Links

• CATALYST Ohio: Bimonthly, nonprofit newsmagazine that documents, analyzes and supports school-improvement efforts in Ohio's urban school districts, with special emphasis on Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus.
• Classrooms for the Future, Pennsylvania’s ambitious, $200 million effort to reform the state’s high schools through technology
• Doing What Works (U.S. Department of Education)
• Engaging the Public in School Reform. Among other items of interest, there is a resource available for reading online titled The Public Speaks Out about NCLB.
• Going to College: A Resource for Teens with Disabilities is a website funded by the U.S. Department of Education that provides video clips, activities, and resources about living college life with a disability. Interviews with college students with disabilities offer a way to hear firsthand from students with disabilities who have been successful.
• Harlem Children’s Zone. Since 1997 The Harlem Children’s Zone has evolved into a resident-driven community-building initiative that serves over 8,600 children annually living in a 100-block area of Central Harlem by helping parents, residents, teachers, and other stakeholders create a safe learning environment for youth.
• KIDS Ohio: To improve the education of Ohio’s children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, KidsOhio.org analyzes data so that education policy decisions are based on a careful analysis of facts; identifies best education improvement practices from other localities and helps to replicate them in Columbus and statewide; and advocates for effective public schools that meet the unique education needs of each child.
• The Principal’s Partnership

Announcements

The Principal Story

This PBS Documentary Film on School Leadership, airs nationally on September 15, 2009. Visit the Wallace Foundation website for local listings and a Field Guide that provides resources for using the program as a professional learning experience.

Summer Learning and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

There’s good news for summer programs in recently released guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Labor. Summer programs are part of the federal government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), with funds available for programs in 2009. Specifically, the guidelines recommend that school districts and workforce investment boards invest portions of their Recovery Act Title I and Workforce Investment Act funds in summer programs, starting this summer. The March 2009 bulletin from the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University highlights these recent developments and their implications for summer learning programs. Read more >

KnowledgeWorks Releases Five New Publications

The KnowledgeWorks Foundation released on November 10, 2008 five publications in its Every Student Deserves a Legacy series. These publications highlight the challenges and accomplishments of five urban high school initiatives in Ohio. The high schools included in this series are Brookhaven High School, Columbus, Ohio; Cleveland Heights High School, Cleveland Heights, Ohio; Libbey High School, Toledo, Ohio; Toledo Early College High School, Toledo, Ohio; and Dayton Early College Academy, Dayton, Ohio. These publications are available online.

NEA Big Read

The National Endowment for the Arts’ The Big Read project provides communities with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book. Libraries, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply for one of approximately 400 grants ($2,500 to $20,000) that will be awarded for programming between September 2009 and June 2010. Communities may receive additional resources, including reader’s and teacher’s guides and audio guides with commentary from artists, educators, and notable public figures. Deadline: February 3, 2009. http://www.neabigread.org/.

Schools of Promise Announced

Superintendent Susan Tave Zelman announced the 2007-2008 Schools of Promise (SOP) on October 10, 2008. This year 146 schools met the criteria for achievement in reading and math among all groups of students, graduation rate, economic disadvantage, and Adequate Yearly Progress. To view a list of the 2007-2008 Schools of Promise please visit the ODE website.

Ohio State, Columbus State Team to Promote STEM Careers for Students with Disabilities

The Ohio State University, in partnership with Columbus State Community College, is leading a 5-year program to recruit Ohio students with disabilities to enter the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. Ohio’s STEM Ability Alliance is made possible by a $3 million National Science Foundation grant, with the goals of recruiting, retaining, and graduating students with disabilities in STEM degree programs at Ohio State and Columbus State in Columbus and Wright State and Sinclair Community College in Dayton. Dr. Margo Izzo, associate director at the Nisonger Center, will coordinate the program at Ohio State. Other partners include Metro High School, Ohio State School for the Blind, Battelle, AEP, Nationwide, and other area businesses. Share the recent issue of the NisongerNews with others who may be interested in recruiting high school or college students with disabilities interested in STEM: PDF >