Transition Years

SunBay Digital Mathematics Pilot Year 1 Final Report Brief: Learning Gains in Pinellas County, Florida

In June 2009 the Helios Education Foundation and the Pinellas Education Foundation provided funding for the pilot year of the SunBay Digital Mathematics program. The program is being run by SRI International (SRI) in collaboration with the University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) and the Pinellas County Schools (PCS).

A Snapshot: The State of STEM in Florida

In January of 2009, Enterprise Florida's Strategy Council issued a Discussion Paper that outlined its findings relative to the current state of STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - education and the need for a STEM proficient workforce to advance Florida's innovation economy. The findings indicate that 15 of the 20 fastest growing jobs through 2014 will require substantial math and science preparation, and that Florida, as well as the United States more generally, is failing to develop an adequate supply of STEM-capable workers.

Strategy Council Ad-Hoc Subcommittee on K-12 STEM Education Discussion Paper

Our increasingly knowledge based economy is driven by innovation-the foundation of which lies in a dynamic and well-educated workforce equippedwith science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills.

The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts
Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Silent Epidemic surveyed nearly 500 high school graduates to determine what might have kept them in school. The report recommends steps that schools, families, communities and government can do to improve the nation's high school graduation rate.

From Aspirations to Action: The Role of Middle School Parents in Making the Dream of College a Reality
The Institute of Higher Education Policy with support from the Sallie Mae Fund commissioned a nationwide survey to ask parents of middle school students about the steps they have taken to start planning for college. The findings from this survey are grouped into four key choice points on the pathway to college: aspirations, college knowledge and planning, academic preparation, and financial preparation.

A Mission From the Heart: What Does it Take to Transform a School
As part of the Wallace Foundation's long-term commitment to re-energizing and supporting effective leadership in the nation's districts and schools, the Foundation asked Public Agenda to conduct a small-scale study designed to listen carefully to principals who are currently working in high-needs schools and to leaders with experience working with effective principals in order to determine what it takes to transform a school.

Schools Need Good Leaders Now: State Progress in Creating a Learning Centered School Leadership System
The Southern Regional Education Board asserts that improving school leadership requires each state to create a learning-centered school leadership system with a sharp focus on improving the skills and abilities of principals to guide teaching and learning in schools.

Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas: Getting to the Core of Middle and High School Improvement
The Alliance for Excellent Education concludes that if students are to be truly prepared for college, work and citizenship, they cannot settle for a modest level of proficiency in reading and writing. Content area literacy instruction must be a cornerstone of any movement to build high-quality secondary schools.

Achievement Trap: How America is Failing Millions of High-Achieving Students from Lower Income Families
This report by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, discusses new and original research on students whose family income level is below the national median. The findings come from three federal databases that during the past 20 years have tracked students in elementary and high schools, college and graduate school.

Beat the Odds: Why Some Schools with Latino Children Beat the Odds and Others Don't
The Center for the future of Arizona and the Morrison Institute for Public Policy highlight twelve elementary and middle schools in Arizona - schools whose students are mostly Latino and poor - that are "beating the odds" on reading and math scores.

Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy
Informed by five of the nation's leading researchers, the Alliance for Excellent Education charts and immediate route to improving adolescent literacy.

Note: The resources provided are for information only and may not reflect the official perspective of Helios Education Foundation.