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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