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November 2004
E-Newsletter, November 2004
WHAT MAKES DISTRICTS "SMART"?
To bring together the best thinking, evidence, and experience about successful districts among the communities and colleagues we work with, the Annenberg Institute designed and hosted a two-day forum on "Results + Equity + Community = Smart Districts." The first in a planned series of Emerging Knowledge Forums, this gathering provided valuable opportunities to engage with new ideas, to listen to other perspectives, to test assumptions — in a word, to learn. The key discussion points, as well as many of the presentations and lots of related resources, are available on the Institute Web site.
NEW WEB-BASED TOOL TO COMPARE FUNDING AMONG SCHOOLS WITH DIFFERENT STUDENT POPULATIONS
The complexity of traditional school funding formulas makes it difficult to compare budget allocations among schools in a district. In urban districts, especially, the diversity of programs, student populations, and funding streams can result in very different per pupil dollars for different schools. The Annenberg Institute has created a free online tool — Assessing Patterns of Resource Distribution — that allows district officials and other stakeholders to compare district spending for schools with different students and programs, pinpointing possible inequities. Users can enter public data on spending and enrollment, and the tool does all the calculations. The tool is based on budget assessments developed by two leading education researchers in collaboration with School Communities that Work: a project of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.
> To use the tool, please visit http://www.schoolcommunities.org/resources/APRD/welcome.php
ROOTS OF INEQUALITY
Annenberg Institute Executive Director Warren Simmons writes that "if the 50 years since Brown [v. Board of Education] have taught us anything, it is that inequality has multiple roots that are deeply embedded in the soil of America's educational, social, governmental, cultural, and spiritual life." In an article in the Fall 2004 issue of Education Next, Simmons reflects on his own experience with post-Brown school integration, in which he found himself "A Stranger in Two Worlds."
> Read the online text
KEEPING THE "PUBLIC" IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
"Public Engagement Watch" is a monthly on-line digest that was created as a resource for municipal leaders looking to strengthen connections between their communities and local public schools. Part of a collaboration between the Annenberg Institute and the National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, this Web-only newsletter highlights new publications, a featured "tool" for community engagement, funding alerts, and more.
> Review the current PE Watch newsletter
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION
Two key strategies are central to the Annenberg Institute's work on professional development systems that support real improvements in teaching and learning: professional learning communities (small groups of teachers, administrators, community members, and other stakeholders who collectively examine and work to improve professional practice); and instructional coaching (school-based, educator-led professional learning for groups of teachers in specific content areas). The Institute has developed a package that includes two new publications describing these strategies and what we have learned about using them effectively.
> More information
> Professional Learning Communities [PDF: 16 pages, 632 KB]
> Instructional Coaching [PDF:16 pages, 607 KB]
> Order print package (two articles)
FROM WHOLE-SCHOOL TO WHOLE-SYSTEM REFORM
Whole-school (or comprehensive school) reform, while effective in improving school environments and student performance, has not leveraged a districtwide reform environment that would improve learning for all students — the central aim of today's policymakers. This issue was the focus of a two-day conference hosted by the National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform in conjunction with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, and New American Schools. Participants developed policy recommendations calling for continuing federal support for whole-school reform combined with whole-district reform to provide the supportive infrastructure needed to meet adequate yearly progress goals.
> Download PDF [48 pp, 238 KB]
E-Newsletter, November 2004
WHAT MAKES DISTRICTS "SMART"?To bring together the best thinking, evidence, and experience about successful districts among the communities and colleagues we work with, the Annenberg Institute designed and hosted a two-day forum on "Results + Equity + Community = Smart Districts." The first in a planned series of Emerging Knowledge Forums, this gathering provided valuable opportunities to engage with new ideas, to listen to other perspectives, to test assumptions — in a word, to learn. The key discussion points, as well as many of the presentations and lots of related resources, are available on the Institute Web site.
NEW WEB-BASED TOOL TO COMPARE FUNDING AMONG SCHOOLS WITH DIFFERENT STUDENT POPULATIONSThe complexity of traditional school funding formulas makes it difficult to compare budget allocations among schools in a district. In urban districts, especially, the diversity of programs, student populations, and funding streams can result in very different per pupil dollars for different schools. The Annenberg Institute has created a free online tool — Assessing Patterns of Resource Distribution — that allows district officials and other stakeholders to compare district spending for schools with different students and programs, pinpointing possible inequities. Users can enter public data on spending and enrollment, and the tool does all the calculations. The tool is based on budget assessments developed by two leading education researchers in collaboration with School Communities that Work: a project of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.
> To use the tool, please visit http://www.schoolcommunities.org/resources/APRD/welcome.php
ROOTS OF INEQUALITYAnnenberg Institute Executive Director Warren Simmons writes that "if the 50 years since Brown [v. Board of Education] have taught us anything, it is that inequality has multiple roots that are deeply embedded in the soil of America's educational, social, governmental, cultural, and spiritual life." In an article in the Fall 2004 issue of Education Next, Simmons reflects on his own experience with post-Brown school integration, in which he found himself "A Stranger in Two Worlds."
> Read the online text
KEEPING THE "PUBLIC" IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
"Public Engagement Watch" is a monthly on-line digest that was created as a resource for municipal leaders looking to strengthen connections between their communities and local public schools. Part of a collaboration between the Annenberg Institute and the National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, this Web-only newsletter highlights new publications, a featured "tool" for community engagement, funding alerts, and more.
> Review the current PE Watch newsletter
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTIONTwo key strategies are central to the Annenberg Institute's work on professional development systems that support real improvements in teaching and learning: professional learning communities (small groups of teachers, administrators, community members, and other stakeholders who collectively examine and work to improve professional practice); and instructional coaching (school-based, educator-led professional learning for groups of teachers in specific content areas). The Institute has developed a package that includes two new publications describing these strategies and what we have learned about using them effectively.
> More information
> Professional Learning Communities [PDF: 16 pages, 632 KB]
> Instructional Coaching [PDF:16 pages, 607 KB]
> Order print package (two articles)
FROM WHOLE-SCHOOL TO WHOLE-SYSTEM REFORMWhole-school (or comprehensive school) reform, while effective in improving school environments and student performance, has not leveraged a districtwide reform environment that would improve learning for all students — the central aim of today's policymakers. This issue was the focus of a two-day conference hosted by the National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform in conjunction with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, and New American Schools. Participants developed policy recommendations calling for continuing federal support for whole-school reform combined with whole-district reform to provide the supportive infrastructure needed to meet adequate yearly progress goals.
> Download PDF [48 pp, 238 KB]
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