Georgia alert; a look at education's role today, 1984 January - 1989 Spring

Curtain Call
Brookwood High School's advanced choral ensemble ended its fall production of "Celebrate Georgia" with a full-blown grand finale that brought 40 singing, dancing students right up to the foot-lights. These students are part of the 250 ninth through 12th graders in the Gwinnett school's performing arts program, which began with 28 youngsters and one instructor three years ago when Brookwood first opened its doors in Snellville. Today three instructors provide training in chorus, dance, drama and technical theater. The advanced group, for which students must audition, produces one major musical each quarter in the school's 300-seat theater.

Contents

Letters to the Editor

Get Set ... GOAL!

Features Commodities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 School Food Service's Ace in the Hole Georgia's 1984 Teacher of the Year ...... 6 She's No Quitter Cooperative Vo-ed Training ............. 10 All the Right Stuff Came Together Aides ......... .... . .......... . .. ..... ... 13 A Look at Georgia's Teacher Helpers
Departments Letters .................................. 2 Education's Future Today .. .... .. ... . . . . 18 People in Education . . ...... ... ... . ..... 19 New Graduation Requirements ......... 20
Cover: Penny Pope plays math bingo in teacher aide Susan Morris' math lab at Epworth Elementary School in Fannin County. Penny is one of 25 students Morris works with each day. (Photo by Glenn Oliver.)

Thanks for your excellent treatment of school social work in the recent issue of Georgia ALERT. Your writing and photography captured the essence of the practice in the Thomasville City Schools while appropriately generalizing to the state at large.
I am certain each school social worker in Georgia shares my gratitude for such fine journalism in their behalf.
Wesley 0 . Boyd, Coordinator Visiting Teachers Services, Georgia Department of Education

The article "Getting to the Root of the Problem" printed in Georgia ALERT is the best thumb nail sketch of the school social worker I have ever read. The article is concise and accurate, yet written in an entertaining style that promotes understanding. The pictures were excellent and added to the readability of the article. Ms. Martin and Mr. Edge have done an outstanding job, and I compliment them both.
Dorothy W. Marotte, Coordinator School Social Work, DeKalb County Schools

This note is to express my appreciation for your excellent article and photographs about me as representative of the school social workers in the state. I appreciate the care you obviously took to portray our functions in the total school operation. Many educators in the Thomasville system and some in the Thomasville community have reacted very positively to the story, and I hope the article will help further the understanding of school social work.
Samuel L. Boykins, Director of Social Services Thomasville City Schools

I appreciate so much the excellent story and photos in Georgia ALERT regarding Quick Start. You are to be commended for your efforts to provide such a positive report.
William P. Johnson, Associate Superintendent Georgia Department of Education

2 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

"GOAL Country U.S.A." is the theme for the 13th annual Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) program which recognizes excellent postsecondary vocational students in Georgia . GOAL is also designed to promote the image of vocational education and the dignity of work. It is the only program of its kind in the nation.
During the next few months the 30 participating vocational schools will be evaluating students who demonstrate strong leadership and scholarship qualities . School winners will be chosen in April, and in May they will come to Atlanta for the state competition. The state winner will receive a new automobile and will serve as an ambassador for Georgia's vocational education system.
In 1980 the Performance Recognition Indicating Demonstrated Excellence (PRIDE) judging was added to the GOAL activities. Each GOAL candidate must submit an exhibit which indicates the student's level of expertise and competence in his or her area of study. The PRIDE winner will receive an award of $1,000. All GOAL and PRIDE prizes are donated by Georgia's business and community leaders.
Governor Joe Frank Harris, a longtime supporter of the program, spoke at last year's awards banquet. He emphasized the important role vocational education plays in the economic development of the state. Congratulating the winners and the other nominees Harris said, "You are, in fact, the foundation on which the fut ure of our state will be built. Georgia means business , and you are living proof of that."
GOAL and PRIDE are sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education and the Business Council of Georgia.

)
Creative at
Commo PPice

Story by Gilda Lamar Watters Photos by Glenn Oliver
What do you think of when you recall school lunches from your past? Fried chicken, soup, fish sticks, cinnamon rolls, jello, green beans, corn? If you have eaten a school lunch lately, you know things have changed . School lunch 1980s style includes such delicacies as lemon chiffon pie, freshly baked whole wheat rolls with honey butter, Waldorf salad and English peas in a cream sauce with new potatoes as well as popular ethnic specialities such as lasagna , burritos, sweet-andsour pork, enchiladas and pizza . And , in a ge neration which thinks an apple is a computer, it's not unusual to find cafeterias sprouting potato bars and soup and salad stations and offering choices to keep up with students' tastes.
How can schools afford such costly cuisine? The answer is simple - Georgia's School Food and Nutrition Program is making full use of many U.S . Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodities which are free to school lunch programs. The donated foods serve two purposes - improving the nutritional quality of students' diets and strengthening agricultural markets by purchasing surplus American farm products.
The Department of Agriculture has been authorized by Congress to purchase farm commodities and allocate them to school lunch programs since 1935. Fruits, nuts, vegetables, meats, dairy and grain products are acquired and made available to schools, but availability of some items varies. Last year Georgia received $26 million worth of USDA commodities, and the same amount is expected this year. The Georgia Department of Education's Food Distribution Unit coordinates storing, transporting and distributing USDA foods to all eligible recipients.

How Sweet They Are! JoAnn Whitley from Fulton County's Palmetto High School carefully readies a favorite for her students. School Food and Nutrition Programs receive a wide variety of items from the USDA Donated Foods Program, including most of the ingredients needed to make cinnamon rolls.

Georgia ALERT, January 1984 3

It may sound as if school lunch programs have it made with an outlet such as USDA continually supplying them with free foods . Yet it's one thing to receive these foods ; incorporating them into menus that meet meal pattern requirements for the school food program is quite another.
Innovative managers and directors combine menu planning skills and imaginations to create tempting entrees, salads and desserts that include donated foods . With the aid of donated foods they can keep within their budget and create appealing, nutritious dishes to help compete with Mom's cooking and with fast food establishments.
Creativity runs the gamut in Georgia school cafeterias. The list of palate- and budget-pleasing school lunch recipes using USDA commodities reads like a gourmet, international and practical foods cookbook. In such a book, Ware County would appear in the homemade breads section; students there enjoy freshly baked breads daily, including whole wheat rolls made with USDA flour , nonfat dry milk, shortening and butter. More than half the ingredients are USDA donated foods . Julia Johnson, Ware County's school food service director, confesses that commodities really make a difference in the types of items she is able to serve. For example, two or three times a month cafeteria employees make a favorite dessert called Hollywood Squares, a peanut butter cake similar to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Another special dessert is lemon chiffon pie. Both are affordable thanks to USDA commodities, and both help keep Ware County's school lunch program participation up to 99 percent in some elementary schools and 97 percent in junior high schools. Johnson says, "There would be much less variety in our dessert offerings without the flour , butter and other baking goods from USDA. Also, we certainly wouldn't be able to use cheese in the quantities we are using if we had to purchase it."
Few commodities are as versatile as cheese; schools use it in breakfast and lunch menus to make old reliables such as macaroni and cheese and toasted cheese sandwiches. And it's used to

Honey Happening - Toni McCluer, president of the Cobb County School Food Service Association, and Marguerite Pritchart, president-elect, make sure all sample honey dishes are in place. The theme for this honey happening was "Bee Creative, Bee Original, Bee Practical."
Sweet Line-up- Cobb County managers made the search for tasty new honey recipes a schoolwide effort by encouraging suggestions from the PTA, teachers and cafeteria staff. Sweet potato muffins, sweet-and-sour pork, barbecue sauce, and honey laced cookies were sampled

4 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

Sweei '"Po.f-.1-o ~reo.4,
C.ctmt'1 ofhce

add something extra to many potato and salad bars. In the practical recipe section of the hypothetical cookbook , managers would include many novel recipes using cheese. In Lowndes County all three cheeses offered by USDA cheddar, mozzarella and process cheese - are used on the potato bar, served with chili, in salads and even combined with USDA turkey, macaroni, powdered milk, butter and bread crumbs to make a prize-winning turkey casserole.
P rize-winning recipes are in Georgia schools just as in the Sou thern Living Cookbook. They are shared across the state after being declared winners in old fashioned cooking competitions. Prizes are give n for the best dishes using specific commodities or combinations of commodities. The Lowndes County and Valdosta City School Food Service Association has sponsored several such events, including bread bake-offs a nd peanut, cheese and main dish cook-offs to stimulate employees to create nutritious, tasty dishes using as many commodities as possible.
Georgia's school food and nutrition program managers take the challenge of using their commodities seriously, but they a lso have fun. As in many cookbooks, schools have a "q uick , easy and nutritious" section in their menu planning books . Many new recipes have been developed using honey, another USDA commodity.School systems found they had few recipes that included honey when they first received the commodity, but the lack of recipes did not discourage managers.
To solve this particular problem Cobb County managers sponsored a honey recipe sampling called "Cobb's Honey Happening." Managers came up with all sorts of innovative recipes using honey. Applesauce cake - using not only USDA honey but other commodities such as flour , nonfat dry milk, raisins, chopped nuts and shortening was among the recipes they received. Others included sweet potato souffle, sweet-and-sour pork, honey cream cheese dressing and honey peanut butter cookies. A special Honey Week was proclaimed in all Cobb schools to feature fun cafeteria activities and to premiere winning honey recipes. Activities such as Cobb's involving the entire school keep customers happy and increase participation .
Browsing through Georgia's school cookbooks would not be complete without a peep at the inte rnational section. School menus naturally have an inte rnational twist since some of the students' most highly rated dishes are Mexican and Italian. Fulton County employees have become experts in making burritos and enchiladas - both dishes big hits among students.
These dishes are not expensive to make , thanks to USDA commodities. Most ingredients for both are donated food items - the ground beef, tomato sauce, cheese, butter, oil and flour. Delores McCabe, director of school food service for Fulton County, says her schools are making burritos and enchiladas once a month, and students are

requesting more. "Mexican food is very popular among kids today , so they have really responded well to our Mexican dishes ," says McCabe . A cost analysis of burritos and enchiladas made with commodities and the same dishes without commodities shows a clear savings by using donated foods . McCabe figures either dish would cost an additional 20 cents per serving without USDA commodites - quite a savings to a system that serves more than 24,000 lunches daily.
The list of creative recipes is far too long to include all, but one thing is certain, school lunches aren't

what they used to be. Today's include varieties of foods , and managers encourage students to try the foods they might otherwise never eat. School lunches in 1983 have progressed from cole slaw to Waldorf salad, from sugar cookies to raisin honey drops, from cornbread muffins to sweet potato bran muffins and from meat loaf to lasagna. And all these changes have taken place despite inflation and as a direct result of the USDA donated foods program. With imaginative use, the commodities USDA provides make the cost of teaching good nutrition affordable.

Sure-Fire Student Pleasers - More than 50 percent of the ingredients used by Palmetto High School cafeteria workers to make burritos are USDA donated commodities. The decision to make a popular entree such as burritos shows Fulton County's commitment to student satisfaction. Above, from left, are Errostine Graham, Ann Williams and Gertrude Rainwater.

Georgia ALERT, January 1984 5

Georgia TOTY Says...
'' uitl ''
by Julia Martin 6 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

Kay Harvey hopes a little shock therapy will jolt the Georgia public school system into some changes.
Mrs. Harvey, a 33-year-old Norcross High School math teacher, was named Georgia's Teacher of the Year and immediately startled school officials at the awards ceremony by announcing that she was "quitting" her job.
"Although I love teaching and have dedicated 13 years of my life to it, I am no longer able to make the financial sacrifices which the current system demands," she said.
After a moment of quiet, followed by a few nervous giggles, Mrs. Harvey ripped up her bogus resignation letter and declared that she would never quit teaching.
Mrs. Harvey said she made the gesture because something radical needed to be done to emphasize the problems facing Georgia's public schools. Quality teachers are quitting for better paying hightechnology jobs, she said. The teachers who remain are underpaid, unappreciated and overworked.
Atlanta Constitution 11 /18/83

Kay Harvey is a person who speaks her mind. The 1984 Georgia Teacher of the Year is speaking out for public education- the positive aspects and the changes needed, the pride and power of teachers, the use of computers in the classroom, merit pay for teachers, discipline in the schools and the need for more parental and community involvement.
"This is a thrilling time to be involved in the field of education," she says. "The national sense of urgency to improve our schools is forcing public officials to view education as an investment rather than an expenditure. We need national leadership of those holding public office to carry out the wishes of the American people to provide the fiscal support to achieve the necessary educational reforms for our nation."
And a good place for reform to begin, Harvey believes, is with public school teachers. "Public education is emphasizing the development of the total person. More dialogue about goals beyond the acquisition of knowledge and subject area skills is occurring. Teachers are teaching students, not just subjects," Harvey says. "And teachers are no longer teaching to the average student only. Through mainstreaming and other individually tailored programs, teachers are demonstrating proficiency in challenging each student to work to the limits of his or her capabilities. Special attention is being given to different learning styles, rates of learning and ability levels. With the assistance of strong instructional leaders and more relevant staff development programs, classroom teachers are improving their instruction through the skillful use of effective teaching strategies.
"Therefore, we must draw the finest minds this country has to offer into our classrooms, and we must be able to keep them there," she emphasizes . "When I was selected Gwinnett County's teacher of the year, I felt very strongly that some type of performance-based criteria should be used to keep our best teachers in the classroom. When I see what many of the states in our country have done to the issue of merit pay, it disappoints me greatly. When I see a school system taking all the wages that should go to every teacher and awarding it to 10 or 15 percent, it makes me unhappy. When Isee things that are taking away from the profession as a whole a nd being called merit pay, it disappoints me greatly. I'm all for some type of career structure. That is needed so that a year from now I won't reach my 14th step and never receive another pay increase. I want teaching to be my career. I don't understand the inequities between working in a teaching career and working in another career where I would be rewarded for excellence. I want the issue of merit pay addressed, but I don't want it to be abused. I really feel that a lot of the programs that have been developed and are being developed are missing the point. But I feel very strongly that something has to be done ."
A positive aspect of public education that Harvey notes is that "many schools are experiencing more support from parents who are sharing with the

classroom teacher the responsibility of educating their children. State and local high school graduation requirements are being strengthened. But here again, parents must be involved. They must support the more demanding high school offerings by sharing responsibility for the courses their children take. Education must be considered an essential commodity in the home, with time and encouragement provided for quality work in completing out of class assignments."
Harvey also believes that school-industry partnerships and other community involvement are establishing the role of the American people as stockholders in public education. "In guiding students to make wise career choices and to manage their lives as happy, contributing members of society, many educators have been reaching out to other community agencies for assistance . This partnership has been beneficial in providing additional support for students during troubled times," she says.
During her 13 years of teaching, Harvey has seen some severe discipline problems among students. "We're dealing with a different base of young people these days," she says. "We're dealing with young people who have been abused at home before they come to school, who have little background in religious training and morality, and we're dealing with some really hard-core kids. The

only way you can expect them to respond to you is from the heart. And if teachers are not able to reach that level, they're going to have some very unmanageable students."
Several years ago, Harvey served on a systemwide disciplinary panel dealing with students who had committed serious offenses such as using drugs or physical violence . She says, "I was reluctant to accept the position at first . I thought it would be a heartbreaker. I didn 't want to be the one to say 'Suspend him. Expel her.' I thought it would be difficult on me. But Ifound out how many educators in this county are really attuned to all the services that are available in our community to students having problems. I was thrilled to find all of the contacts that were made for those people to obtain services available throughout the county counseling, psychiatric help, drug rehabilitation programs. I felt I really was a benefit to young people instead of just a judge."
Many of Harvey's education ideas are national in scope, but her starting point for improving public education is in her mathematics classes at Norcross High School in Gwinnett County. She says, "As problems in American education are defined and solutions to these problems outlined, we must act on the recommendations in our individual classrooms immediately. As the public sees that the efforts of individual classroom

Kay Harvey believes the starting point for improvement in public education is in the classroom. She told the Georgia Board ofEducation in November, "As I renew my commitment to the teaching profession in Georgia today, I will continue to dedicate my efforts to improving the quality of our educational system at the grass roots level."

Georgia ALERT, January 1984 7

teachers are making a difference in the quality of education received by their children, the tide of public support will continue to swell through the strengthened partnership of home and the school. "
Kay Harvey is making a difference in her classroom. From teaching ninth grade Algebra I to 12th grade calculus, her smile and sense of humor pervade her teaching methods . She feels that a sense of humor keeps the students listening to class lectures, eases their fears about learning math and helps them all enjoy their class time together. They use "Barney Binomial" to square binomials, avoid the "Cancel Crazies" when working algebraic functions and always "Do unto one side as you do unto another" when solving equations.
"My Algebra I students are so enthusiastic, and they enjoy a sense of humor," Harvey says . "It's a wonderful thing to see them light up. The lights are already on in my calculus students . But when you light up a ninth grader and you know you have that person set for math for the next four years, it's a wonderful feeling."
Harvey's teaching is not limited to numbers, however. Grammar in her math class is also important. "I think you do a great disservice to students if you tell them that grammar and spelling are important for only 50 minutes a day in English class. So, when I grade their math notebooks, if there's a word misspelled, I circle it and put the correct spelling by it. If they write an incorrect sentence, I hand them a dictionary. I tell them I'm an educator- a member of the National Education Association. Not just the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. You're not educated if you leave my classroom thinking that you can spell well in English and not spell well in math."
Harvey is excited about the use of computers in math class, but she also realizes the dangers . "In my classroom," she says, "we use the computer as a tool just as we use the filmstrip projector and the overhead projector. Computers have their advantages, but they will not replace teachers.
"When I read articles that say computers teach students as well as teachers do, it concerns me greatly. I've never seen students respond to a computer monitor the way they respond to a person . A student is not motivated sufficief!tly to sit down and learn material off a CRT.
"I'm also concerned about the emphasis on technology literacy as a replacement for written and oral literacy. Students should be able to communicate their thoughts to people and on paper. If you put them in front of a CRT and tell them to learn calculus, they're not communicating to other people what they're learning. That interaction is so important. So I'm concerned about the communication skills and the socialization skills of students who are put into a computer room to work with a machine rather than with people.
"In my computer literacy courses we spend a lot more time on the implications of computer

technology than we do on actually writing programs. We have lessons on the new computer morality - being able to log into someone else's computer base, erase their information or use it to your own benefit. We need to address those concerns. I try to stress to my students that computers are not going to solve all their problems and make life different - it's just a tool. "
Harvey extends her computer courses from her math classes during the day to teach classes in two community schools in the afternoons and evenings . She's encouraged by the community school concept and believes in it. She says, "To teach in such an atmosphere is really rewarding because these are people who, for the most part, have been through their formal schooling, yet are back to learn new things. They know that education is a never-ending process. They want to learn. "

Kay Harvey's superintendent, Alton Crews , has suggested that Georgia's 1984 Teacher of the Year is a national hero . "She is one of those truly dedicated teachers who shapes not only the matematical skills of our sons and daughters, but at the same time , by precept and example, exhibits to her students values, attitudes and behavior that will sustain them in the trying times that confront them beyond the doors of Norcross High School," he says.
Harvey replies, "Teaching is the most dynamic profession in which an individual can currently engage! I'm proud to be a Georgia teacher. Ibelieve we can and will improve public education , and I am proud to join the many others who are committed to begin now to do so! "

Harvey knows that effective classroom teaching goes far beyond mere skill training. She says, "A master teacher is keenly aware of the major influences and forces affecting young people today. The teacher should be actively involved in the socialization process, providing a loving, intellectually stimulating environment.

8 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

State Semifinalists and Local System TOTYs

Jackie Winchester Is TOTY Runner-up

Jackie Winchester, a sixth grade math and science teacher at Magnolia/ Chappelle School in Thomas County, is the 1984 Georgia Teacher of the Year runner-up .
A teacher for 18 years, Winchester believes in adding "mystery, a bit of magic and a dash of grandeur" in her classroom. She says, "I know that learning is hard work that can be fun. I believe in making every day as unique as possible to keep my

students' appetites for learning."
Through the years, Winchester's students have undertaken many school and community projects "because we believe in getting involved and actively working to meet our needs and to give purpose to our educational endeavors. A teacher who works in the community can expect the community to work to support our schools."

Sandra Brooks Butts County
Sarah Heindel Habersham County

State Finalists
Two other teachers were finalists in the 1984 TOTY program - Sandra Brooks, a business education teacher at Jackson High School in Butts County, and Sarah Heindel, a sixth grade language arts teacher at Cornelia Elementary in Habersham County.
Brooks has taught business education at Jackson High since 1970. She believes that "teaching is the most important profession in America. Despite recent reports that might lead an outsider to believe otherwise, I do believe we offer quality education," she says. "Public education employs well-trained, innovative and dynamic personnel. "
Heindel has taught in public schools since 1947. She says, "I am grateful for the privilege and ability to perform the role of a classroom teacher, and I welcome the challenge it presents every day." She believes that communication with parents is an important role of a teacher as well as sharing ideas with and giving support to her colleagues.

Twelve system teachers were state semifinalists. In addition to the four finalists, they were Cherry Cooper Brewton, Bulloch County; Robert Linn, Calhoun City; Cathy Gambrell, Carroll County; Jean Lovell, Clarke County; Kay Burke, DeKalb County; Peggy Crew, Grady County; Janeen Josey, Valdosta; and Betsy Hoole McArthur, Whitfield County.
Other teachers entered into the Georgia Teacher of the Year Program were Kerry Eugene Grimes, Americus; Frances Johnson, Appling County; Lela Blackburn, Atlanta; Gretchen Campbell, Baldwin County; Jackie McBrayer, Barrow County; Rosemary Lisby, Bartow County; James Hinson Jr., Bibb County; Willie Mae Brookins, Buford; Juanita Williams, Burke County; Karen Johnson, Camden County; Martha Dye Smith, Carrollton; Barbara Holland, Catoosa County; Estella German, Charlton County; Julia Clary, Chatham County; Sarah Emanuel, Chattahoochee County; Kimberly Ross, Cherokee County; Johnnie Hayes, Clayton County; Marilyn Allen, Cobb County; Martha Lou Royer, Coffee County; Susan Rozier, Colquitt County; Marion Marshall, Columbia County; Linda Ward Meadows, Cook County; John Dunn, Coweta County; Delores Stephens, Crawford County; Patsy Grimsley, Crisp County; Debra Jean Bunch, Dade County; Hayden Wagers, Dalton; Elaine Wilson, Dawson County; Barbara Grayson, Decatur City; Bruce Little, Douglas County; Janet Ramelle Edelen, Echols County; William Scott, Elbert County; Grady Yancey Jr., Emanuel County; Linda Wiley, Fayette County; Edwina Jordan, Fitzgerald; Miriam Bennett, Floyd County; Mary Jill Jackson, Forsyth County; Peggy McMahan, Franklin County; Kathleen Vande Berg, Fulton County; Ruth Hilson, Glascock County; Rose McDonald Darby, Glynn County; Laura Hite Holland, Gordon County; Marsha Clark, Spalding County; Karen Greenway, Hall County; Laura Mae Jackson, Harris County; Donna Elaine McKie, Henry County; Elisabeth Anne Bishop, Hogansville; Mary Ann Steele, Houston County; Betty Parr Gorham, Jackson County; Audrey Ezell, Jasper County; Edward Bristow, Lamar County; Charles Pope, Lanier County; Susan Strauss Maca, Lee County; Felecia Butler, Long County; James Goolsby, Lowndes County; Sabrina Webb Bennett, Madison County; Betty Carithers, Marietta; Alice Brown, Marion County; Jeanette McTier, McDuffie County; Brenda Hudson, Meriwether County; Barbara Bell Tyson, Morgan County; Louise Tolbert, Muscogee County; Charolotte Wildman, Newton County; Shirley Daniels, Oglethorpe County; Julianne Cofer, Paulding County; Geneva Woods, Pike County; Mary Mann, Pulaski County; John Yearwood, Rockdale County; Ann Everett Sumners, Rome; Eugene Duck, Social Circle; Rebecca Morgan, Stephens County; Emma Jean Huff, Talbot County; Ella Young, Terrell County ; Catherine Anderson, Thomasville; Shirley Cutts, Tift County; Carol Sue Faircloth, Toombs County; Thomas Whatley, Troup County; Sandra Scoggins, Walker County; Wynelle Ruark, Walton County; Leon Thigpen Jr. , Ware County; Loyce Moss Anderson, Washington County; Ramona Anita Battle, Waycross; Sarah Hawkins Paul, Wayne County; Runette Bishop, West Point; and Ruth McCrary Lumpkin, Worth County.
Georgia ALERT, January 1984 9

Story and Photographs by Stephen Edge

Standing beside an F-15 supersonic fighter plane, dressed in immaculate white coveralls, aircraft mechanic James Turner speaks loudly to be heard over the din of several hundred mechanics, air compressors and steel tools seemingly all ringing at once. Even the roar of Warner Robins Air Force Base jets from the nearby flightline cannot be heard in the cavernous hangar where the Air Force's premier fighter is repaired and maintained.
James Turner is excited to be a part of it all. Just a year before he was studying aircraft mechanics at the Georgia Department of Education's South Georgia Technical and Vocational School in Americus. Nearby, Tabitha Turner peers into the miles of electrical wire and systems of anothe r F-15. She is working on the first of three six-month, onthe-job stints as part of her cooperative training from the Houston Vocational Center in Warner Robins.
These Georgians and others like them have landed the jobs of their dreams because of a little-known training program sponsored by the U.S . Air Force through five of the state's area vocational schools and the residential state technical and vocational school in Americus.
Called the Cooperative Employment Training -Program, it replaces Warner Robins ' apprentice training program. Instead of hiring trainees cold for a three-year apprenticeship, the installation can now work with vo-tech school job placement coordinators to identify prospective employees who show aptitude for the highly specialized skills required for maintaining and repairing the sophisticated fighters and transport aircraft of the armed forces.
How do students feel about being tapped for a career as one of 17,000 civilian employees of Georgia's largest employer? The job starts at WG-

5, more than $20,000 a year, and Don Bradshaw, staffing specialist supervisor in Robins' civilian personnel office, says, "No one has turned us down yet." Bradshaw and his staff are closely involved in the everyday operation of the co-op program, which hires students from six different training areas of the vo-tech schools- electronics, tool and die making, aircraft sheet metal, aircraft mechanics, aircraft instrumentation and aircraft electrical repair.
James Turner studied aircraft mechanics at South Georgia Tech and was one of the first students to complete training in the co-op program and gain permanent employee status.
According to Ben Vann, chief of Robins' Employment Office , when the program first started some of the vo-tech programs were not up to par with standards of the Air Force. "The schools needed a new source of jobs requiring premium

skills . Robins needed employees who were systems oriented," he says. "Working with sophisticated metals of (supersonic) aircraft such as titanium and other new metals required a higher degree of proficiency than the schools had been turning out." According to Vann, the schools were motivated by the potential of the Robins program to upgrade their courses and hire more competent instructors. Macon Tech became the first with an all new sheet metal fabricating program. Not only would students learn the basics of sheet metal fabricating, they would learn it in depth, along with such things as precision soldering techniques, zero tolerance drilling and flush fitting rivets. Students accepted for the programs would also learn theory of flight, more math than other students and would be qualified for a much wider range of jobs, even demanding high technology jobs. The original sheet metal fabricating co-op program was funded through the Georgia Department of Education's Quick Start Program, which helps new or expanding industry train employees for specific jobs in specific fields . The first co-op sheet metal class was opened in a renovated industrial arts lab at the Houston Vocational Center in Warner Robins. Quick Start still provides funds for one sheet metal instructor, with the rest of the program being assumed through the school's regular operation. Ray Stewart, then industrialcoordinator at Macon Tech and now director of the new Heart of Georgia Vo-Tech School in Laurens County, says the new school will probably be interested in the cooperative training program as well.
According to Vann, Major General John Paulk, then commander of Robins and a native of Willacoochee , Georgia, saw a need for developing co-op programs in postsecondary schools in 1981. The first students hired under the program began work this July, and currently 20 are employed and

10 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

Tabitha Turner also works on the F-15 but as an aircraft systems electrician trainee. She is working on the first of three on-the-job training stints at Wa rner Robins and will return to Houston Vocational Center after six months for further co-op training.

Turner feels that his co-op training has made him a consummate professional and given him the confidence to work on the 2,000mph F-15 fighter plane.

Greg Keever is also undergoing his first OJT period. He works in the radar section of the Avionics Center of the Air Force and will return to Macon Area Tech in January for further training in electronir;s. Keever was the 1983 GOAL student from Macon.

, Georgia ALERT, January 1984 11

another 172 are studying in some phase of the program. All students must either study or work on the job for 30 months before converting to full-time employment. According to Bradshaw, students enrolled in school for six months in one of the target programs may take a proficiency examination and - if they score high enough- be invited to enroll in the co-op program. The first six months of the training are no picnic - the hardest subjects the students must take are intentionally placed at the beginning to weed out unmotivated people. After completing that phase students go to Warner Robins for six months OJT (on-the-job-training) to familiarize themselves with the base and the working situation. Then it's back to school for another six months study, and eventually back to Robins for another six months OJT. Finally, students study for an additional six months at the vo-tech school and become full-time employees when they graduate. At Robins they will work with more advanced employees called journeymen workers until their proficiency improves.
Ben Vann says the program is a definite improvement over the old apprentice training. Under it the Air Force had to pay apprentices and instructors full time for three years. The program is of vital importance, he says, when considering the money the electronics mechanics alone save the government. It now costs the Air Force $150 million to employ 1,200-1,500 people in electronics maintenance and repair , a savings of more than $1 billion over the open market price.
Five area schools and South Georgia Tech currently operate six different programs for co-op students. The school and the programs they carry are listed below.

Warner Robins Deputy Director of Maintenance Earvin Joyner (dark suit) tours training facilities at South Georgia Tech with Robins staffing specialists Kim Schubert, left, and Virginia Lingelbach. Ralph Thomas, SGT instructional supervisor, explains part of the training.

South Georgia Tech ...... Aircraft mechanics, machining and electronics
Houston Vocational Center ... .. Electronics, aircraft sheet metal, aircraft instrumentation, aircraft electrical systems
Spalding Area Tech .... Machining, electronics Macon Tech . . . . . . . . . . Machining, electronics,
aircraft sheet metal Ben Hill-Irwin Tech ........ .... ... Machining Upson Tech .... . ....... . ... . .... Electronics
When Robins Deputy Maintenance Director Earvin L. Joyner toured South Georgia Tech recently to see the co-op students and programs in operation, he kept repeating that the postsecondary schools could really become the training centers of a new highly technical society, but the message seems to be that they cannot always wait for initiative from outside sources. Georgia's vo-tech schools offer the rarest of things, tailored training programs for specific jobs and careers in no nonsense settings.

Below, two South Georgia Tech students in the aircraft mechanics program work on an independent study project. South Georgia Tech is one of only two schools in Georgia to offer aircraft mechanics.
Persons attending these schools have goals to reach, and they are hampered only by their own limitations. Programs which offer the highly technical training for specific jobs in specific settings, such as the Cooperative Employment Training Program, may well be the wave of the future . At least one other government agency has jumped on the bandwagon; the Marine installation at Albany has already contracted with South Georgia Tech to train its electronics technology students.
Vann and Bradshaw both believe that programs such as the co-op program will be highly beneficial to postsecondary schools in Georgia, especially when all the programs at the schools reach the caliber of those in the co-op program. According to Bradshaw, it is one of the basic things needed to attract high tech industry, to give more high paying employment to Georgians and - through both to significantly increase Georgia's tax base. In this respect the cooperative program truly is the right stuff for the Georgia education system.

12 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

Story by Barbara Perkins Photos by Glenn Oliver

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Betty Stancil taught fourth grade a long time ago before certification requirements changed. Now she is a teacher aide at Tate Elementary and has been one for nearly 20 years.

Lucille Craig and Angela Davis huddle for a minute at the beginning of math period . Then Davis shepherds about 20 youngsters to the back half of the room to work a math game . Craig leads nine children to seats at the front. She whips out a stack of flash cards, holds high one which reads "3 x 8 =" and shouts of "24!" zing toward her like shots from a .22 caliber pistol.
Craig holds up another multiplication card, then another and another. About midway through her

stack the shouts lose a little velocity and a lot of mathematical accuracy. Before she finishes the deck, fingers, toes, pencils and paper help most students figure the problems. A few take pot shots at the answers.
Meanwhile, at the back of the room, Davis and the math game workers are still going strong.
What's happening in this third grade classroom at Morganton Elementary School in Fannin County is an everyday thing for the teacher and teacher aide

hard at work with the roomful of students. Davis is the teacher. Craig is the 20-year-veteran aide .
"I've been working as a teacher aide in the county for 20 years, and I plan to retire from it," said Craig. There is no reason to suppose she will not. She has a two-decade success record. Of the 12 students she regularly worked with from Davis' class last year who had fallen far behind in math skills, only three were not at or above grade level by the end of the term.

Georgia ALERT, January 1984 13

Geraldine Pope spends close to five hours a day tutoring youngsters in math at McCaysville Elementary, just a stone's throw this side of the Tennessee line . If she had had a son the same year she became a teacher aide, he now would be old enough to register for the draft , for Pope has seen her 18th year on the job. She, like her sister, Craig, would like to think she has taken on a lifetime career.
Teacher aides - you can find them in just about every public school in Georgia, from Tate Elementary near the marble quarries to Montgomery County Elementary near the onion fields . In Claxton they work in schools within the aroma of the fruitcake factory . In Athens they work in schools surrounding the University of Georgia. No matter in which part of the state they work or whatever school program they serve, teacher aides exist for one important reason - to help teachers teach kids.
The help aides give takes a variety of forms. They tutor students who are behind in basic skills. They keep groups of students on task while the teacher works with others. They grade tests, file papers and do other classroom related tasks. They supervise students at routine activities . In short, they do what needs to be done to help the teacher spend more time doing what he or she was hired to do - teach.
State regulations require all auxiliary personnel to be licensed. Aides fall into this category. There are two classes of aides in Georgia - Rank I (aide)

must have at least a ninth grade education or GED equivalent; Rank II (paraprofessional) must have at least 45 quarter hours of college credit. Both classes must complete 50 clock hours of orientation training before being issued a regular license. However, either 90 quarter hours of college credit, or 1,000 clock hours of vocational-technical or CESA training, or the possession of a valid teaching certificate can substitute for orientation.
In addition, every three years the aide must complete 50 clock hours of in-service to have a license renewed.
"Good aides aren't just born that way. They must be trained. We have some of the best aides in the state because we do some of the best training," said M.C. McDaniel, curriculum director for Pickens County Schools.
Pickens County offers courses for aides in first aid, fire safety, child abuse and neglect and physical education for children. Workshops carried out through the year include make-and-take materials for classroom use, professionalism in working with parents and teachers, legal hints for education personnel, proper use of audiovisual equipment, ages and stages of children, storytelling and affective education.
"We have an arrangement with North Georgia College whereby they come and offer courses to our people here. A lot of our aides take advantage of this," McDaniel said .

Seven of Pickens County's aides realized a bargain from their training. They took so many courses while they were aides that they were able to apply for certification by the Georgia Department of Education and returned to their classrooms not as aides but as teachers.
"Aides are teachers ." according to Barbara Stevens, coordinator of early childhood education of the Georgia Department of Education. "Most are not teachers in the technical sense of being certified or having major responsibility for instruction, but they are teachers because they are models for children. They teach by example . This is especially true in kindergarten."
Kindergarten units by law are defined as one teacher, one aide and 40 students for regular classes or 24 students for special education classes. "Aides were written into the program because we believe they are essential. Whether you have 15 or 25 kindergarten student's in a room, you need two adults there. Little ones need help with their belongings. They need help with their clothes. They need help with socialization skills. One adult cannot provide that attention and instruct too," Stevens said.
Psychoeducational Centers for Severely Emotionally Disturbed Children (SED) also use aides extensively, but they are not called aides.
"They are called support teachers because that better describes what they do," said Joan Jordan,

These Morganton fifth graders strengthen their mathematics skills by practicing expanded notation at the chalkboard. A test they took in the first two weeks of school indicated the skills in which they were

behind. The help Craig gives them both individually and in small groups helps them to master those skills. She hopes to have them working on grade level before the end of the school term.

14 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

coordinator for Georgia's SED network. "If you understand the population of children SED centers serve , if you understand the nature of what goes on in SED classrooms, then you already know that support teachers must undergo a lot of training."
SED support teachers are Rank II aides. They help with parent training and educational assessment. They chart student behavior. They must be familiar with each student's Individual Education Plan. According to Jordan, the 379 support teachers along with their lead teachers must make effective classroom teams. They were written into the original staffing plan for the centers because SED students need individual attention .
In many cases the support teacher has to know just about as much as the lead teacher, Jordan says. Support teachers go to in-service training; they attend staff meetings; they are included with the teachers in training sessions because of the team approach.
"If for some reason a lead teacher has to leave the room, the support teacher has to know how to effectively handle that class of severely emotionally disturbed children," Jordan said.
"I was a teacher aide in the special education program here in Fannin County for six years, and it was an intense experience . Three years ago I was transferred to the compensatory education program, and it's quite a different experience altogether," said Joan Kitchens, who works at Mineral Bluff Elementary.

Craig drills third graders on multiplication. Fannin County uses all of its compensatory education aides for mathematics remediation.

"Readers are Leaders" the sign above Helen Stewart's work area says. Stewart is an aide for sixth and seventh grade teachers at Jasper Elementary. Here she works with slow readers in a social studies class.

"33," was second grader Randy Allen's first answer to Morris' question, "What's 2 times 3?" After Morris briefly explains the times sign again, Randy uses a tried and true finger count to get the right answer.

Georgia ALERT, January 1984 15

Geraldine Pope helps a youngster with directions on taking a math exam. Teacher Sherry Welch says one of the greatest benefits of

having Pope's aid is that, "Gerri is an excellent math scholar. And she knows how to communicate her knowledge to students."

Compensatory education students do not have special problems. They simply have fallen behind in either one or both of the basic skills subjects reading and math. Kitchens' job is to help them catch up with the rest of their class.
Compensatory Education (CEP) is one of the oldest remaining state funded programs which uses aides extensively. CEP aides are 900 strong today. At one time they were almost twice that numerous. Decreased education funding is one reason for the decline in numbers.
"We can't afford to buy teachers with the money we get," said Tom Foster, curriculum director for Fannin County Schools. "But we can buy aides. We are learning to be creative with our existing personnel. Of course, when you have aides the caliber of the ones we have here, I don't think there is any cause for worry about the quality of services students are getting."

According to Bert Griffin, compensatory education consultant for the Georgia Department of Education, many aides are as good as teachers. Some who have been on the job for many years are exceptional. Some aides are teachers who have not been able to get a teaching position in the school system of their choice, so they work as aides until the right position opens. Some hold education degrees but lack some qualification to be certified, so they work as aides until the qualification is met.
Jordan said one of the best support teachers she ever had while she was director of an SED center was a young man with a four-year degree in psychology from West Georgia College. The center lost him as a support teacher but gained him as a teacher when he became certified.
Just about every educational program has teacher aides or their equivalent to serve it - Chapter I, migrant education, bilingual education, special

education to name a few. Aides are an education bargain hunter's special.
"Teacher aides yield a high return on the education dollar. For the amount of money the state puts into aides for schools, their contribution to Georgia children insofar as helping them to learn is outstanding," said Scott Bradshaw, director of the Division of Curriculum Services for the Georgia Department of Education.
Teacher aid is a female-dominated occupation. The pay is low. Aides do not choose this field to get rich . Most of them make barely above minimum wage. Rank II aides make a little more than Rank I. Sometimes, but not often, local funds supplement state or federally funded salaries. The rewards you get being a teacher aide are not related to money, many aides say.
"Working with the children and giving them the individual help they need to keep up with the rest of

16 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

Aides Could Be Cut
Compensatory and psychoeducation dollars were among the education programs hard hit in last fall's budget cuts. Compensatory education is missing more than $542,000 from its initial FY 1984 allocation. Almost $436,000 in psychoed money was cut.
These cuts were equitably divided among school systems- 3.15 percent of each local education agency's original allotment was lost. While no one school system's programs will be devastated by the decrease in funds, the state's overall program will suffer. State education officials say that if school systems cannot replace the state funds with local money, supplies and materials, personnel and services to students will have to be cut.
Teacher aides might be affected. A few might lose their jobs. But more likely, as has happened in the past, some fulltimers might become part-timers. Another likelihood as education dollars become scarce and the effect of inflation diminishes their worth is that the ratio of compensatory teacher aides to certified teachers might increase.

Pam Garrett helps a kindergartener with his art. She is one ofPickens County's 39 teacher aides.

the class is my reward ," one aide said. "Giving children the help they need, help no one else has the time to give them, makes you feel good," said another. "My biggest reward probably has been learning so much about how to deal with children the right way. I'll tell you, when you have a house full of your own, every little bit of good information you can get helps a lot," said an elementary school aide. "Having one of the little ones put his arms around you and say, 'I love you . You're always so nice to me .' is my pay, " said a kindergarten aide.
Morris pulls students from their classrooms to work with them in a lab. She takes only three or four at a time.

Georgia ALERT, January 1984 17

A Look at Education's Future Today

For the first time in 20 years, Georgia public education is getting a comprehensive , in-depth, cross-section study, according to Ed Harris, vice chairman of the Education Review Commission appointed this summer by Governor Joe Frank Harris.
The 40-member commission, which includes Georgia Board of Education members, legislators, parents, business people, professionals and educators, has been asked by the Governor to define a basic, quality education and to determine an equitable method of funding public schools. The Governor chairs the commission, and Ed Harris, a certified public accountant with Price Waterhouse of Atlanta, is vice chairman.
Ed Harris told Georgia school superintendents that the commission plans public hearings in each congressional district and expects to make its recommendations in June. The first hearing was held November 14 in Dalton ; others are scheduled through January.
The commission has five working subcommittees - comparative analysis, definition, teacher education, funding and service delivery.
Issues being considered include- What is a basic , quality education? How much preparation do students need? What should be the core curriculum? Why do we have a teacher shortage? Could Georgia implement a career ladder? What should be done about teachers who can't progress? Who evaluates administrators? Should the state take over all education funding? Do we need statewide tests? Is there any significance to the fact that the average millage is 11.2 mills in systems where the superintendent is elected and 13.7 where the superintendent is appointed? Who controls education in Georgia? Should the state superintendent be appointed?
Harris said the Governor told commission members that he would not support any new taxes for education but would consider reallocating existing resources.
Members of the commission are Kathryn P . Jasper of Macon and Richard Owens of Ocilla , members of the Georgia Board of Education; Senators Tom Allgood of Augusta, Roy Barnes of Marietta, John Foster of Cornelia, AI Scott of Savannah and Terrell Starr of Forest Park; Representatives Jimmy Benefield of Jonesboro, AI Burrus of Marietta, Bubba McDonald of Commerce , Ben Ross of Lincolnton and Georganna Sinkfield of Atlanta.
Other commission members are Atlanta businessman Bernard Abrams; John Arndt of Cousins Properties, Doraville ; Judith Arrington of Georgia Power, Atlanta; Dalton businessman

James Brown; funeral director William Carroll of Camilla; Ellen Claiborne, former state PTA president, Dalton; Dougherty County campaign coordinator Lisa Collins; Gwinnett County School Superintendent Alton Crews; Atlanta City School Superintendent Alonzo Crim; Patricia Edwards, a homemaker from Barnesville; Chatham County School Superintendent Ronald Etheridge; Dot Fletcher, a homemaker from LaFayette; attorney Billy Fallin of Moultrie; Joseph Greene , McDuffie County Board of Education member, Thomson; Robert Guyton , Bank of the South, Atlanta; banker Eugene Hunt, Augusta; Atlanta businessman

Arthur Johnston; Carolyn Lee , Georgia Association of Educators president, Carrollton; Carol Murphy, a teacher from Bremen; Naia Newton , a homemaker from Waycross ; businessman Herman Russell , Atlanta; Elizabeth Brown Sloop, a business education consultant from Decatur; Nancy Stanton, a homemaker from Lilburn; Anne Tolleson, a homemaker from Atlanta; Janet Wiley , Professional Association of Georgia Educators president, Elberton; minister Larry Williams of Atlanta; and Bibb County School Deputy Superintendent Robert Williams.
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What is a basic, quality education? That is one question to be answered by the Education Review Commission. Dr. Alonzo Crim, right, vice chairman of the definition committee and superintendent of Atlanta City Schools, explains his ideas to other members, from left, Nancy Stanton, Gene Hunt, Anne Tolleson and Dot Fletcher.
Funding the Future 1985

The Georgia Board of Education will seek $1.8 billion for public schools for school year 1984-85.
Most of the budget request to the 1984 General Assembly will continue programs in the current budget. Approximately $200 million will be sought for improvements, not including $135 million for school building construction and renovation .
A large part of the new funds - about $92 million would go for a $1,500 across-the-board salary increase for teachers and public librarians and a 10 percent increase for bus drivers . This would raise the salary for beginning teachers to $14,526 .
Other major items included in the request are
$5 .9 million to provide a full -day kindergarten program,
$5 .2 million to add the 18th year to the teacher salary schedule,

$19 million to increase maintenance and operation funds from $2,100 to $2,500 per teacher,
$2.4 million to increase sick and personal leave for teachers and bus drivers ,
$2.1 million to increase instructional materials and media from $450 to $500 per teacher,
$23 million to implement a health insurance plan for noncertified personnel,
$22 million for vocational and technical education improvements,
$1.2 million for 48 additional school psychologists,
$2 million for high technology instructional equipment.
All but about $20 million of the $1.8 billion budget request would go directly to local school systems and state-operated schools. The other $20 million is for operation of the Georgia Department of Edu catio n .

18 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

People 1 n Education

Curtis Kingsley
In a recent reorganization of the Georgia Department of Education's Office of Vocational Education, Curtis Kingsley was promoted to director of the Division of Secondary Vocational Programs. He previously coordinated the development of comprehensive high schools and the expansion of the postsecondary vocationaltechnical schools. A native of Mississippi, he joined the Georgia Department of Education staff in 1973. He has been a teacher, vocational supervisor and high school principal. He received a B.S. degree in industrial education from Mississippi State University and a master's from the University of Georgia. The Office of Vocational Education now has three divisions - Kingsley's Division of Secondary Vocational Programs, the Postsecondary Vocational Programs Division headed by John Lloyd and the Division of Program Development and Support Services headed by Jim Conkwright.

H. F. Johnson Jr.

H. F. Johnson Jr. is associate state school superintendent for administrative services. He joined the Georgia Department of Education staff in 1980 as a regional director in Statesboro for 17 systems. A native of Baxley, Johnson was superintendent of Appling County Schools for seven years . He also has been a high school counselor and teacher. He holds a bachelor's and

master's degree in education and an Ed.S. in administration and supervision from Georgia Southern . As associate state school superintendent, Johnson administers five divisions in the Georgia Department of Education facilities and transportation, fiscal services, local systems support, regional education services and public information and publications.

Michael Tenoschok
Michael Tenoschok is staff assistant to State School Superintendent Charles McDaniel. A native of Frackville, Pennsylvania, Tenoschok joined the staff of the Georgia Department of Education in January 1983 as a health and physical education consultant in the Curriculum Division. He previously served as an intramural director and physical education teacher in Cobb County's Pine Mountain and Dodgen middle schools. Tenoschok has bachelor's and master's degrees from Temple University in Philadelphia. In his new position Tenoschok works closely with the Georgia Board of Education and travels with and handles special projects for the superintendent .

Georgia ALERT, January 1984 19

-

Governor Names New Board Members
The Georgia Board of Education has three new members- Kathryn P. Jasper representing the eighth congressional district, Bernadine Cantrell representing the fifth a nd John M. Taylor representing the third. J asper is a retired elementary school principal from Macon. She has been a classroom teacher and a consultant in the program for exceptional children and early childhood education for Bibb County Schools. Cantrell lives in Atlanta and attended school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is active in church and civic organizations and serves on the board of directors of Challenger Films. Taylor is an attorney in the LaGrange firm of Lewis and Taylor. He has served as an instructor in business law for the University of Kentucky Extension in Fort Knox and is a member of the City of LaGrange Democratic Executive Committee.

Kathryn P. Jasper

Bernadine Cantrell

John M. Taylor

Students Must Study More Math, Science
Students entering the ninth grade next fall will face stiffer high school graduation requirements. At its November meeting the G eorgia Board of Education adopted a new policy which increases the number of Carnegie units required for graduation from 20 to 21. Of those , 13 will be specified areas of study and eight will be electives. Currently, 10 units are specified, and 10 are electives.
The new requirements call for four _units in English language arts, two in mathematics, two in science, three in social studies, one in health, safety and physical education and one in computer technology, fine arts or vocational education.
According to the policy, remedial credits must be classified as electives. State required unit credit must be awarded for courses which include skills and concepts generally considered to be secondary school levels of performance . Developmental special education courses are not considered remedial.
In the new policy the state board also endorses a course of study for college-bound students which includes four units of English language arts , three of science , three of mathematics , three of social science , two of foreign language, one of health, safety and physical education and one of computer technology, fine arts or vocational education. The board recommends that 17 of these units be required and only four elective .
Other requirements previously adopted by the board have not changed. The students still must demonstrate competence in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics and problem solving.
These skills, with the exception of writing, are measured through the Georgia Basic Skills Tests, which students must pass in order to graduate. They must also meet attendance requirements established by local boards of education .

January 1984 Vol. 15 No. 1

ALERT Staff Managing Editor Nancy Hall-Shelton News Feature Editor Stephen Edge Photo Editor Glenn Oliver Graphics Elaine Pierce Typesetting Carla Dean Contributing Reporters Wagers Chenault, Eleanor Gilmer, Julia Martin, Lou Peneguy , Barbara Perkins, Ann e Raymond and Gilda Lamar Watters.

The Georgia Department of Education does not discriminate in employment or educational activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap.

Published by the Public Information and Publications Division

Office of Administrative Services
Georgia Department of Education 2052 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Telephone (404) 656-2476

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20 Georgia ALERT, January 1984

Georgia Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 30334

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1985 Search Begins For Teaching Excellence

The search for Georgia's 1985 Teacher of the Year began in several local systems this spring; other local TOTYs are selected in the fall. State nominations will be due in the Georgia Department of Education's Public Information and Publications Division in late September. State entry forms were mailed to local systems in May.
Last year, 98 local teachers of the year were nominated for the state title, the highest number ever to participate. Kay Harvey, a mathematics teacher at Norcross High School in Gwinnett County, was chosen to represent all of Georgia's excellent teachers. Since then she has been named assistant principal at Gwinnett's Duluth High School.
"The state teacher of the year program is one of the best ways we have to recognize our many

outstanding classroom teachers," said State School Superintendent Charles McDaniel. "I encourage every system to nominate a deserving teacher for the state title."
The Georgia Teacher of the Year Program is cosponsored by the state education department and Southern Educators Life Insurance Company. Southern Educators honors the TOTY with $1,000 and the state runner-up with $250, along with a dinner in their honor and hotel accommodations in Atlanta before being presented to the Georgia Board of Education in November.
Georgia's 1985 TOTY will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year Program which is sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers, Encyclopaedia Britannica and Good Housekeeping magazine.

Kay Harvey, Georgia's 1984 Teacher of the Year, will serve on the final selection committee to choose the 1985 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

Contents

State Board Takes Action For Excellence

Features
Principals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Good Ones and How They Get That Way
Report Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Are They Making the Grade?
Education Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Computers Come to Class
Pine Street Elementary Skills Center .... 15 Machines Make Learning Fun
It's Not Easy Being Excellent . .. . .. .. .... 16 A Look at Georgia's 1984 Schools of Excellence
Departments
1985 TOTY Search Begins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Action for Excellence .................... 2 A Matter of PRiority ......... ..... . . .. . . 23 Teacher Salaries Going Up . .. . .. .. ... .. 24
Cover: Shamrock High School English teacher Katie Vance (left) and Betty Beason, secretary in the attendance office, get programming training in BASIC LANGUAGE. Shamrock, a DeKalb County School, will soon be using computers in both administrative and instructional capacities.
(Photograph by Glenn Oliver)

In recent months the Georgia Board of Education has made some significant policy changes to improve education in the state.
Last November, the board adopted stiffer high school graduation requirements which will require students to take more English, mathematics and science courses. The number of Carnegie units was increased from 20 to 21, and of those 13 will be specified areas of study and eight will be electives.
The new requirements call for four units in English language arts, two in mathematics, two in science! three in social studies, one in health, safety and physical education and one in computer technology and/or fine arts and/ or vocational education. The board also endorses a course of study for college bound students which includes additional courses in English, science, mathematics and foreign language. The new policy will affect students entering the ninth grade next fall.
To be promoted, third grade students will soon be required to pass a state-administered test to measure their reading and mathematics skills. The first test will be given on a pilot basis to third graders next fall. After that, the state board will determine the passing score, and third graders entering school in 1985-86 will be required to pass. The third grade criterion-referenced test will become a part of the statewide testing program and will take the place of the required fourth grade CRT.
Student absences for school-sponsored noninstructional activities will be limited to seven

days per 180-day school year under a field-test Standard adopted by the board in April.
The proposed Standard, if adopted following next year's trial period, will require local boards of education to adopt policies limiting absences for students in grades four through 12 to "no more than seven days/ 42 hours per year for schoolsponsored activities." The local board may adopt a more stringent standard than the seven days. Students in grades one through three may miss no more than 31.5 hours. In addition, the state board Standard allows a school to use a maximum of three days during the 180-day school year for administrative activities such as registration and student orientation.
The board interprets instructional activity as "time spent on instruction provided or coordinated by a regular certified teacher or a supply teacher which relates directly to course content as defined in local system curriculum guides or locally adopted state guides. Testing, counseling (including parentteacher conferences) and health screening are deemed to be instructional activity."
Other areas under study by board committees and which will be voted on during the next several months include establishing basic curriculum content and expectations for what students should learn in each elementary grade and high school subject; simplifying and streamlining teacher certification and upgrading administrative and instructional leadership throughout Georgia public schools through training, development and evaluation .

2 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

Tlte Principal Teaclter-anda wltolelot more
by Eleanor Gilmer

Fox principal Guy Sims believes his school's preschool and kindergarten programs have made an important difference in student achievement. Most Fox students come from low-income families where parents have little time or resources to spend on school readiness for their children.

If you take a cup of kindness, a tablespoon of firmness, a pinch of tact, a teaspoon of communication skills and a bushel of hard work and mix them all together with a lot of leadership ability, what will you get? Probably an outstanding public school principal.
Many have speculated on the ingredients that go into making a good principal. The answers are as varied as the people giving them. But the one thing they are likely to agree on is that the principal is the key to an effective school.
"A good principal motivates students to learn."
"The principal should be tuned in to students."
"The principal should first of all be a good teacher."
"I think the principal should serve as a role model for students."
"A good principal treats teachers as professionals."
"A good principal involves parents in the school
program."

These are comments from students, teachers, parents and principals themselves on what makes an outstanding principal.
The quality of education across the nation has been the topic of much discussion in recent months. Thousands of dollars have been spent studying the issues and recommending solutions to the problems. Many of these studies have reported that the leadership role of the principal plays a crucial part in achieving quality in the school.
Some theorists believe that principals are perhaps the most important individuals in schools, and school effectiveness is directly related to the effectiveness of the principal.
The role of the school principal has broadened greatly since the early days of public education, when the best teacher in the school was appointed supervisor of other teachers. In fact , that is where the term principal originated - this person was the principal teacher.

According to State School Superintendent Charles McDaniel, that still is the most important characteristic of a good principal.
"A good principal must serve as the instructional leader of the school and be an outstanding manager of all resources," he said. "A good principal gives teachers support and sees that they are properly placed. He or she must love children, be willing to listen to parents and must be able to interpret the school and school program to the public. "
McDaniel believes an important characteristic of a good principal is that he or she has been a teacher. "I particularly believe elementary principals should have teaching experience at the elementary level," he said.
Today principals must wear many hats. They must be not only instructional leaders , but also surrogate parents, personnel directors, disciplinarians, public relations specialists, accountants and sometime, janitors .

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 3

In a recent survey conducted by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC), principals were asked to rank their current role and then rank what their ideal role would be.
This is how they ranked their current roles: instructional leadership (31 percent), school manager (25.6 percent), disciplinarian (16 percent), personnel leader (11 percent), planner (4.9 percent), community leader (4.4 percent), coordinator of extracurricular activities (3.6 percent) and professional developer (2.8 percent).
Their ideal roles were ranked this way: instructional leadership (54.2 percent), personnel leader (11.8 percent), school manager (9.4 percent), planner (7.2 percent), community leader (5.6 percent), disciplinarian (4.5 percent), professional developer (4.5 percent) and coordinator of extracurricular activities (2.8 percent).
Principals report spending an average of 53 hours per week on the job. There are nearly 2,000 public school principals in the state. According to the PSC

study, the typical Georgia principal is a 46-year-old white male who grew up in a rural community. The average income of principals is $31,450. Most of them received their education in Georgia, and a large majority have been teachers, assistant principals or coaches. Ninety percent reported they are satisfied with their jobs and most want to remain at their present school for the next five years. They do not wish to become lobbyists, college administrators, college teachers or superintendents.
There are hundreds of outstanding principals across the state. Many of them are spotlighted each year by professional education organizations such as the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders, Georgia Association of Educators and Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
Georgia Alert has selected three principals to feature as examples of those who are outstanding. All three are from schools recently named Georgia Schools of Excellence.

When Columbia County underwent an attendance rezoning, students at a rival school were assigned to Columbia Junior High. A campaign to change attitudes about the school resulted in a new school logo. Principal Gloria Hamilton spent part of her summer painting the logo on the gymnasium floor.

Sims spends a lot of time in the classroom. He and fourth grade teacher Rochelle Scott discuss curriculum plans.
Guy Sims Fox Elementary School
Muscogee County

Fox Elementary School in Muscogee County has many strikes against it. It is one of the oldest schools in the system. Its 500-plus students come from low-income, mainly single parent homes. Eighty percent of the families are on welfare. The school is located in a neighborhood surrounded by federally subsidized housing. Yet there is a warmth about it that visitors feel immediately.
Students are excited about learning. Teachers seldom leave except to retire or move out of the system. And parents who have little schooling themselves are heavily involved in the school program. There is a positive attitude about the entire school.
The key to the school's success is its principal, Guy Sims.
"It takes a special kind of person to head up a school like Fox," said school secretary Evelyn Miley, who sings her boss' praises to anyone who will listen. "Mr. Sims really cares about people, and as a result, they care about themselves," she said.
Sims has been at Fox nearly 12 years, and during that time has made the school an example for others in the system. This school, which ranked near the bottom in achievement, now ranks in the top 10 schools in the system on test scores.
This success is due in part to Sims' belief that to build a good program in a neighborhood like Fox's,

4 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

the principal must stay long enough to build trust. Most of his experience has been in schools similar to Fox. He taught elementary grades in one for five years and was principal of another for three.
Sims plays many roles as principal. He is the father many of the children do not have; he often takes students shopping for clothes or other necessities. He is counselor to parents; mothers often seek his advice about problems with their children. He is a friend to his staff.
"He sets standards of excellence for us and treats us as professionals ," said kindergarten teacher Betty Jo Vignery. "I really appreciate that. As a result teachers act professionally. Every school needs good administration. It's impossible to function in chaos."
Positive reinforcement of students is evident to anyone visiting Fox. The halls are full of art and notes from teachers congratulating students for everything from good test scores to working quietly at their desks. Pictures of students also are displayed. Each month students who have birthdays have their names displayed on a special wall, and each student gets a cupcake on his or her birthday. Sims gives monthly principal's awards for various ac hievements.
"These children have never received much individual attention during their lives, and we try to make them feel special," said Sims.
Sims takes special pride in three areas of his program - the preschool program, a prefirst grade program and the parent involvement program.
In the preschool program one full-time teacher and one aide work with 73 children ages one month to five years. Parent and child meet with the teacher once a week for 30 minutes. Activities are based on results of a screening test. In addition to activities the child does at school, activities are planned with the parent to be completed daily at home with the child. All materials necessary to complete the activities are loaned to the parent.
The prefirst grade program was implemented for students who finished kindergarten but were not ready for first grade.
"The parents resisted the first year we began the program. They didn't want us to hold their child back. But it took only one year to convince parents that the program would pay off," said Sims. "Our test scores have gone up dramatically, and we now have students who feel good about themselves and have positive attitudes about school. In the past these children would have been troublemakers."
Sims said when he began working with students from low-income families he thought the parents just did not care about their child's education.
"But the more Iworked with the parents, the more I realized the majority do care, but the parents themselves felt insecure about school. Mothers on welfare thought they had nothing to offer the school," he said. This has changed. Parents now

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Sims gives a special word of encouragement to third grader Demetrius Love. He believes that being a good principal means taking an interest in each student.

serve as volunteers in many areas. They work in the library, help teachers in the classroom and tutor children. Each Wednesday six mothers work in the school cafeteria to allow teachers to have a dutyfree lunch.
It is no wonder that many awards have gone to Fox Elementary and to its teachers and principal. The School Bell Award for Outstanding School Programs was presented by the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals in

1983 for the preschool program. For three out of the last four years, a teacher from Fox has been selected as Muscogee County Teacher of the Year. Sims has been named the Outstanding Elementary Principal of the Year by the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders and by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. He has served as president of the Georgia Association of Elementary Principals. Just recently, he was named one of 100 top school executives in the United States and has been nominated for a national PTA award .

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 5

...-
But awards are not what make Guy Sims and Fox Elementary School outstanding. It is the genuine love and caring the teachers, students, parents and principal have for each other.
"I love Mr. Sims because he never leaves anyone out," said fourth grader Lori Gray.
"I love Mr. Sims because he keeps our school clean," added a kindergartener.
"Mr. Sims is a wonderful principal. He really cares about all of us," said a mother serving as a volunteer.

Gloria Hamilton Columbia Junior High School
Columbia County Schools

That Columbia Junior High School was selected as a Georgia School of Excellence and has been nominated for a national excellence award amazes some people who only two years ago saw unhappy parents, hostile students and an uncooperative community when the school system underwent an attendance rezoning.
"Students whose parents, brothers and sisters went to Evans Junior High and who thought of Columbia Junior High as the enemy were assigned to our school," said Columbia Principal Gloria Hamilton. "Students who had been friends throughout their school careers were assigned to different schools. Parents were unhappy because
Hamilton sometimes fills in for a teacher instead of hiring a substitute. Here she helps Dana Sumner with a history problem.

Columbia students Amy Swaney (left) and Elaine Garnett take advantage ofHamilton's open door policy. She not only encourages students to come to her office to talk with her, but also she eats lunch with the students each day.

their children had to be bused farther to school. This was a very emotional time for all of us."
Under Hamilton's leadership the school faculty and students launched a campaign to try to change attitudes about the school and to soothe sore feelings. The students voted on a new school logo and colors. The previous logo, the bulldog, was eliminated from the walls and school paraphernalia. The school became the Columbia Raiders, and Hamilton spent part of her summer painting the new logo on the gymnasium floor.
This year the school adopted a motto and a theme which paid off in many ways for students and staff. The motto, "Home and School - a Partnership for Excellence," and the theme, "Pride," are demonstrated in all school activities.
"The students now have pride in their school and parents have become avid supporters of our program," said Hamilton.
A former elementary school principal, Hamilton has had to do some adjusting herself to serve as a principal of a junior high school.
"I have had to learn a different type of curriculum and to deal with additional programs such as sports," she said. "I love working with this age child. Junior high students are very special. They also have an adjustment to make when they come to junior high." She said it takes students a while to get used to changing classes instead of attending school in self-contained classes. They have to make decisions about classes and have more

extracurricular activities from which to choose.
Hamilton has an open door policy at her school. "Students can come talk with me any time. I circulate throughout the school and on campus. I always eat lunch with the students. I don't want them to know me as 'the lady in the office,' " she said.
According to Hamilton, most of her time is spent on instructional matters. Sometimes she teaches a class for a teacher who is absent. She frequently observes in the classroom.
"My day begins about 7 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. I do my office work after teachers leave for the day about 3:30," she said.
Last year the seventh grade was added to the junior high, making the total enrollment nearly 800. Emphasis was placed on academic excellence in all grades, and for the past two years standardized test scores for the school have been the highest in the county.
"Even though we have overcome many obstacles during the last two years, Columbia Junior High has consistently performed at the highest academic levels. By viewing all students as individuals, we are able to meet their needs and expectations," said Hamilton.
Students and staff at Columbia Junior High who were there two years ago when the school was going through turmoil are especially proud of their school today and believe the Partnership for Excellence motto has paid off.

6 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

FREDERICK DOUCLA SS HICH
Douglass High principal Lester Butts in front of the school's goals for 1983-84.
Lester Butts Frederick Douglass High School
Atlanta City Schools
The climate of Douglass High School is that of an institution whose main purpose is to develop minds, to institute right attitudes and ideas, to develop character, to help students find out who they are, where they want to go and to provide some means by which their goals may be reached. The climate created in this school was no accident. It was begun before the physical building was completed, according to principal Lester Butts. Butts and a small group of efficient and interested staff, parents and prospective students planned the direction of the school during the spring and summer of 1968 before the opening of the school in August of that year. The new school was composed of students and selected faculty from three rival schools all located within three or four miles of each other, yet of the most diverse socioeconomic range in the city from public and low-income private housing to the most affluent residences. In a single year, however, these combined student bodies, parents and teachers became such a cohesive unit that the school was awarded the WSB School Spirit Award in its first year of operation. For its 16 years the school has maintained this positive climate . Butts, whose leadership is the key to the school Program, provides the setting for a positive approach to learning and allows all segments of the school family to participate in decision making. "He's firm but fair, supportive but not

maneuverable, knowledgeable but not pompous," is how Butts is described in the entry form for Schools of Excellence. Douglass not only won a state award in this program, but also was nominated for a national award.
"Because Douglass' student body is predominantly black, there is no racial bias in our school. However, the diversity in the socioeconomic level of students could cause discrimination," said Butts. "We won't let this happen at Douglass. We won't let a student's economic problems keep him or her from participating in any school activity."
The school's queen contest is a big event each year. "If a student meets all the academic and other qualifications for the contest and can't afford a new dress for the dance, the school buys the material, and the dress is made in the home economics classes or by a hired seamstress," he said. "In most schools, the queen's escort must rent a tux, but we use our ROTC students, who wear their uniforms to escort the contestants."
Butts said he won't allow excuses such as economic depression or race to be used by students for not learning. "I stress to students that they don't have to tell people they are quality - let them find out by observing."
Butts and his staff are aware that economic barriers can restrict some students from learning. "One of our priorities is to motivate students to desire to achieve. Some of our students have never seen their parents read a newspaper or book, and students - especially male students - are often called sissies if they exhibit an interest in school," he said. "We use role models to reach these students. Persons who have achieved in a particular area such as sports and who come from similar backgrounds as these students talk with the students about how they dealt with similar pressures."

Butts believes the principal's major role is to be in charge of academic offerings and to remove barriers from learning. He believes a good principal guards a student's time on task and keeps morale high in the school.
Douglass High School's success is an outcome of the extended family concept. All of the school's programs, policies and practices are based upon what is best for the whole, with each member contributing to achieve agreed-upon goals.
"Deciding what is best, however, is nof easy because of the diversity of" the family members," said Butts. "But through planning, discussing, negotiating and even compromising common goals are agreed upon."
The first senior class was graduated from Douglass in 1970. Of the 349 graduates, 38.9 percent went to four-year colleges. That figure has increased. Last year 66 percent of the students enrolled in college. The number of National Achievement finalists for Outstanding Negro Students has increased from one to as many as 10. The school has had one National Merit finalist, and the number of semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program for this year is seven, the largest number from a single high school in Georgia.
Like most principals Butts works much longer than an eight-hour day. He not only serves as school administrator, he often teaches classes and serves as a resource person for teachers. "I believe a principal can command more respect when he demonstrates talent in the classroom," he said.
It is obvious from the good relationship Lester Butts has with students, staff, parents and community leaders that he does not lack respect.

Butts often teaches classes and serves as a resourceperson/or teachers. He believes principals can command more respect when they demonstrate talent in the classroom.
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Georgia ALERT, May 1984 7

In the late '60s and early '70s it became fashionable to grade students on a pass/fail basis. But what did "pass" mean? Parents want to know

whether their kids are doing great or just getting by. Now the trend is toward the old-fashioned A, B, C, F and numerical grades.

Confusion or Communicationt

"Johnny can't read," said Mrs. Adamson, the boy's teacher for the last eight months. "At least not at the fourth grade level. Not well enough to go on to the fifth grade next year."
Mr. Jensen glared at the teacher. His wife seemed more bewildered than angry. "But we don't understand," she said. "All year, on every report card, he's always had good marks in reading. Now you say he's failing? How ..."
"Please," Mrs. Adamson interrupted, "let me try to explain. It's true that Johnny's reading has been

Story by Wagers Chenault Photography by Glenn Oliver
evaluated as satisfactory, but not at the fourth grade level. Actually, he's been struggling to get through the third grade reader."
"Struggling? With a third grade book?" Now the father was really hot. "If he's been struggling, why have you been telling us all year long that he's been doing satisfactory work?"
"Try to understand, Mr. Jensen. Satisfactory can mean anything from good to just above failing. I'm afraid in Johnny's case ... "

It's an old story for many teachers and parents. The report card, the primary line of communication between school and home, is often not up to the task. And the problem seems to be getting worse. Over the past 15 years many schools have adopted a satisfactory/ unsatisfactory or pass/ fail grading system. These grades are confusing and imprecise to parents familiar with the A, B, C, D and F of their own school years. Unfortunately, report cards have become less understandable at a time when they are needed most. More mothers are going to work outside the home, and more parents are

8 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

working overtime and holding second jobs. These factors make it increasingly difficult for teachers to meet with parents or even reach them on the phone. So the report card has to do the job. How can it be changed to do the job better?
About two years ago western Georgia's Carroll County School System decided to do something about the problem. The Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Committee (STAC) is a group made up of Carroll County Superintendent Travis Edmondson and a representative from the faculty of each of the system's 16 schools. Their first regular meeting was in the fa ll of 1982. Jan Hamilton, who represented Villa Rica Primary School, recalls, "At the first meeting Dr. Edmondson asked 'What concerns do you have that you feel we need to address?' Everyone said, 'Report Cards! ' " Judy O'Malley, direc tor of curriculum and instruction for Carroll County, asked STAC members whether they would be willing to work on a revision of the reporting system. The challenge was accepted, and the group , together with O'Malley and public relations director Jim McKinnon, began their study.
There were a number of factors to be considered. STAC members agreed that standardization was needed. Each system in Georgia has authority to devise its own report card, but in the Carroll County system there were differences among the individual schools. At that time most, but not all, of the system's primary schools used the satisfactory and unsatisfactory grades. The elementary schools used A, B, C and F, but there was no explanation of exactly what those letters meant. All of the high schools issued numerical grades, but the formats of the report cards varied from school to school. For instance, at Central High School students received a mini-report card from every subject teacher. According to principal Donald Fussell, this gave each teacher an opportunity to make extensive comments. But Fussell acknowledged that parents were deprived of having a complete record of the academic year on one document.
After a year of discussion and after reviewing report cards from other systems around the state , STAC members agreed on cards to be used by all schools in the Carroll County system. High schools still use numerical grades, but now they all use the same cards. Primary and elementary schools have adopted the A, B, C and F grades for academic subjects. Grading is made more precise by using plusses and minuses. And the new report cards clearly indicate the numerical equivalent of the letter grade. Satisfactory and unsatisfactory are still used for nonacademic subjects such as physical education and conduct.
According to O'Malley, grading primary and elementary students on mathematics and reading is a particularly tough problem. Like Johnny, many fourth graders are not ready for a fourth grade reader. Teachers provide these students with less advanced materials, and the students are graded according to how well they do with that material.

That is the grade that appears on the report card. Many parents assume that is the grade that determines their child's eligibility for promotion. But unless the student, at some point during the school year, progresses to the fourth grade reading level, she or he could fail the fourth grade. Using grades such as "satisfactory" compounds the confusion. Even if Johnny's parents had realized the boy was reading at the third grade level, "satisfactory" does not tell them whether he is almost to the fourth grade level or barely above the second grade level. Johnny's future teachers will also be confused and, more important, so will Johnny. Carroll County's new report cards were designed to end that confusion . In addition to an A, B, Cor F grade, the card clearly indicates whether the student is at or below the appropriate grade level in reading and mathematics.
"A report card by itself is not going to get the job done," contends Anthony Wilkins, principal at

Carroll County's Sand Hill Elementary School. However well-designed, no report card issued just four times a year should be considered sufficient communication with the parent. As a result of STAC's recommendations, Carroll County has initiated a policy of sending letters to parents. The first letter is sent to each home in late September and discusses where the student is academically and where she or he should be at the end of the school year to be eligible for promotion. A second letter may be sent in January and a third in April. Both are mailed directly to the parents of students who are having difficulties and are faced with the possibility of failing the grade. Carroll County is presently revising its midterm progress report. Some feel these should be as complete as the endof-term report cards. Others believe the midterm report should focus only on problem areas.
All of this is done now in Carroll County as a matter of policy. Many teachers go beyond these

Parents aren't the only ones happy with the recent changes in report cards. Teachers are now able to chart a child's progress more accurately. And students can experience the satisfaction of moving up from C to B to A

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 9 .1.

requirements and take it upon themselves to make additional contact with parents. "Report cards, letters, midterm progress reports and parentteacher conferences, I don't know which one is the most important part of the reporting system," says Wilkins, "because it takes them all."
Results? This is the first year that the new report cards have been used. But already Carroll County teachers and administrators have received indications that parents support and appreciate the new card. And students, especially those in primary and elementary schools, seem to like the more structured, precisely defined grading system they like to know where they stand. In fact, in regard to the renewed popularity of the A, B, C and F, Judy O'Malley says, "I think that teachers feel

better, students feel better, and parents I know feel better with this type of traditional grading system."
Problems remain. Teachers, already overburdened with administrative chores, are being asked to spend more time and take more care in preparation of report cards and other communications with parents. Some students, particularly in high school, will continue to forge their parent's signature, alter grades and even intercept the U.S. mail. But the teachers and other educators in Carroll County feel they've made a good start. Parents have a better idea of the progress their children are making in school. And that gives them the opportunity to exercise one of their most important responsibilities- to participate in the education of their children.

Penny Bradley, an English teacher at Carroll County's Central High School, believes a teacher's responsibility goes beyond just filling out report cards. Letters, phone calls and conferences with parents are sometimes more effective.

Don Fussell, principal at Central High School, has some reservations about the new card. "There's no best system . .. I like the idea of a direct comment by each teacher, which I've lost, but I also like the idea ofa graphic picture of the whole year, which I've gained."

Jim McKinnon, director of public relations for Carroll County Schools, recognized that confusion over the meaning of "satisfactory" was causing a serious PR problem. "Somewhere along the line parents would feel we weren't telling them the truth."

Anthony Wilkins, principal at Sand Hill Elementary School, stresses the importance of letters to parents and parent conferences. "A report card itself is not going to get the job done."

10 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

Jan Hamilton, a reading and physical education teacher at Villa Rica Primary School, believes the new report card gives parents "a better idea of where their child actually is. This may not be the answer, but it's a step better than what we had."

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Judy O'Malley, director of curriculum and instruction for Carroll County Schools, thinks "teachers feel better, students feel better and parents I know feel better with this type of traditional grading system."

...

Hello EduEation I

Story by Gilda Lamar Watters Photography by Glenn Oliver

[omputers [ome To [lass

Carol Swinney, coordinator of the Macon Computer Center, explains the workings ofthe Apple lie computer. The center provides staff development in technology to teachers, administrators, media specialists, superintendents, support staff and department of education personnel.

It was not surprising a few years ago to hear the over-50 generation say "the little red school house just isn't what it used to be." Indeed, since this group attended school - when anything besides readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmetic was considered a frillschools have changed. But nowadays it is not unusual even to hear people 25 and younger say that education is not the same. Many people who finished high school a few years ago find that the marvels of technology then are mundane and commonplace today. And what is advanced technology for today's student had not been dreamed of a few years back.
The amazing computer certainly has changed things. And not for students alone; teachers and administrators too are finding the use of computers exciting and rewarding.
Technology in Georgia schools, of which the computer is a part, started at the grassroots, according to J . R. Pennington, director of the Georgia Department of Education's Technology Task Force (ETTF). Parents, teachers, media specialists and others strongly voiced the need for students in their community to be able to keep up with changes nationwide by becoming computer literate. In many cases local boards of education that were financially able bought computers for their schools. Sometimes, businesses or civic groups in the community donated equipment and software.
Georgia educators realized that to keep up with the changing times the use of technology in education not only had to be encouraged but also had to be guided. In 1983 State School Superintendent Charles McDaniel put together a fact finding committee of local superintendents interested in coordinating and developing education technology in the state. Their recommendation to McDaniel was to establish a task force for coordinating the development and use of technology for school systems and the department of education. Their desire was to see technology in education and in education administration guided along the road that would best lead to what local school systems need.
ETTF was organized as a three-year, at-large unit of the Georgia Department of Education, with each of the five administrative offices represented by one member: one full-time director, Pennington, from the Office of Planning and Development; and four part-time members, Jane Lee from the Office of

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 11

State Schools and Special Services; DaLinda Brown from the Office of Instructional Services; Jerry Roseberry, interim representative from the Office of Vocational Education and Weyman Culp, interim representative from the Office of Administrative Services. The part-time members spend one quarter of their time on task force activities and the remainder on technology related activities within their respective offices.
According to Pennington, ETTF is taking its job one step at a time. Technology is changing so quickly that the task force finds long-range planning difficult.
"Our biggest thrust at the present is making schools aware of the potential of computers," Pennington said. "Many computers are capable of doing whatever you want. But first you must know what you want. Then you must match the use, the money, the training and the flexibility of a particular system to your school or system needs."
The task force is too small to provide consultation for school systems individually, but working in conjunction with other education groups, it provides technical assistance and staff development for groups of systems.
The fact finding committee set up by McDaniel also recommended that school systems combine to purchase the equipment and training each on its own could not afford. A group of 67school systems formed the Education Technology Consortium and developed the computer center located at Macon Area Vocational Technical School. Since August last year, the Macon Computer Center has trained more than 1,800 superintendents, principals, teachers and department of education personnel. Administrators learned computer awareness and operation, how to evaluate software and hardware and how to use microcomputers in education. Special workshops are scheduled later in 1984 for consortium system secretaries, media specialists, teachers and vocational supervisors. ETTF and the consortium have worked together in developing the computer center's course offerings.
In addition to staff development, ETTF has given attention to networking. They designed and distributed statewide a survey to establish an inventory of school system technology resources and consultants. An electronic data base will be established within the department of education to make this information available to systems.
ETTF also established the Georgia Education Technology Advisory Council, a cross section of educators, vendors and the public . The council is a sounding board for the task force to make sure that education technology is in step with technology advances in business and industry and that it meets the needs of local systems.
The department of education also is working closely with the Georgia HighTechnology Advisory Council, established in 1982 by executive order of former Governor George Busbee. The council

advises the governor, the Georgia Board of Education and the Board of Regents on improvements needed in high technology training to meet current and future needs of industry.
Whereas ETTF functions for elementary and secondary schools, the department employs a high technology coordinator in the Office of Vocational Education to ensure that Georgia's postsecondary vocational programs meet industry's needs. Ray Morrison serves as liaison with the High Technology Advisory Council, the Department of Industry and Trade, vocational schools and industries. Morrison makes sure that postsecondary vocational school programs meet requirements for state and national accreditation. Schools that will be requesting sanction by the national Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology are in Athens, Savannah, MariettaCobb, Augusta, DeKalb and Columbus.
Morrison also works closely with the Georgia business community and the Techniquip Partnership Program. Plans are under way to expand Techniquip, which offers incentives such as tax credits to industries which donate money, equipment or personnel to the state's training and education programs.
State and local efforts to use computers in schools were joined by business's efforts to sell them. Technology in education is big business for computer manufacturers. It's a matter of simple arithmetic. According to Market Data Retrieval, a Connecticut research firm, the average grade school in the U.S. now owns 3.6 computers, while the average high school has 10. But those figures are likely to double annually for the next several years. At universities, computers are expected to become as common as stereos in dormitories.
According to Pennington, you can find almost any type of computer in Georgia schools, but the most commonly used ones are manufactured by Radio Shack, Commodore, Apple and IBM. These vendors and others frequently court schools, giving them not only discounts but also training incentives to get their machines in the school door. That is important to the companies, because a foot in the door at school often means a foot in the door at home. Students working on computers at school often persuade their parents to get the same brand at home.
With profits at stake, computer vendors often offer free instruction, instructional materials and equipment to school systems. DeKalb County is an example of this. It recently was selected as one of 27 systems nationwide which will participate in the Model Secondary School Computer Literacy
Known as "Georgia's Renaissance Man of Education Technology," Randy Pennington is the Education Technology Task Force director. He is an internationally known technology consultant to 43 states and six foreign countries.

Sixth graders at Rome's West End Elementary School are mastering mathematics and more in a pilot program, From Abacus to Computers. Harold

12 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

Smith, p resident of the Northwest Georgia Chapter of the Georgia Society ofProfessional Engineers, helps students apply metric skills and concepts.

Above, Wesley Turner, senior marketing engineer with Georgia Power, helps students gradually byte into the basics of computer programming.

Ed Yeargan, below, of Battey Machinery Co., makes learning about weights and measures easier by explaining the computer program's applications to engineering.

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 13

Program. IBM will donate 90 personal computers and selected software to five DeKalb County schools.
In the last two to three years most Georgia school systems put personnel on staff with some expertise in computer technology. Several systems have computer coordinators, as do all 16 Cooperative Education Service Agencies (CESAs).
Schools use computers for teacher and administrative support, from sending personalized letters home to parents to maintaining attendance and budget data. However, one of the most effective and probably most-talked-about areas in which computers play a part is instruction.
Research indicates and parents agree that today's children are more eager to learn when computers are used in teaching. "The computer's impact on students is phenomenal," Pennington said. "All students- handicapped, gifted, remedial, average - all of them have been greatly affected by computers in the classroom."
At the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston, computers will soon be used for instruction. According to task force member Lee, studies indicate deaf students read better with them . The school will use a new computer language called Logo, which features a triangular cursor called "turtle." The cursor is manipulated to draw an unlimited number of shapes on a screen, and children learn words, problem solving skills, the

difference between right and left, basic elements of programming and geometric concepts they normally would not learn until junior high school.
Computers are equally effective with visually impaired students. The Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon has Apple computers with state-ofthe-art features such as voice output devices which read what is on the screen. It also has computers which enlarge print up to five inches.
Sixth graders at West End Elementary, a Rome city school, find mathematics more interesting since computers have been put into their lab. The program, From Abacus to Computers, is taught by Georgia Power Company, General Electric Company and Georgia Society of Professional Engineers personnel three days each month. Helen Smith, guidance and counseling director for the system, said the program will be expanded next year.
Students in Georgia schools who need remedial work to pass the criterion-referenced tests find computers just as rewarding as do gifted students who want to write their own programs.
Technology enhances learning, educators agree. But it is not a new thing, Pennington reminds. When instructional television, tape recorded lessons, overhead projectors and typewriters first hit the schools, they were new and advanced for their time . It took a lot of encouragement, enthusiasm and training to get educators reluctant

about newfangled gadgets to try them. The difference is that the other devices were limited in their application to teaching. The computer's potential is limitless, he said.
CESAs have made computer use in local schools their 1984 priority. They are teaching teachers and administrators how to plan for computer purchases. They have given workshops on how to use Logo. They have trained school personnel in how to use software effectively. (A software preview and evaluation consortium is being developed by Central Savannah River CESA and Northeast Georgia CESA.) Many CESA technicians have been trained to care for and maintain Apple and TRS-80 computers and are providing repair service to local systems.
Charles Thompson , director of Metro CESA, sums up what his and other CESAs are doing, "Our whole direction is becoming more technology intensive and less labor intensive ."
Pennington says planning is the key to successful education in the future . "And planning must be done by those who are technologically literate," he said. "The computer is the tool of the information age, but education leaders must look beyond the computer and understand that the tool is changing not only the content of our knowledge but also the way we process, access and apply that knowledge ."

Georgia is one offew states that provide technology training to department of education personnel. Here Bert Griffin, compensatory education consultant, works on an Apple lie at the Macon Center.
Sue Moore, VOT coordinator at Shamrock High School, clues in Wade Adams, industrial arts teacher, on the many ways computers can be helpful to the classroom teacher.
~

14 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

Pine Street Elementary School students in McDuffie County can't seem to get enough of learning, especially when they work with the machines in the school's new Skills Center.

Come On In The Learning's Fun!

Story and Photography by Julia Martin

"This is fun - no lion," proclaims the brightly painted king of beasts at the entrance to Pine Street Elementary School's Skills Center. And to the students inside working diligently on machines which look like robots, computers and calculators, the lion is telling the truth. Who would ever guess it could be such fun overcoming learning deficiencies?
The McDuffie County School's Skills Center opened in the fall of 1983 with approximately 40 learning machines of five different types to remediate criterion-referenced test (CRT) deficiencies of the school's fifth graders. In fact, according to Principal John Hammond, the state CRT was a springboard for developing and funding the center.
"All the machines and materials are crossreferenced to the CRT," Hammond said. "Once a student's weaknesses are diagnosed, our teachers write individual reading and mathematics programs to be used in the Skills Center. The teachers can prescribe the proper work at the proper machine. We can test mastery of the concepts on the machines, too."
And what makes the learning fun are the machines. They consist of Charlie, described in the literature as "the lovable teaching robot from a distant galaxy;" the Tutorgram, an electroboard which looks like a Polaroid camera; the Digitor, which is similar to a calculator; the System 80 machine

which uses records and pictures to teach the students; and the Rainbow Spectra. All except the Oigitor can teach reading and mathematics; it teaches only mathematics concepts. A new machine, the Alpha Master, which teaches only reading concepts, was added to the center in January.
"The children's favorite is the Rainbow Spectra because it is more like a computer," said teacher Kay Sanders. In one language drill, students read paragraphs on the machine and put them into logical order. Charlie features a board that lights up with the correct answer as well as a written answer sheet. The Tutorgram is similar in that cards are placed on the machine which lights up when the correct answer is touched with a stick. On the System 80 machines, students insert records, listen to the instructions, read the screen and press the button below the correct answers. A voice tells the child if the answer is correct or not. Once the students have reviewed the material, they can go to the test record or take a written test on the material covered.
"If a child still does not master the concepts from the machine and the written test, he or she can go to an activity book and work from there ," Sanders said .
The Skills Center is not only a place for students to remedy their deficiencies, but also it is a place for them to learn self-reliance and good work and study

habits . Fifth graders come in two days a week for 45 to 50 minutes - one day for mathematics and one for reading. The center's three teachers and two aides prepare a folder each day for the child's work which contains a continuous record of progress. Each student works from the folder, alone or with needed help, thus enabling the work to be individually paced. Color coded wheels are turned each day so students can eventually work with each machine .
In addition to the fifth graders, compensatory education students are served in the center four days a week. The county's migrant students spend two days a week in the center. With the center's expansion in January, two thirds of the school's fourth graders are also being taught on the machines. "And we plan to have all fourth graders scheduled into the center next year," Hammond said. Even Pine Street students who are not deficient in any areas tested by the CRT use the Skills Center for enrichment.
"We know it works," Hammond said, "because the students are now passing tests on those skills that we know they had not mastered before coming into the Skills Center."
Pine Street Elementary School's Skills Center is popular with visitors from colleges and other school systems, and that's just fine with Hammond. He said, "It's nice. We know we are helping our students. Now we can share and help others, too."

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 15

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"Excellence is never granted ... , but as the reward of labor."
Sir Joshua Reynolds

16 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

by Julia Martin

What does it take to be excellent in public education? What makes a school, an administrator, a teacher or a student outstanding?
Excellence is the result of hard work. Many dedicated people in Georgia public education have made strides toward excellence for many years. And thanks to new state excellence recognition efforts, their hard work is being noticed, honored and emulated.
The Georgia Department of Education has honored excellence in teaching for almost 20 years through the Georgia Teacher of the Year Program. A monthly recognition of excellence by the Georgia Board of Education at each meeting began in January 1983, honoring students, administrators and curriculum areas.
The Georgia Scholar Program was also begun that year to honor graduating seniors who excel in all phases of school life, community activities and the home. The first criterion a Georgia Scholar must meet is to score 1200 or more on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
The newest program, Georgia Public Schools of Excellence, began in 1984 and is highlighted here. The other programs will be spotlighted in future issues of Alert.

"The goal of the Schools of Excellence Program is not necessarily to find the best schools in Georgia, but to identify schools that are doing an exceptionally fine job," said State School Superintendent Charles McDaniel. "The schools will be examples of outstanding programs from various regions of Georgia. We hope that their excellence will serve as examples to other schools in our state."
Georgia's program is an expansion of the national Secondary School Recognition Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The national program recognizes only middle/junior high and high schools, but Georgia's program was expanded to include excellent elementary schools as well. School systems were invited to nominate one school on each of the three levels. Entries were grouped by congressional district and sent to judges in North Carolina and Tennessee. Schools of Excellence were chosen based on their administrative leadership, teacher effectiveness, parent and community support, positive school environment, clear academic and behavioral goals, regular monitoring of student progress, wellcoordinated curriculum, evidence of student responsibility and effective staff development.

The first district's 1984 Georgia Schools of Excellence are from Chatham, Glynn and Bulloch counties.
May D. Howard Elementary School in Chatham County may appear to be isolated on an island, but it is actually in the middle of activities which make the school excellent. The Every Child a Winner physical education program is a national demonstration site. May Howard School also piloted one of the first programs for the gifted in Savannah, which has grown into the SEARCH program. Kindergarten students are in a computer pilot program learning not only basic language arts and mathematics concepts, but also basic operations and computer terminology. Students write and publish a school paper twice a year and produce a daily television program called "The Morning News and Weather."
The school's leadership says that May Howard is "recognized by the community as an excellent school , with concerned and conscientious teachers and effective programs." They believe that the complete curriculum and excellent resources, the dedicated staff and strong parent support are three factors which contribute to the school's success and the pride that parents, staff and students feel for it.
A special effort has been made at Glynn County Middle School in Brunswick to open lines of communication among administrators, teachers, parents, students and the community. A report card was sent to parents to evaluate the school's performance in instruction, discipline, facilities and communication. More than 50 percent of the cards were returned with the majority favorable.
Glynn Middle also has made a conscious effort to involve nonparents. At least half of the members of their Citizens Communication Committee do not have children in the school. Committee members receive information about school activities and react to it in regard to the concerns and suggestions of the community.
Students at Statesboro High School in Bulloch County with above average ability may enter Program Challenge, a rigorous college prep program. It has provided the proper motivation and advanced study needed by the academically gifted students. Joint enrollment with Georgia Southern College also meets the needs of advanced learners. And , as a comprehensive high school, Statesboro also offers a variety of vocational training courses to its students.
School officials believe that the ROTC program has been a particularly positive addition to Statesboro High. It gives an opportunity for students who have not excelled in other areas to develop leadership skills. ROTC has been their answer to the needs of many of their students and the community's support and acceptance have been extraordinary.

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Travis Gough (left) and J. T. Thompson (right), students at Columbia Junior High in Grovetown, proudly raise the flag designating their school as a 1984 Georgia Public School of Excellence in the Tenth Congressional District.
Georgia ALERT, May 1984 17

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At Statesboro High, order and discipline are stressed as a necessary feature of a successful school. Saturday School was begun last year and provides an alternative to suspension for students who violate the behavior codes. Statesboro High has an orderly, disciplined academic climate.
The second district 1984 Georgia Schools of Excellence are from Ben Hill, Thomas and Lowndes counties.
Ben Hill County Elementary School served as a state demonstration site for the K4 curriculum guide, "Personalizing Instruction for Georgia's Children." The approach takes into account each student's interest, experiences, needs and learning styles. Ben Hill's teachers felt that to be successful they needed to vary their instructional styles and strategies, and the new state guide met their needs. While the concept was developed for K-4 teachers and students, they have spread throughout the school. Ben Hill teachers in grades 5-7 have begun to implement the approach in their classrooms. The teaching methods give Ben Hill students selfconfidence, helps them take greater responsibility for their own learning, helps them learn to work together and emphasizes the development of reading, writing and mathematics skills.
In 1979, Ben Hill Elementary also piloted arts projects sponsored through the Southeast Coalition for Arts Education from the U.S. Office of Education. As federal funds were cut, local money has been used to continue the worthwhile project.
Four years ago, Magnolia-Chappelle Middle School in Thomas County successfully made one school out of two and changed from a traditional junior high with two grades to a middle school with three grades. Their success in integrating two schools, two faculties and implementing a middle school program has given Magnolia-Chappelle a cohesiveness that is apparent. Everyone feels a sense of one school and one spirit.
School officials believe that the main element behind the success of their school is their "stable and caring faculty whose main interest is in the educational, social, physical and maturational development of their students."
Magnolia-Chappelle's learning environment requires strict discipline so that no student's behavior interferes with another's right to learn. An in house suspension center, of which they are proud, is staffed by a teacher and two aides who instruct the students placed there. The program has improved discipline, cut out-of-school suspensions to none and improved the academic achievement of students served by the center.
"Hustle and Harmony" is Magnolia-Chappelle's motto, and it works!

Lowndes County High School in Valdosta is a comprehensive high school with over 50 percent of its graduates entering the job market or going on to further vocational training. Approximately 40 percent enter college. So the school's primary education goals are to develop marketable job skills and to prepare students for further education. Valdosta State College lends support to the academic areas with dual enrollment and early admissions programs.
Peer tutors at Lowndes are available upon request to help other students having problems with their studies. They are a select group of volunteers and they receive elective credit for their work.
Lowndes teachers believe that one of its greatest successes has been the strengthening of academic standards which has renewed the faculty's enthusiasm for the art of teaching. Raised educational standards, higher test scores, a firm administration and opportunities for student achievements are encouraging Lowndes students to strive for excellence.
Putnam County Middle School in Eatonton was named a School of Excellence in the Eighth Congressional District partly because of the dramatic three-year increase of students'scores on the state criterion-referenced testsas much as 400 percentage points.
The 1984 Georgia Schools of Excellence from the third district all come from Muscogee County.
At Fox Elementary School there is plenty of room for leadership. Two Fox teachers helped write and develop the Muscogee County School District Health Project that has been validated at the state and national levels. Last year Fox piloted a drug abuse education program that has been approved as a part of the system's elementary health program. In the past four years, three Fox teachers have been named Muscogee County Teacher of the Year. Fox's principal received state outstanding elementary principal awards in 1982 and 1983. The school has also received the School Bell Award for an Outstanding School Program for its preschool program.
The preschool program at Fox involves parents and children ages one month to kindergarten. It has not only developed positive results in involving

parents with the growth of their children, but also has fostered positive community and parental support for Fox school. A pre-first grade program was developed seven years ago for students not ready for a regular first grade . It has greatly improved the students' attitudes and behavior and enables them to move into a regular first grade the following year and experience success.
Through these programs Fox has overcome a major problem for schools in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, that is the lack of readiness that students entering first grade and kindergarten possess. The low self-concepts of the students is partly overcome by ongoing recognition and projects to develop positive feelings in the students toward themselves and their school.
The success at Rothschild Junior High School in Muscogee is attributed to their strong, supportive administration and the enthusiastic, competent faculty that has a spirit of cooperation. Because of the combined efforts of the teachers, students have improved their criterion-referenced test (CRT) and other test scores. In fact, in the last three or four years, Rothschild students have ranked first or second among the junior high schools in the county. Academic weaknesses of the past have been overcome . Two years ago Rothschild's students, despite being from a lower socioeconomic group of extremely transient students ranked second in the city on CRT reading scores and third in mathematics.
Successful involvement in science bowls, forensics and mathematics tournaments are evidence of the emphasis Rothschild places on academics. In fact, Rothschild had the state first place winner in 1982 and 1983 in science fairs . And in 1982-83 the school had more district science fair winners than any other junior high in Columbus.
Shaw High School in Muscogee opened in 1978 with three features unique to their area - open space, team teaching and an advisor-advisee system that coordinated teachers and counselors. All three were part of the Shaw Plan which was used as the blueprint for future growth of the school. In retrospect, Shaw officials see that these three areas have remained attributes which distinguish the school as a progressive leader in curriculum.
Tearn teaching is the most important aspect of the Shaw Plan. The open space satisfies the physical space requirements, but the teaming is the key element for success.
The advisor-advisee system is an organized approach to planning, relating and providing students with personal communication. Faculty members advise students from the four grade levels and work with a particular counselor. Officials believe that the teachers better understand the total program by being involved with a variety of students.
Shaw has set goals and high expectations for all

18 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

members of their school community - parents, teachers and the administration. With that background, Shaw students have responded with pride in their school, hard work in their studies and high hopes for their futures.
The fourth district Georgia Schools of Excellence are from DeKalb and Rockdale counties.
Parent involvement is a vital part of Rockbridge Elementary School in DeKalb County. The PTA funds the purchase of instructional materials, equipment and other necessities. Parents in the Volunteers in Public Schools program assist teac hers as classroom aides and tutors, check on absent students as Headhunters and serve as library aides. The volunteers in the Apple Corps are parents trained in the use of computer-assisted instruction, and one parent per classroom works with students and computers on a regular basis. Other parents serve as resource persons and speakers and as instructors in the middle years exploratory program. In response to requests from

parents for help with parenting, the PTA and school have developed a parenting library and scheduled periodic study groups and speakers . The parent volunteer corps has been recognized as outstanding by the state PTA
School officials attest that Rockbridge's teachers give 110 percent daily to students, encouraging them to test personal limits. The working relationship among the staff is highly cooperative and professional, with each setting high standards for themselves as well as for the students.
Rockdale's County's Edwards Middle School has academic excellence as its primary concern. The school's positive learning environment ensures that students are able to progress. Edwards' reading and mathematics programs are sequential and taught by all academic teachers. Students must demonstrate mastery before they can advance .
A common teacher planning time during the school day allows the parent and counselor to meet with all of their child's teachers at once. Team teaching is stressed. Students are assigned so that two to three teachers are responsible for the major part of their academic day. This allows for consistent expectations and reasonable daily assignments.

Road signs were given to Georgia's first Schools of Excellence at the awards banquet, sponsored in part by the Blue Bird Body Company.

In such a large school as Edwards, with 1,200 students, maintaining staff identity has been difficult. Edwards developed a school-within-aschool concept to reach that goal. Weekly grade level faculty meetings are held instead of traditional schoolwide meetings. The common grade level planning time allows groups working together to cooperate and plan more effectively.
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Paige Howell from Jackson Road Elementary School in Griffin-Spalding County was one of 10 students who spoke before some 600 guests at the 1984 Georgia Public Schools of Excellence Awards Banquet. Her school's tee shirt proclaims, "Life Swings at Jackson Road School."
While academics are stressed at Edwards Middle, the administration and staff also recognize the need for each middle school student to explore many areas. A full exploratory program includes band, business education, music, industrial arts, home economics and art at each grade level. Students are also involved in an extensive environmental education program and an outdoor adventure program.
Heritage High School in Rockdale has had lots of successes. A new peer tutoring program operates before, during and after school. Registration for new terms is held at night rather than during class time . Morning announcements include the names of students and staff who have made a special achievement. A Parents Advisory Committee meets regularly with the administration. Neighborhood businesses participate in the school's work-study program. Heritage's Junior ROTC unit has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense as an honor unit four times in the past five years.
Heritage is proud of its strong academic programs, advanced level classes, gifted program, independent study options and joint enrollment with DeKalb College. But opportunities also exist to combine these academic options with hands-on experience in a number of ways - psychology students use the day care classes in the vocational child care program for observation and developmental study; art class sketches and photographs are printed by the graphics arts classes, and independent study computer students serve as tutors and aides in computer classes.
Academic expectations are high at Heritage, but are never held in isolation of all the other opportunities that exist.

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 19

regardless of circumstances, individual successes can be achieved by perseverance and a positive attitude .
The administration and faculty stress the positive effects of togetherness, love, pride, concern and responsibility, acting as an extended family. As a result, Douglass' students are envied for their school loyalty and overall academic and social successes. For 16 years the school has maintained this climate which allows concentration on academic tasks.
The factor that has affected Douglass' success the most is the overall stability of the faculty and student population . Three key concerns have been instilled in them - the family concept, pride in the school and business as usual every day - the business of education.

Gloria Hamilton, principal of Columbia Junior High, shows off the excellence certificate her school received. Governor Joe Frank Harris presented the certificates at the banquet on behalf of the State Board of Education and the Georgia Department of Education.

Sixth district 1984 Georgia Schools of Excellence come from Griffin-Spalding County and Douglas County.

The 1984 Georgia Schools of Excellence from the fifth district are in Fulton County and Atlanta City systems.
North Roswell Elementary School in Fulton County feels that it has maintained high edUcational standards, and that perhaps the area of greatest growth has been in school/community interaction. With a membership of about 80 percent of the students' parents, the PTA is an active, vital part of the school. It recruits and organizes volunteers to staff the school's clinic, conduct storytime classes, help shelve books and create displays in the media center and assist health officials in screenings. The cultural arts committee of the PTA brings local artists into the school. The PTA not only supplies volunteers, but also supports the school with additional finances for ground and building beautification and additional audiovisual equipment and a computer.
Another school/ community group success is the North Roswell Adivosry Committee whose members are administrators, teachers, parents and other community leaders . They receive information regarding school programs, facilities and operations and react by expressing the individual and collective questions and concerns of the community they represent.
Community involvement enhances North Roswell Elementary's program because decisions about matters of curriculum and instruction are ultimately left to the teachers and administrators

who have professional training. The two groupsschool leaders and community leaders - work together in a successful team.
Sandy Springs Middle School faculty in Fulton County wrote, implemented and revised the system's current middle school curriculum and continues to provide feedback on its strengths and weaknesses. Because the teachers have a vested interest in the curriculum, there is a greater effort to concentrate students on the academic tasks that the teachers helped develop. Interdisciplinary studies, foreign languages, exploratory courses, mini-courses and a physical education program round out the Sandy Springs Middle School curriculum.
The school serves a student body with diverse cultural heritages , parental occupations, expectations and family stability. The school staff has been aware of this mixture of cultures and has made it a muticulturallearning experience. Sandy Springs Middle is an exciting environment where education is viewed as a journey, not a destination.
The economic diversity of students at Douglas High School in Atlanta City - one half of whom are on poverty level and approximately one-tenth who are in the upper middle income category could present serious divisive problems. But that has not happened at Douglass. Achievement is a common goal toward which all students can aspire - whether in ROTC, student government, athletics, art, music, academics or conduct. Douglass' students are taught to believe that race and family income are not necessarily determinants of success. They are taught to believe that,

The administration and faculty at Jackson Road Elementary School in Griffin-Spalding County believe the main purpose of education is to help each child grow into a self-directed adult capable of creative and purposeful living. And their school climate reflects that goal. The students' work is attractively displayed in classrooms and halls. Colorful bulletin boards, learning centers and other displays stimulate students' intellectual curiosity and develop creativity. Appealing, eye-catching murals in the cafeteria contribute to an atmosphere conducive to development of social graces.
Each day at Jackson Road begins with a classical music selection played over the intercom. The composer, instruments and special qualities are explained by each teacher.
Jackson Road has special procedures to maintain discipline called "Limiting and Directing." Limits, which state what students do not have the right to do, are posted and discussed in each classroom. Directives, which state what students are to do, are posted also.
"Excellence Through Persistence" is the theme for Douglas County's Fairplay Middle School. Science and technology studies there include an aerospace club which was featured on the nationally syndicated TV program "Kids' World" in 1980; an amateur radio club; a weather station, and a computer lab. The New Pioneers is an orientation group offered by the counselor to help new students make an adjustment to Fairplay. The group meets monthly to discuss concerns, to familiarize students with school rules and procedures and to help students feel comfortable in the new school. All of these elements work together to provide a climate at Fairplay that fosters

20 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

concentration on academics in a wholesome environment.
Lithia Springs Comprehensive High School is also part of Douglas County's "Effective Schools: Every School Outstanding" program. Strong goals are a vital part of an effective school, and their goals are communicated through handbooks, newsletters and discussions at various meetings with parents, students and teachers. A Committee of Ten, consisting of community and parent leaders, works with the school as a key link between the school and community.
Lithia Springs school people believe several factors have made them successful - an administration that is open to new ideas; a staff which is composed of dedicated professionals; a school which has shown a willingness to respond to the needs of the community; a student body which comes from supportive homes; and a good relationship among administrators, faculty and students.
The 1984 Georgia Schools of Excellence from the seventh district are all in Cobb County.
Tritt Elementary School has instituted an enrichment program which provides a diversity of learning experiences and an opportunity for indepth study for all children. Enrichment at Tritt is divided into nine study areas operating both interdependently and independently. They include classroom enrichment such as field trips; specialists in music, physical education and gifted programs; learning resource centers; mini-courses such as creative writing, rocks and minerals, babysitting and foreign languages; special schoolwide events such as science and humanities fairs; a career awareness program; a continuing education program for faculty and staff; a computer lab and a cultural arts program.
When Tritt opened in 1980 the administration had definite ideas about attributes a school should exhibit to be excellent, and systematic efforts have been made to acquire these qualities. The principal hired a high quality staff who have worked together and created a cohesiveness that continues to grow.
Luke Garrett Middle School in Cobb County stresses the teaching and development of the total child. Parent conferences evolved from this concept and, as a result, greater understanding between home, school and community has developed. Through Garrett's Student Support Team, which is composed of administrators, teachers and counselors consult with team teachers to form educational plans for a student who is having difficulty. It has not only provided valuable assistance to students and parents, but also to teachers who have been able to benefit from suggestions and strategies from peers.
Another element of success at Garrett is the pride

which the faculty has for the school and its programs. A strong commitment to effective communication in all facets of the school's programs, policies and procedures has made Garrett successful in serving its community.
Garrett people describe their school climate as a student-oriented, family-like environment conducive to academic pursuits. Coupled with the high expectations for scholastic performance is a high commitment to instill in Garrett's students the willingness and desire to assume responsibility for their actions and to demonstrate good citizenship skills .
The primary educational need of the majority of students at Walton Comprehensive High School in Cobb County is preparation for college. With 85 to 90 percent of their students going to college each year, they have focused on developing a strong program in the traditional academic areas. Because of their competent faculty and excellent curriculum, Walton has gained a reputation as one of the best college prep institutions in Georgia.
Walton has a "Future Shop" which may be the most comprehensive college and career information center in the southeast. An additional room, called the "Apple Shop," houses a computer and the latest software available for college and career planning.
For the 10 to 15 percent of Walton's students who are preparing for immediate employment or endeavors other than college, career prep programs are offered in six technical areas- building construction, computer programming, drafting, electronics, graphic arts and transportation as well as business education.
The eighth district Georgia Schools of Excellence are from Bibb and Putnam counties.
Alexander II Magnet School in Bibb County has risen from an inner-city school with declining enrollment and a threat of being closed to the first magnet school in the state emphasizing mathematics and science in all areas of its curriculum. For example, the language arts program is enhanced through the use of mathematics/ science related stories, terms and activities. In creative writing contests , a mathematics/science theme is used. A fully equipped mathematics/science lab, computer training, mathematics tournaments and science competitions, science project development and mathematics games are all part of the curriculum.
There are numerous opportunities for parents to assist with activities at Alexander II. Volunteers amass hundreds of hours working through the Partners in Education program. Mercer University has adopted the school through the system's Adopt-a-School Program with the professors and

students working with the school in various ways. Since the beginning of the magnet school program, parent involvement has been one of the areas of greatest success. Parents, because they apply and their children are selected to attend Alexander II, have a real interest in the school's success.
Last year Alexander II, which a short while ago was threatened with closing, received more than 900 applications to fill 98 vacancies.
Putnam County Middle School in Eatonton knew what it would take to be successful. The administration and staff decided that if they were going to become a successful step in the education of the county's students, they were going to have to change a negative image. They began by making the public aware of all the good things they were doing and getting community members into the schools to see first -hand. They began to make their school look better physically and to share their achievements with the local school board. They began to build self-confidence in the students and faculty .
According to school officials, Putnam Middle had good teachers, aides, administrators, staff and students. They did good things. They just didn't let the community know. But that has changed.
At Putnam everybody is sharing the same goal- to educate young people . And students' scores on the state CRTs have increased as much as 400 percentage points in the last three years. Staff members have been sold on the idea that if a difference is going to be made, they will have to make it. Pride and motivation by staff members are the key factors to create that climate.
Georgia's ninth district Schools of Excellence are from Gwinnett County and Dalton City.
The principle of participation is emphasized in the management of Gwin Oaks Elementary School in Gwinnett County. Each six weeks, grade level curriculum planning meetings are held. Teachers, team leaders, the principal and instructional lead teacher plan and coordinate activities that benefit the students. It is here that new ideas and new work methods are discussed and implemented, and it is here that teachers participate in making decisions that bring about change.
Gwin Oaks folks believe that one of the most outstanding features of their school is their media center. There students receive instruction in literature appreciation and library skills as well as have time for independent pursuits. Learning centers relate to the six weeks curriculum planning themes, special days and celebrations and games, music and art activities and special education. The Plop Place - a reading house and deck with cushions - and the Booktub - a bathtub with

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 21

cushions - provide opportunities for pleasure reading.
Gwin Oaks students benefit from the variety the media center offers. They look forward to visiting and are always finding new treasures and areas of interest. This enhances a positive attitude toward learning that Gwin Oaks tries to foster in students. Concern for others, responsibility and cooperation are the major social principles stressed at Gwin Oaks.

Five Forks Middle School in Gwinnett County provides basic skills remediation partly through peer tutoring. The peer tutors are eighth grade students who are carefully selected by the counselors. The tutor, who has been trained, meets with the student needing help for one period twice a week. A by-product of the program is the improved self-concept of the tutored student through association with the older peer tutor.

One problem Five Forks faced was teaching the

community to understand and accept the middle

school concept. Through morning coffees with

parents, mailing home a newsletter, hosting a

variety of activities during American Education

Week such as a community and business leaders'

breakfast, establishing a local advisory committee,

establishing a PTA volunteer program and parent

participation in textbook adoption, the parents of

the school community came to feel that they were

participants and supporters of their child's middle

school education. The community's pride and

confidence have been gained.

--/

Dalton High School students who are collegebound know what it means to work hard. They also know what it means to succeed. They are required, in the college prep program, to take four years of mathematics, four of science, four of social studies and at least two of foreign language in addition to four of English. At least 70 percent of the students take more than the basic requirements. At least 95 percent of all graduates finish with more than the prescribed 315 hours.
From the time the first period of the day begins until the dismissal bell in the afternoon, there are no interruptions from the intercom. The stress from the administration to the faculty is to "be on task."
As a pilot school for Georgia's competency-based education program, Dalton High completed CBE course guides in all subject areas. Since that time they have developed a K-12 listing of skills for each major subject area. They indicate the grade the skills are introduced, when they are reinforced, when they are developed and, on most of them, when mastery is expected. The focus of the project, in addition to basic skills, has been course sequencing and the prevention of overlap and duplication. Faculty members at Dalton High use words such as "businesslike, positive, proud and task-oriented" to describe the school's climate.

The 1984 Georgia Schools of Excellence from the tenth district are from Oconee and Columbia counties.
Oconee County Elementary School in Watkinsville was funded in 1980 as a state certified demonstration and training site for STAMM K-12, Systematic Teaching and Measuring Mathematics. Their program has been successful, based on significant student improvement in mathematics. The school has 10 computers and more than 65 software programs for student and teacher use.
It is nice to have a 'friend right next door, and Oconee Elementary has just that in the University of Georgia. The college is used for field trips and resource materials and personnel. Oconee Elementary serves as a teacher training site for the College of Education of the university.
Oconee school officials say that the majority of new families who choose to move into Oconee County say they do so primarily because of the outstanding, positive reputation of the school system.
Last year was the first in which Columbia Junior High School in Grovetown operated in a new population zone. This made it necessary to bus students miles farther than they were accustomed to traveling. School spirit was low because students had previously attended Columbia's arch rival. The staff worked hard to make those students feel at home and a part of the school. This year it is evident that their hard work has paid off. The students are loyal to Columbia Junior High. Parents visit the school, meet the personnel and tour the facilities. Working toward a positive goal helped ensure a successful school year. And this success continues to be evident in Columbia's increasing academic achievements.
"The Georgia Public Schools of Excellence Program identifies and honors unusually successful public school programs throughout our state, and we hope it encourages excellence in all schools. I am sure that in the coming years your program will serve as an example of academic achievement deserving the emulation of others," State School Superintendent Charles McDaniel told school winners at the Celebration of Excellence banquet.

Because of the increase in the numbers of students entering Columbia, additional faculty and new curriculum areas were needed. The existing staff worked closely with the new personnel to become a cohesive, effective team. Pride has been developed among the students and staff and has resulted in better grades, cleaner school grounds, fewer discipline problems and more school spirit.
Georgia's Columbia County is one of the fastest growing in the state and Evans Comprehensive High School has had to keep up with the changes. It has been successful. New teachers and new students are accommodated with new classrooms and the sharing of space by other teachers.
Perhaps the most constant measure of success at Evans is the excellent faculty that has had virtually no turnover in the past few years. In fact, teachers from other schools and systems request that their names be put on a waiting list for possible job openings at Evans.
Another observable success at Evans is the increase in parent participation. Two years ago, Evans parents went to the administration with the idea of establishing an Academic Boosters Club. Evans now has a very active group of parents who work to support the academic programs in the school. Parents are willing to work diligently to secure needed funds, equipment and special events which promote and foster good will in the community toward the school.
Evans programs are well-planned and wellimplemented, and its policies are clearly stated and uniformly applied. They do contribute to the success of the school. But beyond these, the attitude of everyone involved is one that combines optimism, commitment and cooperation. Everyone at Evans works together to provide the best program for each student in the school.

22 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

Matter o PRiority

by Barbara Perkins

The Georgia Board of Education issued the first annual Award of Excelle nce in School-Community Relations last year to two school systems and one schooL Griffin -Spalding County Schools won an award for two projects, Future Stock and 3 for One%. Bulloch County Schools' American Education Week

celebration won an award. And Social Circle Elementary won for informing the community of its new promotion standards. Descriptions of two of the projects follow. Look for others in future editions of Alert.

Future Stock

When the Atlanta Gas Light Company, First National Bank, First Federal Savings and Loan, American Mills, Inc., Thomas Packing Company a nd other businesses got together in Griffin for a school volunteer project, a lot of stock was involved - future stock - for the boys and girls in GriffinSpalding schools.
In 1981 Griffin-Spalding schools and the area chamber of commerce began to promote a partnership between business/industry and education. A joint committee set goals for the program: they were to increase involvement in and collaboration between the community and its schools, increase understanding about the resources needed to produce high quality education and increase knowledge of how the combined efforts of every community sector could bring this about.
A teacher called the project Future Stock . Two high schoolers, Chris Blalock and Chris Christopher, designed a logo. The joint board appointed a part-time director and identified four pilot schools, and the project was off and running.

By the fall of 1982 Future Stock had recruited 26 Partners in Education (PIEs), including Southern Bell, J . C . Penney Company, Bandag, Inc. , Bank of Griffin and WKEU and WHIE radio stations.
Schools needed Future Stock help mostly in three areas: clerical, curriculum and facilities . Within a few months businesses, industries, civic clubs and individuals had made hundreds of donations in time, resources and materials. Art supplies, cash registers, calculators, typewriters, sewing machines, floor covering, bookcases and money to buy computers were a few of the donations.
According to Future Stock Director Ann Bethel, the project operated five months in 1983 with the pilot schools. Then it was evaluated. Opinions of the program were so favorable that Future Stock plans for the next year were expanded to include a landscaping project, speakers' bureau and an awards program for high school students.
"The schools and community, through Future Stock, continue to reach out for better education," said Judy Byrd, public relations director for GriffinSpalding schools. "There is no limit to the goals that can be obtained through Future Stock. "

How to Get a Promotion
If you know the alphabet, recognize punctuation marks, can count from 1 to 100, can add and subtract and a whole lot more, you will get a promotion- if you're a first grader at Social Circle Elementary School.
Social Circle Board of Education adopted promotion standards in grades K through 5 effective the 1982-83 school term. They decided to use the mastery learning technique to teach the subjects.
School officials planned at the outset to conduct a vigorous campaign to inform parents and community members about the standards, about mastery learning and about what they could do to help the children succeed. They set a goalof getting 75 percent of the parents to participate . They missed their goal: 98 percent of the parents became directly involved in learning about the new requirements.
The school got the word out through the PTO, newspapers, radio , businesses and other community resources that new standards had been adopted . They produced brochures telling parents exactly what their child would have to know before being promoted to the next grade. Then they held several events to which parents and the community were invited to see just what the new requirements and mastery learning were all about.
One of those activities was neighborhood teas in homes and churches. Educators, parents and community leaders discussed academic achievement, mastery learning, why the new standards were needed and how parents could help their children.
The school created and put on plays on each grade level describing mastery learning to parents. Parent-teacher conferences were held regularly to keep parents up to date on their child's progress. The parent volunteer program was expanded to inform the community about the new standards.
According to Principal Sandra Shockley, setting a public relations goal and then missing it by exceeding it has been a good thing for her school and the community. "Already we see mastery and excitement in teaching, learning and parenting. The community and parent involvement goals enabled us to initiate and sustain vital education goals," she said.

Georgia ALERT, May 1984 23

Teacher Salaries On The Way Up

Public schools K through 12 came away from the 1984 legislative session with 50 cents of every new dollar appropriated - the biggest increase in recent history.
"We had a very good session," said State Superintendent of Schools Charles McDaniel. "I am well-pleased at the support Georgia education received from the governor and legislators, and I believe it will continue."
Of 341 million new state dollars appropriated for state government in FY 85, $171 million will finance education improvements.
Salary increases, including the historic 10 percent raise for classroom teachers, will take almost $102 million of the new education funds . Proposed and guided through the session by Governor Joe Frank Harris, the salary package singles out classroom teachers for raises that will bring the beginning teacher salary to $14,329. Counselors and media specialists will also receive 10 percent, while superintendents, principals and curriculum directors will receive three percent. A few school systems will be adding local funds to bring all employees' raises up to 10 percent.
The state ?3lary package also adds the 18th step to the teacher salary scale, making it possible for veteran teachers to receive raises for experience beyond 16 years.
Another major improvement included in the FY 85 funds is $11.3 million to fund health insurance for school bus drivers, food service workers and other noncertified personnel. The insurance plan begins January 1, 1986, and provides that the state will pay 38 percent of the cost (about $53 per person), the local system 37 percent (about $52 per person) and the individual 25 percent (about $39 per person).

The costs are estimates, because participation in the insurance plan is voluntary for both individuals and school systems.
The 1985 budget also funds development of the writing portion of the Georgia Basic Skills Test ($175,000) and a third grade promotion test ($120,000) to implement the Georgia Board of Education's new policy that youngsters must achieve basic skills in reading and mathematics before moving to the fourth grade.
Development of the writing test will begin right away, with pilot testing in '85 and '86. Beginning with lOth graders in 1987 , students taking the Basic

Beginning Teachers' Salaries

$14,500 $13,500 $12,500 $11,500 $10,500

l $1~.329
vI $13,026
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FY '80 '81 '82 '83 '84 '85

Skills Tests must pass the writing as well as the reading and mathematics tests to be graduated.
Other improvements in the FY 85 budget include
$6.6 million for area vocational-technical schools in Gwinnett, Laurens, Muscogee, Houston and Lowndes counties.
$2.1 million for public library construction in Greene, Baldwin, Crisp, Bleckley and Peach counties.
$2 million for new comprehensive high schools in Houston, Dougherty, Jackson, Coweta and Henry counties and the Atlanta: City System.
In addition, $9.6 million was included for general' obligation bonds for school building construction. These bonds will yield $80.2 million in construction.
The legislative session enacted a new compulsory attendance law to replace the law ruled unconstitutional last fall. The new law reinstates compulsory attendance from age seven to 16 and provjdes for compliance through attendance at public schools, private schools or home ~chools. The new law sets minimum requirements for private schools and provides for attendance reporting. It also sets minimum requirements for home schools and provides for attendance reporting. Parents or guardians may teach only their own children in a home study program, and the teaching parent or guardian must have a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Other new legislation provides for local boards of education to close student disciplinary hearings and sets up certain conditions under which the entry age requirement of age six by September 1 may be waived for children moving into Georgia from another state.

May 1984 Vol. 15 No. 2

ALERT Staff Managing Editor Nancy Hall-Shelton
News Feature Editor Barbara Perkins Photo Editor Glenn Oliver Graphics Elaine Pierce Typesetting Carla Dean Contributing Reporters Wagers Chenault, Eleanor Gilmer, Julia Martin, Lou Peneguy, Anne Raymond and Gilda Lamar Watters.

The Georgia Department of Education does not discriminate in employment or educational actiuities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap.

Published by the

Public Information and Publications Division

Office of Administrative Services Georgia Department of Education 2052 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Telephone (404) 656-2476

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24 Georgia ALERT, May 1984

State Board of Education Georgia Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 30334

BULK RATE U.S. Postage
PAID Atlanta, Georgia Permit Number 168

Cost $5,053 I Quantity 10,500

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UNIVE SITY Of G~ORG JA LI B

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Contents
Review Commission Has Some Answers, Many Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 What makes a good basic education? Commission close to completing report.
Summer School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 What a way to spend your summer vacation
They Follow The Seasons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Migrant students are here today, gone tomorrow in Georgia Schools.
Summer Reading Makes Summer Fun . . . . 9 Vacation Reading Club creates summer magic.
Graduate's Eye View of GHP . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Going back to GHP brings insights, nostalgia to recent graduate.
Special Teachers Get Special Help From GLRS ...................... . 14 Georgia Learning Resources System (GLRS) provides help for special education teachers.
More Than Just "Eat Your Vegetables" .............. . ... 16 Child Care Food Program gets children to like eating healthy foods.
Georgia's Future Leaders Are Today's Outstanding Students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Three Georgia students win prestigious honors.
To Take PRIDE You Must Reach GOAL. ................ 22 Performance Recognition Indicating Demonstrated Excellence award is an up and coming part of Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership competition.
A Matter of PRiority .................... 23 State board awards of excellence in community relations (continued from last issue).
Georgia's National Excellence Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Five schools earn national recognition.
Excellence ... The Bibb County Way 24 Macon's answer to "A Nation at Risk."
Cover: This Jackson County Child Development Center teacher consoles one student and challenges the other to practice the golden rule. While this basic guidance is very much a part of the child care center teachings, nutrition education is fast becoming another fundamental lesson for life.
(Photograph by Glenn Oliver)

Review Commission Has Some Answers,
Many Questions

The Education Review Commission appointed in 1983 by Governor Joe Frank Harris is nearing the completion of its work and is expected to issue a full report by October.
Following a period for public comment, Governor Harris will compile a budget package based on the recommendations for the 1985 legislature to consider for fiscal year 1986.
In a year of study thus far, five subcommittees of the review commission have adopted positions supporting most of the current improvement initiatives of the Georgia Board of Education. The five subcommittees are working on 1) definition of a quality basic education, 2) service delivery, 3) personnel, 4) funding and 5) comparative analysis.
Major recommendations of the commission thus far, all developed in subcommittees and endorsed by the full commission, include these state board of education initiatives.
raising high school graduation requirements from 20 to 21 units
endorsing a rigorous preparatory program for college bound students
adopting a basic curriculum for all schools and every course at every grade level
continuing the Performance-based Teacher Certification program
extending the kindergarten program to full-day
In formulating its definition of a quality basic education program, the commission has developed and published a list of 77 competencies students should have when they are graduated from Georgia public schools. It has also proposed setting up alternative or in-school suspension programs for disruptive students, and it has given preliminary approval to a weighted per pupil formula for funding Georgia public education .
The commission is studying every aspect of the state's education system, searching for answers to questions both historic and contemporary.
What programs should be available to secondary school students to ensure their opportunity to receive a quality basic education? What options should exist beyond the basic program?

How can we ensure that teacher preparation programs produce quality teachers?
How can teacher evaluation data be used to improve teacher education programs?
What should be the purpose and function of teacher certification?
What standards of knowledge and performance should exist for teachers, and how should their knowledge and performance be evaluated?
e To what extent is continued professional
development for instructional staff needed and what should it involve?
How can school systems be encouraged to . develop and provide innovative methods and programs to students and teachers and demonstate the effectiveness of such methods and programs?
What are the organizational structures and mechanisms which encourage or inhibit programmatic and instructional practices and how can they be improved?
What should be the respective authority of the state, regional and local levels for educational activities?
What method of selection for top state, regional and local educational leadership positions is most effective?
How can positive parental and community involvement be fostered?
What should be the relationship between extracurricular activities and student academic achievement?
What can be done to ensure there is adequate time for instruction?
What can be done to improve teacher attendance in the classroom?
Are current education funds being used efficiently and as intended?
The full commission is expected to make recommendations in answer to each of these questions and others as well. Position papers and proposed solutions have been developed in many of the areas while others are still under study.

2 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

Summer fun for this Cobb County youngster has to take a back seat to classwork four days a week during summer school. As one classmate

put it, "I like to come, but it's notfun like vacation."Nevertheless, Cobb elementary students will earn credit for this summer's progress.

What a Way to Spend Your Summer Vacation

Story by Barbara Petzen Photography by Glenn Oliver

Traditionally, summer for students is beachtime, playtime, anything-but-school time. For some kids, however, June and July have become part of the school year.
All across Georgia, these students show up bright and early for summer school classes to make up or improve grades in classes for credit, to get ahead in required courses, to take enrichment courses such as computer instruction or just to keep in touch with their schoolwork over the vacation months.
Summer school programs come in all shapes and sizes, and nearly all systems in Georgia have some form of summer school. Some programs are administered through the regular school program, while others are funded through community education,

vocational education or federal programs such as Chapter I. While some programs allow only high school students to make up credit through Carnegie units, others offer credit for elementary and middle school students, too, allowing them to move ahead or catch up with their classmates.
Cobb County has an innovative summer school program that is divided between the regular school program, which administers the high school, and the community education program, which runs both community education classes and elementary, middle and special education summer programs in the same six centers, making the fullest use of . facilities and time.
High schoolers from all over Cobb County who

attend the summer program at Osborne High, a centrally located school, face a much different atmosphere than they do during the regular school year. Attendance is mandatory: every day is the equivalent of three days of regular school, so there is no time to waste. Students who miss four days are dropped from the roll. The curriculum is pared down to offer a no-extras, no-fooling-around education, including all of the courses a student is required to take to be graduated.
The pressure is on, too , for both students and teachers. Carla Northcutt, summer high school principal, explains, "It's a challenge to fit 90 days of instruction into a 30-day semester of two-hour classes. The teachers are strict - probably tougher than during the school year- but at the same time,

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 3

they ~ave to remember that many of their students have failed." To compound the problem of time limitation, most of the coursework has to be done in the classroom. Homework is impractical, not only because many of the students have jobs during the summer, but also because students in summer school are more likely to need the classroom environment and close contact with the teacher to learn effectively.
The intense atmosphere has its benefits. One student said, "It's a good thing they have it, or I'd be in trouble. Besides, you really learn the subject better." Another said, while she hated taking classes during vacation, she also thought, "You get more from summer school, because they take more time with you, and there aren't as many people in class."

While many students take required courses in summer school to better grades or make room for electives during the regular school year, some gain the credits they need to be graduated. This year, more than 100 Cobb students received diplomas - from their home schools - at a special summer school graduation ceremony.

Osborne High summer school students Angie Parks and Laura Weaver enjoy some personalized instruction from chemistry teacher Pat Thompson (left). Weaver commented, "I get more out of summer school because they take more time with you and there are fewer people in class."

High schoolers aren't the only ones to get academic credit for summer school. Cobb County's innovative community education division is pioneering a program which allows elementary school students to earn credit for work done in summer school, too. While middle school students still do not earn academic credit for attending the summer tutoring program, they will probably be able to do so next summer.
Robert Burke, Cobb County associate superintendent for curriculum and operations, said, "The summer school for credit program is part of our push for excellence in education in Cobb . It's designed to provide opportunities for young people to work ahead. It is especially beneficial because it allows those who are significantly behind to pick up on skills they haven't acquired during the school year and keep in practice so they don't regress during the summer."
The elementary and middle school summer programs are held in the same facilities as community education classes. This year was the first time elementary students were able to earn credit for academic progress they made during the summer.

4 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

Derek Denard takes a full load of courses required for graduation at Osborne's summer school program - chemistry, United States history and f~ee enterprise. All that work will pay off this fall, because passing those classes will make Derek a senior.

The permanent records of students attending summer school are sent to the center, and the child's progress is recorded. Under this system, the student can catch up with classmates and take up in the fall where he or she left off.
The structure of the summer school program under community education is slightly different than it is during the regular year. Each of the six centers is administered by a lead teacher in all three areas - elementary, middle and special education. This .lead teacher acts as a substitute and works with children who are having problems. Class size is limited to 14 for elementary and middle school language arts and mathematics classes and six for special education classes in learning disabilities, speech and language therapy, interrelated, impair ed hearing and moderately and severely mentally handicapped.
Like the high school program, the elementary and middle summer schools have a hard-core curriculum. Janice Repasky, community school director at Nash Middle School, said, "There's no time for frills, enrichment or 'fun' activities. It's a learn and drill situation. Parents, students and teachers all want to get the most out of the summer." That attitude works in terms of student achievement, says Repasky, and she credits that to the one-on-one situation and the dedication of the summer school teachers.
Nick Pedro, director of adult and community education, also based the success of the program on the teachers. "We've selected some of the best teachers we've got, and that's important," he said. "If the kids are behind, we want teachers who are extraordinarily capable ."
One of those teachers, Susan Gann, describes the benefits of the summer program as two-fold. "It's great for both students and teachers," she said. "They get lots of individual attention, while I get some perspective on working with students on different levels."
According to Pedro, the Cobb summer school program is stirring interest in other systems - at least five other counties have called for information. Pedro said , "We've ironed out some of the wrinkles now - where to get money for instruction and airconditioning, how to shuffle student records - and there's a lot of need and interest. In the next couple of years, more programs will be doing what we're doing - especially since it's self-supporting." All the costs for facilities and instruction are included in the summer school fees- $55 for language arts, $39 for mathematics and $90 for special education.
Learning the times tables isn't nearly as hard with the special help of Rosalie Morgan, who teaches at Norton Park Elementary during the regular school year. One-on-one attention is a natural part of Cobb's summer school enviro nment.

It's a challenge to fit 90 days of instruction into a 30-day semester of
two-hour classes.
Georgia ALERT, September 1984 5

WINTER

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

ow
e easons
by Eleanor Gilmer

They are like the seasons of the year- they come, and they go. They are the children of migrant agricultural workers, and they move in and out of Georgia's public schools several times a year. In fact, the seasons mostly determine when and where these special students go to school. They come to Georgia when crops need harvesting, and their parents can find work. Then they move on to other states.
Through a federally funded program, the migrant students receive special attention not only during the regular school year, but also during summer months. A record is kept of each student, and through a national computerized network, this record follows the child from school to school.
Since the summer is a peak agricultural period in Georgia, and a large number of migrant students are in residence, administrators have found this to be a good time to plan activities for the students, especially those too young to work.
The bulk of the state's farm products are produced in south Georgia, and many of the landowners use migrant workers in the summer to pull plants and help harvest crops such as peppers, cucumbers, cabbages, squash, tomatoes and tobacco. Many of

the workers return in the fall to help with crops such as sweet potatoes.
According to Eugenia Lott, director of the Peachtree Migrant Education Agency, which serves 40 middle -and south Georgia systems, the majority of the migrant workers in her service area are Hispanic.
The Tift County migrant program is served by the Peachtree MEA Tift Director Joan Marshall tried something new this summer. In summers past, Marshall and her aides have taken a mobile classroom into the migrant camps where the students live and worked with them on a one-to-one or smallgroup basis. This summer they decided to bring the students in to an elementary school in Omega, and they have been pleased with the results.
"We had up to 150 students enrolled this summer. The number changed from day to day as families moved on to other work areas," said Marshall. "About 90 percent of our students were Hispanic."
The students were bused to the school and attended classes from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. They were fed breakfast and lunch. Four teachers, two aides and two volunteers worked with the students to help

them improve basic skills in reading and mathematics and to improve their English. They learned to make things such as clay beads in arts and crafts and to use computers to learn other skills.
Preschoolers who will be eligible to enroll in kindergarten in the fall learned to recognize colors, to count and to identify parts of the ,body. They also did a lot of singing and playing and were eager to demonstrate their skills to visitors to the program.
An evening program was conducted for high school students who work during the day.
Some of the school systems in south Georgia this summer received help from six teachers from Texas who were Hispanic and had experience working with migrants. However, Tift County did not feel the need for one of the Texans because the two aides in the Tift program are Hispanic and are products of the migrant education program themselves.
Sisters Andrea Dean and Diana Mendieta both are married and live full-time in Tifton . They both serve as aides in the regular school program as well as in the summer program.

6 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

At the end of the seven-week program a special meeting and homemade ice cream supper was to be held for the parents so that the students could demonstrate their new skills. Marshall said last year about 75 parents attended a similar meeting, and she expected more this year.
Champs Program is Successful
The Piedmont MEA, which serves migrant students in north Georgia, also tried something new this summer. A two-week residential program for secondary students was conducted at North Georgia College in Dahlonega. Eighteen students ages 13 to 15 were enrolled. Many of the students are potential school dropouts, even though some are very bright.
"This is the first time we've attempted a program like this, and we are pleased with the results," says Susan Johnson, one of the directors of the program. "We wanted to show the students that learning can be fun. "
According to Johnson, the program was patterned after the Governor's Honors Program - although on a much smaller scale . The students lived in a dormitory and attended classes during the day.
Andrea Dean, an aide in the Tift County migrant program, is
.,. Hispanic and was enrolled in the program herself. Here she works
with preschoolers to help them become ready for kindergarten.

All the staff at the Piedmont Migrant Education Agency got involved in the Champs program at Dahlonega. Director Clabus Adams shows Shane Whitley ofJefferson how to build a doghouse.

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 7

According to Clabus Adams, director of the Piedmont MEA, the purpose of the program, called Champs, was to help the students improve their self-concept, develop skills in decision making and job seeking, improve study skills and improve career awareness. The students also participated in recreational and arts and crafts activities in addition to receiving counseling. One of the popular activities they participated in was "shadowing" local businesses in Dahlonega. Each student spent part of a day at a local business learning about the business. For example, Bobbijean Dupry of Gainesville, shadowed one of the local veterinarians and watched him perform eye surgery on a cat. "It didn't change my mind. I still want to be a veterinarian," she said. Connie Ivester of Cleveland wants to be a cosmetologist, so she spent her time in a beauty salon. Connie is in the ninth grade at White County High School and has been in a gifted program since second grade. The students were given new clothes and other items at the beginning of the program. A representative of a modeling agency gave them tips on how to dress on a low budget, how to present themselves well and other tips on building self-concept. Another popular part of the program was the computer class taught at the local high school. The students learned computer games, as well as how to improve literacy skills. The Champs program has been so successful that it will probably be continued next year, says Johnson.
8 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

Tammy Hinesley, a student at Jefferson High School, was one of 18 students enrolled in the Champs program in Dahlonega. The students participated in classes to help them improve their study skills, self-concept and career awareness. Tam my makes a necklace in an arts and crafts class.
Veronica Rodriguez (right) and Tasha Taylor use the computer to learn to count. These youngsters were enrolled in the Tift County summer migrant program and will be ready for kindergarten in the fall.

p
UIRIR8P
88~10

akes
Summer
Fun
Story by Barbara Perkins Photography by Eleanor Gilmer
Are You a Conservative? Are YouaLiberal?is a book you could expect to find in just about any good library during a presidential election year. But would you expect to see a fourth grader reading it? In the middle of July?
Stranger things than this have happened as a result of Georgia's vacation reading club program. Some things so remarkable, in fact, that they seem downright magical. And the theme for this year's program, "Books are Powerful Magic," is an apt one.
Children at the Lake Blackshear Regional Library in Americus find the shelves stacked with books on powerfully magic things such as The Wonder Clock and The Magic Lantern. On powerfully magic people such as Harry Houdini, Master of Magic and Merlin the Magician in tales of King Arthur. And on ordinary things and people which to a child's mind seem magical such as Computers, Avalanche and Hammerin Hank of the Braves.
But more than this, these children are finding that books have the magical property of transporting them from here and now to there and then, of allowing them to spend their summer vacation with Odysseus in The Trojan Horse and with King Arthur in Camelot or with The Boy from the UFO . .. and they don't even have to leave home or 1984!
According to Betty Shields, children's librarian at Blackshear, the main goal of their program is to make reading fun for the preschool and elementary age students who take part. Every child who reads

-----------~-
Books Are Powerful Magic
Georgia ALERT, September 1984 9

10 books gets a reading club button. Those who read 25 books earn a gold seal to place on the button. Children may read any book they want on any subject they choose on any grade level they can.
They are given reading club folders to record the titles of the books they have read. They get bookmarks with the year's slogan imprinted. And they get to tell the librarian some of the stories they read throughout the summer.
"Books are Powerful Magic was the theme decided on by this year's vacation reading club committee," said Sharon Joseph, coordinator of the club for the Georgia Department of Education's Division of Public Library Services, which administers the program.
"Each year around January, we meet and discuss the thrust of the program for the year. We decide on a theme. Then we inform all county and regional libraries of our decisions and invite them to take part in the statewide program. The overwhelming majority of them do. But sometimes a few libraries have made plans of their own for their clubs, so they will not participate in the statewide theme."
The incentives for participating in the statewide theme are many. The Division of Public Library Services provides bookmarks, folders, buttons, posters and technical assistance to libraries which take part. Up until a few years ago they also provided books. But that has changed. Each library is now responsible for ordering its own.
"Our circulation has tripled this year in response to the reading club program," Shields said. "Last year we gave the children free video game coupons, and I think the word got around. This year we have more than 590 students participating."
In addition to providing books, the Lake Blackshear library provides enrichment programs for the children who come in to spend part of their summer days. Programs which teach them how to use sign language, how to mix colors and other everyday activities which seem nothing short of miraculous to children are pn:;sented.
Vacation reading clubs all over the state have been creating powerful magic for a long time. Since the 1920s- when an independent agency named the Georgia Library Commission ran it, and children were mailed books two at a time for which they had to pay postage in counties without their own libraries - to the present-day state funded program, the club has created the magic of getting children to read . . . and like it.

Decisions! Decisions! Choosing just the right book for summer fun is an all-absorbingjob for this young visitor to Lake Blackshear Regional Library's vacation reading club. The wide variety of
books the library carries means students have more books from which to choose.

"I've read 10- count 'em- 10 books already!" is the message these reading clubbers are giving Jana Foreman, aide for the Lake Blackshear Library's children's program.
10 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

P Story by Barbara Petzen Photography by Glenn Oliver

Barbara Petzen is a summer intern in the Public Information and Publications Division. In addition to attending the Governor's Honors Program, she also has the distinction of being Georgia's 1983 STAR Student. She now is a sophomore at Columbia University in New York where she is majoring in international relations. She plans a career in journalism.
Going back to GHP is like going back to the house where you grew up. You watch the new occupants go in and out, you peek in the windows, you try to figure out what they've changed, whether the kitchen sink still leaks.
Well, GHP looked mostly the same as it did when I was there two summers ago- tousled heads yawning over doughnuts at breakfast; brightly colored jerseys with ComArt or Compute! blazoned across the front ; whistles and standing ovations at performances, giving one of our own the recognition they deserve . . . .
Ooops. Their own. As similar as it seemed on the surface, this Governor's Honors Program was not the same as the one I attended. This year, GHP has been structurally remodeled to provide a richer, more streamlined experience for the gifted and talented students who spend six weeks there in the s um mer .
"Basically, we looked at the operational framework of the program," said Lonnie Love , GHP director. "We saw three areas - instructional, residential and administrative - and we tried to separate those areas more. An assistant director was appointed for each."
The decision to divide responsibilities according to distinct guidelines has changed some things. For example, the status of the resident assistants is different. They are no longer seen as support and service personnel as they have been in the past.

According to the new philosophy, the RAs spend their time coordinating all noninstructional activi ties, including the classic Casino Night and an airband competition, and "being responsible, respon ding adults who are there for the kids to go to any hour of the day." That, says Love, makes the program both better and safer for the students.
When I was in Valdosta with 399 other GHPers, there were 200 more at North Georgia College in Dahlonega. That's changed, too. Now all of the GHP participants are at Valdosta State College. Explaining the move, Love said, "Moving all 600 kids to the Valdosta campus complemented the decision to separate the administrative, instruc tiona! and housing functions. It made management easier - and cheaper - in terms of materials,
If there's one thing we can do,
it's to make kids independent of
teachers and schools for their personal education.

Still no chocolate chip cookie care packages from home in my old mailbox- some things at GHP never change.
selection of students, etc. More important, concentrating the students at one place made the program much richer for the students academically and in terms of providing a total residential life program. Having everybody here at Valdosta State College instead of divided between two places is the best decision we ever made."
Students seem to agree. Chris Arnt, an '84 GHPer, reasoned (in typical GHP style), "More people. More friends. More buddies." He added that because there were more people, there was a wider variety of people to meet and more cultural interaction and breaking down of barriers. "Six of us went to synagogue together one weekend," he said. "It was pretty cool."
The instructional area of the program has also shifted focus . It used to be that a student would go to his or her major area class in the morning and divide the rest of the day into interest areas. Now, students choose a minor area in addition to the major area in which they were nominated for the program and attend both classes every day. Minor area subjects include architecture and design, Shakespeare, computer programming, TV pro duction and film, among others. Students are also required to complete some sort of research project within the scope of their major area subject - an instructional innovation I'm almost glad we didn't have in '82 .
The schedule of major and minor classes still leaves the students free time in the early morning, after noon and evening. Some of this time is taken up by optional shortterm seminars on a variety of topics, ranging from Northern Ireland to hiking. The seminars allow students to explore different areas without limiting the scope of their GHP experience and allow the instructors to branch out from the basic curriculum into their own special areas of interest and expertise.

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 11

Also taking place in the evenings are rehearsals and performances for the choruses, orchestras, dance performances, dramatic productions and other activities - the infamous student talent show, for example. All students, instructors and RAs are invited to participate in these groups (although some, of course, participate by coming to the per formances and adding their applause!)
Outside of the structured classes, rehearsals and leisure activities, there are four support areas. Separate staffs for counseling, media, computers and physical activities provide services to all the students, both in and out of the classroom. While these services were available to students before, the new organization makes them more visible and more accessible. For example, students are exposed to the services the media center offers at an orientation in major area classes, which introduces them to basic information accessing skills. Then they are free to use those resources on their own to complete major area research projects or just to explore.
Likewise, physical activity instructors come to major areas and describe the physical program and its services, which include early morning exercise such as group jogging and interdormitory sports competition. The program also sponsors a sort of olympics where the major areas compete in strangebut-true sports.
The new stress on the four support areas is part of a philosophy of teaching independence. "We hope the new program will empower youngsters to take charge of learning, to be in command of their intellectual, physical and emotional resources," said Love. "If there's one thing we can do, it is to make kids independent of teachers and schools for their personal education. They should feel that they can get it and do it on their own."
That attitude of independence in learning, at least, has survived intact through the changes of the last two years. The big oak tree by the cafeteria may be gone, but students still argue over politics and poetry and learn to waltz by the fountain. The sense of time rushing by, too, is a permanent part of the GHP atmosphere. Six weeks still isn't long enough - and two years is far too long.
GHP students have access to some of the newest technology and equipment. In a minor course in design, instructor Bill Leathers shows Julie Home how to use a new-fangled "drawing board" - a computer drafting program.
12 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

GHP camerc ience as hez a student-pre production n
Jack Thileni1 on completin ground is an and painted

n Robbie Henderson gets real hands-on experin fo r a close-up shot during a taping session of show, "Pyramus and Thysbee,"in his television class.
a GHPer from Newnan High School, concentrates his project in design for his minor class. In the back-
project - a "stained glass" window designed art majors.

GHP isn't all fun and games. Rehearsals can be exhausting, frustrating and boring, but students will agree that all those "one more times" are worth it when the curtain finally goes up.
Having everybody here at VSC
instead of divided between two places is the best decision
we ever made.
Christopher Gurr relays camera directions through the director's headset as he fits angles, fades and close-ups into a complete television production. The finished product was student acted, directed and produced.

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 13

--
Spe~:ial Tea~:hers
liet Spe~:ial Help From lilRS
Story and Photography By Wagers Chenault

Students aren't the only ones who sacrifice part of their summer vacations to return to the classroom. Each year thousands of Georgia teachers spend the summer months furthering their educations and updating skills.
Sometimes these educators enroll in courses that have little to do with their specific subject areas. In the mid-seventies the Georgia legislature passed House Bill671 requiring all teachers, principals and counselors wishing to renew certification to take a course in identification and education of exceptional children. Most educators take the course during the summer. And most take the course at a center of the Georgia Learning Resources System (GLRS).
During the summer and throughout the year, teachers, administators, students, counselors and parents take advantage of the services offered by the GLRS. The Georgia Department of Education's Program for Exceptional Children coordinates the activities of the state's 17 GLRS centers. According to Kathy Bush, "state GLRS coordinator, every Georgian is within an hour's drive of a center.
GLRS serves the special education community in many ways. Perhaps their most important contribution is in the area of staff development. Techniques and strategies for working with exceptional stu'dents are constantly being revised as more is learned about their needs and capabilities. GLRS workshops and media centers help keep educators abreast of the latest innovations. In addition to providing coursework for educators seeking to upgrade certification, GLRS conducts workshops covering a wide range of special education topics. There are orientations for those who have recently begun working with exceptional children, sessions on how to write behavioral and instructional objectives for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and up-dates covering the latest techniques and regulations. According to Bush, teachers are most

Kathy Bush, state GLRS coordinator, believes diversity and cooperation are the strength of the system. If a particular service or resource is not available at one GLRS center, there are 16 other centers in the statewide network that can be called on to fill the need.
interested in "how to" kinds of things. They come in with a specific case, and the GLRS staff will locate materials to help with that particular need. While instructional strategies are the number one concern of teachers, most administrators who come to the center are interested in keeping up with the latest laws and policies that affect special education.

Most workshops are given at the local center or nearby schools, but some are held at the regional or statewide level. To cut down on the need for travel, many workshops are videotaped, and the tapes are made available to each center's loan library. The media centers are the heart of the local GLRS centers. Each center has a collection of specialized instructional materials designed for handicapped students. There is also a relatively small collection to serve the needs of gifted students. All types of materials are available, ranging from printed matter to videotapes to specially designed toys. Anyone who works with exceptional children can check out the materials as soon as they have completed an application establishing user privileges. There is no fee charged for the use of these materials, and, in fact, there is no charge for any GLRS service (Sometimes a small fee is assessed to cover the costs of refreshments at workshops or the costs of extensive laminating or photocopying). Materials are usually checked out on a short term basis, but long term loans can be arranged if demand permits.
Material rapidly becomes outdated as new methods of working with exceptional children evolve. The state's 17 centers hold an annual "round up time" to retrieve materials out on loan and to purge their collections of old materials. Center administrators attend seminars to stay in touch with the latest trends in special education, and centers attain grants to acquire new materials each year. Centers publish a catalog of their holdings, and suggestions from users are solicited. Every center has a designated service area, but users are free to go to any center in the network. Interlibrary loans are encouraged.
Many parents, and some teachers as well, may not realize that a child is in need of special education services. About four years ago the GLRS initiated its Child Serve program. Technical assistance is pro-

14 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

System, and electronic information system and bulletin board that provides immediate access to what's going on in special education at the national and state levels . According to Bush , the next step is to link the centers with colleges and universities. "We're really excited about that! "

What about funding? Federal funding seems to be holding fairly steady, keeping pace with inflation. But there have been some cutbacks in important areas such as training . Demand, on the other hand is increasing rapidly . There was a time when GLRS served exclusively the population of special education teachers. They still make up the majority of users, but today more and more regular education teachers, principals and counselors are recognizing the benefits of the program. One of the major concerns is how to reach parents. This year the network has acquired a grant to initiate a program to make parents more aware of the services offered by GLRS and special education.

At this time of year, in the last month of summer,

special and regular education teachers are spend-

ing a lot of time at their local GLRS centers, prepar-

ing materials for the new school year. But the

services offered by GLRS are available, year round ,

Teachers are not the only users of GLRS. Billie Talley-Brown, second from left, is department chair of a high school resource program. She is meeting at the Metro East GLRS center with two speech therapists, a school psychologist and the center's Child Serve coordinator.

to anyone who works with exceptional children aged 0-21. Special education is a rewarding but also an extraordinarily demanding field. Georgia's 17 GLRS centers can be of tremendous assistance to

vided to local school systems and other agencies to Department of Education establishes a "work- those working in that field. As Kathy Bush says, "I

identify unserved and inappropriately served handi- scope" for the 17 GLRS centers. The workscope think we provide good services to children, and

capped children. There are probably many children lists objectives that all centers should meet based people really do appreciate having that extra re

in regular classrooms or other settings who have on identified statewide needs. The local advisory source to help with the tough jobs they have to do ."

not been identified and are therefore not taking boards decide how their centers will meet those

advantage of the special help they are entitled to. Child Serve tries to identify those students and provide the staff development, technical assistance and resources needed to serve them. Child Serve also initiates interviews with parents to talk about their child's need for diagnostic services and pos-

objectives as well as other local needs . The centers submit proposals to the state and the state determines whether the requirements of the workscope have been met. As a result of this system the state's 17 centers offer a great deal of consistency and a great deal of diversity as well.

Sandra Morgan, an instructor at DeKalb County Mental Retardation Center, prepares classroom materials at a GLRS center. "You won't find another place like GLRS that has so many special ed resources- and it's free!"

sible placement in a special education program.

Most of the students served by GLRS are in the mildly to moderately handicapped range because that is the profile of the handicapped population at large. But the system also provides services to the severely handicapped. An important part of that service involves providing information and referrals for diagnostic services for severely and multiply handicapped students whose needs can't be met through local resources.

What lies in the future for GLRS? A current goal is to increase cooperation with colleges and universities. When GLRS was established in the early seventies centers were intentionally located away from areas served by colleges. The centers' inservice training was primarily to be used by people who could not get to a college. That's beginning to change. GLRS and colleges have recently cosponsored a number of projects. A recent workshop with Georgia State University covered the use of

How does the system operate? Funding for GLRS microcomputers in special education. And today

comes primarily from the federal government one GLRS center is located on a college campus.

under Title VI Part B, the Education of the Handi- This is bringing positive results. Student teachers

capped Act. State funds pay the salaries of center are learning about the resources provided by

directors, provide for operating and maintenance GLRS, and that association continues after

costs and pay for some instructional materials. graduation.

Various grants also contribute to the program.

Each of the centers is fiscally managed by a desig- The use of advanced technology is another area

nated fiscal agent. About half of these are large that GLRS is concentrating on for the future . Their

metropolitan school systems and the rest are goal is to have a computer lab in all or most centers

..

CESAs. Each center's programs are managed by a local advisory board. To insure a basic level of

to train teachers in computer literacy and software development. Today, 15 of the 17 Georgia centers

quality service throughout the network, the Georgia are hooked into the Special Net Information

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 15

Georgia's Child Care Food Program

Story by Gilda Lamar Watters Photography by Glenn Oliver

I remember as if it were yesterday. But it happened more than 20 years ago, and I was in nursery school. I loved that school and thoroughly enjoyed eating there - tasty, appetizing, home-cooked dishes prepared with love by Mrs. Harris, the cook. The meals were always well-balanced, including foods from the basic food groups as well as a fresh salad about three times a week. I especially remember the salads - carrot salad, potato salad, tossed salad, macaroni salad - you name it, we had it. I remember them so well because I cried whenever they were served. Why did I cry? Because I was required not just to taste a bite, but to eat the entire salad or be punished by having my recess taken away .

My, how things have changed! The days of teaching good eating habits through coercion are long gone. Instead, through the Child Care Food Program (CCFP), nutrition education has been eased into the child care centers' curriculums subtly, but effectively. Nutrition education is an integral part of the program's overall goal.
The Program
The CCFP, established by Congress in 1968 as a program of the United States Department of Agri-

culture's Food and Nutrition Services, was enacted for the specific purpose of providing meals for children in day care centers. Other programs in this federal feeding program include outside-school hours centers, family day care homes, group day care homes and institutions providing day care services for the handicapped. But in addition to providing foods for meals that will improve the nutritional status of those served, the program strives also to help the day care center children develop nutrition habits for healthier living. To do so, attention is placed not just on teaching the toddlers and preschoolers, but also on teaching center personnel how to better teach nutrition education to young children.

16 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

The Georgia Department of Education's School and Community Nutrition Services Section, the CCFP's local administrator, is leading the way in offering this valued technical assistance to the centers' personnel. Yet, it is the program participants - the children - who are the prime beneficiaries of these efforts.
The Situation
Today, with the increased number of two income families and single parent homes, day care center business is increasing rapidly. Surveys show that parents want their children to be exposed to organized teaching as well as organized play. Research reinforces the need for a structured learning atmosphere at an early age. Studies show that by age five most children have developed their eating and snacking habits along with other important socialization skills. Positive reinforcement through encouragement is now the rule.
Learning Made Fun
CCFP centers aim for an ideal - to make learning fun. The Moody Air Force Base Child Care Center is an example . A brightly colored, modern, wellstaffed, well-equipped facility in Moody, Georgia, near Valdosta, this center accepts preschoolers beginning at age six weeks. They provide an afterschool program and a summer program for older children up to age 10. Today- in groups of about 12 - the preschoolers are meeting Chef Combothat's short for Chef Combination, according to Pat Brubaker, the food service employee introducing the puppet to the students. They have made personalized chef hats just for the occasion during arts/crafts sessions led by teacher Rocanne Buckle.
Chef Combo will be used regularly to conduct nutrition education training sessions in the center. The preschoolers seem to be mesmerized as Chef Combo combs the room , first asking everyone's name, then inquiring about their eating habits with questions such as "What's your favorite food?" Responses such as "pizza, " "ice cream," "spaghetti," "jel/o," "cheese toast" and even "broccoli" are clearly and willingly shouted.
Chef combo tells them why these foods are good for them; how important to proper growth these foods and those from the four basic food groups are; and how the students can make wise food choices. The session closes with Chef Combo saying to the children that he is their new friend and will meet with them regularly to talk about good nutrition and give them some new, healthy foods to try. This group of preschoolers leaves with lots of discussion about their new pal and how they are going home to tell mommie about different foods that are good to eat!

Hundreds of miles north of the Moody center, in an old, restored home with fireplaces in practically every room and a rambling front porch, lead teacher Chrystal Tarpkins is teaching a group of five year olds about eggs and why they are sources of good nutrition. Today the class at the Jackson County Child Development Center in Commerce is actually preparing scrambled eggs and will sample the results. Step by step they learn the process, everyone having a cup to crack their egg in, a spoon to stir with and a turn at the electric skillet to do the actual cooking. Questions such as "Is there a chicken in here?" or "What's that yellow stuff?" and "What happens if you drop the egg?" are thoroughly and patiently answered by Tarpkins along with the other information she is teaching them about today's subject.
In both centers, although activities vary, the goal is the same: to conduct innovative learning sessions that help young children develop positive attitudes about food and nutrition. In these activities and other popular ones such as baking and cooking exercises, recipe writing, taste test parties and gardening, child care students learn many important skills.
What Are They Learning? and How?
Making alphabet soup can be an adventure for young children - an educational adventure. Step one, wash the vegetables. From this the students

learn the importance of cleanliness and the differences in color, shape and texture of the vegetables being used. Already they have learned the vegetable names. Step two, slice the vegetables. From this the students are taught how to follow sequential directions, the names of various kitchen utensils and how they work, the importance of safety (Knives are dangerous!), the difference between long and short and the concepts of odor distinction (Onions smell different from carrots.). Step three, measure four cups of beef bouillon . The children practice counting while executing this procedure and engage in show and tell with the instructor showing them what solid to liquid looks like . Step four, put the ingredients in a glass pot. From this the children are able to watch the boiling process and review the utensils used. Step five, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Students learn what the term simmer means and learn the fine art of timing. Final step, measure one cup of alphabet noodles, put in the pot and cook five minutes. The children review the alphabet and learn about hard and soft. They have practiced eye/ hand coordination and muscle development throughout the entire process.
Why have children write recipes? Recipe writing exercises are fun for the children and helpful to the center teachers. They are a way for the parent and child to interact at home, a vehicle for teachers and parents to measure a child's observation skills, a great opening for show and tell games and an outstanding way to begin discussing nutrition. Anthony Sanders from the Dawson Child Development Day

Chef Combo, a puppet used to teach children nutrition education, makes a new friend of this Moody Air Force Base preschooler. This session, taught by center dietitian Pat Brubaker, is just part of the students' action packed day which includes music, language, arts and crafts and physical activities. Development assessments of every child's social and physical abilities are taken biannually and reviewed with parents to track students' maturity.

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 17

Care Center shares his version of a family recipe for chicken:

"Put them in a skillet and cook them/or 12 hours. And then you take it out and turn some water on. Then you put the chicken in there and let it cool. And then just take it out of the water. Put it on the table and say your blessing and open your eyes and eat your chicken. That's all."

Taste test parties are undoubtedly o ne of the best ways to introduce new foods to children. The object is to get the children to taste items with which they may not be familiar , may not have liked before or may have wanted to try but never had the opportunity. Taste tests allow them to sample small portions of each. Gardening is an education in itself, and allowing children to eat what they have grown is a delight.
Georgia's Role
"This program is designed to be operated by a state agency because state administrators know their publics and can thus better serve their needs," says Freeman Dennis, unit leader of the USDA Child Care Center/ Summer Feeding Program for the southeast region. He adds that USDA is pleased with the job Georgia's CCFP is doing. The department of education assumed the responsibility of administering the CCFP two-and-a-half years ago. Today it is meeting its top three goals of improving the nutritional status of preschool children, providing nutrition education to improve the quality of food service to children and providing nutrition education that will include the children in planned nutrition activities. Under the direction of Patricia Malone, child care food program coordinator with the School and Community Nutrition Services Section, six one-day conferences were held across the state during the summer providing in-service training to lead teachers, menu planners and other center representatives. It is these conferences and the technical assistance given by the program's three area consultants that bring into focus such ideas as Chef Combo and numerous other instructional strategies for nutrition education. The program also receives help from nutrition specialists in the Georgia Department of Education and USDA.

Going to the Moody center is fun to these students. Good communications and ongoing community relations makes the center an exemplary one. The center manger and staff send home monthly newsletters, sponsor a monthly family activity, send families with newborns congratulatory letters and offer four hours of free child care services to them and all new families.

Mardy Stevens, Moody center manager, reviews this toddler's daily record chart which includes feeding instructions, bottle information, special instructions from parents and teacher comments. Students and teachers enjoy close relationships at the center, where the student/teacher ratio in the infant room is four to one. "Fire cribs" with special fireproof wheels are in each infant room as a safety precaution.
18 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

To date the CCFP participants in Georgia total471 day care centers and 1,784 day care homes sponsored by 12 organizations. To participate in the CCFP, individuals or institutions must have nonprofit status, have the proposed facility approved and licensed by the Georgia Department of Human Resources, complete the necessary forms and attend the Georgia Department of Education sponsored preapproval conference. The area consultants then conduct preoperational visits to the

sites and within 90 days conduct follow up visits to the facilities .
Children differ based on where they live, how they live and with whom they live. But whether they are children at a military day care center where low flying jets do not excite them but the ripening of a green tomato does, or children from a small town day care center who are being encouraged to eat

their raw vegetables and salads, it takes careful planning and preparation to teach them healthy eating habits. As Mardy Stevens, director at the Moody center, put it, "Day care centers are no longer just nurseries. We're concerned with total child development." Stevens' statement sums up the way most CCFP child care centers view their role and the direction being taken by the program's administrators. Development is not only the key, but the key concern in CCFP centers.

Child Care Food Program Staff in Georgia

The Child Care Food Program's (CCFP) primary goal is to provide nutritious meals to children in day care centers, outside-school-hours centers, family day care homes and group day care homes. But Georgia's program has added the goal of providing nutrition education instruction as a regular part of the training given to CCFP students. To do so, the program coordinator and staff are placing great emphasis in 1984 on training the trainers - CCFP teachers - how to plan and implement fun and effective activities to help young children develop positive attitudes towards food and nutrition. Special meal pattern requirements are established and updated for centers to plan and prepare well-balanced meals and healthy snacks for infants and children. The CCFP area consultants provide much-needed, muchappreciated technical assistance which makes the program work in Georgia.

Patricia D. Malone, coordinator

Patricia Binion, area consultant

Mahalah Harrison, area consultant

Virginia Kempa, area consultant

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 19

Beorgia's future International
Peace Prize Winner

byGaleE.~mu.,.

"If I were a world leader, I would devote all of my life to doing what I could to prevent the killings which so many people have suffered. But one out of billions of people can do little. We need everyone's cooperation. Besides, our life is too short to be unhappy and hateful. Let us use our lives and make each of them a worthy one."
Nguyen Vu Tran Nguyen
With these words of inspiration, 12-year old Nguyen Vu Tran Nguyen (pronounced "win") ended the essay that made him one of 17 children around the world to receive the 1984 International Children's Peace Prize. He was presented his award by Egypt's Madame Sadat and Nobel Peace Prize winner Linus Pauling at a ceremony in June in San Francisco.
A shy Vietnamese boy who began learning English a mere two years ago at Newton Estates Elementary School in College Park, Georgia, Nguyen, a fifth grader, has advanced rapidly and should be at his normal grade level this fall.
Nguyen's heroes are Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. He has seen the effects of war first hand and believes that if people stop fighting and "treat each other with love" peace can be attained.
Nguyen's father was put in a concentration camp in North Vietnam when Nguyen was three, and his family struggled for survival during that time. His mother tried farming but was unsuccessful, so she went to work on a rubber plantation, working extremely long hours and caring for her children. When his father returned, the family tried to escape. After a few attempts they finally boarded a small boat with about 25 other people and arrived in Malaysia. For four months they stayed in the Philippines, and then came to College Park, Georgia.
Nguyen believes that America is a place where dreams can come true. A sculpture of three hands and a dove and a $1,000 scholarship from the Round Table Foundation (sponsor of the peace prize) will help foster Nguyen's dream of becoming a world leader for peace.

leaders Are Totlay,s Outstanding Students

International Science Fair Winner
When he begins school this fall as a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar at Emory University, Andrew Shapira won't have any trouble answering the question of what he did this summer. In late July, Shapira traveled to London to share his cancer research with other young scientists at the 26th London International Youth Science Fortnight. Shapira's research project, "Discovery of Protein Bound to Mitochondrial DNA: Its Role in Aging and Cancer," won him the U.S. Marine Corps

award and his trip to London at the 35th International Science and Engineering Fair, held this May in Columbus, Ohio.
Students at Briarcliff High School are required to do an original research project, and Shapira calls this "a great learning experience because the thinking process is the real important thing." Add to this a family atmosphere rich in intellectual pursuits (his father is in neurochemistry and his two brothers are in medical school) and you have the combination Shapira credits for his intense interest in science.
According to Gene Michaels, director of the Georgia Science Fair Program at the University of

Nguyen Vu Tran Nguyen has learned much about life in just 12 years. His personal knowledge of the effects of war and fighting lead him to write a prize-winning essay.
20 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

An international peaceseeker, a cancer researcher and a na-
tional president. What is the common ingredient in the
lives of these outstanding Georgia students? It is their intense interest in
a certain subject that has lead them to create projects worthy of national and international attention. Georgia has many outstanding students; in
this issue of Georgia ALERT we spotlight
three of them.

Andrew Shapira has earned many honors th roughout his academic career at Briarcliff High School in Atlanta. Here he receives some guidance from Judy Johnston, one of the teachers who inspired him.

Georgia, Shapira set a record this April at the 36th

Georgia Science and Engineering Fair when he won

the grand prize in life sciences and the first prize

in biochemistry for the fourth year in a row. Four years ago, he was the youngest winner at the state science fair with his project on how certain enzymes operate in the different areas of digestion.

Bill Hembree meets President Ronald Reagan at The White House after the President addressed a group of young people to declare 1985/nternational Youth Year. At an unscheduled meeting in Atlanta, Hembree had another chance to speak with the President about free enterprise.

He went to Emory University to see if he could

obtain a water bath and some other simple supplies needed for his enzyme project and began talking to researchers there. Shapira's interests evolved into cell research when he saw that the enzymes

National DECA President

"Bill's natural leadership qualities. He has a humble style and he relates to whatever audience he is addressing." This skill will serve him well in the year ahead, as Hembree fulfills his duties as president by

changed in cancer cells. Through the inspiration of "He was so shy, he hardly spoke up in class. attending leadership conferences, career develop-

his teachers at Briarcliff and his advisor in Another student came up to me in class one day ment workshops and speaking out for free enter-

biochemistry at Emory, Shapira got support for pursuing his cancer research.

and said Bill Hembree wanted to run for a DECA prise and DECA across the nation. state office.

At the international science fair this year, Shapira also won the American Veterinary Medical Association Biomedical Research Award, the Navy League of the United States Award, fourth place award in the American Chemical Society competition and third place in biochemistry.
Shapira went to Washington, D.C., this year as one of 40 winners of the 43rd Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Science Talent Search, one of the most prestigious awards in the nation.

'Bill who?'
'Bill Hembree.'
'You're kidding,' I retorted."
Little did teacher Sandy Wilson know then that her student, Bill Hembree, would be elected as national president of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) to represent 145,000 members.
From that inauspicious beginning at Douglas County High School two years ago, Bill Hembree

As part of his free enterprise project, an individual competition sponsored by Phillips Petroleum Company and DECA, Hembree moderated a forum at his high school, spoke at an elementary school and did guest editorials on television. Hembree won 10 shares of Phillips Petroleum stock as his prize. While President Ronald Reagan was in Atlanta to speak at a rally, Bill persuaded a secret service person to let him meet with the President to talk about free enterprise and youth.
During his high school career, Hembree has been a

It's hard to believe, but somehow this year, Shapira has gone on to conduct a national campaign; member of the drama club, French club, football

also found time to be a member of the golf team, the appeared on three Atlanta television stations; team , tennis team and president of the chorus. He

mathematics team and the drama club ; captain of initiated, developed and participated in a Phillips also works at the Commercial Bank in Douglasville

the social studies team; treasurer of the student Petroleum Free Enterprise Project that won first as a marketing assistant in business promotions

council; and editor of the Briarcliff High School place in national competition; won the Spirit of and public relations.

'}

magazine, Esse, among other activities. What is not hard to believe is that Shapira is looking

America award; and met Governor Joe Frank Harris and President Ronald Reagan.

At the rate he's going, Hembree's plans to become a director of marketing are realistic, and after he

forward to attending college because it will be less When asked what makes Bill an outstanding completes his term as DECA president he wants to

work and he will be able to relax.

student, State Supervisor Marvin Brown said it was attend Berry College .

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 21

ToTal1 PQIDE
~ourttust
Qeac
CiOJlL

Story by Barbara Petzen Photography by Glenn Oliver

A PRIDE judge inspects Robert Peteet's documentation of the materials and procedures he used in constructing his ''functioning Plexiglas scale model environmental control system," which won top honors.

Some people take more pride in their work than others. Take Robert Peteet, an air-conditioning/ refrigeration/heating student at Atlanta Area Vocational-Technical School, for example . His latest project won him the distinction of being named the state PRIDE (Performance Recognition Indicating Demonstrated Excellence) winner at the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership competition in Atlanta in May.
Peteet's project was a Plexiglas scale model building with a functioning heating and cooling system accompanied by several notebooks explaining the materials and procedures he used to construct it.
As impressive as Peteet's exhibit and PRIDE award were, he was not the only winner at the GOAL activities. Carrying off top honors was Richard Lazenby, an ornamental horticulture student at Augusta Area Vocational-Technical School. Lazenby competed with the best students from the state's 29 other vo-tech schools to earn the title of best postsecondary vo-tech student in Georgia. After a series of interviews in which contestants were judged on qualities including leadership, maturity, dependability and commitment to the values of vocational-technical education, Lazenby was named 1984 GOAL winner at a banquet ceremony at the end of GOAL week. He will serve

as an ambassador for vocational-technical education in Georgia for the next year.
The GOAL award earned Lazenby a new 1984 automobile and his instructor, James Scott Smith, a $250 check. Four runners-up for the GOAL title won color television sets. They were Barbara M. Ayer, data processing, DeKalb Area Vocational-Technical School, Clarkston; Carol Jeanette Page, data processing, Griffin Area Vocational-Technical School; John L. Flowers, forestry technology, Savannah Area VocationalTechnical School; and Jane Wilson, radiologic technology, Troup County Area VocationalTechnical School, LaGrange.
As PRIDE winner, Peteet won a $1,000 prize. Runners-up, who also received monetary awards, were second place, Phil Fielder, electronic engineering, Athens Area Vocational-Technical School; third place, Timothy McDonald, machine shop, Lanier Area Vocational-Technical School, Oakwood; fourth place, Andrew James Hay, electrical construction and maintenance, Bainbridge Junior College; and fifth place, Anne Lynn Elrod, secretarial, Columbus Area Vocational-Technical School.

While the GOAL program is in its 13th year, the PRIDE judging is a relatively new facet of the competition initiated in 1980. Students prepare exhibits and documentation that show their rate of mastery and level of skill in their study area. Exhibits this year ranged from Peteet's working environmental control system to an electronic sun-tracking device to a cosmetology exhibit that explored the frontiers of cosmetic fashion .
Because of the huge amount of effort and time that goes into the making of a PRIDE exhibit and the many fields the exhibits represent, the GOAL planning committee decided this year to institute a new phase of evaluation of PRIDE exhibits called the Professional Recognition (PR) judging. Members of professional associations and societies rate the exhibits pertinent to their professions and make awards to students whose projects demonstrate criteria such as creativeness, currentness, appearance and technical accuracy. Students are given a rating of excellent, good, fair or unsatisfactory.
According to Flay Baker, state GOAL program coordinator, the PR program is designed to reward students who have a high level of proficiency in their skill area, to promote the profession itself and to foster industry-education interaction and cooperation.

22 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

A Matter o PRiority

Awards of Excellence in School-Community Relations from the Georgia Board of Education last year went to two school systems and one school. Griffin-Spalding County, Bulloch County and Social Circle Elementary School were the winners. The May 1984 edition of ALERT featured two of the projects. The remaining two are featured in this article.
Awards are given each year at the December meeting of the state board. Entries are judged by a joint committee of the Georgia Department of Education's Public Information and Publications Division and the Georgia School Public Relations Association. Entry forms and other materials are mailed to school system superintendents in early fall .
3. ofoner1.
A Lot for the Money
When someone offers you a bargain, you take it. That's what the thrifty folks of Spalding County proved they believe.
"1981 was a bad year for the Griffin area ," said Judy Byrd, public information director for the county's schools. The courthouse burned. The jail was condemned. And high school students were unhoused, taking many of their classes in mobile trailers.
Th~ county's buildings had gone to pot. New ones had to be constructed. But the county faced a big problem: building public facilities on a zero budget.
The schools and the community rallied. Their solution was a one percent self-destruct tax on sales. A survey was done to see if citizens would support a bond referendum. The results showed that they would, and that they considered a new high school their number one priority.
So the campaign to win a referendum got underway. The slogan, "3 for one %, A Lot for the Money" was printed on posters, brochures and other publications to support the self-destruct tax for a new high school, a new courthouse and a new jail. A committee of citizens representing the three community agencies carried out an extensive public awareness campaign.
On November 2, 1982, the referendum passed by a wide margin. School administrators from Spalding County say that probably at no other time has community support for the schools been so emphatically demonstrated. And at no other time have the schools become in the eyes of the people such a total community concern.

What's Right with Education?

Bulloch County answered this question during
American Education Week with a week-long cele-
bration which captured the attention of everyone in the community.
According to June Smith, public relations director for Bulloch County Schools, their goal was twofold: to inform the public of the good things taking place in the school system and to build morale inside the schools.
They accomplished their goals. One principal stated in a letter to the county school superintendent, "American Education Week was a positive experience for the whole community." Another said, "American Education Week was the best activity I've ever seen or read about."
What was so good about it? First, it was planned by a committee consisting of a representative from each school. Each day of the week highlighted a special audience . And each school appointed someone to coordinate its activities.
An all-day kickoff extravaganza at Statesboro Mall on Saturday brought the schools to the public. Every school put up exhibits. Administrators and

faculty staffed the booths. Students performed every 30 minutes, conducting routines which ranged from band shows to puppet shows. Hundreds of parents and other shoppers visited.
On Sunday, educators were recognized at their churches during morning services. Monday, Student Appreciation Day, was highlighted by activities ranging from special meals and extended recess to no homework and a student band performance on the courthouse lawn. Tuesday featured a conference cosponsored by Georgia Southern College for Handicapped Awareness Day. Wednesday, Visit Your School Day, brought parents from all over town to the classrooms and lunchrooms. One school of 800 students had more than 300 parents to lunch.
Teacher Appreciation Day was Thursday. Teachers were treated to coffee breaks, corsages, apples, goody bags, an appreciation tea and duty-free lunch provided by civic clubs, area merchants, parents, the board of education and other community members. Parent Appreciation Day came Friday. Students wrote special letters and made special gifts to take home to their parents.

Stilson Elementary School students get a hop, kick and a jump out of the Crazy Socks Sock Hop held in their gymnasium as part of student appreciation day during American Education Week.

Georgia ALERT, September 1984 23

Georgia's National Excellence Winners
"We have just received word from Washington that your school has been named a National School of Excellence along with four others from Georgia.
Congratulations!"
The voices were ecstatic; the hearts were bursting with pride. The five Georgia schools were recognized, along with 197 others nationwide, in the U.S. Secondary School Recognition Program. They were chosen for their clear academic goals, high expectations for students, order and discipline, rewards and incentives for students, regular and frequent monitoring of student progress, opportunities for meaningful student responsibility and participation, teacher effectiveness, rewards and incentives for teachers, concentration on academic learning time, positive school climate, administrative leadership, well-articulated curriculum, evaluation for instructional improvement and community support and involvement.
National Schools of Excellence
Dalton High School Dalton City Schools W. J. Rochelle, principal
. Douglass High School Atlanta City Schools Lester Butts, principal
Garrett Middle School Cobb County Schools Larry Cooper, principal
Glynn Middle School Glynn County Schools Pam Lewis, principal
Walton High School Cobb County Schools Kelly Henson, principal

Macon's Answer to "A Nation ai;eflisk"
Excellence
The Bibb County Way

By Julia Martin

When the National Commission on Excellence in The 31 members of the commission included

Education issued its "Nation at Risk" report, some teachers, principals, professors, parents, doctors,

public school administrators quivered. Even if their business people, public service employees,

schools were doing a good job, the report's impli- students and government workers. .They were

cation was that no public schools were succeeding divided among five committees representing con-

in educating American youth.

tent, standards and expectations, time\ teaching

But Bt.bb County schoo1s m Maeon came out f.tght- anf d leakdershhip and fiscal su,pport. After six months mm.thgge.ttrToshScehuyopwoe1nas.nnwtteeednredtoednoptmrTogvoema tgoHotaohgdeletJrOr,cbto.hmAeymndwu,maancttyceodthrtadot-/ / -r onb- eowowksloecrto, n,wfetarseenpccreoesm.emnttesdstotontsherecpoomrmt, ummtay d5u4n-pnaggae

see in which areas they could improve education. \c-
The Bibb County Commission on Excellence in Education was created in October 1983, and charged with the task of studying the recommendations contained in the "Nation at Risk" report. Bibb is one of 30 school districts from 15 states and the District of Columbia working with Vanderbilt University to fulfill the national commission's call for local level initiatives to achieve excellence in schools. The Bibb commission members were to react to each recommendation in three ways - by agreeing, or disagreeing with or modifying each of the

, William Simmons, chairman of the board of the Trust Company Bank of Middle Georgia and chairman of the commission said, "The school system had made solid progress in the past few years. Our report shows that the Bibb County Public Schools are currently doing a creditable job of educating the youth of our county, but that progress must continue if we are to address the ever-changing educational needs of students. It is my firm hope that the recommendations will serve as a catalyst to implement needed changes in our system so that we truly can say that we are striving for excellence ."

national commission's recommendations; by William Hutchings, president of the Bibb County

identifying and describing exemplary programs Board of Education, thanked the commission for its

already in place in Bibb County; and by developing hard work, saying, "It would be impossible to put a

recommendations for new directions that the value on the time and effort these people have con-

school system should follow.

tributed in making this analysis of our schools."

September 1984 Vol. 15 No. 3

ALERT Staff Managing Editor Nancy Hall-Shelton News Feature Editor Barbara Perkins Graphics Elaine Pierce Typesetting Carla Dean Contributing Reporters Wagers Chenault, Eleanor Gilmer, ,Julia Martin, Lou Peneguy, Barbara Petzen, Anne Raymond, Gale E. Samuels and Gilda Lamar Watters.

The Georgia Department of Education does not discriminate in employment or educatignal activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap.

Published by the

Public Information and Publications Division

Office of Administrative Services

Georgia Department of Education 2052 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Telephone (404) 656-2476

~ ~W1\

EDPRESS

24 Georgia ALERT, September 1984

State Board of Education Georgia Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 30334

BULK RATE U.S. Postage
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Cost $5,053 I Quantity 10,500

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u8A0CU IVINTS LIBRARJ

About the Cover
Shanna Gentry, a third grader at Whitfield County's Westside Elementary School, has benefited directly from additional QBE funding. Turn to page 3 to find out how.

Cover Story
What Does QBE Mean for Georgia's Children?
QBE's first gifts to Georgia's children are new teachers, buildings, instructional programs and excitement. Come see what's happening inside Georgia 's elementary, middle and high schools.

3

Gale Samuels

Elementary - Monsters, Mice, an Aide and P.E. in Third Grade

6

Merri Sheffield

Middle School - Making Learning Whole; Teaching the Whole Child

10

Kristin Summerlin

High School- A New Attitude: Working Harder, Learning More

12

Merri Sheffield

Georgia's Children: Who Are They?
One million children attend public school in Georgia. Our photostory will show you a few of them.

14

Nancy Hall

Full-Day Kindergarten:
More than Just the ABCs
Children learn more, and teachers can do a better job with full-day kindergarten.

15

Wagers Chenault

GENESIS: The Cure

for Paperwork Headaches

A statewide computer network is the answer to

the paperwork nightmare of QBE's added

accountability.



18

Julia Martin Gervais

Making the Difference,
One Student at a Time
Why is Eliot Wigginton, 1987 Georgia TOTY, still a classroom teacher? He tells us why in this interview.

21

Eleanor Gilmer

From 3 Rs to Computers:
Two Centuries of School
School has changed a lot since the "good old days," when reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic were "taught to the tune of a hickory stick."

2 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

Page 14 Page 18

A Me~e from Werner Rogers, State Superintendent of Schools

This issue of ALERT should come as a welcome and well-deserved pat on the back to everyone who's worked so diligently for the progress we've made this year on QBE.
Good things are happening in Georgia's schools. We're attracting qualified teachers; we're focusing more clearly on the needs of our students; and we're backing our programs with more state funding than ever before.
But this is just the beginning. As we move into our second year of implementing QBE, we must do more than sit back and review the mileposts. The goal is yet ahead: the full funding and implementation of all of QBE's programs.
Georgia's continued strong economy has allowed us to seek $45 million in supplemental funds for FY 1987, and $200 million more for FY 1988. This funding is as necessary to Georgia's continued economic strength as the influx of new businesses, because business grows only where the educational climate is good.
Georgia has one of the nation's most extensive education reform packages, but without full funding QBE can never fulfill its promise to Georgia's children. We must find ways to fund middle schools, in-school suspension, remedial education and staff development if we are to maintain the integrity of the QBE package.
I appreciate the good work you've done to get us off and running with QBE. Don't give up yet. Your efforts will make a better future for Georgia's children.

Inthisi~ue ________________________________________

Welcome back to ALERT!
Devoted readers have noticed that ALERT has been missing from their mailboxes for about two years. It's no coincidence that the magazine disappeared just as the Quality Basic Education Act was getting off the ground. The new law, which required more of every educator in the state, also touched the staff of the Public Information and Publications Division, because they are responsible for educating the public about QBE.
But now that we've hit our stride in implementing QBE, we have a lot to show you. ALERTstands for "A Look at Education's Role Today" - what better place to examine the impact of QBE in our schools?
This issue's theme, "QBE in Action," highlights the very essence of the law; helping teachers and students make the most of what happens in the classroom. Whether it's full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes in elementary schools, a middle school program tailored to meet the needs of adolescent children or better science and foreign language labs for high schools, you'll see that QBE has already made a direct and measurable

impact on the students and teachers in our schools.

We'll show you GENESIS, the new statewide computer network that links local schools and systems to the state department of education. Although QBE has increased accountability and the resulting paperwork, GENESIS ultimately will allow administrators and teachers to put more time back into the classroom, where it belongs.
You'll also meet Eliot Wigginton, Georgia's 1987 Teacher of the Year and one of the four national TOTY semifinalists. Although he has received national acclaim for his Foxfire program, Wigginton has chosen to remain a classroom teacher. He makes it clear that his priority lies with his students in Rabun County.

Finally, quality and excellence are not new goals in education. We'll compare what's happening today with the "state-of-the-art" instruction of yesteryear.

We hope you like what you see here.

Educators across the state are work-

ing hard to make quality the standard

in Georgia, and we're proud of their

efforts.

-Kristin Summerlin

What Does QBE Mean for Georgia's Children?
New teachers, buildings, programs and excitement are QBE's first gifts to the children of Georgia.
This year is the Quality Basic Education Act's first full year of implementation, and the new law has already made a dramatic difference in Georgia's schools. This feature in three parts will tak e yo u into an elementary, middle and high school to show you, fi rsthand, how QBE has touched the students.

E lem entary
Monsters, Mice, an Aide and P.E. in Third Grade

Amy volunteers to role-play in front of the class. The type of behavior she will play is a secret between her and counselor Chipley. In the role-play, Amy has a friend who has been called a name. "You're not being very nice," she calmly says to the name caller. "You shouldn't call people names."

by Gale Samuels

The class then guesses which ofthe

When was the last time you acted like a monster, and when was the last time you acted like a mouse?

three behaviors Amy has displayed. "How was she acting?" asks Chipley. "Was she being mean?'' Everyone answers at the same time. They agree

Pretty heady questions for eight that Amy was being assertive: being

year olds . Amy Holcomb, a third herself, being honest and being

grader at Whitfield County's West- thoughtful. "Say what you need to

side Elementary, chooses a crayon say, but don't be pushy," Chipley fro m her giant-size Crayola box as explains.

she contemplates her answer, while classmate Shanna Gentry looks thoughtfully at her teacher. These students are considering these questions, in part, because QBE equalization funds received by Whitfield Coun ty enabled Westside to hire a new counselor for their school - just one of the changes QBE has wrought at Westside.

Chipley spends half her time seeing individual students privately if they have been referred by teachers. At other times she conducts small group sessions on such topics as school behavior, self-concept and divorce. Students volunteer for these groups, and Amy Holcomb has been attending one.

As she asks her question, counselor Susan Chipley stands at the front of the room, engaging the youngsters with her warm smile. The question about monsters and mice illustrates three types of behavior the class has discussed. Chipley uses illustrations

Chipley also offered a parenting group this fall and will start a student leadership group of fourth graders this spring.
From the gleam in her eyes, anyone can tell that Chipley enjoys what she is doing. She is busy at her work all

Using her newly learned mathematics skills, thirdgraderAmy Holcomb converts a chili recipe for different family sizes. Reading and math are her favorite subjects.

and solicits lists of adjectives to de- the time, serving two of Whitfield

scribe assertive (friendly, thoughtful, County's elementary schools. Accord-

yo u), aggressive (monster, bully, ing to Chipley, if there were more

mean) and nonassertive (mouse, shy, funding in QBE for elementary coun-

afraid) behavior.

selors, it would be used, because the

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 3

needs at the school are greater than slow learner, not really ready for the

one counselor can meet.

fourth grade."

Teacher's aide Gail Hogg gives Shanna Gentry individual help with multiplication problems. Funded by QBE, her presence is an important asset to the classroom.

When Chipley closes her lesson, teacher Margaret Colley returns to the front of her room. Mathematics is next on the agenda. As Colley passes out Skill Drill 68, a sheet of multiplication problems, she calmly explains that this is a review of what the class has already learned and that it will be easy. The class is memorizing multiplication tables.
As the children quietly figure their problems, teacher aide Gail Hogg walks around the room offering her help to anyone who may need it. Hogg was formerly a school tutor, paid minimum wage through a program sponsored by the Westside PTA. When QBE made money available for teacher aides, Hogg completed Whitfield County's 50-hour teacher aide training program and was hired for Colley's class. "Right now I'm making a multiplication chart that goes from 0 to 9, with everyone's name on it. The children will recite their tables to me and get a smiling face next to their names. I like working with the children," she explains. Hogg's two children attend fourth- and eighth-grade classes in Whitfield County schools.
Next, the class receives Challenge 68, an activity in which they match similar problems (e.g., 5x4 =9, 4x5=9). Shanna volunteers to write the multiplication table for number 5 on the board. Her work is perfect, as is the rest of the students' . To close out the lesson, Colley talks about chili, giving each child a sheet with the chili recipe, and the class converts the recipe for different family sizes.
Colley says she doesn't teach anything differently just because her students will now be taking a third-grade exit exam required by QBE. "The test is very basic, "she said. "They must know these skills to do fourth-grade work. Last year, I had only one student who didn't pass, and he was a

Before the last chili recipe is figured out, the class breaks for lunch. Amy and Shanna stand together in line after reading the weekly menu to find out they will be having " Italian pizza." Judging from the smiles and squeals, pizza is a treat. On their way to the cafeteria, they pass new library aide Sandy Arp in the hall and say hello. Arp was a volunteer at Westside before QBE provided funding for aides. She works the morning shift at the library and says she enjoys her job because "there's something new every day, every two or three minutes, really." In addition to hiring two parttime library aides, QBE has provided $2,000 in new funds for library books, periodicals and supplies this year at Westside.
At lunch, Amy and Shanna are asked which subject at school they like the best. "I like everything," says Shanna, "but my favorite is math." Amy can't decide between reading and math, so she picks both, adding that "sometimes I don't like that division." Both girls excel in their thirdgrade studies.
Shanna also likes her music class. Whitfield County used new QBE funds to hire an elementary school music teacher, who divides her time between the two elementary schools. "We listen to music and Ms. Mount tells us about the person who wrote it," says Amy.
Westside Principal Larry Gable is all smiles about QBE. His school has three new teachers, aides for all kindergarten through third-grade classes and at the library, new library and textbooks and supplies, a library computer and a new roof and interior paint job. Most of all, Gable is heartened by his teachers' new attitude.
"Most of our teachers have been here a long time, so I know that they

4 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

The bell rings for recess, and the Elementary, and it seems like another

children return their books to the front day in any other year. But QBE has

of the room. Colley uses this time to made some big changes here, however

talk with other teachers or catch up on subtle they may seem. Physical im-

planning or paperwork, because Hogg provements, new PE and music teach-

is with the class. Out in the school- ers, a new counselor, new teacher

yard, Shanna is talking about her aides and new books have given rise

new physical education class. "We to a new attitude. Whitfield County

have a new teacher, Ms. Clark, and has experienced a 20 percent increase

she's very nice. She taught us how to in dollars per student in the 1986-87

jump rope, and she lets us choose school year. And everyone involved at

what game we want to play some- Westside Elementary can tell you

times."

about the difference QBE has made.

Ann Clark is Westside's new PE

teacher, hired with QBE funds. She

has been a principal, a middle and

high school PE teacher and a system

health and recreation coordinator, but

she loves working with the younger

children. "These kids can do every-

thing," she brags. "It's not because
QBE has allowed Whitfield County to hire Susan Chipley, ele- I'm a good teacher, it's just that they

mentary counselor, to serve two schools. She encourages stu- have the opportunity now."

dents to think about school behavior and self-concept.

Before QBE funding, Colley taught

PE to her class and says she felt

are happy here. But QBE has had a they started on and the last page read unable to perform the task properly.

noticeable effect on morale," said at each session. On the wall is a chart Clark is concerned that elementary

Gable. "Our teachers feel they are from the Pizza Hut reading program, students h a ve the same opportunity

finally getting some support for what in which every student who finishes a for physical education as other public

they d o. The salary increase has certain number of books will win a school students. "I have 620 kids here helped, and it's improving the atti- free pizza. Amy finishes her book and at Westside. The middle school has tude of the student teachers, too. The picks up McBroom 's Zoo, because "it's 450 kids and two full-time PE teach-

teachers feel concrete support from having aides in the classroom. And our kindergarten teachers are happy about full-day classes, because they don't have to cram everything into a few hours. QBE has provided a better learning environment for the children, and that's why we like it. "

got good pictures and I read other McBroom books and they're funny," she says.
Amy and Shanna are absorbed in their books, but some others need a little help, so aide Gail Hogg quietly walks down the aisles, offering to listen or answer a question.

ers," she said. "These children deserve the same chance to learn physical skills as the middle and high schoolers. I'm glad we've begun to realize t h i s ."
The final lesson of the day is a science review of temperature. The children remember well what they

Teacher Margaret Colley welcomes QBE's changes. With a

Wh en the class returns from lunch, " Having Gail in the class is like have learned about Mr. Celsius and new aide and an elementary

Colley fi nishes up the chili recipe les- having another teacher," says Colley. Mr. Fahrenheit.

P.E. instructor, she says she

son and announces that it's recre- "I don't have to take class time any- When the bell rings, another day of has more time to spend on ational reading time. Amy picks up more to run things off at the copier, learning has concluded at Westside planning for instruction.
Hundreds and Hundreds ofPancakes, take a sick child to the nurse, and so

while Sh anna starts reading Mustard on. She helps with individual students

Seed Magic. The children choose and also gives me some planning time

books from the classroom library, when she takes the children to recess.

where books are on loan from the It makes a real difference in the class-

school library. They record the page room."

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 5

Middle School
Making Learning Whole; Teaching the Whole Child
by Merri Sheffield
The solar system, the presidency, commercials and learning have something in common, and by the end of the school day Daniell Johnson, a middle school student, will have made the connection.

Teaching how subjects interrelate and how those bonds affect our everyday life is just one of the goals of the middle school concept, an education philosophy that focuses attention on the whole child by using team teaching, common planning time and coordination of subject matter to heighten learning.
"We're making learning whole for the students," says Anita Robinson, principal at Bibb County's Ballard A Middle School, where Daniell attends eighth grade. "It's not like they are carrying six little sacks around all day. They have one sack now, and

everything is poured into that one sack."
Until now, schools have grouped students in grades four through eight in three ways. Either they remained a part of elementary school, progressed to high school at an early age, or they attended junior high school (sometimes called middle school), designed as a sort of high school for preteens.
Although each of these groupings taught the basics, none of them addressed the specific developmental and education needs of adolescent students at a stage when intellectual, phy-

sical, emotional and social growth are paramount, according to Robinson.
Middle schools ensure that students receive the 41fz hours of academics they need while developing the individual through exposure to exploratory classes such as band, art, physical education and industrial arts. "Middle schools are really the first attempt to serve the individual needs as well as the larger needs ofstudents," Robinson said.
More and more educators are embracing the middle school concept as the most effective way to educate adolescent children. The writers of the

Whether by arranging his students in a semicircle or acting out the Boston Tea Party, Joe Bell works hard to make social studies come alive for his middle school students.
6 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

The middle school concept makes learning whole and develops the whole child by providing team teaching, common planning tim e and coordination of subject matter to meet the intellectual, emotional and social needs of adolescent students.

Quality Basic Education Act recog- Theories, hypotheses and scientific

nized this shift and included a 13- facts leap out of the textbooks and

percent incentive grant in the law to become real as Givens points to dia-

encourage the establishment ofmiddle grams projected overhead and enthu-

schools. Although not yet funded, the siastically explains the stars.

middle school incentive grant remains an important part of QBE. A visit to Ballard A shows why funding the plan is essential.

" Now, wait a minute. All of these people were telling their opinions about the solar system, and while some of their ideas were later proven

It is 8:50a.m. and students scurry to as fact, others were not. They were class, although there are no bells to presented as being fact when actually signal the class change. Ballard A they were just the opinion of someone

doesn't need bells to condition its who was trying to convince people to

sixth, seventh and eighth graders. believe something. Does that sound

Daniell's day starts routinely with like something you may be studying

roll call, announcements and the gen- in some of your other classes?" Giveral bookkeeping associated with the ens queries as the hands fly up.

school day.

Daniell and her fellow students

Learning begins at 9 a .m. with exploratory classes (the electives of the middle school world). Through band and her lessons on the French horn,

clamor to be the one who answers, unaware that they are experiencing one of the basic middle school goals: interrelation of subject matter.

Daniell says she is learning about "It's like propaganda. We're study

music. What began as an opportunity ing that in Ms. (Beverly) Held's Eng-

to spend time with friends who were lish class," a proud eighth grader in

enrolled in band has revealed a possi- the second row replies confidently.

ble career option if Daniell cannot fulfill her dream to become a computer technician. "I might be able to get a degree in music when I get out in the real, big world," the eighth grader says, adding that she is dedicated to

"That's right. Science is filled with propaganda. Can you think of other examples of propaganda we have studied?" Givens questions once again as the hands wave frantically.

going to college.

"Now back to NASA," Givens con-

tinues. "Who heads NASA? Well, who

After exploring the world of physi- selected him for the position? . . .

cal fitness and health, Daniell is ready That's right, the president selects the

for the 10:30 a.m. flight to the stars in head of NASA. And in which branch

Joey Givens' science class, where to- of government would we find the pres-

day's topic is the solar system.

ident?" Givens knows his students

Eighth-grader Daniell Johnson is eager to answer a question in science class. She says school makes her feel good about herself.

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 7

According to Joey Givens, ((Middle school means more work for the teacher. It is a lot easier to teach strictly content and lecture all the time. It is a lot harder to plan all of this, but we are not here for us. We are here for them."

are studying the branches of governmentin Joe Bell's social studies class.
By the end ofDaniell's science class, she has not only learned about science, but also she's seen how science relates to every area she studies, including English, social studies and herfavorite, mathematics. Homework assignments will reinforce what she has learned.
As his students make their way to their next class, Givens reflects on his decision to leave high school teaching to accept the challenge of the middle school. The walls of Givens' classroom are plastered with brightlycolored posters from a recent research project that emphasized creativity and writing skills in addition to science. Keeping QBE's emphasis on writing across the curriculum in mind, Givens says he assigns at least one writing exercise each week, along with summaries ofhomework reading assignments.
"At first I heard a lot about the summaries. 'Ah, Mr. Givens, do we have to?'," he recalls with a smile. "They didn't like to do them, but once they began seeing improvements in their writing, the grumblings softened, and many students now admit they learn from the summaries, and some even enjoy them."
So as not to defeat students by repeated criticism and bad grades

that might adversely affect their selfimages, Givens says grading varies with the assignment. Some tasks stress grammar and punctuation, while others concentrate more on the effort and thought put into the work. If a student tries, his or her grade reflects the effort.
At Ballard A the student body of 742 is divided into six smaller groups called clusters. Each cluster is assigned a team of core teachers- English, mathematics, social studies and science - who design a curriculum based on student needs and QBE requirements. Clusters include students of all ability levels, reflecting the idea that students can help each other learn.
This "school-within-a-school" setup makes it easier for teachers to monitor student performance, identify problems and address individual needs. "If I think someone is having problems, I can discuss it with the other teachers during our planning time. Ifthe others share my concerns, we call the student in and find a solution," Givens explains, adding that he enjoys the personal relationship he feels both with fellow teachers and students.
The 90-minute common planning time (conducted during students' exploratory classes) gives teachers the

At lunch, Daniell visits with other cheerleaders. They have just come from academic advisement, where students discuss issues that concern them, such as drugs or social problems.

chance to discuss the materials being taught in their subjects and reveals ways fellow teachers can help drive home the message by reinforcing the topics in relation to their own subject matter.
Team teaching also makes it possible to shift schedules to allow for a special project, such as a science experiment that requires more than the allotted hour. If one teacher needs more time, or if the students show a need for more work in one area, changes can be made to accommodate the needs.

To avoid the "sixth-period slump," when students are more concerned with watching the clock than learning, classes are periodically rearranged. This way, math sometimes comes third period rather than sixth, and English may be third period one week and fifth period the next.
"Middle school means more work for the teacher," Givens says. "It is a lot easier to teach strictly content and lecture all the time. Itis a lot harder to plan all ofthis, but we are not here for us. We are here for them."
It is 11:30 a.m. and time for academic advisement, a cluster meeting that gives students a chance to meet and discuss issues that concern them, including social problems such as drugs, interpersonal relationships

8 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

p

and today's topic, "What we do to get people's attention." The time also gives teachers the chance to meet with any students who need special attention.
After lunch, where she visits with other cheerleaders and giggles over the latest gossip, Daniell returns to her studies.

"I think some day they will care because the world is getting bigger and troublesome, and they need an education to understand it."
A staunch supporter of the middle school concept, Principal Robinson says, "The middle school has a giant task, greater than elementary school,

and more important than high school. It is our job to help students be very positive about themselves, so that they will pick the right choices for themselves and will be happy down the road."
Werner Rogers, state superintendentofschools, requested a $19,996,745

middle school incentive grant package from the Georgia General Assembly to fund middle schools throughout the state next school year; however, the governor only recommended $3 million for pilot programs in his FY 88 budget. Many systems are preparing to switch to the middle school plan once funding is obtained.

During fourth period Held continues the study of propaganda by discussing various advertisements and their impact on teenagers. In Bell's fifth-period social studies class, students sit in a semicircle, a pattern the teacher feels increases class participation and reduces the pressure on shy students.

As in Givens' class, students excitedly raise their hands. The excitement is primarily due to Bell's efforts to present social studies to his students in a form they will listen to and understand.

"Sometimes social studies is hard for us to understand, so Mr. Bell goes through exactly what happened, and it helps us understand better. When we studied the Boston Tea Party, he divided us into different characters we acted out what happened," Daniell recall s.

After algebra, Daniell is ready to go home. She has made the connection.

Elementary school, according to Daniell, "just taught us things tha t we already knew, but middle school teaches you new things and makes learning fun." Inertia, gravitational pull, advanced algebra and the executive branch of government were once foreign topics, but now "I understand them all," she says.
"School makes me feel good about myself. When I look in the newspaper and see all the people who don't have an education, I think to myself how fortunate I am." As for those who do not share her feelings, Daniell adds,

Joey Givens assigns at least one writing exercise per week, plus chapter summaries, in his

science class; this is in keeping with QBE's emphasis on writing across the curriculum.

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 9

HighSchool
A New Attitude: Working Harder, Learning More
by Kristin Summerlin
Think back to when you were in high school. What were your biggest concerns? Whether you'd be asked to the prom? Whether you'd make the football team? Going steady? If you were like many kids, you probably weren't as concerned about your schoolwork as your parents were.
Although extracurricular and social issues are still very much on their minds, today's teenagers are much more aware of the importance of academic success, judging from interviews with three students at Polk County's Cedartown High School. And while Tiffani Knight, Donna Alexander and Rodney Wad dell might not know it, their new attitude toward school can be traced to the Quality Basic Education Act and its emphasis on excellence in Georgia's public schools.
Many of QBE's provisions are based on a trickle-up theory: By improving instruction for kindergarten and elementary children, we'll eventually end up with better-educated high school students. It's much easier to focus on QBE's direct impact on the younger students- new teachers and teacher aides; art, music, physical education and counseling for elementary students; full-day kindergarten programs. Although QBE has brought new science equipment, foreign language laboratories and com-

puters to Cedartown High, its real effect is much less concrete. It is a philosophical difference.
According to Tiffani, an 11th grader, the biggest change in the past couple of years has been in extracurricular activities. Learning time is most important, so athletics, clubs, field trips and other extracurricular activities are no longer allowed to interfere with class time.
"Now we don't have clubs during school, so I have to do a lot more at night," Tiffani said. "It would be more fun if we could have the clubs at school, but I know that's not why we're here. I understand that we go to school to learn." Tiffani, who will receive a college preparatory diploma, is a cheerleader and member of several clubs, including the Future Business Leaders ofAmerica, the Spanish Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Honor Society.
She hopes to be accepted to the Air Force Academy after high school. "I know I have to make good grades to be able to get in. I want to be a pilotthey're letting more women fly now -and you really have to be good in school to do that. My SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores had better be good, too," Tiffani said.
One of QBE's goals is improving Georgia students' scores on the SAT, which is one reason elementary and middle school programs have received so much attention. Elementary and middle schools are concerned with preparing children to be better high school students. High schools, on the other hand, must prepare students for the "real world," which usually means continued study in college or technical school, or work. One way high

CHS senior Donna Alexander, who will receive both college preparatory and vocational endorsements on her diploma, plans to major in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech.

schools do this is by offering curricula tailored for three diploma programs: general, vocational and college preparatory. Many systems already had the three programs in place, but QBE underscores their importance hymandating them.
Like many of her fellow students at CHS, Donna, a senior this year, will receive both vocational and college preparatory endorsements on her diploma. Brenda Madden, assistant principal, is particularly proud of the school's emphasis on developing wellrounded students. "We stress to our students that it's very important to try a little of everything," she said. "Two thirds of our vocational students go either to college or technical school, and more than half of them get dual academic and vocational diplomas."
Donna has been accepted to Georgia Tech, where she plans to major in

chemical engineering or computer science, and she feels that her vocational classes have been a big benefit. "I liked my vocational courses as much as I like the academic ones," she said. "I took general business, typing, office procedures and computer literacy, and I really think they'll help me in whatever I do."
Cedartown ninth graders have a choice of either band or an exploratory vocational course as their elective class. The vocational class exposes them to each of the nine vocational areas offered by the school, including construction, home economics, drafting, health occupations and auto mechanics. Donna said she wishes she had taken the exploratory class, which wasn't offered when she was in theninthgrade. "Now they get to sample all the vocational courses, and I think they have a better chance of finding out what they'll be good at later in life," she said.

10 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

Donna decided to major in chemical

she enjoyed it. "We had to write about

engineering because she enjoyed her Georgia's recent attention to improving education standards what our perfect room would be like,"

11th-grade chemistry class, where she has given high school students a new attitude toward school. she said. "I liked taking that test; it

did a lot of laboratory work. This year These students find themselves working harder and are more was fun to imagine. We didn't get

Cedartown High used $36,000 in QBE funding to improve its science pro-

aware of the importance of academic success to their future .

scores on it, though. I'd like to know how I did. I really like to write, and I

grams. The money allowed the school

write a lot of poetry."

to add one new lab and upgrade equipment and supplies for the existing ones. The school also added safety features, such as a new eyewash system in the chemistry lab.
QBE money also bought 10 new IBM computers, worth $28,000, for the sch ool's data processing and accounting program. The computers are in use all six periods of the school day. " Having the computers is very important. It allows us to simulate the real work environment for the students," said Radford Talley, vocational supervisor. "It's hard to teach data processing on typewriters. I don't think the school will buy any more typewriters

in the future,because word processing has taken over."
CHS offers computer literacy in addition to the business computer classes, and computers are used in auto mechanics and drafting. Rodney's exposure to the computer-assisted design (CAD) system in drafting has helped him decide to pursue a career in architecture. A senior this year, he plans to enroll at Floyd Junior College in Rome and then transfer to Clemson University.
In his drafting courses, Rodney has used the CAD system to design automobiles and now is working with a

letting them hear and repeat the dialogues on tape," she said. "It gives me a lot of flexibility, and now I have more time to work with individual students."
Tiffani is in her second year of Spanish. "I love to work with the labs, because sometimes I don't like to say a lot in front of the whole class. I'm self-conscious about my accent, and when I'm using the lab, I don't feel like everybody's listening to me," she said. "It's really helped me with pronunciation and where to put the accents, and I can understand better after I've heard it on tape."

Tiffany, Donna and Rodney all said they like high school, particularly CHS, because "it's fun and I think it's helping me get ready for life," in Tiffani's words. Rodney even went so far as to say he wishes he could be a ninth grader all over again. "I wish I could be a freshman again. Four years don't seem so long now. It's been really quick, and I feel like there's still so much I could learn!" he said. When's the last time you heard that from a student?

buddy on the design for a bank build- All three students have felt in-

ing. "The CAD system makes you creased emphasis on writing in all of

wonder what the future will be like. their classes. Rodney and Tiffani

This is just 1987! There's no telling think English has gotten especially

what 2000 will be like," he said. "I harder. Because of QBE, the school

hope I'll be one of the people who fig- has added an additional English

ures it out."

teacher in order to reduce the class

Two years of foreign language are size for that subject.

required for the college preparatory "This is my hardest year yet. We're

diploma, and Madden said QBE pro- writing a lot more in all ofmy classes,"

vided funding for two new foreign Tiffani said. "This month we have

language laboratories, one for French four projects due, in history, science ,

and one for Spanish and German. The English and Spanish. It's really hard,

school chose to purchase lab equip- but I guess it'll be worth it after it's

ment that is suspended in trays from over. Math is my favorite subject,

the ceiling, because it requires no spe- though. "

Tiffani Knight uses the new

Drafting student Rodney Waddell's work with computerassisted design (CAD) has influenced him toward a career in architecture and inspires him to seek the future.

cial classroom configuration. The equipment is lowered to within reach of the students only when it will be in use, allowing the teacher more flexibility in scheduling class time.
Jane Spacagna, who teaches French, said she uses the lab at least twice a week. "The lab allows me to present a topic in lecture and class interaction, and then reinforce it by

CHS was one of the schools pilottested in the state's project to develop criteria for the writing portion of the Basic Skills Tests required by QBE. Donna took the writing test and said

foreign language laboratory provided by QBE funds. She likes the system because it allows her to practice Spanish pronunciation in private.

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 11

Georgia's Children: Who Are They?
On any given day, about one million Georgia children attend public school. When Georgia's teachers look out over the sea offaces, what do they see? Who are Georgia's children?
Every morning they make their way from communities such as Enigma, Ohoopee and Rising Fawn, or from their city neighborhoods in Atlanta, Macon and Savannah, to the elementary, middle and high schools of Georgia's 186 school systems . Most leave their homes at the same time their parents leave for work - on the farm, in the bank, at the power plant, the hospital, the grocery store, and even in the schools. Most are black or white, but an increasing number are Hispanic or Oriental; most are Georgia born and bred, but more and more are transplanted from other states.
For 13 years of their lives, these children spend seven hours a day, five days a week in school. From the gap-toothed first grader to the clumsy-but-eager seventh grader to the earnest high school senior, Georgia's schools help them develop academically, emotionally, intellectually and socially into whole human beings.
The one feature all their faces show is the light of learning.
12 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

Photography by Merri Sheffield
Georgia ALERT, March 1987 13

Full-Day Kindergarten: More than Just the ABCs

by Nancy Hall
Colquitt County Schools are in their second year of QBE's full-day kindergarten program, and teacher Ginger Griffin of Norman Park Elementary School is excited about what is happening in her classroom.
Griffin has been a kindergarten teacher for most of her nine-year career and says she has seen a lot of changes in those years.
"When I first started teaching, kindergarten was just for certain children who qualified according to family income level. I had 15 students and an aide, and the classes were half-day. Then we went to two half-day sessions with 25 students in each session -50 children a day," she says.
"QBE has created a very happy medium for kindergarten. I have 20 students and an aide, Gerry White, who

is terrific. Gerry is not an extra; she is an essential part of the learning that takes place in our classroom. She loves children and her job as much as I do. We're a great team. We are both redheads, and, of course, we get a lot of comments about that around school. The children are intrigued by it."
Griffin was a proponent of full-day kindergarten and spoke out for it locally. Handling 50 students a day is really bad- it's bad for the children and the teachers, she says.
Kindergarten children are wonderful , according to this committed teacher. They are so spontaneous - a little "crazy," but always fun, excited and ready to learn.
"Gerry and I look back on those two-session days now and think 'How did we ever do it?' The afternoon children were never tired when they

Students in full-day kindergarten are betterprepared for first grade. They learn the ABCs, color and number words, to count to 20 and to match numbers and quantities, words and sounds.

arrived; they were as fresh and ready to go as the first-session children," she says.
Griffin has seen a real difference in what the children can learn in the fullday program. "There just wasn't as much instruction time in the half-day programs, " she says. "Many activities that are not part of the learning experience, such as lunch, recess, rest time, must be included in the half-day, just like the full-day program. That just didn't leave time for enrichment activities, and it's these activities that really set the children to learning."
Under the full-day program, Griffin's students have physical education three times a week, music once a week and library once a week. All programs add a lot to the well-rounded child, Griffin believes. "We can now stress the emotional and social development of each child," she says. The priority is still instruction, of course, but having more time to develop activities- such as planning a tea for parents in which the children write and practice a play to perform, make invitations, plan a menu and make food -allows the children to learn a wealth ofthings. "Through this one activity, we can hit every area of the curriculum - a real double shot of extras! These extras cement the learning for the children," Griffin says.
Full-day kindergarten will help more children do well on the readiness tests for first grade. Griffin's students recently took a sample review of the items tested by the California Achievement Test. "I was pleasantly surprised at how many of them had already mastered the concepts measured by the test without any formal , isolated drill," she says. "That could never have happened on half-day, there just isn't the time."
"School is tough now; children have to know a lot - it's really amazing what is required of them."

Teacher Ginger Griffin, left, says teacher's aide Gerry White is not an extra, but an essential part of the classroom. With 20 students, the teacher-pupil ratio is 1:10.
In kindergarten, students must learn the ABCs, to recognize the letters and the sounds of letters. They learn the color words and number words, the numbers to 20 (Griffin's children will count and write numbers through 200 by the end ofthe year), to match quantities to numbers and number words to 20. They also learn to match words and the vowel and consonant sounds.
Without QBE and full-day kindergarten, Griffin believes they could never have accomplished all those objectives.
"Full-day allows more time, more individual attention for the child," she says. "Kindergarten is a special time in a child's life, and I want it to be rewarding for my children. When parents tell me later that their third grader still remembers a special experience in my class, it's wonderful."

14 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

GENESIS: The Cure for Paperwork Headaches

by Wagers Chenualt
First the good news, then the bad news, then some more good news.
The good news is that the Quality Basic Education law (QBE) is on track. It's the most comprehensive education reform package in Georgia's history and is recognized as a national model.
The bad news is that QBE, with its emphasis on accountability, demands a tremendous amount of paperwork -it could be an administrator's nightmare.
The good news is that the same people who gave you the headache also gave you the cure.

ERC recommended greater reliance on computer technology for both administrative and instructional tasks. The governor's Education Task Force went to work on the problem. They looked at similar networks currently used in other states, especially Florida, which has been automated statewide for several years. The task force adopted much of what they saw, and they saw ways to improve on what others were doing as well. Specifically, they recognized that a network is most efficient when all the units are standardized - hardware and software- and that standardization will not happen unless the planning and funding are coordinated at the state level.

The good news is GENESIS.
GENESIS (the Georgia Education Network Exchanging School Information Statewide) will tie about 285 education administration sites into a twoway computer information network. The sites include every local school system, Regional Education Services Agency offices, regional libraries, area vocational-technical schools, the State Board of Postsecondary Vocational Education and the Georgia Department of Education. Eleven pilot sites are already up and running, getting the bugs out before the project goes statewide.
GENESIS will make old jobs, such as bookkeeping, easier. It will make n ew QBE tasks, such as full time equivalent (FTE) counts, doable. It is an open-ended system that will affect the way we implement policy, and inevitably the way we formulate policy, well into the next century.
Who's idea was this anyway? When the governor's Education Review Commission (ERC) was looking at ways to improve Georgia's public education system, they noticed that the state had fallen behind the private sector in its use of computers. The

So the state department of education (DOE) issued a request for proposals for a vendor to set up all 285 sites. Wang Laboratories was one of 16 companies to submit bids. According to Ellis Bateman, director of DOE's Budget and Technology Services and GENESIS supervisor, "Wang wasn't the low bidder, and they weren't the high bidder. But they promised the most for the money." Last June, Wangsignedanagreementwith DOE, promising to complete the GENESIS project within two years.
What does each site get? The contract requires Wang to provide hardware,software and stafftraining, plus maintenance, a year's worth of supplies and site preparation for installation of the equipment. (However, local money must be used to pay for building or renovating facilities or installing air conditioning.)
The Quality Basic Education law requires everyone to join GENESIS, but what about local school systems that already have computer operations in place? Eighty-five systems are already fully automated. Those systems can phase out their existing computers, and the state will provide

GENESIS supervisor Ellis Bateman foresees a day in the notso-distant future when the Wang network will be a necesary tool for local system planning and operation.

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 15

QBE's emphasis on accountability at all levels demands a tremendous amount of paperwork. Happily for the local administrator, QBE also calls for a computer information network that will eliminate much ofthat burden,plus some pre-QBE drudgery.

Continued technical support from Wang is integral to the success ofGENESIS. At the DOEpilot site, Wang's John Cybulski explains an application to Sue Spencer.
DOE's John Barker prepares to print full-time equivalent (FTE) data from local systems. GENESIS will tie about 285 education sites into a two-way information network.

them with the basic Wang package. Or they may choose to modify their present systems to interface with GENESIS. But that could cost them money. DOE has requested funds, about $7.5 million, to modify in-place systems, but it seems unlikely that the money will be appropriated this year.
The hardware and software arealeady in place at all 11 pilot sites, and local staff members have been trained. Some sites are already running payrolls using the computers, and all 11 sites should soon be using the basic software Wang designed for Georgia's school systems. The software package includes a financial accounting and reporting program, the payroll and personnel program and an FTE count program. In addition, Wang provides each site with word processing, database management and communications programs that will allow network members to tap any number of computer bulletin board services, such as DOE's daily update on the General Assembly. The state's contract requires Wang to develop other specific software, including student records and attendance packages soon after the pilot sites are completed. Bateman hopes that by the beginning of the 1987-88 school year, automated systems will have access to a fullblown central office student records package.
Once the 11 pilot sites are successfully installed and operating, the state will begin automating the rest of the GENESIS sites. What to expect? Three months before the installation date Wang engineers will visit the system to help prepare the facility

where the computers will be housed. One month before installation the school system's bookkeeper and payroll clerk receive two days of training with the appropriate software. Two weeks before installation the school system's designated site administrator and backup site administrator take a one-week course in operation of a computer center. Finally, the equipment is installed and checked out by Wang. One month after installation a dummy payroll is run on the computer, and the results are checked against the real payroll. The next month the real payroll is run on the computer. If there are no problems, the payroll and accounting packages are brought up to speed. Three months after installation Wang makes a follow-up inspection of hardware, software and operating procedures. Three months before installation to three months after installation: That's the six-month automation cycle. After that, the school system is ready to be tied into the network.
And what about the network? So far all we've got is 285 separate computer centers scattered around the state. Same type of hardware, same type of software, but no connecting network. Isn't it a tremendous task to link up computers in every county in the state? Sure it is. Fortunately, it's already been done. The state's Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) maintains a computer network that covers Georgia. It's used by other state agencies. Soon it will be the vehicle for GENESIS. DOE and DOAS officials plan to begin tying GENESIS sites into the DOAS network by June of this year.

16 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

Barbara Savage prepares to transfer information from an IBM system to the network via computer tape. Existing systems can be modified to interface with GENESIS.

All GENESIS sites should be tied in before the end of the '80s. "That's when we'll begin to realize the full potential," says Bateman. "If a local system wants to consolidate four old schools into two new ones, they have to ask, 'Where are the ideal locations? Which students would go to which schools? What are the best bus routes?' All the data needed to answer those questions already will be in the computers. We just have to develop software that will call it up and arrange it to suit our specific needs.

"Or," Bateman continues, "if a particular system projects that it will need five more math teachers for the next school year. One for remedial math, one for advanced placement and three general. GENESIS can be programmed to keep an updated list of all teachers available for employment. We could also track students enrolled in education colleges across the state and in neighboring states, their majors, when they'll graduate, even where they hope to locate. The potential really is open-ended."

All ofthis sounds great. But hasn't

there been some resistance to such

sweeping change? "The response

from local systems has been very At the Jackson County pilot site, JeffSanchez financial accounting and reporting, payroll

favorable," says Bateman. "Everyone works on payroll. Wang's software includes and personnel, and FTE count packages.
sees the advantages of GENESIS. Of

course people have concerns about the

mechanics of how we're going to put site. We've gotten extra attention. I vide instructors at the site, but state ready to deliver benefits today. Public

this thing into place."

would hope that the state will make department staff eventually will take education is going through some nec-

sure the systems that follow also have over all training responsibilities. The essary growing pains. Demands are

Superintendent Tim Wheeler re- adequate support."

training center's purpose will be two- being made on everyone, especially

members some initial concern in Jackson County, one of the pilot sites. "Our board wasn't convinced that GENESIS was going to do everything that was promised. But up to this point, it has done everything that was promised. I didn't think we would be able to meet the timeline. But we did."
"Everybody from DOE, Wang and our staff has really pulled together,"

That's a good point. Wang is committed to getting all 285 sites up and running. But the state's contract with the computer company runs out in July 1988. What happens to GENESIS after Wang leaves the picture? "We'll be ready for that," says Bateman. A new training center in Peach County is scheduled to begin operation almost immediately at a facility

fold: It will serve as a microcomputer training lab similar to those at Macon Area Vocational-Technical School and North Georgia Tech, and it will be one of two training sites for GENESIS. (The other is at DOE offices in Atlanta.) A model Wang system will be set up for training, as well as developing and testing new applications and software.

local school systems. Wheeler is confident those demands will be met.
"With QBE came a lot of additional accountability and paperwork for the local people. It really did put a strain on our resources," he said. "GENESIS has made that chore almost easy. And it's provided us with many other benefits that don't relate directly to QBE. All in all, it's been an excellent

Wheeler adds. "Of course, we've been owned by the Peach County Board of And that's GENESIS.It holds great trade-off for us."

fortunate because we've been a pilot Education. For a time, Wang will pro- promise for the future, but it's also

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 17

1987 TOTY Eliot Wigginton
Making the Difference, One Student at a Time

by Julia Martin Gervais
High up in the Appalachian mountains ofnortheast Georgia, among the farmhouses, the livestock and the tractor-trailors rumbling down the twolane highway, sits a rather out-of-placelooking building. Rabun County High School is a large, modern facility housing some 1,000 students. Within its walls is a teacher most folks have heard about and a writing program that has made many headlines, not only in Georgia but also throughout the nation. A teacher who made a big splash years ago, whose success came

early, who has probably had more publicity than any other Georgia teacher.
Eliot Wigginton and Foxfire- after 20 years, can anything more be said about them? Yes. Just as some of it bears repeating.
The Foxfire program, begun by Wigginton in 1966 as a desparate attempt to create some interest among his bored students, takes them in language arts classes through the production of a series of magazines, the contents mainly interviews the stu-

dents conduct with people in the community who remember days gone by and how things used to be done in that part ofthe country. The Foxfire books, published by Doubleday, Dutton and the Foxfire Press, are basically compilations of the magazine articles. Students also produce radio and TV shows and record albums.
But Wig, as his students call him, is not content to rest on past success. He is in his classroom at Rabun County High School day in and day out handing out pencils and paper when students forget to bring them to class,

teaching them to write a paper, grading compositions each afternoon and night just as thousands of other public school teachers do every day.
Named Georgia's 1987 Teacher of the Year, Wig is also one of four finalists in the National Teacher of the Year Program, along with state teachers of the year from North Carolina, Ohio and Wyoming. The National Teacher of theYear will be announced at a White House ceremony in April. His ideas on teaching and excellence, voiced during several recent interviews, are compiled here for ALERT.

Q. With all the national attention you've received, why have you continued teach ing in Rabun County?
A Because of the success of Foxfire, people do ask me why I stay in the profession. My answer to them is 'Look, I just spent 20 years inside this school system getting to the point where we have a little bit of credibility, where we have something to work with in terms offacilities and equipment and supplies, where we have the community pretty squarely behind us, where we have the potential of really doing some work, and I'm not gonna shut the door to the office and walk away from it now after finally getting everything set up.' I really see what we've done so far as being a prelude to what's going to happen in the next 20 years. The next 20 years are going to be the exciting ones - not these first 20.

1987 TOTY Eliot Wigginton remains a class- Foxfire, because he believes "teachers save room teacher, despite national attention to lives as surely as doctors."
18 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

Q. The first 20 years? How many people could manage a second 20 years?
A Oh, I went through my trial by fire just like all teachers do. I almost didn't stay in teaching my first year. Students pulled out all the ammunition they had and used it on me. At the end of my second year as

Wigginton continues to teach because, "One human being at a time, we make a difference. We send them out the doors of our high schools full of hope. That's the job."

a teacher, trying to decide if I really wanted to stay in this profession, I took a year to go to Johns Hopkins to get another master's degree and try teaching at the college level. While I was gone, the group of students I had started Fox{ire magazine with and who were then seniors - without faculty supervision, without money from the school system, without any help except permission to use the school library after school hours continued to publish Fox{ire magazine. The editor would call me in Baltimore every Friday night for an editorial conference. They put out three of the best issues of that magazine that have been published to date.
And every time I get discouraged or allow myself to fall into that trap of not being absolutely sure that students have the kind of potential that I keep telling myself they do have, I try to remember that story. And I try to put students into situations where they can exercise that kind ofrespon sibility every day. It's hard, but that's what teaching is for .
Q. What influenced you during your first 20 years?
A. People ask me all the time why I went into teaching. The reason is very simple. When I was in the ninth grade, I was a very poor student. My parents sent me away to a school in Pennsylvania where I was supposed to be 'fixed.' I had an Eng lish teacher there named Jack Tyrer who recognized all the signals of a kid who was going under, found a composition of mine that he thought showed some glimmer of promise, helped me work on it until it was publishable and then encouraged me to submit it to the school's literary magazine where it was, in fact, accepted for publication. That was the first affirmation I had received from the system that I might have some potential as a human being. I look back on that

experience and know for a fact that despite my entering Cornell Univer sity to become a doctor, I instead became an English teacher of ninth and 1Oth grade students and started a literary magazine called Fox{ire because an English teacher took 30 seconds out of his busy day to make something positive happen in my life. That is exactly why I became a teacher, and it is why I'm still teaching today. Through Jack I realized t11at teachers could save lives as surely and successfully as doctors.
Q. How does Foxfire relate to traditional learning activities?
A All the activities take place within an academic context. They all require that students use the academic language arts skills (the writing skills, skills in grammar, mechanics, etc.,) in producing something real - in the real world for a real audience that the community ap plauds as being work that is useful. And my kids see school as not being a time when they're on hold, waiting for the day when they can do something, but they see school as a place where they can get a ctively involved and try to make sense of what's going on around them so that they go into life with some perspective.
This year I'm teaching two college English 101 prep courses, one collegelevel research paper, one Foxfiremagazine production class and one Appalachian literature class. I believe the ideal language arts program would be one where the kids' typical question - 'Why are you making us sit here and do this? We'll never need to use this in our lives.' - is answered in a really powerful, conclusive way so that they see the connection.
The public perception that most teachers are on automatic pilot, that the majority of our schools are in

Foxfire students combine skills like photography with traditional language arts skills to produce "something real- in the real world for a real audience."

really serious trouble, is wrong. I know that inside our schools are teachers who have given this profession their lives, and they're serious as can be about what's going on in their classrooms and what they're trying to accomplish. And they are making a difference in the future and in the quality of life.

Q. A.

How do you change the public's negative perception of public education?
For an immediate, widespread impact we need con-

stantly to showcase the work of great teachers and great students through the media, making communities aware of the fact that there are really fine things going on inside the schools. Another part of it- and this is slower, more subtle, but longerlasting - is through the kinds of activities we do with Foxfire students. Parents, grandparents, other family members of necessity become involved in what the students are doing in their classes. Each Foxfire project will typically involve a half dozen community people. They know that something good is going on inside

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 19

Foxfire students focus on their heritage by interviewing parents, grandparents and community members about bygone days and how things used to be done in Rabun County.

that high school because they were part ofthe project from the beginning. The more kinds of parallel activities like that going on in schools and communities the more widespread the public perception will be that 'Well, those things they're saying about public schools may be true over there, but as far as our school goes, I know it's not true in ours.'
I think that we as a profession have to remind ourselves that what we are in the business of doing is working to add one more solid, positive, competent human being to a confusing world. One human being at a time we make a difference. We send them out the doors of our high schools full of hope. That's the job. We give communities people who are ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work. Teachers provide a service to the community when we give them young people who aren't crippled academically or emotionally, when we give them young people whose curiosity is still alive and who are eager, enthusiastic, self-confident, responsible. We as teachers are agents for nourishing these characteristics.
Q. What are your plans for the next 20 years?
A. Over the next five years the other Foxfire folks and I are moving in the direction of looking more closely at how we might not only share with other teachers some strategies we've developed, but also how to be a catalyst for getting other teachers to test some different ways of doing things and get that information down on paper and share it with the rest of the field.
My book for teachers is part of that. The course guide in the back of the book is another part. We also want to do course guides for each of the 22 courses Foxfire sponsors at Rabun County High School that demonstrate how our philosophy operates in a tra-

ditional public school setting and not only meets the state agenda - BST, CRT, etc., - but is in fact a powerful delivery system for that agenda. I spend summers working with teachers at Berea and at North Georgia College. This spring I'll begin working with teachers through Georgia State University. So for the next five years, I'll be spending a lot of time with a lot of other teachers thinking through some strategies.
I would like to think that the work that I do and that the other Foxfire staff do here in the public school system is going to continue to put out a positive message about Georgia and public education in this state.
I think now with QBE we have some momentum that's positive. I think that a lot of the fear has been digested now and that a lot of the initial paranoia is gone. People now have settled down and said, 'Okay, at least now the job is clear. Let's go ahead and figure out some strategies for getting it done.'
The challenge for the next five years - possibly 10 -is going to be how to help teachers get to the point where they see that the agenda is not just the test scores. The issue for the next 10 years is going to be for people to accept the fact that the items on that agenda really are things that students should in fact know how to do - and figure out strategies inside the schools for creating programs where that agenda really is integrated seamlessly into the curriculum and achieved. Not so the kids will beat the neighboring county in test scores but so they will walk out the door of our high schools with those competencies secure.
I think the most important thing for all of us to realize now is that we have a governor, a state superintendent of schools and a state board of education that are really concerned about what

it is we as teachers are doing and are really trying to figure out some strategies for helping us do the job better. The conditions have rarely been better for our making some real progress in Georgia schools.
I'm going to stay in the profession as long as two ingredients remain intact for me. Number one is that I still really like the students I work with and enjoy their company. They a1e interesting people. The thing I hate most about teaching is the fact

that it seems like we spend half our time saying good-bye to people we love. And number two is that I'll stay as long as the situation itself remains an intriguing and interesting intellectual problem. It's like a metaphorical game of chess you play with kids. It's like they move and you move and then they move and you move and they move and you go 'check.' The doors fly open in his head and he says, 'I never thought of that before,' and you say, 'That's right.'

Wig's classes, filled with Appalachian arts and crafts, give his students an appreciation of their history and the means to perpetuate it through books and films.

20 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

From 3 Rs to Computers: Two Centuries of School

by Eleanor Gilmer

The person who said, "The more things change, the more they stay the same," was not talking about public education in Georgia.
In 1870 a law was passed by the Georgia General Assembly to set up a system of statewide public schools, and there have been milestones along the way since then - the greatest of which was passage of the Quality Basic Education Act (QBE) in 1985.
In addition to QBE, three other major education laws have been passed since the 1940s: the first Minimum Foundation Program for Edu cation (MFPE) Act in 1949, the second MFPE Act in 1964 and the Adequate Program for Education in Georgia (APEG) Actin 1974. Although each of the laws brought about needed change in public education, QBE promises the greatest reform.

During its first quarter century, public education in Georgia was mainly a local, rather than a state, responsibility. During this time state assistance was provided only for elementary schools and was directly prohibited fo r high schools. The state constitution , in fact, permitted only cities to levy a tax for the support of high schools, thus beginning the tradition of unequal education for children in the state's rural areas.
Several types of public educational institutions were common in the state during the early 1800s, but the most interesting was the "Old Field School." This type of school was so named because it was usually built on an old, wornout field considered unfit for any other use.
Built ofunbarked logs, the old field school was usually located near the center of the rural community and was a far cry from the modern, energyefficient school buildings that now grace Georgia's landscape.

These photos, circa 1936 and 1986, show how just 50 years. We still teach the basics, but far public education in Georgia has come in with new tools, like computers and videos.

Writing desks in the field school consisted of half a log cut lengthwise and supported on pegs, with another half log placed somewhat lower serving as a seat for the children.
Although school buildings did improve over the next 80 years, a state school building program did not begin until1951, according to Marlin Smith, director of the Facilities and Transportation Division for the Georgia Department of Education.
"Before the state building program, local systems were responsible for

building schools in their communities, and there were some poorly constructed ones, as well as well-designed ones that are still in use today," said Smith.
Because energy costs were so low, systems did not concentrate on schools that were economically efficient to operate, he said.
"Most of the schools had flat roofs, tile or oil-finished floors and a lot of windows for ventilation and light," he said. "Today, our buildings are

climate-controlled and designed for the curriculum of the school."
Of course, not only have the looks and size of the buildings changed drastically through the years, but there is also a major difference in the cost of construction. For example, in the early 1900s the total cost of building an 800-square-foot, one-room school was about $400- or 50 cents per square foot. Today, the cost of a new 131,000-square-foot comprehensive high school will run in excess of $6 million, or $45 per square foot.

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 21

... [ .
i t' .. ...,~ ~

Gwinnett County's Brookwood High School exemplifies the modern comprehensive high school, which incorporates both vocational and academic programs.

New schools, such as BrookwoodHigh, mustmeetDOErequirements for such factors as sanitation, heating and air conditioning, energy efficiency, traffic flow, comfort and acoustics.

Unlike their forbears, today's school system administrators must follow many state regulations to build a school. Gone are the days when a community held a "school raising" on weekends to put up a new school. State Board of Education policy now regulates every phase of the building project, from site selection to the finished product, and each school system must have a five-year facility plan on file with the Georgia Department of Education.
"The Georgia Department ofEducation must approve every school building construction project," said Smith. "In approving a plan, we look at such things as sanitation, heating and air conditioning, energy conservation and efficiency, acoustics, comfort, how traffic will flow in the halls, the media center, food service facilities, supervision of the building and whether the school is designed for the planned instructional areas."

were " brutal vagabonds." Keeping a school was considered at the bottom ofthe list of vocations and was undertaken only by those who were not qualified for any other profession.
The old field schoolmaster usually appeared on foot in the community, carrying his household goods in a redspotted bandana. When he gathered a sufficient number of students, he would commence his school.
According to Orr, the prevailing attitudes of society helped make the schoolmaster severe. It was understood that full parental authority had been delegated to him, and that it was his duty to get into the heads of his charges as much as he could of the knowledge of books by meeting all resistance with force. The teachers who met their pupils with a winning smile were considered weak. Learning, it was felt, had to be thrashed into the tender mind.

Not until the late 1970s did the state authorize capital outlay funds for use in renovating schools. Previously, funds went only for school consolidation and growth.

There was another reason for these early teachers' brutality. The only teaching methods used were memorization and recitation. There was a right and a wrong answer for every question, and woe to anyhapless stu-

Not only has the school building dent who asked a question the school-

changed through the years- so have master could not answer.

teachers and teaching techniques.

Recitation and memorization have

The precedent of low pay for teachers may have been first established by the patrons ofthe old field school who, being largely illiterate themselves, were incompetent to judge a teacher's

taken a back seat to other, more modern teaching methods in today's classrooms, according to Lucille Jordan, associate state superintendent of schools for instruction.

qualifications, and so based their acceptance or rejection of him entirely upon the rates at which he offered his services. (At that time, most teachers were men.)

"The teacher today knows there are many learning styles, and he or she must research and diagnose the best style for each student," said Jordan. "For example, some students are aud-

The History of Public Education in Georgia, by Dorothy Orr, (grand-

itory learners, while others learn best from visual methods."

daughter of Gustavus John Orr, one Curriculum has also changed since
Today's teachers respond to many different learning styles. No ofGeorgia's first state school superin- the days when reading, 'riting and

_

longer tied to the front of the room, they can offer more indi- tendents) states that most of the 'rithmetic were taught to the "tune of

vidual instruction with the help of teacher's aides.

teachers during the antebellum period a hickory stick."

22 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

Clarke County's David C. Barrow elementary school is undergoing renovation. Capital outlay funds could not be used for renovating older structures until the 1970s.

Although textbooks are still an important resource to learning, other tools such as computers and videos have found their way into the classroom and have proven effective.
"We have also learned to cluster our teaching of curriculum materials," said Jordan. "For example, we teach reading and spelling in just about every subject area, and science, mathematics, the arts and humanities also cross curriculum areas."
As a result of QBE, today, ninthgrade students must decide on a course of study, which determines whether they will pursue a general, college preparatory or vocational diploma in high school.
QBE has also mandated and the state board has established a core curriculum for every school system, a nd the board has identified 76 competencies all students must master befo re leaving school.
The classroom itself has taken on an entirely new look since the antebellum days when students shared a writing table that faced the teacher at the front of the room.
A visitor to a modern classroom might not even be readily able to identify the teacher. The visitor might see a cluster of students reading aloud to an aide while another group of students works on computers or other learning machines. The teacher might be working one-on-one with a student in a corner of the classroom.
Today's teachers have to be more than dispensers of information, says J ordan. They must be classroom managers, skilled technicians, counselors and often psychologists. They must be able to recognize the child with emotional problems, motivate the gifted student and give special help to the slow learner.
Although low pay has commonly been associated with teaching school,

teachers today are paid many times over what teachers were paid in the 1940s and 1950s. Teachers today are paid according to the degree they hold and the years of experience. Even as late as the early 1950s, white teachers were paid more than blacks, and high school teachers were paid more than elementary teachers. Male high school teachers were paid more than women, but female elementary teachers were paid more than men. (In 1948, there were only 373 male elementary teachers as compared with 10,328 female.) The average salary of all teachers in 1948 was $1,961. Today, a beginning teacher with a fouryear degree and no experience makes $16,800 a year.
Teachers today are not only better paid than those before them, but they're also better qualified. In 1946, only 40 percent ofthe state's teachers had a baccalaureate degree or higher. Today, all have baccalaureate degrees, and more than 50 percent have advanced degrees.
These and many other improvements over the years have made public education in Georgia what it is today. Kindergarten programs have been added; children with special needs are identified early and placed in appropriate programs; student assessment programs reveal strengths and weaknesses and impact achievement; funds are now in place to help equalize educational opportunities between wealthy and nonwealthy systems; the pupil-teacher ratio is the lowest it's been in many years, and more state funds are appropriated to education than to any other program.
When Georgia public education celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1970, the slogan adopted for the celebration was "Measuring Up and Moving On." In looking at the history of education from 1870 to 1987, a better slogan might be, "We've come a long way, baby."

Bacon County's old Coffee School in Alma is an example ofthe one-room schoolhouse. In the early 1900s, it would have cost 50 cents per square foot to build a similar school.
In 1954, this teacher was paid far less than teachers today. Now salaries are based on experience and education, rather than race, sex or the grade level taught.

Georgia ALERT, March 1987 23

The Georgia Department of Education presents
QBE in Action: What Does It Mean for Georgia's Children?
a presentation profiling the impact
of the Quality Basic Education Act
on Georgia's classrooms and students

QBE's additional funding has provided new programs, more teachers, better facilities and a new excitement to the schools in Georgia. This presentation takes you into the schools and shows you firsthand the positive things happening as a result of QBE.
QBE in Action is available in slides or video to any group that would like to learn more about how QBE funding has benefited the children of Georgia during this first year of implementation.
For further information and scheduling, contact The Georgia Department of Education Public Information and Publications Division 2052 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334
(404) 656-2476

In Memory of
Charles McDaniel

This month marks the first anniversary ofthe death of Dr. Charles McDaniel, state superintendent of schools from 1977 to 1986. This is also the first ALERT we've done without his input, and we thought it important to remember his influence and concern.
Dr. Mac spent his life working to make public education better for the children of Georgia, and it was very important to him that the department spread the good news about our schools. He believed one of our most important tasks is to build bridges of communication between home and school, educators and community members. ALERT is one of those bridges.
The only memorial Dr. Mac requested is that he be "remembered as one who tried to make a contribution." His contributions to Georgia's schools were many: the implementation of statewide, free public kindergarten for all five year olds; performance-based teacher certification; the Georgia Schools of Excellence program; more stringent graduation requirements; the Georgia Scholar Program. Dr. Mac's leadership laid the foundation for the tra,nsition into the new programs and require-

ments of the Quality Basic Education Act.
We do remember Dr. Mac for these things. To make our memories tangible, many schools have begun planting trees in his honor. Arbor Day was Dr. Mac's favorite holiday. He wrote about it every year in his newsletter to local superintendents, and he always felt that "the school campus ought to be the most attractive place in the community." In this spirit, West Central Elementary School in Rome has planted three redbuds dedicated to Dr. McDaniel, Calhoun Middle School has planted a Bradford pear, and many other schools have done likewise.
As another memorial, a teacher scholarship fund has been established in Dr. Mac's memory. The private fund, administered by the Georgia Student Finance Authority, will help educate Georgia high school graduates who want to pursue careers in teaching.
We dedicate this issue of ALERT to the memory ofCharles McDaniel, a man who wanted his works to stand as his memorial.

March 1987 Vol. 16, No_ 1
ALERT Staff
Executive Editor ....... Anne Raymond
Managing Editor .... Kristin Summerlin
Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elaine Pierce
Photography Editor . . . . Merri Sheffield
Typesetting ............... Kim Curfman
Contributing Writers: Wagers Chenault, Julia Martin Gervais, Elean or Gilmer, Judy Hall, Nancy Hall, Lou PenegU<y, Gale E. Samuels and Merri Sheffield
The Georgia Department of Education do es not discriminate in emp!oyment or educational activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or religion.
Published by Public Information and Publications Division Office of Administrative Services Georgia Department of Education 2052 Twin Towers East Atl anta, Georgia 30334
(404) 656-2476

Alert..____ A Look at Education's RoleToday
State Board of Education Werner Rogers State Superintendent of Schools Georgia Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 30334

C. i: Ut IE

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l Nl V . S lTY OF GE O Gl A LI B

5 T TL GfJCl;f"'.- NTS

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24 Georgia ALERT, March 1987

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID Atlanta, Georgia Permit Number 168

.. .~~~\(:;;\:'

~
-~N
Ji Solving Georgia's Dropout Problem
Reaching the Missing Student

Learning to Like School at Monte Sano Elementary
Merging Social, Academic Services at Rich's Academy
School and Industry Working Together: 'No Diploma, No Job'
PLUS
Adult Education GEDon TV Cobb's After School Program Changes in QBE
DOCUMENTS
UGA LIBRARIES

About the Cover
This issue fo cuses on innovative programs across the state that aim to reach at-risk students before they drop out ofschool, and other programs that help those who've already dropped out better their lives by continuing their education.

Cover Story Solving Georgia's Dropout Problem: Reaching the Missing Student

3

Kristin L. Summerlin

Rewriting a Scary Tale: Keeping Students in School

5

Gale E. Samuels

Elementary - Teaching Kids to Like School and Themselves

10

Kristin L. Summerlin

Alternative School- At-Risk Youth Get Second Try at Rich's Academy

13

Merri Sheffield

In-School Suspension- Not a Vacation: Keeping Troubled Students in Class

16

Merri Sheffield

Industry's View- Learn to Read, Get a Diploma Before You Work

19

Anne S. Raymond

Adult Ed: Providing New Skills,
Opportunities for Success
Spalding County's adult education p rogram brings new vitality to the community by helping undereducated adults reach their goals and providing English instruction to Japanese work ers .

23

Wagers Chenault

GED on 1V: Armchair Learning Helps
Adults Prepare for Exam
Lessons broadcast on Georgia Public Television help adult students get ready for the 5lh-hour GED exam.

25

Eleanor Gilmer

Cobb Students Have Fun, Get Extra Help After School
The A fter School program offers exciting and enriching exp eriences to Cobb County's latchkey students. The self-supporting p rog ram is a m odel for the nation.

27

Nancy Hall

QBE Strengthened;
Funding Formula Corrected
The Georgia General A ssembly made several changes in the Quality B asic Education Act during the 1987 session. Here's an overview.

Page 5 Page 12

A Message from Werner Rogers, State Superintendent of Schools
The statistics are daunting. We lose an estimated 31 percent of our high school students as dropouts every year- 30,000 young people who leave school without the skills necessary to be successful adults. Right now in Georgia we estimate that there are more than 700,000 adults with less than an eighth-grade education and who cannot read and write well enough to perform the common tasks of everyday living.
And the harsh facts are that in 1986, a high school graduate was 61 percent more likely to be employed three months after graduation than a dropout. By 2000, the odds against dropouts will be insurmountable.
This waste of our human resources is a tragedy. The cost of education has never been as high as the cost of ignorance. High dropout rates mean high crime rates: More than half the nation's prisoners are dropouts. In a world of high technology and fewer blue-collar jobs, more dropouts mean more unemployment, more welfare, less tax revenue - in short, economic disaster.
Students drop out ofschool for many reasons- difficulty learning, economic pressures, home problems. But the result in every case is one more person with less hope offulfilling his or her potential. And many educators are concerned that our nation's increased emphasis on excellence in education will only heighten, not help, the problem. We must make sure the higher standards that come with the excellence movement do not push more children out of school.
David Hornbeck, Maryland's state superintendent of schools, has said, "As we have carried forward our grand experiment in universal free public education, we have largely fashioned a system that serves well those who are white, middle- to upper-income, well-motivated and from relatively stable families. As students have deviated more and more from that norm, the system has served them less and less well. We sometimes seem to say to them, 'We've provided the system. It's not our fault if you don't succeed.' Instead of blaming the students for not fitting the system, we must design and implement a structure that provides appropriate educational services to those most at risk."
I believe that QBE, fully funded and implemented, will serve our students at risk by providing programs such as special instructional assistance, remedial education, English to speakers of other languages, in-school suspension, diagnostic testing, strategic planning and staff development. Making sure these programs work to help children at risk offailure is one of the most important responsibilities we have, for the health of our state and our nation.
Correction
The March 1987 issue of ALERT inadvertently reported teacher Peggy Colley's first name as Margaret in the story on Westside Elementary School. We made another egregious error in the same story: 5 x 4 and 4 x 5 are, of course, 20, as any elementary student l knows . We apologize for the errors.

2 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

Rewriting a Scary Tale: Keeping Students in School
The dropout legacy is crime, economic stagnation. Georgia's programs can change the story's ending.
the dropout epidemic and help keep them
in Georgia," contact of Education,

outoffour

ployed. From

unemployed lack the

skills to

get a job. The illiteracy rate in five

Georgia counties is above 40 percent.

The average tested grade level for

Georgia's prison population is 5.5

years for men and 5.4 years for wo-

men. Nationally, dropouts cost society

$75 billion in welfare benefits and $70

billion in lost potential tax revenues.

These bleak figures, included in the February 1987 report of the Georgia House ofRepresentatives High School Dropouts Study Committee, tell a story of chronic joblessness, poverty, crime and economic stagnation. What can we do to change this story's ending?

er school."

.!'u:.w''""' definition is

not

making it hard to

compare dropout rates for states and

school systems and making it impos-

sible to state accurately the number of

students who actually do drop out.

Ultimately, of course, it's not the exact numbers that matter. What does matter is the personal tragedy of every student who leaves school without an adequate education, without hope of ever developing to his or her fullest human potential. What matters is finding the reasons why these students leave, and then filling their needs, alleviating their academic and social problems, as early as possible.

Although the negative effects ofthe Ironically, our efforts to improve dropout epidemic are clear, one of the the quality of public education in the

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 3

United States may actually create the unintended backlash of increasing the numbers who leave school. Excellence is the byword. We want excellent schools and excellent teachers, and we believe that if we have those, we'll also have excellent students.
Expectation not enough There is an old adage that children
learn more when they're expected to learn more. Although this is partly true, higher expectations are not enough. The current national emphasis on excellence will be particularly hard on the children already caught in the cracks of our education system. We must focus more on finding these children and helping them before we lose them for good.
Thomas Toch, editor of Education Week, discussed "The Dark Side ofthe Excellence Movement" in theNovember 1984 issue of Phi Delta Kappan.

The Dropout Epidemic
Georgia Dropout Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 percent, or 30,000 students per year
National Dropout Rate ..... . . . ...... . .... 25 percent currently; 40 percent by the year 2000*
Youth Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 percent (50 to 75 percent of the unemployed lack basic skills to get a job)
Average Tested Grade Level for Georgia Inmates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 for men, 5.4 for women
National Cost to Society ... . . . . $75 billion in welfare benefits, $70 billion in lost potential tax revenues
*National Dropout Prevention Fund estimates

When the U.S. last focused on the need for 'excellence' in education, during the post-Sputnik era of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the emphasis was on urging the best and the brightest students to meet the challenge posed by Soviet technology. Today's reformers, by contrast, are urging that all students be exposed to the best writing and thinking and that they be held to higher standards of performance. The obligations ofresponsible citizenship and the need to ensure that every youngster has an opportunity to lead a full life in an increasingly complex world demand no less, they say. To do otherwise, they add, amounts to relegating certain students to failure from the start.
Will Georgia's dropout rate rise as we move ahead with the implementation ofthe Quality Basic Education Act? The law's expanded testing requirements for minimum competency and the push for a standardized curriculum may make it harder for some students to cope. What will happen to

the self-esteem of children who fail the first-grade readiness examinations? Are we setting up an early pattern of failure and frustration, guaranteeing from the first that many students will not make it?
Not necessarily. The key lies in how such factors as test results are used. We must learn to look at exams not as measures oflack, but as indicators of need. Testing should not be the end goal, but the way to determine educational focus, method, support.
We may not agree on how many dropouts we have, or on what constitutes dropping out, but almost everyone agrees that potential dropouts can be identified early, and that schools can help these students develop the basic skills and self-esteem necessary for success in education. We know that the likeliest candidates for dropping out are those students who have been held back a grade or two, those who are often absent, those who are isolated socially. We know

that there is a definite link between students' leaving school and the level of their parents' education.
Early intervention is the key to preventing students from dropping out in the first place. Full-day kindergarten is an important factor in preparing children for school, and many school systems have developed programs to identify and help at-risk students. These programs provide students with positive experiences and extra support, helping them learn the basic reading and computing skills that are the basis for all further learning.
And many systems are providing alternative settings for students who want to learn but have difficulty in a strictly traditional school program. Many ofthese alternative schools provide social services, as well as extra help in academics.
How many students are lost because of behavioral and discipline problems? In-school suspension helps keep these kids in school, off the streets -

and still prevents further disruption of the classroom. Not merely punishment, in-school suspension forces students to keep up with their studies, and many programs provide counseling to help them adjust their behavior.
What happens to students who do drop out? Is there no hope for them? Public schools are charged with educating all of our citizens, and adult education programs allow people who want to learn back into the schools, where they can develop the skills they missed the first time around. Our adult education programs help break the cycle of dropouts, because adults who know the value ofeducation pass their concerns on to their children.
Programs profiled In the following pages you will find
profiles of successful programs that illustrate Georgia's response to the dropout epidemic. Their success results from several common factors.
First, each ofthe programs involves the community. Volunteers stretch limited resources by providing time and expertise. Parents get involved in their children's schooling. Business and industry provide funding and materials. Involvement by people outside the schools themselves heightens pride and accomplishment.
Secondly, the programs are flexible. They meet the needs of the students, rather than fitting students into preformed niches. High school students receive health and job counseling, as well as academic tutoring. Adult students participate in programs with flexible hours. Elementary programs are tailored to the student profile.
And finally, these programs recognize the need for lifelong learning. Education is a neverending process. The love of learning must be developed early, nurtured with care, encouraged by praise and stimulated with joy, because school is never really over.

4 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

,......

Elementary
Teaching Kids to Like School and Themselves
by Gale E. Samuels
On a hot summer day in 1984, principal Bertha Sutton walked into her new office at Richmond County's Monte Sano Elementary School and sat down to tackle the gigantic pile of 440 folders on her desk. She had summoned the individual records of every student in her school, and now she actually intended to read each one. Sutton wanted an accurate picture of Monte Sano's student body so she personally could group the students for the most advantageous individual learning situations.
This was the start of the "teaching the whole child" approach to elementary education now exemplified at Monte Sano Innovative Demonstration School of Excellence. The school is licking the problem of dropout prevention by focusing on stemming discontent with education from the first moment a child enters public school.
The education program at Monte Sano underwent a complete change in the fall of 1985, after the Richmond County Board of Education received a state-funded innovation grant. Innovation grants fund new programs designed to turn a school around in a dramatic and positive direction. As a model school, MonteSano proposed to improve teacher competency and student achievement in writing, reading, mathematics and self-concept.
The major changes at Monte Sano included a new classroom delivery system and a comprehensive program for developing a positive school climate. The school's leadership chal-

lenged everyone connected with Monte Sano to be active in the innovative program; in fact, they insisted on it. And in just two years, the changes have improved student achievement and self-concept: Students and their families are motivated and feel good about themselves and school. Research has proven that students who are positive about school and themselves are less likely to drop out.
Sutton believes in giving the youngest students the positive outlook that can prevent at-risk children from falling into a mindset that will later cause them to drop out. "We are letting them know that school is here for a purpose. We are making school a meaningful experience for them," she said. "Middle school is too late for a child to start being positive. We want them to know that school is not there for fun, but ifthey have fun, we're not going to take that away from them. We are aiming to make each child a success."
Sutton emphasizes that the Monte Sano program has something to offer every child, not just the gifted or slow learner.
About a third of MonteSano's students are from the surrounding lowerto middle-class neighborhoods. Another third are bused in from the inner city, and slightly less than a third are from upper-middle-class homes. The school was chosen for the project because of this diversity: If the new techniques worked here, they would work with any school. Monte Sano's progress is compared with that of a control school, also located in Richmond County, with a similar student body.
Based on Hunter The new instructional program is
based on Madlyn Hunter's research on "Effective Teaching for Higher Achievement." It incorporates the fol-

Leonard Anthony writes about being one year old in Susan Smith's fourth-grade English class. He and his classmates are eager- not anxious - to read their work in front ofthe class.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 5

lowing six principles into every Feedback, independent work and

classroom.

periodic reviews






More time for instruction Carefully planned, efficient classroom organization Influencing positive student behavior High, accurate and flexible student expectations Daily review, material presentation and guided practice sessions

To implement these principles, Monte Sano uses classroom techniques suggested by Hunter's research, along with seven validated instructional projects in reading, writing, mathematics and self-concept, in addition to instructional methods approved by the Richmond County school system.

The language arts projects include

the Communication Activities Skills

Project (CASP), Individual Language

Arts (ILA), the Exemplary Center for

Reading Instruction (ECRI) and the

Science Research Associates (SRA)

reading mastery program. The three

math programs are Systematic Teach-

ing and Measuring Mathematics

(STAMM), Diagnostic Prescriptive

Arithmetic (DPA) and Thinkabout, a Lynn Arrant's kindergarten class learns reading using the

math-related program. The self- SRA phonetic method. They have learned to follow hand sig-

concept project is Pathways to Emo- nals and blend the sounds following her hand movement.
tional Peace (PEP).

"The greatest thing about me is . . ." Carolyn White reads her paragraph, "Super Me," to the class. The exercise builds self-esteem while teaching about composition.

In its second year, the innovation program is running smoothly. But the radical procedural changes weren't so easy to make at the start. After Sutton went through all of the student files, which she does each year, she required the entire school staffto participate in a two-day staff development session before preplanning. The session covered every aspect of the academic and curricular changes. Support staffand teachers were told ofthe high expectations for improvement and were challenged to participate in Monte Sano's new positive attitude and action.
The teachers were expected to review their students' backgrounds and choose the validated projects most suited to those students and to their own teaching styles. They also were expected to attend regular staff development sessions, to test students regularly, to evaluate their projects and generally to support the new way of doing things at Monte Sano.

Most ofthe teachers had been at the school for years, some as long as 17, according to Sutton. As expected, many ofthem were not overly thrilled with being told that their tried-andtrue teaching methods were no longer good enough for Monte Sano. In the words of Gerald Klein, innovative grant administrator and consultant for the state department, "It was a bear of a year."
But a visit to MonteSano during the innovation program's second year proves its success. It is immediately evident in the old-but-cheerful building, where decorations abound, greeting visitors even before the front office staff.
Teachers chose projects Because teachers could choose the
projects that best fit their own teaching styles, instruction differs from classroom to classroom. However, peer support and evaluation include

the entire instructional staff. Experts for each project were brought in to train the teachers, observe them in classroom situations and make suggestions. For example, Barbara Rous, statewide consultant for the ILA writing project, came to the school to explain the program. All of the teachers who would use ILA observed one teacher in an actual classroom situation, then offered suggestions and observations. Feedback and evaluation are essential to each project.
Susan Smith uses ILA with her fourth graders. To learn about paragraphs, the entire class helped fill in the blanks in a paragraph entitled "Super Me," which also worked on developing a positive self-concept. The paragraph starts, "I really am a wonderful person. The greatest thing about me is (my body, thoughts, muscles). I am also (beautiful, handsome) and (smart, talented)..." After almost every child gave an adjective, Smith

6 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

Mo nte Sano keeps young students from developing a dropout mindset. Says Sutton, 'We are making school a meaningful experience for them. Middle school is too late for a child to start being positive. We are aiming to make each child a success.'

distributed sheets with a new framed " Let's say 'ock,"' Arrant says.

paragraph for the students to fill in "What rhymes with 'ock'?"

individually.

"Lock, sock, tock, rock."

The students look forward to reading their paragraphs in front of the class, instead of being anxious about

"First you say 'rrrrrrrr,' then you say 'ock.' Rrrrrrrock."

the exercise. Smith called on Leonard Anth ony, who volunteered to read his new paragraph, entitled "When I Was ___ Years Old." Leonard told the

Arrant frequently gives behavior instructions, such as "every hand in your lap." But paying attention is not

class he remembered being one year old, and said the worst thing about it was not being able to watch HBO or go to the movies. The students laughed at the thought of a one year old watching TV and moved on to the next volunteer.

drudgery, because it h as become a game. Every time the students are correct, they receive a point. Every time the teacher makes a mistake, the students get a point. The teacher never wins. Says Arrant, "The point game is exciting. When I found out how exciting, I used it a lot more, and

Lynn Arrant's kindergarten class it is very effective."

learns reading using the SRA phonetic method combined with the system's regular Houghton Mifflin (HM) reading series. While Arrant teaches SRA to a group of six students, paraprofessional Sandra Williford uses HM with another group. Both incorporate several ofthe "effective teaching method" techniques, including group participation, equal individual participation, strict behavior rules, highly organized lesson plans and smooth t r a n s i tions.

Arrant likes the new instructional program's overall concept. "Most inservice training has been valuable," she said. "I know there's a difference in my students. This is partly due to professionals knowing about twice as much as they did five years ago, but we also have higher expectations. Even the slowest children are getting the basics with the new methods. Every child is participating, and you can see the difference."

First grader Felicia McManus will never have a negative attitude about school, becauseMonte Sano,s instructionalmethods give her a steady stream ofpositive learning experiences.

Blen ding sounds Th e s tudents follow Arrant's
pointed finger across the words "me" and "mad," sounding them out the long way and the short way according to the speed of the movement. They have been taught to follow hand sig-

Third-grade teacher Peggy Carter has been sending completed homework assignments by Benjamin Allen to Sutton, for her delight and approval, not for disciplinary reasons. Benjamin had been a slow learner with a history of disorderly conduct and re-

completing homework assignments for the first time. One of his essays is displayed in the hall, and Benjamin has become a helper in Carter's class.
Carter uses ECRI, a language arts vocabulary builder geared for slower students. She said the program gives

okay to make mistakes," Carter said. "Part ofthe effective teaching method is to correct the mistakes as soon as they are made, so the students can make progress. They were shy at first, but they've gotten over that completely."

n als and pay strict attention at the tention in the lower grades. In the her students a chance to get involved Students involved

beginning of the unit. The students eyes of the school leadership, he was a in their learning and to express them- All of the teachers use the recom-

are learning to blend sounds phone- potential dropout candidate. Now in selves. " ECRI uses a lot of repetition mended classroom techniques to

tically a nd repeat the sounds by the second year of the innovation and participation. One major concept make sure every student is involved in

rhyming.

program, Benjamin is reading and we try to get across now is that it's learning, even those who are shy and

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 7

TITLE: Dr. Jekyll andMr. Hyde

Al~HOR: Stevenson

CALL Nlt1BER: F S LEVEL: D PAGES: $'4

REVIEW: By day he is a good doctor. By night he's a mad killer. All because of a magic drug. Will anybody find out the horrible secret of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE? The best book I ever read.
Danny Scott, 5th grade, 86-87

A search for the word "magic"produces this entry in the computerized book review project. The project gets students excited about reading and teaches basic computer skills.

her ofthe book. They then write three to five sentences to help someone else decide whether to read the book. At the bottom is a space for the student's name, grade and teacher's name.
Harlan demonstrated the book reiew call-up system by searching for the word "magic." The search produced a student's review of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Harlan also has a computer project for fifth graders on American history. She teaches more about databases by having students write autobiographies of famous people, classifying them by time period.
The rest of the students learn word processing by working on a project

called "My Life in 20 Years." To begin, the students make lists describing how they will be and what they will have in 20 years (e.g., rich, Rambo, pool, righteous, meet Janet Jackson, good mother, doctor, robot, Lamborghini and 'go to heaven, but not right now').
Computer lab is favorite The computer lab is a favorite with
students. "We get to come here twice a week, and we love it," explained a third grader entering the lab. Attendance usually is perfect on computer lab days, according to a paraprofessional.
In fact, attendance in general is up at MonteSano. This is in large part

normally would not volunteer, and especially the potential dropout population. These techniques include "wait time," in which teachers give each child several seconds to answer a question, rather than moving along quickly by calling on another child when the first one hesitates. Usually the first child can answer the question but needs a moment to gather thoughts. The result of wait time is a positive learning experience for that child.
Another technique is the "index card method" of random selection. Instead of choosing only those students who raise their hands to answer a question (usually, it's the same few students), teachers flip through a file of index cards with each student's name. Whoever's name is on the chosen card gets to answer. Because there is a card for each student, everyone has a turn and everyone must be prepared.
A steady stream of these kinds of experiences helps children feel good about learning and school. "In this program, our students are active, not passive," Sutton said. "We have high expectations and a positive, 'you can'

attitude. We praise them if they walk down the hall correctly," she exaggerated. "They know we believe in them."
Other mainstays of the new program are reading, writing and computer labs, attended twice weekly by every class. The labs are conducted in 30-minute rotating intervals. While one third of the class does mathematics on the computers (the teacher selects lessons for individual students), another third writes poetry in the writing lab. The rest read in the library with media specialist Ann Harlan.
Harlan has developed a threedimensional lesson in computer basics for the students. Using props, she explains that the computer is like a box with files. The files have names, and there are forms in each file. Harlan illustrates by using a little man going through doors into each part of the computer.
She also started a book review project on the computer. When students finish their books, they fill in a special book review form with the title, author, number of pages and call num-

Peggy Carter says usingECRI has taughtNashanda Garrett, like all of her students, to get involved in her learning, to express herself and not to be afraid of mistakes.

Media specialist Ann Harlan explains how the computer works. Computer labs are favorite with the students. Attendance is usually perfect on computer lab days.

8 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

because of the high degree of parent and community involvement in the innovation program.
At the same time the school staff received its introduction to the new program, parents also were informed about the changes and expectations at Monte Sano. Each parent, grandparent or guardian was asked to sign a contract of commitment to their child's education, and 100 percent of the contracts were returned with signatures.
Every PTA meeting at MonteSano revolves around a special theme, such as "Helping Your Child Read" or "Making Parenting Fun." Experts come to the meetings to speak to parents and lend their advice. One speaker, Neita Mulherin, director of Augusta Area Mental Health, was so taken with the new program that her agency adopted the school. As a result, parents can consult with Joanne Cook of the mental health staff, who comes to the school every Wednesday to work with teachers and students.
Also at the beginning of each PTA meeting, Bequi Coar, innovative project facilitator, gives an update on the project to let parents know what is happening and what to expect.

Teacher Susan Smith uses ILA with her Eng- from seven validated instructional projects

PTA attendance up

lish classes. Monte Sano's teachers chose to fit their own methods and students' needs.

Sutton said the attendance at PTA meetings is way up. "Parents without cars catch the bus that leaves them at the back of the school," she said.

ting the word out has led to adoptions by other community groups, Sutton said.

"They know we have something good
to offer, and we won't waste their time."

Statistics prove Monte Sano's success. In the program's second year, 70 percent ofthe students' parents, grand-

Compared with the control school, MonteSano's test scores were higher in reading, mathematics and selfconcept. An evaluation by the University of Georgia found significantly higher scores (95 percent of the scores were higher) in first-grade mathemat-

the school that will prevent future dropouts. But when you visit the school, you'll hear Bertha Sutton call each child by name, and you may listen to her explain that basement lab classes are scheduled before or after lunch to eliminate the extra time it

Communication is important. Mon- parents and guardians are members ics; second-grade reading; third- and takes to walk from the second floor

te Sano has published booklets for ofthe PTA- the highest membership fourth-grade reading, mathematics instead ofthe cafeteria. You may hear

parents, including Behavior Manage- ever at MonteSano. In addition, disci- and self-concept; and fifth-grade Bequi Coar declare that all teachers

ment Techniques, Math for Your pline problems have declined by 60 reading.

at MonteSano can say that they've im-

Child, Reading Ideas for Your Child percent, according to Coar, and good

proved. And you'll realize that all of

and Study Smarter, Not Harder. The attendance incentives have paid off. Monte Sano's overhaul of the in- these positive changes are the result

school also publishes a newsletter for Attendance is now in the high 90th structional program was essential to of a personal commitment to the best

every parent and the community. Get- percentile, instead of in the low 90s. developing the positive attitude about for every child in the school.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 9

Alternative school
At-Risk Youth Get Second Try at Rich's Academy
by Kristin L. Summerlin
No one really thought it would work. Take inner-city teenagers, many of them high school dropouts, most from low socio-economic backgrounds, and send them to school in a department store full of shoplifting opportunities? You've got to be kidding.
But the students at Rich's Academy, an alternative high school in a downtown Atlanta department store, have broken all the stereotypes: They've proven they want to learn, and can learn and be successful in an alternative setting. There have been no shoplifting cases among academy students, and Rich's employees, once hesitant to ride in the elevators with the teens, now are enthusiastic participants in the school's tutoring and counseling programs.
Rich's Academy is successful because it provides more than just academics. Students drop out or perform poorly in school for many reasons. Chief among them are financial, legal, emotional and health problems, in addition to academic difficulties. It's hard to concentrate on schoolwork if you are a single parent with a sick child at home, or if you are your family's principal breadwinner, or if you have a poor self-image and home problems. The academy is based on the concept that many dropouts or potential dropouts would stay in school if they could receive social services in addition to academic instruction at the school site.
Visit Rich's Academy and you'll findanotherreasonfortheprogram's

success. The kids come first. Always. "One of the things we do well is give a lot of attention," said director Jerome Ford, explaining the many interruptions to our interview. "We have an open-door policy here, and that means just what it says: My door is never closed to the students. Ifthey need me, they need me now. I try to be sincere about that."
About 115 students attend classes at Rich's Academy. Ford said one quarter of them are dropouts, another quarter are potential dropouts, and one half are students who've heard about the school's different approach and want to attend. The program works. Of a typical senior class of about 25 students, 20 receive high school diplomas. About five percent of them go on to college, and the others find employment - many with Rich's.
Working partnership Opened in 1982, the Academy repre-
sents a working partnership among private and public entities: Rich's,the Atlanta City School System, the governments of Fulton County and Atlanta City, and Exodus Inc.
Rich's provides the facilities for the academy, which currently occupies 5,000 square feet of renovated space on the sixth floor of the downtown Atlanta Store for Homes. Perhaps even more important is the support and encouragement Rich's employees offer the students. Approximately 50 employees volunteer as tutors or participate in the school's Adopt-a-Friend program, which pairs students with adults who serve as positive role models- and most effectively, as friends.
Why would a company like Rich's agree to provide space for an alternative school? Besides the fact that Rich's has been involved in community service, much of it educationrelated, since the company's founding in 1867, company officials saw that

Director Jerome Ford cites a human approach, family atmosphere and the ability to combine social and academic services as reasons for the school's success with inner-city youth.

the number of youths dropping out of school has become a critical issue to the city's major employers, according to Carol Albright, Rich's spokesperson.
"In all candor, at first it seemed like this was a risky thing to do," Albright said. "Anytime you have teens in a store that you wouldn't normally have there, it's a risk. It's not like a onetime cash contribution and then they're not around any more. But after we gradually got to know each other, the positive outcomes far outweighed any negatives, and our employees have become big believers in the program."
Albright sees this partnership between the school and the store as beneficial on both sides. "For the students, here you have them coming into a place of work, where hundreds of our employees are going to work everyday. A lot ofthese students have never been exposed to this life pattern before," she said.

"And having the school here has given our employees a chance to share their skills and expertise. A lot of people would like to volunteer, but it's difficult to work all day and then go out at night for volunteer work. The school gives us a convenient location to share ourselves with others."
The Atlanta City School System has assigned six certified classroom teachers to the academy and provides instructional supplies for a full schedule ofclasses. The school's academic curriculum is identical to that of the Atlanta system; to be graduated, students must pass the state's Basic Skills Test and meet Atlanta's graduation requirements. Rich's Academy is paired with a regular school, Archer High School, for special instructional and evaluative services, and Rich's graduates receive Archer diplomas, with no special insignia from the academy.
Fulton County and Atlanta City governments, with several commun-

10 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

p

and talent," he said. "We realize that In addition to the mathematics,

we need to capitalize on these areas of science, English and social science

talent and build their sense of self- offered during the morning hours, the

worth if our students are going to academy also provides electives dur-

make it."

ing the afternoons, including career

education, performing arts and teen

When students enter Rich's parenting classes. The school's ex-

Academy, either through referral or tended day program includes "Project

volunteer participation, they bring Strive," a tutorial. "Many of our stu-

transcripts, health records and a with- dents are having problems in their

drawal form from the previous school. classes. These students are required

They then take the Basic Skills Test to stay for the tutorial sessions, but a

and an entrance exam to determine lot of them volunteer to stay because

what their academic needs and levels they recognize that they could be

are. "We usually don't tell the stu- doing better," Ford said.

dents how they're classified," Ford

said. "A lot of times, they may have

enough course hours or credits to be

seniors, but their test scores show

they're not ready yet. Most of our stu-

dents come for two years, and to us, a

Academy students participate in a "personal development seminar," where they cheer themselves and each other, recite poetry or bits from plays and voice concerns and opinions.

senior is someone who will graduate this year if he meets all the requirements and can pass the Basic Skills Test."

Learning to love The most effective self-esteem build-
er is participation in drama, music or the other performing arts. "We try to stress that everyone can participate. We have students learn poems to recite, or they sing songs, " Ford said. "We have a May Day program every year, but it's not like most May Days. In ours, we require everybody to do

ity service agencies, provide students with access to the social services they need to help them stay in school. These include health services, counseling, legal services, employment and housing assistance, recreation and cultural activities, all under the same roof.
"Many of our students have problems that the education establishment is not equipped to deal with, and these problems can make it difficult for them to stay in school, " Ford said. " Here we have a social services director to serve them, and the various

Exodus Inc., a partnership of community, business and professional people that brings social services for troubled teens into the schools, serves as the academy's umbrella organization. It operates Rich's Academy and several other Atlanta programs according to the Cities in Schools model, which provides for coordinated human service delivery through a relationship with a caring adult. Exodus provides funding for Ford's position, as well as an administrative assistant to help manage and coordinate the program.

To emphasize caring and support, students are organized into four "family" groups, which serve many of the same purposes of homerooms. These family groups include the Royals, Prestige, the Exquisites and Majesties, names chosen by the students to show how they feel about themselves. Each group has two adult sponsors, one male and one female, who serve as "parents." The families also have their own cheers, which can be heard during a weekly personal development seminar. To the students, these Monday morning sessions are pep rallies or assemblies, but

something, so the students work all year to learn a poem to recite. A lot of them memorize our school poem, 'You Can Make It If You Think You Can."' In lines from a performance called Working on a Dream, students sing, "We're learning to love, to be loved, to respect ourselves and those around us."
"You'd be amazed at how much better these students feel about themselves after they've gotten up in front of the rest of the school and recited something. It's an immediate boost to their self-image when everybody listens to what they have to say, and

agencies come to the students in the Building self-worth

they are an important tool for devel- claps afterwards," Ford said. While

school, so they don't have to spend Ford feels that Rich's Academy is oping self-esteem and pride, accord- most schools no longer require stu-

time away getting help. For instance, most different from regular high ing to Ford.

dents to recite poetry from memory,

many of our students are single par- schools because of the family atmos-

he feels that it is important for his

ents, and in the regular school setting phere and the use ofelective classes to The Monday morning sessions in- students to feel the power of words.

it would be difficult for them to find reinforce the students' self-esteem. clude time for students to voice con- "They've got to learn to communicate.

good child care. Here, we help them "We give our students a lot of atten- cerns and opinions to each other and If you can't communicate, nobody

hook up with good day-care services, tion, and most of them need it. Many to faculty. Students also develop pride listens to you and you're powerless in

so they don't have to worry about of them come into the program with by performing rap routines and cheers life," Ford said. "This brings out the

their children and they can concen- extremely low self-esteem, but in real- or reciting poetry or parts from plays best in them in terms of self-

trate on doing their schoolwork."

ity they represent a lot of potential for their peers.

expression."

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 11

Teachers choose Rich's Academy because they're allowed to "be more human," Ford says. Many of the students have no other positive role models or caring adults in their lives.

Tressie Kendall has taken the power of words to heart. The 18-year-old senior hopes to receive a scholarship to Hampton Institute or the University of Tennessee, where she want to major in journalism. She writes poetry and eventually hopes to write children's books. Tressie's story is typical of many of the students at Rich's Academy.
"I dropped out of Roosevelt High School (a magnet school for communications) when I was a senior, but not because I couldn't do the work. I was just bored with Roosevelt. It was the same old thing every day, every day, every day," Tressie said. "Then when I came to Rich's Academy, at first I wasn't used to the atmosphere -you know, they really cared. It was 'What do you want to do, Tressie? What can we help you with?' I wasn't used to that, so I stopped coming. I dropped out again and became pregnant.
"But then Mr. Ford came into the grocery store where I was working

and he looked at me and said, 'Tressie, what are you going to do with your life? Why don't you come back to school?' And I could tell he really cared. I could see in his eyes that he believed in me, so I asked myself, 'If he believes in me, why can't I?' and I came on back and I stayed." The Academy referred Tressie to a babysitter when she returned to school. "Now I know the baby's in good hands, and I can do my work and not worry about her," she said.
The second time around, inspired, Tressie applied herself and blossomed. She was elected secretary of the Student Government Association and is involved in Toastmasters, Academy Enterprises (a Junior Achievement project) and student leadership activities - all things she probably never would have considered attempting before coming to the academy.
'He believes in us' To Tressie, the best thing about the
school is Ford. "He believes in us. He's

somebody we can discuss our problems with; he talks to us, not at us," she said. "But he's not all Mr. Bill Cosby: He gets on us, he puts us in our places when we need it." Tressie noted that Ford is an important role model for the students, many of whom don't have mothers or fathers to guide them.
"Rich's Academy to me means opportunity," Tressie said. "I'd never even heard of ballet before I came here, and now I've seen one; there are a lot of things I'd never done. I think all students should come and spend a week here. Sometimes you hear a stereotype that this is a school for bad students, but it's just not true. We're here to learn. This school has given us hope; it teaches us to feel good about ourselves so that we can learn. It's like a second home, like going home after leaving home. I don't. know where a lot of us would be today without Rich's Academy."
In addition to finding day-care for Tressie's baby, the school's employment coordinator helped her find a job in the personnel office at Trust Company Bank. "A lot ofthe students here need to work so they can explore the real world, Tressie said. "A lot ofthem have to work, because they have their own places or they have children to support."
Why do teachers choose to work at Rich's Academy, with kids most other people have little faith in? Ford believes there's more freedom and flexibility to do what is really best for the students, to get involved on a personal level. "We can be more human here. So often regular schools turn people offwith their bureaucratic attitudes," he said. "There are so many little things that can be done to encourage students to be successful. For instance, here we don't have desks for the teachers. Instead, there are tables that everybody can sit around; there aren't any barriers. We have lecterns, so teachers can stand up, move

around, touch students and encourage them."
Ford taught science at the school when it first opened five years ago. "With me, I think this was what I always needed. Here were these kids, so young, so beautiful, with so much to offer. When I first came here, it was like my eyes were opened: Here I saw these kids wanting to learn, and I began to believe that maybe I could make a difference after all," he said. "So many ofthese students come here withdrawn and out of it. They blossom here, come into full bloom."
"You know, school's not made for everybody," Ford said. "I especially think school's not made for boys. Readiness is so important, and maturation follows different paths and sequences. Students here really want to learn, and if there's one thing I hope to teach them, it's that it doesn't matter where you're from - it's where you're going."
Tressie Kendall says Rich's means "opportunity." Staff helped the former dropout find a babysitter, and now she has a college scholarship and hopes to major in journalism.

12 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

In-school suspension
Not a Vacation: Keeping Troubled Students in Class
by Merri Sheffield
It's been a long time since students in Dougherty County got a vacation from school for misbehaving. Troublemakers and those who break the rules aren't sent home; instead, they're sent to in-school suspension.
Concerned over the adverse effects of suspending students from school, Dougherty County officials in 1971 devised a program that would maintain order and punish disruptive students by removing them from the classroom, but also keep them in the school's learning environment.
John Strong, the program's first teacher and its present coordinator, sees a two-fold advantage to in-school suspension. On one hand, students (many ofthem already behind in their studies) learn while being disciplined a nd don't receive zeros for work missed during their absence from regular classes. On the other hand, the school doesn't lose state funds, which are based on the number of students in class.
Potential dropouts often were encouraged, rather than discouraged, to leave school by the old system's unstated message, "You're not suited to be in school." An added bonus of this program is that they are finding that the system cares. In-school suspension's message is, "We're not giving up on you, and you are expected not to give up on yourself."
"We don't know whether in-school suspension significantly affects the dropout rate," Strong says. "But we do believe that it has affected the

crime rate, especially for such crimes as vandalism and break-ins. We think that our program also affects the overall school climate, because when students return to their parent school they have a more positive attitude. Their emotional and academic behavior is improved."
Students from the system's 11 high schools and middle schools are bused each morning to the in-school suspension center, an old four-classroom school building adjacent to the system's testing center. Violations range from tardiness to drug abuse and terms range from one to 10 days. Those who break rules at the suspension center receive additional days and may be sent home for the duration of their punishment. As few as three tardy notices may result in suspension; however, students are given the option of detention or in-school suspension for most minor infractions. Students unwilling to relinquish their free time after school and those who work routinely opt for in-school suspension.
Grouped with peers While at the center, students are
grouped with their peers in age and education level, then placed in math, social studies, English and reading classes that emphasize living skills. It is refreshing to see students with discipline problems enthusiastic over filling out job applications, applying simple math to the task ofbalancing a checkbook or learning to write and fold a "friendly letter" and a business letter. For some students, the lessons are useful reviews of things already learned at their home schools; for others the classes offer the chance to learn necessary skills missed in the regular classroom setting. "We try to make students' time at the center worthwhile, with attention to their disciplinary as well as academic problems," Strong says. Many students perform better while at the center because they don't have the peer pres-

Counseling is an important facet of Dougherty County's inschoolsuspensionprogram. Counseling may reveal underlying causes for disruptive behavior, such as family problems.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 13

sure of their home school, where they're viewed as troublemakers.
"We can't do a lot academically with a student in two or three days, but we try. One of the main reasons many of the students have discipline problems is because they're behind academically and they're frustrated about it," Strong says.
Although some critics say Strong's program babies troublemakers and

isn't rough enough, the coordinator disagrees. "You only add to the problem if you're not sensitive to what a student is feeling," he says. "We try to deal with their hostility and anger; sometimes we're successful and sometimes we're not. When we are , you can just see the hostility melt away."
The center is staffed by four teachers, as well as the system's six psychologists and psychometrists who serve on a rotating basis. They help

Strong reach students by identifying underlying problems, such as learning disabilities, family problems, peer pressures or drugs, pregnancy or other social problems. With student visits limited to 10 days, identifying these problems can be difficult, but it's rewarding when it's a success. Students are counseled each day in groups of eight, and individual counseling is available when needed. Middle school students, the youngest and most frequently suspended, receive more personal attention. Since middle school students were added to the program in 1986 most referrals have resulted from insubordination. Strong credits adolescent problems and growing pains with the high incidence of middle school referrals.

A former coach at Morehouse College who believes strongly that extracurricular activities can give students the encouragement they need to complete school, Strong recalls one 11th grader whose suspension was extended three times because of hostile and aggressive behavior.The student was recommended for individual counseling, which revealed family problems. It was hard for the young man to care about his studies and behave as expected while his parents were coming to blows over their divorce. After successful counseling, the teen settled down and three months later was representing his school in an athletic competition. He finished high school and when Strong last heard,he was enrolled in college.

In-school suspension classes teach including such living skills as uu,,un~cl cations or writing business letters.
maintaining coursework for all students.
Discipline at the center, when viewed through an adult eye, may appear small-time, but through the eyes of a teenager it is the little things that get the biggest response, according to Strong.
During a recent exit conference, through which all students are counseled and given the chance to evaluate the program, one high school senior suggested that students be given more freedom.

John Strong, program coordinator, keeps his door open to students. He believes in being sensitive to their problems and needs, and tries to understand their anger and hostility.

'We're the ones who care' "Sometimes it seems we are the
only ones who care. Teachers are the only positive role models many of these boys and girls have," Strong says, explaining that the strict disciplinary rules at the center are often the only discipline or guidance the students receive. The regular classroom teacher does what he or she can, but it is hard to teach discipline while

"I don't see why we can't have a straw to drink with at lunch - everybody else has them ... I also don't see the big deal about not talking to the person next to you in class or on the bus. I can understand not yelling across the room, but why can't we talk to our friends? It's hard being in here all day and not being able to talk," he said.
A first-timer, serving five days for

14 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

Battling negatives A 30-percent repeat rate and doing
battle with the negativity in a student's personal life may seem overwhelming, but Strong says he doesn't get defeated as long as he can work at changing the situation.

One in-school suspension activity

that has the greatest impact on stu-

dents is lunchtime, when they must

all board a school bus, sometimes sit-

ting three to a seat if enrollment for

the day is high. Students are required

to go to the back of the bus and

warned not to associate with anyone

at the middle school where they have

lunch. The message is that school

officials don't want their students ex-

posed to those who break the rules.

Lunch must be eaten without delay to

applications for academics, ensure that students are back on the !ng a checkbook, filling out job appli- bus and out of sight by the time mid-
dle schoolers enter the lunchroom.

Although the activity isn't so differ-

ent from the schoolhouse routine of

spraying a foul-smelling odorant in clearing one class from a cafeteria

the cafeteria, chimed in, "It ain't fun, before another enters, the subtle mes-

but I don't care. I know what they are sage is there. The hope is that stu-

trying to do." Strong smiled and said, dents' basic pride will encourage them

"You have to understand, these stu- not to break the rules or behave in a

dents have all the answers."

way that would cause them to be

"Why can't we even pick up a pencil treated differently.

we drop on the floor without asking Losing the freedom of driving to

permission?" the senior asked.

school (all students must ride the bus

"You broke the rules and when you break the rules you have to pay the price. Was what you did worth it now that you see the price you pay?"

to and from the center) also hits home with teenagers whose egos are connected to their vehicles and the independence cars afford them.

Strong asked the students. Several Door always open

students rolled their eyes at the ques- Strong, whose door is always open

tion, but no one responded.

to hear students' concerns, is sur-

prised by parents' response to the

A girl introduced by Strong as "one program. Those who won't complain

of the regulars" sat quietly in the to the principals who initially sus-

counseling session trying to ignore pend students have no problems voic-

her peers' comments. Pretending to be ing their opinions (often hostile) to

unaffected by the incident, the stu- Strong. "They think we should be able

dent wrote on her exit form that she to make their children behave when

kept coming back to the center be- no one else can. I just have to refer

cause no one had convinced her not to them to their child's principal,"

return.

Strong says, noting that the center

has the support of the community. The program, originally funded by the Emergency School Aid Act, has been funded locally since 1977.
From time to time community members visit the center to discuss travels abroad, the legal system or social programs such as those offered by the health department.
Strong hopes to establish an alternative school program by September 1987 to address more fully the needs of those who don't work well in the traditional school set-up. The alternative school is expected to reduce the number of dropouts and the number of referrals to the in-school suspension center.
Until an alternative is offered, Strong and his staff will continue to reach troubled students by keeping them in school and off the streets.
The program keeps students from disrupting regular classes, but keeps them learning. For many, falling behind in academics leads to discipline problems.

In-school suspension is not a vacation. The rules are strict. Students can't talk, eat lunch with other students or drive to school. Basic pride keeps many from returning.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 15

Industry's view
Learn to Read, Get a Diploma Before You Work

by Merri Sheffield

In 1985 Bill Yarbrough, then chairman ofthe Chatsworth-Murray County Chamher of Commerce, realized he faced a problem. An alarming number of applicants at D&W Carpet and Rug Inc., where he serves as vice president, couldn't complete the simple form required to get a low-skilled mill job.

Many couldn't read, and few had finished high school. With those limitations, how could they hope to succeed? How could he, as a businessman, prepare his company for competition in the technologically progressive carpet industry when his workers couldn't read the simplest instruction manuals?

Murray County's economic future and quality of life appeared threatened by apathy toward education. Yarbrough realized something had to be done if the "carpet capital of the world" (more than half ofthe world's carpet is manufactured within a 25mile radius of Chatsworth's neighboring city, Dalton) intended to keep pace with the foreign competition threatening the industry.
Yarbrough says he had to know: Was this a problem in just his plant, or were young people throughout Murray County dropping out of school and into the area's more than 120 businesses ill-prepared to fill future industrial needs?
To find the answers, Yarbrough spearheaded a chamber of commerce task force to determine whether a dropout problem existed and, if so,

Because higher education levels and higher County's carpet mills offer incentives to emquality of work go hand in hand, Murray ployees who complete their education.

what could be done to correct it. How did the rural North Georgia County, 90 miles north of Atlanta, compare with the national average of 27 percent dropouts or the Georgia average of 31 percent?
After tracking each member of Murray County Junior High School's 1981 class from ninth grade to graduation in 12th, the task force was astonished. A whopping 40 percent of Murray County high schoolers failed to graduate, giving the area one of the nation's highest dropout rates.
Fighting attitude Yarbrough and his team members

realized they were fighting not only the dropout problem, but the antiquated attitude that says, "I don't need an education. My daddy didn't have an education, and look what he's doing. He's working in your mill." Although this notion might have been fine for taking Murray County from the days of no industry to the days of the standard mill, it is self-destructive in a time that demands skilled labor.
The computer age is reaching the carpet industry, and the workforce must be prepared to meet its challenges. Mill operations that required four workers just a few years ago

today require only two. Contemporary mills have converted three- and four-person jobs into one-worker setups producing the same amount of carpet.
"Mama's and daddy's jobs that are out here now are not going to be here in the future. That means that these kids who keep saying they are going . to do what mama and daddy did are going to be out of luck," Yarbrough says. "Mama's and daddy's jobs will be automated, and their children are going to have to learn some other avenue. They have to have education to prepare them with the tools for different applications."

16 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

Pannell says it's essential to identify dance, ability to read, aptitude test

'Mama's and daddy's jobs that are out here now are not going to be here in the future. That means that these kids who keep saying they are going to do what mama and daddy did are going to be out of luck. Mama's and daddy 's jobs will be automated.'

potential dropouts before the dropout pattern is set. That means identifying the problem as early as the second or third grade and providing early rehabilitation.

performance, adjustment to school and peers, study habits, interest in school work, self-concept, extracurricular activities, sexual conduct and the amount of concern shown by a

child's parents. Any child exhibiting

Dropping out mentally

abnormal behavior in three or more

Studies reveal that many students areas is considered a potential drop-

No diploma, no job Led by Yarbrough's infectious en-
thusiasm and determination to save Murray County's youth, the Stay in School Task Force decided to attack the problem at its most obvious cause - the availability of low-skilled jobs.

participate. Otherwise dropouts could "go down the row from carpet mill to carpet mill until they found one that would hire them." By the end of the signup drive, 90 percent of all area businesses had signed certificates of commitment. The remaining percen-

actually drop out mentally as early as the third grade, although they bide their time in school physically until age 16, when they can quit school legally.
To identify those at risk, Murray County teachers now evaluate stu-

out. A recent survey identified 793 potential dropouts among the 1,884 students in grades four through eight, which translates to a dropout potential of 42 percent. The identification process will continue, with each thirdgrade class being evaluated.

Armed with statistics, the task force tage was "that group that never will dents beginning in the third grade. Once at-risk students have been

devised a two-phase plan. Top prior- participate in a program, no matter Responding to a 14-question survey, identified, what is the school doing to

ity was convincing business and in- how good it is," according to teachers note students' physical size, change the pattern? In addition to

dustry to encourage dropouts to return Yarbrough.

hygiene and dress, grades, atten- individual advisement of potential

to school and complete their educa-

tions before being hired. In effect, Suddenly the task force's theme, "A

industries would refuse to hire anyone diploma - don't leave home without

who had not been graduated from it," was everywhere. Posters, news-

high school.

paper ads, radio public service an-

Employers would also provide parttime work for hardship cases and cooperate with school officials to ensure that good grades and attendance were maintained. Businesses pledged

nouncements, word-of-mouth and a locally produced video spread the news that dropping out of school was no longer acceptable behavior in Murray County.

to promote education and to recognize Proud of its first step and a four-

workers and their family members percent reduction in the dropout rate

who pursued education.

during the first year, the task force set

To some, the no diploma-no job suggestion appeared too severe, but dropout prevention advocates said that unless they could touch high schoolers where it counts - in the pocketbook - they couldn't succeed.

out to implement phase two by taking the program into the classrooms. With the assistance of a $36,500 Appalachian Regional Commission Grant, which helped fund one of the state's first full-time dropout coordinators, the task force hired Kate Pannell and

Two-member teams from the task joined forces with the school system.

force approached area businesses, pre- The school system agreed to fund

sented statistics and asked for com- Pannell's position after grant funds

mitment. Task force members were depleted in December 1986.

stressed the financial burden placed on taxpayers who fund social programs that predominately serve dropouts.
Because of the one-industry nature

"We realized that solving the problem was more involved than just not hiring dropouts," Pannell recalls. "That was a Band-aidrM solution to the immediate problem, but the real

The computer age is catching up to the carpet industry, and

of the area's economy, Yarbrough problem went much deeper." For the employees must be able to adapt by learning new skills and

says it was essential for everyone to school-community project to succeed, new jobs as the old ones become automated.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 17

dropouts in the middle and high schools, the school-based action plan implemented in the 1986-87 school year offers special programs on the elementary, middle and high school levels, as well as systemwide.
Elementary students benefit from the "PAL" Project, which teams them with positive adult role models from the education world. The "PAL," a member of the school staff, keeps an eye on the student's grades and homework, speaks to the "pal" in the halls, encourages learning, gives rewards for success and self-esteem, finds help for problems and generally serves as a friend - something many potential dropouts don't have. Pannell says that the school "pal" offers many students the only adult support in their lives.
Back to basics Elementary school students also
participate in a back-to-basics proram. Stay in School offers middle school students a support group called Teams for Teens and a Vocational Interest Program (VIP). High schoolers receive more orientation and counseling services. The Rap Patrol introduces students to former dropouts who have returned to school to help potential dropouts.
Systemwide, students can call the Homework Hotline, which offers help from certified teachers during the evening hours. Save Our Students (SOS) gives parents of potential dropouts the guidance they need to help their children. Partnerships with business and industry, an academic skills checklist and a parents' guide also are provided by the system.
Aside from the obvious need for literacy to train and retrain workers, student behavior and performance in school are important to employers because, according to Pannell, those traits tend to carry over into the workplace. For example, an unenthusias-

tic student who is chronically late will more than likely be an unenthusiastic worker who is chronically late.
Employers, according to a Murray County survey, feel high school graduates are better communicators, easier to train, more dependable, disciplined, punctual, satisfied and proud of their performance than are their dropout counterparts. Fewer turnovers, abuses of health benefits and onthe-job accidents are associated with graduates. Those who've completed high school are viewed as more likely to advance beyond entry level positions.
Have better attitudes "An educated worker's attitude to-
ward working is going to be better. He is going to enjoy that job more. He is going to see opportunities that did not exist before he became educated. Now he sees ways to progress. He was at a dead end in some situations because ofthe lack of education. With an education, he is able to cope with responsibility," Yarbrough says. "Learning is something to get excited about. My wish is that I could learn everything in the world. I know my time is limited, but I read and learn every day. It is what gives me the edge."
Yarbrough, who has tutored employees in reading at 5:30 a .m. before reporting to work at 6:30, says that from an employer's standpoint it is essential that workers master reading.
"People have to learn how to read.If they can't read, they are out. If you have an employee who can't read he sometimes can't get the instruction of what you are trying to tell him. For instance, maintenance on vehicles what you should and should not do. The instructions are printed explicitly, but if you have someone who can't read, it doesn't do any good. It could be written in bold letters and he wouldn't know what it says," Yar-

Bill Yarbrough and the Stay in School task force led a "no diploma, nojob,, campaign to attack the dropoutproblem at the root: the availability of low-skilled jobs.

brough explains, adding that the safety benefits of a literate workforce are great because being able to read emergency and precautionary instructions can save lives.

"In this country the problem is our attitude," Yarbrough says. "We have to correct our attitude and get back to where we have a lot of pride in being American and producing the best."

Management cares Until he has achieved his goal of a
zero dropout rate in Murray County, Yarbrough vows to keep fighting. Posters promoting education - from elementary reading tutorials to college courses - blanket the walls of D&W offices, sending the message that "management cares about education." The company offers $1,000 per year to every worker and worker's child who continue their education. Yarbrough says he and other business people in Murray County are determined to get people excited about education. The Stay in School Task Force hopes to introduce aGED in the Workplace program to support workers' renewed interest in learning.

As education levels increase, industry can do a better job using more sophisticated equipment. Education and quality work go hand in hand. Salaries, which presently range from an average of $5 to $7.50 per hour, will increase, and working conditions will improve.
"I would like to see a drive among kids really striving for excellence.Ifa kid has that desire, he is going to excel. We are going to get these kids excited about learning. I don't have it blueprinted out, but we are working on it," Yarbrough says, with a confident smile.

18 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

Adult Ed: Providing New Skills, Opportunities for Success

by Anne S. Raymond
"I want to be the top."
Barbara Ann Failings dropped out of high school in lOth grade. Ten years later, she studies three hours a day in a dult education classes at Griffin , works as a bakery sales clerk at Kroger, rears three school-age children with her husband and has her sights set on being a registered nurse.
Her probability of success is great. She has the drive, intelligence and energy to reach her goal, and she gets the family support she needs. Most important, she has the opportunity to succeed because of the adult secondary education program operated by Spalding County School System.

each student, and the student is placed in adult basic education or adult secondary education. Students receive small group instruction or oneon-one- whichever is needed. "Grade level completed doesn't really tell us anything," says Dunn. "We just work with the student wherever he or she is and encourage them to meet their goal."
Dunn likens adult education teachers to butterflies - floating around the classroom helping students. The teachers must be sensitive to the student's needs and careful to progress as quickly or slowly as each one needs.

Each student has a long-range goal, such as the GED. But the teachers also set short-range goals for each day's study, such as conquering long division.
"Adult education teachers are special people. They relate to others well. They can make people feel 'I'm glad you're here,' or 'I'm glad you came back to class.' There is no better accountability than retention having people come back when they don't have to come,'' Dunn said.
Failings has moved quickly through the secondary program this

time. She reentered last September after having dropped out four years ago when her children were still young.
"When I started I couldn't even divide," Failings admits. "I was at a very low level."
Seeks nursing degree Now she is doing so well she expects
to be graduated in June, enter Griffin Tech to get her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) degree and then go on to Gordon Junior College to work toward the Registered Nurse (RN) degree.

"Some students are not ready for high school when they have the opportunity to attend," according to Larry Dunn, adult education coordinator."I don't consider that we are serving students the high school has failed. Adult education offers the Barbaras the chance to come back when they are ready. The system didn't fail Barbara, but if we were not here for her now that she is ready, we would be failing her."

The Spalding County Adult Education Program serves not only adults who are studying for the GED (General Education Development Test), but also those who need basic education skills, such as reading, writing and mathematics. Adults are tested when they come to the adult learning center housed in the Old Griffin High School. " But we try not to use the word 'test'," says Dunn. "We believe that these adults have failed enough, and we want to encourage them. We try to put students at ease. We tell them 'Do the best you can on this checkup. What you don't know tells us as much a s what you do know."'

Based on the test results, an indi- The Adult Learning Center attracts Japanese Japanese at the Hoshizaki plant communicate

vidual education plan is written for firms to Spalding County. The center helps with their American coworkers.

.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 19

Annie Willingham serves as an education peer tutor at a halfway house. After receivingher GED in June, sheplans to go to college to become a teacher.

"It's something I've always wanted. I'm a hard worker. I was making good money as a head cook. But I want something up here," says Failings, motioning toward her temple. "I want to be a career woman, to be intelligent. And I'm going for it."
Failings' children are tickled that their mother is doing some of the same things in GED class that they are doing in school. "Today we talked about the 'main idea' in a paragraph," Failings said. "They encourage me. We all get a kick out of it when I come home and tell my first and third gra ders that 'Mama made an A today."'
Barbara Ann Failings is just one of the success stories at Griffin's Adult Learning Center. Annie Willingham is another. She, too, has a goal:first to getherGED, then to become a teacher.
Willingham dropped out of high school in 1978, had two children who

are now in school, and has taken the opportunity to finish her high school education. "I went to Winn Dixie to apply for a job and found out they would not hire anyone who does not have a high school diploma. That upset me. I want more out of life than being a sales clerk. Ever since my children were born, I've said I want a college diploma. If I have to go to college when they go, I'll do that."
Willingham wants to be a teacher because she likes contact with people. But she has no patience with adults who don't want to learn. A peer tutor for the Adult Education Program, she helps teach at a Diversion Center in Griffin, a halfway house for people who have committed nonviolent cnmes.
Helping others learn " It makes me feel good to help oth-
ers learn, if they want to learn." Wil-

Anne Wallace helps Kitaru Tanoue learn English so that he can communicate with his coworkers and cope in the community with such daily routines as grocery shopping.

Adult education teachers are special people. They can make people feel Tm glad you're here', or Tm glad you came back to class. ' There is no better accountability than retention -having people come back when they don't have to come.

lingham is confident she will be a good teacher for younger children. "Adult education has given me a goal to reach. I feel more self-worth than I did before I started the program," she says.
Willingham started at the Learning Center in November. She expects to receive her GED in June also, but it has not been easy to make a living, manage two children and attend school. She does domestic work two days a week and during the summer works 13 hours a day, six days a week at a fruit stand - for $114 per week. Her mother and brother both have high school diplomas, but two younger sisters have dropped out.
As a student in the federally funded Job Training Partnership Program at the Adult Learning Center, Willingham gets job skills training and help in finding a job. Dunn is confident h e will be able to place her quickly once she has her high school diploma. "Employers are eager to hire people like Annie," he says.
The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is just one source of funds for adult education programs at the Griffin center. To receive JTPA funds, which are used for staff, the center must have an 80-percent job placement rate for its students with high school skills.
The Griffin-Spalding Adult Learning Center receives about $140,000 in state (25 percent) and federal (75 percent) funds annually. This year for the first time funds are allocated under QBE according to full-time equi-

valent count (FTE). Dunn stretches the funds to serve about 500 students in nine counties in the Spalding county area, most of them in one-toone situations.
Need individual help "Adults really need individual
help," Dunn says. "Each person comes to us with unique needs, and we try to meet them." He accomplishes this miracle of multiplying limited resources to meet the needs of many people by networking and using volunteers. He sees himself as a facilitator.
"Successful adult education people are creative. They look at their communities and see what needs to be done. They see the possibilities, and they say, 'We can do that.' So many things can be accomplished when you have someone who can think, plan and negotiate," Dunn says.
The adult education program that began April 7 at Spalding Correctional Institute is an example of Dunn's skills as a facilitator. Bargaining with both the churches in the community and the chamber of commerce, he was able to get the churches to fund the program for a year, after which the chamber will take over. Twenty-one inmates signed up and attended the first class.
Volunteers are a big factor in making adult education dollars go far. Len Moore, adult education center director, organizes 45 volunteers under Project PLUS (Project Literacy U.S.) . Because of the volunteers, adult education students can have the one-on-

20 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

Barbara Ann Fallings, who dropped out in 1Oth grade, is now an adult education success. She plans to pursue a Licensed Practical Nurse degree at Griffin Tech.

Adults need more individual help with education. Staff at the center must be creative in responding to their varying levels of skill and unique needs.

one instruction that is so essential to their success in the program.
Webster Chandler is a retired military officer who joined the volunteer staff before Christmas. He was aware of adult education because his own child was in the program as a teenager.
"The newspaper article I read estimated there are about 9,000 people in Spalding County with basic skills below the eighth-grade level. There are so many people needing help that the professionals can't do it alone," he says.
"They (the adult students) can all do it. They just need the one-on-one instruction, because people learn at different rates. I usually tell those I'm working with to stop me if I'm making things too hard. It takes time and interest to volunteer, but it's one ofthe most important things we can do, because it carries over to the children."

Darline Venziano works with two or three students every morning. "I like to take the same students so I can tell if they are making progress. I think I've helped Wendy a lot. We are working on math and reading. She's in fractions now, and she's improving her ability to talk correctly," Venziano says. "Wendy's improvement in basic skills (she's working toward her GED) will also help her children."
Stretching resources Dunn uses every resource available
to meet the needs of adult education students. Aides are hired under the Older Americans Act, which pays for community service positions with federal funds. The program serves mental health clients through the probation agency.
Community education in Spalding County also comes under Dunn's direction. In addition to the traditional

Volunteer Sam Hardcastle helps Cindy Moore conjugate the verb uto retire/, Volunteers provide one-on-one instruction and help the center stretch limited resources.

offerings, such as cake decorating and photography, the community education program trains volunteers for adult education classes, operates a remedial summer session for third graders who failed the promotion test, and offers computer camps and ad-

vanced math classes for student enrichment. Some civic clubs sponsor scholarships for the enrichment classes, but in general the philosophy that drives the community education program is "We will offer whatever the community will pay for."

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 21

Dunn's willingness to look at the community he serves and say "We can do that" has been a boon to the Fayetteville-Peachtree City area. Hundreds of Japanese are moving into the community as high tech companies establish themselves near Atlanta. Company managers and most workers they bring here are highly educated (most have had at least six years of English in elementary and high school in Japan) but they lack conversational skills and the ability to recognize and use idioms.
The companies contract with the Griffin-Spalding Adult Learning Cen-

ter to conduct classes for employees in English as a Second Language.Teachers work with students twice a week at the plant sites. The sessions are oneon-one, like most adult classes.
Some students are just beginning to learn English, like Kitaru Tanoue, who arrived in Peachtree City in December and has been working at the Hoshizaki plant. He is building the assembly line for the manufacture of refrigeration equipment and vending machines, and later, when the plant opens, he will work on the line. He needs English now, to help him communicate with American coworkers

Georgia Adult Education Profile
Target Population . . . . . . . . . 720,000 adults 25 years old or older who have less than eighth-grade education and 797,000 adults 16 or older who have fewer than four years of secondary education Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 in 177 school systems Percent of Target Population Served ....... . ... . .... . . ... . 2.3 Students . ......... . . . ... . . . . ...... . ... . . .... .. ... . . . 35,400 (FY 86) GED Completers . . . . . . . . . ... . .... . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .... ... 12,231 Full-time Staff .. ...... . ...... .. ........ . ..... .. . . .. . .. . . ...... . 77 Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.8 million federal and $1 million state Cost Per Student . . .. . .......... . ....... . . ... . . . .. . . .. . ..... . $106

Adult education builds understanding between Japanese and American citizens at the grassroots level by allowing Japanese to communicate and become part of the community.

and to help him cope in the community with such daily routines as grocery shopping, using the classified ads and the telephone directory. Tanoue recently returned from Japan with his new wife, who will also be in English classes operated by the Griffin center. The facility for these sessions is provided by the City of Fayetteville.
Classes attract firms "These special classes for our new
Japanese residents are a real attraction for companies that may want to move here," says Jim Basinger, Fayetteville city manager, who was influential in providing the ESL class facility and books for use by the ESL students. "We want the workers who move here to become a part of the community and to feel welcome." Basinger estimates that the area now has a population of about 1,000 Japanese.
Noburu Yamaki, presidentofTDK, a firm that makes audiotapes, has been in Fayetteville for more than six years. He employs about 20 Japanese at TDK; they must communicate not only with each other but with American workers in the plant.
"We appreciate what Mr. Moore is offering," said Yamaki. "Our staff is

Japanese, and in order to transfer to this country we must have communication tools. Spoken English is quite important. The staff has made good progress, and the effect is good on the families also. Japanese housewives also wish to communicate with their American friends.
"I believe today it is very very important for Japanese and American citizens to understand each other. Even though communication technology has been improved and travel time is shortened, it is needed for us to take more effort to create understanding between our two countries. We need to get understanding between Washington and Tokyo, but also at the grassroots level. This program has been giving us this."
Spalding County's undereducated population is diverse, from dropouts who need only a few courses to factory workers who don't know the alphabet to Japanese who need help with conversational English. The program that meets their needs is equally diverse. It is dynamic, responsive and creative, offering the caring interest and personalized instruction these adults need to have a brighter future, no matter what their past has been.

22 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

GEDon TV
Armchair Learning Helps Adults Prepare for Exam

GED
on TV

by Wagers Chenault
Brrinngg!
5:30a.m. Jim rolls out of bed, showers, gets dressed. Eats some cereal, fixes a cup ofcoffee and plops down in fro n t of the television. Couch potato time? No. Time to go to school. Time for GED on TV.

People approach the GED in different ways. To take the test in Georgia, all you need is identification and proof of residency. Also, the class you entered or would have entered high school with must be completed. That's to prevent a student from quitting school at 16 just to take the GED- no shortcuts are allowed. (There are exceptions. If a person is 17, has completed an adult education program and has the permission of the local school superintendent, that person could conceivably pass the GED before his or her former classmates graduate. This rarely happens.)

We'll return to GEDon TV after this important message.
You knew Jim.
He lived down the street, and throughout your childhood you were good friends. Jim was a great guy, and he was smart. He knew all about nature and camping - although it was kind of funny he never had any interest in joining the scouts. He knew all about sports; knew the rules to all the games and knew all the statistics on the back of the bubble gum cards. He was a good player, too. Wonder why he never tried out for Little League? And Jim read all kinds of stuff. Adventure novels, Popular Mechanics, just about anything, it seemed, as long as it didn't come out of the school library.
Boy, Jim hated anything that had to do with school. A lot of kids in class thought he was dumb, but you knew that wasn't right. The teachers seemed to realize there was something to Jim, but they could never find a

GED on TVserves busy adult students who,d rather learn on their own at home, but taped lessons also benefit those who visit adult education centers for help.

way to bring it out. They tried and the classroom is quickly learned on

failed and tried again until they were the streets. You 've got to get that piece

climbing up the walls, while Jim just of paper. It's too late to go back to

sat there in a sullen daze.

school, but you've got to get that piece

ofpaper. Toolatetogetadiploma, but

The general opinion was that Jim had no ambition, but that was wrong. As it turned out, all through his youth

not too late to get a General Education Development certificate.

Jim burned with one great ambition. The GED. That's kind of a second-

He knew what he was going to do and rate substitute for a high school

when he was going to do it. And he diploma, right? Not at all. Virtually

realized his dream at an early age. On every employer and college in the

his 16th birthday Jim walked out of United States accepts the GED as

school. He never went back.

equal to the diploma. But it's really a

Bad career move.

"gimmee," right? Hardly. TheGEDis earned by passing a comprehensive

Every year Jim and thousands of 5%-hour exam covering reading, sci-

others make that move and soon come ence, social studies, writing and math,

to regret it. Without a high school including high school algebra and

diploma, most of the doors- all ofthe geometry.

good doors - slam shut.

Well, how can anyone who dropped

out of high school hope to pass any-

It happens a lot. Seventy-two mil- thing like that? It is tough. Last year

lion American adults never finished more than 18,000 Georgians took the

high school. Fortunately for a lot of test. A third failed. How did the other

dropouts, a lesson never learned in two-thirds succeed?

So in most cases no formal preparation is required. Some industrious people do prepare themselves and pass the test. But most need assistance, and the best place to get that assistance is at an adult education center. There are 87 centers in Georgia. Students are screened to determine how much help they need, and they are placed in the appropriate program.
But that presents problems for some folks. Most of them have jobs, and because those are likely to be lowpaying, many have more than one job. They just don't have time to drive to a center several times a week for classes.
There's another problem. Remember Jim? A bright guy, but he and many others have bad memories and a deep dread that make it impossible ever to return to a classroom setting.
Andnow ... Back to our
program.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 23

GED
on TV

GED on TV is one element of Pro- they can from the series. But it's

ject Literacy U.S., a nationwide cam- highly recommended that you offi-

paign to encourage and prepare cially enroll in the course by contact-

dropouts to take the GED test and ing Griffin-Spalding or a local adult

receive their high school equivalency ed center. Why? First of all, the mate-

certificates. The series, developed and rial may be too advanced for some

produced by Kentucky Educational people. The course of instruction

Television (KET) under a federal assumes viewers have fifth-grade

grant, consists of 41 half-hour pro- reading skills and a mastery of basic

grams covering the five subject areas math - adding, subtraction, multi-

tested on the GED. There is also an plication and division. A question-

orientation program and one that of- naire will determine whether a parti-

fers general advice on how to take cular individual is ready. Those not

standardized tests.

ready will be offered preparatory

In Georgia the effort is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Public Television (GPTV) and participating adult education centers. The Griffin-Spalding

courses at adult ed centers. The screening process also determines whether a student needs instruction in all five areas. Some, for example, may need only to bone up on math.

School System coordinates the state program. They maintain an information center with a toll-free number (1-800-433-4288).

Also, there are printed materials designed to complement the broadcast lessons. There are three workbooks (math, reading and writing),

Of course, anyone is free to tune in and they cost $4.25 each. These can be

to the broadcasts and get whatever obtained from the resource centers. It

costs nothing to enroll as an official student of GED on TV.
When students enroll for the telecourse, their names and telephone numbers are sent to the nearest adult education center. Center coordinators are then able to keep in touch with each student, check on his or her progress and offer encouragement.At the same time, the students are given the name and number of the coordinator. If the students have any questions during the series, they can call the coordinator for help.
The nine stations of the GPTV network broadcast the series at 6:00 a .m . Monday through Friday. Each program is aired three times. Lesson one is broadcast on Monday and repeated on Wednesday and Friday. Lesson two is aired on Tuesday and repeated on Thursday and Saturday. The next week, lessons three and four are covered. WPBA in Atlanta and some cable systems in the state also offer the series.

tape the programs. Tapes can then be played back for the benefit of those willing and able to come down to the nearest adult education center. The programs are so well done that instructors at the centers also are using them to supplement regular classroom activities.
What happens when a student has completed the workbooks and viewed all 43 installments of GED on TV? It should be stressed that the series does not earn the student any certificate or diploma. There are no final exams or graduation ceremonies. GED on TV merely prepares a student to take the GED test. But it is a quality instructional package, well tailored to achieve its purpose and . .. it's on TV.

Instructional television is not new, but GED on TV is one of the best series available. A lot of effort was put into the development and the production. The scripts are informative and entertaining, incorporating a cast of characters in dramatized learning situations. All of this costs money, and the producers, KET, want to get some ofit back. The series was offered to every interested state to use for one year without charge. Ifa state wishes to use the package after that, it must pay an annual fee of$25,000. Georgia is interested in the deal and is now exploring possible sources of funding, including corporate contributions.

GED on TV, a part of Project Literacy U.S., helps adults prepare for the 5112-hour GED exam on reading, writing and math. Enrollment is free and allows students access to a coordinator.

GED on TV was designed to serve those students who find it more convenient to attend classes at home. However, educators have discovered
other applications. Subscribers to GED on TV also have permission to

6:30a.m.
Jim closes his workbook, takes one more swallow of his cooling coffee and turns offthe television, muttering to himself. "Geometry. Now there's something I wish I had taken seriously back when I was in school. Had a lot more time for it then. "
He puts on his jacket and leaves for work. " Oh well, I'll look it over tonight, and I can watch the repeat on Wednesday. Anyway, if I can't figure it out, I'll go down to the ed center and talk to Ms. Habersham."
Walking down the drive, turning toward the bus stop. "Or maybe," he thinks, "I'll just call."

24 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

Cobb Students Have Fun,

Get Extra Help After School

Emmee, daughter of Steve Smith, is a two-year veteran of the After School Program. Her father says she,s learned more there than she would have in a day-care center.

by Eleanor Gilmer
Although the Cobb County After School Program was not begun as a way to prevent school dropouts, it's doing just that in many cases. It helps students develop good feelings about school and themselves and often provides that extra help for students who have problems in specific instructional areas.
What is an After School Program? It's not a fancy name for a day-care center. And, even though it is an extension of the school day, it is not an extension of the regular school program, according to Nick Pedro, director of community education for Cobb County.
The After School Program begins at 2:30 p.m. and runs until 6 p.m. It includes a time for students to do homework, participate in enrichment activities and organized games, and just have fun. Students who need help in particular areas of instruction can receive tutoring from teachers or aides or even from a fellow student. Some of these students are potential dropouts and through the keen observance of program staff can be identified for special help in regular classes.
Cobb County began its After School Program in 1972 at Brumby Elementary School as a way to serve latchkey children in the system. Today, the program serves not only those children who would have to go home to an empty house or apartment after school, but also many other children whose parents are sold on the program because of the educational and enrichment opportunities offered. There are programs in 31 elementary schools in the system.
Pedro says the After School Program is a success because before a program is begun at a school, school faculty and staff, the school PTA, the citizens advisory council and parents must make a real commitment to it.

"The PTA and local citizens advisory council must pledge their support in writing, and support from parents is determined by a survey," he said. "It is necessary for the school faculty and staff to support the program because most of the staff for the After School Program come from that group."
"The program is self-supporting, and every one of our programs is operating in the black," said Pedro. "We have enrollments as large as 200 and as small as 35."
Parents are charged $14 a week or $4 per day for their children's participation. The money goes for staff (certified teachers receive $10 per hour, while noncertified staff get $8 per hour), custodial services, snacks for the children and equipment.
Each program has a coordinator who reports to the school principal. There must be at least one certified teacher on duty each day. One staff member is provided for every 15 students, and a teacher is allowed to work only two days a week.
"We believe the teacher's first obligation is to his or her regular class," said Pedro. Other school staff members may work more than two days.
The program at Riverside Elementary School has been in operation six years, according to school principal Mary Ann Albrecht. The program coordinator is Dianne Wallace, who teaches kindergarten during the day.
Riverside is in a transient neighborhood. The majority ofthe school's students live in apartments, and many are from low-income families.
Enrollment increasing "When our After School Program
started, we had 14 students. Now we have 65, and enrollment mcreases each year," said Albrecht.

IBM,s Writing to Read program helps kindergartner Jennifer Scott learn to read and write, as well as operate a computer. She says she,s written several stories and has her own disc.

Albrecht, whose enthusiasm and energy spill over to her staff, brags about their accomplishments.
Part ofthe money from the program has been used to buy new playground equipment, 10 computers and a VCR. Albrecht's resourcefulness has secured daily donations from a major neighborhood grocery store. As a result, the children feast on such goodies as pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches and hot rolls.
"The afternoon snack often is the last meal of the day for some of our participants," she said. "I feel it is important to serve something besides milk and cookies. The donation from the grocery helps us to do that."
The program at Riverside begins with roll call and homework from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. Kindergarteners either color or listen to stories read by an

aide. From 3:15 to 3:30 snacks are served to the students in primary grades, and those in intermediate grades take a restroom break. From 3:30 to 3:45 snacks are served to those in intermediate grades while the younger students have a restroom break. From 3:45 to 5:30 the students participate in planned activities. The last 30 minutes is spent cleaning up the playground and cafeteria areas.
Four staff members are on duty each day at Riverside. In addition to regular activities, the After School Program includes one major focus each day. For example, students might participate in special art or music activities, see a movie (complete with popcorn), participate in a talent show, go on a walk-a-thon, participate in a dance contest, learn how caterpillars turn into butterflies or write alphabet poems.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 25

Melissa Simmons, who appears upside down, is actually playing on playground equipment bought with proceeds from Cobb County's After School program.

"We are trying something new this levels. That's not likely during the

spring with a few of our students, and regular school program," she said.

we will probably expand the program next year," said Albrecht. "Jo Stovall, one of our instructional aides who works with the computer program during the day, is working with some students in IBM's Writing to Read

"The program is also helpful to students who have trouble making friends in regular school. Sometimes we recommend the program for those children," said Albrecht.

Program."

According to the school principal,

Kindergartener Jennifer Scott and first grader Amanda Gallimore are two of the students in the Writing to Read Program. From the program they are learning not only to operate a computer, but also to read and write.

the After School Program also helps students develop good feelings about school and to develop a good selfconcept. These good feelings often last throughout a child's school life and may keep him or her from dropping out of school, she said. "We

Program is fun

stress good citizenship and coopera-

"It's fun," said young Jennifer, who tion, and in our school newsletter we

was eager to demonstrate her new often recognize students who have

skills. "I have my own disc, and I excelled in these areas."

have written several stories."

Parents have nothing but praise for

In the Writing to Read Program the Riverside program.

young students learn the alphabet, the phonetic sounds of letters and

"It's wonderful, fantastic, great. I

how to relate sounds to writing. After can't say enough good things about

they learn the alphabet, the students it," said Donna Highnote, whose

can write their own stories.

daughter, Dawn, has been enrolled for two years. "My child comes only

Although bought with money from three days a week but would be happy

the After School Program, the compu- coming five. In fact, she complains

ters are used in the regular school sometimes if I pick her up early. I feel

program. The same is true with the good about the program because

new playground equipment. "We con- Dawn is participating in educational

sider this a swap-off, since we use the activities rather than just spending

equipment bought for the regular her time with a babysitter."

school program," said Albrecht.

Steve Smith, whose daughter,

Most of the students find the After Emmee, has also been enrolled for two

School Program fun. What does third- years, said, "I really like the program.

grader Brent Rogers like best?

It is convenient, the cost is reasona-

"I like the playground best," he said. He also likes the program because he gets to play with students in

ble, Emmee is well taken care of, and I believe she learns more here than she would in a day-care center."

other grades. He and fifth-grader Ian McCloud have become "best friends." Safety emphasized
Parents may pick up their children

anytime during the afternoon, but

Kids make friends

must personally sign the child out.

That's a real advantage to the pro- Safety is always emphasized. Child-

gram, according to Wallace. "The ren are never allowed to meet their

After School Program gives students parents in front ofthe school. In fact,

an opportunity to develop friendships the building is locked except for one

with students from different grade door in the cafeteria, and someone is

26 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

always in the cafeteria. Children use the buddy system to go to the restroom at times other than the regular restroom break.
According to Wallace, the After School Program has contributed to community pride in the school. There has been no vandalism at the school this year.
Pedro expects five more of the 44 elementary schools in Cobb to begin programs next year. "We tried the idea in middle schools, but it was not successful, so we are sticking to elementary grades," he said.
Cobb's program has been recognized nationally as an exemplary program for latchkey children. It has also served as a model for other school systems in Georgia. "We've had requests for information from about 25 school systems. In fact, the request for our handbook has been so great that we have had to start charging $5 for it," Pedro said.

"I believe the After School Program is one ofthe best public relations tools an elementary school can have," he said. "We have some parents that work in the program, and others become involved in regular school activities because their child is enrolled in the After School Program."
The programs operate five days a week during the school year, except on holidays. Peak enrollments are during the fall and winter months, and most of the children come from kindergarten through third grade.
"Our program is unique in that it is self-supporting. Some programs around the nation receive federal funds, but we operate strictly on the funds we receive for tuition," said Pedro. "When enrollment is down, we cut back on staff. I believe any school system could operate a program like ours if they have the commitment from school staff, community leaders and parents."

Brent Rogers and Patrice Byrd made new friends after school. One of the program's advantages is helping kids who have trouble making friends in regular school.

QBE Strengthened; Funding Formula Corrected

by Nancy Hall

in FY 1989. However, according to portion of such initial allotments to The state board must develop a

Larry Gess, director of the depart- the state and thereby reduce the 90- comprehensive test item bank

Revising the basic funding formula ment's QBE Support Unit, Represen- percent requirements by the that can be used to assess student

t o correct underfunding of special ed- tative Bill Mangum (D-Conyers), amounts returned. Some school sys- achievement across all grade lev-

ucation programs was just one of sev- chairman of the House Education tems may prefer to reduce the level els in all subject areas reflected in

eral major changes made to the Committee, has agreed to deal with a of effort during the current fiscal the mandated uniformly se-

Quality Basic Education Act during modification to the deadline next year year, rather than delay such reduc- quenced core curriculum. At a

the 1987legislative session.

if the department provides solid doc- tions until the next fiscal year.

minimum, this item bank will be

umentation that some school systems Direct instructional funding not used in the comprehensive evalua-

In Senate Bill179, the QBE Reviser will not be able to house students in used in the program for which it tion of schools and school systems

Bill, legislators reviewed the original remedial classes.

was earned- up to 10 percent- and the awarding of higher levels

QBE Act making changes designed to

may be shifted only to direct in- on the career ladder.

clarify and strengthen the provisions of the two-year-old law. Most of the changes were minor technical revisions - cleaning up grammatical errors and refining language. However, some were more significant, such as correcting the funding formula. The

Funds earned under midterm adjustment were another area that received the legislators' attention. The reviser bill requires that midterm adjustment funds earned for direct instructional costs be applied to instructional programs experiencing the

structional costs of other instructional programs included in the QBE formula. The direct instructional funds for kindergarten and primary grades (one through three) may be pooled as if the two QBE formula pro-

An overview of the major substantive amendments to the QBE Act can be obtained from the Quality Basic Education Support Unit, Georgia Department of Education, 1758 Twin Towers East, Atlanta, Georgia 30334.

changes go into effect July 1 of this increases in student counts on which grams were one under the 90 per-

year.

initial allocations were based. The cent expenditure requirements.



Bill Gambill, associate state superintendent for Quality Basic Education, said the changes were ones that have been needed for two years. "As department personnel, educators, the Governor's staff, legislative staff and others have come up with changes, we have been keeping a file of them. We knew what fine tuning was needed," he said. Gambill noted that even though some of the changes are substantive ones, they do not change the overall thrust and philosophy ofQBE: to provide a quality education to all of Georgia's more than one million schoolchildren.

funds may be applied to one, all or any combination of instructional programs experiencing the growth. Also, all other funds earned under the midterm adjustment must be spent on the 12 areas reflected in the QBE formula and cannot be used on any activity specifically excluded from the FTE (full-time equivalent) counts.
Other significant changes in the revised QBE law include the following.
A local school system that receives a midterm adjustment must designate the amount of funds it will apply for direct instructional costs

All staff development funds must be used for costs related to staff development. Ninety percent of these funds must be spent on costs of staff development for certified instructional personnel, paraprofessionals (aides) and other classified personnel, school board members, and for meeting certification requirements of personnel to continue in currently assigned positions. Up to 10 percent of the funds may be used for administration and operation costs related to staff development programming.
All QBE funds must be used for

In revising the QBE funding form- to each instructional program that educational programs and services

ula, legislators completely revamped had an increased FTE count, to the explicitly authorized in the QBE

the four special education categories media center program and to the Act. These funds cannot be used to

funded to reflect the recommenda- staff development program. The 90 fund driver's education, study halls

tions of a special education task force percent expenditure requirements and other such items.

appointed by the Governor when ser- will be increased respectively by No school system can have a sur-

ious funding problems resulted from these designated amounts.

plus or unobligated surplus which

the original formula. The remedial Some school systems may exper- exceeds 15 percent of the total fis-

education section of the law also has ience reduced FTE counts in in- cal year budget.

been rewritten to make it easier to structional programs, the media The state board will be required to

read. Along with new language con- center program and the staff de- develop and implement a valid and

cerning who should be served in the velopment program due to a de- reliable statewide uniform an-

programs, the section now requires crease from the FTE counts on nual evaluation instrument for

that all students eligible for remedial which initial allotments were each certification classification

education must be served beginning based. These systems may return a by July 1, 1989.

Georgia ALERT, May 1987 27

Success Stories

by Merri Sheffield

Sammy Gardner

Debbie Bowen

Picking crops to support his mother and 11 siblings was Sammy Gardner's childhood. Helping provide food and shelter for his family left no time for school. As a result, he never learned to read. Now at 35 the father of four is getting his chance. Concerned by the effects of his illiteracy on his children and frustrated by the limitations he's faced, the carpet mill worker joined an adult education program in Cartersville. Why? "If you drop out it's like cutting out part of your life. You really miss out."

Paul and Etta Clayton

At 15, Debbie Bowen couldn't wait to marry. So she quit school and started her family. Dropping out "didn't bother me at the time, but as I grew up and wanted to improve myself I realized I needed something more than a factory job." At 31 she enrolled in a GED program with dreams ofcollege. Although she completed only the ninth grade, Bowen tested as a thirdquarter junior. Within a year she scored the highest GED score in her class and was proclaimed honor graduate. Today Bowen is on her college's dean's list.

Seventy-two year old Paul Clayton can read a second-grade book, and he is proud ofit. Until recently the Adairsville man couldn't read at all. He had "plenty of horse sense but no book learnin'." Through the years, dedication to work earned him four chances to become foreman, but foremen have to read and complete paper work, and Clayton was too embarrassed to admit that he couldn't do either. His rejection of promotions left his employers confused and his spirit broken, until a trip to a shopping center changed his life. Etta, Clayton's wife of 49 years, noticed a display asking

those who couldn't read to register. The Claytons signed the form unaware of the ramifications. Soon a woman called and offered to tutor the couple. Now once a week the two meet Ann Popham at the public library. For now, Etta, who dropped out of school in the sixth grade, is helping her husband, but once he progresses to her level she will join the studies. With most of his life , behind him, Clayton holds one dream: He wants to read the Bible before he dies. "I'd give thousands of dollars ifI could learn to read. I can't name what I would have given for an education," he says.

May 1987 Vol. 16, No.2
ALERT Staff
Executive Editor .. . . . . . Anne Raymond
Managing Editor .... Kristin Summerlin
Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elaine Pierce
Photography Editor . . . . Merri Sheffield
Typesetting .... . . . . . . .... . Kim Curfman
Contributing Writers: Wagers Chenault, Julia Martin Gervais, Eleanor Gilmer, Judy Hall, Nancy Hall, Lou Peneguy, Gale E. Samuels and Merri Sheffield
The Georgia Department of Education does not discriminate in employment or educational activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or religion.
Published by Public Information and Publications Division Office of Administrative Services Georgia Department of Education 2052 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334
(404) 656-2476

Aleft~~ A Look at Education's RoleToday
State Board of Education Werner Rogers State Superintendent of Schools Georgia Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 30334

OUNlUIVNI OF GA0 LIB~ARIES ST Al E 0 CUMENTS

ATH ENS

G-A 3060 1

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID Atlanta, Georgia Permit Number 168

28 Georgia ALERT, May 1987

;~.....
' 111,::.,

'

'

'

About the Cover
Jacque Brumbelow, teacher of the deaf at Cobb County's Sprayberry High School, exemplifies the best qualities of a teacher: enthusiasm, compassion, a love for students and the desire to see them grow. Turn to page 16 for her story.

Teaching: A Joyful Profession

3

Kristin L. Summerlin

Attracting and Keeping the Best: Who Will Teach the Classes of the Future?

5

Gale E. Samuels

Keeping the Joy of Teaching Alive: New Ways to Introduce Old Subjects

8

Kristin L. Summerlin

Easing First-Year Jitters: Henry Co. Veterans 'Coach' New Teachers

11
Migrant Education: Teaching the Children Who Follow the Crops
14

Merri Sheffield

Page 7

Photo Story: What Do You Think When You Hear the Word Teacher?

16

Merri Sheffield

Opening the Doors: Helping Deaf Students Learn in a 'Normal' Environment

19

Merri Sheffield

Teacher Finds Special Solution: Child Who Cannot Talk Communicates by Computer

Page 11

21

Merri Sheffield

Homebound Teachers: Facing Emotional Demands, Meeting Academic Challenges

25

Wagers Chenault

Teacher's Aides: Academic (and Human) Additions to the Classroom

27

Wagers Chenault

Page 25

Educational Perspective: Keeping in Touch

2 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

A Message from Werner Rogers, State Superintendent of Schools
Too often in recent years, teachers have been the scapegoats for many of the problems in our public schools. News stories focus on the small per centage of teachers who don't pass certification tests, rather than the overwhelming number of qualified teachers who do pass. We hear more and more about teacher incompetence and apathy, but the vast majority of our teachers - the innovative and dedicated ones - seldom receive any public praise or attention outside their classrooms.
The truth is, we have many excellent teachers in Georgia, and they are our schools' most valuable assets. Think about your own teachers, the ones who inspired you and urged you to succeed, and you'll understand why.
Our teachers teach because they love children. They teach because the exposure to young minds - as they bend and stretch and find new limits -keeps their own minds young and limber. Our teachers teach for the sheer joy of it.
Unfortunately, that joy can be hard to maintain. More than anything else, teachers want time to work with children. But with the recent national focus on education reform, many teachers find themselves losing instructional time to increased student testing, classes that are too large and mounting detail work.
Many times efforts to improve public education backfire because we forget that our teachers are in the best position to provide insight on what should be done. As Theodore Sizer wrote in Horace's Compromise, "Improving . .. education absolutely depends on improving the conditions of work and the respect for teachers... . Excellent schooling requires excellent teachers and principals. Excellent people have self-confidence and self-esteem and expect reasonable autonomy. Therefore, if we want excellent schools, we must give more power to the teachers and principals."
Everything we do to improve education in Georgia must be directed at helping the classroom teacher. If there is not a direct line from the Georgia Department ofEducation through the schools to every classroom teacher in the state, our focus is askew. Everything we do, and everything done by local superintendents, boards ofeducation and principals, must be aimed at improving learning conditions for classroom teachers and their students.
In the following pages you will meet a few ofGeorgia's outstanding teachers. These teachers were chosen to represent their colleagues across the state because of their enthusiasm, creativity and dedication to meeting the needs of their students. I would like to thank them and all Georgia teachers. They hold the future of this state and the nation in their hands.

Attracting and Keeping the Best:
Who Will Teach t

of the Future?

By Kristin L. Summerlin
She stands in front of the chalkboard, eyes dancing as she surveys her classroom, a sea of eager children's faces and frantically waving hands. The focal point of the classroom, she watches her students compete to answer the question.
This scene is repeated in countless classrooms across Georgia, as it has been for as many years as there have been schoolhouses in our state. But the schools face a growing problem: It's getting more and more difficult to find the teachers to teach our children.
In the early Nineties, experts predict that we will have to replace between one-half to two-thirds of all current teachers. For this school year alone, 8,715 new teachers were hired in Georgia. Only 2,770 of them received education degrees last spring from schools in Georgia's university system. Most of the other teachers were recruited from out of state - or even from other countries.
Finding enough teachers is a fourfold problem.
1. The teachers recruited to teach the Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age. (In 1983-84, 44 percent of all teachers nationwide had at least 15 years of experience, according to the Carnegie Forum on Education .) Many other teachers leave the profession for jobs with better salaries or more prestige.
2. The children of the Baby Boomers are reaching school age. As a result, we're beginning to see the largest kindergarten, first- and second-grade classes in the state in years.
3. While the number of students skyrockets, education reform is creating an even greater demand for teachers:Georgia's Quality Basic

Education Act (QBE) sets smaller maximum class sizes to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio.
4. At the same time, the current group of college-aged people is smaller and fewer of them are selecting teaching as a career. Many ofthose who do select teaching are on the low end of the achievement scale.
Georgia faces critical shortages of minority teachers, mathematics and science teachers, foreign language teachers and special education teachers. What are we doing to find the well-qualified teachers to handle our burgeoning school population? Three areas affect teacher supply recruitment, certification and teacher preparation.
Teacher Recruitment According to Linda Jordan, teacher
recruitment consultant for the Georgia Department of Education, the

state is working on several projects to assess Georgia's teacher supply and demand and devise programs to improve teacher recruitment.
As a product ofa $28,500 grant from the Mellon Foundation, the state has set up six regional task forces to identify teacher supply problems and solutions on both state and local levels. The task forces are composed of local school system personnel directors, counselors, teachers and college and university professors from both academic and education programs.
The regional task forces will develop a statewide recruitment plan, both long-term (recruiting high school and college students to the profession) and short-term (offering nontraditional routes to teacher certification for liberal arts majors and people seeking a career switch). They also will look at changing teaching's negative image.
One immediate result of the Mellon task force is a videotape promoting teaching as a career. The videotape

will be shown to high school students and will be accompanied by a teacher's guide for use in career orientation classes. The videotape should be ready to air on the Georgia Public Television Network this month or next.
Recruiting minority students into teaching is a special problem in Georgia, according to Jordan.
"One of our biggest goals is just to get minority students to attend college," she said. "The overall number of minority college students is way down, not just future teachers, and we're competing with .other professions for a smaller and smaller group of students. They may be more interested in entering those other professions that were never open to minorities before, that pay better. If we can just get minority students to college, maybe we'll be better able to get our fair share as teachers."
By 1990, some estimate that 55 percent of Georgia's students will be black, while only six percent of the state's teachers will be from any ethnic minority. Nationwide, there will be a smaller pool of black candidates to bring into the profession. The Southern Education Foundation predicts that the proportion of minority teachers in the U.S. will drop from 12 percent to five percent by 1990, while the total black college population has shrunk by 15 percent since 1976.
To address the problem of minority recruitment, Georgia is one of five states represented on the Southern Regional Task Force on the Supply of Minority Teachers. Each of the five states, which include Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Arkansas, has set up its own task force to devise policy recommendations and ways to implement a minority recruitment plan. Peyton Williams Jr., asso-
ciate state superintendent for instructional services, chairs Georgia's task force.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 3

"Obviously, we have a lot of study going on right now. The key will be to coordinate all of the results of these efforts and come up with a good, comprehensive plan tailored to meet Georgia's needs," Jordan said.
Teacher Certification In addition to the dwindling num-
ber of minority teachers, Georgia's schools are having increasing difficulty finding teachers for high school mathematics and science, foreign language and special education. Because Georgia's universities are turning out fewer education graduates, we must find candidates from the liberal arts and other professions.
"It's not a question of replacing the traditional routes for becoming a teacher - going through the fouryear college degree program in education and then passing the Teacher Certification Test (TCT) in the teaching field," said Caro Feagin, associate director of the Georgia Department of Education's Certification Division.
"The traditional programs simply are no longer producing enough teachers to fill our needs, and we can't leave classrooms empty. We've got to find ways to make it easier for qualified people who want to switch careers or switch teaching areas to enter the field ."
One way is to provide alternative routes to certification for liberal arts graduates and others in the critical shortage fields. The alternative certification program allows qualified candidates to receive renewable teaching certificates without going through a state-approved college or university teacher education program.
"At no time have we lessened the academic course content requirements for teaching candidates," Feagin emphasized. "What this program

does is allow the people who hold bachelor's degrees but who haven't gotten the education coursework the nuts and bolts work of how to teach, different methods to reach different kids, education philosophy -to make it up through staff development leading to state certification."
Those who choose alternative certification must be sponsored by a school system; in other words, they must already have a job lined up. Qualified candidates are allowed to teach under provisional certificates while being trained by the school system. Upon successful completion of the required number of staff development credits and other coursework, the teachers would be required to pass the TCT to be awarded renewable teaching certificates.
Teacher Preparation Finding good beginning candidates
is not enough to solve the short supply of teachers in Georgia. We must also find ways to keep teachers in the classroom once we've hired them. We have to study the factors that cause teachers to switch careers and find ways to alleviate the problems.
One way to keep our teachers is to offer quality induction programs for new teachers (instead of the traditional sink-or-swim method).
The department has awarded a $108,000 grant to DeKalb County Schools to pilot a program that will match veteran teachers with interns. It is hoped that having experienced teachers serve as mentors for beginners will reduce the turnover rate.
The project will train 66 experienced secondary teachers (three from each of the system's 22 high schools), who will then be paired with new teachers in critical fields who may not have
had teacher preparation courses or practice teaching experience.

According to Candace Norton, state coordinator of teacher education and staff development, we lose half of our teachers after the first year. "We can't justfocus on recruiting good teachers; we've got to retain them," she said. "This is a career that's especially hard on beginners. It's the only profession where you're on the first day - ready or not, you take charge of that classroom. Most other professions blend you into the system gradually."
Norton said mentor programs are good both for the beginners, who need the guidance and support of the experienced coaches, and for the veterans, whose self-esteem and professional pride are built through a formalized chance to share their knowledge with others. This factor may help us keep more of the veterans in the classroom as well.
In another effort to help beginning teachers who've chosen alternative certification in critical shortage fields, the department is sponsoring a pilot program, the "Georgia Institute for the Preparation of Teachers," known as the "Summer Institute."
The eight-week institute will be held from June 20 to August 12 at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education in Athens. It will train 30 interns in such areas as human growth and development, curriculum, teaching methodology and identifying and educating children with special learning needs. After completing the Summer Institute, the interns will complete a one-year supervised internship under the guidance of a mentor teacher with the support of the local system. These mentors also will receive one week of training at the Summer Institute.
"We want this project to serve as a model program for what we know about the most effective ways of preparing teachers. We know that there is no substitute for supervised prac-

tice, and that's what these interns will be getting," Norton said.
"This will be as much a research project as a way to prepare teachers. We'll be doing follow-up work to see what happens to these people during and after their first years in the classroom. Will we keep them in teaching longer? Will they do their jobs better? We hope it will be a model program for regional institutes in the future."
Georgia is committed to making teaching as attractive and rewarding as we can, both to recruit new teachers and to help keep our veterans happy and before the class. We know that those who are attracted to the profession in the first place are a special breed who want to make a difference in people's lives. We are working harder to keep their enthusiasm alive.
We've increased teacher salaries at every level, and we've come a long way.Georgia's average teacher salary now ranks 34th in the nation, up from 45th. We're providing more opportunities - and funding - for professional growth. And we're getting teachers more involved in the policy and decision making processes of education.
One of the most common complaints heard from Georgia teachers is that QBE has created mountains of paperwork that takes valuable time away from the classroom. In response to the comments on paperwork demands, State Superintendent Werner Rogers has appointed a 13-member task force, including teachers, curriculum directors, principals and superintendents from around the state, to find ways to reduce the paperwork.
"I want, as I am sure all Georgians want, the best education possible for our state's children," Rogers said. "I want to do everything I can to support the classroom teacher and to be sure that she or he has the opportunity to provide that quality education."

4 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Keeping the Joy of Teaching Alive: New Ways to Introduce Old Subjects

By Gale E. Samuels
Author Robert Ludlum doesn't know it, but he has changed the lives of students at Columbia County's Grovetown Elementary School. The historical settings in his books so intrigued mathematics and science teacher Ellen Lewis that she changed her field and after 18 years in the classroom became a fifth- and sixthgrade social studies teacher in 1984.
Like so many other veteran Georgia teachers, Lewis is constantly on the lookout for ways to avoid burnout and keep up her natural enthusiasm for serving the children in her classes. Switching her area of expertise and finding new ways to introduce old subjects reflect Lewis' eagerness to keep learning herselfand broaden her students' horizons.
"Teaching is a way of life, not merely a job or career," she said. "I first realized my love for teaching when I thought I taught my brother to read when I was nine and he was three. My mother instilled the value of education in me, and it has stayed with me."
Lewis' enthusiasm for learning turns simple geography lessons into innovative multimedia projects. To teach local geography and history, she allows each of her classes to produce a travelogue of a city in their locale, the Central Savannah River Area. Lewis' sense of wonder about new places and new ideas keeps her busy, but being busy satisfies her.
Has high expectations Lewis has high expectations for
herself and believes in the joy of discovery. She shares her philosophy with her students by telling them, "It's not necessary to know all the answers. It is necessary to know where to find them." Lewis tries to teach her students the skills they need to live her philosophy.

"I make special trips to take pictures of places I haven't been, and I like to hunt down old books, maybe novels, written about these places to find interesting facts about them. But sometimes I just have to write away for travel brochures," she said. Lewis' curiosity is contagious, because she genuinely has fun sharing herselfand her knowledge with her students.
Lewis' classes learn firsthand that not all knowledge is contained in books when they write letters to students in other elementary schools for information about their towns to include in the class travelogue. Editing each others' letters also shows them that they can learn from fellow classmates. Lewis lets her students choose who will write the script, choose which slides to use and read the script into the tape recorder. When the projects are complete and put in the school library, each student has gained new knowledge about geography, history, research and fellow students. They may also have discovered a new talent or felt a sense of accomplishment about a job well-done.
Seeks new methods Lewis is not afraid ofchange, so she
is open to new teaching techniques. "I believe that the more senses you can stimulate in your students, the more they will retain. Their attention span is about 10 minutes when I just lecture, so I'm always looking for different teaching methods," she said.
Her students appreciate this, because they have so much fun doing class projects. A good example is the unit on Greek history, for which Lewis's sixth-grade classes made large clay facsimiles of ancient Greek coins. They carved Greek alphabet letters and adaptations of pictures of urns and the Parthenon from their textbook onto the coins. Working with a teacher from nearby Evans High School, Lewis obtained brick cement and the teacher's skills for firing the

ul believe that the more senses you can stimulate in your students, the more they will retain,,, Lewis said. Her own curiosity and love of learning keeps her students, attention.
Georgia ALERT, March 1988 5

Students learn by helping each other. Exchanging letters with classmates for editing not only hones language skills: It also teaches the value of sharing.

coins. In another unit on Egyptian history, students dressed in Egyptian costume and ate Middle Eastern food. Lewis' fascination with history and her desire to make it come alive in a real way for her students is evident in the energy she puts into her lessons.

Sharing ideas, suggestions Loving her students and loving to
teach come naturally to Lewis, and so does being a professional. One way she has stayed so involved in her classes and avoided burnout after 21 years is by sharing ideas and suggestions with her colleagues, whether formally or around the lunch table.

"The faculty at a school makes a big difference," Lewis said. "When you are a family, the school functions well, there is a continuity and the students feel support. A principal's discretion in choosing teachers that fit in
with that particular school's climate seems to be most important."

Lewis had the opportunity to share herself with fellow teachers when she served as a support teacher in a yearlong staff development program piloted by the state in Columbia County. She observed 20 peer teachers, filmed and rated classroom performances, checked lesson plans and served as a resource in whatever capacity the teachers or her principal needed. She says she learned while helping others.
Although it may sound strange coming from one so bent on continually learning, Lewis said having work toward her master's degree in education interrupted because of a registrar's error was the best thing to happen in her professional life. During this break from school, Lewis began substitute teaching and was asked to teach a regular class for the semester with the understanding that she would return to school at the end of the term. But when the semester ended, Lewis couldn't leave her stu-

Lewis cares about her students. Her involve- teaches, and her enthusiasm is contagious. ment with them affects what and how she Lewis' classes learn that learning is fun.

dents. Twenty years later, she did go back and is now completing her master's at the University of South Carolina.
Has different perspective Lewis thinks this is the best time for
her to be back in school. She is stimulated by "talking to grown-ups at night" and says she is rejuvenated and excited by her classes. "After so many years in the classroom, I have a different persective to bring to my studies, and I'm more interested in areas such as effective administration than I would have been earlier,"

she said. Sharing with other teachers is something Lewis does naturally, and it helps her stay fresh and involved.
The same personality characteristics that make it easy for Lewis to interact with her peers make her an effective teacher. She cares about her students, and her involvement with them affects what and how she teaches.
Lewis knows her students' backgrounds firsthand. "I wanted to live in the same district in which I teach.I think that's important," she said.

Grovetown has a population of 4,200. Twelve of 26 of Lewis' homeroom students are on free or reduced lunch. Several Grovetown Elementary students are from transient families that
must move every time the rent comes due, and about 12 percent of Grovetown's students are from military families, Lewis said. Broken homes are not uncommon.
"Our children have lost their innocence. The fifth- and sixth-graders of today have seen more than I did when I finished high school. The student I started out teaching doesn't exist any-

6 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Believing that not all knowledge is contained in books, Lewis has her classes write to students in other towns to gather information for a travelogue on their region.

To Ellen L ewis, teaching is a way of life, not merely a job or career. She makes learning exciting for her students by finding new ways to keep her own enthusiasm for knowledge alive. Along the way, simple geog raphy lessons become innovative multimedia projects.

more," she said. Because ofthis, Lewis made. Players draw Option and Obli-

feels today's teachers must go beyond ga tion cards and receive bonuses.

the subject matter at hand. "Children need more help than ever in choosing worthwhile values," she said.

Lewis' broad goal is to give her students the knowledge and tools to find out anything they need to know -

and to get them interested enough to

want to know everything. As a social

Demands good manners

studies teacher, she wants to broaden

To help her students, Lewis teaches their horizons so they feel as comfor-

and demands good manners, politeness and respect for others in her classroom. She keeps them interested in good behavior and completed assignments by making them mem-

table conversing about Hephzibah, Georgia, (about 20 miles down the road) as they do about the Persian Gulf on the other side of the world.

bers of a different theme club each To make this a reality for students

month and awarding points in differ- who probably won't be traveling any-

ent categories to accumulate toward where in the near future, Lewis gives

prizes donated by local businesses. her students concrete experiences that

Lewis was raised with a great respect for education by parents who never had the opportunity to earn a college or high school diploma and

personalize locations and cultures that at first may seem like nevernever land to a 10 year old from Grovetown.

grandparents who fled their native "I was watching television last year

country seeking freedom and a better and I saw the wife of a naval officer

life. She strongly believes in educa- talking about how the American peo-

tion as the "great equalizer" and that ple had forgotten the men who were

"the rights of all people must be rec- on alert in the Persian Gulf. Her hus-

ognized." To reach this goal for so- band was on the U.S.S. Nimitz. After

ciety as a whole, Lewis feels we must seeing her appeal I thought it would

first meet the needs ofeach student- be a good idea to have my students

needs as "diverse as fingerprints and write letters to the servicemen. It

as basic as hunger."

turned into an immensely successful

Lewis also developed a career education board game, "Balance Your Budget." The game teaches values and responsibility by letting students

project all around, and this year we are writing to five different types of ships stationed all over the world," Lewis said.

choose optional life situations and Project mushrooms

deal with the consequences of their At first Lewis saw the project as a

choices. According to Lewis, students way to expand on the Writing Across

choose careers, and salaries are paid the Curriculum program, but it mush-

according to the job, bills are due roomed into an ongoing geography,

(including income taxes) and educa- crosscultural, writing and current

tion choices and family decisions are events lesson. "I knew it was effective

when my students would walk in the door every day asking whether there was mail from the Nimitz," she said. The project also meshed with the class study of the Mediterranean area.
The students received letters, posters, photos, souvenirs, patches and postcards from the ship's ports ofcall, which students tracked on a map in Lewis' classroom. This year, with more ships involved, Lewis expects every letter to be answered, giving each student a personal connection to a different part of the world.
At the beginning of this year, all Grovetown students got a taste of many parts of the world at an ethnic fair held to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.
Lewis got the idea after being named coordinator of the school's bicentennial celebration. She and her committee went all-out and planned an ethnic fair to celebrate the rights we enjoy in a pluralistic, multicultural society. The planning committee wrote to travel agencies and embassies last April. By September, teachers
and parents had set up booths with cultural artifacts, posters and food, and students and teachers dressed in native costume representing 27 countries.
Working with the committee, Lewis helped prepare a portfolio ofConstitution education materials for all teachers that included an activity for each day in September. "We got parents involved initially through an activity that charted the ethnic origin of each student. They had to go home and talk to their parents about it," Lewis said.
Local and state government representatives attended the fair, and the school received a letter from President Reagan sending his congratulations. Students read stories and sang songs from each country represented in the fair.

IfGrovetown students learned that we live in a world of diverse cultures, Grovetown teachers learned what can be accomplished by working as a team. "The encouragement, cooperation and support that developed as a result of the fair were eye-openers and morale boosters for all of us," Lewis said.
To be a top-rate teacher, according to Lewis, one must "constantly evaluate, adapt and improve" to meet the needs of students in our changing society. But most of all, it takes a positive attitude. "If you don't stay positive, you go crazy," she said. "A positive attitude is the second easiest thing to catch. A negative attitude is the easiest."
Lewis brings history and geography to life through innovative class projects. For example, students learned about ancient Greece by making facsimiles of Greek coins.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 7
..

Easing First-Year Jitters
Henry Co. Veterans 'Coach' New Teachers

By Kristin L. Summerlin

It's the day you've looked forward to for years. Your first day as a teacher. There it is: your name on the door. Your papers on the desk. Your bulletin board. As you check the room one final time, you're confident that you've arranged things just the way they should be.

But you're more than a little scared. The chalk screeches as you write "Good morning." You're trying not to look nervous, but suddenly you realize, "Hey, this is real. There's nobody but me in this room - me and 25 kids."

And not only must you avert total chaos; you also have to take attendance, collect lunch money, distribute insurance forms. Nothing in your four years of college has prepared you for this.

The veteran teachers at Stockbridge High School in Henry County remember how intimidating that first dayand the entire first year- can be for a new teacher, and they're doing something to ease the transition. They've developed a buddy system that pairs new teachers (both beginners and experienced teachers new to the system) with veterans who serve as "coaches."

The coaches are there both for moral support and to help new teachers overcome paperwork and other unfamiliar tasks that can seem overwhelming if you've never done them.
The buddy system, now in its first year, emerged from a meeting of the school's executive council, which consists of several teachers and the school principal, Samuel Floyd. The committee was formed to allow teachers to help administrators make decisions on how things should be done at Stockbridge High.
Floyd said the teachers felt very strongly that the school should have some support system for new teachers,

Stockbridge's veteran teachers work closely offering practical advice and moral support. with new teachers during their first year, The result: happy teachers, happy students.

to make them feel more a part of the team and to help them be better teachers from their first day on the job.
Veterans remember "Our teachers all remember how it
was to have been a first-year teacher, especially that first day and that first week," he said. "You go into the classroom by yourself.... When you're stu-

dent teaching, there's always someone else in the room who symbolically has a hand on all those students, who's in charge in case things get out of hand.
"All of a sudden you wake up to the fact that it's your name on the door, and you're facing 30 desks in a classroom.There they are with their bright, shining faces and their new clothes.

What do you say to them?"
Floyd said a teacher's first year is crucial, because it can set the tone for an entire career. The proper support can make the difference between an enthusiastic veteran teacher and one who burns out quickly and leaves the field.
"You learn more in that first year than you ever can in four years of col-

8 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

sd

,.....

Beverly Powers, who chairs the math department, coaches first-year math teacher Jeanne DeJong. She offers adviceongrading, discipline and keeping organized.

lege. You learn more by doing and teaching than by sitting in someone else's classroom taking notes," Floyd said. "Sometimes we forget that there is no college program that teaches teachers to record grades in the rollbook, take attendance, report the lunchroom count. This stuff doesn't just come naturally; it's not an instinct. You need somebody to help you learn the ropes."
Henry County, as the lOth fastest growing school system in the state, must find innovative ways to attract and keep good teachers. The system has a total of 520 teachers and about 9,000 students. This year alone, the system hired 95 new teachers, partly to keep up with the growing student population and partly to comply with
reduced pupil-teacher ratio requirements mandated by the Quality Basic Education Act.
Richard Binkney, the system's personnel director, said the buddy system is one way of helping keep teachers in the county. "It's exciting to be in a system that's growing as fast as ours, but it also presents challenges. We're very concerned about recruiting and retaining good teachers," he said. "We have to compete with our neighbors to the north, and sometimes it's very difficult. Anything we can do to make a teacher's experience here more positive will help us avoid a shortage."
Jeanne DeJong and Amin Best are two of this year's new teachers at Stockbridge High.
DeJong, a first-year algebra teacher, has been paired with Beverly Powers, chairman of the mathematics department and a member of the executive committee. She is thankful for her coach's encouragement and help.
Discuss problems "We get together at the end of the
day and discuss any problems I've

had with students or anything else," DeJong said. "Ms. Powers has really helped me keep organized and keep up with grading. I get her ideas on discipline and motivating students - at first, those are the biggest problems. She's been a true friend, always willing to answer my questions or just listen when I need to talk about what's happened during the day."
For her part, Powers feels that veteran teachers have much to gain by coaching new faculty. "It may not seem too obvious, but we veteran teachers benefit a lot from the buddy program," she said. "Ms. DeJong has been in school more recently than I have, so she knows about new techniques, and she may have new insights that I haven't considered. I've been teaching for about 20 years now,
and I think it's good for me to see through the eyes of a new teacher again."
Offers practical help Powers said most of the help she
has to offer is practical. "I can give her practical suggestions on how to handle a problem that she may not have heard ofin her education classes, instead ofeducation theory," she said.
"I think it's important for new teachers to set realistic goals and keep a realistic perspective. For instance, much as you want to, you're probably not going to set the whole class on fire, especially the first day. You have to target which students need help, which ones are interested. That way, you can make an impact on the greatest number possible."
Best, also a first-year mathematics teacher, said his relationship with coach Karen Schneid has been "fantastic."
"Without her, I don't know how I would have made it through these first days," he said. "I forget a lot of the procedural things; there are so

many routine things you have to do, and it's good to know there's someone who will remind me and help me go through the steps."
Schneid, business and VOT coordinator, feels that the program is a great success because it gives the new teachers needed moral support. "When you're new, it's good to know you have someone to talk to and that you don't have to feel you're bothering them. Amin and I meet frequently and informally, a lot of times just to chat or to talk about problems he's having."
For instance, Best had been facing the "sixth-period slump" every day. "I went to Ms. Schneid and asked her
why I couldn't get control ofmy sixthperiod class. She told me it wasn't my fault- that it was normal for the kids to be restless and tired at the end of the day, and you have to approach that period a little differently. She told me to try less lecture, more worksheets and activities," he said.

Following Schneid's advice, Best changed his methods to alternate 10 minutes of lecture with other activities. "It works, too. I cut down on the group activities and started asking more questions and doing more oneon-one, and now I keep their attention," he said.
Best, who served as a police officer while working toward his education degree at Georgia State University, said his first few days were "nervous, a little difficult."
Different perspective "I'm probably different from many
new teachers because I'm a little older than most. I'm 37, and it's been a long time since I was in high school. I was worried at first that I'd be too oldfashioned or something, that I wouldn't be able to communicate with the students," he said.
"That hasn't really been the case, though. The kids are somewhat different than when I was in school, but I

A min Best (left) learned from his coach, Karen Schneid, how to handle "sixth-period slump.,, Following her advice, he now gives his end-of-day classes more varied assignments.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 9

Jeanne DeJong feels she's a happier teacher because of her coach's encouragement. She says Powers is a true friend, always willing to listen or answer questions.

can communicate with them. They're more articulate, I think, but they don't study. They're smart, but they don't seem to realize that knowledge isn't just going to jump up into their heads. Ms. Schneid has helped me figure out ways to motivate them by bringing home examples of why they need to know the skills I'm trying to teach, and I'm seeing improvement."
Like most first-year teachers, Best had a few problems with discipline

during the first days. "I talked it over with Ms. Schneid, and she suggested reorganizing the room. I moved the students around, put the problem students at the front of the room, and the four or five who were giving me the most trouble have improved drastically," he said.
Scrambling for model Schneid said she hopes the buddy
program will be a model for other schools. "We need to do everything we

can to make people feel more secure. New teachers so often are scrambling for a model," she said.
"They get into a new job, and all ofa sudden they're hit with a ton ofpaperwork, too many new faces and the frustrations of an unfamiliar situation. They start thinking, 'This isn't the way it's supposed to be;' they let their papers pile up and they don't keep up with grading. Soon it's overwhelming. The best thing we have to offer them is organizational skills. It makes me feel proud that we're doing something at Stockbridge High to build a sense of teamwork."
This sense of teamwork will spill over into the relationship between new teachers and administrators, Floyd hopes. "Naturally, on a new job, the last thing you want to do is look ignorant in front ofthe boss. So a new teacher doesn't want to approach the principal with a question about forms and such. The buddy program works because it provides a nonthreatening atmosphere for information exchange," he said.
"A fellow teacher can say to a new teacher, 'Don't forget: no white-out on forms," and it's okay. But if a principal says the same thing, the new teachermightfeel, 'Oh, no. What have I done now?' Eventually, we'll be familiar enough with each other that there won't be a threat, but this is a good bridge until then."
Floyd also sees benefits for the student body. "I know that the good aspects of the buddy program are going to trickle down to the students,

Powers believes veteran teachers can learn from beginners, because they've been in school more recently and may know new techniques or have new insights.
because a happy teacher means happy students."
Are the new teachers happy? Best and DeJong responded with a resounding "yes!"
"I can't think ofanything I'd rather be doing," Best said. "I look forward to coming to school every morning, and I can't wait until the next class comes in. I can't think ofany place I'd rather be than Stockbridge High."

Principal Samuel Floyd (left) feels it's vital to give teachers a say in what happens at their school. The executive committee chaired by Kay West (right) is one way to communicate.

Samuel Floyd, 47, principal ofStockbridge High School, died of a heart attack before this story went to press. The Montgomery native began teaching mathematics in Henry County in 1962 and was named principal in 1984. Teachers and students loved hi"! f?r his attempts to build bridges of communication between all of the communities wtthm and outside the school. During this interview, Floyd stressed the pride he felt in the accomplishments of his students and faculty. His efforts and influence live on in the many excellenct programs at Stockbridge High, and we dedicate this story to him. '

10 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Migrant Education
Teaching the Children Who Follow the Crops

By Merri Sheffield
How do you teach children effectively if their families are constantly on the move? Joan Marshall, migrant education teacher in Tift County, says the an swer is easy: You move, too. And move she does, traveling between the 10 schools in her district to tutor the 75 to 300 children who pass through Tift County schools each quarter as their parents follow the crops.
Marshall's classroom is a customized recreational vehicle stocked with books, records, educational games, reference materials and the individualized attention hard to offer in a regular classroom filled with students. To qualify for the voluntary program -which provides a minimum of 30 minutes of tutoring per week for elementary students and an hour per week for middle and high schoolersa student's parents must have moved into the area from another county or state in search of agricultural work. Students are given six years ofspecial help, with the six-year period commencing with each move across state lines. Parental consent is required before a child can participate in the federally funded program. Promotion of migrant children is based on achievement, rather than the number of classroom hours completed.
"I see that you can really help a child if you have him one-on-one, more so than you can in the regular classroom," Marshall said noting that when she was a classroom teacher she had 35 students and no aide. "All of the students want to come and work with us. They like the materials, and the attention.
"You get to know the students. They feel like you really care for them and that you are really helping them out. If they have any problems, they tell their classroom teachers, ' Don't worry, Ms. Marshall will take care of

us.' They trust us, and of course we love them just like they love us. I feel like we are just one big family."
Monitoring progress Keeping up with students' progress
is not as difficult as it might seem thanks to a national computer network that keeps track of migrant children. The Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS) monitors a child's education no matter where the crops lead the family. Based in Little Rock, MSRTS provides confidential information to teachers concerning the level of work completed at each school attended by the student across the country.
Data includes personal information, health assessments, test results, the names of textbooks used at each school and the reader used by the child. With this background material, the teacher in the child's new location can pick up where the student left off, rather than rehashing information or wasting time assessing placement. The computer outlines any health or education problems the child might have, such as a learning disability or a language problem. (For example, many Hispanic children cannot speak English when they arrive at school.)
MSRTS makes it possible for students to choose by ninth grade the school from which they want to be graduated, allowing them to stay on track for graduation. The computer outlines what courses are needed and when they should be taken.
Even with the computer's help, many students remain below grade level and at least a year behind their stationary peers. Regardless of the obstacles, Marshall says she is encouraged. "When I first started working with the program we had a good many nonreaders, but you don't see that much anymore." If an Hispanic child can read in Spanish, Marshall says she can teach her to speak and

Tift County migrant education teacher Joan Marshall helps first-grader Billy Joe Spires with a vocabulary workbook in her mobile classroom. She travels to 10 schools in her district.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 11

Marshall's classroom is a customized recreational vehicle stocked with books, records, educational games, reference materials - and plenty of individual attention.

A young boy works on a vocabulary-building machine. Language can be a barrier, andhelpingstudents becomeproficient in English is a key component of migrant education.

read English within "a matter of months."
Marshall first became interested in teaching migrant students as a regular classroom teacher, when she was faced with the task of teaching several migrant children.
The students couldn't speak English. She couldn't speak Spanish, and the migrant students were having problems keeping up with the others. A special migrant education class seemed the answer, so she set out to develop such a program for Tift. The

foundation for the program was laid in 1966, when Congress began the federal migrant education project. Georgia implemented the program in 1968, with Tift's program starting in the 1970s. In 1980 the state was divided into regions, and Tifton was named regional office for the 21county southwest central Georgia area.
Language a barrier The biggest problem for migrant
students is language, since 85 percent of the students are Hispanic. Even if

they know English, Marshall says they still have problems with vocabulary and comprehension. Special emphasis is placed on vocabulary throughout the year, and the majority of the summer session is dedicated to
learning English, reading and mathematics. Although Marshall now knows many Spanish words, she cannot speak the language - a fact that she sees as no obstacle. "Our goal is to teach them English, not to learn to speak Spanish," she says. Many times the students can read the words, but their comprehension is limited.
When Marshall began Tift's program there were no migrant students in Tift County High School and virtuallynomigrantyouthscompletedcollege. That is changing, however, thanks to programs like those in Tifton, Douglas and Sumter Counties, Gainesville and coastal Georgia, where migrant teens not only attend high school, but are graduating. Four teens earned diplomas in Tifton in 1986, and the number of graduates is expected to grow as more emphasis is placed on education. However, approximately two migrant high schoolers drop out ofschool each year, according to Marshall.
The mobile classroom is filled with learning tools to help close the education gap. Special equipment includes various mathematics machines and the Bell and Howell Language Master, which shows students a picture while a recording pronounces the word. Students listen to the word then listen to the themselves pronouncing it. Tufted letters - made from carpet scraps- are used as tactile stimuli for students with problems learning the alphabet. Workbooks also are used extensively. Marshall says that while the equipment and books make learning fun and challenging for the students, it is the personal attention and individualized tutoring that have the greatest impact.

Tutoring is based on information provided to Marshall by the classroom teachers when she gets students from their classrooms. This ensures that students receive help in areas of immediate concern. For example, if a child is having problems in math, Marshall may review his math assignment and then let him work with one ofthe math machines or skill-building mathematics games.
Offers extra opportunities Marshall says that getting a mi-
grant child in school on a regular basis can make a major difference in the child's success because of the variety of!earning experiences available. In addition to book knowledge, the program tries to offer opportunities students would not normally have, such as field trips. Some may think
children would learn from traveling around the country, but Marshall says that is not necessarily true.
"Even if they travel from state to state, they don't have the cultural benefits of travel," she says. "Many don't even know what state they are in. They know their parents picked beans in the last state, but they don't always know where the beans were."
A young boy whose family was returning to Kentucky this summer to pick crops told Marshall, "I've been on the road from Tifton to Kentucky before, and it's a long road." All he knew about Kentucky was that it's a long way away.
Besides teaching, Marshall and her aide, Andrea Dean, must provide necessary support services to keep children in school. They work with clothing and food banks and distribute special shampoo to combat head lice. Marshall says she doesn't mind the added responsibilities because the services are so badly needed.
"Some students come into our area wit4out the clothes they need to start

12 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

4'

Second-grader Ramona Pina solves problems on a mathematics machine. The mobile classroom's equipment and books make learning fun for the students.

school. If we didn't provide these services, it would be almost impossible for them to go to school. Their parents don 't h ave the money to buy the clothes and other services they need," she says. "They try to do everything on their own, but they just can't afford it." The average take-home pay for a migrant family is $100 per week, and the average family has four to five children. Some migrant families have as many as 11, 17 or 25 children, accordin g to Marshall.
Marshall and Dean, who are helped during the summer by three aides and three teachers, make home visits to families to discuss the program, children's progress and services available to the family. The Parent's Advisory Council works as a support group for migrantoparents, keeping them up to date and involved in school activities. The PAC asks parents to give information to the teachers, with the understanding that no personal information will be released to the authorities. Since many of the parents are illegal aliens, such assurances are important, Marshall says.
Like boomerangs While some students are new each
quarter, Marshall says many of them are like boomerangs. They go out of the area, but they always come back - often returning to work the same farms.
For example, many migrant workers plant tomato seeds in Tift County, then go to another state to work. They return to Tifton to pick the young tomato plants, which are sent throughout the country to be replanted. They may then work vegetable fields in another state, and then go to Michigan , Indiana, Ohio and other northern states to harvest the tomatoes from the plants they initially planted and harvested in Tifton. One elementary school student's family has moved 15 times since she entered school.

Because money can be made by putting children to work, it is often hard to keep older children out of the fields and in the classrooms. A strict attendance policy and a visiting teacher reinforce the need to attend school. " We simply tell them about the attendance policy, then explain that the policy will be strictly enforced," Marshall says. Most attendance problems occur in the spring, when many students already have been in two or three schools. They feel they should be finished with school for the year, but the state and county school board policies require them to complete the year.
If students miss school, the staff calls the migrant education teachers, who refer the case to the visiting teacher. The labor department also helps keep children out of the fields during school hours by reinforcing child labor laws, according to Marshall.
Reports from the post office, landowners, other migrant families and schools, as well as requests for social assistance, such as food and clothing, help Marshall keep up with who is in town. As soon as school officials become aware that a migrant child is in the area, Marshall says they get the child in school.
Dean, an Hispanic woman whose family moved from Oklahoma to Tifton so her father could work as a crew leader on a farm, attended Tift's migrant education program as a child and now serves as an aide to Marshall. She is attending night school in hopes of one day becoming a teacher herself.
Dean speaks Spanish and serves as a special envoy between parents and school and community officials. For example, when a student's grandparent needed to talk with Social Security officials, the aide accompanied the man to serve as translator.

Relates to problems Because of her migrant experience,
Dean can relate to the problems ofthe people she serves. "People think that if you are a migrant, you are dumb," Dean says. "So when kids get older (middle and high school), some of them face questions about why they go to special classes." She says the stigma is not so prevalent in the elementary grades, but as students get older they often are teased. This is especially bad since, according to Marshall, most migrant children suffer from low self-esteem.
During the summer, when Tifton has its greatest influx of migrant workers, the education program moves from its mobile classroom to Annie Belle Clark Elementary School, where students enjoy summer-camp activities such as swimming and arts

and crafts lessons in addition to their studies. A special fiesta in the park is held to celebrate the end of the summer session.
Looking back on the experiences of the past 11 years, Marshall says she'll never give up the migrant program. Other teachers can have their chalkboards and desks. Marshall says she'll keep her "suped-up" RV, because the program helps migrant parents realize that their children need a good education.
Is the program a success? Marshall says, "Yes, and I love it." It loves her, too. In December Marshall was honored by the National Association of State Directors of Migrant Education with a national Mastery Award for her contributions and commitment to migrant education.

Former migrant student Andrea Dean now serves as Marshall's aide. She speaks Spanish and serves as envoy between parents and school and community officials.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 13

Glossary Words muscles warehous
fntroduced Words carousel carnival
1. The woodcarver design into the
2. A ~('light wore hea 3. The Middle Ages
the year 500 to 4. A rider uses long
~~i!Js to guide a h 5. Ms. Newton direct

What doy(
when you 1
You probably pictu:r be your first-grade
1
fun because it mak4 grade teacher who ] might be Mr. Turne were intelligent an write down.
Whoever you pictu1 characteristics reqll sharing that love w them through new world; a strong nee4
What a teacher teac human, nurturing s

14 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

think ,ear the word teacher?
ea favorite teacher from your own school days. It may eacher, Mrs. Keeler, who showed you that reading is s pictures in your head. Or Miss Davis, the seventh11elped you solve more problems than just math. Or it r in high school English, who convinced you that you
that your thoughts and ideas mattered enough to e is likely to stand out in your mind for having the ired of any good teacher: a love of learning and joy in ih others; concern for children and the desire to guide discoveries into knowledge of themselves and the ::to share one's self with others. .b.es is important. But who a teacher is -the caring, ?ul of the teacher- is more important by far.
Georgia ALERT, March 1988 15

Opening the Doors
Helping Deaf Students Learn in a 'Normal' Environment

By Merri Sheffield
At 23, Jacque Brumbelow thought her destiny lay on Broadway, where she could bring characters to life on stage. But then the Georgia State University student met a six-year-old boy. He was deaf, and her life was changed forever.
Today Brumbelow is teacher, confidante and best friend to 17 hearingimpaired and deaf children at Sprayberry High School in Cobb County. She says she may not be in front ofthe lights, but her audience is one of the most important she's ever faced.
"I'm the keeper ofthe keys. I have to open all the doors for every kid who comes through my door. It doesn't matter if that kid has cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy or a visual impairment. It doesn't make a difference to God, so why should it make any difference to me?" Brumbelow said.
"That person is worthy and unique. He or she is alive for a reason, and that reason sometimes happens to come by me. With every kid that comes by I'm hurt and I'm blessed. The hurt is that that vision-impaired kid can't see the sunrise and the hearingimpaired kid can't hear a mockingbird or Andy Williams sing 'The Lord's Prayer.' The beauty is that they share their reality with me, showing me something that I wouldn't otherwise see or experience."
Treated same as others Whether doing signed or oral inter-
pretation of a teacher's lecture, preparing a written study guide to review classroom lessons, providing a transcript of a classroom film or offering remedialhelp, "Brume" and a staff of five teachers help deaf students learn in an environment where they are treated like the "normal" students. The deaf students are expected to perform as well as their peers, and they meet the challenge.

At Sprayberry it's not uncommon to find deaf students on the football field or in the flag corps, band or drama club. Brumbelow's interpreting duties have taken her from the classroom, where she uses sign language to shadow regular teachers, to football and wrestling practice, where she and the coaches work out signals for the participants. She has even gone to band practice to help one of her students learn to play the clarinet using special hearing techniques.
Because she believes learning isn't an activity limited to the hours from 8 a .m . to 3:15 p.m., Brumbelow can often be found on a camping trip (she once fell into a cold creek while interpreting on an ecology club outing) or huddled in the back of a dark movie theater signing by flashlight as her students watch the film.
Deafstudents fit in so well at Sprayberry that interpretation by the special education staff (the hearingimpaired program is part of the special education department) is no longer necessary in some areas. The teacher fondly recalls being kicked out offootball practice by players who said, "Go on, Brume. We can do this." During the 12 years since the magnet program for hearing-impaired students began, administrators, teachers, students, lunchroom workers and others interested in bridging the communication gap have taken Brumbelow's sign language classes. Many staff members sign well enough to help out when Brumbelow's staff is overloaded or when one of the teachers is absent.
Cooperation and hours of preparation are two of the keys to success for parallel teaching, according to Brumbelow. While parallel teaching, Brumbelow and her staff attend classes with students and translate the teachers' lessons into sign language. If a concept is difficult to translate, the interpreter will rephrase what the

teacher has said or use another example that lends itself to sign language.
Before she can shadow a teacher, Brumbelow must review lesson plans (she has all of her students' textbooks and stays a few chapters ahead), clarify any information she doesn't understand and learn the technical signs required in higher level courses, such as chemistry, psychology and foreign

languages. To prevent burnout, classes are divided among the staff, with teachers concentrating in one area whenever possible. In the event that several students need the same class Brumebelow will group them to ease teachers' schedules and provide peer support in the classroom. With five levels of instruction and a commitment to helping every student get the level and coursework needed, scheduling can be a headache.

Jacque Brumbelow gives Tammie Morris a reassuring hug. She serves as teacher, confidante and best friend to 17 hearingimpaired students at Cobb County,s Sprayberry High School.

16 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Brumbelow works closely with Vann Archey. She goes the extra mile for all her students, helpingthemparticipate freely in such activities as football and band.

"The students need us in class. If we're not there, their ears are not there," Brumbelow said, adding that
interpreting teachers willingly go without lunch or give up a planning period to accommodate students' special needs.
Because of the close working relationship between hearing-impaired students and their teachers, it is easy for some students to retreat from the regular classroom teachers. Although the staff allows ninth graders to be dependent because they are in a new, sometimes frightening, environment, as they get older they are weaned. By 11th grade Brumbelow says she expects them to rely on their subject teachers. The weaning process is often easier on the students than on the teachers, according to Brumbelow.
Teach drama classes Each spring Brumbelow and her
students team-teach verbal communication in drama classes. Each deaf student is a group leader and teaches four or five hearing students how to communicate through mime and sign language. Brumbelow supports these lessons by explaining the psychological and sociological aspects of deafness and by teaching fingerspelling. A panel of deaf students fields questions about deafness and how it feels to be deaf. Students sing songs in sign language, tell jokes and share funny experiences they have had because of their handicap.
" It is a wonderful experience for all ofus," Brumbelow said. "New friends are made, and the hearing students learn a greater patience and tolerance for the deaf. The deaf students are made to feel special in a positive way. This contact has helped to dispel each group's social fears."
Tammie Morris, a student who joined the flag corps after moving to Sp~:ayberry from a residential school for the deafin the 10th grade, says she

felt "nervous at first because I had never been to a 'hearing school'." Speaking through an interpreter, Tammie said she got the courage to make "hearing friends" when Julie Spackman, another deaf student, told her that hearing people were really no different from hearing-impaired students.
"Julie encouraged me with the hearing people, and I learned to be with hearing people instead of always being with deaf people," she said. Tammie's friend Angie Cook, a hearing student who serves as captain of the flag corps, encouraged her to join the corps. In return, Tammie taught Angie and another girl how to sign. Now the three are good friends.
Shawn Hutcheson, a hard-ofhearing student who can speak, credits his coaches and Brume with his ability to stay on the wrestling team. While the coach works with the student to develop techniques that allow him to to keep his eye on the coach for visual signals, Brumbelow tutors him in his classwork to help keep his grades up to the standards required of athletic competitors. "I understand things better because ofBrume. I can ask her for help when I need it."
Help with all problems In addition to classroom instruc-
tion, Brume and her staff provide a place for students to turn when they are having problems, both personal and academic. Students often are unable to communicate their fears and concerns to their parents, because they don't know sign language. For many the fear of deafness prevents discussion of problems at home. Brume's staff members each have devices at home that make it possible for them to communicate with deaf students by phone. The teacher said it is not unusual to get a call at night or on the weekends from "one of our kids who needs to talk."

Brumbelow shadows a geometry lesson taught by Lois Orsak (left), translating it into sign language. Cooperation and hours or preparation are two keys to success for parallel teaching.

"We live with them and they live within our hearts very deeply. Many times they have fought against their handicap so long that they develop the attitude, 'Don't dare make me believe that I can't hear,"' Brumbelow said. "We teach by example and acceptance. We try to teach them to accept their handicap as not being a handicap, but as being a difference. We tell them, 'You might not hear, but your mind is wonderful. Your eyes are clear. Your needs are important. Your goals are reachable, and you have the potential to reach them.' There's always a way, and if there isn't a way we can make one, if we all work together. You can't change the world, but you can incorporate it."
As part ofthis incorporation, Sprayberry began its program 12 years ago when it became apparent that more could be accomplished if the itinerant teacher ofthe deafstayed in one place

and concentrated her efforts. Since a greater number of hearing-impaired students lived in the Sprayberry High School area, Cobb County decided to send all high school students who needed interpretation to that one school.
Since then, many families have moved to the area to be near the program, and the school's deaf population has increased.Those not living in the district are bused in. Hearingimpaired students who do not need interpretation are allowed to attend classes at the school in their area. Brumbelow likes the magnet setup because it focuses efforts and develops a sense ofcommunity among students who often feel alone because of their handicap.
When Congress passed federal law 94-142, which promises every child in America an appropriate education,

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 17

many deaf students who were once sent away to residential or day schools were mainstreamed into public schools. Brumbelow says Cobb led the way in addressing the needs of special education students. Although many students have flourished in the program, Brumbelow cautions that students differ. While mainstreaming may suit the needs of one student, another might be happier in a residential or day school for the deaf.

As a teacher, Brumbelow says her primary goal is to "lead these kids to a reality of themselves, to encourage them and give them enough information to be able to identify problems, become aware of the alternatives, choose solutions and have the strength to endure the consequences - negative or positive. In the meantime, we teach Carnegie units."
Although she views each of her staff members as special, Brumbelow says the talents required to be a teacher of hearing-impaired students are the same as those needed by all teachers.
"There are certain inherent things that make a good teacher," Brumbelow explains. "You have to love what you teach. (I can't teach math.) You have to be assertive, vocal, and you have to believe in education."
Brumbelow's biggest fascination is her students: The student she had nine years ago is as important to her as the ninth grader she has in class today.
"They are all miracles, bringing such wonderment to life. At graduation I am inconsolable. Someone usually has to drive me home. I'm never ready for them to go. They are ready, but I'm not. I can always think of at least 100 things that I needed to tell
them or talk to them about. There are always so many things I feel we needed to experience together, so that

Martha Grissom is one of five teachers who help Brumbelow facilitate learning for deafstudents in a hearing environment. She explains a point to Julie Spackman.
when they get out there they will be prepared," she said.
"I cry all the time at assemblies. I see all those wonderful unique individuals gathered there, and I think about the possibilities for the future. I've seen them grow to be doctors and lawyers. I know that that ninth grader popping bubblegum and throwing spitwads perhaps will find the cure for cancer or be the one to solve our environmental problems.
"I get so full ofthe power ofyouth. A lot of people don't see the wonderment of those kids. They don't see that the collected potential of the students in this buildling is the most powerful thing in the world. It is an honor to have a part of that, to know that the things that we do here will change life at some point. Teaching is one of the most positive, powerful professions that you can have."

Brumbelow's goal is to lead students like Susan Dennis to ua reality ofthemselves, to encourage them andgive them enough information ... to become aware of the alternatives."

18 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Teacher Finds Special Solution
Child Who Cannot Talk
Communicates by Computer

By Merri Sheffield

inates the appropriate block (for in- words must be spelled the way they tell someone what's been inside their

In the blink of an eye Sandra Walker saw a way to open the lines of communication for a 14-year-old boy.
When Walker, a speech therapist for Bartow County schools, met Robert Lowery, she came face to face

stance, a sign for hot) Robert looks up or blinks, causing the machine to pause. Another blink signals Bob's computer voice to start talking for Robert ("I'm hot. Would you please turn on the air conditioner?") A third blink restarts the scan. If no mes-

sound; for instance, phone is "fone" and hamburger is "hamburgr."
Why did Walker keep trying when all previous methods failed and communicating with Robert seemed impossible?

heads all this time," Walker said. That's when language becomes funwhen you can share the things you experience."
Enthusiastic about her students' accomplishments, Walker remains

with one of the biggest challenges of sages are sent within a few minutes "When I know there is a brain inside aware that even some ofher brightest

her career. How do you open the world Bob automatically shuts off to con- one of my students, it kills me if he or students - like 13-year-old Chad

to a child who cannot talk, cannot serve the battery.

she can't get the words out. I have to Lewis, who has cerebral palsy - will

walk and is totally dependent on others for all of his basic needs? How do you communicate with a child who is a spastic quadraplegic, suffers from cerebral palsy and has a severe mental handicap?
Robert's family and teachers did their best to interpret his needs. Sign language and every other speech technique had been tried, with no success. Walker was determined to make it possible for Robert, now 17, to have a say in his life, and she did.

A special block allows Robert to signal that he needs to say something on another program board. He has 26 pages of programmed messages from which to choose.
Last year, Robert's family was brought to tears when the teen, with the aid of Bob, celebrated Thanksgiving by saying grace at dinner. Before the meal Robert's mother programmed a special blessing into the computer's memory, making it possible for Robert to speak with everyone

find or develop something to help. I know the child can do it, but I don't always know how to get them to do it," she said. "It's a challenge. Sometimes it is frustrating. How do you unlock 'it' when the child is so limited?" Walker said she loves to see her students' reactions when they realize for the first time that they can express themselves.
"When you unlock what's inside, you can see them light up. That's the thrill: knowing that they can finally

never be able to verbalize their feelings without their computer friends. Walker has four students who communicate with the help of computers.
Her students' computer messages range from "I want to lie down" to "I want to go camping by the river" and "I want to get in the hot tub." Notebooks are kept of all programmed items, to enable some children to communicate by pointing iftheir computer is broken. By programming what one of her students got for

The answer was a special computer at the table.

that can respond to the movements of Robert's eyes. Traditional computers would not work for Robert because he cannot control his hands and fingers well enough to push the buttons that trigger them. After observing Robert, Walker discovered that the teen could control the up and down movements of his eyes. All she had to do was find a computer that could be controlled by eye movement. At a computer exhibition for teachers, she found just what

With Bob by his side, or attached to his wheelchair, Robert is able to express his basic needs - and more. When he wants to eat, he not only can indicate that he is hungry, he also can light up a square that relays themessage of what he wants to eat. He can even let people know when he wants his favorite soft drink, Sunkist Orange, or wants to listen to his favorite singer, Lee Greenwood.

Robert needed, the Light Talker by Before Bob, Robert's family and

Prentke Romich.

teachers had to guess whether he

wanted to sit or lie down. Now Robert

Responds to blinks

can express whether he wants to sit in

"Bob" (Robert's name for the com- his wheelchair, recline in his lounger

puter that talks for him) is operated or lie down. With each new addition to

by a sensor inside a headband similar the computer's memory, Robert's

to those worn by tennis players. When communication options increase.

the sensor is placed beside Robert's

eyebrow, he can send messages by Can say anything

blinking or looking up. One blink Anything Robert needs to say can
'I starts a sequence that lights up the be programmed into the computer Robert Lowery talks to his mother, Sybil Holmes (left), using a

individual squares on an eight-square with a light wand. The wand spells computer that responds to eye movement. He could not com-

program board. When the light ilium- out each word in the message. The municate until Sandra Walker (right) found the computer.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 19

Robert communicates by blinking when the desired symbols, like these, appear on his computer. The computer then speaks a message, such as "I want to lie down."

Christmas, Walker and the child's mother made it possible for the young boy to share a special moment with his family and friends. Just like the other kids, he could tell everyone what Santa Claus brought.
A graduate ofBall State University who completed her postgraduate work at Columbus College, Walker said she has been interested in working with the handicapped since reading about Helen Keller. No matter what the problem, whether simple stuttering or the inability to talk, Walker said, "I have to find a way to give people the confidence to communicate. Together we can find some means of communicating."

Meeting special needs Starr Emerson, a 10-year veteran
classroom teacher to whom Walker offers support services, says teaching physically and orthopedically handicapped children can be difficult at first because of their special hygiene, medical and behavioral problems, but "once you get to know the children, they are just like any others. They need to learn."
Emerson taught Robert before illness prevented his return to school this year. She said that the idea of dealing with a talking computer was unsettling at first, because she had to get used to a different way of thinking. For example, all conversation not related to items programmed into the computer must be phrased as closedended questions, requiring a yes or no response. But Emerson soon learned to ask " Did you go to the store this weekend?" instead of "What did you do this weekend?" After that, she said, everything was fine.
Walker and Emerson help parents program their children's computers and say it is an added challenge to think of statements and expressions appropriate to their students' age groups.

Whether working with a student who cannot communicate or a child who cannot sit up without help, Emerson finds both joy and challenge in her work. She speaks of the thrill of seeing a student with muscular dystrophy walk to the end of the hall without dropping to her knees or watching a boy who cried but wouldn't talk blossom into someone who talks enthusiastically to everyone.
"Some people, including teachers, look at these kids and think they have mental handicaps just because of their physical handicaps. Many teachers are afraid to have them in their classes, " Emerson said, recalling her own initial fear of teaching a physically handicapped child. "We all need to understand that when you take their wheelchairs and talking computers away, these kids are the same as any other kids."

Sandra Walker loves to see her students' reactions when they realize for the first time that they can express themselves. "1 have to find a way to help get the words out."

20 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Homebound Teachers
Facing Emotional Demands, Meeting Academic Challenges

By Merri Sheffield

German, two languages she doesn't

A stuffed animal, an Arby's roast beef sandwich and bubble gum may not seem like the tools of most teachers, but Naomi Jenkins isn't like

speak - the former ninth-grade science teacher faces the emotional demands of working with critically ill children.

most teachers.

Hospital/homebound programs

As one of two hospital/homebound teachers in Tift County, Jenkins logs more than 100 miles each week in her car traveling between her students' homes. Her classrooms are the living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens of the children she visits twice weekly. Her supply closet is the back seat of a compact car. Her mission is helping students continue their education while they recover from auto accidents or fight cancer, sickle cell ane-

allow students to be counted present at school, thereby including them in full-time equivalency (FTE) counts used to determine school funding. The program costs Tift approximately $90,000 annually for two teachers' salaries, travel expenses and supplies. While the Georgia Department of
Education once offered teachers special hospital/homebound certification, teachers may now qualify with any teaching certificate.

mia, heart disease, football injuries or An average day begins with Jen-

chronic illnesses that force them to kins preparing a schedule of where

miss school.

she will be and what time she will be

"Our visits are the only outlet for some students, so we have to go," Jenkins says, explaining the pressure faced by herself and Jan Ross, a fellow hospital/homebound teacher. "Sometimes we have to go and see them just to give them something to focus on besides being sick."
To qualify for Tift County's hospital/homebound program, a student's doctor must confirm that the child has a condition requiring more than 10 days of convalescence. Within 24 hours of verification, a teacher is dis-

there. She sets up appointments with the children to let them know when to expect her. Depending on the students' needs, one- to two-hour sessions are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday or Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Jenkins usually completes her rounds at 5:30 p.m., two hours after the average teacher has headed home.
Although the workload varies and some students need more time than others, Jenkins tries to stick with her schedule so that no one is disappointed.

patched to the child's home or the hospital. The teacher's visits may begin as early as the first day of absence if the proper paperwork is completed in advance. Visits continue until the student is able to return to class. Homebound teachers are required to provide three hours of individual instruction per child, and Jenkins averages five hours per child, per week.

"Sometimes you run out oftime and you have to cancel, but they usually don't understand that," she says. "If a child has cancer and his only contact with school is you, then you have to go. We spend more time with each student than the average teacher. They really depend on us."
Picks up assignments

Hospital/homebound teacher Jan Ross talks to Cretes Bryant, a six-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Homebound teachers provide emotional warmth as well as academic support.

Faces emotional demands

Before making her rounds, Jenkins

I

In addition to the challenge ofmain- must go to each of her students'

taining students' curricula- which schools, pick up any assignments that

often requires her to teach French or her students need and drop off com-

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 21

Skye Lastinger, bedridden after an automobile accident, takes a test under the caring supervision of homebound teacher Naomi Jenkins. She is determined to graduate with her class.

pleted work. All students are assigned to regular classes. Their classroom teachers provide the hospital/homebound teachers with assignments and grade the students' work. In cases of extended care, the homebound teacher takes a more active role in preparing coursework, basing assignments on the students' physical and emotional ability to perform schoolwork and keep up with their healthy peers.
If a student is unable to complete the work or if the homebound teacher cannot teach the lesson (for example, Jenkins has problems teaching German), it is sometimes necessary for the student to drop a class. "We do whatever we can. We monitor the child's progress, and ifshe is not keeping up we take her out of the class and put her into something she can succeed in. There is no point in being sick and having to worry about an 'F', too," Jenkins explains.
Jenkins and Ross understand their students' worries. A day with Tift's hospital/homebound teachers reveals the challenges they face.
After setting up her daily schedule, which is left with the secretary at the office, Jenkins heads to the local department store to purchase her first gift of the day. Jennifer Young, a 15year-old ninth grader with leukemia, has just learned that her condition is no longer in remission. Unless she has a successful bone marrow transplant, doctors are concerned that she may not live a year.
Strength to encourage "I want to get her a stuffed animal
-something she can take with her to the hospital," Jenkins says. Choosing between a monster who "can help us eat the disease," an alien creature and a cuddly teddy bear, Jenkins opts for a pink bear. She makes the purchase and heads toward Jennifer's house, praying under her breath for the strength to be encouraging, although

thoughts of the battle ahead for her "favorite student" bring tears to her eyes.
After a motivational speech, during which Jenkins promises to help Jennifer beat the cancer, the two get to work reviewing her math lesson before tackling any problems with today's French lesson. All foreign language lessons are accompanied by tapes of classes prepared by the regular classroom teacher, and students in the classes are paired with homebound students as study partners.
Due in part to the individual attention she gets in the one-on-one homebound setting, Jennifer says her grades improve when she works with Jenkins. The ninth grader says it is important for her to keep up with her studies, because she wants to be a teacher when she grows up.
"She makes me feel better," Jennifer says about Jenkins' visits. "If I have been feeling down, she cheers me up. If I am having trouble in school, I am shy or scared to ask for help, but I'm not afraid to ask Ms. Jenkins because I know she won't jump down my throat if I don't understand.
"IfI'm feeling okay- not drowsy or sick - I try to work most of the day, just as if I were at school," Jennifer explains. On days when she's notfeeling well, she alternates rest with reading and studying.
Jennifer says that without a homebound teacher, "I'd probably fail." In addition to helping her students with
their studies, Jenkins serves as a liaison between the school, principals and teachers and ailing students, their parents and their physicians. "When people have questions about what is wrong with me, Mrs. Jenkins talks to them and I don't have to worry about it," Jennifer says. One of the obstacles many homebound stu-

22 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Ross goes over a lesson with Goldie Boone, a seventh grader awaiting open-heart surgery. Goldie mastered penmanship while his healthier peers were outside playing.
The emotional support of a homebound teacher is as valuable as the lessons, Jenkins said. 'Our visits are the only outlet for some students, so we have to go. Sometimes we have to go and see them just to give them something to focus on besides being sick.'

dents face is the disbelief of their classroom teachers.
" Sometimes people don't understand that just because a child looks healthy doesn't mean that she is," Jenkins says, after hearing Jennifer's discouragement over a teacher who doesn't believe the girl is " as sick as everyone says she is." The apparently strapping young girl conceals her chemotherapy-induced baldness under a wig and puts on a happy face whenever possible. Only the look in her eyes and the slight ashen tone of her skin give a hint that all is not well.
Before heading to her next appointment, Jenkins and Jennifer put away the book for a moment and talk. Although she knows it sounds silly she would like to go on a clothes shopping spree before reentering the hospital.
Mak ing dreams come true "I'm going to make sure her dream
comes true," Jenkins, a member of Tifton 's Make a Wish foundation, says emphatically en route to her next appointment.
Before her next stop, Jenkins approaches the drive-in window at Arby's to order the roast beef sandwich guaranteed to bring a smile to Skye Lastinger's face. Skye has overcome leukemia, surgery for kidney stones and various other life-threatening conditions that have made it impossible for her to attend school consistently since the third grade. Now she is bedridden because of an

automobile accident that left her with numerous broken bones, a pelvic and hip injury and an inoperable blood clot on her brain.
This year Skye faces a special challenge. The senior wants to finish school with her class, but she must pass all of her courses to have the number of hours required for graduation. Regardless of her injuries, she must complete and pass the same assignments and tests required of healthy students. The girl's hopes to take anatomy and physiology had to be abandoned because the classroom teacher said it would be impossible for her to complete laboratory work from her bed at home.
An additional challenge is making it possible for her to work on the yearbook staff, a commitment she made before her truck left the highway and overturned.
From a hospital bed moved to her home, Skye will take a test today. Although her medication "has me kind ofout ofit," the 17yearold wants to take the test. She doesn't want to wait for fear that she will forget what she has studied.
A special platform that rests on top of her hospital bed makes it possible for the teenager to do her work without raising her head or body off the bed. With the sandwich waiting for her as a post-test pick-me-up, an apprehensive Skye goes to work. Jenkins takes advantage of the time and grades papers.

Ross reviews a mathematics assignment withPammie Carson, an eighth grader undergoing hospital treatment for diabetes. She helps her students keep up with their healthy peers.
Jenkins works with Robbie Scarbrough on the computer that helpedhimregain speech afteran auto accident. With herhelp, Scarbrough graduated only two weeks after his classmates.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 23

Thankful for program Skye's mother, Rubye, says she is
thankful thatTift offers the hospital/ homebound program. "Had it not been for this program, Skye would not have been able to finish school. She would not have been up with her class and her friends," she says. "This has enabled her to continue her education, something that is important to us. It is important to us that she hasn't fallen behind because of her health."

Skye'smotherfeelsthatcontinuing her studies at home has encouraged her daughter to get well so that she could go to school with her friends. "Skye doesn't like to be at home. She likes to be in school. Every time she has gotten a little bit better, she has gone back to school," she says. Ifnot for the hospital/homebound program, the family would have been forced to hire a private tutor, which would have added to the financial burden of Skye's illnesses.

Skye is determined to return to school and be graduated in the spring.

After Skye's visit and before lunch, Jenkins stops to visit with Robbie Scarbrough, a homebound student who finished school last year after recovering from a head injury suffered in an auto accident. Robbie had to begin learning from square one after losing his ability to walk, but he was graduated onlytwo weeks behind his classmates, thanks to his work with Jenkins. His recovery and present ability to communicate were aided by a computer. Although he has completed school and is now awaiting physical rehabilitation at Warm
Springs, he remains part of Jenkins' "family." Robbie, who walks with a cane, greets Jenkins with a hug and smile. She remembered to bring one of his favorite things: bubble gum.
Followinglunch, during which Jenkins and Ross meet to discuss the morning activities and each student's

Jenkins reviews a lesson with Jennifer said Jenkins, visits cheer her, and that withYoung, a leukemia patient. The ninth grader out her, upd probably fail.,,

physical and educational progress, the teachers head for their next appointments.
Ross works with elementary and middle school students, while Jenkins serves mostly high schoolers. Ross will visit Pammie Cason, an eighthgrade diabetic under treatment at a Tift County hospital; Goldie Boone, a seventh-grade boy awaiting open heart surgery; and Cretes Bryant, a six-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Ross oversees Pammie's test andreviews her math assignment, listens to Goldie (who has mastered penmenship while others his age were outside

playing) review English and reads children's stories to Cretes. She then heads back to the office to meet with Jenkins, who also has spent the afternoon visiting students.
Wish is granted An elated Jenkins greets her co-
worker at the office door. "We did it! Jennifer is going shopping." Within hours of Jennifer's request, Jenkins has arranged a $500 shopping spree.
Although the hours are rough and the wear and tear on their cars - not

to mention their emotions - is great, the women say they love what they do and have no plans to return to the traditional classroom.
"I love working with children, especially children with problems," says Ross, who taught mentally and physically handicapped children before joining the hospital/homebound program. "You don't know who might call in and need you. You don't know where you might be tomorrow. You get the feeling that you are really needed. When the children are sick, their parents expect us to be there, and we are."

24 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Teacher's Aides
Academic (and Human) Additions to the Classroom

By Wagers Chenault
"I think some people are born to teach, and some aren't, and I think I am one that should be in the classroom," Becky Richardson said. "Even as a child, I always taught the other children in the neighborhood: how to skate or how to color. It's been in me since I was a child."
So Richardson majored in education and taught one year at an elementary school in Kentucky. But after that her husband's career called for frequent transfers, making it impossible for her to obligate herself to a teaching contract. She worked in business for several years, then decided to stay home to raise a family. About four years ago, with all her children in school, Richardson decided to return to the classroom, but not as a teacher. As a teacher's aide.
Richardson is assigned to help Suzanne Larson, who teaches kindergarten at Woodland Elementary School in Fulton County.

nel, which include teacher's aides, as "those individuals in the education profession with less than professionallevel certification who relate in role to the professional and assist in the execution ofthe duties ofthe professional under the supervision of the professional." In other words, they help teachers.

The two categories of auxiliary personnel, aides and paraprofessionals, have similar duties and responsibilities, although paraprofessionals do have more decision making authority. There are also some differences in training requirements, which will be noted later. This article focuses on aides.

What do they do? Aides collect lunch money, picture money and permission slips. (Visit a kindergarten class one Monday morning and see how much fun it is to collect lunch money from 21 young child-ren.) They help substitute teachers get up to speed and stay on track. They help supervise students on field trips and on the playground. Aides spend a lot of time preparing instructional materials, and, under the supervision of the teacher, they assist with various other instructional activities.
Give personal contact Another important contribution of
aides is personal contact, according to Sharon Meinhardt, coordinator of Early Childhood Programs for the Georgia Department of Education. "Teachers are human - they don't always get along with everyone they meet. Sometimes there will be one or two students in a class that the teacher simply cannot reach. Very often, a child who doesn't respond to the teacher will respond to the aide."

"I taught for seven years without an aide," Larson said. "Becky has been with me for three-and-a-half years now. The biggest difference is that without an aide, you have to teach so much in total group. I used to have to teach everything in total group. In order to do that, the children all have to be working on the same page or on the same skill, and that's not right.
Children are individuals "In a group of children you have
individuals with many different abilities and at different levels. Now we can identify those levels and teach to the level of the child. We are able to individualize now. Wegroupourchildren according to ability. Having a good aide can make a great difference academically."
Georgia Department of Education regulations define auxiliary person-

Former teacher Becky Richardson feels she was uborn to teach/, but can,t commit to a teaching contract. Being a teacher,s aide keeps her in the classroom.

Aides also play the role of ambassador. "Many times a teacher does not live in the community where he or she teaches," Meinhardt said. "An aide is much more likely to live near the school and probably already knows many ofthe students and parents. In such a situation, the aide can be a valuable link between the 'outsider' teacher and the community."
A qualified aide can be a great help to a teacher- and to the local school system. The Quality Basic Education Act sets minimum class sizes. In some cases those requirements may put the local superintendent in a bind. For instance, the maximum size for a kindergarten class is 21 students per teacher, but what if 25 kindergarteners enroll at the system's only elementary school? Will the system have to hire two full-time teachers in order to accomodate the four extra students? Yes, unless it hires an aide.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 25

Richardson loves being a teacher's aide, because itgives her the best of both worlds. She gets to help the children she loves, but doesn't have to work a teacher's long hours.

The state has decided that an aide can count as one third of a teacher. In other words, one teacher can serve 21 students. One teacher plus one aide can serve 28 students [i.e., 21 +113(21)
=21 +7 =28]. And hiring an aide is a lot
less expensive than hiring a full-time certified teacher. (Exactly how expensive? That's up to the local system. The state does not regulate salaries for teacher's aides.)
The Georgia Department of Education does regulate the use of aides in other ways. Aides and paraprofessionals must have high school diplomas or GED equivalents before being hired on a probationary status. They must complete 10 hours oftraining within the first 30 days ofemployment and additional training within the first year of employment. (Aides must complete 20 additional hours and paraprofessionals 40 additional hours. However, those who complete a diploma program in child care at a postsecondary technical institution or hold Georgia teacher certification in the field in which they are employed are exempt.) Licenses are valid statewide and are issued for five years; renewal is contingent upon completion of another 20 hours of training.
What kind of person would want to be an aide? The same kind of person who would want to be a regular teacher- someone who loves and wants to work with children. But many who would like to teach never get the opportunity to earn an education degree. Others, like Richardson, have the degree but are not in a position to make the total commitment that a teacher must make.
Works children's hours "I wanted to work about the same
hours that my children were in school, with the summers off," Richardson said. "When I heard that Fulton County was looking for teacher's aides in the kindergarten program, I felt that was just exactly the job for me. I work

a total of about 35 hours a week, and Suzanne works anywhere from 50 to 60 hours a week. Many times she's here until 7 p.m . on weeknights, but I go home at three. I know she works a lot on weekends too, while I'm at home doing the laundry."
A good aide helps many ways, but the most important responsibilities are reserved for the teacher. For instance, Larson introduces and teaches all new skills; Richardson helps reinforce those skills in small group activities. Richardson does not conduct conferences with parents, although she might, at Larson's request, sit in to share a particular observation. Likewise, Larson seeks Richardson's input when it's time to evaluate students, but Larson is solely responsible for the evaluation.
"I ask Becky, 'What do you see in terms of this child's performance when he's working with you in small group?' Or I say, 'This child responds in such and such a manner to me. Does he respond that same way to you?' I ask her what she sees, but I don't ask her to interpret what she sees. There's just no way I could be sure, in an assessment, that Becky or anyone else would be looking for exactly the same things that I'm looking for." Larson even insists on grading all papers herself. "I simply prefer to do that myself. I think it's important for a teacher to have a good handle on whatever a child is doing."
Larson has a strong sense of her own responsibilities, but, as noted earlier, she fully appreciates Richardson's abilities and contributions.
"I'm very lucky," Larson said. "Becky and I have been together four years now, but we clicked from the start because Becky was very receptive. She was always very anxious to do it the way I wanted it to be done -that's Becky. Now there are times when Becky can almost read my

Richardson prepares materials for the next exercise while Suzanne Larson lays the groundwork for a new lesson. Having an aide allows Larson to spend more valuable time on task.

mind. She knows what I'm going to want next. There might be times when I've forgotten that we're going to need such-and-such, and she already has it ready for me. So much depends on the right personality mix. A different aide might be just as good in every respect except one: the ability to work well with Suzanne Larson."

Richardson accepts the division of duties and responsibilities between teacher and aide. There's still plenty of challenge - and satisfaction - to go around.

"I really like to see the light come on," she said. "You've been trying to teach a child the difference between a nickel and a quarter, and then they finally see it one day and they really know it. That's where the rewards come in. .. . When I was away from teaching, every time the school year would begin I would get this feeling that I should be there. Luckily, it worked out that I'm back."

Working with children, whether helping with math or with lunch, is fulfilling to Richardson, who accepts the division of responsibilities between teachers and aides.

26 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Educational Perspective:

Keeping in Touch

ProducerM.R. Ketchum (right) says Educational Perspective is an important way for State Superintendent Werner Rogers (left) to reach both teachers and the general public.

By Wagers Chenault

Eliot Wigginton, 1987 Georgia Teacher of the Year. John Foster and Bill Mangum, Chairmen of the Georgia Senate and House Education Committees. Joe Frank Harris, Governor of Georgia and champion of the Quality Basic Education Act. What do these folks have in common? They've all appeared with State Superintendent of Schools Werner Rogers on Educational Perspective, a 30-minute television program broadcast throughout the school year on the Georgia Public Television Network.

Since taking office in 1986, Rogers h as looked for ways to improve communication between the state department and the local systems. "I'm particularly interested in reaching out to those on the front lines: the classroom teachers," Rogers said. "Educational Perspective is one way to keep teachers up-to-date on what is happening at the state level."

Recent programs have featured discussions with experts on no pass/no play, teacher and student testing and AIDS, as well as interviews with the notables mentioned earlier.

"Our primary audience is Georgia's 60,000 public school teachers," said Rogers. "We look for topics and guests that teachers are interested in."

From left, John Foster and Bill Mangum, chairmen of the Georgia Senate and House

Education Committees, discuss legislative issues with Werner Rogers on a recentprogram.

Teachers aren't the only ones tuning in. "Although Educational Perspective is designed for educators, we also hear from the general public," said producer M.R. Ketchum, a project manager with the Georgia Department of Education's Instructional Media Services Division. "So, while Rogers stays in touch with teachers, he's also staying in touch with the rest of the population, especially parents of school-aged children."
Educational Perspective was first conceived as a quarterly presentation, and two installments were broadcast

during early 1987. It was then decided to go monthly, September through May, starting with the 1987-88 school year. The show is broadcast at 3 p.m. on the first Wednesday ofthe month, so that many teachers can see it while still at school. Media specialists are encouraged to tape the program for the benefit of those who wish to view it later.
Rogers hopes teachers and other education professionals will make a

special effort to watch- and respond. "It's important that teachers hear from us, and it's more important that we hear from teachers. I encourage all our viewers, especially the teachers, to let us know what they think about the show and what they think about the issues."
Copies of the Educational Perspective programs are available. To obtain a particular program, send one blank videotape (VHS, Beta or 3/4") per

desired program to the Instructional Media Services Resource Center, 1066 Sylvan Road SW, Atlanta 30310. The duplication fee is $6 per tape. Make checks payable to the Georgia Department of Education.
Public school personnel should process their orders through the local school system media contact person. The school system will be charged a duplication fee of $3.50 per program.

Georgia ALERT, March 1988 27

Kabir Small
Teaching: A Word from the Experts Age 7, Second Grade

Students at Atlanta's Garden Hills Elementary School give us their views on teachers and teaching.
Photos by Merri Sheffield

What does your teacher teach you? In health class, my teacher teaches me good foods to eat and not to eat candy.

really, really hard. I thought it was going to be in a humongous class with lots of people and lots of hard math. But it wasn't. It is much easier and much funner than I thought.

If you were the teacher, what would you do? I 'd let them go home.
Would you give them homework? No!

Why is it easier and funner? Because our teacher, Mrs. Bowles, is very nice.
Do you think she is special or is she like all teachers? All teachers are good and special.

~Maria Maldonado
Age 7, Second Grade
Do you like teachers? Yes, because they are good.

Shoshana Froman
Age 6, First Grade
What would happen if you didn't understand something the teacher said? I would raise my handand the teacher would explain it to us again. Then it is easier to learn.
When you started school were you afraid? Yes! I thought it was going to be

~Kyle Tucker
Age 6, First Grade
If you were the teacher what would you do? I would make the students do all of their work in the morning and then let them play all afternoon.

Ifyou could tell the teacher anything at all, what would you say? I would tell her that I like her to be my teacher because she helps me with my English, spelling, math and other stuff, and that makes it easier for me to learn. Sometimes in English they tell you a word and you can't read it, so I go to my teacher and ask her, "What word is this?"
Is your teacher different from other teachers? Yes. She comes from a different country and she speaks Spanish. That makes it kind of easier for me. Sometimes she teaches everybody in the class how to speak a little Spanish.

March 1988 Vol.17, No.1
ALERT Staff
Executive Editor . . . . . . Anne Raymond Managing Editor . . . Kristin Summerlin
Associate Editor .. . . . . . Merri Sheffield Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Elaine Pierce Typesetting .. ... .. .. . . . . Kim Curfman
Contributing Writers: Wagers Chenault, Eleanor Gilmer, Judy Hall, Nancy Hall and Gale E. Samuels.
Photography: Merri Sheffield
The Georgia Department of Education does not discriminate in employment or educational activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or religion.
Published by Public Information and Publications Division Office of Department Management Georgia Department of Education 2052 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334-5010
(404) 656-2476

Alert....____~ A Look at Education's RoleToday
State Board of Education Werner Rogers State Superintendent of Schools Georgia Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 30334-5080

0 2 UNIE

3

UNIVE RSITY OF GEORGIA LIB

PRESIDENT S OFFICE

ATHENS

GA 30602

28 Georgia ALERT, March 1988

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID Atlanta, Georgia Permit Number 168

Received
MAR 15 1989
DOCUM ENTS UGA LIBRARIES

Strategic planning

3

Kristin L. Summerlin

Vision into Reality: An interview with Werner Rogers

7

Merri Sheffield

Laying out the battle plan for McDuffie County Schools

Teacher concerns

11

Anne Raymond

Georgia teachers speak out about their profession

15

Anne Raymond

Is Georgia's teacher shortage a reality?

18

Eleanor Gilmer

Georgia Teacher Evaluation Program provides valuable feedback to teachers

22

Karen P. Grier

Pioneers and trailblazers
Georgia Career Ladder Program would reward outstanding teachers

Standards

25

Nancy Hall

Bad guys and bullies? On the trail of the notorious QBE field administrators

32

Merri Sheffield

The great Garfield scare The truth behind the Standards rumors

16
Photo story One day in Georgia public schools

30

Wagers Chenault

Employee swap
Healing the rifts between DOE and local education employees

2 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

There'll b to c

Page 7


Page 16

Page 22 Page 25

A message &om the editor
One focus of this issue of ALERT is strategic"planning. That's appropriate, because during the planning phase for the issue the editors realized that not all of us are exactly clear on who our audience is.
That's a serious problem, since one of the first rules of good writing is knowing who you're writing for.
One ofour difficulties is that we've been working with a mailing list that's at least 10 years old. So we're asking for your help. We need to start a new mailing list, from scratch, and we need to know who you are.
Here's what you need to do if you want to continue to receive ALERT (which as always is free of charge). It'll only take a minute of your time.
1. Find the reader response card inserted in this issue. 2. Peel off the address label from the magazine's back cover. 3. Put the address label on the response card and make any necessary cor-
rections on the label. 4. Drop the card in the mail (with a 15-cent postage stamp, please).
See? So simple. But please be sure to do it, because we won't be using the old list for the update. The new list will be built from the ground up. (Of course, we will continue to send the issue to all the state's public schools, but be sure to return the card anyway, with any necessary corrections in the address.)
Thanks. It will be good to know who out there really reads this. And don't forget: We'd be glad to hear from you any time. Let us know what you think about the magazine. We're doing this for you.
Kristin L. Summerlin Managing Editor

Vision into Reality
An interview with Werner Rogers, State Superintendent of Schools

By Kristin Summerlin
In July the Georgia Department of Education unveiled its strategic plan for establishing Georgia as an educational and economic leader by the year 2001. "Vision into Reality" is the culmination of more than a year's work and reflects the input of a wide cross section of DOE employees.
Mandated by the Quality Basic Education Act (QBE), the strategic plan is not merely a document. It is the guideline for day-to-day management of the department at all orgizational levels and for state board policy. The plan will provide budgeting priorities and will serve as focus , with local needs, for the strategic planning efforts oflocal systems, also required by QBE. (See story on page 7.)
The plan was developed by a team ofdepartment administrators, including the state superintendent, the associate and assistant state superintendents and five staff members responsible for implementing state policy. The team spent 18 full days working on the plan with Timothy Nolan, a nationally known strategic planning expert.
During the planning process, the team accepted input from DOE employees on what the department's priorities should be, while working toward a consensus of their own goals and aspirations for the department and public education in Georgia.
The resulting plan reflects the department's commitment to improving educational opportunities for the children of our state while supporting the people in the schools and in the department who provide those opportunities. In the following interview, Werner Rogers, state superintendent of sch ools, explains the significance of the strategic planning process to Georgia public education.

Q How is this plan any differ ent from previous plans the department has had?
A I think the plan is different in a number of respects. First, going into this we knew the plan we came up with wouldn't be set in stone. Just because it was printed wouldn't mean it was the plan for the department forever.
For most of the plans we developed in the past, we said, "Here's our plan, and in five years we'll take a look at it, and then in five more years we'll take a look at that." As a matter of fact, under the old law the state board was required to set goals for education every 10 years, and then every five years in the interim to review them. Strategic planning is different because it is a process, an ongoing process.
The second difference is that the strategic plan has already had a significant impact on our budget developmentforthis year.This is an impact that no other department plan has had, as far as I know. This was possible because the plan was developed by DOE staff and state board members working in parallel groups. When it was finished the state board said, "Yeah, that sounds great!"
Then when it came time to put the budget together to present to the state board, we matched our budget items to the seven major directions of our plan. In the past we'd always taken all of an office's requests and listed them under the office.
This year we broke them all up, so that any request that had to do with strengthening human resources went under that category, from whatever office. And all the requests for strengthening student support services were grouped together, and so on.
This way, you could look directly back and see how these items were

Werner Rogers, state superintendent of schools, says the Georgia Department ofEducation's new strategicplan has had a direct impact on the department's budget process.

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 3

necessary to implement our mission and seven strategic directions, and how the directions and mission impacted our budget.
I think it's really important that the budgetary process is folded into the strategic planning effort. And I think it's really important that the process is ongoing, continually changing.
Q Thisisa businessmodel,isn't it?
A Yes, it's a model adapted from strategic planning in the business arena, the private sector.
Q Why did you choose a model from business?
A It's only because we didn't de velop a strategic planning model in education. It's not a 'business strategic plan' in that our goal isn't to increase profits, which would normally be the goal of a business. Our goals are set in terms ofeducation outcomes and directions.
Strategic planning was first applied to business, but now we're applying it to the public sector. It's a way to plan, and this model was adapted to education and fits very well.
Q I wondered if there was a link since business has been a big part ofthe impetus for the education reform movement ofthe '80s.
A There is a link in that the Gov ernor's Education Review Committee, which came up with QBE, thought that most successful businesses had a plan, knew where they were starting from, knew where they wanted to go, and then they built a program for getting there. And that's what this does. But as I said, we're not profit-oriented. We're outcomeoriented, because we deal with students, not things.

Most business plans are for shorter periods of time, to reflect profits of six months or a year, 18 months or two years. We're talking about looking out 13 years, because that's our cycle: it's 13 years from when a child enters kindergarten to graduation from high school. We're trying to look out over the horizon to see in 13 years what will be required ofyoung people entering school today.
That doesn't mean we're forgetting the first graders or the eighth graders orthe 1.0th graders. We wanted to see what was over the horizon in the 21st Century and see what we needed to do as we backed up to kindergarten, what would be required of youngsters to prepare them to be good citizens in that time.
Q Let's discuss that a little more in depth. What do we see over the horizon?
A Well, we're going to see a so ciety that's changing even faster at that time than it is today. One view of the future says that the amount of knowledge man has at his fingertips will double, and maybe triple, by the year 2000. Consequently, we're going to have to get young people ready to deal with that explosion of knowledge, of the written word, of video - whatever ways they will learn.
We have to be able to prepare young people to live in a more interdependent,more technologically based world. Our world is shrinking in terms of contact with other countries, and we have to be able to help students understand that. That's the reason we're looking at things like introducing youngsters to the use of technology earlier, giving them keyboarding experiences, so they can begin to learn how to use a computer.
We're also giving them more intense study in geography and history, be-

cause one ofthe things that's popped up recently is that young people in our country - and I think around the world - don't know much about the world they live in. As the world shrinks in time and in communications, we need to know more about other peoples and other countries, because we'll be dealing with them more readily.
Q And so how does this plan address that?
A The plan addresses it specifi cally in the area of strengthening curriculum and instruction, where it says that, during the next two years, we will work toward adopting and implementing a statewide, uniformly sequenced core curriculum based on the 76 student competencies we've identified. These are the kinds of things children are going to need in order to participate in our society, in math and science and reading.

The plan says we will emphasize continuous progress, character development, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, employment skills and skills for lifelong learning. That encompasses what I'm talking about.
Q So what link does this plan have to the actual child in the classroom, and how will it address problems such as the dropout rate or teen pregnancies? This all sounds very general.
A It is. Any kind of planning document appears very general. But we're developing very specific steps to take in our seven strategic directions.
We have a very general, and yet in some instances very specific, statement on what the mission of education ought to be in Georgia. It's

4 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

general in that it says we want to strengthen educational leaders, provide management services and evaluate outcomes. But specifically, we want to make Georgians national leaders in education and economic achievement. That's a pretty big bite to take.
So how are we going to do it? We do it by adopting the seven major strategic directions, which are smaller in scope than the major focus of the mission. Within those directions will be more specific tasks - we've already identified 31 activities - and the department's offices and divisions and units are each focusing on one or more of them.
For instance, just to pull one out: strengthening public education's human resources. One way we'll do that is to strengthen the Georgia Education Leadership Academy. By strengthening that and offering more programs and more diverse programs, specifically focusing on the needs of administrators, we will be able to strengthen school administration in Georgia. The outcome will be bettersupervised schools, better-run schools and schools that would prepare students more appropriately for the future.
If it isn't in the plan, we shouldn't be doing it. But I think you can take this plan, the mission, the seven directions and the specific goals, and find a string, a thread that runs to everything that we're doing in the department. The idea is to look at what you are doing, and ifwhat you're doing doesn't meet the directions you want to go, you shouldn't be involved in it. That's the most difficult thing a public agency has to do.
Q Let's talk a little about the title of the plan. What does "Vision into Reality" mean?

Strategic directions

Each of the following seven strategic directions is vitally and equally important. The department must make progress in all seven areas if we are to accomplish our mission. QBE requires that local school systems considerthese strategic directions as they engage in their own strategic planning.
Strengthen public education's human resources - The people who deliver and manage services ultimately determine the quality of educational opportunities in Georgia. Therefore, major responsibilities for the department of education are identifying, developing, recognizing, supporting and compensating these human resources.

The Georgia Department of Education will implement systematic program evaluation based on definitions of what is expected, assessing and reporting current status and improvement actions based on professional research and assessment.
Strengthen public education funding Quality education and economic well-being are inextriably linked for individuals as well as for our state and nation. Local school systems must have sufficient revenues from state and local sources to address student needs effectively. The Georgia Department of Education is committed to work for sufficient funding of public education.

Strengthen curriculum and instruction- Maximum student achievement depends on two variables educators can control: clearly defining what students are expected to learn and providing quality opportunities through which they can learn. The Georgia Department of Education will direct our resources to developing, implementing and refining the statewide, uniformly sequenced core curriculum and to identifying and developing instructional practices that ensure all students opportunities to master that curriculum.
Strengthen student support services - Students' physical, social and emotional needs affect their ability to learn. To ensure that all students profit from the educational opportunities available to them, the Georgia Department ofEducation will work to ensure a comprehensive system of diagnostic and support services for students.
Strengthen accountability through program evaluation - Program improvement results from systematic and continuing evaluation and change.

Strengthen the department of education State-level leadership is a requisite for quality education. The state superintendent of schools and the department's management team will work to secure the authority and resources to.recruit and retain competent staff members to provide l eadership, support and evaluation for education statewide.
Strengthen the public's confidence in public education in Georgia - Ultimate responsibility for public education's quality goes beyond individual classroom teachers, local administrators and educators to citizens and lawmakers. Their support is a crucial element, and without it education in Georgia will never be as effective as we all want and need it to be. To increase the public's and lawmakers' support, the Georgia Department of Education will conduct a comprehenisve marketing and public relations plan to informthose two key groups about public education, its value to the citizens and the state, its needs for improvement and its outcomes at state and local levels.

A It's the same kind of concept that's been used in education a long time: theory into practice. "Vision into Reality" simply means that we have a vision of what education in Georgia ought to be, and making that vision a reality is the challenge. Trying to implement the plan and bringing some reality to the vision will also be a challenge.

You can't very well say, "This is how it's going to be in the year 2001, 13 years from now." But you can say, very appropriately, "This is how we think it ought to be." We don't have a straight line between now and the year 2001. There are many directions out there. We're going in seven now, seven major directions with many subgoals, to try to reach what we

think will be reality in the year 2001.
To get there, we're going to have to monitor and adjust our plan, our major thrusts and directions, as we go.
But I don't see us vastly changing direction, even ifwe're not headed in a straight line. We'll change, we'll moderate, we'll add, subtract, whatever,

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 5

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until we reach our g6al. That's the reason we've taken the 13-year bite. We'll enhance that by a year each year, always keeping at that distance so we have something to reach for. We're saying, "Look, here's what we expect Georgia to be like in the year 2001. Now, realistically, how are we going to go about getting there?"
Q How has participating in the strategic planning process affected you and the others on the team?
A It's taken up a whole lot of my time. I say that tongue in cheek, but we spent 18 full days last year working on this.
It's done two things. It's taken the top management of the department and thrown them together in some discussions that we wouldn't have had if we hadn't been involved in this planning process. It's helped cement the bonds among the leadership ofthe department, and I think we feel more like a team than we did before. That's important.
We've shared with each other in long discussions what our hopes and dreams are for education in Georgia, for our own lives, for where we think the department ought to be going. I think by doing that, we have a better understanding of each other, a better understanding of where Peyton Williams wants the department to go, where H.F. Johnson wants it to go, where Paul Vail does, where Bill Gambill and Josephine Martin do.
Q Are those things very dif ferent? Are the values that different?
A Really, no. Not very different. It was really interesting. One of the processes we went through was simply putting up big sheets of paper all around the room where we were working and having everybody write

the things they thought the department ought to be involved in. We had lists of 150 things. And then you start saying, "Okay, realistically, we can't do all of those. What are 20 things we can do?"
So you look at that whole list and ask, "Well, what's really important? What's more important?" And the group makes forced choices. It was really amazing. We chose the same things, the same general directions. In a group of nine or 10 people, most of the major emphases would have gotten seven or eight votes.
We began to build a consensus on where we were going. This is not something we just sat down and whipped out.
Q What tangible effects has it had on the department so far, besides the budgeting process?
A Well, we've established aStra tegic Planning Division within the department to support the planning process and implementing the plan. That division will also develop an electronic technology plan for public education statewide. There's also a research and development unit that will identify current and emerging educational needs.
The department staff is in the process of developing and executing plans for each goal under the seven strategic directions. Many of these activities are already under way; others will have to wait until next year for funding from the General Assembly.
I may see things in more of a rosy glow, because I'm able to see the bigger picture because ofmy position. But I think this whole planning effort will help all department employees see the importance of what they do every day, how their jobs relate to the bigger picture ofeducation in Georgia.

The office heads worked on this, discussed it with their division directors, who worked on it within their divisions and units. We didn't just go off and close the door and come up with a plan. We actually asked for help from our employees and received it.
I hope people will feel a part ofit, as we get through not only the first year of the planning process, but actually having a plan and working from it. As people begin to realize that I'm committed to this and that the leadership ofthe department is committed to it, it won't be another six-point plan that we ginned up and everybody sticks in their third desk drawer and waits for the next plan to show up.
Q What would you like to say to those people out in the local systems?
A I think they need to be aware of the major directions the state is moving in, and they also need to be aware thatthere is a requirement that each local system develop a strategic plan. I hope they would all participate as much as possible in the development of a plan at the local level, that they won't just come up with something to meet the requirement and put it on a shelf.
I've used a statement over the years from a man named Robert Mager, who is supposedly the father of behavioral objectives, which are really a part ofthe planning process. He said, "Ifyou don't know where you're going, how are you going to know when you get there?" That sums up the whole planning process.
It's not magic. There was a lot of hard work involved in the development of this plan, and there's even more work in implementing it. I guess the biggest task is to make believers out of everybody in the department, everybody in the state, that this is

truly what we're trying to accomplish, and it isn't a one-year shot.
Q How are we going to make believers out of everyone?
A By doing it. And we do it the second year, the third year, and then we'll start to get some believers out of it. Everybody assumed we'd come up with a plan, because we were working on it. But I think the assumption probably is a kind of stand-back, ho-hum attitude that says, "Well, here's another one."
I don't intend it to be that way. Whoever succeeds me in the years ahead may change that, but while I have the responsibility for leading the department, I want us to know as best we can where we're headed. This business of management or administration by chaos or by the seat of your pants just doesn't work. Can't work. It's doomed to failure. Any principal or superintendent who tries to operate like that is doomed to failure.
And Georgia schools can't afford to fail. The future rests on our success.

6 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

Laying out the battle plan for McDuffie County Schools

By Merri Sheffield

The 10-member strategic planning team looked on with anticipation and wonder as its leader, its superintendent, William Barr, laid out the battle plan.

Just as Eisenhower prepared his troops for the invasion at Normandy, Barr set the scene. The mission: improving educa tion for students in McDuffie County. The strategy: devise a plan for success based on what we know about where we are, where we want to be and what's required for victory.

McDuffie County is one of Georgia's six pilot sites for local strategic planning. Barr headed the Georgia Department of Education's Local Strategic Planning Task Force. He hopes his county's plan will improve the system while helping to define the best ways to implement QBE's requirement that all local systems develop a strategic plan.

As he sets the stage for McDuffie's planning team, Barr obviously can relate to members' questions. Only 15 months ago he had not heard of strategic planning for local school systems. Today, with 10 months of intense task force work and seminars on strategic planning methods under his belt, Barr is recognized throughout Georgia as a leader in the strategic planning movement in education.
Strategic planning requires a change in focus and intent for those accustomed to other forms of planning, especially the kinds of organizational planning that have been sch0ol systems' mainstay until now.
In the past schools were required to develop five- and 10-year organizational plans. The plans themselves took years to develop, were often based only on the perceptions of a few and were unyielding to change. The typical result was, "Here is the plan,

William Barr, McDuffie County superinten- to his planning committee. Members must dent, explains the strategic planning process determine the system,s needs and goals.

here's what we're going to do, and we'll talk about it again in five or 10 years when we develop our next plan." Without the support necessary for fulfillment, many plans wound up in the bottom of drawers, often quoted, rarely implemented.
Then came the realization that strategic planning, used for years by business and military leaders to build success, could help educators improve education.
Envisioning the future By envisioning the future educators
could develop the procedures and programs needed to achieve the vision.

Through strategic planning superintendents and local planning teams could decide where they want their schools to be in the future.
Instead of trying to predict the future based on the past, strategic planners decide where they want and need their system to be in five years and how they can guarantee arrival at that point.
The strategic plan is based on a mission and goals that are constant; however,the plan itselfremains alive, changing as school, community and student needs change. Plans customarily encompass five years with

annual reevaluations to guarantee that programs are addressing the proper educational areas.
"Change is so dramatic today that it is highly unlikely that five years from now you will be achieving goals set today," Barr said. "You will be constantly redefining those things. Trying to stay in control of the things that affect learning will cause you to redefine your goals. As things that you have not planned for occur, you must be willing to make a shift, to develop a new strategy or alter a strategy to accommodate what you've found. "

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Most educators, according to Barr, have remained insulated while planning, only considering factors within the walls of the system. It is not that educators haven't wanted to consider outside forces. Barr says that until now they haven't known how.
"We assumed that we knew who the public was and what problems we were facing. I made the assumption that we were serving the same people year after year, and although I saw newspaper accounts of changes taking place, I never embraced those issues," Barr said. An example of recent changes in McDuffie is the immigration ofnon-English speaking students that is causing the system to incorporate English as a Second Language programs for the first time.
Through strategic planning Barr says educators examine everything that affects learning. Internal scanning provides information such as test scores, attendance, dropout rates and student performance levels, while external scanning examines forces outside the school, such as the economy, family structures, demographics, technology and emerging trends that affect learning.
Barr hopes McDuffie County's efforts as one ofthe state's six pilot sites will help others develop their own plans. The task force had hoped 20 school systems would test the model over the next four years to determine whether strategic planning is a viable concept to require of all school systems or whether it should be voluntary, according to Barr. The superintendent was disappointed when the number oftest sites was reduced to six this year and when the Georgia Board ofEducation removed planning funds from the state education budget request.
Based on its research the task force, according to Barr, decided there were too many unanswered questions and

too little data to support mandatory local strategic planning. Instead, it made a strong recommendation for piloting the program before enforcing the requirement. The task force recommended an 18-step planning process, but encouraged local systems to devise a method that best suits their own methods of operation and the issues they need to tackle.
Three-pronged approach Barr elected to go with a three-
pronged planning organization. He set up a planning committee of central office staff and principals to develop the plan, a local board of education committee to review all proposals and arrive at a consensus of opinions with the planning committee and a community advisory committee of representatives from all walks of life. The community advisory committee adds a layperson's viewpoint to the plan and, once implemented, will serve as a missionary front for the plan, helping to sell it to
Barr adds a name to the list of possible community advisory committeemembers. Theplanners must pay strict attention to the group's racial, social, sexual and economic mix.

the community, which must support it for success.
When selecting the community advisory committee in late October, McDuffie's planning committee members paid strict attention to the racial, sexual, economic and social mix ofthe group. Blacks, whites, men, women, lawyers, beauticians, clergymen, busi-

nesspeople, homeowners, renters, students, graduates and dropouts were among those selected. "By getting a true cross section of views, we can get true indications of the public's feelings of what education should be in our community," Barr said.
As people throughout the state are looking at the new push for strategic

Steps in the strategic process

Local systems are encouraged to consider the following steps when developing strategic plans. Pilot sites, however, are encouraged to develop methods that best suit the individual system.
The board of education and administration must decide to plan.
The board and administration select a planning team and community advisory committee.

review the strategic directions, strategic objectives and strategies.
Action committees are established by the administration to develop operational plans, identify constraints, develop an implementation timetable and determine evaluation procedures.
The planning team reviews the operational plan.

The board and administration provide for an internal and external scan.
Data from external and internal scans are shared with the board, administration, community advisory committee and planning team.
The planning team develops a mission statement and key assumptions from scans.

Administration and board approve the plan.
The plan is submitted to the Georgia Department of Education for review.
State board rules on constraints and/ or approves the plan.
Plan implementation begins.
Annual update process is implemented.

The board, administration and community advisory committee review the mission statement and key assumptions from the scans.
The planning team develops strategic directions, strategic objectives and strategies.
The board, administration and community advisory committee

Periodic state on-site monitoring begins.
Although systems may begin preparing for strategic planning without the help of a strategic planning consultant, the Georgia Department of Education recom mends working with a consultant when beginning the actual plan.

8 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

Barr holds up a copy ofthe Atlanta Constitution as an example of the kinds of information affecting schools that should be considered during the system's external scan.

planning, many are asking the ques- intendent on down, there is no stra-

tion, "Why?"

tegic plan, according to Barr.

Why? Because without a plan of where you're going or how you're going to get there, chances are you won't get where you want to be.
Strategic planning makes it possible for each community to focus on its specific concerns while reflecting the beliefs, goals, hopes and dreams of the community. The school and the community come together to achieve what is best for everyone in a plan that reflects the special characteristics and needs of the school system and its students.
Strategic planning requires the willingness to dedicate time (12 to 15 full days), energy and effort to a plan, and the commitment to stick to implementing the plan even when what is best for education might conflict with the emotional concerns of an area. Without this commitment from all levels of the education system, from the super-

Requires risk-taking In addition to commitment, stra-
tegic planning requires taking risks. While organizational planning was a long, relatively smooth-sailing process, Barr says strategic planning is "a risk-taking activity."
From the first activity- coming to a consensus on values and beliefs Barr says there are high risks.
"Formerly, most of our decisions were made void of having to discuss beliefstatements or the basis for making a decision. To state a bold mission for a school system, to state unequivocally to the public and your community, 'Here are the things we are going to do for the next five years,' is risky. "
Barr says it is much easier to operate day-to-day and tell people that you are doing different things for different reasons. Little risk is involved if you aren't doing much and if you aren't having to communicate what you are doing.

Barr asks his planning committee to "think hard," to be sure that they have considered all the areas that would be of concern to the school system in coming years.

For example,ifan area decides that one of its major problems is the high rate of teen pregnancy and embraces the reduction ofteen pregnancies as a strategic direction, it must take steps to solve the problem.
It may be necessary to include teaching about contraception in sex education classes. Community values may

promote abstinence and no sex out of marriage, but that may not be a realistic approach to the problem, according to Barr.
Risk-taking is also necessary when internal and external data reveal that a popular program with a great deal of emotional support costs more than it benefits students.

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Barr says, for example, if after careful study a system decides that its vocational-agriculture program costs three times what it should and is not benefiting the students, it may be necessary to abolish the program in spite of the fact that it is held dear by many in the community (especially those who feel that in the past they gained from the program).
Tests against reality "You're filtering the school system.
Testing it against the realities ofwhat an internal and external analysis reveals," Barr said, adding that to find solutions it may be necessary to do difficult things.
The superintendent thinks it is premature to decide whether existing strategic planning methods are for everyone, but he thinks all systems should begin looking at how the process could be applied in their areas.
Barr said that all school systems should take a close look at themselves to see ifthey are prepared for strategic planning. Ifthe leadership ofa school system does not know where it stands and where it hopes to go, it needs to start now gathering information and determining its goals to guarantee it is ready to meet the QBE requirement when it is enacted.
One possible advantage to developing a strategic plan is that systems can become demonstration school districts, and certain board policies, rules and regulations may be waived for the district if they represent constraints on implementing the plan.
"That provision gets at the true opportunity for reform," Barr said. "Reform in education does not take place at the state level. It takes place on the local level in local schools. This gives systems a chance to attempt reform, even when the changes they need conflict with state guidelines."

Strategic planning glossary

When facing strategic planning one of the biggest problems is learning an entirely new vocabulary. Missions, strategies, directions, assumptions - the list goes on. It can be overwhelming. To ease the transition, here is a glossary of the most commonly used terms and someinsightinto what they mean. Theorder ofthe terms represents the recommended step sequence to follow when developing a strategic plan. These elements, as outlined in the Georgia Department of Education's Local Strategic Planning Task Force recommendations, represent the essence of strategic planning.
Strategic planning - the process by which the leaders of a school system envision its future and develop the necessary procedures and operations to achieve the future. The process requires leaders to decide where the system wants to be in five years.
Mission statement - the "who," "what" and "how" questions of the school system. It relates the purpose for which a school system exists and the primary functions it performs.
Strategic directions - provide a sense of where the system is going. These are broad statements of direction, purpose or intent without relationship to time.
Strategic objectives - identify specific priority targets for concentrating the energies and resources of the system. They represent statements of desired outcomes that specify both quantity ofoutput and the time frame for accomplishment.

Strategies - represent methods of using the resources of the system to meet the strategic objectives and to move the system closer to fulfilling its mission. They are statements that describe approaches to be used to achieve strategic objectives. Strategies describe how to get things done and may focus on one or more strategic objectives.
Environmental scanning (both internal and external) -the process or activities used to gather information needed to make decisions aboutthe present and future. Environmental scanning uses external scanning, which measures those things the school system doesn't have control of; and internal scanning, which measures the strengths and weaknesses in the system.
Key assumptions - provide the bases for testing the strategic plan against existing realities. These are statements that relate the most important findings from the environmental scan.
Operational plans - describe how strategies will be implemented. They describe specific actions, assign responsibilities for completing actions, propose budget needs, list constraints and enablers, define a time frame for implementation and explain how the degree of success is to be determined.
Implementationtimetable -includes anticipated dates for strategy implementation and achieving strategic objectives.
Evaluation - describes how the school system proposes to determine the degree to which the strategic plan has been implemented. The purpose ofthis step is to prove, not disprove, accomplishments.

Ray Bouchillon, who oversees the state's local strategic planning program, said that once systems begin developing their own strategic plans, they "will have a clearer idea of what to do, what they want to be doing and the services they want and need to offer. They will also be more effective in accomplishing their goals."
Bouchillon said that the emphasis of the pilot program will be learning

to process and manage a plan - not the quality of plan produced. He sees development ofenvisioning skills and the time constraints faced by superintendents, whose presence is essential throughout the process, as two of the biggest obstacles for developing a strategic plan.
The pilot sites- Cartersville City, Charlton County, Dalton City, Emanuel County, McDuffie County and

Sumter County - were chosen based on their size, geographic location, past experience with implementing programs and their interest in planning. During the first year pilot systems receive no additional money for their participation; however, they do receive free training through workshops and consultations with experts in the field, as recommended by the task force.

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Teacher concerns
Georgia teachers speak out about their profession

By Anne Raymond

"Money is not the first thing. It's important, but it doesn't make the difference in whether a teacher stays or goes," concluded Jean Williams, Georgia's 1988 Teacher of the Year, after talking to teachers, students and community members during more than 160 engagements across the state since November 1987.

"I talked. I listened. I tried to speak out for teachers, to encourage them to try to make a difference, not to give up," Williams said, noting that she found teachers more concerned about working conditions than about salary.

"It's how they are treated," she said. "Teachers want to feel they are part of the system; they want to work with the system, to have their voices count. We feel we have good ideas, but no one listens - not the local system, not the state, not legislators."

Georgia teachers' feelings echo those oftheir colleagues in the nation. A recent Carnegie study reports most teachers feel left out of education decision-making. Georgia's State Superintendent of Schools Werner Roger s quoted the report to a national urban educators meeting in Georgia this fa ll, saying, "We have created education reforms that leave teachers as front-row spectators while the signals are being called by governors, legislators and state education officials. "
"We must involve teachers more in the education process; they are closest to the children and in the best position to affect learning," Rogers said. He called for more "school-based management" in which teachers help set the curriculum, choose textbooks and guide their own professional development.
Humanize, localize The state's 1989 runner-up TOTY
Betty Shockley, who teaches kinder-

Jean Williams, Georgia's 1988 Teacherofthe Year, found that money doesn't keep teachers in the classroom. What does? Good working conditions and having their ideas heard.

garten, agrees. "For the sake of the children and their teachers, we need to humanize and localize our approaches to education," she said.
"We need to remember to teach children, not just curriculum. We need to make fewer global decisions about how and what to teach and more school-based decisions that reflect the particular needs and concerns of that specific population. Too often we push instead of nudge and pull instead of hug."
Shockley's school, Fowler Drive Elementary in Clarke County, has been designated a "professional

school." Decisions are made by all members of the professional staff. Teachers and students believe they make a difference, that their ideas and concerns matter. With this empowerment of teachers and students, Shockley says, comes increased curiosity, critical thinking and discussion about teaching and learning and an active involvement with experimentation and evaluation of instruction. The school's motto is "If you can dream it, you can do it!"
"Teachers can and should contribute their voice to solving education's problems," says 1989 TOTY finalist Roger Hines of Cobb County. "Class-

room teachers are an untapped, if not an ignored source of ideas and solutions. Ifteachers are the practitioners of the art of teaching, and if teaching is the most important thing teachers do each day at school, then teachers need badly to sit in on administrative team meetings so that they may at least influence the decisions, procedures and conditions under which they work.
"I am not referring at all to 'shared power' but to shared responsibility. Teachers simply need a systematic way by which they can inject their practical perspective into the day-in and day-out workings of the school."
Georgia's 1989 Teacher of the Year, Larry Bussey of Tift County High School, confirms Williams' opinion that money is not the number one issue among teachers.
"Pouring more money into facilities and programs is not the panacea for the problems," Bussey says. "Concern, participation and hard work by the administration, the faculty, the staff, the students, the parents and the community must be there along with the money. Teacher preparation and accountability need to be stressed even more.
"Teachers' salaries must stay competitive so that we can keep quality people in the classroom, but money, cooperation, hard work, concern, preparation, accountability all go together to help students get to know themselves and develop the best they have inside."
While increased salary may not be most teachers' top concern, it is definitely a factor with those who are entering teaching for the first time, Williams believes.
"Money attracts people into careers, and young people are looking for jobs that pay well. If we don't get salaries up, we won't be able to attract good

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Bussey feels teacher salaries must be competitive but says, "money, cooperation, hard work, concern, preparation and accountability go together" to help students achieve.
teachers. I have talked with many young people who want to go straight into administration, because they want the power and the money that come at that level. They feel that is where they can make a difference," Williams said.
Making a difference is what teaching is all about for Williams and thousands of other Georgia classroom teachers.

Dropouts, apathy are concerns "Teachers are trying to find ways to
reach every student. We are concerned about dropouts - about student apathy. Many students don't see how school can help. A lot of dropouts are those whose bodies are there, but whose minds have turned off. School is a place to go until you're 16," said Williams.

"Part of our job is to help students build self-esteem. We need to start catching them earlier - in the first and second grades. We need more communication. We need to try to understand students. Many don't have anyone to talk to, and some of them tum to alcohol or think about suicide.

"The teachers I've talked to believe the home plays a big part. Accountability applies to everyone who contacts a student - not just to the school. We all need to take responsibility for our actions, to realize we are role models. Discipline problems would be fewer if there was more support from the home. So often teachers have parents tell them, 'I can't do anything with him at home, either.' We are all part of the system.''
Seeing connections One ofthe teacher's mostimportant
tasks, Williams feels, is to help students see the connection between school and living.

Tift County high schoolEnglish teacherLarry Year, accepts the award and a handshake Bussey (left), Georgia's 1989 Teacher of the from State Superintendent Werner Rogers.

"By depending so much on tests, we are not realizing the potential in the child," she says. "We need to stress to children to learn the material, and then you'll do well on the test. So many students feel they are in school to give us answers they think we want to hear. We need to show them how practical education really is. Ifwe can do this, they will stay in school."
Concern for students and wanting them to stay in school and succeed are basic motivators for Georgia teachers who continue to teach in spite of the

stresses of too great expectations and too few tangible rewards.
System TOTY Robert C. Hendrick ofCarrollton City believes that teachers share the responsibility for dropouts. "Each year we see young adults leaving the public education system prematurely. They have usually been indoctrinated with failure by wellmeaning teachers who insist that the student did not earn the grades needed for promotion. So the student fails, but so does the teacher and society as a whole," he said.

"Schools do not exist so students can earn a grade. The school is the place where teachers provide every child an opportunity to succeed in the learning experience. Effective teaching is not a 'GOTCHA' game in which students are stymied by rising requirements and test gates."
(The Georgia Board of Education has established "test gates," or promotion tests, at the third grade and at graduation. Students must pass them to move on.)

12 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

-

Shockley believes that empowering teachers and students will lead to more curiosity, critical thinking and discussion about teaching and learning.

The Georgia Department of Education shares teachers' concerns about dropouts. The Georgia Dropout Prevention and Recovery Task Force, chaired by Representative Suzi Johnson-Herbert of the 76th District, has made six recommendations to the Georgia Board of Education for approaches to keeping students in school: a resource manual, a school climate management program, an inschool suspension program, dropout prevention models, model codes of discipline, a uniform dropout definition and a uniform system for collecting statistics.
Developed resource manual Departmentofeducation staffhave
developed the resource manual containing model dropout prevention programs and discipline codes based on successful programs in Georgia and other states. Systems will use the manual to develop their own approaches to dropout prevention. School climate management workshops are scheduled in January, and a proposal is being readied for the state board to define dropouts and systematically collect statistics on them.
The state board's budget request for FY 1990 includes $308,000 for the inschool suspension program, and one goal of the department's strategic plan for education is to develop and adopt a clear definition of at-risk students and provide programs to meet their needs.
"We cannot continue to lose onethird of our students as dropouts," said State Superintendent Rogers. "Every dropout is an individual tragedy and a potential liability for our society. We cannot afford the loss of human potential that results from undereducating our citizens."
Williams spent many hours last year boosting morale, trying to en-

courage teachers and students. "People feel that nothing they can do will help. I tell them to keep trying, not to give up. Every time you go over a mountain, that's another one out of the way. Our failure is in not trying," Williams said. A major cause of low morale among teachers, she found, is the public's negative perception of schools, especially from the news media.
Negative perception hurts "Teachers feel they are doing a
good job, but people looking in from the outside say we are doing a poor job. This affects teachers the same way it affects a student. If you keep telling him he's failing, he begins to wonder why he should come to school. Teachers have to be their own backpatters and say, 'Look what I've done,"' she said.
Strengthening public confidence in education is one of the department's seven strategic directions for the future. Through a targeted marketing and public relations plan, the department will try to improve public perception of education. The plan calls specifically for using outstanding educators in Georgia to promote teaching in public schools, emphasizing the value ofobtaining an education to parents, students and citizens, and improving the status of teaching as a profession.
Teachers seem to be feeling more stress because of the Quality Basic Education Act (QBE), Williams found.
"QBE came with paperwork. We know the law didn't mandate paperwork, but still we have it. It comes down through the system to teachers," Williams said. "Many teachers cause their own paperwork because they want to be accountable. They give special tests for certain students who need them, and that causes extra paperwork. But we want to do it. We

are all working to have better schools," Williams said.
The department of education is taking a number of steps to alleviate the paperwork problem in response to recommendations of Rogers' Paperwork Reduction Task Force earlier this fall.
The reporting of maximum class size (a QBE provision) will be reduced from two or three times a year to once. Within five years state-adopted textbooks will be correlated to the state curriculum to cut down on documentation of lesson plans.
Rogers also proposes to reduce the amount ofreporting necessary to comply with a Georgia Board of Education policy on student absences for noninstructional purposes by requiring documentation only for grades nine through 12. He will propose legislation that will make it unnecessary for teachers to keep attendance registers for state purposes and a state

board policy that will eliminate teachers' and administrators' handling of daily school food money collections.
Williams' school, Douglas County Comprehensive High School, has its own paperwork reduction task force. They have found three internal forms that relate to a single task and eventually wind up in the hands of one person. "We are seeing less paperwork this year," Williams said, "and it will get better if we work on it."
Positive about QBE Teachers also see many positive
aspects of QBE. Shirley Mae Carlyle, fourth-grade teacher at Blakeney Elementary School in Burke County, likes full-day kindergarten and the teacher evaluation system. She looks forward to the career ladder and more professional training based on her needs and interests. Carlyle hopes for better test scores, more students mastering basic skills in all areas and fewer dropouts.

Betty Shockley, 1989 Georgia TOTY runner-up, believes in localized, humanized approaches to education. She says, "We teach children, not just curriculum."
Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 13

Williams brings an upbeat, proactive message back from her travels as Georgia TOTY. Her statewide trips introduced her to thousands of teachers, students and other citizens.

"Items such as increased paperwork, slow changes or progress, small results shown on tests, calculating local shares of the reform and increased accountability are parts of the Quality Basic Education Act that will have to be scrutinized for better results," Carlyle said. "Immediate results will not be seen. We all have to work with patience and be prepared to accept change. Any kind of major change takes time, work and great efforts."
Other teachers have mixed opinions on the new teacher evaluation system required by QBE, according to Williams.
"It depends on how it's presented. I've sat through many faculty meetings where it was explained. Sometimes it comes across as a way to help us become better teachers by finding our weaknesses and strengthening those areas; other times I heard presenters who make it seem the purpose of the process is only to weed out bad teachers," Williams said.
"Teachers don't fear the instruments. We want to be professionals, and we see evaluation as one way for people to see us as professionals. We just want it to be fair," she said.
Williams sees strong points in the evaluation process. "Many teachers have not had a principal in their classroom in years. Teachers want constructive evaluation that will help them improve. The Georgia Teacher Observation Instrument comes a lot closer than some ofthe others to doing the job," she said.
Larry Bussey (1989 TOTY) agrees that teachers should be accountable for their work. "Teachers for so long seldom had to be accountable to anyone for what happened or didn't happen in their classes. This is changing, and well it should," he said. "Yes, test us - but administer a fair and unbi-

ased test. Yes, evaluate us - but be thorough and professional ...
Professionalism is key "Professionalism is the key word.
When teachers are training as professionals, paid as such, and treated likewise, we will see the best and brightest come into our classrooms to stay and address issues in public education in new and fresh ways."
Williams' travels as Georgia Teacher of the Year have put her in touch with thousands of teachers, students and community members. The message she brings from her experience is upbeat and proactive.
"We are all part of the system. We have good students, good teachers and good schools. The more we talk about it, the more people will begin to realize it," she said. There are still a lot ofchallenges ahead, not justin the curriculum, but in people. We must think about the people. We must work hard to educate students and the public."
The same ideas and concerns come from Georgia teachers nominated by local systems for the Georgia Teacher of the Year Program. Writing about education issues as part of their applications, local system teachers of the year identified teacher issues (evaluation, accountability, effectiveness, recruitment) and student issues (dropouts, teen pregnancy, sex education and achievement) as the top two areas of concern. Thirty-fourteachers identified student matters as their number one issue, and 27 wrote about teaching and related matters.
Teachers' message to Georgians is clear: "We care deeply about our students and our profession. We are willing to work hard and to pay the physical and emotional price ofteaching in a society that continues to expect more and more of its schools. But we expect some commitments

Williams found that teachers care deeply about their students and their profession. But they ask for respect, involvement in decision-making and relief from routine chores.

from society in return: respect for our profession in the community and salaries that reflect that stature, involvement in education decision-making, administrators who support us by fo-

cusing the school on its most important business and relief from some routine administrative responsibilities."

14 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

Is Georgia's teacher shortage a reality?

by Anne Raymond
Is there really a teacher shortage?
A national study group reported this fall that the teacher shortage is not real. Emily Feistritzer and researchers at the National Center for Education Information found "There is no teacher shortage, and barring a dramatic turn ofevents, there will not be one in the foreseeable future."
But Georgia's education leaders quickly argue otherwise. State School Superintendent Werner Rogers was emphatic with local superintendents at their fall meeting.
"Having enough teachers has not been our experience," he said. "There is a shortage. It's there and it's real. We are trying to ease the problem through some certification measures, but they are not a complete solution."
Rogers cited a current Professional Standards Commission (PSC) study projecting that by 1993-94 two-thirds of the current Georgia teacher workforce will have left the classroom to retire or for other reasons.
Numbers not in pipeline "And the numbers to replace them
are not in the pipeline. We have a potentially dangerous situation across the state," Rogers said.
The PSC report identifies a major teacher retention problem for Georgia among teachers who have 14 or more years of experience. "Teachers get toward the end of the pay scale and don't see any future," said Sue Harrison, PSC executive secretary.
"Sixty-three percent of the total 1988 workforce of 72,226 educators has zero to 14 years experience, and 20 percent has more than 20 years experience," Harrison notes. "Based on these characteristics and projected attrition, Georgia faces severe teacher supply problems."
Local school superintendents are having problems now, and they see

increased salaries and improved teacher image as the only solutions.
"Teachers just aren't available," said Effingham County Superintendent Michael Moore. Several weeks after school opened, he still had two vacancies in special education, one in science and one in media.

"We've got to put more money into teacher salaries," echoes Atkinson County Superintendent Edwin Davis. "A three-percent increase just won't cut it. Good facilities and programs are important, but if we don't get salaries up, we won't have the staffwe need. It's bad now, but it's going to get serious."

areas, and education officials have begun to work on all of them. The Georgia Board ofEducation is asking for $26 million in teacher salary increases for experienced teachers in FY 1990. When the market-sensitive salary study is completed, additional funds will be requested for teacher raises overall.

Salaries key issue Moore sees salaries as a key issue.
"When young people see what the salaries are, they aren't going to choose teaching," he said.
"We need to do some positive things in high school to promote the profession. Find out what students' perceptions are and work on them. Georgia Southern and Armstrong College are studying the positives and negatives of teaching and are including students. That's something we need."
Even with Georgia Southern College in his backyard, Bulloch County Superintendent Ed Wynn has had increased problems finding teachers in the past two years.
"People are being enticed into other careers for economic reasons," he said. "The reform efforts created a flurry of interest in teaching, but now that's waning."
Wynn sees the current problems as a continuation of those he observed from 1970 to 1980 as head of Georgia Southern's Department of Elementary arid Special Education. "I have seen the numbers and the quality of people who choose teaching decline as those who choose business careers increase correspondingly."
Wynn recruits at all Georgia colleges and in Alabama and South Carolina, especially for minority teachers.
"You will see many Georgia school systems, including Bulloch, hiring teachers earlier than in the past to get the best we can find. We plan to hire in February, even before we know what vacancies we will have," Wynn said.

Aggressive recruiting While Vidalia City Schools did have
all the teachers they needed when school opened, it was only because of aggressive teacher recruitment efforts in Kentucky, South Carolina and Georgia bY: Superintendent Tom Hutcheson.
He found people from Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania who wanted to come south- in all, 12 teachers this year from out of state. "I'm sure we'll have to keep up the recruitment effort to keep classrooms staffed," Hutcheson said.
LaGrange schools still have two vacancies in spite ofintensive recruiting. "During early 1988 we recruited heavily in 18 colleges and universities in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida," said Cal Adamson, superintendent.
"In spite of these efforts, we had to do an extensive telephone search during the summer and fall. We employed 14 beginning teachers with no experience, one on a provisional certificate, one on an emergency certificate and three out-of-field. Two vacancies remain, one in speech pathology and a school psychologist.
Must intensify efforts "Clearly, we must intensify our re-
cruitment efforts. In the past we have used administrative staff to share in recruiting. We are now considering employing an additional staff member with major responsibility for yearround recruitment."
Answers to the very real teacher shortage in Georgia lie in several

Recruitment efforts are increasing at the state level. Linda Jordan, teacher recruitment coordinator for the department, is launching a videotape and teacher guide for teachers to use in teaching young people about the profession.
The Georgia Department of Education has developed a pilot alternative teacher preparation program that enables math and science graduates to be trained as teachers during an intensive summer institute and a year-long mentor program. Thirty people went through the first program this summer and are in schools this year with their mentors. Other options are being tried through certification.
New teacher pay scale A legislative subcommittee is at
work now to recommend a new teacher pay scale and other means of retaining teachers.
"We realize we have a problem, and we are trying many new ways to solve it. We have thousands of excellent teachers in our classrooms today, and we are going to need thousands more," said Rogers.
"It is time we listen to teachers in our efforts to improve education. Everything we do, and everything done by local superintendents, boards of education and principals, must be aimed at improving teaching and learning conditions for classroom teachers and their students. Our future depends on it."
Editor's Note: This story follows up the lead article in Alert for March 1988, "Who Will Teach the Classes of the Future?"

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 15

12:30 P.M.

13o M p

Recess is a welcome stretch from



studies for third graders at

Swainsboro Elementary School in Emanuel County.

1050

A.M.

A student at Chestnut Log Middle School displays per-

fect form during band practice in Douglas County.

16 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

2 30 :

P.M.

Teachers, aides and students volunteer to help special educa-

tion students navigate the halls at the end of the

school day at Bi School. This has between regular a

photo by Jesse Hunter

9 5o 8 15

A.M.

Students at Swint Elementary School in Clayton County eat



A.M.

The school day begins with a big smile for this student at Sallie Zetterower Elementary School in Bulloch

their lunches with obvious relish.

County. He seems proud to hang up his own jacket.

One day

in Georgia public schools

A look at what goes on during the average school day in classrooms and schools across Georgia

At first glance, these photos might seem to show nothing out of the ordinary: just the same things you'd see in any school anywhere. And that's the point. Taken on the same October day in schools from every area ofthe state, at specifiedhours fronrthe beginning to the close of the school day, these photos show both the joy and the seriousness ofour students as they approach learning. It's all in a day at school.
County's Tinsley Elementary resulted in rewarding friendships
special students.

~
~01111. ~

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~
~

s
L_~~-=~--~~~~. .~~~ 1

11 15 :

A.M.

Kindergartners at Honey CreekElementaryinRock-

dale County trace 'five' in beans and glue.

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 17

Georgia Teacher Evaluation Program provides valuable feedback to teachers

By Eleanor Gilmer
As Cheryl Hilderbrand prepares to teach her 11th-grade English literature class at Jackson High School in Butts County, curriculum director Janie Carmichael enters the room, finds a seat in the back and begins to take notes. After exactly 15 minutes she leaves without speaking to teacher or students.
This process is going on in classrooms across the state. Sometimes it's the school principal, assistant principal, a lead teacher or a central office staff member making the unannounced 15-minute visit. Visits may come at the beginning, middle or near the end of the class period.
What's happening is teacher evaluation. Every classroom teacher in

the state this year will receive at least four of these unannounced visits as part of the Georgia Teacher Evaluation Program (GTEP). And for the first time ever, every teacher's evaluation will be based on the same instrument.
What can an evaluator learn in a 15-minute session? A lot if you follow the guidelines for effective teaching in the Georgia Teacher Observation Instrument (GTOI), says Carmichael.
Mock evaluation The results of the evaluations are
kept confidential; however, Hilderbrand agreed to go through a mock evaluation and conference for this article. (She is not one of the teachers Carmichael will evaluate this year.)

Carmichael went in at the beginning of Hilderbrand's 11th-grade, college-preparatory English literature class. The teacher announced to her 13 students that they would be reviewing the play Success, but first they would review homework from the previous night on an essay by Benjamin Franklin.
She called on students for some answers, asked a question, let students raise their hands to respond and gave examples of how the essay fits in with today's values. She moved around the room, occasionally touching a student's shoulder or stopping to look at a student's book. (All of these activities relate to tasks outlined in the GTOI.)
Carmichael recorded on her notebook the teacher's name, the grade

level being taught, the time the evaluation began and the time it ended. Her notebook was divided in half. Every time the teacher spoke directly to a student, Carmichael wrote the student's name. She made notes about every phase of the lesson, the teacher's actions and the students' reactions.
Exactly 15 minutes after she entered the classroom, Carmichael left, returned to her office, went over her notes and filled out the GTOI record form.
"Normally, I would evaluate three teachers during a period, then go back to my office to fill out the form," she said. "It is important, however, for evaluators to fill out the form as soon as possible after the evaluation while the information is still fresh."

The record form asks for the teacher's name, grade and subject, system and school; the Social Security numbers of the teacher and observer; the date; which visit this was (first, second, etc.); the total minutes the observer stayed in the classroom and whether the observation was done at the beginning, middle or end of the lesson.

Scores three tasks Three major tasks are scored: in-
struction, student progress and management ofthe learning environment. Only a score of S (satisfactory) or NI (needs improvement) will be given this year, but next year teachers may receive U (unsatisfactory).

Cheryl Hilderbrand reviews homework on an essay by Benjamin Franklin with her 11th-grade English literature students during a mock classroom observation.

Janie Carmichael, curriculum director, takes notes on Hilderbrand,s techniques and performance during the 15minute observation. She will write her report later.

On Teacher Task 1: Provides Instruction, the observer checks to see if the lesson content is appropriate for the students based on their abilities. (Were the amount and organization of content appropriate for the students and the topic? Did the lesson provide moderately difficult tasks that are within reach of most students?)

18 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

Hilderbrand explains the difference between 'lay' and 'lie.' During the evaluation, she calls on students, asks questions, gives examples and moves around the room.

Under Task I the evaluator also determines if the lesson is teacherfocused (content is explained, discussed or reviewed in an appropriate sequence using such techniques as definitions, examples and demonstrations or through teacher-guided group activities) or student-focused (provides appropriate opportunities for students to practice or generate new content individually or through small groups).
The evaluator also determines ifthe lesson provides instruction that builds on what students already know and helps to transfer what is learned into the future. This is done by linking unfamiliar material to familiar material, emphasizing techniques to stress the importance of difficult areas of a topic or by making content easy by linking it to relevant life experiences or through associations.
In Teaching Task II: Assesses and Encourages Student Progress, the evaluator monitors the teacher's promotion of learning through stimulating presentations and active student participation, such as directing students to think of an example or recall an experience, take notes or respond as a group.
The evaluator also determines whether the teacher monitors student progress during the lesson, reinforces adequate student performance and gives specific feedback or correctives for inadequate performance.
In addition, the observer determines whether support for students is conveyed by using techniques such as providing encouragement, lowering concern levels, dignifying academic responses and using language free of sarcasm, ridicule and humiliating references.
In Teaching Task III: Manages the Learning Environment, the observer evaluates

the teacher's use of time -whether he or she provides clear directions and uses efficient methods for routine matters;
physical setting- whether the setting allows the students to observe the focus of instruction, to work without disruption, to move about easily and whether it allows the teacher to monitor the students and to move among them;
and appropriate behavior - if appropriate behavior is maintained by monitoring the behavior of the entire class, providing feedback and intervening when necessary.
The record form also allows space for the evaluator to make comments to the teacher on areas in which he or she is doing well or areas where improvement is needed.
"A teacher may get an Son an area, but the evaluator may see areas for improvement. This feedback is given in the comment section of the form," said Carmichael.
The evaluator must provide a copy ofthe score sheet to the teacher within five days ofthe evaluation. The teacher signs the evaluation form, attaches any comments she wants to make and either returns it to the evaluator or asks for a conference.
Hilderbrand was rated satisfactory on all areas of the evaluation.
Not easy, but good "It is not easy being evaluated, even
if you know you do a good job," said Hilderbrand. "Last year I really resented it. Now, however, I think it's a good thing. The evaluation is fair, and the areas evaluated are those that make a good teacher. Before the evaluation program, administrators were so busy doing other things that they had little time for classroom visits."
What does she think about the unannounced visits?










































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The GTOI record form is used to score three tasks: providing instruction, assessing and encouraging student progress and managing the learning environment.

"I think unannounced visits are the only ones that really work. It keeps us on our toes and makes sure we are prepared," she said. However, she thinks 15 minutes is not long enough.
Although the principal is the person with ultimate responsibility for teacher evaluation - and must per-

sonally evaluate at least 10 teachers per year - responsibility for some of the observations may be given to other designated professional staff.
The teacher evaluation program was piloted for two years, including 20 school systems in FY 1988 (see box), and is being field-tested state-

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 19

During the post-evaluation conference, Carmichael (left) explains herreport to Hilderbrand, who likes the evaluationprocess because it gives her valuable feedback.

wide this year before it goes into effect for the 1989-90 school year. As indicated by the Quality Basic Education Act (QBE), the Georgia Board of Education could eventually tie teacher pay raises to satisfactory evaluations based on the GTEP.
Tie to pay raises What does Hilderbrand think about
the evaluation being tied to pay raises?
"I like the idea. I work hard, and as long as the administration is fair and

I know what is expected of me, I think it is fair to tie raises to evaluation. This is the way it's done in the business world," she said.
"The purposes ofthe Georgia Teacher Evaluation Program are to identify effective teaching practices and to reinforce good practices already being used by teachers," said Jim Puckett, director of the Georgia Education Leadership Academy, which is responsible for training evaluators.
"The program will also help teachers develop areas where instruction

can be improved, and it will help school administrators identify those teachers who do not meet our minimum standards so they can help them improve."
Two instruments are being used this year in the teacher evaluation program: the Georgia Teacher Observation Instrument (GTOI) and the Georgia Duties and Responsibilities Instrument(GDRI). TheGTOiisused to evaluate classroom activities, while the GDRI describes additional expectations for teachers. Evaluation of how well these duties and responsibilities are performed is conducted throughout the school year.
"The components of the duties and responsibilities instrument are those things administrators have traditionally based teacher evaluation on attendance, interaction with parents and students, whether the teacher follows system and school rules and regulations," said Puckett. "These things are still important, but they are in addition to the teaching tasks evaluators look at in the observation instrument."
Evaluators receive training Last summer nearly 5,000 school
administrators spent four days in extensive training in the use of the GTOI. They reviewed effective teaching strategies and practices and learned how to take notes during the classroom observation and how to fill out the scoring form. The culminating activity was a proficiency check ofthe evaluators.
For the 1988-89 field test, all evaluators will be classified as either "fully proficient" or "provisionally proficient." However, when the program goes into effect next school year, a person must be fully proficient to evaluate teachers.
Proficiency is based on an assessment process that includes checks on

how well evaluators score teaching dimensions outlined in the GTOI and a written test on the administrator's understanding of procedures and instruments used in the evaluation. Evaluators must also have attended all segments of the training program.
Those who attend all the training sessions but who do not obtain the required score on either or both ofthe assessment components are classified provisionally proficient. They will receive additional instruction and must achieve full proficiency before the fall of 1989.
The next phase of the training program - and one of the most important - was an orientation for all teachers during preplanning week.
"State educators felt it was most important for teachers to know exactly what they would be evaluated on, the process to be used and how the information will be used," said Carmichael, who serves as a state trainer in addition to her local duties. "Systems were required to provide at least two hours of orientation, but many spent much longer. Copies ofthe evaluation instrument and all of the resource materials on effective teaching are in each school and must be made available to teachers."
If they still did not understand the program after orientation, teachers could ask for a pre-evaluation conference with the school administrator.
Two more days of training this fall prepared evaluators to provide performance feedback, learn how to conduct annual conferences with those evaluated, how to help teachers prepare professional development plans and how to write annual evaluation summary reports.
Several versions piloted In the pilot test, several variations
of the evaluation instrument were

20 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

Pilot Systems for the

'[ Teacher Evaluation

Program

'

Appling Butts Calhoun Camden Clayton Clinch Colquitt

Douglas Fannin Glynn Hall Jackson Jasper Newton

Rockdale Twiggs Vidalia City Washington Whitfield Wilkinson

used. These ranged from evaluation based on short-term classroom observation to more extensive observation; from a checklist where the evaluator marked "yes" or "no" on whether the person met performance requirements to a scale score of one to four on performance.
Butts County served as a pilot system for two years, so the process is not entirely new to them, in spite of a number ofchanges in the observation instrument, according to Carmichael.
"Most ofthe changes in the current instrument were made as a result of the input from teachers in the pilot systems and those serving on a steering committee," said Carmichael. "This has been one of the most positive aspects of the program, because teachers have seen that their input h as counted."
In the pilot, evaluators spent two entire periods with each teacher, one announced and one unannounced. Teachers suggested that the announced visit could result in an artificial view of the classroom, and this did not give the evaluator a true pict ure of the teacher's performance, according to Puckett. They also liked the shorter visits best because they got the administrator into the classroom more often.
Teachers who fail to meet an established criterion during observations with the GTOI will be required to move from the standard phase to an extended phase of evaluation.
"The extended phase begins with an announced full-class observation. The results are recorded on a special form, and a conference to discuss the results must be held. The scores from the extended observation are used for diagnostic purposes only and should not be used to determine the annual evaluation classification," said Carmichael.

"The evaluator will determine, based on the results of the extended evaluation, the appropriate course of action for the teacher. Additional unannounced observations will be conducted. At a point determined by the evaluator, the teacher may return to the standard phase or continue in the extended phase."
Although some systems elect to develop one for every teacher, teachers who are in the NI category must have a professional development plan.The plan includes identification of specific objectives from the evaluation instrument, activities, procedures and a timeline for meeting these objectives and a plan to determine how progress towards meeting the objectives will be measured.
In the second part of the evaluation process- the Georgia Teacher Duties and Responsibilities Instrument consistent acceptable performance of the teacher in areas outlined in the instrument (e.g., carries out system and state policies, gets along with colleagues, interacts well with parents and students, etc.) results in an overall satisfactory score.
Unsatisfactory areas documented The evaluator will document only
those areas where performance is not satisfactory. Documentation must include names, dates, places, observation, note of action taken and a timeline for corrective action.
For example, the teacher might be consistently late to work. The principal would need to document the times the teacher was late, make a note of the action taken and the timeline given for the teacher to correct this action. Or the principal might observe that a note sent by the teacher to a parent contained grammatical errors. Documentation might include a copy ofthe note, marked errors, a note from

the principal to the teacher pointing out the errors, etc.
"I like this part of the evaluation program. I think it is important for the principal to see that I am truly interested in my students, that I interact well with parents and participate in activities outside the classroom," said Hilderbrand.
Although conferences to discuss all areas of the evaluation may be requested at any time by the teacher or evaluator, each teacher must attend an annual evaluation conference for a summary of the results of the GTOI and the Teacher Duties and Responsibilities Instrument. The teacher will be provided a record of this summary and may respond in writing to the results. The written comments will be attached to the summary evaluation form .
" I feel good about the Georgia Teacher Evaluation Program," said Carmichael. "We are getting admin-

istrators into the classroom on a regular basis. Administrators feel they can talk with teachers about effective instruction. I also believe this has helped to raise teachers' consciousness level about what they are doing right and what they need improvement in."
Carmichael says the data collected from this year's field test will give state educators good information about effective teaching and where teachers need help. A copy of each record form is sent to the University of Georgia, and data will be summarized at the end of the year. This data will help determine ifchanges need to be made in the GTOI, she says.
Teachers are not the only personnel being evaluated this year. Superintendents, principals, assistant principals, curriculum directors and other central office staff must also go through the evaluation process. This is all part of QBE's emphasis on accountability.

Teachers are given a chance to discuss the evaluation during the post-evaluation review and can respond in writing. They also may request conferences at any time.

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 21

Pioneers and trailblazers
Georgia Career Ladder Program would reward outstanding teachers

By Karen P. Grier

rience, the length of contract and the motion to teachers while they're still

Kay Sheppard doesn't think of herself as a pioneer, but she is. The 34year-old special education teacher is quietly blazing a trail she hopes teachers like herself will be able to follow for years to come. Sheppard is partici-

career ladder level for which the teacher has applied.
The first step in the development of the career ladder program in Georgia was to convene a task force composed of teachers, administrators and busi-

in the classroom, we hope to affect the top three reasons teachers leave the profession- salary, working conditions and professionalism. Three out offive teachers leave the profession in their first three years."

pating in the Georgia Career Ladder

ness representatives to identify teach- Sheppard considered leaving the

Program, now being piloted in five

er concerns the task force should classroom to work in administration,

systems, including Wilkinson County,

address.

previously the only alternative for

where Sheppard teaches. Judy Etheridge, coordinator ofstate

According to Stephen Preston, director of the Personnel Development

those who wanted to make more money, yet stay in the profession.

and local programs for Wilkinson

Division of the Georgia Department "I looked into taking courses that

County, says Sheppard is the kind of

ofEducation, the group studied career would prepare me for administrative

teacher for whom the career ladder

ladder and merit pay programs in work," she says. "But when I heard

was designed: not just good, but out-

other states and examined the dispar- about the career ladder program, it

standing - a teacher who demon-

ity in salaries of teachers and private seemed like the solution to my prob-

strates sustained excellence.

sector employees with the same lem. I could make more money and

Sheppard enjoys a close relation-

amount of experience.

stay in the classroom with my stu-

ship with her kindergarten, first- and second-grade students; in her classroom hugs abound. She commonly stays after hours to plan activities for

Special education teacher Kay

Sheppard believes the Georgia After a year of study, the task force

Career Ladder Program, if funded, will help her earn

identified the following purposes for the career ladder program.

dents, too."
The career ladder program came too late to keep Etheridge in the classroom. A teacher for 10 years, she

her students or to train new special more money and let her stay To attract and retain competent became a counselor seven years ago.

education teachers.

in the classroom.

teachers in the classroom

"I wish this program had been avail-

When she talks about her students,

To motivate high levels of perfor- able when I needed it," she said. "I

her affection for them is evident. A

mance

might have stayed in the classroom.

radiant smile never leaves her face as she discusses her 13-year career helping children. Ifthe General Assembly votes next session to fund the Georgia Career Ladder, the salary supplements Sheppard could earn would give her even more reasons to smile.
"I'm in this profession because I love my students, but being able to earn more money without leaving the classroom would certainly help," she said.
Sheppard shares the concerns of

gram is to teachers? Don't they realize the important roles teachers have in everyone's life? No matter who you are or what you do, you had to have a teacher.
The career ladder is a product ofthe Quality Basic Education Act, which directed the Georgia Board of Education to devise a system to provide salary supplements for certified teachers who consistently demonstrate outstanding competency and performance.

To promote continued professional development
To recognize and reward superior performance
To provide opportunities for education professionals to experience varied responsibilities
To allow teachers to share in the leadership of improving instruction within their respective schools, systems and the state
As a result of the task force's find-

But I was experiencing burnout. I know that Sheppard is an outstanding teacher, and I like to think that I was, but outstanding teachers bum out more quickly than other teachers because they constantly give so much more of themselves to their students.
Could prevent burnout "I think the career ladder program
could help change all of that," she continued. "Teachers would have the potential to make more money than

teachers who work extra hours without extra pay and feel inundated by paperwork, but even more disturbing to her is the talk that the career ladder will not receive funding next year.

Earn salary supplements By participating in this voluntary
program, teachers could earn salary supplements ranging from $2,250 to approximately $15,914. The amount

ings, the Personnel Development Division organized the details into a state program that is now being piloted in Appling, Colquitt, Columbia, Twiggs and Wilkinson Counties.

some principals. By far, the best part of the program is that teachers can finally receive the recognition and money they deserve while in the classroom."

"We've been told by legislators not of the supplement is determined by "We want to attract and retain high- Jess Elliott, program director for

-I

to get our hopes up," she said. "Don't several factors: the degree(s) the teach- ly competent teachers," said Preston. the career ladder, believes the teach-

they know how important this pro- er has, the years of teaching expe- "By offering advancement and pro- ers should look at the career ladder as

22 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

The career ladder would reward excellent teachers who demonstrate sustained excellence in the classroom. Participants hope it will help them avoid burnout.

much more than a reward for services rendered.
"We really want to help our teachers, and the best way to do that is to provide the opportunity for promotion," he said. "The work a teacher must complete to demonstrate sustained excellence in the four areas of program appraisal deserves a promotion, and that's what the career ladder will do when it is funded."

present contract, and the teacher cannot already be receiving pay for the serVIce.
Growth requirements can be met through college courses, staffdevelopment courses or other activities approved by the local school system that improve the skills or knowledge of the teacher. These may include workshops, seminars or professional conferences.

Advancement on the career ladder is based on four factors: performance, productivity, service and growth. Teachers' performance will be measured by the Georgia Teacher Observation Instrument (GTOI). Using the GTOI, the teacher is observed in 11 areas during four visits by an evaluation committee.

Teachers have input The state has developed the guide-
lines for the program, but each local system will have the opportunity to write its own detailed Local Career Ladder Plan with the input of its teachers, to allow for differences in needs and goals across the state.

Productivity, or student achievement, will be measured using a plan designed by the teacher and approved by the career ladder supervisor and the local review team. The teacher may use test scores, student products or student behaviors to meet multiple student achievement goals and demonstrate outstanding student performance.
To meet service requirements Sheppard will be expected to participate in from 10 to 30 hours of service activities per year in her school or school system.
"I don't think meeting this requirement will be difficult," Sheppard said. "I already spend extra time working with school activities, so I'll just have to increase what I'm already doing."

"We really appreciate the tremendous job the teachers of this state are doing," Preston said. "It is very important to us that our teachers take an active role in designing their systems' programs.
"In many of the other states we visited, the career ladder was administered from the state capitol, and no consideration was given to the teachers who live in different areas of the state and may have different needs."
Participants in the career ladder program will be able to move sequentially through five career ladder levels. Teachers with fewer than three years ofexperience will enter on Level I, and those with more than three years of experience and full certification will enter on Level II.

Sheppard's service to the school or system can include such activities as membership on curriculum and textbook selection committees, teaching staff development courses, staffing homework hotlines or designing and demonstrating innovative curricula. The only restrictions are that the service cannot be a part of the teacher's

Above the second level, the teacher will receive additional salary and, if not a 12-month employee, will be eligible to extend his or her contract to assume additional responsibilities. To move beyond the second level, the teachers must participate in an extensive three-year appraisal cycle. Maintaining one's level or moving to

Wilkinson County teachers joining the pilot program include Judy Brooks, Marleen Thompkins, Claire Williams, Wayne Gasaway, Bobbie Rogers and Kay Sheppard.

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 23

Judy Brooks, right, guides teaching assistantKimHicks. Serving as mentor teachers or teaching staff development courses could meet service requirements.

higher levels will require continued appraisal in three-year cycles.
Decide emphasis "The appraisal will be based on a
plan of action developed by the teacher and his or her supervisor," says Elliott. "The beauty of Georgia's career ladder is local systems and teachers decide what to emphasize. A local Career Ladder Review Team composed primarily of fellow educators will monitor the applicant's progress and determine whether the evidence of sustained excellence warrants career ladder status for the level requested. Success during the appraisal period qualifies the teacher for a promotion and a salary supplement."
Perhaps the most important issue of the Georgia Career Ladder Pro-

gram is still unresolved: funding. When the General Assembly convenes, the career ladder program will ask for $23.2 million dollars in salary supplements and system operating costs. When fully funded in 10 to 12 years, the program will cost more than $200 million per year. The 181 other school systems will be added to the program in five waves, according to Preston. All systems will be offered the opportunity to develop operational programs by 1998.
The precarious funding has caused many teachers who may have been interested in the program to delay participation. Etheridge said when all Wilkinson County teachers were apprised ofthe career ladder program, 90 out of 120 ofthem signed letters of

24 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

intent to participate. Only 38 teachers remain in the program.
What makes these teachers willing to pilot a program that may not soon be funded? The possibility that exists for making money is great enough for some teachers to give up their Saturdays for workshops and put in extra hours of service to their schools, but Sheppard's motivation goes beyond money.

"It's time for the legislators to show the teachers of this state just how important we are to them, and by funding the career ladder they can do that," she said. "I'm working to fulfill the requirements of this program, although it may not be funded, to show the legislators how badly the teachers want and need a career ladder. I want to make it easier for the teachers who will follow me."

Bad guys and bullies?
n the trail of the notorious BE field administrators

Editor's Note: The ALERT staff wanted to know more about the new Standards process. Could it be true that the QBE field administrators those pleasant, mild-mannered colleagues we discuss the weather with in Twin Towers elevators - were transformed as they visited local schools into sinister individuals who

lured sweet, trusting teachers out of their classrooms only to cite them for leaving their children unattended?
The many rumors we had heard inspired us to spend a day with two of the QBE field administrators and share that experience with our readers.

By Nancy Hall

6 45 Holiday Inn, Perry

a .m.

Dressed impeccably in

dark business suits and

already wearing their

Comprehensive Evaluation System

name badges, Field Administrators

Billie Sherrod, Sam Scott, Bill Tyus,

J oe Mongue and Dale Weizenecker

gat her for coffee and traditional early

morning pleasantries. Most are famil-

iar with this routine.

Following what seemed like a very sh ort summer break, the weeks of new t owns, new faces and old motel rooms have begun once again for the DOE's field administrator corps. Another 28 weeks on the road, visiting schools, reviewing mounds of documentation and applying Public School Standards has begun.

Last week all of them had been together in Floyd County; this week, th eir second of the new school year, they are divided into smaller units to cover nine systems. Next week they will be together again in Muscogee County.

The talk around the table turns to wh at's ahead for the day. Mongue and Tyus are off to Peach County. Weizenecker will head to Macon County and meet with four other FAs coming from Cordele. Sherrod and Scott will visit Taylor County schools.

The day before had been a particularly hard one for Sherrod, but she

and Scott are looking forward to

today. "Taylor County Superinten-

dent Norman Carter is relaxed and

comfortable with our visit," Sherrod

says. "The superintendent's attitude

filters down through the system. To-

day should be okay. Mr. Carter has

called Sam and me to ask questions

and get clarification, so we've had an

opportunity to get to know each other

over the telephone."

15 Taylor County Cen-

8

tral Office, Butler

a.m. Just as the "greetings"

letter sent two weeks

earlier had promised, Sherrod and

Scott walk into the office at 8:15. They

are welcomed by a secretary. They

don't need to identify them-

selves; she knows who they are and

why they are here. She directs them to

Carter's office. As they walk toward

it, he appears and introduces himself.

They are escorted to the board room where weeks, maybe months of work have been collected and neatly organized in plain manila folders in a cardboard box on the board table. (Curriculum Director Wayne Smith tells us later they have kept all their materials locked in a fireproof safe for the past week.) A copy ofthe Public School Standards manual lies next to the box.

Once introductions are over, everyone sits down around the table. At first the talk is about Taylor County basketball. Scott has done his home-

Field administratorBillie Sherrod (left) clarifies a question for Norman Carter, Taylor County superintendent, before beginning the Standards review process.

work; he knows all about the county's teams and that the girls' team is a real power in the region. The Taylor County group is obviously pleased with this familiarity, but it's not hard to tell that they are ready to get down to business.

Sherrod begins by explaining what is going to happen. As review coordinator (the FAs alternate this responsibility), she will stay in the central office most of the day. She hopes to complete her work early (by 3 p.m. or so) and go down to the elementary

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 25

Sherrod and Sam Scott (right) go over the Standards that must be reviewed at the high school while sampling the goodies provided by the Taylor County centralofficestaff.

school to help Scott. Scott will visit the high school in the morning, the elementary school in the afternoon. She asks if there are any questions. "We want you to be as comfortable as possible with what we're going to be doing today," she tells them.
"First, I must check out something I heard yesterday at Bootstrap," Carter says. "I'd like to go ahead and get this out of the way." He asks a question about physicals for substitute bus drivers. What he had heard at the superintendent's meeting was different from his interpretation, and he knew he was in trouble if the Bootstrap conversation was accurate. Sherrod assures him his interpretation is correct.
The superintendent and his staff leave, and Sherrod is ready to start reviewing materials. She pulls out an envelope with the system answer sheets inside- six pages ofquestions (93 of them). Then she begins to look through the box. Each folder has been neatly labeled in pencil with a Standard code (A 2, lb; D 1.1, lh) as the systems have been instructed to do.
She wants to get all ofher personnel samples done first. She goes through the rosters of certified personnel, aides, bus drivers, secretaries - anyone employed by the system - and randomly highlights two or three names in each category. She takes the list to Jerri Harris, Carter's secretary, and asks for the personnel files and other specific information.
When she returns, Sherrod starts with the first file and pulls the material. She carefully replaces each one. "I'm always careful to keep them in order," she says. "I would hate it if I had worked this hard to prepare something, and someone else came in and just tore it apart."
As Sherrod continues through the folders, the photographer and I walk

through the offices. We stop by the office of CES Coordinator Rufus Green. As you enter, a large blackand-white sign declares, "If it hasn't been documented, it hasn't been done." Green tells us they have been preparing for today "since last February when we had our first review."
We return to the board room, where Sherrod is checking local board policies. She has found a couple of problems - one with the promotion policy and one with the student support team policy. She immediately tells Carter and Smith about her concerns. The student support team policy has simply been misplaced. The problem with the promotion policy is more difficult. The Taylor County board has essentially adopted the state board policy on promotion. However, the state board policy leaves second-year retention decisions to the local board, so Taylor County really has no policy governing second-year retention.
The time passes slowly as Sherrod opens folder after folder and checks the contents against the list of required documentation outlined in the Standards Application Handbook. She nods her head as she checks off each item. She marks the answer sheet when she returns each folder. "Organization is the key," Sherrod says.
Harris returns. The secretary's material is wonderfully organized. She has pulled each item requested and placed it neatly, by last name, in an alphabetically indexed expanding file. For certified personnel Harris has pulled a signed evaluation dated within the last year, a current certificate (Sherrod notes the level), a signed contract (Sherrod notes the years of experience) with a signed loyalty oath on the back and proof that the teacher's retirement funds are being paid. Then, using the certificate level and years of experience information she noted earlier, Sherrod checks that

each employee is receiving the appropriate salary. For aides she has pulled oaths, evaluations and retirement information. For bus drivers Sherrod has pulled copies of physicals and

driver's licenses, on which she checks age, license class and expiration date.
As the session continues, Harris gets more nervous. Sherrod had chos-

Sherrod begins the long, laboriousprocess ofreviewing allthe paperwork. Standards reviews usually beginat 8 a.m. andmay not be finished until as late as 9:45p.m.
Sherrod reviews the personnel files with the system,s secretary, Jerri Harris (right). She says organization is the key, noting that the material is well-prepared.

26 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

Sherrod begins looking through the box of neatly labeled files. The system stored the box in a fireproof safe until the field administrators' arrival.

Changes in Standards process
Under the new Quality Basic Education Act (QBE), nearly all aspects of the state's education system have undergone change. One area that has changed dramatically is the process used to determine local school and system accountability - Public School Standards.
There are two fundamental differences in the current Standards process and the previous system. First, the source of Standards has changed. Today's Standards are based on legal requirements, state law and state board policy. The second major difference is having a team of professional evaluators to monitor compliance, with that as their sole responsibility.
Before QBE, Standards were basically self-reported. Georgia Department ofEducation regional directors would visit local systems, interview the superintendent and principals, visit one or two schools and ask if state Standards were being met. Once every five years a team of educators would come into the system to apply the Standards. They asked for some documentation, but essentially it was still a self-reported process.
QBE, however, mandates a Comprehensive Evaluation System (CES) with professional full-time evaluators to visit each school, system and Regional Educational Service Agency to monitor compliance with state law and Georgia Board of Education policies. Under the CES process each system and school must be visited by a field administrator every year. In addition, at least once every five years a team offield administrators, educators and community members visits the system to conduct a comprehensive evaluation.

en Harris' name during her random selection earlier. The secretary has trouble locating her own paperwork; she suddenly realizes she has been looking under her maiden name "and I've been married 20 years," she laughs.

11 3 5 High School Cafe-

a.m.

teria - "This is a

treat," Sherrod says

as she sits down at

the table. Things have gone so

smoothly during the morning that

she feels comfortable stopping for

lunch. Usually FA schedules do not

allow lunch.

12m0. 5 R.

Taylor County High School- Sher-
rod returns to the

Central Office, and

we join Scott at the high school. He

has 64 items to check at the school

level. Already he has checked the

facility for new construction. He has

looked for an occupancy certificate,

checked to be sure the buildings have

been inspected by the fire marshal,

that lab areas are equipped with

enough safety goggles for the students

who need them, including two or three

extra pairs for visitors. He has checked

student immunization and eye, ear

and dental records. He has reviewed

the student support team process.

Matthew Knowlton, Taylor County Elementary Schoolprincipal, helps Sherrod locate the Individualized Education Program addenda for several teachers.

Scott checks to be sure all students are assigned appropriate textbooks. He reviews records to be sure extracurricular activities are not held during the school day. He checks to make

sure all athletic team members have recent physicals, signed by a doctor.
Here there is a hang-up - some of the physicals are detailed computer

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 27

Sherrod and Harris share a laugh as they realize the secretary, being nerl)pus, has been looking for her ownpersonnel paperwork under her maiden name.

1987-88 Standards statistics

Ever wonder what all those QBE field administrators do with their time on the road? It isn't all eating in fancy restaurants and playing license plate poker. Here are some statistics from the 1987-88 school year that will put their task into perspective.
Last school year the Standards visits began on November 3, 1987, and concluded on June 2, 1988. All 186 school systems and 1,739 schools were visited.
These visits were made by 12 field administrators and the associate director of the Division of Standards and Evaluation.
Field administrators traveled approximately 155,000 miles around the state during the year. That's the equivalent of about six times around the world.
Field administrators spent three to five hours in each school, for a total of 6,000 to 7,000 hours in schools.

Field administrators worked in systems an average of 10 hours per day. They arrived between 8 and 8:15 in the morning. In most cases the earliestthey left a system was 4 p.m., and the latest they left was 9 p.m.
More than 8,000 teachers were interviewed by fielci administrators; never before have so many classroom teachers been involved in the application of Standards.
During the course of the year, field administrators made "yes", "no" or "not applicable" decisions on more than 120,000 indicators.
A preliminary report was sent to each superintendent for the system and each school- a total of 1,925 preliminary reports.
A final report will be issued for each system and school. Information from these final reports will be used to develop the state summary report to the Governor and legislature in September.

printout sheets with no signature or other identifying information. Scott surprises the principal by asking about them. The reports are from the Hughston Sports Center in Columbus where several times a year the school takes student athletes for thorough check-ups.
Scott tells Wilkerson that since the forms aren't signed, he will give the item a TBD (to be determined). Once he gets back to the office, he will talk with the Standards director and others for an official decision.
Back to the folders. Scott checks the graduation list and has student

records pulled to be sure graduates had a passing score on all parts ofthe Basic Skills Tests. He examines other documentation to be sure the school has three high school programs general, vocational and college prep - and the courses necessary to support those programs. He looks at teachers' instructional planning materials to be sure they support the curriculum. "Strengthening instruction is the heart and soul of Standards," he says. He wants to be sure teachers plan for instruction, that they use testing as a diagnostic tool to improve instruction, to address areas of specific need.

28 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

Scott poses with some of the elementary school students. He says he most enjoys visiting with the children and making sure everything is done properly for their benefit.

Once his review is complete, Scott collects his answer sheets and asks to meet with Wilkerson and Assistant Principal Bonnie Brannin, who serves as principal of the junior high.

kerson has no questions but wants to make some comments. He tells the field administrator that he thinks the process is much improved over the last year.

"I learned several things while visiting here this morning," Scott begins. "I can tell that a lot of work has gone into preparing for Standards at this school. The climate here is conducive to learning. Obviously, things are in very capable hands."
Scott discusses the two problems he has found. He promises once again to discuss the situation of the physicals with department officials. "You will have a telephone call tomorrow," he assures them. A problem with extended-day, extended-year personnel involves certain forms that have not been filed with the state office. Wilkerson assures Scott he will take care of it immediately.
Scott asks ifthe two principals have any questions before he leaves. Wil-

"Generally, you have spelled out clearly what you want. However, having your visit this early in the year doesn't allow sufficient time to prepare," Wilkerson says.
Last year the Taylor County visit was in February. "This year school had barely started before we had to drop everything to work on Standards documentation," he says. Scott asks him to put his recommendations in writing; "They will be helpful to us in evaluating our process."

1 15 Taylor County Ele-

p.rn.

mentary School- On

our drive to the elemen-

tary school, Scott talks

about his job. He enjoys what he is

doing. "I love being in schools; I feel

During the exit interview, Sherrod tells Wayne Smith, curriculum director, that the field administrators have had a very good day in the system. Note the obvious relief.

like I'm on a mission. I really believe we are helping school people to improve education in Georgia," he says. After a career as a teacher and system administrator, Scott retired and came to work for the department, so he has seen both sides.
We find the principal's office. Once again, introductions are made, and basketball is discussed. Scott tells Principal Matthew Knowlton and An na Jarrell, the assistant principal, his plans. "Did you wear your walking shoes today?" he asks. "First, I want to take a look at your building. Then ask a million questions, look at a few IEPs and some other records."
As we walk, Scott greets the children,joins a group ofkindergartners at their table for a photo, compliments the teachers on their well-kept rooms - he obviously loves this part of his job. We pass quietly through the portable classrooms where classes are in session, walk by the playground, study the cafeteria layout and check the media center.
Scott returns to Knowlton's office. Answer sheets are brought out; student files are pulled; questions are asked. CRT scores are examined to be sure a child was not promoted without the necessary score or teacher recommendation. The principals sit in the reception area, waiting for the next request.
Sherrod joins Scott; he
3 :20 hands her a stack of p .m. folders. She asks to see
the Individualized Education Program addendum that teachers are to keep in the classroom for several teachers she has selected. Kn owlton is taken aback. The teachers have all left for the day. Jarrell and Sherrod leave to look for the files and find all but one teacher's. She is called at home; she lives in Fort Valley and hasn't arrived yet. They try

again later; finally they contact her and the file is located.
The FAs are through at
5 : 1 5 last. Scott goes over his p.m. findings with the prin-
cipals. "Everything is in order. All I can say is keep doing what you're doing. If we didn't have good folks like you in Georgia public schools, where would our children be?"
Back at the Central
5:40 Office - Now for the p.m. exit interview. TheFAs
meet with Smith and Wilkerson. (Carter has had an emergency and had to leave.) Sherrod tells them that she and Scott have had a really good day in their system. "Everything just clicked." She discusses their findings: nothing that Smith and Wilkerson didn't already know from previous discussions. Smith reiterates Wilkerson's sentiments from earlier in the day. It was hard to get school going and prepare
In the motel at day's end, Scott is obviously tired, but stays awake to prepare for tomorrow's work.

for Standards at the same time. "Our principals put in a lot of extra hours preparing for today," he says.
Sherrod leaves copies of the system and school answer sheets and promises to get back with them the next day about several items. In 30 days the sytem will receive a preliminary report that will include data checked in the department and the procedure for updating any indicators not met.

On the Road Again
6 : 1 0 What has seemed like a p . m . long, exhausting day to
the observers has been a very positive experience for the field administrators. They feel good about the day. The system is doing a good job; the administrators are deaicated professionals; the atmosphere was positive and friendly . .. and they are heading back home early.

Is it worth it?

But is all this - the hours of I"P putting documentation together,
the hours of reviewing material, the weeks oftraveling and visiting schools, the resentment by some educators- really making a difference in education in Georgia?
"Oh yes, there is no question that the new Standards process is making a difference," says Jane Shah, director of DOE's Division of Standards and Evaluation. "Never before in Georgia have educators understood so clearly what their legal obligations are. Never before have we had a vehicle that defines so clearly what the basic requirements of a quality education are.
"This process has been as beneficial to the department and the state board as to local systems," she says. "Department program personnel have had to articulate the specific elements necessary to implement their programs. It has required us to focus on exactly what our requirements are, to clean up ambiguities. The department, the state board and the legislature are more aware of their responsibilities and of exactly

what they are requiring of local systems.
A week after the Standards visit, Norman Carter answers the same questions.Was it worth it? Is this process making a difference?
"Oh yes," Carter answers emphatically. "I think the Standards review has made us a better system. It has made us aware of the things we ought to be doing. In a few cases, once we started looking into certain things, we found we hadn't been doing as well as we should."
As a result of this process, Carter thinks systems are more aware of the legalities. "We could have had our hand called on a few things by some disgruntled constituent," he notes.
"Preparing for the Standards visit was beneficial as far as meeting the letter of the law, but through the process, we've looked at how well we've been meeting the spirit of the law as well," Carter says. "Standards have made us take a long, hard look at ourselves, and I think some good is always bound to come of that."

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 29

.
Employee swap
Healing the rifts between DOE and local education employees

By Wagers Chenault

planning committee meetings. They're

Gary Walker, assistant superintendent for Cartersville City Schools, doesn't mind telling people what's on his mind. "I have some good friends who work in the state department of

always so pleased - and so amazed really- to see that we really do think out these state policies. We're not just handing down arbitrary directives to harass local administrators."

education," he says. "I don't neces- Gambill arranged for Walker to

sarily like what they do. Case in point meet with State Superintendent of

-Jane Shah (director of the Stand- Schools Werner Rogers. Rogers was

ards and Evaluation Division).

enthusiastic about the plan and asked

Walker and Gambill to put it into

"Jane is in charge ofimplementing a program I have some problems with,

practice.

that being Standards. I'm probably So it became a project.

on the hit list of the Standards people," he says, grinning. "At times they're definitely on mine. But on the other hand, I really do like Jane ..."

Walker is the current president of the Georgia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (GASCD), and that organization

Walker laughs when he talks about joined the state department as spon-

hit lists, and it's clear that he really sors of the employee swap.

does like Jane Shah. It's equally clear that he really does not like Standards.

In July 1988 at the summer conference of the Georgia Association of

What can be done to improve rela- Education Leaders (GAEL), Gambill,

tionships between educators in local Walker and two other GASCD offic-

school systems and those at the Geor- ers, Pat Stokes and Susan Simonton,

gia Department of Education (DOE)? sat down to work out the details of the

It's a problem that Walker had al- program. They decided that each

ready been discussing with Larry swap should consist of two three-day

Gess, DOE's director of strategic visits.

planning. He had given the matter some serious thought. A lecture he happened to attend set him on the right track.

First, the local educator would travel to the state department. The local person would watch the state person at work on the first day. On the second

"The speaker was Dale Brubaker, day the two would handle assign-

and he told us about an employee ments together. On the third day the

exchange program involving profes- local would take over, with the state

sors of education and school princi- person looking on from the shadows.

pals. The idea was to help each group The same procedure would be followed

better understand the other and to when the state employee visited the

find out what the other's job is all local system.

about. It sounded like a good idea, and

I thought it would work just as well for

us."

Lining up swappers

The next step was to line up partici-

Walker approached Bill Gambill, pants for the swap. Walker wrote let-

associate state superintendent for de- ters to local superintendents, ex-

partment management, with the idea. plaining the program and asking for

"I knew it was a good idea," said volunteers from their systems. He got

Gambill. "I had seen the basic con- a good response. Mter screening the

cept at work already. Sometimes we applications, Walker and Gambill

have local folks attend some of our selected 28 finalists. Gambill was

Gary Walker, assistant superintendent for Cartersville City Schools, hopes an employee swap will heal the rifts between department of education and local personnel.

given the responsibility of finding more if I worked with a local special

state department employees to match education coordinator,' so we made

with the locals.

that change.

"Our people were really excited when I asked them to participate," he said. "Jane Shah and Lucy Welzant from Standards were the first to volunteer. That says a lot about their willingness to improve relations with local folks, who don't have a lot of affection for Standards.
"In a couple ofinstances, our volunteers showed their interest in the program by asking for more appropriate match-ups. I had asked Josephine Martin (associate state superintendent for special services) to swap with somebody, and she came to me and said, 'Bill, I really think I would learn

"Joan Jordan, director of the Exceptional Students Division, is going to swap with a special ed teacher. Sara Bosch, a personnel director in Bartow County Schools, specifically requested a swap with a state certification supervisor, and J udy Kirkpatrick is enthusiastic about doing that. I think the state and local fo lks are all determined to make this work."
Looking at the list of 28 pairs, two features are readily apparent. Most of the local people are from the northern section of the state, especially the Cartersville and Bartow County systems. That probably can be attributed

30 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989



below 28. So the fifth-grade teachers do, I think he'll be a little more unwant me to get somebody from the derstanding about making some state to come into their classrooms. changes."

J ane Shah, director of the department's Standards and Evaluation Division, is Walker's example. He really does like Jane, he says, but he really does not like Standards.

to the fact that most systems around the state received a single letter announcing the program, whereas folks in the Cartersville area were privileged to hear Walker talking about it all the time.
"We're still getting the bugs out," said Gambill. "Next time we'll promote it better around the state."
Impact on classroom Also, there are many more adminis-
trators than teachers on the list. According to Gambill, "It's mostly th e local administrators that we deal with at the state department. We generally don't have direct contact with the classroom teacher, except when it comes to certification. Of course,

everything we do eventually has an impact on the classroom."
And don't teachers know it. Walker found that out when he was recruiting volunteers from Cartersville.
"I think every fifth-grade teacher in the system volunteered, because they're sitting over there with 30 to 33 students in the classroom.
"See, there's a little glitch in the weights formula that pairs grades four and five with grades six, seven and eight when figuring average maximum class size. Most of the fourth and fifth grades wind up having 30 to 33 students - the sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes are much smaller - so the average class size is down

"They all volunteered, every one of them. They said, 'We want somebody to come in here and see what it's like working with this many students. Maybe that way we'll get some support to bring about some changes in these weight formulas ."'
Heat is on So the heat is on Charles Shepherd,
one ofthe state's regional consultants for early childhood education, who will spend a few days teaching Gayle Beck's fifth-grade class.
Walker and Gambill don't just write the rules; they also play the game. Sometime soon those two will participatein the exchange program. They'll be swapping - with each other.
"I think I know what Bill does," Walker ventures. "But he's like me; he does a lot more than what his job description calls for. I expect to learn a lot more about what his responsibilities are, the different groups that he has to maintain contact with.
"I do some of the same things he does at the state level. We both have to make folks mad at us because we have to look at the overall picture rather than just one specific program. We both have to compromise and balance things out, and this will give me an opportunity to see how he does it."
Putting them to work Walker is looking forward to his
three days at the state department, but he's much more excited about Gambill's visit to Cartersville City Schools. "When he comes here we're going to work on Standards, I can promise you that. We're going to work on Standards one full day, and then we're going to work on some of those other reports that I'm behind on. After Bill sees some of the things I have to

Meanwhile, Gambill is making plans at the state department. "I'm going to get Gary here on a day when I have one meeting after another; this Friday would have been a good day because I've got Dry Run (a department rehearsal for the state board meeting), a staff meeting, a planning committee meeting- they go right on through the day. I want him to see what all goes on up here, and then maybe he'll understand how it is."
Fun and games and perhaps a little gleeful hostility. But this is a serious project, and the participants expect worthwhile results. "We're all in the business of providing the best possible education to our students," said Walker. "If we can promote better understanding about what each of us is trying to do, we'll do a better job at all levels."
Promoters ofthe exchange program will be looking very closely at the results of the first swap. The 56 educators who participated this fall will be asked to answer a questionnaire, and some are expected to take part in a panel discussion at the winter GAEL meeting in Atlanta.
"We'll have to wait for the actual results, the experiences that these people bring back, but I think it will prove very beneficial for everyone involved," said Gambill. "I know Dr. Rogers has high expectations for the program; he's already indicated that he would like to see it become a regular activity. He wants to do it every year."
Walker would like to see it happen more often than that. "I'll be ready to do it again in the spring," he said. "I'd love to get Jane Shah to come up here on May 5 when those Standards people show up."

Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989 31

The great Garfield scare
The truth behind the Standards rumors

Along with the exhau~on from too many days and nights on the road and the red eyes from reading hundreds of papers each day, QBE field administrators also have developed a good sense of humor. Preceded by rumors rivaling those in supermarket tabloids, these men and women drive into towns determined to soothe tensions and prove that few ofthem have fangs. To help dispel some of the rumors, we asked several field administrators to share their favorite stories and the truth behind the tales.
Amy McMurtrey recalls "The Garfield Scare of 1987." Everyone knew field administrators would be looking for proof that copyright information had been given to all school personnel, but the rumor mill turned a simple check of documentation into a search of bulletin boards, artwork and even desk drawers. Teachers throughout Georgia took down bulletin boards, hid pictures and cleaned out their desks in an attempt to strip any memories ofGarfield, Snoopy and other cartoon characters from their classrooms. To this day there are images of overweight cats and floppy-eared beagles reportedly hidden in the crevices of schools throughout the state. McMurtrey says that even if there

were a Standard requiring a Garfield inspection, the FAs wouldn't have time for an ali-day cat hunt.
Friends of Mary Charles Roberts were shocked to hear that she was actually a cold-hearted, fire-breathing "dragon lady" who would disallow documentation in a heartbeat. Although the field administrator is regarded as thorough, she has a welldeserved reputation for fairness.
Marycharles Roberts: Dragon lady? One comment that made the rounds was that field administrators had no

experience in education and that none had ever been teachers or local school administrators. Truth is that the present staff of FAs has more than 200 years of combined education experience to support its work.
Joe Mongue didn't realize that the reminders he and other field administrators wrote to themselves on Postit11' notes in the rumor mill became green and yellow citations reporting Standards violations on all fronts. What began simply as an efficient method ofattaching notes, superior to paper clips, became another misunderstood act of the FAs.
Bob Gaines recalls the tale of a teacher who was lured from her class to the office by an FA only to be cited for leaving her class unattended. Of course, ther~ is no citation of individuals in Standards, nor is there a Standard FAs can use to cite teachers for leaving the classroom. During the first year of the Standards program, teachers were called out of class for interviews designed to give FAs a better feel for school operations. Because of time constraints, interviewing teachers is no longer a routine part of the process. Many FAs miss the inter-

Bob Gaines: Luring teachers to their doom?
views because they miss talking to other educators and staying in touch with the classroom and students.
Tabloids can be fun, but unfounded rumors can do immense harm to good people and good programs. If you hear a Standards rumor, don't spread it unless you know the facts. The Standards and Evaluations Division of the Georgia Department of Education will respond to any questions you have. Give them a call or write them with your concerns.

Early Winter 1989 Vol. 18, No.1
ALERT Staff
Executive Editor . . . . . . . Anne Raymond
Managing Editor ... Kristin L. Summerlin
Associate Editor . . . . . . . Merri Sheffield
Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elaine Pierce
Typesetting ... . ..... . .. . .. Kim Curfman
Contributing Writers: Wagers Chenault, Eleanor Gilmer, Karen Grier, Judy Hall, Nancy Hall and Gale E. Samuels
Photography: Merri Sheffield
The Georgia Department of Education does not discriminate in employment or educa tiona/ activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or religion.
Published by Public Information and Publications Division Office of Department Management Georgia Department of Education 2052 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 303345010
(404) 6562476

Alert......~~ A Look at Education's RoleToday
State Board of Education Werner Rogers State Superintendent of Schools Georgia Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 30334-5080
IJlU NI 0
lJfiJIV lJF GA LIBRARIES ST/\TE DOCtJME.NTS AfHF NS GA 3U60l
COST 13,000/QTY. 13000

32 Georgia ALERT, Early Winter 1989

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID Atlanta, Georgia Permit Number 168

DOCUMENTS UGA L\BRAR\E

3

Merri Sheffield

Bring the real world to class
Business/education partnerships: School is everyone's business

4

Anne Raymond

Why get involved?
Business leaders sum up dividends from school partnerships

7

Merri Sheffield

STAR, Invent America!
State-adopted partnerships encourage creativity, achievement

Page4

11

Kristin L. Summerlin

Coming together to save a community
At-risk students get 'New Futures' with Chatham county collaborative

14

Judy Hall

Take a few tips from these partners

Page 7

17

Gale E. Samuels

Commitment to community
Caring people are the biggest plus in small-town school partnerships

22

Eleanor Gilmer

Moving and shaking
One woman's enthusiasm, conviction get entire comunity involved

25

Karen P. Grier

Vocational partnerships
Preparing students for the future with certification, hands-on experience

Page 17

28

Merri Sheffield

Extra! Extra! Newspapers bring life to classroom

Page 27

Editor's note: Thank you if you sent in your address card from the last issue. Because we are still receiving cards, we have not yet updated our mailing list. But we're working on it. And if you haven't added your name to our new mailing list, there's still time. If you would like to receive, or continue to receive, ALERT (free of charge), send your correct address to Kristin L. Summerlin, ALERT Managing Editor, Georgia Department of Education, 2052 Twin Towers East, Atlanta 30334-5010. Thanks!

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

A Message from Werner Rogers, State Superintendent of Schools
School/business partnerships work. I've seen it firsthand when my daughters' elementary school entered a partnership with a real estate development corporation.
Like many educators, I at first questioned what good would come of the partnership, but it has turned out to be a tremendous boost for the school. The corporation has set up a full-time liaison with the principal and sponsors extracurricular activities, gives scholarships and savings bonds to academic achievers and provides volunteertutors. The business volunteers also take the kids out to their facility to see what happens in a business and how businesses operate in a community.
Georgia's business community has shown unprecedented support for public education in recent years. Largely because of business leaders' involvement, our state now has the Quality Basic Education Act and its promise of advancing education to the forefront in the Southeast.
Until fairly recently, many educators were content to think of schools as separate units, isolated in form and function from the rest of the community. But we now know that schools and communities are interdependent. We know that our state cannot survive if our major institutions, including corporations and schools, do not work together. We cannot live and work in isolation from one another, because we share common goals.
The benefits ofpartnerships are tremendous for both schools and businesses.
For schools, partnerships bring the outside world into the classroom and offer increased incentives for students to stay in school. Businesses can give students experiences that will help them make more informed career choices. They can support the curriculum or provide help with management and planning. Volunteer tutors help younger children build a strong foundation in the basics and help all students grasp the curriculum by grounding it in the real world.
For businesses, partnerships lead to greater understanding of the quality and educational needs of schools in the community. Employers realize longterm profits from improvements in students' readiness for work and in the productivity ofthe workforce.A vital and healthy public school system creates an improved climate for business. Finally, businesses that participate in partnerships receive appreciation and recognition for their valued public service.
Effective school/business partnerships require investments of time and energy, as well as money. Businesses have been generous to schools in the past by sponsoring awards and giving equipment and other tangible items. But today we're seeing a new kind of partnership: a sustained relationship that involves people and gifts ofpersonal time and energy. Small investments reap large rewards for schools and businesses. The personal touch makes the difference.
Projects that involve people in schools are the best way to gain public support for education. This is increasingly important today, when fewer and fewer people choose to have children and only 20 to 27 percent of the families in a community are directly involved in school activities.
It's time we bring all sectors of our society together to explore new ways to strengthen and improve education. We need to build better schools. And we need to build them together.
Get involved in partnerships. It's one ofthe best ways to build better schools -and a strong community.

Bring the real world to class
Business/education partnerships: School is everyone's business

By Merri Sheffield
After discovering the important role parents play in their children's education, a Berrien County plant manager stepped back and took a look at his workers. On the average, they had t wo children; on the whole, they had the opportunity to change the future of their community.
What could he do as an employer to ensure that his workers had the skills needed to help their children reach their potential? His answer- parenting classes. The Amoco Fabric and Fiber plant now sponsors positive parenting training for each employee who has a child in elementary school.
Richard Stone didn't have to get involved in education, but, like his peers across the state, he wanted to.
Business/ education partnerships are one of the most exciting things to happen in education since schools got more than one room. Partnerships offer the first organized opportunity for business people and community leaders to combine resources with educators to guarantee children the education they will need to face a future filled with change.
Partnerships, like communities, come in all shapes and sizes. Each partnership is designed to fit the specific needs of the students. But while they differ, all partnerships share the goal of strengthening learning by acquainting students with the world of work and community responsibilities they will face as adults.
Mutually beneficial In big cities partnerships help bus-
iness people connect with the schools, which all too often get lost in the hustle and bustle of the urban environment. In rural areas partnerships can help provide resources that otherwise might not be available or affordable, and at the same time build commun-

ity spirit. In all areas partnerships provide a mutually beneficial relationship that makes business more sensitive to education issues and education more aware of the business world.
To thrive, schools need community involvement. In years past it was easy to get people interested in schools because almost everyone had a personal connection with education. But that personal connection began slipping away as society changed, the population as a whole grew older and many people opted not to have children. As both parents entered the workforce, even moms and dads became scarce in the schools. The public's interest in education waned, and learning suffered.
Today's educators are sending the message that school is everyone's business, and unless we work together our dreams for the future may never be realized. School doors are being opened to visitors, volunteers are being asked to share their time and knowledge with students in the classroom and businesses are speaking up to ensure that tomorrow's workers are receiving a strong education foundation on which to build their futures.
You don't have to be big to be a school partner: 52 percent of the 140,800 partnerships across the nation in 1987-1988 were with businesses, and 22 percent of those businesses had fewer than 50 employees. Education partnerships between school and civic organizations, service clubs, colleges and universities, business organizations, foundations and religious organizations shared the remaining 48 percent of partnership activities.
Education partners don't have to have large cash reserves. And you don't have to be a chief executive officer. The only thing required is a concern for your community, a dedication to supporting education and a

LMaoGnraaBngoen,etr~taosrssiCstaarnlot saBdmoyikniinstorfaStoourthfo.sridCelaErlke~Henotladreyr.CBlionniecriins
one ofthousands of business volunteers z.n Georlfla schools.

commitment to helping children reach their potential.
On the following pages you will meet partners from across Georgia and see what they are doing to blend the worlds of education and business. You'll hear from business people and school coordinators explaining the benefits of partnerships. You'lllearn about Invent America!, the STAR student program and Georgia PIE - all partnerships formed by the the Georgia Department of Education, which endorses the partnership movement.
A dropout prevention consortium in Chatham County and Emanual County's Partners in Education program will show you how partnerships work for both large, urban systems and small, rural systems, and Cook County's Carolyn Harris will prove that it only takes one concerned person to get the partnership ball rolling.
We'll show you how vocational education programs, among the first in

the partnership movement, are working with industry experts to ensure that their curricula are sensitive to present-day industry needs, and we'll give some examples of innovative partnerships throughout Georgia.
The partnership movement is on the rise, and the Southeast is leading the way. Thirty-five percent of students in the Southeast were directly involved with education partnerships, as opposed to 17 to 24 percent nationwide, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. The survey also showed that 9.3 million elementary and high school students nationwide were directly affected by education partnerships in 1987-1988, a figure that excludes arrangements between businesses and vocational education programs.
Every day educators, business people and community leaders are proving that if everyone works together, our children's future is limitless.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 3

Why get involved?
Business leaders sum up dividends from school partnerships

By Anne Raymond

Why would a multimillion-dollar, worldwide corporation and a small, newly formed community bank want to get involved in local public schools?

The reasons range from the obvious: Business has a vested interest in educating young people for jobs that are increasingly challenging and technically difficult;

to the civic: Businesses have a duty to be good citizens in their communities;

to the deeply personal: There is intense self-satisfaction in helping someone succeed.

The obvious reason for business involvement in schools is aptly stated by Joel Cowan, chairman of the Governor's Growth Strategy Commission.

"There are two things that could absolutely shut down Georgia's growth- one is the lack ofwater, and the other is the lack of an educated work force.Ifan industrialist looks at a community, he is not going to put a plant there unless he can see cultural and educational amenities," he said. "In any industrial decision, I think education is as much as 50 percent of the decision when they weigh all the factors."
Gene Dyson, president of the Business Council of Georgia, agrees that our state's future depends on education. "We have to do our part to help educate kids about economic principles and free enterprise. We have to make a long-term commitment - a forever commitment, really - of executive time, money and support for teachers, administrators and students," Dyson said.
Martin-Marietta Aggregate in Augusta has made that commitment. After only two years involvement with education, the multimilliondollar corporation has partners from

Students at Dyer Elementary School in Gwinnett Drugs Robot. The robot's visit was sponsored by County make friends with the Just Say No to the school's partner, Southern Bell.

Richmond County - where they adopted the special education department - to South Carolina and Valdosta.
Perry W. Donahoo, general manager, said the company got involved because ofconcern about what kind of employee it will be able to hire in the not-too-distant future. "We can't sit back and leave all the responsibility for education to the schools," he said. "Students need to understand what education means for the long term. We should let them know how important it is. We will have a better employee in the end."

Business involvement in schools today goes far beyond the traditional field trip to the local soft drink bottling plant. Bill Hawes, president of the Hawes Company in Tucker, teaches letter writing and creative writing to seventh graders at DeKalb's Livsey School. His children attend there and his company, which deals in government insurance, has adopted Livsey.
Commitment, not money "The idea is not to give money, but
to show commitment," said Hawes. "I'm not an educator, not a PTA representative. I just think it's important for a functioning adult in the business

world to show he cares about a school."
Hawes spends some time each week at Livsey. His reward is "the pleasure of knowing I'm doing something. I'm not sitting back saying school isn't what it used to be." With just two other employees (one part-time), Hawes proves that a company doesn't have to be as large or wealthy as MartinMarietta to enhance a public school.
As chairman of the education committee for the Business Council of Georgia, Dave Garrett encourages businesses of all sizes to become involved in public schools. "Many

4 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Students at DeKalb's Livsey School obviously enjoy their hard-earned pizza party, a reward from The Hawes Company for encouraging theirparents to vote in a bond referendum.

things are possible," he said, "from things to the community. Our involve-

speaking to students about the job ment in schools helps to dispel those

market and what you look for in em- misperceptions," he said.

ployees to a full adopt-a-school program."

Georgia Power Company has been a partner with public schools since

Garrett believes that good, effective the 1950s. "This company is just what

education is the key to the Southeast's its name implies," said president Bill

achieving its potential because "there Dahlberg. "Georgia Power employees

are no more entry-level jobs. The jobs are mostly Georgia-born and Georgia-

of the future are for people with good educated. We know that we have bet-

education and solid skills."

ter employees today than if we had

Business also has a public purpose to fulfill in schools.

not been involved in schools. With us, it's not charity. It's part of citizenship. Even more, it's good business.

"It's incumbent on us to put some- "If we cannot hire employees who

thing back into the community- to can read and do basic math, we must

make schools better places for teach- provide remedial education, and

ers and students," said Randy Car- that's expensive. Or the quality ofour

roll, presidentoftheMountain Nation- product goes down. People who can't

al Bank in Tucker. "Anybody who support themselves and contribute

lives in a community should contrib- become a drain on society. Our taxes

ute to it. The reward for us is that the have to go to support them, and we'd

community, the school and students rather put corporate taxes to better

see the bank as a good citizen and a use." .

positive business. The return justifies

whatever investment we make."

Georgia Power's education section

works with schools statewide. It is

His great experience with Spalding staffed by four to five full-time people

County's partnership program, who coordinate education programs,

Future Stock, while he was with Ban- and hundreds of employees are re-

dag in Griffin prompted Pete Bednar leased from work to help in schools.

to start a partnership program at his

new post in Oxford, North Carolina. Success is reward

Soon after he was transferred by the Helping young people succeed is

tire retread company, Bednar enough reward for John Grant, public

approached his new community's relations officer for 100 Black Men of

superintendent. A partnership pro- Atlanta. The group of leading black

gram with one school was born in business and professional men has

January 1988. The program now in- adopted a class of 31 lOth graders at

cludes eight schools plus a full-time Archer High School. The partnership,

partnership coordinator.

Project Success, promises a paid, four-

Both partners benefit Businesses as well as schools bene-
fit from partnerships, Bednar believes. "When business people are in schools tutoring kids and giving them gifts, the kids and the school staff begin to see that industry is not the bad guy they thought we were. Many

year college education to any of the students who finish high school and are accepted into college. "In every successful person's life there has been some influence - a teacher, a parent," Grant said. "Someone helped me. It's a good feeling to be able to give something back."

people have the idea that industries Project Success is based on the be-

are after nothing but money - that liefthat academics alone don't help a

we pollute and do other harmful person make it in society. Underprivi-

., \
Bill Hawes spends time each week at Livsey School. He believes commitment to the students is more important than giving money. The reward is "the pleasure ofknowing I'm doing something."
IRS volunteer Sharon P. Blount, right, helps Norcross High School student Sonya Hronek fill out her tax forms. IRS employees also are math tutors and buddies to ninth graders who failed courses.
Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 5

Southside Elementary School's physical education director, Anderson Gooden Jr., spends a few extra minutes working individuallywith a residentatBrian Nursing Home.

leged young people need mentors who care about them, who will help them see the options they have, provide social and cultural experiences they might not have had. Project Success is working. When the partnership began two years ago, five students were on the honor roll; now there are 17.

Businesses and individual students are not the only beneficiaries of business involvement in education. In just one year of partnerships at 18 sites, Gwinnett County has seen the concept grow from awards for student achievement to problem solving and advocacy.

Norcross High's partner, the Internal Revenue Service, began by helping students with their 1040 EZ forms . As IRS employees worked with students, they realized some were having problems with math and other studies. Now the IRS managers are buddies with ninth graders who failed courses first semester - tutoring, making regular phone calls and contacts to bolster student achievement and morale.

Gooden donates a planningperiodevery Tuesday to lead exercises for Southside's adopted "grand-

parents" at Brian Nursing Home. School/business partnerships must work both ways.

"We saw partnerships as a way to have productive involvement by more community leaders and adults," said Helen Guttinger, Gwinnett partnerships director. "We wanted to add to the support we get from 51,000 PTA members (the most in Georgia) and build advocacy outside Gwinnett's parents and staff."
Reasons for business involvement in schools have changed, says Anna Burns, director of Griffin-Spalding's Future Stock partnerships program. ''We used to ask them to do it as a civic duty, butnowtheyseeitasmorethan that. Education is more important to their companies than they realized three or four years ago.
"Businesses want good employees, and dropouts are not employable," Burns said flatly. "Involvement in

education is m business's selfinterest."
Burns says partnerships should have four elements: student motivation, teacher appreciation, contributions to the community through schools and partner appreciation by the school.
"You have to have both sides," she stressed. "In the past, schools have expected help from businesses; we've been guilty of taking their help for granted. But partnership means showing appreciation. Saying thank you doesn't have to cost much, but it's an important lesson schools can teach students."
Burns would be proud of the twoway partnership that has developed

between Southside Primary in LaGrange and one ofits four partners.
Third graders at Southside have adopted patients at Brian Nursing Home as their grandparents. Last fall the patients had a Halloween carnival for the school; on Valentine's Day students took cards and a huge heartshaped cake to the patients. Brian's director, Reppie York, came to school as an Easter bunny and showed children how to make baskets from balloons and yarn, and every Tuesday morning the school's physical education specialist, Anderson Gooden Jr., gives up his planning period to lead Brian's patients in exercises.
"It's just a good feeling to give something back," said Betty Alex-

ander, Southside principal. "Pride and caring for each other are what we get out of our partnership. People are so willing to give if we will just ask them for something."
Alexander's excitement and infectious enthusiasm get her "a lot of things money can't buy." She regularly asks retired teachers to help with school projects such as taking students to Sunshine Biscuit Company to see cookies made. "They're excited and happy to be asked," she said. "A lot of them have never seen cookies made, either.
"I don't believe the community is not willing to be involved. If we're excited about what we do, others will be excited, too."

6 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

STAR, Invent America!
State-adopted partnerships encourage creativity, achievement

By Merri Sheffield
J. Brooks sat in his Sandersville home faced with a problem. The music on the stereo had stopped, his homework assignment was unfinished and a friend was on the phone with the latest news from the grapevine. How could he change the tape, finish writing his homework and talk on the phone, all at the same time?
From this problem was born the helmet phone. J . thought, "What if a phone receiver could be built into a hat?" Then he and his friends could talk on the phone with their hands free to do homework and keep the music coming on the stereo. The hat itself could be a fashion statement.
Without even realizing it, 14-yearold J . took the first step in becoming an inventor and joined a partnership movement that is sweeping the country. J . is one of hundreds of Georgia students exploring their world and creating solutions to their problems as part of Invent America!
Creativity solves problems It could be argued that J. should
hang up the phone and tum off the music until his homework is done, but that's not the point. The point is that he is thinking of creative ways to solve the problems in his world. J . is following a tradition set by America's pioneering inventors, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and George Washington Carver. That tradition has declined in the recent past as the number of foreign inventors registering patents soared past their American peers.
Invent America! is one of a growing number of school-business partnerships that bring educators, students and business people together, united in the belief that together, we can face the challenges of tomorrow.
Realizing the need for partnerships, the Georgia Department of Education in the spring of 1987 established a

special office dedicated to encouraging partnerships throughout the state.
Ellis Bateman, assistant superintendent for business/ education partnerships, says the department felt it should take the lead in encouraging local school systems to get involved. While the state department, using training material purchased through a DOE-Georgia Power partnership, teaches local educators and businesses how to develop and maintain successful partnerships, it doesn't form partnerships.
"Our mission is not to train students. That happens at the local school building level. We are far too removed from the students to design partnerships to suit their individual needs," Bateman said, adding that it is essential for those closest to the students to determine their needs.
"We want to help local educators get their communities back into the schools so they can see that good things are happening," he said. Once interest is piqued, business people, civic leaders and parents usually are eager to spread the good news and help educators tackle problems. "We need everyone in the community working together to enhance children's education."
Georgia PIE chartered To help achieve that goal, the state
chartered Georgia Partners in Education Inc., a nonprofit group dedicated to developing alliances between business people, educators and individuals interested in building partnership activities in Georgia schools.
Although Georgia PIE is in the formative stages, Bateman expects partnership workshops and a newsletter to be among the group activities. Through Georgia PIE the state hopes to establish the first structured means ofcommunication for everyone involved in the partnership movement. Bateman hopes Georgia PIE

Allena Raines, a second grader at D.D. Crawford Primary in Sandersville, displays her invention, which allows her mother to keep her insulin pump on and dry while in the shower.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 7

Ed Averett, 13, invented "Puppy Pleasure," a device to entertain puppies so they don't miss their mothers or masters. Children's inventions are solutions to their own real-life problems.

will raise awareness of the need for and benefits of school/business partnerships throughout Georgia and encourages others to join the movement.
Business interest in education is more than a trend or fad. Bateman says it is "a matter of survival." Businesses are looking at the bottom line and realizing that, "if a company can't find an educated workforce, that company won't be competitive," he said.
Demographics support business's concern. The U.S. has an aging population and a declining number of young people joining the workforce. Atlanta 2000, the report of a study by the Georgia Business Council and the National Alliance of Business, revealed that by the year 2000 the average new job will require 14 years of education, with many jobs requiring 16 years or more. The Atlanta 2000 study was aimed at projecting Atlanta's employment market to determine what jobs and skills will be needed in 2000.
Future requires more skills "Dropouts won't get new jobs. Those
without the proper education will be relegated to low-wage service jobs," Bateman said. Today's college graduate will face retraining five times in his or her worklife just to stay in step with technology. Without a proper education foundation, such retraining will be difficult for the worker and extremely costly for employers - a key reason tomorrow's employers are willing to improve the educational opportunities for students today.
While the DOE does not form local partnerships, it does oversee two statewide partnerships: Invent America! and the STAR Student program.
By "adopting" Invent America!, the Georgia Department of Education reinforced its support for imagination in the classroom and endorsed the teaching of creativity in a way that is

fun for everyone. Invent America! gives every child the hands-on opportunity to express his or her own brand of ingenuity while reinforcing reading and writing skills.
Excited about the creative potential of all students, Georgia in 1988 established Invent America, Georgia! for ninth through 12th graders, thereby becoming the first state in the country to have an invention program in all grades.
Ann Lary, who coordinates the program for the state, says Invent America! gives students of all education levels the chance to explore their minds and develop their creativity. One of the main strengths of Invent America! is that anyone can participate. Everyone from the head of the class to the daydreamer in the last row has an imagination, the key ingredient to success in the program.
Must have imagination To excel, a student need only have
an eye for the problems in his or her world, an imaginative approach to problem solving and the willingness to work to bring dreams to reality.
In 1987 Cam Raines, a Sandersville seventh grader, won the national competition for her grade level, winning a $1,000 bond and a trip to Washington, D.C., where she saw one of her heroes, then-Vice President George Bush.
Cam wasn't the only Georgian to win outside the state. Matt Hayllar, a third grader at Elm Street School in Coweta County, won the southeast region competition for his "Jacket Packet," a backpack that can be used to store your jacket if you get too hot on the playground.
Cam's invention solved a problem she faced as a frequent hospital patient. While in the hospital for treatment of cystic fibrosis, she dreaded the nurse's painful attempts to find veins in her arms. To make Cam's

Coweta County third grader Matt Hayllar won the regional Invent America! competition for his "Jacket Packet," a backpack that can be used to store a student's jacket ifthe playground gets too hot.

veins stand out, one of her nurses heated a wet towel in a microwave and wrapped it around her arm. The heat caused the veins to become visible, making it easier and more comfortable for nurses to draw blood.
Cam's success has inspired others in her school to create their own inventions. More than 100 Sandersville students participated this year, compared to last year's 80 participants.
"Invent America! allows students to apply the skills they have learned and see that there can be a realistic ending to an abstract beginning," Cam's teacher, Shirley Godin, said. "Today's students are productoriented. They want to be the best. They want instant pleasure and instant success."
Invent America! not only gives them the chance to produce, it also

offers them the opportunity to think of an idea and build upon it until they get the result that they want.
Iftheir first plan doesn't work, they can simply back up and try it again until they have it right. "Kids like individual work. They want to do their own thing. They don't want to rely on other people. They want to move at their own pace and not be rushed or held back to stay in step with other students," Godin said.
Encourages higher thinking Pencil-and-paper work is handed in
and assigned a grade. All too often that's the end of it. Invent America! encourages students to take a step back and use higher thinking skills to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their ideas. Godin says students develop the perseverance to keep trying, and the realization that there is more than one way to see things.

8 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Bob Watson ofthe Georgia Business Forum introduces his daughter Sarah to Eureka, the Invent America! mascot, at the 1988 Georgia Invention Convention held in Clayton County.

They develop the willingness to look at their work and ask, "What have I done? What is correct? What is incorrect, and what can I do to correct the problems?"
Invent America! projects develop manual skills by requiring students to build models oftheir inventions.They also reinforce reading and writing skills as students research their inventions and keep journals to document the steps taken to develop the creation.
Ed Averett, a Sandersville 13 year old, says he couldn't wait to get started on his Invent America! project. "I wanted to see if I could do as well as Cam did. I think Invent America! is fun because it lets you put your mind on something rather than just getting

stuff out of a book. It gives you a chance to do what you have always wanted to do," he said.
Another benefit oflnvent America! is the opportunity for parental involvement, something Godin feels is key to student learning. The teacher says Cam's parents share the credit for their daughter's success because of the support and encouragement they give her.
If not for her mother's encouragement Cam says she wouldn't even have tried. "I thought, 'We're just sixth graders. What are we supposed to invent? I thought that everything that I could think ofhad already been invented. I didn't realize there were other ways to look at things," Cam said.

Although she won the national competition and has appeared on nationwide television programs such as the Home Show and USA Today, Cam doesn't think she did anything that her peers couldn't have done.
Anyone can invent "It was just a regular problem.
Anyone could have done what I did if they tried," Cam said. She remembers her fear at going to the national competition. "I thought, 'How can a 12year-old kid from Sandersville compete with people from big cities?"' She envisioned fancy laser creations and super high-tech inventions, but that wasn't what she found.The other kids were just like her; they had created simple solutions to "regular problems." She recalls more than once

thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Angela Raines, Cam's mother and coordinator of Invent America! for Washington County schools, says she didn't know what to expect at the state and national Invention Conventions, but what she found changed her way of looking at things.
"In rural areas we sometimes don't expect our children to be as competitive as those in big cities, but they are. Our kids can compete with students from anywhere," Raines said.
Cam says Invent America! has helped build her confidence. "I might even be a little conceited," she said, embarrassed at her candor. "I used to put myself down, but I don't do that anymore."

Raines says she's glad she nudged her daughter to compete. "The more you do, the more chances you have to discover your niche in life." In addition to the growth opportunities and financial rewards for students, Raines praises Invent America's support for teachers. When Cam won, her teacher and the school also won.

"This is the only program I know where the teacher gets almost as much praise and recognition as the student," Raines said. A $1,500 grant awarded to Godin in appreciation for her work as Cam's teacher made it possible for her to attend a creativity workshop sponsored by the U.S. Patent Model Foundation, which sponsors Invent America! nationally.

Sandersville seventh grader Cam Raines, 1987 national Invent America! winner, shows her vein

detector to teacher Shirley Godin. The invention was inspired by a lengthy hospital stay.

Awards bring opportunities The training will translate into bet-
ter learning opportunities for all the students in Sandersville, Raines says. Grant money can also be used to purchase materials to support creative learning or to have speakers appear at the school. Cam's principal, Bern Anderson, received a grant of $2,250 to support creative learning at T.J.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 9

State STAR studentAdam Webb, a Columbus senior, named Nan Pate as his STAR teacher. The Georgia Business Council created the program to honor outstanding students and teachers.

Elder Middle School. That's more than $4,750 in grants and bonds, and all it took was one little girl with a good idea.
In Sandersville, as in many other areas, business people serve as judges at the Invention Convention. .Raines hopes that as enthusiasm grows, businesses in all areas will take a more active role in all areas of their local schools.
The Georgia Business Forum, which cosponsors Invent America! with the state, oversees the annual state Invention Convention at Clayton County's Southlake Mall. Last year 63 excited students in kindergarten through eighth grade displayed their inventions at the mall. The celebration, as well as a reception for participants, their parents and teachers the night before the convention, was possible only because business people donated space, time, services and money to give the students their moment in the spotlight.
Bob Watson, president of the Georgia Business Forum, says his group cosponsors Invent America! because it provides real-world opportunities for students to use their creative and problem solving abilities and because inventing fosters the kind ofthinking skills businesses will need in the future. Businesses will need workers who are creative, analytical problem solvers. Watson says Invent America! offers the chance to make a better trained workforce for the future.
"It is exciting to give kids the opportunity to be creative. We are providing children the chance to have an idea and carry that idea to completion. That in itself is an achievement worthy of recognition," Watson said, adding that we need to spend more time recognizing the accomplishments ofchildren. "We must not allow human potential to be wasted. The economic reasons to support educa-

tion are compelling, and the tragedy of unfulfilled potential is enormous."
In addition to Invent America! the state cosponsors the STAR Student program with the Business Council of Georgia. The two groups joined forces in 1988 after the paperwork and cost of the program became too much for one group to handle. When the Business Council asked for help, the state stepped in, just as business people across Georgia have stepped in to help students across Georgia. The STAR Student program honors those high school seniors that earn the highest SAT score at their schools and the teachers who made the greatest impact on the students' learning.
The program is manageable because of the cosponsors' cooperation (DOE handles correspondence, printing and contacts with students and educators, while the Business Council coordinates the business side), and students continue to be honored. This year's celebration geared up in January, with Bateman and his stafftabulating winners, and climaxed with a May banquet organized by the Business Council.
Schools need community support A teacher once said that "Schools
are only as good as the support and approval they receive from their community." If the future STAR Students and inventors of Georgia are to achieve their potential Bateman says they must have the support of the people who can make a direct difference in their lives.
"The economic development of our state and nation depends on a close cooperation between the public and private sector," Bateman said. "Our public schools need the support of businesses, civic organizations and individuals in every community in Georgia. Working together, we can guarantee that our children receive the quality education they deserve."

Ellis Bateman, associate state superintendent for school/business partnerships, and Ann Lary, Invent America! coordinator, discuss plans for the state's invention convention.

10 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Coming together to save a community
At-risk students get 'New Futures' with Chatham County collaborative

By Kristin L. Summerlin
Henry McAfree will remember January 17, 1989, as one of the proudest days of his life: the day he was promoted from middle school to high school. And while he may not realize it, the applause for his achievements echoed far beyond his family, teachers and fellow students. As one ofthe first students promoted in midsemester under Chatham County's New Futures Initiative, Henry has an entire community behind him, cheering him on.
Every New Futures student is the focus of an enormous partnership to help at-risk students stay in school. Begun this year with a $10-million grant from the Annie B. Casey Foundation and $20 million in matching funds from the Savannah/ Chatham County community, the five-year collaborative draws together the resources of schools, businesses, social service agencies and local and state governments.
Midyear promotions The community is excited and justi-
fiably proud that 86 of its at-risk middle school students have been promoted in the middle ofthe school year, because their entrance into high school is the first visible sign of the program's success.
Statistics show that students who fail two times by sixth grade have a 90-percent chance of dropping out of school, and 2,000 of Savannah's fifth through seventh graders were two grades behind at the beginning ofthis year.
The initial phase oftheNew Futures program focuses on helping those middle school kids catch up to their peers. It also provides academic and social support to other students considered at risk ofdropping out because ofpoor academic achievement or social and health concerns.The program currently serves 764 students in Bartlett and

SAVANNAH HIGH
SCHOOL
TliE BLUE JA.c~ns tOME Of

Henry McAfree is one of the first students pro- Chatham County's New Futures Initiative, a promoted to high school in midsemester under gram to help at-risk students stay in school.

Hubert middle schools, described as "at-risk schools in at-risk neighborhoods" by school officials. It will expand over the next four years to encompass four more middle schools, as well as high schools with large atrisk populations.
Henry is probably not aware of the vast numbers of people interested in seeing him and his classmates succeed. But he knows how he feels.
"I'm really glad, because now I'm finally in the right grade, and it only took half a year. It was a whole lot of work, but it seems like yesterday that I started on it," he said. "My next goal is to finish high school with a good average, and then take it from there. Now that I know I can graduate, it makes a big difference. I guess I've

got more confidence now. I know if I work hard, I can succeed."
Why do so many people care about Henry and his peers?
Rash of crimes According to Otis Johnson, who left
his post on the Savannah City Council to become New Futures executive director, "The community became aware that something was fundamentally wrong about two years ago, when we had a rash of summer crimes."
At that time the community formed a Citizens' Crime Commission, while the chamber of commerce and city council researched the crime problem. City manager Don Mendonsa assessed the community and wrote a paper detailing the "two Savannahs:

one doing extremely well and the other doing extremely poorly." The city council funded a study of the homeless; a "Children of Change" task force assessed the community's services to children and youth; and the city and United Way funded a study on teen pregnancy. In the meantime, a Ford Foundation grant focused efforts at preventing dropouts.
"Somehow everything kept leading back to the youth on the streets and unemployment," Johnson said. "So the community was grappling with this overall problem in separate ways, and nobody put it all together. The Casey grant forced the community to come together to form a planning task force and string all the pieces together: education, health, employment, parents, business people.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 11

-

Sharon Darley, Chatham's atriskprogramsdirector, discusses the New Futures Initiative with Otis Johnson. He left his post on the city council to become executive director ofthe program.

they're not learning: How can you team maintains continuous contact

concentrate on schoolwork with those with the 428 New Futures students at

things going on?"

that school.

Teacher Betty Morgan, center, works closely with her students. The New Futures program requires a special breed ofteacher with extra training to match her teaching style with students' learning style.

"We came together in a way that's never happened before. And I think the community is committed because it's in our longterm best interest to address these problems."
Community expectations What does the community expect in
return for its commitment? More students who stay in school and achieve academically, more educated and qualified workers, fewer burdens on the already overtaxed social systems.
To meet these objectives, the New Futures Initiative includes four major thrusts: to increase the academic skills of at-risk students, to increase school attendance and graduation rates, to decrease youth unemployment and inactivity and to reduce teen pregnancy and parenthood.
The linchpin of the New Futures middle school program is the STAY

(Services to Assist Youth) team, a group of professionals responsible for assessing the needs of each at-risk student and developing individual intervention plans. Each targeted middle school has a STAY team, which includes an academic facilitator, a social worker, a counselor, an in-house suspension specialist, a psychologist and a nurse.
"So many times we've found in working with these kids that it's not their educational abilities that cause them to fail in the classroom. It's outside social problems and environmental conditions that affect them," said Sharon Darley, Chatham County schools' at-risk programs coordinator.
"You would not believe the problems these kids have. We're talking about rapes, runaways, drugs in the home. It's unreal what is happening to these children. It's obvious why

The STAY team is instrumental in helping the students overcome the problems that make it hard to function in school.
Listening, caring "What the STAY team provides is
what every teacher has wished she could do," Darley said. "Every teacher has run into that kid who needs help with problems outside class, who needs somebody to listen to him. And, of course, with a full classroom of children who need attention, the teacher can't stop and attend to outside problems. So the teacher ends up feeling guilty, thinks 'I might have made a difference if I could have listened to him.'
"We hope the STAY team will provide a group of people who can meet with the children and develop relationships that will follow them all through high school."
Besides listening and caring, the STAY team is poised to provide or obtain any type of service a child might require, from individual counseling to health screenings to family interventions and serving as go-between with the youth justice system.
When a student is being considered for the New Futures program, the STAY team screens her academic performance, attendance patterns, behavior problems and other contributing social factors. Mter the assessment, the team develops an individual success plan incorporating any of several intervention methods. Parents are involved in writing the success plans and are given opportunities to learn how to help their children succeed.
Continuous contact Marsha Tolbert, STAY team leader
at Hubert Middle School, said the

"We spend a lot of our time doing direct intervention with specific problems, counseling the students and disciplining them when it's necessary," she said. "But we also try to have a lot of day-to-day contact about personal problems - and successes. We check in with our students daily,if possible, to keep the dialogue going. We even make home visits to find out what factors there might cause a student to be late or not do well."
The STAY teams have a wide array of options to use in writing the students' success plans, including the following.
A modified curriculum to get students one year behind back on track, concentrating on different teaching methods and improving their attitudes with a success-oriented classroom
Team teaching and a special math and reading curriculum for students with low standardized test scores or who are one year behind grade level
The Comprehensive Competencies Program (CCP) lab, an individualized, self-paced, computerized program of instruction in academic and functional skills for students two or more years behind
A career-readiness program
In-house suspension to provide counseling and instruction to students with behavior problems (The system notes that slightly more than 18 percent of all students lost four or more days of school as a result of out-ofschool suspension last year.)
The modified curricula are essential, according to Darley, because "One ofthe major problems these kids have had is that they have not been learning the way the teacher has been

12 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

--

Harold Beavers stretches out on the carpet to work on an assignment. New Futures students are allowed to work in comfortable positions. The relaxed environment encourages achievement.

teaching. And if they aren't learning the way we teach, then we need to teach the way they learn. We have to find out whether they're visual or auditory or kinesthetic learners and match our teaching efforts to their learning styles."
Requires special teachers Changing the curricula and teach-
ing methods requires special teachers and about 40 hours of extra training, Darley said. "This program is not teacher-centered; it's student-centered. We have to train teachers to deal with the problems these children have and to change their own perceptions of what a classroom is like," she said.
"In this program, the curriculum is self-paced and self-directed, and the

teacher is there as a role model and resource, someone to reach out to, who will be there if needed."
This is particularly true in the computerized CCP lab, where the studentteacher ratio is 10 to one. Rather than conducting a lesson at the blackboard, the CCP teacher serves primarily as classroom manager.
Students enter the classroom lab, get their folders with personalized lessons from a shelf and begin working at their own pace. As soon as they master a lesson, they move on to the next.The teacher is there as a resource in case a student encounters a problem, and she prepares and tracks the lessons in the students' folders.
(Continued on page 16)

Who are the children at risk?
At-risk students generally live below the poverty level, and more than halflive with single, unwed mothers. They live in neighborhoods where adult illiteracy and youth and adult unemployment rates are high. Drug use, alcohol abuse and violent crimes are the norm.
Their adult role models are frequently undereducated and unemployed, abuse drugs or alcohol, have children out of wedlock, engage in criminal activities and generally do little to motivate youngsters to become productive, self-supporting citizens.
At-risk students fall behind early in school and lack incentive to catch up. Unless the cycle of despair is broken, at-risk students will drop out of school, remain unemployed and become teen parents. They are destined to live hand-to-mouth existences, become welfare dependents, become perpetrators and/ or victims ofviolent crimes and abuse drugs or alcohol.
A substantial number of Chatham County students in grades six through 12 are considered at risk. During 1986-87, 42 percent of all middle school students were one or two grades below grade level, while nearly 34 percent of all high school students were one or two grades behind. Using the Casey Foundation's formula, 13.2 percent of Chatham County's public school students in grades six through 12 dropped out that year.
From the system's newsletter, Windows on Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools

Elonda Bryantworks on a careerawarenessprogram in the computerized CCP lab. The curriculum is self-paced and self-directed, and as soon as students master a lesson, they move on to the next.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 13

The most important meal
Although breakfast is the most important meal of the day, many students come to school without an adequate nutritional start. But not the students at Richmond County's Peter H. Craig Elementary. The Nutrasweet Company in Augusta is funding a pilot breakfast program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the school's 369 students. While school breakfast and lunch programs usually are supported by federal and state funds and student payments, at Craig Nutrasweet picks up the students' portion, so the children eat breakfast free. The company chose to sponsor the program because of evidence that a student's nutritional status can affect her classroom performance. Contact Betty Tut, Principal, Peter H. Craig Elementary School, 400 Hale Street, Augusta 30901, (404) 823-6946.
Welded together
Cobb County's Murdock Elementary students created the slogan "We're Welded Together" to describe their partnership with Pacesetter Steel Services. The partnership has provided tutors, shared knowledge of other cultures, spelling bees, creative writing projects and a paint job and redecoration of the school office. Pacesetter sponsors recognitions for bus drivers, cafeteria staff and custodians, as well as the Teacher ofthe Year. Employees also are on hand to present student citizenship and achievement awards. The company added interest to Murdock's career awareness day by advertising 30 jobs and selecting students with the most persuasive applications to perform them for one hour. And ifyou're welded to someone, it's probably not a bad idea to exchange Valentines - students and employees did. Contact W.E. Robertson, Principal, Murdock Elementary School, 2320 Murdock Road, Marietta 30062, (404) 973-4546.
14 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Newsprint and Smoke Signals
The partnership between the Newnan Times-Herald and Coweta County Schools is as natural as the kinship of ink and newsprint. Junior journalists from Coweta high schools intern at the newspaper, and the Times-Herald staff helps East Coweta High students publish their award-winning newspaper, Smoke Signals. The paper has also hired four students in the Jobs for Graduates program; all four have graduated and one continues to work for the newspaper. From awards to sports to inventions, if it happens in a Coweta County school, you can read about it in the Times-Herald. Besides news coverage and publicity, the paper has given editorial support for education issues, including bond referenda that have resulted in new schools. Contact Bobby Welch, Superintendent, Coweta County Schools, P.O. Drawer 280, Newnan 30264, (404) 245-2800.
From nap mats to a spare pair
What could a manufacturer of tablecloths, napkins, placemats and bed linens do for an elementary school? Spalding County's Fashion Industries Inc. provides materials for the little ones at Anne Street Elementary, from quilted mats to use at naptime to spare underwear for those occasional accidents at school. Only kindergartners and first graders attend the school, which has a constant need for materials and objects for handson activities. Fashion Industries helps meet these needs by donating fabrics, spools, potholders and plastic envelopes for art projects. The company also raised $2,200 for the school at an employee bargain bonus sale and publishes the school's parent newsletter. Contact Hoby Davenport, Principal, Anne Street Elementary School, 802 Anne Street, Griffin 30223, (404) 229-3746.

-
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computer software t
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Principal, West R() 2500 Redmond Cir (404) 235-8863.
From waste to
Suppose you have t gypsum lying arour dispose of it- prefe Because gypsum is manufacture of tita white pigment in p<, Kemira Oy chemica had this problem. T science students at School a chance to f Oy suggested that t effect on certain pla tests with peanuts l The school bought a Kemira Oy outfitte< ment, including a n record growth chan: have access to the c receive help from t1:: serve as project adv search techniques. I Luten, Principal, School, 500 Washi Savannah 31405, '

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ileers at General 1ch when it comes to ,nw High School. ~ir time, training and ool administrators he most suitable nd make the best use partnership supports ustry program, ; understand the :ds of business and teach the skills and 1Jr students to endell Christian, .me High School, d e, Rome 30161,
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Take a few tips from these partners
School partnerships mean more than just giving money. Caring people and true commitment are key resources.
Have you thought about starting a school/business partnership but come up short because you lack money or don't know how to help? Get together with your potential partners to brainstorm ideas. Partnerships are bounded only by the limits of your imagination. It's simple: Match a need with a resource and you have an effective collaboration.
Here are some examples of creative partnerships from across the state. In all of them, people make the difference.

Compiled by Judy Hall
Listen to the students
Cohutta Banking Company of Chatsworth bases its partnership with Murray county Schools on meeting student needs. How to determine what students need? Listen to the students. The bank works with a student advisory board ofjuniors and seniors chosen from applications and interviews. As a result, the company now sponsors a course to help students prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test and has developed a banking class for the high school business department. The bank also established a loan program for every student interested in higher education and awards two $500 scholarships each year. Cohutta Banking Company employs two VICA students each year and donates incentive awards to the Murray County Stay-in-School program. Contact Kate Pannell, Murray County Board of Education, P.O. Box 40, Chatsworth 30705, (404) 695-4531.

Going to work - at school
Many potential volunteers find that while they'd like to do something for their community school, they can't afford to take time off from work to help. Hanes Hosiery in LaGrange eliminates this problem by paying employees who volunteer at Troup County's Mountville just as if they were going to work. For an hour each Tuesday and Thursday, five or six of the 25 participating employees help students individually with reading or math or do paperwork chores for the teachers. In addition, the Hanes plant has sponsored a fundraiser for the school and presents an engraved plaque, flowers and a gift certificate to the Mountville Teacher of the Year. The school's staff and students invite the volunteers to a special Christmas luncheon and honor them with a Volunteer Appreciat ion Day every year. Contact Bobby Brooks, Principal, Mountville Elementary School, 4117 Greenville Highway, LaGrange 30240, (404) 882-6033.
Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 15

STAY team members keep in constant touch with students. They help overcome any barriers to a student's academic achievement, from health problems to discipline and behavior issues.

We came together in a way that's never hap-

pened before. And the community is committed

because it's in our longterm best interest to ad-

dress these problems.

-Otis Johnson

Students get 'New Futures' (Continued from page 13)

CCP teacher Omelia Donahoo likes her new role. "I'm here mainly as a resource," she said. "These kids have an established routine, and I'm here if they need a book or a disk. They come to me with problems, and I check their files and monitor their progress. This is a lot different from what my classes used to be like, but I can see the progress these kids are making, and I know I'm helping them."
What happens outside the classroom is at least as important as the regular school day, so the New Futures program includes after-school activities, career clubs and a health clinic. Although the health clinic received some opposition from pro-life organizations and church groups, Darley said the clinic is necessary to keep students in school- whether by preventing teen pregnancy or helping the kids stay healthy.
Removing health barriers " We won't be dispensing contracep-
tives because oflegislation forbidding it in Georgia. Our main emphasis will be on performing health assessments and removing any health barriers that cause a child to be uncomfortable in the classroom or make him feel like not studying," she said.
"We'll also be providing health education on sex, parenting, drugs and basic health issues. Many of these students don't have a family doctor and haven't gotten the kind of information they need in these areas."
In addition, the project is organizing a parents advisory council, be-

cause, as Johnson said, "Parents can undo in 15 minutes what we have tried to do for months. We've got to get them fully committed and help them understand the importance of their stroking these kids and encouraging them and acting in different ways than they may currently be acting. Many ofthese parents are young, and they're still trying to have fun . We don't want the cycle (of dropping out) to continue, and they're one of the keys to breaking it."
Finally, students who move up to high school from the New Futures program won't drop out of sight. The foundation provides case managers to track students through high school and maintain contact, taking the place of the STAY team members, so that high school doesn't have to be a scary or lonely experience.
"These children, who heretofore had little success, who definitely would have been dropouts, are now excited about high school," said Hubert principal Betty DeVoe. "Can you see how wonderful that is to us? They're excited about school again. They see that somebody does care, and yes, it can happen. They can succeed.
"This is our challenge: to care enough about these children to convince them that they are worthwhile, that they can succeed. And there are 85 adults here at this school, from the custodians to the teachers to the STAY team members to me, who believe it can happen. And it is!"

Hubert Middle School STAY team leader Marsha Tolbert says the team checks in with students daily "to keep the dialogue going." Students know they can go to team members with any problem.
Seventh grader Clarence Williams said STAY team psychologist LarryRuble is his favorite person atschool. "He reallyhelps me with my problems," Clarence said. "Now I know I still have a chance."

16 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Commitment to community
Caring people are the biggest plus in small-town school partnerships

By Gale E. Samuels
Gary Hanson holds his passbook and takes out his dollar bill to give it to the man seated at the table with the ledger book and lock box. He knows the dollar must not be wadded up in a ball, because that's not the way things are done here. Gary is waiting his turn in a line of eager third graders ready to deposit a dollar or a dime in their personal accounts at Emanuel County's Twin City Primary School Mini-Bank.
The Wednesday morning ritual, in which bank officers and employees serve as rotating tellers, is part of a partnership between Twin City Primary School and Durden Banking Company. By the end of last school yea r, 63 third graders had saved more than $2,600, which was presented in checks to each child by Durden vice president G.W. Johnson.
Students from each third-grade class take turns lining up to do business. Most students participate. "I figured I could buy something I always wanted (if I had money), but I didn't know how to do it," said Brandy Hatcher, who earns her savings by doing chores for her Mom - mostly by watching her little brother. "I haven't decided what to spend it on yet. I may save it for college."
The school-based partnership is part of Emanuel County's Partners in Education (PIE) program. It involves more than the branch office bank. Durden provides bank tours, displays of student work, speakers on finance and banking and the use of bank grounds for school functions to schools in the area. For Twin City Primary, the bank provides a copy of My Favorite Book to all first graders, seasonal activity books for kindergartners and computer paper for all grades.
Why is the bank so involved with education? "When you're in a small

community and there aren't many businesses to support schools, banks are a mainstay," Johnson explained. "We believe in partnerships as an investment to keep our community progressive and to maintain the high quality of life. We want our kids to have every opportunity to be successful in the business world and compete in college."
Small system's success The Emanuel County PIE program
is a great example of a growing and successful effort in one of Georgia's smaller school systems. The resources are different from these in a large metropolitan system, but the benefits to students and community are at least as meaningful- possibly more.
The Twin City Primary School Mini-Bank is but one example of the spirit of cooperation found in the county's PIE program. Wanting the best for the children and the community is what sustains the quality partnerships in Emanuel County.
"We're a rural community, and we're struggling. Our schools are the center of our community, and people here know that the community will prosper as the schools prosper," said Principal Von Johnson.
"We have a great spirit of cooperation here that you can't find in a big city. Thiscommunitymademewhatl am today, and I want to give something back so that the kids today can have the best. That's why we look for every opportunity, such as this partnership, for our kids."
Twin City Primary's PIE Coordinator Jean Schwabe said the success of the Mini-Bank far outweighed expectations. "Many of the students have gone to the bank this year and opened an account there," she said.
When Johnson and Schwabe started talking about a partnership for their school, there were three giv-

Swainsboro Elementary students enjoy the playground built for them by the Jaycees with $1,300 from employees of the school's partner, Wal-Mart. The company matched employee contributions.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 17

Twin CityPrimaryPrincipalVon Johnson is proud ofhis community's spirit ofcooperation u;ith the schools. "People know that the community will prosper as the schools prosper," he said.

ens. First, enhancement ofthe instructional program was a priority, as opposed to a monetary grant. Second, they wanted a true partnership in which a climate of involvement and interaction existed between the school and the business. And third, they wanted the partnership to have an impact on the community's economic future.
They decided to open the Mini-Bank after studying projects from other school systems and consulting with Emanuel County's PIE coordinator, Jamie Lawrence. In September 1987 the school leadership presented the idea to Durden Banking Company; the bank responded positively, and the Twin City Primary Branch opened in October.
Deposits require math skills As savings depositors, students use
their math skills. They are learning about the value of money as they try to accumulate savings and plan what they will buy. Bank employees involved in the partnership serve as role models for future business careers, and they learn about the school at the same time. While the children enjoy learning about banking, they also are learning to be financially responsible citizens in their community. Because the Mini-Bank is reserved for the participation of third graders, first and second graders look forward to it.
The elementary school also has a volunteer program, as do other Emanuel County schools, that Johnson sees as a great resource. The volunteer program is school-based and run by a parent volunteer. Each volunteer attends an orientation night and training session.
"I love it. I love the children. My child used to go to this school. I was keeping another child that attended here, and responded to a request from the PTA for volunteers," said Virginia Herndon. Herndon, a former aide and

teacher of emotionally disturbed children, is one of several nonparent volunteers working at Twin City. Volunteers run a special reading program called Koalaty Kids, act as classroom aides and do clerical and library work.
"The keys to our program are having an outside volunteer coordinator and proper training," said Johnson. "At the orientation I speak about dayto-day school operations, but our coordinator talks about how volunteers must conduct themselves in the school setting. It's better if they hear that from a parent rather than me. We try to make everyone feel wanted. If they want to work, we will find the right job for them."
In a small community, what is the key to a partnership program that works as successfully as this one? "The big plus ofEmanuel County and our school system is the people. Our people genuinely are concerned and care about the welfare of the children and each other. All we do up here is set the vehicle in motion and they ride," said Betty Y. Brown, Emanuel County superintendent.
The ride began in 1983 when Brown (then community education director) attended several adopt-a-school workshops at meetings of the Georgia School Public Relations Association. Convinced of the value of partnerships, she attended the state education department's Conference on Collaboration of School/Business/ Industry Partnerships with the school board president and five Chamber of Commerce members. When she became superintendent, the job description she wrote for community education director included coordinating a partnership program.
Efforts remain school-based Jamie Lawrence was hired for that
job and formed a task force to start the Emanuel County Partners in Education program. With the community of

G. W. Johnson, vice president of Durden Banking Company, registers a student's deposit into Twin City Primary's Mini-Bank. Sixtythree third graders saved $2,600 last year.

Adrian in the far west, Twin City to the east and Swainsboro in the middle, Emanuel County schools serve different populations and have different community resources. With this in mind, it was decided to keep the PIE program school-based. Thus the task force was composed of a representative coordinator from each school and representatives from the Chamber of Commerce.
"It's easy to want to go in and take charge when you've studied this and made it your baby. But just as a good parent must let her child grow into his own person, I realized the best way was to take a step back and let each school do its own programs. They know I am always there to support and encourage them, and I help with problems however I can," said Lawrence.
PIE reflects Brown's philosophy that "the community owns the schools, and the community must

have a part in them." Almost any type of partnership is acceptable in Emanuel County, as long as both the schools and the partners agree on the benefits.
Teresea Lawson decided a partnership was the answer when she saw the need for new playground equipment at Swainsboro Elementary School. She contacted Wal-Mart, whose employees raised $1,300. That sum was matched by the Wal-Mart Foundation. The school raised its own $2,000. After purchasing the equipment, the Jaycees were asked to install it.
"We saw a chance to help these kids, not with money but with our time and hard work," said Steve Feisler, a member of the Jaycees. "Five or six of us spent several hot summer weekends getting that equipment in place. It was worth it to see the kids climbing and sliding and swinging with smiles on their faces.

18 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Third grader Brandy Hatcher earnshersavings bydoingchores for her mother. "I figured I could buy something if I had money, but I didn't know how to do it" before the Mini-Bank, she said.

We had done some things before the formal PIE program, but now it's nice to be recognized for it. We always like to help, particularly if it benefits the children. It's a way of life here."
Southern Charm Florist and Gifts owner Gency Bishop called Lawrence last year and suggested her own part-

nership. The florist put all Emanuel County school teachers' names in a fishbowl. Each week of the school year, she delivered flowers to a teacher. This year Bishop changed her partnership activity and supplied red ribbons for all school buses and cars as part of the Drug-Free Schools' Red Ribbon Campaign.

Dos and don'ts

Here are some partnership tips from the experts - people with years ofexperience and those who are just starting out.
Do Call partnership program directors from neighboring and faraway school systems for answers to particular situations and generally helpful tips. There is no time or reason to reinvent the wheel.
Attend a Partners in Education training conference sponsored by the Georgia Department ofEducation's Office ofBusiness/ Education Partnerships.
Invest $25 in the Education Partnerships: Foundation of Tomorrow video from Phi Delta Kappa. Nancy Harvey, community relations coordinator for Americus City Schools, recommends the 15-minute video to introduce city council members, mayors and chambers of commerce to the idea or partnerships. "It gives a short, positive overview of what partnerships can do and their effectiveness at all levels," she said. Contact Phi Delta Kappa International Headquarters, 8th and Union Avenue, P.O. Box 789, Bloomington, Indiana 474020789, (812) 339-1156.

Make sure you have a supportive superintendent. Sell your superintendent on the idea before you get started.
Talk about your new idea and program all the time.
Don'ts Don't try to do everything at once. First things first.
Don't start a program unless you're committed to spending time on it and sticking with it.
Don't ask partners for money; concentrate on people involvement.
Don't discount any possibility; if an idea is proposed by a school or a business, it just might find the perfect home.
Don't be afraid to take chances.
Don't forget to do your homework. Be prepared for anything.
Don't forget to join the new state association, Partners in Education. Contact Ellis Bateman, Georgia Department of Education, 1758 Twin Towers East, Atlanta 30334-5040, or Beth Scarboro, Georgia PIE President, DeKalb County Schools, 3770 North Decatur Road, Decatur 30032.

Volunteer Virginia Herndon helps second grader Laura Gray with her reading. Herndon is a former teacher and one ofseveral nonparent volunteers who work at Twin City Primary.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 19

Jean Schwabe, Twin City Primary's PIE coordinator, wanted a partnership to enhance the curriculum, to focus on involvementandinteractionandto have a future economic impact.

Two-way street School officials have a strong belief
that successful partnerships require school and partner interaction, not a one-way handout. In that case, what do Emanuel County Schools do for their partners?
George Sturgis knows. Owner of a farm that neighbors Emanuel County Institute (ECI is a public school that includes grades four through 12), Sturgis had a problem with mysterious bubbles in his pond. He sought the help of ECI science students and got it.
ECI Outlook (gifted program) students took pond samples in Coke bottles and discovered methane gas after testing. Sturgis was relieved to know he didn't have a potential sinking lime pit. After newspaper articles about the bubble problem, community residents are more aware of the resources at Emanuel County Schools.
Roper Outdoor Lawn Products Inc., another partner, grants release time to employees to distribute drug-free educational materials to Emanuel County's middle and high schools. When Roper wanted a special celebration to greet Chicago representatives from Sears, one of its largest customers, the firm called on its partner, Emanuel County Schools. An oldfashioned pep rally, complete with chauffeur-driven convertibles, the Swainsboro High School Band and cheerleaders greeted the visitors.
Lawrence said the rally didn't involve a monetary outlay, just good old southern hospitality. "The Sears people were surprised and delighted. Jamie Lawrence coordinates Emanuel County's partnership pro- They said they had not had a more gram. She urges thosejust startingprograms to ''pick up the phone." spectacular or warmer welcome in all She also suggests attending a state-sponsored training seminar. their travels," he said.
While most small towns do not have many large industries, most have a Southern Bell office. In the case of Emanuel County, Southern Bell is and has been a terrific partner.

Swainsboro High School (SHS) students who maintain a straight-A average are treated to an awards luncheon by Southern Bell each semester. This spring the company wiil bring the CHOICE dropout prevention program to SHS.
Three or four Southern Bell managers will put on the program, which shows students that the choices they make today will influence the rest of their lives. In two 50-minute sessions with all ninth graders, the business people act as role models. This successful program was originally developed by the U.S. West Telephone Foundation.
"Students evaluate the program at the end, so we can know what's working," said Merle Temple, manager of consumer affairs and public relations at Southern Bell in Augusta. "Education is one of our primary commitments. We want to work with schools, and I encourage school districts to find out how we can help."
Colleges are partners Emanuel County is fortunate to
have institutions of higher learning as partners, too. East Georgia College and Swainsboro Technical Institute both provide resource people who speak to classes and give tours of the schools and facilities for school functions.
The PIE program makes the most of the variety of resources available, from fundraisers coordinated by the Lions Club to local businesses picking up the tab to allow French Club students to dine at a French restaurant in Savannah. Whatever a partner can do to promote quality education in Emanuel County is considered and appreciated.
According to Lawrence, evaluation of the PIE program is informal. She meets with each school coordinator at least once a year to discuss school partnerships and how they are working. Before a partnership starts, each

20 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

r

school does a needs assessment, and potential partners bring a list to the school of what they might offer and their expectations. Mter both parties discuss their needs, they decide what the partnership will involve.
Lawrence's suggestions for potential partnership program coordinators are to attend one of the training sessions sponsored by the state education department's Office of Business/ Education Partnerships (Lawrence is now a trainer at these seminars) and then spend a lot of time planning the program. The 12-step model from the National School Volunteer Program is a good start, she said.
Pick up the phone "I don't think we use the telephone
enough," said Lawrence. "There are so many people who need advice or h ave a question about what to do n ext. We can't always get away to visit another county, but we can pick up the phone and share our suggestions about situations we 've been t h r o u g h ."
Just ask Jency Brinson, partners coordinator for Jenkins County Schools. "Jamie has been wonderful," she said. "This year is our pilot year, in which each school has been adopted by one partner. She walked me through starting this program. She knows what a smaller system can do."
Emanuel County is a smaller system that started out slowly and through careful planning built a highly successful partnership program that continues to grow.
"With the right attitude, we can scale tall buildings, or, as we say in the country, we can leap tall corn," said Von Johnson, with a smile.

Superintendent Betty Y. Brown believes that "the community owns the schools, and the community must have a part in them." She encourages all types ofpartnerships in her schools.

So you want to set up a partnership program?

Before you do anything, mark out at least six months to a year for planning before the program gets under way. Relationships engendered by partnerships - whether volunteer programs or businesses adopting schools - require knowledge, trust and respect. Cultivating these elements takes time and patience.
Ifyou have no other guidance in starting a partnership project, the one essential piece of information you need, according to the experts, is the following list of 12 steps from the National School Volunteer Program's book, A Practical Guide to Creating and Managing School! Community Partnerships.
1. Create awareness. Discuss your ideas for starting a partnership with potential partners. Get them thinking about what they have to offer and what they'd like to receive in return.
2. Assess needs and resources. School personnel must take a look at the weakest areas of the educational program and decide whether or not they can be strengthened by present resources. If not, what specific resources could a partner provide? What resources can be offered to the partner in exchange? Needs and resources must continually be reassessed because as needs are met, the program will be modified.
3. Formulate goals and objectives. Goals cannot be measured. They are broad statements of purpose, such as improving academic achievement. Objectives are specific and state an intent that you want to accomplish, such as reducing the dropout rate by 50 per-

cent in two years. Objectives can be measured.
4. Identify potential resources: review and reflect. This is the stage to reflect on what you have already accomplished, figure out what you still need, what you may have forgotten, and identify hidden resources that you may have missed the first time around.
5. Design the program. Now is the time to look at successful program models and adapt your needs to a program design. Take care of whatever administrative procedures must be carried out before start-up, and write job descriptions for everyone involved.
The next six stages are involved in implementing your program.
6. Recruitment. This is a crucial stage. Start small and build slowly. Recruit only for positions that are actually available, because people want to be needed. Match skills with jobs. Once you get going, your program should sell itself.
7. Orientation. A general orientation (including program history, purpose and design) is appropriate for volunteers and staff. Another orientation for those actually working in the school setting is also essential. Include a tour, description of school rules and a list of expected procedures and acceptable activities for volunteers.
8. Training. The purpose oftraining is to teach volunteers new skills. Be specific about your expected outcomes. Training sessions can go into more detail about issues mentioned in orientation. Be sure to evaluate for future sessions.

9. Assignment. Thethreesteps in assigning volunteers are interviewing, screening and placement. Remember to consider personal preferences, education, experiences, employment and temperament when assigning volunteers.
10. Retention. Keeping your partners and volunteers year after year is an art. To encourage retention theNational School Volunteer Program suggests that you provide in-service training, advise volunteers on how to receive credit for their work, give performance feedback and suggestions, show evidence of how their work has contributed to the school and stay flexible in making assignments.
11. Recognition. Benefits to volunteers don't come in the form ofsalary: The main benefit is knowing that they are a valued part of an important operation. This is where recognition comes in. Acknowledge your partners and volunteers by target groups to make your thank-you most meaningful.
12. Evaluation. Formal or informal, you must devise some procedure for evaluating the success of the partnership for each party involved. Your evaluation should measure the effectiveness both of the whole program and the individual parts. If you're in a small community or have a school-based partnership, an informal meeting, lunch or telephone call might be appropriate. Written evaluation forms, a yearly or semiannual conference and a formal written report might be in order if you have a large program.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 21

Moving and shaking
One woman's enthusiasm, conviction get entire community involved

By Eleanor Gilmer

She's been voted a Mover and Shaker, a Pacesetter and Citizen of the Year by the people in her county. She's a one-woman operation, and yet she has the top leaders of the county cooking hamburgers for elementary students, serving lunch to school food workers and making coffee for the school bus drivers. She's the unpaid "public relations director" for most of the businesses in the county.
Carolyn Harris has been director of school-community relations for the Cook County School System for 11 years, and she has just about every business in the county supporting schools in some way - from giving four-year scholarships to donating flowers, helping students publish a school newspaper and providing physical examinations to athletes.
Tommy Tebeau, president of Adel Banking Company, quipped that the bank's involvement in community service since he's been in the county has been "whatever Carolyn Harris wants us to do."

Carolyn Harris, school-community relations director, discusses partnerships with Willie Paulk,

Chamber of Commerce vice president, and businessman James Pleydell-Bouverie.

Goes to the top Harris said the key to her successful
school-community program has been that she goes to the top people, has good ideas to present and does a quality job of every project.
"I like to start with the very best, someone I know can get things done. Then I have no worries," she said. "Because we emphasize quality, I have never had a company refuse to support a program or project the second year.
"As a small school system in a rural community, we need all the support possible from people outside the schools. The goal of our community involvement project is to provide continuing programs that involve the community, thus providing our students with many advantages that our school budget cannot cover."

Cook County is a small county (population 13,500) in southwest Georgia. The school system has 2,700 students in five schools: one high school and four elementary schools.
"Our schools would not be successful without community involvement," said Cook County Superintendent Ed Leichner. "We do not have the funds or the staff to carry out the activities sponsored by the community."
According to Leichner, any school system, no matter how small, can have a successful school-community involvement program if it has someone to coordinate it. As a result of the successful partnership programs in Cook County, several nearby systems have also begun school-community relations programs.

Harris understands the perspective and needs of business, because before joining the staff of the Cook County System she and her husband owned one of the local banks and were supportive ofthe schools. In 1957 she was elected probate judge - the first woman elected to public office in Cook County.
Mter the death of her husband, Harris was offered a job with the school system to work with the career education program. She established a program to get business leaders into the schools every Wednesday. The local newspaper, the Adel News Tribune, featured the business leaders who participated. Her present job as school-community coordinator evolved from this start.

"The program we have in Cook County is unique because of Carolyn's qualifications and longtime involvement in the community," said Sandy Sanders, editor of the local newspaper. Sanders supports school activities by helping with printing, writing and publicity.
Enthusiasm and conviction "Boundless enthusiasm about her
hometown and an unshakeable conviction that anything can be accomplished if the right people can be persuaded to get involved" qualified Harris as one of Cook County's "Movers and Shakers" for 1985 and as a "Pacesetter" for 1986, both programs sponsored by the newspaper.
"Every business is willing to be involved in education, but most of us

22 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Bobby Phillips ofthe Adel Banking Company spends time with a student. The bank recognizes honor students from all schools by sponsoring hamburger cookoutsand trips to theDairy Queen.

I wish all ofthe business leaders in Cook County w ould pledge not to hire anyone who doesn't h ave a high school diploma....In this company we need people who can read and understand what they read.
-Phil Grimsley

don't have the time to plan and carry out activities. We need someone like Carolyn to take the initiative," said P hil Grimsley, president of Cook County Ford.
Harris says she tries to expand a project or plan a new one each year. She sees that every area of education receives support. For example, activities are conducted not only for students and teachers, but also for support staff- bus drivers, school food personnel, custodial staff. For example, during School Bus Safety Week special coffee and doughnuts are provided for bus drivers, and an annual luncheon is sponsored for school food personnel. She decides what is needed to carry out her plan and gets people involved who can best help.
Credits sponsors "I always give the sponsors credit
on programs, invitations, in publicity, and I always involve them on the program," she said. She believes it is important for the business leaders to get to know the students and school staff.
One of Cook County's most successful partnership projects is the Leadership Program. About 30 students are selected to participate each year. The program, conducted by the Georgia P ower Company, involves intensive leadership training for students. The students learn such skills as how to speak in public, fill out a job applica-

tion,dress appropriately and carry on a conversation. The two-day program culminates in a banquet attended by the county's top business leaders.
"Formal invitations are sent out, and we always have very high participation," said Harris. "Students are in charge of the program. They greet the guests, introduce speakers and serve as table hosts. The first year's program was so successful that I had business leaders asking to sponsor it the next year."
In other communities Georgia Power usually conducts the leadership workshop only every four years, but because of Harris' enthusiasm and planning and the popularity of the program with the students and community, the company has agreed to make it an annual program in Cook County.This is what the paper had to say in an editorial about the 1987 program.
"If the students who conducted the program for the Leadership '87 dinner last Wednesday night are an indication, the future is in good hands. ..
"We wish everyone could have seen the poise, confidence and polish of these young leaders.Those who didn't have an active part on the program mingled with the guests, greeted everyone with a firm handshake and carried on conversations with community leaders with all the aplomb of people many years their senior. We were proud of them."

Another successful project is the system's scholarship program. Scholarships ranging from $300 to as much as $7,500 are given to deserving students.
"We believe an investment in our youth pays the highest dividends," said Forrest Caldwell, president ofthe Farmers and Merchant Bank, which gives a $6,000 scholarship each year.
Emphasize academic excellence Excellence in academics is emphas-
ized in many other activities. For

example, the Farmers and Merchant Bank gives academic sweaters to seniors who maintain a semester average of 90 or higher for the first 31f2 years of high school. That bank also sponsors Scholastic Honors Night to salute the top scholastic achievers in each class at Cook County High School. The bank presents trophies to students with the highest and second highest averages in each class.
Harris makes this a special night by inviting top-notch speakers from

Students are measured for academic letter sweaters. The Farmers and Merchants Bank presents them to students who maintain a semester average ofat least 90 through 3 1/2 years ofhigh school.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 23

Gerry Harris of Farmers and Merchants Bank displays the buzzer his bank donated to help Cook County School students practiceandbe morecompetetive for academic bowl games.

Georgia and across the nation. Many are former Cook County students, such as Alan J . Parrish, director of information services for NASA, and Eugene Patterson, former editor of the Atlanta Constitution.
Honor students from all schools are recognized by the Adel Banking Company at special events, such as hamburger cook-outs at the park and trips to the Dairy Queen. Tebeau and his bank staff cook the hamburgers and participate in other ways. The bank also sponsors an annual luncheon for gifted students. Tebeau believes that incentives are important for students. When they know they will receive a reward for hard work, they try harder, he says.
The Chamber of Commerce is an active participant and sponsors many school activities. Each year the chamber sponsors a back-to-school breakfast for teachers and hosts other special events during the year.
Dropouts a concern Cook County's dropout problem is a
concern of all of the business leaders, and according to Phil Grimsley the businesses believe the carrot-andstick approach is a good way to keep students in school. "We like to reward good work and emphasize the positive," he said. His company also sponsors a scholarship, provides a car for driver education and helps out with other activities. He and his wife also personally get involved in school projects.
"I wish all ofthe business leaders in Cook County would make a pledge not to hire anyone who doesn't have a high school diploma," said Grimsley. "Education is the most important area of our community. In this company we need people who can read and understand what they read. Mechanics now must know how to use computers. Gone are the days when a mechanic could listen to a car's motor

and tell what was wrong with it. Cars now are too sophisticated for that."
Education is also important not only to those who work in the health care field, but also to a person's general health, according to Dr. Russell Acree, director of Memorial Hospital. His hospital helps by giving scholarships, providing health occupation training for students, giving free physicals for athletes and hiring vocational office training students.
"It has been proven that uneducated people get sick more often than educated people," said Acree. "Twenty percent ofthe people get 80 percent of the illnesses. People who are educated generally have set life goals for themselves and are more secure. They tend to get sick less often than those who are uneducated."
Two-way street School-community involvement is
a two-way program, according to Harris, and so she and others in the school system are always ready to help out with community activities.
Students serve at banquets or help with decorations, and Harris is often called on to help plan and carry out events. When Caldwell took over the Farmers and Merchant Bank several years ago, he asked her to attend a reception and introduce him to the community.
Harris always makes a point to visit all new businesses in the county and meet the staff.
"I can tell right away those who will get involved with our program," she said. She sizes up their strengths and their expertise and mentally plans projects for them to sponsor. Very few turn her down.
"If you said 'no' to Carolyn when she asked you to help with something, you'd feel downright unAmerican," said businessman John Williams, with a laugh.

Phil Grimsley, president of Cook County Ford, talks to a student about the new drivers' education car his company donated He believes the dropout problem should be a concern ofall businesses.

24 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Vocational partnerships
Preparing students for the future with certification, hands-on experience

By Karen P. Grier
Business/ education partnerships are nothing new to Georgia's vocational education programs. For years they've been an effective way to introduce students to the world of work, while providing prospective employers trained workers. They are highly successful in preparing students for the future, whether that future holds higher education or a business career.
Two examples of these successful vocational partnerships are the Metropolitan Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association (MAADA) scholarship program and industry certification.
Steve Werner received an MAADA scholarship last year, when he was a senior at South Cobb High School. On a recent lunch break from his job as a mechanic, he discussed the benefits of receiving the scholarship.
"I think receiving an MAADA scholarship really helped convince Mr. Lee that I can do the job," the 18 year old said. "I'm not sure if he would have taken a chance on me otherwise. "
"Mr. Lee" is Lewis Lee, owner of a car dealership in Mableton. Werner has worked full-time in Lee's auto repair shop since last June while using the scholarship to attend evening classes at Chattahoochee Technical School in Marietta.
Pointing to a van on the other side of the shop, Werner said, "I rebuilt that engine by myself."
Pride in accomplishment The pride in his accomplishment
was written all over his face. Although rebuilding engines is not a new skill to Werner - he has rebuilt engines for the cars of friends and family members - he is elated that his employer trusted him with the task.
"I like working here because they've given me the chance to do a variety of things, and I've learned so much," he

said. "I know winning the scholarship made him willing to give me a try."
Evan Vitch also received an MAADA scholarship last year and a cash prize of $500 for scoring the highest on the written examination that determines the scholarship and award winners.
"I'm in school now, but I probably wouldn't be if I hadn't received the scholarship," he said. "I'm really glad this program was available."
Vitch is using his scholarship to participate in the Automotive Service Educational Program (ASEP) at DeKalb Technical Institute. ASEP is a collaboration with General Motors in which students receive instruction alternately at DeKalb Technical Institute and a General Motors dealership until the program's completion in two years. Vitch will work for Royal Oldsmobile in Stone Mountain.
"We were concerned about a lack of qualified personnel and low student interest in the retail auto industry," said the former MAADA president, Gregory Baranco. "So we contacted Curtis Kingsley (director of the Georgia Department of Education's Division of Secondary Vocational Instruction) to find out how MAADA could help."
The result of their meetings is the Automotive Excellence Awards (AEA) Program. Now in its third year, AEA was formed to identify, encourage, honor and eventually employ outstanding students enrolled in vocational automotive programs in schools in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties and Atlanta.
Written examinations Students receive awards based on
the highest written examination scores on auto mechanics. All juniors and seniors enrolled in auto mechan-

Marketing on the Mall student JeffAnzalone adjusts merchandise at Southlake Mall. J.C. Penney's donates space for marketing classes, and mall merchants provide jobs and training.

ics, working in auto mechanics as distributive career training (DCT) students or enrolled in power transportation programs in industrial arts are eligible to take the test. There is no limit on the number of students from each school who can take the examination, but only the top three scores from each system merit awards. Scholarships of $1,000 per year for up to two years are given to graduating seniors with the highest scores upon their acceptance and attendance at an automotive program at selected Georgia postsecondary institutions.
In addition to scholarships, MAADA gives cash awards for firstand second-place winners. All winners receive a set of automotive tools

valued at $1 ,000, and the instructors of winning students receive certificates of service.
MAADA is the single most important partnership in automotive instruction formed in Georgia in 20 years, according to William P. Johnson, assistant state superintendent for general and vocational education.
"Not only has MAADA raised money to award scholarships to deserving students, but it also is working to improve the quality and standards of the automotive instructional program," said Johnson.
Baranco said the AEA program is a visible way to tell students his organization cares about them and is willing

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 25

to support them if they're interested and want to learn.
"Students have to make difficult decisions each day. We want them to know we support the positive choices that they make," Baranco said.
Business partnerships are an integral part ofthe state's vocational education programs because of Georgia's commitment to prepare students for the world ofwork, according to Kingsley. Each area ofvocational study has businesses that give it financial support and technical assistance in planning curricula.
Hands-on experience When Explorations in Technology,
a middle school program that gives students hands-on experience with rocketry, robotics, computer applications and other technically challenging areas, was introduced for the first time this school year, the EZ-GO Golf Car Company of Augusta supplied each of the three pilot schools with golf carts to help students studying small gas engines.
The management of J .C. Penney's at Southlake Mall in Morrow provides classroom space for "Marketing on the Mall," a program that allows seniors in Clayton County marketing education classes to study offcampus. Southlake merchants supply jobs for the students, training materials and facilities for demonstrations.
Businessman Cliff Rice has been a loyal supporter of the Vocational Opportunities Clubs of America (VOCA) for many years. His contributions make it possible for students across Georgia to attend the organization's state meeting each year at St. Simon's Island.
These are only a few of the thriving partnerships that support Georgia's vocational education programs and -more importantly- Georgia's students. Each company that employs a

student as a part of a cooperative education program also provides a very important partnership.
Industry certification A new and growing partnership
that represents one ofthe most promising techniques for program improvement is industry certification, said Kingsley. Certification is an endorsement of vocational programs that offer training and instruction to enable students to meet industry requirements for entry-level employment.
"Industry certification has improved the quality ofthe instructional programs tremendously," said Kingsley. "It has provided more community support through the donation ofequipment and materials, and more students are hired from certified programs because the curricula are more closely related to what business and industry need from vocational education graduates."
The first Georgia program to receive industry certification was the automotive/mechanics program in 1985, which was certified by the theNational Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Georgia ranks fourth in the nation with 28 industrycertified programs.
Industry certification takes about a year to complete. The school is asked to complete a self-evaluation of its existing programs and teachers according to business standards. Instructors of programs seeking certification usually must attend classes on the latest industry developments and equipment.
On-site inspections After the self-examination has been
completed, a review team from the certifying organization makes an onsite visit to the program. Ifthe review team agrees with the school that all industry standards ha ve been met, it arranges for an evaluation team of business and industry representives

Jonesboro High School student Bobby Calvert discusses an assignment with his teacher, Rhonda Hendley. Marketing on the Mall allows seniors to study and gain work experience off-campus.
Steve Werner received a scholarship from .MAADA while a senior at Cobb County High School. He's convinced the scholarship helped him get his present job at a Mableton car dealership.

26 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

Werner, 18, discusses a project with his boss, LewisLee.He works full-time and attends evening classes at Chattahoochee Tech on the $1,000 scholarship he received from MAADA.
I 'm in school now, but I probably wouldn't be if I hadn't received the MAADA scholarship. I'm really glad this program was available.
-Evan Vitch

to examine the school. The findings of t he evaluation team determine whether or not the school is certified.
One of the newest certification programs is known as Print ED, sponsored by the Printing Industry of Georgia's Educational Foundation for graphic arts programs. So far two programs have received certification: DeKalb Occupational Education Center-North (OEC) and Marietta High School.
Businesses benefit from certification, too, according to Jim Sprouse of the Printing Industry Association of Georgia.
"We're pleased to be involved in certification because we need the employee base. Our workers are mostly older craftsmen who will be retiring in a few years. We're looking for young employees we can train to meet the needs of a changing industry," he said.
Fighting misconceptions " We're also working with the
schools to fight industry's misconception that students don't know anything when they are right out of high school. We think they can make a contribution, especially if they've completed one of our certified programs. We want to attract the better and brighter students to careers in the printing industry," Sprouse said.
Sarah Green, communications manager for PIAG, sees the certification process as an opportunity for her organization to display the diversification the printing industry has undergone in the past 10 years.

"No business can operate without printing services," she said. "It is one of the top 10 industries in the country, yet the large volume of business that we do is sometimes overlooked. Most people think of printing as blue collar and printing presses. They have a mindset that doesn't include today's changes in our industry. People who work on the business end of printing never work in the pressroom."
PIAG also has a program that selects the graphic arts teacher ofthe year and gives a $1,000 honorarium to the winner.
The Associated General Contractors (AGC) sponsor the certification program for construction courses. In addition to the certification program, AGC has also developed an adult apprenticeship program at North Clayton High School.
Programs in agriculture, data processing, electronics, food service, health occupations, home economics, horticulture, metalworking and office occupations are developing certification programs this year.
"Business partnerships and industry certification have really helped our students, "Kingsley said. "The quality ofinstruction that they receive as a result of business and industry persons serving on our advisory councils is excellent. We can't make it without support of business, and business can't make it without our success with students. We need each other."

Koblack Rhodes, a student at North Clayton Middle School, gets hands-on experience working with a robot as a part ofthe Explorations in Technology program.

Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989 27

Extra! Extra!
Newspapers bring
life to classroom

By Merri Sheffield

The call of "EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it," once had people clamoring to read the latest news, but in this age of "couch potatoes" waiting for TV news' "film at 11," fewer people are reading the newspaper.

Concerned about declining reading scores and reports that today's students have limited knowledge of geography, social studies, current events and other issues that affect their future, newspaper publishers are joining hands with educators to reintroduce children to the world of information in newspapers.
The resulting partnership, Newspapers in Education (NIE), is turning newspapers into powerful instructional tools. Under the program, participating newspapers provide schools with papers, usually at a reduced cost, for use in the classroom. NIE also sponsors teacher education programs and provides materials that help teachers use the paper as a meaningful resource.
One of the benefits of NIE is that it can reach all Georgia children. Every community in the state has access to a daily or a weekly newspaper. Al-

Using newspapers in the classroom, students of phyandlife skills, whiledevelopingcritical think all ages can learn about current events, geogra- ing, problem solving and creativity.

though major daily papers offer the most complete news source available, weekly papers and small daily papers are especially beneficial because they offer local news that directly affects students' lives. When children know the people in the news, a personal connection is established, and the desire to know more increases.
As a teacher for 11 years, Ann McEvoy learned firsthand the wonders of using newspapers in the classroom. McEvoy, past president of Georgia Newspapers in Education and

educational services manager of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution's NIE office, says newspapers represent the best way "to bring today's world to today's children."
"I urge educators to explore using newspapers in their classrooms," McEvoy says. "Newspapers can be used to teach in all grade levels, from preschool through college, and in most subject areas. Using newspapers can help students learn about current events, global geography and life skills while developing critical think-

ing, problem solving skills and ever creativity."
To learn more about establishin~ an NIE program in your school, con tact your local newspaper; Georgi~ Newspapers in Education presiden1 Melanie Reuter, Columbus Ledger Enquirer, 17 West 12th Street Columbus 31901; or Betty Sullivan American Newspaper Publisher'! Association's NIE representative The Newspaper Center, Box 17407 Dulles Airport, Washington, D.C 20041.

Spring 1989 Vo l. 18, No. 2
ALERT Staff
E xecut ive E ditor . . . . . . Anne Raymond Ma n aging Editor . . . Kristin Summerlin
Associa te E ditor . . . .. . . Merri Sheffield
Art Direct or . . . . . . . . . . . . Elaine Pierce Typesetting . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kim Curfman
Con tribut ing Writer s: Wagers Chenault, Eleanor Gilmer, Karen Grier, Judy Hall, Nancy Hall and Gale E. Samuels. Photography : Merri Sheffield
The Georgia Department of Education does not discriminate in employment or educa tiona/ activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or religion.
Published by Public Information and Publication Division Office of Department Management Georgia Department of Education 2052 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334-5010
(404) 656-2476

Aleft..._~~ A Look at Education's Role Today
State Board of Education Werner R ogers Sta te Superintendent of Schools Georgia Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 30334-5080

~ ~

Ollll\1 1 0 \J f\l l V )F GA LH1R AR 1 ES
STA E DUCUMf:.N TS ATHEN GA 3061lt

28 Georgia ALERT, Spring 1989

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PAID Atlanta, Georgia Permit Number 168