Renzulli Learning and the National Urban Alliance Form Partnership to Enrich Education in Urban...

Strength-Based Learning System to Close Achievement Gap in Urban Schools

AVON, Conn. -- Renzulli Learning Systems, LLC recently announced a partnership with the National Urban Alliance (NUA) to accelerate student learning in urban school districts and help close the achievement gap.

The NUA works with urban school districts across the U.S. to help students reach the highest levels of learning and thinking. Under the partnership, the NUA will use Renzulli Learning in its professional development activities for principals, teachers and parents to improve classroom instruction and ultimately accelerate student achievement.

Renzulli Learning, a Web-based learning system, creates and provides teachers with personalized profiles of each student. The system then develops "differentiated" curriculum, or instructional strategies and lesson units based on the student's abilities, interests and learning style.

"Renzulli Learning strengthens the programmatic side of our work by enabling us to continue to raise expectations of students by uncovering their strengths and enabling them to have more opportunities for enrichment," said Dr. Eric J. Cooper, NUA founder and president. "This program enriches instruction and allows kids in urban and suburban school districts to achieve at higher rates. Our common belief is that all students have strengths which enable them to exceed expectations regarding the gap between actual performance and potential."

Based on the Enrichment Triad Model developed in 1977 by Renzulli Learning founders and University of Connecticut professors, Dr. Sally Reis and Dr. Joseph Renzulli, the Web-based system provides students and teachers access to thousands of resources and enrichment materials, from virtual field trips and hands-on interactive web sites to downloadable activities designed to promote higher level thinking skills.

An independent study conducted in April 2007, found that elementary and middle school students using Renzulli Learning demonstrated significant gains in reading fluency and comprehension.

"We are very pleased to partner with an organization that is focused on improving the educational system and accelerating student achievement," said Dr. Joseph Renzulli, co-founder of Renzulli Learning Systems. "Through this partnership we will work to close the achievement gap by infusing strength-based enrichment opportunities into urban schools that for too long have been dominated by an almost mind numbing drill-and-practice curriculum. Our urban students have suffered from a half-century of remediation and deficit oriented models that simply have not worked. Why shouldn't these students have the same enriched opportunities that are found in the best schools in the country?"

The NUA will start implementing Renzulli Learning in professional development activities and student lessons this fall.

About Renzulli Learning Systems

Based in Avon, Connecticut, Renzulli Learning Systems is a University of Connecticut Research and Development Corporation Company. The company can be reached at http://www.renzullilearning.com or by calling (877) 429-1955.

About the National Urban Alliance

The NUA's work is focused on learning, teaching and student advocacy. The NUA's network of mentors are highly skilled and exemplary professionals in the field of education; many of whom have doctoral degrees. They come from all areas of the country and provide ongoing professional development activities for teachers and administrators focused on improving classroom instruction and student achievement. NUA mentors are teachers, administrators and university faculty who promote instructional and organizational strategies based upon the latest research on management, concept and cognitive development, reasoning, thinking, and higher-order comprehension skills. Interventions include support for administrative and organization arrangements conducive to improved schooling. As an advocacy group, NUA recognizes the new civil rights battle involves reaching out to support those whose life trajectories are challenged by poverty. NUA can be reached at http://www.nuatc.org or 800-NUA-4556.