Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

September 21, 2007

Our Vision, Mission/Thematic Goals and Core Values

Our vision – what we will become, Our mission/thematic goals- how we will get there -- Our
core values - what we believe -- solidify the underlying foundation for all Guilford County Schools’ decisions and actions.

Andrews Incident

Unfortunately, this morning several nooses were found on the grounds at Andrews High School. School administrators immediately notified the High Point Police Department and the incident is currently under investigation.  Additional staff and law enforcement maintained a presence for the remainder of the day. School and district officials will fully cooperate with law enforcement regarding this matter. Those found to be responsible for this criminal act will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

We want to impress upon you that this inappropriate act is not a representation of Andrews’ administration, students or staff. It’s unfortunate that anyone in our community would take such hurtful actions against anyone.  These discriminatory acts will not be tolerated in or against our schools.  Please contact me at 370-8992, should you have questions.

Businesses for Excellence in Education Celebrate Excellence

The 15 most improved schools in Guilford County were recognized on September 19 at Greensboro’s War Memorial Auditorium, during the seventh annual Celebration of Excellence program, sponsored by Action Greensboro’s Businesses for Excellence in Education. These winning schools each received grants in the amount of $8,000 based on their performance on the 2006-07 state ABC tests

In addition, a total of 30 teachers received $1,000 grants. The top two students in each award winning school selected these teachers for having a positive influence in the classroom. The students each took home a $50 American Express gift card.

Schools that received this prestigious honor in the past have used the grants in a variety of ways to address specific needs. Many schools provided additional teacher training, purchased books for media centers or offered curriculum support materials in the classroom.
Winning schools and honorees include:

For more information, please contact Haley Miller, Program Administrator-Communications, at 370-3200.

Principal of the Year

Congratulations to the following principals who have been selected as the five finalists for this year’s Principal of the Year Award.  We look forward to honoring and celebrating the accomplishments of these exceptional educational leaders on September 26, 2007, at the Wachovia “Best in Class” awards program.

Valerie Akins – Vandalia Elementary (currently at Aycock Middle)
Revonda Johnson – High Point Central High
Darcy Kemp – Morehead Elementary
Grenita Lathan – Washington Elementary
Pam Misher – Alderman Elementary (currently at Pearce Elementary)

A special thanks goes to Wachovia for their commitment to education and sponsorship of this event which recognizes the hard work of all of our Teacher and Principal of the Year nominees.  For more information, contact Carla Alphin, Program Administrator for Employee Relations, at 378-8821.

IBM “Master the Mainframe” Contest Seeks Tech-Savvy Students

IBM is looking for some tech-savvy high school students to compete in this year’s “Master the Mainframe” contest. The online contest begins with getting students familiar with mainframe technology and progresses through real-life situations encountered by experienced system programmers. It gives students a taste of the basic skills and concepts needed to compete for high-paying jobs and internships in the enterprise computing industry.
Prizes include:

• Sixty $100 pre-paid debit cards
• Five Nintendo Wii systems
• Trips to the IBM mainframe lab in Poughkeepsie, NY
• 500 custom t-shirts

Register online at ibm.com/university/contest before December 1, 2007. For more information, please contact Lynne Brandon, Program Administrator-Communications, at 370-8353.

Mission Possible

Climate Surveys
Select faculty from each Mission Possible School participated in Climate Survey Training hosted by SERVE.  At this training, faculty heard an overview of the evaluation process being used by SERVE to measure the impact of the Mission Possible initiatives on the climate at each school.  Faculty members returned to their schools to distribute surveys to pre-selected groups of students and parents.  Feedback will be used as a preliminary measure of climate in each school.  Additionally, all Mission Possible faculty will receive an e-mail with a link to participate in an online climate survey in early November.  Post-surveys will be distributed in the spring to measure change.  Student, parent and faculty surveys will be used as valuable tools in improving the Mission Possible initiatives and ultimately, in creating ideal environments for students to learn and achieve. 

Teacher Orientation Site Visits
Representatives from the Human Resources Department made daily site visits to Mission Possible schools this week.  During these visits, representatives had valuable face-to-face interactions with Mission Possible faculty as they delivered a program overview, answered questions and signed incentive contracts.  Site visits will continue through September 28 until all schools have completed a teacher orientation site visit.  This strategy has been valuable for communicating program goals and answering questions about Mission Possible.  Teachers are encouraged to access the updated Mission Possible Web page at: http://www.gcsnc.com/depts/mission_possible/index.htm to obtain additional information and to post comments on the Mission Possible blogs.   

Mission Possible and Cumulative Effect Advisory Teams
Teacher advisory teams for Mission Possible and the Cumulative Effect projects each met this week to discuss progress toward program goals.  Team members acted on a volunteer basis to communicate questions and concerns from their schools to the advisory groups.  Feedback from each group is used in determining future professional development, program goals and implementation strategies.  Positive feedback about the need for both programs is encouraging.  Advisory team members will continue to be a critical piece in effectively communicating the successes of both programs.  Advisory team members can be viewed online at: http://www.gcsnc.com/depts/mission_possible/advisory.htm.   

Professional Development—Open for Registration!
One of the many support components of Mission Possible is the provision of additional training for faculty members.  This training is provided at no cost to the school or faculty.  Valuable professional development sessions are now being offered in locations around the district.  Mission Possible faculty who receive incentives are all encouraged to meet professional development requirements by signing up now for workshops. Course Offerings include:

Undoing Racism
http://www.solutionwhere.com/guilford/cw/showcourse.asp?1556

Cooperative Learning
http://www.solutionwhere.com/guilford/cw/showcourse.asp?1633

For more information, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, Director of Mission Possible, at 335-3294 or by e-mailing holcoma@gcsnc.com.

SAT Champions Training on College Board Online SAT Preparation

Next week, the SAT Champion (a faculty or staff member) from each high school will receive training on utilizing the College Board online SAT preparation software.  The district provides free access for high school students to this SAT preparation software, and most high schools have already begun making it available to their students.  The training will enhance monitoring and support of students who will be taking the SAT, especially seniors who are registered for the October 6 administration.  For more information, please contact Dr. Jane Fleming, Executive Director for Advanced Learners, at 370-2316.

State Superintendent Makes a Special Visit

Dr. June Atkinson, the North Carolina state superintendent of public instruction, recently visited Pearce Elementary. While at the school, Dr. Atkinson read “The Story of Ferdinand” to Ms. Stoltz’s first-grade students and emphasized the importance of reading. Dr. Aktinson will also visit Sumner Elementary on October 18.  She will speak to students about the benefits of hard work and determination and will encourage students to reach for their goals. 

Dr. Atkinson is the first woman elected to the post of State Superintendent, and has been in the position since August 2005. She oversees more than 1.4 million students in more than 2,300 public schools.

For more information, please contact Haley Miller, Program Administrator –Communications, at 370-3200.

GCSTV 2

Building Futures

They are among the newer GCS schools. Both feature innovative construction methods and energy efficiency.  Come along on this guided tour of Guilford Elementary and Reedy Fork Elementary as we highlight how these facilities serve our growing school district. This show airs beginning next week on GCSTV 2.

GCS/ABC 45 Partnership Continues

GCS continues its partnership with ABC 45 television to share the current news and feature stories about our district. The segments run on ABC 45 (Cable Channel 7) during “Good Morning America” each Wednesday and Friday at 7:25 a.m. and 8:25 a.m. Also, learn more about GCS by tuning in to GCSTV 2 (Cable Channel 2).

Substantial Progress
Guilford County students are showing significant improvement in scores for academic achievement. The district set out with a strategic plan to improve student performance and the numbers indicate success. This newsbreak airs Wednesday, September 26.  

Bobcats and Bluford Elementary
Professional athletics comes to GCS via the Charlotte Bobcats basketball team. It just so happens that the team’s chief operating officer attended Bluford Elementary while growing up in Greensboro. He returned recently with some members of the team to give back to the school that gave him so much as a child. This newsbreak airs Friday, September 28.

For more information, please contact Leonard Simpson, Broadcast Production Manager, at 370-8167.

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

Freshman-Year Indicators Impact Graduation Rates

A research report released in July from the University of Chicago has identified three freshman-year indicators including: GPA, the number of semester course failures, and freshman-year absences as strong predictors of a student's likelihood to graduate four years later. Of these, freshman year attendance can be the most important and practical indicator of a student's likelihood to graduate.

Several researchers have found that high absence rates are strong predictors of dropping out. The report, which details findings from research on students in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) showed about 15 percent of first-time freshmen have extremely high absence rates, missing one month or more of classes each semester. These students have less than a 10 percent chance of graduating. (Table I below)
It's not just extremely low attendance that is problematic. Just one to two weeks of absences are associated with reduced probabilities of graduating. As reported, 63 percent of students who missed roughly one week graduated in four years, compared to 87 percent of those who missed less than one week of instruction.
Information on absences is available early in the school year and might be the most practical indicator for identifying students for early interventions. While attendance is clearly a vital part of graduating from high school, its impact on GPA and course failure. Click here to view the report in its entirety.

Report: Schools Can't Solve Poverty Alone

School quality has a minimal impact on closing the achievement gap between low-income and advantaged students, according to a new report for U.K. charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation. "What this means is that if you simply looked at factors which varied from one school to another -- there would not be that much difference in educational performance. Looking at children's social background had much more of an impact," said Donald Hirsch, author of the report. Click here to read more.

Senate Youth Program Application Online

The U.S. Senate Youth Program will be held in Washington D.C., March 1-8, 2008. Application information for the program is now available to download at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/secondary/. The deadline to submit applications is Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. The U.S. Senate Youth Program provides the opportunity for two student leaders from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity to spend a week in Washington. Delegates will hear major policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials for the Departments of State and Defense and directors of federal agencies. Each student will be awarded a $5,000 college scholarship for undergraduate studies. Those with questions should contact Kelli Thomas at kthomas@dpi.state.nc.us or 919-807-3828.

Most Parents Don't See Need to Advance Math, Science Curricula

While educators, lawmakers and business leaders are increasingly eager to improve math and science classes, 70% of parents are satisfied with the status quo, according to a new Public Agenda survey. "There is room for concern here," said Jodi Peterson of the National Science Teachers Association. "We have a big challenge ahead to educate parents as to why math and science is important for their kids." Click here to read more.

Parents & Students Wishy-Washy About Increased Academic Rigor

A new study based on research conducted in Kansas and Missouri details parent and student thinking about math and science education. While experts, business community leaders and policymakers have long touted the need for rigorous math and science classes, students and their parents alike do not share this level of concern. In fact, the report notes their satisfaction with the existing curriculum, which experts regard as behind the times and global competitors. The report also explains that advanced courses have not become a priority for families because parents see their children doing more difficult coursework than they experienced in their school days. Even with the apparent lack of interest in ramped up math and science courses, parents and students believe that those courses are critical to future success. The age-old disconnect occurs for students as they believe math and science is irrelevant to their lives: to quote a student: "I hate math because it’s hard for me to understand how that’s ever going to come back and help me." The report does note a chance to change perceptions, as the research suggests that recent national attention given to algebra and algebra II has raised the subject as a priority -- 79 percent of parents and 70 percent of students believe algebra is an essential course. Students and parents appear open to changing their perceptions on the necessity of rigorous math and science courses. They simply need a little push. Click here to read more.

Harder Courses Do Produce Gains

Maryland Scholars, a pilot program launched in Hartford County, Maryland four years ago, has increased the number of students taking a more challenging high school curriculum than what is required by the state. The largest increases occurred among minority students from lower-income households, reports Madison Park of the Baltimore Sun.  In fact, since the program’s inception, the number of African-American high school students completing algebra I by their freshman year rose 158 percent, the number of lower-income children finishing chemistry rose 115 percent, and the number of students overall taking a fourth science course more than doubled. To become a Maryland scholar, students must complete algebra II, chemistry, physics and a foreign language, while maintaining a 2.5 grade point average. If students satisfy these criteria and are eligible for Pell grants, they will receive additional tuition aid. In their freshman year, students could expect to receive an extra $750 and if they maintain a 3.0 GPA, an additional $1,300 in their sophomore year. Students who major in math, science or specific foreign languages can receive an additional $4,000 through the Academic Competitiveness Grant in their junior and senior years. Since 2003, there has been a 33 percent increase in the number of students receiving free and reduced-price meals who qualified as Maryland Scholars. The program’s success in increasing the numbers of low-income and minority students opting into rigorous high school courses has led to its adoption throughout the state. Click here to read more.