Hamilton County urban schools nurture good teachers
State: Tennessee
Topics: raising student achievement, teacher professional development, teacher retention
Many urban schools struggle to find and retain teachers willing to do the tough job of teaching low-income students, but not in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Learn how they mastered this challenge and created a win-win situation for all—students, teachers, and the schools themselves.
Posted: May 23, 2006
Parents power Portland schools' rebound
State: Oregon
Topics: community engagement, school change, funding
In 2003, the financial situation for local schools in Portland, Oregon, was so bleak that Portland was spoofed nationally in Garry Trudeau’s Doonesbury cartoon strip. But when parents joined forces on behalf of public schools in the greater Portland area, it was no joke.
Posted: May 10, 2006
Georgia district fares well in weathering change
State: Georgia
Topics: data for decision-making; changing demographics
By getting in front of expected challenges a decade ago, Gwinnett County, Ga., school leaders kept the community involved and achievement levels high.
Posted: July 20, 2005
Education partnership leads to 'Broad' success
State: California
Topics: collaboration
When Long Beach Unified School District won the Broad Prize for Urban Education in 2003, and the $500,000 in college scholarships that came with it, judges frequently pointed to the district's powerful data collection system and research department as key to the district's success.
Posted: June 6, 2005
Pennsylvania district communicates that 'Every Child Counts'
State: Pennsylvania
Topics: collaboration; community involvement
In this age of standardized testing, Every Child Counts clarifies to the students, staff, and community of the Williamsport Area School District that every child does count and is a valued member of the educational system.
Posted: April 7, 2005
Florida school district gets the vote out
State: Florida
Topics: teacher retention; funding; outreach and communication strategies
With teachers leaving the Pinellas County (Fla.) School District for higher salaries in neighboring states, the Pinellas County School Board and the local education association spearheaded a grassroots movement that won a tax increase to raise teacher salaries and bolster reading and art programs.
Posted: Feb. 11, 2005
Texas school district tackles truancy
State: Texas
Topics: drop-out prevention; truancy
An original approach to school truancy in the Fort Worth (Texas) Independent School District is reducing absences and ultimately may curb the district's drop-out rate.
Posted: Nov. 17, 2004
Long-term commitment key to Kansas City (Kan.) schools' success
State: Kansas
Topics: student achievement; drop-out prevention; collaboration
Faced with a high drop-out rate and low student performance, the Kansas City (Kan.) School Board wasn't interested in quick fixes. Instead, members opted for across-the-board strategies to improve teaching and strengthen student learning.
Posted: Oct. 22, 2004
Rolling out the red carpet in Norfolk, Va.
State: Virginia
Topics: parent involvement
The Norfolk (Va.) Public Schools are seeing increased parental involvement and more interaction between parents and the school board thanks to a simple initiative launched by the board.
Posted: Sept. 7, 2004
