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What States Are Doing This regular feature provided by ECS highlights particular programs/policies that might be of interest here in Georgia. Updated May 14. Alabama - The state Department of Education has announced that 219 new schools have been selected to participate in the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) this summer. Now being recognized as a national model, AMSTI is the Department's initiative to improve math and science teaching standards. (Feb. 27) Colorado - The Colorado Dept. of Education has announced the findings of a report that examines schools in districts across the state whose economically-disadvantaged students outscored the state average on the Colorado Assessment Program in at least two subjects for at least three consecutive years. Here is a quick-read press release with details. (March 5) Illinois - The State Board of Education and Department of Human Services are teaming up to challenge principals and school communities statewide to 'Move' and 'Crunch' towards a healthier lifestyle. The Move & Crunch Challenge for Principals is a new initiative aimed at helping schools create a healthy environment for students. (Feb. 27) Kentucky - A statewide task force of policymakers and experts will review the state's Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS), with the primary goals of providing a blueprint for the system's progress in the future and ensuring that the system meets the best interests of public school students. (March 12) Louisiana - New requirements adopted by Lousiana's Board of Regents mean that starting with the class of 2012, high school graduates will need to have successfully completed four units each of math, science, English and social studies to qualify for admission to a public four-year university. (March 5) Maine - A recent executive order issued by the governor establishes an advisory council to plan for and coordinate a seamless public education system in the state. (May 2008) Massachusetts - Massachusetts is aggressively pursuing the fight against bullying. They have published a guide that attempts to dispel myths about bullying and provide tips and statistics to help teachers and principals stop bullying. The advice is often simple. Check out the guide. (May 2008) Recently passed legislation establishes a new Executive Office of Education, which the governor proposed to encourage the seamless delivery of education from pre-kindergarten through higher education. (March 12) Michigan - The governor has signed legislation to provide an additional $4.7 million for the Great Start School Readiness Program that provides quality pre-school to at-risk four-year- olds across the state. The program serves over 27,000 at-risk four-year-olds throughout the state. (May 2008) New Hampshire - Recognizing that the state needs to do more to recruit and retain the valuable skills of young workers, Governor John Lynch has issued an executive order establishing the Task Force for Retention and Recruitment of a Young Workforce. The Task Force will be responsible for submitting an interim report by December 2008, with a final strategic plan and recommendations delivered to the governor by March 31, 2009. (March 26) New Mexico - The governor and state education secretary have announced six new statewide education initiatives: linking drivers licenses to educational outcomes; a high school elective credit for environmental protection community projects; an electronic encyclopedia of exemplary mathematics and Science lessons; an in-residence-international benchmarking initiative; a parents college to provide them with strategies to help their children succeed; and an exemplary educators network. (April 30) North Carolina - Eight hundred rising high school juniors and seniors have been selected to attend the 2008 Governor's School, a summer program for gifted students. The oldest program of its kind in the nation.(April 17 - ECS) Ohio - The governor has announced that the state Board of Regents and the Department of Education will begin requesting proposals from teams of public high schools and colleges interested in becoming "early adopters" of the Seniors to Sophomores program which allows high school seniors who meet certain academic standards to take college-level courses that will be transferable to public colleges and universities in the state. (March 12) Oklahoma - High school students have posted the second-lowest college remediation rate in 10 years, and also posted a dramatic one-year drop in remediation needs. The majority of students who did require college remediation needed it in the area of mathematics. (April 9) Pennsylvania - Governor Edward Rendell has announced more than $3 million in funding for colleges, universities and research institutions. The funds will be made available as part of the Keystone Innovation Starter Kit initiative, which is designed to recruit top faculty researchers in crucial advanced knowledge areas to universities throughout the state. Additionally, discretionary funds can also be used by researchers to develop labs, staff and equipment in order to leverage private funding for their research. (March 19) Rhode Island - In 2007, a two-part survey was sent to representatives of each of the state's postsecondary institutions. The survey collected information about the overall scope of each institution's partnerships with PK-12 schools and districts, and also asked the institutions to identify the five partnerships that had the greatest impact, were the most innovative and were the most replicable. A newly released preliminary report presents an initial summary of the findings. A more detailed report will be released in June. (March 19) South Carolina - The Department of Education and the state's housing authority announced a $20 million initiative to offer teachers low-interest home loans and help with down payments. The incentive program aims to offset moderate teacher salaries. (April 24 - Education Commission of the States - ECS) South Dakota - The National Math and Science Initiative has selected the state to pilot a statewide program online for improving mathematics and science education. If successful, the pilot could provide a model for improving student achievement in rural and sparsely populated states across the nation. Under the new program, high school students are encouraged to take AP courses in mathematics, science and English, and can earn $100 for each course they pass. The pilot program aims to increase access to these courses by making them available via the South Dakota Virtual School. (March 19) Tennessee - The Department of Education has released the results of a survey of school administrators on pre-k needs for the 2008-09 school year. Administrators submitted requests for 306 new state-funded pre-K classes for the 2008-09 school year to serve four-year olds in at-risk and universal classrooms. These requests would bring pre-K to every county in the state. (March 26) Texas - The state Education Agency has announced a new student outreach campaign to encourage youth to stay in school, graduate and pursue their passion. The flagship component of the integrated campaign, www.OwnYourOwnFuture.com, is designed to show teens that graduating from high school is the first step toward college and a career. (April 9) Utah - Recently signed legislation establishes the Regents' Scholarship Program to award merit scholarships to students who complete a rigorous core course of study in high school. The scholarship includes a $1,000 base scholarship and a supplemental award designed to encourage college savings. (April 9) Virginia - Recent legislation signed by the governor requires local school boards to incorporate into their local wellness policy a goal of an average of 150 minutes of physical fitness for all students. Programs may include physical education classes, extracurricular athletics or other programs and physical activities determined locally. (April 30) Virginia - Recently passed legislation requires each of the Commonwealth's public higher education institutions to develop, adopt and keep current a written crisis and emergency management plan; establish a threat assessment team; and establish a comprehensive, prompt and reliable first warning and emergency notification system for students, staff and faculty by Jan. 1, 2009. (March 26) Wisconsin - The Department of Public Instruction has released results of the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which was administered to 2,094 students in 56 public schools across the state as part of a national effort to monitor health-risk behaviors among high schoolers. Students reported less violence in their lives and better mental health since the first survey was administered 15 years ago. (Feb. 27) |
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