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Athletics & Activities Survey PDF Print E-mail
Written by Mr. Harrelson   
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 17:56

Click here to take survey

The purpose of this nine question survey is to provide information back to the East Grand School District Accountability subcommittee on Athletics and Activities. There are nine short questions about district sponsored Athletics and Activities.

The following information is provided from the subcommittee on Athletics and Activities:

While we recognize that the East Grand School District is in a difficult position financially, we feel strongly that athletics and activities need to be preserved in whatever form we can. For the 2010/2011 school year, the subcommittee has recommended an overall cut of 15% from the activities and athletic budget, in the process preserving all current programs. For the 2011/2012 school year and beyond, it may be necessary to cut some or all remaining activity and athletic program funding from the district budget, a move this subcommittee feels is too drastic for the community to tolerate.

Benefits of Extra-curricular and Co-curricular Activities:
Allow students another avenue for success besides the classroom, providing increased opportunities to enhance self-esteem.
Teaches important life skills such as teamwork, sacrifice, dedication, handling adversity appropriately, sportsmanship, etc. that usually are not taught in any other setting.
Promote school pride and connection to the school and community.

John H. Holloway, a consultant for the teaching and learning division of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey. In a 1999 column Extracurricular Activities: The Path to Academic Success for Educational Leadership. Research indicates "participation in school activities, especially athletics, leads to higher self-esteem and an enhanced status among peers. Some have argued that a positive self-esteem is a deterrent to antisocial behavior."

Steve Duncan, Montana State University, wrote in Family Matters: What is the Role of "Extracurricular" Activities? "School extracurricular activities and involvement in community clubs and organizations are important in fostering the strengths of youth, strengths that help young people steer away from undesirable behavior."

Summarizing from literally hundreds of studies: Participation in activities can help students scholastically. As children grow, the importance of maintaining good grades while participating in activities increases, and schools often have "no pass/no play" policies stressing acceptable grades to participate. Studies show students involved in extracurricular activities tend to stay away from alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Dropout rates also decrease according to an Iowa State University study. Colleges look for students with diverse interests and contributions to add to their roster. Students who participate in extracurricular activities tend to have better GPA’s, statistically participants are three times as likely to have 3.0 or higher. Participants show increased organizational skills, which have been associated with increased graduation rates and higher success rates after high school (work force, college).

Conversely, it can be argued that the costs to society and community due to the unintended consequences of eliminating extracurricular activities (increased juvenile crime, tobacco use, alcohol and drug abuse, lower scholastic performance, disconnect with school and community, students unprepared for working as a team in job force, decreased organizational skills necessary for success later in college and workforce, etc.) far outweigh the savings of the cuts.
 
Texting May Be Taking a Toll PDF Print E-mail
Written by Katy Hafner, NY Times   
Monday, 02 November 2009 19:47

They do it late at night when their parents are asleep. They do it in restaurants and while crossing busy streets. They do it in the classroom with their hands behind their back. They do it so much their thumbs hurt.

Spurred by the unlimited texting plans offered by carriers like AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company — almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier.

The phenomenon is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation.

Dr. Martin Joffe, a pediatrician in Greenbrae, Calif., recently surveyed students at two local high schools and said he found that many were routinely sending hundreds of texts every day.

“That’s one every few minutes,” he said. “Then you hear that these kids are responding to texts late at night. That’s going to cause sleep issues in an age group that’s already plagued with sleep issues.”

Last Updated on Monday, 02 November 2009 20:46
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Back to School Message from U.S. Secretary of Education PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Saturday, 07 July 2007 09:54

In a recent interview with student reporter, Damon Weaver, President Obama announced that on September 8 – the first day of school for many children across America – he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.

Since taking office, the President has repeatedly focused on education, even as the country faces two wars, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and major challenges on issues like energy and health care. The President believes that education is a critical part of building a new foundation for the American economy. Educated people are more active civically and better informed on issues affecting their lives, their families and their fut ures.

This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation’s school children about persisting and succeeding in school. We encourage you to use this historic moment to help your students get focused and begin the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov at 1:00 p.m. eastern standard time.

In advance of this address, we would like to share the following resources: a menu of classroom activities for students in grades preK-6 and for students in grades 7-12. These are ideas developed by and for teachers to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. We are also staging a student video contest on education. Details of the video contest will be available on our website www.ed.gov in the coming weeks.


On behalf of all Americans, I want to thank our educators who do society’s most important work by preparing our children for work and for life. No other task is more critical to our economic future and our social progress. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to continue improving the quality of public education we provide all of our children.

Sincerely,


Arne Duncan
Last Updated on Monday, 31 August 2009 02:32
 
Strong Communication Key to Online Learning PDF Print E-mail
Written by Mr. Harrelson   
Wednesday, 07 October 2009 22:13

Teaching in an online environment isn't the same as teaching in a traditional classroom, and online instructors need special skills and approaches to be successful. For example, communication can pose a challenge in online-learning environments, because online educators can't rely on visual cues as their colleagues can in bricks-and-mortar schools. Now, a new research brief from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) looks at this challenge in greater detail, examining how successful programs and teachers are ensuring effective communication.


The report, called "Examining Communication and Interaction in Online Teaching," reviews existing research and what it has to say about the keys to successful online instruction. It also reviews various policies and practices for communicating with students and parents during an online course, and it looks at the delivery model, course development, pacing, communication methods, and teacher requirements for 10 leading online-learning programs.


Owing to the rapid growth in online schooling and the current environment of accountability surrounding K-12 education today, traditional colleges and schools of education will need to develop programs for virtual school teacher preparation, because "although online teaching shares much in common with traditional face-to-face instruction, it has its own unique set of skills and requirements," says the report.
"While most universities and colleges have established programs to prepare their faculty to teach online," the report adds, "school systems are just beginning to address this need."


To help virtual educators and schools of education, iNACOL, with the endorsement of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), recently issued the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching, which are guidelines that form a research-based framework for effective online teaching. These standards are based on SREB's earlier work, as well as standards from the National Education Association, Ohio Department of Education, and Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow.

iNACOL's report also discusses four main skills or duties that every online teacher must have or perform, based on a review of existing research:

1. Be able to facilitate interaction: Teachers must use eMail, frequent telephone conversations, and collaborative tools, such as threaded discussions and synchronous chats, to closely connect with students. When done correctly, online teaching actually "enables more individualized attention than is actually possible in the traditional classroom," says the report. "Such an effective teacher would be seen as a motivator, a guide, a mentor, and a listener."

2. Be highly responsive: Effective online teaching practices must include quickly responding to student and parent inquiries. The report says developing a disciplined approach to "keeping the lines of communication open" is a part of the daily routine of a successful online teacher.

3. Know web-based technologies: Teachers must know, and be skilled at using, web-based technologies that offer students opportunities for collaborative learning. Online-learning environments, through the use of web-based tools, "...can offer a more active, constructive, and cooperative experience than classroom learning," says the report. "In addition to traditional teaching attributes and teaching with digital content, virtual school teachers need to be proficient at helping children acquire a skill set [that] includes autonomous learning and self-regulation."

4. Be trained in both synchronous and asynchronous instruction: Synchronous instruction brings teachers and students together simultaneously in virtual spaces, which "implies that virtual teachers need to become skillful at using chat room and collaborative software," says the report. Asynchronous instruction may be delivered without any specific timetable, "requiring teachers to become knowledgeable about offering postings online and discussion boards."
Last Updated on Wednesday, 07 October 2009 22:44
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