e-Newsletter
October 15, 2015
Issue No. 54
In This Issue
Upcoming Events & Key Dates
11/10 Community-School Investment Fund Applications Due

11/10 Executive Committee Meeting 
Quick Links


About the Road Map Region Race to the Top Grant
In 2012, seven King County, Washington, school districts joined forces and won $40 million in federal Race to the Top funds over four years. The participating school districts are Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, Seattle and Tukwila. The districts dubbed themselves The Road Map District Consortium, a reference to their participation in the Road Map Project, a community-wide effort in South Seattle and South King County to drive major educational improvement with a focus on personalized learning.

Dear  ,

Congratulations to Chinook Elementary School, Denny International Middle School, and Chief Sealth International High School for receiving this year's Pathways to Excellence Awards! We are also excited that Career Connections, part of the Race to the Top career awareness and exploration system, is kicking off this year. Seattle Public Schools recently held a very successful professional development session for school counselors. Finally, Highline College will be hosting its 6th Annual Black & Brown Young Men Summit on November 14.   
Wins for Road Map
Race to the Top! 

Auburn and Seattle Receive Pathways to Excellence Awards    

Congratulations to Auburn's Chinook Elementary School, and Seattle's Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School, for winning the KCTS/9 Pathways to Excellence Awards! We are proud of the personalized learning approaches all of these schools are modeling, since the goal of our region's Race to the Top grant is personalized learning for every student.

The awards are selected by KCTS/9 in partnership with the Washington State Board of Education, and recognize schools making measurable progress creating greater educational opportunity for all students.

The goal at Chinook Elementary School in Auburn is to have each child reading at or above his or her grade level; the instructors at Chinook have found that academic success and improved behavior go hand in hand, so their curriculum includes constant checkups with students to make sure they are grasping key concepts. At Denny International Middle School in Seattle, a standards-based system is used which focuses on mastering skills and meeting learning goals; to help students reach these goals, the school offers community groups, university tutors and individual, personalized services. Seattle's Chief Sealth International High School is dedicated to educating students so they can become global citizens; with a wide variety of specialized coursework, the school is setting a foundation for success for their diverse student population.

Congratulations to these schools for their commitment to providing greater educational opportunities for all students! For more information, please see the KCTS/9 website.
Career Connections Kicking Off This Year
We're excited to announce the official launch of our region's RTT career exploration system, called Career Connections.  This innovative, web-based project is connecting students with work-based learning opportunities all across the region. We have partnered with Educurious and Big Picture Learning to build this new system.
 
Nearly 1,000 students in five school districts are participating in Career Connections this year, through one of five student career-based learning experiences:  networking events; virtual mentoring; work-based problems supported by career mentors; job shadows; and internships. For more information on related activities, please see the Career Connection Portfolio
Professional Development for Seattle School Counselors
Seattle Public Schools, supported by Race to the Top, recently held a very well-received professional development (PD) session for school counselors. This was the first of five such PD sessions this school year, and over 70 counselors participated! Many expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to develop their work together. The overarching aim of the sessions is to support the work of counselors and to aid in increasing the district's graduation rate to 90%. Congratulations to everyone involved for supporting this important work with school counselors! 
Highline College 6th Annual Black and Brown Male Summit
Highline College will be having its 6th Annual Black & Brown Young Men Summit on the campus of Highline College on Saturday November 14, 2015 from 8:15am-4:30pm.  This is a free event that is designed to empower and encourage our young men of color to excel in life and academics in local school districts.  

The objective of the Summit is to help young men:  critique social structures that inhibit Black/Brown young men from being successful in Education; highlight achievements in spite of barriers that are faced; and contextualize their self-identity by giving them a sense and value of self.

Registration will take place from October 19 to November 6. To register, please visit bandbsummit.highline.edu
Please visit the Race to the Top Website!
Please remember to share the Road Map Region Race to the Top website with friends and colleagues! We regularly update content and add new resources. To access the website click here!
Stay Tuned!
Thank you for taking the time to read the Road Map Region Race to the Top grant e-newsletter! The next e-newsletter is planned for late-October. Click "Join Our Mailing List" on the left to receive future e-newsletters!

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