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September 2008 My son read Dostoevski’s “Crime and Punishment” this summer for his high school English class. That and “Notes from the Underground” are two of my favorites, so you’ll have to forgive me for the more than liberally rewritten quote that follows. And if you’ve never read “Notes from the Underground” you really should do that, too…
I AM A HEALTHY WOMAN.... I am a hopeful woman. I am an attractive woman. I believe my glass is half-full. However, I know nothing at all about my optimism, and do not know for certain what rescues me from cynicism. I don't consult a school counselor for it, and never have, though I have a respect for counseling and counselors. Besides, I am extremely superstitious, sufficiently so to pay attention to the details of what goes on around me in the belief they may have import for me. It is in this spirit that I eavesdropped one evening. (Shocking, but true, so read on!)
We’re in
“Don’t worry – I’ll let you out, I promise!” he said. “But since we employ teenagers we have to close by
Manager to 16-year-old Mark: “What did you learn in school today?” Mark: “Mumble, mumble, mumble…” Manager: “Well, what you should have learned at work today was to study hard so you don’t have to do this for the rest of your life!”
Here’s to you, Mr. Manager, here’s to you.
Jodi Heilbrunn
Invitation for Letters to the Editor Do you have feedback regarding our feature article or strategy of the month? Would you like to submit a feature article on a topic of your choice? Send your commentary or ideas to info@schoolengagement.com for possible publication in our next issue. Please make the subject of your message “Newsletter commentary.” I would love to hear from you!
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“ShakeFest” for the Denver Public Schools By Proud parent of DPS student and Shakefest participant, Sam Clark
Every spring a marvelous event erupts in
This past May, the venue was the grounds of the
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Teaching the Horse to Follow the Cart: How Educational Opportunities Re-Engages Kids with High School by First Linking them to College Educational Opportunities is a one-time 3½ hour class conducted on a local community college campus. Truant students are referred by schools. The class provides education on state truancy laws, information about negative consequences of truancy, motivation to continue education into undergraduate or technical studies, and discussions on how to apply to and pay for college. The class is offered one Saturday a month for both parents and students, with co-facilitators who offer lecture, role play and provide a campus tour. Students leave the class understanding that college enrollment is a real option for them, once they graduate from high school.
The program was originally developed by Richard Williamson in Educational Opportunities operates as an alternative to court. It is available to high school students (and their families) who have a choice of attending the class or making a court appearance. Some programs are only available to Juniors and Seniors, but others include Freshmen and Sophomores. There is a fee, determined locally, but most families feel it is a ‘good deal’ compared to the alternative. The community college has an incentive to cooperate with the program because they get a portion of the revenues and potentially some additional students in the future. The students have an incentive because they can avoid court (of course, if their attendance does not improve they will have to go to court eventually), and schools have an incentive to refer students because it is a positive intervention they do not have to run themselves.
Two teachers work together to develop the curriculum and co-teach the class. Each time they teach a class they get paid; that amount is also determined locally. It is best to have a number of high schools referring students to the program so that the enrollment numbers will be sufficient to make the program pay off and so it can be held more regularly. Teachers can have a wide variety of backgrounds, and can teach the class as part of their regular jobs with the school district or state agency, or they can be independent consultants. Of course, someone who is a dynamic teacher and can relate to the students will have better success. Richard Williamson maintains a website at http://www.truants.org.
By:
Jodi Heilbrunn, NCSE-News Editor
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Sign up for education-related e-mail alerts from Grantsalert.com. The website also includes grant-seeking tips, a special page for sources of classroom funding for teachers (called GSFT), and a directory of grant writers to help you. Registering for funding alerts is free, but the grant writers, of course, are not Teachers, go to Doners Choose to make requests for classroom supplies. RGK Foundation - The Foundation's programmatic areas of interest include Health, Education, Human Services, and Community Affairs. The Foundation's primary interests within education include formal K-12 education, literacy, and higher education. · Adult Literacy Grants · Back-To-School Grants · Beyond Words: The Dollar General School Library Relief Program · Family Literacy Grants · Youth Literacy Initiatives (February 5 application submission deadline)
Here’s a wonderful webpage that lists endless grant opportunities for K-12 schools, and has a page on grant writing tips! They also offer a subscription to Schoolgrants Biweekly Newsletter for $45 a year.
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The Military Child Initiative, funded by the Department of Defense and run by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, has put together an excellent set of resources for promoting school engagement among the highly mobile set of children of the military, many of whom are living with only one parent. Although the funding has ended and the Initiative is no longer able to provide technical assistance services, the website resources are still available. See the Best Practices Library section on School Connectedness and Academic Achievement in particular.
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Professional Practices that Work ASCD’s conference on Teaching and Learning Founded in 1943, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development is a nonprofit membership organization that develops programs, products, and services essential to the way educators learn, teach, and lead. The (ASCD) addresses all aspects of effective teaching and learning—such as professional development, educational leadership, and capacity building. ASCD offers broad, multiple perspectives—across all education professions—in reporting key policies and practices. The ASDC hosts three annual conferences. Learning Beyond Boundaries will be held in March, 2009.
20th Annual National Dropout Prevention Network Conference
National Conference on Education Conference of the American Association of School Administrators
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