Overview

The 100% Project is a collaborative effort of the Columbus Education Association (CEA), Columbus City Schools, and United Way of Central Ohio to close the achievement gaps in two high poverty, high minority, and underachieving feeder patterns (elementary, middle and high school): Briggs High School, Hilltonia Middle School, Wedgewood Middle School, Binns Elementary School, Burroughs Elementary School, Eakin Elementary School, Lindbergh Elementary School, West Mound Elementary School, Linden-McKinley High School, Hamilton Elementary School, Linden Elementary School, South Mifflin Elementary School, Windsor Elementary School.

The 100% Project will bring targeted support to the participating schools to serve as models for the rest of the district primarily in the areas of professional development and learning, parent and community engagement, and district/association collaboration. Institutional Research Consultants, Ltd. will conduct the external evaluation for the project.

Key Strategies

Collaboration: An existing Reform Panel expanded to become the District Leadership Team (DLT) with the addition of community, business, parent, and higher education members.

Professional Development: A second year of Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) provides evaluation and coaching by mentors for second year teachers and support for highly effective, high functioning professional learning communities as well as strengthening the professional development plan in each school’s ASIP.

Parent Engagement: Parent-to-parent training for parents and/or guardians in each of the 100% Project schools with support from the district’s parent liaisons.

Teacher Home Visits: Each of the 100% Project schools will conduct home visits.

Student Achievement Data Systems:  Expanded capability to evaluate data on student achievement through development of a transactional student information system.

Columbus City Schools Demographics and Achievement Gaps 

Enrollment: 53,393
Student Poverty: 74.6%
Diversity: 72%
Black: 60%
Hispanic: 12%
Teacher Retention: 93.6% annually (70% over 5 years)

The following statistics highlight the exceptionally high need in the 14 pilot schools relative to the rest of the district:

Reduced cost lunches:  90 percent of students receive a free or reduced cost lunch
Adequate Yearly Progress: 85 percent of schools are not making Adequate Yearly Progress
Graduation gap: 5 percent 
Performance gaps: 12 percent reading; 17 percent math
AP classes: 58 percent non-white enrollment in Advanced Placement classes (72 percent of the population are non-white students)
AP exams passage rates: 22 percent gap between white and non-white students

Related Resources and Links

With grants, NEA fund paves its own path to reform, Education Week, Feb. 12, 2010

Columbus schools get $1.25 million for teacher training, The Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 9, 2010

Columbus schools get $1.25M to close achievement gaps, NBC4i, Feb. 8, 2010

Columbus schools to get grant to increase achievement, 10TV Feb. 8, 2010