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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.
The Super-Update
Reforms Continue for New Orleans
The focus on New Orleans grows again as USA Today looks at Superintendent Paul Vallas and the entire district. In the last three years, Vallas has implemented major changes to a district that is being watched by many. The reforms that Vallas has brought have been celebrated by some, while criticized by others. Those reforms that succeed may provide a model for other large districts facing similar challenges. With an infusion of young teachers who want to help, including many they had to turn away, and an administrative training program to groom new principals, Vallas admits the effort is "mine to mess up, mine to lose."
Link to USA Today 8/27/08
Change in Washington
With no school board, Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee calls the shots for D.C. schools. In her first year, she has fired principals (including the principal of the school her own daughters attend), offered six-figure salaries to teachers, and works long days in order for students to succeed. Her brash style and tough talk is often followed by actions that echo her words, and she doesn't worry about politics or who she makes angry. Newsweek looks closely at Rhee and how she is working to change the D.C. schools.
Link to Newsweek 8/23/08
News from CUBE Districts
Jefferson Parish Adopts Cyber-Bullying Policy
As Jefferson Parish pushes into a more technology centered district, the school board adopted a policy that warns students to behave on-line. Ever since the suicide of a 13 year old Missouri girl over MySpace messages, districts are concerned about educating students about their behavior on-line. Jefferson Parish is taking a pro-active approach--the Chief Technology Officer says, "As we become a digital school district and move towards engaging our students and giving them access to technology, we felt there was a real need for a policy."
Link to nola.com 8/23/08
Full Day Kindergarten for Fort Wayne
Giving more time for young students to be in school seems like such a simple solution to many of the problems that face schools and families. Last year, Fort Wayne, Indiana began a full day kindergarten program and the district is already seeing the additional time pay dividends. With additional funds coming from the General Assembly, the full day schedule will help this year's first graders because they are used to a full day of school, have additional skills, and will need less time to transition to a new routine. The hope for these students is higher performance throughout their school careers.
Link to Journal Gazette 8/17/08
Urban Leaders Gather to Discuss Student Achievement
Nashville area school leaders concentrated on student achievement in a symposium called "Best Practices in Urban Education." Miami-Dade's superintendent Rudy Crew spoke to the group and encouraged them to challenge the way they look at schools. The symposium looked at districts who have shown gains in student achievement.
Link to Tennessean.com 8/23/08
Innovative Ideas
A Lighter Backpack
In Winston-Salem, North Carolina the school board has opted to purchase on-line versions of social studies text books. Their decision helps save the district money since they only have to provide a classroom copy for each teacher, rather than a book for every student. The superintendent, Don Martin, said, "It's kind of an experiment to see how that works...If it works well, we won't buy textbooks next year." Students without internet access at home are encouraged to use local libraries or older textbooks for the information.
Link to Winston Salem Journal 8/27/08
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 finalists 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.
Resource Corner
CUBE districts often face tough choices regarding the school buildings in the community. BEST is an organization that attempts to improve school facilities and the communities they serve "where all children learn in school buildings that are safe and educationally adequate and that serve as community anchors in vibrant, healthy neighborhoods." On their site, you can find publications, research, and innovations that have been used around the country. You can even select your state and compare how states spend money compared to national and regional trends. With budgets being a primary concern lately, it may be worthwhile to check out their site here.
As mentioned before in the Edge, Public School Insights (PSI) is a great site and resource for success stories in public education. Recently, they posted an interview with author and professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. about ways to engage African-American students in studying history and science. In his documentary African American Lives, he traces the families of 19 famous African-Americans. The interview includes his motivation for the project and ways in which students benefit from studying their lineage, as well as the film. Video clips can also be found embedded in PSI's interview.
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. 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. |