December 19th, 2011
President Bill Clinton Opens GEMS American Academy Abu Dhabi
President Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, today opened GEMS American Academy – Abu Dhabi, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and His Excellency Humaid Mohammed Al Khathami, UAE Minister of Education.
On the occasion, President Clinton said, “I often think that the education of even one child who otherwise would not have the opportunity to get a world class education, may be worth to the future of the world, more than all the endeavours that I have engaged in my life. I very much appreciate the commitment GEMS has, to try to provide that opportunity for ever larger numbers of children, here, and other places across the world.”
The ceremony was hosted by GEMS Education and attended by a number of dignitaries and other VIP guests. Sunny Varkey, Chairman of GEMS Education, said, “We are extremely honoured to have President Clinton and His Highness here to open GEMS American Academy in the UAE Capital. GEMS has been operating schools in Abu Dhabi for over twenty years and will continue its commitment of supporting the government’s education objectives in both the private and public sectors.
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December 15th, 2011
Warren Harding High School, Bridgeport, CT
Warren Harding High School has made significant strides over the past year. Key initiatives were implemented that transformed the school’s learning environment – the cornerstone of the inaugural year of Harding’s comprehensive improvement plan.
The positive school climate and its emphasis on high student expectations, coupled with new teaching strategies and practices introduced through intensive staff training, sets the stage for the curricular/instructional focus of the plan’s remaining phases.
View the entire article here.
December 7th, 2011
Warren Harding High School, Bridgeport, CT
Changes at Harding High in its first year of a restart partnership with Global Partnership Schools have resulted in major increase in student attendance.
The school’s attendance rate increased from 67% in October 2010 to a remarkable 92% in October 2011, an increase of 25 points. At 92%, the school had the highest attendance rate in the Bridgeport Public Schools for October.
“Students have a feeling of belonging, a sense that their teachers know and care about them,” said Harding Principal Kevin Walston. “That makes coming to school a lot easier, and a lot more enjoyable.”
Since partnering with Global Partnership Schools in the fall of 2010, Harding has focused on removing barriers to learning and creating a structured environment in which students feel supported.
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November 14th, 2011
Helping you deliver your very best through a strong partnership
Every school has the potential to be a great school. That’s the premise of Global Partnership Schools’ turnaround and restart model.
We know from experience that every school, regardless of performance level, has assets that can be developed and built upon to achieve significant improvements in student learning and school performance.
Global Partnership Schools is committed to helping you develop a high-performing school culture.
View the entire Turnaround/Restart Model brochure.
June 24th, 2011
Global’s SES team recently participated in a family resource expo in Stamford, CT, attended by hundreds of parents and children. The interactive booth featured the popular “Jeopardy” game created by Debbie McWhoter. Lisa Sullivan and Tabatha Santiago joined Debbie in providing information about Global and its successful SES program available to eligible students in Stamford. In lieu of a contribution, Global donated to the expo raffle a backpack stuffed with $50 of school supplies.
Click on any of the images below to enlarge.
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May 24th, 2011
Garrison Middle School
Last spring, Global was selected by Baltimore City Public Schools to work with Garrison Middle School as a school improvement partner. In collaboration with
CORE, Global has helped advance student achievement through instructional coaching and a culture of high expectations. The focus has been on building a positive school climate and improving teaching and learning with an emphasis on literacy and math.
“Garrison’s results on the district’s third benchmark show that the school’s performance is one of above average among turnaround schools and slowly closing the gap with the rest of the district,” said Joseph Garcia, Sr. Vice President, District & Schools Services.
Over the past 12 months, Global’s team has built strong relationships which are critical to Garrison’s success. Global has met with parents and community leaders, as well as facilitated focus groups with students.
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May 24th, 2011
Hector Reyes
and
Marco Lopez were among the nearly 52,000 students representing 2,075 teams from across the Nation at the
FIRST Robotics Competition Championship in St. Louis, MO, April 27-30, 2011. Hector and Marco were invited to join the Shelton High School team at the national event after they impressed Shelton’s team who has been mentoring Harding’s rookie team.
“Despite being only Freshman, Hector and Marco are a tremendous help to our team development,” said Maria Tichy, the FIRST Robotic coach for Harding High School. “They are take-charge students who are able to present and communicate their creative ideas.”
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May 24th, 2011
Rudy Crew, President
He’s been called the
Rock Star Superintendent, but Global Partnership Schools’ Rudy Crew is much more than glitz and glamor. He is the ultimate reformer who builds a firm foundation for success. At the core of Rudy’s contagious leadership style is integrity, candor, confidence, flexibility, loyalty, humility, accountability, preparedness, resourcefulness, and patience. He motivates others and creates a culture that helps a school district achieve success long after he has moved on.
“Change is about relationships—adults and children, specifically teachers and students,” said Crew. “When a unit of change happens in a classroom, it spreads through the school and beyond, changing the culture throughout the district. This culture moves everybody into a new zone of thinking, behavior, and core assumptions of what it takes to educate all children.”
Crew’s School Improvement Zone in Miami and the Chancellor’s District in New York City have often been cited as leading school reform models. In fact, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), believes the Chancellor’s District is the best reform model ever implemented.
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May 24th, 2011
Risley Middle School
Extended Learning Opportunity: Global to Provide Summer Academies in Six Pueblo City Schools
Last year, Global Partnership Schools was selected by Pueblo City Schools as its school improvement partner to dramatically improve six struggling middle and high schools over the next three years. Three of the middle schools, Freed, Pitts and Risely, have implemented a turnaround model, one of four intervention models outlined by federal rules governing the school improvement grants. The other three schools, Central High School, Roncalli Middle School and the Youth and Family Academy (YAFA) charter school, have implemented a transformation model.
In June, over 400 students from Freed, Pitts, Risley, Central, Roncalli, and YAFA will attend Global Summer Academies for extra support and an extended learning opportunity. Students were invited to attend the program, which will run June 13—30, after viewing their performance on standards-based assessments. They will focus on gaining reading and math proficiency in preparation for success in school and beyond.
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April 10th, 2011
Kevin L. Walston, Principal at
Warren Harding High School
Bridgeport — Warren Harding High School has clear hallways, new academies and a new principal who stands at the front door each morning to greet students.
Bassick High School has committees, 15 of them, that some would say are working at breakneck speed to reinvent the school’s culture and curriculum by the fall.
Both schools, buoyed by federal School Improvement Grants — $2.2 million at Harding and $2.1 million at Bassick — are racing to reverse rotten test scores, sorry attendance records and graduation rates that not too long ago pegged them both as “Drop Out” factories. They are among 14 schools in the state to get the grants. They have three years to turn things around, yet the approaches being used at the schools are radically different.
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