Educational CyberPlayGround
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com

Resource Help for those schools who didn't meet the AYP. Find Articles, Resources, Best teaching practices, materials, etc. on how to work with students of/in poverty.

Healthy Children
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/NCFR/health.html

EARLY CHILDHOOD CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY TABLES
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/ActivityTable.html

ARTS IN THE SCHOOLS PAINT MASTERPIECE: HIGHER SCORES
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/Leroux.html


CREATIVITY AND THE ROLE OF ART IN SCHOOLS
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Arts/creativity.html

BENEFITS ON TEACHING MUSIC TO CHILDREN: MUSIC AND BRAIN RESEARCH
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/musicsmart2.html


GOOD TIMES WITH MUSIC AND RHYTHM, Human Development and Family Studies, National Network for Child Care
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/IDEAS_PRINTOUT.html


TEACH HISTORY THROUGH SONG ROOTS MUSIC
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/IEC/iecmusic2.html


Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Arts/StudioThinkingArtsAdvocacy.html


Play is Children's Work Scientists Study, from an evolutionary perspective, to what extent play is a luxury that can be dispensed with when there are too many other competing claims on the growing brain, and to what extent it is central to how that brain grows in the first place.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Literacy/play.asp

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING LINKED TO INCREASED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Findings from a landmark six-year study by the Community Involvement Program of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform reveal that sophisticated community organizing at the grassroots level produces major improvements in student achievement. The study uncovered strong and consistent evidence that indicates effective organizing: contributes to higher attendance rates and test scores and increased graduation rates and college-going aspirations; fosters school-community relationships, parental involvement and engagement in schools; and, stimulates important changes in policy, practices and resource distribution that expand capacity and equity in traditionally underserved communities. The study's authors also argue that effective organizing groups achieve impact through a combination of system-level advocacy and school- or community-based activity. As a result of continued and consistent parental, youth and community engagement, improvements have been both generated and sustained. In addition to educational change, organizing groups contribute to the development of new civic capacity, as adults and youths report higher goals and expectations for themselves and their families after participating in community organizing groups.



SPRINKLE IN EMPATHY AND AWARENESS TO ADDRESS ACHIEVEMENT GAPS
Kevin MacDonald, principal at T. R. Smedberg Middle School in Sacramento, Calif., started the Achievement Gap Club two years ago, reports Melissa Nix for the Sacramento Bee. At the first meeting, MacDonald entered the room with six binders of research and threw them on the floor. He then said to the students "these experts don't have the answers. The gap has existed for 50 years. Why don't you tell me what we need to do?" Now, every other Wednesday morning, about 30 seventh and eighth graders meet to talk about the persistent gap in test scores among whites and Asians and African Americans and Latinos. Club members also brief teachers about what they think should be done when it comes to teaching students of color, and in so doing, help staff members understand what it's like to be a minority student. To better explain the achievement gap, Macdonald uses a parable about two fish: a seawater marlin and a freshwater pond trout. The marlin represents minority students and the trout, whites and Asians. There is a freshwater pond, i.e., the school, which has been largely based on a white cultural model. "You can't take a freshwater fish, put him in saltwater and expect him to survive," and vice versa MacDonald explains. "But if you take a little bit of salt and sprinkle it in the freshwater," then both fish can survive. In this analogy, the salt is a concerted effort to establish communication, empathy and cultural awareness between staff and students. The plan has been working, as former students, now in high school, return every Wednesday morning to tutor, encourage and solve problems with their younger counterparts.


SMALL SCHOOLS/CLASSES CHANGE CULTURE, COMBAT THE MATH GAP
One of the largest and most persistent inequities in the modern American education system is the gap in math achievement along income and race lines. This is not a universal case though, as some secondary schools are demonstrating their capacity to beat the odds and produce consistently strong math performance with students who typically fail in traditional settings. A new paper from Jobs for the Future highlights several obstacles to raising math achievement that deserve more attention and also provides key characteristics of model schools. By taking the best ideas from the small schools movement, a new generation of small schools has been able to retain struggling students and prepare them for post-secondary life. One critical difference between these schools and the run-of-the-mill public school is culture. It is their explicit mission to eliminate the psychological barriers to learning which are too often ignored in traditional schools. It is hoped that the success of high-achieving schools can teach important lessons about how best to design schools, inform classroom instruction and prepare math teachers to reach the "unreachable." Apparently there is something to the small schools/class size movement, as a new British study confirms that students tend to be "off task" more often when they are in larger classes, reports Debbie Viadero for Education Week (second link).



COMMUNITY EDUCATION PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS RE-ENGAGE DROPOUTS
In New York City, nearly 70 percent of dropouts begin high school at low literacy levels. Yet currently this population remains drastically underserved, especially when it comes to the allocation of resources. To address their needs, the Youth Development Institute (YDI) began the Community Education Pathways to Success (CEPS), which provide the academic, vocational and personal support people with low skill levels need to become eligible for GED programs and to succeed in post-secondary life. CEPS participants, many of whom attended their high schools less than 20 percent of the time, have become readers and made gains on standardized tests.


GIVE PARENTS KNOWLEDGE; EMPOWER THEM TO MAKE COMMUNITY CHANGE
A new study of the long-term impact of the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) on parents trained by the program from 1997 to 2006 finds that, quite simply, knowledge is power. So far, nearly 1,400 graduates have completed CIPL's intensive training program that aims to impart a combination of information, skills and data. The study notes that parents sustained their educational involvement and broadened its scope beyond their children's schools and became more actively involved and more influential in improvement efforts, after completing CIPL. In addition, parents shifted from school-based to community- and system-based reform efforts. The study concludes that planting the seeds of educational knowledge will grow strong parental advocates.


BUILD COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: STRENGTHEN OUT-OF-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Increasing community involvement in out-of-school programs has the potential to create significant benefits for the communities they serve. The partnerships satisfy a wide variety of needs, such as improving recruitment and attendance and contributing volunteers and other resources. This Child Trends brief discusses how community involvement can become a crucial factor for out-of-school programs and describes how programs can identify valuable community resources and develop strategies for leveraging community support.


BOOK FOCUSES ON HOW BEST TO CONSTRUCT 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION SYSTEM
A new book recently published by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future brings together education experts from across the country and presents a wide range of strategies and solutions to provide every child with a high-quality education. In their respective chapters, former U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard Riley and Jim Hunt, former governor of North Carolina, called for shifting education to a national priority and developing a new national consensus as the best mechanisms for creating stronger and more dynamic schools. At the same time, Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles Ducommon Professor of Education at Stanford University, urged readers to consider an entirely new paradigm for national education policy. Chad Wick, president and CEO of KnowledgeWorks in Cincinnati, closed the book by focusing on the future forces that will affect education. Wick also challenged readers to consider new models for education, teaching, learning and policymaking. As a whole, the authors formed a chorus arguing for stronger grass-roots groups in every city and town to support quality education for all.


THE WHAT, WHEN, HOW AND WHY OF HIGH QUALITY PRINCIPALS
Education leaders, like any highly skilled important profession, benefit from "talking shop" with their colleagues, thus enjoying that whole free flow of ideas thing. In leadership development programs, the use of case methodology offers principals an opportunity to exchange thoughts and ideas at a level that improves their effectiveness as leaders. In the latest "McREL Insights," Greg Cameron, Cherie A. Lyons, and Jane A. Schumacher examine the role of case methodology in leadership development. To develop true professional wisdom, the writers assert, principals must master four types of knowledge: declarative (knowing what to do), procedural (knowing how to do it), contextual (knowing when to do it) and experiential (knowing why it's important). While declarative and procedural knowledge can be taught directly, contextual and experiential knowledge is best developed, in part, through case methodology.


FIGHTING BACKING AGAINST AN ANTI-TEACHER CAMPAIGN
On March 11, the Center for Union Facts (CUF), a Washington-based anti-union group, launched an imposing advertising campaign against bad teachers. CUF promoted its campaign by asking parents, students and teachers to nominate the "worst unionized teacher in America." In interest of full disclosure, CUF has been found to be linked with several of lobbyist Rick Berman's groups, including the Employment Policies Institute. To learn more about CUF and the groups associated with it.