Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

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January 5, 2007

Our Vision, Mission/Thematic Goals and Core Values

Our vision – what we will become, Our mission/thematic goals- how we will get there -- Our
core values - what we believe -- solidify the underlying foundation for all Guilford County Schools’ decisions and actions.

New Principals

On January 2, 2007, several Principal changes were made across the district.  They include:

 Beginning the second semester (January 23, 2007)

John Eldridge, High School Instructional Improvement Officer, is on Special Assignment serving as Principal at Grimsley High School.  For more information, please contact Peggy Thompson, Chief Human Resources Officer, at 370-8340.

Academic Improvement 2007 Staff Appointments

The Academic Improvement Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Lee Ann Segalla as Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction-Elementary, Beth Folger, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction-Secondary, Lewis Ferebee, Instructional Improvement Officer-Middle school and Kendra March, Instructional Improvement Officer-High school. 

Lee Ann Segalla comes to us from Wake County Public Schools where she was the senior director for elementary programs, curriculum and instruction.  In her former position she supported 93 elementary schools, 3,000 classroom teachers, and approximately 58,000 students, 91 percent performing at or above grade level.  Under her leadership Wake County implemented Project Achieve to address the needs of higher poverty elementary schools, and an intervention program for PreK-2 students needing literacy support.  She has long provided leadership for the NC Science Education Leadership Institute.  She has an MS Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction/Science Education.

Dr. Beth Folger previously served as a GCS instructional improvement officer for middle schools.  Prior to coming to Guilford County, Dr. Folger served as an associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Ohio.  Other experiences include the principalship, director of quality training and development, and middle school and elementary classroom teacher.  She has earned a Masters of School Administration and a Doctorate of Educational Leadership.  Her doctoral dissertation researched mastery learning and the efficacy of curriculum, instruction, and assessment on student achievement.

Lewis Ferebee served most recently as principal of Hairston Middle, and before that principal of Fairview Elementary.  In both positions he and his faculty and staff successfully turned around their schools’ performance to achieve AYP and High Growth. Because of his vision and leadership ability, Ferebee was named the 2006-07 GCS Principal of the Year. He holds a Master of School Administration and is completing his Doctorate of Educational Leadership.

Kendra March comes to us from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district where she most recently served as principal of Hopewell High School, and previously was a middle school and elementary school principal.  She holds a master of school administration and is completing her doctorate of educational leadership.

Please join us in welcoming these new and newly-appointed staff members to help us pursue our mission of improving the achievement of all students. For more information, please contact Dr. Mack McCary, Chief Academic Officer, at 370-8106.

GCS to Host the 2007 Magnet School Fairs

Guilford County Schools will host two Magnet and High School Options Fairs on Saturday, February 17 at the Koury Convention Center and Thursday, February 22 at the Oak Hollow Mall.

A world of information on educational opportunities awaits parents and guardians at the GCS Magnet Fairs.  The fairs will provide information on specialized schools available to students throughout the county. Pre-K-12 magnet schools in Guilford County offer a wide range of educational choices not usually found in public school systems. Magnet schools offer specialized instruction in areas such as math, science, technology, arts, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, world language and Global Studies. Communications, leadership and advanced academics are also offered.

The schools represented at the fairs are among the leaders in the nation’s education reform movement. Jones Spanish Immersion School, Weaver Academy, the College Tech Prep options, The Early College at Guilford and The Middle College at GTCC attract attention, serving as models for schools across the state and around the world.

The first fair will be held on Saturday, February 17, from 10am to 1:30 p.m. at Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.  The second fair will be held on Thursday, February 22, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Oak Hollow Mall in High Point.

The elementary and middle school application period extends from February 17 through 5 p.m. on March 16.  High school options applications will be accepted from February 1 through March 23.  Applications and brochures will be available online during the application/enrollment period at www.gcsnc.com/magnet.  For more information, please contact Tony Lamair Burks II, Director of Magnet and Choice Schools, at tlburks2@gcsnc.com or 378-8832.

Eastern High Students Offered Scholarships from Greensboro College

Greensboro College will extend an opportunity for all Eastern High students to receive scholarships toward higher education.  Shortly after fire ravaged the school on November 1, Greensboro College established the Wildcat Scholarship.  It provides $12,000 over four years in scholarship dollars available to any Eastern student eligible for admission to the college.  The scholarship honors the legacy and traditions of the school, which has rallied together in the wake of the fire.

“We admire the strength and resiliency of the Eastern Guilford community,” said Greensboro College President Craven E. Williams.  “Greensboro College shares that same spirit of community and value for education, which is why we are eager to help these students continue their quest for knowledge.”

Financial assistance will be available beginning spring semester for any Eastern senior who enrolls at Greensboro College.  Students would receive a $1,500 Wildcat Scholarship for the semester, with academic credits counting toward a degree from Greensboro College or for transfer to another institution.  Any assistance provided through the Wildcat Scholarship – $3,000 per year – will be in addition to other financial aid for which students may qualify.  To learn more about this opportunity, contact Greensboro College Director of Admissions Tim Jackson at 272-7102, ext. 390 or tjackson@gborocollege.edu.

Greensboro College, established in 1838, is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church.  With an enrollment of about 1,300 men and women, the college stresses a small community atmosphere and maintains a student-faculty ratio of 14:1.  For more information, please contact Ellica Church, chief information officer of Greensboro College, at 272-7102, ext. 226 or Sonya Conway, Executive Director of District Relations, at 370-8386.

Mandarin Chinese—Another GCS First

Guilford County Schools is once again on the educational cutting edge with the introduction of Mandarin Chinese at three schools.  Students at Northwood Elementary, Ferndale Middle, and High Point Central High will have the opportunity to study Mandarin Chinese language and culture with native speakers through the Chinese Guest Teacher Program. According to Gisela Hood, “as global competition increases and the world becomes flatter,” such language acquisition is critical to our students and their future successes’. GCS is the only North Carolina school system selected by The College Board to participate in this innovative initiative.  For more information, please contact Tony Lamair Burks II, Director of Magnet and choice Schools, at tlburks2@gcsnc.com, or Gisela Hood, GCS World Languages Specialist, at 370-3273 or hoodg@gcsnc.com.

Early College Students Make Dean's List

Congratulations to 35 high school juniors and seniors at The Early College at Guilford who were named to the Dean's List (3.5 or higher GPA) at Guilford College for Fall 2006.  The students on the Dean’s List are: Megan Ackerman, Molly Allen, Nikolas Antolin, Khadijah Bhatti, Graham Billings, Miranda Bradley, Laura Beth Burger, Jane Burke, Melanie Corbett, Mark Draelos, Ellis Driver, Joshua Espinoza, Lauren Fuchs, Molli Hayworth, Diya Jost, Kyrie Joyce, Darby Keller, Eric Lieu, Tyler Loftin, Kira Mengistu, Alyssa Miller, Bret Oliver, Sara Beth Pannell, Angela Pratt, Pooja Purswani, Travis Sandman, Paige Smith, Emily Stainkamp, Jessica Taylor, Aana Taylor-Smith, Horatio Thomas, Margaret Triplett, Jeremy Wang, Patrick Wang, and Keeley Zimmerman.  Guilford College will honor all students named to the Dean’s List later this month.

It is exciting and rewarding to see 35 Guilford County Schools’ students, who would have been juniors or seniors in our traditional high schools, making the Dean’s List at Guilford College as first and second year college students.  As you may know, The Early College at Guilford is North Carolina’s first early college high school and one of a handful of Early College high schools in the country.  For more information, please contact Principal Charles Blanchard or Kathy Adams, College Liaison, at 316-2860 or Barry Williams, Instructional Improvement Officer, at 378-8802.

GCS Receives $14.7+ Million in Grants – A District Record

In 2006, GCS earned more than $14.7 million in seven various grants from organizations throughout the nation, receiving $13 million more than 2005. In fact, this is the first year in the last four years that GCS has received more than $5 million in grant funding. The amount of the grants varies; however, they range from $25,600 from the Moses Cone-Wesley Long Community Health Foundation to an $8 million grant to expand the Mission Possible Teacher Incentive Fund from the U.S. Department of Education.

The grants earned will create and expand programs, one of which includes the Student Mentoring and Awareness Resource Team (S.M.A.R.T.). S.M.A.R.T. is made possible by the Moses Cone-Wesley Long Community Health Foundation and consists of peer-led substance abuse prevention teams at middle and high schools throughout the district.   The Foundation also provided outdoor fitness equipment at McLeansville and Murphey elementary schools, demonstrated to teachers how to use the equipment and helped to implement fitness curriculum that will complement the equipment.

Grants received also include a $2 million grant from Action Greensboro and the University of North Carolina system, as well as an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, which allows GCS to expand the innovative Mission Possible program to an additional nine schools in Guilford County.  Mission Possible is a teacher incentive program designed to attract, retain teachers and reward teachers at select schools.The grant will be used to develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need, disadvantaged schools, where at least 30 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The grants also provide training and evaluation of the program.

Another grant helped GCS expand its early/middle college program. The Learn and Earn grant, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the North Carolina Office of the Governor and worth $589,000, helped GCS fund The Middle College at NC A&T and The Middle College of Entertainment Technology at GTCC.  Other grants received this year will help fund the following programs: an advanced placement incentive program, professional development in the areas of math and science and Smart Start, a pre-k program. For more information, please contact Emily Scott, Grant Writer, at 370-2342.

Enrichment Fund Opportunities for GCS Staff

The Enrichment Fund for GCS is pleased to offer the following two grant opportunities for GCS staff:

Ayers Grant
Ayers Endowment Grants, awarded to honor the lifelong service of educators Robert and Glenn Ayers, are intended to encourage community service by students, under the leadership of employees of GCS. Any GCS employee may apply. Successful applicants will have demonstrated past commitment to building better communities and will state plans to apply the grant to future projects or initiatives. Previous grants have ranged from $100 to $1,000. The application form and instructions are available at http://www.gcsnc.com/community/ayers_application.pdf.  All applications for the Ayers Endowment Grant must be received by February 9.

Tannenbaum Award
The Leah Louise B. Tannenbaum Teacher Award for Excellence in Reading Instruction was recently established by Nancy Tannenbaum and John Becton in memory of her mother, Louise Tannenbaum. To be eligible for this award, a nominee must be employed as a reading teacher, have worked a minimum of three years for GCS and must demonstrate exceptional effort and professional skill in reading instruction and the development of reading competency. The award winner will receive an unrestricted $2,000 grant to be paid in two annual installments of $1,000 each. The deadline for receiving nominations is January 29.  Nominations should be sent to:  The Enrichment Fund for the Guilford County Schools, P.O. Box 10208, Greensboro, NC 27404. An application and further information will be sent to all qualified nominees; it will be their responsibility to complete the forms. A copy of the call for nominations letter can be found at http://www.gcsnc.com/community/tannenbaum.pdf. For more information, please contact Cecilia Adams, Manager of Community Partnerships, at 370-8355.

Stepping Up To Help All Students Succeed

Mendenhall has a growing refugee population. These students come to GCS directly from their native countries and many times, do not speak or understand English, nor do they understand American culture.

To help these students, parents; retired teachers; grandparents; neighbors and other community members are volunteering their time as tutors. Three years ago, Betty Stratford, Mendenhall’s media center assistant, set up this tutoring program for the refugee children. She recruits adult tutors to come to Mendenhall at least one day per week to work with a student for an hour.

Often, the tutors are able to find out exactly what the students know and what their needs are, as each individual has a different level of educational experience. They work with reading and life skills such as counting money and telling time. These tutors become mentors and friends and help all children succeed in their new environment.

“Our open communication helps greatly with these children because we know what is going on with the family and how they are progressing in their studies,” said Principal Nola Taylor.

In fact, the entire Mendenhall community can benefit from this program. “Mendenhall embraces its refugee population,” said Taylor. “We encourage the students to share their culture and experiences with us. It makes us all richer and wiser.”

Stratford has also organized a clothing closet to help the refugee students. Most of these students come from Vietnam and Liberia and have never experienced cold; therefore, the clothing closet provides coats and sweaters, in addition to sports equipment to help the students get involved in extra-curricular activities.  To make a difference in these students’ lives and become a tutor, please contact Betty Stratford at 545-2000 or to get involved at any school in Guilford County, contact Cecilia Adams, Manager of Community Partnerships, at 370-8355.

New High School Tests Require More Time, Days

This year, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) revised End of Course (EOC) tests in English 1, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2, using the same process used in 2005 for Civics and Economics and US History. The recommended administration for each EOC test has a range of 2.0 hours 2.5 hours. DPI states,” students should be able to complete each test in the recommended time but should be given ample opportunity to complete the test within the same school day.”  Biology is the only timed EOC test. 
 
Districts that administered the new tests before the winter break reported that some of the new reformed tests are quite rigorous and lengthy, and are taking even advanced students over 2.5 hours to complete. No students took more than three and one half hours to complete an exam.  These districts also strongly encouraged other districts not to try to administer two EOCs in a single day, which has been the past practice in GCS.  GCS middle and Early colleges reported similar experiences with these new EOCs: much more rigorous, and students needing more time to complete them.  They concurred with DPI regional leadership and other districts that requiring students to take two of these new EOCs in a single day would simply exhaust students intellectually, and not enable them to accurately demonstrate their knowledge and skills of the content.  The EOC test counts as 25 percent of the student’s final grade in the course, as strongly recommended by Department of Public Instruction and implemented since 2001.

After exploring a number of options, our high school instructional improvement officers and principals concluded we needed to extend the administration of EOC exams over a four day period, so that students would only take a single exam each day.  Teachers, other than the student’s regular teacher, will administer each EOC test.  That will enable the EOC classroom teachers to continue additional review for students who have not yet taken their EOC or regular final exam, a solution to minimize lost instructional time that follows DPI guidelines.  Classroom review will continue in non-EOC classes with review sessions after lunch for all final exams and EOC test.  For example, first block exam in the morning with the teacher reviewing with second block students in the afternoon. For more information, please contact Dr. Mack McCary, Chief Academic Officer, at 370-8106.

Task Force Considers Effectiveness of Computer Assisted Instruction

Ken Woody and Mack McCary have been co-chairing a task force to evaluate the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction (CAI), specifically SuccessMaker and other CAI products.  Members include Geraldine Cox, Principal at Foust Elementary, Michelle Meley, Principal at Sedgefield Elementary, Bobby Ann Hayes, Principal at Penn-Griffin, Lewis Ferebee, Instructional Improvement Officer-Middle school and Kirk Knestis, Senior Evaluation Specialist with SERVE investigating the literature on computer assisted instruction.  The group originated out of a recently published meta-analysis of computer assisted instruction products by Johns Hopkins University.  That study concluded that SuccessMaker had zero evidence of impact on student achievement, while Jostens showed a moderate impact.

Subsequent dialogue among the group confirmed that some GCS schools had shown significant improvement in student achievement while using SuccessMaker as one essential part of their overall improvement strategies.  Particularly, Gerri Cox’s description of her school’s implementation of SuccessMaker, which included extensive use of a Data Wall, to monitor student progress, indicated that a rigorous implementation could produce improved student achievement results even with dated software. SuccessMaker is based on early 1990s-era software, although its recent math program incorporates more modern, game-like features that students are highly motivated to use.

To the group’s surprise, a multi-causal analysis of the impact of computer assisted instruction, provided by Kirk Knestis from SERVE, found that the quality of software, and teacher’s technical computer skills, were not significantly related to the impact on student achievement. The task force will be examining other CAI software products before reporting its recommendations. For more information, please contact Dr. Mack McCary, Chief Academic Officer, at 370-8106.

Transfer Requests for Licensed Staff

The 2007-2008 transfer sign up is available for licensed staff from Tuesday, January 2 through Friday, January 12.  The teacher’s section is available to all licensed staff including classroom, itinerant teachers, media specialists, counselors, social workers and psychologists. To apply for a transfer, you will need your e-mail ID address, password and your social security number for authentication. Click here to access additional information regarding transfers and the application. Please contact Alison Yates, Director of Staffing, or a representative from the staffing office, at 378-8806 if you have questions regarding this information or experience difficulty accessing the transfer application. 

Project Teams Meet

Project teams of classified staff met on Thursday, January 4 to discuss the Working Conditions Survey and provide input on next steps to improve those conditions.  Staff represented assistants, clerical support and custodial.  Key themes emerged in the following areas: communication, safety, facilities and resources, employment opportunities/evaluation/staff development, and leadership.  Specific suggestions included opportunities for training, improved communication and compensation.  For more information, please contact Peggy Thompson, Chief Human Resources Officer, at 370-8340.

Office of Organizational Development Hosts Read GCS Leadership Session II

Read GCS is a comprehensive researched-based, systematic reading process. It is assessment driven, requiring teachers to learn how to diagnose, prescribe and then monitor and/or adjust instruction to meet the unique needs of all students. GCS has 35 participating schools which receive specified training for teachers in PreK, K-2 and 3-5. Schools are at various levels of implementation and the reading process provides a curriculum framework based on research by the National Reading Panel along with research best practices for high student engagement to increase academic achievement.

On January 4, Read GCS principals and curriculum facilitators attended the second in a series of leadership trainings designed to create common ground around district and school-level expectations for effective implementation of the process. Instructional improvement officers, induction coaches, curriculum specialists and exceptional children administrators attended to ensure stronger student performance, school support and a common knowledge of the expansive process is established. The objectives of this session were:

• to reinforce expectations of effective implementation of Read GCS process and
• to understand key content components of the Read GCS process to increase student achievement

Members of organizational development conducted the training session with a special emphasis on how to effectively monitor and coach reading instruction in their schools. Principals participated in sorting activities, role plays, small group discussions and reflection activities based on key content components such as: Assessment Driven Instruction, Academic Learning Time, Anatomy of a Lesson, Coaching and Leadership Tips to Motivate Their Staff. The offices of organizational development and academic improvement will continue working together to ensure monitoring and support of this process. For more information, please contact Valerie D. Collins, Chief Organizational Development Officer, at 370-2305.

Preparing Outstanding Science Teachers (POST) Project Underway

Recruiting began this week for middle school science teachers who are willing to serve as POST Team Leaders.  Thirty POST Team Leaders will be selected from ten middle schools to participate in three content-rich courses at UNCG specifically designed to meet the objectives of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Science in the Middle Grades.  In addition, the entire science staff at each of the ten schools will receive valuable training in the areas of Inquiry-Based Instruction and Professional Learning Communities.  During the first three weeks of January, our project coordinator is meeting with the science staff at each of the ten middle schools in Cohort I to share more details with teachers about the benefits of participating in the project.  (Middle schools not involved in the initial phase of the project will join in the summer of 2008.) Teachers interested in this exciting opportunity can apply online at http://professional_development.gcsnc.com/POST.html.  Applications will be accepted through January 24, and POST Team Leaders will be announced on February 2.  For more information, please contact Cyndie Lawrence, POST Project Coordinator, at 312-4096, or Valerie Collins, Chief Organizational Development Officer, at 370-2305. 

Public Service Announcement

Hosted by the Family Life Council, this annual budget workshop encourages families to think of a spending plan more practically and holistically to reduce debt for a happy and prosperous New Year.  It helps you begin with the end in mind.  Creating an Annual Family Budget will present more sure ways of saving money or achieving your financial goals for your family. Mike is a financial consultant, and has his own company – Executax, a tax preparation and business center.  Mike and Monica are also advocates for healthy marriages.  The Brunsons have 3 financially-savvy children that have been taught the principles of saving and investing versus spending, spending, spending.  For more information, please contact LaMonica Mitchell at 333-6890, ext. 241.

Creating an Annual Family Budget
Saturday, January 13 & 27, 2007; 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; Dorothy Bardolph Building; 301 E. Washington St.; Greensboro, NC; $25/couple, $15/person
Facilitators: Mike and Monica Brunson.
* Pre-registration for this workshop is required.

GCSTV 2

GCS/ABC 45 Partnership Continues

GCS continues its partnership with ABC 45 television to share the current news and feature stories about our district. The segments run on ABC 45 (Cable Channel 7) during “Good Morning America” each Wednesday and Friday at 7:25 a.m. and 8:25 a.m. You can also learn more about GCS by tuning in to GCSTV2 (Cable Channel 2.) For more information, please contact Leonard Simpson, Broadcast Production Manager, at 370-8167.

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School

James Smith, a health economist at the RAND Corporation, has heard a variety of hypotheses about what it takes to live a long life -- money, lack of stress, a loving family, lots of friends. But he has been a skeptic.

Yes, he says, it is clear that on average some groups in every society live longer than others. The rich live longer than the poor, whites live longer than blacks in the United States. Longevity, in general, is not evenly distributed in the population. But what, he asks, is cause and what is effect? And how can they be disentangled?  He is venturing, of course, into one of the prevailing mysteries of aging, the persistent differences seen in the life spans of large groups.  In every country, there is an average life span for the nation as a whole and there are average life spans for different subsets, based on race, geography, education and even churchgoing.  But the questions for researchers like Dr. Smith are why? And what really matters?  The answers, he and others say, have been a surprise. The one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race; it obliterates any effects of income.  Year after year, in study after study, says Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging, education "keeps coming up."

And, health economists say, those factors that are popularly believed to be crucial — money and health insurance, for example, pale in comparison.  Dr. Smith explains: "Giving people more Social Security income, or less for that matter, will not really affect people’s health. It is a good thing to do for other reasons but not for health."  Health insurance, too, he says, "is vastly overrated in the policy debate."  Instead, Dr. Smith and others say, what may make the biggest difference is keeping young people in school. A few extra years of school is associated with extra years of life and vastly improved health decades later, in old age.  It is not the only factor, of course.  There is smoking, which sharply curtails life span. There is a connection between having a network of friends and family and living a long and healthy life. And there is evidence that people with more powerful jobs and, presumably, with more control over their work lives, are healthier and longer lived.  But there is little dispute about the primacy of education.  "If you were to ask me what affects health and longevity," says Michael Grossman, a health economist at the City University of New York, "I would put education at the top of my list."

Teacher Merit Pay Boosts Student Standardized Test Scores

 Students learn more when teachers are given financial incentives to do a better job, concludes a new University of Florida (UF) study that finds merit pay for instructors equates to better test scores for their pupils. Pay incentives for teachers had more positive effects on student test scores than such school improvement methods as smaller class sizes or stricter requirements for classroom attendance, said David Figlio, a UF economics professor. The study, by Figlio and UF economics professor Lawrence Kenny, has been accepted for publication in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Public Economics. Students at schools with teacher pay-for-performance programs scored an average of one to two percentage points higher on standardized tests than their peers at schools where no bonuses were offered, Figlio said. The UF study found the effects of these pay incentives were strongest in schools with students from the poorest families. Figlio and Kenny collected surveys from 534 schools that were among 1,319 public and private schools participating in a national study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education beginning in 1988. About 16 percent of American schools have teacher pay-for-performance programs in place, Figlio said. Many teachers criticize these bonus plans, saying they raise questions about fairness and they destroy cooperation among teachers. Click here to read more.