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August, 2004 - New Illinois Turning Points
Executive Summary
The Illinois Turning Points Comprehensive School
Reform Program boosts student achievement in the middle-grade schools.
Thus declares a University of Illinois August 2004 study that shows
gains in achievement, teaming and classroom practices, and student
well-being.
Click
here to read the executive summary of the report.
June, 2004 - Turning Points in Russia!
Dr. Cherie Major, Director of Idaho Turning Points
Center, was invited to present a paper on Creating Small Caring
Communities in Schools for 10-14 year olds. Dr. Arthur Ellis, Director
of the Seattle Pacific University International Center, felt the
Turning Points work with Middle Schools would be of interest to
the Russian colleagues. The paper was a short document that addressed
successful practices and implementation challenges of creating a
positive school climate at the middle level.
The first conference was held in central Russia at a retreat center
near Shuya. The presenters were from America, Shuya, Russia, and
Germany. The second conference was held in Moscow and included education
and science faculty. As Cherie noted, "Americans and Russians
have many of the same issues regarding schooling, and it was a joy
to share ideas. The topic from my paper that attracted the most
attention was the notion of consensus. Teachers being allowed to
vote on decisions was considered novel, but taking it a step further
with fist to five consensus building was of great interest to them.
The invitation to present and engage in a cultural exchange was
an honor and a privilege." To read
the conference paper, click here.
May, 2004 - Turning Points has joined representatives
of nearly a dozen whole-school reform models to form a new coalition
, the Coalition
for Comprehensive School Improvement, to work with districts
and schools and to represent their interests on Capitol Hill.
Success at Henry
Lord Middle School in Fall River, Massachusetts
Brooke O'Drobinak and Dan French have contributed
articles on middle grade reform to The
Term Paper, the newsletter of the Piton Foundation, a Colorado-based
foundation. (See especially pp. 2,3 and 4)
New Mark Middle School Makes Advances in Differentiated Instruction,
in the Central States Center
for School Reform newsletter (page 2).
(You will need Adobe Acrobat to read this newsletter.)
Two Turning Points principals are elected Principal of the Year!
MISSOURI MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
The Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP)
has selected Clark Mershon, Principal at New Mark Middle School,
as the 2003 Missouri Middle School Principal of the Year. The selection
was made from more than 400 middle school principals throughout
the state of Missouri. Mershon was awarded the recognition based
on the impact he makes on students and staff. MASSP and MetLife
co-sponsor the program and will officially present the award during
the annual MASSP Spring Conference on March 24, 2003.
GREATER KANSAS CITY PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
Tim Mattson of Eastgate Middle School, a Turning Points Demonstration
School, has been named Middle School Principal of the Year by the
Greater Kansas City Principals Association. This is a greatly deserved
honor.
DATA PRACTICES LAUDED
The Boston Plan for Excellence (BPE) has identified one of our Turning
Points schools, the Taft Middle School in Brighton, MA, as
a "school engaging in exemplar practices around data."
BPE is publishing a "Use of Data Guide" that will share
some of the data practices happening at the Taft.
NEW BEDFORD, MA SCHOOL IN THE NEWS
"Team Roosevelt: City middle school builds success, community
through teacher partnerships," by Christina Connelly, in
the New Bedford, MA, Standard-Times, April 15, 2003.
Feature article chronicles the introduction of a New Bedford middle
school where there had been only junior high schools. It cites Turning
Points and points to statistics and practices as evidence of a remarkable
success to be emulated as other local jurnior highs convert to the
middle school model.
http://www.ccebos.org/rooseveltms.html
Turning
Points Advocacy for CSR Funding
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