Elementary School Students

Berklee College of Music Summer Programs

April 1, 2012

 

Berklee’s Five-Week Summer Performance Program, now in its 26th year, is the largest, most comprehensive summer music program available-anywhere. Better known as “Five-Week,” the Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program, with its diversity of study options, world-class Berklee faculty, visiting artists, and state-of-the-art facilities, is the premiere contemporary music summer program for young musicians. Each summer, approximately 1,000 participants from across the U.S. and around the world (70 countries) share in this unique summer experience-all instruments, all contemporary styles, and all levels of musical ability. Five-Week is your opportunity to experience the summer of a lifetime, at the world’s most prestigious institution for the study of contemporary music.

For students who are also interested in enrolling at Berklee full-time, there are several benefits to attending Five-Week:

  • Audition for scholarships to Berklee during the program. Roughly $3.5 million in scholarships are awarded to Five-Week students by audition during any given summer.
  • Find out what it takes to succeed in music and at Berklee.
  • Study with Berklee faculty.
  • Learn about admission, audition, and scholarship requirements.
  • Get a head start on your full-time studies.
  • Get to know Boston, New England’s hub of culture and academia.

At the Five-Week Program, you will be immersed in all aspects of performance. Your classes, workshops, and rehearsals will focus on this important side of your musicianship. You will play in ensembles, develop improvisational and reading skills, improve your technique in weekly private lessons, and enjoy lectures/demonstrations by well-known faculty and visiting artists.

 

Research K – 12 Schools

July 27, 2011

For parents interested in researching K-12 schools, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics will allow you to pull up data on most U.S. Public/Private k-12 school, colleges, and technical schools:

Go to the National Center for Education Statistics website and select the pull down menu “School Search.” From there you can research K-12 public/private schools and colleges.

You may find the following sites helpful.

Two other helpful websites School Data Direct and School Matters are currently being redesigned.

 

First-grade math foundation key to later success

July 27, 2011

In U.S. Department of Education research, the level of math and science that a student completes in high school is the clearest predictor of a student’s success in college. 2010 ACT results indicate that all college-bound high school seniors had their lowest scores in math and science. A recent University of Missouri study notes, “beginning first-graders that understand numbers, the quantities those numbers represent, and low-level arithmetic will have better success in learning mathematics through the end of fifth-grade, and other studies suggest throughout the rest of their lives.”

Lead researcher, professor David Geary, also notes, “This study reinforces the idea that math knowledge is incremental, and without a good foundation, a student won’t do well because the math gets more complex.” The paper, “Cognitive Predictors of Achievement Growth in Mathematics: A Five Year Longitudinal Study,” will be published in the journal Developmental Psychology.

Parents should be particularly concerned with the 2009 NAEP Results (National Assessment of Education Progress), which indicate that most U.S. 4th– and 8th-graders are not proficient in math.

4th-grade performance by racial group:

  • 50 percent of White students are below proficiency
  • 79 percent of Hispanic students are below proficiency
  • 85 percent of Black students are below proficiency

8th-grade performance by racial group:

  • 57 percent of White students are below proficiency
  • 83 percent of Hispanic students are below proficiency
  • 88 percent of Black students are below proficiency

Download 2009 NAEP Math Results

Elementary school gives students a head start on college!

July 22, 2011

Many schools are beginning to respond to national research pertaining to the huge college-knowledge gap experienced by students who are not introduced to college planning until high school. For years, this has placed such students at a huge disadvantage when compared to suburban and affluent students who are introduced to college before entering elementary school. The Educational Leadership article, “Going to College? It’s Elementary!” notes:

“Typically, students on the college-bound learning track are white and middle-class (NGA Center for Best Practices, 2007). Their parents and schools have prepared them for college by directing them toward advanced placement (AP) classes, SAT prep courses, and other resources that will give them a step up when it’s time to apply to college (NGA Center for Best Practices, 2007). On the other hand, students from lower socioeconomic brackets or minority groups may not even be told to take the SAT, let alone sign up for AP courses (Marklein, 2006). Programs such as AVID or Upward Bound attempt to reach these students in high school, but unfortunately, funding can limit the reach of these programs. Plus, high school intervention may come too late to influence students’ choices.”

Sixth-grade students in the Marina del Mar Elementary School’s “College Club” asked questions from a panel of four college students as part of their college outreach program. What are the elementary and middle schools in your community doing to help students develop their college-bound dreams?

Bugg Elementary School in Wake County Schools(NC) has been undergoing a total cultural remake with its college bound focus. Click here to watch YouTube video…Another video (click here) showcases the relationships being developed between Bugg Elementary school students and local college students. Building relationships and collaborating with local colleges and universities would appear to be a natural strategy for elementary schools in school districts with a college readiness focus.

The importance of engaging students in a postsecondary focus during the primary grades is reinforced by the University of Chicagoresearch study, “Reading on Grade Level in Third Grade: How Is It Related to High School Performance and College Enrollment” outlining the transition students make during elementary school from learning to read to reading to learn. Creating the necessary postsecondary cultural constructs in elementary school provides an important context for teaching and learning.