Education In America

Killian Elementary

2010-12-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

Killian, LTD (Leadership Talent Development) prepares student leaders to excel personally and academically by offering individually-centered, educational opportunities. LTD combines a standards-driven curriculum, research-based best practices, and ongoing data analysis to address individual student achievement. Academies incorporate various strategies enhancing each child's individual strengths and academic potential. This magnet program offers six (6) different academies tailored to the needs of individual students:

Children Learning Together Academy (CLT)---Grades K-2
Learning Centered Schools Academy (LCS)---Grades K-3
Single-Gender Academy (K2A)---Grades 3-5
Renaissance Academy---Grades 2-5
Genesis Academy---Grades K-4
ITEC/iPAC Academy---Grades 4-5

Killian Elementary

2010-12-13T08:54:00.001-08:00

Dent Middle School

2010-11-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

The Oldest School in Richland School District Two

In 1922, the Dentsville district was a two teacher school located in a small frame building in the community.

Between 1930 and 1950, the school population increased rapidly due in part to the consolidation of Pontiac, Messers, Shady Grove, and Fort Jackson Districts with the Dentsville District. The reactivation of Fort Jackson and the development of the community as a suburban area of Columbia were additional factors in the district's growth.

Since the 1950's, the Richland School District Two has seen rapid growth. Construction of elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools have transformed Dent Middle School. Dent has grown from a five classroom school to a sprawling campus.

As the birthplace of excellent education, Dent Middle School takes pride in its role as the founding school of Richland School District Two.

Level of Education In South Carolina

2010-10-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

South Carolina is at the forefront nationally with an exciting statewide initiative which is bringing

together high school and college faculty to examine the sequence and scope of high school exit

courses in English, mathematics, and science in relation to entry-level college courses in those same

disciplines. Fifteen high school and college faculty members from across South Carolina have been

selected to participate in this first statewide collaborative effort of its kind in the nation. The project,

known as the South Carolina Course Alignment Project (SC CAP), is led by the South Carolina

Commission on Higher Education in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education

and the South Carolina Technical College System. The project is being facilitated by the nationallyrenowned

Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) which performs consulting work

nationally and internationally in the areas of college readiness and criterion-based, standardsreferenced

course analysis. EPIC works with several states including Texas, Maine, and

Massachusetts, and clients such as the College Board.

The goal of the SC CAP is first to determine and subsequently to increase the degree of course

alignment – that is, curricular connections – between high school courses and entry-level college

courses so students can transition more easily and successfully from secondary to postsecondary

education. According to a recent report,

Education,

Carolina is one of the smallest in the country, about 32% of young adults aged 18 to 24 are currently

enrolled in college, and only 56% of first-time, full-time students complete a bachelor’s degree

within six years of college entrance. Improving alignment between high school and postsecondary

systems will help address these problems by improving retention and reducing the need for

remediation.Measuring Up 2008: The State Report Card for Higherthe proportion of students graduating from high school within four years in South

Longleaf Middle School

2010-10-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Advancement Via Individual Determination

Information on AVID

Preliminary Application

Terms of Agreement for AVID

AVID 2009-2010 Supply List

Contact Tarolyn Lee for more information.

tlee@richland2.org

(803) 691-4870 ext. 31120

Language Arts

ELA teachers at Longleaf Middle School work collaboratively with staff, students and parents as students successfully apply and expand their skills to become increasingly more sophisticated readers and writers. Teachers encourage an appreciation of written and spoken language, while motivating students to read a variety of informational and literary texts. While at Longleaf Middle School students use oral language, written language, media and technology to express, inform, debate, and analyze both informational and literary texts. Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences is supported within the department as students gain increasing control over the written language. Considering state and district standards, ELA teachers create curricular activities that address rigor and relevance within the classroom inspiring motivated learners.

This school was the only option for my daughter due to zoning regulations. I was uncertain about the education level of the the school because it only a few years old. This school has turned out to be the best for my first little girl Alexxus. She understands the privilage it is to be in the AVID PROGRAM.

The Documentary on America’s Education System

2010-09-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

Small-town teachers often place undue burdens on the taxpayers. They do not understand that they make more money than many of the families that they serve. Teachers who work in big cities and the border cities are underpaid and have jobs most of us would not want.

A new documentary, not produced by a conservative, exposes the true problem with America’s Education system. Teachers Unions protect incompetent teachers and prevent them from getting fired. A new documentary called Waiting for Superman informs viewers of this problem.

Viewers will not find the most shocking part of the video in actual film content. The most shocking feature is where the criticism comes from. Conservatives and Libertarians have long criticized unions for rewarding mediocrity, someone who worked with Al Gore on his largely forgotten film, An Inconvenient Truth.
The producer is liberal and did not want to come to the conclusion that America’s teachers unions are weakening the education system, according to the Fox News morning show, Fox and Friends. Readers can watch the film on Youtube or at the official website for the documentary.

A Technology Magnet School

2010-09-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Forrest Lake Elementary is a public school offering a specialized curriculum, often with high academic standards, to a student body representing a cross section of the community.

Forrest Lake Elementary Mission

“Our School, in partnership with families and the community, provides a safe, nurturing environment for the growth and development of young children. We accomplish this through a technology infused integrated curriculum that demands academic excellence, encourages positive self-esteem, and promotes responsible citizenship and respect for others.”

Dr. Kappy Cannon, Principal

Funding for South Carolina Schools

2010-09-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

In 2008, public schools in South Carolina were given $11,480 for each and every student sitting in their classrooms.

The $11,480 average (now roughly $11,000 after mid-year state budget cuts) is a lot of money. Many parents wonder where all that money comes from. Here is a brief overview of how public school funding “works” in South Carolina.

Money -aka your tax dollars- flows into public school districts from three sources. They are:

- local county government

- state government in Columbia

- federal government in Washington DC

LOCAL MONEY: This is the money raised by county governments from property taxes, local option sales taxes, local hospitality taxes, local accommodation taxes, licenses, fees, charges and bonds. In 2007 these taxes provided $5.1 billion to school districts across South Carolina, up almost 100% from $2.6 billion in 2001. This K-12 public education spending accounted for 57% of the total $8.9 billion in local government income.

In 2008, local taxes provided 48% (or $5,516 of $11480) of the average per-student spending in public schools. The actual amount varies by district, and depends on the size of the county’s property tax base, willingness to levy local sales tax and similar factors.

STATE MONEY: This is the money raised by the state government of South Carolina and dispersed to local school districts through the General Fund (65 % of the General Fund appropriations come from the Education Finance Act), the Education Improvement Act, Lottery funds, “non-recurring provisos and special acts” (aka “pork”), the Capitol Reserve Fund, reimbursements for local property relief and exemptions, as well as grants. All told, actual state allocations on public schools totaled $3,2 billion dollars in 2008-09. That’s an increase of 23 percent since 2004.

On average, the state’s spending of $4,867 per student (or $4,400 after budget cuts) accounts for roughly 42 percent of public school spending in South Carolina.

FEDERAL MONEY: This is money collected by the United States government from income taxes (personal and corporate, real and capital gains), transfer taxes (estate and gift taxes), excise taxes (variously called “sin taxes” and/or “user fees”).

In 2008 the federal government provided South Carolina public schools with $757 million dollars, up from “just” $429 million in 2001. In 2008 the federal contribution accounted for 10 percent of the total $11,480 in per student spending in South Carolina.

Finally, it is important to note: Act 388 eliminated the school operating portion of property taxes on single family home. The “swap” or “transfer” means money collected from a newly raised state sales tax is sent back to local school districts based on how much they would have raised through property taxes (and yes, the local districts did raise assesment and millage to give themselves more money through the new trasnfers). For accounting purposes this money is still treated as “local” despite the fact that it is collected by the state.