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San Mateo County Schools Explore Solar Energy Options |
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Zap the Gap Focuses on Closing
Achievement Gap
On March 1, 2010, PreK-12 administrators and teachers from across San Mateo County will gather to learn practical tips for closing the achievement gap at the fourth annual Zap the Gap conference at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE). "The conference will bring together teachers and administrators to learn from prominent educators who have been successful in closing the achievement gap," says Lori Musso, Curriculum Services Administrator at SMCOE. "By bringing the speakers to this conference at the County Office, we're providing a resource that is accessible and cost-effective for districts."
The keynote speaker, Dr. Anthony Muhammad, was principal of a low-performing school in Michigan that is now recognized as a National School of Excellence. Under his leadership, student proficiency on state tests more than doubled in five years.
Learn more about the conference here.
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San Mateo County school districts explore
solar energy options.
The weather outside was gray but the sun was in full view at the Solar Energy Financing and Installation presentation at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) on January 19, 2010. Nine school districts were represented at the meeting where participants learned from a panel of experts about energy audits, solar project site- planning and financing options. Attendees also explored partnership opportunities and shared information about solar projects in districts in the county.
Solar installations are currently underway at schools in the San Mateo Union High School District, Jefferson Union High School District and the Portola Valley School District. Learn more about these solar energy projects and the January 19 meeting here. |
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SARB Helps County
Schools Address Student Truancy
When truancy issues
are addressed, students are more likely to attend school and less likely to
drop out.
Sometimes getting a student to attend school on a regular
basis can be as simple as buying him an alarm clock. Or it may take the
combined services of the school district, County Behavioral Health and Recovery
Services, and law enforcement working together with the family.  But no matter
what it takes, Dr. Ben Loewy, LCI Placement Specialist at the San Mateo County
Office of Education (SMCOE) and other members of the San Mateo County School
Attendance Review Board (SARB) are on the case.
Since February 2009, when the County SARB was reinstated, the success
rate has been 100%. "No program is perfect, but even with our small sample size,
it is nice to know that we have a very effective SARB, and we are able to keep
students in school," says Loewy, who assists school districts dealing with
chronically truant students. In the past year, districts have referred approximately 30 cases to him. Six of those cases
were referred to the County SARB and not one case has reached the strategy of
last resort -- referral to the
District Attorney's office.
See how the County SARB is effective in keeping students
in school here.
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SELPA Takes Proactive Steps To Help
Districts Serve Students With Special Needs
Delivering services to the more than 10,000 special education students enrolled in San Mateo County public schools is both a moral and a legal obligation. But with declining funding and an increase in the severity of disabilities, schools in the county face many challenges providing the necessary services to meet these students' needs.
That's where the San Mateo County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) comes in. It provides a mechanism for districts to collaborate, share services where possible, and be more cost-effective in the delivery of these services; it also serves as an advocate for full federal funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). By providing effective leadership and coordination to districts, charter schools, and the County Office of Education, it focuses on meeting the needs of students with a wide range of disabilities.
Learn more about the latest activities of the SELPA here.
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About the San Mateo County Office of Education
The San Mateo County Office of Education provides a variety of instructional, business and consulting services to the County's twenty-three public school districts, charter schools, the Community College District, and County Office of Education staff.
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