San Jose Schools Have a Rewarding Summer

San Jose Schools Win Awards and Honors This Summer

This summer several San Jose Schools won some kind of award or honor for their continued achievements in education. Three schools in the San Jose Schools system have won awards for successfully competing in the California Student Media and Multimedia Festival. River Glenn Middle School and Almaden Elementary entered a multimedia technology and science project into the competition. This project entitled "Environmental Concerns in the Community" won the Multi-Grades & Schools Collaboration for Grades 4-8 category. In this project three San Jose Schools interacted with each other electronically to collaborate on a scientific investigation of the impact of precautionary measures designed to protect area wetlands. The students participating in the project came from a fourth grade class at Almaden Elementary, a fifth grade class at Zanker Elementary and a class from River Glenn. The two main coordinating teachers Mary Howland, Special Education Teacher of River Glen Middle School, and Beth Fensterwald, TSG of Almaden Elementary were also honored.

Two San Jose Elementary Schools received 2006 California Distinguished Schools honors this year. Willow Glen Elementary and Terrell Elementary were called by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell to announce their selection as 2006 California Distinguished Schools. This honor is given to schools that have shown themselves to improve over the school year. The California School Recognition Program is designed to aid and publize the success of the California Board of Education and the school district , like San Jose Schools. The California School Recognition Program honors California's best and inspiring schools with the California Distinguished School Award. Participation in the program is completely voluntary and decided by the school district. However, the award is very respect and many schools in the state strive to attain it. About 5% of the schools in California receive the California Distinguished School Award. Usually participation in the program includes about 40 school districts from across the state. San Jose Schools has participated for many years and plans to continue in the future.

California's Model Schools Project

Recently, two San Jose Schools have been selected to participate in the California Model Schools Project. The exhaustive application process narrowed the selection down to eight schools in Santa Clara County of which two are members of the San Jose Schools system. The two schools selected to participate in the California Model Schools Project were Gardner Academy and Willow Glen Middle School. These two schools will work closely with and be supported by other schools across Santa Clara County. They will also collaborate with the Successful Practices Network at the International Center for Leadership in Education. The main goals of the California Model Schools Project is to increase state testing scores, improve the quality of the schools instructional and leadership practices, and raise community involvement in the schools.

San Jose Schools' Schallenberger School Wins Excellence Awards

Schallenberger School has received the State of California's Excellence Award for their performance in last school year. This award recognizes those schools that have raised its overall academic achievement scores and have closed the achievement gap among its students. The State of California's Excellence Award was presented in Costa Mesa. Schallenberger School has also been given an award from the California Business for Education Excellence Foundation at a ceremony.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more information please visit San Jose Schools

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Las Vegas Schools Prosper this Summer

"A Celebration of Progress" Marks the Opening of New Las Vegas School Buildings

This past August, leaders from the Las Vegas Schools gathered at the Cashman Theatre for "A Celebration of Progress." This was a celebration to mark the opening of nine new schools and one replacement school in the Las Vegas School System. In attendance were officials from Las Vegas Schools, Nevada State officials, community leaders, school principals, and architects. Las Vegas Schools' "A Celebration of Progress" was hosted by entertainer Clint Holmes.

The event was sponsored by The Council of Educational Facility Planners International; this is the eighth year that the Council of Educational Facility Planners International has sponsored this event. The Council of Educational Facility Planners International is an organization of education and construction professionals that aims to improve the places in which students learn. Various models and renderings of the new facilities were displayed and the students from these new schools created exhibits promoting school spirit. This years keynote speakers were Las Vegas Schools' Superintendent Dr. Walt Rulffes and Mrs. Ruth Johnson, President of the Clark County School District Board of School Trustees. The Hal Smith Elementary School choir performed, as well as the CP Squires After School All-Stars folkloric dance team.

The new school buildings were constructed to meet Las Vegas Schools' expanding enrollment that will have around 12,000 new students enroll for the 2006-2007 school year. This influx of new students raises the total number of students in the Las Vegas Schools to over 300,000. The new schools include six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. The replacement school building is also a high school.

At the August 9th "A Celebration of Progress" event Paul Gerner, Associate Superintendent for Facilities, thanked the architectural and construction partners who made the new schools possible. The Las Vegas Schools' system is expected to continue is substantial growth for many years to come.

Las Vegas School Students Take Part in Youth Leadership Summit

This summer several Las Vegas Schools' students went to the Youth Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. The Youth Leadership Summit was created through a partnership between The National Council for Community and Education Partnerships and Booz Allen Hamilton. The Youth Leadership Summit is designed to give students an opportunity to participate in educational reform. Students invited to the Youth Leadership Summit were participants in the Las Vegas Schools' GEAR UP program, which is a national program, intended to increase the number of students who go to and succeed in university and college. Along with participation in the GEAR UP program, students were selected based on their academic performance, leadership roles they take in their schools and recommendations from their principals and teachers. All of the participants from Las Vegas Schools will be seniors in the 2006-2007 school year.

The Youth Leadership Summit included different activities in the areas of teamwork and leadership that encouraged the students to share their own perspectives on how educators should improve student achievement. The suggestions that resulted from the Youth Leadership Summit included: creating information centers that would aid students and families in finding information for postsecondary education and creating peer and adult tutoring and mentoring programs that support middle and high school students.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more information please visit Las Vegas Schools

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Pittsburgh Schools Use the Summer to Prepare for the Future

Pittsburgh Schools Create High School Reform Task Force

This summer Pittsburgh Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt announced the creation of the Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force. The Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force will be comprised of education professionals, private foundations, business professionals, parents, and community members. The Task Force will investigate the current practices in the Pittsburgh Schools and determine what the best approach to high school reform should be. Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force will be responsible for evaluating and ultimately redesigning Pittsburgh Schools' high schools as part of Pittsburgh Schools' "Excellence for All" reform plan. The "Excellence for All" plan aims to improve the academic performance and increase graduation rates in all Pittsburgh Schools.

The most important goal of the "Excellence for All" reform plan is to increase the graduation rate by 10 percent by the end of the 2008-2009 school year. Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force will spearhead reform so that high school students will have the opportunities to succeed after high school. The main tenet of the "Excellence for All" reform plan is that all students no matter what their age, experience or background can achieve quality education. The Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force will evaluate education in high schools based on six main principles. These principles will be used to guide the changes in the high schools: personalized learning environment; academic engagement of all students; empowered educators; accountable leaders; engaged communities and youth and an integrated system of curriculum, instruction, and assessment supports.

Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force Members and Funding

The Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force will be led jointly by Jan Ripper, Principal on Special Assignment for high school reform and Dr. Lynn Spampinato, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, Assessment, and Accountability. Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force will visit and observe techniques used in nationally recognized high schools in urban centers around the US to determine which techniques would be beneficial to Pittsburgh Schools. Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force will be funded mainly through a grant of $255,000 from the

Fund in Excellence in the Pittsburgh Schools.

The Fund in Excellence in the Pittsburgh Schools is a recently created by a local foundation. The inaugural event for the Pittsburgh Schools High School Reform Task Force will be a meeting with renowned educator Dr. Willard R. Daggett, President of the International Center for Leadership in Education.

The current members of the Task Force are: Dara Ware Allen - Executive Director, YouthWorks, Inc.; Seppy Basili - Senior Vice President, Kaplan K12 Learning Services; Dr. Charles Blocksidge - Vice President of Organizational Development/Frieda G. Shapira Center for Learning, Community College of Allegheny County; Susan Brownlee - Executive Director, The Grable Foundation; Honorable Kevin E. Cooper - Pittsburgh District Judge; Joseph Dominic - Director, Education Program, The Heinz Endowments; George Gensure - Executive Board Member and Staff Member, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers; Dr. Cecilia Griffin Golden - Chief Executive Officer, YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh; Ruth Howze - PPS Parent Representative; Rufus Jordan - Executive Board Member and Staff Member, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers; Jeffrey Laurenson - PPS High School Teacher, Brashear High School; Dr. Alan Lesgold - Dean, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh; David J. Malone - President and CEO, Gateway Financial; Chairman of PA Workforce Investment Board; Dr. Indira Nair - Vice Provost for Education, Carnegie Mellon University; Ronald D. Painter - Chief Executive Officer, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board; Jeanne Pearlman - Senior Program Officer for Education and the Arts, The Pittsburgh Foundation; Gregory K. Peaslee - Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Construction and Property Management, UPMC; Douglas Silinski - PPS Parent Representative; Linda Serody - PPS Parent Representative; Gregory R. Spencer - President and CEO, Randall Enterprises, LLC; Former Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Equitable Resources, Inc. ; Michael T. Thorson - Former Principal of Creative And Performing Arts (CAPA) High School; Doris Carson Williams - President, African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania; and Yolanda C. Wilkins - PPS Arlington Academy (ALA) Teacher; Former PPS High School Teacher

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more information visit Pittsburgh Schools

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