This week's bloggers are the superintendents of Greater Cincinnati's three largest public school districts in Cincinnati, Covington and Newport, respectively. Together, they're collaborating on a holistic initiative called 'Strive' with over 300 regional partners working to ensure the success of each and every student in their districts. And they're not only embracing the initiative, they're a big part of why it's working and why other states are closely watching our region's progress with education reform.
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Committed to Student Success
Posted By: Mary Ronan, Lynda Jackson & Mike Brandt
5/5/2010
When I became superintendent of Covington Independent Public Schools, I informed my employees that they must always be able to answer two questions before we would even consider a new program or initiative. The questions: "How will this improve learning? and "Is what we are doing equitable for all students?''
I took that same approach with our partnership with STRIVE. Covington has implemented several STRIVE initiatives and I can answer "yes" to both questions that I pose. Whether our students are just starting their educational careers in pre-school or are finishing their high school years, they have been touched by STRIVE initiatives that have helped them to become more successful.
For instance, one of the goals of STRIVE is to improve Early Childhood Education programs. We believe we have done just that. In Covington, our focus is literacy. Through our STRIVE Student Support Network, we mapped out a plan to get as many children as possible from birth to 5 ready for kindergarten. For the past two years, Covington has received a Winning Beginnings grant through United Way. That grant allowed us to hire literacy coaches who conduct assessments of our preschool children and provide literacy training for our teachers. Our data shows that only 50 percent of our kindergarteners actually attended our Covington preschool program. But one of the neat aspects of our grant is that literacy coaches also reach out to children who go to community daycares. The coaches now spend time in community day care centers conducting literacy assessments and making sure that the facilities are rich with literacy materials by providing additional supplies.
At the high school level, STRIVE initiatives are helping our students get to the next level - post secondary education. When I visit Holmes High School, I always drop by the room we call CARE - College, Access, Resource, Environment. The room is staffed with counselors who take students on college visits and help them complete college applications and financial aid and scholarship forms. As a result of this room, we have a six percent increase in the number of students going on to college. We also believe our students are better prepared for college because of the dual credit courses we now offer at the high school. Thanks to STRIVE, NKY and Gateway, more of our students are eligible for tuition assistance programs than ever before.
The partnership with STRIVE has been great for Covington students. Learning has improved and the initiatives have been equitable for all students. The partnership is working so well because STRIVE is committed to student success and so are we.
Lynda Jackson is the Superintendent of Covington Public Schools.