School Improvement Technical Assistance Meeting September 17, 2009 Jane Massi, Title I Consultant 1.

School Improvement Technical Assistance MeetingSeptember 17, 2009

Jane Massi, Title I Consultant

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BELL CURVE J - CURVE

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Teacher QualityStaff ExpectationsStudent ApathyInadequate Parental Support

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NormsValues & BeliefsRituals & CeremoniesSymbols & Stories

Kent D. Peterson

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Positive

Negative

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PositiveSupports professional development for teachers

Sense of responsibility for student learning

Positive caring atmosphere9

PositiveAll children can learn.All children will learn because of what we do.

Professional Learning Communities at Work by Rebecca and Richard DuFours

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ToxicTeacher relationships conflictual

Staff does not believe in the ability of ALL students

Helps to maintain “the gap”

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Expectations

Belief Systems

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Technical

Cultural

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Students and their families were responsible for effectiveness of education.

Educators were the experts. Schools provided students the opportunity to

learn. Students were expected to comply with

educator demands to acquire knowledge. Parents that supported the expert guidance

would have achieving students. Subjective grading systems were the norm. Procedures were controlled by educators.

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The school is accountable for student success.

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It is not the student’s fault.

It is not the parent’s fault.

It is not the educator’s fault.

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Four Variables:

Percentage of students living with one parent

Percentage of 8th graders absent from school at least 3 times/month

Percentage of children 5 or younger whose parents read to them daily

Percentage of 8th graders who watch TV 5+ hours/day

(Educational Testing Service Survey)

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Perceptual

Intrinsic

Institutional

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Teacher expectations clearly play a role in how much students learn.

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Student expectations clearly play a role in how much students learn.

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Society/schools play a role in how much students learn.

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Believers

Tweeners

Survivors

Fundamentalists23

Goal:

Academic success for each student

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Goal:

Organizational stability

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Goal:

Emotional and mental survival

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Goal:

Maintaining the status quo

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Match the statements to their correct group.

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Answers and discussion.

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Believers

If schools are to transform their cultures into positives, them must increase this population of Believers. Believers must become more vocal members of the school community.

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Tweeners

School leaders cannot leave new teacher development to choice. Leaders must be proactive and put time and resources behind the support and development of tweeners in order to create the positive school culture a school needs . They must protect and groom Tweeners.

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Survivors

School leaders must reduce the effects Survivors have on students. Remove them from the situation. Provide psychological treatment, paid leave or new career opportunities.

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Fundamentalists

School leaders and Believers must meet Fundamentalists head on. They must curtail or eliminate fundamentalism in schools.

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