Schools In Baltimore

A charter network that has two schools in Baltimore has a high level of student attrition and of private and public funding that have positioned it to be successful, according to a national report published Thursday. The report on Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), which opened its first school in Baltimore about a decade ago and recently reached a long-term deal to remain in the city for another 10 years, suggests that the national charter school network's high performance is a result of having advantages over its public school counterparts.

A hearing scheduled for Wednesday on proposed legislation aimed at helping KIPP charter schools remain in Baltimore has been rescheduled for next week as the organization continues negotiations with the Baltimore Teachers Union about how to pay its teachers for extended school days. According to Jason Botel, executive director of KIPP Baltimore, the union requested the postponement for one week in hopes of reaching a long-term agreement that would allow KIPP's rigorous model — which includes mandatory 9 1/2-hour school days, Saturday school and summer school — to be implemented in the city without violating the teachers' union contract.

Mary Jefferson became the legal guardian of her granddaughter when the child was 2 years old to save her from a life of instability after her parents became addicted to drugs and ended up in jail. A decade later, Sonya Moss is excelling as a student at KIPP Ujima Village Academy, a public charter that is one of the highest-performing middle schools in Baltimore and the state. Jefferson credits the school's structure and support for helping the seventh-grader overcome her childhood obstacles and described KIPP "as a gift from God. " But the rare educational opportunities Sonya and other low-income students receive at the Northwest Baltimore school could come to an end this summer.

President Barack Obama on Monday will visit Parkville Middle School and Center of Technology in Baltimore County, where he will discuss his 2012 budget priorities aimed at preparing students "to be competitive in the global economy," the White House announced Friday. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Jack Lew, the White House budget director, will join the president at the school, which focuses on educating students in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math, especially through hands-on projects.

Five adults and one child were hospitalized for evaluation after a carbon monoxide leak Tuesday morning at Dickey Hill Elementary/Middle school, a Baltimore fire spokesman said. The evaluations were a precautionary measure, according to fire Capt. Roman Clark. "It doesn't appear to be anything life-threatening," he said. The source of the leak at the school, in West Baltimore's Wakefield neighborhood, was reported just after 8 a.m., identified by Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. crews and contained, Clark said.

A 6-year-old special-needs student was in serious condition after he fell out of the back of a moving school bus Wednesday afternoon, city schools and Baltimore County police said Thursday. Baltimore County paramedics responded to the incident shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday, where they found the injured boy after he fell off a bus that was taking him to his West Baltimore home from a Baltimore County special-education school. The student was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he remains in serious condition, according to Lt. Rob McCullough, spokesman for the Baltimore County Police Department.

Classrooms that "grow" in size as students get older. Vegetable gardens and wind turbines that help teach city children about farming and alternative energy sources. Diverse learning spaces under a single, sweeping roof, intended to foster a sense of community. These are just a few of the ideas presented by three teams competing to design the East Baltimore Community School, a $40 million, kindergarten-to-eighth-grade facility planned as an anchor for the East Baltimore Development Inc. renewal area.

Black male students in Baltimore are staying in school and receiving their diplomas in higher numbers, school officials said on Wednesday, raising hope that future generations of city youths will gain skills needed for success in life. District officials said that the performance of black male students over the past three years has been the driving force behind the improved statistics for Baltimore schools. In 2007, for every black male student who graduated from high school, one dropped out. Now, three are graduating for every one who leaves school.

The third-graders at a Catonsville elementary school recently took a break from the usual cafeteria fare of corn dogs and pizza to sample organic, field-grown salad greens mixed with black olives, apple cider vinegar and oil, Maryland strawberries and honey. And they became chefs for a day, mixing their own salads and making their own dressing. Their experience last week was a culmination of a three-morning seminar, called "Days of Taste," which teaches children about what's produced on Maryland farms, tells them about non-processed foods and encourages them to grow a little more adventurous at mealtime.

Across the nation, urban school districts are breaking up large schools and replacing them with smaller ones. In Baltimore, new high schools with as few as 400 to 500 students have been carved out of old ones with enrollments of 2,000 or more. Now support for small schools appears to be taking root - at the neighborhood level and the school board - in neighboring Baltimore County, which like many suburban districts has long favored large schools. Vocal parents upset about crowding in the Towson area and elsewhere have demanded new, smaller schools rather than additions to existing ones.