San Diego Schools Embrace the No Child Left Behind Program

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program is a federal law that governs elementary and secondary education and is funded by Federal Title I. Under the NCLB, school boards must ensure that their high poverty schools meet the educational needs of low-achieving students. The goal is to close the achievement gap between the high and low-performing students.

San Diego Schools are committed to delivering strong standards-based education with programs that are designed to improve student achievement in the gateway skills of reading, writing and mathematics. Along with this commitment, they have embraced the NCLB program, which benefits the San Diego schools and its students as follows:

o San Diego schools must provide greater accountability for results, which means an even better school district with higher scholastic achievement from its students;

o The district gains greater flexibility for spending federal money, allowing them to decide where the money best serves to improve student achievement;

o Parents have more options over their children, allowing them to choose a non-participating school over a NCLB school; and

o San Diego schools gain an increased emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.

Of the 202 San Diego schools, 138 are eligible for the NCLB program. Schools are selected for the program if they have not made adequate annual progress for two or more consecutive years and serve students from high-poverty backgrounds. Annual state-required student achievement targets measure the progress of each of the 138 San Diego schools. There are currently 37 schools participating in the NCLB five-year program and designated as Program Improvement schools.

The following seven schools are in their first year of the program -- Clairemont High, Creative, Performing and Media Arts Middle; Knox; Pershing Middle; Rosa Parks Elementary; Wangenheim Middle; and Washington.

In their second year are ALBA, Bayview Terrace, Correia Middle, Dana (5-6), Emerson/Bandini, Encanto, Garfield High, Logan, Madison, Montgomery Middle, Muir (K-12), and Twain.

The third-year San Diego schools are Garfield, Marston Middle, and Pacific Beach Middle.

Baker, Bell Middle, Clark Middle, Farb Middle, Hoover High, Kroc Middle, Morse High, O'Farrell Charter, Roosevelt Middle, Taft Middle, and Tubman Village Charter are in their fourth year.

Four San Diego schools are in their fifth year. They are Balboa, Gompers Secondary, Memorial Charter, and Wilson Middle.

Those schools highlighted above met their adequate yearly progress targets in 2005, showing remarkable improvement in student achievement.

During all years of the program, parents may choose to send their children to a designated non-participating school and receive transportation at San Diego schools expense.

During years two through five, free tutoring is provided to eligible students after school, based on academic need. Parents select from a state-approved list of service providers.

In year three of the program, the district will intervene, making additional options and services available.

The district develops plans for restructuring the San Diego schools that are in year four of the program. The plans include major reorganizations and fundamental reforms that affect the staffing and administration of the schools.

Any school still in the program in year five is restructured, according to the plan developed for the school in year four.

San Diego schools provide parents of children attending Program Improvement schools with information on a variety of education-related issues. Additionally, parents may request information on the professional qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals associated with their children.

Parents are asked to partner in their children's education by participating in school events, volunteering on school administrative committees, volunteering in the classroom, and providing home support to further enable their children to learn.

San Diego schools serve nearly 136,000 students. The district is the second largest in California. They are committed to improving student achievement through modernized facilities and resources, enhanced classroom learning through challenging and proven teaching methods, and involving the community in the educational process. The NCLB is just one of the many programs instituted by the San Diego schools to serve and benefit the students educational needs.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more information visit San Diego School Rankings and Public School Rankings

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San Diego Schools Choice Program Means More Opportunities for Students but More Work for Parents

More than one-third of the students in the San Diego schools were enrolled in the Choice Program for the 2005-2006 year. The program gives parents the ability to transfer their children from their assigned school to one that offers more academic opportunities or specific attributes. The program offers six methods of eligibility.

Program Improvement School Choice. Children assigned to schools in San DIego that have failed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) academic standards may apply to better-ranked San Diego area schools. Students applying for transfer under this program generally receive a higher priority than others and receive free transportation. If in the future the assigned schools pass the NCLB standards, parents may choose to move their children back to the assigned campus or continue in the new campus.

Magnet Schools Program. These campuses are each based upon a theme, such as performing arts, with the curriculum centered around it. Though they provide all the state required basics, students can immerse themselves in the particular subject; whereas in other schools, the theme may only be offered as an elective class or two. Magnet schools are designed to attract a diverse cross section of students from throughout the city. Free transportation is provided to students who live outside a specific mileage range. Acceptance priority is given based upon:

o Demographics -- they encourage San Diego students living in demographic areas different from where the Magnet is located to apply,

o Continuity -- San Diego schools students in a performing arts elementary school, for example, would be given acceptance priority when applying to a performing arts middle and high school,

o Siblings -- San Diego students with brothers or sisters already enrolled in the school are given priority,

o Program Improvement -- receives a lower priority than the others listed above, and

o General Applications -- receives the lowest priority.

Voluntary Ethnic Enrollment Program (VEEP). VEEP was designed to provide a better racial and cultural integrated, educational experience in the San Diego school system.. Predominantly Caucasian-populated schools are paired with minority schools for the program. Most transfer students receive free transportation.

Choice Program. Any San Diego student is eligible to apply to any school not in the Magnet program. Acceptance is based solely on the space available, and transportation is the parents' responsibility.

Inter-District Transfer Program. Any student with the state may apply to any school within the San Diego schools. Like the Choice Program, acceptance is based solely on the space available, and transportation is the parents' responsibility.

Charter Schools Program. These independent schools within the district are on space available only and often use a random lottery for application acceptance. Some require that the students applying meet specific criteria. If you are interested in transferring your child to a Charter School, inquire early -- they set their own application deadlines.

If you find that your child does not meet any of these criteria or their acceptance priority would be low, there are two other methods of gaining transfer acceptance that are not part of the overall Choice Program. They are through special request and the Gifted and Talented Education Program (GATE). You may submit a special request to the San Diego schools, when your child's assigned school does not offer specific coursework. These requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. If the GATE program is not offered in your child's assigned school and your child qualifies, again you may request a transfer to a school that does.

Other than in the Charter Schools, applications to San Diego schools by March 15th for the following school year are given priority.

Though the Choice Program offers a great opportunity to all San Diego schools students, there are a lot of choices. With 212 public schools, including the 31 Magnet Schools and 35 Charter Schools, investigating the schools and their offerings can be overwhelming and time consuming for the parents.

San Diego schools officials offer the following advice:

o All schools offer the required basic coursework, so do not get caught up in "only one school will do" -- look at the many other schools, too;

o Look beyond test scores -- schools have a lot more to offer, such as specialized education programs;

o Visit the school campus -- what looks good on paper may be different in reality, sometimes better and sometimes worse;

o Talk to parents and educators at the school, find out first-hand; and

o Ask if they offer parent seminars and tours before the application deadline.

If you are interested in applying for a transfer to any of the San Diego schools, begin early, list the criteria you wish to be provided by the school, look at all the available schools, choose those that seem to fit your requirements, and then thoroughly investigate each one. It is a lot of homework for the parents, but it can be the best foundation they can give their children.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on San Diego schools visit San Diego School Ratings and Public School Rankings

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Five New Area Superintendents Appointed to the San Diego Schools

In June 2006, Superintendent Carl Cohn appointed five new area superintendents for the San Diego Schools.

Each new area superintendent will be an advocate for the schools under them, as well as the communities for these schools. They will be empowered to ensure that the San Diego Schools have a fully enriched and competitive curriculum that recognizes the importance of the educational basics, as well as the nearly forgotten art, music and physical education programs. They will be responsible for expanding in their partnerships between parents, the community, businesses and higher education. Each student is to be ensured as smooth a transition as possible for students and parents, especially in the early years.

These five appointments complete key staffing of top leadership positions in the San Diego Schools. Each of the five areas within the schools in San Diego will include up to 25 elementary schools and their nearby middle schools.

The new area one superintendent is Carol Barry. She earned an MA inn school administration from Azusa Pacific University and a BA in liberal studies from San Diego State University. Before her appointment, Barry served as acting assistant superintendent for the San Diego. Previously, she was the principal at several San Diego Schools.

The area two superintendent is Dr. Hye Jung (Chelsea) Kang-Smith. Kang-Smith holds an Ed.D. from the University of Southern California, MS in education from California State University Fullerton, and her BS in biology from the University of California Irvine. Kang-Smith came to the San Diego Schools in 2005, where she first served as principal in Anaheim Union High School District and most recently as assistant superintendent.

Dr. Richard Cansdale is the area three superintendent. He holds an Ed.D. in educational leadership from the United States International University, an Ed.S. from Point Loma Nazarene University, an MA in education of exceptional children from San Francisco University, and a BA in elementary education from the University of Nevada at Reno. Previously, Cansdale was the principal at Cherokee Point Elementary School in the San Diego Schools.

The area four superintendent is Vincent Matthews, who was a 2006 fellow of the Broad Superintendent's Academy. He earned an MA in educational administration and a BA in elementary education from San Francisco State University. Before his appointment, Matthews was an educator in residence for the NewSchools Venture Fund in San Francisco. Prior to that, he was an advisor to 35 charter schools that serves approximately 9,000 low-income students.

Dr. Delfino Aleman, Jr. is the area five superintendent. He holds a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA in education from Texas Women's University, and a BA in theology from Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas. Aleman, who is proficient in Spanish, was the associate superintendent for teaching and learning at the Isaac School District in Phoenix, Arizona. Previously, he served as director of policies, procedures and public information in the San Antonio Independent School District.

In addition to these five new appointments, the schools filled three other positions through recent appointments.

Dorothy Harper is the new associate superintendent for parent, community and student engagement. Harper earned her MA in education from Memphis State University and bachelor's degree in biology from Dillard University. Her experience includes vice president of development for the Newton Learning Supplemental Education Services, as well as area superintendent, assistant superintendent, and deputy superintendent at the Long Beach Unified School District. In her new position, Harper will work to establish a comprehensive, consolidated system of support that will engage parents, the community, and students within the San Diego Schools.

Arun Ramanathan, an advanced doctoral fellow at Harvard, is the new executive director for governmental relations. He earned an MA in special education and elementary education from Boston College, and a BA in government from Dartmouth. Prior to his appointment, Ramanathan was research director for the Los Angeles Unified School District. He will serve as an advocate for the San Diego Schools to state legislators on issues and laws affecting the school district.

Dr. Kyo Yamashiro is the San Diego Schools' new director of school management. She holds a Ph.D. from UCLA, which she received in June of 2006 as a top doctoral candidate. She earned an MA in administration and policy analysis and a BA in English literature from Stanford University. Prior to her appointment, she was a research and evaluation consultant for the Long Beach Unified School District. In her new position, Yamashiro works with the School Choice programs, including charter schools, No Child Left Behind program improvement, and enrollment options program -- magnet schools and voluntary ethnic enrollment programs (VEEP) are included.

These appointments excite the San Diego Schools. All will serve well the more than 132,000 students in the San Diego Schools, the second largest school district in California. With more than 216 educational facilities, these talented and motivated appointees will be a plus for the district.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on San Diego schools visit San Diego School Ratings and Private School Ratings

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.