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.
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.
Story Posted October 23, 2012.
Results:
- In 2012, the school exceeded state proficiency averages on standardized tests in all subjects across all grade levels.
- Out of the 9 subjects tested across grade levels, student proficiency rates in all but three were 90% or higher.
Today’s Woodbridge (VA) Middle School in no way resembles the school that existed in 2005. Then, the students were mostly White and few qualified for the free and reduced-price meals program; today, there is no majority group among the 1,038 students and almost 50% of the students qualify for such support. Then, student achievement was average; now, it is significantly above average as measured by the Virginia state assessments. The story of the school’s breakthrough success is the story of a strong leader who works collaboratively with an entire school staff to teach each student. ...
Story posted September 25, 2012
Results:
- During the 2009-2010 school year, 12 percent of Totem Middle School’s eighth-graders took algebra; now, 83 percent take algebra, with 100 percent projected for the 2012-2013 school year.
- At Totem, a $10,000 grant secured by MEA through NEA’s Priority Schools Campaign helped the school install a new laptop computer lab.
- School staff are receiving training on parental engagement.
- Data teams were created at schools receiving school improvement grants, with data from assessments shared with the students so they can see their progress as well as used by educators.
What does a strong public school system look like? It’s hard to envision with today’s political and economic climate, but America can provide a great public education for every child. The National Education Association (NEA) and its members know where to start.
Last December, NEA laid out its Leading the Profession Action Agenda, incorporating proven best practices in education from thousands of teachers around the country and input from the independent Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching, created by NEA in 2010 to examine the teaching profession and make recommendations on maximizing teacher and teaching effectiveness. This year, NEA expanded that vision by introducing five domains of education quality: the quality of the professional, the profession, the schools, education policy and the union.
So what does all that look like in practice? In Marysville, Washington, educators in three schools supported by NEA’s Priority Schools Campaign (PSC) are planting the seeds for sustainable education reform in ...
Working Towards a 100 Percent Graduation Rate
Story posted August 27, 2012
Results:
- The district graduation rate rose from 76% in 2004 to 93.5% (over 90% in all student racial and income groups) in 2011
- The school system now has about 110 community partners and a 100% Graduation Project committee that meets quarterly to discuss ways to engage additional community groups and encourage students to pursue their diplomas
Summary: School officials in Clarksville Montgomery County believe that, with the community’s help, 100 percent of their students will graduate from high school. ...
Supporting 21st Century Skills
Story posted August 27, 2012
Results:
- North gained 19.3 points in reading, 19 points in science, and 8.9 points in math on Iowa’s state standardized tests, the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED). (The science and reading gains took them from last place in the district to second.)
- The North High School Academic Decathlon Team earned a spot at the national online competition by achieving the highest score of medium-sized schools at the state level and finished 7th nationally in their division with six individual medals.
- The Science Bound program at North has been named the best high school program four years in a row.
The North High School Academic Decathlon Team from Des Moines, Iowa had its most successful year in a decade during the 2011-2012 school year. Competing against 12 schools in Central Iowa, the North team placed first in a regional competition. ...
Inspiring Students to Do Their Best
Story posted June 25, 2010, Story updated July 24, 2012
Results:
• The district's graduation rate consistently outpaces the state's: 92 to 85.9% in 2009, 92.3% in 2010 and 93.4 to 86.5% in 2011
• In 2011, 95.6 % of 4th graders in the district scored at or above proficiency on the state reading test, compared with 52.7% in the state; 98.5% of 4th graders scored at or above proficiency in the district on the state math assessment, compared with 51.2% in the state.
• Named a 2009 National District of Character by the Character Education Partnership (CEP)
"I’m just a hometown gal, born and bred in Arnold, Missouri.” The effervescent superintendent of schools for the Fox C-6 district, Dr. Dianne Brown, who has served in this district for her entire career in education, cannot hide her love of her hometown. She continues, “Arnold is really a special place. We don’t just have a district of character here; we have a whole community of character. We even have a parade for character.”
Brown, known as a passionate crusader for character, initiated a character program in 1999, the first year she served as an elementary school principal. But Brown’s passion for character education has a deeper, personal connection that dates back to her first year of teaching. Tim, one of her students, a transfer from the inner city, was shot as he alighted from the school bus. Tim’s brother, unaware that the gun he was pointing in jest was loaded, had killed him. “They never taught me how to handle this at college,” thought the young teacher as she prepared to ...
Every year the American School Board Journal (with the National School Boards Association and Sodexo) recognizes excellent school district leadership with the Magna Awards. The following district is a 2012 winner.
Story posted June 26, 2012
Results:
- Johnston County Schools’ dropout rate has steadily declined, from a high of 5.39 percent in 2006-07 to 3.19 percent in 2010-11 and the raw numbers dropped from 465 to 213.
- The district’s graduation rate increased over the same period from 72.8 percent to 78.7 percent in 2010-11.
- The program has brought together community groups
and support for at-risk students is rapidly gaining momentum.
DISTRICT DILEMMA
Johnston County is one of the fastest-growing school districts in North Carolina. The makeup of the student population is changing dramatically, reflecting an increase in students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Students also come from diverse economic backgrounds: Eighteen percent of the county’s children live in poverty and 40 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunches. Of the more than 32,000 students enrolled in Johnston County Schools, an estimated one third exhibit at-risk characteristics. Many students do not fit the “traditional” student mold and lack family support. The district’s dropout rate has exceeded the state average, and school leaders were concerned that the rapid growth of the district could accelerate the dropout problem.
SOLUTION
GRADUATE! provides personalized educational experiences to high school dropouts in a separate educational setting, allowing them to earn their diplomas. Supports include online and face-to-face courses, tutoring, mentoring, career and job coaching, housing, and mental health services. This initiative is ...
Elk Grove Unified School District — “Be Energy Wise. Conserve.”
Story posted June 26, 2012.
NSPRA’s Gold Medallion Award is the highest award given by the Association in recognition of outstanding educational public relations programs. This is a profile highlighting a 2011 winner.
Results
- EGUSD has saved approximately $768,000 and is well on its way to exceeding their $1 million goal.
- A reduction of approximately 13,000,000 kWh in electricity consumption, which is equal to removing 1,800 cars off the road and planting well over 40,000 new trees each year.
Research
Over the past three years, California’s K-12 public schools have experienced devastating state budget cuts. For Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD), this has meant a cumulative $100 million in budget cuts. In 2011-12, EGUSD was facing an additional $40 million in reductions. During this budget crisis, the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) informed EGUSD that it was the worst energy user out of the 13 districts in Sacramento County. ...
Story posted January 22, 2009. Story updated April 24, 2012.
Results:
• Proficiency rates score consistently around or above state averages in reading, ELA and math at all grade levels.
Although it opened only six years ago, Skyview Elementary School in scenic Lizella, Georgia, has already gained a reputation as an educational star. As a member of the National Basic Schools Network, which focuses on the four building blocks of community, curriculum, climate, and character, Skyview has a sound framework. But it is the passion, dedication, and wonderful vision of its dedicated former and present staff that has made this Title I school, where 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, soar to great heights in academics and character. ...
Story posted May 4, 2010. Results updated March 21, 2012.
Results:
- Despite serving a student population where 79% are recieve free or reduced lunch - double the state's rate - the school outperforms the state and district in multiple measures
- In 2011, 93.2% of Sacajawea students scored at or above proficiency in reading, compared to 91.3% in the district and 92.7% in the state; in math, 90% did so, compared to 85.3% in the district and 88.4% in the state
- The school improved its own proficiency rates between 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 in both reading, 90.3% to 93.2%, and math, 87.8% to 90%
- Named one of only three Distinguished Schools in Idaho for 2009
Back in 2005, Idaho’s Sacajawea Elementary School was struggling. The school had had four principals in four years, had never made Adequate Yearly Progress and lacked direction. But that changed with the arrival of Greg Alexander.
Now in his fourth full year as principal, Alexander presides over an award-winning school. After making AYP the last two years and seeing tremendous growth in its Limited English Proficient students' reading scores in particular, Sacajawea was named one of only three Distinguished Schools in Idaho for 2009. What are the keys to its success? A focus on recruiting and retaining excellent teachers, a consistent discipline strategy, a strong reading program and a host of other efforts designed to meet students’ individual needs. Principal Alexander recently told us more.
Public School Insights: How would you describe Sacajawea Elementary?
Alexander: Sacajawea Elementary is located in Caldwell, Idaho, a suburb of the capital city of Boise, just a good 20 minutes away. I actually live in Boise and commute to this community. We have a neat facility. We are up on a hill, overlooking what is called the Treasure Valley. There is a story about a young boy sitting on the edge of a cliff off beyond our school, looking over the valley as the wagon trains came through. The sagebrush was so high that you could only see their canopies. And we look up at the Cascade Mountains. It is just a really beautiful campus.
On this beautiful campus we serve 500 students from pre-K through fifth grade. We are 60% Hispanic and 23% ELL, or LEP [Limited English Proficient], students. We are about 36% Caucasian students, and then just a few percentage of a variety of other students. We have 7% that have special education needs, and we are 90% free and ...
Working Together for Pre-School Success
Story posted March 12, 2012
Results:
- 95% of eligible four-year-olds now attend free, high-quality pre-school classes
- District teachers consistently report that children who have attended pre-school are well prepared for entry into kindergarten
The School District of La Crosse, Wisconsin believes that well-prepared four-year-olds make the best kindergarten students. For the last ten years, they've put time and effort into getting all four-year-olds access to pre-school programs. And they've seen results.
Prior to 2001, children attended private pre-schools or childcare centers, if their parents could afford it. Head Start or Title I programs offered options for low-income families, but the school district Title I program could only accommodate 150 to 160 four-year-olds and had to turn children away every year (63.8% of students in the district are economically disadvantaged). In addition, interaction between the school district and other early childhood providers in the community was limited.
Ten years later, an estimated 95 percent of eligible four-year-olds now attend free, high quality pre-school classes in a variety of school-based and community settings throughout ...
SIGN UP
Sign up for our e-newsletter on public school success.
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!
