District Administration - November/December 2010 - (Page 33)

president notwithstanding, they don’t get that message,” she says. The district tries to instill a message about the importance of achievement. “How do we support kids to build the skills for resilience when many of them live in environments where it is a major feat to get up and come to school in the morning?” she asks. Birmingham Redeemed Freeman also favorably cites Birmingham (Ala.) City Schools as a district that’s created a partnership with the local court system to ensure that while schools are kept safe, students whose disciplinary infractions are first-time and nonviolent receive a lesser consequence, such as community service, so they can stay in school and, when possible, avoid a criminal record. Superintendent Craig Witherspoon says his district is coupling that with beefed-up curriculum rigor—from a wider array of Advanced Placement classes, to a middle-school program called “Laying the Foundation” that prepares students for such classes—and more professional development and formative assessments. “We know that African-American students, whether in poverty or nonpoverty, can achieve at a higher level,” says Witherspoon, whose district is more than 98 percent black and has seen graduation rates fluctuate between 80 percent and 86 percent over the past six years. The graduation rate is often affected by issues in elementary and middle school. “We’re attempting to identify students a lot earlier and look at what structures we have in place to support them,” he says. Witherspoon says that for children from troubled backgrounds, that can mean partnering with social service agencies. “If their home life is such that school is not a priority, ... you have to make sure those supports are in place,” he says. Charter School Charm Among the organizations often cited by educational experts as displaying best practices in lifting up poor and minority children is the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York, which runs two charter schools and after-school programming www.DistrictAdministration.com that provides the kind of wraparound services that Witherspoon mentions. The charter schools, which feature longer days and school years than most public schools, are too new to have NAEP data to prove their success, says Marty Lipp, spokesman for Harlem Children’s Zone. But among those participating in the after-school programs, where they receive homework help, tutoring, health care and social work interventions as needed, 90 percent have not only graduated high school but have gone to college. Suspension and expulsion rates are “negligible,” Lipp says, adding that most students in the charter schools and after-school programs are black and Latino. “We do whatever it takes,” Lipp says. “Whatever the barrier is to learning, we try to erase. … It’s a broader definition of education, [and] in a sense [it’s] going into youth development.” DA Ed Finkel is a freelance writer in Evanston, Ill. Are you struggling with GASB compliance? Ensure full compliance with Real Asset Management International’s fixed asset accounting software for education, which includes fixed asset accounting, inventory tracking and maintenance management. From acquiring to retiring, all assets can be maintained, accounted for, moved, revalued, tracked and disposed of. RAMI’s comprehensive system, used by education business officials across the country, is designed to control all aspects of the asset management life-cycle. Features include: • GASB compliance • Barcode tracking • Capital project accounting • Maintenance management • Full audit trail • Flexible depreciation • Data import wizard • Excel integration RAMI has proven a safe and reliable choice for schools and school districts across the U.S., contact us today for a free Fixed Asset Management Info Pack and ensure your organization is confident in its fixed asset management data. Phone: 617 426 0893 | Web: www.realassetmgt.com | Email: solution@realassetmgt.com GASB-District-adim.indd 1 November/December 2010 3310:26:04 19/08/2010 http://www.realassetmgt.com http://www.realassetmgt.com http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November/December 2010

District Administration - November/December 2010
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Black Children Still Left Behind
ARRA Funds Empower Schools to Power Down
A Call for Technology Leadership
Readers Pick Top 100 Products of the Year
Going Mobile
Superintendent’s Insights
Supervisor’s Opinion
Professional Opinion
Student Counsel

District Administration - November/December 2010

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201505_AudioVisualSolutions
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201405_AudioVisualSolutions
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da201301_AudioVisualSolutions
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da_avguide0112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da1006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da-palm0606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0606-av
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/da0406
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com