John Musso from the American School Business Officials joins Saul Wagner from Hertz Furniture on The Balancing Act to discuss the importance of classroom furnishing and design when it comes to teaching and student learning.
Public School Success Stories
Across the Country, public schools and districts are transforming themselves to prepare students for success in a 21st-century democracy and global society. Take a look at what educators and communities are doing right now to meet this challenge.
Or tell us what's working in your own school or district.
Zone Offense Helps District Fight Challenges of Poverty
Story posted January 9, 2012
Results:
- In 2011, Zone schools outperformed non-Zone schools on state standardized tests in math, and performed equal to non-Zone schools in reading for the first time (overall performance improved in both groups of schools in both subjects)
- Dramatic gains at two middle schools lead to their removal from the state’s list of “persistently low-achieving schools,” and there are no district schools on this year’s list
Vancouver, Washington, is a city of around 165,500, located just north of Portland, Oregon. About 22,500 children attend the city’s public schools. But as elsewhere, not all of those schools perform equally – and students affected by poverty often attend the lowest-performers. In the Vancouver district, approximately 54 percent of students qualify for federally subsidized meals, up from 39 percent six years ago. “Decades of experience and research have shown that unmet basic needs, family mobility, inadequate medical and dental care, mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse, crime and violence, and gang involvement adversely impact student achievement,” said Steve Webb, superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools. ...
Academic Parent-Teacher Teams Show Promising Results
Story posted December 5, 2011
Results:
- Remarkable short-term test score gains - oral reading fluency (ISTEEP ORF) scores in APTT classrooms rose nearly 25 points from August to November 2009 (in non-APTT classrooms, oral reading fluency rose only about 10 points)
- Preliminary data show a 92 percent parent attendance rate at the team meetings, much higher than at conventional parent-teacher conferences in the district
When parents are engaged in their child’s learning, they can help their child strengthen academic skills outside of school. Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT) provides a structure for parents to meet with the teacher and converse with other parents while also learning ways to support their child’s academic skill development. Founded in 2008, APTT resulted from efforts to increase student learning through support beyond the school day.
The program replaces traditional parent-teacher conferences with three classroom team meetings for parents and one 30-minute individual parent teacher conference (or more if needed). At the team meetings, the teacher models activities that parents can do at home with their children. The teacher also presents academic performance data for the class and gives parents individual information about their own child’s performance.
“Many parents wonder what the parents of kids at the top of the class are doing at home to make that happen,” says Maria Paredes, who started the program and ...
A “Fierce Focus” on Data and Instructional Leadership Pays Off
Story posted November 16, 2011
Results:
- Extended graduation rate of 93 percent for the class of 2010 (up nearly 10 percentage points since the class of 2006)
- Achievement gaps between Hispanic and African-American students and their peers are narrowing
In 2006, the year Mary Alice Heuschel took 
over the reins of the Renton School District in northwest Washington State, more than three in 10 students were failing to make it to their high school graduation day. That fact clearly concerned Heuschel, who had spent the previous seven years in the state education department.
Aware of the poor finishing results and achievement gaps of the diverse 14,500-student school district (where 46% of students receive free or reduced price lunch and 14% are considered transitional bilingual) located 11 miles from Seattle on Puget Sound, Heuschel came to the job to make a difference. ...
Flipping the Classroom: Homework in Class, Lessons at Home
Story posted October 7, 2011
Results:
- Dramatic decreases in student failure rates since 2009
- From 52% to 19% in English Language Arts
- From 44% to 13% in math
- From 41% to 19% in science
- From nearly 33% to less than 10% in social studies
- Dramatic decreases in discipline cases (from 736 for 165 students in 2009 down to 249 for 140 students)
Leo Tolstoy once said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” That is until you meet Rob Townsend, a physical science teacher at Clintondale High School in Clinton Township, Michigan, and his school principal, Greg Green. It was Green who once asked Townsend why so many of his students fail his class the first semester.
Townsend’s initial response went something along the lines of “them not doing their homework, if they were in class at all.”
Built in 1959, in a solidly working class community, Clintondale High School had prided itself on its academic performance and its strong relationship with the community. A half century later, the reality for Clintondale had changed.
The 800-strong student body now comes from a diverse socio-economic background, with 73 percent qualifying for free or reduced lunch; the population mix went from 35 percent minority to 65 percent; and for the past nine years the school has been running at a budget deficit.
The climate and financial changes coupled with an increase in student need and decrease of school staff has contributed to the struggles of Clintondale. The result: In 2009, more than 50 percent of freshman students failed English, and ...
TechBoston Academy: Achievement through Partnerships and Committed Investments
Story posted August 31, 2011
Results:
- Despite serving a high needs population—an 86% free/reduced lunch rate, 15% English language learners, and 25% special needs—in 2010, 75% of students scored proficient or advanced in math, which is higher than state and district averages.
- In 2010 93% of graduates went on to college, compared with the district-wide average of 61%.
- The school recently announced that their value-added gains in math were in the 99th percentile.
It’s not every day that the President of the United States and the co-chair of the largest charitable foundation in the world take the time to tour a school. But on March 8 of this year, President Barack Obama and Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, joined together to tour TechBoston Academy in Boston, MA and to highlight the work being done there. ...
A Partnership Focused on Leadership
Story posted August 11, 2011
Results:
- Thanks to enhanced literacy skills and the efforts of a highly effective graduation coach, the class of 2010 had an impressive 95% graduation rate, compared to 66% six years ago
- Elementary students have made great strides in both reading and math performance over the past few years: 94% in reading, 97% in math on the 2011 Alabama Reading and Math Test (ARMT).
- Schools have a new atmosphere of collaboration and respect among administrators, teachers, and students
Sandwiched between interstates, industrial plants and a 2.3-mile Birmingham International runway sits the small urban community of Tarrant, Alabama. Tarrant City serves about 1300 students in four schools: elementary (K-3), intermediate (4-6), middle (7-9) and high (10-12). Many of Tarrant’s children grow up in poverty, live in substandard Section 8 housing, and breathe air tainted by industrial pollution. The district has one of the highest eligibility rates for free or reduced-price lunch in the Birmingham metro area.
The city has an aging population with little space to develop new middle-class homes. Over the past decade and a half, Tarrant has experienced a dramatic demographic shift as traditional blue-collar and industrial employment began to disappear and ...
Story posted August 8, 2011
Results:
- The "El Dorado Promise" enables financial rewards for student achievements and provides funding for college tuition.
- Since the initiative began, the district has seen a 5% increase in enrollment.
- Graduation rates have increased, and 80% of graduates go on to college, compared with 60% before the Promise.
On January 22, 2007, residents of El Dorado, Arkansas learned that a unique initiative called The El Dorado Promise would allow graduates of El Dorado Public Schools the opportunity to earn college degrees tuition-free as a result of a $50 million commitment by Murphy Oil Corporation to El Dorado’s greatest resource – its children.
While not many districts have access to a Fortune 125 company that supports its community in the way that Murphy Oil has done here, there are certainly lessons for foundation and partnership leaders to learn - lessons about the motivation of corporate partners to do big things, and lessons on designing and overseeing an initiative that can produce concrete, dramatic results. ...
Bridging the Gap: College Tuition for Every High School Graduate
Story posted August 3, 2011
Results:
- In its initial phase, the Say Yes program has covered the college or post-secondary tuition of nearly 1,200 Syracuse high school graduates in need.
- Across Say Yes schools, more than 75% of participating students earn a high school diploma or GED, and about half earn some kind of post-secondary degree or credential—far more than peers in similar circumstances.
Few would disagree with the notion that low-income children face enormous challenges outside the traditional school system in achieving academic success. Research has confirmed the role of everything from health to summer learning opportunities, along with school-based factors including teacher and principal quality, in student achievement. ...
Story posted July 25, 2011
Results:
- Over the past five years, the percent of students meeting or exceeding standards on the ISAT has consistently increased
- The number of students in honors courses is steadily increasing: In the 2009-10 school, 62% of the student body was enrolled in one or more honors class [34% of whom were Black and 37% of whom were low income]
- Attendance at parent-teacher conferences and other contacts are above 90%
Franklin Middle School is located in the heart of an economically challenged neighborhood in the small urban city of Champaign in central Illinois. Though staffed by dedicated adults and attended by hardworking students, Franklin is recovering from a difficult past.
As a result of years of racial discord, segregation, and lawsuits, in January 2002, the Champaign Unit 4 School District adopted a judicial consent decree outlining an educational equity agreement. Key points included establishing processes for parental choice of schools and increased community involvement. ...
Ethel M. Taylor Academy--Engagement and Improvement
Story posted June 22, 2011
Results
- Met AYP, rising from “Academic Emergency” to “Continuous Improvement” on its Ohio Report Card in 2009-2010 school year
- 42.4% increase in the numbers of students scoring “Proficient” or higher on the Ohio Achievement Assessment
- Attendance increased from 93.8% in 2008-2009 to 97.3% in 2009-2010 and behavioral incidents decreased from 309 in 2008- 2009 to 94 in 2009-2010
- Parent attendance at parent teacher conferences increased from 40% in 2009 to 85% in 2010
Dion had always been an average student. He never loved going to school, but was never a huge “problem child” either. After a meeting with his teachers, Dion was identified as a student “on the bubble”, [a student on the verge of progressing from basic proficiency], but with the supportive services that the school offered, he could potentially thrive--without them he might fall through ...
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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!
