A new report by LFA and Grunwald Associates, with support from AT&T, examines how parents perceive the value of mobile devices, how they see their children using mobiles, and what they think of the possibilities for mobile learning.
District wide strategies
Success Stories
In Michigan, Linking Body Language and Learning
Story posted March, 2008
Results:
• Positive correlation between amount of Body Phonics taught and student achievement
• Significant gains in individual special education students' reading scores, occasionally resulting in student reclassification to regular education
With nearly half of the students in Romulus, Michigan's K-6 school district from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, educators have long sought new ways to impart fundamental skills. But an enterprising special education teacher and an innovative partnership with a community organization have brought young learners to their feet and offered one-on-one tutoring for those who need the most help. ...
Pinellas County Schools Keep Character at the Core
Story posted March, 2009
Results:
• At Sawgrass Lake Elementary, discipline referrals have dropped by 50% since the school focused on character education
• The suspension rate at schools actively involved in the Partnerships in Character Education grant declined by an average of 2.7%, avoiding more than 600 missed school days in one year
• In schools implementing character education programs, disciplinary referrals from bus drivers have decreased by more than 60%
The Pinellas County School District is the 7th largest in Florida and the 23rd largest in the country, with over 152,000 Pre-K through adult students.
When in 1995 several Pinellas students were caught stealing from a program that gave them hands-on experience in local small businesses, the district swung into action. It collaborated with the community to develop an innovative character education program. Over 12 years later, character education has become an integral part of what we do, and it is paying impressive dividends for students across the district. ...
Communities and School Join Forces to Improve Student Writing
Story posted March, 2008
Results:
• In a professionally developed and scored writing assessment, eighth graders improved on average by one point on a 12-point scale between September 2005 and May 2006.
• Almost three quarters of students and all teachers characterized the writing coaches as either "helpful" or "very helpful."
In Berkeley and Albany, California, the communities and schools are working together to help students develop writing and critical thinking skills
WriterCoach Connection recruits and trains community volunteers to collaborate with teachers and work one-on-one with students, in class, on their English writing assignments to develop the writing and critical thinking skills they'll need in secondary school, higher education, and the workplace. ...
Measuring Success One Student at a Time
Story posted March, 2008
Results:
• Almost 90% of 3rd-10th graders now read at or above grade level
• Almost 100% of parents attend parent-teacher conferences
A depressed economy, low teacher salaries and a dwindling population in poor remote areas usually translate into restricted opportunities for children. Not so for the students in the Walsh School District in rural southeastern Colorado.
In the Walsh School District, which serves approximately 150 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, almost three quarters of the students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch - a federal benchmark for poverty. Although the median household income is less than $25,000 a year, the district is overcoming daunting challenges to providing every student an excellent education.
In fact, Walsh has the highest reading scores in the state. Its small size allows staff to truly practice Walsh Elementary School's mission of "Measuring Success One Student at a Time." Teachers take time every day to give one-on-one help to struggling kids. ...
Road Trip to Success: Engaging Families and Children in Coopersville
Story posted March, 2008
Results:
• Higher test scores for at-risk children
• Increased parent involvement in school activities
• Greater family participation in out-of-school educational activities
The more life experiences children have, the greater their success in school. Studies show that children from less affluent households often come to school with underdeveloped language skills. A typical child in a low-income household hears 600 words an hour, while atypical middle class child hears 2,000. Plus, children in low-income families often have fewer life experiences like trips to children's museums, visits to the library and outings with their family. An innovative family involvement program in Michigan aims to change this equation. ...
Story posted January, 2008. Results updated December 14, 2012.
*Results:
• Math performance in the district continues to improve, with 59% of 3rd graders scoring proficient or advanced in math in 2012, up from 52% in 2011 and up 4% from the state average. Performance in 7th grade math is also up.
• 42% of 7th graders scored proficient or advanced in reading/language arts in 2012, up from 40% in 2011 and 38% in 2010.
A 2000 report on the performance of elementary and middle schools in Tennessee presented Hamilton County with some sobering news: it was home to nine of the 20 lowest-performing schools in the state.
In response, local foundations and the Hamilton County Department of Education embarked on an effort to improve student literacy in the low-performing schools, all of which were located in poor, urban neighborhoods in Chattanooga. The focus of the effort: embedded professional development and the creation of strong leadership teams in the targeted schools. ...
Together We Can: Schools and Communities Join Forces for Mobile's Children
Story posted January, 2008
Results:
• District made Adequate Yearly Progress in 2007
• 85 of 100 schools met Adequate Yearly Progress in 2007, a 215% jump from 2002
Often the hardest part of school reform is taking the long-view of things. Action plans get written but fail to move from goal setting to actual practice. The Mobile Area Education Foundation (MAEF) understood these shortcomings. MAEF set out on a multi-year quest to ensure that its efforts to engage the community in creating a school improvement plan translated into effective action and better education for all Mobile's children.
After four decades of inadequate funding, Mobile County's 100 schools serving 65,000 students were crumbling, and student performance was among the worst in the nation. In 2001, after an intense public engagement effort, voters responded in an action unprecedented in 40 years-they approved a property tax tied to public education. But the voters had not written a blank check: They expected results. ...
Transformation Helps Close the Gap, Inspires Performance
Story posted December, 2007
Results:
• Rapidly closing gap between majority and minority students in IB enrollment
• 68% of the class of 2006 passed the IB English exam (up from 24% in 2002) and 70% passed the math exam (up from 32% in 2002)
• Nearly eliminated gap between majority and minority students in attainment on the New York State Regents diploma
How does a poor minority student fare in a wealthy, predominantly white school? Thanks to Rockville Centre School District's personal approach, very well. But that hasn't always been the case. In this suburban Long Island school district, nearly 77 percent of the students are white and live in upper-middle-class households. Twenty percent of the students are African American or Latino, many of whom are poor and live in subsidized housing. Several years ago, Rockville Centre uncovered a disturbing gap in educational achievement between wealthy white students and poor minority students despite the appearance of equal access to education. ...
Collaborative Effort Empowers Teachers, Raises Test Scores in South Lane
Story posted December, 2007. Results updated February 28, 2012.
Results:
• The school outperformed the state on reading, math and science standardized tests in 2011, despite serving a more disadvantaged student population
• Students tested in 2010 in Grade 10 showed gains across subjects in 2011 in Grade 11
Ten years ago, Cottage Grove High School, named for the Oregon lumber town in which it's located, was little more than a pit stop for many teenages who'd eventually drop out and work in the mills. Today, most of those mills are shuttered, and the 900-student school--brimming with AP and professional-technical courses and equipped with robotics, plastics and computer labs--graduates more than 95 percent of its students. ...
Whole-Child Education Delivers Big Gains in Chugach
Story posted December, 2007
Results:
• Cut dropout rate nearly in half
• Students now consistently test above state averages in reading, writing and math
• More than two-thirds of graduates now go to college
How does an Alaska school district serving just 250 students, most of them living in remote areas accessible only by aircraft, receive the nation's highest Presidential honor for organizational performance? The answer: by pioneering a standards-based system of "whole child education" that adapts to students' individual needs and delivers big gains in student performance.
Chugach School District was chosen for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2001, just seven years after launching a comprehensive restructuring effort known as the Chugach Quality Schools Model (CQSM). The restructuring was a response by school district leaders to a plethora of challenges, including dismal test scores, high dropout rates, and the inability of graduates to hold jobs or become productive members of their communities. ...
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A VISION FOR GREAT SCHOOLS
On this website, educators, parents and policymakers from coast to coast are sharing what's already working in public schools--and sparking a national conversation about how to make it work for children in every school. Join the conversation!
