A sea of words | MetaFilter

Six years ago, New Dorp High School on Staten Island, NY, had a 40% dropout rate, and more than 80% of freshmen were reading below grade level. In spring 2013, the school expects an 80% graduation rate. What happened? New Dorp decided to teach its students how to write.
Principal Deirdre DeAngelis and her faculty discovered that their students often lacked the ability to understand or use conjunctions, dependent clauses, and other grammatical constructs. They also did not understand how to explain their ideas or persuade others. The problem was exacerbated by No Child Left Behind's focus on testing and the resulting effects on writing instruction. DeAngelis brought in Judith Hochman to guide faculty as they incorporated the analytical writing skills needed to meet Common Core State Standards, which will be implemented in 46 US states over the next two years. posted by catlet (74 comments total) 24 users marked this as a favorite

Source: http://www.metafilter.com/120417/A-sea-of-words

magic mike trailer Alan Turing brave Stephanie Rice Meet the Pyro Karen Klein jerry sandusky