To Reduce Dropouts, Obama proposes $900M for schools

Carol’s summary:

In spite of our country’s relative affluence worldwide, only about 70% of entering freshmen finish high school, and the numbers are even worse for African-American and Latino students, with only a 50-50 chance that they’ll graduate on time.  Big city schools fare worst:  Fourteen urban school districts have on-time graduation rates lower than 50%; they include Detroit, Baltimore, New York, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Denver and Houston, and compared to other developed countries, the United States ranks 13th among 20 members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Last year, 16 percent of all public high-school students left the system, up from 9.3 percent in 2006 (a 6.7 percent increase). Source: U.S. Department of Education.

This week President Barack Obama proposed $900 million in “School Turnaround Grants” at the nation’s 5,000 lowest performing schools over the next five years.  If we are to remain competitive relative to the new global competition for talent, schools and districts must commit to strategies that help students persist with their educational goals.  Some of the attitudes and behaviors that result in low achievement start all the way back in elementary school, and LifeBound offers programs starting in fifth grade. Specific to high school, schools need to adopt student success and transition programs designed to help students get off to the strongest start possible. The new second edition of our book for 9th graders, MAKING THE MOST OF HIGH SCHOOL: Success Secrets for Freshmen, which is coming out in April of 2010, includes the following features:

  • Exercises on financial literacy in every chapter
  • Two new chapters are devoted to financial literacy and technology
  • An 8-year academic plan for students that covers high school and college
  • End of chapter exercises that that promote critical and creative thinking and ACT/SAT preparation
  • A fully updated Appendices on activities for students both in high school and outside of high school to develop their leadership skills.

To reserve a copy of our new updated book for freshmen success, or any of our other resources, call us toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com

How can we build better early-warning systems for struggling students?How can we effectively use the data to transform learning and reduce the drop out rate?

How can we connect classroom learning with real-world experiences to motivate more students to finish high school?

ARTICLE

USA Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday addressed the nation’s school dropout epidemic, proposing $900 million to states and school districts that agree to drastically change or even shutter their worst performing schools.

 

Obama’s move comes as many schools continue to struggle to get children to graduation, a profound problem in a rich, powerful nation. Only about 70% of entering high school freshmen go on to graduate. The problem affects blacks and Latinos at particularly high rates.

To view the entire article visit

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-03-01-obama-dropouts_N.htm

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In Middle School, Charting Their Course to College and Beyond

Carol’s Summary:

While it is advantageous for middle school students to create individualized academic plans using technology—as iterated in today’s New York Times article featuring a New Jersey school district—another key component to future high school, college and career success is active reading. As students move up, they will be required to read and interpret complex texts to develop their critical and creative thinking skills. Today’s students log in far too much time watching television, surfing the Internet and playing video games. When students interact with a book for college planning by answering journal questions and other exploratory exercises, they are simultaneously developing a composite of skills that they’ll need to compete in our global world.

I agree with the comment by Penelope Lattimer, assistant director of the Rutgers University Institute for Improving Student Achievement, when she said, “The more that you can personalize the academic route that students are exploring, the more they are likely to do their best work.” Our research has found that when students get a better sense of who they are, they have a clearer vision of what’s possible for their future. The emphasis on helping students connect what they learn to college and career goals requires programs life LifeBound’s that help students manage and understand the different developmental stages they encounter in middle school and beyond. For review copies of our materials, call LifeBound toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

To better prepare students for college level work, how can we create individualized learning plans that incorporate active reading?

What kinds of incentives do students need to read more and depend on screen entertainment less?

How can we promote active reading across subject areas, including college and career exploration?

Article:

In Middle School, Charting Their Course to College and Beyond
The New York Times
By WINNIE HU
Published: February 28, 2010

Public schools have long offered their students the same basic academic program, with little real choice aside from foreign languages or an occasional elective in what was a one-size-fits-all approach that drove many families to seek private and charter schools.

But this year, all 428 sixth graders at Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick, N.J., are charting their own academic path with personalized student learning plans — electronic portfolios containing information about their learning styles, interests, skills, career goals and extracurricular activities.

These new learning plans will follow each sixth grader through high school, and are intended to help the students assess their own strengths and weaknesses as well as provide their parents and teachers with a more complete profile beyond grades and test scores.

To view this entire article visit www.nytimes.com

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