Aristos Scholars Program Grants for 2003-04

ARISTOS is a Greek work meaning excellent, optimum, the best

The Aristos Scholars Program received 15 grant applications this year. The judges awarded a total of $49,673 to the Project Leaders of seven grants. Listed below are the grants, project leaders, school and the amount of the awards.

Building Leaders for a Positive School Climate	Mary Birmingham Wright Middle School	$2,000
This project is designed to develop leadership skills among a diverse group of twenty eighth grade Wright Middle School students. The focus of the project is to improve tolerance and cultural competence among the entire Wright Middle School student population through peer coaching, instructional strategies, and student demonstration of teamwork and acceptance as they plan events. The focus of developing leadership skills among Wright students compliments the school-wide initiative of building students' capacity to successfully navigate their future. The student leaders will lead classroom presentations, activities and events focused on tolerance and celebrating diversity. They will mentor sixth and seventh grade students as well. The success of the program will be measured through surveys, pre and post data on harassment complaints, and anecdotal information.

Mathematics Tutoring Services	Cynthia Chin East High School	$10,000
This project was written in direct support of the Board of Education priority regarding completion of algebra and geometry by tenth grade and will provide supplemental tutoring services to ninth and tenth grade math students. Tutoring will compliment the new ninth grade mathematics curriculum to be implemented at East in 2003-04. Special attention will be given to recruiting students for tutoring from populations, which, as a group, have traditionally performed below the school or district average in course completion rates and course GPAs. The goal is to promote and help develop independent logical and quantitative reasoning among students by supporting students' mastery of algebra and geometry concepts, increasing students' time on task, and increasing students' academic skills for continued math progress. Student participation rates, math achievement data, and demographic data will be monitored and maintained.

A School-age Parenting Class: Preparing Students for the Future	Jan Deadman East High School	$5,000
This Aristos grant will support strengthening and expanding the East High School school-age parenting class to increase the rate of high school graduation and better prepare students for the future. District data indicate that only 37 percent of school-age parents graduate from high school, compared with 85 percent of students district-wide. The class will offer the academic, social and emotional support necessary for pregnant and parenting students to work towards graduation and will prepare them to acquire the skills needed beyond high school. Through the project, family literacy and nutrition components will be developed, and after-school activities, field trips, and emergency transportation will be offered. Student attendance will be tracked and the number of credits earned will be monitored.

Literacy Development Lab	Rebecca Kilzer Toki Middle School	$9,300
Approximately 30 percent of Toki students show a reading deficit of two or more grade levels when they enter the school. The Aristos funds along with funding from other sources will support the creation of a READ 180 lab. The lab will serve150 students during the school day, after-school and in summer programs to increase comprehension, vocabulary, spelling and fluency with a goal that all Toki students will read at or above grade level by the end of eighth grade. The success of the program will be ascertained through pre/post assessment, student work, teacher observations and parent feedback. The READ 180 lab will bridge the gap in reading instruction between regular education, special education, and English Language Learners programs. Parent meetings will teach parents about reading strategies and show them how to help their child improve reading.

Technology to Go	David Michaelis East High School	$8,000
East High School will implement the first year of a three-year pilot project designed to study the effectiveness of a standards-based, integrated topics mathematics curriculum. Within this new curriculum that is unique to East High School, there is heavy use of hand-held and computer technology. For low income students the purchase of a graphing calculator at $80 is a significant and perhaps unobtainable expenditure, limiting the students' educational opportunities and success in learning mathematics. The Technology To Go grant will enable 100 East students to have daily access to hand-held technology in the form of graphing calculators for both their class work and their homework. This grant will directly benefit low income students as East High School works to meet the Board of Education priority of all students completing algebra and geometry by tenth grade. Data will be collected in the areas of student identification, access to the calculator, the calculator check-out process, outreach strategies, and student achievement in algebra to monitor the progress of the program.

Continuing Teacher Collaboration for Success in Algebra	Ted Widerski La Follette High School	$9,773.33
The La Follette High School Math Team received an Aristos Grant last year that provided professional development for Algebra Extended team teachers who are teaching Algebra to struggling learners as they address the Board of Education's math priority. The La Follette Team has numerous accomplishments including selection of math textbooks that integrate technology, development of a collaborative team that shares lesson plans and support services, and the creation of an Algebra Center. This project will enable the eight member math team to continue their work during common planning time with increased curriculum coordination, instructional support for team members, participation in the Building Intervention Team, creation of intervention plans for students in danger of failing, and communication of successful strategies for teaching algebra with to high schools. It is estimated that more than 200 La Follette students will benefit from the project. Data collection will measure student success in algebra and geometry compared with previous years.

K-5 Continuity in the Open Classroom Program	Lisa Stein Lincoln Elementary School	$5,600
The Open Classroom program was created in 1976 to provide a new, creative and innovative educational approach within MMSD. Within the past three years there has been a substantial change in Open Classroom student population and a complete turnover in staff. This project will enable the new staff to restate the Open Classroom teaching philosophy and mission to reflect the current student, parent, and staff population, to realign the K-5 curriculum to reflect the MMSD standards for all content areas, and to provide a teaching model and resources for best practices in multiage and looping. There will be ongoing meetings with staff and parents to monitor student learning. Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected to monitor progress.

Back to the Aristos Academy Page