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.
Professional Collaboration
Success Stories
Pre-Kindergarten Program is Increasing Readiness
Story posted March, 2008
Results:
• 94% of students (including 23% with special needs) showed cognitive gains from ages 3 to 5, as measured by the Creative Curriculum Development Continuum
Harrison County Schools in Clarksburg, W.Va., was named the state's winner in the 2008 National Civic Star Award competition for its pre-kindergarten program, a collaborative effort designed to better prepare all the district's children for kindergarten.
The partnership includes the school district, Head Start, local child-care facilities and parents. Parents apply for their child's placement in their home school, at a child-care center or through Head Start. Children ages 3-5 with special needs are evaluated and placed in the program based on special education eligibility.
The goal is to prepare four-year-olds for success in kindergarten and to lay the foundation for life-long learning. ...
A Focus on Literacy Spells Success for Georgia Matthews Elementary
Story posted February, 2008
Results:
• 91.1% of 3rd graders met or exceeded the state reading standard in 2007, up from 79.1% in 2006
• 95% of 3rd grade English Language Learners met or exceeded the state reading standard in 2007, up from 80% in 2006
At Georgia Matthews Elementary School in Garden City, Kansas, developing literacy in the largely Hispanic student body is everybody's job. Students learn vocabulary and practice literacy skills not just during class periods dedicated to reading and writing, but all day long. Even physical education and art teachers bring books to their classes or use objects to introduce new vocabulary or concepts in English. Add a relentless focus on the individual needs of each student, and you've got a formula that has helped students beat the odds.
The majority of children at Georgia Matthews qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and half are learning English as a second language. Yet the school, which has students in early childhood through 4th grade, regularly outperforms the state's learning standards. Last year, the National Association of Title I State Directors recognized the school's progress in closing achievement gaps with a Distinguished School Program award. ...
Consistency is Key to Improvement in Orlando
Story posted January, 2008
Story updated January, 2011
Results:
• Test scores have consistently improved in most categories from 2007-2010
• Nationally recognized in 2003 for success in closing achievement gaps
Located in an impoverished, highly transient part of Orlando, Florida, Rolling Hills Elementary School often gains or loses as many as 40 of its 750 students every week. But the school's principal, who had once repeated kindergarten at his parents' request, helped create a more stable and successful learning environment for his school's students, in part, by providing many students with the opportunity to get on grade level by offering consistent and relevant interventions and allowing a few students to be retained. ...
Greenway Elementary: Empowering Educators to Close the Achievement Gap
Story posted January, 2008
Results:
• State test scores increased 23% in math and 14% in reading over the past two years
• Recognized by the state for narrowing achievement gaps
Greenway Elementary School in Bisbee, AZ was plagued for many years by mediocre test scores and a persistent achievement gap between its White and Hispanic students. Compounding the problem was teachers' isolation from one another, and the inconsistent quality of instruction from classroom to classroom. So, when John Taylor, the school's principal, decided it was time to turn things around, he set out first to empower his teachers to make a change.
Greenway and its students face many challenges. Its proximity to the Mexican border ensures a large population of English language learners, and nearly 70% of all students qualify for free or reduced priced meals. ...
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. ...
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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!
