About A+ Schools |
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2009 was a very busy and productive year for A+ Schools. Here are some of the highlights: Our Work will be done when Pittsburgh has a school board that functions effectively to set and monitor policies that improve student achievement. Board Watch was launched in January 2009. Over 80 volunteers were recruited and trained to observe and evaluate school board meetings. We observed 24 legislative and agenda review meetings. Three Board Watch report cards were issued in 2009, with the School Board showing modest gains. Each report card was covered in local print, radio and television media. Board Watch was featured in Education Week’s October 2009 special issue on School Governance entitled Leading for Learning. The national exposure created interest in the program from other parts of the United States. A+ Schools created a School Board Voter Guide and hosted a School Board Candidate night along with 20 cosponsoring organizations for the spring 2009 primary elections. What has changed as a result of our work?
Our work will be done when Pittsburgh has an equitable public schools system resulting in the elimination of racial achievement gaps and all students achieving at high levels. We published the 2009 Report to the Community in November 2009 which included an Executive Summary. The report was mailed directly to every PPS household and households with children under 5. Copies of the report were delivered to 59 Pittsburgh Public Schools and 5 charter schools as well as libraries, after school programs and elected officials’ offices. A+ Schools staff presented the 2008 report findings to over 25 schools and community organizations reaching over 575 individuals. We hope to reach at least this many organizations and individuals with the 2009 report as well. Students Engaged in Leadership continued through 2009 with participation of sixteen (9) local high school students in the 2008-09 school year. Participation increased to 25 students for the 2009-10 school year and program sessions now occur weekly. The program is coordinated by A+ Schools in partnership with the Coro Center for Civic Leadership and the Marilyn G Rabb Foundation (MGRF). We look forward to ensuring that the voice of the student community is represented in the current and future work of A+ Schools. School Works was launched in August 2009. This community action research program engaged and mobilized 85 volunteers to interview 23 middle and high school principals from the Pittsburgh Public Schools and charter schools in the City. Findings from these interviews are being released in 3 community meetings throughout the spring of 2010 to help frame a community conversation and policy agenda for insuring that all students have the resources and opportunities so that school works to prepare them for post secondary education and training and to eliminate racial achievement disparities. What has changed as a result of our work?
Our work will be done when every public school student benefits from excellent classroom instruction. Tools Rules and Schools was commissioned by A+ Schools in 2009. This research project, conducted on our behalf by the Learning Policy Center at the University of Pittsburgh, looked at staffing patterns in the Pittsburgh Public Schools over a 3 year period and investigated the staffing rules and learning environments that influenced these patterns. A framing document was published in May 2009 and the final findings and recommendations were released in January 2010. The public is being encouraged to sign onto our Community Agenda for Empowering Effective Teachers in support of our recommendations for the current collective bargaining negotiations. What has changed as a result of our work?
Expanding our reach In 2009:
Organizational Changes: Two new board members joined the A+ Schools Board in November 2009:
Rev. Dr. Johnnie Monroe resigned from the A+ Schools board in 2009. Saleem Ghubril finished a 2 year term as Board Chair at the end of 2009. He is succeeded by Sala Udin. Board members ending service on the executive committee include Dr. Alan Lesgold and Esther Bush. Josyln Rhodes was elected as the Vice President of the A+ Schools board in November 2009. Sylvester Pace was appointed the co chair of the Equity committee. Several new people joined A+ Schools committees in 2009, they include Cheryl Kubelick and Felix Lloyd on the Teaching Committee; Tracy Reed Armant, Melanie Brown, Jackie Dandridge, Ty Gorely, and Florence Rouzier joined the Equity Committee. [ top ]
A+ Schools |
Pittsburgh's Community Alliance for Public Education |
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