Graduates: Innovation yields preparation
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Since the first of North Carolina's growing number of innovative high schools held their first commencements five years ago, upwards of 10,000 graduates have earned diplomas that reflect a different kind of high school experience.
For many students who may have otherwise struggled unsuccessfully in a traditional high school, their diplomas represent a critical goal achieved - all the more so since most have already or will soon take the next key step to college or other career preparation. For others, their diplomas are a ticket to advanced standing in college because of the associate degree they also earned through early college high school.
But for all, the piece of paper doesn't really tell the whole story of what students experience as part of North Carolina's nationally recognized efforts to transform high school to reach all students more effectively -- so that all students graduate well prepared for college and career.
That story is best told by students themselves. Here's what a few members of the class of 2012 said about their experience in early college or at an innovative STEM school with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math.
Read their comments ...
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Mitchell honored with Jay Robinson award
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 | | Burley Mitchell |
Former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell, Jr., whose Leandro ruling has led to more than a decade of efforts to improve educational quality in the state's poorest schools, was honored Monday by the Public School Forum of North Carolina with the Jay Robinson Leadership Award for Public Service.
Mitchell has served on the board of directors of the North Carolina New Schools Project since 2006, joining as its first chairman. He is a partner with the Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice law firm and is a member of the UNC Board of Governors.
The Public School Forum also honored Dr. Peggy Smith, a Campbell University educator, with the Jay Robinson Leadership Award for Education Leadership. Smith is coordinator of Campbell's masters of school administration program and a member of the Johnston County Board of Education. |
High school, university innovate together
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 | | Students Cassidy Morris and Jonathan Best work on a bridge-building activity |
Universities are sometimes seen as ivory towers. But at East Carolina University, an innovative partnership with Wayne School of Engineering in Goldsboro is helping change that image.
"Working with Wayne School of Engineering is a very concrete way to break down that perceived barrier that the university operates in isolation," says Dr. Joy Phillips, associate professor of education leadership at ECU. "It's a really good way to keep faculty fresh on what it's like in the daily life of a school, especially a school that's trying so hard to do something really non-traditional."
Beginning in the fall of 2010, ECU and Wayne School of Engineering (WSE), an NCNSP-partner school, have collaborated on two projects to foster powerful teaching and learning at the school. Project HEART, funded through the AmeriCorps, connected WSE seniors as tutors to students needing assistance. And a focus on customized professional development for teachers through a project called the Learning Community has helped bring best practices into the classroom.
"Both sides have benefitted. It's a win-win relationship," WSE Principal Gary Hales says. "We're giving them a different way of looking at a very complicated model of high school and how they develop new teachers to meet the needs of today's students. Our teachers are benefitting from the content knowledge and professional development. And our students benefit from the improved instruction and the opportunities to develop leadership roles and earn scholarships."
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STEM leader to speak at Summer Institute
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Freeman Hrabowski
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Join more than 600 education, business and government leaders from across North Carolina for a keynote address June 27 by nationally recognized education innovator Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland - Baltimore County.
Hrabowski has been profiled by CBS's 60 Minutes, US News & World Report, Time, Washington Post and others for building a powerhouse college in math, science and engineering that last year saw 41 percent of its bachelor's degrees awarded in those key fields. He will share his research and focus on math and science education with special emphasis on minority participation and performance.
The keynote address is a part of the NC New Schools Project's annual Summer Institute for teachers and principals in partner schools across the state. The three-day conference, from June 26-28, will be held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in Durham.
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