DC Public Schools: Free Dinners to Combat Hunger

School board members are responsible for a variety of responsibilities during their terms of governance. They must set budgets, establish school policies, make long-range plans, and assess data to determine school performance. This governing board further decides how schools will operate and recommends strategies that will increase student achievement.

Due to these obligations, it stands to reason that elected board members should receive some type of training to assist them in conducting complex school business. However, school board member training is not without its share of controversy.

In this video, Cal Heminway, Board Chairman of Granby School District in Connecticut, talks about what makes a good school board member.

The Importance of School Board Training

In Michigan, voters seem united in their desire to see school board members properly trained for their roles. A recent survey published by the Michigan Association of School Boards demonstrated voter discontent. As many as 30% of the 600 Michigan voters polled gave their current school board members an average grade of "C" in terms of their recent performance. In addition, the survey found the following:

• Two-thirds of the respondents believe that school board training should be mandatory.
• The vast majority support training within one hour of the local school district.
• About half oppose training on a national level, preferring local training.
• Almost two-thirds said they would be more likely to vote for a potential member who has

"We are crew, not passengers." – Expeditionary Learning philosophy

A new wave of learning is sweeping schools across the country, engaging children in meaningful learning activities that claim to prepare them more adeptly for the world of higher education. This trend, known as expeditionary learning, has been implemented in numerous K-12 public schools today, and the results in many of these institutions have been impressive. What is expeditionary learning and how does it benefit students? The information about this unique program is spelled out within this article.

What is Expeditionary Learning?

According to the website for Pathfinder K-8 School in Seattle, expeditionary learning can be defined as "learning by doing, with a particular focus on character growth, teamwork, reflection and literacy."

Instead of sitting in a traditional classroom each day, schedules are broken into projects that engage students, challenge their thinking and teach them critical problem solving skills. Work may be done inside or outside the classroom, with a particular emphasis on Outward Bound expeditions that promote teamwork and challenge students to their physical and mental limits.

The Casco Bay High School for Expeditionary Learning lists the 10 design principles that reflect the values and beliefs of both expeditionary learning and Outward Bound:

• The Primacy of Self Discovery – Learning happens best with challenge, emotion and proper support.
• The Having of Wonderful Ideas – Time is given to foster curiosity, experiment and make observations.
• The Responsibility of Learning – Learning takes place individually and as a group.
• Empathy

Today's students must be well-versed in much more than the three traditional "Rs" that have carried public education for the past century. In order to compete in the global marketplace, students must also know their way around the most recent technology utilized in the workplace today.

To help students and teachers achieve that goal, Google Workspace for Education continues to bring technology into the classroom in real time. Through agreements with states, districts, and schools across the country, more public schools are seeing the results of digital learning tools in the classroom.

Using Google Docs in the Classroom

According to Google for Education, Google Apps can provide a multitude of uses in today's classroom, including:

• Gmail allows students and teachers to easily communicate with one another
• Docs gives students the opportunity to turn in assignments to the teacher directly from their own computer
• Sites give students access to assignments, lesson plans, and research material at any time of the day or night
• Groups provide additional opportunities for students to interact with instructors and classmates online

The addition of Google Apps makes the entire classroom more interactive, as teachers have the ability to coach students throughout the course of their assignments, and students have easy access to ask questions and get feedback. The "anytime, anywhere" access allows students and teachers to tailor their work time around their own schedules, rather than restricting them to standard school operating hours.

Parents interested in broader digital learning trends can

Public schools have taught the Advanced Placement curriculum for decades. AP courses offer students the opportunity to accelerate in the subjects in which they are particularly gifted. In addition, students who score well on AP exams can obtain college credits or test out of courses before ever attending a university. However, some schools are taking the advanced placement program one step further, requiring students to take exams that will bolster the school's own standing in some national rankings.

Those Opposed to AP Requirements

The AP examinations offer many benefits to students, but they cost a lot to take. Most of the exams cost between $50 and $100. Some schools pick up the tab, and others charge students directly for the exams.

One of the complaints parents and students alike have in districts that are requiring the exam is that some families cannot afford the expense of the test. This means some students will not benefit from the Advanced Placement classroom because they can't afford the required exam with the course itself.

Others are unhappy about the requirement to take an exam that may or may not offer much benefit to them. For students taking Advanced Placement courses, the time required to prepare for many examinations may be more than the students can handle. Most will pick and choose the exams to take based on their expectations of which exams they predict they will master.

The percentage of students enrolled in advanced placement courses who