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AUGUST 2000 |
Accelerated Schools
Project |
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INSIDE Page 1 Greetings
from the Director, Page 2 Updates on Training/Network Opportunities, Welcome, Congratulations, Regional Listing Page 3 Effective Staff Learning . . . , National Conference Page 4 ASP
Websites Insert Introduction
to the Accelerated Schools Process |
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Welcome Back! The start
of a new school year is always exciting.
It is a new beginning! A fresh
start! Even though it is a busy time
with lots of things to do, it is a good time to pause briefly and recall what
it means to be an I remember the first few days of a new school year. I always looked forward to returning to the classroom and my new students. It was exciting to open new books, use new crayons, and try out new ideas. I always started the school year with high expectations, high hopes and enthusiasm. But maintaining the sense of freshness that we begin a new year with for the entire school year is tough. "Powerful" professional development will help. You will find an excellent article in this newsletter regarding effective staff learning. The eight points made in Killion's article can be accomplished as part of your cadre work. Schoolwide dedication to inquiry focused on schoolwide implementation of powerful learning is what we should be attending to in our cadre work. Keeping cadre work centered on curricular areas promotes improved instruction and effective classroom practice. If we have such a focus we will know what our students know and don't know. We will establish clear, high expectations for children. We will provide our students with multiple opportunities for success. We will shift grading and assessment practices. We will accommodate students' learning styles. We will collaborate with others. In other words we will have a successful school! We will establish a culture of excellence! We will do what's best for children! I look forward to working with you this year and sharing your successes! |
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Dr. Julie K.
Biddle, Director (biddlej@keiko.udayton.edu) (937-229-4517) University of
The
ASP Newsletter is published three times a year by the |
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"NO EXCUSES" "We know that what improves classroom practice and school leadership is tailored, intensive sustained staff development that includes follow-up support, practice, feedback, and evaluation. There simply is no excuse for taking the time of teachers and principals to participate in anything else." SOURCE:
"Educators: Reform Thyselves," by Hayes Mizell, Education Week,
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In September when you meet your new students, they are "simply 25 to 30 little mysteries, some well-behaved, some frightened, some precocious, some of them more problematic, some of them unmanageable squirmers, some of them eternal 'motor-mouths' . . . but all of them are still packages with unknown contents and still-unknown possibilities." By next June there may be fewer mysteries, but a new chemistry will have occurred. They will be your children and you won't want to let them go! SOURCE: Kozol, J. (2000). Ordinary Resurrections. NY: Crown Publishers, page 307 |
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Update on Training/Network
Opportunities for 2000-2001 Menu of Training/Networking Opportunities for NEW Schools Powerful Learning -- November 9 & 10, 2000 Inquiry -- February 8 & 9, 2001 Initial
Coaches' Training -- Menu of
Training/Networking Opportunities for EXISTING Schools (Schools entering their 3rd year or beyond) Initial Coaches'
Training -- Powerful
Learning & Inquiry -- Menu of Training/Networking Opportunities for both NEW & EXISTING Schools Introduction to ASP -- September 21 & 22, 2000 Regional Coaches' Meeting -- held quarterly -- usually 1/2 day National ASP
Conference -- Powerful Learning Labs -- Summer 2001 (TBA) Grant Writing -- October 10 & 11, 2000 & February 6 & 7, 2001 |
Congratulations!! Jefferson, Mayfield and Oneida Elementary Schools in Middletown, Ohio and Kinder Elementary School in Miamisburg, Ohio and Boulevard Elementary in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. All have received grants for improved student achievement. Principal, Sharon Angel from Kinder said, "The Accelerated Schools principle of 'Unity of Purpose' guides the Kinder program. All parents, staff and community members are focused on proficiency outcomes for kindergarten through 5th grade."
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Welcome!! BESTER ELEMENTARY We are so pleased to welcome
Bester Elementary to our network of Accelerated Schools! Drenna Reineck is principal at Bester. She and her 40 plus staff members serve
approximately 525 students in grades K-5 in |
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(Be on the lookout for
information from the regional coordinator about your regional fall event.) |
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Northeast Region Coordinator: Karen Sawitke (440) 255-0764 saw@ncweb.com Boulevard Elementary Brookfield/Curtis Elementary Henry Longfellow Accelerated McMullen
Betsy Donohoe: betsys51@aol.com Bester Elementary |
South & Central Region Coordinator: Julie K. Biddle biddlej@keiko.udayton.edu (937) 229-4517 Kinder Elementary Mayfield Elementary McKinley Accelerated Elementary Mercer Mount Airy School Oakdale Elementary Taft Accelerated Elementary World of Wonder Accelerated |
Northwest Region Coordinator: Svea Cooke (419) 882-5660 (gcooke@pop3.utoledo.edu Carrie Gosch Elementary Faurot Elementary Howe Elementary James Madison Elementary
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EFFECTIVE STAFF LEARNING
MUST BE LINKED TO STUDENT LEARNING by Joellen Killion (Director of
Special Projects for the National Staff Development Council) (SOURCE:
FOCUS ON THE STANDARDS, National Staff Development Council, Results,
May 2000, p. 3) Giving teachers the means to demonstrate high expectations for all students is essential content for staff development. But what does it mean to have such high expectations? In their work, David Hunt, Donald Schon, and Peter Senge, discovered that "actions speak louder than words." They describe the difference between espoused theories and theories in action. Espoused theories are those we profess or believe we have; theories in action are those that drive our actions, decisions, and behaviors. Being able to hold high expectations for students is a function of one's belief systems. It's easy to say you hold high expectations for students; it's not easy to act as if you do. Facing one's own belief system and reshaping it is not an easy task nor can it be done in a risk-bound environment. As a teacher, I participated in the Teacher Expectation and Student Achievement training and was confronted with my own belief that some students were more capable than others. TESA showed how those beliefs skewed my interactions with students. I gave some students more opportunities to respond or do well in class than I did to others. Teachers must ask themselves difficult questions including: Are there students who cannot do as well as others? Do I give more opportunity and support for success to some students than others? Do I intentionally or unintentionally expect more of some students? Do I have different standards for the quality of student work? Do I tolerate more misbehavior from some students? Collegial feedback will provide insight on the beliefs that underlie any actions. But such feedback is unlikely in a school that isn't already committed to continuous improvement and collegial support. Sharing feedback or discussing one's beliefs in a risk-free or blame-free environment is challenging enough. To hold high expectations for students, teachers must commit themselves to several actions. 1. Know what students know and don't know. Getting a firm hold on the starting point of each student helps teachers know what is within a student's reach. Low expectations are often the product of low performance and due to a lack of knowledge or skill. 2. Establish clear, high expectations for students. Communicate them, model them, and provide samples of work that demonstrates those expectations. 3. Give students multiple opportunities to meet the expectations. Schools with no-failure policies clearly communicate that failure is not an option. 4. Shift grading and assessment practices to identify what a student does well rather than what a student does incorrectly. 5. Accommodate students with different ways of knowing and demonstrating their learning. 6. Collaborate with colleagues to establish common expectations. Different expectations confuse students, especially younger ones. 7. Delineate and share with students and parents classroom, grade-level or department and school- level expectations related to academic work and behavior. 8. Establish appropriate consequences for students who choose not to meet standards. Consequences should avoid impacting academic performance or using another content area skill, such as writing, as punishment. Holding high expectations for students leads to increased student achievement. Students must believe they can succeed before they take a risk. Teachers are key to helping students believe in themselves. Rarely will students choose not to succeed. Schools and teachers must create a learning environment of possibilities for students by believing in all students, teaching them in a way to promote their success, and committing to their academic achievement. |
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Accelerated Schools
National Conference The 4th Annual National ASP Conference will be held January 28-31, 2001 in Las Vegas, NV 89109 at the Alexis Park Resort & Spa If you have not already done so, you need to make your hotel reservations immediately (web site: www.alexispart.com/ or call 702-796-3300, or 800-453-8000, or 800-582-2228 or FAX 702-796-3354. And,
if you have not yet registered for the conference, that must be
completed by October 14 to receive the early bird rate. For further information, contact the UNLV Accelerated
Schools Project Director at (702) 895-1208 or FAX (702) 895-4898 or email jane@nevada.edu. |
ASP WEBSITES
National ASP Center Dayton Satellite Center for Accelerated Schools
www.acceleratedschools.net www.udayton.edu/edu/centers/oasn/oasn.html
Dayton
Satellite Center for Accelerated Schools
University
of Dayton
300
College Park Drive
Dayton,
OH 45469-0510