Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 19, 2005

Contact: Public Relations

(570) 893-6274; Public Relations Service Requests: PR WEB SITE

LHU partnership with Philadelphia

school district yields positive Results

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - After just one year, the partnership between the Lock Haven University (LHU) Alternative Education Studies project and the School District of Philadelphia to raise student achievement and enhance teacher training at two Philadelphia schools is yielding results few could have imagined.

In February 2004, in conjunction with a $1.7 million grant from U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, faculty and staff from LHU's school of graduate studies began applying the knowledge and information gained from the alternative education project to partner schools John Wister School and West Oak Lane Charter School, two inner-city elementary schools.

The goals of the collaboration are to provide healthy school environments that support student and teacher learning, to raise student achievement and to provide an increased number of professional development opportunities for teachers in Philadelphia schools.

For both of these elementary schools, resources were extremely limited. Teachers were teaching without books and preparing lessons with very limited supplies. Science curriculum materials and supplies did not exist. The students did not have calculators or dictionaries. And the computer technology greatly needed upgrading.

The university staff committed the resources, both financial and personnel, to lay the foundation for a better environment. In addition to purchasing books, calculators and dictionaries, the staff purchased a science curriculum and addressed the computer technology problem with approximately $70,000 in computer upgrades. To address the severe behavioral and mental health needs of the students at the John Wister School, the teachers took LHU graduate courses in classroom management that focused on behavioral issues they were dealing with in the classroom.

The university and team leaders also assisted in the planning for an in-school behavioral intervention project. Professional development coordinators were hired by the university to coordinate ongoing professional development activities in each of the schools in addition to working with school leadership on school improvement projects.

The results of the project initiative during the first year are impressive:

• Standardized test scores for mathematics and reading have increased in both schools.
• Behavioral incidents have decreased. In one school, the number of suspensions decreased by 58%, including a decrease of the more serious level II suspensions from 112 to 18.
• At one school, daily student attendance increased, and unexcused attendance and lateness decreased.

"The support provided by professionals representing Lock Haven University acts as an ongoing asset to our school's growth and development," said Patricia Reiser, a fifth grade teacher at the West Oak Lane School.

The students at the elementary schools aren't the only individuals to have benefited from the partnership. Teachers at the elementary schools have had the opportunity to participate in graduate level work. Last year, 24 teachers took advantage of the tuition-free graduate degree program, which was made possible through the Specter grant.

"I truly appreciated having the opportunity to further my education with graduate studies," said Amy Durst, a third grade teacher at West Oak Lane School. "This is a chance that I may not have had for many years due to the financial burden. As a teacher, I always welcome the potential to improve and develop as a professional for the sake of my students."

In addition, the teachers at the elementary schools also earned Act 48 credits, attended teacher certification preparation classes and participated in induction and mentoring programs through LHU. The pre-service teachers have been exposed to student teaching at the two elementary schools as well as other schools in Philadelphia. The partnership with the two elementary schools and LHU will continue until spring 2008.

For more information on the Lock Haven University Alternative Education Studies program, please visit the website at www.alted.lhup.edu .

Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 375,000 system alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

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