Last week the Baltimore Sun reported that graduation rates in Baltimore City increased across all demographic groups in 2018, according to data just released by the Maryland Department of Education. Of the 5,195 students in the city’s 2018 graduating class, 72.2 percent graduated in four years — an increase of 1.5 percentage points from the […]
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OSI’s Karen Webber touts impact of restorative practices at Educating the Whole Child forum
Friday, January 25, 2019Friday afternoon, Karen Webber, director of OSI-Baltimore’s Education and Youth Development program, presented as a part of the Baltimore Curriculum Project’s annual Leading Minds forum. The topic this year was “Educating the Whole Child” and the other speakers were Kirwin Commission Chair Brit Kirwan and Mark Gaither, principal of Wolfe Street Academy, a pioneering community […]
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Baltimore Sun: “Cut the act, Gov. Hogan. You know Baltimore schools are being shortchanged”
Friday, January 25, 2019Today, the Baltimore Sun Editorial Board called “bull” (their word) on Governor Larry Hogan’s feigned ignorance about why OSI grantees the ACLU of Maryland the NAACP Legal Defense Fund sent him a letter demanding adequate funding for Baltimore City schools. As the Editorial Board writes say in today’s staff editorial: “[W]e are quite certain [Governor […]
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After advocate outcry, School Board unanimously rejects arming school police
Wednesday, January 23, 2019After hearing fierce opposition from members of the OSI-supported Coalition to Reform School Discipline, including the student-led Baltimore Algebra Project and the ACLU of Maryland, the Baltimore City school voted unanimously to oppose HB31, a bill sponsored by Del. Cheryl Glenn (D, 45th District) that would have allowed school police to carry guns inside school […]
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NAACP Legal Defense Fund and ACLU of Maryland ask Hogan to increase funding for city schools
Tuesday, January 22, 2019In a letter sent to Governor Larry Hogan a week after he announced his budget for fiscal year 2020, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU of Maryland, both grantees of OSI-Baltimore’s Education and Youth Development program, “ask that the State’s budget and any legislation on school facilities incorporate funding to remediate both the […]
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OSI Education and Youth Development director on WYPR’s Midday
Wednesday, June 08, 2016Karen Webber, director of OSI’s Education and Youth Development Program recently appeared on WYPR’s Midday discussing the importance of soft skills in the professional world. Soft skills, also called “emotional intelligence” or “character” can include a range of abilities, from leadership or problem solving abilities to written and oral communication skills. Soft skills can also […]
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Heart of the School awards recognize outstanding principals
Wednesday, May 25, 2016The first annual Heart of the School Awards took place at the Hippodrome Theatre on Monday. Among the 11 finalists and 5 winners was Christopher Battaglia (pictured), principal at Benjamin Franklin High School, one of OSI’s “High Value High Schools.” As part of the High Value High Schools program, Battaglia’s school is working with the […]
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OSI’s Criminal and Juvenile Justice Director Writes About “Nonviolent Ways to Address Youth Violence”
Friday, May 06, 2016Tara Huffman, director of OSI’s Criminal and Juvenile Justice Program recently contributed to the newsletter published by the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children, and the Courts (CFCC), Unified Family Court Connection in which she discusses four non-violent policies and practices to respond to youth violence. As […]
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OSI Statement on the Resignation of Schools CEO Gregory Thornton and the Appointment of Dr. Sonja Santelises
Wednesday, May 04, 2016Yesterday, the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners announced the resignation of Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Dr. Gregory Thornton and the appointment of Dr. Sonja Santelises to the position, effective July 1. OSI-Baltimore has had a productive working relationship with Dr. Thornton during his two-year tenure, and we’re proud of the work we have […]
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New Study Underscores Differences between Growing up Poor and Middle Class in Baltimore
Thursday, April 28, 2016Children from poor neighborhoods have a harder time transitioning to adulthood than children from wealthier ones. That’s the finding from a decade-long study published this month by a trio of sociologists from Johns Hopkins and St. Joseph’s universities. In Coming of Age in the Other America, Stefanie DeLuca, Susan Clampet-Lundquist and Kathryn Edin followed 150 […]
