NBC News announced today that the 2012 "Education Nation" National Summit will highlight ten case studies of schools and programs from around the country that have implemented focused solutions in their communities, and have seen demonstrable success as a result. Accompanying each example will be a robust digital toolkit with details on each program's history, how it works and is funded, and its results. Case studies will be incorporated into the Summit program, as well as featured on-air across NBC News, and available for viewing and download at EducationNation.com beginning Sept .24.
"While there are huge challenges facing the American education system, there are countless examples around the country of solutions- successful programs that are getting results," said NBC News President Steve Capus. "One of our goals this year at 'Education Nation' is to shine a bright light on some of those success stories to help communities around the country replicate those successes."
Case studies will feature:
A grassroots organization in Illinois that aims to strengthen connections between home and school through its parent-mentor program, which trains parents to work in classrooms alongside teachers. The parents, many of whom are immigrants, often receive support to pursue a GED and to become teachers themselves.
A school in Massachusetts that in the last 12 years has transformed from the lowest performing high school in its city and one of the lowest performing vocational schools in the state, to one of the best. The successful turnaround has been attributed to a cultural shift in academics, strong partnerships with local businesses, and a new multi- million dollar facility.
A national program originating in Texas that aims to increase the quality and quantity of high school math, science, and computer science teachers. Students who enroll receive an intensive combination of education-related courses, classroom experience and mentoring, and they graduate college with a teaching certificate.
A comprehensive school improvement program in Ohio designed to help students achieve grade-level performance through a highly structured curriculum model that is heavily focused on improving reading ability.
An elementary school in California that has implemented a dual-language program where children are taught in Spanish 90% of the day until third grade. Most students at the school are low-income, Hispanic and English learners, and the school boasts small class sizes and the most up-to-date technology.
A small, career-focused academic track program within high schools in Arkansas. Enrolled students choose one track on which to concentrate, and industry-specific pathways range from health sciences and business to engineering. The program boasts three main features: small learning communities, a college-prep curriculum with a career theme, and partnerships with local employers, the community and higher education.
A charter school in Arizona that is attracting attention across the country as a model for effectively integrating technology into schools. Students sit at cubicles in a large, open space, spending two-thirds of their day working through electronic curriculums on computers and the remainder of the day in workshops.
An example out of Rhode Island where public schools and a charter school have formed a unique partnership to better serve their students in early literacy. Rather than compete with one another, a group of public school teachers are working with teachers from the charter school to implement a program that has significantly increased the percentage of students reading at or above benchmark in one year.
A network located in cities across the country of full-day, year-round schools for low-income, at-risk children from six months to five years old. This model is based on research that shows that children are more likely to succeed when their parents are involved in their education. Each school therefore has a curriculum that places family involvement in a child's development at its center.
An example of a city in Ohio that brought together business, non-profit, education, and political leaders to create a cradle-to-college network of support services to ensure each baby born in the area made it through to college graduation. By realigning existing resources in the system, setting up a tracking database, and turning several schools into "community learning centers," this city has already achieved considerable success in helping its kids perform in school.
Portions of the case studies were co-produced with The Hechinger Report and NBCNews.com.
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