What's going on with America's schools?
As recent as 40 years ago the U.S. had the highest graduation rate in the world. It now has the 19th highest graduation rate in the world. What happened?
Check out this compelling 2-minute video from the Ed in 08 campaign and GOOD magazine.
New Guidance on School-wide Title I Plans
The Department of Education released new "nonregulatory" guidance for schools for setting up
comprehensive Title I compensatory education programs. The guidance allows for school-wide
programs (rather than targeted programs) in schools where at least 40% of the students are
determined to be low-income. A school-wide program should be designed to "upgrade the entire
educational program" ensuring that all students "demonstrate proficient and advanced levels of
achievement on state academic-achievement standards."
Career Choices, when teamed with the supplemental anthology Possibilities, addresses many of
the English/Language Arts standards for most states. A qualifying school could establish a
Freshman Transition program with a literacy emphasis, using Career Choices and Possibilities as
the core, thus providing a motivating classroom-based comprehensive guidance course while
building important reading and writing skills.
Get a copy of the "Designing Schoolwide Programs" guidance document from the US DOE.
Interesting Resource for Smaller Learning Communities
Interested in learning more about the strategies that are working for SLC programs? Visit the NW
Regional Education Library's link below, and you can access information and handouts from the
leadership institutes for Cohort 4 SLC grantees. Even if your program isn't a part of Cohort 4,
you'll find some interesting tidbits.
Visit the NWREL web site for SLC resources
Edutopia
If you haven't seen Edutopia, you'll want to check it out. A magazine about innovation in K-12
education from the George Lucas Educational Foundation, each issue is filled with insightful
articles and inspiring stories. An annual subscription is only $29.99. You can also sign up for their
FREE e-newsletter, Edutopia News, to receive links to what's new on their web site.
Sign up for the Edutopia News e-newsletter.
Learn more about Edutopia magazine.
The Up Series:
An unforgettable glimpse of 20th-century life
If you haven't seen this documentary series, hop on Netflix and add 49 Up to your queue. The series started in 1964, with filmmakers interviewing 14 seven-year-old British children from diverse backgrounds.
The film was intended to explore the Jesuit motto "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man." Every seven years, the original participants -- or as many of the 14 as they can get to participate -- are re-interviewed and their life choices are re-examined.
Roger Ebert called it "an inspired, almost noble use of the film medium...[that] penetrates to the central mystery of life." Once you start the series, you'll be riveted by the seven very different versions of the human experience.
Learn more about the film |
