District Administration - September 2011 - (Page 21)

Long Island Schools Engage in Equine-Assisted Learning Since 2006, LiSa Gatti and her Staff at PaL-O-mine have reached Out tO schools across Long island, n.Y. to help at-risk students through their equine assisted Learning (eaL) program. Gatti, a former teacher for at-risk students and lifelong equestrian, saw early on the benefits of eaL for students who can’t succeed in a nontraditional setting. Pal-O-mine, a nonprofit organization, was originally founded in 1995 and is affiliated with eaGaLa, the equine assisted Growth and Learning association. Long island districts including copiague Public Schools, central islip Public Schools and harborfields central School district have partnered with Pal-O-mine to customize eaL-based curricula for at-risk or special-needs students. Gatti seeks out grants, which range from $15,000 to $30,000 and fund the initial 12 weeks of the eaL program. typically, students meet once per week during school hours, and transportation is provided. “the curriculum focuses on life skills, character education and developmental assets, and are all tied to academic standards,” says Gatti. One example of a lesson plan, says Gatti, is teaching students punctuality while incorporating a history lesson about the Pony express. Students Students from Brentwood (N.Y.) School District begin their time learning the history participate in an Equine-Assisted Learning and key vocabulary words, then they program at Pal-O-Mine for at-risk students. walk to different stations in the corral, which represent different states, to follow the trail while overcoming obstacles and arriving at their destinations on time. Students do not ride the horses, says Gatti, but rather interact with them and build a relationship. “the horses really help these kids gain insight into their own patterns or feelings,” says Gatti. “Lots of these kids are stuck or held back from reaching their own potential. horses are nonjudgmental, aware and honest, and they lend themselves to be agents of change in these students. Kids who are otherwise disengaged from the educational process really connect with them.” eaGaLa has 65 other groups, like Pal-O-mine, participating with it around the country and over 3,000 members. Similar programs exist throughout the country in most states. to find a program near you, visit www.eagala.org/find_a_program. Moving Toward New K12 Science Standards By the fall of 2012, the Next Generation of Science Standards will be available for states to adopt. Part 1 of the process, the framework for K12 Science education, was released July 19 by the National Research Council (NRC), an arm of the National academy of Sciences (NaS). traditionally, states have developed their own individual standards by extracting components from science benchmarks set forth by organizations such as the american association for the advancement of Science. This new process of adopting standards, however, asks states to unite to develop standards that could potentially be adopted nationwide. The national science standards share similar concepts with the Common Core State Standards for language arts and mathematics, developed by the National Governors association and the Council of Chief State School officers. “The Common Core State Standards are a good example of working with a national document and adopting it,” says Brett Moulding, NaS member and director of the Utah Partnership for effective Science teaching and learning. “It’s an excellent process that states are following by looking at the idea of adopting national standards.” following the release of the framework, the initiative will become a state-led process bringing together educators from K12 and higher education, business leadwww.DistrictAdministration.com ers, and members of the scientific community to construct the set of standards. Stephen Pruitt, vice president of content, research and development at achieve, a nonprofit and nonpartisan education organization that will manage the development of the new science standards, says engineering is one concept that is uniquely highlighted in the new framework.“engineering work is not typically done, but there is a push for it,” says Pruitt. “engineers need scientists. Science needs to understand engineering. These standards need to be more reflective of the 21st century.” according to Pruitt, 20 states applied to be part of the coalition to develop the standards, and those chosen will be announced in early September. “The state-led nature of this is unique,” says Pruitt. “The standards are going to represent a new day of science in the 21st century, and we are going to give every child an opportunity for success.” September 2011 21 http://www.eagala.org/find_a_program http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2011

District Administration - September 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Tech Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
They Work Hard for the Money
The Road to Rigor
District-Charter Collaborations on the Rise
Designing Safe Facilities
Tony Smith Tackles Oakland
Product Focus
New Products
Research Center
Crisis Response
Going Mobile
Professional Opinion
Student Counsel

District Administration - September 2011