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Welcome!
What is
Urban Edge?
Urban Edge is a service that provides CUBE districts
with relevant information to help your awareness 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. Around
the nation
Saint
Paul, Minnesota, keeps eye on prize
You may recall an earlier Urban Edge news
clip where the Saint Paul Public Schools decided to
set a goal of increasing reading and math scores by
10 percentage points. The district of 38,000
students is gearing up to take the state tests, and
has put efforts into after school tutoring sessions,
parental information classes, and even gives out
peppermints and water to help students be hydrated
and prepared for the exams. Some may see the
10 point goal as lofty, but administrators in the
district say that would be thrilled with any
increases in student test scores, even if they don't
meet the 10 point goal.
Link
to Star-Tribune
4/11/10
Voucher program in Milwaukee shows similar
results
Milwaukee's 20 year old voucher program is the
nation's oldest, and a new report shows the same
results on student achievement as traditional public
schools. In the comprehensive study, there was
no statistical difference in achievement between the
two types of schools, but the voucher schools were
said to be more efficient that traditional public
schools. Some think that they efficiency may
be due to fewer special education students, who draw
more resources (and expenses) in traditional schools
than voucher schools.
Link
to Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 4/7/10
Community schools gain national attention
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen
Sebelius called upon schools to act as community
centers in a recent address in Philadelphia.
CUBE has been programming on the importance of
community schools, including in Chicago at NSBA's
Annual Conference, where representatives from
Lincoln, NE, Chicago, IL, and the Coalition of
Community Schools discussed the importance of using
school buildings beyond the school day as centers
for health, education, and families. Funding
for community schools is included in the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), when it goes
through re-authorization.
Link to Philadelphia Inquirer 4/7/10
Princeton
University plans urban education reform
CUBE districts often use the university or
college in their city as a resource for expertise,
tutors, and research. Princeton University
freshman are currently part of a plan that would
bring reform to Trenton Public Schools and provide a
fresh look at the challenges facing urban districts
nationwide. As part of the Center for African
American Studies, the students will examine
techniques used in the past and current trends in
urban education to design a new approach, which will
be presented to the superintendent of Trenton
Schools. In the fall, a grade 3-8 school will
utilize the student's ideas and tutoring to help
make gains in Trenton. Perhaps the rest of the
nation will benefit from their work.
Link
to News from Princeton
4/8/10
New
Report
A
look at the amount of time and its impact on urban
student achievement was conducted by Education
Research Strategies. The study, released
earlier this month, utilized data from the middle of
the decade, examined six CUBE districts (5 are
currently members of CUBE) and advises
strategies for increasing the amount of time
students spend in class while being fiscally
responsible. Time spent in school has been
discussed for years, and this study looks closely at
how urban districts can impact student achievement
while making modifications to the school schedule.
Link
to full report
CUBE
News
CUBE's
programming the NSBA Annual Conference was
among the best content in years, according to early
feedback we received. In case you missed
something while you were in Chicago or were unable
to attend, here are a few resources to help you.
CUBE
programming held in conjunction with the 70th NSBA
Annual Conference, April 9-11, 2010
So much to
do and so little time. Didn't have a chance to make
it to all of the CUBE programming sessions in
Chicago? Click
here to access handouts and presentations
from all of our sessions in Chicago. Don't
miss information on charter schools, community
schools, and dynamic presentations from Dr. John
H Jackson from The Schott Foundation on Public
Education discussing "Educating Black Male
Students."
NSBA's
Conference Daily CUBE coverage
Register today for the 2010 CUBE Issues
Seminar, Serving the Learning Needs of Today's Urban
Students, June 24-26, Los Angeles, CA
Join CUBE’s 2010 Issues Seminar to discuss how
urban school board members can become advocates for
21st century teaching and learning. The Issues
Seminar will consider the need to respond to
demographic shifts and meet the diverse needs of all
children; realities and challenges of charter
school reform; Federal reforms and the changing
realities for urban school governance; redefining
a system of public schools focused on individualized
learning; and utilizing social media to engage
diverse communities. Click
here to download and print the registration
brochure. Please be patient, it may take a
few minutes to download .
Congratulations
to CUBE district Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North
Carolina, for being named one of five finalists for
the annual Broad Prize for Urban Education, which
includes $1 million for scholarships.
CUBE
is on Twitter-Follow CUBE_Edge (CUBE_Edge)
for daily updates on what's happening in urban
education around the country.
Program
Note
Did
you know that all previous editions of the Urban
Edge are available on CUBE's web site? If
you missed an issue, wanted to go back to find a
link to a research study we referenced, or need some
information about what other districts are doing,
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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