School Leaders Wanted for KIPP Schools

KIPP is searching for a high school leader in the Bay Area, an elementary school leader in Columbus, Ohio and elementary assistant school leaders in Jacksonville, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri. Please see below for more info on each role. If interested, please reach out to Maggie Raible, Manager, National Recruitment for the KIPP Foundation at 215-740-4863 or mraible@kipp.org .
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KIPP Bay Area Schools is searching for a successor leader of KIPP King Collegiate High School. KIPP King Collegiate is ranked in the top two percent of all public high schools and #11 of public high schools in California, according to US News and World Report. With over 28 languages spoken, KIPP King Collegiate truly embodies the diversity of the Bay Area. We are looking for a school leader with proven success in a high school setting serving a low-income and culturally diverse school population. Outstanding candidates will have previous experience coaching, developing and managing new and veteran staff to provide college-focused instruction to students at all levels. 

KIPP Columbus is seeking an experienced school leader for KIPP Columbus Elementary! We're building a better tomorrow for every student in a state-of-the-art facility on one of the most unique campuses in the country. With the support of a strong leadership team and engaged community, the elementary school leader will expand the number of elementary students served from 200 in this it's first year to nearly 1,000 by the end of the decade; building a strong foundation for KIPPsters to climb the mountain to and through for years to come. 

KIPP Jacksonville is looking for an Assistant School Leader to join our dynamic Elementary leadership team and help us continue to put students on a path to and through college. As an Elementary Assistant School Leader, you will be equipped with a supportive team, receive regular coaching, and have a clear vision for growth. The Elementary ASL directly coaches teachers to greater student achievement, runs school-wide initiatives, designs and leads professional development, and collaborates with families. Come thrive both personally and professionally in a region that is easy to call home and rich with opportunity and advancement. 

KIPP St. Louis seeks an Assistant Elementary School Leader grounded in the belief that kids deserve a nurturing, challenging, joyful environment in which to learn, grow and achieve at the highest levels. We will work to ensure that our scholars understand who they are as a person and where they are academically to inform their movement towards their best self. Our scholars will be empowered to see themselves as a person that matters to the world and will be able to voice their needs, thoughts and academic knowledge in a scholarly way. Our mission is to nurture our scholars’ academic knowledge, skills, and character strengths so that our scholars have what they need to excel in post-primary school and college, and build a better tomorrow for themselves and us all. 

New Georgia Law Corrects for Students Who Did Not Pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests

According to a bill now signed into law, students who took the Georgia high school graduation tests after 1994 but did not pass, and subsequently did not receive a high school diploma because of not passing the tests, are eligible now to get a retroactive high school diploma. According to the law, the diplomas are to be issued by the local school districts and dated retroactively. A person in this position will need to petition the local school board to determine eligibility for the retroactive diploma.

Here's an article with more information: http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/03/30/governor-signs-bill-today-enabling-8000-georgians-to-receive-high-school-diploma/?ecmp=ajc_social_facebook_2014_sfp

Here's the text of the law (formerly House Bill 91). See Section 5 starting on page 7:  http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/152497.pdf

Harvard Kennedy School Scholarship

The Harvard Kennedy School is recruiting for its second class of Sheila C. Johnson Fellows, emerging leaders committed to addressing disparities in African-American and other underserved domestic communities. It provides FULL TUITION, health insurance and a $10,000 stipend. Step #1: Apply to HKS by December 2, 2014. Step #2: Apply for the fellowship by February 26, 2015. More general info at link below and application info in PDF found here:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/b7b6ab16714bc6f51fdf5eb87/files/77218199-1979-428c-affd-9f23ead00fd9.pdf

Job Opportunities for Progressive (NEW) Charter School In Jackson, MS

Friends and educators of the world, a close friend and founder of the school is calling for resumes and cover letters for teaching positions at Midtown Public Charter School (one of the first charter schools in Mississippi history) in Jackson, Mississippi for August 2015.

In the folder linked below there are three documents:

1. Teacher Position Announcement (Provides Position Details)

2. About Midtown Public (Provides a School Overview )
3. Midtown Public School Design (Provides Insights Into School Building Design)3. Midtown Public School Design (Provides Insights Into School Building Design)

Teaching certification is not required in Mississippi, so take a look and apply if you might be interested in making a big impact with an awesome team!

Here's the link of the file: http://bit.ly/1AG6svW

To get an application, Call Dr. Kristi Hendrix at 601-354-5373.

States with Most K-12 Black Student Graduates

National Center for Education Statistics new study shows that my home state, Georgia, is not among the top states with the most K-12 student graduates who are African-American/Black. Unfortunately, this is no shocker to me, but I do hope for the days where Georgia can proudly make this this. Here are those states that are above the national average of African-American/Black graduates.

National average: 69% graduation rate for African-American/Black students compared to 73% for Hispanic students, 86% for white students, and 88% for Asian students.

In reverse order, according to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

10. South Carolina and Arizona (71%)

9. Vermont and Maine (72%)

8. Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and Missouri (73%)

7. Iowa, Delaware, Nebraska, West Virginia (74%)

6. Kansas, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia (75%)

5. North Dakota, New Hampshire, Hawaii (76%)

4. Maryland (77%)

3. Arkansas (78%)

2. Montana and Tennessee (79%)

1. Texas (84%)

See 2011-2012 data from Governing.com.

Massachusetts Governor's Office is looking for potential candidates to fill positions

A friend shared this with me, now I'm sharing it with you...

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A member of the Diversity in Transition Committee is looking to provide Massachusetts Governor Patrick's successor with access to talented and qualified individuals from communities of color. The office is looking for potential candidates to fill positions in (but not limited to):

- Administration & Finance
- Business & Technology
- Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation
- Economic Development
- Education (K-12 and Higher Education)
- Elders Affairs
- Environmental Affairs
- Health & Human Services
- Housing & Community Development
- Labor & Workforce Development
- Public Safety
- Transportation

If you, or someone you know is interested, please upload resumes or LinkedIn profiles for review by our Committee to http://diversityintransition.com/apply.html . In the questionnaire, indicate whether you are interested in a position or serving on a board or commission within the new Administration. The Committee will organize resumes received and present them to the new Administration in November 2014. 

Please note that submission of a resume does not guarantee a job, nor does it act as an application to a position. Instead, it will help a resume stand out during the transition process and support a formal application in November.

Facebook page at www.facebook.com/diversityintransitioncommittee. 

NewSector.org looking for Fellows

For those who are passionate about social impact, and looking to develop the tools and skills to become an effective social sector leader... New Sector Alliance is looking to recruit Fellows to become the next generation of social impact leaders. It targets college students, recent college grads, and those with 5 years work experience. Applications for New Sector's 2015-2016 programs are now open. The program is in Boston and San Francisco, Chicago and the Twin Cities. Specifically, it's accepting applications for our AmeriCorps RISE, Summer Fellowship and Senior Summer Fellowship programs.

For more information, see here: http://www.newsector.org/content/our-fellows-0 

You can apply now to a New Sector Fellowship Program, by following this: bit.ly/ZQ6CWi  

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U.S. Department of Education orders districts to fix funding disparities

In an official "Dear Colleague Letter" released this week, the U.S. Department of Education basically instructed school districts to have similar academic course offerings for its students, regardless of race, color, origin, etc. The Letter is issued by the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, in programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance).

Chronic and widespread racial disparities in access to rigorous courses, academic programs, and extracurricular activities; stable workforces of effective teachers, leaders, and support staff; safe and appropriate school buildings and facilities; and modern technology and high-quality instructional materials further hinder the education of
students of color today. (Page 2).  

 As concrete examples, the letter cites:

But schools serving more students of color are less likely to offer advanced courses and gifted and talented programs than schools serving mostly white populations, and students of color are less likely than their white peers to be enrolled in those courses and programs within schools that have those offerings. For example, almost one in five black high school students attend a high school that does not offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, a higher proportion than any other racial group. Students with limited-English-proficiency (English language learners) are also underrepresented in AP courses according to data from the 2011-12 school year. In that year, English language learners represented five percent of high school students, but only two percent of the students enrolled in an AP course.11 Similarly, of the high schools serving the most black and Latino students in the 2011-12 school year, only 74 percent offered Algebra II and only 66 percent offered chemistry. Comparable high-level opportunities were provided much more often in schools serving the fewest black and Latino students, where 83 percent offered Algebra II courses and 78 percent offered chemistry. (Page 3.)

On the facilities of schools:

The physical spaces where our children are educated are also important resources that influence the learning and development of all students, yet many of our Nation’s schools have fallen into disrepair. Too often, school districts with higher enrollments of students of color invest thousands of dollars less per student in their facilities than those districts with predominantly white enrollments. (Page 4.)

On teacher pay within the same school district:

. . . [D]isparities may be indicative of broader discriminatory policies or practices that, even if facially neutral, disadvantage students of color. For example, teachers in high schools serving the highest percentage of black and Latino students during the 2011-12 school year were paid on average $1,913 less per year than their colleagues in other schools within the same district that serve the lowest percentage of black and Latino students. (Page 5.)

The Letter also recognizes that snap-shot data may not tell the whole story.

The provision of equal opportunities may require more or less funding depending on the location of the school, the condition of existing facilities, and the particular needs of students such as English language learners and students with disabilities. For example, older facilities generally require more money for annual maintenance than do newer facilities. Similarly, greater annual per-pupil library expenditures for one school may reflect an effort to correct years of underfunding of a library collection. Funding disparities that benefit students of a particular race, color, or national origin may also permissibly occur when districts are attempting to remedy past discrimination. (Page 10.)

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I encourage you to read more to find your own gems.

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School's Back in Session -- Free Tutorial Videos

Is your student struggling with a concept?  Would you like an additional way to present material to a learner? Did you know that children (and students generally) often need to see material repeatedly before soaking it in?

Well, here's an E-Learning website with content-specific videos that may assist in the learning process:

www.k12free.com

Disclaimer:  I went to graduate school with the President/CEO of the company, so I can attest that he's one smart, talented guy.

The E-Learning website includes subjects of Math and English, but also includes such subjects as Geology (igneous rocks), Music (articulation, crescendo and descrescendo, forte and piano), Science and Technical (fluid power, types of bridges).

Harvard Rugby women celebrate Body and Strength

Ask someone how much I weigh and his or her answer is probably 20-40 pounds off the mark.  I've always been on the heavier-side -- literally -- than what a mirror might otherwise indicate.  I credit my gymnastic and swimming background for helping me appreciate my muscles, my tendons, my bones, my once-was flexibility, and my physique.  And, for showing me all the amazing things a body can do.  Scales have never been my "friend" -- but they haven't been my foe either.  I learned very quickly that numbers are numbers and you are you, but that you can't ignore one to the detriment of the other.

So, when I see a tumblr like this of the Harvard Rugby team of women who are celebrating themselves, I am proud and warmed.

Here's to "Rugged Grace": http://bdcwire.com/harvard-womens-rugby-team-launches-powerful-rugged-grace-photo-campaign/

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