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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
Narrowing the achievement gap
A study released by the National Center for
Education Statistics and the Department of Education
indicates that the achievement gap is closing
between black and white students, but the changes
vary greatly by grade and by state. Using
National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP)
scores over a period of time reaching back to the
1970s, the report shows that black students in some
grades and in some states have gained ground on
their white counterparts. In this study, the
data goes into more detail than prior studies and
includes state-by-state statistics. The
achievement gap is perennially one of CUBE's focus
points and this report may
prove to be a valuable resource for all CUBE districts.
Link
to NCES achievement gap page
Link
to study highlights
Link to Education Week Story 7/14/09
Philadelphia
mentoring program aid Latino students
More than 200 students in Philadelphia are
taking part in a program that pairs them up with
business leaders in the city to guide them through
high school. The dropout rate is a big issue
for Philadelphia, as it is in many CUBE districts,
and this program gives hope to many students who are
told they can't finish high school. As one
student who recently graduated and is heading off to
college in the fall said, "the business classes
opened my eyes to different things I can do and the
variety of successful positions I can have...there
are so many things going on, and you just have to
say yes."
Link
to Philadelphia Inquirer story
7/4/09
H1N1 is still
an issue
Although much of the media has slowed down
its coverage of the H1N1 virus (swine flu), that
does not mean that America's schools are completely
safe from an outbreak. In fact, last week a
panel of experts (including NSBA) attended a summit
about the flu and how to be prepared. U.S.
deaths have reached 170 people, and there is
discussion about immunizing children in all schools
around the country to prevent further
spreading. As school leaders, this could have
a tremendous impact on your districts this
fall. NSBA's School Health department has a
comprehensive web site for your use and information
that may help shape your district's policy.
Link
to Associated Press story 7/9/09
Link
to NSBA's School Health web site
Innovation or
worrisome trend?
In Detroit, a new model that puts high
schools in the hands of private corporations is
being touted as an innovative idea for the Detroit
Public Schools. If the companies do not turn
around the high schools and meet specific
benchmarks, they will not be paid. The funding
for this plan comes from federal stimulus
funds. Detroit is also changing the way the
district is structured, and has eliminated 75% of
its central office staff in the last
year.
Link
to Freep.com 7/11/09
CUBE
News
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. For more information, email
Kevin Scott (kscott@nsba.org),
CUBE Membership Services Manager.
CUBE’s
Task Force Executive Groups provide a leadership
opportunity and a way for you to be more involved
with CUBE by providing guidance and strength to our
mission of excellence and equity in education. The
Task Force Executive Groups are essential to CUBE
because they provide the foundation for CUBE
programming at our conferences and guide us by
discussing the important issues facing CUBE
districts. Members of the CUBE Task Force
Executive Groups are proactive advocates of
education and have a strong vision for CUBE and a
board member from a CUBE district in good standing
and able to secure the support, financially and
otherwise, of your school board and school district
to fully participate in the CUBE program. If
you are interested, the application can be found here.
Meetings
Minute
CUBE's
Annual Conference is coming October 8-11 to Austin,
Texas. Registration is now open and the full
brochure is available on CUBE's
web site. Highlights include the CUBE
Annual Award presentation and best practices
session, looking at the Latino achievement gap, ways
to improve urban graduation rates, and
more. The hotel cutoff date is September 9th.
CUBE
recently wrapped up the Issues Seminar in Chicago,
IL. Check CUBE's Conferences
and Meetings page for more information,
including all available presentations.
NSBA's
Technology and
Learning Conference (T+L) takes place in Denver,
Colorado October 28-30, 2009. Among the
presentations and honors, three
districts are recognized with a video salute
showcasing technology initiatives across their
districts during the T+L Conference General Sessions,
including a CUBE district, Newport News, Virginia.
Join thousands of educators at T+L to learn more
about what Newport News has done to make technology work
well for students.
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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