| 2012 in Review |
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As the 2012 year comes to an end, Great Schools Partnership would like to highlight just a few of its accomplishments over the past year. We hope you will stay informed of educational issues in the coming year as we continue to help the Knox County Schools go from good to great!
- Three new "community" schools were launched this fall. Through partnerships with Knox County Schools, the University of Tennessee, Project GRAD, and the YMCA, after-school programs that provide academic, recreational, health and cultural support began at Norwood Elementary, Green Magnet Elementary and Lonsdale Elementary. If you or an organization you are affiliated with would like to find out how to get involved with these schools please email vbabb@greatschoolspartnership.com.
- With assistance from the United Way, our 1st grade reading intervention partnership was expanded. This approach to literacy utilizes a literacy coach, individualized staff development, common reading time and small-group and individual interventions that provide up to an additional hour of reading per day. Outcomes data shows that last year's pilot programs were highly successful, and we expect the same strong gains in reading achievement with the expanded program.
- This summer marked the second year of the Summer Bridge Program, an intensive eight-week mandatory instructional program designed to enable students to master essential concepts in reading/language arts and mathematics necessary for success in high school. To increase the success of the program, teacher pay was increased by 50% to attract more of our highest performing teachers. This year with an increased number of students, the program achieved a 91% success rate.
- As the primary private-sector funder of Project GRAD, the GSP chaired an evaluation and redesign team to help us determine how the private-sector can best assist our inner-city schools. (More will be said about this in our January newsletter.) The result of our evaluation showed that with Project GRAD's assistance, Fulton & Austin-East went from a graduation rate of below 50% to above 83%. The percentage of Fulton & Austin-East graduates attending college has risen by 400%, and their college completion rate is 40%--well above the state average. WE congratulate Project GRAD on its accomplishments and join with all Knoxvillians in celebrating the growing success of our urban schools!
We are proud of these programs and the many others that we support (you can read more about these in our Annual Report). We continually research programs and analyze what is working to be a critical partner for the Knox County Schools. We believe with the community's support and our many funding partners, we truly can make the Knox County Schools great for all our children.
Wishing you a safe and healthy holiday season!
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