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Front Page News:

January 19, 2011


 

Pittsfield School District Receives $200,000 Award


In an effort to prepare all of New England’s learners with the skills and knowledge they need for full participation in postsecondary education, work, and life, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation promotes the integration of Student-Centered Learning across the region.  The Pittsfield School District has been selected as one of seven recipients of a one-year, $200,000 planning grant from the Foundation.  With this grant, the district and community will collaboratively design a strategy for implementing a student-centered education system that meets the needs of all learners.


Student-Centered Learning is characterized by education that takes place both in and out of the classroom; focuses on the needs and interests of learners; finds innovative uses of time; includes a wider variety of adults in all aspects of learning; and measures skills and mastery of content using a combination of demonstration and traditional testing.


The grants are among the first made through the Foundation’s new District Level Systems Change (DLSC) initiative which is designed to promote the integration of Student-Centered reforms by working simultaneously across three areas: education practice; policy; and public understanding and demand. The Foundation believes that by utilizing this three-part strategy, districts can achieve and sustain the type of change necessary to dramatically improve education.


Scott Brown, chairperson of the Pittsfield Middle High School Community Advisory Council, feels that “the relationship developing between the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and PMHS offers exciting opportunities in our common goal of changing the way we educate our middle high school students.  The Pittsfield School District applauds the efforts of the Foundation and looks forward to the collaboration that will result in the integration of Student-Centered Learning at PMHS.”


The Pittsfield School District ultimately aims to create a middle and high school that will not only better serve the students of Pittsfield, but can also serve as a model of Student-Centered Learning for other rural communities.  Pittsfield’s Community Advisory Council will take the lead in the planning process.  The Council’s sub-teams will review policies, analyze district data, clarify the district’s values and vision, visit schools throughout the Northeast to observe promising practices, and research student-centered practices in the planning process.


The Advisory Council consists of a broad range of interested parties, including students, parents, non-parent citizens, civic leaders, business leaders, school board member, teachers, and school administrators.  The Advisory Council organized in September and will conclude the planning year with the development of a six-year school development plan that will be shared with the Pittsfield community near the end of 2011.


“These grants represent a significant step for education reform and, ultimately, the well-being of our region,” said Mary Sylvia Harrison, Vice President of Programs for the Nellie Mae Education Foundation.  “We believe that integrated Student-Centered Learning at the district level will prepare more young people with the tools they need to succeed.” 


Throughout the planning year, the Foundation will work with the Pittsfield School District and the other grant recipients to design and develop a plan to transition to a Student-Centered approach to education.  Following the planning grant period, the Foundation anticipates that it will award up to six planning grant recipients with multi-year grants of $800,000 to $1,500,000 annually to implement their Student-Centered Learning plan.


The other schools, districts and organizations selected to receive District Level Systems Change planning grants from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation are: Burlington/Winooski School Districts, Burlington, VT; Central Falls School District – Central Falls, RI; Job for Maine’s Graduates – Portland, ME; MSAD #60 – North Berwick, ME; Randolph School District, Randolph, MA; Sanford School Department – Sanford, ME.


The Pittsfield School District is located in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, and serves 571 students in two schools:  preschool through sixth grade children attend the Pittsfield Elementary School and seventh through twelfth grade youth attend the Pittsfield Middle High School.  The district’s mission includes the resolution “to engage our children and youth in dynamic learning that is personalized, monitored, and adjusted to promote growth in each and every learner.”  The small size of the school district supports this emphasis on student-centered learning within a supportive community.


The Nellie Mae Education Foundation is the largest charitable organization in New England that focuses exclusively on education. The Foundation supports the promotion and integration of student-centered approaches to learning at the middle and high school levels across New England. To elevate student-centered approaches, the Foundation utilizes a three-part strategy that focuses on: developing and enhancing models of practice; reshaping education policies; and increasing public understanding and demand for high quality educational experiences. The Foundation’s new initiative areas are: District Level Systems Change; State Level Systems Change; Research and Development; and Public Understanding.  Since 1998, the Foundation has distributed over $123 million in grants. For more information, visit www.nmefdn.org.

 




 

 











 
 

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