January. She's even thinking about college. Coleman is one of seven students taking classes at a new center for teen parents in Odenton, run by the county school system and the YWCA.
Deep Run Principal Receives Award for Her Leadership Skills (The Baltimore Sun, October 2, 2005)
Frances Donaldson is one of 66 elementary and middle school principals from public and private schools nationwide and overseas to receive the National Distinguished Principals Award from the National Association of Elementary School Principals. The honor recognizes principals' leadership.
Math Teacher Gets 'Star' Treatment (The Baltimore Sun, September 28, 2005)
Math was not Anshu Randhawa's favorite subject in school. But Patuxent Valley Middle School in Jessup was seeking a math instructor, and Randhawa was looking for a teaching job after completing a stint in the Peace Corps. Yesterday, Randhawa, now a sixth-grade math teacher at Folly Quarter Middle School, was recognized as an American Star of Teaching by the U.S. Department of Education for improving student performance and making a difference in her pupils' lives.
Schooling by Stunt (The Baltimore Sun, September 26, 2005)
School principals and teachers have long looked for fresh ways to encourage kids to read, or to meet standards on state tests. And some educators, it seems, don't hesitate to put their dignity on the line.
Child-Aid Program Finds Big Brothers in Short Supply (The Washington Times, September 26, 2005)
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest and largest youth mentoring organization in the country, matching adults with a child 5 to 18 years old usually in a one-on-one relationship. The program has an excellent reputation, backed by research, for helping children. The nonprofit Public/Private Ventures found that children matched with an adult through the program for a year are 52 percent less likely to skip school or 46 percent less likely to start using drugs.
A Uniform Success (Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 25, 2005)
Michelle Hairston, the principal of Laburnum Elementary School, and her staff pinpointed areas to improve and made instructional changes during the past few years, spurring an academic upturn. This year, they took the most visible steps yet to "level the playing field." Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are asked to wear uniforms, and fifth-graders can attend a single-sex class. Of the roughly 160 fifth-graders, fewer than 20 attend the only coed class, Hairston said. The changes are intended to reduce learning distractions.
Fattah's Brainchild No Benefit to Phila. (The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 24, 2005)
Gear Up - a national program aimed at getting middle and high school students from low-income families better prepared for college - was the brainchild of U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.). But creating a program apparently doesn't guarantee a congressman's home school district will continue to receive funding under it. The Philadelphia School District got the first round of six-year funding in 1999. But the district's request this year for $41.5 million in Round 2 funding was snubbed.
Elementary Schools Earn Blue Ribbon Status (Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 23, 2005)
Chesterfield County's Robious and Hanover County's Beaverdam Elementary are among the seven Virginia public schools awarded the designation of "No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School," given by the U.S. Department of Education to schools that have a history of academic success or have made significant gains on statewide student assessments.
Gov. Minner Announces Awards for Excellence in Early Care & Education (Delaware Department of Education, September 23, 2005)
Governor Ruth Ann Minner announces the winners of the 7th Annual Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Early Care and Education, which recognize excellence among Delaware’s child care providers and centers. The awards were created by the Women and the Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association in conjunction with the Governor’s Office. The group assembled a committee of early childhood experts in 1999 to develop the five criteria for the awards, which go to childcare centers, family childcare providers and teachers from childcare centers in each of the three counties.
Planting Seeds of Science, Other Subjects Into Math and Reading (The Washington Post, September 20, 2005)
Core Knowledge, a program for elementary and middle schools, is designed to improve reading and math skills of younger students not by teaching those subjects in isolation but by embedding science, history, art, music and other subjects in the lessons.
Va. School District Wins Top Education Prize (CNN.com, September 20, 2005)
Norfolk Public Schools, a 36,700-student district, won the largest share of the $1 million Broad Prize for Public Education. The award annually honors urban districts that make big gains in test scores, particularly among poor and minority students.
Program Aims to Increase Number of Male Black Teachers (The Baltimore Sun, September 12, 2005)
Prince George's County schools and Bowie State University have teamed up in an effort to attack a chronic problem in Maryland education—the shortage of African-American men teaching in public schools. The recently announced Men Equipped to Nurture program will help male teachers earn full certification by paying for their classes and certification exam fees. Other institutions in Maryland and beyond are watching closely.
Where Teens Matter (The Washington Times, September 11, 2005)
The Good Samaritan Foundation, founded in 1993 by former Washington Redskins stars Charles Mann, Art Monk, Earnest Byner and Tim Johnson, is an after-school program that works with students from high schools in impoverished neighborhoods in the District. It ensures that students do their homework each day, gets them summer internships, makes sure they get paid work experience and helps place them in colleges.
Latest Elective: Saturday Classes (The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 9, 2005)
Beginning next month, the Philadelphia school district will begin offering some of its Advanced Placement courses on Saturdays. The rigorous classes will last three hours. And they will run through May. Up to now, the district has used Saturdays for remedial work or disciplinary classes.
District is Giving This Peace School a Chance (The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 7, 2005)
As the nation's war with Iraq comes under increasing scrutiny, the Philadelphia School District yesterday opened its newly converted Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice. The small magnet school in Mount Airy added the peace focus this year at the request of the district administration. Educators there say the school's mission is not to teach students to lobby against the war in Iraq but to preach antiviolence and educate students on peaceful ways to resolve local and global conflicts - a critical message in a city plagued by gun violence.
Extra Funding to Boost School Volunteer Effort (The Baltimore Sun, September 1, 2005)
When Sylvia Lane-Gibson retired in 1999 after a 32-year career at Bell Atlantic, the Johnston Square resident quickly got active in a new residents' association in her East Baltimore neighborhood. But community organizing was not enough for the 61-year-old woman who was determined to make a difference. So last year, she joined Experience Corps, a national program that places older people as paid volunteers in public schools. Under Baltimore's version, more than 100 senior citizens like Lane-Gibson volunteer in six elementary schools. "The kids keep you on your toes," said Lane-Gibson, who volunteers as a computer lab assistant at Dallas F. Nicholas Sr. Elementary School for about $2,500 a year.
Md. Backs Closer Ties Between School, Family (The Washington Post, August 31, 2005)
The Maryland Board of Education voted unanimously yesterday to support a wide range of initiatives designed to increase family involvement in public schools, including a requirement that at least two members of the state board have children enrolled in the system.
When High Schools Put Teens to Work (Christian Science Monitor, August 25, 2005)
Observers are hopeful the model of company-subsidized tuition could lead to expanded opportunities for low-income students. At the same time, they are also cautious to monitor the influence of companies that smell opportunity in the arrangement.
Group Seeks to End Gifted Designation (The Washington Post, August 25, 2005)
In Montgomery County, where many high school graduates move on to top-notch colleges, a proposal to do away with the designation "gifted and talented" might be seen as blasphemous. But members of the Equity in Education Coalition, launched a few months ago by concerned parents and community activists, are calling on Montgomery County public school educators to do just that.
Education Foundation Targets City Classrooms (The Baltimore Sun, August 25, 2005)
A California-based foundation that strives to improve education for poor and minority children will send experts to work with the Baltimore school system for the next three to four years, through a partnership to be announced today. The Stupski Foundation, which was created in 1996 by a former Charles Schwab executive and his wife, will work with the city schools on improving reform plans at low-performing schools, better using data to guide instruction, among other issues.
Charter School Has Touters, Doubters (The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 25, 2005)
Educating the children of Chester Upland has proved to be a financial disaster for nearly everyone who has tried in the last decade: the district itself, two charter school operators, and the nation's largest for-profit education company, Edison Schools Inc. Not for Main Line lawyer and businessman Vahan H. Gureghian, who has turned Chester Community Charter School into a profitable, expanding business in the heart of the virtually bankrupt school district. Chester Community has grown from 100 students in 1999 to one of the largest charter schools in the country. Next month, it expects an enrollment of 1,900 - attracting one-third of Chester Upland's elementary students.
Area Schools Settling Into Block Schedules (The Washington Post, August 25, 2005)
The Anne Arundel school system is about to begin its third year of block scheduling, one of the most significant, and disputed, changes imposed by Superintendent Eric J. Smith in a bid to raise high schools' academic caliber.
Aspiring School Leadership Internship Program Piloted (Delaware Department of Education, August 17, 2005)
Delaware’s Department of Education (DOE) has announced a unique partnership with Delaware State University, the University of Delaware, Wilmington College and local school districts in piloting a unique educator program called the “Aspiring School Leaders’ Internship Program.” This program is one piece of DOE’s major goals for the State Action for Education Leadership Project (SAELP) which requests an effort to develop a diverse and highly qualified pool of school leaders to fill administrative positions in local school districts.
Tech Camp Focuses on Girls (The Baltimore Sun, August 7, 2005)
Tech Camp for Girls, a program offered by instructors Brandi Shepard and Frank Lanzer at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, MD is for girls in middle school and explores such topics as computer-aided drafting and design, Web-page design, digital photography, computer programming and computer construction.
Local Teens Bridge Divides Between Cultures (Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 5, 2005)
Bridging Boundaries International is a program that aims to strengthen cross-cultural ties between young people while having them examine international issues, politics and ethics.
International Students Gain English And Academic Skills Through Summer Program (West Virginia Department of Education, August 4, 2005)
Learning English as a second language can prove challenging for both the student and the teacher, but with the assistance of the summer professional development program offered by the West Virginia Department of Education, it was made a little easier and much more fun. Last month, nearly 100 students from across the Kanawha Valley began a month-long summer educational program. Representing nearly 20 different language and cultural backgrounds, these students attended the Ninth Annual Summer English as Second Language program designed to improve their English language and academic skills. Students ranged in ages from four to 64.
A Boot Camp for Aspiring Teachers (The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1, 2005)
Teach for America is a nonprofit program based in New York that recruits top college graduates for two-year stints in low-income communities that have a hard time attracting teachers.
How to Keep Those Kids in Class? Pay Them (Christian Science Monitor, July 29, 2005)
Supporters say reward systems make good sense. Humans, they say, respond to enticements. But critics call it bribery and say a capitalist mind-set is invading an institution built around the notion that knowledge itself is the quest.
Warner Checks on Project Graduation Students (Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 29, 2005)
Governor Mark Warner visited the school yesterday to announce an expansion of Project Graduation to more high schools around the state. The initiative -- a plan to get more students on target to finish high school includes Summer Academies like the one at Clover Hill.
School-Schedule Plan Earns Praise (Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 22, 2005)
Under 4-by-4 block scheduling, students have four classes per day and longer class periods. Whittle, Petersburg High's principal since June, rattled off a list of benefits he expects from the new scheduling.
Lights, Cameras Help Girls Put Leadership Into Action (The Baltimore Sun, July 22, 2005)
McCormick, a 16-year-old rising senior at Western High School, is one of the 13 girls participating in a new two-week program designed to develop girls' leadership skills as they tackle a problem in the Baltimore metropolitan community. The project for the inaugural year is to determine how to get younger people more interested in the city's classical arts.
Teachers Take Culture Lessons (The Washington Times, July 21, 2005)
The Summer Institute for Urban Educators is a weeklong intensive training program -- held at the University of Maryland at College Park -- that teaches educators how to bond with their students and their families so they can foster "cultural connectivity" and push the students to succeed.
Downstate Education: Program Puts Girls to Test; Math, Science Focus of Studies (Delaware State News, July 18, 2005)
The Girls Explorations in Mathematics and Science program at Delaware State University, which accepts about 25 percent of applicants and has seven states represented this year, allows girls to take courses in biotechnology, applied mathematics and information science.
Blind high school students from around Va. Use Program to Explore Potential Careers (Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 16, 2005)
A 12th-grader at Broad Run High School in Ashburn, De Los Santos and 14 other legally blind high school students have explored various professions this month in a program hosted by the Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired.
Adult Students Find A Second Chance (The Washington Post, July 15, 2005)
So 10 months ago, Rosemary Leano gave up her apartment and began staying with friends so she could afford to enroll in Fairfax County Public Schools' adult education dental assistant program, which cost about $2,000. Today, Leano -- whose new skills helped her land a job in Vienna -- will graduate with about 150 peers who studied everything from desktop publishing to phlebotomy. The Fairfax school system, the 12th largest in the nation, is known for the programs offered to about 166,000 children and teenagers. But on evenings and weekends, those schools open to adults who come for second chances, better job skills or just to try new things.
Education Program Receives Award and Grant (The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 12, 2005)
Summerbridge of Greater Philadelphia - an after-school and summer-education program - received the Champions in Caring award yesterday, including a $25,000 grant, in recognition of its support for low-income middle-school students, officials announced. The award is sponsored by Citizens Bank, NBC10, and The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. Summerbridge, which offers a 1-to-6 teacher/student ratio, also will receive coverage on Channel 10, advertising space in the newspapers and on Philly.com, and employee volunteers from the three corporations, among other support.
D.C. Finds Gold Mine Of Future Principals (The Washington Post, July 11, 2005)
New Leaders for New Schools, a nonprofit organization, was established in 2000 to address a nationwide shortage of principals. As school system leaders work to improve lagging student achievement, they are increasingly turning to the national principal-training program to fill vacancies. School officials hope that within a few years, about half of D.C. public schools will be led by graduates of the program.
4 High Schools Receive $4.9 Million to Research reading deficiencies (The Baltimore Sun, July 10, 2005)
Four Anne Arundel County high schools are getting nearly $5 million from the federal government to test literacy programs and continue efforts to create smaller, more nurturing academies within larger schools. The goal is to discover how to respond to reading deficiencies among older students while helping students make the transition to high school.
Teen Sleep Needs Spur Talk Of Later Start to School Day (The Washington Post, July 7, 2005)
Despite mounds of research suggesting that adolescents require extra sleep, high school students generally wake before dawn and start classes earlier than anyone else. But changing those schedules is not as easy as it sounds, as members of one Maryland school board learned yesterday.
Schools Seek Help From Turnaround Specialists (The Baltimore Sun, July 1, 2005)
Although teachers and principals at five struggling city schools are being replaced because of years of low test scores, dozens of other Baltimore schools ordered to restructure are making a far less dramatic change: They're hiring a turnaround specialist. Turnaround specialists, often chosen from the ranks of retired principals, are based in schools and charged with improving classroom instruction - an aspect of a principal's job that sometimes gets lost amid other responsibilities. But the value of using such experts, which is new to Maryland, remains untested. School officials and education advocates disagree on the effectiveness of such specialists.
Va. Teens Play the Game of Life, on a Budget (The Washington Post, June 30, 2005)
Kelsie Garvey dreamed of being an interior decorator, her purple, blue and lime green bedroom evidence of her talent in the field. That is, until she visited the Reality Store, a game organized by Fairfax County, local teenagers and financial institutions and designed to give teenage girls a taste of real life on a budget.
Hip-Hop Boot Camp: 4-H for a New Generation (The Charleston Gazette, June 25, 2005)
The 4-H tradition lies deep in West Virginia soil, for it was here that the first 4-H camp was built at Jackson’s Mill in Lewis County. In the new millennium, the challenge for 4-H camp organizers in Kanawha County was to make the camping experience more relatable for middle school youth who probably will never milk a cow or slop a hog. Hip-Hop Boot Camp was born.
5 Teachers Get Free Rent At Troubled Md. Complex (The Washington Post, June 24, 2005)
Under an unusual deal that Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) cut with the landlord to upgrade the property, Jackson and four other teachers from a nearby school can live for free at Forest Creek Apartments in Forestville as long as they keep their jobs and tutor neighborhood children.
Students Get Government Lesson (Delaware State News, June 22, 2005)
Delaware ranks second among states for the highest percentage of female legislators, according to 2005 statistics from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The figure is 33.9 percent — seven women in the Delaware Senate and 14 in the House. Wednesday morning, the percentage of females in Delaware's legislature climbed to 100. Sixty high school girls from across the state descended on Legislative Hall Sunday for Girls State, an annual government education program run by the American Legion Auxiliary.
Falls Church Considers New Roles For School (The Washington Post, June 19, 2005)
School and county officials have selected Graham Road, an aging school where about 80 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, to become Fairfax County's first "community school." If the plan is approved, the school would be open long after classes end, and programs for children and adults and other county services could be offered.
Teacher's Lessons Include All Pupils (The Baltimore Sun, June 5, 2005)
Annamarie Windsor, a first-grade teacher at Edgewood Elementary, has an annual request that principals don't often hear: "Give me the special-needs kids." In many cases, special-needs pupils require extra time and attention that teachers with large classes often don't have to give. This year, Windsor's 19-pupil class has five children who are working from individualized education plans, each with needs unique to his learning disabilities. Windsor said she uses those needs as teaching tools.
Job Corps - 40 Years of Hope (The Charleston Gazette, June 4, 2005)
One OF America’s most successful programs — the Job Corps, which helps low-income youths gain education, career skills and a better chance for good futures —passed a landmark last week. The Charleston Job Corps Center celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Charter School Finds Proof in College Plans (The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 3, 2005)
Since starting out in temporary quarters on North Broad Street four years ago, Mastery Charter High School has emerged as a success story among the city's high school charters.Mastery was recently named an exemplary charter school by the U.S. Department of Education. It received a $2.65 million grant from the NewSchools Venture Fund of California to open additional campuses over the next three years. And the Philadelphia School District has authorized Mastery to convert Thomas Middle School in South Philadelphia to a charter school in the fall.
Troubled Students Get a Second Chance (Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 2, 2005)
Nearly 1,400 suspended or expelled Virginia students have participated in a community-service program that was established through a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The students have spent more than 37,000 hours washing school buses and police cars, mucking out animal shelters, making the rounds with Meals on Wheels or wrapping Christmas presents for children in foster care.
Arrests Down, Schooling Up for Kids Who Get Drug Treatment (The Baltimore Sun, May 31, 2005)
Drug treatment for adolescents