INFORM � INSPIRE � IMPROVE |
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Just for the Kids
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Why are some schools helping more students reach higher standards than other schools? To answer that question, we spoke with district leaders, principals, and teachers at high- and average-performing schools across the country. From Lunalilo Elementary School in Hawaii to Von Steuben Middle School in Illinois to Palm Bay Senior High School in Florida, our researchers examined the practices of educators in schools that were consistently outperforming their peers. Those practices are the subject of this report. This report explores the possibility of reaching higher standards for all students in all schools and suggests the principles and practices for doing so. Of course, moving any school system from knowing what high-performing systems do, to doing what high-performing systems do is a complex process. Strong agreement about what high-performing systems do will begin to bring some order to that process. Using the structure of the National Center for Educational Achievement's (NCEA) Best Practice Framework, this report presents the practices of high-performing schools in each state. Though a full report of our findings follows, we want to share an overview of just a few of those practices here. One practice, which relates to the Framework theme of Curriculum and Academic Goals, is the pursuit of rigorous course content across a broad range of academic levels in high-performing schools. This includes higher expectations for the work of students characterized as "average" or "below average," more aggressive efforts to enroll borderline students in advanced classes, and more frequent access to the school's top teachers for average students. At Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in Florida, educators said that the "culture of high expectations is applied to students at all performance levels, not just to the academically advanced." Students in all academic courses expect homework assignments that require approximately two hours of time each day to complete for each class. Within the Framework theme of Staff Selection, Leadership, and Capacity Building, the quality of instructional collaboration was the most significant factor noted in high-performing schools. Selma High School in California has instituted "focus lesson meetings." During these meetings, administrators and teachers from at least two departments gather, and one staff member shares a lesson. The team discusses instructional strategies and materials that might enhance the lesson. This "Focus Lesson" is then delivered to all students in at least one of each participating staff member's classes. At the end of the lesson, a common assessment is given. Then the full group discusses the resulting student achievement data. "Differentiation, not remediation" is a statement we heard continually when querying our high-performing schools about the Framework theme Instructional Programs, Practices, and Arrangements. Using flexible grouping with an intense focus on individual learners, educators in New York told us they had shifted from placing students in appropriate programs to providing appropriate [differentiated] instruction within every classroom. Another high-impact practice in some Oklahoma schools is "looping," in which a teacher from one grade follows her students to the subsequent grade. Teachers told us that looping allows them to continue the successful approaches to meeting their students' needs. Schools in Illinois and New Jersey also encourage looping. In New Jersey, Mullica Township Primary School places a strong emphasis on writing. Students begin daily journal writing in kindergarten and are proficient, confident writers by the time they reach third grade. The school has its own "post office," and mail is delivered throughout the day. The principal occasionally uses student writing in faculty meetings, placing anonymous samples on the overhead projector to provide teachers with professional development in evaluating student writing samples. Teachers then share these evaluations with their students. Through peer evaluation and via the school's mail system, students, teachers, and administrators are building their own learning community. Though state assessments vary from state to state, and though most of the schools we studied use a wide variety of additional assessments, all of the high-performing schools we visited draw data from multiple assessments and use those data to inform every decision. These practices are described within the Framework theme of Monitoring: Compilation, Analysis, and Use of Data. Educators in virtually every state gave examples of how their focus on data had altered curriculum and instruction in their schools. Finally, to address the Framework theme Recognition, Intervention, and Adjustment, we surveyed interviewees about their practices in response to student success or the need for additional assistance. Educators in California, Illinois, Florida, New York, and Texas told us that, with greater frequency, what they once considered "interventions" are now integral fibers of the primary structures and strategies in every classroom for every student. We've described some of the highlights from the study, but there is much more in the following reports. As you read this work, you're likely to find a school among these high-performers that is demographically similar to yours. And among the descriptions, you're likely to find schools that share some of the concerns you have at your school or in your district. We encourage you to consider how some of these best practices might help you and your students achieve even the most ambitious of your academic goals. Sincerely, |
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Mike Hudson, J.D. |
Jean Rutherford, Ed.D. |
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