New Hampshire

Great Public Schools Criteria

Great Public Schools Criteria refers to the seven elements needed for closing the achievement gaps and raising achievement for all students. The seven elements are: (1) readiness to learn, (2) high expectations, (3) quality conditions, (4) qualified staff, (5) accountability, (6) parental involvement, and (7) funding.

Read more below about the Great Public Schools Criteria in New Hampshire.

Readiness to Learn

Full-day Kindergarten:

• State Policy: Full-day kindergarten is not expressly required or prohibited by New Hampshire state statutes. Districts are not required to offer full-day kindergarten and children are not required to attend. New Hampshire provides less funding for kindergarten than for grades 1-12.
• Definition, District Offering and Pupil Attendance: A definition of the minimum number of hours for full-day kindergarten is not specified in New Hampshire state statutes.
• Funding: New Hampshire offers additional funding to districts offering kindergarten for the first time for a three-year period.
  Source: Education Commission of the States (ECS) Kindergarten Database, 2007

Quality Conditions

School Safety. The state enacted an anti-bullying statute that specifies that all parents involved in a student bullying incident must be informed by the principal within 48 hours of the occurrence of this incident and must be advised of their due process rights including the right to appeal to the state board of education, although the district superintendent may grant the principal a waiver from the notification requirement if the superintendent believes it is in the child’s best interest.

Basis: N.H. REV. STAT. ANN. § 193-F:2, 193-F:3

Parental Involvement

Even Start Family Literacy Program. Even Start is a federally-funded educational program offered in seven urban and rural communities across the state. Each program builds on existing educational resources and is sponsored through a partnership involving the local school district and community-based, non-profit organizations.

Even Start is designed to serve low-income families with low literacy skills. The instructional program integrates early childhood education, adult education, parent and child interactive literacy activities, and parenting education; it also connects families with existing community resources and support services.

Who is eligible? Low-income families with children from birth through age seven, who are most in need of literacy development, are eligible for enrollment. This includes families headed by teen parents who have not yet received a high school diploma, adults who wish to earn their GED, and those who are English language learners.

Core Program Components

• Early Childhood Education:
  The program ensures that young children are involved in focused literacy activities in high-quality preschools and kindergarten settings, as well as in elementary schools. New Hampshire Even Start primarily engages infants and toddlers in early language and literacy activities with their parents at home. Curriculum for all children is age-appropriate and based on scientific reading or reading readiness research.
• Adult Education:
  Adults enrolled in the program set individual literacy and self-sufficiency goals. They participate in classes which prepare them for GED testing or a high school diploma. English language instruction, academic tutoring, job readiness, and life skill training are also provided.
• Interactive Literacy Activities:
  This unique component strengthens parent-child relationships by providing time for enjoyable literacy activities where parents and children talk, read books, learn new skills, and play together.
• Parenting Education:
  In Even Start, parents are regarded as their child's first teachers. Parents learn new ways to support their child's early literacy development at home, in group settings, and at school.

Program Design. Families participate in a program that offers flexible, intensive, year-round instruction. In addition to enrolling adults and children in appropriate educational settings, an Even Start Family Literacy Instructor visits each family in their home on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. To help families participate in all four program components on a consistent basis, Even Start offers child care, light meals, and transportation to classes.

Source: http://www.ed.state.nh.us/education/doe/organization/instruction/boip/TitleI.htm#TitleIB