Extra Credit

Fort Worth leaders discuss dropout prevention

School, city and community members met Monday for a local summit of America's Promise, a national organization founded by former secretary of state Colin Powell to focus on improving children's successes. About 250 attendees, including superintendent Melody Johnson and Fort Worth mayor Mike Moncrief, discussed ideas on how to keep kids in school. Among strategies they hope to develop are meeting the needs of students through rigor, relevance and relationships; establishing a coalition of school and community stakeholders; improving the relationships between school faculties with parents; and using congregational organizations to build role models and hold parents, students and schools accountable.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Few applicants for local Chesapeake scholarship

Scholarship organizers worried that only about two dozen seniors have applied for the Chesapeake Scholarship as of Friday. The award gives the winning student $20,000 a year for four years to help pay for college expenses. Fort Worth school district seniors are eligible as are seniors from Adamson, Madison and North Dallas high schools in Dallas. Click here for more information about the scholarship and get the application here. The scholarship was created as part of a partnership with Chesapeake Energy and the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The deadline to apply is April 15.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Arlington schools sending pencils to Iraq

The Arlington schools' communications office was filled with boxes, buckets and bags of wooden pencils last week, as the district wound up a drive for Iraqi schoolchildren.

More than 31,000 pencils had been gathered as of Thursday and more were trickling in. The drive was part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Marking History campaign.

District Trustee Gloria Peña suggested Arlington take part. The corps will distribute the pencils in Iraq, where it has been doing reconstruction projects for the past five years.

- Traci Shurley

New Richland High School principal is former science teacher

The new principal at Richland High School is a familiar face since she taught at the campus for 20 years. Birdville school district trustees agreed last night to tap Carla Saddler Rix to lead the senior high.
Rix has been principal at North Ridge Middle School since 2006. She served as assistant principal at Richland High from 2004 to 2006 and was a science teacher there from 1984 to 2004. 

Rix replaces Randy Cobb, who is leaving the school district to become division director of secondary education for Irving schools, Birdville officials said.

Jessamy Brown

Study says cash-strapped Texas schools aren't alone

Star-Telegram reporter Eva-Marie Ayala reported earlier this week about how Fort Worth school trustees are already trying to trim millions from next year's budget.

They're not alone.

A new study from the American Association of School Administrators confirms there are tough times all around.  The study notes big increases in the percentages of districts across the nation that plan to cut programs, lay-off personnel or increase class sizes next year.

- Traci Shurley

TAKS reading scores released

Ninety-three percent of eighth-grade students who took the reading portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test earlier this month passed and 48 percent scored high enough to reach "commended performance levels," according to information released by the Texas Education Agency Friday morning.

School districts in north Texas recently received the results of the reading tests for third, fifth and eighth-graders. Students must pass the tests to be promoted to the next grade. If they didn't pass the first time, they have the opportunity to re-test before the end of the school year. Bills are currently being considered by the legislature that would end the reliance on the test to determine promotion.

A passing score on the test is 2100.

Other statewide results:

Eighty-three percent of fifth-grade students who took the reading test in English passed. Among Spanish language test takers, 68 percent passed.

Nine out of 10 third-graders who took the reading test passed.

- Traci Shurley 

Rain delay for some Keller schools buses

The rainy weather is affecting the commute for children. Some Keller schools buses are running behind schedule this afternoon because of a thunderstorm. That's according to the school district's Web site.

Earlier, the National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of North and Central Texas. Weather forecasters say there could be more rain on Thursday and Friday, news reports said.
Jessamy Brown

More evolution teaching debate in Austin

Television station KXAN in Austin has the latest on the State Board of Education meeting and discussion of the state's science curriculum. Play the video for a "heated exchange."

Go here to listen to the debate yourself.

- Traci Shurley

TEA puts state board action on Twitter

Want to know what's going on at the Texas State Board of Education meeting in Austin?

The Texas Education Agency is tweeting live on their Twitter account, @teainfo.

- Traci Shurley

Arlington's Martin High School wins $10,000 grant

Arlington's Martin High School has been named the 2009 National GRAMMY Signature School, by the The GRAMMY Foundation and the honor comes with a $10,000 award.

According to the foundation Website, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program "recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year." 

Fourteen schools received awards. The $10,000 prize is the top prize.

The GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy, which puts on the awards, work together to build awareness of the value of fine arts education.

- Traci Shurley