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Story posted June 2, 2011

Every year the American School Board Journal (with the National School Boards Association and Sodexo) recognizes excellent school district leadership with the Magna Awards. The following district is a 2011 winner.

RESULTS

• Students who participated in school-sponsored summer camps demonstrated impressive gains from pre- to post-assessments—especially students from higher-poverty schools.
• Participating teachers were pleased with the programs, and have committed to include more technology in their regular classroom instruction.
• The program produced intangible results in providing the neediest students with high-quality educational and social experiences.

Economically disadvantaged students consistently underperform academically. Research shows that socioeconomic factors such as family income are more significant in explaining differences in educational achievement than traditional factors such as race and ethnicity. One cause is limited exposure to experiences that promote intellectual development. Unlike their wealthier peers, poor students are rarely exposed to experiences that help them to succeed in school. Trips to the zoo, family vacations, and experience with technology give wealthier children advantages beginning in kindergarten. The Pasco County School Board supports the notion that increasing a student’s exposure to quality experiences can greatly influence a child’s potential to succeed. The district developed the Title I Pasco Environmental Adventure Camp Experience (PEACE) and the Title I Technology Camp, both of which provide students with additional experiences needed for their cognitive development. Another goal was to increase teacher capacity for classroom technology use.

SOLUTION

The Title I Summer Camps engaged nearly 1,200 students in authentic hands-on experiences connected to state standards. The PEACE Camp was a five-day environmentally themed science enrichment camp that brought 550 of the district’s neediest fourth and fifth-grade students to four different sites. It ended with a culminating activity at the Florida Aquarium. Students participated in three rotations at each site. While there, they studied ecosystems through activities such as fishing and kayaking, and they tracked the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its impact on marine and estuarine environments. AACTE, AASPA, ASCA, NASBE, and NMSA. These programs also complement the district’s emphasis on environmental stewardship. The Title I Technology Camp was a 10-day camp that also served 550 fourth- and fifth-grade students. After being issued a laptop and an i-Pod Nano that they could take home, students were taught how to plan, write, and produce iMovies and podcasts. Their first product was an iMovie about their own lives. The culminating activity was the creation of a public service announcement that was broadcast on the local cable station.

THE BOARD’S INVOLVEMENT

School members demonstrated leadership for this program by stating in the district’s strategic plan that closing the achievement gap is a top district priority. By supporting these summer camp programs, the board committed to improving academic outcomes for needy students. The board also provided leadership by convening across-departmental team to implement these programs. This included members of the curriculum and instruction, student services, finance, human resources, food and nutrition, instructional media, and information services departments. This buying from across the district helped ensure the success of these programs. Board members also were instrumental in the grant-writing and approval process that helped to secure the necessary funds to make these programs a reality. It relied on community partnerships to gain access to some of the privately owned environmental sites and to share information with local media outlets.

RESULTS

Students who participated in the PEACE Camp demonstrated an average gain of 24 percent from pre- to post-assessment. One noteworthy surprise was that students from higher-poverty schools demonstrated even greater average gains (41 percent). Students in the Title I Summer Technology Camp also experienced success, as evidenced by the pre- and post-assessment. During the initial assessment, students scored an average of 38 out of 65 possible points. Post assessment results indicated an average increase of 27 points, for an average score of 55 points. Surveys given to participating teachers also indicated a high level of satisfaction with both programs, as well as a high degree of commitment to include more technology into their regular classroom instruction. Also, there are many intangible results in providing the neediest students with these high-quality experiences, such as a growth in hope and confidence.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Elena Garcia, supervisor of Title I, Basic and Migrant, at elgarcia@pasco.k12.fl.us. The district’s website is at www.pasco.k12.fl.us.

This story was originally featured as a NSBA 2011 Magna Awards publication—a supplement to the American School Journal. For more information and to see other winners, visit www.asbj.com/magna.

Story reposted with permission.