Teacher-Led Initiative Helps California School Double Its Graduation Rate
By Cindy Long
For anyone who still needs proof that giving teachers a voice raises student achievement, March Mountain Continuation High School is an excellent case study. In one year, the Moreno Valley, California school went from a 35 percent graduation rate (the lowest in the state) to a 61 percent rate, and the number of graduates continues to rise. The secret? They got “REAL” with staff-led committees that focus on Resources, Environment, Achievement and Life-long Learners.“The REAL program is so clever, so simple, so integrated to everything that we needed,” says March Mountain English teacher Julie Alexander. “The idea was that each committee could choose projects that would improve any and every aspect of our campus.”
Although the REAL committee concept originally came from a consultant the school hired with funds from a federal School Improvement Grant, now that it’s in place, it’s a cost-free program that relies on what
Performance-Based Test for Teachers Rolls Out
As the test, known as the edTPA, kicks into high gear in 2013-14 after two years of pilot testing, thousands more teacher-candidates will be expected to demonstrate those competencies to receive a teaching certificate. New York and Washington state plan to introduce it into licensing by spring. By 2015-16, seven states will make it part of teacher certification or use it to review their preparatio
What Does It Take to Get Kids to Stop Skipping School?
When it comes to tackling the problem of chronic absenteeism, students who already have a track record of skipping class can be a particularly tough crowd to sway. But a new report out of New York City—where one out of every five students missed a month or more of school last year—suggests an intensive community-wide initiative is gaining ground. Source: The Atlantic Related posts: Stop Penalizing