State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces Expansion of Web Tool to Help Education Agencies Close the Achievement Gap
California companies, educational organizations
sponsor Distinguished Schools ceremony
sponsor Distinguished Schools ceremony
ANAHEIM — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced an expansion of resources in the California Distinguished Schools Signature Practices Web tool during the 2010 Distinguished School Awards Ceremony in Anaheim.The searchable database is designed to help schools share strategies that are effective in closing the achievement gap between higher-performing and lower-performing subgroups of students. The Signature Practices Web tool now includes strategies used by the 484 elementary schools that earned the 2010 California Distinguished Schools award. These schools will be honored with the award at today's ceremony.
"There are many success stories from schools narrowing the achievement gap, but too often those successes are isolated," O'Connell said. "The Signature Practices Web tool will now give every school access to effective strategies, guidance on how to implement them, and mentoring from those schools that have a proven track record in helping all students succeed academically."
The development of the Signature Practices Web tool was a result of two key recommendations by the
State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell, Impact Teen Drivers
Join to Urge Students to Drive Safely This Summer
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell joined students, parents, Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond, members of Impact Teen Drivers, and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to encourage high school seniors to celebrate their graduation responsibly, to drive carefully by avoiding distractions, and to never mix driving with alcohol or drugs.
"I am pleased to work with Impact Teen Drivers, our students and schools, and the CHP to drive home the message to our teens – especially with graduation and summer vacation just around the corner – that driving a car is serious business and needs to be taken seriously at all times," said O'Connell. "We're here today to tell teens it's important that they celebrate and have fun this summer, but they need to do so safely and responsibly. When driving, the focus needs to be on the road and not on distractions such as texting or talking on cell phones that place both driver and passengers in danger."
Teen driver crashes are the leading cause of death for young people. The overwhelming majority of these crashes are caused by inexperience or distractions, not "thrill-seeking" or deliberate risk-taking. In a recent National Young Driver Survey, 20 percent of eleventh grade drivers reported at least one crash over the past year, while nearly 3 percent experienced two or more crashes.
"Talking on the phone, texting, using iPods, or even just eating and drinking are all routine activities that teens take part in every day but they become life-threatening hazards when performed behind the wheel," O'Connell said.
Drivers between 15 and 20 years old are more often involved in alcohol-related crashes than any other age group. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, impaired teenage drivers are at far greater risk of being involved in a fatal crash than older drivers.
"I urge young drivers or anyone who operates a vehicle to drive safely and to encourage others to do the same," O'Connell said. "The life they save could be their own or that of someone dear to them."
For more information about distracted teen driving and tips to help teenagers make safe, responsible decisions when behind the wheel, please go to the Impact Teen Drivers Web site at Impact Teen Drivers | Reckless and Distracted Driving Education (Outside Source).