It’s All About The Teaching
“The heart of instruction is the monitoring of instruction.” This quote from Dan Lortie is an affirmation about what research is telling us -- that the key to sustained school improvement lies in making sure that leadership knows what is being taught (a guaranteed and viable curriculum) and how well it is being taught (effective instruction). Mike Schmoker, in his recent book Results Now: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and Learning, reminds us that the key to improving schools is a very “doable” set of actions that are proven to be effective. The key is in making sure that the leadership in each school is regularly inspecting classrooms and supporting collaborative team meetings to ensure a focus on high-quality instruction. These actions include:
· Ensuring, through classroom observation, that a common, aligned curriculum is in place and is being taught in each classroom. These observations also should be designed to collect data on both teacher and student behaviors. The results of these observations should be shared through both formal and informal methods to the faculty.
· Designing a master schedule that makes it possible for each teacher to be part of a Professional Learning Community (PLC). These PLCs could be organized by grade level or content area. The schedule should allow them to meet 25-40 minutes at least once a week to discuss student work, lesson plans and formative assessment results. They can also use the time to design common assessments to track content understanding. In addition, leadership should observe and provide feedback to the PLCs to assist them in improving their effectiveness;
The eWalk tool that many of your administrators are using is an excellent method to effectively monitor instruction. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing some exciting new templates that have been developed to monitor effective instruction. If you have questions about using the eWalk tool, please contact John Fields or Michael Vriesenga.
Every Child, Every Day
“On Track for Success” is the motto for Rockcastle County’s Mt. Vernon Elementary, where Leon Davidson is the principal. Mt. Vernon Elementary received an Achievement Gap Site visit after its data showed a significant decrease in the gap between its free and reduced lunch students and those who did not qualify for that program. The visit revealed that Mt. Vernon is implementing many “out of the box” ideas that are addressing the needs of students and increasing academic achievement. One of Mt. Vernon’s ideas is the 10-day art block rotation that provides students with the opportunity to engage in units of study for 10 consecutive days despite interruptions that may occur beyond their control. This block covers the core content for arts and humanities and involves the entire staff in the planning process. For example, the librarian collaborates with the teachers and prepares lesson plans according to the Program of Studies and Core Content for Assessment 4.1 to ensure library time supports the classroom instruction. It allows students to become actively engaged in real life experiences and refutes the notion that economically disadvantaged students cannot achieve at high levels. For more information on Mt. Vernon Elementary’s success, contact Leon Davidson or Jaynae Laine.
Adolescent Literacy Summit
The Collaborative Center for Literacy Development and Morehead State University are hosting an Adolescent Literacy Summit on January 24. The summit will highlight the benefits of literacy coaching for struggling readers (grades 4-12) and provide more information about The Adolescent Literacy Coaching Project (ALCP), a rigorous two-year program to train teachers to become literacy coaches. Registration is limited to two teachers and one administrator per school. Registration deadline is January 18. Contact Martha Hill for more information.
Quotable Quotes
“We can’t expect what we don’t inspect.”
Peter Senge