“Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.” — Tom Peters

Help for Middle Schoolers – Dropout Math Still Fuzzy

Beaufort County (SC) Mandates Additional Help for At-Risk Middle Schoolers – IslandPacket.com, 3/24/08

The Beaufort County school board has just approved the addition of 20 days of remedial instruction for third through eighth graders that are failing. The district will be using Title 1 funding earmarked to improve academic achievement among disadvantaged students, who are most at risk for dropping out. The county is the first in the state to implement this plan. The district may be using the state-mandated Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test to determine which students will be directed into the supplemental program.

Numbers Get Worse for Maine Due To New Counting Methods, Boston.com, 3/30/08

A new reporting system that includes students that have dropped out, but later completed high school through another method, has bumped the dropout rate in Maine from 2.2 percent in 2004/2005 to 5.4 percent in 2005/2006. The reasoning for the change is that the new counting system will give the state a more accurate read on how many students actually complete the traditional high school curriculum and graduate, in compliance with No Child Left Behind reporting requirements.

Success Highways Customer News

Kathy MacDonald of West Allis (WI) Nathan Hale High School Named 2008 Wisconsin Principal of the Year

Not only has the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators recognized MacDonald as Principal of the Year, she is also being honored as the Wisconsin High School MetLife/NAASP Principal of the Year! Congratulations to Kathy and all the hardworking principals and teachers out there that deserve an award every day. ScholarCentric is especially pleased to share this news since West Allis is a satisfied Success Highways customer. Kathy is one of many educators that can be seen in a short video discussing how integrating Success Highways has made an impact on students and staff. The video is now available on the ScholarCentric Web site– grab a cup of coffee, sit back and hear what students and educators have to say about the Success Highways program.

Just Released – For Principals

Fullan, Michael. What's worth fighting for in the principalship. Teachers College Press. 2d ed., 2008. ISBN: 978-0-8077-4833-6. $15.95.

In the 12 years since the publication of the first edition of this bestseller, policy makers and school reformers have increasingly pointed to the school principal as the most important agent for needed change in our schools. With this recognition, principals are now expected to do even more in their already overloaded schedules. In this much-awaited, fully revised new edition, the author offers valuable advice and practical guidelines that draw on new research and focus on what's still worth fighting for in our schools. - Roland S. Barth, Founding Director, The Principals Center, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Gray, Susan Penny and William Gray. From good schools to great schools: what their principals do well. Corwin Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-4129-4899-9. $31.95.

Based on the concepts from the national bestseller Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, this guidebook identifies nine characteristics of high-performing "Level 5" school leaders.

Have news you’d like to share? E-mail us at NewsEditor@ScholarCentric.com

About this Newsletter

Success Highways News is brought to you by ScholarCentric, publisher of Success Highways, a dropout prevention program for students in grades 7-9. You can reach us at info@scholarcentric.com, visit our Web site at http://www.scholarcentric.com, or call us at our toll free number 800-995-8779.

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