Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

1554 page views

September 8, 2006

District Mission

GCS = College/Work Ready

District Core Values

The Board, in partnership with parents and community members, wants to share these district core values in order to strengthen our schools and improve the quality of life for all of our citizens.

Diversity.  We are committed to creating an educational organization where a variety of persons and perspectives are welcome. We are committed to providing an environment where students and staff from all cultures and backgrounds may succeed.
Empathy.   We are committed to developing a culture where our employees identify with and understand the feelings of our students and parents and their colleagues. 
Equality.  We are committed to creating a school system where everyone is appreciated and judged based solely on their contributions and performance. Through the work of this institution, we will create awareness of and develop strategies to understand and eradicate prejudice, discrimination and racism on the individual and organizational level.
Innovativeness.  We are committed to fostering a work environment where the goal is not to manage innovations, but to become innovative. Problems are identified, ownership of those problems is assumed by the adults in the district, and everyone works together as agents of the solution until the problems are solved. We will not stop until obstacles are removed, solutions found and clear and compelling goals are established.
Integrity.  We are committed to creating a school district that acts with honesty and forthrightness, holding ourselves to high academic and ethical standards, and dealing with everyone with respect.

Action Greensboro Commits $2 Million for Pilot Project to Recruit and Retain Math Teachers for Select Guilford County High Schools

Action Greensboro—a unit of the Action Greensboro Partnership and a partnership of Triad-area foundations dedicated to bringing more and better jobs to the region—has committed $2 million over the next three years to expand a pilot project to recruit and retain highly qualified math teachers for selected Guilford County high schools.  University, public school and community leaders gathered at Smith High School today to announce the collaborative project involving the Guilford County Schools (GCS), the 16-campus University of North Carolina, and the two local UNC campuses, NC A&T State University and UNC Greensboro.  The school system and participating University partners also are contributing significant financial resources and services, bringing total estimated funding for the joint effort to nearly $4 million.

Numerous studies have underscored the need for North Carolina to produce more scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in order to compete in the global, knowledge-based economy—a challenge magnified by a chronic shortage of qualified high school teachers in high-need subject areas such as math and science.  A key issue is pay, since graduates in these fields typically have opportunities to earn much higher starting salaries in the private sector.  The lack of adequate mentoring and professional development also makes it harder to retain these teachers.

Currently, some Guilford County high schools are experiencing annual turnover as high as 50 percent among math teachers.  The goal of the joint project is to attract a full complement of qualified math teachers to eight Guilford County high schools; retain them through a combination of financial incentives, intensive mentoring, and professional development; and in turn, improve student learning and performance in math—a subject crucial to success in most technical and scientific fields.  If successful, the pilot project will demonstrate the potential benefit of introducing market-based or “differential” pay in selected academic subject areas—coupled with expanded mentoring and other forms of teacher support—statewide.

In announcing the partnership and supporting grant, UNC President Erskine Bowles said, “It is now painfully clear that if America doesn’t quickly wake up and get more people better educated, we are going to be a second-rate power before we know it, and the best jobs of the future will not be in North Carolina.  They will be in India, China, or Singapore.  If our children and grandchildren are going to be equipped to compete in a knowledge-based global economy, we have got to do more to increase the pool of qualified teachers for our classrooms and attract the best and the brightest into teaching.  It is our nation’s most important profession; we have to begin again to treat it as such.”

“Because of the higher salaries and benefits offered by private industry, we know that our schools have a very serious problem retaining teachers in high-need subject areas such as math and science,” Bowles added.  “We also have a responsibility to provide the ongoing mentoring and professional development teachers need to be successful.  This truly is a crisis, and I believe we have to start treating it like a crisis and consider new and different solutions.  Working in partnership with Guilford County Schools and Action Greensboro—we are going to attack this problem head-on here in Guilford County and identify effective ways to overcome it.  If we succeed here, we hope to expand this effort throughout the state.”

Beginning this fall, GCS introduced differential pay for up to 53 qualified math teachers at six high schools previously identified by Superior Court Judge Howard Manning as under-performing:  Dudley, Smith, Andrews, High Point Central, the Middle College at Bennett College, and the Middle College at NC A&T.   Eligible teachers will receive market-based incentive pay of $10,000 to bring their annual salaries in line with recent math graduates employed in the private sector.  These teachers

will also be eligible to receive additional performance-based incentives of up to $4,000 if their students demonstrate at least 1.5 years of growth for the academic year.  The Action Greensboro grant announced today will enable GCS to expand this differential pay and performance-based bonuses to two additional high schools—Eastern and Southern.  In addition, the grant will also fund a number of related initiatives at all eight schools intended to improve teacher retention and the quality of math instruction.

As part of the announcement, Skip Moore, Chair of the Action Greensboro Operating Group (and president of the Weaver Foundation) said, "All of us associated with Action Greensboro are pleased that we can further our support for the Guilford County Schools.  In the past five years, Action Greensboro—through the Commitment to Excellence program and its support for the Guilford Education Alliance—has focused on both recognizing the accomplishments of our schools as well as improving in areas where the schools do not measure up.  Public education is one of the three major considerations companies use in locating, expanding, and remaining in a community.  This program is particularly important because it will focus on high schools with academic need.  Mathematical skills, and associated reasoning skills, are endemic to further education and to the workforce.  I am convinced that the involvement of the two local UNC campuses, and the direct support of the UNC General Administration, will reinforce the high school teachers' work and that we will see significant advancement in performance. We specifically want to recognize and congratulate the Guilford County Board of Education for its recognition that market demand and compensation varies among disciplines and that performance must be appropriately rewarded.  It was a courageous step for them to step up to this issue and we are proud of them for doing so.  All of Guilford County will benefit from this effort that brings UNC and the Guilford County Schools together to improve public education. Thank you for letting Action Greensboro be a part of this effort."

Strengthening and stabilizing the corps of math teachers at these high schools will require far more than higher pay.  In addition to financial incentives, the pilot project will test the impact and effectiveness of a number of supporting initiatives and strategies, including:

• UNC recently funded an accelerated summer program at NC A&T that allowed 12 graduates who already had degrees in math, science, or engineering to achieve their teacher certification prior to the start of the 2006 school year.  To date, GCS has hired seven of those graduates, three of whom are teaching math at pilot high schools.
• The NC Model Teacher Education Consortium, a component of the UNC Center for School Leadership Development, is providing a part-time recruiter to assist the Guilford County Schools in recruiting qualified math teachers and will provide tuition support for teachers needing additional coursework.  The goal is to achieve a stable math faculty at these schools over the next three years.
• Through their joint Math and Science Education Network and other programs, NC A&T and UNCG will provide an intensive and rigorous professional development program for all participating math teachers during the summer of 2007, with ongoing follow-up sessions for new and continuing teachers.  Participants will receive stipends of $4,000 each to cover tuition and support.
• All new math teachers in these pilot high schools will be mentored by designated faculty at NC A&T and UNCG, as well as by full-time mentors from GCS.  To facilitate this crucial interaction, UNC is providing new laptop computers for all participating teachers and mentors.
• Through its iSchool, UNCG will provide students at the eight pilot schools access to college courses in math and science.  Depending on the level of student readiness and interest, the courses may be taught face-to-face or online.
• Through its Principals Executive Program and in partnership with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, UNC is providing an intensive management training program for principals from the 17 high schools Judge Manning identified as needing special intervention.  Two Guilford County schools—Dudley and Smith—have three-person teams (principal, assistant principal, and teacher) participating.  The University is seeking additional state funding to expand this training to other under-performing schools.
• As a pilot project testing the effectiveness and wider feasibility of differential pay, performance-based incentives, and varied support systems, it must be able to demonstrate results.  In cooperation with other partners, UNCG will provide ongoing evaluation of the various strategies and a final evaluation of the overall effort.  This evaluation will be made public.

We are very excited about this partnership.  We have long used the concepts of experience and earned degrees to differentiate salaries in America’s public schools.  Like our counterparts in colleges, in universities and the private sector, it is time to add market demand and performance to that list.  It is partnerships like this that will help us attract and retain the best educators possible.  Please contact me at 370-8992, should you have questions.

GCS Goes Global

School is in. And so are international exchange teachers. Their mission: To Prepare a New Generation of Local Students for Success in the Global Marketplace. More than 130 highly qualified international exchange teachers from around the globe are serving GCS as full-time teachers and cultural ambassadors from their home countries, opening students’ eyes to the world beyond their borders.

These top teachers are sponsored by the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) Program. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, VIF is the largest international exchange program for U.S. schools and teachers worldwide. VIF carefully selects the world’s finest teachers, matches them with U.S. schools and provides comprehensive support to help ensure rewarding experiences. VIF educators, who meet the “highly qualified” standard of the federal No Child Left Behind law, teach a wide range of core subjects including: elementary education, international languages, English as a Second Language, math, social studies, science and special education.

As cultural ambassadors, VIF teachers educate students on the culture, history and heritage of their home nations to help prepare a new generation and local communities for success in an increasingly integrated world. VIF teachers represent more than 50 nations. VIF participation is a professional development experience for international teachers, who work in U.S. schools for up to three years then return home, contributing to education in their nations and serving as goodwill ambassadors for the United States. For more information, please contact Haley Henderson, program administrator – communications, at 370-3200.

Induction and Success

Two new induction support coaches began their work in the Induction and Success Division this week.  Our staff is making site visits to the schools with the highest number of new teachers.  The coaches are visiting each new teacher at these sites and are working with principals and Induction coordinators to assess strengths and needs of the new teachers.  From this data, staff will begin plans for mini-sessions to work with teachers on classroom management, lesson planning, etc.  In addition, plans are being finalized for the Right Start Orientation Make-Up sessions to be held on September 16, 18 and 23.  For more information, please contact Martha Snavely, executive director for induction and success, at 370-8098.

New Teacher Reception—Last Chance to RSVP!!

This year’s New Teacher Reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. on September 14 at the Medlin Center; GTCC Jamestown Campus; 601 High Point Road. Sponsored this year by the Guilford Education Alliance, the Greensboro and High Point Chambers of Commerce and local businesses, this festive event will provide information and giveaways to the district’s new teachers! Click here for RSVP form. Fill outformand fax to 841-3696 by September 11. For more information, please contact the Guilford Education Alliance at 841-4332 or Jacqueline Todd, program administrator for internal relations, at 370-8353.

GCS to Offer Surrogate Parent Training

To ensure every child succeeds, GCS is urging citizens to become surrogate parents. Children receiving special education services typically have a parent to represent them in the annual Individualized Education Plan team meeting at the school. However, some parents are unable to meet this obligation and a surrogate parent is needed.

Becoming a surrogate parent is easy. All interested community members can attend one of the two training sessions offered this fall at 120 Franklin Blvd., Greensboro in the boardroom. The sessions will be offered on Wednesday, September 13 from 9 a.m. – noon and Thursday, September 14 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. For more information, please contact Stephanie Antkowiak, EC parent liaison, at 370-8329.

Morehead Elementary to Dedicate Expressive Arts Building

Morehead Elementary is dedicating its new expressive arts building on Friday, September 15 at 1 p.m. This building houses classrooms for the expressive arts magnet program, which includes: visual arts, drama, general music, violin and physical education. For more information, please contact Diana Berry, PE teacher, at 294-7370.

GCS Receives $1,500 from the Community Foundation to Further AED Initiative

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro has awarded a grant to GCS’ AED Initiative for $1,500. The funds will be used to begin placement of automated external defibrillators in elementary schools. The AED Initiative was created at the start of the 2004-05 school year by Herb Goins and Linda Helle of the GCS Athletic Department in response to a study published by the Pediatric Clinics of North America. The report states that as many as 7,000 children will die of sudden cardiac arrest each year. In addition to those with undetected heart abnormalities, a perfectly healthy student athlete can suffer a cardiac arrest after being struck in the chest by an object. So far, defibrillators are located in all 14 of the traditional high schools in Guilford County and most recently, all 19 middle schools. Elementary schools and non-traditional high schools will be supplied as funds become available. For more information, please contact Mr. Goins or Ms. Helle at 370-8388.

Florence Elementary Teacher Wins Community Service Award

Congratulations to fifth-grade teacher Ned McMillan who was one of 10 recipients for the “2 Those Who Care Service to the Piedmont Awards” sponsored by WFMY News 2 and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. Each year, the “2 Those Who Care” Board of Governors, a group of distinguished members of the community, select 10 finalists from nominations submitted from all over the Piedmont.

McMillan received the award for developing a “Clown Club” at  Florence. As a result of McMillan, students get invaluable life lessons and touch the lives of people at nursing homes, hospitals and shelters with their act. For more information, please contact Ellen Wolf,PTA volunteer, at 819-2120.

Putting Every Student on the Front Row

Background noise in classrooms can be distracting for students, thus affecting performance. To combat this problem, some schools are turning to classroom amplification systems, which elevate the classroom teacher's voice to a level higher than surrounding background noise that can interfere with traditional instruction. 

Voice amplification systems have been extensively researched and have been proven to be effective with regards to improving early phonemic awareness/literacy skills and attention. All types of students can benefit from this technology proven to boost test scores.

Through fund raising, Sedalia Elementary has begun a new initiative called, "The Front Row Project" to equip every classroom in the school with this technology. Currently, Sedalia has nine systems installed and has been pleased with the early results. 

General Greene Elementary has voice amplification systems in some of its classrooms as well. Last year, General Greene was the first school in the district to utilize these systems.

"By introducing amplification systems into the classroom, we are using technology to enhance teacher instruction,” said Robert Maxwell, speech pathologist at Sedalia. “Classroom amplification systems improve the quality of instruction by alleviating issues with background noise and distractions, thus bringing the teacher's voice directly to every student. This approach offers every student a ‘front row’ seat and affords them every opportunity to succeed."    For more information, please contact Haley Henderson, program administrator-communications, at 370-3200. 

Workplace Spanish

Workplace Spanish classes are open to all GCS employees.  This course is specifically designed for those in the education environment and has a long history of success.  Workplace Spanish provides employees with the language skills necessary to successfully communicate with Spanish-speaking adults and students.  Classes will be held at 501 W. Washington Street, Room 100B, (across from Weaver Academy) in Greensboro.  Openings remain for the following classes:

To register for any of the above sessions, go to the GCS Professional Development Web site at http://schoolcenter.gcsnc.com/education/dept/dept.php?sectionid=4533 and click on “Register for Classes.”  If you require registration assistance, please contact Jean Whitesell, at 370-8010.

Reading in the Content Area

There will be four district sponsored cohorts of Reading in the Content Area (RCA) training for middle and high school teachers this school year.  Each cohort can have a maximum of 30 participants and will meet from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays at the Washington Street Annex (across from Weaver Academy) from September through March.  The dates of the cohorts are: Cohort 1 – September 23, October 21, December 2, January 20, February 17;  Cohort 2 – September 30, October 28, December 9, January 27, March 3; Cohort 3 – October 7, November 4, December 16, February 3, March 10; Cohort 4 – October 14, November 18, January 6, February 10, March 17.

Teachers , who have not had the RCA training and who are not taking RCA at their local schools, can sign up for one of the cohorts through the GCS Professional Development website.   Those attending RCA training at the local school level should not register for one of these cohorts.   Click here to register for one of the sessions .

Participants will examine effective literacy strategies to improve the process of comprehending the printed text. They will also learn the critical attributes of a lesson design, address Academic Learning Time, examine the Anatomy of a Lesson, discuss the continuum of literacy, and determine instructional strategies for acquiring meaning from text. For more information, please contact Randy Shiflett, coordinator of RCA training, at 312-3930. 

Educators’ Evening

How would you like to spend a relaxing evening enjoying great food, wonderful dramatic presentations and tremendous fellowship with other educators like yourself?  Well here is your chance to do just that. The North Carolina Theatre for Young People at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro (UNCG) is sponsoring an Educators’ Evening on Thursday, September 21, 6-8:30 p.m. The evening promises to be a great opportunity to learn more about what UNCG has to offer this year in continuing education. Click here for more information or to register.

GCS Insider is Now Available!

We’re back! Following a summer hiatus, the September GCS Insider, the district’s monthly employee e-newsletter, can be accessed at http://www.gcsnc.com/insider/index.htm . Read about the business community’s effort to support the school system through an information campaign. Take the GCS Insider Readership Survey and enter for your chance at movie tickets, Greensboro Children’s Museum passes or a $100 Harris Teeter gift card! For more information, please contact Jacqueline Todd, program administrator - internal relations, at 370-8353.

GCS People

Have a unique photo of a school event or program? We will post it in the GCS Insider employee newsletter! E-mail us your best photo (just one, please)—we will select a few for publication each month. Please include:

• School name
• Name of the event or program
• Date of the event/program
• Name(s) of those featured in the photo
• Name and title of person submitting the photo

Please e-mail your best photo and the above information to Jacqueline Todd at toddj@gcsnc.com. For more information, contact Jacqueline Todd, program administrator - internal relations, at 370-8353.

GCSTV 2

GCS/ABC 45 Partnership Continues

GCS continues its partnership with ABC 45 television to share the following 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.

Partnership for Math
An innovative effort is underway to recruit the best of the best math teachers to Guilford County Schools. GCS is partnering with Action Greensboro and the 16-campus University of North Carolina system to compete with private business in hiring the best and brightest to teach our children. It involves a unique public-private venture to significantly boost starting salaries to lure and keep math teachers in the classroom. This newsbreak airs Wednesday, September 13.

Germ City
It’s one of the most common ways to spread disease. Our hands pick up bacteria with nearly everything and everyone we touch. Some can be harmless, but some can make you sick. Find out how GCS and the N.C. Department of Agriculture are educating students on the benefit of hand washing. Come with us to Monticello-Brown Summit Elementary to visit “ Germ City.” This newsbreak airs Friday, September 15.

For more information, please contact Leonard Simpson, broadcast production manager, at 370-8167.

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

NBC Online Application Process for 2006-07 Candidates

North Carolina teachers planning to seek National Board Certification should complete the online application at www.nbpts.org and then complete the online application for North Carolina funding. Guidelines for applying for National Board Certification in North Carolina can be accessed at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nbpts/apply.html. Initial NBC candidates will pay a $65 processing charge to NBPTS before they submit their application. North Carolina pays the assessment fee of $2,500 for all candidates who meet the eligibility criteria. The NC funding application window for 2006-07 candidates pursuing National Board Certification is March 1-Ocober. 31.

NBC Renewal Information

National Board Certified teachers who achieved certification in 1997 or 1998 may pursue renewal of their National Board certificate this year. For NBCTs who achieved it in 1997, this is the second and final opportunity to pursue renewal. For NBCTs who achieved it in 1998, this is the first opportunity to pursue renewal. The application window for renewal is open November 13-December 31. Deadline for payment of the application fee is January 31, 2007. The Profile of Professional Growth must be submitted by April 30, 2007. Scores for renewal candidates will be released in October 2007. For more information about renewal, visit the NBPTS Web site at www.nbpts.org and view the NBC Renewal Presentation on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/nbpts/resource.html

North Carolina State Schools of Character Awards Program

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction¹s School Safety and Climate Section is proud to join with the Character Education Partnership to announce the implementation of the North Carolina State Schools of Character Awards Program. Modeled after the National Schools of Character, this program is designed to honor exemplars in the practice of character education, showcase their work, and help them to inspire and lead others. Schools must have been engaged in character education for a minimum of three years to apply. Two technical assistance workshops will be held: Thursday, September 28, at the Sheraton Four Seasons, Greensboro, and Thursday, October 5, at the Radisson, Research Triangle Park, to support those schools interested in applying for the award. An information letter, application packet, and workshop registration form is being mailed to all superintendents, principals and charter school directors. In the meantime, all information is available for download at: http://ncpublicschools.org/charactereducation. If you have questions regarding this process, please contact Crystal Reardon, Character Education Consultant, at 919/807-3955 or by email at mcreardon@dpi.state.nc.us.

Report: The Racial Digital Divide Persists

Sixty-seven percent of white students use the Internet, compared with 44 percent of Hispanics and 47 percent of blacks, reported the National Center for Education Statistics yesterday. Fifty-four percent of white students use the Internet at home, while only 26 percent of Hispanics and 27 percent of blacks do, according to center data. Click here to read more…