• New Chief in Albuquerque, p.3 • Miami Cuts Tests, p.7 LEGISLATIVE • One More Step in ESEA, p. 10

The Nation’s Voice for Urban Education May 2015 Vol. 24, No. 4 www.cgcs.org

11 Council Schools Rank in Top 20 On National List

In the Washington Post’s 2015 rank- ing of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools,” 11 of the top 20 schools are in districts represented by the Council of the Great City Schools. Three schools in the Dallas Indepen- dent School District ranked in the top 20 of the more than 2,300 public high schools nationwide that made the national news- Maria Hinojosa Fareed Zakaria paper’s “Challenge” list, released in April. Dallas’ Talented and Gifted and Science/ Council Fall Conference to Feature CNN Host Engineering Magnet schools ranked No. 3 and 4, respectively. And Trailblazing Journalist Top Schools continued on page 4

Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS international affairs program, and Baltimore Takes Top Maria Hinojosa of public television’s America by the Numbers with Maria Hinojosa will be featured at the Council of the Great City Schools’ 59th Annual Fall Conference, Oct. Prize in Urban Debate 7-11, in Long Beach, Calif. Noted as a global thinker in delivering analysis and commentary on world affairs, Nick Imparato and Jonas De La Huerta Zakaria will be a keynote speaker at the conference. The award-winning journalist is are juniors at Baltimore City College high also a contributing editor at The Atlantic and a Washington Post columnist in addition to school and have been members of the Bal- hosting his CNN program. timore Urban Debate League (BUDL) for Born in India and educated at Yale and Harvard, where he received his Ph.D., Zakaria three years. Since joining the league, they also served as the youngest managing editor of Foreign Affairs at age 28, and was editor have won several awards for their debating of Newsweek International from 2000 to 2010 and editor-at-large at TIME from 2010- skills. 2014. They can now add one more: first place He has written bestseller books, with his latest, In Defense of a Liberal Education, listed at the 8th Annual Urban Debate National recently by the New York Times. Championship Tournament held recently Hinojosa will moderate the Council’s National Town Hall Meeting on an issue of the at the University of California in Los An- day in urban education, the pinnacle event of the Fall Conference. geles. Hosted by the National Association An award-winning trailblazer in news and investigative journalism, Hinojosa has been for Urban Debate Leagues, the three-day reporting on critical issues and the changing culture of America for some 25 years. tournament featured the top two teams from 19 urban debate leagues across the country competing against each other. Fall Conference continued on page 4 Urban Debate continued on page 4 INSIDE THE COUNCIL MAY 2015

Metropolitan Opera Taps Jacksonville School to Screen Live Performances

The Metropolitan Opera recently se- lected a school in Jacksonville, Fla., as one of only three in the nation to broadcast live Met performances on its campus. The Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville joins schools in New York and Dallas in screening live perfor- mances from the Met as part of the compa- ny’s national education program to support opera in education. The Met’sHD Live in Schools program partners with some 40 school districts na- tionwide, transmitting live opera perfor- mances to local movie theaters for students to view via field trips, allowing a few hun- dred students in a district to participate. Riley Bragg, a student at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Fla., sings at the With support of community partners press conference to announce the screening of live performances from The Met. and donors, Jacksonville’s Douglas Ander- son School of the Arts’ theater has been outfitted to broadcast the performances live performances from the Met in New York Marsha Drummond, director of edu- in HD, which will allow for an estimated City at the Douglas Anderson School of cation for the Metropolitan Opera, in 3,000 students – 600 students/five shows the Arts. a news release. – to participate and view the performances “The Jacksonville community and Du- “We were immediately impressed on campus. Students formerly visited local val County Public Schools were chosen by the motivation, eagerness, and en- movie theaters for Met performances. based on the district’s level of need for arts thusiasm of the school system’s admin- Starting this fall, students in Jackson- education support and their enthusiasm to istrators and teachers in addition to the ville will be able to watch the live stage incorporate opera into the classroom,” said Opera Jacksonville’s spirit of collabo- The Met continued on page 3

Executive Director Editor Associate Editor Staff Writer Michael Casserly Henry Duvall Tonya Harris Danyell Taylor [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Council officers A newsletter published by the Council of the Great City Schools, representing 67 of the nation’s largest urban public school districts. Chair Jumoke Hinton Hodge Albuquerque Charlotte East Baton Rouge Long Beach Oakland Sacramento Board Member, Oakland Anchorage Chicago El Paso Los Angeles Oklahoma City San Diego Chair-elect Atlanta Cincinnati Fort Worth Louisville Omaha San Francisco Richard Carranza Austin Clark Co. Fresno Miami-Dade Orange Co. Santa Ana Superintendent, San Francisco Baltimore Cleveland Greensboro Milwaukee Palm Beach Seattle Birmingham Columbus Honolulu Minneapolis Philadelphia Shelby Co. Secretary-Treasurer Boston Dallas Houston Nashville Pittsburgh St. Louis Felton Williams Bridgeport Dayton Indianapolis New Orleans Portland St. Paul Board Member, Long Beach Broward Co. Denver Jackson New York City Providence Tampa Buffalo Des Moines Jacksonville Newark Richmond Toledo Charleston Detroit Kansas City Norfolk Rochester Washington DC Wichita

All news items should be submitted to: Find the Council on: Urban Educator Council of the Great City Schools 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 702 • Washington, DC 20004 (202) 393-2427 • (202) 393-2400 (fax)

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Albuquerque and Palm Beach Districts Name New School Chiefs; Jackson Superintendent Given Contract Extension

Robert Avossa graduation increased from 76 percent in perintendent since last August. has been selected to 2011-2012 to 81 percent in 2012-2013. Valentino is no stranger to working lead Florida’s School Before coming to Fulton County, Avos- in a large urban school district, having District of Palm sa served as chief strategy and accountabil- served as the associate superintendent of Beach County, the ity officer for North Carolina’s Charlotte- curriculum and chief academic officer for state’s fifth largest Mecklenburg Schools as well as chief of the San Francisco Unified School District school district with staff. since 2012. In this position, he developed 183,000 students. “…We welcome Dr. Avossa to Palm a three-year strategic plan for the redesign Avossa is the Beach County and look forward to work- of curriculum and instruction. And for five Robert Avossa superintendent of ing with him in ensuring that all of our years, he served as director of school ser- Georgia’s Fulton students are provided a world-class educa- vices for the Los Angeles Unified School County School System, with approximate- tion,” said Board Chairman Chuck Shaw. District. ly 96,300 students. Avossa will begin his tenure with the “The Board believes that Valentino has He will succeed Wayne Gent, who is district in June. the right combination of professional ex- leaving the district to head Florida’s St. perience, ability and vision to lead the Al- Lucie County’s public schools. Albuquerque Leader buquerque Public Schools to even greater Avossa has led Fulton County Schools success than it has enjoyed in the past,” said since 2011 and under his leadership, the Luis Valentino was Albuquerque schools board president Don district was organized into smaller “Learn- recently named the su- Duran. ing Communities” to enable a decentral- perintendent of New Valentino will take the reins of the ized approach to school management and Mexico’s Albuquerque school district in July. provide schools the opportunity to work Public Schools, the more closely together and align resources. largest school district Contract Extended In addition, the district’s graduation in the state with ap- rate has increased more than 8 percentage proximately 80,000 Mississippi’s Jackson points from 70.1 percent in 2011 to 78.7 Luis Valentino students. He will suc- Public Schools has ex- percent in 2014, while the overall percent- ceed Brad Winters, perienced a decrease in age of ninth-grade students on track for who has served as the district’s interim su- the number of schools labeled low-performing as well as a decrease in discipline incidents and The Met continued from page 2 an increase in gradua- her operatic vocal talent at the Met press Cedrick Gray tion rates. The district ration,” she added. announcement in Jacksonville. She had has also embarked on “It is truly an honor to welcome The viewed Met productions when she was in its first ever 1:1 digital initiative, in which Met: HD Live in Schools program to our middle school. high school students receive a laptop com- district to serve our students,” said Duval “I’ve seen Carmen and Madame Butterfly puter or personal computing device. Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, who and they were really good experiences for As a result, Cedrick Gray, who has also thanked the DuBow Family Founda- me just starting out young because I didn’t led the district since 2012, was recently tion for its support of making the program know what I was going to do or how far given a one-year contract extension that possible. “Opportunities and partnerships I was going to go with the whole music will extend his three-year contract to last such as these inspire students to develop thing,” she said in a local radio news story. throughout the 2015-2016 school year. critical thinking skills, become better citi- She reportedly has her sights on post- “There’s been an increase in parent par- zens, and establish a lifelong appreciation secondary education at the Manhattan ticipation in parent-teacher student activi- for the arts.” School of Music or Juilliard in New York ties, and Dr. Gray has made a very positive A senior at the Douglas Anderson City. impact on the culture of the district,” said School of the Arts, Riley Bragg, shared Board President Otha Burton.

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Fall Conference continued from page 1 Urban Debate continued from page 1 send a message to the mayor, city council and police officials that they are young peo- Five years ago, she created a multime- “Because of our ability to travel nation- ple with huge potential and bright futures dia nonprofit production company based ally, we have become good friends with who are demanding opportunities, quality in Harlem to cover social and civic issues other members of different debate teams,” schools, access to jobs and just treatment overlooked or ignored by mainstream me- said De La Huerta. “It was an honor to under the law. dia called Futuro Media Group. The com- compete against them.” “Debate has taught them that their pany developed her public television show Urban debate teams debate in a style voices are powerful and they will not be si- America by the Numbers with Maria Hino- called policy debate, in which teams of two lenced,” said BUDL chief executive officer josa, documenting demographic changes students debate one current event topic. Pam Block Brier. occurring in the United States. This year’s topic was on whether Hinojosa also anchors and is the ex- the United States federal govern- ecutive producer of NPR’s long-running ment should significantly increase weekly program Latino USA. Earlier, she its non-military exploration of the had served in other anchor, host and cor- earth’s oceans. respondent roles in public television and BUDL was established in 1999 radio, and had spent eight years as CNN’s and more than 600 students have urban affairs correspondent. participated in its competitive af- Born in Mexico City and raised in Chi- terschool debate program this year. cago, Hinojosa has a weekly syndicated Recently, BUDL alums (current column for King Features/Hearst and is college students) were the organiz- author of two books, including Raising ers of the largest peaceful protest Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My in Baltimore, rallying thousands Luke Hill, left, director of data systems and debate programs for the National Association for Urban Debate Son. of college-and high school-age Leagues, presents the first-place trophy to Jonas De La In addition to Zakaria and Hinojosa, students to march through the city, Huerta and Nick Imparato for winning the 2015 Urban the Council’s five-day Fall Conference, stopping in front of City Hall to Debate competition. hosted by the Long Beach Unified School District, will also feature actor and director Levar Burton and former NASA astronaut Top Schools continued from page 1 José M. Hernandez. Both will address the Carnegie Vanguard in Houston, No. 9; nation’s urban school leaders. The Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Fla., also had three schools, Suncoast Community in Palm Beach including Darnell-Cookman School of the County, Fla., No. 12; Medical Arts and Stanton College Prep, ranked No. 7 and 8, respectively. Paxon School for Advanced Studies in The Washington Post rankings, launched Jacksonville, Fla., No. 14; in 1998, are based on a formula called the Challenge Index, which ranks schools on Rangel Young Women’s Leadership the number of Advanced Placement, Inter- School in Dallas, No. 15; national Baccalaureate and Advanced In- ternational Certificate of Education tests Archimedean Upper Conservatory in given at a school each year and divided by Miami-Dade County, No. 16; the number of graduating seniors. “The Challenge Index is designed to Young Women’s Prep in Miami-Dade identify schools that have done the best County, No. 18; and job in persuading average students to take college-level courses and tests,” says Post Ann Richards School for Young columnist and blogger Jay Mathews. “It Women Leaders, Austin, Tex., No. 19 does not work with schools that have no, or almost no, average students. We put those A number of other urban public schools schools on our Public Elites list.” also made the grade among the more than Other high schools in districts repre- 2,300 high schools ranked as “America’s sented by the Council ranked in the top 20 Most Challenging High Schools.” are:

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City Students Named U.S. Presidential Scholars Dayton Student Named Scholar Celeste Runnels Runnels, who will attend Georgia Tech began high school at a on a full scholarship, is not the only student local private school in from a district represented by the Council For senior Ja’Laquan Mitchell, being Baton Rouge, La., but of the Great City Schools to achieve this first comes natural. He is first in his grad- transferred to Baton prestigious honor. Other recipients were uation class at Dunbar Rouge Magnet High Praneet Polineni from Stanton College Early College High School for its quality Preparatory School in Jacksonville, Fla.; School in Dayton, Celeste Runnels academic programs and Yueqi Ren from Southwest High School Ohio. And most nota- clubs, as well as for its in Minneapolis; Nhung Hoang from John bly he is the first stu- diverse student body and faculty. Overton Comprehensive High School in dent in Ohio’s Dayton “I was looking for something broader Nashville; Alethia Tilford from Ronald school district’s his- and more diverse than what I experienced Reagan College Preparatory High School tory to be named both in my freshman year in private school,” said in Milwaukee; and Shizhou Chen from Ja’Laquan Mitchell a Gates Millennium Runnels. Oakland Charter High School in Oakland, Scholar and a Coca- The move paid off because the 18-year- Calif. Cola Scholar. old senior was recently selected as a U.S. Urban students selected as Presidential Mitchell is one of 1,000 high school se- Presidential Scholar for the state of Loui- Scholars in the Arts were Daniela O’Neil niors in the nation to be selected as a Gates siana. from Alexander W Dreyfoos School of the Millennium Scholar. Now in its 16th year, Runnels is one of 141 high school se- Arts in West Palm Beach, Fla,, and two the Gates Millennium Scholar program niors from across the nation to join the students from New York City, Dominique was established by Bill and Melinda Gates 51st class of U.S. Presidential Scholars for Thorne from the Professional Performing to provide outstanding minority students their accomplishments in academics or the Arts School and Javier Spivey from the with the necessary financial resources to arts. Each year, the White House Commis- Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Mu- pursue a college education. As a recipient, sion on Presidential Scholars, appointed by sic, Art, and Performing Arts. Mitchell will be awarded full college tu- President Obama, selects students for this This year’s U.S. Presidential Scholars ition for both undergraduate and graduate recognition, based on their academic suc- were comprised of one female and one studies. cess, essays, school evaluations and tran- male student from each state, the District Mitchell was also selected for the 2014- scripts, as well as evidence of community of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Since 1964, 2015 class of Coca-Cola Scholars, which service, leadership and demonstrated com- the program has honored nearly 7,000 of comes with a $20,000 college scholarship. mitment to high ideals. The program is the nation’s top-performing students with The Class of 2015 valedictorian at Dun- administered by the U.S. Department of the prestigious award. bar carries a 4.0 grade point average, and Education. has earned 26 college credits through the school’s dual college enrollment program. Houston and Fresno Districts Partner Last year, Mitchell became part of the redesigned school’s inaugural class eligible With Colleges to Produce Future Nurses to take courses at both high school and col- lege levels, providing credit for both. Start- Big-city schools in Houston and Fres- ing with online classes at Sinclair Com- no, Calif., are equipping students with munity College last year, he was able to 21st century opportunities to excel in the complete courses at both Sinclair and the high-demand career of nursing. Ensur- University of Dayton this school year. ing students are college and career ready, In the fall, Mitchell will attend Dart- both districts have partnered with local mouth College, majoring in pre-med with colleges to give students a jumpstart on a focus on anesthesiology. And his career their future careers. choice is personal. At Fresno’s Duncan Polytechnical “My grandma, she had cancer, and she High School, 20 students have been se- had to get her leg amputated,” said Mitch- lected for the Future Nurses Program at ell. “When I went to see her and she was in Fresno City College. The program en- Students at Fresno’s Duncan Polytechnical High pain, I just wished I could make the pain Future Nurses continued on page 12 School participate in the Future Nurses Program at go away. Becoming an anesthesiologist Fresno City College. touches on that.”

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Broward Leader Council Wins Three Telly Awards Recognized by The Council of the Great City TV stations, cable companies, interactive Latino Group Schools has won three 2015 Telly agencies and corporations worldwide. Awards for its three-minute video This is the seventh Telly Award the explaining how the Common Core Council has won. Last year, it won two Robert Runcie, the su- State Standards will help Telly Awards – statuettes perintendent of Florida’s students achieve at high similar to the Oscars and Broward County Public levels and help them learn Emmys, and made by the Schools in Fort Lauder- what they need to know same company that pro- dale, was recently named to get to graduation and duces these awards. It won the 2015 Hispanic-Serv- beyond. the highest honor of the Robert Runcie ing School District Su- The video, called “Con- Telly Awards program – perintendent of the Year versation” with a young the silver award in both by the Association for Latino Administra- student discussing the the “education” and “use of tors and Superintendents. new academic standards animation” categories -- for Runcie, who has led the district since with a teacher, won in its three-minute Common 2011, was recognized for setting high stan- the “education” and “use Core video called “Stair- dards for instruction and student achieve- of animation” categories case.” ment and for engaging the Hispanic com- of the 36th Annual Telly In 2006, the Coun- munity through district initiatives such as Awards program. cil won Telly Awards in Mi Gente, Mi Escuela, an effort by district The highly competitive two categories for its “Pop and community leaders and organizations awards program receives more than Quiz” public service announcement for to work together to organize, recognize and 13,000 entries a year from advertising outstanding television commercials. support excellence in educating Hispanics agencies, video production companies, throughout Broward County.

Council Develops Tool to Assess Quality D.C.-Area Chief Of Common-Core Instructional Materials Remembered Paul Vance, a former District of Co- The Council of the Great City Schools on a grade-by-grade basis, and they per- lumbia Public Schools superintendent, re- recently released a new tool that it devel- mit educators at all levels to identify where cently died at the age of 83. oped to help schools in their selection of supplemental materials might be needed,” He came out of retirement to lead the instructional materials aimed at preparing says Council Executive Director Michael D.C. school system from 2000 to 2003 af- students for college and career readiness. Casserly. ter serving as superintendent of Maryland’s The Council’s academic staff and a team Together with the Publisher’s Criteria, Montgomery County Schools in the D.C. of many of the nation’s foremost experts in the IMET tool, the Council’s English- suburbs from 1991 to 1999. reading and mathematics worked for more language learner framework, and other “Paul Vance was the superintendent of than a year designing and writing what’s resources, GIMET should provide school the District of Columbia Public Schools called the “Grade-level Instructional Ma- districts with all the tools they need to for a short period, but it was a time of im- terials Evaluation Tool (GIMET).” The make informed decisions about which ma- mense change in the district,” said Michael new tool is aligned with the Publisher’s terials are compatible with the Common Casserly, executive director of the Council Criteria and the Instructional Materials Core Standards. of the Great City Schools. “He was known Evaluation Tool (IMET) developed by The new tools provide selection criteria to his colleagues across the country as a Student Achievement Partners. grade-by-grade in both English-language thoughtful and experienced educator who “The unique feature of these new tools arts and mathematics and have been dis- knew what effective practice looked like is that they allow districts, schools, and tributed to big-city school systems across and what it would take to implement it. teachers to review commercial materials the country. They are also available to oth- He will be profoundly missed by urban ers at no cost. school leaders nationally.”

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Miami-Dade District Cuts Yearly Tests

The Council of the Great City Schools and the Council of Chief State School Of- ficers last year embarked on a joint effort to evaluate and improve the quality and quantity of student assessments in public schools across the nation, amid a growing debate about whether students are being tested too much. Miami-Dade County Public Schools recently entered the debate with its an- nouncement that it would eliminate nearly all of the 300 end-of-course tests that stu- dents were scheduled to take this spring. As a result, no elementary year-end exams will be given in the nation’s fourth largest school district. In addition, only 10 middle/senior high school end-of-the-year Des Moines Students Stage Rally at Iowa Capitol exams will be given to a random selection of students as a field test. Russhaun Johnson (top left), a student at North High School in Des Moines, The courses that have been identified Iowa, is one of several students who visited the Iowa State Capitol last month to in the field test include: physical science, talk one-on-one with legislators in an effort to encourage them to increase educa- world history and United States history. tion funding to schools in the state. While the Des Moines Schools superintendent The actions taken by the Miami school and school board were on hand, it was the voices of students that were the strongest system come after Florida Gov. Rick Scott and clearest. In addition, students from Des Moines’ Perkins, Hanawalt and Merrill signed a bill last month that eliminates the Elementary schools (bottom) stood on the East steps of the capitol building greeting state mandate for district-designated end- lawmakers at a rally for more aid to school districts. of-course exams to be given in all courses not measured by existing, standardized as- sessments. Exams related to the Common Core State Standards, which is known as “Florida Standards,” will continue to be administered. Under the previous state mandate, there had to be one standardized final exam for each course offered by Florida school districts, so school officials had to design standardized tests for classes as unique as photography, dance, or psychology. When the mandate was lifted by the governor, Miami district officials realized that they could spare teachers and students the huge burden that was imposed by it. “Today’s announcement should come as welcomed news to everyone who rec- ognizes that too much testing deprives our students of valuable instruction time,” said

Yearly Tests continued on page 12

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St. Louis District Big-City Educators Win Magnet School Awards Tackles Issue of Unused William Smith Award for Commitment to Urban School Buildings Daniel, a fi- Education, presented by the Council of nancial literacy Great City Schools. teacher, consid- Daniel wasn’t the only Florida educator St. Louis Public Schools last month ers himself to to receive an award from Magnet Schools launched an initiative to promote the rede- have “arguably of America at its recent national confer- velopment of district-owned properties no the best teach- ence. longer in use as schools. ing job in the Wendy Harrison, a principal at Muller It created the Building Revitaliza- country.” Elementary Magnet School in Tampa, Fla., tion Collaborative and scheduled a series For more was selected as the 2015 National Magnet of public open houses at 28 of its closed than 20 years, School Principal of the Year. Under her schools, giving the public an opportunity that job has en- leadership, the school has woven arts and to tour the buildings and provide feedback William Daniel holds his tailed providing sciences into the curriculum on an ongoing and ideas for reuse. Teacher of the Year Award students hands basis and has facilitated schoolwide events “My hope is that by opening the ma- on experience that celebrate the diversity of students and jority of these closed schools to the public through the Academy of Finance at Boone staff. – and inviting the public to share its ideas High School in Orlando, Fla. Students And MaryEllen Elia, the former super- for repurposing these grand buildings -- at the Academy work with a local credit intendent of Hillsborough County Public we will come up with fresh ideas that will union located on the school’s campus and Schools in Tampa, was named the 2015 inform an action plan for each and every also help prepare tax returns on campus for National Magnet School Superintendent closed school,” says Walter Gaffney, the community members. of the Year. Elia is the first superintendent school district’s director of real estate, in a For his efforts, Daniel was recently to receive this inaugural award for her lead- press release. named the 2015 National Magnet School ership in supporting magnet schools. Declining student enrollment over the Teacher of the Year by Magnet Schools of Also receiving a new award was the years has prompted St. Louis superinten- America, the national association for mag- Houston Independent School District, dents to close schools rather than have net and theme-based schools. The award is which was presented with the Donna students in half-empty buildings that cost presented annually to an outstanding mag- Grady-Creer District Award for Sustain- thousands of dollars to heat and maintain. net school teacher who is acknowledged by ability. The award acknowledges a school A week or so after the launch of the their peers, parents and students for their district that exemplifies a commitment initiative, the school district sold its first exemplary contributions made to their pro- to equity, excellence, and diversity as well vacant building, Windsor Elementary, to fession. as a highly sustained support for magnet a business property group, reportedly for Daniel has received numerous awards schools. $300,000. for his teaching, including the 2014 Queen Miami-Dade First School District to Partner with Federal Safety Institute

In an effort to provide students with These skills range from the ability to un- partnership will help keep them safe and essential workplace safety and reduce oc- derstand work-related risks to recogniz- healthy in their current workplaces and cupational injuries, Miami-Dade County ing rights and responsibilities on the job throughout their professional careers. Public Schools is the first school district in According to NIOSH, by the time U.S. the nation to partner with the National In- teens graduate from high school, 80 per- stitute for Occupational Safety and Health cent have held a job, with statistics showing (NIOSH). that youth are twice as likely as adults to As part of the partnership, the NIOSH sustain work-related injuries. Youth @ Work-Talking Safety curriculum In addition to providing the curricu- will be taught in 8th grade science courses to communicating effectively when expe- lum to students, NIOSH has trained more in schools across the district to provide stu- riencing a work-related problem. Federal than 50 Miami middle-school science de- dents with the knowledge and skills they and district officials hope the knowledge partment heads and eighth-grade science need to gain before entering the workforce. and abilities students gain through the teachers in the Talking Safety curriculum.

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Initiative in Charlotte Aims to Build Model for School Turnaround

North Carolina’s Char- lotte-Mecklenburg Schools principal at Whitewater Academy has partnered with the Uni- & Whitewater Middle School. “It versity of Virginia to turn 14 is my desire that this collaborative struggling schools into suc- work will become embedded into cessful, sustainable schools the fabric of the school.” that graduate college- and The Beacon Initiative will career-ready students. provide an opportunity to build The school district has partnerships with education pro- committed to working with fessionals that will give support the university’s Partnership through collaboration and profes- for Leaders in Education sional development based on indi- program for a three-year co- vidual school needs – and princi- hort to build a district-wide pals like the collaborative aspects. turnaround model called the “The Beacon Initiative will al- Beacon Initiative. low for a stronger collaboration Launched this current Melissa Stormont helps to recruit candidates for Beacon schools at the between the district and schools school year, the Beacon Ini- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Job Fair. that will provide the opportunity to tiative seeks to apply differen- support academic achievement for tiation to address each of the 14 school’s These interventions center on four key all our students,” said Tonya Faison, prin- needs. Instead of a single template ap- turnaround levers: leadership, instructional cipal at James Martin Middle School, one plied to all schools, Charlotte-Mecklen- infrastructure, differentiated support and of three middle schools in the initiative. “It burg Schools is working collaboratively accountability, and talent management. gives principals the opportunity to meet with school and district leadership and “The Beacon principals are telling us and share information in order to provide nationally recognized experts to strate- that the planning, the analysis and the support to each other. Some schools are gically plan a series of supports to meet leadership training just in this first year facing some of the same challenges and individual needs. are already making a difference,” said this is an opportunity for us to work to- “Every school is unique, just as every Nancy Brightwell, a district community gether and get it right.” student is unique. What works at one superintendent who leads the initiative’s In the second and third years of the school may not work at another,” said Su- implementation. “The school readiness as- plan, schools in the Beacon Initiative will perintendent Ann Clark. “While the ini- sessments and the extensive work with the focus on three critical areas: instructional tiative will build on earlier district efforts principals helped each school develop 90- culture, student culture and evidence-in- to turn around struggling schools, it will day plans that are a starting point for the formed culture. take a different approach by personaliz- work.” “By looking at schools’ individual needs, ing the support structures for individual The first year of the initiative is -be we will be able to better meet those needs,” schools. We are excited by the opportu- ing used as a planning year. Participating Superintendent Clark stressed. “Beacon nity to work with our lead partner, the schools have had a rigorous readiness as- is extending the turnaround efforts that University of Virginia, on this important sessment and principals at those schools CMS {Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools} and challenging issue,” she added. took part in a leadership competency in- has in place now. The initiative includes four elementa- terview to determine each school leader’s “The ultimate goal of Beacon is to create ry, four Pre-K-8, three middle and three areas of strength and need. sustainable turnarounds – and the key to high schools. The partnership with the success is leadership training at the school University of Virginia is expected to cost Principals’ Perspective level. Our long-term goal is to create a about $600,000 for each of the initiative’s model that can be used to strengthen other three years. “I chose to be a principal at a school par- high-need schools in CMS,” she explained. The Beacon Initiative focuses on pro- ticipating in the Beacon Initiative because To learn more about the initiative, visit viding job-embedded professional devel- the work is focused on empowering our thebeaconinitiative.weebly.com or the opment to district and school leaders and school to create and implement intentional, CMS home page at http://www.cms.k12. differentiating support systems provided school-based practices that will bring sus- nc.us/Pages/default.aspx. by the district to the turnaround schools. tainable results,” said Beth Thompson, lead

8 | URBAN EDUCATOR URBAN EDUCATOR | 9 LEGISLATIVE COLUMN MAY 2015

One More Step in the ESEA Reauthorization By Jeff Simering,Director of Legislation

In mid-April, the Senate Health, Education, La- ity,” private school vouchers, and Title I funding bor and Pensions Committee (HELP) unanimously formula changes get considered. If changes on approved the Elementary and Secondary Educa- these and other fronts are approved on the floor, tion Act (ESEA) reauthorization and reported it to support for the bill could easily collapse. Each the full Senate for consideration. The 22-0 commit- stage of the Senate process to date has resulted tee vote in support of the bill, now called “The Every in significant expansions to federal requirements Child Achieves Act” (S. 1177), stands as a testament and authorized programs, and the floor amend- to the bipartisan efforts undertaken by Chairman La- ment process is likely to be no different. mar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Senator Patty On the House side, floor action on “The Stu- Murray (D- WA). dent Success Act” (H.R. 5) has not yet been re- The measure continues to raise concerns from both scheduled since it was abruptly pulled from the the political left and the right -- and from the Great floor in late February. The pending House ESEA City Schools as well – but it is clear that Committee leadership reauthorization is very different from the draft Senate measure, bent over backwards to accommodate widely diverse interests and includes many of the controversial provisions that were and to maintain broad support through the Committee markup modified or removed by the Senate. stage of the legislative process. Both House and Senate ESEA bills need to secure approving Next up is Senate floor action on the bill. Debate, whenever floor votes in their respective chambers to keep the legislative it begins, is likely to reflect Chairman Alexander’s long-held process on track. Speculation on how a conference committee philosophy that legislation should be considered under an open- between the two houses would handle the very different versions amendment process, similar to the one he used at the Committee of the reauthorization is clearly premature, since floor action has level. However, this open-amendment process could also erode yet to be finalized by either body. support for the bill, as controversial amendments like “portabil-

Detroit Partners with Local University to Improve Business Operations

It was back to the classroom for 21 prin- and staff, will spend extended sessions at As part of the training program, the cipals and teachers, 18 academic/curricular the Ross School. Follow-up visits will also Detroit leadership team is committed to: leaders, 24 additional educational support be made by Ross faculty to Detroit schools, leaders as well as the entire Detroit Public as part of a new tailored executive lead- • Creating a high-performance environ- Schools’ executive cabinet. ership program designed to re-engineer, ment; The educators recently traveled to the synchronize and align all of the district’s • Providing the tools, resources and tech- Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the performance-driven operations. nology to accomplish work activities; University of Michigan to attend two-and- Michigan Ross faculty are offering the • Utilizing comprehensive performance a-half day leadership/organizational devel- program for free. management in a clear and transparent opment training. District officials believe the school sys- decision process; and The training was conducted by inter- tem is making progress academically, citing • Recognizing and rewarding behaviors national experts from the university and the recent release of improved graduation that reinforce a lean, agile performance- is part of a new partnership between the rates. “But we must re-engineer the servic- driven culture. Detroit school system and the university to es that the district provides to schools and The Michigan Ross faculty members improve the way the district provides ser- families to focus on academic success, first partnering with the district have a proven vices to and supports schools and students and foremost, and to ensure that this prog- track record of successfully assisting lead- over the course of the next year. ress not only continues, but accelerates,” ers to achieve high levels of performance After the training, teams of district se- said Detroit Public Schools Emergency in such companies as Oracle and Bank of nior leaders, along with teachers, principals Manager Darnell Earley. America.

10 1010| || URBANURBANURBAN EDUCATOR EDUCATOREDUCATOR URBANURBAN EDUCATOREDUCATOR || 1111 MAY 2015 INSIDE THE COUNCIL

San Diego Student Wins Fox-TV’s Chef Contest Urban Schools Win Green Ribbon Awards Nathan Odom, a 13-year-old San Diego stu- dent, recently prepared a three-course meal in a culinary East Coast-West Coast showdown with Los Cerritos Elementary School in Long an 11-year-old student from Westford, N.J. to Beach, Calif., has a school garden called the win the MasterChef Junior competition in Fox- Urban Farmyard, where students grow more TV’s reality cooking show. than 35 types of fruits and vegetables and His victory earned him a $100,000 grand herbs. The school also has several programs prize and coveted trophy. focused on environmental awareness, includ- “There are so many incredibly talented junior ing Cool the Earth, a sustainability after- home cooks we get to meet, but Nathan is truly school club; Roots & Shoots, a comprehen- exceptional,” said the show’s host/executive pro- sive recycling program; and an active Green ducer and judge Gordon Ramsay in a Fox press Team, which organizes fitness activities such release. “He was an incredible competitor whose as Walk-to-School Wednesdays and Bike- composure and flare for unique flavors and dish Friendly Fridays. pairings in the kitchen was inspiring.” As a result of the school’s effort to improve Odom, who was age 12 during the seven-week the environment, it was recently one of 58 competition, beat out 19 competitors ages 8 to 12. schools across the nation selected by the U.S. And his sights were on learning and not winning Department of Education as a Green Ribbon the title. School. The award recognizes schools that “Winning MasterChef Junior is a really surreal experience for me, because I entered have made exemplary efforts to reduce envi- the competition without caring how far I made it, and was focused more on learning,” ronmental impact and utility costs, promote he told Fox. “Then, to actually win theMasterChef Junior title was an amazing, once- better health and provide effective environ- in-a-lifetime experience.” mental education. He impressed the judges in the season finale episode with a restaurant-quality In addition to Los Cerritos, other schools three-course meal featuring an appetizer of fennel gratin and French ham with a side honored in districts represented by the Coun- of shaved fennel and grapefruit salad; an entrée of herb crusted lamb chop and fava cil of the Great Schools were Susan Miller beans and white asparagus puree; and an Earl Grey tea tart with Meyer lemon and Dorsey Senior High in Los Angeles, and two blood orange coulis dessert. schools in Omaha, Neb. -- Edward Babe Go- Odom has been cooking since age 6, but it was during his participation in the mez Heritage Elementary School and Wilson culinary arts program at McKinley Elementary School in San Diego that his skills Focus School. were honed. The winning schools were selected from Now a student at Roosevelt Middle School, Odom serves as president of the their respective state selection committees and French Club and secretary of the Cesar Chavez club, bringing cooked items for the then reviewed by a team of several dozen ex- clubs to enjoy, according to the San Diego Unified School District. perts.

Fort Worth Couple Share Title

“Hey, guess what?” Mario told his wife. “I’m teacher of the year.” “Guess what, so am I!” Anttoniett replied. Elementary- school teachers Mario Oscar Pureco Razo and Anttoniett Ce- ron Ponce recently shared the title of Fort Worth Independent School District Campus Teachers of the Year at their respective schools. The Texas school district believes this is the first time a husband and wife have been named in the same year.

1010 || URBANURBAN EDUCATOREDUCATOR URBANURBANURBAN EDUCATOR EDUCATOREDUCATOR | 11|| 1111 Council of the Great City Schools PRESORT FIRST-CLASS MAIL ® 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 702 U.S. POSTAGE PAID Washington DC 20004 MERRIFIELD, VA PERMIT NO. 2333

Future Nurses continued from page 5 Des Moines District Wins Fourth Energy Star courages students to pursue careers as reg- Iowa’s Des Moines Public Schools was cated to environmental protection through istered nurses by providing a foundation for recently selected by the U.S. Department superior energy efficiency. challenging registered nurse coursework, as of Energy to receive both the 2015 Energy The district has increased the num- well as mentoring. Star Partner of the Year Award for Sus- ber of buildings designated as ENERGY Selected students have priority registra- tained Excellence and Partner of the Year STAR certified from zero in 2008 to 46 in tion for prerequisite courses for the regis- Award for Climate Communications. This 2014, representing 69 percent of all district tered nurse program at Fresno City Col- is the fourth year in a row the school sys- buildings. lege and they participate in group activities, tem has received a partner award. The school district was also one of sev- tutorials and events. Des Moines was one of only four school en Climate Communications winners for At Houston’s Jones Futures Academy, a districts to receive the Sustained Excel- raising awareness of the impact of climate new partnership with Prairie View A&M lence Award, which was given to 79 orga- change and energy efficiency. University will enable students in the allied nizations for continuing to demonstrate health program to graduate high school exceptional leadership each year in the En- Miami-Dade Official with an associate’s degree and certification ergy Star Program while remaining dedi- as a licensed vocational nurse. Wins Council Award Through the district’s partnership, all 90 students in the program will spend half Jaime G. Torrens, chief facilities officer their school day taking college-level cours- Yearly Tests continued from page 7 for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, es that directly align with the university’s was recently presented the Distinguished nursing program. Service Award at the Council of the Great Students will also participate in clinical Miami Schools Superintendent Alberto City Schools’ Chief Operating Officers rotations and receive mentoring, college Carvalho in a press release. Conference in Las Vegas. advising, and work-based learning oppor- Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Sponsored by the Council and Chart- tunities from Prairie View A&M Univer- the state’s largest school system, is not the wells/Thompson Hospitality, the award sity’s College of Nursing. only Florida school district eliminating fi- honors business officials who exemplify nal course exams as a result of the gover- leadership, innovation, commitment and nor’s action on school testing. professionalism in urban education.