In an effort to reduce instructional costs, public schools around the country have offered scholarships to seniors that finish their curriculum and graduate early.  This initiative has greatly motivated students to excel in their coursework, alleviating “senioritis” and enticing parents to engage in their children’s education.

Although these initiatives have rolled out in several states so far, opponents question the allocation of public school funds toward individual scholarships.  Others question the preparedness and unintended consequences of those that graduate and move on to college prematurely. 

As an alternative, those in opposition have proposed incentivized funding for districts with underrepresented graduation rates and post-high school education plans.

For participating districts, however, annual per-pupil expenditures far exceed scholarship amounts, gaining momentum with legislators, educators, parents and students alike. 

The remaining challenge includes identifying students that are in fact prepared to graduate early and move on to college, while remembering the program is certainly not for everyone.

Spanish-speaking students often enter American classrooms, struggling and falling-behind as they try to interpret the English language.  California has identified the problem, although previously assigning these students to English-only speaking teachers.

With the largest Hispanic student population in the nation, it’s surprising to learn that California ranks last in Hispanic reading and math achievement.  Studies show about one-third of Spanish-speaking students ultimately drop out altogether.

So, what’s being done to improve on the situation?  California educators are now expanding their bilingual learning programs for native Spanish speakers.  Bilingual classrooms teach English as a second language (ESL), easing the transition for many students who have little to no English knowledge at all.

Educators hope the revamped ESL programs improve upon knowledge retention for Hispanic students, while transitioning them into a new language along the way.

Recent research conducted by the University of California at Irvine identified good math skills as being imperative  for kindergarteners to have in order to achieve academic success throughout their school career.

The study analyzed over 20,000 kindergarteners and followed their progress over several years.  Researchers ultimately found that kindergarteners who established solid math skills early on were more likely to exceed in math and literacy in later grades.  The findings trumped previous beliefs that reading skills were most pivotal at a young age.

Math skills were followed by reading and attention skillsin order of importance.  Social skills, including temperament and self-regulation, were also deemed highly important, but not as conducive in shaping a student’s later success.  And although students who displayed antisocial behavior in middle school had a higher likelihood of dropping out in high school, those with low math skills dropped out at an even higher rate.

What are your opinions on the findings?  Do you feel schools should increase their focus on math curriculum for students at a young age?  Share your thoughts with us on our blog.

Some schools are taking parental-involvement to a whole new level.  In a new strategy targeted towards increasing student performance, teachers are making scheduled visits to student homes to discuss progress with parents, share ideas and encourage engagement. 

Administrators in the Denver, CO school district have already allocated more than $100,000 toward home-visits for more than 20 of the district’s schools.

In capitalizing on individual identification with parents, similar to a parent-teacher conference, schools are running with the idea that parents are more likely to be engaged in their children’s education when such a relationship is formed.  Other goals of the meetings are to identify factors that may affect student learning, as well as to learn about the child’s dreams and aspirations.

Does your school or district send teachers home for meetings?  Share your experiences with School Announcement on our blog.

School Announcement loves Providence.  We were founded here back in 2007.  That’s why we’re proud to share a local story with our readers:

Providence Children’s Initiative, a human service non-profit based in the capital city, recently partnered with various elementary schools with a plan to boost attendance among chronically absent students.  So far, the plans have shown a considerable return. 

In October of 2011, the Children’s Initiative, in conjunction with administrators, identified more than40 kindergarteners who were continually tardy or absent and sent letters home to parents identifying their concern.  In addition to holding attendance workshops for parents, administrators were able to work one-on-one to identify attendance barriers and rectify a majority of the issues.

Since the plan’s inception,, more than 60% of those students identified have shown a considerable improvement in their attendance record.  The plan is now focusing on other grade levels, too.

To read more of the article, click here.

A shift in seasons brings a whole new set of distractions for school-aged children.  Cold temperatures, the holidays and plenty of excitement can set students back in their curriculum, studies show.  Because students are known to lose up to two months of math and reading knowledge during summer break, it is especially important that they remain engaged during their holiday and winter breaks too.

Here are some fun ideas for your kids this winter:

·         Open-Ended Project

If your child’s teacher didn’t assign a recent project, identify a subject of interest and let your child devise a creative project on their own.  When studying in an area of particular interest, independent learning is inspired.

·         Educational Field Trip

Aquariums, zoos and children’s museums are all appealing places your child will beg to go to, and also learn something fun along the way. 

·         Volunteering

Give your children an opportunity to volunteer for those that could use a hand.  Soup kitchens, animal shelters and community organizations offer great opportunities, particularly during the cold winter months.  Volunteering with your children could also encourage their peers to do the same.

Click here to check out a few more ideas.  Also, be sure to share your experiences on our blog and spread your ideas with other parents.

Now that 2012 has arrived, let’s reflect to see which topics were trending throughout the education industry in 2011. 

1.       Social Media Etiquette:  Everyone is on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking websites.  Common among all age groups, schools are struggling with the inevitability that social networking is now a part of the agenda.  Sometimes posing a distraction to the learning environment, educators are finding relevant applications for social media in the classroom, while also balancing the appropriateness of online student/teacher interaction. 

2.       “Bring Your Own Device”:  Massive budget cuts are coming at a time when the most technologically advanced learning tools are becoming available to students and teachers.  To compromise, many schools are now encouraging students to bring their own devices for use in the classroom, including laptops, PDAs and mobile phones.   Such technology is said to increase enthusiasm, participation and learning retention – but only when used correctly.

3.       Healthier School Meals:  In an effort to reduce childhood obesity, first lady Michelle Obama in conjunction with various legislators launched programs and initiatives aimed towards increasing the health of our nation’s children.  As such, junk food is being weaned out of public cafeterias. 

4.       Importance of Communication:  Inclement weather, early dismissals and unfortunate school accidents require administrators to maintain consistent lines of communication with their student families.  Additionally, unprecedented demographic shifts are changing the way schools need to send updates.  The use of notification systems, like School Announcement, to communicate with student families is rapidly growing.

5.       Alternative Learning:  Changes in the way kids learn and retain knowledge are prompting alternative education methods such as online education.  Appropriately named, virtual classrooms are popping up across the country, sometimes serving as whole replacements to traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms.  With charter schools also seeing a spike in enrollment, will education transition to a privately-managed industry?

Cyberbaiting is a new term coined to describe a situation in which students intentionally taunt a teacher to the point of outburst, and then record the scenario for distribution through social media.  In a new study, 11 percent of teachers reported knowing of a colleague who has fallen trap to the tactic. 

Cyberbaiting can potentially ruin the reputation of a trusted teacher, and is just another technological worry that educators face as they perform their jobs day in and day out. 

Because perception is everything, teachers need to be especially aware of these traps and seek additional help if they feel they are in a circumstance where they are being intentionally taunted.

To learn more about this recent issue, click here to read the rest of eSchoolNews’ article.

From all of us at School Announcement, we’d like to wish you a Happy Holiday and a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year!  Our offices will be closed on Monday, December 26.

We appreciate having the opportunity to service you and look forward to doing so again in the New Year.  As always, we remain dedicated to providing schools and districts all over the country with reliable, affordable and technologically-advanced notification solutions.

To send comments or feedback, please Contact Us!

According to a recent study, the transitional period between Elementary and High school, or Middle school, is now considered the most pivotal point in whether or not a student will eventually drop out before graduation.  The study conducted by Harvard University also found that students in a middle school-structured environment fared worse on math and English curriculum compared to their peers who attended a K-8 grade school.

Data was analyzed from over 450,000 public school students in Florida, where copious records are kept by a state-wide student data system.

Here is a brief summary of the data found:

·         Students who attended a separate Middle school were 18% more likely to drop out in High school than those who did not

·         High school absenteeism is subsequently higher for those that attended a Middle school students than those who attended a K-8

Reasons behind the findings are up for speculation.  In an closer environment to younger, more impressionable students, maybe 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade behavior could are held to a much higher caliber.

What’s your opinion?  Can you have any correlations with the findings?  Let us know by commenting on our blog.