ThisWeek CW 11/24/2014
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/11/21/groveport-madison-schools-partnerships-could-help-pathway-based-curriculum.html
Possible partnerships with Columbus 2020 and Ohio State University could help Groveport Madison schools as the district works to implement a new pathway-based curriculum.
At the Nov. 12 board of education regular meeting, Superintendent Bruce Hoover discussed two recent meetings he participated in to develop partnerships that he said will benefit students and provide leadership training for staff members.
“As we move into December, both our curriculum group and our high school administration have been busy putting together two of the pathways based on what looks like high-interest areas,” Hoover said. “From our student surveys, there’s a lot of interest in foreign language skills and the arts, and in software design and IT areas.”
Hoover said the district is using student surveys and studies to guide course offerings and to plan for any necessary additional staffing; he plans to put forward budget overviews to the board in December.
“I had the chance to meet with Columbus 2020 to talk about the pathway program and they’re very interested in helping students to pick up soft-skill training, like healthy work habits, beginning in the sixth grade,” Hoover said.
“The Columbus 2020 group believes it will be important for those kids to have mastered their soft-skills by ninth grade when we then provide hard-skill training, which might include things like welding and plumbing.”
According to Hoover, Columbus 2020 is looking to the Groveport Madison district to be a leader in preparing students for higher education and to help fill jobs in the growing industrial trades in central Ohio.
“They are very excited about this, saying that Groveport is one of the first districts to take this on and see this partnership as a complement to what we’re doing with Eastland Fairfield Career and Technical Schools,” he said. “There’s a great need for a number of these types of skills right here in southeast Franklin County.”
Besides the pathway partnership with Columbus 2020, Hoover introduced a new accelerated licensure program for principals that is being offered through Ohio State University, focused on underserved school districts.
“OSU wants to increase leadership opportunities, particularly in underserved communities, and they’d like to work with Groveport Madison,” Hoover said. “This is going to open up opportunities for our staff who might want to become a principal, or principals who are interested in growing into higher administrative positions.”
The 15-month program is designed to allow participants to continue meeting their full-time responsibilities to the district, according to a letter from the university to Hoover.