Articles in the NSBA Recognition Programs category

Nominate your district for a Magna Award – deadline extended to Nov. 9

The Magna Awards 2013 program is extending its deadline for nominations to November 9 because of the widespread power outages in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and eastern portion of the Midwest following the recent storms in those regions.

The Magna Awards is a national recognition program co-sponsored by the American School Board Journal, NSBA, and Sodexo School Services that honors school board best practices and innovative programs that advance student learning. Three grand prize winners each receive a $4,000 contribution from Sodexo.

Learn more about the Magna Awards and nominate your program.

 

Joetta Sack-Min|November 1st, 2012|Categories: American School Board Journal, Announcements, NSBA Publications, NSBA Recognition Programs|Tags: |

Learning by Design shows award-winning facilities in new issue

Learning By Design’s  Fall 2012 edition is focusing on projects committed to advancing educational design excellence and creating innovative, collaborative learning environments. The magazine, which is published twice each year by the National School Boards Association, American School Board Journal, and Stratton Publishing,  shows the nation’s best education design and construction projects, from pre-k-12 to college and university facilities.

The three 2012 Grand Award winners included: Trilogy Architecture • Urban Design • Research (Redding, Calif.) for Redding School of the Arts; NAC|Architecture (Seattle) for Riverview Elementary School; and Nagle Hartray Architecture (Chicago) for Latin School of Chicago.

A jury of architects reviewed and selected the projects that appear in the Fall 2012 edition and named this year’s honorees. The judges noted that although the three Grand Award-winning projects are vastly different in terms of function and context, all of the projects adopted an innovative design approach that prioritizes collaborative learning. The three Grand Award-winning educational facilities provide a variety of formal and informal learning spaces that foster growth and development.

For details and to access the magazine’s digital edition, visit www.learningbydesign.biz.

 

Joetta Sack-Min|October 19th, 2012|Categories: 21st Century Skills, Announcements, NSBA Publications, NSBA Recognition Programs, School Buildings|Tags: |

Savannah school board president honored with national urban education award

This year’s winner of the Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award is Joseph A. Buck, III, president of Georgia’s  Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education.

Joseph A. Buck, IIIJoseph A. Buck, III displays the The Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award

Buck, a school board member since 2006, received the award during the 45th Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) Annual Conference in Atlanta. CUBE honored Buck for his efforts to improve student achievement and management in the school district as well as his efforts to increase community engagement in the district’s public schools.

The Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award is given to individuals who demonstrate a long-standing commitment to the educational needs of urban schoolchildren through school board service. Benjamin Elijah Mays, whom the award honors, was a teacher, minister, author, and civil rights activist who served as president of Morehouse College and the Atlanta school board from 1970 to 1981.

Buck spent nearly 40 years as an administrator at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, most recently as vice president of student affairs. During that time, he also built partnerships between the university, the school system, and key businesses. Two local programs that he has helped implement include Leadership Savannah and Leadership Georgia, which help local professionals gain leadership skills. Buck recruited many teachers and administrators to these programs and used his positions on the groups’ boards of trustees to build partnerships between schools and the business community.

When Buck became Savannah-Chatham’s school board president, the school district was on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and was facing declining enrollments and mistrust from the community. Working with a new superintendent, Buck helped expand a school choice system and bring back students to neighborhood public schools.

Buck has supported charter schools in his school district, and helped build a new charter facility using the education special purpose local option sales tax. He also is a member of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal’s education advisory group, which meets quarterly to discuss issues facing schools in the state.

Del Stover|October 9th, 2012|Categories: Announcements, Charter Schools, CUBE, NSBA Recognition Programs, School Boards, Urban Schools|Tags: , , |

NSBA in the News: Southern school boards show successes

Mississippi  Public Broadcasting reported on the National School Boards Association’s Southern regional meeting, held this week in Biloxi, Miss. School board members from 12 states discussed issues such as finance and graduation rates and shared their success stories.

Read the story at MPB Online.

 

Andrew Paulson|July 25th, 2012|Categories: Board governance, Budgeting, Leadership, NSBA Recognition Programs|Tags: , |

NSBA president praises mission of National PTA

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) President C. Ed Massey spoke at the National PTA’s annual conference, held June 21 to 25 in San Jose, Calif., and says he was inspired by the organization’s energy and enthusiasm. In his remarks to the conference’s 1,300 attendees, he asked PTA members to join with school board members and other like-minded educators to help raise student achievement and improve public schools.

Massey praised the National PTA’s motto, “Every child, one voice.”

“Educational associations can take a lesson from this,” Massey said. “By partnering with our sister organizations as one voice, we can make a difference in America’s courts and the halls of Congress.”

Massey represents NSBA on the board of directors of the National PTA (also known as the Parent Teacher Association). He believes school boards should continuously look for ways to encourage parental involvement in schools.

“As NSBA recognizes the importance of local school boards, we must also recognize the importance of parent volunteers within our schools,” Massey said.  “Together we can change America’s schools and raise the achievement levels of the students. We both share the core belief that America’s children will determine our destiny as a nation.”

During its conference, the National PTA announced a “Champions of Change” partnership with the White House and U.S. Department of Education to honor 12 PTA members who have “dedicated time, talent and a powerful voice to improving educational equity and opportunity for every child.” Nominations will be accepted until July 10 at PTA.org/championsofchange, and the winners will be recognized at a White House education event and policy briefing in August.

Joetta Sack-Min|June 26th, 2012|Categories: NSBA Opinions and Analysis, NSBA Recognition Programs|Tags: , , |

Digital Districts Survey reveal schools making inroads with technology

The findings of the eighth annual Digital Districts Survey revealed that school systems continue to use technology to build community dialogue, manage their data and deliver instruction, among other things,

“It’s a great checkpoint to see where you are on technology and how you’re moving along,” John Halpin, vice-president of education strategic programs at the Center for Digital Education, told audience members at a Monday morning session where the results and a few of the top ranking school districts were presented.

Conducted by the center in partnership with NSBA, the survey queried school districts from across the country with 34 questions regarding key areas like board policy and meetings, stakeholder engagement, data management and safety, curriculum and delivery models and technology skills training for students and teachers.

About a third of the respondents were small districts, 41 percent were large districts, and the rest were mid-size districts.

Among the highlights of the survey:

  • Three-fourths of responding districts maintain a presence on one or more social networking sites; up 43% in the last year and a half.
  • Districts are embracing various technologies to make board meetings available, with 18 percent reporting they had provisions for supporting digital live participation during meetings.
  • Virtually all districts provide technology professional development; nearly 61 percent provide ongoing training for instructional staff.

 

One of the leading technology innovation districts identified in the survey was Henry County Public Schools in southern Virginia.

With manufacturers like Pillowtex, Bassett Furniture and Stanley Furniture in their backyard, Henry County used to be called the bedroom and dining room furniture capitol of the world, said school board member Betsy Mattox.

But the economic downturn and the subsequent spike in unemployment— it currently hovers above 10 percent— forced the county to reconfigure its economic development plans and the school district, Mattox said, became a willing partner in that.

“We had to be part of the solution and so we began to develop programs to make sure all students would be ready when they graduated,” she said. But it wasn’t easy.

When their former superintendent, Anthony Jackson, joined the district in 2009 he asked where his computer was, and for that matter, where were the computers for the students, the answer was, there weren’t any.

A small, rural district of about 7,000 students, Henry County began slowly building their technology capacity, getting some help from the state’s department of education which identified the district and three others to launch a pilot program with iPads. Officials were so impressed with the results they expanded the initiative from just 20 iPads in two classrooms to nearly 3,000 devices for every third through fifth-grader and have plans to do more.

“Make sure when you are implementing these programs you don’t forget about the special education students,” advised Janet Copenhaven, the district’s technology director. One of the students the district gave an iPad to was an autistic student, who could speak just one word. But after using various features and education applications that had been downloaded on the iPad, the student not only wrote an e-book but read it aloud during a board meeting.

“I tell you, there was not a dry eye in the house,” Copenhaven said.

The full details of the survey, along with more from three of the leading innovation districts will be featured in an upcoming webinar hosted by the Center for Digital Education. Visit here to register for the May 10 webinar.

Naomi Dillon|April 24th, 2012|Categories: NSBA Annual Conference 2012, NSBA Recognition Programs|Tags: , , , |

COSA honors two school law leaders

Two school law leaders were honored for their contributions to public schools at the Council of School Attorneys (COSA) School Law Seminar in Boston. Ann L. Majestic and Susan R. Butler, CAE, were each presented with COSA’s 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award for exemplary leadership in legal advocacy and distinguished service to COSA.

“We are thrilled to honor Ann and Susan for their outstanding work in the field of education law and their steadfast dedication to public education,” said Patrice McCarthy, COSA’s Chair.

Majestic is partner in the Raleigh, N.C., law firm of Tharrington Smith and is a past chair of COSA and the North Carolina Council of School Attorneys. For almost 30 years, she has represented numerous North Carolina school boards, including Alamance County, Durham Public Schools, Moore County, Person County, and Wake County — the state’s largest district. She serves as outside counsel to the North Carolina School Boards Association as well. In 1998, Majestic received the Distinguished Service Award from the North Carolina Bar Association.

“I feel very fortunate to have spent my career, working with dedicated educators and excellent colleagues supporting the work of the public schools of North Carolina,” said Majestic.

Butler, who has been NSBA’s Director of Legal Services and COSA since 1984, will retire from her post later this year to pursue a second career in fine arts. COSA officers unanimously acted to recognize Butler’s 28 years of outstanding service to COSA members prior to learning about her plans for retirement.

Under Butler’s leadership, COSA’s membership has grown from 1,800 to more than 3,000 members. Her creative management style has been instrumental in COSA taking the lead in membership service delivery through audio conferences, pay-for-download Web documents, Web streaming seminar content, social networking, and webinars.

Prior to joining NSBA, Butler earned her MBA in management from George Mason University and was Manager of Certification Programs for the American Society for Microbiology. She became a Certified Association Executive (CAE) in 1990. Butler began her career in 1969 as a high school English and drama teacher in the Washington, D.C., public schools.

McCarthy noted: “Susan Butler has been an invaluable resource to the Council members and leadership, a careful steward of COSA’s resources, and a champion of COSA’s many projects and activities.”

“As a former high school teacher, I know firsthand the vital role public schools play in shaping children’s lives,” Butler said. “I’m proud that through COSA, I have been able to support school boards as they carry out the nation’s most important priority—educating children.”

Andrew Paulson|April 21st, 2012|Categories: Council of School Attorneys, Leadership Conference 2012, NSBA Recognition Programs|

2012 Magna Awards honors Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania school districts

Missouri’s Maplewood Richmond Heights School District, New York’s Monroe-Woodbury Central School District, and Pennsylvania’s Pittsburgh Public Schools have been named the grand prize winners in the American School Board Journal’s (ASBJ) 18th annual Magna Awards program.

The Magna Awards are supported by Sodexo School Services. Each of the grand prize-winning school districts will receive $4,000 in scholarship money during a special presentation at the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Annual Conference, to be held April 21-23 in Boston.

The Magna Awards recognize districts across the country for outstanding programs that advance student learning and encourage community involvement in schools. This year’s three grand prize, 15 first place, and 15 honorable mention winners were selected from three enrollment categories: less than 5,000 students, 5,000 to 20,000 students, and over 20,000 students.

“The Magna Awards exemplifies strong school board leadership, creativity, and commitment to student achievement in public education,” said Anne L. Bryant, ASBJ’s publisher and executive director of NSBA. “This year’s Magna Awards recipients truly showcase the best practices and innovative school programs that are advancing student success.”

“Sodexo is proud to create learning-friendly environments that allow our partner districts to focus on doing what they do best—educating our children,” said Steve Dunmore, president of Sodexo Education-Schools. “We are honored to sponsor the Magna Awards and want to celebrate all school boards and communities that share in the commitment to further student well-being and achievement.”

Here is information on the grand prize entries:

• The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District in Maplewood, Mo., earned the grand prize in the under 5,000 enrollment category for its outreach program for homeless high school students. School district officials worked with local churches and community volunteers to create Joe’s Place—a shelter for homeless male high school students. The shelter provides students with counseling and a caring home environment. Of the 14 students served by Joe’s Place, 13 have graduated from high school or on track to graduate. Six former Joe’s Place residents are attending college, one has joined the Navy, and two more are employed full-time.

• The Monroe-Woodbury Central School District in Central Valley, N.Y., is being honored as the grand prize winner in the 5,000 to 20,000 enrollment category for an outreach program at an elementary school that serves a community with a large immigrant population. School district officials, with support from the school board, developed “English as a Second Language Family Night,” a program that provides literacy training for students and their parents twice a week. While the literacy skills of both parents and students improved, more parents volunteered for class activities. Parents also were more comfortable expressing themselves to school staff members.

• The Pittsburgh (Pa.) Public Schools are being honored as the grand prize winner in the over 20,000 enrollment category for its outreach program aimed at increasing the participation of fathers and other male role models in the district’s schools. “Take a Father to School Day” is an annual event which invites fathers, grandfathers, and other male role models to spend a day at their child’s school. Since 2007, the number of fathers attending the event has climbed from 3,669 to 5,964 in 2011. The event was founded by Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Board Member Mark Brentley as a “call to action” for men to become more involved in their children’s lives.

ASBJ initiated the Magna Awards in 1995 to recognize school boards for taking bold and innovative steps to improve their educational programs. An independent panel of school board members, administrators, and other educators selected the winners from 300 submissions. This year’s nominations came from 44 states.

In additional to the grand prize winners, these school districts are also being honored:

Winners – Category 1 – under 5,000 enrollment
Balsz Elementary School District #31, Phoenix, Ariz.
Blue Ridge School District, New Milford, Pa.
North Salem Central School District, North Salem, N.Y.
Sanborn Regional School District, Kingston, N.H.
White Pine County School District, Ely, Nev.

Winners – Category 2 – 5,000-20,000 enrollment
Alexandria City Public Schools, Alexandria, Va.
Blue Springs School District, Blue Springs, Mo.
Boone County Schools, Florence, Ky.
Southfield Public Schools, Southfield, Mich.
Southwest Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas

Winners – Category 3 – over 20,000 enrollment
Johnston County Schools, Smithfield, N.C.
Newport News Public Schools, Newport News, Va. – 2 programs
Polk County Public Schools, Bartow, Fla.
School District of Osceola County, Kissimmee, Fla.

Honorable Mentions
Amelia County Public Schools, Amelia Courthouse, Va.
Bridgehampton Union Free School District, Bridgehampton, N.Y.
Lumberton Township Schools, Lumberton, N.J.
Oak Park Unified School District, Oak Park, Calif.
Petersburg City Public Schools, Petersburg, Va.
Clover Park School District, Lakewood, Wash.
Henderson County Schools, Henderson, Ky.
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, Mishawaka, Ind.
Topeka Public Schools, Topeka, Kan.
Williamsburg/James City County Public Schools, Williamsburg, Va.
Fairfax County Public Schools, Falls Church, Va.
Lafayette Parish School System, Lafayette, La.
Peoria Unified School District, Glendale, Ariz.
St. Tammany Parish Public School District, Covington, La.
Sweetwater Union High School District, Chula Vista, Calif.

The 2012 winners will be highlighted in a special supplement to the May issue of ASBJ, and will be formally recognized on Saturday, April 21, at the Best Practices for School Leaders Luncheon, which is part of NSBA’s 72nd Annual Conference.

In addition to the ASBJ supplement, all honrees will be posted on the Magna Awards website and added to the program’s searchable best practices database.

Alexis Rice|April 12th, 2012|Categories: American School Board Journal, Board governance, Educational Technology, NSBA Annual Conference 2012, NSBA Publications, NSBA Recognition Programs, School Boards, Urban Schools|Tags: , , |

2012 Ed Tech site visits announced, marks 25 years

The National School Boards Association and the Technology Leadership Network (TLN) are pleased to announce the 2012 spring series of Education Technology site visits. One of the most popular components of the TLN program, these visits  showcase the visionary leadership and technology integration practices of TLN districts, whose very participation in the program  is a sign of their interest in innovation.

This year’s roster of host districts is no exception and as always encompasses a diverse set of districts from across the country.

“Through NSBA’s technology site visits school leaders are able to see education technology innovation in action and develop their own successful technology initiatives,” said Ann Flynn, NSBA’s Director of Education Technology. “This is a great opportunity for school leaders to witness classrooms where curriculum goals drive technology decisions.”

Leading this year’s line-up is Klein Independent School District in Texas, whose site visit runs Feb. 19-21, conveniently coinciding with the American Association of School Administrators Annual Conference, which concludes on the 19th in Houston.

Located less than an hour away, Klein ISD is a highly diverse district serving 46,000 students. Visionary leadership and job-embedded professional development are critical factors in the district’s many accomplishments, which include the deployment of more than 8,600 Tablet PCs. And no wonder, the district is led by Jim Cain, who was named one of 2010’s “Tech-Savvy Superintendents,” by e-School News.

Klein’s tour is quickly followed by Alabama’s Cullman City Schools, which also boasts a 2010 “Tech-Savvy Superintendent” in Jan Harris. Under Harris, Cullman has experienced significant gains in student achievement since launching its 1:1 Laptop Initiative in 2006. Serving 3,000 students, Cullman was the first district in Alabama to provide laptops and wireless Internet access to students and educators and is a former TLN Salute District and a CoSN Team Award-winner. Cullman welcomes TLN visitors from Feb. 29 to March 2.

Though the next site visit kicks off April 1 in Surprise, Arizona, Dysart Unified School District No. 89’s whole-hearted adoption of technology is no sleight of hand. With a student population of some 25,000 students, Dysart’s enrollment has more than tripled in the last decade, making it the fastest growing district in Arizona and the second fastest in the country. Recognized as a 2010 TLN Salute District and home to a pair of previously named “20 to Watch” educators, Dysart provides Instructional Growth Teachers at each campus and has developed iPal, the district’s Integrated Data tool to provide dynamic assessment data, online curriculum maps and professional development opportunities.

Nevada’s Clark County School District rounds out the circuit in late April, immediately following NSBA’s Annual Conference. As the fifth largest district in the nation with nearly 310,000 students, Clark County encompasses both Las Vegas and its outlying communities. Ranked first in last year’s Digital School District Survey, Clark County is a leader in using technology to provide enterprise systems that support the business of learning and provide engaging 21st century experiences for all students. From cyber-bullying prevention initiatives and Bring-Your-Own-Device pilot programs to online professional development and the extensive use of social networking systems, this visit offers examples of innovation that can be applied in districts of any size. See for yourself between April 25 and 27.

“Site visits offer administrators, teachers and board members a unique opportunity to travel together with a shared focus on how the technology innovations they are seeing compare to their current initiatives or may potentially influence their future decisions,” Flynn said. “Staff and board members from the host districts connect with individual attendees who share their roles to address specific concerns and issues unique to their particular job responsibilities while ensuring all participants leave with an understanding of how technology is helping address the district’s “big picture” goals and objectives.”

Registration for these dynamic learning opportunities is now open and accessible here along with full agendas and more details about the districts and the TLN program.

Naomi Dillon|December 1st, 2011|Categories: Educational Technology, NSBA Recognition Programs, School Board News, Technology Leadership Network|Tags: , , , , , |

Finalists announced in NSBA annual urban ed award

NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) is pleased to announce that Boston Public Schools, Washoe County Public Schools and the Mesquite Independent School District have been selected as finalists for the 2011 CUBE Annual Award for Urban School Board Excellence.

Identified by an independent panel based on data provided by the school district and their state school boards association, the finalists were chosen based on the following four criteria: excellence in school board governance, ability to build civic capacity, commitment to equity in education, and demonstrated success of academic excellence.

“All three of the finalists have made extraordinary efforts to reach students and increase student achievement,” said NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant. “The CUBE Award finalists are proof that diverse urban school districts can succeed, even during difficult economic times.”
(more…)

Naomi Dillon|September 8th, 2011|Categories: CUBE Annual Conference 2010, Diversity, NSBA Recognition Programs, School Boards, Student Achievement, Urban Schools|
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