Through a partnership with the state of Indiana, Mass Insight Education has embarked on an exciting project with the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC). According to the EVSC, Superintendent David Smith said, “Through the Mass Insight Education partnership and funding provided by the Department of Education, we will be able to increase our capacity to…
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There’s excitement in Utah as 14 schools receive over $23M in School Improvement Grants. Schools look to use their new funding for support staff, teacher coaches, and instructors. Utah’s KSL news radio took the words right out of our mouths when they quoted Jason Snyder, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Office…
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It’s something many principals must dream about: the ultimate autonomy. Interviewing and choosing your own teacher candidates for your school. The Hechinger Report is running a series following Principal Erskine Glover of the Quitman Street Renew School in Newark, NJ, as he wades through teacher applications and interviews to bring in the strongest teacher cohort…
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We’ve written before about making small dollars go a long way, and Education Resource Strategies’ (ERS) newest brief highlights this tactic once again. ERS reports out on findings from a summit last fall, discussing how districts and schools can use one-shot dollars (such as SIG) to build the new kinds of district systems necessary to…
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In response to the hundreds of thousands of Chicago students who are now without a structured learning environment, the community has stepped up to the plate. While about one-quarter of the schools were opened to students while their parents are at work, many students were left without a place to go. This led faith organizations…
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At first glance, Rick Hess made us laugh yesterday morning with his newest post about his vacation travels that brought him to Finland last month. Upon a thorough read, though, he brings up a theme of this testing paradox—we want to compare ourselves to other nations, but are test scores the way to go? If…
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As students in Providence, Rhode Island, head back to school this year, the district has several things to celebrate, including a $100,000 legislative grant to support the launch and development of United Providence!, a new nonprofit education management organization (EMO) designed to support transformation efforts in several of the district’s most struggling schools. United Providence!…
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Last week we wrote about Dr. Tanya R. Green, who was honored as a Champion of Change at the White House. Be sure to check out her Op-Ed in the Baltimore Sun here. Her turnaround strategy put the students first, creating a new culture within her school. Congratulations, again, on a job well done.
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Last week, Dr. Tanya R. Green was honored at the White House as a Champion of Change for her leadership in what has long been one of Baltimore’s lowest-performing and most dangerous schools. Two years ago, Baltimore City brought in a Lead Partner to manage Calverton Elementary-Middle School. While the school remained part of the…
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Last week the Syracuse City School District rolled out its five-year strategic plan, Great Expectations 2012-2017, the culmination of six months of planning and community engagement. Excitement was high as Superintendent Sharon L. Contreras unveiled the long-awaited plan to a standing-room-only audience that included many interested family and community members, the Board of Education Commissioners,…
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If you aren’t familiar with City Year, it’s time to get in the know. City Year is a 24-year-old education-focused non-profit that partners young AmeriCorps members with public schools to help keep urban students on track to graduation. Focusing on the ABC’s of attendance, behavior, and course performance, these AmeriCorps members spend their year of…
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It’s not the most novel idea, but it is still a strategy we don’t see used often enough. Parents/caregivers can play an essential role in boosting student achievement, and the U.S. Department of Education has decided to be more vocal about this often untapped resource. Yesterday, the DOE launched a Parent and Family Engagement Portal,…
read moreOur blog features commentary and insights from our staff and, from time-to-time, special guest bloggers about school improvement practices and policies that are changing student lives and changing schools. Contact jschneider@massinsight.org for more information.