The three characteristics that help low performing schools turn around are fostering caring relationships that build student resiliency and self esteem, setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn, and creating a school climate that is focused and collaborative not only among staff members, but with students, their parents, and the community at large.
In Ulysses, there is encouragement for teachers to make home or porch visits at the beginning of the year in an effort to establish relationships and create a welcoming environment. At Hickok Elementary, there is a first to second grade loop allowing teachers to know their students better and create relationships with families. Across the board, there are more teachers who give families their home and cell numbers to provide easier access when students have questions. At UHS, they have assigned students to differing teachers during Seminar to give students opportunity to be in smaller groups with individual adults who can oversee their success and create relationships.
In the belief that all students can learn, across the board there are more teachers allowing students to retake tests and redo problems missed on homework and there are teachers who constantly work with students after school to have opportunity for tutoring. There is strong support for ESL And SPED students in each school where there is more likely an inclusionary environment than not.
In the area of the creation of a collaborative community, the schools have all developed Professional Learning Communities to collaborate within differing disciplines. At Kepley, they have developed the All Day Everyday (ADED) program with feedback from teachers and students to create a system of positive behavioral supports. At UHS, they have worked on a system of positive behavioral supports for the past two and a half years. UHS has a tradition of athletics, clubs, and groups offering students opportunity for success in a wide variety of community activities. Each school also has a good connection with local organizations that include the Recreation department, Area Mental Health, and the Extension office.
We also have after school programs and it is really helping our students that stuggle in math or reading get a better understanding of the skills. Our school also does MTSS. We break the students into small groups at the end of the day. They may work on non-sense words, reading fluency, or letter naming and sounds. This really helps the student improve on the skills that the are struggling in. In the near future we are also going to be doing math.
I like the idea of letting students retake/redo lessons and tests because really the end goal is for the students to learn the concept -- not to see if he/she could get it on the first try.
1. Fostering caring relationships-- I think it is important to foster relationships with parents as well as students. A parent'' attitude can make a big difference in how a child responds to the teacher. We try to keep open lines of communication with parents. we are also very careful to send home positive reports as well as negative ones. Our school also hosts a carnival to get parents into the school and we have meal and just let the families have fun together.
2. setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn-- If you were a coach teaching the students to vault over a bar, would you set it at 12 inches or a few feet? If you set it at 12 inches, they will only give enough effort to jump a foot off the ground. If the bar is higher they have to put more effort in and they will gain the skills to jump higher. It is the same in education, you need to set the bar high enough that the student can gain more strength and reach higher. in our building we set the goals high and encourage the students to reach for them. We have inclusion in our classrooms, this means that the students who struggle may need some modifications or assistance but they are learning what the rest of their peers are learning.
3. initiating focused collaborative effort among staff, parents and community--We have PLC meetings every Wednesday for the teachers to collaborate. WE stay at school until 9pm on PTC nights to accommodate parents who work in an effort to involve them in their child's education.
Fostering Caring Relationships: Teachers and the student council have taken the lead in supporting a student who is undergoing cancer treatments (and her family). Teachers come early , stay late and work through lunch to give students extra help where needed. Setting High Academic Standards: This year my school has focused on academics by holding students accountable for eligibility and grades on a weekly basis. If a student has 1 F or 2 D’s they are ineligible. A grade of D or below puts them on “watch” and they are in study halls during enrichment 4 times a week to receive more individual attention. Initiating focused collaborative effort among staff, parents and community: our district has iniated porch visits. Staff members are meeting in departmental PLC groups once a week. The school works with Area Mental Health, the county Extension office and the local ministerial alliance to meet the needs of students and their families.
I like how student's are being help accountable. This puts the ball in there court and by givning them enrichment it also holds the teachers accountable. Great job.
Fostering Caring Relationships- The fostering of caring can be done just by checking in with students. We start off each year with meeting the parents or porch visits. We have also started an art/yoga club for one class before school begins.
Setting high standards- Teachers are starting to do more interventions for students who are not making the grade. They are also building the rigor and relevance in their curriculum to enhance student achievement.
Staff collaboration- Our principal is really trying to work on staff collaboration. I think that our professional development days are going to start being gearing more towards team/grade level collaboration.
dclodfelter- We also have PLC every week during one planning time. I believe this really helps to work as a team and generate good ideas and support throughout the grade level.
Alan- I also loop with my students as they move through our school. I think it really helps to get to know them and know what I need to be doing to support them as they move up through school.
Fostering Caring relationships is important for any student no matter what their social economic status may be. It is important for students to think that their teacher cares and understands them without judgement. It is apparent when teachers have their favorites. Students as young as first and second grade can pick up on it. This will make the students question their education in later years.
Setting High standards is also important. In our school we have awards assemblies and parties when we achieve high standards on the state assessments. There are trophies given, parents come, and it is a big deal. I think that by having this party creates an atmosphere that this is a big deal and we need to try hard to do the best that we can on these tests.
Staff Collaboration is another area that is important. In our school the elementary side of the building has monthly meeting. At this time the teachers and the principal get together and discuss areas of improvement, areas that need to be improved, and skills that we as a team need to work on. We also have snacks and it is a nice time for us to touch base and see what is going on in the other grade levels. I feel that by bringing us together help maintain a better teaching atmosphere.
I agree that students can tell very quickly if they are liked by a teacher or not - -and how heartbreaking for that student. Fostering relationships with students is essential.
The 3 areas are fostering caring relationships, setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn, and initiating focused collaborative effort among staff, parents and community.
In my building, I see staff members fostering caring relationships often. Usually I see them creating relationships with students they relate to, for instance, the cheer coach has a very close relationship with the students on the cheer team and the Spanish teacher has close relationships with students who are native Spanish speakers.
The Algebra teacher tried a flipped classroom at the beginning of the school year. She did this so students didn’t have homework at night that they were unable to do without help. They can watch a 5 minute video of the instruction needed for the next day and know that during class they can work with a partner or ask her questions if they need help on their homework. I think a primary reason for doing this was to help students achieve and do better. I think that she feels it has been a positive and successful experience.
In the past year, I have observed a great deal of collaboration, especially between the middle school and high school teachers. The administrators wanted to have a continuity in curriculum that comes from looking at transitions from building to building and then discussing what is taught each year. Teachers have also discussed how to build the content around the Common Core Standards.
The "flipped classroom" in Algebra sounds intriguing. Trainsitions from building to building is so important. It is a "big deal" for students to move from grade school to junior high as well as from junior high school to high school. Even when the jr. high and the high school are in the same building.
1. Fostering caring relationships - I see several teachers who take the time and make the effort to build caring relationships with students and parents. We encourage the involvement of parents in interventions and IEP's and interview students for these to help them know we care. 2. Setting High Academic Standards - we celebrate student achievements, posting work, having parties for, class, reading, and state assesssment goals, giving awards quarterly. The focus on the common core has again raised the bar, with "appropriate dissatisfaction" with the status quo. 3. Staff Collaboration - the buildings I work in have joint planning time for grade levels and departments, with team meetings weekly. There are efforts being made to allow for planning across grade levels and departments a couple times a year.
I think a lot of schools are trying to help students achieve. As I read your post and that of the others I am impressed how so many are trying to make school more successful for students.
1. Fostering caring relationships – teachers and staff volunteer to work with students before and after required school time to assist students. I see teachers greet students by name when they meet in the hallways and they ask them about their evening; they take students aside to have conversations with them; teachers attend school activities to show support for students. 2. Setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn – our building has an Assisted School Program (ASP) which is required attendance for students failing a class. If a student remains on the list for longer than one week, the time they spend before or after school is increased. We expect students to pass classes and do their best. 3. Initiating focused collaborative effort among staff, parents and community – all Scott Community High School teachers voluntarily attended a technology inservice on IPads this summer, what better time for collaboration to occur than during a relaxed summer day! Faculty meetings are held on an ‘as needed’ basis by departments. Freshmen and new students and their parents are invited to an open house the evening before school begins.
Three areas to turnabout low performing schools are fostering caring relationships (open dialogue through phone, email, and texting keeps relationship building in the forefront), setting high academic standards (inclusion sets higher standards for our sped kids and also give others a chance to be peer tutors), and initiating focused collaborative effort (our buildings have monthly meetings with community members as well as teachers to discuss the direction the school should be heading).
Community involvement is important to education. I child is raised in a community so their support is very important. It is positive to see that your school is keeing ongoing collaboration going with community members.
1). Fostering Caring Relationships - students are taught to give back to the community and to each other. My school had a community food drive, sang carols to the residents at nursing home, decorates the local bank with art work - -so many different ways kids can give back without spending money.
2. Setting High Academic Standards -each students is expected to achieve and is given extra resources through tutoring during the day and after school, differentiated instruction and leveled reading groups. They continually collect and use data on each of their students.
3. Staff Collaboration:; Every Wed morning teachers have horizontal and vertical PLC meetings. Each grade level gets a sub day during each semester to team plan, collect data etc. And we also have lots of celebrations - -luncheons, awards etc.
Your staff collaboration sounds great. I think my school is lacking in that area - there is a noticeable lack of cohesiveness and trust between teachers, and in my opinion, the principal. It might be a little better this year, but it's not good enough.
1. Fostering caring relationships builds students' resilience and self-esteem. Our school encourages teachers to do porch visits or home visits. In early childhood education, a lot of our services are provided in the child's home.
2. Setting high academic standards is the belief that all students can learn. Our school has been training the staff on common core standards. The middle school and the high school offer advanced placement courses and encourage students to achieve. They also have programs in place to help children who need extra help.
3. Use a collaborative and focused effort among all parties that provides student engagement in learning. Our school has PLC meetings with coworkers. They have parent/teacher conferences that try to be friendly to parent schedules.
1.) Fostering caring relationships that build students’ resilience and self-esteem (The teachers in my building KNOW the kids. They know their background, what’s going on at home, stressors they might be dealing with, etc. and they take all of this into consideration while teaching. Additionally, I consistently see these teachers going above and beyond to help out a student going through a tough situation, and they let students know that they will always have someone to talk to if need be. And really, it’s not just teachers. It’s the principal, superintendent, custodian, secretary, EVERYBODY that could possibly interact with a student demonstrates this same attitude. It’s like a giant family.) 2.) Setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn (Because the teachers have such a great understanding of their students, I think they do a really good job of setting high, yet realistic, goals for them to achieve. With this example in particular, I think of a teacher I work with who takes a tough love approach with some of her students because they’re lacking this in other aspects of their lives and seem to respond best to it. I remember hearing this teacher out in the hall with one student, and among other comments made to set the student straight, affirmed that the student WOULD learn this, because the teacher KNEW the student could learn it, that it might just take a little more time, etc. The teacher never let up on this kid, and eventually, the student accomplished everything the teacher said he/she would.) 3.) Initiating a focused and collaborative effort among staff members (My building has weekly faculty meetings, and numerous emails are sent out daily to update faculty/staff on what’s going on with the district and its students. Also, because this building is such a close-knit, family-type unit, it seems like there are pretty consistent lines of communication going on in addition to the meetings and emails. Overall, I’d say everyone is generally on the same page, and typically, there aren’t gaping holes in communication.)
Alan~ One of my good friends is a teacher at a very low SES elementary school in Garden City. They started looping K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 this year, and she loves it. She said that by doing this, she doesn’t have to use as much time learning about her students and figuring stuff out at the beginning of the year. She already knows their home situations, where their skills are, what they need next, and she can just jump right in with instruction. I haven’t been in a school yet that does this, but I think it sounds like a pretty good setup. I also haven’t heard anything negative about this type of program yet (That I can remember at least, haha!).
Jloftquist~ The “flipped classroom” sounds like a great idea. On several occasions when I’ve talked with parents, they’ve expressed that homework is a struggle, and that they’d love to help their child, but they don’t understand the assignments either. It’s nice to hear that your teacher took this into consideration, and also that she seems to be experiencing such success with it.
I think the looping sounds like a neat idea. I can definitely see the benefits for teachers, kids and parents due to the lack of time needed to get to know each other.
1. Fostering Caring Relationships - It is extremely important for those in poverty to know that someone cares. I try to provide a good relationship with students. In my school, the teachers know the kids, their whole family, and it is amazing how close some teachers are with their students’ families. 2. Setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn - Teachers set high goals with the background knowledge of what the student might be dealing with at home. Each teacher takes that into consideration. We also celebrate achievements. 3. Initiating focused and collaborative effect among staff,parents, and community - In our school we have faculty meetings every week and MTSS meetings bimonthly. The staff at the school stays until 7pm for parent/teacher conferences to accommodate for parents who work.
Blhoryna--I agree with you, the school that we work at is very in tune with the families in the community and the teachers do a great job of maintaining communication with them throughout the year. It is wonderful to have such a 'family'-like atmosphere.
Margie--Porch visits or homevisits at the beginning of the year sounds like a great idea. I am sure it conveys how much the educators really care about their children.
Fostering caring relationships that build students' resilience and self-esteem-this year our building has started doing "pat on the back" program where children get to put their hand print on a t shirt if they have followed guidelines set by the teachers. Teachers have commented that the children are very motivated by this program. Setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn-our building has implemented the common core standards with reading this year. Initiating a focused and collaborative effort among staff members, parents, and the community to engage and challenge students to learn the things they need to learn-the principal has grade level meetings with the teachers, so they are able to get together and collaborate their lessons.
Building a caring relationship - building relationships so that students know a teacher, principal or other staff care and will try to help them along. High academic standards - making sure all students are pushed to and past their limits making them better learners. Collaborative effort w/ parents, community and staff- everyone working together to help students.
In Ulysses we have back to school night and do home/porch visits. We communicate with the community, parents and staff to create a safe learning environment. We hold all kids accountable to learn at my middle school our 8th hour we have interventions, study skills and homework sites to help students achieve academic success. We build relationships by communicating and sharing our backgrounds with students. We take the time to listen to what they have to say.
Three school turn arounds are: fostering caring relationships: these can build student resilience and self esteem which is very important to student success. setting high academic standards - letting students know we have high expectations makes a big difference. If we don't believe in their ability to learn, who will? Having a focused and collaborative community: This means working with staff, parents, community and everyone involved.
In my school, there are some good examples and not so good examples of all 3. Most teachers do everything they can to build good relationships. They stay after school to help, come in early for kids, go to their Saturday activities, etc. I try to go to the youth games on Saturdays - it seems to be important to my kids and gives us a connection on the Monday after I've watched them play. Setting high expectations: I think most of the teachers I work with are good at this. I think letting kids know that we believe they can do something is the best way to do this. The jr. high/high school has a great collaborative relationship with the public library. One of the ladies works with teachers and students, has leadership groups, movie nights, etc. It's a great way for the older students to see that there are many adults who care about them.
The three characteristics that help low performing schools turn around are fostering caring relationships that build student resiliency and self esteem, setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn, and creating a school climate that is focused and collaborative not only among staff members, but with students, their parents, and the community at large.
ReplyDeleteIn Ulysses, there is encouragement for teachers to make home or porch visits at the beginning of the year in an effort to establish relationships and create a welcoming environment. At Hickok Elementary, there is a first to second grade loop allowing teachers to know their students better and create relationships with families. Across the board, there are more teachers who give families their home and cell numbers to provide easier access when students have questions. At UHS, they have assigned students to differing teachers during Seminar to give students opportunity to be in smaller groups with individual adults who can oversee their success and create relationships.
In the belief that all students can learn, across the board there are more teachers allowing students to retake tests and redo problems missed on homework and there are teachers who constantly work with students after school to have opportunity for tutoring. There is strong support for ESL And SPED students in each school where there is more likely an inclusionary environment than not.
In the area of the creation of a collaborative community, the schools have all developed Professional Learning Communities to collaborate within differing disciplines. At Kepley, they have developed the All Day Everyday (ADED) program with feedback from teachers and students to create a system of positive behavioral supports. At UHS, they have worked on a system of positive behavioral supports for the past two and a half years. UHS has a tradition of athletics, clubs, and groups offering students opportunity for success in a wide variety of community activities. Each school also has a good connection with local organizations that include the Recreation department, Area Mental Health, and the Extension office.
We also have after school programs and it is really helping our students that stuggle in math or reading get a better understanding of the skills. Our school also does MTSS. We break the students into small groups at the end of the day. They may work on non-sense words, reading fluency, or letter naming and sounds. This really helps the student improve on the skills that the are struggling in. In the near future we are also going to be doing math.
DeleteI like the idea of letting students retake/redo lessons and tests because really the end goal is for the students to learn the concept -- not to see if he/she could get it on the first try.
Delete1. Fostering caring relationships-- I think it is important to foster relationships with parents as well as students. A parent'' attitude can make a big difference in how a child responds to the teacher. We try to keep open lines of communication with parents. we are also very careful to send home positive reports as well as negative ones. Our school also hosts a carnival to get parents into the school and we have meal and just let the families have fun together.
ReplyDelete2. setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn-- If you were a coach teaching the students to vault over a bar, would you set it at 12 inches or a few feet? If you set it at 12 inches, they will only give enough effort to jump a foot off the ground. If the bar is higher they have to put more effort in and they will gain the skills to jump higher. It is the same in education, you need to set the bar high enough that the student can gain more strength and reach higher. in our building we set the goals high and encourage the students to reach for them. We have inclusion in our classrooms, this means that the students who struggle may need some modifications or assistance but they are learning what the rest of their peers are learning.
3. initiating focused collaborative effort among staff, parents and community--We have PLC meetings every Wednesday for the
teachers to collaborate. WE stay at school until 9pm on PTC nights to accommodate parents who work in an effort to involve them in their child's education.
Fostering Caring Relationships: Teachers and the student council have taken the lead in supporting a student who is undergoing cancer treatments (and her family). Teachers come early , stay late and work through lunch to give students extra help where needed.
ReplyDeleteSetting High Academic Standards: This year my school has focused on academics by holding students accountable for eligibility and grades on a weekly basis. If a student has 1 F or 2 D’s they are ineligible. A grade of D or below puts them on “watch” and they are in study halls during enrichment 4 times a week to receive more individual attention.
Initiating focused collaborative effort among staff, parents and community: our district has iniated porch visits. Staff members are meeting in departmental PLC groups once a week. The school works with Area Mental Health, the county Extension office and the local ministerial alliance to meet the needs of students and their families.
I like how student's are being help accountable. This puts the ball in there court and by givning them enrichment it also holds the teachers accountable. Great job.
DeleteI like the extension of collaboration into the community agencies beyond just a "wrap around" for a student or two.
DeletePretty awesome, Karen. It sounds like the school community has stretched their boundaries to include more than just the academics.
DeleteFostering Caring Relationships- The fostering of caring can be done just by checking in with students. We start off each year with meeting the parents or porch visits. We have also started an art/yoga club for one class before school begins.
ReplyDeleteSetting high standards- Teachers are starting to do more interventions for students who are not making the grade. They are also building the rigor and relevance in their curriculum to enhance student achievement.
Staff collaboration- Our principal is really trying to work on staff collaboration. I think that our professional development days are going to start being gearing more towards team/grade level collaboration.
dclodfelter- We also have PLC every week during one planning time. I believe this really helps to work as a team and generate good ideas and support throughout the grade level.
ReplyDeleteAlan- I also loop with my students as they move through our school. I think it really helps to get to know them and know what I need to be doing to support them as they move up through school.
Fostering Caring relationships is important for any student no matter what their social economic status may be. It is important for students to think that their teacher cares and understands them without judgement. It is apparent when teachers have their favorites. Students as young as first and second grade can pick up on it. This will make the students question their education in later years.
ReplyDeleteSetting High standards is also important. In our school we have awards assemblies and parties when we achieve high standards on the state assessments. There are trophies given, parents come, and it is a big deal. I think that by having this party creates an atmosphere that this is a big deal and we need to try hard to do the best that we can on these tests.
Staff Collaboration is another area that is important. In our school the elementary side of the building has monthly meeting. At this time the teachers and the principal get together and discuss areas of improvement, areas that need to be improved, and skills that we as a team need to work on. We also have snacks and it is a nice time for us to touch base and see what is going on in the other grade levels. I feel that by bringing us together help maintain a better teaching atmosphere.
Celebrating state assessments is a neat idea. Too often academics don't get the same attention that sports do.
DeleteStaff collaboration is so important. It's good that you're getting time to do this every month.
I agree that students can tell very quickly if they are liked by a teacher or not - -and how heartbreaking for that student. Fostering relationships with students is essential.
DeleteThe 3 areas are fostering caring relationships, setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn, and initiating focused collaborative effort among staff, parents and community.
ReplyDeleteIn my building, I see staff members fostering caring relationships often. Usually I see them creating relationships with students they relate to, for instance, the cheer coach has a very close relationship with the students on the cheer team and the Spanish teacher has close relationships with students who are native Spanish speakers.
The Algebra teacher tried a flipped classroom at the beginning of the school year. She did this so students didn’t have homework at night that they were unable to do without help. They can watch a 5 minute video of the instruction needed for the next day and know that during class they can work with a partner or ask her questions if they need help on their homework. I think a primary reason for doing this was to help students achieve and do better. I think that she feels it has been a positive and successful experience.
In the past year, I have observed a great deal of collaboration, especially between the middle school and high school teachers. The administrators wanted to have a continuity in curriculum that comes from looking at transitions from building to building and then discussing what is taught each year. Teachers have also discussed how to build the content around the Common Core Standards.
The "flipped classroom" in Algebra sounds intriguing. Trainsitions from building to building is so important. It is a "big deal" for students to move from grade school to junior high as well as from junior high school to high school. Even when the jr. high and the high school are in the same building.
DeleteI agree. Giving students the upper hand in what's coming up is simply setting the background. Good teaching. Good job.
Delete1. Fostering caring relationships - I see several teachers who take the time and make the effort to build caring relationships with students and parents. We encourage the involvement of parents in interventions and IEP's and interview students for these to help them know we care.
ReplyDelete2. Setting High Academic Standards - we celebrate student achievements, posting work, having parties for, class, reading, and state assesssment goals, giving awards quarterly. The focus on the common core has again raised the bar, with "appropriate dissatisfaction" with the status quo.
3. Staff Collaboration - the buildings I work in have joint planning time for grade levels and departments, with team meetings weekly. There are efforts being made to allow for planning across grade levels and departments a couple times a year.
I think a lot of schools are trying to help students achieve. As I read your post and that of the others I am impressed how so many are trying to make school more successful for students.
Delete1. Fostering caring relationships – teachers and staff volunteer to work with students before and after required school time to assist students. I see teachers greet students by name when they meet in the hallways and they ask them about their evening; they take students aside to have conversations with them; teachers attend school activities to show support for students.
ReplyDelete2. Setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn – our building has an Assisted School Program (ASP) which is required attendance for students failing a class. If a student remains on the list for longer than one week, the time they spend before or after school is increased. We expect students to pass classes and do their best.
3. Initiating focused collaborative effort among staff, parents and community – all Scott Community High School teachers voluntarily attended a technology inservice on IPads this summer, what better time for collaboration to occur than during a relaxed summer day! Faculty meetings are held on an ‘as needed’ basis by departments. Freshmen and new students and their parents are invited to an open house the evening before school begins.
Three areas to turnabout low performing schools are fostering caring relationships (open dialogue through phone, email, and texting keeps relationship building in the forefront), setting high academic standards (inclusion sets higher standards for our sped kids and also give others a chance to be peer tutors), and initiating focused collaborative effort (our buildings have monthly meetings with community members as well as teachers to discuss the direction the school should be heading).
ReplyDeleteCommunity involvement is important to education. I child is raised in a community so their support is very important. It is positive to see that your school is keeing ongoing collaboration going with community members.
Delete1). Fostering Caring Relationships - students are taught to give back to the community and to each other. My school had a community food drive, sang carols to the residents at nursing home, decorates the local bank with art work - -so many different ways kids can give back without spending money.
ReplyDelete2. Setting High Academic Standards -each students is expected to achieve and is given extra resources through tutoring during the day and after school, differentiated instruction and leveled reading groups. They continually collect and use data on each of their students.
3. Staff Collaboration:; Every Wed morning teachers have horizontal and vertical PLC meetings. Each grade level gets a sub day during each semester to team plan, collect data etc. And we also have lots of celebrations - -luncheons, awards etc.
Your staff collaboration sounds great. I think my school is lacking in that area - there is a noticeable lack of cohesiveness and trust between teachers, and in my opinion, the principal. It might be a little better this year, but it's not good enough.
Delete1. Fostering caring relationships builds students' resilience and self-esteem. Our school encourages teachers to do porch visits or home visits. In early childhood education, a lot of our services are provided in the child's home.
ReplyDelete2. Setting high academic standards is the belief that all students can learn. Our school has been training the staff on common core standards. The middle school and the high school offer advanced placement courses and encourage students to achieve. They also have programs in place to help children who need extra help.
3. Use a collaborative and focused effort among all parties that provides student engagement in learning. Our school has PLC meetings with coworkers. They have parent/teacher conferences that try to be friendly to parent schedules.
1.) Fostering caring relationships that build students’ resilience and self-esteem (The teachers in my building KNOW the kids. They know their background, what’s going on at home, stressors they might be dealing with, etc. and they take all of this into consideration while teaching. Additionally, I consistently see these teachers going above and beyond to help out a student going through a tough situation, and they let students know that they will always have someone to talk to if need be. And really, it’s not just teachers. It’s the principal, superintendent, custodian, secretary, EVERYBODY that could possibly interact with a student demonstrates this same attitude. It’s like a giant family.)
ReplyDelete2.) Setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn (Because the teachers have such a great understanding of their students, I think they do a really good job of setting high, yet realistic, goals for them to achieve. With this example in particular, I think of a teacher I work with who takes a tough love approach with some of her students because they’re lacking this in other aspects of their lives and seem to respond best to it. I remember hearing this teacher out in the hall with one student, and among other comments made to set the student straight, affirmed that the student WOULD learn this, because the teacher KNEW the student could learn it, that it might just take a little more time, etc. The teacher never let up on this kid, and eventually, the student accomplished everything the teacher said he/she would.)
3.) Initiating a focused and collaborative effort among staff members (My building has weekly faculty meetings, and numerous emails are sent out daily to update faculty/staff on what’s going on with the district and its students. Also, because this building is such a close-knit, family-type unit, it seems like there are pretty consistent lines of communication going on in addition to the meetings and emails. Overall, I’d say everyone is generally on the same page, and typically, there aren’t gaping holes in communication.)
Alan~
One of my good friends is a teacher at a very low SES elementary school in Garden City. They started looping K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 this year, and she loves it. She said that by doing this, she doesn’t have to use as much time learning about her students and figuring stuff out at the beginning of the year. She already knows their home situations, where their skills are, what they need next, and she can just jump right in with instruction. I haven’t been in a school yet that does this, but I think it sounds like a pretty good setup. I also haven’t heard anything negative about this type of program yet (That I can remember at least, haha!).
Jloftquist~
The “flipped classroom” sounds like a great idea. On several occasions when I’ve talked with parents, they’ve expressed that homework is a struggle, and that they’d love to help their child, but they don’t understand the assignments either. It’s nice to hear that your teacher took this into consideration, and also that she seems to be experiencing such success with it.
I think the looping sounds like a neat idea. I can definitely see the benefits for teachers, kids and parents due to the lack of time needed to get to know each other.
Delete1. Fostering Caring Relationships - It is extremely important for those in poverty to know that someone cares. I try to provide a good relationship with students. In my school, the teachers know the kids, their whole family, and it is amazing how close some teachers are with their students’ families.
ReplyDelete2. Setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn - Teachers set high goals with the background knowledge of what the student might be dealing with at home. Each teacher takes that into consideration. We also celebrate achievements.
3. Initiating focused and collaborative effect among staff,parents, and community - In our school we have faculty meetings every week and MTSS meetings bimonthly. The staff at the school stays until 7pm for parent/teacher conferences to accommodate for parents who work.
Blhoryna--I agree with you, the school that we work at is very in tune with the families in the community and the teachers do a great job of maintaining communication with them throughout the year. It is wonderful to have such a 'family'-like atmosphere.
Margie--Porch visits or homevisits at the beginning of the year sounds like a great idea. I am sure it conveys how much the educators really care about their children.
Fostering caring relationships that build students' resilience and self-esteem-this year our building has started doing "pat on the back" program where children get to put their hand print on a t shirt if they have followed guidelines set by the teachers. Teachers have commented that the children are very motivated by this program. Setting high academic standards in the belief that all students can learn-our building has implemented the common core standards with reading this year. Initiating a focused and collaborative effort among staff members, parents, and the community to engage and challenge students to learn the things they need to learn-the principal has grade level meetings with the teachers, so they are able to get together and collaborate their lessons.
ReplyDeleteBuilding a caring relationship - building relationships so that students know a teacher, principal or other staff care and will try to help them along.
ReplyDeleteHigh academic standards - making sure all students are pushed to and past their limits making them better learners.
Collaborative effort w/ parents, community and staff- everyone working together to help students.
In Ulysses we have back to school night and do home/porch visits. We communicate with the community, parents and staff to create a safe learning environment. We hold all kids accountable to learn at my middle school our 8th hour we have interventions, study skills and homework sites to help students achieve academic success. We build relationships by communicating and sharing our backgrounds with students. We take the time to listen to what they have to say.
Three school turn arounds are:
ReplyDeletefostering caring relationships: these can build student resilience and self esteem which is very important to student success.
setting high academic standards - letting students know we have high expectations makes a big difference. If we don't believe in their ability to learn, who will?
Having a focused and collaborative community: This means working with staff, parents, community and everyone involved.
In my school, there are some good examples and not so good examples of all 3. Most teachers do everything they can to build good relationships. They stay after school to help, come in early for kids, go to their Saturday activities, etc. I try to go to the youth games on Saturdays - it seems to be important to my kids and gives us a connection on the Monday after I've watched them play.
Setting high expectations: I think most of the teachers I work with are good at this. I think letting kids know that we believe they can do something is the best way to do this.
The jr. high/high school has a great collaborative relationship with the public library. One of the ladies works with teachers and students, has leadership groups, movie nights, etc. It's a great way for the older students to see that there are many adults who care about them.