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.
Personal Attention
Success Stories
School in Harlem Proves College is Attainable for Everyone
Story posted January, 2008
Story updated January, 2011
Results:
• Graduation rate averages over 95% for the past 11 years.
• 100% graduation rate in 2010.
For too many young women growing up in the neighborhoods of East Harlem, college is at best a remote prospect. But The Young Women's Leadership School has dramatically changed the odds for some of East Harlem's most vulnerable students. The Young Women's Leadership School (TYWLS) is an all-girls public school serving grades 7 through 12 in East Harlem, New York City. It enrolls young women who too often face extreme disadvantages: 98% are students or color and a full 84% are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Girls in these circumstances often struggle during adolescence to fulfill their academic potential. ...
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. ...
Incorporating the Arts and Closing the Gap
Story posted Jaunary, 2008
Results:
• Rapidly closing the gap separating black and economically disadvantaged students from their peers
Mary B. Austin Elementary's reputation precedes it. More than 80 percent of its students transfer into the Mobile, Alabama, school from outside its boundaries, in part because of a curriculum that fuses the arts with student achievement and a focus on making sure every student gets the help he or she needs.
The school's reputation stands on the academic performance of its students, just over half of whom are African American and nearly half of whom are economically disadvantaged. But while Austin Elementary students fare better on state standardized tests than their counterparts elsewhere in the city and state, closer examination of test results revealed that black male students needed additional help.
Budget cuts had also reduced the amount of music instruction at the elementary levels. "They did not have the manpower to offer what they realized was a balanced education," says Sarah Wright, the Mobile Symphony's education director. ...
Personalization Leads to Success in Port Chester
Story posted December, 2007
Results:
• Students now score on a par with wealthier neighbors on state assessments in English, and exceed them slightly in math
Surrounded by its much wealthier Westchester County neighbors, Port Chester, NY is a lower middle-class island in a privileged sea. Its middle school is home to about 800 students in grades six through eight. Latino students make up 68% of population, while African Americans and Whites make up 11% and 21% respectively. Sixty-five percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. But close attention to the needs of each individual student helps Port Chester Middle School keep pace with the county's wealthiest schools. ...
Individualized Language Arts Helps English Language Learners Succeed
Story posted December, 2007
Results:
• Among top 2% of California schools in narrowing the achievement gap separating disadvantaged and Hispanic students from their peers
• 172 point increase in the California academic progress index since 2000
Sparked by the rarest of rarities - affordable housing in Southern California - and its proximity to the Mexican border, Frank Wright Middle School in Imperial has grown from 367 students in 2001 to nearly 800, adding sixth grade and moving to a new facility in the process. More than 70 percent of the student population is Hispanic, and nearly one in four are English language learners.
The addition of sixth grade for the 2006-07 school year did more than just increase Wright's student population. It also required a new approach to middle school, and better outcomes for English language learners. "It's clear that student success...begins with preparation during the middle school grades, which are a critical, pivotal point in the educational career of each student," says State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. ...
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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!
