GCSSA provides in-service opportunities for the professional growth of superintendents and provides opportunities for social interaction of members. Superintendents from Northeastern Ohio School Districts have organized to secure the benefits of working together to improve their professional effectiveness.
GCSSA was created in 1966 as a 501(c)(3) organization. There are currently 94 regular members, 51 retired members, 19 Associate and 9 Institutional members.
Something Good is Happening in Our Schools
As part of its mission, the Greater Cleveland Schools Superintendents’ Association features the accomplishments of a member’s school district in its monthly newsletter under the heading, “Something Good Is Happening In Our Schools”. This short article of approximately three hundred words highlights recent accomplishments of the school district and is shared with 273 school districts throughout the state.
February 2010 Article
Something Good is Happening In Our Schools
By: Dr. John Richard, Superintendent
Perry Local Schools
There are several great things happening in the Perry Local School District in Stark County. The school district is situated directly between the cities of Canton and Massillon, serving students in both communities, as well as those in Perry Township. A concerted effort to meaningfully engage students in their learning is evident through several initiatives occurring throughout the district.
All-day, everyday kindergarten was implemented at the outset of the 2009-2010 school year, after having studied the issue over the past several years. With both an increasing rate of poverty throughout the district, as well as an increasing concern about students’ reading and math abilities, this decision has already resulted in our kindergarten students covering material in the first semester that previously was a year-long process. The hope is that our students will be better prepared for the expectations at first grade and beyond, by having a more solid foundation from an early age.
Technology has increasingly provided opportunities for student engagement. Smart Board technology is available in every classroom throughout our six elementary buildings, and available in the majority of classrooms in our remaining three buildings. It is now the exception to see a classroom that is not utilizing the Smart Boards on a daily basis. Additionally, several classroom teachers make use of the Senteo Student Response System, in which hand-held clickers allow every student to respond to questions on a variety of topics. This provides immediate feedback to both students and the teacher, in a non-threatening manner.
The addition of an e-learning coordinator and several online courses over the past two years has provided further options for students to take classes in an online environment. The online courses have helped students in several areas, including those with credit recovery needs, those wishing to take classes that may be otherwise unavailable because of a student’s schedule, students taking coursework that is not taught onsite, and also may be used as an alternative to expulsion. Beginning next year, all freshman students will be required to take a “blended” health course that will be partially online and partially traditional classroom instruction. This course is being used as a pilot, with a possibility of adding another online requirement in the future, to better prepare students for educational life beyond high school.
Several options exist for students to be challenged academically in the upper grade levels. Following a three-year investigation and application process, we will implement the International Baccalaureate program at the high school level next year. We have entered into a collaborative effort with two other school districts, North Canton City and Jackson Local, to be the first in Stark County to offer this program that is designed to develop internationally minded people. We continue to increase the number of Advanced Placement courses available to our students, have several high school teachers who are also adjunct college faculty, and have numerous students taking coursework on college campuses while high school seniors.
The South Stark Career Academy is a program comprised of four school districts, and has been in operation for over thirty years, providing career technical training to students for immediate employment opportunities, as well the chance to graduate with skills for a lifetime. The Academy also offers several College Tech Prep programs that allow students to earn college credit while receiving their training. Our Medical Tech Prep and Project Lead the Way in engineering have become two of our most popular programs.
The combined efforts of an outstanding teaching faculty and a supportive community have resulted in great things happening in the Perry school system! March 3, 2010 issue of OSC & GCSSA News, Notes & Notices |
