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SCHOOL W I N T E R

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A P UB LI CATI ON O F THE HO US TON AN N EN BE RG C HAL LE NGE

Student Achievement Higher at Schools Funded by Houston Annenberg Challenge Researchers Find Achievement Gap Closing

EVALUATION REPORT TO

Teachers at schools supported by Houston Annenberg Challenge use innovative INCLUDE DOCUMENTARY instructional practices, leading students to deeper levels of understanding and raising their academic achievement, according to a report by researchers from the In January, researchers previewed results from University of Texas, Rice University and the University of Houston. their second evaluation of the impact of The Moreover, student achievement is higher at many of the schools funded by The Houston Annenberg Challenge than at comparable schools, and minority Houston Annenberg Challenge. As part of the students are closing the gap with their non-minority counterparts at these schools, evaluation, the researchers produced a 51-minute the report added.

“This confirms that Ambassador Walter Annenberg’s $20 million investment and documentary entitled “Sounds of Learning,” subsequent matching donations by Brown Foundation, Houston Endowment and which chronicles the powerful effects produced by many, many others, are well spent,” said Jonathan Day, chairman of the board of The Houston Annenberg Challenge. quality sustained professional development for Through arts-infused, dual language and integrated curriculum instruction, teachers at Houston Annenberg-funded schools use practices supported by the latest teachers. The documentary “is the first time we research on the science of learning. And, Annenberg teachers create learning are aware of that independent researchers have environments that allow students to take more responsibility for their own learning.

“In general, our Year Two research finds that Annenberg-funded schools have utilized film as a key component of their report,” made progress - in the case of said Dr. Pedro Reyes of the University of Texas, Beacon schools considerable progress - raising academic who served as director and principal investigator achievement levels for their for the project. students,” according to the report from the team of 15 researchers led by Dr. Pedro Reyes from the University of Texas at Austin. Schools supported by Houston Annenberg fall into three categories – Beacon, Lamplighter and Floodlight. Beacon schools are campuses that were ready to adopt new teaching practices at the time funding began in 1997.

Student Learning . . . continued on page 6

Established in January 1997 with funding from the Annenberg Foundation and local matching contributions, The Houston Annenberg Challenge is an independent, public-private partnership that develops and funds school programs, professional development and leadership institutes to promote higher academic achievement by all students.

From the

Director

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his fall Houston and Clear Lake will join forces to host a space conference of international proportions.

From around the globe, thousands of top space leaders, scientists and engineers will convene for World Space Congress 2002 to consider the revolution taking place in space, science and technology. Together, they will explore new directions in science, engineering, policy and the business of space – as well as establish a unified international vision for our future in space.

What is our role as educators? To connect this vast wealth of new knowledge to what we do in the classroom.

Conference topics of particular interest to educators include what the next generation of workers will need to Linda Clarke know, how to get and keep students interested in engineering, science and technology, and what professional development we will need to add substance to the dreams locked in high school students’ minds.

As co-chair of the Education Taskforce planning the international and local educational activities for the conference, I can tell you the World Space Congress October 10-19 will be a whirlwind of exciting, non-stop events. For example: ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

A capstone educational summit with nationally and internationally renowned speakers A space rock concert at Rice University Space Night at the Museum of Natural Science Webcasting via satellite with the International Space Station An Educator Boot Camp for pre-college teachers to learn effective, innovative ways to integrate aerospace, math and science concepts into elementary and secondary education. ▲ A Space Youth Jubilee combining the energy of a street festival with the electricity of a fun, interactive learning experience.

This is a fabulous opportunity to participate with people from all over the world, including students. Principal sponsors of World Space Congress 2002 are four of the top scientific organizations in the world: Committee on Space Research, International Astronautical Federation, International Academy of Astronautics and International Institute of Space Law. For more information, go to www.aiaa.org/wsc2002.

STATE ESL TEACHER OF THE YEAR CULTIVATES PARENT AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

by Nancy V. Mills

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nita Lyons’ heart is so big it could fill the expanse between her classroom and the native homelands of her English as a Second Language (ESL) students. Always seeking to understand her Anita Lyons students, their parents and the larger community, Lyons personifies the belief that relationships are critical in teaching and that parent and community involvement is at the heart of every school.

This philosophy has garnered Lyons, a teacher at Sharpstown Middle School in Houston ISD, the honor of 2001 ESL Teacher of the Year from the Texas Association of Bilingual Education. Originally a speech therapist, Lyons has taught some form of language acquisition

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since moving into the classroom in 1981. She focuses her ESL lessons on history, which naturally fosters parental involvement. Students invite their parents to school to share their culture through food, costumes and the like.

It was this dedication to outreach, said Principal Margo Bullock, which made Lyons a “natural” to lead the group planning how to increase parent and community involvement under a grant from The Houston Annenberg Challenge in 1997. With her students and other team members, Lyons collected 1,600 surveys from area residents and businesses—work that school representatives say was instrumental in Sharpstown being named a Lamplighter School in 1998 by Houston Annenberg.

Annenberg, says Lyons, “makes you think and put a plan on paper.” The Annenberg grant has increased communication among Sharpstown teachers and parents and provided

professional development that normally would have been unaffordable.

As a member of the Sharpstown Annenberg Leadership Team, Lyons continues to build on one of the basic tenets of The Houston Annenberg Challenge—making the school a vital part of the neighborhood and community.

Her committee meets in area businesses, encouraging them to visit the school. She invites parents to computer classes to learn how to help their children with homework.

She helped plan this year’s program in which each teacher adopted between 10 and 13 families, giving each family a parent advocate.

She shared her visits with Ruby Payne, a noted expert on working with children of poverty, with Sharpstown colleagues and teachers from Lee High.

ESL Teacher . . . continued on page 7

David, one of my third graders, had severe behavior problems as well as academic concerns.

He was out of his seat constantly, distracting to others, disrespectful to Dana Scott adults and children, disinterested in school-work and down right hard to deal with. Some people might wonder why I ever “looped” with him.

When my principal first approached me about looping, an instructional practice in which a teacher follows their students for two or more years, I was interested. I felt by being with the same children for two consecutive years I could not only establish lasting relationships, but also gain instructional time at the beginning of the second year. When I decided to move up with David, I had no idea what we would go through together and the amazing connection he and I would find in each other. This is our story.

During his third grade year David became a “regular” at the principal’s office. His referrals ranged from physical violence to inappropriate language. Many of the referrals, however, resulted from his disrespectful tone when he spoke to adults.

Over the two years David and I worked together, particularly his fourth grade year, we spent many hours out in the hallway “sorting things out.” Among other things, we discussed his tone of voice, word choice and respecting others. By the end of his fourth grade year David had discovered ways to control his anger. He often requested to “take a walk,” his signal to me that frustration was setting in. His interactions with classmates were better and his tone with adults had improved. When he spoke to adults in the building he often used the phrases “Yes ma’am (sir)” and “No ma’am (sir).”

Teachers at school frequently told me they had seen “remarkable” or “significant” improvement in his behavior. I relayed that information to David and his face lit up. He loves hearing good things about himself, especially from the very people he thought didn’t like him.

Throughout third grade, David also had academic difficulties. He didn’t care. I rarely received his class assignments and never saw his homework. School, for David, involved thumping his pencil on his desk, playing at recess and going home. Getting an education did not work in his equation.

March of his third grade year I began to suspect there were factors other than David’s behavior getting in the way of his learning. I referred him for special education testing, and it indicated that David possessed a learning disability in reading. At the time, testing determined his reading level at approximately that of a midyear second grader, a year and a half behind his classmates.

If we had been working in a traditional setting David would have been placed with a new teacher in fourth grade. By being identified as a child receiving resource services, his teacher could determine that he had areas of weakness. However, determining those weaknesses would take time, and David would have lost valuable learning time.

Because we worked together in a looped situation I already had that information. I had a starting place in fourth grade. I already possessed information about David and his learning, so direct, individualized instruction occurred immediately in fourth grade.

Academically, David flourished during his fourth grade year. In-class support took place during math and individualized reading instruction occurred daily. At the end of his fourth grade year David was able to read and discuss text at a fourth grade fall level. He had gained over a year’s growth! By participating in a looped classroom, I, along

Personalized Learning at Work

By Dana Scott with his resource teacher, worked together to extend his learning and David came to realize his intelligence and capability of learning anything he desired.

As David’s fourth grade year drew to a close, old habits began to resurface. His tone when talking to adults often became sarcastic and rude, and he began neglecting his academic responsibilities within our classroom.

Through a “hallway discussion” with David, I determined the reason for his actions.

“You’re the only teacher who listens to me,” David said as his shoulders slumped and his head fell. “Other teachers think I’m a bad kid, and it doesn’t matter what I do.”

Throughout his third and fourth grade years David, knew I could, and would, come to his rescue.

David was looking toward his future and also knew when he started intermediate school in the fall he would be on his own.

David feared that I would let him go and the bond he and I had developed would be severed at the end of the school year. I then made the decision that I will mentor David through his fifth grade year. I will remain a part of his life for as long as he will allow.

I want his school experiences to continue to be positive. I want David to know there will always be a person in the “school system” who sees only the best in him.

During his fourth grade year, David wrote a note expressing his thanks to me. In his note, David implied that I have in some way affected his life. I wonder if he will ever understand the tremendous impact he has made in mine?

This narrative takes place at Michael Kennedy Elementary School, an Annenberg Beacon School in Alief ISD. Through the implementation of looping, the Houston Annenberg Challenge imperatives of breaking down isolation and personalizing the learning environment are happening at Kennedy Elementary.

To protect his privacy, David’s name has been changed. Dana Scott is a second grade teacher at Kennedy Elementary School.

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CREATING SMALL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

By Linda Clarke and Lawrence Kohn

Last fall, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) asked The Houston Annenberg Challenge to submit an article chronicling the stories of two high schools that were putting small learning communities in place. Following is an excerpt of the article, which was published in last month’s Principal Leadership Magazine.

In metropolitan Houston, two vastly different high schools are working toward the same goal – creating a small 21st century learning community where none of the kids slip through the cracks and all of them master the subjects they study.

QUEST HIGH SCHOOL, HUMBLE ISD Quest High School is a small, non-traditional facility located in a suburban school district on the outskirts of Houston. It was created

by Humble ISD in 1994 from the ground up to offer an alternative to students who attended the two, large 3,000-plus high schools in the district, Kingwood High School and Humble High School.

Opened in the spring of 1995, Quest High School is the district’s only school of choice. A small school of 165 students (with a Biology teacher Holly Schoettlin capacity for and Math teacher Ginna Grimes, 400), Quest who also is Quest High School’s attracts its site technology contact person, plan how to incorporate technostudents from logy into their daily lessons at the school. Quest teachers collaborate the district’s consistently to build curriculum. six middle schools, two ninth grade campuses and two large high schools.

Quest is a community of learners built around three components: personalized learning, integrated curriculum and service learning.

■ Personalized Learning. To enhance personalized learning, students attend one of seven “Families” every morning. Students remain with the same Family until graduation. The Family and community of learners concepts are the unifying infrastructures of the school.

■ Integrated Curriculum. The staff team designed its own four-year integrated curriculum and assessments, and instructs through a team-teaching model. Students engage in experiential, research-based learning via this integrated curriculum model that has an historical framework with ties to modern day events.

■ Service Learning. The school is partnered with more than 40 community sites that include elementary schools in the district, state parks, veterinary clinics, retirement homes, local assistance ministries and other community sites. All Quest students serve at these sites each week, and their service is tied to the integrated curriculum objectives.

REAGAN HIGH SCHOOL, HOUSTON ISD

Reagan High School

Unlike Quest, Reagan High School is surrounded by the city. Situated in an historic urban neighborhood called the Heights and ringed by bungalows, the 75-year-old comprehensive high school of 1,750 students in Houston ISD lacks a parking lot, hot water and the electrical infrastructure for a 21st century school.

Three years ago, Reagan Principal Armando Alaniz and his teachers decided to recreate Reagan as a high achieving, urban, public 21st century high school.

With Alaniz’s support, funding and staff from Houston Annenberg, extensive community support and backing from district leaders, 25 of Reagan’s teachers formed “Transformation Reagan,” and agreed there

were three essential and critical elements to the work: Restructuring, Reorganizing and Reculturing. Restructuring includes a reformulation of teaching and learning practices and structures and of the policies, procedures and rules to sustain a learning organization. Reorganizing consists of redefining the roles of faculty members and administrators, of the size and purpose of the functions in the school and the measures of performance used to produce the organizational structure. Reculturing is the reexamination and integration of beliefs, values and assumptions that drive the behavior of all members of the school community.

Although different in size and scope, the Reagan teams were able to draw on lessons learned at Quest and other professional learning communities as the two schools interacted through their Houston Annenberg network connection.

Working within a Texas Education Agency 9th grade initiative grant and Co-Nect, the teams decided to begin with 9th and 10th graders, grouping the students together in “societies” with all their classes located near each other in the same end of the campus.

Teachers for the 11th and 12th grade, where class sizes were smaller, volunteered to take on more students so that class sizes in the lower grades where students are more at risk for dropping out could be smaller.

This year, 9th grade teachers were “looped” with their students. Next year, the planning teams will create 11th and 12th grade careerbased “academies.”

CONCLUSION As we look out across the nation, we see that educators and their supporters are beginning to concentrate their attention to restructuring high schools after many years of work at the elementary and middle school levels.

Carnegie Corporation and the Gates Foundation, for example, have major new initiatives in a dozen urban centers aimed at reinventing the high school experience. Here in Houston, “Transformation Reagan” and Quest High School are working examples of two models for this much needed change.

For more information concerning NASSP services and/or programs, please call 703-860-0200 or visit http://www.principals.org.

Linda Clarke is executive director of The Houston Annenberg Challenge. Lawrence Kohn is program specialist at Quest High School.

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HOUSTON ANNENBERG CHALLENGE AWARDS $4.39 MILLION IN GRANTS TO LOCAL SCHOOLS During the 2001-2002 school year, Houston Annenberg will provide more than $4.39 million in direct grants to 88 school in six school districts.

These grants are used to fund whole school reform efforts aimed at meeting at least one of three Annenberg imperatives: personalizing the learning environment, reducing isolation and providing ongoing professional teacher development opportunities in content areas.

“Our goal in awarding these grants is to continue our efforts at creating teachers who are better prepared to teach, students who are better prepared to learn and communities that are better able to support public schools,” said Jonathan Day, chairman of The Houston Annenberg Challenge Board of Trustees.

Since its inception in 1997, Houston Annenberg has provided more than $19 million in direct grants to these 88 schools in Alief, Aldine, Houston, Humble, North Forest and Spring Branch ISDs. More than 90 percent of these funds have been used by the schools to ensure teachers get the latest research on effective teaching tools and methods aimed at improving and measuring student learning, a move that has proven highly GRANTS––2001-2002 successful according to a recently released independent evaluation report (see article page 1). As planned, this is the fourth and final round of Beacon Schools grants provided to the schools. After this school year, each school and its district will be responsible for sustaining the funding for the programs and Bethune, Browning, Drew, Eisenhower, Helms, Kennedy, Lanier, initiatives begun through their work with Annenberg.

Poe, Quest, Scott, Spring Shadows Beginning in the 2002 school year, The Houston Annenberg Challenge will transition to a new phase of work focusing on restructuring of local high schools (see articles pages 4 and 6), revamping university-level Lamplighter Communities teacher preparation programs and replicating models created by the Albright/Rees schools during the project’s first phase of grants.

Anderson/Reece Best/Olle De Zavala/Gallegos TEACHERS RECEIVE GRANTS Carver/Hoffman FROM CHASE BANK Lamar/Gregory-Lincoln/River Oaks/MacGregor/Wharton/ Three teachers at two Houston Annenberg Jones/Lanier/Poe/Roberts/Will Rogers/Mark Twain/ Challenge schools have received Chase West University/Wilson Active Learning program grants to DeBakey/Revere/Clifton/Hartman/Fleming encourage innovative instructional programs Furr/Clinton Park/Harris/Oates/Pleasantville/ that result in improved achievement for Port Houston/Whittier/Holland middle school students. Each teacher Grantham/Reed/Raymond/Stovall received $5,000 per project. Grant Gregory-Lincoln Education Center/Condit recipients are: Hilliard/Elmore Johnston/Anderson/Westbury ■ Ruth Bonetati, Johnston Middle School, KIPP/YES “If We Built It, They Will Come” Pine Shadows/Spring Branch ■ Lisa Viktorin, Johnston Middle School, Reagan/Hamilton/Hogg “Team 8M Backyard Wildlife Habitat” Scroggins/McReynolds ■ Mary Garcia, Pershing Middle School, Sharpstown HS & MS/Neff/White “Pollution Solutions” and “Pershing Thompson/Whidby Settlement: The Colonization of a Twain/Pershing Middle School” Floodlight Schools The program is sponsored by Chase Manhattan Foundation and administered Atherton, Bruce, Concord, Crawford, Dogan, Eliot, Fleming, by the Public Education Network (PEN).

N.Q. Henderson, Isaacs, Anson Jones, Martinez, McReynolds, Houston Annenberg is a member of PEN. Pugh, Scott, Scroggins, E.O. Smith, Wheatley

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ANNENBERG, HOUSTON ISD PARTNER TO TRANSFORM HIGH SCHOOLS Student Learning. . . continued from page 1 For example, Beacon middle school students average a TAAS score of 91 in reading, where mastery is 85, compared to 81 for their Houston ISD counterparts, the report shows.

Middle school mathematics shows a similar picture, with Beacon students scoring an average of 86, compared to 79 for their Houston ISD counterparts.

Minority students are making even bigger gains. In Beacon middle schools, the 7.9-point gap between minority and nonminority student TAAS mathematics scores in 1998 narrowed 42 percent to 4.6 points in 2000. In the same time frame at Beacon middle schools, the 10.2-point gap between the mathematics scores of economically disadvantaged children and non-economically disadvantaged children dropped 49 percent to 5.1 points.

Researchers called the findings “a significant trend with broad implications for Houston urban public schools with high concentrations of students who are economically disadvantaged or non-native English speakers.” Houston-area public schools, as well as those across the nation, have been working to close this well-documented gap in learning achievement between minority and non-minority students.

The exception to this finding, however, is in children whose native language is not English. “Our research shows profound achievement gaps in all areas between native English speakers and those who are not. Even more troubling is the fact that these gaps are widening in the majority of grade levels,” Reyes said. Annenberg will be concentrating resources in the coming year to address this issue.

“Collectively, the documented benefits of the Annenberg investment in professional development reveal these schools are creating highly effective learning environments, in contrast to traditional classrooms where teachers lecture and students memorize,” the report states. “This research suggests that when public schools invest in high-quality professional development and resource-rich instructional materials, the result will be well-trained teachers who engage in excellent teaching practices and students who are committed to indepth academic study.”

The evaluation report and accompanying documentary called “Sounds of Learning” were previewed at a breakfast at the Warwick Hotel. Speakers included Dr. Reyes; Mr. Day; Nadine Kujawa, superintendent, Aldine ISD; Linda Reed, interim superintendent, Spring Branch ISD; Mary Mitchell, technology specialist, Olle Middle School, Alief ISD; and Kaye Stripling, superintendent, Houston ISD. Entertainment was provided by the East Houston Intermediate School band from North Forest ISD. To obtain a copy of the executive summary of the report, call 713-658-1881 or email Nan Varoga at nvaroga@houston annenberg.org. Multiple copies may be purchased for $10 each plus shipping and handling. For more information on the Houston Annenberg research project, visit the University of Texas website at www.utexas.edu/projects/annenberg/ index.html. To learn more about The Houston Annenberg Challenge, go to www.houstonannenberg.org.

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In October, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation named Houston ISD and The Houston Annenberg Challenge as one of only seven school districts nationwide to receive a grant for high school reform efforts. Houston received a $12 million grant with the six remaining cities receiving $8 million each as part of the Carnegie Corporation’s Schools for a New Society initiative.

“We are thrilled to be the recipients of this grant with Houston Annenberg,” said Kaye Stripling, superintendent of schools for Houston ISD. “We have been working with Houston Annenberg toward this day for two years and now will be able to put in place models that will provide a 21st century education for our high school students.”

Called Houston Schools for a New Society, the project will restructure the district’s 24 comprehensive high schools into smaller learning communities of no more than 300 students each where each student has an advisor who knows him or her well and follows that student closely through all four years of schooling. These smaller, reorganized, more personal schools will focus on literacy and require students to take a rigorous core academic curriculum with teachers who will stay with them for at least two years.

Houston ISD and Houston Annenberg began working on high school reform in 1999 when the district asked for assistance to address the need to restructure high schools in an effort to lower the dropout rate and challenge students to higher levels. The Houston Annenberg Board of Trustees selected Reagan High School as a pilot project and began work on the planning phase to restructure the large, urban high school from the traditional Factory Model of instruction to a 21st Century learning center (see related article on page 4).

In August 2000, the group’s efforts were recognized as a key factor as Carnegie selected Houston as the recipient of a $250,000 planning grant. The grant enabled the district to step up the planning process at Reagan and begin laying the groundwork for a dramatic restructuring of the remaining schools. Among the elements included in the reform process will be The Vision and Guiding Principles recently adopted by the Houston ISD Board of Trustees.

“With this grant, we will work with Houston ISD to increase high school graduation rates, decrease the numbers of students who repeat the ninth grade and ensure implementation of a more rigorous academic curriculum,” said Linda Clarke, executive director of The Houston Annenberg Challenge and project director for Houston Schools for a New Society.

CHECK IT OUT! NEW PBS SERIES HIGHLIGHTS SENIOR YEAR OF 15 TEENS WHO: Six young filmmakers follow 15 teens through their final year at Fairfax High in Los Angeles, a campus with students from more than 30 different countries and just about every walk of life.

WHAT: Senior Year, a 13-week series on the lives of the teens selected from more than 2,000 students WHEN: Saturdays at 11:30 p.m.

WHERE: HoustonPBS (Channel 8) WHY: Filmmaker David Ziegler wanted to capture the complexity and reality of the life of a teenager in today’s society.

“I want adults in particular to question their own assumptions about teenagers, and for teens I want it to be something that empowers and inspires them,” he said. “This generation is bringing a whole new outlook into the world, and the way they are attacked, criminalized and distorted in the media and the public perception has to be sharply challenged.”

HOW: Ziegler spent the spring of 1999 at Fairfax High, his alma mater, attending classes and interviewing potential candidates for the series. He also spent part of the semester interviewing young film students from UCLA and USC. Production for the series began in the fall of 1999 and followed the teens through the next nine months of their lives. “This is the generation that has grown up in the intense cultural and racial mix that exploded into many parts of the country,” said Ziegler. “For them…diversity isn’t a concept, it’s their world.

The kids of Senior Year are on the cutting edge of a new culture emerging in this country, one whose outlines and contours are yet to be known. They are neither a melting pot nor a salad bowl—they are individuals who, if we listen, can be our teachers and guides into the new century.”

Funding for the series and the accompanying national public engagement campaign, of which Houston Annenberg is a part, was provided by a number of sponsors including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment of the Arts. More information on the series is available at http://www.roundtablemedia.com/senioryear or at http://www.pbs.org/kcet/senioryear.

Houston Annenberg Challenge has launched a new publication.

"E-Notes," a monthly e-mail newsletter, brings you the latest news on urban public school reform in greater Houston.

Join more than 2,000 educators, civic leaders and corporate supporters and subscribe to "E-notes" today.

Send your e-mail address to: nvaroga@houstonannenberg.org.

Calendar of Events 4 5 21 26

MARCH Program Advisory Team Meeting Leadership Academy Fellows Meeting Annenberg Leadership Seminar: Looking at Teaching & Learning Epiphany Series: Showing of Annenberg Evaluation Documentary and discussion lead by A. Lin Goodwin

APRIL 2 Leadership Academy Fellows Meeting 6 Critial Friends Group Coaches Seminar 8-9 The Annenberg Institute for School Reform Cross-Site Leadership Meeting 19 District Leaders Retreat 30 Leadership Academy Fellows Meeting MAY 6 Program Advisory Team Meeting 9-10 Rick DuFour Presentation 11-13 11-13 13 19-21

JUNE Critical Friends Group New Coaches Training Critical Friends Group Principals Seminar Critical Friends Group Experienced Coaches Training Leadership Academy Fellows Meeting

JULY/AUGUST 7/31-8/2 Fondren Reforming Schools Summer Institute

ESL Teacher. . . continued from page 2 Lyons even walks to school, says Bullock, “not because she lives close, but so she can be with the kids and be out in the neighborhood.”

Lyons also believes her students need real-world experience. So, she and her kids assist yearly with events ranging from the Houston International Festival and Ed White Field Day to Chase (Bank) Global Days of Service. They have cleaned Galveston’s beaches, assisted Habitat for Humanity and helped the City of Houston with a neighborhood carnival.

For Lyons, these extensions of the classroom are outstanding opportunities for her students to learn English while giving back to the community. Lyons, says Elizabeth Van Auken, Sharpstown grant writer and head of the school’s Annenberg Leadership Team, is “one of those really special people” who always helps those in need.

Bullock and Lyons have worked together since 1988, when Bullock, then principal of Ed White Elementary, hired Lyons as a kindergarten teacher. Lyons is “one of the most charismatic people I’ve ever seen in the classroom,” said Bullock. Lyons was “instrumental” in revitalizing the Asian community at Sharpstown and getting members to participate in an after-school program and weekly meetings—not an easy feat in a school where students represent more than 60 countries.

Lyons has previously been nominated for Teacher of the Year by the Freedom Foundation and thrice been named ESL Teacher of the Year by Houston schools. But this big-hearted, inspiring and energetic woman is most proud of her students. Standing next to a bulletin board with English, Spanish and Vietnamese calendars and pointing to a chalkboard with Chinese, Urdu, Russian, Arabic and Punjabi greetings, she says, “See why I say I have the smartest kids in the world? They’re processing all this, hearing only in English. They teach me something everyday.”

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1001 Fannin, Suite 2210 Houston, Texas 77002-6709 713-658-1881 fax 713-739-0166 www.houstonannenberg.org

Critical Friends Group Summer Seminar Series At the heart of the Critical Friends Group concept is one simple idea: providing deliberate time and structures to promote adult professional growth that is directly linked to student learning.

If you’re interested in Critical Friends Group training, then mark your calendar for The Houston Annenberg Challenge Critical Friends Group Seminars June 11-13 and September 20-21. Deadline for registration and payment is May 3, 2002. All seminars take place at the University of Houston Hotel and Conference Center. For more information on registering for any of the following training sessions, call 713-658-1881 or visit the website at http://www.houstonannenberg.org.

New Coach Seminar June 11-13 and September 20-21 Cost: $1200 per coach (does not include lodging) Develop and practice the skills necessary for leading a Critical Friends Group.

New coaches create among themselves the kind of professional learning communities they will establish within their own Critical Friends Groups.

Experienced Coach Seminar June 13 Cost: $250 per person (does not include lodging) Introduction to teacher research, an investigation of teaching practices through the lens of Critical Friends Groups.

Annenberg Principal Seminar June 11-13 Cost: $525 per person (does not include lodging) Develop an understanding of what a learning community is; explore relationship to student achievement, school culture and whole school change.

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID

#11363 HOUSTON, TEXAS

THE HOUSTON ANNENBERG CHALLENGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jonathan Day, Chairman Managing Partner Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, LLP Andrea White, President Civic Volunteer Janice Dupuy, Secretary Consultant, NUCO BOARD MEMBERS Leonel Castillo Education Liaison, Mayor’s Office Joe B. Foster Chairman, President, & CEO Newfield Exploration Company Ann Friedman, Ph.D. Adjunct Professor, The University of Houston H. Devon Graham, Jr. R.E. Smith Interest Jenard Gross President, Gross Investments Linda P. Lay Real Estate Development Daniel Leff President & CEO, Enron Energy Services Karol Musher, M.A., CCC-SLP Speech, Language and Learning Disorders Texas Children’s Hospital Maconda Brown O’Connor, Ph.D. President, Brown Foundation Harry Reasoner Managing Partner, Vinson & Elkins, LLP

SchoolWorks is published by: Houston Annenberg Challenge 1001 Fannin, Suite 2210 Houston, Tx 77002 713.658.1881 / 713.739.0166 (fax) Executive Director: Linda Clarke Director of Programs: Michele Pola Director of Public Affairs: Nan Powers Varoga www.houstonannenberg.org

J. Victor Samuels Chairman, Victory Packaging Nellie Carr Thorogood, Ph.D. Vice-Chancellor for Organizational Development & Institutional Renewal, North Harris Montgomery Community College District H. Michael Tyson Vice Chairman, Retired, Chase Bank Texas Rosie Zamora President, Telesurveys Research Associates