MODEL SCHOOLS FOR INNER CITIES

TDSB

T E R M 2 , 2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1

M O D E L S C H O O L S F O R I N N E R C I T I E S

I N S I D E T H I S I N S I D E T H I S I N S I D E T H I S I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :I S S U E :I S S U E :I S S U E :

M S I C – Y E A R I N

R E V I E W 1

M S I C U N I T

F R A M E W O R K S 2

M O B I L E C O M P U T I N G

S T R A T E G Y

2

M S I C S U M M E R

S C H O O L 3

E Q U I T Y F R A M E W O R K A N D

W A L K T H R O U G H S

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P A U L S T E I N H A U E R C L I N I C A T

G E O R G E W E B S T E R

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C E D A R B R A E S T U D E N T S R E C E I V E G L A S S E S F R O M

O N E S I G H T

4

M S I C A T T H E F U T U R E S

C O N F E R E N C E

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C L U S T E R P A R E N T A C A D E M Y C O M M I T T E E

E V E N T S

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O N T A R I O P L A C E

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M S I C S U R V E Y S 7

M S I C S H A R E S

B E S T P R A C T I C E S 7

As with all great initiatives,

there is always change. With

the release of the new

Learning Opportunities

Index, we will be saying

goodbye to some of our

current schools and

welcoming new schools. The

MSIC program is expanding

to 125 schools in the 2011-

2012 school year, and we

are moving to 7 clusters,

each comprised of both

elementary and middle

schools. We also welcome

back the 7 schools in our

Cluster Model Secondary

and look forward to an

exciting 2011-2012.

I would like to thank Vicky

Branco, Central Coordinating

Principal, MSIC, for her

ongoing commitment to this

program and to the students

we serve. I would also like to

thank the MSIC Resource

Team, MSIC administrators

and staff, the Inner City

Advisory Committee and all

of our community and

corporate partners for their

hard work and dedication to

levelling the playing field for

all of our students. We’ll see

you next year.

Yours in Partnership,

Manon Gardner

Chief Academic Officer,

School Improvement

What an exciting year this has

been in the Model Schools for

Inner Cities program! A strong

commitment to increasing

academic press and closing

the opportunity gap is at the

heart of everything we do.

Many new initiatives were put

in place this year to support

these goals. Join with me as

we look back at some of the

highlights in the Model

Schools for Inner Cities pro-

gram, 2010-2011.

►Innovation in Teaching and

Learning

• Our Teaching and Learning

Coaches are continuing to

do some fabulous work

with teachers, students

and administrators. This

year, they have created an

on-line Resource Guide to

support the creation of

interdisciplinary units us-

ing best practices.

►Support Services to Meet

the Social, Emotional and

Physical Well-being of

Students

• In addition to nutrition pro-

grams and hearing and

vision screening, two pae-

diatric clinics have been

established in cluster

schools this year with the

intention of expanding to

more schools.

►School as Heart of the

Community

• This year we launched

TDSB’s first ever Parent

Academies —by parents,

for parents—and high-

lighted the initiatives at

TDSB’s Futures Confer-

ence this past May!

►Research, Review and

Evalution of Students and

Programs

• In the fall, students from

grades 2-8 wrote the Ca-

nadian Achievement Test

(CAT-4). Our schools now

have additional data to

support student success.

• Perception surveys for

staff, students and par-

ents are being rolled out

and will provide schools

with a wealth of knowl-

edge to improve student

learning and well-being.

►Commitment to Share

Successful Practices

• The MSIC team has

hosted and presented its

best practices to

educators

M O D E L S C H O O L S F O R I N N E R C I T I E S ( M S I C ) —

Y E A R I N R E V I E W

For more information

on MSIC, please visit:

www.tdsb.on.ca/

modelschools

F O R M O R E F O R M O R E F O R M O R E F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N , I N F O R M A T I O N , I N F O R M A T I O N , I N F O R M A T I O N , P L E A S E C O N T A C T :P L E A S E C O N T A C T :P L E A S E C O N T A C T :P L E A S E C O N T A C T :

M A N O N G A R D N E R , C H I E F A C A D E M I C O F F I C E R , S C H O O L

I M P R O V E M E N T

V I C K Y B R A N C O , C E N T R A L C O O R D I N A T I N G

P R I N C I P A L , M S I C

- Innovation in Teaching and Learning

2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1

M S I C U N I T F R A M E WO R K S

M O B I L E C O M P U T I N G S T R A T E G Y

be trained in the use of

the Apple MacBook and its

functionality in the math

classroom. With its pro-

grams and applications, it

has proven to be an effec-

tive tool for problem-

solving and for student

communication of proc-

esses and strategies.

In collaboration with the

Teaching and Learning

with Technology Depart-

ment, the Model Schools

Coaches received two

days of intensive profes-

sional development at

Apple Canada. The cus-

tomized training set out

to familiarize them with

the every-day essentials

of the MacBook, working

with digital images, Ge-

ometer’s Sketchpad,

video and enhanced pod-

casting.

Innovative Teaching is

the first essential com-

ponent of the Model

Schools for Inner Cities

program and the reason

we continue to support

the integration of inter-

active technology within

the teaching and learn-

ing framework.

The recent board-wide

implementation of the

Mobile Computing Strat-

egy has allowed for a

number of educators to

As part of our ongoing professional learning, the MSIC coaches have cre-ated an on-line “Resource Guide” for use by teach-ers in our schools. This guide provides educators with a detailed, highly flexible and adaptable description of the prac-tices and the pedagogy best known to enhance student learning and en-gagement. It uses the Model Schools for Inner Model Schools for Inner Model Schools for Inner Model Schools for Inner CitiesCitiesCitiesCities “Community, Char-“Community, Char-“Community, Char-“Community, Char-acter, Change”acter, Change”acter, Change”acter, Change” Units (2009/2010) to exem-plify these practices and outlines the specific proc-esses and resources used during the develop-

ment of the units.

The guide is intended to support teachers in plan-ning interdisciplinary

units that embed literacy and numeracy essential skills within current social justice inquiry topics. The planning framework can be adapted to the unique culture of all TDSB schools. The practices out-lined in this guide can also be adapted to any unit/lesson/activity within any subject area or discipline. They are meant to en-hance, not stifle, teacher creativity by enriching the level of in-class discussion and instruction and by ac-tively engaging students in higher-level critical think-

ing.

Downloadable PDF files will be available for Grade 1 to 8 lesson plans from the 2009/2010 “Community, Character, “Community, Character, “Community, Character, “Community, Character, Change”Change”Change”Change” units with en-

hancements such as: the rationale for using spe-cific instructional strate-gies, photographs and video clips of the strategy in action, examples of student work, and hyper-links to additional re-

sources.

This was a valuable experi-

ence that has further

equipped our coaches with

innovative tools to con-

tinue supporting teachers

with the integration of

technology as a means for

achieving student suc-

cess.

During the 2011/2012 school year, MSIC coaches will work with teachers at adapting lessons according to their individual student needs using a Culturally Responsive framework and share these adapta-tions electronically on Sharepoint to provide ongoing support to all teachers in our cluster schools. We look forward to continually learning from and with each

other.

For more information

on MSIC, please visit:

http://http://http://http://

oursite.tdsb.on.ca/oursite.tdsb.on.ca/oursite.tdsb.on.ca/oursite.tdsb.on.ca/

org/MSIC/org/MSIC/org/MSIC/org/MSIC/

default.aspx default.aspx default.aspx default.aspx

There are a variety of focus There are a variety of focus There are a variety of focus There are a variety of focus areas that will be areas that will be areas that will be areas that will be

thoroughly addressed thoroughly addressed thoroughly addressed thoroughly addressed throughout the guide. They throughout the guide. They throughout the guide. They throughout the guide. They

are as follows:are as follows:are as follows:are as follows:

►Enduring Understand-Enduring Understand-Enduring Understand-Enduring Understand-ings ings ings ings ►Culturally Responsive Culturally Responsive Culturally Responsive Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy and Relevant Pedagogy and Relevant Pedagogy and Relevant Pedagogy ►Assessment and Assessment and Assessment and Assessment and Evaluation Evaluation Evaluation Evaluation ►Interdisciplinary Interdisciplinary Interdisciplinary Interdisciplinary Approach Approach Approach Approach ►Differentiated Differentiated Differentiated Differentiated Instruction Instruction Instruction Instruction ►InquiryInquiryInquiryInquiry----based Learningbased Learningbased Learningbased Learning

►Professional LearningProfessional LearningProfessional LearningProfessional Learning

- Innovation in Teaching and Learning

2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1

E Q U I T Y F R A M E WO R K A N D WA L K T H R O U G H S

M S I C S U MM E R S C H O O L

building interest and self confi-

dence. This program will help stu-

dents to be more prepared when

they return in September.

There are 10 host schools across

the city (Calico P.S. Crescent Town,

Eastview, Firgrove, George Syme, H J

Alexander, Kingsview Village, Lord

Dufferin, Military Trail and Parkdale).

For the month of July, students

who attended Model Schools

for Inner Cities (MSIC) schools

and schools that have an On-

tario Focused Intervention Part-

nership (OFIP) are eligible to

attend the summer school pro-

gram. Students are offered a

comprehensive literacy and nu-

meracy program, based on the

MSIC curriculum units that have

been developed by the Teach-

ing and Learning Coaches.

These units were designed to

develop the skills in reading,

writing and mathematics, while

This past year, principals in the

Model Schools for Inner Cities

program have embarked on pro-

fessional development as a part

of the mandate of the Principal's

Academy. The goal has been to

develop a framework for evi-

dence of Culturally Responsive

and Relevant Pedagogy. In part-

nership with OISE's Centre for

Urban Schooling (CUS), princi-

pals and the Model School Re-

source Team have delved into

seven focus areas including:

1. Classroom climate

and instruction

2. School climate

3. Student voice and space

4. Family/caregiver-school rela-

tions

5. School leadership

6. Community connections

7. Culture of professional develop-

ment

Each cluster of schools embarked

on a walk-through using a set of

"look-fors" or indicators under each

of the seven areas. One school

from each of the clusters volun-

teered to have the administrators,

trustees, and MSIC staff tour the

classrooms, libraries, and other

parts of the school to make obser-

vations and look for evidence using

the framework as a guide.

In follow-up sessions, the findings

were further analyzed in order to

reach a deeper understanding of

the framework. Revisions are cur-

rently underway to utilize the frame-

work at each of the MSIC schools

next year.

Bussing is also provided for stu-

dents who have to travel to a host

school. We are pleased to be able

to offer this programming to sup-

port students in MSIC schools and

OFIP schools.

MSIC Coaches will provide support

to the schools, the staff and the

students. They will co-teach les-

sons with staff and work with en-

tire classes or individuals in the

classroom.

We are pleased that we are able to

support our students in the sum-

mer as well as throughout the

school year.

- Social, Emotional and Physical Supports

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P A U L S T E I N H A U E R C L I N I C A T G E O R G E W E B S T E R

Paul Steinhauer was known

throughout the world as “a chil-

dren’s champion” and a

“passionate advocate” for youth.

Dr. Steinhauer worked to break

down barriers and promote mental

and physical health for children. In

his memory, George Webster Ele-

mentary School established a Pedi-

atric Health Clinic that is providing

access to health services to chil-

dren in its community. This is the

second clinic to be established in

the Model Schools Pediatric Health

Initiative, which aims to make

health care more accessible for

students in the Model Schools pro-

gram. Located in inner-city schools,

As part of the Model Schools for

Inner Cities program, all 1400

students at Cedarbrae Collegiate

had their vision screened and

more than 150 students received

free glasses from the Vision Van

this June.

The students who received the

glasses were from grades 9-12

and many of the students had

serious vision impairment. As

students left the Vision Van with

their glasses they were shocked

to see “a whole new world” be-

fore them and many remarked

on how this would change their

experience of school.

each clinic provides comprehensive

services to approximately 800 chil-

dren. This exciting initiative is a part-

nership between the Model Schools

for Inner Cities, the Toronto Founda-

tion for Student Success and vari-

ous community and health partners.

The clinic is open to students at

George Webster as well as students

from surrounding cluster schools

through specific referral streams.

Medical professionals, together with

inner-city community partners will

provide primary care to children and

youth within the school clinic. Ini-

tially, the Clinic is operating two half

days per week. An International

Medical Graduate will be hired as

the Clinic Coordinator.

Mental health is critical in the

treatment of children, so at the

Paul Steinhauer Pediatric Clinic, a

Child Psychiatrist will play a con-

sultative role. Schools in the

cluster will also have access to

professional development with a

child psychiatrist.

George Webster students are excited

about the arrival of the clinic’s first

medical bed!

C E D A R B R A E S T U D E N T S R E C E I V E G L A S S E S F R O M O N E S I G H T

The Vision Van was operated by

OneSight, A Luxottica Group Foun-

dation that is a non profit corpo-

ration dedicated to improving vi-

sion worldwide through outreach,

research and education. This

partnership allowed us to provide

students with eye exams and free

glasses.

2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1

M S I C A T T H E F U T U R E S C O N F E R E N C E – T A P P I N G I N T O T H E

P OW E R O F P A R E N T S !

On May 4, 2011 the Model

Schools for Inner Cities program

highlighted the success of the

first year of our Parent Acad-

emies at the TDSB FUTURES

CONFERENCE. The conference

was held at the Allstream Cen-

tre (Exhibition Place) and we

had over 500 people in atten-

dance – administrators, teach-

ers and parents.

In preparation for the confer-

ence the CSW’s visited each of

their schools taking pictures

highlighting activities that dem-

onstrated parent and commu-

nity engagement. As they pre-

pared their display boards the

depth and breadth of the activi-

ties became evident, as exam-

ples were cluster-specific.

The Lead Teachers invited par-

ents from the Cluster Parent

Academies Committees (CPACs)

to speak about their experi-

ences and the role of CPAC on

increasing student success.

The highlight of the afternoon in-

volved parent presentations and the

Carousel of Sharing.

Ventelyn Anderson, parent from

North Albion C.I. spoke of the suc-

cess of her Cluster Parent Academy

Committee in recruiting parents to

become involved. She then shared

her belief that involved parents help

to create successful students.

Diana Venier Snape and Jasmine

McLeod talked about the successful

parent conference that the Cluster E

CPAC recently hosted. Their confer-

ence offered over forty workshops

on eighteen topics to suit their par-

ents’ needs from workforce develop-

ment to supporting their children’s

learning. They thanked MSIC for

supporting this initiative.

The Community Support Workers

(CSWs) then displayed their boards

highlighting parent engagement

initiatives in their schools. The au-

dience had the opportunity to travel

around the room, listen to presen-

tations by the CSW’s and gather

ideas to take back to their school

and cluster. This part of the after-

noon was so successful that the

cluster boards are being taken to

the upcoming CPAC meetings as

parents requested more time to

look at them and gather informa-

tion.

After listening to the parent pre-

senters, members of other clusters

took the information back to their

next cluster meetings. The enthusi-

asm has spread and we have sev-

eral parent conferences being or-

ganized by other clusters to occur

before the end of the school year.

Page 5 - School as Heart of the Community

- School as Heart of the Community 2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1

locally at each individual school while

in other clusters, school communities

came together to host parent confer-

ences. A wide range of workshop topics

have been offered to parents including

Healthy Eating, Diabetes Awareness,

Kindergarten-Full Day Learning, Intro-

duction to Computers, Internet Safety,

Job Search, Resume Writing, and Fam-

ily Fitness. Parents were provided with

the necessary supports to engage fully,

such as translations, transportation,

food, and child minding.

The launch of Cluster Parent

Academy Committees (CPAC)

has been a huge success in the

Model Schools program this

year.

Each cluster CPAC has been

able to make decisions on the

types of events or initiatives that

they feel would be beneficial to

them. Events were developed

around the three goals of the

CPAC: parenting and child devel-

opment; workforce develop-

ment; and learning to navigate

the education system.

The types of events and semi-

nars offered were dependent

upon the needs of each commu-

nity. In some clusters the Par-

ent Academy events occurred

C L U S T E R P A R E N T A C A D E M Y C O M M I T T E E E V E N T S

For the third year in a row, the

MSIC community (students, par-

ents, staff and community part-

ners) had the opportunity to pur-

chase a Play All Day pass to On-

tario Place for either Saturday,

May 14th or Sunday, May 15th

for only $7.00 per person.

(Children 3 and under were

FREE). This pass gave ticket

holders entrance to the park,

and access to all the rides, as

well as the water park and

Cinesphere IMAX® 3D films.

This was a fantastic offer for our

students, their families and our

community partners, as the

regular price is usually over $30

per person. What a great deal!

In addition, with proof of

locally at each individual school while

in other clusters,

Thousands of people were able to

experience a fun day at Ontario Place

with their family and friends. Given

the poor weather conditions that

weekend, Ontario Place agreed to

honour the MSIC Play All Day Passes

until June 30th, 2011. This means

that our families are able to select

any day before June 30th to redeem

their tickets and purchase the

$20.00 + tax Play All Summer Pass.

Through this invaluable partnership

with Ontario Place, the Model

Schools for Inner Cities program

helps to level the playing field, by giv-

ing inner city children and their fami-

lies access to the same opportunities

and experiences as others across the

city. Thank you to the Ontario Place

Corporation.

O N T A R I O P L A C E 2 0 1 1

Regardless of the workshop or for-

mat of the CPAC, the end result was

the same; groups of parents engag-

ing in learning and discussions on

topics that were chosen directly by

them, for them.

The next academic year is on the ho-

rizon, and with that there are groups

of parents within the Model Schools

program eagerly anticipating next

year’s events and activities. Con-

gratulations to our fantastic parents!

purchase of a Play All Day Pass, partici-

pants were also able to purchase a

2011 Play All Summer Pass for only

$20.00 + tax. The 2011 Play All Sum-

mer Pass gives the pass holder unlim-

ited access to Ontario Place until mid-

November.

- Research, Review and Evaluation of Programs & Sharing Successful Practices

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• Do you participate in

workshops?

• Do you see your-

selves reflected in the

books and curricu-

lum?

We also asked students

about their experiences

outside of school. Ques-

tions included:

• How much time do

you spend doing

homework?

• Do you read at

home?

As the school year winds

down, and students and

families prepare for sum-

mer break, we have

asked students, parents

and staff to give us feed-

back on how well we did

this year. We are interested

in knowing more about stu-

dents’ experiences in

school. Here are examples

of questions on the survey:

• Do you like coming to

school?

• Do you feel safe at

school?

M S I C S U R V E Y S

Model Schools is committed to

sharing best practices in urban

education and learning about

some of the exciting things hap-

pening internationally. Take a

look at some of the presenta-

tions we have made and delega-

tions of visitors we have hosted.

September 2010

►Presented at the Hospital For Sick Children Bioethics

Conference

October 2010

►Presented at the International Conference on Urban Health,

New York, NY

December 2010 ►Presented to a delegation of

Japanese principals

May 2011

►Presented at the Ontario Healthy School Coalition Conference, Sudbury, ON ►Presented at the Futures

Conference, TDSB, Toronto, ON

June 2011

►Presented to a delegation of edu-

cators from Iceland

August 2011

►Presenting at the International Conference, Ontario Principals

Council

August and September, 2011

►Presenting to a delegation of

educators from Germany

M S I C S H A R E S B E S T P R A C T I C E S

• What programs or

activities do they par-

ticipate in?

We asked parents about

their experiences with

the school as well. Parent

surveys were translated

into the 15 most com-

monly spoken languages

among TDSB families.

Questions included:

• Do you come to

school events?

• Do you participate in

workshops/activities?

• Are you satisfied

with the programs

offered at the

school?

We also asked teachers

and staff to give us input

on their experiences this

year.

All of this information

will be used for strategic

planning to support our

schools. The surveys will

provide our schools with

rich data to inform our

decisions and focus our

goals.

January 2011 ►Recognized by the Bertelsmann Foundation and asked to present best practices on equity in education in

Germany

February 2011 ►Presented to a delegation of visitors from the Commonwealth Educational

Exchange, Torbay, UK

March 2011 ►Presented to a delegation including the French Minister of Education and Consular ►Presented to a delegation of Chinese

educators

April 2011

►Presented at the Family and Literacy Conference, London, ON ►Presented at the Toronto School Ad-

ministrators Association Conference

MODEL SCHOOLS FOR INNER CITIES

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