Competent Leaders Make the Difference in Achieving School and ...

Competent Leaders Make the Difference in Achieving
School and Student Goals
Southern Regional Education Board, 592 10th St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318, (404) 875-9211, www.sreb.org
MARCH 2009
Successful school leaders support their administrators and teachers in using data and input from students, parents
and teachers to continuously improve the learning environment. They use this data to identify problems such as
student achievement deficits, low student motivation, high failure rates in selected courses and other issues facing
their schools. They gather ideas from educational experts and leaders of high-achieving schools and make it possible
for the faculty to put the new strategies to work. They participate in professional development with the staff and visit
classrooms on a regular basis to suggest ways for improving student learning.
Leading the Effort to Raise Achievement of Career/Technical Students
To help its member schools meet the requirements of the federal Perkins IV legislation, the Dawson Education Service
Cooperative (DESC) in Arkansas entered into a partnership with the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and its
HSTW initiative. The cooperative serves school districts in seven central Arkansas counties.
“We conducted a comprehensive search for an initiative that would help our schools
raise the achievement of students, particularly career/technical students,” said Ann Wright,
career/technical coordinator for DESC.
In answering the call for high school students to graduate with 21st-century workplace
skills and college readiness, 22 DESC schools in the Dawson Perkins Consortia (DPC)
contracted with SREB to use HSTW’s research-based strategies. The partnership of DPC
and HSTW is designed to raise graduation rates and to improve literacy and geometry
knowledge and skills at the participating schools.
“We want to encourage
more students to be
career/tech completers and
to realize the importance of
career/technical courses.”
— Keith Baker
Principal
Bauxite High School
Contact:
Ann Wright
(annw@dawson.dsc.k12.ar.us)
Beth Stewart
(stewartb@ouachita.dsc.k12.ar.us)
Keith Baker
(bakerk@miners.k12.ar.us)
Kirk Nance
(nancek@fordyceschools.org)
HSTW assigned a school improvement consultant to work with the DPC schools and
agreed to provide professional development (with follow-up support) and a Technical
Assistance Visit to each school, beginning with the new Perkins IV legislation in the
transition year of 2007-2008. The partnership will be monitored closely through the use
of SREB and Perkins data and will be updated annually according to the needs of each
school district.
Principals of the new HSTW sites shared their experiences in raising the achievement
of all students, especially career/technical students.
Ouachita High School — Principal Beth Stewart credits the HSTW Technical
Assistance Visit (TAV) her school hosted in October 2007 with being the catalyst for
school improvement efforts. Ouachita is a rural school in Donaldson, Arkansas, with an
enrollment of 170 students in grades seven through 12, including 168 white students and
two Hispanic students. The school has had tremendous success in building strong
relationships with students. “It’s important to know students on a personal level — their
interests, what motivates them, what hinders them,” Stewart said.
Working with a HSTW school improvement consultant, Stewart used the TAV report to
establish a systematic approach to schoolwide reform. Focus teams of teachers and administrators
began by identifying their favorite challenge areas in the report. Each team member
then developed ways to improve one of two areas: helping students make the transition from
the middle grades to high school and from high school to college and careers, or expecting
all students to meet high expectations and complete rigorous course work.

As the focus teams implemented new student-centered programs, student achievement began to rise. The transition team
implemented a youth apprenticeship program and a “Stepping Up” program that orients seventh-graders and their parents to the
school. All teachers toured the local career/technical college to determine the knowledge and skills needed by students to be
successful in that setting. The high expectations team looked at instructional inconsistencies from teacher to teacher and began
investigating a “no zeros” policy. Members of this team have encouraged academic and career/technical teachers to work together to
develop integrated learning activities.
Ouachita students have responded with increasingly high achievement. Their scores on the state end-of-course literacy
exam rose 22 percentage points from 2007 to 2008. The Arkansas Policy Foundation ranked the school in the top 10 in the
state for the second consecutive year. The ranking is based on ninth-graders’ scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
Integrated learning is helping career/technical students achieve at a higher level. The school’s dairy team placed fourth in a
national competition — a real accomplishment for a school with only 170 students.
Bauxite High School — The enrollment at Bauxite High School totals 549 students in grades seven through 12.
Ninety-six percent of students are white; the rest are Hispanic, black, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian/Pacific Islander.
Principal Keith Baker took teams of teachers to the HSTW Staff Development Conference each summer for three years
before the school joined HSTW. The school’s involvement with HSTW and the DPC effort was a natural next step. The school
has taken the following actions to raise student achievement:
A team of teachers and administrators received professional development at a HSTW workshop on “Establishing a
Culture of High Expectations.” Team members gained skills from the workshop to increase the rigor of academic
and career/technical courses. The school uses SREB’s instructional review rubric to gauge the difficulty of
assignments and to elevate instruction in all classes to the college-preparatory level.
After participating in professional development presented by HSTW and the DPC, a team of teachers developed a
teachers-as-advisers program. Students are assigned to small advisory groups that meet every other week to help students
make academic and career plans. The school’s first career action planning conference took place in March 2008. More
than 90 percent of parents joined students and teacher-advisers in developing programs of study to support career goals.
Because career/technical students were scoring lower than other students on geometry end-of-course tests, a family and
consumer sciences teacher worked with two mathematics teachers to develop family and consumer sciences lessons tied
to the geometry frameworks of the Arkansas Department of Education. The cross-curricular lessons allow family and
consumer sciences students to learn geometry concepts in the context of their fields of study. The mathematics teachers
learned the language of career/technical education and increased the use of real-world examples in mathematics
instruction. The percentage of all students, including career/technical students, scoring at or above the proficient level
on the Arkansas end-of-course geometry exam rose 16 percentage points between 2007 and 2008.
In 2007-2008 the school began presenting each career/technical education completer with a colored cord to be worn at
graduation. Various colors represent the different career/technical areas. School leaders got the idea to honor career/
technical students from attending a HSTW Summer Staff Development Conference workshop. “We want to encourage
more students to be career/tech completers and to realize the importance of career/technical courses,” Baker said.
Fordyce High School — The school enrolls 371 students in grades nine through 12 with an equal number of white and
black students and four Hispanic students. Faculty members participate in at least one of 11 task forces focusing on the
HSTW Key Practices of high expectations, teachers working together, guidance, extra help and a school culture of continuous
improvement. Recognizing that overseeing the work of so many different groups of teachers would be a daunting task,
Principal Kirk Nance formed a school improvement leadership team composed of the chairs of each task force.
The team approach to school improvement is working, according to a HSTW TAV team that visited the school recently.
New practices and programs are designed to help students work hard in high school and graduate on time. A new extrahelp
program was initiated to give students more one-on-one time with their teachers. All teachers offer extra help every
morning. In addition, flexible scheduling allows students to revisit every class every week and a half for an enrichment
period. During enrichment, teachers review topics that have caused students to struggle. Teachers have found that this
time benefits students tremendously when they are teaching topics that require students to use higher-order thinking.
Teams analyzed individual student results from the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability
Program (ACTAAP) and based instructional decisions on identified weaknesses. Teachers completed a needs assessment
before participating in professional development designed to address teachers’ specific needs.
Inclusion classes have resulted in gains by special education students on the ACTAAP tests.
2

Resource teachers and academic faculty members inform parents about students’ grade fluctuations. Teachers visit
parents at home to discuss students’ academic issues.
Teachers worked together before the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year to disaggregate data from state
benchmark and end-of-course tests. They charted each student’s performance on the previous year’s assessment, found
areas of weakness and strength, and planned instruction to meet student needs. One teacher said, “I know this group
of students better than any in the past.”
Career/technical and mathematics teachers increased the development and use of integrated academic and
career/technical units to help career/technical students increase performance on state tests.
Teachers Share Leadership for Increased Numeracy and Literacy
All teachers — regardless of their subject areas — have found success by
sharing leadership and responsibility for literacy and numeracy achievement at
Omaha Central High School (OCHS). This large urban high school in
Omaha, Nebraska, enrolls approximately 2,500 students, including 46 percent
white, 35 percent black, 15 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Asian and 2 percent
Native American.
Science Math English C/T
After reviewing and analyzing school data, the OCHS school improvement
team took action to raise students’ mathematics scores on the ACT and on ACT
Inc.’s PLAN assessment of the academic progress of 10th-graders. “We didn’t
want to fall into the losing category,” said Kelly Means, business education
teacher and chair of the school improvement team. The approach involved all
department heads and members in implementing new instructional practices
focusing on mathematics for meeting the needs of all students.
Contact:
DeLayne Havlovic
(delayne.havlovic@ops.org)
Kelly Means
(kelly.means@ops.org)
Nita Merrigan-Potthoff
(nita.merrigan-potthoff@ops.org)
The administration created time for teachers to meet and plan together in
Plan Period Study Groups, which took the place of monthly after-school faculty
meetings. When some teachers were reluctant to include mathematics in their
lesson plans, saying they lacked time in the schedule or were unprepared to teach mathematics, school leaders
explained that the schoolwide push would improve mathematics achievement.
The chair of the mathematics department reviewed the questions students missed most frequently on the PLAN
assessment. After similar questions were designed, each teacher received three questions per week for teachers and students
to address for eight weeks. The school provided a step-by-step solution guide for the mathematics lessons. Department
heads randomly selected staff members each week to review student work and to make recommendations for instruction.
In just one year, between 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, students demonstrated significant achievement gains in
their PLAN mathematics scores. Teachers celebrated the success and made plans to implement ACT Inc.’s EXPLORE
assessment with ninth-graders in 2008-2009.
In the second semester following the mathematics initiative, OCHS study groups focused on metacognitive
thinking and writing prompts to raise achievement on the state writing assessment. Teachers were responsible for
providing one writing prompt per week and for assessing students’ work. As with the mathematics initiative,
department heads randomly selected teachers to review student work. The Writing a la Carte extra-help strategy
involved English teachers in working one-on-one or with small groups of borderline students during study periods.
The schoolwide literacy campaign contributed to a 9 percentage-point improvement in proficiency scores on the
state writing test in 2008 and the highest proficiency rating in school history.
A school literacy committee researched reading and writing for learning strategies that members are presenting to
teachers in small group sessions as the literacy initiative continues during the current 2008-2009 school year.
Committee members are sharing information on how to improve students’ skills through techniques such as note
taking, comparison/contrast matrices, and the Frayer model of word analysis and vocabulary building.
3

Leading Teachers to Work Together to Improve Achievement
When Virginia Dean became principal of North Side
High School (NSHS) in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2006, she
inherited a 107-member staff and a well-established
leadership team consisting of a lead counselor, a lead special
education teacher, lead content
teachers, novice and veteran
“Don’t be afraid to
make changes when
the data is screaming
that improvement is
needed.”
— Virginia Dean
Principal
North Side High School
assistant principals, and an
advanced academic coordinator.
She decided to get to know the
staff before initiating any new
programs and procedures.
“Most importantly, know
your data,” Dean urged new
administrators. “Be honest
about the current reality, but
never lay blame, even when the
data may not be pretty.”
For example, something was obviously wrong in an
Advanced Placement (AP) English class where only four of
32 students scored 3 or above on the AP exam, and 28 of the
students scored 1,000 or less on the SAT, even though most
of the students made an A in the class.
Keys to Collaboration
To bring needed change and get all staff members “on
the same bus,” Dean identified eight keys to collaboration:
observation; team training; data disaggregation; honest
examination of current realities; planning; and scheduling,
mentoring and monitoring.
“Increased teacher collaboration begins with increased
administrative collaboration,” Dean said. She observed the
actions of the leadership team to find strengths, weaknesses
and informal leaders and then scheduled a leadership retreat
to discuss new procedures. In a follow-up session, the team
identified goals and methods and gave individual opinions
on how to improve the school. Team members identified
barriers, decided on a common vocabulary and shared data.
“I asked the team to be honest and objective,” Dean
said. She learned to listen before saying no and to take time
to think about suggestions instead of making hasty decisions.
Using Data
Disaggregating data is one of Dean’s keys to
collaboration. She listened to what the leadership team said
about data and asked departments to disaggregate the data
and formulate responses. Then she regrouped the leadership
team to review the responses.
Each department was asked for an honest appraisal of
student achievement: What have you noticed about
classroom practices and student performance in your
department? What do you need to change?
Meanwhile, teachers throughout the school were sharing
ideas, making connections to data and planning new lessons.
Informal teacher leaders volunteered to become formal
teacher leaders, ninth- and 10th-grade teams of teachers
emerged, and teachers requested and received time for
collaborative planning.
Dean conducted two types of administrative classroom
walk-throughs. First, she and the leadership team conducted
empty-room walk-throughs to look for predefined evidence of
specific practices and strategies, such as word walls, rubrics,
student work and teacher models. Second, she and the
leadership team conducted live-room walk-throughs. Dean
trained her staff to avoid subjective comments and to seek
helpful information. Team members asked students about
their learning experiences and shared findings with the staff.
After one semester of administrative and leadership team
walk-throughs, teachers asked if they could visit classrooms.
The school’s instructional specialist began leading walkthroughs
with teachers, using the same guidelines as those
used by the leadership team.
Team Building
Teachers also participated in team building activities and
professional development focusing on establishing common
ground within teams. The four core curricular teams met at
least once a week during common planning time to develop
daily agendas, common syllabi and common assessments.
They also increased the number of student conferences and
parent contacts.
Dean believes one of the best uses of common planning
time is to look at student work. She recommends using a
method such as a tuning protocol to examine student work
and/or teacher assignments and assessments.
Mentoring is another form of collaboration used by
NSHS to increase teacher effectiveness and student
achievement. Dean said mentors are essential for all new
teachers. She defines her expectations for the mentor and the
teacher and provides essential follow-up. Substitute teachers
are brought in two days per semester to allow teachers to
observe and have conversations with each other. The mentor
and the new teacher prepare reflective summaries that they
review and discuss. They also establish and review goals.
4

Since the NSHS faculty began its extensive efforts to
collaborate, students have made consistent improvement on
the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).
Ninth-graders gained 10 percentage points in mathematics
between 2007 and 2008. The most dramatic increases
occurred in 10th-grade English/language arts, mathematics
and social studies — an average gain of 17 percentage points
in each subject in 2007-2008. Eleventh-graders had
percentage-point gains in all four subjects — English/
language arts, mathematics, science and social studies —
from 2007 to 2008.
“Don’t be afraid to make changes when the data is
screaming that improvement is needed,” Dean advised.
“Effort-based improvement takes collaboration.”
Contact:
Virginia Dean
(virginia.dean@fwisd.org)
Building a School from Scratch: Using HSTW Key Practices
In spring 2004 Joe Yeager was selected to be principal and “principal designer” of a
new high school in Greensboro, North Carolina. He and the design team decided to base the
new Northern Guilford High School (NGHS) on the High Schools That Work (HSTW )
model to surround students and teachers with effective school and classroom practices
designed to raise student achievement.
Throughout the developmental process, Yeager and his team focused on establishing
partnerships and generating support for the new school. They met with representatives of
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro to determine what students would need to
know to be successful in postsecondary education. The team scheduled planning meetings to
receive input from community leaders, future students and parents. They chose new faculty
and began providing professional development so all teachers would be ready to implement
the HSTW Key Practices for curriculum and instruction.
The vision that Yeager and the team crafted for Northern Guilford High School is “to be
recognized as one of the most effective high schools in the country.” The school is pursuing a
mission to prepare all students for further education and careers.
Some of the HSTW Key Practices that served as a model for the new school are:
Contact:
Joe Yeager
( yeagerj@gcsnc.com)
High Expectations — Ninety-five percent of all students are enrolled in honors classes or Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
Students who are unprepared for honors classes take a pre-honors catch-up course with accelerated learning to be ready for
honors classes the following year. All students are expected to take a minimum of one AP course before they graduate.
Program of Study — The school requires 24 credits for graduation, including four mathematics courses (minimum of
Algebra II), four English courses, three science courses, three social studies courses and one physical education/health
course. All students choose a career pathway. Students are encouraged to be dual completers by combining the
career/technical pathway with the college-preparatory program of study.
Career/Technical Studies — The school offers career/technical courses in business, information systems, pre-engineering,
electronics, drafting/architecture and health sciences. Students can receive certification in several programs, including
health sciences.
Teachers Working Together — Time for teachers to collaborate is built into the schedule. The school’s modified seven-period
schedule allows for weekly meetings at the beginning of the day. The time includes faculty study groups, department meetings,
and ad hoc and standing committee meetings. Teachers meet and plan together in office areas designated for that purpose.
Guidance and Advisement — Students follow a block schedule two days a week — Wednesday and Thursday. A 30-minute
period at the beginning of the day on Wednesday is reserved for guidance and advisement activities. The Hawk’s Nest
program is structured so students remain with the same teacher-adviser for their entire high school experience. A committee
develops guidance and advisement topics designed to boost student success. Teacher-advisers receive lesson plans for students
on topics such as how to handle stress, the effects of sleep deprivation, organizational skills and preparing for college.
Eleventh-graders work with freshmen to ease the transition into high school.
5

Extra Help — Teachers use an A, B, C, Not Yet grading policy that allows students to redo work until it meets grade-level
standards. In addition, teachers provide extra support for students to meet standards. Students know that their teachers will
be there to help them achieve at a higher level. They receive weekly or bi-weekly progress reports showing the strides they
are making or the work they need to complete.
In its first year. 2007-2008, Northern Guilford High School had the highest student attendance rate — 96 percent —
of all traditional schools in the district. It made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under No Child Left Behind and achieved
“Expected Growth” with an 80.2 percent composite score on the North Carolina Accountability Model.
How to Become the District’s Best Middle Grades School
How does a new middle grades principal encourage
teachers to raise expectations while dealing with the
challenge of a building still damaged more than three
years after Hurricane Katrina?
How does a principal encourage students to perform
at higher levels when attendance, rather than achievement,
is the barrier to reaching Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP)?
Wade Whitney, principal of Grand Bay Middle
School (GBMS) in Grand Bay (Mobile County),
Alabama, has the answers to both questions. In leading
his staff to raise standards and achievement, he took
action in several major areas: improving the school’s
image, raising expectations of staff and students, keeping
discipline issues from hindering students’ efforts to learn,
and using data to implement change.
GBMS enrolls 775 students in grades six through
eight. The ethnic distribution is 84 percent white with the
remainder black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American.
When Whitney arrived at GBMS in 2007, he found
that student absenteeism was a big problem. “The school
had a negative image among students and the community
that was resulting in too many students missing too many
days of school,” Whitney said.
Aiming for the Top — Whitney immediately set
about creating a new vision of learning. He repeated his
theme — This is the absolute best middle school in the
county! — to teachers and students daily. Beginning with
the morning news, he went on closed circuit television at
the school to remind students that GBMS is the “best
school.” He echoed the theme in numerous presentations
to parent and community groups. Teachers credited his
upbeat message with being an important unifying factor
in school improvement.
Whitney’s image-building initiatives included holding
a community pep rally, conducting a career day, inviting
community partners to work in the school, and creating
youth basketball and football leagues to increase
camaraderie among students, parents and the community.
The purpose of these activities was to bring all
stakeholders on board to support the school’s mission.
Handling Behavior Problems — The school
needed to deal with student behavior in order to focus
more intensely on instruction. Whitney set the tone
early by telling teachers he would handle disciplinary
problems and ensure that students did not disrupt
classrooms. He became highly visible in the hallways
and visited every classroom daily. Repeatedly, Whitney
told students what he expected and how they were to
behave in school. Students who ignored the warnings
faced immediate consequences for their actions.
Driving Instruction With Data — To strengthen
the instructional program, the faculty uses data to make
decisions about teaching and learning. Teams of teachers
meet daily to plan instruction and every two weeks to
review classroom data. The faculty developed a data
analysis form that each teacher prepares. The form
includes the names and scores of students who achieve
below 77 percent in the classroom. In data meetings, the
teachers examine the forms, identify causes of low scores
and develop strategies, including after-school tutoring, to
raise student performance. The forms are passed along to
the principal for review and action.
The school’s attention to data is paying off. In 2008
the school reached the attendance goal for AYP with
average attendance of more than 95 percent. Achievement
in the 16 subject areas measured on criterion-referenced
tests administered each quarter improved greatly — from
nine areas below the district average in 2006-2007 to only
one area falling short of the district average in 2007-2008.
On the Alabama writing assessment, 71 percent of
seventh-graders at GBMS scored at the two highest levels.
The result was that GBMS became the highest-scoring
non-magnet school in the district. The number of
students retained pending completion of summer school
decreased from 123 in
2006-2007 to 36 in
2007-2008.
Contact:
Wade Whitney
(wwhitney@mcpss.com)
6

District Provides Support for Leadership and Instruction
The connection between Lanier High School and the San Antonio Independent School District in Texas was strengthened
immensely when district leaders began meeting with the school leadership team to reinforce and redirect actions for
raising student achievement. District personnel listened to teachers’ concerns and developed coaching to improve leadership
and instruction. They provided a clear vision, expected school leaders to uphold standards of excellence and communicated a
set of priorities.
Lanier was preparing to enter a new school year with a new administrative team. It was slated to have a new principal, new
assistant principals, a new counselor and new campus instructional coordinators. The district thought it was important for the
team to have time to plan and get to know each other as well as to understand the
school’s dynamics and opportunities for improvement.
One approach in using data
to improve instruction was to
make grids, list students who
were on the “bubble,” test
these students every other
week in mathematics and
science, look at the results
and make instructional
changes to meet the needs
of the students.
Contact:
Karen Pankey
(kpankey@saisd.net)
“The school was charged with maintaining the school culture, student-teacher
relationships and caring adults while improving teacher skills, classroom management,
student engagement and the graduation rate,” said Karen Pankey, instructional
coordinator for the San Antonio Independent School District. Lanier’s leaders encouraged
teachers to use more group learning in the classroom. Teachers began meeting and
planning together to support each other in incorporating cooperative group strategies into
their lessons. “This promotes and encourages the relationship and rigor aspects of
instruction,” Pankey said.
Small learning communities of teachers discussed the characteristics of good teams
and watched videos of effective and ineffective meetings. They compared the meetings to
ones they had been holding at the school. “Teachers realized that their meetings needed
agendas with specific timelines to honor the time teachers were giving and to avoid offtask
conversations,” Pankey said.
The district developed a system in which members of the school leadership team
conducted classroom walk-throughs and gave reflective feedback to teachers.
Administrators were expected to conduct 35 walk-throughs per week after receiving
training in what to look for and how to communicate findings to improve instruction
and student learning. Administrators hold individual conferences with teachers and
encourage coaching conversations between administrators and teachers. In addition, the
results of walk-throughs are discussed during grade-level and departmental meetings.
To strengthen the commitment to prepare all students for college and careers,
teachers were encouraged to examine scale scores (obtained by converting raw scores to percentile ranks or standard scores) to
get a true picture of student achievement. The district supported teachers in developing ways to delve more deeply into school
and student data. District online programs are available to administrators and teachers for generating data analysis reports for
use by teachers and students.
One approach in using data to improve instruction was to make grids, list students who were on the “bubble,” test these
students every other week in mathematics and science, look at the results and make instructional changes to meet students’
needs. A team of science teachers showed students the grids and suggested ways to improve performance. As a result, the
average percentages of 10th- and 11th-graders passing the science portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
(TAKS) grew from 37 percent in 2006 to 48 percent in 2007 and to 61 percent in 2008. “Teachers and students are being
more accountable for individual student performance,” Pankey said.
In working with Lanier administrators, the district used The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni as a resource.
The Lanier team, like the team in the book, realized that steps can be taken to overcome hurdles and build an effective team.
Lanier’s administrators will continue to address the school’s challenges as they become aware of them. “The team will have the
coordinated support of the district and High Schools That Work in making needed changes,” Pankey said.
7

Principal Streamlines Classroom Walk-Throughs to Improve Achievement
“If I’m not learning and trying
and testing new things, how
can I expect teachers to do
that? And if teachers aren’t
learning and trying and testing
new things, how can we
expect students to do that?”
— Vicki Bridges
Principal
South Grand Prairie High School
School leaders who avoid classroom walk-throughs because of the time it takes to
observe and follow up with teachers will be interested in the system developed by
Principal Vicki Bridges at South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Bridges created a quick, mini-observation form, established a schedule of classroom
visits and shared responsibility with assistant principals.
“It all started when I went to the classroom of one of our better teachers and was
bored,” Bridges said. When Bridges “shadowed” a student for a week, she was alarmed at
what she found. The classrooms were well managed, but the students were not engaged in
authentic learning enough of the time.
Next, Bridges asked her assistant principals to spend two to three minutes each in
as many classrooms as possible in one week. The assistants saw the same things Bridges
had observed: lack of student engagement in learning, lack of clear learning outcomes
and no student monitoring. A HSTW Technical Assistance Visit team had earlier
reached the same conclusions.
Bridges decided to try something different to benefit students. “If I’m not learning
and trying and testing new things, how can I expect teachers to do that? And if teachers
aren’t learning and trying and testing new things, how can we expect students to do that?”
Bridges asked.
Bridges worked with teachers to set clear expectations and to define what she and
they wanted to see in walk-throughs. The mini-observation form has boxes to check for
SE (student engagement), objective, vocabulary and key understanding. There is space
for the assistant principals to take notes, comment on activities and rate the level of
student engagement as engaged, strategic/ritual or rebellion.
“The form targets the concerns we wanted to address first — and only those areas,” Bridges said. The concerns included
absence of learning objectives posted in classrooms, teachers using worksheets and lectures instead of engaging learning
activities, classroom activities unrelated to learning objectives, students sleeping in class and teachers sitting at their desks
instead of actively facilitating their classes.
South Grand Prairie High School Mini-Observation Form
Teacher: ______________________________________________ Date: _________________________
Subject: ____________________________________ Admin: __________________________________
What/Content: SE Objective Vocabulary Key Understanding
Notes: _______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Student Engagement: Engaged Strategic/Ritual Rebellion
Notes: _______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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Each administrator is assigned to visit all classrooms in a certain area of the building three times a week. He or she uses a
set of symbols that can be scanned quickly to give a comprehensive view of what is happening in those classes. The symbols
are transferred to a master spreadsheet that shows the performance of any teacher over time so problem areas can be defined
and addressed.
Using the new distributive leadership system, Bridges and her administrative staff documented more than 3,250 walk-throughs
between October 2007 and April 2008.
The following are some activities administrators are seeing in the classroom they did not see previously:
A daily learning focus or learning objectives are posted in every classroom. The objectives are specific (key
understanding) to the lesson taught that day.
Students are working in groups to complete projects.
Teachers use rubrics to evaluate project-based learning. Lectures and worksheets are no longer the dominant mode
of instruction.
Teachers actively monitor and facilitate their classes. No students are asleep.
Classrooms are rich with displays of student projects and other work.
Teachers invite school leaders to observe lessons they consider to be exemplary and
seek leaders’ input on how to make the lessons better.
“The atmosphere of the school has changed completely,” Bridges said. “Now teachers
understand how to provide effective daily learning to increase student achievement. We are
truly becoming a learning community.”
Contact:
Vicki Bridges
(vicki.bridges@gpisd.org )
Leaders and Teachers Learn the Value of School Marketing
Leaders and teachers at many high schools and middle grades schools are addressing
the question, “What makes our school special?,” and are using a variety of marketing
strategies to communicate new initiatives and report successes in raising student
achievement. As a result, they are gaining the loyalty and support of parents and the
community for changes their schools are making in curriculum and instruction.
School leaders may want to publicize initiatives such as literacy, numeracy or senior
projects. They may want to explain programs of study, increased graduation requirements,
homework policies or extra-help systems. Other topics of interest are new instructional
technologies and teacher professional development.
“When I hear about the wonderful things the school is doing, I feel good about
dropping my daughter off each morning,” said a parent at South Grand Prairie
High School (SGPHS) in Grand Prairie, Texas. HSTW site coordinator Barbara Hagle
said SGPHS uses a variety of ways to communicate the school’s best practices, including
a phone system, e-mail, posters and banners honoring student achievement and
showcasing student work. As each school organization wins an award or an honor,
school leaders hang a banner from the ceiling in the cafeteria. The banners may
showcase culinary arts or the National Honor Society or something else — not just
“When I hear about the
wonderful things the school
is doing, I feel good about
dropping my daughter off
each morning.”
Parent
South Grand Prairie High School
sports teams. “The banners are among the first things parents or visitors see when they walk into the school,” Hagle said.
“They publicize student success and increase awareness of the many clubs, organizations and activities available to students.”
Jamie Burt, assistant principal and HSTW coordinator at Sam Rayburn High School (SRHS) in Pasadena, Texas, said
school leaders and teachers arrange meetings with parents at apartment complexes near the school. “Parents care deeply about
their children, but they may lack time and resources to attend school meetings,” Burt said. “Taking the message to parents
benefits everyone.”
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Both schools use slogans to involve students, teachers and parents in supporting the school’s goals for student achievement.
SGPHS uses the theme Writing and Reading Across the Disciplines (WRAD) to promote schoolwide literacy.
SRHS uses a western theme — You’ve Been Caught Branding Literacy — to draw attention to outstanding practices and to
recognize teachers for increasing the amount of reading and writing for learning.
SRHS promotes its code of conduct, The Rayburn Way, by decorating the school with posters showing students dressed
appropriately. Students are expected to practice courtesy and good citizenship.
The schools have found the following marketing ideas to be effective: brochures, interactive DVDs, public service
announcements on radio and television, fliers, newsletters, letters, mass mailings, Web sites, open house events, other special
events, and souvenirs such as t-shirts, bags and pencils. Both SGPHS and SRHS have software systems that phone parents in
multiple languages to notify them of upcoming events.
When planning a marketing campaign or a special event, schools need to think about where most people congregate in the
community — sporting events, community events, festivals, churches, shopping malls and grocery stores. Then they need to
work with those groups to design something that will be an asset to the school and the location. In putting together a display,
schools should depict a cross section of students actively engaged in learning.
School leaders need to find the answers to certain key questions as they develop a successful marketing plan: Which
improvement effort do we want to spotlight? What is unique about our school or program? Who are we trying to reach? What
is the best way to reach our target audience?
Beth Green, HSTW school improvement consultant, listed the following guidelines for effective marketing efforts:
Be proactive to make students, parents and the community aware of higher expectations and new programs and practices.
Use a variety of strategies, from tried-and-true methods such as newsletters to new ideas and events tailored to your
school.
Go to parents rather than waiting for them to come to the school. Parents will be more receptive if you save them time
and travel.
Design attractive marketing products. Students and parents are accustomed to seeing slick materials on television and
elsewhere. Be creative. Involve fine arts and graphic arts students in producing the visuals.
Use logos and color to make the connection with the school.
Communicate at least three ways about every project, including a phone system, newspaper articles and notes to parents.
Plan quality special events. Feature students’ accomplishments in live displays at shopping malls, festivals and other
community events.
Develop positive relationships with education editors and news and feature writers in the local media. Tell them what
the school is doing to raise student achievement and invite them to cover your activities. Don’t forget radio and
television.
Contact the media at least three times before an event. Generate a news release, an
e-mail message and a phone call to explain what is happening at the school and why
it is important for the community to know about it.
Contact:
Barbara Hagle
(barbara.hagle@gpisd.org)
Jamie Burt
(jburt@pasadenaisd.org)
Beth Green
(beth.green@sreb.org)
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Teachers Are Unanimous in Supporting Plans for School Improvement
Hicksville Middle School and High School in Hicksville, Ohio, has succeeded in implementing the HSTW design by
engaging the faculty unanimously in the process. With 500 students in grades seven through 12, this rural school is a
high-performing learning center that has received recognition for its efforts to provide all students with a world-class education.
“When the school voted to join High Schools That Work, the entire faculty was in favor of the decision,” said HSTW Site
Coordinator Deb Baringer. “Administrators chose to vote rather than to dictate what the staff would do.”
In 2007 the school became a member of Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW ). As a
result, Hicksville students have access to research-based school and classroom practices that
have been shown to raise achievement and ensure readiness for the transition to high school
studies, college and careers.
On the Ohio Achievement Tests, the reading scores of Hicksville eighth-graders rose from
81.9 percent at or above the proficient level in 2006-2007 to 91.1 percent in 2007-2008. The
mathematics scores of eighth-graders increased from 77.8 percent at or above proficient in
2006-2007 to 85.6 percent in 2007-2008. The graduation rate at Hicksville reached 100
percent in 2007-2008, rising from 95.9 percent in 2006-2007.
As the driving force in school improvement, high school faculty members administered
surveys to themselves, their students and the community to determine which HSTW Key
Practices needed immediate attention. They selected four areas: data, literacy, high
expectations paired with extra help, and guidance and advisement.
All staff members joined committees associated with the four selected areas of emphasis
and began assembling a site action plan. They developed strategies, set target dates, identified
individuals responsible for the actions, decided how to collect data and determined the
resources that would be needed.
The efforts have been very successful. Hicksville received a HSTW Gold Achievement
Award in 2006 for high performance on the HSTW Assessment of reading, mathematics and
science and was named a HSTW Pacesetter School for 2007-2010 based on a rigorous
curriculum and students’ academic success.
“The only way to be
successful in raising
student achievement is
to fit the improvement
plan to your school,
teachers and students.”
— Deb Baringer
HSTW Site Coordinator
Hicksville High School
Data — Teachers vowed to keep score by monitoring data from many sources to track students’ academic progress. For the
first three years, a “keeping score” team collected and analyzed data. Currently, a faculty member serves as the data
coordinator.
Literacy — Hicksville is implementing a comprehensive literacy plan that includes formula writing (using a graphic
organizer to improve writing skills when responding to short-answer and extended-response problems), a rubric of
standards to be met in writing assignments, reading 25 books or book equivalents per year across the curriculum, and the
STARS (Stop Talking And Read Something) program that engages students and teachers in silent reading for 20 minutes
during home base period each Tuesday.
Students read books in classes other than English/language arts, including calculus, chemistry, physics and health. They also
read newspaper and magazine articles related to their courses. The school has developed guidelines for counting non-book
materials toward the 25-book goal: One book equals 100 pages; one page is 360 words.
Extra Help — The PRIDE academy is available to students in grades seven through 10. This program provides assistance
to students who would benefit from extra help in a particular subject outside of class. Middle grades students participate
from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday; high school students seek help before school and during home base
period Monday through Friday.
Guidance — The school’s guidance and advisement program is STEP — Student/Teacher Empowerment Program. It has five
components: adviser/advisee, career investigation, career planning, career passports and student-led conferences. Every teacher
and administrator has a STEP group that meets every other Thursday. The purpose of STEP is to ensure that all middle
grades and high school students have adult advisers to help them and their parents set goals and choose programs of study for
meeting their goals.
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Hicksville leaders have identified the following factors facilitating success in implementing the HSTW design:
Teachers received information before they were asked to choose a school improvement model. While investigating
school improvement models, all staff members had opportunities to attend HSTW professional development conferences
and workshops to gain understanding of the HSTW initiative.
HSTW is a teacher-directed program that focuses on raising student achievement. Each member of the teaching
staff serves on one of the teams. Three staff members — a middle grades teacher, a high school teacher and the
assistant principal — share the position of site coordinator. The principal serves as site facilitator. All actions are
designed to improve students’ academic performance.
Teachers make decisions about strategies within the Key Practices to improve curriculum and instruction.
The silent reading program was adopted after teachers saw data on the need to improve reading skills across the
curriculum. The guidance and advisement program arose from data showing that students needed to become fully
engaged with adults in the school and to have access to a structure for focusing on career planning.
The administration did not dictate what to do but joined in making and carrying out decisions. Teachers feel
ownership of the new school and classroom practices. They determine what will work best and take steps to make it
happen.
Administrators supported the collaboration of staff members in carrying out the school improvement plan.
Teachers have a block of time at in-service events to hold team meetings and discussions and to plan future
instructional activities. They are given time to participate in local professional development and to attend area, state
and national conferences and workshops.
Committees were not departmentalized. The committees had representatives from departments across the curriculum.
The literacy co-chairs are an English teacher and a mathematics teacher. The leaders of the guidance and advisement
committee are a health/physical education teacher and a consumer education teacher. Since all strategies are used across
the curriculum, every department has input into every strategy so that department members will feel comfortable
implementing the new approaches.
“The only way to be successful in raising student achievement is to fit the improvement plan to your school, teachers
and students,” Baringer said.
Contact:
Deb Baringer
(baringerd@hicksvilleschools.org)
This newsletter of “best practices” in implementing the High Schools That Work (HSTW ), Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW ) and
Technology Centers That Work (TCTW ) school improvement models is based on presentations at the 22nd Annual HSTW Staff Development
Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in July 2008.
(09V05w)