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PRESENTING SCHOOLS:
Barberton High School—Barberton,
OH
Demographics: Suburban
Population: 1100 students
Teaming and
Student-Centered Programming
Barberton High School began the restructuring process three years ago as
they developed a program that would better support student learning and
engagement. Their efforts led to small learning communities being
established at the 9th, 10th and 11th grade, as well as the
implementation of a flex-block and full-block schedule. Through teaming
initiatives they have redefined inclusion practices, developed
cross-curricular programming and launched an advisory program that
supports preparation for standardized testing, study skills development,
and student led conferences. Participants will learn how to engage their
colleagues in conversation as they define the environment needed for
small learning communities within their home district. They will learn
how to create and support a unique master schedule focused on meeting
the needs of diverse learners.
B.F.
Terry High School—Rosenberg,
TX
Demographics: Suburban
Population: 1,700 students
Increased Academic
Performance at a High Minority, Low SES, Underperforming High School
Terry High School has a long history of low and under-performing test
scores, particularly in the areas of math and science. After missing AYP
and entering Stage 2 School Improvement, the campus made remarkable
gains in scores, particularly in the areas of math and science. The
campus met AYP targets and became a Texas Recognized Campus in 2009 and
2010 and student academic performance continues to climb. The changes
were implemented over a 3-year period, continue today, and have
dramatically impacted the performance and culture of the campus.
Participants will learn the how-to’s for making this same kind of
difference in their own school.
Crockett
County High School—Alamo,
TN
Demographics: Rural
Population: 819 students
Engaging All
Stakeholders in the Learning Process
Federal and Tennessee State requirements are putting accountability for
student success at the forefront of all educators. The Crockett County
School System, specifically Crockett County High School, uses multiple
strategies to engage stakeholders (students, teachers, administrators,
parents, community) in the learning process, enrich the knowledge
gained, and empower all stakeholders to be proactive in educational
endeavors. Through the use of data analysis, teachers are trained to
understand a student’s educational history and they use this to drive
instructional planning and teaching. Crockett County High School
continuously monitors and modifies literacy (i.e. teacher creation of
programs to meet the specific needs of the students through
collaboration of the entire staff). In this session, participants will
learn how the strategies Crockett County High School implements put
student success is at the forefront of all decisions with a new emphasis
being placed on the daily schedule to involve remediation, enrichment,
and overall school culture.
Franklin
Middle School—Champaign,
IL
Demographics: Urban
Population: 575 students
E2=Exceeding
Expectations to Close the Achievement Gap
Franklin Middle School is located in the heart of an economically
challenged neighborhood in the small urban city of Champaign in central
Illinois. As a result of years of racial discord, segregation, and
lawsuits, the Champaign Unit 4 School District adopted a judicial
consent decree outlining an educational equity agreement. In this
session, administrators will discuss how the mandate of the consent
decree helped their school strategically work to implement systems,
programs, training and activities to move a wide array of students on a
trajectory of Excellence. Educators will walk away reinvigorated and
inspired to reach beyond the norms and work together collaboratively to
close the achievement gap and lead their students on a path towards
post-secondary dreams.
Haymon-Morris
Middle School—Winder,
GA
Demographics: Rural
Population: 737
students
The Power of Teacher
Leadership
The teachers and
staff at Haymon-Morris Middle School have created a safe, caring, serene
and challenging environment for its 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. We
believe students must feel safe, respected and loved before they will
strive for excellence in their learning. The keys to our success lie in
the programs that our teacher leaders have developed. Through close
advisory sessions where each student is known well by an adult,
student-learning styles are respected and academic strengths and needs
are assessed. Our dedicated faculty personalizes the learning experience
for each student so that excellence is within reach of all students. In
this session, participants will learn how a combination of collaborative
planning, shared leadership and respect for all has resulted in both
student and teacher success. H-MMS continues to provide high levels of
achievement for each of our students who represent a diverse population
and a high rate of poverty. In opening this school in 2005 the teachers
created the vision for Haymon-Morris Middle School “where caring,
patience and consistency inspire excellence”.
Lincoln
High School—Yonkers,
NY
Demographics: Urban
Population: 1,288
students
Developing an
Effective Ninth Grade Teacher Team
Lincoln High School
is a High Performing/Gap Closing school located in a residential section
in the southeast corner of the Yonkers City School District. Although
situated in a county that is among the nation’s top ten economically
advantaged; 85% of our students are eligible for free/reduced lunch; 13%
are classified as in need of special education services, and 7% are
classified as English Language Learners. This year Lincoln High School
will continue to sustain its Smaller Learning Communities initiative
through collaboration and a specific plan to work within distinct and
unique academies with a focus on business development and finance. The
Lincoln High School staff, especially in the ninth grade, has become a
high functioning Professional Learning Community. Teachers meet daily
during common planning time to review student data, look at student work
and conference with students. In this session participants will learn
more about the structure, content, and purpose of the ninth grade team
and the strategies teachers use both in and out of the classroom to
improve their craft and improve student achievement.
Mater
Academy Middle/High School—Hialeah
Gardens, FL
Demographics: Urban
Population: 2,800
students
The New Three R’s:
Rigor, Relevance and Relationships
From its inception
in 2002, Mater Academy Middle/High School, with a low socio-economic,
minority population, was challenged to initiate a culture of educational
commitment, high expectations, and student achievement. The process
encompassed raising the education level of students, and strengthening
the involvement of the parents and community. During this session
presenters will share the rigorous curriculum, which has increased the
school’s graduation rate from 81.2% in 2007 to 99.5% in 2011. The
discussion will focus on the relevance of these courses, which are
intended to align all students to a college preparatory curriculum.
Mater students will also share how the relationship between them and the
other stakeholders has enhanced their achievements and enabled them to
take ownership of their future.
M.O.
Ramay Junior High School—Fayetteville,
AR
Demographics: Rural
Population: 616
students
Weaving Together
Learning, Leadership, and Personalization
Ramay staff will
share both the theories and practices that have allowed students to
experience high levels of academic learning and simultaneously, high
levels of satisfaction. Participants will see examples of how staff work
together, counselors operate, personalized information from our students
is utilized, students and teachers are scheduled for maximized learning
and satisfaction, faculty meetings are streamlined to 10 minutes and
professional development is ongoing. Ramay has virtually eliminated
standardized test preparation and increased passing scores by nearly
40%. Weaving together the 3 strands of learning, collaborative
leadership and personalization have created a cord of success for Ramay
students.
Noble
High School—North
Berwick, ME
Demographics: Rural
Population: 1,042
students
Personalization for
Student Success: Structural and Instructional Learning Elements
Since joining the
Coalition of Essential Schools in the early 1990’s, personalization has
been a primary focus of the educational transformation undertaken by
Noble High School. Knowing students well and building relationships
between teachers and students and among students themselves leads to
more individualized instruction that connects directly to each student’s
strengths, weaknesses and interests. This showcase session will be
focused on the structural and instructional aspects of the personalized
learning experience at Noble High School including academies,
interdisciplinary grade level teams, and student portfolios and
exhibitions. One focus will be on the importance of highly effective
collaboration for student success.
North
Brunswick High School—Leland,
NC
Demographics: Rural
Population: 816
students
Continuum of Student
Support = High Academic Success
After several
unsuccessful attempts at reform, the North Brunswick community began to
demonstrate substantial growth in student achievement when we embraced
the motto, “Whatever It Takes.” After an extensive needs assessment, we
began to employ a series of academic interventions to maximize
achievement for every student. These interventions included bridge
courses in writing, social studies, and science; double blocking English
I and Algebra I courses; tutoring centers; and a Pyramid of
Interventions. Join NBHS school leaders to learn more about how
Implementation of these interventions with Professional Learning
Communities, common formative assessment, and extensive, ongoing data
analysis has motivated North Brunswick’s impressive growth.
Park
View High School—Sterling,
VA
Demographics:
Suburban
Population: 1200
students
In The Space Between
Park View High
School is located in the wealthiest county in the United States, but
serves a population that currently has 42% of our students receiving
free or reduced lunch and 20% of our students receiving ELL services. We
are a school in the space between what we were and what we must be in
order to serve the needs of our student population. Living in the space
between requires respecting the past, while at the same time reshaping
the future. It means eliminating the space between what we believe and
what we practice. In this session, Park View High School leaders will
share with participants the strategies and techniques used to change the
culture and personalize learning for all students on this continuing
journey for student social and academic success.
Plymouth
South High School—Plymouth,
MA
Demographics:
Suburban
Population: 1,500
students
Creating a Culture
that Prioritizes Personalization and Leads to Effective School Change
At PSHS, we needed
to re-build our culture. The only way to achieve this goal was through
initiatives that focused on personalization. We have successfully
implemented and sustained a freshman academy and advisory program. Our
advisory program started with 12 advisories and has grown to 92. A
senior project model was piloted during the fall of 2011-2012. Staff
and student communication efforts as well as a change in school culture
have allowed these personalized approaches to succeed. Today we will
focus on the leadership model that was implemented to make these
initiatives attainable for a large public high school.
San
Diego Met High School—San
Diego, CA
Demographics: Urban
Population: 150
students
The
Fuel of Reform: Creating a School Culture that Utilizes Data to Improve
Student Achievement.
Understanding and utilizing data about school and student performance
are fundamental to improving schools. Without analyzing and discussing
data, schools are unlikely to identify and solve the problems that need
attention, identify appropriate interventions to solve those problems,
or know how they are progressing toward achievements of their goals.
Schools must establish a strong culture of data use to ensure that
data-based decisions are made frequently, consistently, and
appropriately. Join school leaders, teachers, and students as they
explain why this data culture should emphasize collaboration across and
within grade levels and subject areas to diagnose problems and refine
educational practices. School should establish a representative data
team. The team should develop a written data-use plan that is consistent
with the vision, goals and objectives of the school.
TechBoston Academy—Boston,
MA
Demographics: Urban
Population: 434
students
Using
Data and Technology to Improve Instruction
TechBoston Academy’s
mission is to provide an environment that is both nurturing and
challenging, where every student can learn and develop into a
responsible citizen. TBA offers a college preparatory curriculum, which
includes interdisciplinary project-based learning, where technology
serves as the bridge connecting the students to their learning
experiences. Our presentation will describe the ways we achieve our
mission by building a school culture and community that emphasizes
teamwork and responsibility; uses data to identify the students’
strengths and needs; creates and implement academic, social, and
emotional supports for students, families and teachers; integrates
technology and differentiated instruction into the curriculum and
classrooms; and focuses on building and maintaining strong and positive
relationships in the school community.
Tefft
Middle School—Streamwood,
IL
Demographics: Urban
Population: 835
students
CPR for Struggling
Schools: Culture, Performance, and Results
By focusing on
Culture, Performance, and Results – one school’s journey from the
state’s watch list of failing schools to a nationally recognized school
where over 90% of the students are meeting/exceeding the standards on
the state assessment. An emphasis on accountability that involved all
members of the learning community – administrators, teachers, students,
and parents – led to the implementation of initiatives and practices
which were instrumental in the school’s efforts to close the achievement
gap. This session will outline a series of instructional and operational
changes that are systematic and strategic while being embedded in every
aspect of the school’s culture. These practices include the development
of learning targets, quarterly benchmark assessments, the use of data to
drive professional learning communities, the implementation of direct
vocabulary instruction, fall and spring student led conferences, and the
use of student data journals that involved all students in the process
of data analysis and goal setting activities.
Worcester Technical High School—Worcester,
MA
Demographics: Urban
Population: 1,350
students
Preparing Students
for Post-Secondary Success
Rigor, relationships
and results are part of the formula for student success at Worcester
Technical High School. In this session participants will learn about the
various programs in place at WTHS that help prepare their students for
post-secondary success. Freshman students begin their educational
journey by participating in a three-day summer Jump Start Orientation.
To fulfill our mission to meet the challenges of a global society, each
of our four small learning academies has articulation agreements with
area colleges, to provide college credits. Twenty-four technical
programs are industry driven by advisory boards to assure relevant core
content in each. Expanding advanced placement courses into technical
programs creates a natural blend to enhance integration.
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