News
Thirty-two Arizona K-12 Schools with Low-income Student Populations Receive Beat the Odds Awards (News Release, February 2, 2012)
Nine metro Phoenix-area K-12 schools with predominantly high-poverty, high-minority student populations received gold awards and were named "Beat the Odds Schools" Wednesday evening, February 1, by the Center for the Future of Arizona. CFA also announced the names of nine additional schools in Phoenix, Tucson and Marana that earned silver Beat the Odds awards, and 14 schools in Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Fountain Hills, Tempe and Pima that earned bronze Beat the Odds awards.
Beat the Odds Participants Recognized as Higher Performing Schools (January 2012)
Fourteen Arizona schools that have participated in Beat the Odds were recently recognized for advancing their students toward college and career readiness more rapidly than schools of like demographics over a three-year period (2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11 academic years). The list was released in late 2011 by the National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA), in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE).
Schools recognized for advancing their students toward college and career readiness in all grades and all content areas tested include:
James W. Rice Primary School (Alhambra Elementary School District)
Sevilla Primary School (Alhambra School District)
Washington High School (Glendale Union High School District)
Schools recognized for advancing their students in all grades tested in one or more content areas include:
Arredondo Elementary School (Tempe School District)
Cortez High School (Glendale Union High School District)
Estes Elementary School (Marana Unified School District)
Harris Elementary School (Gilbert Unified School District)
Billy Lane Lauffer Middle School (Sunnyside Unified School District)
Metro Tech High School (Phoenix Union High School District)
Bioscience High School (Phoenix Union High School District)
Roadrunner Elementary School (Marana Unified School District)
Solano Elementary School (Osborn Elementary School District)
J.B. Sutton Elementary School (Isaac Elementary School District)
Wood Elementary School (Tempe School District)
Beat the Odds Recognized in National Bestselling Book Great by Choice (December 2011)
Beat the Odds is featured in Great by Choice, the recently released New York Times bestselling business book by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen. The book is a follow-up to Collins' worldwide bestseller Good to Great. BTO is a mentoring and training program for principals of schools with low-income student populations. It uses Collins' research methodology to help principals attain demonstrated consistent growth in student academic achievement.
Pulliam Trust Grant Enables Five Glendale Schools to Participate in BTO (September 2011)
A Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust grant of $150,000 ($50,000 per year for three years) will allow five Glendale Elementary District schools to participate in Beat the Odds who otherwise would not be able to afford to do so. The schools are Bicentennial North School (grades 4-8), Glenn F. Burton Elementary School (grades K-8), Challenger Middle School (grades 4-8), Don Mensendick School (grades 4-8) and Sunset Vista Elementary (grades K-8). BTO is a mentoring and training program for principals of schools with low-income student populations. It uses research-based concepts to help principals attain demonstrated consistent growth in student academic achievement.
School Registration Now Underway for 2011-2012 Beat the Odds Program [News Release, May 16, 2011]
Tucson’s Chaparral Middle School Beating the Odds Through Customized Student Instruction [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, May 3, 2011]
The Reformer: Marjorie Kaplan, Education's Odds-On Favorite [Smith Alumnae Quarterly magazine, Spring 2011]
Apollo Middle School Completes Turnaround and Beats the Odds [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, March 1, 2011]
Schools Beat the Odds, Raise AIMS Scores [Gilbert Republic, February 25, 2011]
Beat the Odds School Awards Announced [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, February 8, 2011]
Arizona Schools Embrace Program to Increase Low-Income, Minority Student Achievement [KJZZ FM/NPR, January 26, 2011]
Ten High Poverty, High-Minority Schools in Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe and Gilbert Receive BTO Gold Awards, Named "Beat the Odds Schools" [News Release, January 24, 2011]
J.B. Sutton Elementary School Enjoys Rapid Improvement While Beating the Odds [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, January 5, 2011 "Best Stories of 2010" Issue]
Breaking Learning Barriers Through Community Engagement [Arizona Schools Boards Association ASBA Journal, Fall 2010]
Shifting Teacher Assignments a Key as "Strong & Steady" Principal Helps Phoenix’s Westwind Primary School Beat the Odds [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, November 9, 2010]
Estes Elementary School Principal Overcomes Challenges through Beat the Odds [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, August 10, 2010]
2010-2011 School Registration Underway for Beat the Odds Program [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, July 27, 2010 and August 3, 10 and 18, 2010]
Echo Mountain Primary Mobilizes Parents in Effort to "Beat the Odds" [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, July 13, 2010]
Teacher Teamwork Vital in Andalucia Primary School's Efforts to Beat the Odds [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, April 27, 2010]
J.B. Sutton Elementary School Enjoys Rapid Improvement While Beating the Odds [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, March 16, 2010]
Commentary: Principals Key to Beating Odds [Arizona Republic, Viewpoints Section, February 14, 2010]
BTO Institute Director Marjorie Kaplan shares how school principals are raising student academic achievement in low-income, minority-intensive Arizona schools. After two years, Beat the Odds program participants made significant progress in math and positive progress in reading. In addition, 53 percent of the schools in 2008-09 improved their ratings under AZ Learns.
Tucson's Billy Lane Lauffer Middle School Leverages Power of Collaboration to Help It Beat the Odds! [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, February 2, 2010]
Despite High Student Turnover, Tempe's Holdeman Elementary School Successfully Beats the Odds [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, January 12, 2010]
Best Stories of 2009: Peralta Elementary School's Patience and Dedication to Beat the Odds Paying Off for Faculty and Students [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, December 22, 2009]
Creighton School District's Larry C. Kennedy School a "Beat the Odds" Success Story [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, November 10, 2009]
Despite Challenges, Some Arizona Schools Continue to Beat the Odds [Raising Expectations e-Newsletter, Expect More Arizona, November 2009]
Among the Arizona schools that are raising the bar and expecting more of themselves and their students are a growing number with high-minority, low-income student populations. These schools are experiencing academic success by applying six research-based concepts that focus on what is within schools' control, with no excuses.
Thirty-nine Valley Schools Honored by Beat the Odds Institute (News Release, October 29, 2009)
Thirty-nine metro Phoenix-area schools were presented with Beat the Odds Awards for academic improvement Wednesday evening, October 28, at a ceremony hosted by the Phoenix-based Beat the Odds Institute. The awards mark major milestones toward attaining the title of a “Beat the Odds School”—one in which individual student achievement is better than expected as a result of implementing research-based principles that are within every school’s control.
Accio Education Fund: Beat the Odds Institute Awarded $450,000 Grant to Expand Education Reform Efforts [News Release,
August 6, 2009]
The Arizona Community Foundation and Helios Education Foundation have awarded $450,000 to the Beat the Odds Institute to expand its Beat the Odds School Partners Program in Arizona over the next three years. The grant is being paid from the new Accio Education Fund, a "venture capital" type of charitable fund created by ACF and Helios to support the development and expansion of innovative education reform efforts for the benefit of Arizona students.
To Improve Student Achievement, Focus on What You Can Control: Guest Article by Beat the Odds Director Marjorie Kaplan
[ASA Update, August 2009]
Horizon Education Roundtable with Beat the Odds Director Marjorie Kaplan [KAET Channel 8, July 29, 2009]
Education experts discuss the state of public education in Arizona and President Obama’s “Race to the Top” education reform initiative that provides more than $4 billion in incentives for states and schools that meet certain requirements.
Numbers Indicate Beat the Odds Institute's Principles for Success Making Positive Impact in Classrooms [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, July 28, 2009]
Beat the Odds Program Available Statewide in 2009-2010 [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, July 28, 2009 and August 4, 2009]
Beat the Odds "Parents as Partners Program" Paying Dividends at Maricopa County Public Schools [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, June 9, 2009]
Collaborative Teams Spur Teacher Creativity, Student Achievement [AEA Advocate, Summer 2009]
When teachers at Copper Canyon High School in Glendale began collaborating on lesson plans and classroom activities, their creativity and individuality blossomed. So did their students' test scores.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words [ASBA Journal, Spring 2009]
Students at Gililland Middle School are using computers and data to chart a course to improved academic achievement.
Montebello School Teachers "Beat the Odds" by Using Leveled Reading Programs for Students [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, May 19, 2009]
Cordova Middle School Experiences Quick Rise in Reading Proficiency as Students Understand Relevancy of Test Data [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, March 31, 2009]
Teamwork Helps Glendale's Copper Canyon High School Beat the Odds [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, February 18, 2009]
KPNX TV 12 School Solutions: Gililland Middle School Profile [February 2009]
Since students at Gililland Middle School (Tempe Elementary School District) began graphing their individual test goals and results, the school has seen outstanding increases in student test scores.
Tempe's Gililland Middle School Seeing Improvement in Student Test Scores through Graphing Results [Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Newsletter, January 13, 2009]
Helios Education Foundation to Provide Funding for Beat the Odds "Parents as Partners" Program plus
Pathways Initiative [News Release, October 22, 2008]
Helios Education Foundation has committed $79,500 in continued support for the Parents as Partners program of the center’s Beat the Odds Institute, which is led by Dr. Marjorie Kaplan.
Nine Valley Schools Honored For School Improvement Efforts By Beat The Odds Institute [News Release, October 30, 2008]
Nine metro Phoenix-area schools have reached the first milestone on the road to becoming a “Beat the Odds School” — one in which student academic achievement exceeds expectations.
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Pathways to Postsecondary [Arizona Republic, Viewpoints Section, September 14, 2008]
A new center initiative funded by Helios Education Foundation will help create seamless pathways to various forms of postsecondary education and career training for all students. Dr. Sybil Francis, executive director, will lead the project.
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Beat the Odds Mentor Jeff Sprout Wins Rodel Exemplary Principal Award [Arizona Republic, April 13, 2008]
Beat the Odds Mentor Jeff Sprout has received a Rodel Exemplary Principal Award, which recognizes exceptional leaders in high-needs schools. The honor was presented by the Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona, in partnership with Social Venture Partners Arizona.
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Sybil Francis Works for “Seamless” Education System [Arizona Capitol Times, February 22, 2008]
Dr. Sybil Francis’ efforts to better Arizona education are profiled.
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Latino Children Can Beat the Odds … but District Leadership and Support is Required [ASBA Journal, February 2008]
In a guest-authored article, Dr. Lattie Coor shares “lessons learned” regarding moving schools toward greater student achievement.
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Esteemed Educator Dr. Marjorie Kaplan Named Director of the Beat the Odds Institute [News Release, January 15, 2008]
The Center for the Future of Arizona is pleased to announce that Dr. Marjorie Kaplan has been named the Director of its newly created Beat the Odds Institute.
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University of Phoenix Pledges Financial Support to Help Arizona Minority and Low-Income K-12 Students to
Beat the Odds [News Release, November 15, 2007]
University of Phoenix has pledged to grant $500,000 over three years to the Center for the Future of Arizona’s Beat the Odds School Partners program. The contribution is the lead gift in funding the implementation of a new Beat the Odds education initiative at 27 metropolitan Phoenix area K-12 public schools.
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Nonprofit Sends Jim Collins (“Good to Great”) to the Principal’s Office in Effort to Increase Low-Income, Latino Students’
Workforce Preparedness [News Release, October 30, 2007]
Amid growing concerns about the preparedness of the state’s future workforce, an Arizona nonprofit organization has launched an initiative in 27 metro Phoenix-area K-12 public schools in an effort to “beat the odds” and increase student achievement. The education initiative is based on research in which Jim Collins, author of the New York Times bestseller “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t,” actively collaborated.
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Beat the Odds Institute, K-12 School Partner Program Announced [News Release, October 30, 2007]
Twenty-seven Phoenix-area schools with predominantly low-income, minority student populations are teaming up this academic year with the Center for the Future of Arizona and its new Beat the Odds Institute in an effort to increase student achievement among all students.
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Beat the Odds Team Leader Announced [September 2007]
Terry Eisenberg has been hired as Beat the Odds Mentor Team Leader. During the 2007-2008 academic year she will manage a team of eight retired and sitting principals who will provide one-on-one mentoring to approximately two dozen metro Phoenix-area Beat the Odds School Partners principals.
Beat the Odds Leadership Seminars Begin [June 2007]
In June 2007, more than two dozen Arizona principals explored how to apply Beat the Odds concepts and maximize student achievement in their schools.
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PBS Documentary Features Yuma Principal, Beat the Odds Research Study [Yuma Sun, January 8, 2007]
Principal Juli Peach of Alice Byrne School in Yuma is featured in the “Good to Great” television documentary airing on PBS stations around the country in January. Her school’s success was documented in the research report “Why Some Schools with Latino Children Beat the Odds … And Others Don’t” released in March 2006 by the Center for the Future of Arizona and the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University.
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