On 10/8/09, our Education Committee presented Dr. Nancy Grasmick, MD State Superintendent of Schools, with a lifetime achievement award during the State Conference's 69th Annual Convention.
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From Mikio Manuel, Anne Arundel Education Chairperson, who distributes free children’s books through www.firstbook.org :
The attached pics show what I was doing Wednesday. I distributed all of these boxes myself. Most of the books were incredible!!
The books were distributed to the following organizations:
1. Mt. Olive AME Church - Annapolis.
2. Hall UMC - Glen Burnie
3. Wayman Good Hope AME Church - Severna Park
4. Asbury Town Neck UMC - Severna Park
5. Silas First Baptist Church, Earleigh Heights
6. Anne Arundel Early Headstart - Shady Side
7. Anne Arundel Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families
8. Anne Arundel Early Childhood Coalition
9. Eastport Recreation Center - Annapolis
10. Eastport Girls Club - Annapolis
11. Mt. Zion-Magothy - Glen Burnie
12. Robinwood Recreation Center and Headstart - Annapolis
The books were amazing. I think I told you my wife is certified as an Advanced Professional Educator with AACPS and confirmed the books provided are exactly the types of books children need to pique their wonderment of books.
These book distributions are a supplement to our Reading Fun Days Programs which is the main thrust of our strategy. As I am sure you are aware, one of the most critical factors affecting literacy is access to books. While spurring parents to read to their children is important, simply making books available to children in their home adds tremendous value toward reaching our goals.
The pictures of the empty bookshelves were taken at the Eastport Rec Center. The ladies who run the Eastport Girls Club said they built the library shown and put up the bookcases believing if they built the library "the books would come". I didn't take an "after" picture but needless to say, the women who run the program were overwhelmed with seeing all three bookcases full of great new books -- with a generous supply to re-stock the shelves for the next several months.
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From Maria Whittemore, Frederick County Education Chairperson:
On Sept. 2nd, Maria attended the Maryland State Education Association’s (MSEA) - formerly the Maryland State Teacher’s Association - summit entitled Schools, Parents & the Community: Partnering to Close the Achievement Gaps in the 21st Century and provided a summary for us:
Who-Invitations were sent from MSEA to all of counties in the state to create a system team to attend the summit
When -September 2, 2009
Where-Annapolis Maryland, 7:30 am- 3:30 pm
Summit Outcomes: By the end of the summit participants will:
Ø Increase their awareness of the achievement gaps that exist among groups of students as measured by Maryland standards
Ø Engage in discussion with community partners to propose solutions
Ø Develop in conjunction with community partners, next steps to address issues and pursue strategies to close the achievement gaps
Program
Ø Welcome and greetings from partners(Maryland State Education Association, Governor’s office Maryland Association of School Board Members, National Education Association Human and Civil Rights Committee, Maryland Parent Teachers Association, Governor’s Office for Children, State Farms Public Relations, CRESPAR-Howard University)
Ø Keynote address- Jo Anderson Senior Advisor to US secretary of Education Arne Duncan) followed by a short Q&A session
Ø Electronic Audience Poll- Everyone used an electronic device to answer questions related to achievement gaps and parent involvement
Ø Panel Discussion (each person had 20 minutes and all did PowerPoint presentations)
-Walter Sallee-Coordinator Comprehensive Planning, MSDE- His PowerPoint focused on developing a shared understanding of what the gaps are and the state data
-Dr. Elena Izquierdo, Associate Professor, University if Texas El Paso-her presentation centered on best practices with English Language Learners
-Anne Henderson, Senior Consultant with the Community Involvement Program, Anneberg Institute for School reform, Washington DC –Her presentation focused on forming partnerships
The afternoon was spent in facilitated small group discussions centering on the focus question: How do we get the greater community to contribute to increasing every child’s student achievement?
The first groups were determined by colored dots on the badges. The second groupings were by counties. Each county was asked to develop and submit their action plan for next steps.
County team representatives shared the next steps they had developed with the total audience.
