DPI News for 10/30/07

* 2007 N.C. SCHOOL REPORT CARDS ONLINE
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction launched the 2007 N.C. School
Report Cards this morning, providing parents, educators and others with
access to a variety of information about how the state’s schools and school
districts are performing on various measures. To read more about this
launch, please go to the [...]

Mission (im)Possible Teachers get the Payout (N&R)

The News & Record is reporting that those GCS Mission (im)Possible teachers will get their payouts this week…those incentives for them to teach at many high-impacted schools in the Peoples Republic of Guilford County.
See this short blurb:
Seventy-six teachers and administrators will receive performance bonuses from $2,500 to $5,000 this week under the Mission Possible [...]

Making Big Schools Smaller (web-chat)

Since many are sounding the alarm on big schools versus smaller ones, now’s your chance to chime in with your thoughts to the so-called experts.
There will be a web-chat tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 30, sponsored by Education Week magazine, in which the topic will be how large schools can be converted into smaller learning communities. [...]

More on the Dropout Issue

Now the Feds want to look at graduation rates and make the issue of high school dropouts more of a focus as part of a possible No Child Left Behind-Leaves Many Children Behind reauthorization.
Take a gander at this article from the Associated Press.  According to the AP, U.S. House and Senate proposals to renew [...]

The Jamestown Revolt (and Belton responds)

Jeff Belton’s comments at last week’s GCS Board meeting in which he mentioned the “R” word (redistricting) as it related to a WAYYY-overdue, newly-built Jamestown Middle School have certainly ruffled some feathers over the past few days.
I’m going to reference the ongoing hot-and-heavy discussion over on the News & Record’s Chalkboard blog as a [...]

“Our children are being tested WAY TOO MUCH”

…so says GCS Board member Darlene Garrett during the meeting the other evening, in which she publicly thanked the district’s guidance counselors for participating in a recent Shared Communication Committee meeting. Unfortunately, Garrett made the remark as a response to why our guidance counselors are doing everything else OTHER than counseling…they’re de-facto test coordinators [...]

Rhino Reports Real Story on S.E. H.S. principal

This week’s Rhino Times (on racks now) reports that former Southeast Guilford H.S. principal Keith Kremer submitted his resignation effective at the conclusion of this academic year. Kremer was recently reassigned from the school following reports that he sent out a “Connect-Ed” automated phone message to parents to support the recent Jena Six rally.
An [...]

The rest of the 10/25/07 Meeting

Another late evening GCS Board meeting last night. Here’s a short roundup:
1. Board members, in an attempt to finalize the nearly half-a-billion dollar bond referendum, will look again at the capacity of a new Jamestown Middle School before the bond referendum final list is sent to the County Board, according to the News & [...]

Concerned Black Men Appropriately Address their Concerns

There is a flip-side to scenes like this (again, this is the scene captured by the News & Record’s H. Scott Hoffmann outside Page High School yesterday where a huge cafeteria fight resulted in the use of pepper spray and about six arrests)…there is a flip-side.
Prevention. A sense of being proactive instead of being [...]

Huge Melee at Page

It’s going to be a busy day here in blog-land. Let’s get started.
A huge fight and melee yesterday at Page High School tops our long list of stories this wet and rainy Friday. As we understand it, the fight began in the cafeteria with two girls, and then spiraled out of control to something [...]

The real skinny on dropping out of high school

Dropping out of high school in North Carolina is becoming costly to taxpayers. This, from a Raleigh-based think tank that supports pure choice in education.
According to a report released yesterday by the Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, high school dropouts cost the state nearly $170 million annually, which includes decreased tax revenues, [...]

More on tonight’s board meeting: 10/25/07

Water conservation efforts within GCS will be examined at tonight’s Board meeting (click here for the revised agenda), specifically letting some of our school buses go a little dirtier a little longer (see today’s News & Record for more).
The suspension of washing district-owned vehicles and dumpsters and irrigating athletic fields are also measures GCS [...]

Firestarter Caught

Isn’t October still known as National Fire Prevention Month?
Anyway, good news coming from Eastern Guilford H.S….the News & Record is reporting that a 15-year-old student was arrested and charged in the setting of two bathroom fires earlier this week in a classroom pod.
Unfortunately, county authorities are also investigating an unrelated incident involving a bathroom [...]

School Bus Safety in our Neighborhoods

My friend and Greensboro write-in candidate for mayor Billy “the blogging poet” Jones is advocating for safer bus stops within the city limits of Greensboro.
Specifically, Jones wants to work with Guilford County Schools and city officials to have all school bus stops marked with signage, similar to city transit buses. Jones says it is [...]

Time to get serious about education in Guilford County

I read with interest only minutes ago the fact that FedEx is only months away from opening its hub.
I also read with interest that discount airline SkyBus will open a “hub” at Piedmont Triad Intl. also within months.
Coupled with the HondaJet facility already under construction, it seems as though many aviation-related jobs [...]

The MRSA scare within GCS

The following is from GCS’ head of District Relations, Sonya Conway:
MRSA Staph Infection
As you may have seen in the national press over the past several days, schools across the country are dealing with an outbreak of staph infections. As a preventative measure, public health departments remind us to:

Keep hands clean by [...]

Dudley firsts recollect early days (Carolina Peacemaker)

The Carolina Peacemaker this week inks a fairly good piece on the historical aspect of Dudley High School.
Of interest is the historical value of the school and its very early days as it opened its doors in 1929 as Greensboro’s first public black high school.
See this excerpt:
Dudley’s first principal, Dr. John Tarpley, is also [...]

Two different articles paint different pictures on technology

Ask anyone as to what they think of technology in the classroom and you will probably get different views. Ask me what I think of technology in our schools, and you will probably get a unique view from me. In my opinion, the inequities we have in our schools when it comes to technology…or [...]

Minor problem at Eastern Guilford yesterday

As we approach the one year anniversary of the fire, we get word that there may have been two small fires in the EGHS pod village yesterday. Authorities responded quickly and there were no injuries, thankfully. But we’re left to ponder and wonder about how it happened and why it happened.
See this staff report [...]

GCS Board Meeting agenda for 10/25/07

Click here for this week’s GCS Board meeting agenda, set for this Thursday, 10/25/07. Pretty routine stuff on the agenda.
E.C.

School Climate Task Force wants to hear from you

Click here for this week’s Friday Spin from GCS. One item of interest this week is the GCS school climate task force, and they’re ready to meet with you…are you ready to give them an earful?
School Climate Task Force
As part of the Board’s School Climate Task Force, members would like to meet with the community [...]

When the fire alarm is on fire

The stupid story of the week goes to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools…here’s why:
Have we not learned anything from last year’s tragic fire at Eastern Guilford? I guess not because stupidity and politics are more important than the safety of our children.
Consider this madness…some Char-Meck schools have fire alarms that are inoperable. Yes…they don’t work. Or they [...]

Tidbits from ConvergeSouth

I went to my first ConvergeSouth today at North Carolina A&T State University, spoke at my first ConvergeSouth…this will not be my last.
The subject of my talk was how to blog when you’re new to blogging, new to politics, and how to have fun doing it.
I had two participants in my [...]

21st Century…blah…blah…blah

The John Locke Foundation’s education policy analyst Terry Stoops inks a column blasting DPI’s so-called 21st Century initiatives. He says it has simply become a buzzword for DPI’s poor attempt at envisioning students matriculating through a 21st century educational system, when in reality, it is something out of the 16th century.
Here’s his column…read it [...]

Eastern Funding Avenue Secured…for now

There is a funding avenue in place to rebuild Eastern Guilford High School.
County Commissioners signed off last night on a deal to spend about $30 million, part of which will come from insurance settlement money and the remainder from unspent school construction bond money from 2000 and 2003. Commissioner Bruce Davis was the lone [...]

State of Education in High Point

Someone tell me how I missed this one…apparently, there was a “State of Education” luncheon and symposium at High Point University yesterday. I would have loved to go.
I would have been on my best behavior.
Apparently, I missed a lot of spin by Terry Grier.
The High Point Enterprise wrote about it (click here.)
An excerpt from [...]

Campaign Update 10/18/07

I have a campaign strategy session scheduled next week. I can’t report a lot of specifics right now, but as soon as I can, I’ll let you know what the latest is.
In addition, and with luck, I will name a campaign manager in the coming weeks. I’m preparing to talk with some interested folks [...]

Live from One Guilford

UPDATED…
9:23am…I’m here live at the One Guilford event at Guilford College. Not a large crowd, lots of other local Pols are here from GSO Mayor Keith Holliday, city council candidates Robbie Perkins and Mary Rakestraw, County Commissioners Kirk Perkins and Kay Cashion are here. Lots of News & Record staff are here. GCS [...]

This book may help race relations in Guilford County

You need to buy this book. Everyone in Guilford County needs to buy this book. My wife ordered our copy yesterday.
I said a while back here on this blog that I admire and respect Dr. William Cosby. He, too, has been ostracized for speaking the truth about race relations in our country, about how [...]

Is Anita Sharpe vulnerable?

I thought that title would get your attention. But the question does beg to be asked. Is Anita Sharpe’s school board seat vulnerable next year?
In my continuing effort to analyze the 2004 races, I see how a little known candidate by the name of A. Richardson went up against Sharpe and even after attempting [...]