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.
Standards that Matter
Success Stories
Small Academies Help Students Make the Grade
Story posted June 9, 2009
Results:
• Disciplinary referrals are down 27% since the transition
• Over the past three years, 90% of freshman passed English, up from 76% prior to the transition
• The freshman dropout rate declined from 14% in 2005 to an average of 8% over the past three years
At the end of the 2004–2005 academic year, Bridgeton High School in southern New Jersey closed its doors as a traditional high school. On September 1, 2005, the school, which serves a largely minority and economically disadvantaged student body, welcomed back its 1,100 students, teachers, administrators, and parents to a totally new system of education. Rededicated as a Talent Development High School (TDHS), what used to be one large school is now divided into smaller learning communities known as career academies. With this change, Bridgeton started on the road to ...
Expecting Success: College in the High School
Story posted April 30, 2009
Results:
• All students met the Washington State Assessment of Student Learning graduation requirements in reading and writing in 2007 and 
2008, up from 59% and 53%, respectively, in 2003
• Graduates are accepted to and attend colleges throughout the nation
• In 2008, Bridgeport High School was selected as one of America's Best High Schools by the U.S. News & World Report.
Many Bridgeport School District students dreamed of attending college. Sadly, for most, dreaming was all they could do because they couldn’t afford tuition, fees, or books. Nor was the 150-mile round trip to the nearest college possible. More than 80 percent of Bridgeport students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 87 percent are Latino, and most are prepared to become migrant farm laborers, like their parents. The Bridgeport School Board chose a different career path for them, and, in the process, introduced the College in the High ...
Helping Students Demonstrate Their Math Knowledge
Story posted June, 2008
Results:
• 70% of students scored in the top levels of the MCAS in 2007, up from 35% in 2004
• 91% of 10th graders passed the math portion of the MCAS in 2007
• 83% graduation rate in 2007, with 89% graduation rate for both black and Hispanic students
Fenway High has a unique history. It was founded in 1983 as a program for students in at-risk situations who were failing in the more traditional high schools. Fenway became a pilot school in 1995 and is now open to all students, serving a diverse population that is 44% African-American, 36% Hispanic, and 15% Caucasian, with 46% receiving free or reduced lunch.
Fenway has an innovative approach to student learning, most notably in math, and has seen significant improvement in test scores over the past few years. Fenway's principal and math chair both agree that their continuous improvement in mathematics is supported by three key elements: ...
Ensuring All Students Reach their Highest Potential in Math
Story posted May 30, 2008
Story updated January, 2011
Results:
• In 2010, 10th graders scored above state averages on all sections of the HSPE test, and scored more than 20% higher than the state average in math
• 71% of 10th graders scored at or above proficient on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) math section in 2007, up from 49% in 2004
• 78% of students who took the AP Calculus exam passed in 2007, making them eligible for college credit
Only a decade ago, Interlake High School was the lowest-performing school in the Bellevue district. As Bellevue is an open enrollment district, Interlake parents and community members knew they needed an academically rigorous program to turn the school's performance around and draw students to the school. In 1997, Interlake implemented the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Degree program and in 2003 added the Advanced Placement program. ...
Building Boat Models Aids Math, Science Learning
Story posted April, 2008
Results:
• 87% of 3rd graders have passed the state math test each of the past two years, up from 63% in 2005
Parma City Schools in Parma, Ohio, and General Motors have collaborated in a program for third-grade students at the district's Thoreau Park Elementary School to boost math and science performance.
The program evolved after the school community focused on the fact that students were performing poorly on the Ohio state tests in math and science. At the time, General Motors was a business partner with Thoreau Park Elementary and offered to provide volunteers to implement a proposed program, called World in Motion. The premise was that students learn best when they can connect their learning to real-world aspects of life. In science and math, that involves connecting abstract theory to something tangible.
The program involves students creating small skimmer boats with the help of about 10 GM engineers working in the school's third-grade classrooms for an hour a week for six weeks. ...
A Wake-Up Call Sparks Action in Arizona
Story posted April, 2008. Results updated October 23, 2012.
Results:
• In 2012, Vail exceeded all state proficiency averages, across grades and subjects.
• Students in all grade levels are scoring at or above proficiency at rates of 90% and higher.
Administrators and staff at the Vail Unified School District recognized they had a problem back in 2003. Student scores on the new statewide AIMS test showed a downward trend as children in Vail schools moved up through the grades. For example, while third-graders were scoring in the 70-percent range on average in math, by middle school and high school proficiency rates dropped into the teens.
"It was a real wake-up call," said Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Debbie Hedgepeth. "Students weren't performing where we knew they could and should." ...
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. ...
In West Philly, Career Academies Drive Success
Story posted December, 2007
Results:
• Top honors multiple times at the Tour de Sol (a prestigious national green car competition)
• Increased numbers of college-bound students
West Philadelphia High School doesn't look like a place on the cutting edge of automotive technology "It's a true inner city high school," says teacher Simon Hauger. "Many of my students come from extraordinarily challenging social circumstances." But a groundbreaking career and technical education program has given students reasons to stay focused, including the opportunity to be part of a car-building competition that's trumped college students and automakers alike.
More than 80 percent of West Philadelphia's overwhelmingly African American student population comes from disadvantaged backgrounds. Four in ten don't graduate, prompting school officials to find hands-on, relevant ways to reach at-risk students. ...
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. ...
Seattle Students Go Global -- And Soar
Story posted December, 2007
Results:
• Math and reading test scores exceed state averages
• High-profile honors including the Goldman Sachs Foundation Prize for Excellence in International Education, and the Best of the Best Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Award
"Globalization" is a word everyone uses, but few know how to put into practice. Eight years ago, however, Seattle parents and businesses were asked, in separate surveys, what they thought would make for a successful "international" school - one that immerses students in world languages and cultures as they acquire the skills needed to thrive worldwide.
The answers were put into practice at the K-5 John Stanford International School (JSIS), named for a Seattle superintendent who, before his death from leukemia, envisioned creating high-achieving global-savvy schools. Founded in 2000, JSIS is just that, earning high test scores and prestigious awards, and serving as a model for the district. So how does it do all these things? ...
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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!
