Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 3, 1995 TAG: 9508030035
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Superintendent Wayne Harris said Wednesday the city has been told by the U.S. Department of Education that it will be awarded federal funds for magnet programs at Lincoln Terrace and Huff Lane elementary schools.
Roanoke applied for $3.2 million for the two schools, but the amount of the grant has not been announced.
"We were told we would be funded, but we are waiting for the official word and the size of the grant we will receive," Harris said.
This will give the city 12 magnet schools - eight elementary, three middle and one high school.
Magnet schools are designed to promote voluntary desegregation by providing innovative programs and the latest in educational technology, thereby attracting a mix of students. Most magnet schools are organized around a theme, such as space exploration, technology or the arts, and offer specialized courses in addition to the regular curriculum.
The Lincoln Terrace School will feature communications technology and global computer links. School officials say it will enable pupils to "harness the power of the information revolution."
The Huff Lane School will be designed to provide pupils with a real-life education. Each child chooses a role to play in a small model community, such as a banker, grocer or service worker.
In the past decade, Roanoke has received nearly $20 million in federal funds to establish magnet schools.
Speaking to the Roanoke Kiwanis Club, Harris said the city schools will focus on improving attendance and raising standardized test scores in the next year.
Poor attendance is causing some students to fall behind in their schoolwork, he said.
"We have too many children who miss more than 10 days of classes," Harris said.
School principals will be asked to give priority to attendance this year, he said, adding that improving attendance will help reduce dropout.
Harris said principals and teachers also will concentrate on raising standardized test scores, because too many students are falling below the 50th percentile on tests. Roanoke's fourth-, eighth- and 11th-graders ranked below that midpoint in some subjects on national tests in the spring.
Roanoke pupils also are doing poorly on physical fitness examinations, he said, and schools will give special attention to physical fitness in the next year.
Despite the problems, city schools are doing a better job of preparing students for college and work, Harris said. Seventy-two percent of this year's graduates will go to college, attending 75 schools.
by CNB