County Public Schools Research Articles

Influences of Segregation and Integration on the Bands at Historically Black High Schools in Duval County, Florida

Segregated schooling in Florida was initially a concession to gain public acceptance of free public education. Its effects can be seen in the band programs of many high school bands. This study looks at the effects of segregation and integration on bands at black high schools in Jacksonville, Florida (Duval County Public Schools). Much of the story echoes the history of Tampa’s desegregation, though Duval County’s age, location, demographics, and politics helped shape a different story. The story of the bands’ origins highlights some noteworthy directors, including the distinguished Kernaa D. McFarlin of the Stanton High School band. This study describes how the Stanton band would shatter prejudices about black schools by becoming the first black high school band to earn a Superior rating at state in a newly integrated Florida Bandmasters Association in 1966. Lawsuits compelled the district to integrate, though traditions and prejudices led to massive white flight from the public schools which continues today. The black student population became the majority demographic in 2006, and musical traditions reflecting those at many Historically Black Colleges and Universities are now the “tradition” at many formerly all-white high schools.

Q & A


 
 
 In his book The Principal Michael Fullan stated, the principal's responsibilities have increased enormously over the last two decades. They are expected to run a smooth school; manage health, safety, and the building: innovate without upsetting anyone; connect with students and teachers; be responsive to parents and the community; answer to their districts, and above all deliver results.” At Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia, Dr. Brendan Menuey and Evangeline Petrich both serve as executive principals; supporting, developing, and supervising principals whose responsibilities are as enormous as Fullan aptly describes.
 
 

Assessing Segregation Under a New Generation of Controlled Choice Policies

Student assignment policies (SAPs) in K–12 schools can either reproduce or help ameliorate existing inequality. Some districts are trying to maintain voluntarily adopted integration policies despite the Supreme Court’s recent 2007 decision in Parents Involved, which prohibited most race-conscious school choice policies that were effective and popular ways of accomplishing integration. While alternative policies with minimal or no use of race are still permitted, it is unclear whether they will create diverse schools. This research examines the new generation of school choice policies post- Parents Involved to understand how they affect diversity in our multiracial yet increasingly race-neutral era. Analysis of the use of a new generalized, race-conscious SAP in Jefferson County (Kentucky) Public Schools suggests that their plan is largely able to maintain integrated schools, albeit with some increasing racial segregation; economic segregation patterns are mixed. Moreover, the controlled choice policy has lower segregation than simulated, non–integration focused policy alternatives.

Exposure to School and Residential Diversity: A New Test of Perpetuation Theory

Perpetuation theorists have recently hypothesized intergenerational consequences associated with participation in racially/ethnically diverse environments; however, few studies have considered possible intergenerational implications when offering empirical tests of perpetuation theory. By linking longitudinal administrative, geographic, and census data from students who attended Jefferson County Public Schools—one of the most racially/ethnically desegregated school districts in the USA—we specifically test whether early exposure to racial/ethnic diversity in neighborhoods and in high schools is associated with students living in more racially/ethnically diverse neighborhoods later in life. Using multilevel models, we find that early exposure to diversity in both neighborhoods and schools is significantly related to neighborhood diversity in both early and mid-adulthood and for both black and white students. However, the strength of these relationships diminished over time.

Leadership

Recent school reform efforts have been dominated by discussions about getting the right people into the right jobs and holding them accountable for outcomes. Educators have paid less attention to the importance of developing human capital, a process that includes promoting adult learning and providing teachers and staff with the support they need to do their best work. The author’s experience at revamping alternative education programs in Montgomery County (Md.) Public Schools demonstrates how deployment and development can unite in support of what students need.

School desegregation after Parents Involved: The complications of pursuing diversity in a high‐stakes accountability era

ABSTRACTAcademic disparities among racial groups persist, which may be due in part to persisting school segregation. This study focuses on how student achievement affects diversity efforts within two urban‐suburban school districts in the South experiencing demographic changes with a history of voluntary integration efforts: Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville, KY) and the Wake County Public School System (Raleigh, NC). We found that diversity and accountability intersected in different ways: in both districts there is a belief that diversity does matter, but with a divergence of opinion in its relative importance the details of how to accomplish diversity are contested. Our case studies are a cautionary tale of how the increased focus on achievement and accountability complicates efforts to pursue other long‐held district goals. Instead of seeing diversity and improving student outcomes as separate, policymakers should re‐evaluate how existing policies may unintentionally cause districts to end beneficial policies like desegregation.

The Impact of Teach for America on Non-Test Academic Outcomes

Recent evidence on teacher productivity suggests that teachers meaningfully influence non-test academic student outcomes that are commonly overlooked by narrowly focusing on test scores. Despite a large number of studies investigating the Teach For America (TFA) effect on math and English achievement, little is known about non-tested academic outcomes. Using administrative data from Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we investigate the relationship between being in a TFA classroom and five non-test student outcomes commonly found in administrative datasets: days absent, days suspended, GPA, classes failed, and grade repetition. We validate our use of non-test student academic outcomes to assess differences in teacher productivity using the quasi-experimental teacher switching methods of Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff ( 2014 ) and fail to reject the null hypothesis of unbiasedness in most cases in elementary and middle school, although in some cases standard errors are large. We find suggestive evidence that students taught by TFA teachers in elementary and middle schools were less likely to miss school due to unexcused absences and suspensions compared with students taught by non-TFA teachers in the same school, although point estimates are very small. Other outcomes were found to be forecast-unbiased but showed no evidence of a TFA effect.

An Entrepreneur in the Educational World (a): Principal Matthew Landahl

This case reviews the facts behind an effort to transform an underachieving elementary school through the lens of the school principal and the district superintendent. Written from two different perspectives, the principal's A case (UVA-OB-1004) has Matthew Landahl, a principal at a high functioning school at central office meeting with superintendent and talking about his experiences as a Teach For America (TFA) teacher and how much he missed it. The superintendent asks him if he would be interested in taking on the principalship at Greer Elementary, explaining that it was about as close to a TFA school as he would find in a small city. Although he was told to take some time and think about it, Landahl immediately imagined himself in the role of principal at Greer and the challenges he would face. Would the position at Greer really offer the kind of leadership challenges and rewards he wanted? If he took the job, what strategies would be needed to help Greer students and staff succeed? And what kind of support would he need to ask of the superintendent? This case has been taught in an executive education school turnaround program for district administrators and principals. It could also be used in a first-year MBA leadership and organizational behavior course as an introduction on creating value through people-management and design. Excerpt UVA-OB-1004 August 30, 2010 AN ENTREPRENEUR IN THE EDUCATIONAL WORLD (A): PRINCIPAL MATTHEW LANDAHL A former Teach for America educator and a seasoned principal at a middle-class school in Charlottesville, Virginia, Matthew Landahl had all the right credentials. And he was bored. Although he was grateful for the opportunity to hone his leadership skills in a well-heeled, high-functioning elementary school, it was time for a change. Landahl intended to put some feelers out back home in Chicago about jobs openings for principals and decided it was only fair to let Albemarle County Public School Superintendent Pamela Moran know. They met in her office in the spring of 2007. As the two talked, the superintendent brought up Mary Carr Greer Elementary (Greer)—one of the two Title I elementary schools in the county system. Why was she talking to him about Greer? Was she thinking of making some changes there? If that school opened up, would he even be interested? . . .

Model High School Athletic Safety and Security Plan: Charles County Public Schools Thomas Stone High School Athletic Emergency Action Plan

PrefaceThis plan is designed for but not limited to the use of all athletic department/Thomas Stone personnel in caring for the injured, whether they are a student athlete, coach, administrator, or event spectator. Always refer to the main emergency plan for the school in the event of conditions or incidents not listed in the athletic plan.Each venue's specific emergency response plan identifies several ways to contact emergency medical services and summon further help. Some of the venues have a fixed telephone line that is easily accessible in case of an emergency; for locations that do not, a cellular phone or walkie-talkie relay system will be used.Prior to start of contest, the Thomas Stone High School certified athletic trainer or coach should meet with visiting team coaches and visiting athletic trainers to review emergency procedures.IntroductionEmergencies may arise at any time during athletic events. Expedient action must be taken to provide the best possible care to the sport participant in emergency and/or life-threatening conditions. The development and implementation of an emergency plan will ensure that the best care will be provided.As emergencies and athletic injuries may occur at any time and during any activity, the sports medicine team must be prepared. Athletic organizations have a duty to develop an emergency plan that can be implemented immediately when necessary and to provide appropriate standards of emergency care to all sports participants. This preparation involves formulation of an emergency plan, proper coverage of events, maintenance of appropriate emergency equipment and supplies, utilization of appropriate emergency medical personnel, and continuing education in the area of emergency medicine and planning. I hope that through careful preparticipation physical screenings, adequate medical coverage, safe practice and training techniques, and other safety avenues, some potential emergencies may be averted. However, accidents and injuries are inherent with sports participation, and proper preparation on the part of the sports medicine team should enable each emergency situation to be managed appropriately.Components of the Emergency PlanThese are the basic components of an emergency plan:1. Emergency plan personnel2. Emergency communication3. Emergency equipment4. Roles of first responder5. Venue directions with map6. Emergency Action Plan checklist for nonmedical emergencyEmergency Plan PersonnelWith athletic association practice and competition, the first responder to an emergency is typically a coach or certified athletic trainer. The type and degree of sports medicine coverage for an athletic event may vary based on factors such as the sport or activity, the setting, and the type of training or competition. Certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid, prevention of disease transmission, and emergency plan review is required for all athletics head coaching personnel associated with practices, competitions, skills instruction, and strength and conditioning, as well as the sports medicine staff. Head coaching personnel are responsible for implementing emergency plan review among their staff.The development of an emergency plan cannot be complete without the formation of an emergency team. Roles of individuals within the emergency team may vary depending on factors such as the number of members on the team, the athletic venue itself, or the preference of the on-site administrator or athletic trainer.All members of the emergency response team must make sure the athletic trainer, the athletic director, and the principal are notified of any and all student athletes taken to the emergency room, regardless of the transportation method.There are six basic roles within the emergency team:1.Establishing safety of the scene and immediate care of the student athlete. …

Model High School Athletic Handbook II: Severna Park High School Athletic Handbook

Welcome!This handbook is designed to provide you with information concerning all opportunities offered by the Severna Park High School Athletic Program. While academics are the top priority, athletic participation is an integral part of a high school student's education. The main objective of our athletic program is to encourage participation, teamwork, and enjoyment of the sport. The values learned through commitment to a team effort are numerous and beneficial to all individuals as athletes and as students.This athletic handbook describes and illustrates the rules and regulations of the Severna Park High School Athletic Program and the Anne Arundel County Public School (AACPS) system. It addresses concerns that we have with regard to participation in team sports, as well as athletes' welfare and conduct as representatives of their teams and the school. This entire handbook must be read by both parents/guardian and athletes.Athletic Mission StatementOur mission is to provide a rigorous athletic program that complements and supports a challenging academic program by teaching students to persevere, to work well with others, and to test them.BeliefsAt Severna Park High School, we believe:* Students are our highest priority.* The dignity, worth, and self-esteem of participants should be paramount in all athletic activities.* The most important result of competition is the development of lifelong values and skills.* The athletic program is an integral part of the high school experience.* High school athletics should be fun and rewarding.* Athletic programs are most beneficial when they are competitive.* Winning is an attitude resulting from optimum preparation, concentrated effort, and a deep commitment to excel.* Well-designed athletic programs promote community and school pride.* Open communication and mutual respect among coaches, parents, and athletes provide the foundation of a successful athletic program.* Morale, satisfaction, and performance are enhanced when athletes work together as a team.* Well-qualified coaches and program administrators are important components in a successful athletic program.* Positive parent support and involvement enhance student growth and program quality.Athletic ProgramsFull season interscholastic participation may occur in the following sports:Fall Opportunities:* Field Hockey (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Football (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Golf (varsity team)* Boys' Soccer (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Girls' Soccer (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Cheerleading (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Volleyball (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Boys' & Girls' Cross-Country (varsity team)* Unified TennisWinter Opportunities:* Boys' Basketball (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Girls' Basketball (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Wrestling (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Cheerleading (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Boys' & Girls' swimming (varsity team)* Unified BowlingSpring Opportunities:* Baseball (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Softball (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Boys' & Girls' Tennis (varsity team)* Track & Field (varsity team)* Boys' & Girls' Lacrosse (varsity team, junior varsity team)* Unified BocceSquad Membership* Any student who is officially registered and attending that school may try out for a team, providing the student resides within the school attendance area or is attending with special permission of the Office of Pupil Services for AACPS. Such a tryout must be consistent with state and county policies governing athletic participation.* Student athletes are subject to all rules at the start date of the specific sport season from the first day of tryouts. …

Q & A


 
 
 The ever-changing demands placed on school principals have necessitated the development of formal programs for improving the capacity of both existing school principals and those in the pipeline (i.e., assistant principals, vice-principals, and other aspiring school leaders). While there are several well-known development programs such as LEAD at Denver Public Schools and Broward County Public Schools in Florida, other school districts and educational institutions in other locales throughout the country have programs that have begun to emerge. In Dallas, Texas, Troy Mooney, Chief Academic Officer of Life Schools and Herbert O’Neil, Chief Talent Officer of Life Schools have developed a preparation guide and development program to meet the demanding needs of 21st-century school leaders.
 
 

Leadership

Leaders must have language that drives their actions; that begins with identifying their personal core values and those of their district. The example of mission/vision/core values of United Health Care inspired Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland to develop its core values statements, which the author (a former superintendent in the district) built on to guide many district decisions and served as a benchmark for individual and collective responsibility.

A Tale of Two Libraries: A Merger and Its Challenges. A Case Study

ABSTRACTIn 2005, representatives from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), the Universities at Shady Grove (USG), and the University of Maryland Libraries, explored a potential partnership between their libraries. With different patrons and missions, merging the two library cultures and functions presented challenges and opportunities to administrators and librarians.This study examines the dimensions and impact on both libraries. It will inquire whether it resulted in a limited, primarily administrative arrangement, or whether the libraries were able to achieve true collaboration. The findings highlight some issues libraries could take into account before embarking into a merger process.

Seventh-Grade Social Studies versus Social Meliorism

ABSTRACTThe Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), in the state of North Carolina, has gone through considerable recent effort to revise, support, and assess their seventh-grade social studies curriculum in an effort to serve three goals: comply with the Common Core State Standards (Common Core), comply with the North Carolina Essential Standards (Essential Standards), and create a curriculum that best serves students. Meanwhile, the curriculum theory of social meliorism was conceived of over a century ago. Since its inception it has influenced curriculum development and provided a foundation for many other curriculum theories that all start from an assumption that social meliorism holds to an accepted truth that the purpose of education is to improve society and address its injustices. Given contemporary discussions about how to achieve social justice, this is a philosophy that seems particularly meaningful when thinking about the ways that schools can help to accomplish the goals of social justice. I intend to investigate the seventh-grade social studies curriculum of WCPSS in 2014 and juxtapose it with the goals and ideals of social meliorism, determine how well the curriculum addresses the goals of that curriculum theory, and make suggestions for how a social meliorist might suggest modifying the curriculum to better serve the needs of society.

Pilot Study: A Pediatric Pedestrian Safety Curriculum for Preschool Children.

To evaluate and implement the WalkSafe Pre-Kindergarten Pedestrian Safety Curriculum. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design without a control group was used to measure children's pedestrian safety knowledge. Knowledge assessments consisting of multiple-choice and short-answer questions were administered pre- and post-curriculum implementation by classroom teachers. Knowledge assessments gauged prekindergarten students' knowledge of pedestrian safety activities prior to safety curriculum implementation and, again, after the students received the curriculum. A total of 605 children (aged 3- to 5-year) from 38 prekindergarten classrooms in 16 randomly selected elementary schools participated in the pedestrian safety education pilot program. Subjects were of multiethnic and diverse backgrounds from the Miami-Dade County Public School District. Of the 605 educated subjects, 454 children completed both pre- and posttests. A statistically significant difference was found between pretest knowledge (M = 5.49, SD = 1.54) and posttest knowledge (M = 6.64, SD = 1.35) assessment scores across all 454 subjects, t(452) = -16.22, p < .001, 95% CI [-1.29, -1.01]. Previous studies have shown that classroom-based training of children as young as 4 years old can yield significant improvements in traffic safety knowledge. The statistical findings of the WalkSafe Pre-Kindergarten Pedestrian Safety Curriculum revealed statistically significant improvements in pedestrian safety knowledge of these young children. Future research efforts will focus on longitudinal behavioral changes in these students and an increase in pedestrian safety behaviors (e.g., utilization of crosswalks or sidewalks).

Teacher Attrition and Mobility During the Teach for America Clustering Strategy in Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Retaining effective teachers is a key policy priority nationwide, particularly in districts that serve large numbers of disadvantaged students. We investigate whether a change in the Miami region’s Teach for America (TFA) placement strategy was accompanied by changes in teacher attrition and mobility decisions. Our results suggest that the increased concentration of TFA corps members in schools was associated with a reduction in TFA mobility across schools after the first year of service, but showed no association with the overall retention of corps members in the district after the 2-year commitment. We also find that TFA corps members eventually retained beyond the 2-year commitment performed substantially better in mathematics during their first 2 years of teaching: evidence of positive selection into postcommitment retention.

A teacher residency melds classroom theory with clinical practice

The University of South Florida has designed and initiated a two-year teacher residency program that intends to meld classroom preservice teacher instruction with work in classrooms with children from low-income and urban backgrounds. The Urban Teacher Residency Partnership Program is a joint effort between the University of South Florida and Hillsborough County Public Schools. Six elementary schools are part of the program. Clinical preparation is central to the program. So is collaboration between USF faculty and the Hillsborough school district. The author calls for more study and research into the residency model for preparing preservice teachers.

PEER AND TEACHER PREFERENCE, STUDENT–TEACHER RELATIONSHIPS, STUDENT ETHNICITY, AND PEER VICTIMIZATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

This research was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Institute for Mental Health (5R44MH07071‐03) awarded to Dr. Melissa E. DeRosier. Additional support comes from an Institute of Education Sciences post‐doctoral fellowship training award to the University of Florida (R324B1200002). The research was conducted at 3‐C Institute. The authors thank the staff and students of the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina for their cooperation and support in the implementation of this research project. In addition, the authors thank Drs. Janey McMillen, Natalie O'Brian, and Melanie Wilson for their invaluable efforts as project coordinators, as well as the many interns of the 3‐C Institute for their assistance in successfully completing this research project.

Beyond Part C: Reducing Middle School Special Education for Early Intervention Children with Developmental Delays

ABSTRACTThis study examined the rates of special education placement during middle school grades (sixth through eighth) among children who participated in the Linda Ray Intervention Program (LRIP) center-based and home-based learning modalities. The study sample included 113 children in Miami Dade County Public Schools who had gestational cocaine exposure and received early intervention services due to developmental delays. This study found that children who participated in the center-based (25 hours per week) learning modality had a significantly lower rate of special education placement (14%) than the students in the home-based (three hours per week) learning modality (30%) in middle school. Also, results indicated that children who were socioeconomically disadvantaged (free/reduced lunch) and in the home-based learning modality were three to four times more likely to be in special education. This study provides evidence for the long-term impact of the LRIP center-based modality on special education outcomes.

Personalized Learning Pathways: Enabling intervention creation and tracking

One-on-one instruction by teachers to their students improves learning outcomes; however, such kinds of instruction practices are not scalable even for smaller classrooms. In this paper, we present the Personalized Learning Pathways (PLP) application to enable personalized interventions for students by their teachers to improve student learning. The PLP application brings together learning content, learner skills, learning activities, and stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, etc.) to achieve specific learning objectives. We report the existing gaps with respect to intervention in learning systems and the requirements necessary to achieve personalized intervention. We also present the detailed architecture of the PLP, along with a preliminary study of PLP in Gwinnett County Public Schools for approximately 8 weeks. Field trial results demonstrate the effective use of PLP by the teachers for creating personalized learning plans for their students.