District Administration - October 2010 - (Page 18)

Br iefings Newsupdate PeoPle Watch ColleCtive Bargaining Mark roosevelt, superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, says the district and its teachers union reached an agreement on a five-year contract that includes new pay elements focused on teacher performance. ContraCt not renewed Newark (N.J.) Public Schools did not renew Superintendent Clifford Janey’s contract. Some speculate he may be asked to return to D.C. Public Schools if City Council Chairman Vincent Gray becomes mayor. $400 Million Mistake New Jersey State Education Commissioner Brett schundler was fired after allegedly misrepresenting his efforts to inform the Race to the Top reviewers about a paperwork error. Schundler says he was honest with Gov. Chris Christie. waiting for superMan Director davis guggenheim follows five students hoping for a better future but are stuck in an ineffective educational system in his documentary, Waiting for Superman, released Sept. 24. “We are failing too many kids,” says Guggenheim. extended day online Soon to be former Chicago Mayor richard daley announced a plan to extend the school day by 90 minutes by using online math and reading courses. The Chicago Teachers Union argues this online method is providing education “on the cheap.” by Marion Herbert HISD’s Major Turnaround Effort with Apollo 20 Project before embarking on an effort to turn around 20 low-performing schools, Houston independent School District Superintendent Terry grier said, “Houston, we have an opportunity.” The turnaround effort—dubbed apollo 20—is unique in that it’s adopting many principles seen in successful charter schools and applying them to this urban district of over 200,000 students. Partnering with Harvard University economics professor roland fryer, HiSD embraced many tenets proven to increase student achievement, such as more time in class, data-driven instruction, additional tutoring, and creating a culture of high expectations. HiSD is tackling nine middle and high schools in the 2010 academic year and will transform 11 elementary schools marked as low-performing in 2011. “We needed to do some creative things to broach these issues,” says greg meyers, HiSD school board president, referring to the district’s achievement gaps. The apollo 20 effort, which became finalized in spring 2010, will tack on an hour to each school day as well as five additional days at the end of the year. Students in grades 6 and 9 will have tutors to prepare them for high-level math courses, while the remaining middle and high school students will take a double dose of either reading or math. according to fryer, these are proven methods used in successful charter and urban districts. fryer is the Ceo of the educational innovation Laboratory at Harvard University. HiSD replaced all principals and then evaluated all teachers with a value-added measure at the initial nine schools undergoing reform. Ultimately, 169 teachers were replaced with new applicants, many of whom were from the Teach for america program. applications for math From left to right, state Sen. Rodney Ellis, Roland Fryer, Rob Gasperello, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, Greg Meyers, and Rep. Borris Miles with an Apollo Creed poster at Sharpstown High School. tutoring positions flooded in, says meyers, from everyone from postgraduates to retired naSa engineers. “We’re creating a culture of no excuses,” says grier. “We want to see every kid on grade level, no dropouts, and all of them go to college.” grier affirmed that no money had been taken from other schools in the district and that funding for the project came from state grants, contract renegotiations made by the school board, and private contributions. The district’s goal is to reach $7 million in funding. apollo 20 has garnered the attention of charter school leaders nationwide, including geoffrey Canada, president and Ceo of Harlem Children’s Zone. Canada flew to Houston in august to applaud the district and community for both the scope and magnitude of this reform work. Jeremy beard, apollo 20 improvement officer, notes that the announcement of the apollo 20 effort didn’t come without some hesitation from the community. “We had a sense of urgency, so i think there was some resistence in terms of timing,” says beard. “i think, though, when they see the results they’ll see it’s not a punishment. We’re changing the trajectory of students.” District Administration 18 October 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2010

District Administration - October 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
The Price of a Good Education
Dividing Arizona
Making Your School Future-Proof
Connecting Curriculum with Community
A Small District’s Big Innovator
New Books
New Products
Product Focus
Tech Disruptions
Superintendent’s Insights
Online Edge
Professional Opinion

District Administration - October 2010