Administrators' Conference on Education (ACE)

Successful 2012 conference focuses on the message: Keep On Keeping On!

More than 350 APS administrators participated in the 2012 Administrators Conference on Education held at the University of New Mexico.

Superintendent Winston Brooks encouraged administrators to keep working hard to help students achieve academic success, and he reminded them of the progress made in the four years since he became superintendent.

"The work isn’t close to done. And let’s be honest, it never will be," Brooks said. "But we’re well on our way to becoming one of the nation’s premier school districts. APS principals and department administrators, we encourage you and your staffs to keep on keeping on!"

The annual conference brings APS leaders together once a year just as the new school year begins to share ideas, brainstorm solutions to problems, plan for the coming months, motivate each other and, yes, even have a little fun.

ACE, which dates back more than four decades, is a mix of professional development, motivational speeches, vendor displays, social events and entertainment.

Among the noted speakers was Dr. Michael Casserly, the executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools representing the nation's largest school districts. Like Brooks, Casserly pointed to strides made by large urban school districts and encouraged administrators to keep doing the work they've started.

"Many groups might have folded under the pressure, giving up in the face of criticism. But urban schools and school systems across the country are doing what a lot of people didn’t think we were capable of doing.We are rising to the occasion, we are fighting back, and we are teaching our children more effectively, and running our schools more efficiently," Casserly said. "The result: urban student achievement is increasing. Academic gaps are showing signs of narrowing. Management and operations are improving. And the public’s confidence shows tenuous signs of reawakening."

Brooks shared a list of APS accomplishments during the conference. They include:

Academic Accomplishments

• 12 of 17 high schools show increases in their graduation rate
• AVID in 25 schools and countin
• $500,000 Gates Foundation Grant piloting Common Core Standards (1 of only 6 districts in the nation
• Common Core Standards implementation in grades K-3 in 2012-13; all grades in 2013-14
• Math scores on the state test have improved more than 11% in four years
• Nearly three times as many students (1,400+) took dual-credit courses in 2011-12 compared to the year before
• AP enrollment increases by nearly 40% in three years
• For the first time in 2010-11, Hispanics enrolled in AP classes surpassed that of Anglo students (4,300 vs. 3,400)
• Early start to the school year at 26 elementary schools
• Appointment of district’s first Chief Academic Officer
• Standardized curriculum for reading and math
• Average math and reading scores on national test (TUDA) on par with other urban school district
• Reading scores on the state test have remained steady over the past four years
• New health and science curriculum in partnership with Discovery Education
• Expansion of online courses (3,700 students enrolled in 5,370 classes in 2011-12)
• Designation of career and college readiness counselors at each high school
• Bilingual and dual language programs serving more than 12,000 students in 60+ schools
• 3,300+ Promethean whiteboards, bringing interactive engagement to half of all classrooms
• Extended high school days to helps 2,000+ students/year get the credits they need to graduate with their classmates
• Math and reading scores on the state test normally exceed state averages
• Nearly 300 National Board Certified Teachers (APS ranks 23^rd in the nation in the total number of NBCTs)
• nex+Gen Academy to graduate 1st class; selected as a National Demonstration Site in the New Tech Network
• Student-led conference
• Adoption of the Athletic and Activity Code of Conduct
• Standardized seven-period bell schedule for high schools
• Harvard Strategic Data Project funded by the Gates Foundation to improve academics and close the achievement gap for Hispanic students
• $5M Smaller Learning Communities Program Grant at seven high schools
• $3.5M School Improvement Grants for one middle and three high schools for 2012-13
• $800,000 Kellogg grant for four elementaries to help with parent engagement and early childhood learning for 2012-13
• International Baccalaureate program at Sandia High School starting in fall 2013

Safety

• Survey finds that 92% of parents believe students are safe at school
• School-to-home communications system (SchoolMessenger) notifies parents about student absences, school delays and closings and campus security concern
• Introduction of Bullying Prevention program and website
• Healthy kids programs targeting asthma, obesity and diabetes
• Cell phone policy that allows students to have phones on campus in case of emergencies but restricts use during the school day
• $9M federal Safe Schools and Healthy Students grant funds a variety of safe school projects

Outreach

• New and improved district website (APS.edu)
• Updated department and school websites
• Weekly electronic communications for parents, community and employees
• APS on Facebook and Twitter (@ABQschools)
• APS Education Foundation raises $700,000+ through Horizon campaign for students, teachers, classrooms
• FAFSA awareness campaign increases percentage of APS senior applying for college by 14% in 2011
• High school student leaders serve on Superintendent's Student Advisory Council (SuperSAC)
• APS hosted gubernatorial debate on education
• Partnerships with organizations dedicated to helping students and families in need including:

*APS Title I Homeless Project serving 7,000+ students in 2011-12

*Assistance League of Albuquerque providing school uniforms for 3,500+ students since 2009

*United Way: APS employees contributed nearly $300,000 in 2011-12

*Bernalillo County Council of the PTA Clothing Bank serving 3,000+ students a year

• Free breakfast and lunch for as many as two thirds of our students (number expected to increase when we replace reduced-price with free meals)
• Dozens of community meetings to gather input on district goals
• Budget liaisons (teachers, principals, parents, students, secretaries, administrators, community representatives, etc.) served to provide information and gather input on budget
• Bus tours for community and legislative leaders to introduce them to schools, programs, initiatives
• APS wall calendars printed in cooperation with Albuquerque the Magazine and Lovelace and distributed to all schoolsand departments (100,000 copies at no cost to the district)
• Electronic billboards at four locations (CHS, DNHS, EHS and Wilson Stadium)

Successful TV and radio "Support the Potential" campaign

Schools and Facilities

• 70% voter support for 2010 bond/mill levy election that’s paying for $616 million in projects
• Eased overcrowding, especially on the West Side, by building 9 elementaries, 1 middle and 2 high schools in five years (all opened by fall 2009)
• Construction of a $38 million West Side stadium featuring 7,000-seat football stadium and track, scheduled to open in the fall 2013
  Construction of a magnet school (nex+Gen Academy) with a focus on project-based learning
• Construction of eCADEMY, which replaced Evening High School to provide alternative educational opportunities through online learning
• Soccer complex featuring four lighted, artificial turf fields, concessions and ample parking
• Brand new Del Norte High School to open in fall 2012
  68% share of city’s commercial construction permits in 2008-09

Leadership

• New Mexico Foundation for Open Government Award to Superintendent Brooks for transparency
• Improved relationship between the Superintendent and Board of Education
• Improved relationship with the Mayor and city of Albuquerque
• Improved relationship with New Mexico legislators
• Partnerships with UNM and CNM
• APS recognized at the national level, has a voice in national debate on how to improve public education
• Superintendent serves as chairman of the executive committee of the Council of the Great City Schools representing the country’s largest urban school districts
• Creation of the Superintendent’s Business Advisory Council