July 24, 2007

Recent News from BCSA

Last week The Business Coalition for Student Achievement (BCSA) joined together with a diverse group of education, community and civil rights groups to launch a campaign – NCLB Works! – in support of eight principles that all of the groups believe must guide the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act this year.  Support for the campaign has been strong with stories featured in Education Week, Education Daily and Yahoo! News.  One blogger specifically noted:

“The NCLB Works! initiative deserves some early round high marks.  Based on the preliminary stages, it is clear that the group's organizers get it.” – Eduflack, blogger

For more information or to join the campaign visit www.nclbworks.org

NCLB Success Stories

Since 2002, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has been working to help raise student achievement and strengthen accountability all across the country—from New Jersey to Illinois to California. Below are more snapshots of success stories that show how NCLB is helping to transform America’s public schools.  They demonstrate how high standards, accountability, professional development and excellent teaching are raising expectations for students and producing results for all students while also closing achievement gaps. 

The Snowden International High School: A Clear Vision, Professional Development for Teachers and High Standards Ensure Success for All Students

Snowden International High School, located in Boston, Mass., has established high expectations and professional vigilance to drive success. Snowden has established partnerships with several institutions in the area, including the Harvard Leadership Development Initiative, which provides valuable hands-on leadership training to many staff members, and the Calderwood Writing Initiative, which focuses on improving teachers’ writing skills. Over 50 percent of the school’s teachers have participated in these programs. As a result, Snowden’s state achievement scores consistently exceed those of other non-selective high schools in the Boston area. Snowden was also among Boston’s best performing high schools as measured by the Massachusetts Office of Educational Quality and Accountability’s (EQA) Comparable Value Analysis and the school has demonstrated consistently positive performance in math.

North Godwin Elementary School: Data Analysis, Collaboration, and Systemic Professional Development Lead to Improved Student Writing

North Godwin Elementary School, located in Grand Rapids, Mich., is committed to quality education and believes that all students possess the ability to learn, experience personal success, and be productive citizens. This has not only changed the school culture and what teachers believe about each student’s ability to learn, but also the processes of goal setting and the nature of professional development for staff.

The school has specifically focused on improving its students’ writing skills, by bringing in a writing consultant to provide professional development, coaching and advice on effective teaching methods in language arts. This process helped the school achieve significant results in less than one year. In 2007, 87 percent of the fourth-grade students met or exceeded writing standards, as compared to 75 percent in 2006 and the state average of 45 percent. Fifth-grade writing scores also improved from 67 percent proficient in 2006 to 76 percent proficient in 2007, compared to the state average for writing of 57 percent.

These are just a few of the schools that are achieving success using the resources and framework of the No Child Left Behind Act.  To learn more about these and other schools’ success stories, visit www.nclbworks.org.

Recent News on NCLB

Don't leave this law behind. Los Angeles Times.

Stand up to the NCLB Bullies. Eduflack Blog.

McKeon Lays Down Marker for Education Law Renewal. Congressional Quarterly.

No Child Left Behind lays foundation. Times and Democrat.

New NCLB Coalition launched. Education Daily.

Civil Rights & Business Groups Join Together To Fight For NCLB. Education Week.

For more information, visit biz4achievement.org