Did You Know?

We have many reasons to be proud of the significant improvements taking place in our schools. The following newsworthy facts represent a few of the recent major developments, achievements and honors earned by the schools, staff, students and volunteers of the Long Beach Unified School District:

First in the Nation--The Long Beach Unified School District was the first public school district in the nation to require school uniforms in kindergarten through eighth grade. Hundreds of other school districts, including New York City Schools, are now following this example and requiring school uniforms. Uniforms are a key part of our higher standards of excellence for all students--not only in dress, but also in behavior and achievement. More than 25 million U.S. public school students are now in uniform.

One of Five Best Large Districts in America--As a national finalist for the Broad Prize for Urban Education for both 2002 and 2003, Long Beach Unified School District was recognized as one of the five best large school districts in the nation. The five winning districts were chosen from an initial field of 108 of the nation?s most successful large urban school districts after a rigorous selection process and visits by leading researchers and practitioners. For the second year in a row, the district will receive at least $125,000 to be used for scholarships.

Newsweek?s Best High Schools--Newsweek?s annual June ranking of ?America?s Best High Schools? lists both Wilson Classical High School and Polytechnic High School among the top 4 percent of U.S. high schools for 2003. Schools ranked by Newsweek have the greatest number of students taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests, compared to the number of graduating seniors. Graduates of these high schools save millions of dollars in college tuition each year by earning college credit on these difficult exams.

National Blue Ribbon Schools--Winners of the California Distinguished School Award may apply for a top national award, the National Blue Ribbon School. Cubberley School, the first Long Beach school to apply for this award, was selected as a 1997 winner of this prestigious honor, recognizing the best schools in the U.S. Prisk and Twain elementary schools won the top national school designation in 1999. Hughes and Rogers middle schools were named 2000 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Lowell Elementary School was selected in 2001.

California Distinguished Schools--Avalon High School, the California Academy of Mathematics and Science and Stanford Middle School were all named 2003 California Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education. A total of 22 Long Beach Unified School District schools have now received this top state honor: Avalon, Cubberley, Hudson and Newcomb schools, Polytechnic and Wilson high schools, California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Hughes, Rogers and Stanford middle schools and Barton, Cleveland, Fremont, Gant, International, Kettering, Los Cerritos, Lowell, Madison, Prisk, Signal Hill and Twain elementary schools.

National Title I Achieving Schools--Seven Long Beach Unified School District schools were named national outstanding 2003 No Child Left Behind Title I Achieving Schools: Addams, Emerson, Gompers, MacArthur, Mann, Signal Hill and Robinson elementary schools.

Exemplary Head Start--Long Beach Unified School District Head Start has earned highest U.S. honors by meeting or exceeding all 700 federal requirements during an independent, exhaustive, evaluation and week-long review. A national expert called Long Beach Head Start ?the best I?ve ever seen.?

National Board Certified Teachers--Eighteen more teachers here earned their National Board Certification this year, more than doubling the number of nationally certified teachers. The Long Beach Unified School District pays $2,300 application fees for each teacher who completes the precandidacy program. Each nationally certified teacher receives a 10 percent salary increase good for 10 years. These incentives help to attract and keep the best teachers.

Golden State Seal Merit Diplomas--More than 300 high school students in the Class of 2003 earned Golden State Seal Merit Diplomas. These students achieved high scores on rigorous tests in U.S. history, written composition, math, science and other subjects. Academically, these scholars represent the top one percent of students in the state.

Single Gender Academies--Jefferson Middle School is the first public middle school in the U.S. to convert from coeducational classes to separate classes for boys and girls. Jefferson Leadership Academies focus on academics, reduce distractions and offer parents choices that they want for their daughters and sons. Students? grades and test scores have increased significantly at this new kind of school. The school was featured on the TV show ?60 Minutes.?

Classical High School--Wilson High School, the district?s first all-magnet high school, follows a classical curriculum with more demanding, academic courses. It is the first high school here to require school uniforms and 60 additional credits to earn a diploma. Students adhere to higher standards of dress, conduct, attendance and achievement.

U.S. Awards for Academic Growth--Jackie Robinson Academy and Signal Hill Elementary School have set the pace for public schools by earning both the California Achieving Schools Award and the National Achieving Schools Award. No other school district in the nation had two winners. They qualified for the honors by having three consecutive years of exemplary growth on the Academic Performance Index. Robinson is the most diverse school located in the most diverse area of the most diverse large city in the U.S.

Performance Awards--A majority of Long Beach Unified School District schools have won a total of $1.26 million in the Governor?s Performance Awards for meeting and exceeding their Academic Performance growth targets. Strong academic performance growth--among the best of California?s large school districts--has been achieved by the Long Beach Unified School District. The district had a far higher percentage of its schools meeting or exceeding their API (Academic Performance Index) goals than schools statewide.

Board Initiatives Set High Standards--In addition to the successful kindergarten through eighth grade school uniforms for students, the Board of Education has approved these educational initiatives:

      ? 1st Grade Reading--First graders who do not demonstrate proficiency in reading must attend a summer tutorial following first grade.

      ? 3rd Grade Reading--Third graders who do not demonstrate reading proficiency at the end of their third grade academic year must attend a summer school tutorial following third grade. Last year, 40 percent who attended raised their reading achievement to grade level or above.

      ? 5th Grade Reading and Math--Fifth graders who do not demonstrate proficiency in reading and math must attend a summer school tutorial.

      ? 8th Grade Intervention--Students who are not proficient in basic skills at the end of Grade 8, or who earn multiple grades of ?F,? are not advanced to senior high school but instead must complete an alternative academic placement for a year to improve academic performance.

      ? 11th Grade Writing--Under this requirement, students must produce acceptable writing samples on an 11th grade test or they take and pass a rigorous writing course before they are allowed to graduate.

      ? High School Uniforms--More than 70 percent of high school parents surveyed here favor high school uniforms, which are now required for all students enrolled in the new Classical High School at Wilson and are being phased in a year at a time at Millikan High School.

      ? Professional Dress for Staff--Employees at each school site and work location have established professional attire standards.

Outstanding Architecture--The new high school buildings of the California Academy of Mathematics and Science (CAMS) located on the Cal State Dominguez Hills campus have been recognized for Educational Design Excellence by American School & University Magazine. The unique space saver design of International Elementary School brought national attention to this school. Three new campuses for high school students have helped relieve some overcrowding--Cabrillo High School, Poly Academy for Accelerated Learning and the Jordan Ninth Grade Academy. Cabrillo made the most rapid educational reuse of former navy property by any public school district in the U.S.

All-Modular Two-Story School--The Colin L. Powell Academy for Success opened as California?s first kindergarten-through-eighth-grade campus composed exclusively of two-story modular classrooms, an award-winning design. It was built in only seven and a half months.

Digital High Schools--All of LBUSD?s high schools received grants of more than $1 million each to become California Digital High Schools. Lakewood, Jordan, Millikan, Poly and Wilson high schools now have fiber-optic cabling, state-of-the-art computers and high-tech instruction to prepare students for 21st Century careers. Cabrillo?s computer network was built into that new school.

All Schools Wired for Computers--All schools in the Long Beach Unified School District have recently completed their fiber-optic cabling for computers and computer labs. All students are being taught computer literacy.

Class Size Reduction--Elementary schools have dramatically reduced class size in the early grades; all kindergartners, first graders, second graders and third graders now attend small classes of only 20 students, which will not be increased.

Record Enrollment--The Long Beach Unified School District is breaking all previous enrollment records--in elementary school, middle school and high school--with more than 97,000 students enrolled this year. Hundreds of students from private and parochial schools and from Orange County are coming back and enrolling in our public schools every year.

Highest Attendance--With far fewer absences, attendance throughout the district recently reached an all-time high. The percentage of actual attendance in elementary and middle schools recently reached the highest level in two decades.

Low Dropout Rate--The annual dropout rate in the Long Beach Unified School District has been reduced from 4.8 percent to only 2.3 percent in recent years.

Fewer Student Suspensions--Of the largest school districts in California, Long Beach Unified School District has the lowest rate of student suspensions--the lowest in 10 years.

Golden Bell Award--The Long Beach Unified School District won this top state award from the California School Boards Association in recognition of the significant benefits to students that have resulted from the Board of Education?s courageous decision to become the first public school system in the U.S. to require school uniforms in grades K-8. Now in their ninth year, school uniforms are required by all elementary schools and middle schools and two high schools. They have contributed to a reduction in school crime, record high attendance and academic improvements. The school district also won recent Golden Bell awards for its Beginning Teacher Support project and its Project PEAKS training for teachers of English language learners.

Governors? Scholars and Cal Grants--A total of 1,683 Long Beach Unified School District high school students have received high qualifying scores to earn a Governor?s Scholars Award of $1,000 each. Hundreds of Cal Grant awards were also announced recently for local seniors who are model applicants for the state financial aid award.

Teacher Training--U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige visited Harte Elementary School recently to see their exemplary teacher training program.

School Volunteers--Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS) have provided millions of hours in donated direct services to LBUSD schools and students. They have grown from just a handful of volunteers in 1969 to more than 7,500 volunteers today--including Bryant Ben, the state?s Outstanding Individual Elementary School Volunteer and Leonardo Figueroa, the state?s Outstanding Individual Middle School Volunteer.

Parent Involvement--Active parent involvement in the education of their children is increasing in Long Beach. Several thousand parents attend weekend parent workshops and participate at new parent centers. Parents are helping to wire schools for the Internet and are improving education through parent advisory councils, PTA?s, parent booster groups and other participation invited and welcomed by our schools and teachers.

Community Based English Tutoring--This effective way to help thousands of Spanish-speaking students and parents learn English is also providing local elementary schools with a trained corps of volunteers fluent in another language. The Community Based English Tutoring program brings Spanish-speaking parents into the schools, teaches them English, has them apply their new knowledge the same day as volunteer tutors of elementary students, and prepares them to assist their own children at home in learning English.

Principals For A Day--The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Long Beach Education Foundation co-sponsor the most successful Principal For A Day event in California. Schools recently hosted an average of three guest principals each, more than any other school district in the state. These business and community leaders are well informed about and very supportive of what local schools are doing to help students learn.

Educational Partnerships--More than 880 businesses, organizations and agencies have now formed active educational partnerships with our schools, a record level of involvement. These enlightened businesses assist schools, provide guest speakers and field trips, reinforce students? successes and recognize their achievements.

Most Inspiring Students--More than 90 of the most inspiring students in the district--one from each school--were honored by the Long Beach Education Foundation for their courageous actions, community and school service, dramatic improvements and other exemplary achievements.

Musical Excellence--Year after year, LBUSD students are well represented in Southern California honors orchestras. Musicians in Stephens Middle School?s Concert Band earned the Platinum Award as California State Champions at the California Festival of Champions, sponsored by the California Music Educators Association. The Stephens Advanced String Orchestra earned the festival?s Gold Award as statewide runner-up. The Poly jazz instrumental group was one of only five groups selected from 600 applicants worldwide to perform at the 2002 International Association of Jazz Educators Conference, the most prestigious jazz educator?s conference in the world.

Magnet Grants--Wilson and Cabrillo high schools have won a $5.4 million magnet grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Cabrillo?s magnet emphasizes new-century technologies in engineering, media, communications and information management, allowing students access to the latest technology to prepare for high tech jobs. Wilson?s Classical High School magnet stresses higher standards of achievement, dress, conduct and attendance as well as technology. It recently wired all classrooms for the Internet and established a new teacher mentoring program.

Magnet Award--Magnet Schools of America awarded Poly High School?s PACE its 2003 Magnet Program of Distinction Award as one of the best schools of its kind in the U.S.

Top Adult School--Long Beach School for Adults was honored by the California Board of Education for its ?best practices.? The State Board presented the school with its highest award for exceeding quality benchmarks in curriculum, instruction, leadership, planning, community involvement, student support services and student achievement.

Best Student Magazine--Jordan High School?s award-winning literary-art magazine, Stylus, this spring received three top national ratings: the All American designation from the National Scholastic Press, First Place from the American Scholastic Press, and an Excellent rating from the National Council of Teachers of English. Stylus is produced by Jordan students who design, write, illustrate and photograph the contents of the four-color publication.

Most Improved School Library--Lindbergh Middle School?s Reading Room is the nation?s most improved library serving young people, according to the School Library Journal, a national publication for school librarians. The journal?s Giant Step award, including a $10,000 prize, was awarded in honor of its librarian, Helen Cox. She took over the library six years ago, transforming a rundown room into a welcoming place that students love to visit.

Successful Teacher Recruitment--The district recently recruited hundreds of outstanding new teachers, attracting top candidates from throughout the nation. Long Beach is one of the first school districts to grow its own teachers in a unique school-to-work program. Future teachers fluent in two or more languages are identified in high school, prepared at CSULB and employed by the district.

History Kids Like--Hoover Middle School is the only demonstration school for history and social studies in California. Teachers here developed innovative ways to teach these subjects.

Character Education--For successfully teaching character education and violence prevention, Garfield Elementary School, Hill Classical Middle School and the LBUSD?s unique new pilot Student Support Services Intervention Team earned commendations from the Long Beach Human Relations Commission.

Students Return From Private Schools--Hundreds of students returning from private schools and other school districts continue to line up on waiting lists to enroll in the Long Beach Unified School District. Hill Classical Middle School, for example, recently had 860 applicants for only 350 openings. Wilson Classical High School has attracted several hundred students relocating from private schools and Orange County in recent years.

Advanced Placement--More than 2,400 of our high school students each year take rigorous advanced placement courses to earn college or university credit while still in high school, a 59 percent increase since 1999. Many graduates earn enough credits to enter college as sophomores, saving parents millions of dollars in tuition. LBUSD students exceed the national pass rate on most of the 22 different Advanced Placement tests offered here. For example, Poly students had a 95 percent pass rate on AP calculus compared to a national pass rate of about 60 percent.

These examples illustrate the excellent learning opportunities available to the students here in California?s third largest school system. For more information about our schools, visit our website, www.lbusd.k12.ca.us, or call the Long Beach Unified School District at (562) 997-8111.

Working together to raise standards in dress, behavior and achievement.

7/03