Quantcast
Channel: Full Frame
Viewing all 71 articles
Browse latest View live

Education Week’s Photos of the Year for 2016

0
0
Josue, 18, is a junior at Erwin High School in Asheville, N.C. An immigrant from El Salvador, Josue faces an uncertain future in the United States—an anxiety he says is heightened by the Trump campaign. —Jacob Biba for Education Week

Education Week’s photo staff presents our favorite images from 2016.

A 2nd grade class at Solar Prep goes on a nature walk around the Dallas campus. The all-girls school opened this school year as part of the district’s expanded choice program. —Brandon Thibodeaux for Education Week

A 2nd grade class at Solar Prep lines up before a nature walk around the Dallas campus. The all-girls school opened this school year as part of the district’s expanded choice program. —Brandon Thibodeaux for Education Week Read story

Second grader Zeinab Ahmed watches her classmates play a game in gym class at Discovery Community School in St. Cloud, Minn. The school serves a growing number of Somali students. —Swikar Patel/Education Week

Second grader Zeinab Ahmed watches her classmates play a game in gym class at Discovery Community School in St. Cloud, Minn. The school serves a growing number of Somali students. —Swikar Patel/Education Week Read story

Assistant Principal Alexandra Escobar hugs 2nd grader Analise Rivera, during recess at R. H. Lee Elementary School in Chicago. Escobar is leaving the school, located in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood on the city’s West Side, for a job in a suburban district. –Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

Assistant Principal Alexandra Escobar hugs 2nd grader Analise Rivera, during recess at R. H. Lee Elementary School in Chicago. Escobar is leaving the school, located in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood on the city’s West Side, for a job in a suburban district. –Alyssa Schukar for Education Week Read story

Kindergarten students at Fallsmead Elementary School in Rockville, Md., rotate among classes in their first week of school as teachers get to know them. –Erin Irwin/Education Week Read story

Preschool students play at Best Academy in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 24, 2016. Photo by Ackerman + Gruber

Preschool students play at Best Academy in Minneapolis, Minn. –Ackerman + Gruber for Education Week Read story

Nicole Williams, Native American Interpreter at Calcedeaver Elementary School, reviews the Choctaw dances for the fifth grade girls, Thursday, September 1, 2016. --Jeff and Meggan Haller/Keyhole Photo for Education Week

Nicole Williams, Native American Interpreter at Calcedeaver Elementary School, reviews the Choctaw dances for the 5th grade girls at the school in Mount Vernon, Ala. . –Jeff and Meggan Haller/Keyhole Photo for Education Week Read story

Former teacher Judy Hopper talks to Garon Rayburn in Oklahoma City, Okla, about her candidacy as he waters his front yard. Dozens of educators elected to run for office this year after growing frustrated with the Oklahoma Legislature’s education stance. –Shane Bevel for Education Week Read story

Erick Ramos, second from right, a senior at Mission Early College High School in El Paso, has a laugh with friends at his school. The group belongs to the Smash Club, where they play Super Smash Bros. on a TV they bring from home. Ramos has already earned enough credits through the school’s dual-credit program to be a junior at the University of Texas at El Paso. --Ivan Pierre for Education Week

Erick Ramos, second from right, a senior at Mission Early College High School in El Paso, has a laugh with friends at his school. The group belongs to the Smash Club, where they play Super Smash Bros. on a television they bring from home. Ramos has already earned enough credits through the school’s dual-credit program to be a junior at the University of Texas at El Paso. –Ivan Pierre for Education Week Read story

"I have never been soft," says New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. "If anything, I know what I want, I know how I want it, but I know that sometimes you take a step backward before you go three steps forward. And how you create the climate to make those difficult decisions is very, very important." —Victoria Will for Education Week

“I have never been soft,” says New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “If anything, I know what I want, I know how I want it, but I know that sometimes you take a step backward before you go three steps forward. And how you create the climate to make those difficult decisions is very, very important.” —Victoria Will for Education Week Read story

A Jere Whitson Elementary School student in Monica Johnson's fourth grade reading/language arts class follows along with the teacher during a lesson on reading comprehension. The school, in Cookeville, Tennessee, is part of a district that's experimenting with new ways of using federal funds to teach reading and literacy. --Shawn Poynter for Education Week

Alicia Long, a 4th grade student at Jere Whitson Elementary School, follows along during a lesson on reading comprehension. The school, in Cookeville, Tenn., is part of a district that’s experimenting with new ways of using federal funds to teach reading and literacy. –Shawn Poynter for Education Week Read story

Kindergartner Dallas Webb tests herself in a reading lab on software designed to even out gaps in knowledge. Her school, Jere Whitson Elementary, in Cookeville, Tenn., is part of a district experimenting with new ways of using federal funds to teach reading and literacy. --Shawn Poynter for Education Week

Kindergartner Dallas Webb tests herself in a reading lab on software designed to even out gaps in knowledge. Her school, Jere Whitson Elementary, in Cookeville, Tenn., is part of a district experimenting with new ways of using federal funds to teach reading and literacy. –Shawn Poynter for Education Week Read story

Fourth grade student Jaren Bludworth participates in a brain break Tuesday, April 5, 2016 during a social and emotional learning lesson at Lemmon Valley Elementary School made in Reno, Nevada.

Fourth grade student Jaren Bludworth participates in a brain break during a social and emotional learning lesson at Lemmon Valley Elementary School made in Reno, Nevada. —Carl Costas for Education Week Read story

Trey Clayton, 19, sits on his porch in Sarah, Miss. A school paddling in 2011 led to serious injuries for Clayton. --Yalonda M. James for Education Week

Trey Clayton, 19, sits on his porch in Sarah, Miss. A school paddling in 2011 led to serious injuries for Clayton. –Yalonda M. James for Education Week Read story

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for the second night of the 2016 Republican National Convention. –Swikar Patel/Education Week Read story

Chrissell Rhone casts a look at a student after the youth mentioned how many times he had been placed under house arrest. —Edmund D. Fountain for Education Week

Chrissell Rhone casts a look at a student after the youth mentioned how many times he had been placed under house arrest. —Edmund D. Fountain for Education Week Read story

Zeineb Ouerghi, a high school student at Elkef Pioneer Secondary School in Tunisia, hugs Joy Stevenson, CEO of Catch Them Young, Inc., during a TechGirls service day volunteer event at the Grand Oaks Assisted Living Center. Catch Them Young, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, hosts TechGirls participants as a part of an effort to expose them to community-service activities. Inspired by the organization’s mission, Ouerghi Stevenson that she would like to start a branch of Catch Them Young in her home country of Tunisia. —Erin Irwin for Education Week Read story

A street scene reflected in a storefront window in downtown Mount Airy, N.C., also known as Mayberry in the Andy Griffith show. Mount Airy is a cultural center in Surry County. Tuesday, March 15, 2016. --Justin Cook/Redux for Education Week

A street scene reflected in a storefront window in downtown Mount Airy, N.C., also known as Mayberry in the Andy Griffith television show. Mount Airy is a cultural center in Surry County. –Justin Cook/Redux for Education Week Read story

Ayat Husseini, right, a Lebanese immigrant from New York, hangs out with Nina Milligan, a fellow freshman, in Ayat’s dorm room at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. A year ago, Ayat was still working to persuade her parents to let her leave home to enroll at Lafayette. —Mark Abramson for Education Week

Ayat Husseini, right, a Lebanese immigrant from New York, hangs out with Nina Milligan, a fellow freshman, in Ayat’s dorm room at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. A year ago, Ayat was still working to persuade her parents to let her leave home to enroll at Lafayette. —Mark Abramson for Education Week Read story

Josue, 18, is a junior at Erwin High School in Asheville, N.C. An immigrant from El Salvador, Josue faces an uncertain future in the United States—an anxiety he says is heightened by the Trump campaign. —Jacob Biba for Education Week

Josue, 18, is a junior at Erwin High School in Asheville, N.C. An immigrant from El Salvador, Josue faces an uncertain future in the United States—an anxiety he says is heightened by the Trump campaign. —Jacob Biba for Education Week Read story

Sophomore Miguel D'Agostino looks down the hallway before the start of a learning support class at Coatesville High School in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Feb. 04, 2016. --Charles Mostoller for Education Week

Sophomore Miguel D’Agostino looks down the hallway before the start of a learning support class at Coatesville High School in Coatesville, Pa. –Charles Mostoller for Education Week Read story

Science teacher Andrea Froburg, math teacher Jessica Cutliffe, and special educator Aimee Hall, from left to right, review a student’s file in a Building Assets-Reducing Risks meeting at Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine. Noble is testing the BARR program with i3 funding. --Sarah Rice for Education Week

Science teacher Andrea Froburg, math teacher Jessica Cutliffe, and special educator Aimee Hall, from left to right, review a student’s file in a Building Assets-Reducing Risks meeting at Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine. Noble is testing the BARR program with i3 funding. –Sarah Rice for Education Week Read story

Students arrive for classes at Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High School, a public charter school in Huntington Park, Calif. —Patrick T. Fallon for Education Week

Students arrive for classes at Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High School, a public charter school in Huntington Park, Calif. —Patrick T. Fallon for Education Week Read story

Ehlena Fry, 12, is helped down the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court by her mother, Stacy Fry; Michael J. Steinberg, ACLU of Michigan legal director; and her dog, Wonder. The high court heard arguments in a case involving Ehlena, who has cerebral palsy and who, at age 5, was banned from bringing her service dog to school. —Molly Riley/AP

Ehlena Fry, 12, is helped down the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court by her mother, Stacy Fry; Michael J. Steinberg, ACLU of Michigan legal director; and her dog, Wonder. The high court heard arguments in a case involving Ehlena, who has cerebral palsy and who, at age 5, was banned from bringing her service dog to school. —Molly Riley/AP Read story

Edwin Lopez (No. 1) stands while most of his teammates kneel during the national anthem before Woodrow Wilson High School’s home game against Highland High School in Camden, N.J., last month. Colin Kaepernick’s protest against social injustices has sparked debate on a national level about patriotism and free speech. —Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP

Edwin Lopez (No. 1) stands while most of his teammates kneel during the national anthem before Woodrow Wilson High School’s home game against Highland High School in Camden, N.J. Colin Kaepernick’s protest against social injustices has sparked debate on a national level about patriotism and free speech. —Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP Read story

The Barren County High School band performs inside Mammoth Cave National Park's Rafinesque Hall in Mammoth Cave, Ky., Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016. Bac Totrong/Daily News via AP

The Barren County High School band performs inside Mammoth Cave National Park’s Rafinesque Hall in Mammoth Cave, Ky. — Bac Totrong/Daily News via AP

Ramsey Itani, 7, a first-grade student at Sunnyside Elementary in Pullman, Wash., wears Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy device while listening to his teacher's instructions during a field trip to the Washington State University neurocognition sciene lab Monday, Feb. 22, 2016.

Ramsey Itani, 7, a first-grade student at Sunnyside Elementary in Pullman, Wash., wears a Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy device while listening to his teacher’s instructions during a field trip to the Washington State University neurocognition science lab. —Jerome Pollos for Education Week Read story

Kyaira Donald, 6, gets her finger poked to test her blood for lead levels, at Freeman Elementary School in Flint, Mich. --Jake May/The Flint Journal-Mlive.com/AP

Kyaira Donald, 6, gets her finger poked to test her blood for lead levels, at Freeman Elementary School in Flint, Mich. –Jake May/The Flint Journal-Mlive.com/AP Read story

Cameron Sterling, 15, is comforted at a vigil outside the store in Baton Rouge, La., where police shot and killed his father Alton Sterling on July 5. —Gerald Herbert/AP

Cameron Sterling, 15, is comforted at a vigil outside the store in Baton Rouge, La., where police shot and killed his father Alton Sterling last July. —Gerald Herbert/AP Read story

Amity Elementary 5th graders Sam Carlisle, left, and Malikai Parker spend time on the Happify platform, a digital teaching tool that emphasizes character development. Amity Elementary is part of the Deer Park Community City Schools in Cincinnati. —Pat McDonogh for Education Week

Amity Elementary 5th graders Sam Carlisle, left, and Malikai Parker spend time on the Happify platform, a digital teaching tool that emphasizes character development. —Pat McDonogh for Education Week Read story

Students Angelique Little, right, and Tia Sparks enjoy a "spa night" in their residence hall. The school is the nation's oldest public boarding school for gifted students. --Justin Cook for Education Week

Students Angelique Little, right, and Tia Sparks enjoy a “spa night” in their residence hall. The school is the nation’s oldest public boarding school for gifted students. –Justin Cook for Education Week Read story


National School Choice Week Around the Country

0
0
Parents, students and administrators wave yellow scarfs as they take part in a rally in support of school choice, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in Austin , Texas. Past voucher programs seeking to provide public money to families who send their children to private and religious schools have sailed through the state Senate but fizzled in the House, where lawmakers from both parties worry about hurting rural classrooms, but rally organizers are hoping that added political pressure could change that this session. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Parents, students and administrators wave yellow scarfs as they take part in a rally in support of school choice, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in Austin , Texas. Past voucher programs seeking to provide public money to families who send their children to private and religious schools have sailed through the state Senate but fizzled in the House, where lawmakers from both parties worry about hurting rural classrooms, but rally organizers are hoping that added political pressure could change that this session. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Parents, students, and administrators wave yellow scarfs as they take part in a rally in support of school choice on Jan. 24 in Austin, Texas. –Eric Gay/AP

This past week there have been approximately 20,000 demonstrations across the country in honor of National School Choice Week. The purpose of the week, according to the National School Choice Week website, is to raise public awareness of choice education options. These options include traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, online learning, private schools, and homeschooling.

President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Education nominee, Betsy DeVos, is a strong proponent of school choice. The Senate is still reviewing her for confirmation.

For more information on what school choice means, check out Education Week‘s video explainer here.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is framed by the Elite College Prep Academy band as he speaks during a rally in support of school choice on the steps of the Texas Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in Austin, Texas. The Texas governor and the Bush family's rising political star have added muscle to the rally supporting school vouchers — but such plans still may not pass the fiercely red state's Legislature. Vouchers would give families state money to help pay for private and religious schools. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is framed by the Elite College Prep Academy band as he speaks during a rally in support of school choice on the steps of the Texas Capitol on Jan. 24 in Austin, Texas. –Eric Gay/AP

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a rally in support of school choice on the steps of the Texas Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in Austin , Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a rally in support of school choice on the steps of the Texas Capitol on Jan. 24, 2017, in Austin , Texas. –Eric Gay/AP

Students from Wallflower Elementary sing on the steps of City Hall in Colorado Springs, Colo., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, during a rally to mark national school choice week. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Students from Wallflower Elementary sing on the steps of City Hall in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Jan. 24, , during a rally to mark National School Choice Week. –Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP

Sixth-grader Sam Ross cheer for his school Evangelical Christian School, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, during a local rally on the steps of City Hall in Colorado Springs, Colo., to mark national school choice week. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Sixth-grader Sam Ross cheers for his school, the Evangelical Christian School, on Jan. 24 during a school choice rally on the steps of City Hall in Colorado Springs, Colo. –Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP

Proponents of a parents' right to choose a school for their children gather at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, to celebrate national school choice week. Those attending represented a number of public charter, religious and some home schooling institutions. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

School choice advocates gather at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., to celebrate National School Choice Week. –Rogelio V. Solis/AP

New Jerusalem Christian Academy third grade students Kaniya Brown, 8, left, Ashten Hobson, center and Kriscian Myers II, both 9, look out at activities on the rotunda from the Governor's Office balcony at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. The students joined classmates and proponents for a parents' right to choose their children's school at a rally in the state house to celebrate National School Choice Week. Those attending represented a number of public charter, religious and some home schooling institutions. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

New Jerusalem Christian Academy 3rd grade students Kaniya Brown, 8, left, and Ashten Hobson, center, and Kriscian Myers II, both 9, look out at school choice rally activities in the rotunda from the Governor’s office balcony at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Jan. 24. –Rogelio V. Solis/AP

Jeff Laszloffy of the Montana Family Foundation speaks to crowd of students and lawmakers gathered for a school choice rally in Helena, Mont., on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Laszloffy and other advocates say they are determined to make charter schools and other school choice programs part of Montana's education system (AP Photo/Matt Volz)

Jeff Laszloffy of the Montana Family Foundation speaks to a crowd of students and lawmakers gathered for a school choice rally in Helena, Mont., on Jan. 25. Laszloffy and other advocates say they are determined to make charter schools and other school choice programs part of Montana’s education system. –Matt Volz/AP

Transitioning from Island Life to an Inland High School

0
0
Connor Maxcy works on a project during the school day on June 9, 2016 in the Isle au Haut school.

Dominique Hessert, a senior at the Rochester Institute of Technology, documented the story of Connor Maxcy, a student at a one-room schoolhouse on Isle au Haut in Maine, as part of her senior capstone project. Over the course of a year, she documented Maxcy’s experience as a student on a small island moving inland to attend high school. The video, images, and writing are all by Hessert. Watch the full video here: Finding Home from Dominique Hessert on Vimeo, or by clicking the video above. 

Connor Maxcy poses for a portrait on July 30, 2016 in Surry, ME.

Connor Maxcy in Surry, Maine.

A century ago, 200 of the 3,000 islands spread along Maine’s coast were fishing communities. Today, only 14 of the islands are inhabited year round. Isle au Haut remains one of these communities with a current population of 30 year round residents. The difficulty of this remote lifestyle contributes to continuing declines in the island’s population. Unless one is a fisherman, surviving financially has proven to be difficult, while the reality of raising a family presents its own set of issues: The only source of education is a K-8 one-room school-house. When students approach 8th grade graduation, they have a decision to make:

  1. Move off the island to attend high school.
  2. Commute every day on the 40-minute mailboat to attend high school on the mainland.
  3. Attend boarding school.
Connor Maxcy works on a project during the school day on June 9, 2016 in the Isle au Haut school.

Connor Maxcy works on a project during the school day last June at the Isle au Haut school.

Connor Maxcy is one of the two 8th grade students in the 2016 Isle au Haut school graduating class. In June 2016, Connor finished his last semester of schooling on Isle au Haut with the only other student attending the school. Unable to live with his father, who is a fisherman and frequently away, Connor made the decision to move in with a couple who have played surrogate grandparents to Connor since he was born, Linda Greenlaw and Steve Wessel. Linda’s knowledge from being the only female swordfishing boat captain on the East Coast of the United States blends well with Connor’s passion and deep connection with the outdoors. Linda and Steve’s large brown house sits across the street from Perry’s Bay in Surry, 10 minutes from George Stevens Academy,a private high school where Connor has chosen to attend high school.

Connor Maxcy works on a project during the school day on June 9, 2016 in the Isle au Haut school.

Connor Maxcy works on a project during the school day last June at the Isle au Haut school.

One week before his 8th grade graduation, Connor’s goal for after high school was to be a fisherman. After a summer living with Linda and Steve and one day in a high school of 300 kids, Connor’s goal has shifted. “I’m looking forward to these four years of high school and then college,” said Connor, “I asked a few of my dad’s friends what they’d do differently if they could change anything, and they said they’d go to Maine Maritime Academy, get a degree. I’m gonna go ahead and try to do that.”

Connor and his teachers Paula Greatorex and Lisa Turner Skype with the other island schools during the last day of school on June 6, 2016.

Connor and his teachers, Paula Greatorex and Lisa Turner, Skype with the other island schools during the last day of school in June, 2016. Skype gives the students an opportunity to socialize with other students outside their school.

It’s November 22, and a sheer layer of white barely covers the patches of light brown grass spread around the dock in Stonington, located on the southern portion of Deer Isle, Maine. Connor hops out of the car as his guardian, Linda Greenlaw, wishes him a happy Thanksgiving while handing him his duffel bag. Connor had arranged to spend his Thanksgiving break with his best friends, Michael and Andrew Barter and their family. Paula Greatorex, Connor’s middle school teacher, offers him a welcoming hug as Connor climbs onto the deck of the Mink, exchanging excited conversation with Captains Garrett and Tracey. As the Mink approaches the island, Connor’s gaze shifted to the houses perched on Isle au Haut’s rocky coast. He takes a deep breath than says to his childhood teacher, “Finally, I’m home.”

When Connor was on the island, he couldn’t see himself leaving. Some leave, and can’t imagine coming back. Isle au Haut offers meaning to its residents in different ways, but there is one constant. Connor, a 14-year-old boy who spent his childhood couch surfing and hunting his meals while his father left for weeks at a time, still found family on the island. Isle au Haut offered him a unique freedom that gave him a chance at survival while providing him with a sense of family that mainland lifestyle couldn’t provide. On Connor’s journey, he discovered the intoxicating magic bringing residents back to Isle au Haut: a sense of family.

(left to right) Paula Greatorex, Kathie Fiveash and Connor Maxcy look for birds during the school day on June 10, 2016. Kathie, an ecologist, tries to bring the students out birding a few times a year.

Paula Greatorex, Kathie Fiveash and Connor Maxcy (left to right) look for birds during the school day last June. Kathie, an ecologist, tries to bring the students out birding a few times a year.

School’s Out: A Year-End Scrapbook

0
0
Graduating seniors celebrate their achievement Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at Granite Hills High School Commencement Exercises at Rankin Stadium. (Chieko Hara/The Porterville Recorder via AP)
The end of the school year marks a time of celebration and the opening of new chapters in students lives. The photo editors at Education Week selected some of the images that captured the bittersweet sentiments of educators and students as the school doors closed and summer shifted into full swing.
 
In this June 22, 2017, photo, Shannon Buzzell hugs Kymani White, 8, at the end of the last day of the school year at Laurel Elementary School, where Buzzell teaches second grade, in Bloomfield, Conn. Buzzell originally wanted to become a nurse when she was in college. However, she determined she could avoid burnout as a teacher. Bloomfield's teacher of year has been helping kids as an educator and resource for 13 years. (Cloe Poisson/Hartford Courant via AP)
Second-grade teacher Shannon Buzzell hugs Kymani White, 8, at the end of the last day of the school year at Laurel Elementary School in Bloomfield Conn. Buzzell originally wanted to become a nurse when she was in college, but decided that becoming a teacher would provide more opportunity for her to help children thrive. Buzzell. a 13-year veteran educator, is the district’s current teacher of year.  Cloe Poisson/Hartford Courant via AP
In this Tuesday, June 20, 2017 photo, View Ridge Elementary School para-educators Kim Hansen, and Kathy Gregory, left, and other faculty line the sidewalk in front of the school to wave goodbye to students leaving on a bus on the last day of school in Bremerton, Wash. (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP)
Para-educators Kim Hansen and Kathy Gregory and other faculty line the sidewalk in front of View Ridge Elementary School in Bremerton, Wash., to wave goodbye to students leaving on the last day of school on June 20.  Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun via AP
 
Dunellen High School senior Destiny Lightfoot briefly stands supported by crutches during Dunellen High School graduation ceremonies Wednesday, June 21, 2017, in Dunellen, N.J. Both Lightfoot and her friend Jessica Williams were injured in Times Square when Richard Rojas drove through a crowd of pedestrians last month. Lightfoot was able to attend the graduation in a wheel chair and crutches while Williams, who suffered more serious injuries, could not attend the ceremony. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Dunellen High School senior Destiny Lightfoot briefly stands supported by crutches during graduation ceremonies June 21, in Dunellen, N.J. Both Lightfoot and her friend Jessica Williams were injured in Times Square when Richard Rojas drove through a crowd of pedestrians in May. Lightfoot was able to attend the graduation in a wheelchair and crutches, while Williams, who suffered more serious injuries, could not attend the ceremony.  Julie Jacobson/AP
 
Flint Southwestern graduate Jaela Young, 17, reacts as her friend Nicole Bonner, right, jokes with her, trying to find lipstick or chapstick before accepting her diploma on stage as more than 235 graduates from Flint Community Schools attend the annual commencement ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2017 at Dort Federal Event Center in Flint. "I'm leaving high school with a diploma, and a lot of people think kids in Flint can't graduate or live normal lives because of negative stereotypes that surround our city. People are sleeping on the Class of 2017." said Young, who will attend Michigan State University to focus on studies in psychology. "They think the water is holding us down. It's not and we won't let it. I'm still living, and this is just one more obstacle I'm leaping over." (Jake May/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)
Flint Southwestern graduate Jaela Young, 17, reacts as her friend Nicole Bonner, right, jokes with herMore than 235 graduates from Flint Community Schools attend the annual commencement ceremony on June 6, at Dort Federal Event Center in FlintMich. “I’m leaving high school with a diploma, and a lot of people think kids in Flint can’t graduate or live normal lives because of negative stereotypes that surround our city. People are sleeping on the Class of 2017,” said Young, who will attend Michigan State University to focus on studies in psychology.
“They think the water is holding us down. It’s not and we won’t let it. I’m still living, and this is just one more obstacle I’m leaping over.” Jake May/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP
 
Army reservist Harland Fletcher walks on stage to receive his high school diploma during a private graduation ceremony Monday, June 12, 2017, in Brentwood, Calif. The Liberty High School principal held the ceremony as an apology for not allowing Fletcher to wear his military uniform during his graduation last Friday. (AP Photo/Linda Wang)
Army reservist Harland Fletcher walks on stage to receive his high school diploma during a private graduation ceremony on June 12, in Brentwood, Calif. The Liberty High School principal held the ceremony as an apology for not allowing Fletcher to wear his military uniform during his graduation the previous weekLinda Wang/AP
 
Friends Annalee Allen, left, and Minnie Adler, both 3, share a hug while waiting for Adler's two older sisters to dismiss from Larchmont Elementary on Thursday, June 15, 2017, in Norfolk. Today is the final day of school for the last group of students that will use the 75-year-old building. The school will be demolished. (Vicki Cronis-Nohe/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
Friends Annalee Allen, left, and Minnie Adler, both 3, share a hug while waiting for Adler’s two older sisters to dismiss from Larchmont Elementary School, in Norfolk, Va. June 15 was the final day of school for the last group of students who will use the 75-year-old building. The school will be demolished. Vicki Cronis-Nohe/The Virginian-Pilot via AP
 
Graduating seniors celebrate their achievement Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at Granite Hills High School Commencement Exercises at Rankin Stadium. (Chieko Hara/The Porterville Recorder via AP)
Graduating seniors celebrate their achievement on June 6 at Granite Hills High School commencement exercises in El Cajon, CalifChieko Hara/The Porterville Recorder via AP

When Schools Close in Rural Communities

0
0
A sign welcoming visitors to the small rural town of Hughes, Arkansas, population 1441. Hughes is about 30 miles outside of Memphis, Tennessee on the other side of the Mississippi River. (Photo By Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week)

Schools across the country close down each year for a variety of reasons. In rural areas  like Hughes, Ark., it’s often because they are serving smaller numbers of students and it no longer makes economic sense. More than 60 districts in Arkansas have consolidated or merged since a 2004 state law required at least 350 students to keep a school open. But research suggests that such closures sometimes have a disparate–and disruptive–effect on communities. Photographer Karen Pulfer Focht and Education Week reporter Denisa Superville recently visited the rural town to document the disruptive effects that students and families now face as a result of these school closures.

A sign welcomes visitors to Hughes, Ark., which is 37 miles from Memphis, Tenn. When schools are closed in rural areas like Hughes, they are less likely to be replaced, according to research.

A sign welcomes visitors to Hughes, Ark., which is 37 miles from Memphis, Tenn. When schools are closed in rural areas like Hughes, they are less likely to be replaced, according to research.

Eugene Williams, (right) and Lawrence Harden, visit sitting on an abandoned building.The town and businesses of Hughes, Arkansas have struggled for many years. The jobs and agriculture that once sustained the area are gone. Businesses are boarded up and vacant through out the town. Many of the town folk still come and sit and visit in the decaying town center.(Photo By Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week)

Lawrence Harden, left, and Eugene Williams sit in an abandoned building window front in Hughes.

The town and businesses of Hughes, Arkansas have struggled for many years. The jobs and agriculture that once sustained the area are gone. Businesses are boarded up and vacant through out the town. Many of the town folk still come and sit and visit in the decaying town center. (Photo By Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week)

The town and businesses have struggled for many years. Jobs and agriculture that once sustained the area are gone, and businesses are boarded up and vacant throughout the town as a result.

A cat jumped through a broken window to seek shelter in downtown Hughes, Ark. The town and businesses of Hughes have struggled for many years. The jobs and agriculture that once sustained the area are gone. Businesses are boarded up and vacant through out the town. Many of the town folk still come and sit and visit in the decaying town center. (Photo By Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week)

A cat peers out from a broken window in a deserted storefront in downtown Hughes.

Zion Robinson, 7, is bused to West Memphis to first grade from Hughes, Arkansas. Since 2004, more than 81 schools have closed in Arkansas as a result of the state’s Act 60 law — a measure meant to consolidate school districts whose enrollment fall below 350. (Photo By Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week)

After a lengthy ride from her school in West Memphis, Ark., Zion Robinson, 7, heads to her home in Hughes.

Zion Robinson, 7, is bused to West Memphis to first grade from Hughes, Arkansas. Since 2004, more than 81 schools have closed in Arkansas as a result of the state’s Act 60 law — a measure meant to consolidate school districts whose enrollment fall below 350. (Photo By Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week)

Like many school-age children in this rural town, Zion Robinson, 7, gets on a school bus around 6:30 a.m. for the ride to school in West Memphis, Ark. and gets off the bus around 3:30 p.m. In the winter, Hughes students can both leave home and return in the dark.

The Hughes, Ark. school district, consolidated with the West Memphis school system in 2015. Now, the Hughes High School buildings sit closed, vacant and in disrepair following school closures in this tiny Arkansas town. Since 2004, more than 81 schools have closed in Arkansas. (Photo By Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week)

The Hughes, Ark. school district consolidated with the West Memphis school system in 2015. Now, the Hughes High School buildings sit closed, vacant, and in disrepair.

The Hughes, Ark. school district, consolidated with the West Memphis school system in 2015. Now, the Hughes High School buildings sit closed, vacant and in disrepair following school closures in this tiny Arkansas town. Since 2004, more than 81 schools have closed in Arkansas. (Photo By Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week)

Closed in 2015, the Hughes High School still stands, littered with remnants of its past, and marked by graffiti from vandals.

Mildred Jackson Elementary School was among those closed in Hughes, Arkansas a few years ago. Today the school sits covered with vines and trashed rooms. Just a few feet away is an active pre-school building filled with little children. Photo by Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week

Mildred Jackson Elementary School was among those closed in Hughes last year as a result of Act 60. Today the school sits covered with vines and trashed rooms.

Mildred Jackson Elementary School was among those closed in Hughes, Arkansas a few years ago. Today the school sits covered with vines and trashed rooms. Just a few feet away is an active pre-school building filled with little children. Photo by Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week

Discarded books and supplies in the vacant Mildred Jackson Elementary School.

Mildred Jackson Elementary School was among those closed in Hughes, Arkansas a few years ago. Today the school sits covered with vines and trashed rooms. Just a few feet away is an active pre-school building filled with little children. Photo by Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week

Children lie down during naptime at a preschool program in a building near the now-shuttered Mildred Jackson Elementary School in Hughes. The parents of these children must decide in a year or two whether to put them on a school bus for the hourlong trip to West Memphis schools or move closer.

A Focus on Career and Technical Education

0
0
HIGHLANDS, NJ - April 05, 2017:  

High School students from the Marine Academy of Science & Technology, mostly comprised of freshman in the course area of marine biology, take part in a marine biology lab on a boat owned and managed by the school out in the Sandy Hook Bay. Here, student leaders and upperclassman Austin Colbert, Ryan Elmiger, and James Edwards, and Theo Cheevers help run the ship with along with the captain as a way to assist and mentor their fellow underclassman in the marine biology course by managing the net mechanisms to catch the sea creatures that the students will be studying.

Credit: Mark Abramson for Education Week

As they attract a new wave of attention and support in schools across the country,  career and technical education programs grapple with new challenges: How should they maintain program quality and weed out career paths that lead students to dead-end jobs? As high-flying programs become popular and more academically rigorous, how can educators ensure that they remain demographically diverse? And how can schools do a better job of getting the word out to all students about all of these new college and career options? Photographers Mark Abramson, Andrea Morales and Joe Buglewicz worked with Education Week reporter Catherine Gewertz on a three-part series for Education Week that takes a look at the challenges and opportunities faced by three states’ career and technical education programs.

HIGHLANDS, NJ - April 05, 2017: High School students from the Marine Academy of Science & Technology, mostly comprised of freshman in the course area of marine biology, take part in a marine biology lab on a boat owned and managed by the school out in the Sandy Hook Bay. Here, student leaders and upperclassman Austin Colbert, Ryan Elmiger, and James Edwards, and Theo Cheevers help run the ship with along with the captain as a way to assist and mentor their fellow underclassman in the marine biology course by managing the net mechanisms to catch the sea creatures that the students will be studying. Credit: Mark Abramson for Education Week

Older students from the Marine Academy of Science & Technology in Highlands, N.J., help rig nets and lines as they assist the boat’s captain and mentor the marine biology students. The popular school funnels students into colleges and jobs in marine science, engineering, and other fields. —Mark Abramson for Education Week

HIGHLANDS, NJ - April 05, 2017: High School students from the Marine Academy of Science & Technology, mostly comprised of freshman in the course area of marine biology, take part in a marine biology lab on a boat owned and managed by the school out in the Sandy Hook Bay. Here, freshman Tristen Izzo releases a fish back into the water after studying it with his classmates. Credit: Mark Abramson for Education Week

Freshman Tristen Izzo releases a fish back into the water after studying it with his classmates. Seats in the academically rigorous, career-technical education program are highly coveted and filled mostly by white students, a trend the school is working to change. –Mark Abramson for Education Week

Students from the Marine Academy of Science and Technology handle a flounder caught on a boat trip in New Jersey’s Sandy Hook Bay. The students record data on fish for state officials before tossing them back into the sea. —Mark Abramson for Education Week

High school freshman Ivan Szasz pilots a boat during a field trip for marine biology students from the Marine Academy of Science and Technology in Highlands, N.J. Seats in the academically rigorous, career-technical-education program are highly coveted and filled mostly by white students. —Mark Abramson for Education Week

High school freshman Ivan Szasz pilots a boat during a field trip for marine biology students from the academy. —Mark Abramson for Education Week

April 21, 2017 - Wynne, AR: Eighth-grader Jacoya Marrs (center) reacts to feeling low-level electrotherapy that physical therapy technician Laura Kilgore (left) demonstrates while at CrossRidge Hospital on Friday, April 21, 2017. Marrs, along with Sadie West (right), was one of the students participating in a "job shadow" day at a physical therapist's office. The experience is part of a push in programs that help with career guidance so students can approach choosing career technical education or not with some personal insight. Arkansas has been particularly proactive about changing that dynamic, placing career coaches in dozens of schools and installing a career-focused curriculum that begins in middle school.

Eighth grader Jacoya Marrs, center, reacts to feeling low-level electrotherapy on her back during a “job shadow” day at a physical therapist’s office at CrossRidge Hospital in Wynne, Ark. The state is betting big that this kind of early career exposure—embedded in a career-planning process that spans middle and high school—can launch more students into its workforce and colleges with a clear idea of where they’re headed. —Andrea Morales for Education Week

April 21, 2017 - Wynne, AR: Eighth graders Erika Faircloth (right) and Kaelyn Jordan observe Dr. Julie Boone perform a cat spaying at Cross County Vet on Friday, April 21, 2017. Faircloth and Jordan were some of the students participating in a "job shadow" day at the veterinarian's office. The experience is part of a push in programs that help with career guidance so students can approach choosing career technical education or not with some personal insight. Arkansas has been particularly proactive about changing that dynamic, placing career coaches in dozens of schools and installing a career-focused curriculum that begins in middle school.

Eighth grader Erika Faircloth watches veterinarian Julie Boone operate on a cat during her job-shadowing experience at a local veterinary clinic. —Andrea Morales for Education Week

Equations line the whiteboards and walls of a Mechatronics class at Warren County High School in McMinnville, Tenn. Tennessee Career and Technical Education leaders meet regularly to review programs in the schools, and size up how well they meet the job and college-prep criteria. Joe Buglewicz for Education Week

Equations line the whiteboards and walls of a mechatronics class at Warren County High School in McMinnville, Tenn. The school district is seeking to give students a clearer path to high-tech jobs by phasing out traditional vocational-technical classes and replacing them with studies in mechatronics, a blend of electronics and engineering that’s the brains of the automation in many advanced manufacturing systems. –Joe Buglewicz for Education Week

Warren County High School seniors Alex Yates and David Romero work on an assembly line machine during a Mechatronics class in McMinnville, Tenn. Many students at the school participate in Career and Technical Education course clusters to help them prepare for life beyond high school. Joe Buglewicz for Education Week

Warren County High School seniors Alex Yates, left, and David Romero work on an assembly line machine during their mechatronics class in McMinnville. The technology skills they learn in the class help prepare them for jobs in the area’s booming automotive industry. —Joe Buglewicz for Education Week

Keaton Turner, 17, a junior at Warren County High School in McMinnville, Tenn. welds a during an Advanced Manufacturing class Wed. April 17, 2107. Tennessee Career and Technical Education leaders meet regularly to review programs in the schools, and size up how well they meet the job and college-prep criteria. Joe Buglewicz for Education Week

Keaton Turner, a junior at Warren County High School, welds a during an advanced manufacturing class in McMinnville. –Joe Buglewicz for Education Week

Smoothing the Entry to Kindergarten

0
0
Autumn Edwards and her mom Lindsey Edwards walk towards Prairie Mountain School Monday morning so that Autumn can take part in the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program. KITS gives children entering school the opportunity to go to 24 sessions of school readiness focused on promoting social skills and early literacy.  (Amanda L Smith Photo)

Nearly 4 million kindergartners will be enrolled in the nation’s schools for 2017-18, mostly starting with a blank slate for teachers who may have little information on their skill level and previous learning experience. Reporting on efforts to ease young children’s entry into school, Education Week reporter Christina A. Samuels and freelance photographer Amanda L. Smith featured the Kids in Transition to School program at the Prairie Mountain School in Eugene, Ore., which helps prospective kindergartners focus on school readiness, social skills, and literacy.

Autumn Edwards and her mom Lindsey Edwards walk towards Prairie Mountain School Monday morning so that Autumn can take part in the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program. KITS gives children entering school the opportunity to go to 24 sessions of school readiness focused on promoting social skills and early literacy. (Amanda L Smith Photo)

Autumn Edwards and her mother, Lindsey Edwards, walk toward Prairie Mountain School, where Autumn will take part in the KITS program.

Assistant Teacher, Kimberly Fisher, works with a student signing their name in for school Monday morning at the Mountain School during the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program. KITS gives children entering school the opportunity to go to 24 sessions of school readiness focused on promoting social skills and early literacy. (Amanda L Smith Photo)

Assistant Teacher Kimberly Fisher talks with a student preparing for kindergarten. Children in the KITS program attend multiple sessions, where they learn the so-called soft skills they will need to be successful when they start school in September.

Students learn how to properly raise their hands while during the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program. KITS gives children entering school the opportunity to go to 24 sessions of school readiness focused on promoting social skills and early literacy. (Amanda L Smith Photo)

Assistant Teacher Kimberly Fisher talks with a student preparing for kindergarten. Children in the KITS program attend multiple sessions, where they learn the so-called soft skills they will need to be successful when they start school in September.

Gracie Walters (back center) works with Jamileth Ixmatlahua (cq,back right) building a large building for their class's "city" during the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program. KITS gives children entering school the opportunity to go to 24 sessions of school readiness focused on promoting social skills and early literacy. (Amanda L Smith Photo)

Incoming kindergartners Gracie Walters, at center left, and Jamileth Ixmatlahua build a block building for a wooden “class city.” The program focuses on activities that help students learn about skills such as sharing and taking turns.

Lead teacher, Katie Rutherford helps her students learn how to line up by playing Simon says during the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program. KITS gives children entering school the opportunity to go to 24 sessions of school readiness focused on promoting social skills and early literacy. (Amanda L Smith Photo)

Lead teacher Katie Rutherford helps her students learn how to line up by playing Simon Says.

Tyler ____________ is picked out to choose the next movement during the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program. KITS gives children entering school the opportunity to go to 24 sessions of school readiness focused on promoting social skills and early literacy. (Amanda L Smith Photo)

Tyler Johnson, center, is picked to choose the next lesson during a KITS class.

Tyler________ hugs his neighbor, excited that he was finally old enough to go to school too while leaving the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program. KITS gives children entering school the opportunity to go to 24 sessions of school readiness focused on promoting social skills and early literacy. (Amanda L Smith Photo)

Tyler Johnson, right, hugs a neighborhood friend after completing the KITS class at Prairie Mountain School in Eugene, Ore.

Teen Gun Violence Plagues Cities Big and Small

0
0

Wilmington, Del., isn’t Chicago or Los Angeles, Baltimore or Detroit. It is a city of less than 72,000 people known primarily as the birthplace of chemical giant DuPont and as a cozy home for big banks and Fortune 500 firms. But an Associated Press and USA TODAY Network analysis of Gun Violence Archive data—gathered from media reports and police press releases, and covering a 3½-year period through June of this year—reveals that Wilmington far and away leads the country in its rate of shootings among young people under 18.

Of the 10 cities with the highest rates of teen shootings, most had populations of less than 250,000 people. Among them were Savannah, Ga.; Trenton, N.J.; Syracuse, N.Y., Fort Myers, Fla.; and Richmond, Va. Chicago was the lone large-population city high on the list.

Poverty and a sense of hopelessness in the most violent neighborhoods is a common thread. Syracuse, a university town that once cranked out air conditioners and televisions, now has a poverty rate of 35 percent.

Others, like Savannah, are deeply divided. While its antebellum mansions, gnarled live oaks, and marble monuments to war heroes drew more than 13 million visitors last year, away from the picture-postcard oasis of Southern Charm the scenery here quickly shifts to decaying neighborhoods, abject poverty, and deadly violence.

ADVANCE FOR USE FRIDAY, SEPT. 8, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-In this Oct. 19, 2016 photo, a boy rides a bicycle past "RIP" graffiti on a wall along West 3rd Street and North Broom in Wilmington, Del., an area where several shootings have occurred. In 2015, the CDC published what remains its only report about gun violence in a single American city, warning it was at "epidemic levels" and recommending a long list of steps for Wilmington and the state to follow. Despite early momentum, most of the CDC recommendations remain unfulfilled even as gun violence continues to plague the city and claim young lives. (Suchat Pederson/The Wilmington News-Journal via AP)

A boy rides a bicycle past “RIP” graffiti on a wall in Wilmington, Del., in a neighborhood where several shootings have occurred. In 2015, the CDC published what remains its only report about gun violence in a single American city, warning it was at “epidemic levels” and recommending a long list of steps for Wilmington and the state to follow. Despite early momentum, most of the CDC recommendations remain unfulfilled even as gun violence continues to plague the city and claim young lives. Photo by Suchat Pederson/The Wilmington News-Journal via AP

ADVANCE FOR USE FRIDAY, SEPT. 8, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-In this Aug. 8, 2017 photo, Tyzell Cephas, 23, accompanied by his wife, Takira Jones-Cephas, and cousin, Laqueen McDuffie, visits the grave of his 16-year-old sister, Tynesia, at Silverbrook Cemetery in Wilmington, Del. Tynesia was gunned down while trying to break up a fight on Wilmington's East Side. Her boyfriend and his family watched as she took her last breaths on a row home floor after being shot on Kirkwood Street. (Suchat Pederson/The Wilmington News-Journal via AP)

Tyzell Cephas, 23, accompanied by his wife, Takira Jones-Cephas, and cousin, Laqueen McDuffie, visits the grave of his 16-year-old sister, Tynesia, at a cemetery in Wilmington. Tynesia was gunned down this summer while trying to break up a fight on the city’s East Side. Her boyfriend and his family watched as she took her last breaths on a row home floor after being shot. Photo by Suchat Pederson/The Wilmington News-Journal via AP

ADVANCE FOR USE FRIDAY, SEPT. 8, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-In this Feb. 2, 2015 photo, Shareece White, mother of William Rollins VI, the 18-year-old gunned down Jan. 24, 2015, cries as she stands next to his casket during his funeral in Wilmington, Del. In 2015, the CDC published what remains its only report about gun violence in a single American city, warning it was at "epidemic levels" and recommending a long list of steps for Wilmington and the state to follow. Despite early momentum, most of the CDC recommendations remain unfulfilled even as gun violence continues to plague the city and claim young lives. (Suchat Pederson/The Wilmington News-Journal via AP)

Shareece White, mother of William Rollins VI, cries as she stands next to her 18-year-old son’s casket during his funeral in 2015 in Wilmington. An Associated Press and USA TODAY Network analysis revealed that the city leads the country in shootings among young people under 18. Photo by Suchat Pederson/The Wilmington News-Journal via AP

ADVANCE FOR USE FRIDAY, SEPT. 8, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-The Rev. Derrick Johnson, left, and Deacon Leonard Woods pray with gunshot victim Rayquan Briscoe behind his home in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday, July 25, 2017. Although Briscoe said he’s never carried a gun himself, guns have had an outsized impact on his young life. In 2016, Briscoe's father was shot to death. Rayquan’s younger brother, Raymire, was just 14 when he was charged with murder in the May 2014 killing of a 29-year-old man; he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

The Rev. Derrick Johnson, left, and Deacon Leonard Woods pray with Rayquan Briscoe, who was paralyzed in a shooting, behind his home in Wilmington. Although Briscoe said he’s never carried a gun himself, guns have had an outsized impact on his young life. In 2016, Briscoe’s father was shot to death. Rayquan’s younger brother, Raymire, was just 14 when he was charged with murder in the May 2014 killing of a 29-year-old man; he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Photo by Allen G. Breed/AP

ADVANCE FOR USE FRIDAY, SEPT. 8, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-In this July 27, 2017 photo, William Rollins V, left, and his wife Maria WIlliams sit in their living room in Wilmington, Del., the day after their teenage son and daughter were shot and wounded while standing on the front porch. "It's nonstop, just nonstop," said Rollins. "Around every turn, they're taking our kids." (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

William Rollins V, left, and his wife, Maria WIlliams, sit in their living room in Wilmington, the day after their teenage son, Keshon, and daughter, Keishonna, were shot and wounded while standing on the front porch. “It’s nonstop, just nonstop,” said Rollins. “Around every turn, they’re taking our kids.” Photo by Patrick Semansky/AP

ADVANCE FOR USE FRIDAY, SEPT. 8, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-In this July 27, 2017 photo, a bullet hole pierces a "no trespassing" sign at the home of William Rollins V and his wife, Maria WIlliams, in Wilmington, Del., the day after the home came under gunfire. Their teenage son and daughter were both shot and wounded in their legs during the shooting. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A bullet hole pierces a “no trespassing” sign at the home of William Rollins V and his wife, Maria WIlliams, the day after the home came under gunfire. Their teenage son and daughter were both shot and wounded in their legs during the shooting. Photo by Patrick Semansky/AP

ADVANCE FOR USE FRIDAY, SEPT. 8, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-In this Aug. 9, 2017 photo, Keishonna Williams, age 18, uncovers a bandage revealing a bullet wound on her leg in Newark, Del. Williams and her brother Keshon were shot July 26 on the front porch of their home in nearby Wilmington, Del., a city that leads the country in shootings among young people under 18. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Keishonna Williams, 18, uncovers a bandage revealing a bullet wound on her leg. Williams and her brother Keshon were shot while sitting on the front porch of their home. Photo by Patrick Semansky/AP

ADVANCE FOR USE FRIDAY, SEPT. 8, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-In this Aug. 9, 2017 photo, Keshon Williams, 16, poses for a photograph outside an apartment building where his family is living temporarily in Newark, Del. Williams, a resident of nearby Wilimington, Del., who was shot July 26, is part of an alarming statistic - an Associated Press and USA TODAY Network analysis revealed that Wilmington leads the country in shootings among young people under 18. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Keshon Williams, 16, was shot this summer while sitting on the front porch of his Wilmington home with his sister. Photo by Patrick Semansky/AP


Scenes From Betsy DeVos’‘Rethinking School’ Tour

0
0
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos cheers with Eastern Hancock students during a high school football game between Eastern Hancock and Knightstown, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Charlottesville, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

U.S. Secretary of Betsy DeVos took a six-state “Rethink Education” tour the week of Sept. 11 to kick off the school year, aiming to spotlight promising education approaches, mainly focused on K-12 but with a stopover at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. The tour took her to Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and, finally, Indiana, where she met with students recovering from drug addiction and attended a Friday night high school football game.

In an interview with Education Week at the close of the tour, DeVos talked about what’s next for school choice, implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, her department’s approach to civil rights protections, and much more.

Here are some of the visual highlights from DeVos’ tour:

Lt Gen Jay B. Silveria, left, talks with Betsy DeVos, U.S. Secretary of Education, as they walk past Cadet Chapel as she visited the U.S. Air Force Academy on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 in Colorado Springs, Colo., as part of her "Rethink School" Tour. (Dougal Brownlie/The Gazette via AP)

Lt. Gen Jay B. Silveria talks with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos as they walk past Cadet Chapel during her visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. –Dougal Brownlie/The Gazette via AP

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visits a coding class in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, during a visit to the Midland University-Omaha Campus as part of her 2017 "Rethink School" tour, in which she plans to visit schools in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

DeVos visits a coding class in Omaha, Neb., during a visit to the Midland University-Omaha Campus. –Nati Harnik/AP

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reads to kindergarteners during a visit to St. Mary's Catholic School, Thursday morning, Sept. 14, 2017, in Lincoln, Neb. (Eric Gregory/The Journal-Star via AP)

The education secretary reads to kindergartners at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Lincoln, Neb. –Eric Gregory/The Journal-Star via AP

Protesters cross S. 27th street as the crowd moves to the A Street entrance of the Lincoln Children's Zoo, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, in Lincoln, Neb., as U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited the Lincoln Public School's Zoo School. The Zoo School was the second stop of the day in Lincoln for DeVos. (Ted Kirk/The Journal-Star via AP)

Protesters decry Devos’ support of charter schools and vouchers, marching to the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Lincoln, Neb., as DeVos visited the Lincoln school system’s Science Focus Program/Zoo School. –Ted Kirk/The Journal-Star via AP

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, second from right, talks to students wearing I Love Public Schools shirts during a tour of the Zoo School in Lincoln, Neb., Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, as part of her 2017 "Rethink School" tour, in which she plans to visit schools in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Zoo School students wearing “I Love Public Schools” T-shirts meet with the secretary during her tour. –Nati Harnik/AP

Accompanied by principal Anthony Cherry, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos is greeted by 21st Century Charter School students, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Gary, Ind. (John J. Watkins/The Times via AP)

Accompanied by principal Anthony Cherry, DeVos is greeted by students at the 21st Century Charter School in Gary, Ind. –John J. Watkins/The Times via AP

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos cheers with Eastern Hancock students during a high school football game between Eastern Hancock and Knightstown, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Charlottesville, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

DeVos cheers with Eastern Hancock students during a high school football game between Eastern Hancock and rival Knightstown in Charlottesville, Ind. –Darron Cummings/AP

Puerto Rico’s Schools, Communities Fight to Recover From Storm Devastation

0
0
Norberto Collazo maneuvers his horse on a highway near a washed-out bridge in Utuado, Puerto Rico.
--Swikar Patel/Education Week

Less than a month ago, Hurricane Maria slammed the island of Puerto Rico, swamping towns and displacing residents from their homes. Most schools are still closed to students, but many are now being used as shelters for displaced families. Education Week photographer Swikar Patel and reporter Andrew Ujifusa recently visited Puerto Rico to document the island’s efforts to reopen their schools and how residents are working to put their lives back together.

Norberto Collazo maneuvers his horse on a highway near a washed-out bridge in Utuado, Puerto Rico. --Swikar Patel/Education Week

Norberto Collazo maneuvers his horse on a highway near a washed-out bridge in Utuado, Puerto Rico. –Swikar Patel/Education Week

Gloria E. Colon, and from left, Glenda Ruiz, her mother, Rosa Rodriguez, back, and Ruiz's two sons, Josh Rivera, 6, and Abdiel Rivera, 8, are using a classroom at Judith Avivas Elementary School in Utuado, Puerto Rico, as their temporary home after Hurricane Maria destroyed their house last month. —Swikar Patel/Education Week

Gloria E. Colon, and from left, Glenda Ruiz, her mother, Rosa Rodriguez, and Ruiz’s two sons, Josh Rivera, 6, and Abdiel Rivera, 8, are using a classroom at Judith Avivas Elementary School in Utuado as their temporary home after Hurricane Maria destroyed their house last month. —Swikar Patel/Education Week

Located in the in the middle of Puerto Rico’s mountains, Utuado, Puerto Rico, was devastated by Hurricane Maria last month. Swikar Patel/Education Week

Located in the in the middle of Puerto Rico’s mountains, Utuado, Puerto Rico, was devastated by Hurricane Maria last month. –Swikar Patel/Education Week

Juanita Negrón Reyes, director Escuela Bernardo Gonzalez, back, works on prepping food for the community with cafeteria workers on Sunday Oct. 8, 2017 in Utuado, Puerto Rico. --Swikar Patel/Education Week

Juanita Negrón Reyes, center, at back, principal of the Bernardo Gonzalez Colon School in Utuado, Puerto Rico, works with cafeteria workers to prep food that will be distributed to residents of the hurricane-ravaged town. Closed to students, the school’s kitchen is being used to feed displaced residents. –Swikar Patel/Education Week

Jeremy Vasquez holds his nephew Jamdry Salsado, 2, as he waits in line for water at Ramon Luis Cabanas baseball stadium in the San Jose neighborhood of Utuado, Puerto Rico on Oct. 8, 2017. --Swikar Patel/Education Week

Jeremy Vasquez collects water at a relief station set up at the Ramon Luis Cabanas baseball stadium in the San Jose neighborhood of Utuado, Puerto Rico. –Swikar Patel/Education Week

A helicopter takes off from near the Puerto Rico Convention Center on Monday Oct. 9, 2017. --Swikar Patel/Education Week

A relief helicopter takes off from near the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. –Swikar Patel/Education Week

Mariano Ramis de Ayreflor, 18, uses one of his downed palm trees as a bridge over a crevasse in his yard after running an extension chord to his neighbor so they can share in electricity from his family's generator on Oct. 8, 2017 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. --Swikar Patel/Education Week

Mariano Ramis de Ayreflor, 18, uses a downed palm tree as a bridge over a crevasse in his yard after running an extension cord to his neighbor so they can share electricity from his family’s generator in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. –Swikar Patel/Education Week

A "Read to Hope" event at Maria Vasquez de Umpierre School in Bayamon. Puerto Rican actress Mariana Quiles read, "The Day the Dog Said 'iQuiquiriqui!" (the last word is the Spanish equivalent of a rooster's crow). School principal Jessica Hernandez and others organized the event to help students reorient themselves, although not all the children there normally attended Maria Vasquez de Umpierre. --Swikar Patel/Education Week

Students participate in a “From Reading to Hope” event at Maria Vasquez de Umpierre School in Bayamon. School principal Jessica Hernandez and others organized the event to help students re-orient themselves. –Swikar Patel/Education Week

Aliancy Arana, 13. attends another school Escuela Especializada En Bellas Artes Pablo Casals in Bayamon.

Aliancy Arana, 13, passes by the flag of Puerto Rico at the “From Reading to Hope” event at Maria Vasquez de Umpierre School in Bayamon. –Swikar Patel/Education Week

Jose Andres speaks with ----- on Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. ---reacts as Andres told her that he would pay for her daughter, -----'s education. --Swikar Patel/Education Week

Xoimar Manning, center, reacts as chef José Andrés, right, tells her he will take care of her daughter’s future education expenses. Andrés was visiting the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of his effort to organize school cafeterias to feed those displaced by Hurricane Maria. —Swikar Patel/Education Week

Click on links below to read more Education Week coverage on Puerto Rico’s efforts:

Here’s How Teachers Can Help With Disaster Relief Efforts in Puerto Rico
‘This Is My Island. My Students Need Me’
Boredom, Makeshift Lessons at Puerto Rican School Turned Shelter
In Puerto Rico, Chef José Andrés Heralds School Cooks Feeding Those in Need

 

Raising Kings: Inside a School Designed to Meet the Needs of Young Men of Color

0
0
Ron Brown College Preparatory High School students greet one another before the start of school. --Jared Soares for Education Week

From the early stages of recruiting students and training teachers, to the final bell of the school year, Education Week‘s Kavitha Cardoza and NPR’s Cory Turner followed teachers, students, and parents as they documented the first year of Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in the District of Columbia. The school is designed specifically to meet the needs of its young male students students of color – who are called “kings.” And for many of the young men, their needs are profound.

In Episode I of the three-part audio series, the school principal, director of culture, and school psychologist explain their vision and goals for the students. Their comments are excerpted in an audio slideshow below, with portraits by Jared Soares.

Principal Benjamin Williams talks about changing students’ mindset from using school as a social opportunity, to instead using it as an academic opportunity.

Dawaine Cosey, the director of culture, empowerment, and restorative justice, talks about the ways he uses love to interact with students.

School Psychologist Charles Curtis talks about restorative justice, and society’s expectations for the students at Ron Brown.

Raising Kings: Ron Brown College Prep Teachers Give Voice to Expectations

0
0
Ron-Brown-Part-2-Bluest-Eye-1024

From the early stages of recruiting students and training teachers, to the final bell of the school year, Education Week‘s Kavitha Cardoza and NPR’s Cory Turner followed teachers, students, and parents as they documented the first year of Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in the District of Columbia. The school is designed specifically to meet the needs of its young male students students of color – who are called “kings.” And for many of the young men, their needs are profound.

In Episode 2 of the three-part audio series, Ron Brown’s unique CARE team and the teaching faculty continue their focus on nurturing students’ social and emotional growth. But their time becomes increasingly dominated by a few kings who are getting into trouble. The school’s math and English teacher talk about their expectations for the students; their comments are excerpted in an audio slideshow below, with portraits by Jared Soares.

 

Math teacher Shaka Greene talks about the need for high standards do to limited spots for internships and scholarships.

English teacher Schalette Gudger talks about the camaraderie among the students.

A Photographer’s View of Ron Brown College Prep

0
0
Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC.

Photographer Jared Soares discusses his experiences, and shares his favorite images from documenting faculty and students at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C. The photographs were part of a joint audio reporting project by Education Week and National Public Radio that tracked the first year at the school.

“When I received the assignment to make photographs at Ron Brown Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C., I had no prior knowledge of the school or its mission. Typically, when I begin an assignment, I prefer to keep an open mind, so I don’t have a fixed idea about the story. I’ll do some brief background research in order to understand context. This approach allows me to be present while experiencing the place and people.

Upon arriving at Ron Brown, I was greeted by Principal Benjamin Williams, and then was quickly paired with a student escort for the day, who shuttled me off to the morning circle. The circle is a daily gathering event led by teachers and students, and it combines morning announcements with notes of encouragement. Most of the students are getting their ties straight and their books in order, preparing for the day ahead.

After morning circle, I zigzagged around campus with Zion Williams, my student escort. I saw students helping each other with their ties, teachers preparing for class in the morning, and impromptu study sessions taking place in the weight room. Passing periods and lunchtime were filled with louder moments. Classrooms felt intimate, and students seemed comfortable sharing and participating.

Squeezing a year-long reporting project into a day of photography was a challenge. Understanding the subtle nuances of each student and faculty member is an even greater one. The moments and set of portraits hopefully allow for an entry point into the project.

Below are some of my favorite images from this assignment”–

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

All the students are known as “kings” at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

The capital city’s first all-male traditional public school, Ron Brown College Prep is designed specifically to meet the needs of its young black male students.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Ron Brown College Preparatory High School students greet each other during the morning circle in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

Students greet each other during the daily morning circle.

Dawaine Cosey, Empowerment and Culture Director, engages with students in the lunch line at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

“I tell the guys here: You’re gonna get love and there’s really nothing you can do about it.” — Dawaine Cosey, director of culture, empowerment, and restorative justice.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Principal Ben Williams at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

“They feel like it’s a place where they can take chances, where they can grow.” — Benjamin Williams, principal.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Schalette Gudger, English teacher at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

“If I’m tough on them, it’s because I have high expectations for them.” English teacher Schalette Gudger.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Shaka Green, Algebra 1 teacher and Chess coach at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

“School has to come first. … If you leave high school and you still make a 600 on the SAT, nobody cares how much you were loved.” — Shaka Greene, Math teacher.

Charles Curtis, Psychologist and Care Team Leader at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

“When we look at these young people, we’re looking at them from a place of godliness, of kingliness, of royalty.” — Charles Curtis, school psychologist.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Matt Lawrence, Algebra and Geometry teacher at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

Matt Lawrence, Algebra and Geometry teacher.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Sgt. Troy Jordan, lead security at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

Troy Jordan is the lead security guard at Ron Brown College Prep.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Stephon Curtis, 9th grader at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

“There’s something individually about every single person inside this school that sets them aside from everybody else.” — Stephon, student.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Elijah Ashley Mangum, 9th grader at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

Elijah, a student at Ron Brown College Prep.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Elijah Farrier, 9th grader at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

Elijah, another student, studies in the school’s gym.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 8 Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Northeast Washington, DC Thursday June 8, 2017. (Photo by Jared Soares for Education Week)

Single-gender education has long been a pillar in the private-school sector, but schools exclusively for young men like D.C.’s Ron Brown College Prep are relatively rare in traditional public school districts.

Thanksgiving Tribe Teaches Language Lost to Colonization

0
0
Jessie "Little Doe" Baird, right, vice chairwoman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, hugs a member of the audience following the "We Gather Together" celebration at the Old Indian Meeting House, in Mashpee, Mass. --Steven Senne/AP
Massachusetts Institute of Technology archivist Nora Murphy places a second edition of the Eliot Indian Bible on a table at the MIT rare book collection, in Cambridge, Mass. The second edition of the Eliot Indian Bible, translated into Wampanoag, is dated 1685. Experts have relied on extensive written records in Wampanoag to reclaim the language, including 17th century phonetic translations of the King James Bible. --Steven Senne/AP

Massachusetts Institute of Technology archivist Nora Murphy places a second edition of the Eliot Indian Bible on a table at the MIT rare book collection, in Cambridge, Mass. The second edition of the Eliot Indian Bible, translated into Wampanoag, is dated 1685. Experts have relied on extensive written records in Wampanoag to reclaim the language, including 17th century phonetic translations of the King James Bible. –Steven Senne/AP

MASHPEE, Mass. (AP) — The Massachusetts tribe whose ancestors shared a Thanksgiving meal with the Pilgrims nearly 400 years ago is reclaiming its long-lost language, one schoolchild at a time. “Weesowee mahkusunash,” says teacher Siobhan Brown, using the Wampanoag phrase for “yellow shoes” as she reads to a preschool class from Sandra Boynton’s popular children’s book “Blue Hat, Green Hat.” The Mukayuhsak Weekuw — or “Children’s House ” — is an immersion school launched by the Cape Cod-based Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, whose ancestors hosted a harvest celebration with the Pilgrims in 1621 that helped form the basis for the country’s Thanksgiving tradition.

A child in a combined pre-kindergarten and kindergarten Wampanoag language immersion class removes kernels from an ear of corn on Oct 12 at the Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, in Mashpee, Mass. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts is in its second year of operating a preschool immersion program where only an indigenous language that had not been spoken for generations is uttered. --Steven Senne/AP

A child in a combined pre-kindergarten and kindergarten Wampanoag language immersion class removes kernels from an ear of corn at the Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, in Mashpee, Mass. –Steven Senne/AP

The 19 children from Wampanoag households that Brown and other teachers instruct are being taught exclusively in Wopanaotooaok, a language that had not been spoken for at least a century until the tribe started an effort to reclaim it more than two decades ago. The language brought to the English lexicon words like pumpkin (spelled pohpukun in Wopanaotooaok), moccasin (mahkus), skunk (sukok), powwow (pawaw) and Massachusetts (masachoosut), but, like hundreds of other native tongues, fell victim to the erosion of indigenous culture through centuries of colonialism. 

Children in a combined pre-kindergarten and kindergarten Wampanoag language immersion class work on their lessons on Oct 12 at the Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, in Mashpee, Mass. A dozen or so adults and dozens of youngsters have gained at least some proficiency in their ancestors' tongue, which vanished as more colonists arrived and displaced the native people from their homelands in what's now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. --Steven Senne/AP

Children in a combined pre-kindergarten and kindergarten Wampanoag language immersion class work on their lessons at the Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, in Mashpee, Mass. –Steven Senne/AP

“From having had no speakers for six generations to having 500 students attend some sort of class in the last 25 years? It’s more than I could have ever expected in my lifetime,” says Jessie “Little Doe” Baird, the tribe’s vice chairwoman, who is almost singularly responsible for the rebirth of the language, which tribal members refer to simply as Wampanoag (pronounced WAHM’-puh-nawg). 

Now in its second year, the immersion school is a key milestone in Baird’s legacy, but it’s not the only way the tribe is ensuring its language is never lost again. At the public high school this year, seven students are enrolled in the district’s first Wampanoag language class, which is funded and staffed by the tribe.

Wampanoag language students Trish Keliinui, of Mashpee, Mass., left, Toodie Coombs, of East Falmouth, Mass., center, and Kitty Hendricks-Miller, of Mashpee, Mass., right, laugh during a class on at the Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, in Mashpee, Mass. --Steven Senne/AP

Wampanoag language students Trish Keliinui, left, Toodie Coombs, center, and Kitty Hendricks-Miller, right, laugh during a class at the Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, in Mashpee, Mass. –Steven Senne/AP

Up the road, volunteers host free language learning sessions for families each Friday at the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum. And within the tribe’s government building — one floor up from the immersion school — tribal elders gather twice a week for an hour-long lesson before lunch. 

“Sometimes it goes in one ear and out the other,” confesses Pauline Peters, a 78-year-old Hyannis resident who has been attending the informal sessions for about three years. “It takes us elders a while to get things. The kids at the immersion school correct us all the time.” 

Toodie Coombs, left, points toward household objects lying on a table with other Wampanoag language students as they identify the objects using the language during a class at the Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, in Mashpee, Mass. --Steven Senne/AP

Toodie Coombs, left, points toward household objects lying on a table with other Wampanoag language students as they identify the objects using the language during a class at the Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center, in Mashpee, Mass. –Steven Senne/AP

The movement to revitalize Native American languages started gaining traction in the 1990s and today, most of country’s more than 550 tribes are engaged in some form of language preservation work, says Diana Cournoyer, of the National Indian Education Association. 

But the Mashpee Wampanoag stand out because they’re one of the few tribes to have brought back their language despite not having any surviving adult speakers, says Teresa McCarty, a cultural anthropologist and applied linguist at the University of California Los Angeles. 

“Imagine learning to speak, read, and write a language that you have never heard spoken and for which no oral records exist,” she says. “It’s a human act of brilliance, faith, courage, commitment and hope.”

Toodie Coombs, of East Falmouth, Mass., right, distributes prayer pamphlets written in Wampanoag and English before the "We Gather Together" celebration at the Old Indian Meeting House, in Mashpee, Mass. --Steven Senne/AP

Toodie Coombs, right, distributes prayer pamphlets written in Wampanoag and English before the “We Gather Together” celebration at the Old Indian Meeting House, in Mashpee, Mass. –Steven Senne/AP

Jessie Baird was in her 20s, had no college degree and zero training in linguistics when a dream inspired her to start learning Wampanoag in the early 1990s. Working with linguistic experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other tribal members, Baird developed a dictionary of Wampanoag and a grammar guide. She and others drew on historical documents written in Wampanoag — including personal diaries of tribal members, Colonial-era land claims and a version of the King James Bible printed in 1663 that is considered one of the oldest ever printed in the Western hemisphere. To fill in the gaps, they turned to words, pronunciations and other auditory cues from related Algonquian languages still spoken today. The work landed Baird at MIT, where she earned a graduate degree in linguistics in 2000 and a prestigious MacArthur Foundation genius grant in 2010.
Cedric Cromwell, left, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Native American tribe, leads those gathered in a traditional song during a Thanksgiving reception in the Great Hall of the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston, Mass. --Bob Salsberg/AP

Cedric Cromwell, left, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Native American tribe, leads those gathered in a traditional song during a Thanksgiving reception in the Great Hall of the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston, Mass. –Bob Salsberg/AP

Nearly three decades on, the tribe is still in need of more adults fluent in the language to continue expanding its immersion school and other youth-focused language efforts — the keys to ensuring the language’s survival, says Jennifer Weston, director of the tribe’s language department. The school currently enrolls pre-K and kindergarten-age children but hopes to ramp up to middle school within five years. “The goal is really to have bilingual speakers emerge from our school,” Weston says. “And we’ve seen from other tribal communities that if you want children to retain the language, you have to invest in elementary education. Otherwise the gains just disappear.”

Jessie "Little Doe" Baird, right, vice chairwoman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, hugs a member of the audience following the "We Gather Together" celebration at the Old Indian Meeting House, in Mashpee, Mass. --Steven Senne/AP

Jessie “Little Doe” Baird, right, vice chairwoman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, hugs a member of the audience following the “We Gather Together” celebration at the Old Indian Meeting House, in Mashpee, Mass. –Steven Senne/AP

Education Week’s Photos of the Year for 2017

0
0
Mirta Rosales, the parent coordinator at P.S. 188 in New York City, greets a student during the last week of the school year. The school provides a range of health and social services to students and families in an effort to blunt the effects of poverty on student achievement and is part of a growing national trend of community schools.
—Mark Abramson for Education Week Read story

Education Week‘s favorite photographs from 2017, captured by staff and a nationwide network of freelance, wire service and newspaper photojournalists, document news events, policy developments, and people in pre-K-12 education in the United States.

Autumn Edwards and her mother, Lindsey Edwards, walk toward Prairie Mountain School in Eugene, Ore. —Amanda L. Smith for Education Week Read story

Autumn Edwards and her mother, Lindsey Edwards, walk into Prairie Mountain School in Eugene, Ore. The school offers a transition program that gives children a chance to practice kindergarten-level social skills before starting school.   —Amanda L. Smith for Education Week  Read story

Education Week‘s favorite photographs from 2017, captured by staff and a nationwide network of freelance, wire service and newspaper photojournalists, document news events, policy developments, and people in pre-K-12 education in the United States.

Mirta Rosales, the parent coordinator at P.S. 188 in New York City, greets a student during the last week of the school year. The school provides a range of health and social services to students and families in an effort to blunt the effects of poverty on student achievement and is part of a growing national trend of community schools. —Mark Abramson for Education Week Read story

Mirta Rosales, the parent coordinator at P.S. 188 in New York City, greets a student during the last week of the school year. The school provides a range of health and social services to students and families in an effort to blunt the effects of poverty on student achievement. —Mark Abramson for Education Week  Read story

Melody Arabo, a teacher at Keith Elementary School in West Bloomfield Hills, Mich., will be commuting back and forth this year between her job as a teacher ambassador fellow at the U.S. Department of Education and her home in Michigan—part of her commitment to representing her fellow teachers. —Brittany Greeson for Education Week Read story

Melody Arabo, a teacher at Keith Elementary School in West Bloomfield Hills, Mich., commuted back and forth in 2017 between her job as a teacher ambassador fellow at the U.S. Department of Education and her home in Michigan—part of her commitment to representing her fellow teachers. The job of the teacher fellows is to represent teachers’ perspectives to federal policymakers. —Brittany Greeson for Education Week  Read story

Tessa Horstmann, a tutor at Impact Academy at Orchard Lake, helps Ashton Ruiz learn to identify letters. The Lakeville, Minn., public school is among an estimated 115 teacher-powered schools that are operating in 18 states. —Ackerman + Gruber for Education Week Read story

Tessa Horstmann, a tutor at Impact Academy at Orchard Lake, helps Ashton Ruiz learn to identify letters. The Lakeville, Minn., public school is among an estimated 115 teacher-powered schools that are operating in 18 states.  —Ackerman + Gruber for Education Week Read story

School resource officer Derrick Hammond greets senior Kemari Averett at Grady High School in Atlanta. —Melissa Golden/Redux for Education Week Read story

School resource officer Derrick Hammond greets senior Kemari Averett at Grady High School in Atlanta. The school district formed and trained its own police force as part of an effort to improve school climate for its 51,000 students.  —Melissa Golden/Redux for Education Week Read story

Berenice Oliva, a DACA recipient, is a sophomore at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. Oliva earned a college scholarship from Equal Chance for Education, a group that grants financial support to DACA-protected students. —Joe Buglewicz for Education Week Read story

Berenice Oliva, a DACA recipient, is a sophomore at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. Oliva earned a college scholarship from Equal Chance for Education, a group that grants financial support to DACA-protected students.  —Joe Buglewicz for Education Week Read story

Students in Elizabeth Riggs' class, English literacy for newcomers class, work on a class presentation at Como Park High School in St. Paul on Dec. 19, 2016. For more than 30 percent of the students, english is not their first language. --Photo by Ackerman + Gruber for Education Week Read story

Students in an English literacy for newcomers class work together on a class presentation at Como Park High School in St. Paul, Minn. For more than 30 percent of the students in the district, English is not their first language. –Photo by Ackerman + Gruber for Education Week  Read story

Dr. John Marshall, chief equity officer for the Jefferson County school district in Louisville. Marshall is a finalist for the Leaders To Learn From award. He is seen in front of a mural depicting Dr. Martin Luther King, at King Elementary School, in Louisville. Photo by Pat McDonogh for Education Week Read story

John D. Marshall, the chief equity officer for the Jefferson County school district in Louisville, Ky., was named a Leader To Learn From by Education Week for his passionate advocacy for students of color, those who are homeless, and the disadvantaged in the 101,000-student district.  –Photo by Pat McDonogh for Education Week  Read story

Eighth grader Erika Faircloth watches veterinarian Julie Boone perform an operation in Wynne, Ark. Erika’s job-shadowing experience at the veterinary clinic grew out of a push by the state to provide better career advice to students headed into the workforce as well as to college. —Andrea Morales for Education Week Read story

Eighth grader Erika Faircloth watches veterinarian Julie Boone perform an operation in Wynne, Ark. Erika’s job-shadowing experience at the veterinary clinic grew out of a push by the state to provide better career advice to students headed into the workforce as well as to college.  —Andrea Morales for Education Week Read story

Alia Russo, 16, right and Sophia Cresta, 16, both Juniors, feed goats with teachers Dave Trevithick and Troy Paradee (not pictured). Vermont is a national leader in supporting personalized learning at the state level. —Caleb Kenna for Education Week Read story

Juniors Alia Russo, 16, right and Sophia Cresta, 16, feed goats at Champlain Valley High School in Hinesburg, Vt. Vermont is a national leader in supporting personalized learning at the state level. —Caleb Kenna for Education Week Read story

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos cheers with Eastern Hancock students during a high school football game between Eastern Hancock and Knightstown in Charlottesville, Ind. —Darron Cummings/AP Read story

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos cheers with Eastern Hancock students during a high school football game between Eastern Hancock and Knightstown in Charlottesville, Ind. The stop came during last fall’s “Rethink School” tour by DeVos.  —Darron Cummings/AP  Read story

Shakeda Gaines, left, president of the Philadelphia Home and School Council, celebrates with Arlene Kenpin, outside the school district building where the School Reform Commission was meeting on Nov. 16 in Philadelphia. --Geneva Heffernan/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP Read story

Shakeda Gaines, left, president of the Philadelphia Home and School Council, celebrates with Arlene Kenpin outside the school district building after the state-run School Reform Commission voted to dissolve state oversight of Philadelphia city schools.  –Geneva Heffernan/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP  Read story

Members of the Oakland Unified School District Band kneel while performing the national anthem prior to a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. --Ben Margot/AP Read story

Members of the Oakland Unified School District Band kneel while performing the national anthem prior to a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics in September in Oakland, Calif.  –Ben Margot/AP  Read story

Mariano Ramis de Ayreflor, 18, uses a downed palm tree as a bridge over a crevasse in his yard after running an extension cord to his neighbor so they can share in electricity from his family's generator in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. —Swikar Patel/Education Week Read story

After Hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed much of the island’s infrastrucre, Mariano Ramis de Ayreflor, 18, uses a downed palm tree as a bridge over a crevasse in his yard to run an extension cord to his neighbor so they can share in electricity from his family’s generator in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.  —Swikar Patel/Education Week  Read story

The Tubbs Fire inflicted major damage on Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, Ca. as seen on Oct. 11, 2017. Most of the main office, library and 20 classrooms at the Catholic school were destroyed in the blaze. --Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle/Polaris

The Tubbs Fire inflicted major damage on Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, Calif., in October. Most of the main office, library and 20 classrooms at the Catholic school were destroyed in the blaze.   –Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle/Polaris

Elizabeth Aine Harding, center, and other girls spread rose petals around a Confederate monument as part of a Memorial Day observance this year in Fredericksburg, Va. —Mike Morones/The Free Lance-Star via AP Read story

Elizabeth Aine Harding, center, and other girls spread rose petals around a Confederate monument as part of a Memorial Day observance this year in Fredericksburg, Va.  —Mike Morones/The Free Lance-Star via AP  Read story

Older students help rig nets and lines as they assist the boat’s captain and mentor the marine biology students. —Mark Abramson for Education Week Read story

Students help rig nets and lines as they assist the boat’s captain during a field trip for students at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology in Highlands, N.J.  —Mark Abramson for Education Week  Read story

Parker Davis and Alina Lopez, right, talk about words and acts that cause happiness during Morning Circle in teacher Susannah Young 2nd grade class at Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland, California, Tuesday, May 4, 2017. Ramin Rahimian for Education Week

Students Parker Davis and Alina Lopez, right, talk about words and acts that cause happiness during morning circle time in teacher Susannah Young’s 2nd grade class at Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland, Calif. Young focuses on developing students’ writing skills and interpersonal skills by fostering peer-to-peer conversations, part of a larger effort to infuse social-emotional learning in the classroom. —Ramin Rahimian for Education Week  Read story

Students try to untangle themselves from a ‘human knot’ during a field day exercise at Greene Central Central High School in Snow Hill, N.C. The students are part of the Peer Group Connection mentor program, which pairs upperclassmen mentors with new 9th graders to help guide them through their transition to high school. --Justin Cook for Education Week Read story

Students try to untangle themselves from a ‘human knot’ during a field day exercise at Greene Central Central High School in Snow Hill, N.C. The students are part of the Peer Group Connection mentor program, which pairs upperclassmen mentors with new 9th graders to help guide them through their transition to high school. –Justin Cook for Education Week  Read story

Martin County Middle School student Chloe Diamond, left, flicks classmate Austin Horn on the forehead during a lesson on dealing with intimidating behavior. It’s part of the tiered-intervention initiative in the eastern Kentucky district. —Pat McDonogh for Education Week Read story

Martin County Middle School student Chloe Diamond, left, flicks classmate Austin Horn on the forehead during a lesson on dealing with intimidating behavior, part of a tiered-intervention initiative in the Warfield, Ky. district.  —Pat McDonogh for Education Week  Read story

Ron Brown College Preparatory High School students greet each other during the morning circle in Washington. The all-male school is designed specifically to meet the needs of young black men in the nation's capital. --Jared Soares for Education Week Read story & listen to podcast

Ron Brown College Preparatory High School students greet each other during the morning circle in Washington. The all-male school is designed specifically to meet the needs of young black men in the nation’s capital.  –Jared Soares for Education Week  Read story & listen to podcast


Inside Classrooms in Three States: Quality Counts 2018

0
0
Jake Ruhl, (left) Easton Bigham and Zahraa Almohanna eat lunch together at Starkville Early Learning Collaborative on in Starkville, Miss. Mississippi is one of the five lowest-performing states in Education Week's Quality Counts rankings, but one of the places where they rank relatively high is on early childhood education. --Andrea Morales for Education Week
Jake Ruhl, (left) Easton Bigham and Zahraa Almohanna eat lunch together at Starkville Early Learning Collaborative on in Starkville, Miss. Mississippi is one of the five lowest-performing states in Education Week's Quality Counts rankings, but one of the places where they rank relatively high is on early childhood education. --Andrea Morales for Education Week

Jake Ruhl, left, Easton Bigham and Zahraa Almohanna eat lunch together at Starkville Early Learning Collaborative in Starkville, Miss. –Andrea Morales for Education Week

The 22nd edition of Quality Counts 2018: Report and Rankings focuses on state-by state assessment of public education. The report aims to illuminate what the high-performing states did well, how low-performers are approaching improvement, and lessons for boosting the quality of k-12 education overall. The nation received a grade of C overall with a score of 74.5, about the same as last year, when it posted a 74.2, also a C grade.

Photographers on assignment for Education Week visited schools in three of the states.

Starkville Early Learning Collaborative- Starkville, Miss.
Though Mississippi scored 49th in the nation overall, the state ranked relatively high on indicators for preschool and kindergarten enrollments.

Lola Robertson (left) and Emily Outlaw play together during their preschool class at Starkville Early Learning Collaborative in Starkville, Miss. A few years ago the state started collaboratives, which bring together numerous community partners to help bolster Head Start and other preschool programs. --Andrea Morales for Education Week

Lola Robertson, left, and Emily Outlaw play together during their preschool class at Starkville Early Learning Collaborative. –Andrea Morales for Education Week

Shameela Dewage plays on the swings with her classmates during recess with their preschool class at Starkville Early Learning Collaborative in Starkville, Miss. --Andrea Morales for Education Week

Shameela Dewage plays on the swings with her classmates during recess with their preschool class at Starkville. –Andrea Morales for Education Week

Robin Malone calls for her preschool students to come in from recess at Starkville Early Learning Collaborative. --Andrea Morales for Education Week

Robin Malone calls for her preschool students to come in from recess at Starkville Early Learning Collaborative. –Andrea Morales for Education Week

East Allegheny High School- North Versailles, Pa.
Eighth-ranked Pennsylvania was a leader in getting larger portions of its student body into and through college. 

Emilia Peiffer, center, talks to East Allegheny seniors Savannah Crooks, left 18, and Shayna Smith, 17. --Jeff Swensen for Education Week

East Allegheny High School Guidance Counselor Emilia Peiffer, center, talks to East Allegheny seniors Savannah Crooks, left 18, and Shayna Smith, 17. –Jeff Swensen for Education Week

East Allegheny High School Guidance Counselor Emilia Peiffer talks to senior Amani Johnson, 18, in her office in North Versailles, Pa. --Jeff Swensen for Education Week

Emilia Peiffer talks to a senior in her office in North Versailles, Pa. –Jeff Swensen for Education Week

Washington Elementary School–Valley City, N.D.
North Dakota, which ranked 15th in this year’s report, has wrestled with budget issues, but is credited with maintaining funding for programs such as arts instruction, personalized technology, physical education, and nutrition.

Chad Lueck, Principal at Washington Elementary School in Valley City, N.D. visits with students outside his office before school. Lueck says students visit him in his office every day before school. Washington Elementary has been recognized for maintaining funding for programs such as arts instruction, personalized technology, physical education and nutrition. --Dan Koeck for Education Week

Chad Lueck, principal at Washington Elementary School in Valley City, N.D., visits with students outside his office before school. Lueck says students visit him every day. –Dan Koeck for Education Week

A water-filled balloon is used to demonstrate blood pressure to 4th graders at Washington Elementary School in Valley City, N.D. --Dan Koeck for Education Week

A water-filled balloon is used to demonstrate blood pressure to 4th graders at Washington Elementary School. –Dan Koeck for Education Week

A fifth-grade music class at Washington Elementary School in Valley City, N.D. --Dan Koeck for Education Week

Students work with rhythm sticks during a 5th-grade music class at Washington Elementary School. –Dan Koeck for Education Week

Mrs. Boe teaches multiplication in her 4th-grade math class at Washington Elementary School in Valley City, N.D. --Dan Koeck for Education Week

Natalie Boe teaches multiplication in her 4th-grade math class at Washington Elementary School. –Dan Koeck for Education Week

Aubrey Langemo, (left) Jayla Vaughn, Brayden Sund, and Joel Strang in Mrs. Lentz's 5th-grade biology class during a lesson on cell structure. --Dan Koeck for Education Week

Aubrey Langemo, left, Jayla Vaughn, Brayden Sund, and Joel Strang participate in a lesson on cell structure in Kathy Lentz’s 5th-grade biology class at Washington Elementary School. –Dan Koeck for Education Week

A Look at Recruiting and Keeping Good Teachers

0
0
Angel Magana, is in a Denver teacher-residency program that allows him to work as a paid paraprofessional while working toward his teaching degree. 
--Nathan W. Armes for Education Week
Sarah Stucky, a history and economics teacher at Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois., drops off her 3-year-old son Emmett Lawler at the day-care facility housed at her school. --Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

Sarah Stucky, a history and economics teacher at Niles North High School in Skokie, Ill., drops off her 3-year-old son Emmett Lawler at the day-care facility housed at her school. –Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

The Getting and Keeping Good Teachers report focuses on teacher shortages. An Education Week analysis of federal data finds that all 50 states and most territories reported experiencing statewide shortages in one teaching area or another for either the 2016-17 school year, the current one, or both.

Photographers on assignment for Education Week visited school districts where different strategies for retaining and recruiting teacher are being utilized.

On-Site Day-Care Facility
In a bid to keep more parent-teachers in the classroom, the Niles Township district in Skokie, Ill., built a day-care center on its middle school campus in 2013 and has since expanded it to two sites serving about 80 children from birth to age 4, after more than a decade of requests from teachers and staff members.

Kristin Delahanty brings her son Nathan, 7 months, and her daughter Norah, 4, to the Children's Learning World Montessori at Niles High School, where her husband teachers. The teachers' union and the district partnered to start the day-care program there. --Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

Kristin Delahanty brings her son Nathan, 7 months, and her daughter Norah, 4, to the Children’s Learning World Montessori at Niles High School, where her husband teachers. The teachers’ union and the district partnered to start the day-care program there. –Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

Sarah Stucky, a history and economics teacher at Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois., drops off her 3-year-old son Emmett Lawler at the day-care facility housed at her school. --Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

Sarah Stucky, a history and economics teacher at Niles North High School, drops off her 3-year-old son Emmett Lawler at the day-care facility housed at her school. –Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

High school English teacher Ashley Amelianovich says goodbye to her son Miles, who is almost 2 years old, at the day-care center housed at her high school in Skokie, Ill. District leaders see the child-care center as a teacher-retention tool. --Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

High school English teacher Ashley Amelianovich says goodbye to her son Miles, who is almost 2 years old, at the day-care center housed at her high school in Skokie, Ill. District leaders see the child-care center as a teacher-retention tool. –Alyssa Schukar for Education Week

NxtGEN Teacher Residency 
Angel Magana is studying elementary education at the University of Colorado Denver and is enrolled in the school’s NxtGEN Teacher Residency program, which allows him to work as a paid paraprofessional at a local elementary school, while working toward his teaching degree.

Nineteen-year-old Angel Magana, is a one-on-one paraprofessional at Greenlee Elementary School in Denver, Colorado. Magana works closely with second grade student Unique Gutierrez, throughout the day with all course work.

Nineteen-year-old Angel Magana, is a one-on-one paraprofessional at Greenlee Elementary School in Denver, Colo. Magana works closely with 2nd grade student Unique Gutierrez, throughout the day with all course work. –Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

Angel Magana, is in a Denver teacher-residency program that allows him to work as a paid paraprofessional while working toward his teaching degree. --Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

Angel Magana, is in a Denver teacher-residency program that allows him to work as a paid paraprofessional while working toward his teaching degree. –Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

Angel Magana accompanies 2nd grader Unique Gutierrez to her special education reading and math class at Greenlee Elementary school in Denver. --Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

Angel Magana accompanies 2nd grader Unique Gutierrez to her special education reading and math class at Greenlee Elementary school in Denver. –Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

--Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

Recruiting more Hispanic teachers into the classroom has been a priority for schools and districts, especially those with large populations of Hispanic students. –Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

--Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

Angel Magana hopes to be a model for other Latino men who aspire to be teachers. He’s considering becoming a principal, an administrator, even a district superintendent. –Nathan W. Armes for Education Week

STEM Teacher Shortage 
A persistent STEM teacher shortage in the Guilford County school system in Greensboro, N.C., led to opening the first in-house licensure program in 2008– and it’s still one of only a handful of districts across the country with such a program.

Ashlee Clark, a chemistry teacher at Northwest Guilford High School, came to the job through Guilford county's alternative licensure program. --Justin Cook for Education Week

Ashlee Clark, a chemistry teacher at Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., came to the job through Guilford county’s alternative-licensure program.  –Justin Cook for Education Week

Ashlee Clark, a high school chemistry teacher in Greensboro, N.C., works with 10th graders Margaret Lucas, far left, and Shanna Kim. --Justin Cook for Education Week

Ashlee Clark goes over test results with 10th graders Margaret Lucas, far left, and Shanna Kim. –Justin Cook for Education Week

Ashlee Clark, a chemistry teacher at Northwest Guilford High School, came to the job through Guilford county's alternative licensure program. --Justin Cook for Education Week

Ashlee Clark, a chemistry teacher in Greensboro, N.C., was doing animal research in graduate school before joining the school system as a chemistry teacher. –Justin Cook for Education Week

Ashlee Clark works with sophomore Mary Madison Bradley during class at her Greensboro, N.C., school. --Justin Cook for Education Week

Ashlee Clark works with sophomore Mary Madison Bradley during class at her Greensboro, N.C., school. –Justin Cook for Education Week

Learning in a Corrections Facility: A Day at Wyoming Girls School – Photo Essay

0
0
A view of campus as seen from principal Dixie Cooper's office window at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

A stay in a corrections facility­—often hours away from home, school, and everything that is familiar—is a shock to the system for any student. But studies show girls are significantly more likely than boys to enter the juvenile justice system with a history of all types of abuse and neglect—including a four-times-higher risk of sexual abuse. Juvenile facilities like the Wyoming Girls School are exploring ways to reengage students both academically and emotionally, and help them think of themselves as students again.

Education Week reporter Sarah D. Sparks and photographer Kristina Barker profiled the Wyoming Girls School as part of a special report on teaching vulnerable students.

Here’s a deeper look at their reporting–

The Wyoming Girls School is set just beyond the center of town, adjacent to the town's small airport runway and neighboring housing developments. Campus is seen here on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 in Sheridan, Wyo. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

The Wyoming Girls School, which serves court-ordered delinquent girls ages 12-21, works to avoid most visible signs of security. But it makes use of its rural location—set just beyond the center of town in Sheridan, Wyo., abutting the town’s small airport runway—both for security and pedagogy.

Student Dominique, grade 10, is seen here inside her dorm room at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Dominique will be leaving the school in May. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Dominique, grade 10, is seen here inside her dorm room at the Wyoming Girls School. As part of the school’s independent study requirements, modeled after Google’s “20 percent” approach to setting aside time for personal research and innovation, Dominique dug into various nursing degree programs available in the area. “At first I wanted to be a registered nurse, but then I decided to take it one step up: I want to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner or a family nurse practitioner. I want to go to college while I’m in high school,” Dominique said. Teachers say Dominique arrived angry, but also determined, and she has been intensely focused on charting a path to nursing in her time at the facility. “Dominique, she’s so eager, so excited that there are some opportunities out there for her,” said Rachael Ramsey, the teacher for Dominique’s favorite class, Independent Living. Dominique is scheduled to leave the school in May.

From left, students Willow, age 18, graduate Bailey, age 18, technology and psychology teacher Michelle Nielsen, and student graduate Addie, age 18, take photos of each other to explore works of art on the Google Arts and Culture Face Match during technology class at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

The Girls School was among the first juvenile facilities in the country to adopt 1-to-1 tablets and smart boards, and teachers and administrators say technology has dramatically changed what courses and academic projects the school can offer students. From left, 18-year-old students Willow and Bailey, technology and psychology teacher Michelle Nielsen, and student Addie, 18, take photos of each other to explore works of art on the Google Arts and Culture Face Match during technology class.

Bridget, age 16, grade 10, right, stretches out on an exercise ball during science class while fellow student Nicole, age 17, grade 12, second from right, looks on at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Students are encouraged to sit where they feel comfortable, and often times that may mean sitting on a desk, on the floor or on an exercise ball. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Sixteen-year-old Bridget, right, stretches out on an exercise ball during science class while beside her, classmate Nicole, 17, looks on. Students are encouraged to sit where they feel comfortable, and often times that may mean sitting on a desk, on the floor or on an exercise ball. “I had to get used to not being distracted by their coping skills,” recalled Alisa Tracy, an English and special education teacher. “One student learned best by sitting on the table by the window and staring out the window. Make her sit in a desk, she’s so anxious, can’t concentrate … but she could sit on the table with her notebook and just absorb everything; you ask her any random question and she would give completely thoughtful answers.”

Students Atheina, age 17, grade 11, left, and Luxxus, age 16, grade 12, practice memorizing a class speech during class at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. During class, students are often seen with items like fidget spinners, modeling clay, or even moon sand and plush toys as pictured here. Engaging with these items while working in class has shown to help students stay focused on their tasks. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Seventeen-year-old Atheina, left, and Luxxus, 16, practice memorizing a speech during class. Students are often seen with items like fidget spinners, modeling clay, or even moon sand and plush toys as pictured here. “When you are looking at trauma-informed care, a lot of what we strive to do is teach them how to regulate,” said Christine Jones, the superintendent of the school. “A lot of kids who have been traumatized are at a heightened baseline: Their heart rate is higher, you’ll see a lot of girls jiggling their feet all day long. If you look at the crisis cycle, they are halfway up all the time. The stress toys, calming music … it’s all connected to help them keep themselves calm and focused.”

Paraprofessional Kim Wenger is seen waiting in the hallway outside the restroom waiting for a student at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Students are escorted nearly everywhere around the school, including to and from the restroom and the various campus buildings. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Paraprofessional Kim Wenger is seen waiting in the hallway outside the restroom to keep watch on a student at the Wyoming Girls School. The school does not use handcuffs or ankle alarms, but students are escorted nearly everywhere around the school, including to and from the restroom.

A student's locker is decorated with their sobriety tokens, a reminder of the trauma and challenges some of the students at the Wyoming Girls School have faced and are working to overcome during their stay at the school. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

A student’s locker is decorated with sobriety tokens, a reminder of the trauma and challenges some of the students at the Wyoming Girls School have faced and are working to overcome during their stay at the school.

Students and teachers play a game of hockey at the Whitney Rink at the M&M's Center in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. The Wyoming Girls School rents ice time from the center so students are able to participate in a sport that couldn't otherwise be done on campus. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Students and teachers play a game of hockey at the Whitney Rink, a sports center located near the Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. The Wyoming Girls School rents ice time from the center so students are able to participate in a sport that couldn’t otherwise be done on campus.

Students in biology class transfer plants for planting this spring in the on-campus greenhouse garden at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Students in biology class transfer plants for planting this spring in the on-campus greenhouse garden. They’ve been tracking the winter seedlings for weeks, taking photos with their laptops to chart growth as part of science class. The hands-on activities give teachers the chance to teach through conversations with students as they work. During one class earlier this winter, teacher Nikki Collins wiped her pruning shears with alcohol between cuttings, and quietly asked Luxxus, 16, if she knew why. “To stop from spreading diseases from the plant’s blood?” Luxxus ventured. “Exactly like that, but do you know what the plant’s blood is called? Your homework tonight is to find out,” Collins says.

Student artwork hangs in a hallway at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Student artwork hangs in a hallway at the Wyoming Girls School. The school reported that by the end of their terms at the school, students significantly improved on social-emotional inventories. For example, they were two or more times as likely to strongly agree that they felt safe, were comfortable asking questions in class, and “enjoy learning new things.”

Principal Dixie Cooper, center, visits with students Emily, age 15, grade 8, sitting left, and Kaitlyn, age 15, grade 9, sitting right, during lunch at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

School Principal Dixie Cooper, center, eats lunch with 15-year-old students Emily, sitting left, and Kaitlyn.

Students Madison, age 18, who has completed her HiSET, left, and graduate Marisa, age 17, take a break to have their lunch after cooking for students and staff at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Students Madison, 18, who has completed her high school equivalency diploma, left, and graduate Marisa, 17, take a break to have their lunch after cooking for students and staff. Students all are expected to complete chores in the dorms, but some students who have already completed high school take part-time jobs in the school and in some places in the community to earn money or credit.

Student Aeriel, age 17, working towards HiSET, talks with family on the phone from a common area in a dorm at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Student Aeriel, 17, who is working towards her high school equivalency diploma, enjoys a light moment as she talks with family on the phone from a common area in a dorm at the Wyoming Girls School.

From left, students Shantell, age 18, working toward HiSET, Lacey, age 16, grade 10, and Luxxus, age 16, grade 12, follow along during a guided tapping class, a form of guided mindfulness, at a dorm at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

From left, students Shantell, 18, Lacey, 16, and Luxxus, 16, follow along during a guided tapping class, a form of guided mindfulness, at a dorm at the Wyoming Girls School. Afternoons and evenings are dedicated to various individual and joint counseling groups, occupational therapy, and other activities. Dixie Cooper, the principal at the Wyoming Girls School, notes: “We have about 25 percent with an active IEP–but almost any of the kids would qualify” for an individualized education plan, based on learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, or both. Only a student’s home school can start a new IEP, and while the Girls School can suggest additions to a student’s IEP, discussions about how a 16-year-old ended up reading at a 1st grade level can get diplomatically tricky.

From let, intern therapist Kelly Johnson, student Latavia, age 16, grade 10m youth service specialist Megan Peak, student Emily, age 15, grade 8, and student graduate Marisa, age 17, gather together for art therapy in a dorm at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

above. From left, intern therapist Kelly Johnson, student Latavia, 16, youth service specialist Megan Peak, and students Emily, 15, and Marisa, 17, gather together for art therapy in a dorm.

Students are escorted to and from all buildings around campus, as seen here at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

Students are escorted to and from all buildings around campus. It can be a tough transition for some students leaving the tiny classes and structured schedule of the facility to return to their old—or a brand new—school. “I know places like the Girls School help kids take the blindfold off and say, ‘Here’s the path you are on; it doesn’t matter what happened before, you can move on,” said Bernie Ourth, district attendance officer for the Natrona County school district in Casper, Wyo., who helps returning students make the transition back to school. “But these kids maybe struggled academically before they got in trouble; they are carrying a lot of luggage. I think the human connection with these kids is critical. If they don’t have a connection with an adult in that [school] building, their odds of success are greatly limited.”

A view of campus as seen from principal Dixie Cooper's office window at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (Kristina Barker for Education Week)

From Principal Dixie Cooper’s office window, visitors can see another snowstorm rolling in. “I think it’s important to pass along to the students, this is really only a part of who they are,” said Amy Yager, intake coordinator and clinician at the school. “If you made a list of all the bad things that happened to you, and a list of all your bad choices, would you want that to define you?”

Photos by Kristina Barker for Education Week

Reporting by Sarah D. Sparks/Education Week

Students Walk Out To Protest Gun Violence – Photo Gallery

0
0
High school student Sebastian Chavez, center,, joins hundred of students walking out of school to rally against against gun violence, Friday, April 20, 2018, in downtown Los Angeles Friday, April 20, 2018. Protests were held across the country Friday, on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Students nationwide walked out of their classes on Friday, April 20, for the second mass school walkout since the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Students marched to demand action on gun violence and school safety on the 19th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado that claimed the lives of 12 students and one teacher.

Read the story on edweek.org

High school student Sebastian Chavez, center,, joins hundred of students walking out of school to rally against against gun violence, Friday, April 20, 2018, in downtown Los Angeles Friday, April 20, 2018. Protests were held across the country Friday, on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

High school student Sebastian Chavez, center, joins hundreds of students walking out of school to rally against gun violence on April 20 in downtown Los Angeles.  –Damian Dovarganes/AP

Jorge Flores, left, consoles fellow Stoneman Douglas High School survivor Carlitos Rodriguez during the kickoff event for the Vote For Our Lives movement to register voters, Thursday, April 19, 2018, at Clement Park in Littleton, Colo. The event was held on the eve of the 19th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School, which is located on the east end of the park southwest of Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Jorge Flores, left, consoles fellow Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School survivor Carlitos Rodriguez during the kickoff event for the Vote For Our Lives movement to register voters on April 19 in Littleton, Colo. The event was held on the eve of the 19th anniversary of the shootings at nearby Columbine High School.  –David Zalubowski/AP

Marjory Stoneman Douglas teachers demonstrate in front of the school on Friday, April 20, 2018 in Parkland, Fla. Another wave of student walkouts is expected to disrupt classes Friday at hundreds of schools across the U.S. as young activists press for tougher gun laws. The protests were chosen to line up with the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, which left 13 people dead in Littleton, Colorado. At 10 a.m., students plan to gather for moments of silence honoring the victims at Columbine and other shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Stoneman Douglas High School teachers demonstrate in front of the school on the morning of the student walkout in Parkland, Fla. –Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

Following the February shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., several hundred students rally on the West Lawn of the Capitol to call for an end to gun violence in schools, in Washington, Friday, April 20, 2018, the 19th anniversary of the mass shooting in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Several hundred students rally on the West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington to call for an end to gun violence in schools.  –J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Elaine Flores, left, and Jared Baumann engage in a debate about gun control follow the school walkout to protest gun violence Friday, April 20, 2018, at West Lafayette High School in West Lafayette, Ind.Protests were planned across the country Friday, on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. (John Terhune/Journal & Courier via AP)

Elaine Flores, left, and Jared Baumann debate gun control following the student walkout at West Lafayette High School in West Lafayette, Ind.  — John Terhune/Journal & Courier via AP

Nick Koehler, left, is seen through a sign, alongside senior classmate Elliot Zahm, as they were among the hundreds of students from Omaha Central High School taking part in a national school walkout event to protest gun violence, Friday April 20, 2018, in Omaha, Neb. Protests were held across the country Friday, on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. (Brendan Sullivan/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

Nick Koehler, left, is seen through a sign, alongside senior classmate Elliot Zahm, as they address hundreds of students from Omaha Central High School taking part in the national school walkout event in Omaha, Neb.  –Brendan Sullivan/Omaha World-Herald via AP

High school students call for anti-gun laws as they protest and rally in Washington Square Park, Friday April 20, 2018 in New York. Protests were held across the country Friday, on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

High school students call for anti-gun laws as they rally in Washington Square Park in New York. –Bebeto Matthews/AP

Students, from left, Nariah Marzka, 14; Morgan Orelski, 15, and Travis Burge, 15, who joined about 500 students, leave leave Keck Field after taking part in a national school walkout event to protest gun violence and honor shooting victims at Fairview High School in Fairview Township, Erie County, Pa., Friday April 20, 2018. Protests were planned across the country Friday, on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. (Christopher Millette/Erie Times-News via AP)

Students leave the school athletic field at Fairview High School in Erie County, Pa., after taking part in the national school walkout. –Christopher Millette/Erie Times-News via AP

Portland-area students participate in a walkout at Portland City Hall on Friday, April 20, 2018, in Portland, Ore., joining others across the country to protest gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine High School. (Beth Nakamura /The Oregonian via AP)

High school students raise their fists in protest as they demonstrate outside Portland City Hall in Portland, Ore.  –Beth Nakamura /The Oregonian via AP

Two rings of chairs encircle the words "NEVER AGAIN" in a silent protest on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting outside Trinity High School in Manchester, N.H., Friday, April 20, 2018. The inner ring chairs have names of the Columbine victims, the outer ring chairs have names of the Parkland High School shooting victims. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Two rings of chairs encircle the words “NEVER AGAIN” in a silent protest on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting outside Trinity High School in Manchester, N.H. The inner ring chairs have names of the Columbine victims, the outer ring chairs have names of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victims.  –Charles Krupa/AP

Using Job Data to Guide Student Career Choices – Photo Gallery

0
0
iLEAD Academy math instructor Jenna Gray works with sophomore Isaac Logsdon on an algebra II problem. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

iLEAD Academy opened three years ago to help prepare Northern Kentucky students for careers in high-paying, high-demand fields. It uses a wonky weapon – labor-market data – to design course offerings that won’t leave students in dead-end jobs, and to give them solid advice that’s grounded in the needs of regional employers.

Read the story on edweek.org

Photos by Pat McDonogh for Education Week

The iLEAD Academy, ., is located a few doors down from a Kroger's grocery store, in a shopping center and in front of a Walmart. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

The iLEAD Academy is located a few doors down from a grocery store in a Carrollton, Ky., shopping center, and in front of the local Walmart.

As a future high school science teacher, Michaela Stethen, an iLEAD junior, knows that she can get an annual salary of $37,358. But she must earn a bachelor's degree first. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

As a future high school science teacher, Michaela Stethen, an iLEAD junior, knows that she can get an annual salary of $37,358. But she must earn a bachelor’s degree first.

Otilio Flores, another iLEAD student, earned his industrial-maintenance-technician certification at the end of his sophomore year. With a high school diploma in addition, he could be an industrial maintenance tech and earn nearly $37,000 a year. But Otilio is pursuing an associate degree so he can earn thousands more as an electro-mechanical technician. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

Otilio Flores, another iLEAD student, earned his industrial-maintenance-technician certification at the end of his sophomore year. With a high school diploma in addition, he could be an industrial maintenance tech and earn nearly $37,000 a year. But Otilio is pursuing an associate degree so he can earn thousands more as an electro-mechanical technician.

Storm Mitchell is a student at the iLEAD Academy in Carrollton, Ky. She wants to work in robotics and travel internationally. She could earn more than $81,000 as a robotics technician if she goes on to earn a bachelor's degree. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

Student Storm Mitchell wants to work in robotics and travel internationally. She could earn more than $81,000 as a robotics technician if she goes on to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Johnny Rivera discusses an algebra problem with classmates at iLEAD Academy, a career-focused high school in rural Kentucky. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

Johnny Rivera discusses an algebra problem with classmates at iLEAD Academy.

iLEAD Academy math instructor Jenna Gray works with sophomore Isaac Logsdon on an algebra II problem. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

Math instructor Jenna Gray works with sophomore Isaac Logsdon on an Algebra 2 problem.

iLEAD Academy junior Josiah Miracle stares intently at a problem on his computer screen during an algebra II class. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

Junior Josiah Miracle stares intently at a problem on his computer screen during an Algebra 2 class.

Johnny Rivera, a sophomore at iLEAD Academy photographs a bench. Rivera was in the process of 3D modeling the bench. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

Sophomore Johnny Rivera photographs a bench that he is in the midst of 3D modeling.

Dawson Allen, a junior at iLEAD Academy sat in the lobby of the school to work on his laptop. The school doesn't have typical classrooms and students are free to lounge and work throughout the building. —Pat McDonogh/Education Week

Dawson Allen, a junior at iLEAD Academy, works on his laptop in the lobby of his school. The school doesn’t have typical classrooms; students are free to lounge and work throughout the building.

Viewing all 71 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images