7 Burbank Unified schools rank in Ed 100’s top 10
Seven Burbank Unified schools were among the top 10 throughout the state to rank in participation and completion of Ed100.org, a free resource for teachers, parents and community members to learn about California’s education system without policy jargon, according to information about the program.
Roosevelt Elementary came in first place, followed by Edison Elementary in second place, Luther Burbank Middle School, third, and Burbank High, fourth. Emerson Elementary came in seventh, followed by Jordan Middle School at eighth and Stevenson Elementary in ninth place.
The program was created in 2012 by Jeff Camp, a former Microsoft Corp. manager who wanted parents to understand issues and conflicts within the education field.
The online courses offered in English and Spanish cover topics such as types of schools throughout the state, funding as well as regulations on local, state and federal levels.
During a school board meeting last Thursday, two participants representing Roosevelt Elementary were honored as graduates from the online education program.
One of the participants at the meeting, Jamie Kiffel-Alcheh, ranked No. 1 in the state for the 2019-20 school year.
Certificates were handed out by Armond Aghakhanian, board president.
“Knowledge is power. You can have a factual conversation about how students are assessed, what the standards are, what the funding is. It’s just very impressive,” Hill said.
For Theodore Roosevelt, 47 people participated in the program and 17 graduated, according to Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill.
When asked about the secret for the high participation, Sarah Redmond, Roosevelt’s PTA president said perseverance was key.
“I’m a naggy mom and I naggy momed my whole community into really taking this seriously,” she said.
Hill said Ed 100 is creating a dashboard for Burbank Unified to share data and track the school district’s progress.
“Now, our parents can take that information and get involved, know how to talk about the parcel tax that’s coming up. It’s really important for people to have all of this information instead of just talking about stuff that isn’t real,” Redmond said.
“You really have to know how the system works to make a difference,” she added.
