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In the need to inspire more students to STEM fields today, some schools are hiring more science teachers. However, without the proper equipment, these teachers may be fairly limited in what they can teach their students. Fortunately, high school and middle school students in Hawaii will not be at a loss for the proper science equipment any longer, thanks to a budding partnership between the large school district and the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Repurposing Creates New Opportunities

The reports that the partnership between the public schools in the state and the University medical school began three years ago. At that time professional development program at the medical school teamed up faculty from the Center for Cardiovascular Research and local high school teachers to enhance the quality of learning for high school science students in the state.

The original purpose of the partnership was to provide professional training to high school science teachers, allowing them to see firsthand the latest techniques in the school’s advanced medical procedures. Teachers were able to take the knowledge they gained back into their classrooms. However, the assistant professor at the center who was leading the training, Rachel Boulay, discovered that most of the schools in the state did not have the equipment necessary to bring teaching to a real-world level.

Boulay’s discovery led to an expanded partnership between the college and the public school district. Today, donations of thousands of dollars

The annual ranking of the top-performing high schools in the country was recently published by . Two criteria were used to create this list; standardized test scores in math and reading and performance on Advanced Placement exams. However, Gallup is taking the process a step further to look at other factors that might contribute to top performance across the nation. The polling company focused on one of the largest school districts in the country, Montgomery County Schools, for their analysis.

The Gallup Student Poll

Gallup brings decades of experience in data collection and analysis to the table in establishing their new Student Poll. According to the website, this poll is designed to utilize student factors in measuring academic performance and success in schools. The poll is focused on three key indicators of student success:

• Engagement – This indicator gauges a student’s enthusiasm and participation in his school. Gallup has found that students that are more engaged in their school environment tend to perform better academically as well.
• Hope – A student’s hope for his future motivates him to show up for class, earn credits toward graduation and maintain a solid grade point average. The scores for this indicator actually provide more insight to a student’s success than grade point average or scores on college examinations.
• Wellbeing – A student’s well-being is a window into what that student thinks of himself and the world around him. Student well-being provides information on how

A new type of technology is coming to two of the largest school districts in the country. Both Chicago and Boston 51����s recently announced they will adopt the to transform public school students of all ages into published authors. BoomWriter allows a classroom to collaborate on a story that will eventually go to print with the students’ names listed as book authors.

Adding BoomWriter to the Classroom

According to a press release in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago 51����s will introduce the BoomWriter Technology Heroes Program to public school classrooms next year, thanks to funding from Chicago-based CareerBuilder. The district will utilize the technology in grades 3-12 to bring a whole new level of writing instruction and engagement to the classroom.

“The BoomWriter program motivates students,” Brian Donahue, vice president of sales strategy for CareerBuilder, told the Wall Street Journal. “We expect a great deal of excitement as they see their words in print. BoomWriter helps young people develop their writing skills for a rapidly changing, technology driven world. This program is a great way to invest in our community and future workforce.”

Boston 51����s will also introduce BoomWriter to students in the upcoming school year. Melissa Dodd, the school district's chief information officer, stated in the press release that the addition of BoomWriter coordinates with the district’s goals to promote college and career readiness among its students. The technology will also align Boston School with the

As the school year is winding down, many parents are faced with concerns over how to combat “summer learning loss.” This issue, which has been well documented through decades of research, affects low-income kids and students already lagging behind their peers academically the most. In the past, the School District of Philadelphia has offered a number of summer programs through the school system for these at-risk students. However, budget cuts have forced the district to pare down to the bare minimum, which is leaving some students in the cold for the summer months.

Programs Shut Down Despite Proven Benefits

The shutdown of summer programs can be traced to a lack of funding, rather than a lack of benefits. In November 2010, did a report on how summer programs offered by the school district helped a record number of students improve their academic performance during the regular school year. During the 2010 summer, more than 60,000 students participated in summer programs through the district, which ranged from kindergarten through high school.

The district found through scores on math and reading tests administered to 3^rd-8^th graders found that students that attended the summer programs for 16 days or more made significant learning gains. Those that did not participate in summer programs actually lost academic ground during the summer months. In addition, the district’s program that allowed high school students to earn up to three credits in summer school resulted in a record number of

Chicago school officials may have made their decision to close 54 of the city’s schools official, but that hasn’t stopped the fight from teachers, students and parents who had direct stake in those schools. As recently as last week, students have staged protests over the closing of their schools, and members of the Chicago Teachers Union continue to make their voices heard through public protests and lawsuits. In the midst of the controversy, new information has surfaced suggesting Chicago 51����s may not have been as forthcoming with information used to determine school closings as they could have been.

Protests Staged

reports that dozens of members of the Chicago Teachers Union were recently arrested during three days of protests that culminated in a march on City Hall. Protests began on the South and West sides of the city before the protestors turned their sights on the city’s capitol building. Those doing business at City Hall during the protests had to weave around teacher union members to arrive at the offices they needed. It was when protestors began to block elevator entrances throughout the building that arrests were made on trespassing charges.

Members of the teachers union, as well as parents, students and other in the Chicago community have voiced concerns over school closures. One of the primary worries is over students having to cross gang lines to get to their newly assigned schools. Some school board members have also called