Inner-city insight.Everything Percy A. Mack needed to know he learned in kindergarten. Well, almost: It was actually his first-grade teacher, Mrs. Harris, who helped young Mack overcome reading struggles that let him catch up to his classmates Classmates can refer to either:
Those lessons weren't far from the ones Mack gleaned growing up in Savannah Savannah, city, United States Savannah, city (1990 pop. 137,560), seat of Chatham co., SE Ga., a port of entry on the Savannah River near its mouth; inc. 1789. , Ga. In a tight-knit community that churched, schooled and collectively raised the kids on the block, he learned the importance of a strong work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work and the value of a good education. A graduate of Savannah public schools, Mack has spent his life working toward the success of the urban school system. At past urban outposts, he started programs like the "4.0 GPA GPA abbr. grade point average Noun 1. GPA - a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted Academic Letter Sweater," a 1950s-sounding initiative that took the school-is-cool theory and applied it to clothing for grades (A's only, of course). Although he's always worked at urban schools, he's seen the greatest climb up the urban education ladder in his current job. "Our kids really have struggled academically," he says. "A lot of it comes from poverty. But kids can still do very, very well." Under his guidance, they are. Dayton, then: "In 2001, no one was really with us," says Mack, who that year was named deputy superintendent Deputy Superintendent, or Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was a rank used by police forces of the British Empire. In some territories it was called Deputy District Superintendent of Police (DDSP). . The district needed direction for raising achievement in literacy and mathematics, improving student conduct and reducing truancy. More important, it needed civic cooperation to accomplish all of the above. Dayton, now: Truancy teams scour scour, scours 1. the chemical and physical cleaning of fleece wool. 2. diarrhea. dietetic scour see dietary diarrhea. peat scour see secondary nutritional copper deficiency. neighborhoods to bring skippers back to school, and at 90 percent, attendance is at a 10-year high. In his first three years as superintendent, Mack's plan to improve literacy sparked an increase in third-grade reading scores at a rate that was 31 percent faster than the state average. Grade-four performances on the same test have increased 12 percent. From having two Gates Scholar students (only 1,000 students in the country receive the accolade) to its Early College Academy--where at-risk students The term at-risk students is used to describe students who are "at risk" of failing academically, for one or more of any several reasons. The term can be used to describe a wide variety of students, including,
Dayton, how? "It takes everybody," says Mack, from parents to the faith community. Improved delivery of instruction, a new student code of conduct, focused professional development and a range of specialized schools have helped Dayton live up to its renewed focus on "academic achievement for all students." Fait accompli: Mack led the district in the passage of a November 2002 bond issue funding the local share of a $630 million project to rebuild or renovate 34 neighborhood schools. The issue was approved by an unprecedented margin: 64 percent of district voters. The renovations will be complete by 2012. Jennifer Chase In 1993 Jennifer Chase hit Jacksonville's music scene with her band The Blue Plate Special and their unorthodox approach to old blues and jazz standards. In the spring 1996 she received critical acclaim in Europe and the U.S. Esposito is a contributing editor A contributing editor is a magazine job title that varies in responsibilities. Most often, a contributing editor is a freelancer who has proven ability and readership draw. . PERCY A. MACK Superintendent, Dayton (Ohio) Public Schools Age: 55 Salary: $142,000 Tenure: Four years as superintendent Schools in district: 38 Faculty in district: 1,405 Students in district: 16,869 Best compliment to date: Being named one of Dayton's most influential people by The Dayton Business Journal. |
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