EDUCATION
 
 

ARCHS To Help Bridge Ex-Offender Transition
   

 

From left, ARCHS' Chief Executive Officer Wendell E. Kimbrough, U.S. Parole Commission Commissioner Cranston J. Mitchell, Missouri Supreme Court Justice William Ray Price, Jr., and Missouri Dept. of Corrections Deputy Director David Rost discuss ARCH's role in ex-offender education during the 2008 Missouri Reentry Conference.

 

ARCHS has been awarded $265,944 in funding by the U.S. Department of Justice to create a pre and post prison release mentoring program to serve non-violent offenders set to released from Missouri prisons.
The money is part of the Second Chance Act Mentoring Grant Program. ARCHS was the only grant recipient in Missouri for this particular mentoring funding.
The grant will fund a two-year ARCHS’ Reentry Mentoring Partnership that is expected to serve 280 offenders, age 18-35, who are scheduled for probation and/or parole from the Women’s Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri and the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in Pacific, Missouri. It is anticipated that half of the offenders will then voluntarily enroll in the post-release phase of the mentoring partnership.
ARCHS plans to partner with the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC), Missouri Board of Probation & Parole, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri (Amachi), GUIDES Family Life Center, Helping Others Maintain Stability (HOMS), Humanitri, and the Institute for Peace and Justice to execute the grant.
The ARCHS’ partnership will provide prisoners with pre-release mentoring activities that include family reunification support services.  Post release services include mentoring, job and soft skills training and access to mental health and substance abuse services, housing and other community support activities.
In addition to the grant award, ARCHS and its partners will provide an additional $106,442 of in-kind funds to support the grant’s activities. The partnership is designed to enhance existing pre-release services provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections.
ARCHS partners with the Missouri Department of Corrections on several reentry initiatives, including hosting the annual Missouri Reentry Conferenceand supporting the efforts of the Missouri Eastern Region Reentry Group Effort (MERRGE).
“This is the second federal grant ARCHS has been awarded to address the needs of Greater St. Louis’ ex-offender population,” said Wendell E. Kimbrough, ARCHS’ CEO. “In 2007, ARCHS was awarded a $1.9 million U.S. Department of Labor grant to support ex-offender job training activities. ARCHS exceeded the grant’s goal of serving 488 ex-offenders by reaching more than 640 and placing more than 350 in jobs annually valued at more than $5.6 million. We are proud of the trust that federal funders have placed in ARCHS’ strategic management system.”

 

Normandy, Emerson Work Out New Fitness Center

 

Normandy's new West Hall Fitness Center is among the region's finest on-campus high school facilities. It was build with assistance from corporate partner Emerson and offers the finest in workout and conditioning equipment.

 

Normandy School District students and staff joined business and community leaders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated West Hall Fitness Center on the campus of Normandy High School.
This summer, West Hall Fitness Center remained a dream, but with determination, dedication, hard work and a generous donation from the district’s longstanding partners at Emerson, the dream is a reality.
The modern, state-of-the-art fitness center features a wide variety of  equipment choices to assist students and faculty in achieving their physical goals.
Cardiovascular equipment such as exercise bikes, free weights and strength conditioning machines are now available to students and faculty seeking to cultivate their overall health and well being. 
The Normandy High School campus has undergone several major changes in recent years.
Buildings and grounds have been renovated, classrooms remodeled, and programs and services are being enhanced to present students with the finest and most modern resources available to ensure their overall success.
The dedication of the new West Hall Fitness Center, moves Normandy High School one step closer to its objective of becoming a state-of-the-art high school -- now and in the years to come.

 

Literacy Rates Rapidly Improving in SLPS

Students at Adams Elementary use the computer to practice literacy skills as part of the Early Reading First curriculum. Since receiving a federal grant, the SLPC literacy rate has steadily climbed with many students making gains of a grade level or more.

Since the St. Louis Public Schools District was awarded a grant as part of the No Child Left Behind Act to support local efforts enhancing early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool age children, more than 1,200 students have enhanced literacy skills.
A large number of students are from low-income families and benefited through the Early Reading First Program.
 The  Early Reading First Program is designed to help early childhood centers improve their programs, by creating centers of excellence that provide preschool-age children with language and cognitive skills, and an early reading foundation. At SLPS, 18 schools and four classrooms through a community partnership with New Northside Child Development Center receive program benefits. 
 Since the Early Reading First program’s incorporation into SLPS’s curriculum, more than 1,200 prekindergarten students, some with special education needs, have enhanced literacy skills, and 40 teachers and 35 teacher assistants have received on-going professional development.
 “I feel that we are providing the academic foundation for the most important population in society:  the young child.  We enhance early beginnings for future successes in all our children,” said Nancy Frailey, project manager of the Early Reading First program at SLPS.
 Under the Government Performance Results Act, the U.S. Secretary of Education established standard measures for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Early Reading First program, and during the 2008-2009 school year, SLPS Early Reading First classrooms met or exceeded those standards in a variety of measurements:
·         According to the Federal standard, 83percent of students participating in the program must know 20 or more upper case letters.  SLPS proudly had 91 percent of the students, a difference of +8 percent.
·         According to the Federal standard, 67 percent of participating students must demonstrate a 4 or more point gain on the Peabody Vocabulary test.  SLPS proudly had 76 percent of the students a difference of +9 percent.
·         According to the Federal standard, 69 percent of participating students much achieve a standard score of 85 or higher on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary test. SLPS proudly had 83 percent of the students, a difference of +14 percent.
·          Ten SLPS classrooms had perfect scores on the ELLCO (Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation)
·         Sixteen SLPS classrooms were designated “Preschool Model Classrooms of Excellence” by the ELLCO. 
·         On the Pre-LAS (language assessment scales), 100 percent of the students made a one level gain and 63 percent made a gain of two levels.
   

 

STEM Helps More Blacks Branch Sciences, Technology

Dwanyne Ashley

The United States is falling behind globally in graduating students in critical areas of career development such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
With a goal to support the national needs of the country to remain competitive and increase the pipeline of students majoring and graduating in STEM programs, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) launched today a Web site to provide access to the resources available to STEM on the campuses of the 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country.
 Public HBCUs have experienced colossal growth in producing future leaders in STEM compared to majority institutions. Recent data indicates that enrollment in STEM programs increased by 57 percent over the last two-decades at public HBCUs. Also, African-American male graduate degrees conferred have increased by 36 percent for STEM fields over the last ten years.  Currently, 23,531 students are enrolled in bachelor’s degree STEM programs, which represent 11.8 percent of the total undergraduate enrollments.

The STEM Web site has three objectives:

    1. to provide career resources to students on careers in STEM;
    2. to provide educational resources to students on ongoing research and published works at member schools;
    3. to provide a message board for students to ask pertinent questions and share information with professors and students at other colleges and universities.

“Our numbers show that in every entity of STEM, minority students at the public HBCUs are increasing enrollment,” said Dwayne Ashley, President & CEO, Thurgood Marshall College Fund. “The STEM Web site will act as a conduit between receiving and disseminating information to keep the students at our campuses abreast of the advancements being made and the available opportunities to them.”
 A major component of the Web site is the career bank/resources database, grouped according to majors; that provides information to students on the different STEM careers. Employers will have the ability to post different STEM job vacancies and students will be able to apply for employment, internships and network with potential employers. Additionally, students will be able to view descriptions of occupations within each field, its degree requirements and salary range.
 Within the STEM site is a graduate school database that offers students information on the many graduate programs offered at the public HBCUs. Students can access links to the different schools, their admission processes and program requirements. The STEM Web site is available now at: www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org.

 
Obama Calls For Longer School Days

President Obama wants American public school students to spend more time in class each day.

President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are calling for longer school days for public school students.
“Our school calendar is based upon the agarian economy and not too many of our kids are working the fields today,” Duncan said.
Kids in the U.S. receive 1,146 hours of instructional teaching on average, more than some Asian countries that typically outscore the U.S. in math and sciences. Singapore spends 903 hours, Taiwan spends 1,050 hours, Japan is at 1,005 hours and Hong Kong spends about 1,013 hours.
Those Asian countries typically have a longer school year compared to the U.S., however, about 190 to 201 days to the U.S. 180 days.
With school districts across the county tight on cash, the decision to increase days  would have to be financially responsible.
Obama recently told an audience that a longer school day was a key element of improving education - especially in urban areas.