The North Carolina New Schools Project - INNOVATOR - March 25, 2011

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March 25, 2011

Welcome to INNOVATOR, a bimonthly update on secondary school change from the North Carolina New Schools Project. Our newsletter is designed to inform practitioners, policymakers, and friends of public education on innovation, research and success stories from secondary schools. Please feel free to contact us, provide feedback and suggest article ideas. 


Conference brings ideas, focus to NC grad goal
Perdue Many VoicesUri TreismanLinda Rosen

Gov. Beverly Perdue

Uri Treisman

Linda Rosen

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Several hundred leaders in education, business and government gathered Thursday for a daylong conference focused on the ambitious goal of ensuring that all North Carolina students graduate high school and graduate with the skills needed for success in college and careers.

From Gov. Beverly Perdue, they heard about the critical role education played in the state's history and the make-or-break role it holds for the state's future. From math and science education expert Uri Treisman, they heard that schools in North Carolina and elsewhere have made significant gains, but they must do more to reach all students. From national STEM leader Linda Rosen, they heard that leaders in business and industry are eager to help schools strengthen student learning in math, science and technology.

And throughout the day, the hundreds of participants at the Many Voices, One Goal conference heard from one another about the myriad approaches underway in North Carolina to improve education in the state. The conference was a joint effort of 15 education, business and government organizations, including the North Carolina New Schools Project.

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Success is strategy for NC's early colleges    

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Dana Wallace
Dr. Dana Diesel Wallace
Vice President
School Development
High school educators often long for a different approach. If only they had more time to reach their students. If only they had more time to plan and collaborate with their colleagues. If only their students could be more engaged in their own learning.

Too often, we are captive to the institutional constraints that limit our abilities as educators to do what we know is best for students. Somehow, the system has come to define what we can or cannot do, rather than the other way around. But a growing number of upstart schools in North Carolina are being built from the ground up around the needs of students, instead of the needs of institutions within which students find either success or failure.

A new report issued this week by Jobs for the Future, a national organization that works to improve college and career readiness, takes a deeper look at how five North Carolina early colleges are guided by a set of design principles that put students first.

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In This Issue
Success is strategy
Smart house in Craven
Quick Links  

Measure of progress 

 

Fewer "dropout factory"

high schools in NC 

   

dropout factories

 

North Carolina ranked fourth in the US for reducing the number of "dropout factory" high schools in 2009 according to the report, Building a Grad Nation.

 

Meet an Innovator

Meg Turner headshot

Meg Turner, principal of Buncombe Early College High School, opened the pioneering school in 2005. Her skills at team building, leadership training and professional development have been key ingredients in the school's success.
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More news about secondary school innovation ...

Students at Early College EAST in Havelock design a house that can be controlled by cell phone
As part of a competition, students in this Craven County school design a home with electronic controls than can receive text messages.

Massachusetts experiment shows what happens when students take ownership for their learning
What happens when students are given the opportunity to design their own high school education? The results described in this New York Times column are intriguing.
 
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