Southern States

Broward County began the school year with high expectations for their bus service. The district purchased new buses and brought on new drivers in hopes of raising their level of service. Throughout the first few weeks of the previous school year, transportation officials were inundated with complaints from parents about bus delays and children getting dropped off at the wrong location. Unfortunately, a major error on the first day of school cost the county’s bus safety another black eye even before the school year was in full swing.

Kids Left at Wrong Stop, in Wrong City

The Huffington Post reports that seven students between the ages of 10 and 13 were dropped off in the wrong city on the first day at Forest Glen Middle School. Instead of getting dropped off at their Coral Springs stop just a few minutes from the school, the students got off the bus seven miles away in Pompano Beach. The students were left near Broward Health North Hospital in Pompano Beach, according to NBC Miami.

The students involved in the incident told the bus driver he was going the wrong way, but he refused to stop, the Huffington Post reported. One of the students contacted her father by cell phone. The parent asked to talk to the bus driver, but the students said the bus driver refused to take the phone. As one might suspect, many of the parents of the students have called the

Miami-Dade has been a struggling school district. With high poverty rates and an ethnically diverse student population, many schools within this large district have not been successful in preparing students for life after school. A history of high dropout rates, low attendance and poor academic performance has plagued the students and teachers in this Florida district. However, the tide appears to be turning for Miami-Dade, thanks to the work of the current superintendent and his dedicated staff.

A New Leader

Alberto Carvalho took over the reins of Miami-Dade in 2008. In 2010, a blog at the website for the U.S. Department of Education described some of the changes that were already being seen in the district. First, the Education Transformation Office (ETO) was formed to provide support to 19 of the district’s failing schools. The schools on the list received individualized support in the areas of professional development, family engagement and curriculum.

The blog also noted the following three areas of focus in turning around some of the struggling schools:

• A culture shift that helped the students and faculty at the schools feel respected and supported
• Additional support to ensure every student in the district completed high school
• A focus on professional development that includes building professional learning communities

Despite the fact that the district was still in the early stages of its transformation at the time this blog was written, the author was already impressed with the amount of progress that had been made. The approach

An evaluation specialist at one of the largest school districts in the country claims to have found a system for determining academic success from a very young age. The Montgomery County Public Schools employee, Thomas C. West, has announced that he has developed a tracking system that can predict high school dropouts as early as the first grade. Does it work? And more importantly, is it even ethical to use such a system on children just starting out in the wide world of academia?

“Startling Accuracy” Seen with System

Time reports that West’s tracking formula can predict dropout rates with “startling accuracy.” The formula can be utilized as early as the second semester of first grade and incorporates many of the usual factors for predicting academic success. These factors include behavior issues, reading skills, and frequency of school absences.

A study conducted on the formula by researchers at Johns Hopkins University shows the system can identify 75 percent of future potential dropouts as early as the first grade. According to 360 Education Solutions, the red flags indicate two factors – a lack of student motivation and a lack of academic success. While these factors may not be news to educators, the new identification formula has much more than a little interest.

This video describes early warning systems to support students at risk of dropping out of school.

Getting

Atlanta Public Schools has seen its share of challenges in recent years, including a widespread cheating scandal that resulted in the indictments of 35 faculty members and administrators. However, the news coming out of this large school district more recently has been much more positive. The district has just opened the largest and most expensive high schools in Georgia in hopes of raising the district’s image.

North Atlanta High School

The New York Times reports the new school, which was constructed in an old I.B.M. building, cost the district a cool $147 million. With 11 stories, a massive parking lot, and breathtaking views, this new high school is sure to become a gold standard for the district. In an area where the average high school costs just over $38 million to construct, North Atlanta High School is sure to catch the attention of residents across the state.

This video shows the demolition of the old IBM building.

Set in one of the wealthiest regions in the state, North Atlanta High School will see around 1,400 students come from wealthy families. However, the school will also boast a diverse student population that is around one-half black, 27 percent white, and 20 percent Hispanic. While some students will come from affluent backgrounds, others will be homeless. The school will also have to grapple with low graduation rates that often accompany such a

A recent study revealed some startling statistics about teacher retention in Duval County Public Schools. The Jacksonville Public Education Fund study found that this large U.S. county loses more than half of its public school teachers within five years of their careers. This high turnover rate may be costing the school district a significant amount of money and impacting the quality of education provided to public school students. As the statistics come to light, theories begin to circulate on how to promote public school teaching as a long-term career choice in Duval County.

The Human Capital Issue

WTEV was one of the first to broadcast the results of the study by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. The news station reported that researchers in the study surveyed 600 Duval County public school teachers to explore the possible reasons for the high turnover rate. The teachers interviewed told the station that salary and benefits are both factors that could either keep teachers in the profession – or drive them away.

Teachers were also asked what would make them stay in the profession rather than search for greener pastures after just a few short years. Trey Csar, president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, said that most teachers told them compensation and benefits, increased autonomy, and a louder voice in policy decisions could be the driving force behind the long-term employment of public teachers in the county. Calling the findings a “human capital” issue, Csar also told