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		Past Extra Credits March 8 All issues

The following article, excerpted below, appeared in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (3/13/06):

"Four years ago, Hannan Elementary was placed on the state's Needs Improvement list for substandard public schools. Then Ann Robison became Hannan's principal.

"Now, Hannan is among this year's 20 Georgia Schools of Excellence…"

" 'There are many elements that go into a School of Excellence,' she [Robin Pennock, the Muscogee County School District's deputy superintendent] said, 'but the leadership of the school and the teachers certainly are two of them.'…"

"From 2002 to 2005, Hannan significantly improved its results on the state's standardized test, the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test. For example…

• Fourth-graders meeting or exceeding reading standards improved from 71 percent to 88 percent
• Fourth-graders meeting or exceeding math standards improved from 60 percent to 84 percent…."
  "Robison listed some of the changes Hannan made that may have helped the turnaround:
• Increasing reading instruction from 1 1/2 hours per day to 2 hours per day
• Incorporated math instruction with science, and reading instruction with social studies…
• More effectively used Title I money. As a school that serves students from predominantly low-income families, Hannan receives federal funds (about $310,000 this year) for extra resources…"

"This is the third year guidelines following the federal No Child Left Behind Act have been used to determine the winners in two categories for each of the state's Congressional districts…"

For the complete article, please visit: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/14071423.htm