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Peter Raskind shares who he is;
why he's here
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Interim CEO Peter Raskind
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Only two days into his new job as interim CEO for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Peter Raskind was faced with the decision to cancel school after an ice storm and several inches of snow brought Cleveland and much of the Midwest to a crawl. Calamity days are just one of many challenges Raskind will face as he leads the District over the next several months.
CEO of National City Bank (now PNC) from 2007 to 2008, Raskind assumed leadership on Feb. 1 after Dr. Eugene Sanders retired from the post. Prior to signing on with CMSD for a mere $1 annual salary, Raskind helped the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority as its interim CEO, where he also earned the same salary.
On Feb. 3, he met with administrators and union leaders at East Technical, followed by a social gathering in the cafeteria, to explain who he is, why he is here and what he plans to do.
Not concerned about formality, he warmed up to the crowd quickly by telling everyone, "Call me Peter." The 54-year-old, Boston-area native then shared that he is a product of public schools and the son of a garment worker who was a proud union member. He added that he received a fine education at Dartmouth College with the help of scholarships, student loans, odd jobs and a little financial help from his parents.
"My education was a pathway to a world I didn't even know existed," he said, adding that education is important to him and his wife.
Raskind has served on the board of trustees of the Notheast Ohio Council on Higher Education. His wife, Julie, is involved with organizations that focus on children's issues. She has volunteered with Voices for Ohio's Children (a nonpartisan policy group) and Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, and has tutored at Woodland Hills and Ginn Academy.
Raskind also shared that after a 30-year career in banking, he thought about his life and pondered: "What's the next chapter?"
His answer: public service.
"The Port Authority was my first experience in public service," he said. "It sparked an interest in me to do more."
He told the audience that when asked by a friend why he accepted the interim CEO role at CMSD, he responded: "If you can think of something more important, I'm listening."
Acknowledging that he is not an educator and does not intend to permanently occupy the CEO's office, Raskind said he doesn't believe a public entity should be run like a business. "To be sure, there are business principals that can be applied, but this is not a business," he said. "I know where I can contribute and know areas where I cannot."
He explained that what he brings to the table is leadership experience at a large organization; sensitivity to what others are feeling; strong communications, management and financial skills; and," he paused, "not much ego."
Raskind then assured the crowd that he would keep the Academic Transformation Plan moving forward and the leadership team intact. "If you are looking for a major upheaval, I think you will be disappointed."
So where does he anticipate he will make the greatest impact? "We need to address the District's significant financial challenges. It's a nationwide phenomenon. And it's the area where I believe I have something to contribute."
Noting that he has been impressed with the energy and commitment of leadership and administrators, he called upon everyone to meet the year's challenges together with participation, sacrifice and collaboration.
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 Three new school buildings open Christmas came early for hundreds of Cleveland Metropolitan School District students and teachers when the District "unwrapped" three new schools the second week of December. The District celebrated the official grand openings of Charles Dickens at Corlett, Nathan Hale and Adlai Stevenson. The new schools are part of the District Building Program, a joint effort by CMSD and the Ohio School Facilities Commission that has outlined the replacement, renovation or consolidation of each District school. Each school held student assemblies for the formal ribbon-cutting ceremonies and invited community leaders, city council members and parents to the events. The ceremonies attracted parents, alumni and residents, all wanting to get a peek at their new neighborhood schools. Charles Dickens at Corlett  | |
Former CEO Dr. Eugene Sanders
greets Charles Dickens students
at their new school.
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The week kicked off with the grand opening of Charles Dickens at Corlett K-8 school. This building opened 140 years after the death of the English Victorian author of A Christmas Carol, after whom the school is named. The 63,000-square-foot school was built at a cost of $14.5 million and is designed to accommodate 450 students. The building features brightly-lit, colorful classrooms and hallways, the latest technology and a secure two-story classroom wing, separate from the library, music room, gymnasium and cafeteria, all of which can be used by the community after school hours. Eighth grade student DeAndre Webb, standing proud and radiating school spirit, marveled at the architecture of his new school as he welcomed visitors who lined the walls of the gymnasium. Ward 2 Councilman Zack Reed was a guest speaker and congratulated the students on their new school. Nathan Hale K-8 School Nathan Hale was named for American Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale, who gave his life for this country nearly 235 years ago at age 21. Stretching across Martin Luther King Boulevard at 59,000 square feet, the school was built at a cost of $15.7 million and is designed to accommodate 400 students. A secure two-story classroom wing sits separate from the library, music room, gymnasium and cafeteria, which all can be used by the community after school hours. The expansive parking lot allows for a safe flow of traffic at the beginning of the school day and for afternoon and evening events. Improving its Ohio Department of Education rating from Academic Emergency to Academic Watch for the first time in eight years, Nathan Hale students and staff will be able to take advantage of the school's new technology. Nathan Hale's finest students, Ladies Club President Denise Green, Student Body President Ariel Harris and Gentlemen's Club President Terrell Lively greeted visitors at the start of the event. Student leaders led their peers in the school's pledge and welcomed visitors and special guest, Councilwoman Mamie Mitchell. Adlai Stevenson PreK-8 School  | |
Adlai Stevenson students assemble in their new school gymnasium for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
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Adlai Stevenson School bears the name of the famous American politician and diplomat. Two years after Adlai Stevenson's 1965 death, the original Adlai Stevenson School was built. The 63,000-square-foot Adlai Stevenson cost $14.6 million to build. Designed to accommodate 400 students, the new school has improved lighting and security cameras around the building to ensure a more secure environment for neighbors, as well as students, faculty and staff. The building will employ a cost-cutting geothermal system, which means the ground that the school is constructed on will heat and cool the entire building. Built on the JoAnn Park site, this project involved a land swap with the city of Cleveland. The park will be rebuilt with new grass, trees and landscaping. Rebuilding plans also include restoration of the field, suitable for Little League games and a multi-purpose field for other sports.
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Correction on District Calendar
In late December, 2011 District calendars were mailed to parents' homes. The entry "School Ends," appears on May 27, is an error. The "Last Day of Classes," listed on June 8, is the correct date for the end of the school year. Please help us communicate this information to students and parents. We apologize for the oversight.
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National Signing Day: 19 seniors accept college scholarships
 With their families and coaches standing behind them and smiling proudly, 19 seniors from John Marshall, John Adams and Ginn Academy/Glenville on Feb. 3 officially signed the paperwork accepting football scholarships at their chosen colleges.
They were part of the National Letter of Intent Signing Day for high school athletics, and they were among the dozens of Northeast Ohio standouts who signed scholarships with NCAA schools.
Interim CEO Peter Raskind, Chief Academic Officer Eric Gordon and Athletics Commissioner Leonard Jackson were among those congratulating the graduating seniors on achieving this honor.
Raskind noted that their scholarships brought honor to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, as well as the city of Cleveland. "Only two percent of high school athletes ever receive a full or partial college scholarship," he said, citing information from the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
"Today, and in the years ahead, whether you wear a jersey from Michigan, Toledo, Southern California, Ohio State or any other college, sports commentators will always say that you came from Cleveland. For that, we will always be proud," Raskind said.
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Daniel Morgan students receive new winter coats from Target The entire student body of Daniel E. Morgan School received warm winter coats to combat January's wind chill and snowy days. Made possible by a $5,000 grant from Target, the Coats for Kids Foundation delivered 450 new coats to the school on Dec. 9. Representatives from Target district offices and local Target stores helped distribute the coats. The Coats for Kids Foundation's mission is to ensure that every child who needs a winter coat receives a new one. The Alexandria, Va.-based foundation responds to requests from October through January. Since its inception in January 2004, Coats for Kids has delivered more than 37,000 new coats throughout the country. |
Young men defy the odds and embark on high school graduation and college
Twenty-one seniors who "weren't supposed to be there" had lunch recently with two of their mentors, outgoing CEO Dr. Eugene Sanders and the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. Four years ago when these students, all males, were in the eighth grade, they were identified as likely to drop out of school. On Jan. 14, they took part in an appreciation lunch at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. They are expected to graduate this spring with the Class of 2011, due their participation in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's Closing the Achievement Gap (CTAG) program.  The CTAG program targets low-achieving black males in eighth grade who exhibit the early warning signs of dropping out. These factors include: failing two or more core subjects, missing school for 36 or more days, being above the age of their current grade level (having been retained) and/or being suspended five or more days from school for misbehavior. The program works in collaboration with parents, school administrators, principals, teachers and the community. Mentors, called Linkage Coordinators, are employed to build relationships with students and monitor their academic, social and emotional needs. The Linkage Coordinators are accessible to the students 24/7. A defining moment in these young men's journey toward graduation occurred in summer 2008 as they entered the CTAG program and travelled to Morehouse College. They were thrilled - and inspired - as they witnessed a seemingly endless line of 500 young male college seniors in their caps and gowns marching on campus for graduation ceremonies. It was a trip arranged by foundation funds given to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and with the help of Rev. Moss, one of America's most influential religious and civic leaders who is a Morehouse College graduate and a strong CMSD supporter. At the luncheon, the 21 seniors from Ginn Academy, Glenville, John Adams, East Technical, Whitney Young, John Marshall and Martin Luther King high schools, thanked Rev. Moss for his influence in facilitating the trip, which was life-transforming for many of them. They also credited Dr. Sanders for his early and ongoing support of the CTAG program and Timothy Roberts Sr., a former police officer and now mentor and father figure to the teens for his role as a CMSD Linkage Coordinator for CTAG Chief of Transformation Renée Cavor noted that "our linkage coordinators have made the difference in these young men's lives because they have encouraged them, believed in them and guided them over the last four years. As CMSD works to increase the graduation rate by eliminating dropouts, it is evident that programs such as CTAG are essential to the success of our young men." "You are not supposed to be here," Dr. Sanders told the group. "By all statistics, as young male students in urban centers of America, you should have been dropouts, struggling through a sea of social challenges and fighting for survival in a world of opportunities racing ahead of your grasp. Instead, all 21 of you who attended the Morehouse graduation four years ago kept that vision alive in your minds - the vision of a better life and a more promising future than you had previously imagined." All the seniors had a brief opportunity to address the crowd, describing their academic and work accomplishments, and sharing their plans for college next fall. The 21 CTAG honorees are as follows: Davon Johnson from East Tech, Cedric Thorbes from Glenville, Darren Hardnick from Ginn, Jason Taylor from John Adams, Antwan Grayson from John Marshall, Walter Jones from Whitney Young and Brandon Bell, Damon Daniels, Aaron Edwards, Korwin Gethers, Sean Houston, Jalen Howard, Ricardo Jackson, Earlee Kidd, Olijajuan Moton, Rayshaun Smith, Rayshawn Sumlin, Devontae Switzer, Jayvion Walden, Donzell Washington and Devant'e Warren from Martin Luther King. |
 Marion-Sterling students receive gift of warmth from Community of St. Peter's
 A parent group called The Special Education Family Support Team partnered with CMSD to host a "Learning Differently" fair, Oct. 16. Event coordinators held the fair to encourage awareness of the different ways students can learn and how families, educators and various support groups can collaborate to achieve new levels of success. More than 40 Cleveland-area service providers and District specialists met at Jane Addams to help parents and students benefit from various community resources. Dr. Michael Manos of the Cleveland Clinic lectured participants on becoming better change agents for families utilizing intervention services. District representatives answered questions and provided guidance on implementing effective Individualized Education Plans. A puppet show entertained the children, culinary arts students provided refreshments, and a nurse - a Jane Addams graduate - graciously volunteered her time. |
Orchard students halt chaos after school dismissal
Drivers and pedestrians passing the north side of Orchard School will see a different scene today than they did just a few months ago.
Dismissal time at Orchard School was no picnic. Riddled with honking horns, traffic-flow problems, lack of signage and parking tickets, area residents, students and Orchard staff knew something had to be done to remedy the congestion.
While residents and parents viewed the chaotic dismissal as a nuisance, fifth-grade teachers Deborah Schmidt and Lester Nader saw it as a learning opportunity. Schmidt had just returned from a weeklong professional development seminar in Chicago that focused on problem-based learning (PBL) - a learning process that gets students to think through a problem from identification through resolution. She was eager to introduce the concept to her class.
In October, Orchard Principal Maryann Knapp visited the fifth-grade classes to read a letter of concern the school received about the congestion. Knapp immediately charged students with the task of developing a solution. Students, willing and enthusiastic, divided into small groups to develop a problem statement - the first step in the PBL process.
Over the next several weeks, students worked on a plan to calm the frenzied dismissal scene, sharing their observations and proposed resolutions to residents and parents during Orchard's Student Parent Organization meeting and delivering speeches to Ward 16 Councilman Jay Westbrook.
 "One of the best things about PBL is an educator's choice to teach across all standards. This project tied in problem-solving, social studies, civic responsibility and democracy," Schmidt said.
Several weeks into the project, students saw two of their major recommendations materialize. First, the school posted 20 mph signs. Second, the school began its search for a crossing guard.
While dismissal runs much smoother these days, a recent survey of the 35 fifth graders resulted in a 50/50 split among students about whether the problem had been solved.
"There's still work to be done," said fifth-grade student Nicole Charvat.
"We've kept this project real. Students were confronted with a real problem that they wanted to see result in a real resolution," Nader said. He's confident that students will continue to brainstorm additional recommendations.
Schmidt gives the students more credit than they are willing to give themselves. "We helped, but this was their work," she said. "Through their work, they've not only learned how to think through a problem, but they learned how to become a part of a community and work as a team."
When asked what she learned from taking on a project of this magnitude, fifth-grade student Lilliana Moss said, "I learned that we could actually pull this project off. It feels good."
For more information on problem-based learning, visit http://pbln.imsa.edu/.
Transforming Education will be an ongoing column in E-Communicator. Each month, Angela Buford Payne, media specialist, will share stories about how teachers, coaches, administrators, and staff are using different approaches to educating children - approaches that are transformative. If you have a success story that you would like to share with readers, contact Angela at 216-858-6994 or e-mail angela.buford@cmsdnet.net.
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CMSD students sang and danced in a flash mob performance at a renaming celebration held in the Cleveland State University Student Center atrium.
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CMSD thanks 'College Now'
for college prep help
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District participated in a festive "re-naming" celebration on Feb. 10 as one of its partners, Cleveland Scholarship Programs, officially changed its name to College Now Greater Cleveland.
As the new name was announced in the atrium of Cleveland State University's Student Center, a "flash" mob of students from the Cleveland School of the Arts and John F. Kennedy and James Ford Rhodes high schools rushed onto a stage to sing and dance.
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College Now CEO Lee Friedman
shakes hands with Interim CEO Peter Raskind as Chief Academic Officer Eric Gordon looks on.
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Interim CEO Peter Raskind and Chief Academic Officer Eric Gordon joined Mayor Frank Jackson, as well as civic, education, business and community leaders in thanking College Now officials for their commitment to a college-prepatory culture in Cleveland and across the region.
College Now's new name recognizes that a college education is needed to grow the region's economy. According to CEO's for Cities, increasing the college attainment rate in Northeast Ohio by 1 percent would boost the region's economy by $2.8 billion annually.
College Now advisers work with CMSD teachers and guidance counselors to carry out the CMSD's Cleveland Goes to College program, which aims to graduate students ready to compete in the 21st century, raise the District's high school graduation rate and increase college enrollment.
Every October, December, January and April, College Now advisers hold CMSD "College and U" workshops at city recreation centers, public libraries, and boys and girls clubs. During the two-hour sessions, they explore with students and their parents how to plan for college, how to prepare for the ACT/SAT tests and what they need to know about college financial aid, including how to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form required by most colleges. The workshops are open to all city residents, including CMSD, parochial and charter school students. Other partners in "College and U" are the City of Cleveland, the Cleveland Recreation Centers, the Cleveland Public Library and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cleveland.
The workshops support Career and College Readiness sessions held during the traditional school day for junior and senior students. College Now advisers provided college preparation advice to 8,800 CMSD students, either individually or in group sessions, during the 2009-10 school year and arranged for hundreds of CMSD students to take college visitation field trips.
Karen Thompson, deputy chief of curriculum and instruction, and Kate Schwab, supervisor of the Career-Technical Education/High School Transition program, coordinate CMSD's Cleveland Goes to College program.
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Brown makes surprise visit
to announce his newest page
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Davonte Watkins with
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown
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U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) surprised his newest senate page, DaVonte' Watkins, on Jan. 3 with an unexpected visit to MC2STEM. It was the first time the two met.
Watkins, 17, was chosen to serve as Brown's page in Washington, D.C., from late January through June. Brown told Watkins' junior classmates that "this is a big deal for Cleveland. He is the first student from a Cleveland public school to be picked as a page." Brown explained that only 30 pages throughout the nation are selected, and Watkins is only the second student he has sponsored. "Sports scholarships occur more often," he added.
Watkins has earned a 4.0 GPA, has worked closely with General Electric engineers and served as an intern with Donley's, Inc.
The Senate Page Program is competitive and a small fraction of students who apply are accepted. Pages live in page residence buildings and attend the Senate Page School. Their duties include delivering correspondence and legislative material within the congressional complex.
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New financial literacy program
makes money matter
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(Left to right) CMSD's Sharon McDonald and CEO Dr. Eugene Sanders join Fifth Third Bank's Louise Gissendaner and Tanisha Rush for the check presentation.
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The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has introduced a new financial literacy initiative for Cleveland students called the Making Money Matter Program (M3P).
The program was developed in partnership with six Northeast Ohio financial institutions to address the fundamental and economic issues in today's economy. The six banks include: Dollar Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Key Bank and US Bank.
M3P uses real-world economic examples to improve student test scores in math and social studies. It will also encourage students to think about career opportunities in the financial industry after high school graduation.
Designed to engage both the bank volunteers and students, the curriculum is aligned to CMSD's mathematics and social studies standards and Ohio's Academic Achievement Assessment (OAA). The implementation of this new curriculum coincides with the passage of an amendment by the Ohio Senate that makes financial literacy an academic requirement for Ohio students who were enrolled as high school freshmen on or after July 1, 2010.
The partnership with the financial institutions was a recommendation of former CEO Dr. Eugene Sanders, who understood the need for greater collaboration between the financial industry and educators. Dr. Sanders approached senior management at Fifth Third Bank to spearhead a joint venture with other lenders and provide the administrative support to launch the partnership.
"The need to provide a quality financial education to better prepare our students for their future is more imperative than ever in today's economic climate," Dr. Sanders said. "To have the commitment to our students from the financial industry sends an encouraging message to the community that education is indeed everyone's business."
For the past two years, a committee of bankers has worked together with CMSD staff to develop a quality financial literacy education program. Last spring, Fifth Third Bank and JP Morgan Chase stepped forward to test a pilot of the new curriculum in two eighth-grade classes at R.G. Jones School.
Last summer, CMSD received a $25,000 grant from the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust, Fifth Third Bank Trustee to implement and expand the M3P program. With this financial support and volunteers from the Greater Cleveland financial community, this program was incorporated into the curriculum of 15 classes at seven K-8 schools for the 2010-11 school year.
While official results are not in yet, students and teachers are impressed with the program, and CMSD is expecting a positive impact in future test scores.
Student participants gave the program its name: Making Money Matter, or M3P for short. Playing off the name, students will have a chance to win an MP3 player, donated by Fifth Third Bank, for designing the program's logo.
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