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FOR RELEASE
October 5, 1999
Contact:
David Thomas
(202) 401-1579
DEPARTMENT AWARDS $8.7 MILLION TO ASSIST PROVIDERS OF COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL REFORM
More than 700 schools will reap the benefits from $8.7 million in contracts awarded to nine organizations to provide technical assistance to schools seeking to implement comprehensive school reform, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley announced today.
The funding will be used to increase the numbers of trainers and facilitators sent to schools to help implement various models of school reform, to update materials, and to develop technology-based technical assistance for schools implementing the models. The new technology to be developed by these organizations will be especially helpful to rural areas, where school reform organizations have difficulty sending trainers and facilitators on a regular basis.
The following organizations received funding: Success For All, Baltimore, Md.; Co-nect Schools Inc., Cambridge, Mass; Educational Development Center, Inc., Newton, Mass., for its ATLAS model; Temple University's Center for Research in Human Development and Education, Philadelphia, Pa., for its Community For Learning model; Outward Bound, Inc., Garrison, N.Y., for its Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model; the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Portland, Ore., for its Onward To Excellence II model; The Galef Institute, Los Angeles, Calif., for its Different Ways of Knowing model; and Johns Hopkins University's Center for Social Organization of Schools, Baltimore, Md., received funding for two models, Talent Development Middle School Program, and Talent Development High School Program.
Outward Bound plans to use the funding to serve a number of schools in Puerto Rico and will translate materials into Spanish in order to facilitate implementation of the program. Success For All will develop videos to assist in teacher training and technical development. Many of the organizations will enhance their web sites to provide more professional development for teachers, and to allow teachers and administrators at various schools to communicate electronically and assist each other in implementing school-wide reform programs.
Recently, the department's Comprehensive School Reform Development Program provided funding to Title I schools across the country so that they might implement school-wide reform programs. Congressional leaders in education were concerned that providers of comprehensive school reform would be unable to meet the great demand created by the CSRD program.
Consequently, this funding was provided as a part of a Congressionally-mandated strategy to assist providers of technical assistance in comprehensive school reform. In addition to funding to increase capacity, funds have been provided for a National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform (NCCSR) at George Washington University, Washington D.C., and there was also a national competition to design school reform models for middle and high schools.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: Contract descriptions are attached.
Success For All Foundation
200 W. Towsontown Boulevard
Baltimore, Md. 21204-5200
Phone: (800) 548-4998; (410) 616-2300
E-mail: KSTRINGFIELD@SUCCESSFORALL.NET
Contact: Kathleen Stringfield
Total Funding: $2,106,763
The goal of Success For All is to ensure that all children learn to read in the elementary grades. It provides state-of-the-art curricula and professional development for prekindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1-6 reading, writing, and language arts; one-to-one tutoring for young students struggling in reading; and an active family support program.
Grades Served: preK-6
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 250
U.S. Department of Education Contact: Carol Chelemer (202) 219-2235
Co-nect Schools, Inc.
10 Fawcett Street
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Phone: (617) 234-5809
E-mail: bgoldberg@co-nect.net
Contact: Bruce Goldberg
Total Funding: $1,441,755
The Co-nect model substantially integrates technology into the education process. Co-nect uses a proprietary methodology that combines Internet-based resources with on-site professionals and faculty training programs to transform each school's culture of teaching and learning. The Co-nect model is built on five benchmarks: teamwork focused on results; project-based teaching and learning; comprehensive assessment; team-based school organization; and the sensible use of technology. Co-nect is a New American Schools design.
Grades Served: K-12
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 100
U.S. Department of Education Contact: Irene Harwarth (202) 219-1756
Temple University/ Center for Research in Human Development and Education
933 Ritter Annex, 9th Floor
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, Pa. 19122
Phone: (215) 204-3001
E-mail: mcw@vm.temple.edu
Contact: Margaret Wang
Total Funding: $1,393,362
Model: Community For Learning (CFL)
CFL is a broad-based, inclusive approach to respond to the increasingly diverse student populations of the schools. The unique design characteristics of the CFL approach to achieve student success include the following: (a) a collaborative framework for positive change; (b) a commitment to the educational success of each student; (c) a research-based intervention infused with practical wisdom; (d) a design for capacity-building; (e) coming to scale, but starting in the most adverse situations; (f) principal as instructional leader; and (g) onsite implementation support and peer coaching. CFL was originally an Adaptive Learning Environment Model (ALEM).
Grades Served: K-12
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 27
U.S. Department of Education Contact: Gregory Dennis (202) 219-1919
Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound
100 Mystery Point Road
Garrison, N.Y. 10524
Phone: (914)424-4000
Email: Jane_heidt@elob.org
Contact: Jane Heidt
Total Funding: $930,720
Model: Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound
Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound is a design for comprehensive school improvement that challenges students to meet rigorous academic and character standards. Through professional development and technical assistance, the Expeditionary Learning design team collaborates with the faculty and leadership of a school to strengthen instruction and school culture, to engage students in in-depth investigations, and to assess and increase student achievement. Outward Bound has had a long history of helping young people from a broad range of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds take responsibility to achieve their personal best. Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound is a New American Schools design.
Grades Served: K-12
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 35
U.S. Department of Education Contact: Irene Harwarth (202) 219-1756
The Galef Institute
11050 Santa Monica Blvd., 3rd Floor
Los Angeles, Calif. 90025
Phone (310) 479-8883
Contact: Sue Beauregard
Total Funding: $761,171
Model: Different Ways of Knowing (DWoK)
Different Ways of Knowing is a comprehensive arts-infused curriculum and three-year professional development program for teachers, school administrators, and family and community members. This research-based and research-validated approach integrates social studies and history with the visual, performing, and media arts; literature; reading; writing; mathematics; and science. By utilizing diverse students' unique linguistic, mathematical, artistic, logical and intuitive skills, Different Ways of Knowing has proven to be effective in raising the achievement levels of students, especially students who are not always served well by the current system of public education.
Grades Served: K-6
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 155
U.S. Department of Education Contact: Mary Campbell (202) 219-2130
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL)
101 S. W. Main Street, Suite 500
Portland, Ore. 97204
Phone: (503) 275-9501
E-mail: thomasc@nwrel.org
Contact: Carol F. Thomas
Total Funding: $653,647.00
Model: Onward to Excellence II (OTE II)
OTE II builds on components of Onward To Excellence in that it emphasizes the following: a focus on quality and equity in student learning; shared leadership as a norm for managing school change; and applying high-quality educational research to decisions about curriculum, instruction, and assessment. OTE II adds new structures and procedures that include the use of an inquiry process involving alignment of curriculum and instruction across classrooms with district/state standards and best practices; and an External Study Team to help the school collect baseline data, check progress and monitor improvement.
Grades Served: preK-12
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 62
U.S. Department of Education Contact: Stephanie Dalton (202) 208-2497
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC)
55 Chapel St.
Newton, Mass. 02458
Phone: (617) 969-7100 x. 2316
E-mail: Names@edc.org
Contact: Nancy Ames
Total Funding: $520,973.00
Model: Authentic Teaching, Learning, and Assessment for All Students (ATLAS Communities)
Fundamental to the ATLAS Communities model is its distinctive linking of elementary, middle, and high schools in a continuous education pathway. Students move beyond basic skills to develop a capacity for creativity, analytic thinking, real-world problem solving, and challenging independent and cooperative work. Through a weaving of school and community, students and their families, teachers, civic leaders, business people, cultural institutions, and youth-serving organizations all become deeply invested in the learning process.
Grades Served: K-12
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 30
U.S. Department of Education Contact: Irene Harwarth (202) 219-1756
Talent Development Middle School Program
Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk
Center for Social Organization of Schools
Johns Hopkins University
3003 N. Charles St., Suite 200
Baltimore, Md. 21218
Phone: (410) 516-8668
Contact: Douglas MacIver
Total Funding: $469,583.00
Model: Talent Development Middle School (TDMS)v TDMS's distinctive features include instructional programs which use standards- and research-based curriculum materials and instructional strategies; providing teachers with professional development, weekly in-classroom implementation support and support from Johns Hopkins University-based instructional facilitators; extra help and instruction to students in mathematics and reading; and a commitment to a data driven approach to school reform.
Grades Served: 5-8
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 28
U.S. Department of Education Contract: Carol Chelemer (202) 219-2235
Center for Social Organization of Schools
Johns Hopkins University
3003 N. Charles St., Suite 200
Baltimore, Md. 21218
Phone: (410) 516-8800
E-Mail: jmcpartland@csos.jhu.edu
Contact: James McPartland
Total Funding: $468,791.00
Model: Talent Development High School (TDHS)
The organizational components of this model include: A Ninth Grade Success Academy uses teams of teachers to share common planning time to achieve a successful student transition into high school; Career Academies for upper grades allow students to make selections based on their career goals; on-site, after-hours alternative programs allow students special help. The curriculum and instruction components of this model include a flexible schedule with extended class period, a Freshman Seminar to prepare students for the challenging learning activities of the TDHS and contextual learning activities, which are project-based and have career applications.
Grades Served: 9-12
Number of Schools to be Served With New Funding: Approximately 30
U.S. Department of Education Contact: Irene Harwarth (202) 219-1756