education
CENLA schools earn national honors
Five Rapides Parish schools and a number of other schools in Central Louisiana recently earned national recognition. The U.S. Department of Education named three schools 2011 National Blue Ribbon Schools: Rosenthal Montessori Elementary School in Alexandria, the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts in Natchitoches and Many Elementary School. Full article.
Rapides program offers financial perk for school-business partnerships
Marjorie Taylor, of The Orchard Foundation, is leading an effort to link businesses and schools. She indicated that there’s a wealth of opportunity in CENAL for new grads, as well as employers. The Cenla Word Ready Network initiative led to the establishment of technical and vocational courses in local high schools that will help students earn industry-based certifications, and companies providing financial support to establish a course in a school can get matching funds of up to $5,000 from The Rapides Foundation. Full article.
Bunkie Elementary School begins 2011-2012 School Year early
Bunkie Elementary School begins its 2011-12 academic year on Monday, July 18 as part of an effort to improve the academic performance of the pupils. The early return to school for Bunkie Elementary pupils is part of a $1.27 million federal School Improvement Grant to overhaul the school and, with it, its chances of future success. Full Article.
Majority of displaced parish teachers to return to work
The list of displaced teachers in Rapides Parish public schools is shrinking. Most of the educators placed on the list two months ago as a result of the budget crisis affecting the district are going back to work, to fill positions that became vacant over the summer. Full article.
Virtual School Opening
A new virtual, online public school is available in Alexandria for any student, grade K-12, through the Connection Academy. The program is not home schooling, in the sense that it is a public school program where students take the same standardized tests required for other students attending traditional LA schools. Students will graduate with a diploma, not a GED. Full article.
Reneau welcomes nearly 1,400 Murphy USA managers to "LA Tech family’"
LA Tech Univ.’s President a groundbreaking educational and professional dev. partnership between the two organizations, called “MurphyUSA@LaTech.” It will provide Murphy USA managers and employees with focused educ. programs, student & academic support services, & dedicated informational resources designed to meet the specialized needs of the MurphyUSA@LaTech student. LA Tech & Murphy USA believe that the collaborative nature of this type of partnership could serve as a model for forging public-private educational ventures that are focused on creating economic & workforce dev. opportunities for the communities & regions that they serve. Full article.
Education website is like match.com -- for schools, businesses
ducation officials are looking to hook up businesses with schools in partnerships that benefit both through a new website. Rapides Parish School District is the first district that will offer a profile of all of its schools in the Department of Education's new website that aims to link businesses and schools. Full article.
A new way to grade LA schools
Letter grades are no longer reserved just for LA students because a recent decision by the LA Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will soon assign letter grades to schools across the state, and schools that do not measure up to state's guidelines, there is the risk of takeover. Full article.
Alexandria forum speaker: Demand educational improvements
Roy O. Martin lumber executive John Martin recently spoke at an Alexandria forum on improving schools and student success rates. “The community needs to be more proactive in demanding that schools improve graduation rates and better prepare students for the challenges ahead.” Full article.
Montessori Educational Center opens new toddler center in Alexandria
A long-planned Montessori Educational Center's toddler center is now open. The toddler center is a nontraditional concept, and children will get the benefit of learning basic skills that will help them be better prepared for pre-K and primary education. However, because officials want to keep a small teacher-to-student ratio, there currently is a waiting list of applicants. Full information.
