The Great Schools Partnership

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The Great Schools Partnership
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The Great Schools Partnership Trustees Executive
Committee Allen Edwards, Chair President,
Pellissippi State Technical Community
College Phyllis Nichols, Vice Chair President of
the Knox Area Urban League Mike Ragsdale, Past
Chair Mayor, Knox County Karen Carson,
Treasurer Chairman of Knox County School
Board Roy Mullins, KCS Representative Interim
Superintendent, Knox County Schools
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The Great Schools Partnership Trustees Athanasios
Bayiates, Teacher, Knox County Schools Loren
Crabtree/Bob Rider, Chancellor/Dean of CEHHS,
UT Karen Davis, 1st Vice President, TN Council
PTA Mike Edwards, CEO, Knox Area Chamber
Partnership Bill Haslam, Mayor, City of Knoxville
Ezra Maize, President, NAACP Scott Moore,
Chairman, Knox County Commission Laurens
Tullock, President, Cornerstone Foundation
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The Great Schools Partnership
Mission Think Tank Incubator Start-up funder
for making Knox County Schools globally
competitive
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How Does The Partnership Work?

• Support for Knox County Schools
• Knox County Board of Education Goals
• Research and Development
• Funding to pilot initiatives
• Grant Writing
• The GSP Trustees and staff work with KCS board
  members and faculty in developing innovative
  structures Knox County Schools personnel
• make them happen!

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Our Childrens Future Depends on Us!
Source Education Trust, 2006
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We Are a Good School System in a Nation That is
Losing Its Competitive Edge!
Source Education Trust, 2006
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Program for International Student Assessments
(PISA) 2003
Reading Finland South Korea Canada Australia Liech
tenstein New Zealand Ireland Sweden Netherlands
U.S. is 19 / 40
Math Hong Kong Finland South Korea Netherlands Li
echtenstein Japan Canada Belgium Macao
(China) U.S. is 28 / 40
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U.S. High School Outcomes

• 75-80 graduate from HS
• compared to 95 or more in other
  high-achieving nations
• 
  60 of graduates go on to college
• 
  40-50 of college entrants finish
• About 25 of
  the age cohort gets a college degree in 5
  years
• Yet 70 of jobs involve knowledge
  work requiring specialized higher
  education

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Tennessee Student Pipeline Indicates Too Many
Missed Opportunities
Source the National Center for Higher Education
Management Systems for THEC in 2002
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We Are a Good School System in a Low Performing
State!
Source National Center for Education
Statistics, NAEP Data Explorer,
http//nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde
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What Factors are Contributing to Our Less than
Stellar Outcomes?
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We know that African American and Latino 17
Year-Olds Do Math at Same Levels As White 13
Year-Olds
Note Long-Term Trends NAEP
Source National Center for Education
Statistics, NAEP 2004 Trends in Academic Progress
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And that African American and Latino 17
Year-Olds Read at Same Levels As White 13
Year-Olds
Note Long-Term Trends NAEP
Source National Center for Education
Statistics, NAEP 2004 Trends in Academic Progress
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Students Graduate From High School At Different
Rates 4-Year Graduation Rates
Data is for the class of 2003.
Source Jay P. Greene and Marcus A. Winters, The
Manhattan Institute, 2006. Leaving Boys Behind
Public High School Graduation Rates.
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Of Every 100 White Kindergartners
(25-to 29-Year-Olds)
Source US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the
Census. March Current Population Surveys,
1971-2003, in The Condition of Education 2005.
http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2005/section3/indi
cator23.aspinfo
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Of Every 100 African American Kindergartners
(25-to 29-Year-Olds)
Source US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the
Census. March Current Population Surveys,
1971-2003, in The Condition of Education 2005.
http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2005/section3/indi
cator23.aspinfo
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Highest Achieving Low-Income Students Attend
Postsecondary at Same Rate as Bottom Achieving
High Income Students
Source NELS 88, Second (1992) and Third Follow
up (1994) in, USDOE, NCES, NCES Condition of
Education 1997 p. 64
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Black and Latino Freshmen Complete College at
Lower Rates (6 Year Rates All 4-Year
Institutions)
Overall rate 55
Source U.S. DOE, NCES, 1995-96 Beginning
Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, Second
Follow-Up (BPS 96/01) in U.S. DOE, NCES,
Descriptive Summary of 1995-96 Beginning
Postsecondary Students Six Years Later. Table
7-6 on page 163.
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U.S 4th Out of 34 Industrialized Countriesin
Overall Postsecondary Attainment
Source 2006 OECD Education at a Glance, 2004
Data. http//www.oecd.org/edu/eag2006
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College Going vs. Completion of BA or Higher,
White
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• Immediate College-going refers to the percentage
  of high school completers who were enrolled in
  college the October after completing high school.
  Percent attaining their BA refers to the
  percentage of 25-29 year-olds with a BA or higher

Source U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES, The
Condition of Education, 2006, Tables 29-1 and
31-3 http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2006/section3
/indicator29.asp , http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe
/2006/section3/indicator31.asp
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College Going vs. Completion of BA or Higher,
African American
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5.5

• Immediate College-going refers to the percentage
  of high school completers who were enrolled in
  college the October after completing high school.
  Percent attaining their BA refers to the
  percentage of 25-29 year-olds with a BA or higher

Source U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES, The
Condition of Education, 2006, Tables 29-1 and
31-3 http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2006/section3
/indicator29.asp , http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe
/2006/section3/indicator31.asp
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ADD IT ALL UP...
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College Graduates by Age 24
Source Tom Mortenson, Postsecondary Educational
Opportunity.
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These rates are particularly worrisome, given
which groups are growingand which arent.
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There is Rapid Growth Among Groups Who Already
Are Under-Represented
Source U.S. Census Bureau, Population Projections
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Growing Need for Higher Levels of Education
Projections of Education Shortages and Surpluses
in 2012
Shortage
Surplus
Bachelors Degree
Associates Degree
Some College
Source Analysis by Anthony Carnevale, 2006 of
Current Population Survey (1992-2004) and Census
Population Projection Estimates
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So What Can We Do?
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We Need to Improve . . .

• Rigor
• Relevance
• Relationships
• Scaffolding for minorities and children of poverty

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The Good News for Knox County Students?
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Knox County Students ACT Scores Have Exceeded
State and National Averages. . .
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Yet . . . There is much more to be done!
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ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Indicate the
Need for Continual Improvement
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KCS is Working with GSP To Increase ...

• Graduation rates
• of high school students pursuing post-secondary
  education (without remediation)
• Success rate of students in their first years of
  schooling
• Rigor, relevance, relationships at all levels

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RIGOR High School Biology Exam, Victoria,
Australia
3. When scientists design drugs against
infectious agents, the term designed drug is
often used. A. Explain what is meant by this
term. ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________ Scientists
aim to develop a drug against a particular virus
that infects humans. The virus has a protein coat
and different parts of the coat play different
roles in the infective cycle. Some sites assist
in the attachment of the virus to a host cell
others are important in the release from a host
cell. The structure is represented in the
following diagram The virus reproduces by
attaching itself to the surface of a host cell
and injecting its DNA into the host cell. The
viral DNA then uses the components of host
cell to reproduce its parts and hundreds of new
viruses bud off from the host cell. Ultimately
the host cell dies.
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RIGOR Design Scientific Inquiry
Before a drug is used on humans, it is usually
tested on animals. In this case, the virus under
investigation also infects mice. Design an
experiment, using mice, to test the effectiveness
of the drug you have designed. ___________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________
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RIGOR NAEP, 8th and 12th Grade Science Exam
Question

• 1. What two gases make up most of the Earth's
  atmosphere? 
• A)  Hydrogen and oxygen
• B)  Hydrogen and nitrogen
• C)  Oxygen and carbon dioxide
• D)  Oxygen and nitrogen
• 2.   Is a hamburger an example of stored energy?
  Explain why or why not.__________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __

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RELEVANCE Expectations for Learning are Changing

• The new context means new expectations.
  These include
• Ability to communicate
• Adaptability to change
• Ability to work in teams
• Preparedness to solve problems
• Ability to analyse and conceptualise
• Ability to reflect on and improve performance
• Ability to manage oneself
• Ability to create, innovate and criticise
• Ability to engage in learning new things at all
  times
• Ability to cross specialist borders

Chris Wardlaw, Improving on Being First on PISA
Math (Hong Kong, China)
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RELEVANCE Different Ways of Educating Our Youth

• Learning in a variety of setting
• Problem-based learning
• Projects
• Reflection and self-assessment
• Self-regulated learning
• Interdisciplinary thinking and connections
• Links between coursework and the workplace
• Student research
• Teamwork
• Technology
• Internships in business, industry, scientific
  community

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RELATIONSHIPS

• Advisors (middle and high school)
• Professional learning communities (educators)
• Small learning communities (students)
• Rigor with scaffolding to support students
  (guidance, tutoring)
• Increased parental involvement in students
  learning
• Links with the workplace focused on
  post-secondary preparation

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SCAFFOLDING KCS and GSP Initiatives to assure
that ALL students are able to succeed P-12 and
beyond . . .

• Early Childhood Interventions
• Birth-to-Kindergarten
• Pre-K
• Elementary School Interventions
• Kindergarten Intervention
• Birth-to-Kindergarten
• Pre-K
• Kindergarten Intervention
• Individual Achievement Plans

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SCAFFOLDING

• Middle School Interventions
• AVID
• Individual Achievement Plans
• High School Interventions
• Freshman Academies
• Academies Small Learning Communities
• Learning Centers
• Graduation Coaches
• Middle School and High School
• Advisors
• Increased Focus on Career Awareness and
  Post-Secondary Education

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Knox County Schools Has Raised the Bar For
Student Performance
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Knox County Schools 100 90 90 90 Goal
100 Graduate 90 Graduate with a Regular
Diploma 90 Take the ACT 90 Score 21 or
higher
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Check Out Our Website For More Information and
Highlights!

• www.greatschools.us