- Americans’ resolve disgracefully weak
- While GIs died, Iraqi officials vacationed
- Goodman fails to enlighten readers
- Porn at library difficult to avoid
- Slipped his mooring?
- Petraeus and Kerry
- Selective outrage
- A DIFFERING VIEW: Show some backbone; print the whole word
- DPS closing schools
- Improving high-poverty schools
Improving high-poverty schools
In Nancy Mitchell’s article, “Raising the bar, raising success,” in the Sept. 17 Rocky Mountain News, leaders of the two schools featured in the article, KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy and West Denver Prep, insist that what they are doing to help their high-poverty kids succeed could be done elsewhere. So why isn’t it being done? Perhaps because the “secret” to their success is not an easily replicated model, curriculum, or program - the standard fare of most education reform efforts. Most reform efforts, while seeking to make important and necessary changes, are often insufficient to raise student achievement because they fail to address the more complex challenge of transforming school cultures.
Recently, McREL, a Denver-based education research organization, studied 49 schools where high-poverty students “beat the odds” by achieving at high levels. We found that what distinguishes these schools from others is that they develop “cultures of high expectations.” Leaders establish clear visions for success and set high expectations for student behavior and achievement, and teachers take responsibility for creating structured, well-managed classrooms, where students are clear about their learning goals and behavioral expectations.
This finding may help to explain why school improvement is so difficult.
Were it simply a matter of adopting a new reading curriculum or offering a different training program for teachers, schools would be doing it already - and demonstrating higher levels of student achievement all across the country.
The findings from our study suggest that improving schools is both a science and an art. School need to use scientific research to improve their teaching methods and help struggling students catch up. At the same time, they need to attend to the art (i.e., where there’s no prescribed formula for success) of creating cultures of high expectations, in which teachers and students share a “can-do” attitude and work together to succeed.
It’s encouraging to see that DPS superintendent Michael Bennet is quoted in the article as saying, “I’d like to see schools do whatever it is they can do to establish very intentional school cultures with a high set of expectations for conduct.” Research suggests that Mr. Bennet is on the right track. Attending to both the science (i.e., use of rigorous research) and art (i.e., transformation of school cultures) of school improvement will be the key to helping students succeed in his district.
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maybe try requiring homework be done and teaching the basics, like reading, writing, arithmetic, english....or does that interfer with teaching are 1st graders about alternate lifestyles?
Posted by on October 6, 2007 06:12 PMHow about choice and competition?
Posted by Get Real on October 6, 2007 06:39 PMok lets get a culture who want to learn, guess that leaves out all of the illigals who dont care about education as it is not very important in mexico.
the reason the success at one school can not be moved to another is because it is more work that a lot of the tenured union people want to do.
lets try vouchers and see if educational out comes improve and stop spending millions on reviews and consultants coming in and saying the same old crap every year. vourchers are the only thing that has not been tried and the reason is the union is scared that the results would ruin their racket.
and it would.
Its always a complex problem. One that has social and political ramifications.
A good part of the problem is this phycobabble being brought forth.
Easy answer to problem .... quit coddeling the kids. If they act up in class do not expel them hold them in detention/homeroom where they have to sit and study. Stop passing them if they fail. Make them repete the class or year in school.
Stop making excuses and lookig for an easy way out for the system. Hold teachers, administrators, students, and thier parents responsible for what acures in the classroom and on school property.
Posted by on October 7, 2007 06:27 AMHave any of you even stepped foot into an elementary school lately? I'm there everyday...in a first grade classroom, no less. Guess what? The kids are learning how to read, write, do math, etc. Even the Spanish speaking kids. And they have homework. Every night. In a DPS school. Amazing really. Guess it's just easier to bicker and complain than actually make a difference and maybe volunteer or do something productive.
Secure our damn borders and quit letting Mexico use our bleoved country as a dumping ground for their poor and criminal population.
Posted by on October 8, 2007 07:22 AMProblem: 6.5 support personel for each teacher. Of course the support is never in the classroom. DPS views their job as keeping as many administrators possible on the public dime.
Posted by Tom on October 8, 2007 07:25 AMAmen, Tom.
Couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, not nearly as well.