Webinar Teaches Lessons from Abroad
By Edutopia
11/10/09
You might say the United States is the California of countries when it comes to how our students score on international exams. We're not the worst, but we have an uncomfortably close view of the bottom.
How to Focus Lessons and Learning Goals
By Elena Aguilar
11/9/09In the coming weeks, I'll share tips guaranteed to increase student achievement. This guarantee is based on my own teaching and experience as an instructional coach, as well as on research compiled by education experts.
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A School Commits to Academic Rigor
Project learning, integrated studies, and comprehensive assessment support a drive to achieve high academic standards.
Release Date: 10/28/2009
Running Time: 06:31 min
Video Credits
Produced, Written, and Directed by
- Ken Ellis
Editor
- Karen Sutherland
Coordinating Producer
- Amy Erin Borovoy
Production Assistant
- Doug Keely
Camera Crew
- Thomas Waldron
- Mark Angelo
Narrator
- Kris Welch
Original Music
- Ed Bogas
- © 2009
- The George Lucas Educational Foundation
- All rights reserved.
Support for Edutopia's Schools That Work series is provided, in part, by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
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Teachers Should Analyze Student Work Together
By Bob Lenz
10/26/09In my last post, "How to Make Writing Research Papers Relevant for Students," I described an expository writing task that all our students at Envision Schools must complete. In this post, I will highlight the task of analyzing literature.
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The Edutopia Poll
by Laila Weir
Low-income students perform better at schools with a middle-class majority than at those where a majority of students qualify for free and reduced lunch, research shows. One report found low-income students at economically diverse schools scored a whopping 20 to 32 percent higher in reading and math. (Download a PDF of the economic-diversity report.) So how do schools get a mixed student body? When they draw pupils from both poor and affluent areas, they have to compete with private (and public magnet) schools. When they draw from high-poverty areas alone, it's more complicated. Some districts mandate mixing by "busing" kids between poor and middle-class neighborhoods, while others try to attract affluent parents with magnet schools. Should districts take action to integrate schools, and if so, what's the best approach? We want to hear your opinion.
What's the best way to make schools economically diverse?
How to Make Writing Research Papers Relevant for Students
By Bob Lenz
9/28/09In my last post, "Preparing High School Seniors for College," I outlined the College Success Portfolio, a performance-assessment system used at Envision Schools. We developed this system because we believe students demonstrate college readiness not only by passing rigorous courses but also by actually producing college-ready academic work, demonstrating 21st-century leadership skills, and mastering college-level work habits.
The Benefits of Taking Students Outside to Inspire Writing
By Stephen Hurley
9/15/09The following quote is one of the first things my eighth-grade students see when they walk into their classroom in September:
Let's Bring More Students to the Awards Table
By Stephen Hurley
8/17/09A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting on the stage at our school's eighth-grade graduation ceremony. I was reflecting on the two years I have had with these students, and how we set out together to do something different with our time in this place we call school.
Preparing High School Seniors for College, Part Two
By Bob Lenz
7/23/09This is the second part of a two-part blog entry. Read part one.
Academic content knowledge is usually measured in a number of ways, from papers, tests, and quizzes to more comprehensive assessment tools like the California Standards Test. At Envision Schools, we rely on a rigorous evaluation system designed to measure not only content mastery through traditional assessment tools but also college readiness.Preparing High School Seniors for College, Part One
By Bob Lenz
7/15/09Here, in California, another school year has finally dipped into the cool, blue Pacific. I've been reflecting on all that we've accomplished this year, including the fact that more than 90 percent of our graduating seniors will be going to college. I also can't help but think about everything that goes into the rite of passage that is graduation at Envision Schools.
