Music has power to change a mood, create an emotional response, motivate, and excite, break down barriers or to connect many to sing or play along. A good song, much like a good teacher, can do the same. A good song is easy to remember, fun to listen to, has a solid structure, chord progression, strong lyrics, and a riff. Marie Hill is a great song who brings students and teachers at Douglas L. Jamerson’s Center for Mathematics and Engineering together to create beautiful music.
Tamala Ashford is an authentic connector and leader worth following. Students, parents, and her staff equally love her because she cares, demonstrates, and inspires excellence.
Carrie Cormier is committed, and dependable and she gives 110% to all assigned duties and responsibilities. In her role as Principal, she daily demonstrates a superior ability to create supportive environments to make learning exciting, to build positive relationships with others, and to contribute to the continuous improvement of student learning and school improvement.
"I've come to realize the way I answer the question "What influenced you to become a teacher?" has changed. As a student, I had some exemplary teachers. Spending my entire career in the district in which I grew up, I had the great fortune to also work alongside some of those same teachers. Now that I am nearing two decades of my own career, I realize that, while my teachers played a huge part in my life, they have not been the final determining influence."
We were thrilled to see 43 members of the House of Representatives, both Democrats and Republicans, signal their support for robust funding for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program in this year's federal budget process.
For MSA and our members, all eyes are on the Magnet Schools Assistance Program, and this year’s request includes $149 million for the MSAP, the same amount included in the fiscal year 2023 request. MSA believes that figure is insufficient to support the critical mission of magnet schools, and we urge the President and Congress to provide greater funding for the MSAP and to identify more opportunities to fund and prioritize magnet schools, in fiscal year 2024 and beyond.
Justin Patterson is the interactive media production (IMP) instructor and technology education department chair for Chesapeake High School in Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland.
Emilio Garza embodies the core values of Magnet Schools of America, according to the person who nominated him. When he arrived at Elysian Heights, he noticed that the school’s racial demographics did not represent that of the community.
Principal Lipp has made great strides in closing the achievement gap with regard to minority group isolation. In fact, three times the number of the school's minority students reach the benchmark on both SAT test than the district and state. Additionally, the Aerospace and Hydrospace Engineering School boasts a district-leading 98% graduation rate, as well as an 80% college readiness index.
Raise the level of performance consistent throughout school districts nationwide and creates a platform from which all magnet schools can flourish. Magnet Schools of America’s national certification process is designed to recognize the hard work of the best magnet schools in the nation and to help them as they grow.
