Showcase of School Programs
Parents, teachers, administrators, and district staff came out in the wind and cold January 22, 2008 to hear about the variety of effective programs that are serving Berkeley’s students. School Governance Councils (SGC) work to ensure all students receive the instruction and skills necessary to be successful.Outgoing Superintendent, Michele Lawrence, welcomed the crowd and offered a detailed and critical update on the proposed 2008-09 State Budget. She informed us that Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing a $4.4 billion cut to K-12 education in California -- which works out to a cut of over $700 per student! For a PDF file summarizing this presentation click here.
Berkeleyans are thankful for the generous parcel tax approved overwhelmingly by voters in November 2006. (Link to BSEP information sheet.) The renewal of a new Berkeley Schools Excellence Program (BSEP) guarantees that one-third of the District budget remains dedicated (despite budget crisis at the state or federal level) to smaller class sizes, music, libraries, art, professional development and many more programs critical to a quality public school education.
During the community planning process that led to the development of BSEP, it became apparent that teacher, staff, and parents could benefit from knowing more about how schools in our own district are using resources to successfully serve our diverse student needs.
The Showcase was the District’s first large scale presentation of those successes. Community members representing schools across the district were able to attend two thirty- minute workshops. Attendees were able to choose among the following presentations, which represent just a few of the innovative programs operating a schools across the district:
- Afterschool Learning Program (ALP) at Jefferson Elementary School, preteaching concepts and skills as opposed to remediation for intervention;
- Malcolm Xtra/Project Connect using literacy coaching, in-class and afterschool support to improve academic achievement;
- Cal Scholars – Mentoring and tutoring of targeted students by UC students and staff;
- Collaborative Action Research for Equity (CARE) – Unlearning racism through courageous conversations and innovative instruction;
- Senior Tutors for Youth – Senior citizens tutoring EL students to develop oral and written language services;
- M3 Sports Academy – grades 4-12 – Sports as an incentive for low-scoring students to strive academically;
- Parents Interested in Quality Education (PIQE) – A parent education program linked to a college commitment;
- Academic Pathways Project – grades 7-12 – Organized study groups & mentoring for high potential students in AP classes;
- Writer-Coach Connection – grades 4-12 – Trained adult writing tutors paired with students to review/edit writing assignments.
The workshop format allowed Principals and Teachers, SGC, PTA, and other school leadership members to understand the tenants of the model presented as well as delve into organizational and practical details of how one might go about replicating such a program at another school site.
For more information on any of these programs or to contact someone directly involved with the programs showcased at this event, please contact the Public Information Office at Mark_Coplan@berkeley.k12.ca.us.