|
Browning and
Houston A+ Challenge
Because of
great strides in school reform through the 90’s, Browning is an award winning
Houston A+ Challenge school, dedicated to excellence in teaching and
learning. In a community that values education, Browning serves as a catalyst to
create an environment that nurtures life-long learning for all students.
Included within this environment are the outdoor science lab, fine arts and
technology, expanding school knowledge beyond school boundaries.
Focused Effort:
To foster understanding, develop ideas, use authentic experience in social
interactions through project-based learning and technology; To align school
reform with the Reagan Vertical Team.
Browning, a predominantly Hispanic inner city school, began whole-school reform
in 1992 as an answer to unacceptably low test scores. One of the reasons for the
low performance was that education was no longer a major goal among
families—survival was the focus. The school first needed to meet the needs of
its students and families in a more expanded role. Funding from The Houston A+
Challenge allows for additional certified teachers, including those who are
bilingual, to help lower the student/teacher ratio and provide additional
teaching materials.
|
 |
|
The
mission of The Houston A+ Challenge is to promote an academically rich and
purposeful education for more of our children and to demonstrate how such
an education could become possible for all our children.
A not-for-profit public, private partnership, the Houston A+ Challenge
directs the largest single sum of private money ever dedicated to public
school reform in the Greater Houston area.
The
Challenge develops and funds school programs, professional development and
leadership institutes to promote higher academic achievement by all
students using the principles of Whole School Reform.
Houston A+ has been
working to support and transform public schools in the Houston area
since 1997.
In schools, Houston A+ works at all levels, from kindergarten to college.
In the community, Houston A+ works with a broad array of groups from
corporations to community-based organizations and from museums to
foundations. With the support of Houston’s business and philanthropic
communities, Houston A+ has been working with its partners to develop
teachers and other educators as leaders in the community, in the schools,
and in their content areas.
We
have five models:
-
Integrating fine
arts with the core subjects of math and reading
-
Supporting just in
time training through a coaching model with elementary math specialist
and high school literacy coaches
-
Developing local
leadership abilities with a leadership academy, deans' group and central
office training
-
Redesigning large
comprehensive high schools for personalized, rigorous and relevant
learning through creating smaller, theme-based academies
-
Changing teacher
preparation by collaborating with higher education
These
models, which are emerging from the schools, are being replicated locally
as well as in other Texas cities. Professional development has skyrocketed
as teachers soak up the latest research showing how to link their
instructional techniques to the way children learn. New bridges are being
built across the six school districts as superintendents, principals and
teachers share what they have learned. Students are delving deeper into
their schoolwork and mastering it.
For more information about Houston A+ Challenge, visit their web site at
www.houstonaplus.org. |
|
