President's Letter

Incoming President Jim Caswell              [ top ]

Sixteen years ago, I was teaching Honors Government, College prep Economics and general level America Foreign policy at one of California's premier high schools. I was Social Studies Chairman, Coordinator of the Adult Forum, Director of AV Services and for fun I taught Government and U.S. History one evening a week in the Adult Program. Life was good. The money was great. Most of all, I was really enjoying teaching.

I had recently spent a year as temporary Supervisor of Specially Funded projects at the District office. I liked administration, but I was on top of my teaching game and hey, only 19 years to retirement. Then the call came! The District needed an administrator to shore up the faltering continuation school in the small district community where I had grown up as a kid. I jumped at the chance to return to my roots and perhaps in some small way to give something back to the community.

Lamont California was John Steinbeck country. Not of the coastal beauty of Monterey County nor the romance of Cannery Row but the place of poverty and of human struggles, depicted in the Grapes of Wrath, of those Dust Bowl farm labors. Those images still linger in my mind as I now reflect on my early years growing up in the southern end of the San Joaquin valley in the 1940's and 50's. After college, I often returned home to visit family that had remained in the area but I had paid little attention to the changes that were transforming forever the community that I once knew.

Nueva High School was your typical continuation school of the 1980's. There were no counseling services, no library, no lunchroom, no special programs. Teachers taught 3-5 subjects each period five periods each day. 75% of the student who enrolled during the year dropped by the first week of June. The population of the community which had been 80% Okie in 1965 was now 80% Hispanic. Community-wide, half the parents were non- English speaking, the ESL population was growing, the Free lunch program was equally high, unemployment was above 28%, and the average reading level was below 5^th grade. What had I done?

How does an inexperienced (CIO) California Improved Okie administrator like me or any school worker hope to bring any sense of accomplishment and hope to children who come to us from such diverse social/economic/cultural backgrounds, not to mention all of the baggage that comes with at-risk students. If you haven't noticed, the school that I inherited in 1986 is fast becoming the typical California continuation school in the new century. Today, our schools are more often than not " Schools of Color".

I have visited so many schools in recent years that are in a struggle to develop solutions to the myriad of problems faced by today's at-risk population. One of the primary obstacles to change is what I call the "Sanctity of our Wigwams". As teachers, we want to keep our doors closed and the world outside; especially the principal or superintendent. As administrators, we don't want anyone to know that we have problems at the store. Fortunately for me, I recognized that I needed help. My education background was dealing with middle to high socio-economic groups of parents and students. Even though, as a high school student, my own family background would have placed me in a similar economic ranking as my continuation students, I needed to know how to proceed in my new job and as usual in our business there were no manuals. However, I found help almost immediately from fellow continuation teachers and administrators in District V CCEA. Six weeks into the job I was invited to bring my entire staff to a District V mini conference where I learned that we are all fighting the same fight, it's alright to ask questions, to steal ideas and programs, to experiment and to especially take risks in curricular development . Together, with my colleges in CCEA, I began a 15 year journey of sharing concerns and trading best practices, lesson plans and projects. You too can begin a very fruitful journey by attending local district conferences, traveling to the State conference or attending the upcoming CCEA workshop in Pomona in November.

This has lead me to where I am today; your CCEA State president. I look forward to working with all of you in better preparing schools to find the right strategies and programs that will enable our students to become good adults. I am interested in developing those" how to" manuals for new teachers, new administrators and State and District Conferences. I want to make sure that new legislation concerning school accountability recognizes the status of continuation education and doesn't leave our schools, students and staff without the funding and recognition that we rightly deserve.

I have a great passion for what we do as educators. There are so many great teachers and support staff working in continuation schools today to help our students be the best they can be. Congratulations to all of you and please have a great school year.
If you have ideas or questions concerning where CCEA goes from here, please call me at 661-845-1532 or e-mail jcaswell@khsd.k12.ca.us

Outgoing President Janet Knoeppel                   [ top ]

Welcome back to the 2001-2002 school year! I hope you've all had a restful summer and come back with a renewed commitment to your students. More now than at any time I can recall, those students in continuation schools need the dedication and caring that you give. They need the strong role models that you provide. They need the opportunity not only to learn, but also to succeed. Far too many educators have not fulfilled these roles and that is why so many more students are coming to continuation schools. They come to heal and to learn about themselves, as well as the lessons we are here to teach.

As I've traveled up and down the state during the last two years I've seen countless numbers of wonderful and exciting programs and outstanding teachers who are making a difference in the lives of young people. You can take pride in the job you are doing! But don't stop! Our work has barely begun. When teachers, counselors and administrators in the traditional programs speak condescendingly of our programs and our students, I know there is much work still to be done. We must never quit educating them and asking them to walk in our shoes in order to find the real rewards in education. As an administrator in a traditional program, I considered myself lucky if I could reflect on the year and count five or six students whose lives I had impacted in a positive way. My years in continuation education have been completely different. Everyday I touched a life in some way. Often I never knew until much later just how much. This past June, at the end of her first year of teaching, my daughter received an email from a parent thanking her for all the effort put in on helping her two children succeed. She also received a couple of personal letters from students thanking her for caring. She was truly touched and felt honored that the students and the parent cared enough to let her know how they felt. When she shared these with me, I told her that this is what teaching is all about. This is what makes us keep coming back for another year, even in the face of the SAT-9, the High School Exit Exam and the Alternative Accountability System with which we must struggle.

We've made great strides in the last several years. But our road is long and winding and there is no clear cut "light at the end of the tunnel." Therefore, I'm asking each of you to make an individual commitment to do just a little bit more this year than you did last year. Make one more contact to get the word out about the wonderful and exciting programs that we offer in continuation education. Join CCEA by sending in your dues, today. Plan to attend our 2002 State Conference to be held in Costa Mesa on April 26, 27, 28 at the Hilton Hotel. This year's theme is "Fiesta at the Beach." Hank Johnson, President of District X is the conference chair and is planning a great weekend for us. If you have a program or a strategy that you would like to share with others, why not present it at the conference. We'd love to have you be a part of this coming year's program.

You will find a flyer for the Continuation Educators' Institute included in this mailing. Why not join colleagues from across the state and plan to attend this informational and motivational weekend? Make your reservations today! The Institute's kickoff speaker will be Dave Pelzer, the best selling author of several books. An extremely abused child, he grew up to be an outstanding individual who has been honored around the world. His message is directed at educators who made a difference in his life. His topic for our Institute is, "The Real Heroes." Saturday there will be two concurrent workshops available. Brad Greene, of the William Glasser Institute will present "Choice Theory and Quality Schools." Joe Stits, past president of CCEA will present "Aligning Your Curriculum with the State Standards." Both workshops will be hands on and interactive. Sunday there will be a workshop in the morning on "Finding the Resources That Will Allow Us to Help Students Succeed on the High School Exit Exam." If you have further questions, give me a call or send me an email. I promise to respond ASAP.

Finally, the last two years have been wonderful and I am proud to have served as your state president. I have learned many things during my tenure that have made me a better person and a better educator. I've had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of wonderful people and for that I thank you. You are all wonderful! Thank you for your dedication to continuation education and its ideals. Never give up hope! Keep the momentum moving forward and we will succeed! 
 

CCEA Legislative Update          [ top ]
Peter Birdsall & Theresa Inslee

State Budget Contains Some New Education Initiatives

On July 26, twenty-six days past the Constitutional deadline, Governor Davis announced his actions on the 2001-02 State Budget that had recently been approved by the State Legislature. Based on the need to maintain what the Governor called a "prudent reserve," Davis wielded his line-item veto authority freely with regard to most funding sections of the budget. Upon his signing of the State Budget, the Governor distributed an eighty-five-page letter detailing his line-item vetoes. Ultimately, these actions resulted in a $2.6 billion state reserve.

Despite the reductions, the Governor did approve funding for several programs that are of particular interest to CCEA.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)

The budget fully funds the 3.87% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) called for in law for continuation high schools.

High Priority Students Block Grant

$200 million was approved to provide up to $400 per pupil to improve student achievement in low-performing schools. The details of this block grant will be determined in legislation to be approved in September. The Senate version of the low-performing schools bills includes continuation high schools with this program. If continuation high schools are included in the final legislation, participating schools would be eligible for $150-400 per ADA in additional funding.

Mathematics and Reading Professional Development Program

$80 million was appropriated for the first year of a four-year Mathematics and Reading Professional Development Program. Over the course of this program, 249,000 K-12 teachers and 22,000 teaching aides will receive 40 hours of intensive, out-of-classroom training in mathematics and/or reading instruction. Additionally, teachers will be provided with 80 hours of follow-up training. Schools will receive $2,500 for each teacher trained and $1,000 for each teaching aide trained. Continuation high school teachers are eligible to participate in this program.

Principal Training Program

$15 million was approved for the first year of the three-year Principal Training Program, which will provide 15,000 principals and vice principals with training in instructional standards and effective school management techniques. Schools will receive $3,000 per person trained, which must be matched by $1,000 from the school district. Continuation high school principals and assistant principals are eligible to participate in this program.

Additional State Budget information may be obtained on the Department of Finance website: www.dof.ca.gov.

Association Sponsored Legislation

As CCEA members know, the Association is sponsoring AB 927 (Goldberg) which addresses continuation high school funding disparities, while tying increased funding to quality program improvements. The bill had its first hearing in the Assembly Education Committee on April 18. The bill was placed on consent, meaning the bill was well received by both the Democrats and Republicans with regard to its educational policy and passed the committee by a vote of 14-0. AB 927 is being co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District and has gained support of both the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and the California School Boards Association (CSBA).

The bill was heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 16. At that time, the bill was placed on the committee's suspense file. The suspense file is for bills with a state cost of $150,000 or greater and serves as a mechanism by which the committee can review and prioritize bills with a fiscal impact before they move forward in the legislative process. This process interacts closely with the budget deliberations in the legislature, because priorities for state funding are largely determined through the budget. Due to the state's recent economic downturn and prevailing energy crisis, AB 927 which has an estimated first year cost of $15 million, was unfunded. For this reason, the bill was held on the Assembly Appropriations suspense file.

Low-Performing Schools Become High Priority In State's Budget

The surprise "winners" of this year's budgetary process are low-performing schools. As the Legislature completed its deliberations on a final version of the budget, the largest dollar amount for new K-12 education initiatives was aimed at supporting and improving low-performing schools. With the passage of the State Budget, all that remains is to craft low-performing schools legislation in an effort to utilize the $200 million included in the budget.

The key bills to watch on this issue are AB 481 (Diaz/Firebaugh), AB 961 (Steinberg), SB 466 (Ortiz), SB508(Vasconcellos/McPherson). AB 481 is sponsored by the Latino Caucus and is the major proposal in the Assembly concerning low-performing schools. SB 466 and SB 508 are authored by Democratic Senators and are the subject of intensive work by top Democratic Senate staff in the education policy area.

Definition of Low-Performing Schools

At this point, most of these bills have similar definitions of low-performing schools, in that they define such schools as those ranked in the bottom 20% on the Academic Performance Index (API). The biggest potential change concerning the definition may result from funding limitations. In order to focus limited funding on the most troubled schools, some legislators propose funding only schools in the bottom 10%. SB 466 was recently amended to make continuation high schools eligible for this funding. CCEA has argued that continuation high schools should be eligible for this funding, because most would be in the bottom two deciles if they received API rankings. CCEA is continuing to work on this high priority legislation in an effort to provide additional funding to continuation high schools.

Block Grant Approach

The prevailing approach in all the bills is to provide some sort of block grant to low-performing schoolsites. Schools and school districts would be required to develop a plan for the use of these funds. Plans would be required to address key issues such as parent involvement, professional development, staffing, and the quality of school facilities. Perhaps the most important and complicated issue from the perspective of many legislators and staff is the issue of recruiting and retaining quality credentialed staff to work in low-performing schools. The specifics of the bills differ at this point, but they all reflect the same general array of issues to be addressed.
 

AB 927 Becomes a Two Year Bill    [ top ]

The Assembly Appropriations Committee placed AB 927 on suspense in June and is being held until next year when it will be reconsidered. This was done because there is no money this year with which to fund the bill. The bill is definitely not dead! We will plan to gear up again when the next legislative session convenes.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Peter Birdsall and Theresa Inslee, the Senate agreed to the idea of including continuation high schools in the low performing schools bills sponsored by Senator Vasconcellos. These bills are SB 508 (Vasconcellos) and SB 466 (Ortiz). SB 466 was amended to include alternative education, including continuation schools. These bills are double joined along with SB 33 (Soto) and SB 1020 (Escutia). SB 466 establishes the Low Performing Schools Initiative. Specifically the bill states, "A school that is not included in the API ranking pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 52052, including, but not limited to, a continuation high school, may be eligible for incentive funding under this chapter if the State Board of Education determines that the school has a record of performance that is equivalent to schools that qualify under the terms of subdivision (a)." Eligible schools will receive $150 per ADA as start up funding the first year and $400 per ADA in the following years.

The bottom line is that continuation schools will be eligible for money from the low performing schools bills once they pass and are signed by the Governor. While it is never an easy road to get legislation signed, this legislation looks to have a reasonably good chance of getting that all important signature from the Governor. With this funding, continuation schools will be able to implement some of the necessary strategies that will help our students be prepared to pass the high school exit exam and perform at a higher level on the SAT-9.

The Educational Coalition (CTA, PTA, CSBA, ACSA, CFT) worked with Assembly Members Firebaugh and Diaz on AB 481 to have continuation schools included in their bill which also addresses low performing schools.
 

New Model Continuation High Schools
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Classified and Administrative         [ top ]
Personnel Recognized

Classified and Administrative personnel recognized by CCEA Districts for contributions to continuation education. This is the first year for this recognition program and the winners are listed below by district.

District I

Classified: Rayleen Beyer, South Valley High School, Ukiah

Administrator: Bill MacDougall, Carle High School, Lower Lake

District II
Classified: Carol Ann Gmuer, Plaza Robles High School, Lodi

Adminstrator: Norma Grijalva, Roselawn High School, Turlock

District III

Classified:

Administrator: Jan McCarthy, Del Amigo High School, Danville

District IV

Classified: Hinda Weber and Perla Sanchez, Alta Vista High School, Mt. View

Administrator: Bill Pierce, Alta Vista High School, Mt.View

District V

Classified: Elaine Roach, Summit High School, Lake Isabella

Administrator:

District VII

Classified: Bessie Emiko Kamigaki, Century High School, Alhambra

Administrator: Gene Hawley, Tracy High School, Cerritos

District X

Classified: Ellen Phillips, Silverado High School, Mission Viejo

Administrator: Hank Johnson, Mt. View High School, Santa Ana

District XI

Classified: Jan Spears, Phoenix High School, Los Angeles

Administrator: Beth Newman, Central High School, Los Angeles

District XII

Classified: Julie Maxwell

Administrator: Steve Connolly
 

San Andreas High School                [ top ]
Feeds Minds and More

A Letter from Brenda Lyle.

In October of last year, I went to my phenomenal mentor and principal, Margaret Hill, out of frustration. I had so many 17 and 18 year old students who could not read at grade and age level, but also had 25 and 30 credits. I knew in my heart that these kids didn't have a chance in hell of graduating or finding meaningful employment. Why not open up a business - a restaurant? Give them on-the-job training, credits, and a small stipend. Surely, we can get some support.

Well, we did. First, from the county - a $7,500 contribution that would give the students an incentive to stay after school and train. I wish you could have seen their faces when they got that $200.00 check. From January 8 through the end of the school year, Robert "Chef" Baldwin, with his 30 years in the restaurant business and an instructor at San Bernardino Valley College, came to San Andreas two days a week. The kids made Boston cream pies, cooked homemade rolls, made sandwiches, and began to learn what it took to operate a successful restaurant. Cindy Perkins with the Inland Empire Entrepreneurship Program (Cal State San Bernardino) came the other two days and helped the students write their business plan. John Peukert, Director of Food Services for the District, gave us a location in one of the District's administration buildings. The students, who had to go through an application and interviewing process, have been featured in several local newspapers. I'd like to see the publicity reach a national level.

The project continued to get better, despite what the critics thought. After all, these were alternative students (throw away) kids. I have 15 students, many who have been with the project for six months, who come to Valley College 4 days a week for a summer training program in preparation for their grand opening in September. The cafe is called "Maggie's" - they named it after their principal whom everyone simply loves and admires so much. Chef continues to teach them two days a week and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they work in the Valley College cafeteria. The cafeteria manager fell in love with "Maggie's Kids". They are going to perfect their "Maggie's Sauce" this summer - Stater Brothers is going to help us with the bottling and labels. The students plan to take some of the profits from the sauce and purchase a vacant house close to the school - called MAGGIE'S HOUSE. At the end of this school year, we had four homeless kids with no place to go. With Maggie's House, we plan to teach students how to renovate a house - how to become skilled carpenters, electricians, and plumbers.

The fact that the project has succeeded and that these students believed in this dream has surprised many. Not me, and not Margaret Hill (recent Golden Apple recipient). We know all too well that if you give young people hope - if they're not bored to death in class - if they see a future, they'll give you all they've got. Margaret and I are telling other educators and parents this in a book that we are working on and hope to soon publish. I need to be able to take this project to the next level and I need CCEA's direction and suggestions.
 

Ode To Joy and Joey            [ top ]

The lowering sun burns the spring clouds pink and golden over the lowered heads of my students, As I look out the classroom windows, to the western setting sun.

Heads bent over, to the writing proficiency exam, The examination that will anoint them acceptable, not a dropout. My at-risk students, 8 kids whom no one, but I, desire to teach, at 5:40 on Thursday evening with the lowering sun burning the clouds lavender and darker.

Forever the words of a Russian professor

to his teaching assistant hang in my mind:

"Mr. R., You will never be a great teacher because when your students are writing, you look out the window and daydream, when you should be watching your students,
and smiling."

I look over the bowed heads, sparks arising from the tips
Of their pens as they attempt the words that will lift them

Up into the lands of the holy the graduation list.
The clouds turn darker, lavender and heavy gold. Brother Antoninus wrote:
"This valley after the storms can

be beautiful beyond the telling"

and now it is.
As these clouds, this sunset, lower and close.

And tomorrow, or next week, or next year,

I will see another sunset, through these windows.
But tomorrow, these faces, engraved upon my years,
Will be gone, from my classroom,
From me,
Forever.
Evan Bell, June, 2000 is a veteran continuation English teacher at
Vista High School-Bakersfield.
 

Teacher of the Year 2001-2002        [ top ]

Susan Lorraine Stone - District V

Donald C. Jamison High School, Lemoore, Kings County.

Susan has been in her current position for eight out of eleven total years. She teaches a variety of subjects including: U.S. History, World History, World Geography, Economics, Government, English, Reading, Creative Writing, Art History, Earth Science, Graphic Arts-Screen Printing, and Computer Literacy Skills.

Clearly, with the opportunity to present such diverse subject matter, Susan Stone has many exciting approaches to teaching. Here are a few statements regarding her enthusiasm and creativity in her classroom.

On Classroom Technique/Creativity "my job becomes a challenge to deliver the material in ways that will engage the learner hiding within the student." She thanked her master teacher who taught her that "a good teacher can never let lesson plans go stalea teacher has to take a hard look at the lesson plans, and adjust and improve as needed."

On Philosophy/ Dedication "My priority is to create an atmosphere where the student feels accepted for who she/he is as an individual.In modeling acceptance I also lay the foundation for respect." "I begin each school year with a discussion about profane and derogatory language.and the damage it can inflict.and why it appears that its use is okay. We discover that profanity is not acceptable and that there are other ways to express oneself.It is within this first lesson that I establish my expectations of the students" "The time spent on study trips is invaluable to me. I have watched as students experienced snow for the first timeand the sea creatures present at low tide. It is times such as these that the students tend to let their guard down and become children eager to take in new sights and information."

On Services to Continuation Education and to One's Community " [I] decided to research school based community service and the potential benefits of work for at-risk students. I developed a resource guide for school based community service programsThe guide is designed to be a reference for educators wanting to start community service projects. It contains teacher friendly reproducible forms" "In leadership class my students documented the oral history on video tape of senior citizens who were at 80 years or older who were born or raised in our local community. The students were amazed" "Currently the students are involved with our local senior citizen center through the efforts of the city recreation department. The students and senior citizens look forward to the time they spend together" "Anotherprojectis for the students to work at the Special Olympics annual track and field event. This day is truly an emotional one" "One of our monthly community service projects is making holiday cards. The students make a minimum of 250 holiday each month to be delivered with the meals to the shut-in senior citizens within our county. They have also made cards for the local veteran's hospital" "Since 1995,.[students] volunteer at the Kiwanis Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast" "The students have also been involved in helping at local kindergarten classes" "The students take our community service projects seriously, as they realize that they are contributing in a positive way to the needs of our community."

On Other Considerations "I want people to know that our students can and do succeed in life. "Our students interact with their local community through community service projects and through our screen-printing business. The profits earnedgo back into our business plus fund all of our study trips, activities on campus, and part of our graduation exercise. Our study trips have included whale watching, museum visits, California mission visits, snow trips, exploration of caves, observations of elephant seal colonies, and studies of sea life found in the intertidal zone. My students design and print shirts for all the city recreation department races as well as their annual golf tournamentsfor the police department Red Ribbon celebrationtowels and polo shirts for county probation department's annual golf tournament and the Sheriff Activity League golf tournament."

As you can see, Sharon Lorraine Stone is a gifted teacher. She is truly an example of inspiration and dedication. Congratulations, Sharon, on being the CCEA Continuation Teacher of the Year 2001/2002.

We also appreciate and say a heartfelt "Thank You" to all of our finalists from each district. All of us in Continuation Education, are dedicated and deserving of Thanks and Appreciation. By recognizing a teacher from each district, it is a way for all of us to receive a well deserved pat-on-the-back, because our job is unique, and we truly have an impact in the lives of the students in our care. Here then, are the finalists from each district. If your district is not represented, please participate this coming year, and send in some nominations. Every story is an inspiration sharing our mutual themes of caring and creativity.

District I Charles A. Del Grande, Zoe Barnum Continuation High School, Eureka, Humboldt County.

Mr. Del Grande has been a teacher in his current position for 34 years. He teaches U.S. History, Health, Driver Education, and academic Physical Education at the same time in each of his six teaching periods. In the past he taught Driver's Training and Physical Education. Mr. D., as he is called by his students, has been in the continuation classroom for 34 years, and he could see the standard approach of quiet packet work was not addressing the needs of his students. He divided his week into M-W-F work time with a 5 to 15 minute discussion of issues related to teenagers. If the discussions were going well, he let them run their course. Tuesdays and Thursday, however, were devoted to "Group" activities. Mr. D. selects activities that are based on the subjects he teaches and are slanted mainly to history and current events. He tapes national and local news programs on TV every night, then screens them for short features related to the areas he wants to cover. He also utilizes such programs as Dateline, 20-20, 60 Minutes, and documentaries from Nova, National Geographic Explorer, and The History Channel. " I found the 'pause' button a teacher's best friend in facilitating critical thinking at significant points in a video or when hands go up." He has also provided many ways to use the group activities to create new curriculum, new ways to earn credits, and beneficial ways for students to catch up if they were absent.

Mr. D. developed an academic physical education program for students who could not do gym P.E. In October 1989, a description of the program was printed in the CCEA Newsletter, and he got requests from teachers all over the state, as well as traditional high schools and independent study programs, who wanted to start similar programs. He also participated actively in local community recreation, as a softball coach and advocate for improved facilities.

District III Robert Duane Schmidt, Sem Yeto High, Fairfield, Solano County

Mr. Schmidt has been a teacher for 20 years and in his current position for 11 years. He is a Resource Specialist and teaches Government, History, and P.E.

"[I]take my students from where they are functioning and help them progress both academically and personally. I assist my students by helping them recognize their worth and achieve their goals, and to develop an interest in education, a career, and a high school diploma." Mr. Schmidt co-coaches girls and boys athletic teams, and organized SM High's first girls basketball program in some years. Also he organizes annual canned food drives which have netted thousands of cans of food for the Salvation Army and local shelters, Books for the Barrio drives, helped found and co-leads the extremely popular ocean fishing club, takes students on field trips to visit college campuses, and teaches students to navigate using public transportation. He planned and manned a nutrition unit in the school run restaurant, that taught cooking, organization, nutrition, and produced some of the finest breakfasts the staff and students ever tasted.

District IV Joyce McClements, New Valley High School, Santa Clara, Santa Clara County

Ms. McClements has been teaching for 22 years and in her current position for 7 years. She teaches Art/Art History, Publications/Yearbook, Computer Graphics, Ceramics, and Chorus.

"I have always used my classroom time to maximize earning experiences." Whether it is music, art history, different cultures or centuries, "I bring everything back to the student and continually challenge him or her to think, to evaluate, and to make decisions." "I give students careful, concrete help for starting a project. This last step is essential with at-risk students. I talk to my students about courage. I tell the class that it takes as much courage to do art as it does to face down the local bully. It's 'out there' for everybody to see. But I emphasize that it isn't the final product..but the internal process.." She created and is teaching a new Chorus class this year, and has taken the class to sing at the local hospital. Ms. McClements took on the prepartion and organization of the NVHS Digital High School Grant. She is the WASC review leader. She is a member and has presented at local and state conferences of both CCEA and the California Art Educator's Association. She is on the committee that is developing the new technology graduation requirements for her district.

District VII Ernestine Eccles, Hillcrest High School, Inglewood, Los Angeles County

Ms. Eccles has been teaching for 35 years and in her current position for 5 years. She teaches Language Arts.

The Counselor at Hillcrest High School says, "Ms. Eccles has been instrumental in designing and implementing modified assignments for English Language Learners. Her whole focus is on student achievement and preparing students for 'Life after Hillcrest' as she puts it. In her classroom you will find her students working on projects such as Conflict Resolution, Career Investigations, College requirements, Personal Reflections, essays, literature, and a number of cooperative learning groups. There is so much warmth in the room that it is hard to resist joining in the activities. Her students have been recognized for their achievements and their writings. She was nominated for the American Teacher of the Year 2000 by the Walt Disney Company, and awarded Teacher of the Year 2000 by Inglewood USD, and recognized for her work by various publications." She also works with Adult Education in the evening, assists students with English Language Development, works with the community in coordinating activities such as field trips and getting parents involved in student learning.

District VIII Brenda G. Hull, Mt. San Jacinto High School, Cathedral City, Riverside County

Ms. Hull has been teaching for 24 years and in her current position for 3 years. She teaches Algebra I and II, Geometry, and Corrective Mathematics.

"This school year, my classroom revolves around two specific goals: 1. Testing each individual for mastery of all arithmetic skills (without a calculator) prior to contracting for algebra instruction; 2. Implementing throughout all coursework, a written component engaging students in analyzing through a narrative, algorithmic understanding of math concepts." She developed a corrective math program demonstrating competency. She created a semester exam as a, " written project in which the students explain in their own words how to solve the problems. It is phenomenal to see the difference in students' comprehension of such simple concepts as changing a fraction to a decimal, if you merely have the students practice describing precisely in words how the process is performed." She initiated participation in the California Mathematics League Contest. She is on the Palm Springs USD committee to not only analyze correctives in K-12 but also to develop sound pre-corrective conditions at the elementary level. She conducts a free off-campus after school math tutoring program, and she is an adjunct instructor at College of the Desert, and Biola University.

District IX Barbara Zamora, Twin Oaks High School, San Marcos, San Diego County

Ms. Zamora has been teaching for 10 years and in her current position for 2 years. She teaches all science courses, Mathematics, Economics, and Electives

Ms. Zamora is a believer in student success. "Inspire a love for learningthat's what I try to do. I try to vary my teaching styles and their learning styles, so that all my students have an opportunity to shine."

She varies her teaching style by including lecture, note taking, projects, cooperative group projects, students presentations, labs, and portfolios. "We do lots of labs; my students love to move and use their hands." She has served on the Model School Committee, the WASC Accreditation Committee, and is also a Peer Teacher Leader for the digital high school grant, choosing software and training other teachers to use it. She is on the district Math Articulation Committee and the K-12 Mathematics Staff Development Planning Committee and has met regularly with high school science chairpersons in the San Diego County. She created the first science lab at Twin Oaks in her classroom. Her classes also participate in the Channel 7/39 on-line Weather Forecast Challenge.

District X Gregory H. Sheppard, Lake High School, Garden Grove, Orange County

Mr. Sheppard has been teaching for 171/2 years and has been in his current position for 17 years. He teaches Introduction to Technology-Multimedia Explorations, Science 3, Science 4, and Information Technology.

Mr. Sheppard says, "Education derives from the Latin meaning 'to lead out.' " He certainly does that, with his two distinctly different positions as a science teacher and as the Discovery Lab facilitator. The Discovery Lab is a model for the real world of work. With the use of 'lab checkers' and 'lab managers' he entrusts students with responsibilities, and rewards them accordingly. "My role is principally that of facilitator, putting students at the center of their own learning." He has provided us with numerous exciting web sites. For the past four years, at the UCI Summer Science Institute, he has been the lead instructor teaching K-12 teachers to develop interactive WebQuests. www.can-do.com/uci/k12-lessons.html

He wrote a grant for an NBC4 Weathernet station for his school; located in the Discovery Lab, it is a resource that provides local weather information for his community, and others interested world wide. In addition, it is an integral part of the discovery Lab curriculum. http://aws.com/nbc/knbc/full.asp?id=GGOVE He developed and pioneered an on-line introductory Internet course for Lake High Adult Education. http://www.can-do.com/internet/index.html

The address for his CCEA Exemplary Program 2000 award winning "Discover-roo" project is available as a model and resource for continuation education. The address can be found at the CCEA web site www.cceanet.org.

District XI Marie Matthews, George S. Patton High School, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County
Ms. Matthews has been teaching for 29 years and has been in her current position for 15 years. She teaches World History, U.S. History, Government, Economics, Sociology, Parenting, Life Skills, Psychology, Drivers Education, Art, Marriage and Family, and Aerobics.

"To achieve results, I use a variety of strategies. Individual work adapted to students' needs and capabilities covers half the other half is completed by working as a class or in group settings." "I create units which cross over the curriculum. For example I used this years' presidential election to devise lessons, which covered Government, of course, but also History and Economics." Each year she selects one culture to study thoroughly and then builds units around that culture. The culmination of the study is an entry for the yearly Options Art Show. One year they studied the Pacific Islands and the students constructed a man sized Tahitian warrior complete with feathered regalia, and extensive tattoos. Ms. Matthews has been active in the Restructuring Committee, which convinced the district of the invaluable role of the Continuation principals. She is a LEARN lead teacher and the Impact coordinator at her school, as well as the teen pregnancy advocate and the Selective Service representative. She also registers 18-year-old students to vote.

District XII Sherri Kaye Boone, Fair View High School, Chico, Butte County

Ms. Boone has been teaching for 9 years and has been in her current position for 4 years. She teaches World History, U.S History, Government, Peer Court, Walking for Fitness, Tae-Bo Aerobics, and Job Skills/Resume Writing.

" 'Respect gets respect' is the theme of my classroomPersonal and emotional safety are two things I promise my students I think I have a pragmatic approach to dealing with my students' needs, both in and out of the classroom." She uses individual plans, cooperative groups, jigsawing, peer teaching, partner-pair-shares, and simulations. In one simulation to teach about the Industrial Revolution, she creates a task to be completed, (usually to create a fictitious product) then simulates a factory environment by putting the heat on 90 degrees, turning the volume up on the t.v. to make "white" noise, placing 3-4 overhead projectors with their bright lights in peoples faces, and appointing 2-3 forepersons to "harass" the workers. Ms. Boone has involved her students in the community by collaborating with the Butte County Probation Department with the implementation of the Peer Court Program. The Superior Court judges have often commented on how her students are better prepared than the students from the "regular" high schools. She also offers opportunities for students to participate in city council meetings, food drives, and fundraisers. Last May she organized a student group to participate in the county AIDS walk, and they raised the second highest amount of money in the county. Along with this, she finds time to coach Fair View's softball team.
 

Exemplary Programs 2001          [ top ]

District I

Zoe Barnum High School

"Youth Educating Against Homophobia"

District V
San Luis High School
"Cooperative Recycling"

DeWolf High School
"Student/Parent Orientation"
Tulare Tech Prep High School

"Career Pathways"
District VIII

Val Verde High School
"Val Verde Graphics"

District XI
Aliso High School
"Get A LifeSkills Class"

Central High School
"Enrichment Program"
Robert H. Lewis High School

"Teaching Film as Literature"
District XII

Center for Alternative Learning
"Alternative Education Transition Center"
 

CCEA Website News            [ top ]

The CCEA Website, CCEANet, continues to grow with new features added daily. CCEANet is really four separate websites, the main website, the Discussion Forum, the eDirectory of Schools, and the secure server site. The four sites combined include over 2000 files that take up over 23 MB of disk space.
In this article, we will review the latest feature of CCEANet, the eDirectory of Continuation High Schools. Future articles will focus on other components. The California Continuation Education Association eDirectory of Continuation High Schools is a database-driven web application. It is designed to provide easy access to the information about California's Continuation High Schools contained in the database. Each year every school principal is requested to review the school's information and send an update to our Webmaster. The accuracy of the information contained in this database is based on these updates.

The eDirectory of Continuation High Schools contains several special pages. These include: the eDirectory Home page, the Keyword Search page, the School Programs Search page, the School List page, the School Detail page, and the Help page.

The Home page provides easy access to specific schools by allowing the user to select from one of three search engines: a School Name Search, a CCEA District Search, or a School Enrollment Search.

The Keyword Search page provides a powerful search engine that searches the database for the keyword or words entered in the search text box. The user may choose one of three operators used for the search: contains, equal to, or begins with.

The School Programs Search page is a specialized search page that contains 29 checkboxes, each representing an aspect of the school program. The user may check any number of these boxes to select schools that match the criteria.

Clicking the Go button for the selected search provides a list of schools (using the School List page) matching the search criteria. This list may then be sorted by School Name, City, or CCEA District to make the list more usable. Clicking the School Name link on the School List page sends the user to the School Detail page for the selected school. The School Detail page shows all of the data contained in the database for that school. Both the School List and Detail pages contain navigation buttons to move forward and backward through the pages.

The eDirectory of Continuation High Schools can be accessed through the CCEANet Home Page at www.cceanet.org or directly at www.cceanet.org/directory/eds/. More specific instructions for using the eDirectory of Continuation High Schools may be found on its Help Page.

For more information or comments regarding the website, contact the Webmaster, Gerry Catanzarite, at pgcatan@cceanet.org.
 

The Need to Read                       [ top ]

by Teacher of the Year Michael Vetrie

The need to read crosses curriculum lines. Math has become problem solving and the social sciences are intertwined with the literature of our culture. Some option schools have recognized that students have difficulties in all their subjects because they are not proficient readers. As a result, these schools have become literacy schools.

The ideal options schools dedicated to literacy might look like this: In the language arts classroom, the students begin the period by reading silently for 15- 20 minutes in a process called Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). After the silent reading time, without any prompting, the students take out their journals (which the teacher has given them upon enrolling in the class and kept in a common filing cabinet), and begin to write on a journal starter that is posted somewhere prominently in the room. The starter might read, "My most embarrassing moment" or, "If I were principal of this school, I would." After 10 minutes of writing in their journals, the students prepare for the teacher to assign the project of the week, or, if already assigned, they continue their individualized work, which could vary depending on the curriculum demands of the class they are enrolled in. This would include answering challenging prompts based on a piece of literature and deciding on areas of research that have grown out of their involvement in the culture of the piece. An example might include further research on the treatment of Japanese Americans after reading an excerpt from Farewell to Manzanar. Their chosen assignment would be in partnership with their history teacher, satisfying some of their requirements in the social sciences.

At some period in the week, the students as a group have listened to a piece of literature (read by the teacher or played from a recording) and taken responsibility for directing their own learning. At the end of the classes each day, the students respond in another journal, the learning log, and record what they have learned in their classes.

In the social science and math/science classrooms, a similar pattern has been followed. SSR, journaling and the learning log have prominent roles. In a school dedicated to literacy, literature becomes the focus for the week's work, and all classrooms try to stay within the theme or topic presented by the literature. Literacy is no longer left to the language arts teacher. Essays are assigned as quickly in the math/science classroom as in the language arts classroom. It is recognized by all teachers in a literacy school that success in all studies begin with proficient readers and writers. If you would like to have a copy of some journal starters, contact Michael Vetrie at mvetrie@lausd.k12.ca.us