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School Zone
Opportunity Scholarships, Supplemental Educational Services and Advanced Placement scores are all topics on the next episode of “School Matters”
On the next “School Matters,” Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals and guests discuss Opportunity Scholarships, tutoring students that need special help, preparing students for postsecondary education and rising Advanced Placement scores. The Duval County Public Schools monthly public affairs television show premieres Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 10 a.m. on WJCT-TV channel 7 and Comcast cable channel 8.
In the first segment of the show, Superintendent Pratt-Dannals, and School Board members Brenda Priestly Jackson and Nancy Broner detail the specifics of the Opportunity Scholarship Program. A hot topic in the district, the board members address questions of the three dedicated magnet high schools, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Paxon School for Advanced Studies, and Stanton College Preparatory School, being added to the list of schools available for opportunity scholars to attend. The Superintendent also explains the law that outlines the Opportunity Scholarship Program and how it benefits the district as a whole.
Supplemental Educational Services (SES) is a support program for parents provided by the district to offer more resources for their children. Primarily for students in low-income households, SES is directly related to the Annual Yearly Progress made by Title I schools. The Superintendent explains what the program is, who can get involved, and the gain for students. The Supervisor of the Title I Department, Dr. Myrna Allen, provides district support and comments on the effectiveness of the program. Dr. Sylvia Johnson also provides insight, having personal experience with the program as principal of Eugene Butler Middle.
This school year, the district is only one of three districts in the state of Florida, and one of six in the country to receive a $3 million grant from the United States Department of Education. The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant will enable the district to continue its efforts in educating nearly 1,000 middle school students who live in communities where a large achievement and income gap exists. The Superintendent, along with Dr. Kris Larsen, Alternative Education Supervisor and Sabrina Stargill, GEAR UP director, explore the benefits of this worthwhile program.
Over the past year, Duval County Public Schools has seen a jump in tests scores; specifically in Advanced Placement (AP) testing. Guests Tim Ballentine, Director of Instructional Research and Accountability and Nancy Rhoden, the district’s College Readiness Specialist, take a look at the impressive rise in AP scores, the increase in the number of students taking AP exams, and the jump in minority participation and achievement. Tune in to find out more details from Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals.
“School Matters” is produced monthly by WJCT-TV and the Communications Department of Duval County Public Schools. Veteran interviewer Joyce Morgan Danford is the moderator of “School Matters” which airs the fourth Sunday of every month at 10 a.m. Broadcasted first-run on WJCT-TV, channel 7 and Comcast cable channel 8, “School Matters” is also televised each Wednesday at 5 p.m. on Comcast cable channel 29 after its premiere.
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