Boston | Chelsea | Chicago | Houston | Los Angeles | Minneapolis | New York Arts | New York Networks | Rural | South Florida

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Boston's work on standards-based reform began in 1996 on the "outside" - with a pilot project of the local education foundation, the Boston Plan for Excellence. The endorsement of that effort by Superintendent Thomas Payzant and a grant from the Annenberg Foundation allowed the scale up of the work to all schools over the next four years, and the day-to-day management of that work was shared by the district and the Boston Plan for Excellence-Boston Annenberg Challenge (BPE-BAC). Now after five years of jointly guiding the effort, both partners will assume different roles. With a new organizational structure designed specifically to tighten the line between support and accountability, the district will direct the work in all schools. The Boston Plan will serve as an "r&d" arm of the district, working with the 26 Effective Practice schools to refine the reform model and test out new concepts before they are considered for adoption district-wide. Tel: (617) 227-8055; Web: www.bpe.org.

Since the start of the Annenberg Challenge work, one day each week Boston's schools have had Annenberg-funded "coaches" with expertise in either school reform or literacy. While the model was very effective at making the expectations clear, setting up the infrastructure, and beginning the work, many schools are now ready for more specialized, more intensive support. Building on work being done in New York City's schools by Lucy Calkins at Teachers College/Columbia University, the Boston Plan and the Boston Public Schools have jointly crafted a new model, which offers schools flexibility in how they use coaches and incorporates new elements, such as study groups and peer observation. Tel: (617) 227-8055; Web: www.bpe.org.

Chelsea

A major portion of the Annenberg Challenge grant to the Chelsea Public Schools of Massachusetts was devoted to the reinvigoration of arts education within the Boston University/Chelsea Partnership. After years of fiscal and programmatic neglect, the public schools had minimal arts and music programs. With the capital offered through the Annenberg Challenge, the district has a comprehensive vocal and music program, grades pre-kindergarten through high school. For the first time in memory, a small band was on hand to help the citizens of Chelsea celebrate Memorial Day 2000. Particularly distinctive is the percussion ensemble for 5th and 6th graders: The instruments vary from wood xylophone to African tambourines, and the students receive wide acclaim at every performance. The visual arts have also been richly reinvigorated. This year will be the fourth that the schools offer a citywide student art exhibition that lasts for three days. One panoramic painting now sits prominently in the foyer of Chelsea High School and presents emblematically the meaning of American citizenship as interpreted by the Bosnian high-schooler who created the allegorical oil painting. For more information, tel: (617) 889-8415; web: www.chelseaschools.com.

Chelsea Public Schools are taking part in a new program designed to alleviate the increasing shortage English as a Second Language, Transitional Bilingual Education, and Special Needs educators. Sponsored by the embassy of Spain, school districts in Massachusetts as well as several other states have been offered an opportunity to hire for three years a native of Spain who has been fully certified as a teacher. Spain presently has a surplus of trained teachers, and the Spanish embassy to the United States has developed with several respective state education agencies a cooperative program to support Iberians willing to teach in the United States. The sponsoring school districts provide salaries in accord with established contracts and help the visiting teachers locate housing. Chelsea currently employs the largest number of native Spanish teachers housed in Massachusetts--eleven. The teachers have been placed at all grade levels and provide transitional bilingual Spanish instruction, special needs instruction, and English as a Second Language support, among other areas. The experience has been so positive that Superintendent Irene Cornish and Transitional Bilingual Education Director Marlene Goodman will return to Spain this spring to hire additional teachers through the program.

Chicago

The Consortium on Chicago School Research, as part of the work of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, released a new study entitled Teacher Professional Development in Chicago. The multi-year study, which finds that substantial numbers of Chicago public school teachers report the professional development they receive lacks the key qualities necessary to making it effective, drew on a total of 26,000 teacher surveys as well as interviews and intensive field studies involving 23 schools.

Houston

The Houston Annenberg Challenge released a report to the community based on an independent evaluation, conducted by a team of researchers from three universities, of their work in the 88 schools and six districts that they fund. The evaluators' initial findings show that professional development has skyrocketed at schools funded by Houston Annenberg, academic achievement is up at most of the schools, and a number of communities are working together for the first time. For more information, tel: (713) 658-1881; web: www.houstonaplus.org.

The Annenberg Institute's Leadership Initiative continues to provide technical support to Challenge sites. In Philadelphia, Institute staff work with two learning clusters of twelve schools each to plan and provide professional development for principals and teacher leaders. The focus is on developing professional learning communities through looking at student work, peer observation, school visits, sharing individual work and reviewing research. This is the third year that the Institute has worked in Philadelphia, a project that originally began in collaboration with Children Achieving Challenge. In Houston, Institute staff support and work with Houston Annenberg Challenge program directors to assist in the ongoing professional development of leaders of small professional learning communities. Professional development activities have been held for district-level administrators, principals and teacher leaders in six Houston area districts, focusing on leadership and establishing professional learning communities.

Los Angeles

The Polytechnic School Family in Los Angeles and California State University at Northridge have developed an innovative collaboration as part of LAAMP's DELTA Initiative-an effective program for teacher candidates to gain a credential in one year, before they are placed in a classroom of their own. This Accelerated Collaborative Teacher (ACT) preparation program was recently honored with two awards: The Council of Great City Colleges of Education and the Council of Great City Schools presented the program with the 'Urban Impact Award,' and the California Council on the Education of Teachers selected ACT to receive the 'Quality of Education Award for Distinguished Service to Children and the Preparation of Teachers.' For more information, web: www.laamp.org.

LAAMP has created a CD-ROM product that documents their work supporting school reform in Los Angeles County from 1994-2000. Lessons Learned serves as an electronic archive of the key documents related to LAAMP's work. It includes reports from the 28 School Families that received grants from LAAMP, publications about the initiatives implemented by LAAMP, and key reports from external evaluators. The CD includes a search function that allows quick review of this large body of information. The CD-ROM is one more method to ensure that the lessons learned from the work of LAAMP are disseminated widely. Copies can be ordered from the LAAMP web site: www.laamp.org.

Minneapolis

This summer, the Minneapolis Annenberg Challenge: Arts for Academic Achievement will hold their third annual conference, 'An Urban Retreat for the Arts.' Designed as staff development for teachers, 90 arts integrated workshops, tours and seminars will be offered over three days. Topics to be addressed include: strategies for sustainability, teachable art skills, creating teams and collaborations, meeting standards thorough the arts, best practices, technology and research and assessments. The event expects to attract approximately 400 teachers from Twin Cities, suburban and greater Minnesota schools, with teachers from Challenge schools as the primary audience. For more information, tel: (612) 668-5333; web: www.mpls.k12.mn.us/annenberg/.

Shape Shifting II, a conference for teaching artists, was held February 4, 2001 at the Hennepin Center for the Arts in Minneapolis. Sponsored by the Minneapolis Annenberg Challenge and a collaborative group of artists' organizations, the conference offered 200 Twin Cities artists an opportunity to explore the shifting paradigm of the artist as partner in teaching and learning. The Minneapolis Challenge's focus on "improved achievement in and through the arts" has produced demonstrable changes in teaching practice and clear improvements in engagement and attendance of students in the 45 participating schools.

New York Arts

The New York City Center for Arts Education officially opened its new public art gallery in November. "The Gallery at 180 Maiden Lane" showcases artwork created by public school students participating in the Center's partnership programs. The first exhibit, entitled "Hand in Hand: Our Journey from School to Museum," includes over 100 pieces of artwork from students at Brooklyn's Public School 8, The Robert Fulton School. The exhibit's murals, sculptures and collages were created after a combination of classroom and museum study. For more information, tel: (800) 721-9199; web: www.cae-nyc.org.

In November, the New York City Center for Arts Education sponsored a 'Partnership Intervisitation Day' at Martin Luther King Jr. High School to showcase the school's exemplary arts education program. A group of visiting teachers from other New York City public schools attended the event, which included presentations by notable arts educators; discussion between MLK and visiting teachers; and observation of students and teachers during activities led by MLK's four cultural partners: the New York City Opera, the Destine Dance Foundation, the American Social History Project, and the Frick Collection.

New York Networks

New York Networks for School Renewal (NYNSR) schools are leading the way in exploring the many educational opportunities offered by charter status. To date, 100% of schools (six in all) converted to charter schools in New York City are participants in NYNSR, the small schools project of the Annenberg Challenge. NYNSR schools model innovative teaching and learning, and a personal and safe environment that a small school uniquely offers. These small schools also advocate freedom of a school from systemic bureaucracy and the right of the school to make as many decisions as possible, from program and curriculum to personnel and purchasing.

Rural

In July 2000, more than 60 students partnered with 200 educators, parents, community members, and Rural Trust staff from 34 states for 'Rendezvous 2000.' The focus of this three-day event, a youth leadership forum, provided an opportunity for young people from across rural America to join in discussions on rural issues, community responsibility, and strategies to ensure the inclusion of an active youth voice in efforts to build healthy and sustainable communities. Youth and adults used the forum as a model for future endeavors, participating in role-playing, brainstorming, and self-evaluation activities to take back to their sites. For more information, tel: (202) 955-7177; web: www.ruraledu.org.

South Florida

The South Florida Annenberg Challenge, citing a strong commitment to underserved populations, launched the Anakangkat (from Malaysian meaning "to lift a child up") Partnership with the Community Crusade Against Drugs and Crestview Elementary School. The program's aim is to improve reading skills starting with thirty-two third grade students, below grade level, who were referred by the school counselors. Twelve tutors will work with the children utilizing an intense reading success curriculum. The students will be assessed and tested by the Sylvan Learning Systems. For more information, tel: (305) 377-9909; web: www.sfannenberg.org.

Governor Jeb Bush visited Florida's Bent Tree Elementary in Dade to highlight the school's grade boost from a D to a B. Bush praised the Partnership to Advance School Success (PASS), the South Florida Annenberg Challenge program that teams CEO's and principals with the assistance of an educational coach. Teams commit to the program for three years. CEO Armando Codina of the Codina Group, Principal Bart Christie and Education Coach Margarita Alanso were recognized. Bush also complimented the South Florida Challenge, calling it a catalyst for reform.

The South Florida Annenberg Challenge has a Public Policy Initiative (PPI) that is actively involved in advocating for legislation that advances education reform and in refining legislation that may impede quality education. Jack Abstein, a veteran Florida education lobbyist with a wide range of K-20 experience, leads the PPI. Abstein regularly meets with the Legislators to establish an SFAC identity and presence, as he lays groundwork for future legislative issues that will be based on the data driven assessments of the programs. The communications component of the PPI began in December under the direction of Sisty Walsh, who has 11 years of experience in public school relations, including Broward County Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the country. Walsh has developed a strategic communications plan for the SFAC and has published its first newsletter, "REPORT."