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Welcome!
What is
Urban Edge?
Urban Edge is a new membership service that provides CUBE with relevant information to help your
district become aware of education issues around the
country. We will glean news sources, blogs, research studies, and NSBA's wide range of expertise for timely information that guides CUBE districts in making sound decisions. News
From the Field
Strategy
Session Held for Low-Achieving Students
Atlanta's Superintendent, Beverly Hall, participated
in a town-hall style meeting with other districts to
discuss the issue of confidence and expectations in
schools. The meeting was part of the UNITY:
Journalists of Color Conference, which was held in
Chicago and sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation. In a discussion with other
education professionals, the conversation centered
around high quality teachers and raising the
expectations for students and teachers, especially
new teachers who need quality leadership to mentor
them.
Link
to E-School News 8/1/08
Prince George's
County Looks to Philippines
The Washington Post Magazine covers the story
of a teacher from the Philippines who came to the
U.S. to teach in Prince George's County,
Maryland. It is often reported that there are
teacher shortages in many large districts, but in
2003 the NEA estimated that there are 10,000 foreign
teachers in the U.S. Five years later, it is
likely that more teachers are here and with foreign born
teachers being granted attractive visas (which allow
family to join them), they are becoming an
attractive asset to some districts.
Link
to Washington Post 8/3/08
(free registration)
Is
Teach for America the Solution?
Newsweek takes a look at the Teach for
America program and its attempt to reform American
education. While many criticize the program,
it has begun to change the way college students look at
their future. Thousands of applicants fill 700
vacant positions in low-performing schools, with a
large percentage of the applicants coming from Ivy
League schools. The author points out that
it's not just the teachers that wind up reforming
schools, in many cases they grow up to become
educational trendsetters once they finish with Teach
for America.
Link
to Newsweek 8/11/08 Urban
Youth Use Technology for Self-Expression
DUSTY (Digital Underground Storytelling for Youth)
is an after school program that teaches urban youth
multi-media literacy. DUSTY's creator,
Michaelangelo James, spoke to Edutopia about how he
set up this project in Oakland, CA and some of the
realities of the digital divide. Through the
program, students find ways to learn in a way that
is often out of reach for underserved areas of the
city. The outcomes of the program go beyond
helping students with the ability to become
technology savvy--they also aid the student's
self-esteem.
Link
to Edutopia Story 8/6/08
Urban
Renewal
Suburban
Flight?
For years, urban areas of the country have
lost residents to suburban areas. With gas
prices rising, as well as everything else, a
movement back to urban centers has been seen in many
parts of the country. In Toledo, the schools
are being credited with making improvements and
enticing suburbanites to return to the city
center. The trend is also happening in other
areas and urban school districts are helping the
cause by making improvements to their school
systems.
Link
to Toledo Blade 8/11/08
CUBE
Annual Award for School Board Excellence
CUBE
Award Finalists Named
CUBE has
announced three finalists for its Annual
Award for Urban School Board Excellence.
The Chula Vista Elementary School
District in Calif., the Brownsville Independent
School District in Texas, and the School District of
Omaha in Neb. have been selected as
candidates for CUBE’s prestigious annual award
that honors urban school districts demonstrating
progress in educating children and serving as role
models for excellence in school board governance in
large urban districts. The winning district
will be announced on September 27, 2008 at an award
ceremony during the annual
CUBE conference in Las Vegas.
News
from the NSBA World
We need your help! Do you know someone who has
dedicated their life to educating urban
schoolchildren through school board
leadership? Was there an inspirational person
who encouraged you to get involved in public
education who happened to be a school board
member? If so, consider nominating them for
CUBE's Benjamin
Mays Lifetime Achievement Award. The
deadline is Monday, August 18th.
Coming
Soon to a Mailbox Near You - “Elect
Education” Campaign Toolkit
NSBA’s Advocacy Office has published “Elect
Education: A Campaign Toolkit for the Congressional
Elections,” which will soon be on its way to
CUBE members. The toolkit, developed exclusively for
school board members, is designed to help make an
effective case for public education during the
Congressional campaigns. It features suggested
strategies and activities, success stories from your
fellow board members, as well as background
information, message points and rebuttals on issues
most important to school districts in the federal
elections.
CUBE members should find the toolkit
in their mailboxes by Labor Day, the traditional
kickoff of the campaign season. The toolkit also
will be available by then on our website at: www.nsba.org/advocacy/electeducation.
Meetings
Minute
Our next meeting will be the
CUBE
Annual Conference in September. We head to Las
Vegas to focus on 21st Century Learning and what it
means for urban students. Registration is open
now! The deadline for hotel reservations
is August 26th and our hotel block is close to
being sold out! For more information, click here.
Disclaimer
Links
on the Urban Edge are subject to change or
become inactive after a period of time. Please
be aware that CUBE has no control over links to
other organizations or entities.
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