Mission Statement: All San Diego students will graduate with the skills, motivation, curiosity and resilience to succeed in their choice of college and career in order to lead and participate in the society of tomorrow.

California educator Harry Wong is recognized as the most widely-published educator in the world—selling more than 3 million copies of books designed to help improve teacher quality. In 2007, Dr. Wong presented a major paper at the North Carolina Principals’ Executive Training Program in which he singled out the classroom teacher as the most important factor influencing student learning. Click here  to read Dr. Wong’s paper. Please call me at (619) 725-5506, should you have questions.

In today’s edition of EdCast, Sue Weir, payroll director, talks about how San Diego Unified payroll is “going green” with changes to payroll direct deposit advices and the advantages of using direct deposit for both employees and the environment. Listen to learn more.

Congratulations to the San Diego Early/Middle College for achieving the highest - 97.11% - cumulative five-month student attendance of all San Diego Unified high schools. The new small high school opened this year on the campus of City College and serves disconnected high school students. For more information, please call Principal Liz Larkin at (619) 525-2000.

Karen Wroblewski, principal of San Diego High School of International Studies, has been named the Magnet Schools of America (MSA) Region IX Principal of the Year. Karen will represent SDUSD along with the other Region IX magnet school districts in California, Arizona and Nevada, for the national title of Magnet Principal of the Year. This award recognizes an outstanding school leader who has succeeded in providing innovative programs that promote equity, diversity and academic excellence for students in magnet schools. The award recipient will be announced at the upcoming Magnet Schools of America conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina, April 27-29. For more information, please contact Carolyn Goohs, magnet and innovation programs manager, at (619) 725-7158.

As our economy continues to suffer, it is important to let our families know that free and reduced-price meal applications are accepted throughout the school year. Families who may not have been eligible in the past may now qualify if there has been a change in household income and/or household size. Meal applications are completed using the most current month of income or Food Stamp case number. Applications are available at the Food Services Central Office at Revere Center as well as school offices. For more information, please contact the Food Services Meal Certification/Verification Information Office at (858) 627-7328, or Pam Kowalski, business coordinator, at (858) 627-7332.

Each month, elementary students from San Diego Unified have the opportunity to go to the symphony through “Classics for Kids” concerts. While there are still spaces for 30 schools to participate in the concert series, money has run out and buses cannot be scheduled without funding. As a result, the Transportation Services Department has created the “Sponsor a Symphony” fund for the remainder of the school year. For as little as $5 a student, a donation can be made to help students take part in these heartwarming and inspiring events. For more information, please contact Alexandra Robinson, director of transportation, at arobinson@sandi.net or Martin Stech, transportation scheduling supervisor, at mstech@sandi.net .

The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) is pleased to announce a $20,000 gift from alumnus Sara Ramirez, Class of 1993. The 2005 Tony Award-winner attended the school in grades 4-12. Ramirez acknowledged, “SCPA played a HUGE role in where and who I am today so I would like to take this time to give a little something back.” Her generous donation is specifically earmarked for the drama, music and dance departments, and the piano fund. Ramirez can currently be seen on the hit television show, “Grey’s Anatomy.” For more information, please call the school at (619) 470-0555.

The San Diego County chapter of the California Restaurant Association (CRA) presented a check for $10,000 to the district on January 23. This latest donation is part of CRA’s long-standing commitment to provide tools and funding for young culinary students. The $10,000 will be split among the College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) programs at Morse, San Diego, Garfield and Mira Mesa high schools. Administrators will use the funds, donated in the form of Smart & Final gift cards, to purchase food for cooking classes and culinary events. In addition to the Smart & Final gift cards, CRA provides Food Handler Safety Certification to students at all four supported high schools. For more information, contact Angela Croce, program specialist, CCTE, at acroce@sandi.net or (858) 503-1750.

Congratulations to Michael Cummins, instrumental music teacher at University City High School, who was awarded the David Paul Schuchman Memorial Award 2009 for his outstanding contributions as an instrumental music teacher. For more information, please contact Karen Childress-Evans, director, VAPA, at (858) 539-5349 or kchildressevans@sandi.net .

More than 500 fourth and fifth grade students completed History Day projects this month, with teachers at Doyle, Fay, Freese, Hearst, Hickman, Jefferson, Tierrasanta, Vista Grande, Walker and Webster elementary schools providing instruction in historical research and writing, speaking and listening. Doyle Elementary classes hosted parents at a special presentation and Fay Elementary students presented their work to schoolmates in a special show-and-tell. Our students’ best work will move on to the County History Day  on Saturday, March 14. For more information, please contact Linda Gohlke, director of elementary school instructional support, at lgohlke@sandi.net .

The Clairemont High School administration and Parent Foundation, along with the district GATE and Curriculum and Instruction departments, helped American History teacher and curator/collector of historical presidential materials, Jim Fletcher, transform the Clairemont High School Library/Media Center into a museum exhibit to honor the President's holiday last week. More than 300 students visited the exhibit and studied artifacts, manuscripts and images from the American presidency. For more information, please contact Kirk Ankeney, executive director, curriculum and instruction, at kankeney@sandi.net .

In spite of budgetary challenges, the district is determined to provide opportunities for our teachers and administrators to continue to hone their craft and share their expertise with colleagues. Federal funds have been identified to support a limited number of SDUSD educators’ participation in the upcoming local conferences of the California League of Middle Schools and the California Council for the Social Studies, which will be held in March. For more information, please contact Sid Salazar, chief middle school improvement officer, at ysalazar@sandi.net .

Invention and Design Educational Academy (IDEA) at Crawford High Educational Complex held its annual Engineering Week, February 17- 20. Many exciting activities and events were scheduled throughout the week, including classroom presentations by industry leaders from all fields of engineering. Participating companies included Raytheon, Sony, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Construction Management Systems & Inspection. This year during lunch, the Civil Engineering and Architecture class hosted “Engineering Zone,” which featured various activities such as mouse trap, car racing, float your boat and a challenge where students had to build a free standing arc out of cans. For additional information, please contact Arturo Cabello at acabello@sandi.net or (619) 583-2502, ext. 2880.

A new program developed to engage English Learners has been launched at University City High School. “Rock the CAHSEE” provides strategies and incentives to assist 10th grade students in passing the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) on the first attempt. To kick off the program, students were invited to a pizza/rock painting party where they learned about the six-week intensive tutoring program, enjoyed pizza, and painted a rock. All weekly contests and incentives are designed around a “rock” theme with the culminating event taking place at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego; students that are successful on both sections of the CAHSEE will be invited to dinner hosted by the hotel. For more information, contact Heidi Murphy at (858) 457-3040.

Biology, geometry and video production students at the San Diego High Multimedia, Visual and Performing Arts School will once again be involved in a project-based learning partnership with the San Diego Zoo. Students will visit the zoo on alternate weeks and perform activities that are linked to each respective core curriculum. Students will create multimedia presentations with photos and video depicting their experience around a common theme. This work will be displayed at the upcoming Science Festival in Balboa Park on April 4. For more information, please contact Principal Shirley Rehkopf at srehkopf@sandi.net , teacher Steve Halpern at shalpern@sandi.net or call (619) 525-7455, ext. 2403.

GAME On! (Good Attendance Means Everything), a pilot attendance incentive program, is having great success at the School of Science, Connections & Technology (SCT) at the Kearny Educational Complex. The program focuses on having 98% or better attendance this school year. Awards were given to 37% of the freshman class for achieving this attendance goal. Special recognition will be given to 24 of those students who have 100% attendance this school year. The program is built on the premise that good attendance will help students achieve success in school and ultimately lower the drop-out rate in our district. For more information, please contact Winston Neely at wneely@sandi.net or (858) 496-8370, ext. 2505, or Becky Phillpott, Community Relations Department, at bphillpott@sandi.net .

The advanced Global Information System (GIS) class at the School of Science, Connections & Technology at the Kearny Educational Complex invited 50 students from Taft and Montgomery middle schools to visit and be exposed to the world of GIS. The GIS students prepared and delivered the curriculum, which included an introduction to GIS and Google Earth capability as well as a scavenger hunt around the campus using Global Positioning System (GPS) units. The GIS class is part of the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) and gives students the opportunity to earn college units for successful completion of the course. For more information, please contact Lisa McDonnell, employer outreach specialist, at lmcdonnell@sandi.net or (858) 496-8370, ext. 2507.

Mark your calendars for March 5-7, when the For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics San Diego Regional will take place at the San Diego Sports Arena. Forty-eight high school robotics teams from throughout the nation will be traveling to San Diego with their 120-pound student-engineered robots to participate in this event. Six teams from SDUSD, part of their Career Technical Education (CTE) or Regional Occupational Program (ROP) experiences, will be participating. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Betty-Jo Acker, program specialist, at backer@sandi.net or (858) 496-1845; or Virginia Eves, director, CCTE, at veves@sandi.net or (858) 496-1838.

Discover all the exciting events happening around the district. A complete list of San Diego Unified School District Upcoming Events is posted on www.sandi.net.

• Report: Poor Professional Development Fails Students
  U.S. schools need to improve teacher training to raise the effectiveness of the entire educational system, according to a report from researchers at Stanford University's School Redesign Network. "We're way behind other countries that are high-achieving in terms of the time and intensive opportunity for deep learning they provide," said co-author Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford University professor. "We still see teachers engage in really short one- and two-day workshops rather than ongoing, sustained support that we now have evidence changes practices and increases student achievement." Education Week (premium article access compliments of Edweek.org) (2/12)
  
  
• A Call for 'Positive Deviance'
  On the website of the Hope Foundation, Pedro Noguera and Alan Blankstein write that as a country, we must "move the conversation about teacher quality beyond a narrow debate over merit pay and job protection to one focused more broadly on how to ensure that teachers receive adequate support and training to meet the academic needs of their students." New approaches to educating children are required, in their opinion, and new ways for managing schools and districts. Read more.
  
  
• Educators: Stand-Up Desks May Improve Attention, Reduce Obesity
  Student desks that allow pupils to stand, sit or fidget to their hearts' content seem to improve student concentration and reduce obesity, say educators who use them. Now two studies are examining whether the desks really do improve students' academics or fitness. "I think we're so used to the traditional classroom it's taken a while for people to start thinking outside the box," said University of Minnesota kinesiologist Beth A. Lewis. "I think it's just a matter of breaking the mold." The New York Times (2/24)
  
  
• Gestures May Help Students Grasp New Math Concepts
  Gesturing may help students better understand math, according to a new study from University of Chicago researchers that found one group of fourth-graders performed better on tests when they were taught gestures to go along with a new math concept. "We may be able to lay the foundation for new knowledge just by telling learners how to move their hands," wrote lead author Susan Goldin-Meadow, a psychologist. ScienceDaily (2/24)
  
  
• Rhee aims to reform D.C. professional development
  Washington, D.C., schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee wants to overhaul teachers' professional development, according to her five-year plan. Rhee has already dropped district support for teachers seeking national certification and plans to replace workshop-based continuing education with mentorship and coaching. Read more.
  
  
• Top teachers can model effective techniques
  Teachers can be powerful models for their colleagues, writes Douglas B. Reeves, founder of the Leadership and Learning Center. Effective teachers can provide examples of how theoretical methods can be applied in the classroom, help shape model lesson plans and bank effective teaching strategies, he writes. Educational Leadership (2/2009)
  
  
• How learning communities can change schools
  To move beyond mere talk, effective learning communities need to block time out to work collaboratively toward specific tasks with the help of facilitators, write Debra Smith, Lesley University's director of program evaluation and research, and independent education researchers Bruce Wilson and Dick Corbett. Administrative support in the form of appreciation and collaborative planning are more important than mere cheerleading, they found. Educational Leadership (2/2009)
  
  
• Pilot Program to Assess Teachers Based on Test Scores
  Four Ohio school districts have been selected for a pilot program that measures student achievement and teacher effectiveness by tracking test scores. The Battelle for Kids Value-Added Education Project allows officials to quickly intervene with additional support for students and teachers based on results of standardized testing. Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)
  
  
• Author: Online Education Key to School Success in Next Decade
  Half of all instruction could be offered online within 10 years, says Clayton Christensen of the Harvard Business School, who has written a book on the subject and presented his theory at the AASA conference this past weekend. To keep up, school administrators must be willing to work with an existing virtual-education provider or launch their own programs, Christensen said. eSchool News