Another outcome of our visit to Park Forest: I’ve become more convinced that the Professional Development School (PDS) partnership that State College has with Penn State may well be the best in the country - and the impact on our students is profound.
Fourteen out of twenty-two classrooms in Park Forest have PDS interns in the classroom, working with the regular teacher. (Seven of those classrooms are not eligible for the program because the teachers are not yet tenured.) The result – especially after you add in a number of experienced paraprofessionals - is an adult-to-student ratio that is rarely matched in public schools.
Application to the PDS program is highly competitive, so these college students tend to be enthusiastic and intellectually curious. In addition, interns spend not one (as is typical for traditional internships), or even two semesters in the classroom, but the entire public school year, ending in June. So when we hire a former PDS intern, we are pretty clear about the quality of teacher we are getting.
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Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Elementary School Citizens
As I wrote last week, I was impressed by a session at the PSBA conference that described one way to give elementary school children a sense of ownership in their education. Those of us who participated in the recent board visit to Park Forest Elementary heard several examples of how citizenship skills and a sense of civic engagement are being developed in our local students.
Project Earth Force is a terrific example of "service learning" at the elementary school level. As in all service learning, the two most important aspects are: 1) student ownership (created initially by having students determine the project), and 2) tying the work to the curriculum.
Some examples of recent Earth Force projects:
Principal Donnan Stoicovy also gave an example of how elementary schools can begin the process of developing "responsible and involved citizens" – a goal for every State High graduate. Using weighted "five-fingered" voting, the students - K through 5 - selected what they considered the most important school issue. The result of the students’ deliberation is a new set of lunchroom rules (including, for example: "don't be gross"), which also addressed the students' primary concern about seating policy.
(The principal, of course, had veto power over anything “inappropriate”.)
Project Earth Force is a terrific example of "service learning" at the elementary school level. As in all service learning, the two most important aspects are: 1) student ownership (created initially by having students determine the project), and 2) tying the work to the curriculum.
Some examples of recent Earth Force projects:
- A project that raised funds to bring one CFL into the home of each elementary student. (For the uninitiated, a CFL is an energy-efficient, compact fluorescent light bulb.)
- An ongoing composting project
- Raised gardens tended by the students and their families.
Principal Donnan Stoicovy also gave an example of how elementary schools can begin the process of developing "responsible and involved citizens" – a goal for every State High graduate. Using weighted "five-fingered" voting, the students - K through 5 - selected what they considered the most important school issue. The result of the students’ deliberation is a new set of lunchroom rules (including, for example: "don't be gross"), which also addressed the students' primary concern about seating policy.
(The principal, of course, had veto power over anything “inappropriate”.)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Culture Shock
Several board members had an opportunity to visit Mt. Nittany Middle School last Monday. We spent part of our time talking to building principal, Jason Perrin – a conversation I always find fascinating and illuminating. When asked what had changed in the seven years he’s been there, one thing he mentioned was that we now consistently get a number of student transfers from outside our area. This can present certain challenges.
In addition to the issue of appropriate academic placement - a seventh grader from another school does not always have the same academic background as a seventh grader in State College – there is also the possibility of gaps in the students “social” experience - particularly if the student comes from an environment that had a different set of behavioral norms.
This difference of experience can result in a bit of culture shock – for the parents, as well as the students. New parents will sometimes ask: where are the metal detectors? Why is it so quiet in the halls? Where are the bullies? It often takes students a few weeks to realize they don’t have to be ready to defend themselves at a moment’s notice.
It is not impossible to create a similar culture at a large urban school, but there is often so much organizational inertia that it requires the presence of a strong no-nonsense leader such as Lorraine Monroe, (former deputy Chancellor of the New York City public school system) who spoke at the PSBA conference last week.
The other way to accomplish this is through conscious and intentional effort, using programs (such as Planet Peace) that specifically address the developmental needs of this age group. This approach reflects the national middle school philosophy, which emphasizes (in addition to a challenging curriculum), comprehensive support services and policies that foster health, wellness and safety.
In addition to the issue of appropriate academic placement - a seventh grader from another school does not always have the same academic background as a seventh grader in State College – there is also the possibility of gaps in the students “social” experience - particularly if the student comes from an environment that had a different set of behavioral norms.
This difference of experience can result in a bit of culture shock – for the parents, as well as the students. New parents will sometimes ask: where are the metal detectors? Why is it so quiet in the halls? Where are the bullies? It often takes students a few weeks to realize they don’t have to be ready to defend themselves at a moment’s notice.
It is not impossible to create a similar culture at a large urban school, but there is often so much organizational inertia that it requires the presence of a strong no-nonsense leader such as Lorraine Monroe, (former deputy Chancellor of the New York City public school system) who spoke at the PSBA conference last week.
The other way to accomplish this is through conscious and intentional effort, using programs (such as Planet Peace) that specifically address the developmental needs of this age group. This approach reflects the national middle school philosophy, which emphasizes (in addition to a challenging curriculum), comprehensive support services and policies that foster health, wellness and safety.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Hiring the Best
One PSBA session that I did get to attend was a combined presentation of Quaker Valley and Penn Traffic school districts on "Hiring the Best" teachers.
These districts recently implemented a process for hiring teachers that contains the standard "paper" and "personal" phases (resume, references, interview, etc.), with the interview questions constructed around James Strong’s "Six Qualities of Effective Teachers".
What they did differently was to put in place a "performance" component. The performance phase - where the candidate is given a week to prepare a lesson plan around a particular concept and deliver it to a group of students of the appropriate grade level - struck me as an idea that has potential.
An audience member asked how this would work over the summer, when many new teachers are typically hired. The answer was that students are so enthusiastic about being part of the process - their input is highly valued - that finding enough students to fill a demonstration class has never been an issue. There are other schools who have successfully involved students in faculty interviews - the State College Delta program is one - but I was intrigued by the concept of having even elementary students participate.
They did mention one drawback to "hiring the best": the most talented teachers have a tendency to move on to greener pastures. But they decided that having an excellent teacher – if even for only two or three years - is still preferable to hiring a mediocre teacher who stays for thirty.
Their hiring process is combined with an induction period that lasts a full three years, with teacher evaluation and professional development focused on the "qualities" that were the basis for the initial interviews.
These districts recently implemented a process for hiring teachers that contains the standard "paper" and "personal" phases (resume, references, interview, etc.), with the interview questions constructed around James Strong’s "Six Qualities of Effective Teachers".
What they did differently was to put in place a "performance" component. The performance phase - where the candidate is given a week to prepare a lesson plan around a particular concept and deliver it to a group of students of the appropriate grade level - struck me as an idea that has potential.
An audience member asked how this would work over the summer, when many new teachers are typically hired. The answer was that students are so enthusiastic about being part of the process - their input is highly valued - that finding enough students to fill a demonstration class has never been an issue. There are other schools who have successfully involved students in faculty interviews - the State College Delta program is one - but I was intrigued by the concept of having even elementary students participate.
They did mention one drawback to "hiring the best": the most talented teachers have a tendency to move on to greener pastures. But they decided that having an excellent teacher – if even for only two or three years - is still preferable to hiring a mediocre teacher who stays for thirty.
Their hiring process is combined with an induction period that lasts a full three years, with teacher evaluation and professional development focused on the "qualities" that were the basis for the initial interviews.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Student Delegate Program
At the fall PSBA conference in Hershey last week, I had the opportunity to assist Lou Ann Evans (a former PSBA president) in a presentation to the student delegates.
The Student Delegate Program has been part of PSBA conference for 30 years, and is, as far as I know, unique. Students choose a "hot topic", examine the issue and propose solutions to a "mock" school board, consisting of school board members, administrators and students in attendance at the conference. During each of five 15-minute presentations, the student presenters respond to questions from the audience and the board, which eventually votes to adopt, reject or table the students' resolution.
Although the delegate program has long been a popular and well-attended part of the conference, until this year there hasn't been a lot in the way of formal training for the students, nor have they had the opportunity to hear the perspective of actual school board members prior to their presentations. We thought that might be useful.
In our thinking, this was an excellent opportunity to encourage the development of civic skills and knowledge among students - long an important goal of education. (In fact, the primary impetus for Ben Franklin's proposal to establish the first public schools in Pennsylvania was "to the end of creating citizens who could make wise political decisions".) What better place to learn the skills for becoming an effective citizen in the larger community?
In addition, there is an increasing body of research that connects academic achievement to the students’ sense of ownership in their school.
An important piece of civic knowledge is understanding who has the authority to make the changes you want to see happen. So, part of our presentation had to do with who school boards are - what kinds of decisions do they make, and how their role differs from that of school administrators. In short, the distinction between "policy" and the implementation of policy.
We then introduced the students to the "26" process - named after the 26th amendment - which they used to develop their resolutions. Once the students identified an issue of concern to them, they brainstormed potential solutions, considering the costs and possible consequences of each. Just as importantly, they tried to identify the key stakeholders, and the concerns they would bring to the issue. (This may sound familiar to veterans of Public Issues Forums.)
Finally, we talked about how to make an effective presentation: the importance of speaking clearly, anticipating questions, and knowing your audience.
While I’m probably not the best person to judge the results, I thought our presentation made a difference. And hopefully, these students will have an opportunity to make use of this experience back in their home schools.
The Student Delegate Program has been part of PSBA conference for 30 years, and is, as far as I know, unique. Students choose a "hot topic", examine the issue and propose solutions to a "mock" school board, consisting of school board members, administrators and students in attendance at the conference. During each of five 15-minute presentations, the student presenters respond to questions from the audience and the board, which eventually votes to adopt, reject or table the students' resolution.
Although the delegate program has long been a popular and well-attended part of the conference, until this year there hasn't been a lot in the way of formal training for the students, nor have they had the opportunity to hear the perspective of actual school board members prior to their presentations. We thought that might be useful.
In our thinking, this was an excellent opportunity to encourage the development of civic skills and knowledge among students - long an important goal of education. (In fact, the primary impetus for Ben Franklin's proposal to establish the first public schools in Pennsylvania was "to the end of creating citizens who could make wise political decisions".) What better place to learn the skills for becoming an effective citizen in the larger community?
In addition, there is an increasing body of research that connects academic achievement to the students’ sense of ownership in their school.
An important piece of civic knowledge is understanding who has the authority to make the changes you want to see happen. So, part of our presentation had to do with who school boards are - what kinds of decisions do they make, and how their role differs from that of school administrators. In short, the distinction between "policy" and the implementation of policy.
We then introduced the students to the "26" process - named after the 26th amendment - which they used to develop their resolutions. Once the students identified an issue of concern to them, they brainstormed potential solutions, considering the costs and possible consequences of each. Just as importantly, they tried to identify the key stakeholders, and the concerns they would bring to the issue. (This may sound familiar to veterans of Public Issues Forums.)
Finally, we talked about how to make an effective presentation: the importance of speaking clearly, anticipating questions, and knowing your audience.
While I’m probably not the best person to judge the results, I thought our presentation made a difference. And hopefully, these students will have an opportunity to make use of this experience back in their home schools.
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