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California School District Explores Strength-Based Learning

Gail Cornwall

February 02, 2018 |

U.S. News & World Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Galt, California

Lake Canyon Elementary School in California takes a strength-based approach to instruction - teachers identify students' natural talents and create personalized lessons to encourage the development of these skills. "Focusing on the traits and skills kids don't have can lead them to become disengaged, while focusing on strengths produces greater levels of happiness and engagement at school and higher levels of academic achievement," one psychology professor explains. Teachers discipline by highlighting "a surplus of something good, not a deficiency." Can the expensive, time-intensive model succeed elsewhere?

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How one rural Alabama district is closing the gap, raising scores for all children

Trisha Powell Crain

January 24, 2018 |

AL.com (Alabama Media Group) |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alabama

Closing the achievement gap requires raising the expectations not only of students, but also of leadership and institutions. In Pike County, Alabama, the school district has improved its learning outcomes by investing more in students and leadership, thanks to a crucial one-penny sales tax in favor of the schools. In addition to taking better care of teachers, the district monitors data at the student—not subgroup—level, and offers curricula with community college credits. The district has also launched an Advanced Academics and Accelerated Learning program.

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Here's An Innovative Idea: Give Students A Say In Teaching

Jenny Brundin

January 17, 2018 |

Colorado Public Radio |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Denver Public Schools and other local organizations are encouraging teachers and students to experiment with the physical space and practical techniques of over-standardized curricula. Within these trial schools, called "innovation labs," teachers have piloted grade-free incentive programs and "shadow-a-student" days. DPS hopes that these new initiatives will provide teachers with insights into children's hectic routines and over time increase children's involvement in shaping their own educational experiences.

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Rural areas recruiting well trained foreign workers for hard to fill jobs

LeAnne Kavanagh

January 10, 2018 |

Cut Bank Pioneer Press |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cut Bank, Montana

In Montana, schools and hospitals are in desperate need of teachers and nurses as brain drain leads young people to leave the state. In response, the state is working with Guardian Healthcare Providers to employ foreign nurses, mostly from the Philippines. Foreign teachers are also coming to Montana, and they need to meet clear certification requirements to be able to teach. Cut Bank, Montana residents are welcoming the foreign workers into their communities.

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The push to find more gifted kids: What Washington can learn from Miami's wins

Claudia Rowe

December 07, 2017 |

The Seattle Times |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

In most "gifted" programs across the U.S., students are predominantly middle income and white, regardless of the variation in demographics between districts. Since the 1990s, Miami public schools have made it their quest to defy this trend and identify overlooked students who may be still learning English as a second language or whose potential may not be identified by traditional tests designed to find "gifted" students. In Miami, low-income and ESOL students take a different test than peers designed to account for certain stressors not present in other students' lives. Can Washington learn from this model?

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How Effective Is Your School District? A New Measure Shows Where Students Learn the Most

Emily Badger

December 05, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Too often people use standardized test scores as the only measure of how good a school system is. A new measure looks at the growth and proficiency of the students as a measure of performance and may be more accurate in comparing public schools across the USA.

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Changing Course: A School Cooperative Aims To Remake Coal Communities

Benny Becker Jeff Young Mary Meehan

November 25, 2017 |

WOUB Public Media |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Stanville, Kentucky

In the rural, rugged country of Appalachia, towns like Stanville face some of the country’s most profound economic and public health problems. Some of these communities, however, are making remarkable strides against these challenges with the help of the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative, which makes schools a central pillar with entrepreneurial, innovative curricula, provision of health care resources, and hope and opportunity are restored in the post-coal era.

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How one school is rising above gang activity to find college success

Amadou Diallo

November 21, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago was once reputed for gang violence, struggled to support its predominantly minority students, and was had been on academic probation for nearly two decades. A revolutionary approach to academics that uses a skills-based model tailored to the needs of each individual student and emphasizes true mastery of a skill rather than memorization and regurgitation has had remarkable success, bringing Juarez up to among the top 50 schools in the state for graduation rates and test scores and making it a destination school for students of color.

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Immigrants find their place in Luna County

Leah Todd Lin

October 25, 2017 |

NMPolitics.net |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Luna County, New Mexico

Across the country, various counties are experiencing changes in racial and ethnic demographics. This article looks at the school system in Luna County, a now predominantly Hispanic town is adapting to these shifts by creating a more inclusive educational experience, via biliteracy programs as well other measures.

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A Year Of Love And Struggle In A New High School

Cory Turner

October 18, 2017 |

NPR |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

In the United States, young Black men are struggling in public schools due to systemic issues and lack of representation. This story gives insight into Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, a school with comprehensive programs serving to enhance the educational experience of their students.

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