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Project for Alternative Learning1325 Poplar St Email: pal@helena.k12.mt.us Principal: Mr. Craig Crawford "Meet the New Guy"Come out to PAL this Thursday, September 9th, from 5-7 to meet Craig Crawford. Mr. Crawford is the new Alternative Education Coordinator for Helena Public Schools and the new administrator at PAL. ‘We Can Certainly Do Better’Posted: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 
Eliza Wiley Independent Record Eliza Wiley Independent Record – Craig Crawford has recently taken the position of alternative education coordinator for the Helena School District at the Project for Alternative Learning, PAL. His primary role will be the administrator for the school.
Craig Crawford is ready to roll up his sleeves and dig deep to make gains on Helena School District’s low graduation rate. Crawford, 43, began his new position as the alternative education coordinator for Helena Public Schools at the beginning of July. He hasn’t made any specific goals yet about Helena’s 72 percent graduation rate according to the Office of Public Instruction, but says it’s certainly not acceptable. “Our goal is to get them all graduated,” Crawford said. “That might not be realistic, but we can certainly do better, and that’s part of what we go after every day.” Superintendent Bruce Messinger says OPI’s numbers are problematic, and because the district uses a different way to collect drop-out data, is inaccurate. Messinger says the district’s rate is in the mid 80s and has been stable in recent years. OPI reports that the not only did the graduation rate in Helena drop in the 2008-09 school year from the previous year, but it’s also below those of Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls and Missoula. Each year the state data is computed in a different way, and different from district’s calculations, Messinger said. For example, if a student is in his or her fifth year in high school, they are considered a dropout with OPI, but not with the district, Messinger said. The differing opinions between the district superintendent and the state superintendent will change this spring, thanks to a new student identification number, which will enable the state to better track students when they transfer or drop out. Even so, Crawford says graduation rate is a top priority in his new position, and he plans to work with other administrators to address the local problem.
P. A. L. Mission StatementThis is our school: a place of knowledge, tolerance, respect and understanding. We welcome the people who want to be here, and we invite them to share in our unique learning community.
The Five P’S at PAL (A Framework for Behavior)In order to develop a framework for interaction at PAL the school has adopted the following as the basic rules:
· Be Prompt
· Be Positive
· Be Polite
· Be Prepared
· Be Productive
These are the rules for success at PAL and in life.
In order to better understand how these rules could apply to the school setting the students and staff discussed the specifics. Here is a poem that one of the groups came up with: “ Be Prepared everyday & Polite with what you say! Be Prompt every time & Being Productive is prime! **Most of all be Positive in your everyday life, because have a good attitude takes away pain and strife.
This really gets the idea across and let’s all make it apply.
PAL NEWSPAPER
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