Members Vote to Revise Constitution
ASCD members have approved proposed changes to ASCD's constitution. These include a gradual reduction in the size of the Board of Directors, a change in the appointment process for the Nominations Committee, a process for appointing diverse members to the Leadership Council, and a shorter time line for returning election ballots. Visit www.ascd.org/Constitution2010 to see a copy of the new constitution.
Iowa School Wins Whole Child Award
ASCD has named Price Laboratory School in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as the winner of the association's first-ever Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award. The award recognizes schools that move beyond a narrow focus on academic achievement to take action for the whole child.
Located on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, Price Laboratory School is a preK–12 public school with a diverse population of 369 students. As part of the university's college of education, the school is a setting for clinical teacher education and research and conducts professional development for its own faculty as well as for faculty at schools across the state.
- Healthy: All K–10 students participate in daily physical education classes and a weekly health program. The school recently launched a breakfast and lunch program that provides students with fresh, organic foods from local farms.
- Safe: A comprehensive school counseling program has created a physically and emotionally safe school environment with an emphasis on character education. The school's counselors have instituted an elementary-level bully prevention program—Be a Buddy, Not a Bully!—that has become popular with many schools.
- Engaged: Price Laboratory engages its students through project-based learning. Eleventh grade projects have included hosting a talk radio show, participating in service learning, investigating string theory, and job shadowing. As part of an empathy project, 8th graders developed films on such issues as the danger of gossip and cyberbullying.
- Supported: All grade 6–12 students at Price Laboratory participate in cooperative advisory groups that meet daily at the middle school level and at least twice monthly at the high school level. Advisors function as "school parents" who advocate for and mentor their assigned students.
- Challenged: Every student participates in a college preparatory curriculum. To prepare students for postsecondary success, the school's Juniors/Seniors Options Program provides students with multiple pathways and flexible scheduling.
This commitment to a comprehensive, coordinated whole child approach has led to real results. Price Laboratory has a perfect graduation rate, and 97 percent of its graduates enroll in two- or four-year colleges. In addition, its students rank second in the state for their grades as college freshmen in the most advanced courses.
To learn more about ASCD's whole child initiative and Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award, visit www.wholechildeducation.org.
Related Resource
The Differentiated School: Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and Learning. (2008). By Carol Ann Tomlinson, Kay Brimijoin, and Lane Narvaez. Stock No. 105005.
