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.
School Community Communication
Success Stories
Arlington's Community Involvement Helps Students Succeed
Story posted March, 2008
Results:
• 95% of parents attending ESL classes related to the school attend parent-teacher conferences
• 400% growth in the number of children attending after-school enrichment programs, with 80% of those students showing academic gains
Imagine a school where teachers and parents work together to help children learn and develop; a place where local arts groups, businesses, faith-based organizations and county services all come together to improve the lives of young people and their families. At Carlin Springs Elementary School, in Arlington, VA, students are thriving because the school, county and the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families have come together to create a place that does all of this and more. ...
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. ...
Community Engagement at the Center of Fair Street's Success
Story posted February, 2008
Results:
• 91% of 5th graders passed the state reading test in 2006, up from 75% in 2003
• 94% of 3rd graders passed the state reading test in 2006, up from 76% in 2003
• School has made Adequate Yearly Progress 5 years in a row
As long as Fair Street Elementary School has been around, it has been the center of its community. When it was founded in 1937, the school was the only one to serve northeast Georgia's African American children before segregation. It was the heart of the community, holding community meetings, and social and athletic activities. While the Gainesville population has become more diverse over the years, Fair Street has held its place as the heart of its community.
Fair Street educates 601 students. Of these, 93% are eligible for free or reduced price lunch, 11% receive special needs services, 70% are English second-language learners, and 48% qualify for ESOL instruction. ...
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. ...
Teachers Help Thousands of Students Come to School Healthy and Ready to Learn
Story posted December, 2007
Results:
• Contributed to the addition of 400,000 children to California health insurance enrollments from 2002 to 2007
California teachers have linked thousands of low-income kids to health care because, as the Teachers for Healthy Kids (THK) project puts it, "healthy children make better learners." This initiative, a joint effort of the California Teachers Association and the California Association of Health Plans, connects teachers with information and parents with services to help ensure that the state's uninsured children receive the health care they so desperately need to succeed in school - and in life. ...
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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!
