District Administration - September 2007 - (Page 39)

Career Training Walthill High School, Walthill (Neb.) Public School District CAROL HILKER, PRINCIPAL OF WALThill High School, whose student body is American Indian, 90 percent of whom are on free and reduced lunches, wants high school seniors and juniors to receive career training. Walthill Public School District has a student mobility rate of 67 percent, compared to about 14 percent for the state. In 2005-2006, Walthill had a 40 percent graduation rate. Hilker’s plan calls for guest instructors to visit the school to provide hands-on training in ﬁelds such as masonry, welding, child care and electrical work. Training would include practice job interviews as well as résumé-writing techniques. The X-Factor funds would have helped to supplement instructor salaries and provide materials. Students would be tracked afterward to evaluate the program’s success. Hilker plans to work with the superintendent and seek help from the tribal council to raise enough funds to get the program running. She believes the students will feel they should do this work, rather than feel they have to. —K.R. Students at Cumberland County Schools in North Carolina concentrate in class. Teen Themes Cumberland County Schools, Fayetteville, N.C. MARGARITA DOSTALL, THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY SCHOOLS ESL coordinator, wants to start a program that includes monthly initiative topics to help reduce the dropout rate and deter negative student behavior, including gang aﬃliation. Teenage gang inﬂuence is growing, and at least 10 to 15 of Dostall’s ESL students either drop out or are in danger of doing so each year. The program, “Teen Themes,” addresses college and career opportunities, gang awareness, job interviews, teenage pregnancy, health information, drug and alcohol awareness, and other LEP (Limited English Proﬁciency) student-chosen issues. Dostall says the X-Factor award would have made the initiative possible because district funding for new projects is limited due to a tight education budget. Dostall wants to use mental health professionals, police department oﬃcers and local college staﬀ as mentors. A bilingual (Spanish and English) ESL coordinator can lead the project, and hired tutors can address academic, language and environmental diﬃculties. The goal is to help LEP students be competitive in the workforce and become involved in more constructive activities. Dostall can also invite parents to participate in orientations and activities, providing interpreters as needed. —Ken Royal Walthill High School, located on the Omaha Indian Reservation. Classroom Ampliﬁcation South Street Elementary School, Eastport-South Manor School District, Manorville, N.Y. ROBIN BARBERA, SOUTH STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, says that young children “spend 45 to 60 percent of their school day involved in listening activities.” According to Barbera, the primary channel for learning is hearing, and young students’ somewhat limited experience with speech and language creates a situation where the soft, subtle consonant sounds that comprise the key element of word recognition, very important for them. Sixteen of the school’s classrooms in the Eastport-South Manor School District in Manorville, N.Y., are outﬁtted with sound ﬁeld ampliﬁcation systems for that very reason, but Barbera would like to see the entire school hooked up. Barbera says that using sound ﬁeld ampliﬁcation in the classroom increases student Kristin Scharf (right), a teacher at South Street Elementary School, wears a sound ﬁeld system participation and interaction, improves student attention and on-task time, and helps microphone at a Halloween party. to raise test scores. —Z.M. www.DistrictAdministration.com September 2007 39 http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2007

Cover Contents Editor’s Letter Letters News Update Curriculum Update Inside the Law District Profile Administrator Profile District Buying Power 2007 X-Factor Student Achievement Awards 2007 We've Got Mail Supporting New Teachers How Well Does This Web Site Work? New Products Problem Solution Computer Literature Research Corner Online Edge Supervisor’s Opinion Speaking Out Calendar of Events Understanding the Times

District Administration - September 2007

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