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Calls for Transformation of the American High School

One Size Does Not Fit All Washington Education Research Network Forum Improving Washington’s High Schools: Insights from Research and Experience May 11, 2006 Sue Cohn, Coordinator for High School Improvement, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction .

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Calls for Transformation of the American High School

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  1. One Size Does Not Fit AllWashington Education Research Network ForumImproving Washington’s High Schools: Insights from Research and ExperienceMay 11, 2006Sue Cohn, Coordinator for High School Improvement,Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

  2. Calls for Transformation of the American High School A revolutionary approach to high school is needed – one that challenges and engages students in meaningful, lifelong learning....Our children must leave high school with a solid foundation for success in today’s increasingly competitive knowledge-based economy. Together we can do it. -Mark Warner, Governor of Virginia and Chairman of the National Governors Association, 2005

  3. Agenda • Overview of OSPI reform initiatives • High School Improvement Initiative (Initiative) • High Schools That Work (HSTW) • Successful Practices Network (SPN) • Common themes • Common processes • Lessons learned • Questions

  4. First…input from you… What do you know about… • High School Improvement Initiative (Initiative) • High Schools That Work (HSTW) • Successful Practices Network (SPN) What do you hope to learn as a result of our conversation?

  5. Overview: High School Reform Initiatives (handout) • High School Improvement Initiative (Initiative) • High Schools That Work (HSTW) • Successful Practices Network (SPN) • Evaluation process • Additional initiatives

  6. Looking to the future…A shift in culture - from a focus on graduation from high school to readiness for post-secondary opportunities

  7. Common Themes • Culture focused on preparation for post-secondary career and college opportunities, not graduation or rules • High expectations for all students • Multiple pathways to rigorous and relevant curriculum and instruction which engage all students • Personalization

  8. Common Themes • Support and transition programs • Sustained professional development and staff collaboration • Effective leadership • Safe and supportive learning environment • Parent and community involvement

  9. “It’s not about where students come from, but what educators do with them once they have them.” Richard Esparza, Principal, Granger High School, HSTW

  10. Common Processes Process vs “Prescription” & Personalization

  11. “The unique characteristics of school cultures and student populations suggest that the most meaningful changes may depend on research that is locally driven. -Michael Sadowski Closing the gap one school at a time

  12. Common Processes • Clear focus on raising achievement for all students through attention to policies, procedures, and practices • Reliance on effective schools research and locally-driven data to drive goals and action-planning • External review identifying strengths, challenges, and recommendations for improvement • Internal review utilizing locally-driven data and results of findings of review team

  13. Common Processes • External support and technical assistance • Leadership team to usher school through process • Involvement of stakeholders • Systems approach

  14. “Once staff members change their behaviors, then a change in student behavior will follow.” Dr. Gene Bottoms Site Development Workshop March, 2006

  15. Lessons learned… • High school staff members care about making a difference for their students. • However, the dichotomy between effort and outcomes and between espoused and perceived expectations for our high schools confounds their work. • The context – culture and structures – of schools impact ways in which staffs respond to calls for change and engage in new learning to improve their practice.

  16. Lessons learned… • An external review and technical assistance can provide a valuable lens through which staffs can examine the context in which they work and students learn. • Yet, absent an internal review of local data, findings of an external review won’t mobilize staffs to reflect on their practices and engage in new learning. • Different initiatives, models and processes are anchored in a common belief that improvement of instructional practice is at the heart of improvement efforts.

  17. More lessons learned… • School improvement is an evolutionary process. Similar to staff, each school is at a different stage in the improvement process. Also similar to staff, schools can learn from one another and improve their practice regardless of where they are in the process. • Change is not easy…it’s grounded in shared beliefs, values, norms, and institutionalized practices – all of which make transformation of the American high school challenging.

  18. Finally… Schools must take a serious look at their curriculum, pedagogy, retention and tracking policies, testing and all the other policies and practices that create a school climate that is either empowering or disempowering for those who work and learn there. -Sonia Nieto

  19. Context ALWAYS matters. There is not one size that fits all!

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