Milken Award Winner

Grange Hall Elementary third-grade teacher Laura Marshall received a nice treat the day before Halloween. Mrs. Marshall was surprised during a schoolwide assembly with the announcement that she had been chosen to receive a $25,000 Milken Educator Award this year.

Mrs. Marshall was one of just 80 educators across America this year to win the Milken Award, dubbed “the Oscars of teaching.” This is the third time in four years that a Chesterfield County teacher has received a Milken Educator Award. James River High teacher Laura Lay won in 2005, and Chalkley Elementary teacher Joshua Cole won in 2006.

Chesterfield students honored for academics

Three national scholastic competitions have recognized Chesterfield County students: Chesterfield semifinalists in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program are Clover Hill High student Michael DeWitt, Cosby High student David Casalaspi and Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School students Matthew Henderson, Matthew Kluge, Caroline Martin, Megan O’Donnell and Carson Wang. This program, conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., annually recognizes as semifinalists about 16,000 academically talented high school seniors across the country.

Chesterfield semifinalists in the 2009 National Achievement Scholarship Program are Lloyd C. Bird High student Tolulope Omojokun, James River High student Brian Henry, Meadowbrook High student Osasumwen Benjamin, Monacan High student Tilghman Goldsborough and Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School student Kelly Diaz. Conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., this program recognizes outstanding African-American students throughout the nation.

Clover Hill High students Bethany May and Ian Teune were recognized in the 2009 National Hispanic Recognition Program. Operated by the College Board, this program honors outstanding Hispanic students throughout the nation. Each year, about 3,300 students are selected for outstanding scores on the PSAT.

Two more schools achieve AYP

Two more schools have been certified as making adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. Davis Elementary and Gates Elementary achieved adequate yearly progress, bringing to 51 the total number of Chesterfield schools achieving AYP for 2008-09.

As a school division, Chesterfield County Public Schools made adequate yearly progress for the third straight year and the fourth time in six years.

RTD Article: Schools chief reflects on first two years

I recently visited with the Richmond Times-Dispatch (RTD) to reflect on my first two years as Superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools.

I emphasized that while we have made great progress, our work continues. We must and we will remain focused on the five goals of our Design for Excellence strategic plan. Our focus on continuous improvement is central to our shared vision of every school as a thriving, dynamic and inspiring educational environment that produces self-directed learners with 21st-century skills.

To view the full article, please visit http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-10-19-0195.html. Here are some highlights from the article:

Chesterfield County Superintendent Marcus J. Newsome knows he has to make a good school system better. Taking it from good to great, he would say. He also knows that to improve the system requires change, and change often brings conflict, especially when the system is perceived to be successful, he said. "I just want people to understand that we can never be satisfied with our progress, and the greatest barrier to that is resistance to change," he said in a recent interview…

…Newsome said he's happy with the progress made during his two-year tenure. The 64 schools are fully accredited for the first time under the state's Standards of Learning, and the school division has made Adequate Yearly Progress, a federal No Child Left Behind measure of student progress, for the past three years. But he acknowledges that some areas need improvement. More students, especially minority students, need to take more rigorous courses, and the achievement gaps need to be closed. The Design for Excellence six-year strategic plan adopted last year lays out achievement goals and plans addressing the areas in need of improvement…

…Schools need to improve in a time when federal and state accountability systems are asking teachers and students to do more, Newsome said. But school districts are trying to do more with the same agrarian school calendar and the same number of instructional hours, he said. That needs to change, but some bold actions are hard for people to accept, Newsome said…