CRANBOURNE NETWORK PRINCIPALS’ STUDY TOUR 27 th September to October 17 th, 2008.

CRANBOURNE NETWORK PRINCIPALS’ STUDY TOURCRANBOURNE NETWORK PRINCIPALS’ STUDY TOUR

27th September to October 17th, 2008

PreamblePreamble

• In 2008 the Southern Metropolitan Regional Director authorised a Cranbourne Network Principals’ study tour of exemplary schools in the United States of America and Canada.

• Steve Phillips, Loretta Hamilton, David Hinton, Peter Hicks, Georgina Wilson and Peter Hanley were the Principal Class Members who participated.

• Washington D.C.: The School Without Walls, Alice Deal Junior High School, Lafayette Elementary School (E.S.)

• Fredericksburg, Virginia: North Stafford High School, Rodney Thompson Middle School (M.S.), T. Benton Gayle M.S., Hartwood E.S.

• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: North Allegheny Intermediate School, Hosack E.S., Neshannock School District – Elementary, Middle and High Schools

• York Region, Toronto: Teston Village Public School, Dr. D. W. Williams High Schol, York Region District School Board, York Centre for Leadership and Learning

Schools and Districts VisitedSchools and Districts Visited

To follow . . . . . . . To follow . . . . . . .

• From our observations we cannot make generalisations about education in the USA because it is a country of 300 million with wide geographical, economic and cultural differences.

• However, based on what we saw this report

contains our Observations/Interpretations and implications in areas as diverse as School Organisation and Governance, Student Learning, Student Pathways and Transitions, and Student Engagement and Wellbeing.

Working under the following mandates . . .

Working under the following mandates . . .

• NCLB – No Child Left Behind – where 100% of students by the Year 2014 must be proficient or advanced on the State test in Math and Reading (Writing, Science, Social Studies)

• AYP – Adequate Yearly Progress - is expected for the school from year to year

• School data is published• Failing schools have intervention• Everyone is clear on the importance of student

data as the measure of school performance

Observations: School GovernanceObservations: School Governance

• Schools resourced through federal, state and local government funds

• Local community directly involved in education through their ‘rates’

• School organisation varies across Districts and States: eg. elementary, middle, junior high, intermediate, high school, senior high school

Observations: School ResourcesObservations: School Resources

• Buildings impressive and spotlessly clean

• Curriculum facilities fully catered for

• A lot of money spent!

• Sporting facilities were outstanding

Observations: School ResourcesObservations: School Resources• Schools had many banners promoting values

• Schools proudly displayed awards

• Schools had mascots/symbols

• Signage evident

• No graffiti

Observations: High SchoolsObservations: High Schools

• Facility provision and course selection was outstanding

• Support services such as multiple counsellors and sports health programs were evident

Observations: High SchoolsObservations: High Schools• Mascots and school colors were on constant

display

• High Schools built and re-built in excess of $60 million

Observations: High SchoolsObservations: High Schools• Physical resources included: spacious grounds

(suburbs/rural areas), multiple gyms, weight rooms, football stadiums and sporting fields, auditoriums, band rooms

Observations: High SchoolsObservations: High Schools• TAFE type courses: motor mechanics, horticulture,

sports medicine, child care training, printing workshops, television studio

• Other learning included: virtual learning, advanced placement, remediation classes

• Wide variety of electives

• Summer school, after school catch up classes, elimination of elective classes

• SAT exams and grade point average (for entry to College. No VCE


• Evidence of planning and support for individual students to ‘get there’.

• Watch lists for students at risk of not meeting minimum standards


• More instruction time per day

with only a 30 minute break• Students go to school for

180 days (Vic. 200 days)


• Minimum expectation that students complete High School


Every aspect of school was valued by the community as evidenced by sporting teams, car stickers promoting the School District, media coverage

Observations: Middle and Junior High Schools


• Many structured with 4 teachers and 100 students

• 4 teachers teach: Mathematics, English, Science, Social Studies (+ Reading)

• One school compared student achievement data to a student’s preferred learning style

• Literacy and Numeracy coaches/experts were part of each team

• Collaborative teamwork is essential to assist all students and to pass on new ideas gained from P.D.

• At risk students are taught by a close knit group of teachers, eg. The Academy

• Changing whole school culture through establishing study groups who look at the data and share good ideas



•Differentiated instruction is based on learning styles

•Established a data base of student learning styles that is accessible by all teachers in the school

•Using concrete materials in maths classrooms is

important in ‘why’ we do something, i.e. problem solvers



• CRISS – (creating independence through student owned strategies) teaching children how to think about their own thinking

• These CRISS strategies support all subjects• All teachers are trained in CRISS in order to teach

children to be critical thinkers and be responsible for their own learning



• Reading is essential in the middle school not just in English classes and is treated as a separate subject in one school

• The Reading Specialist facilitated the Reading program with teachers at each level

• Common Reading strategies are taught across the school

• Reading specialists ‘model’ in classrooms for all teachers

• All teachers teach Reading



• Pre and Post assessment is essential

• Different ways of testing students

• Pre assessment will guide instruction



• Assessment must impact the teaching lessons

• Need to get teachers used to looking at data and what, as a teacher, is not working

Observations: Intermediate SchoolObservations: Intermediate School• One School District had a school set

up as a Year 9 and 10 school

• Children in this school did not undertake State testing however their past results are used to drive teaching

Observations: Intermediate SchoolObservations: Intermediate School

• Lifetime fitness was the P.E. model used in this school, eg. bicycle riding, running on trails, activities to do throughout life (rather than team sports)

Observations: Intermediate SchoolObservations: Intermediate School• Senior Citizens Program – students create a 6

week program whereby the seniors work with the students

• Community connections through this program

• Students give back to the community

Observations: Intermediate SchoolObservations: Intermediate School

• Data is analysed by teachers to drive their teaching

• Students who are not proficient on the tests are expected to take make up classes at the expense of electives

Observations: Intermediate SchoolObservations: Intermediate School• Teachers need to work together to get students to

the next level

• Teachers are given ‘time’ to look at the data for trends, patterns, gaps in the curriculum

• Teachers then bring their data back to the ‘whole’ faculty to devise an action plan to work on

• All students undertake tests including those with a disability.

Observations: Elementary SchoolsObservations: Elementary Schools

• Some elementary schools included a pre-school (our kindergarten)

• The core curriculum consists of English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science.

• Students had the goal of each lesson and the day’s timetable on display

• Students can then articulate their learning goals

Observations: Elementary SchoolsObservations: Elementary Schools• State standards and data were on display

Disadvantaged students had subsidised lunches

• Only one school had a morning recess

• Unstructured play was limited by having half a lunchtime taken up in the cafeteria

• Many schools run ‘goal’ or gifted programs

• ICT was limited

• Some Kindergarten (Prep) classes only ran for half a day


• Successful schools were those who focussed relentlessly on whole school strategies for improving learning

• Timetabling: all students had a literacy block

• Common preparation time is beneficial leading to alignment in planning, delivery and practice


• Students at risk: weakest student in each class is concentrated on and worked on as a team

• Assessment for Learning: teachers give the students ‘up front’ the strategies for successful learning

• Student led interviews and sharing of portfolios


• “Moodle”: student blogging; students critiquing student responses to learning

• All support staff were timetabled in during guided reading to assist and support ‘at risk students’ every single day


• Staff need to work out the success criteria based on assessment and then translate that into student language

• Teachers can tend to teach below the standard; sometime by up to 2 years below

Observations: Elementary SchoolsObservations: Elementary Schools• Children need to know what they are learning and

when they have achieved what they set out to learn

• We are learning to … ; I know I have achieved this when …

• In Toronto, day care centres are attached to the school but run separately from the school

• Schools are using current research to drive improvement, eg. Reeves, Stiggins, Fullan

Observations: Assessment and DataObservations: Assessment and Data

• Assessment and data drive instruction are pivotal to student success

• Staff need to own the data and analyse it for improvement

• Data is on display for all to see

• Students need to know what they are learning before further learning takes place

• Students need to articulate their learning

Observations: StaffingObservations: Staffing

• Staffing availability varies from State to State and District to District

• The success of the school can be dependant on the socio-economic status of the community

Observations: StaffingObservations: Staffing• Wealthier districts can afford to pay teachers

more and therefore have more applicants for jobs (4000 applicants)

• The selection process is rigorous and can be a three step process

Observations: StaffingObservations: Staffing• Principal Evaluations: competency analysis,

productivity analysis: communication, leadership, planning and organisation, student performance (#1)

Observations: StaffingObservations: Staffing

• Sometimes the top teacher salary exceeds the Principal’s salary

• 4 domains for teacher assessment: planning and preparation, classroom environment, instructional delivery, professionalism

• Teachers are held accountable for their students’ results

Observations: StaffingObservations: Staffing• Principal does pre-observation,

observation and then post observation.

• Long term teachers can have peer observations

• Some teachers have self assessments

• Teachers who are unsatisfactory have improvement plans

• An ‘unsatisfactory’ teacher evaluation could be used in not hiring an applicant

Observations: LeadershipObservations: Leadership

• Each leadership team was highly articulate when explaining their school purpose and direction

• Principals were ‘media savvy’

• Principals were highly educated and had formal leadership training before becoming a Principal

• Superintendent roll is different to chain of command here in Victoria

Observations: Leadership Observations: Leadership

• A focus on instructional leadership

• Principals conducted walk-throughs

• There appeared to be a lack of networking between schools and school leaders at certain levels

Observations: Academic and Support Services


• Some schools undertook differentiated instructions (but not all)

• The curriculum was less crowded

• Formal learning standards were openly on display in most classrooms



• The testing data is owned by teachers, students and parents

• Teachers MUST know how to analyse and interpret the data

• Professional learning is the absolute key



• Teachers can no longer ‘teach to the middle’

• Teachers need to be accountable for implementing programs that meet the needs of all students

• Working in teams with joint responsibility for learning outcomes is most effective



• High emphasis on school security

• All students stay at school until the end of the academic year

• Abundance of counsellors and paraprofessionals in schools

• Speech pathologists are attached directly to schools

• Teacher aide provision was significant

Observations: ICTObservations: ICT• ICT was very limited especially in elementary and

middle schools

• Computer usage did not appear very ‘sophisticated’

• Some senior high schools offered ‘virtual learning’ classes for high achieving students

• Students did not have their own notebooks

• Some high schools had banks of notebook computers

Important ImplicationsImportant Implications• Levels of funding for education appeared much

higher in the schools we visited and therefore curriculum provision was extensive

• Students were provided with the equipment to learn

• Interventions in learning appeared to be made earlier; rather than remedial classes

• The most successful schools focussed relentlessly on whole school strategies for improving learning

Important ImplicationsImportant Implications• Effective use of student assessment was used to

drive curriculum planning and staffing provision

• The emphasis on using and discussing data was pivotal

• Student data was the measure of school performance

• Schools that used assessment for learning also focussed on teacher development

Important ImplicationsImportant Implications• Pre-school provision within schools enabled

positive transition and earlier monitoring of student learning

• The overcrowded curriculum was reduced to Mathematics, English, Social Studies and Science

• Reading/Writing skills are not just the responsibility of the English teacher

• Knowing every student well is vital in ensuring success

Important ImplicationsImportant Implications• There are resources available

to us but they are fragmented and run by different agencies

• Re-locating community resources within schools caters for a better and more immediate use of resources

• Middle Schools catered differently for students – not just the high school model

Important ImplicationsImportant Implications

• Pride in the school and district was highly evident

• Symbols and celebrations were highly successful in engaging students and the community

• Students need to be at school learning and graduating from ‘High School’

CRANBOURNE NETWORK PRINCIPALS’ STUDY TOUR 27 th September to October 17 th, 2008.

Documents

Transcript of CRANBOURNE NETWORK PRINCIPALS’ STUDY TOUR 27 th September to October 17 th, 2008.