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Improving Schools Through Youth Leadership and Community Action
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Mediratta, Kavitha; Sara McAlister; Seema Shah
Presents a case study of community organizing for school reform by Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and Sistas and Brothas United: how their campaigns shaped leadership development, district policy, school capacity, and student outcomes.
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Mediratta, Kavitha; Sara McAlister; Seema Shah
Presents a case study of community organizing for school reform by Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and Sistas and Brothas United: how their campaigns shaped leadership development, district policy, school capacity, and student outcomes.
Making the Grade: College Recruitment Fairs
October 29, 2009 WCBI.com Posting by Paul Salazar
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss - When trying to decide on a college, you need all the information you can get, but visiting each campus can be expensive.
Calling each school and sifting through hundreds of websites can take awhile. That's where college fairs come in.
Noxubee High School senior Joliasa Miller says, "College is the next step of your life. If you just want to go to get a job, the economy today it not very good to sit there and just go get a job."
At one time, just finding a job would have been alright, but in today's economy higher education is a must.
Being from a rural community many of these students don't have the funds or resources to travel to all the universities in the area: having them all lumped together in a college fair gives them every opportunity available.
School officials tell students to be prepared, show up with a notebook and take notes of who they spoke with from each school. They say don't rely on your memory because you're bound to forget something.
According to Noxubee County High School senior Addison Mickens, "At high school you don't get a chance to visit a lot of colleges during school because you're busy with your senior year. But for juniors, these college fairs can be very beneficial."
NHS Guidance Counselor Angelia Joiner Williams says, "University fairs can also help students make sure they meet all the requirements needed for college admission."
School officials say the sooner the better when it comes to looking at colleges and requirements to go to the school of your choice.
October 29, 2009 WCBI.com Posting by Paul Salazar
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss - When trying to decide on a college, you need all the information you can get, but visiting each campus can be expensive.
Calling each school and sifting through hundreds of websites can take awhile. That's where college fairs come in.
Noxubee High School senior Joliasa Miller says, "College is the next step of your life. If you just want to go to get a job, the economy today it not very good to sit there and just go get a job."
At one time, just finding a job would have been alright, but in today's economy higher education is a must.
Being from a rural community many of these students don't have the funds or resources to travel to all the universities in the area: having them all lumped together in a college fair gives them every opportunity available.
School officials tell students to be prepared, show up with a notebook and take notes of who they spoke with from each school. They say don't rely on your memory because you're bound to forget something.
According to Noxubee County High School senior Addison Mickens, "At high school you don't get a chance to visit a lot of colleges during school because you're busy with your senior year. But for juniors, these college fairs can be very beneficial."
NHS Guidance Counselor Angelia Joiner Williams says, "University fairs can also help students make sure they meet all the requirements needed for college admission."
School officials say the sooner the better when it comes to looking at colleges and requirements to go to the school of your choice.
Initial Senior Survey Conducted by the Kemper County MSHEI "PACES" Project The MSHEI team surveyed Kemper County High School seniors regarding their college readiness practices. The results provide valuable information about their seniors' college readiness needs. Results are depicted in the PACES project's 1st quarter report.
TASK FORCE SAYS BRINGING GOOD JOBS IS ITS GOAL Members of a task force developed to increase the number of college graduates in Mississippi say their ultimate goal is to bring better jobs to the state. “If we’re not getting more kids through the community colleges and the universities, we will not have the type of work force needed to attract the jobs than can move this state forward,” said Mississippi Economic Council President Blake Wilson, who is a member of the Graduation Rate Task Force created by the 2009 Legislature.
The Alliance for Excellent Education with the generous support of State Farm®, has developed a sophisticated economic model in partnership with Economic Modeling Specialists Inc.in an effort to better understand the various economic benefits that a particular urban area could expect were it to reduce its number of high school dropouts. The Jackson Metro Area is depicted in the study: The Economic Benefits of Reducing High School Dropout Rates in the Jackson, Mississippi Metro Area
KIDS COUNT Indicator Brief: Reducing the High School Dropout Rate" Authors Rima and Barbara Shore outline the economic costs of dropping out of high school and proposes dropout prevention strategies, such as taking a long-term approach starting with school readiness, enhancing schools' holding power, and addressing outside factors and at-risk groups. Research funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
MSHEI Mission Reaches Out to ARC At-Risk Counties
Higher education access program now offering grant opportunities to Alcorn, Calhoun, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo
STARKVILLE DAILY NEWS -- The Mississippi Higher Education Initiative (MSHEI) is expanding its mission and targeting eight new counties in the state’s Appalachian region thanks to $119,200 in supplemental funding provided through an ARC federal grant.
“We are excited about working with the communities and local schools that this additional funding covers,” said LaNell Kellum, Ph.D., director of the Mississippi State University-based initiative. “The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) understands the powerful difference that programs like MSHEI can make.”
MSHEI’s mission is straightforward: improve access to higher education opportunities and increase the number of students continuing their education beyond high school. The effort started in October 2008 with a grant of $339,000 from the ARC. Initially, the program served the 12 “Distressed” ARC counties of Benton, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Kemper, Marshall, Montgomery, Noxubee, Panola, Webster, Winston and Yalobusha. With the expansion of services, MSHEI will now reach ARC’s eight “At Risk” counties of Alcorn, Calhoun, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Prentiss, Tippah and Tishomingo. MSHEI will continue to provide technical assistance and sub-grant funds to the distressed counties.
MSHEI collaboratively engages community economic development agencies in building effective community-school partnerships to encourage and support high school students in continuing their education. The community-school partnerships are as much community driven as school driven.
“We are seeing good things happening from the community-based approach,” Kellum said. “For example, in Houlka, the mayor has agreed to be the fiscal agent responsible for the town’s higher education initiative. In Webster, Choctaw, Winston, Noxubee, and Kemper counties, the county economic development agency is the fiscal agent. In Okolona, the school district is the fiscal agent with the mayor as a major partner in the town’s higher education initiative. The simple fact that six of the first round projects have a group other than the school willing to take responsibility for the funds and work with the schools is a major step in the right direction. This should create stronger community-school partnerships in all of these counties.”
Through the MSU-ARC partnership, community-school partnerships are forged via competitive grants, program development, training, support and incentives. Research is also conducted and information disseminated to improve higher education opportunities in the region.
The Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration and The Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State jointly sponsor MSHEI. In addition to Kellum, MSU professionals Christen Reeves, Phil Hardwick and Jeff Markham, Ph.D., are members of the MSHEI team that provides training, support and technical assistance to participating community-school partnerships.
Visit http://www.msgovt.org/mshei for more information about the Mississippi Higher Education Initiative. Mississippi State University is online at http://www.msstate.edu
Higher education access program now offering grant opportunities to Alcorn, Calhoun, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo
STARKVILLE DAILY NEWS -- The Mississippi Higher Education Initiative (MSHEI) is expanding its mission and targeting eight new counties in the state’s Appalachian region thanks to $119,200 in supplemental funding provided through an ARC federal grant.
“We are excited about working with the communities and local schools that this additional funding covers,” said LaNell Kellum, Ph.D., director of the Mississippi State University-based initiative. “The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) understands the powerful difference that programs like MSHEI can make.”
MSHEI’s mission is straightforward: improve access to higher education opportunities and increase the number of students continuing their education beyond high school. The effort started in October 2008 with a grant of $339,000 from the ARC. Initially, the program served the 12 “Distressed” ARC counties of Benton, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Kemper, Marshall, Montgomery, Noxubee, Panola, Webster, Winston and Yalobusha. With the expansion of services, MSHEI will now reach ARC’s eight “At Risk” counties of Alcorn, Calhoun, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Prentiss, Tippah and Tishomingo. MSHEI will continue to provide technical assistance and sub-grant funds to the distressed counties.
MSHEI collaboratively engages community economic development agencies in building effective community-school partnerships to encourage and support high school students in continuing their education. The community-school partnerships are as much community driven as school driven.
“We are seeing good things happening from the community-based approach,” Kellum said. “For example, in Houlka, the mayor has agreed to be the fiscal agent responsible for the town’s higher education initiative. In Webster, Choctaw, Winston, Noxubee, and Kemper counties, the county economic development agency is the fiscal agent. In Okolona, the school district is the fiscal agent with the mayor as a major partner in the town’s higher education initiative. The simple fact that six of the first round projects have a group other than the school willing to take responsibility for the funds and work with the schools is a major step in the right direction. This should create stronger community-school partnerships in all of these counties.”
Through the MSU-ARC partnership, community-school partnerships are forged via competitive grants, program development, training, support and incentives. Research is also conducted and information disseminated to improve higher education opportunities in the region.
The Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration and The Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State jointly sponsor MSHEI. In addition to Kellum, MSU professionals Christen Reeves, Phil Hardwick and Jeff Markham, Ph.D., are members of the MSHEI team that provides training, support and technical assistance to participating community-school partnerships.
Visit http://www.msgovt.org/mshei for more information about the Mississippi Higher Education Initiative. Mississippi State University is online at http://www.msstate.edu
ORNL Today -- September 14, 2009
2009 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Summer Institute helps students raise awareness of the Oak Ridge Reservations creeks and watersheds
ARC team members pictured at the watershed sign on east Bethel Valley Road include Rebecca Stewart, David White (F&O), Allison Jordon (MD), Tamika Collins (AL), Norty Payne (F&O), Julie-Ann Drake (MS), Andrew Friesen (GA), Houston Wyatt (VA) and James Harrell (MS).
Six high school students, representing Appalachian high schools from Maryland to Mississippi, helped raise awareness of the Oak Ridge Reservations creeks and watersheds as part of the Summer 2009 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Summer Institute.
The hosting Environmental Protection & Waste Services Division staff, working with the Biological and Environmental Sciences Directorate, Facilities & Operations and Creative Media, helped the students learn how watersheds, riparian zones and water quality are related.
The students learned how to delineate the White Oak Creek watershed and placed watershed markers near where its boundaries cross Bethel Valley Road. The markers are a reminder that each of us makes a difference in protecting our creeks and watersheds from harmful pollutants, whether they be sediment from a construction site, oil drops in a parking lot or chlorine in our drinking water.
Because White Oak Creek is small, its species are especially sensitive to every pollutant washed into it during storms. ORNL's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit, issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, contains the requirements for ORNL staff to protect and monitor water quality and aquatic ecosystems.
In its August 26 weekly report, TDEC's Water Pollution Control Division commended ORNL for this informational approach to watershed protection.
2009 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Summer Institute helps students raise awareness of the Oak Ridge Reservations creeks and watersheds
ARC team members pictured at the watershed sign on east Bethel Valley Road include Rebecca Stewart, David White (F&O), Allison Jordon (MD), Tamika Collins (AL), Norty Payne (F&O), Julie-Ann Drake (MS), Andrew Friesen (GA), Houston Wyatt (VA) and James Harrell (MS). Six high school students, representing Appalachian high schools from Maryland to Mississippi, helped raise awareness of the Oak Ridge Reservations creeks and watersheds as part of the Summer 2009 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Summer Institute.
The hosting Environmental Protection & Waste Services Division staff, working with the Biological and Environmental Sciences Directorate, Facilities & Operations and Creative Media, helped the students learn how watersheds, riparian zones and water quality are related.
The students learned how to delineate the White Oak Creek watershed and placed watershed markers near where its boundaries cross Bethel Valley Road. The markers are a reminder that each of us makes a difference in protecting our creeks and watersheds from harmful pollutants, whether they be sediment from a construction site, oil drops in a parking lot or chlorine in our drinking water.
Because White Oak Creek is small, its species are especially sensitive to every pollutant washed into it during storms. ORNL's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit, issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, contains the requirements for ORNL staff to protect and monitor water quality and aquatic ecosystems.
In its August 26 weekly report, TDEC's Water Pollution Control Division commended ORNL for this informational approach to watershed protection.