Generation

1. Generation Schools whole-school and systemic Innovation Innovative and cost-effective school models organized on every level to maximizestudent engagementand teaching effectiveness.

2. Effective teaching transforms lives. It’s happening everyday in some of the most challenging settings imaginable. Key ChallengeWhat will it take for every child to benefit from effective teaching every day? Let’s look at how one middle school in Denver is working to answer that question.

3. Their school community • Serves approximately 470 students. • Is highly diverse with dozens of home languages and nationalities represented: a strong source of school pride. • Solid track record of academic success yet they want to improve opportunities for all students: academic and enrichment. • 6th grade has an enrollment bubble that impacts the schedule. Next year this will impact 7th grade. • Last year they participated in the district’s expanded learning time initiative developing their plan in-house. • They implemented an 8-hour school day for all students by using short-term funding to pay some teachers to work a 9-hour day. • The total cost was approximately $200K for the extra work time. • This Spring they sought out-side guidance to take their plan to the next level.

4. The challenge they sought to solve • Expanded Learning Time funding will run out. They received $200k this year. It has been cut in half for next year and will be eliminated after that. • They didn’t want to lose on the gains they’d made this year. • In fact, they wanted to build on the benefits of having “more and better” time for students and teachers. Goals • Maintain the extra learning time in core courses. • Ensure that all students have diverse enrichment programs. • Create robust and flexible opportunities for academic intervention. • Expand collaborative practice and training time for all teachers. • Incorporate new district mandates into their program. • Accomplish all this without relying on the extra funding after next year.

5. Their current schedule

6. Design Process

7. We’ve embarked on a truncated timeline but still the same steps

8. Seven Period Day

9. Three 86-minute periods

10. Three 51-minute periods mid-day

11. One 45-minute period at the end of the day

12. Three lunch periods by grade level

13. ELA Teachers

14. Adding the math teachers

15. Adding the science and social studies teachers

16. Adding elective teachers and other staff

17. Staggering the workday of some teachers

18. “Trading Time for Time” with some teachers

19. Low-tech brainstorming is still a very valuable step.

20. We are working on the next steps now to ensure the schedule is viable and sustainable.

21. Goals • Maintain the extra learning time in core courses. • Ensure that all students had diverse enrichment programs. • Create robust opportunities for academic intervention. • Expand collaborative practice and training time for all teachers.** They knocked this out of the park with both subject area and vertical planning time across grade levels for all core teachers! • Incorporate new district mandates into their program. • Accomplish all this without relying on the extra funding after next year. We also have… Freed up the ELT funding for expanded training instead of simply subsidizing a nine-hour work day. Developed a push-in opportunity for elective teachers to support project-enhance learning in the core courses. Provided greater much flexibility in grouping and re-grouping of students.

22. Generation Schools whole-school and systemic Innovation Innovative and cost-effective school models organized on every level to maximizestudent engagementand teaching effectiveness.