A Small School In Florida Findasmallschool.com

“A” School The Untold Story of Downtown Academy

How to Create an AwardWinning Small Charter School Steve McCrea

FindaSmallSchool.com

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This is not the first time that this story has been told. Principal Jim DiSebastian recounted the steps taken to turn around an “F” school into an “A” school at presentations to other principals. Several newspaper articles have chronicled the school’s progress, and local TV gave ample coverage to the school’s new “A” status in May 2006. This book is the first attempt to present the story of the school’s turnaround in the form of a book. The school’s prime mover, Ron Renna, provided the material that is found in Appendix 1 (the data behind DATA’s success). Jim DiSebastian sat with me for an extended interview (A Principal’s Viewpoint) in May 2006. His comments were transcribed and appear in Appendix 4.

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Here’s a summary of what happened at Downtown Academy between August 2004 and May 2006: In the first year, roughly two-fifths of the students could read at their grade level and only a quarter had adequate math skills. Twelve months later, nearly two-thirds of the students could read well and more than half were proficient in math. Those jumps in the reading and math test scores won the attention of state auditors, moving the school’s grade from “F” to “A.” This book attempts to tell the story behind these numbers: Category Grade on FCAT (points) Homework assignments sent home with the weekly letter from the principal Extra Math Help Reading Coaching (extra help) Tutoring of kids with special needs Writing practice Mini-FCAT exercises (frequent prep) Students with discipline incidents Percent of students reading at grade level Percent of students at grade level in math Percent of Students who gained a year of progress in reading and math Percent of students who met “Annual Yearly Progress”

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First Year 2004-05 F (271) Sometimes

Second Year 2005-06 A (430) Yes

A little No No Some No 85% 41%

A lot (IMAC) Yes More A lot Yes 35% 64%

26%

56%

44% Reading 31% Math 80%

75% 71% 100%

How to build a charter school

Features of the school 60% Title 1 students Key Achievement The school went from an “F” rating to an “A” rating in one year. •School rated #2 in the state for student achievement improvement out of 2,854 public and charter schools (2006) •Governor's Award Scores

•Reading in First Year (2005)

–41% of students reading at or above grade level •Math –26%

of students at or above grade level

The Plan

•Hired a part time reading coach •Hired a full time and part time math coach •Staff meeting EVERY Friday •D.E.A.R. time- 30 minutes EVERYDAY •Weekly mini-lesson developed for all staff to

use in EVERY classroom EVERYDAY

•Introduced IMAC curriculum to students •Frequent testing •Two English classes a day (Language Arts and Reading) •Evaluating results of testing and adjusting mini-lessons and

curriculum as needed

•Developed discipline plan 2005-2006: The second year –“A” grade –100% of students met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) criteria –35% of students had discipline problems “A” School

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–Total Points Earned*= 430 •*A= 410 points, B=380-409, C= 320 to 379, D= 280 to 319, F= less than 280

Scores in the second year

•Reading

64% of students reading at or above grade level

•Math

56% of students at or above grade level

How to create an award-winning charter school 1. Hire Jim DiSebastian or his clone 2. Hire Ron Renna (the chief executive) 3. Get out of the way.

=========== What to do (the short list) 1) Score low in the first year 2) Prep the students for taking a test 3) Score well in the second year This list is made in jest. The score that a school gets is partly based on improvement in test scores on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT). A school can get a higher grade based on year-to-year improvements “A” School

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and that rule had something to do with the school’s high rating in its second year. No school wants to be labeled “F” but the positive aspect of the first year’s failing grade was that there was a lot of potential for improvement in the score. This book describes how to grow a successful small school despite receiving a low grade in the first year of operation.

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Table of Contents Introduction Part One: What Happened 1 The Big Moment 2 It Took Five Years to Make an Overnight Success 3 How To Create An Award-Winning School (The List) 4 Can This Success Happen at Any School? (Quotes about Small Schools) 5 Littky: The Big Picture The theory behind an international focus on strong small schools Part Two: What’s Next 6 R-E-S-P-E-C-T Let’s look again at the “How To Do It” list. What single element made DATA a success? What turned the school around? Appendices 7 The Fourth Year and Beyond

Mentors are everywhere: The Harvey Nevins Trio at the Hillcrest County Club in Hollywood appear as mentors on video (search Youtube).

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Part One

International visitors Karim (Germany) and Sezer (Turkey) tutored a student (Nick) in the after-school program at Downtown Academy. “That’s not the answer!” appears to be when the “little teacher” is saying.

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1 The Big Moment The school opened in August 2004. News of the “F” rating came in May 2005. News of the “A” rating came a year later, in May 2006. The route taken by most visitors to the school is through an elevator to the third floor of the church where Downtown Academy is located. I recall walking into the elevator and seeing that “A” on several sheets of paper in the school’s elevator in May 2006. A television news crew showed up for a tour and interview. It was such a surprise that the principal, Jim DiSebastian, wasn’t in town. The Assistant Principal, David Jett, did the interviews and I, a part-time school “A” School

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tutor, stood in as a teacher for the cameras. Nearly a dozen students were called in to walk the halls and sit in a classroom, all to capture the moment for television. That news clip latter showed on the school’s web site for months. From that moment the questions came: “How did the school turn around so quickly?” The short answer was “we spent a year studying hard” and “since we’re a small school, we could make changes quickly and the students could deliver the results.” This book is designed to give you more of that story. If you work in a large school, the theory is “subdivide your school into smaller academic communities.” If you work in a small school that is struggling, the descriptions given in the chapters related to Dennis Littky’s work might prove particularly valuable to your school’s turnaround. In short, there will be more “big moments” in the life of Downtown Academy, but none will match “A” School

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the surprise and relief of that first big “A” moment in May 2005.

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2 It Took Five Years to Make an Overnight Success The story behind Downtown Academy’s success should start with a review of the charter school movement in Florida. One of the first schools to open in Southeast Florida was the Charter School of Excellence, located south of the New River in Fort Lauderdale. That school’s highest grade is Grade 5, so the question about “where do we find a charter school for grades 6 to 8?” was the key reason for opening Downtown Academy. Any school needs a stream of applicants and the marketplace was ready with at least 40 students a year graduating from the Charter School of Excellence. Those students needed a middle school in the downtown area and the main public school that served the downtown, Sunrise Middle School, was large. With over 700 students, Sunrise has many of the symptoms of a large school: large bathrooms with spaces to hide from school administrators; a large cafeteria that also served as an auditorium (so lunch hour is a

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shouting match for most teachers and a headache for many students). At the time when charter schools started to be opened, charter schools were seen as an alternative for publicly funded education. A typical charter school is small: In 2006, there were 17,122 students in 55 charter schools, or roughly 311 students per school. Compare that to the 262,616 students in 228 schools in Broward County (an average of 1,150 students per school). A “charter school” has a charter or agreement to operate. In order to receive public funding, schools need to keep track of the attendance of students. When a student moves from a public school to a charter school, the funds that would have been spent in the public school on that child follow the child to the charter school. The amount is roughly $5,000 per academic year.

The Beginning Imagine what was going through the minds of some parents who met to discuss options in 2001. At the time, did they know it would take three years to open Downtown Academy? Some of the parents who supported the creation of DATA had children in the third and fourth grades at the Charter School of Excellence. The hope was to have a school up and working within 18 months. It took time to find the consultant (Ron Renna) and the principal (Jim DiSebastian), so the school didn’t open until August 2004. And even then, the school almost didn’t open. “A” School

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Preparing to Open the School (Hanging The Fire Doors)

Just a week before the school was scheduled to open in August 2004, the local fire department announced a second inspection – and decided that every internal door needed to be replaced. Imagine the pressure on the operators of the charter school. Something like 47 fire-resistant doors had to be purchased, delivered, installed and inspected before the “OK” could be given to allow students to occupy the building.

Opening Day

After weeks of preparation, the school opened to three classes of sixth graders, two sections of seventh grade and one eighth grade class. I was the 8th grader’s homeroom teacher. We started the day with the Pledge and at least once a week with a recited Star Spangled Banner (I asked, “What’s a rampart? What’s gleaming?”). I lasted eighteen weeks in the classroom and shifted to tutoring in the afternoon. The next chapter is an attempt to document what took place between August 2004 and May 2006, when Downtown Academy went from “F” school to “A” school.

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3 How To Create An Award-Winning School (The List) What would you do to start a school? Here’s the “to-do” list that I collected by thinking back: What did we do at Downtown Academy? Set up a tradition called “D.E.A.R.” (drop everything and read), a 30minute segment for reading every weekday. Build classroom libraries. Downtown Academy doesn’t have a central library. Every classroom has books. Build a focus on the Arts. Bring in a working artist. Allow the artist, Marc Greenblum, to create a project in front of the students. Marc’s project grew from a papier mache lamb that spawned other activities, including a documentary about good and evil (well, he can explain better what the movie is about  [email protected]). Build field-trip traditions that integrate the school into the surrounding community a) Park day b) Museum of Discovery and Science (a children’s museum) “A” School

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c) d) e) f) g) h)

Periodic visits to the Main Library (two blocks away) Stranahan House (a local historic home) The historic district with the one-room school house Local art galleries Museum of Art (the King Tut exhibit) Culture displays at the Performing Arts Center

In the city of Fort Lauderdale, museums and other cultural institutions were built within walking distance of each other. Part of the funding for the construction included special appropriations provided by the State of Florida. The aim was to create an Arts and Culture District. It certainly made sense to place the school near that district (within walking distance), since the typical start-up charter school doesn’t have funding for renting school buses.

The students can walk to the Performing Arts Center. Create social traditions. Mr. Did has a very stable personality. He doesn’t appear to get angry or overly excited (well, his face turns red and he takes a deep breath, but I’ve never heard him raises his voice in anger). So when we hear Mr. Di shouting, something good must have happened. When he arrived at a classroom doorway with a “A” School

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bag, we knew that something fun was going to be distributed (usually some fun toys). Another tradition is the Talent Show. Here’s an example of the type of clever lyrics that some students created to the tune of Jingle Bells: Dashing through the year In one room every day Oh, the pain we have When science comes to play. When reading time is here We all jump up to cheer Because we're acting lots of plays in books and magazines. Oh, Art is fun, math is cool, Science is a drag. Whenever language comes around, The writing makes us mad. Oh, DATA rules 'cuz it's cool That's just what they say . I know most people love it here But some don't want to stay Lyrics by Lanita, Akiah, Alisa and others This song was first performed at the DATA December 2004 Talent show Build a strong parent group. The name of the organization, Parent Teacher Resource Group (PTRG) gives the focus: the adults in the room know that they are resources for the school. Build surprise into the school week. We never knew when Mr. Di would walk into the room (management by walking around) and when he might announce a new surprise or set of awards for work well done.

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Get rid of desk-chairs. The school started with donated “deskchairs” from the public school’s inventory of furniture. Special thanks is due to the parent who donated enough tables and chairs to allow most students to sit at a “real table” and arrange books on a flat surface. Most desk-chairs have a slanted surface that is designed for comfortable writing, but the chair is designed for 80 percent of the population. If you are smaller or larger than average, you don’t fit well in a desk-chair and pens tend to roll off the table. Invite the community to come in and speak to the students (and answer the student’s questions). Every school does this step, right? How is the “visitor” to DATA treated differently? We videotape the presentations by visitors so that students can review the words and so that students who missed the talk can get the essence. Here is a list of some of the people who have spoken at Downtown Academy (we recognize them as mentors and thank them for their time): An enforcement officer (environmental policing) A judge (who brought handcuffs) A police officer (who let us hold his unloaded pistol) A soldier on his way to Iraq A landlord (who explained renting and the headaches with tenants) An attorney An A/C repairman +++++++++ Each step in this list appears to be a little step or a big step. The steps are mixed together because “even the little things count.” The key is to get these points on paper and include them in the evaluation. ++++++++++

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A principal who looks at you when he’s listening to you. It seems a simple criterion. As a substitute teacher, I’ve met with dozens of principals. Most will invite you into their offices and talk with you…while glancing at email, shuffling papers, multitasking. Jim used to take me outside into the “talking place” in the hallway, whether it was for good news or to discuss “what we need to work on.” The parents can walk in anytime to sit in classrooms, in the hall, and interact with students. Ms. Watson and Ms. Simpson, in particular, had tremendous impact during the first three years because they spent so much time before and after school sitting in the hallway. +++++++++

Is that it? Well, you’ll notice that most of the items on this list are “soft” and non-academic. I’m convinced that many good schools are built on social skills. To further support this idea, let’s look in the next chapter at the work of Bill Gates and others who promote smaller schools.

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4 Can This Success Happen at Any School? No. (…and “Yes”). Most large public schools have teachers and administrators who want to create more effective schools, but they end up creating more efficient schools. They focus on “how can we handle more students per $100,000 spent on each classroom?” However, the typical public school system won’t allow the changes that Littky and others advocate. Why? a)

Ego -- It just feels more important to have a budget of $5 million (for a school of 1,500 students) than a budget of $750,000 (typical for a small charter school of around 130 students).

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b)

“Efficiency” – Why have ten principals, each watching over 200 students, when you can “save money” by having one principal watch over 2,000 students?

Littky gives a list of the following types of people who resist change (pages 36-37) including “Power mongers” (the department heads who don’t want to share decision-making) and “Myopic Managers” (who won’t hire people with nontraditional educational background, “thus depriving schools of new talent and new perspectives”). Yes, a school can achieve success using the Littky method by subdividing. No, a school won’t achieve the measure of success if one principal remains in charge of 1,500 students. Here are some quotes about small schools that Downtown Academy distributes to visitors:

+++++++ Most people tell kids to stay

in school.

Littky and Bill Gates say,

Find your passions in a small school. +++++++ You have the power of one -- one child moved into a small charter school could increase revenue for that “A” School

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school by $5,000, which is 5% of the money needed to erase the school's current shortfall. PLUS you get your child in a small school.

+++++++

Students in smaller schools are more motivated, have higher attendance rates,

feel safer,

and graduate and attend college in higher numbers. +++++++ From RethinkingSchools.org (a website for small school activity):

“New York City is phasing out large high schools and planning for 200 new small schools over the “A” School

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next five years. Chicago is planning 100. Los Angeles is converting 130 middle and high school campuses to smaller units. New Jersey is encouraging all middle and high schools in the state's 30 poorest districts to reorganize into "small learning communities" by 2008. Similar initiatives are underway in nearly every large urban district.” http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/ 19_04/expr194.shtml So public schools in 2040 will look like charter schools: small and responsive with more parental involvement.

+++++++

Consider the cost per student who finally graduates: While data is not conclusive, it generally costs more per student to run a small school than a large one, although the cost per graduate is slightly less. A study by the NYU Institute for Education and Social Policy based on 1995-96 data in New York City found “A” School

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that schools with fewer than 600 students spent approximately 23 percent more per student than schools with more than 2,000 students. But because the small schools had a higher graduation

the cost per graduate over four years of high school was slightly less: $49,553 compared to $49,578 at large schools. (This is because the dropout rate at the small schools was lower.) rate,

SOURCE: rethinkingschools.org/archive/19_04/gate194.shtml

+++++++ The following article appeared at this web location: vivirlatino.com/2006/04/26/nearly-half-of-latino-students -dont-finish-high-school.php

On average, 70 percent of U.S. students receive their high school diploma. Yet for Latinos this number is only at 53 percent according to a study released last week by the conservative think tank, the Manhattan Institute. The report cites that whites have the highest graduation rates at 78 percent, followed by Asians at 72 percent. African-Americans are cited as having a 55 percent graduation rate. What is really alarming is the gender gap pointed to in the study, which shows that girls have a higher graduation rate across all races/ethnicities compared to boys. Even more “A” School

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alarming are the numbers coming out of urban Latino New

only 29 percent of boys and 37 percent of girls are graduating high school. What's going on in our schools and with our youth?

York City showing that

++++++++++++++ What can we do with this information? Let's start by changing the frequently given advice: "Stay in school." Let's say, "Find a small school and follow your interests."

"Follow your passion in a small school." +++++++++++++ Dennis Littky said in an interview with National Public Radio,

Once they find their passion and interest and start to work in the internship, the rest takes “A” School

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over. They change. It's not school any more. "I love this doctor's office. I'm going to read about this. I love this architect's office, I'm going to design this." So until you get the passion, it's too much like school. +++++++ The new three R’s, the basic building blocks of better schools: The first R is Rigor – making sure all students are given a challenging curriculum that prepares them for college or work; The second R is Relevance – making sure kids have courses and projects that clearly relate to their lives and their goals; The third R is Relationships – making sure kids have a number of adults who know them, look out for them, and push them to achieve.

The three R’s are almost always easier to “A” School

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promote in smaller ... schools. The smaller size gives teachers and staff the chance to create an environment where students achieve at a higher level and rarely fall through the cracks. Students in smaller schools are more motivated, have higher attendance rates, feel safer, and graduate and attend college in higher numbers. -- from a speech by Bill Gates, Feb. 2005

+++++++

PARENTS

QUOTES FOR This suggestion comes from a teacher:

You have the power to put into action what Bill Gates and others are shouting about. Gates and others are pleading with the people of the USA to improve education by making schools smaller, building relationships, asking students to study in a way that is RELEVANT to their lives.

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Parents: The quickest way to grab the attention of your local school district is to pull your child out of the public school and put your child in a charter school. Make it clear that you are pursuing the advice of Bill Gates. When the school district subdivides the large school, you can consider re-enrolling your child in a school that has no more than 300 students. +++++++ Perhaps this data will help persuade readers to put more attention on small schools and commit to reshaping public education along the lines advocated by Gates:

smaller schools. “A” School

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You have the power of one -- one child moved into a small charter school could increase revenue for that school by $5,000, which is 5% of the money needed to erase the school's current shortfall.

+++++++ To help parents learn more about the power of small schools, I composed the following booklet, which has been read by many Downtown Academy parents.

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In Praise of Small Schools An open letter to parents and other potential mentors

The New Three “R”s By Steve McCrea, Tutor and Mentor

I’m a tutor for middle school students, so I often get asked: “What should my child be studying?” “Can you recommend a good web site to help him get ahead?” “My child has difficulty reading—can you tutor him?” Parents could present other questions to a teacher: “What should parents be learning?” I would answer, “Did you catch that important speech given by Bill Gates?”

In February 2005, Bill Gates gave a landmark speech at a conference of governors praising small schools. I missed it, and chances are that you did, too, because the speech was overwhelmed by the media’s focus on the Michael Jackson trial and Terri Schiavo. Here’s the essence of what Gates said: “A” School

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“Successful schools are built on principles that can be applied anywhere. These are the new three Rs, the basic building blocks of better high schools: The first R is Rigor – making sure all students are given a challenging curriculum that prepares them for college or work. The second R is Relevance – making sure kids have courses and projects that clearly relate to their lives and their goals. The third R is Relationships – making sure kids have a number of adults who know them, look out for them, and push them to achieve.”

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The three Rs are almost always easier to promote in smaller schools. The smaller size gives teachers and staff the chance to create an environment where students achieve at a higher level and rarely fall through the cracks. Students in smaller schools are more motivated, have higher attendance rates, feel safer, and graduate and attend college in higher numbers.” Bill Gates February 26, 2005
National Education Summit on High Schools

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The Size of the School Dear Parent: Let’s think of an example of a small school that receives public money. The most visible schools in our neighborhoods are often large. That middle school down the street has 800 or 1,000 students. Most students in the US (over 60 percent) attend high schools that hold more than 1,000 students. The five largest high schools in my city each have over 1,400 students. What about charter schools? -- those hybrid entities that have an agreement with the state (a “charter”) to operate with fewer of the constraints of a typical public school (for example, it’s easier to hire and fire teachers and other staff). “A” School

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There are scores of complaints about charters:
- "They don't have a football team"
- "They don't have enough students"
- "They have to eat lunch in the classroom."
- "They don't have a media center."
- "The principal of that charter school is from another country and he doesn't understand kids in the USA."
- "They have to take a bus to get to a playground or recess area." - “They are underfunded because they don’t have enough students, so they don’t have enough money.” - “They don’t have enough students so my child doesn’t have enough friends.” - “They score lower than the public schools in the standardized tests. I want my kid to be in the big school where the test scores are higher.”
- "They ..." (go ahead -- add to the list!) “A” School

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Parents, you can find many reasons to stick with the large school that your child currently attends. People will give you many reasons to avoid underfunded and mismanaged small schools. However, if you agree with Gates, then join the charter school movement and “vote” for a smaller school -- where everyone knows your child's name. I know of a charter school that needs 130 students to have enough funds to hire two extra assistants and afford buses for field trips. The school has just over 90 students. Each student is “worth” about $500 a month or $5,000 a year in public money (that would otherwise go to a large public school). With 30 more students, that's over $150,000 that the charter school could use for "additional resources." Would you like your child to attend a school that has expensive buildings and a cafeteria with four seatings “A” School

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(to feed 400 students at a time)? Or do you want your child in a school that has fewer than 400 students (and the principal knows every student)? Most parents with students in a large school didn't hear Mr. Gates and his speech. They currently send their kids to one of the large schools in the area with over 1000 students. I wonder if those parents would change their minds if they knew what Bill Gates said.... If you’re looking for a way to have an impact, there’s nothing more remarkable or effective than the choice of school. Voting has a chance for changing the outcome of an election (if you join with 10,000 or so other voters). Writing a letter to the mayor or attending a city commission meeting might make a difference, if you and another five hundred people show up. Volunteering for a beach clean up might make you feel good about doing something for your “A” School

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local environment. However, your child could be one percent of a school. Your child, your “vote,” could shift funding to a small school and send a message to the local school district: Gates is right. We need small schools. What should happen to larger schools? The Gates foundation has funded the division of large schools in New York, L.A. and Chicago into several smaller schools. Why not apply that same effort in large schools everywhere? For parents wanting to heed Mr. Gates’ advice, however, switching to a small school is immediate. While we petition our school boards to partition large schools, at least some students can be placed immediately in smaller learning environments. In short, a charter school is an affordable way for your child to get rigor, relevance and relationships in a small school. To find a charter school in your area, go to your school district’s web site and look for “Charter.”

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In Broward County: BrowardSchools.com and click on “School Info.” Then select Charters. In Dade County, www.dadeschools.net, click on “Schools,” then “School Information” and select Charters. In Palm Beach County, palmbeach.k12.fl.us, then click on the “School Info” button on the horizontal bar, then click on “Charter Schools.” Good searching.

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The Role of Adults Mentors If I were a parent, I would look around for adults to volunteer to come into my child’s school. What is Gates really saying? “Education is everyone’s business” (even his business).

If you want to help reshape education while getting more attention for your child, make an effort to become a mentor. You don’t have to be a parent to provide this valuable service (to yourself as well as to students and to the community). “A” School

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Guidelines 1. Stay focused. Yes, school administrators need volunteers to help with photocopying, newspaper recycling, reorganizing closets. Ask to work as a teacher’s assistant. Get in contact with students.

2. Listen. The usual use of a visitor in a school is to stand the adult at the front of the classroom and ask for a speech. Instead, the teacher could give you a small group of students and you could spend time in a corner of the room finding out if there’s any “click” or connection. Ask the students, “What is your passion? What do you like to read about?” Many kids just need a chance to talk in order to discover “A” School

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their interests. 3. Return. Often. Frequent contact makes a difference. It takes seven exposures for most people to learn a new concept and many kids need to see an adult several times before your “message” gets through. Promise to return, then follow through. Be anticipated. 4. You don’t need a speech or special talent. Your presence is a present to students who see the same adults in the same profession (teachers). If you aren’t a teacher, that’s good. Remember what Gates said: “Make sure kids have a number of adults who know them, look out for them, and push them to achieve.” If you’re curious about how a school engages mentors, visit BigPicture.org and watch the videos online. The Met, a Big Picture school in Providence, Rhode Island, is where the new three “R”s were developed. The formula mentioned by Gates appeared in Dennis Littky’s book, The Big Picture: Education Is Everyone’s Business. “A” School

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Well, I could write more, but I’ve got to go. You see, I’m a mentor, too, and a student is waiting for me.

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What is the Secret Behind the Met Center in Rhode Island? The Met Center’s web site, Metcenter.org, lists the following features of the school: A student-teacher ratio of 15:1 High standards Strong family engagement Internships, Individual learning plans Advisory (small groups that meet for four years with the same teacher) and A breakthrough college transition program

Hmm. It sounds like any other school. “High Standards” for most of us means, “We use expensive textbooks and expect our students to do onerous homework.” At the Met, the standards mean “rigorous work in the student’s area of passion.” “Advisory” for most schools might mean “we “A” School

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have a guidance department” and “we help students find possible careers.” In the Met, the advisory is the class and the classroom. The advisory appears to be the heart of the program. The advisory system links one adult to 15 students and that adult (the “advisor,” but most of us would call that adult the “teacher”) builds a three- or four-year relationship with the student. There are other teachers, but one advisor guides the student through a mix of subjects. The students look at issues in the advisory, focusing on quantitative reasoning (math), empirical evidence (the scientific process) and communication (language arts). Confused? I was when I first heard of this

“How can one teacher teach all subjects?” That’s the wrong question. system. I thought,

We should be asking, “In my school, how can a student get a sense of direction when he or she has to deal with at least 5 different teachers each year, 20 teachers through high school? Where is the common thread binding all of these subjects in the student?” “A” School

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One adult cares about (focuses on) one student at a time. I That’s the secret behind the Met.

know at least one school district that claims to teach “one student at a time.” The Met Center actually practices this.

Drop Everything and Read

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I have identified five “pillars” of the Met Center:

Five pillars of Big Picture Schools (as interpreted by a math teacher who visited The Met in Providence, RI, part of the Big Picture schools association)

1

2

3

4

5

Multi-year relationships -- The teacher stays with the same students for three or four years. The teacher teaches more than one subject. In the case of the Met, a high school in Providence, RI, the teacher stays with the students for all four years of high school. The teacher is a facilitator. Teacher = Advisor = “how can I help you?” The teacher coaches the student to choose activities to cover skill areas (language skills, quantitative reasoning, etc.) rather than special subjects, like trigonometry, algebra or chemistry. One of the teacher’s prime activities is finding suitable mentors for the students. Tests are by exhibition. A “stand up” demonstration of understanding is valued above a written test. The students take the state’s standardized tests and other written tests, but the school focuses on the exhibition, which is the product of at least nine weeks of work. Learning through interests – the internships (set up with the teacher) are selected by the student. Academic learning is filtered through the student’s interests. “I’m more than a letter in the alphabet.” Evaluations are made by narratives, not by a

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letter grade. The teacher can afford time to write two pages of narrative about each student during the grading period because the teacher has only 15 to 20 students to meet with over a nine-week period. I observed an advisor who met with students throughout the class day, asking for updates on on-going projects. This sort of focus can come from a narrow focus of one adult on a small group of students.

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The Met Center's web site lists these features: A student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1 high standards strong family engagement internships individual learning plans advisory (one on one with a teacher) a breakthrough college transition program

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Questions Here’s a COMMON OBJECTION to SMALL SCHOOLS: “Our schools are focusing on reducing class size, not school size. We seek to provide a studentcentered environment.” RESPONSE: Let us emphasize the difference between being a student in a small school and being a student in a small class in a large school. Bill Gates hammers the point of small schools, where kids feel safer and everyone knows your name. It doesn’t matter what size the “student-centered environment” is – when I walk out that classroom door, if I can dissolve into 800 or 1000 other bodies, then I’m not in a small school. I don’t get the small-school benefit that Dennis Littky writes about and that Bill Gates is pursuing with his foundation. In short 1) Howard Gardner says that assessing actual understanding will cost a lot more that we currently spend on written tests. 2) Littky says that mentors, exhibitions and “A” School

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learning through interests are needed to supplement the typical school textbook and testing 3) Robert Reich does not have much complimentary to say about standardized tests. How can this “Met Center” model be applied to middle schools? Or to traditional high schools?  more hands-on learning  more interaction with outside mentors  introduce grading by narrative  “one classroom schools” – one teacher for several subjects. (See WARNING below.)  less emphasis on performance on a written test  expand the standardized test to allow alternative ways of “performing understanding.” Howard Gardner, developer of the Multiple Intelligences theory, makes it clear that there are many ways of learning, so there should be more than one way to assess a person’s mastery of a subject. Some people are inspired speakers and actors, but have a difficult time writing. Some people are good at building teams but do poorly “A” School

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when acting alone. In the real world, these people are called “managers” (because they know how to delegate). They don’t have to know how to do everything well.

However, schools test students in a way that guarantees that most people who are good in one area are going to feel terrible about themselves because they can’t perform up to a standard in another area. In the work place, employees don’t have to perform in a well-rounded way. That’s why there is division of labor in an organization. As a math teacher, I’m impressed with the Big Picture’s philosophy and how the philosophy is put into action through the five pillars. The interview with Littky that aired on National Public Radio in 2005 is particularly compelling. You can find this “A” School

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interview on the NPR web site, npr.org, and enter “Dennis Littky” in the search box. The links will take you to the April 25, 2005 interview. I used to “believe in” schools as large boxes that efficiently take in 1000 students and churn out young adults. Now I see that I learned because I attended a small school. I was with an adult who spoke to me and a few other people who were also interested in what I was hooked on. As a tutor, I see students “get it” after three or four sessions because I take the time to find out what the student is interested in and we shift the tutoring sessions toward those interests. What if schools were “places to explore my interests”? Dennis Littky describes one path to making a classroom that facilitates discovery. The Big Picture: Education is Everyone’s Business. I hope you will take time to connect with this remarkable organization.  The email address is [email protected]. Here’s a quote from Littky’s book:

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There is no “one set of knowledge.” In 2000, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich wrote an article for the New York Times called “One Education Does Not Fit All.” In it, he railed against the use of standardized tests and courses as inconsistent with the new economy. I literally jumped out of my seat with joy when I read this part: Yes, people need to be able to read, write and speak clearly. And they have to know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. But given the widening array of possibilities, there’s no reason that every child must master the sciences, algebra, geometry, biology or any of the rest of the standard high school curriculum that has barely changed in half a century. There’s no reason to put education in standardized packages when our kids don’t come in those packages. Who wants a standardized kid, anyway? “A” School

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As a society, we embrace individualism and yet we seem to be OK with our schools becoming more and more standardized. (Littky, pages 34-35, emphasis added)

WARNING:

I have mentioned one of the key aspects of the Big Picture school to several teachers: “The advisor teaches all of the subjects.” I rejected this idea at first, but over time I have grown to accept it. The reactions of other teachers are consistent: “How can one person teach math, history, a foreign language, chemistry, biology, physics, and English Literature? Where is the rigor?” “How can one teacher be good at all of those subjects?” “I was terrible at (math, history, whatever). I would make a terrible advisor in that system.” Two suggestions: a) Is it so terrible for the student to sit with an adult who has a fear of math or a history of negative results with science? If the student lacks a knack for algebra, who better to teach flexibility and optimism than an adult who failed algebra in 9th grade? b) Let this idea sit with you for a while. It might appear impossible to convince a teacher’s union to encourage members to teach a spectrum of subjects instead of “their favorite subject” or “their special gift.” For some students, an English teacher who hates math might be the perfect adult to guide the student toward understanding quantitative reasoning. A science teacher “A” School

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who can barely write an essay might be the best writing coach for some students. Students needing additional rigor can be assigned to other teachers/advisors for specific needs. In short, The Big Picture method has pushed me to look at alternatives to “how I was taught.”

What would Ben Franklin say about the opportunity that Littky offers each of us? On the final day, as the last delegates were signing the document, Franklin pointed toward the sun on the back of the Convention president's chair. Observing that painters had found it difficult to distinguish in their art a rising sun from a setting sun, he went on to say: "I have often ... in the course of the session ... looked at that sun behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length I have the happiness to know it is a rising and not a setting sun." odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/GOV/frankln.htm

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What is Next? What can each of us do to turn big schools into small schools? What can each of us do to help small schools become stronger? Just keep asking those two questions. The answer will come. Then act on what you believe is correct. We might each start by visiting these web sites: www.BigPicture.org www.MetCenter.org Become a mentor: www.MentorsOnVideos.com www.BuildingInternationalBridges.com

The key to their success is you. Become a mentor. Small schools need adults to come into the school and to listen to questions from students. As a mentor, your role is easy: Make sure the students you talk with are given something unconventional. Give them a role model.

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What Can We Do? (Wouldn’t it be nice if change happened instantly after everyone read these quotes? Wouldn’t it be an efficient world if we could implement change just by asking every teacher, parent and student to read the facts?) 1. Visit a middle school. There is one task that a teacher can’t do or pay for: getting an adult to speak SINCERELY to a class and to answer their questions. Your time will spark something in the brains of the kids. A teacher can’t always make that happen. You can.

You are a mentor. 2. Record yourself and send the video to Box 30555, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33303, MentorsOnVideo.com. Or post the video on YouTube.com or other video-sharing web sites and send the web link to [email protected]. Let students hear your answers to: What do you remember from school? What did you do to learn to read? What did you like to read? What books or articles or magazines do you recommend others to read? What did you learn in school that you really value today? What did you learn outside school that you use in your life today? Do you remember a teacher’s name? Tell the camera the name of that teacher and why that teacher sticks out “A” School

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in your memory. 3. Become a phone mentor. One phone call per day. Just five or six calls each week. You can make a difference in a child’s relationship with school work without having to go to a school. Contact a guidance counselor at a small school and suggest this tutoring technique. 4. Ask to become a mentor to a class. The best teacher is a facilitator who allows mentors (adults who are not teachers) to talk with students.

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Students from Downtown Academy could eventually attend a school like CHAD school in Philadelphia. A small charter high school with a focus on arts and technology could be created in Fort Lauderdale.

5. Read some of these books: A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink Free Agent Nation by Dan Pink The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
You can be a mentor. Just visit a school and ask to sit with a class. Tell students how schoolwork is related to your career.

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Like the Charter High School for Art and Design (CHAD) in Philadelphia, Downtown Academy is located in the heart of a vibrant city.

Other web sites: LookForPatterns.com MathForArtists.com Pat-Harris.com ResolveToHeal.com Snopes.com Check out a rumor before passing on

something you received by email or a rumor that you heard. “Let’s all boycott one gasoline company and that will force the company to reduce prices.” (Oh, yeah?) In short, Littky’s work is not a “revolutionary” method. Littky copies what tutors have been doing for millennia -- know the student, shape the curriculum to match the student’s strengths, find experts to train the student, “A” School

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push the child with rigorous material that makes sense to the student. Why not contact Dennis Littky’s office? His email address is [email protected]. Ask why a “student centered environment” must be in a small school to achieve the results that we are all seeking.

These young men might attend one of Littky’s schools someday.

“Education is everybody’s business.” Dennis Littky

------------That was the 24-page booklet that is available to visitors to Downtown Academy.

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If you have reached this portion of this book, you are a marathon reader and you are probably a supporter of small schools. At the risk of “preaching to the choir,” I want to arm you with additional material from Littky’s book. I have selected segments of his book (that appear in the next chapter) that relate particular with the theme of respect.

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5 Littky’s The Big Picture: Education is Everybody’s Business Imagination is more important than knowledge, according to Einstein. When I imagine what school systems would look like if more parents knew the essence of Dennis Littky’s book, then I have fantasies of schools that are smaller and more responsive to students and parents. I imagine schools that respect students in the way that Littky defines respect. What can I write in the next sentence to impel you, dear reader, to find a copy of Littky’s book and become a devotee of narratives, portfolios, passion, internships, mentors and the vocabulary that Littky uses? What “A” School

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words can move you to become immersed in concepts that will leave you sleepless and impatient for change? What can I write to move you to learn about Littky’s proposals about how to organize a small school, which appear straightforward and clear? I can think of one sure way to get my brain firing on all cylinders and I hope my enthusiasm transfers to you so that you become as inspired as I am: Start quoting Littky. Here we go: Quotes from the Big Picture Page 5 If you can get up and be passionate about something and tell others about what you know, then you are showing that you are educated about that topic. This is what an exhibition is: it is kids getting up and talking passionately about a book they’re read, a paper they’re written, drawings they’ve made, or even what they know about auto mechanics. It is a way for students to have conversations about the things they have learned. Exhibitions are the best way to measure learning because they put the kids right in the midst of their learning, which makes a lot more sense than asking them to sit quietly for an hour and fill in test bubbles with a pencil. And because exhibitions are interactive, they propel the kids to want to learn more. That is what matters. “A” School

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Now that you have been given words from Littky’s book, why not find a pre-owned copy on the used book section of Barnes and Noble (bn.com)? For $15 including shipping, you can hold the 200 pages that have been monopolizing my psyche since I opened the book in July 2005. I admit that as I write this sentence, I feel like a madman, re-reading the words “monopolizing my psyche” and wondering, “What words can I use to describe the pleasurable occupation of my consciousness?” It’s as if fifteen U.S. Army soldiers marched into my head and took over until I agree to devote my life, my entire mental capacity, to telling others about Littky and small schools and repeating those stories until all schools become smaller. That “occupation” may be the ultimate force needed to engage the spirits of millions of parents. Only when adults are attending school board meetings to demand more effective schools will the dropout rates begin to dramatically fall. Only when the phrase “pursue their passions” becomes part of “Our children are in school to…”will we be able to rest, knowing that our schools have been transformed. More quotes appear in Appendix 3. The true purpose of this book is now unmasked: Yes, I have been searching for some way to tell many stories about smaller schools and the opportunity arose to start a book about “How to Create an Award-Winning Charter School.” In fact, any school can become award-winning, but the true prize is be coming small and effective. That’s the message behind The Big Picture by Dennis Littky.

How could we transform education in the USA? How about opening thousands of small charter schools to attract students away from the big “A” School

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public schools, causing the large schools to close and reopen, we hope, under the transformed status of many small schools occupying the current big school building. The subdividing of large schools is taking place in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. News reports of the transformation of education appear at least every month and the challenge is to speed up the rate of conversion. What have you done, dear reader, recently to put yourself in a small school? How have you helped to make a small school more effective? In particular, how have you made a small charter school more able to deliver positive results? Look for an effective small school in your community. I visited the Vail “A” School

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charter high school in Tucson, Arizona, which has 146 students, and met with the assistant principal John Roberts. “Our strength is in our relationships,” he told me. “We welcome the community to be mentors, we have strong academic standards, but how we relate to each other is what builds social skills in our students.” If you are not part of the action, you are an observer. Why not close this book, right now, and call a small school to volunteer your time?

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Part Two: What’s Next

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6 R–E–S–P–E–C–T Let’s look again at the “How To Do It” list. What single element made DATA a success? What turned the school around? Thanks to Dennis Littky, we have the vocabulary, the lexicon, and the concepts to describe the success of DATA. The seventh chapter will cover the next steps in the evolution of the school and the next steps in the evolution of our school system.

It’s all about respect – especially respect for the students. Let’s look at Littky’s book:

The Big Picture Education is Everybody’s Business “A” School

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RESPECT. The word appears at least 45 times in Littky’s book. This appendix captures most of these occurrences of the word. Since Littky’s book costs more than $20, it is not likely that it will be read widely by parents. My aim in reproducing sentences from Littky’s book is to expand awareness of the concepts in Littky’s book, particularly his themes of “respecting students.” Page 2 I want my students to get along with and respect others. …The real goals of education are not possible if the kids in the school do not care about and cannot get along with each other or with the people they meet outside of school. I believe that this is the heart of what we mean when we talk about celebration and respecting diversity, and it is at the heart of what makes a school and a society work.

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Littky says that respect is about treating kids the way we treat other adults. Respect is about not having school bells, since we adults don’t do our best thinking by turning on and off according to a bell. Respect follows finding passions Page 14 Respect is about inspiring students to find their own passions and their own ways of learning… Not by giving kids the answers, but by brainstorming with them about how to solve the problems. Not by telling student what they have to read, but by letting them choose their own books, based on what they are interested in. The Best Teaching Page 15 I once had a teacher who taught a class on the Bible, not as a religious work but as a piece of literature, and she had never really studied it before. She told me later that, during that class, she was the best teacher she had ever been, because she was on the same level with her students – she was experiencing it all for the first time right along with them. This meant that she wasn’t saying things like, “Look at the metaphors in here and compare them,” but was actually asking questions that she herself didn’t know the answers to, like ”What do we think about this passage compare to this other one?” It was very exciting for her and very invigorating for her students. Respect in Teaching Page 15-16 I had a home economics teacher who had to teach math to a small group of students who were struggling. She herself was not very good at math. Some might say, “Oh, no, that will never work.” But it was some of her most brilliant teaching. I would watch her sitting with those girls, and they’d be figuring out those problems together. She was comfortable with the students knowing that she didn’t know everything. She was comfortable with the idea that she was not just there as question answerer. She wasn’t yelling at them about why didn’t they understand it; she didn’t get impatient with their lack of knowledge. She really went through the learning experience with them. … Knowledge can get in the way sometimes. It’s terrific for teachers to have depth in a certain area, as long as they don’t just hand it over. They have to use that deep understanding “A” School

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to help their students discover the learning on their own. Teaching and learning are about problem solving. The best environment for learning is one where people feel safe, supported and respected and where kids and adults are excited and passionate about learning. [See my comments about the importance of kids seeing adults work through confusion (Alison Gopnik’s essay in Appendix 5).]

Give students more responsibility Page 58 The amount of respect and trust that exists in a school’s culture is directly related to the amount of responsibility students are given over their environment, the equipment they use, and their learning. … You show kids that you respect them and trust them by allowing them to be responsible for themselves and their surroundings. Kids recognize this – and much more often than not, they will rise to the occasion. Trust begins with a personal commitment to respect others, to take everyone seriously. Respect demands that we first recognize each other’s gifts and strengths and interests. Only then can we reach our common and individual potentials. – Max De Pree, quoted on page 59

The Principal’s Role Page 59 As a principal, I look at every time I deal with a kid as a moment when the culture of my school is being set. I now that when I am really listening to a kid, I am reinforcing that’ kid’s sense that our school is a place where he can feel, “Hey, I don’t have to fight them; they really listen to us.” I am also aware that the same message is getting across to the people who walk by and see us talking and listening to each other. [Note: At Downtown Academy, I see this moment daily, whether it’s a teacher or the principal who is meeting with a parent or a student.] -----------------“A” School

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One out of every three U.S. students who enrolls in high school drops out before graduation.

Page 19 After more than 35 years in education, I continue to be angry and amazed at what does on in our public school system. I am angry that we mistreat and disrespect our youth. I am angry and amazed that more people don’t see what I see. I really believe that kids’ lives depend upon more adults understanding, and changing, what is really going on in our schools. Relationships build respect Page 21 We understand that in order for a school to help a kid learn and succeed, the kid must be known. And you cannot know a kid whose voice you don’t listen to, whose interests are a mystery, whose family is excluded, and whose feelings are viewed as irrelevant to the educational process. When even one teacher builds a strong relationship with a kid and his or her family, the school can become the place the kid runs to when things fall apart. Safety means respect Page 22 Kids need variety, they need to be heard, they need to feel good about themselves. School structure must be sensitive to the tremendous physical, emotional and intellectual upheaval brought on by adolescence alone. Students need to feel that school is a safe place – a place where they won’t be punished indiscriminately….They need to feel that school is a place where their strengths and energies are nurtured and applauded, where they and their loved ones matter as human beings, and where they have control of themselves and their successes. Finally, they need their school – and their society – to see them as a resource, and not as a resource drain. [Note: International visitors who are studying English come to the school to practice speaking with students at Downtown Academy. Why? “We want to learn English from the little teachers.”]

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Respect breeds respect Page 22 While I think kids are very fragile, I also think they are very resilient and can handle a lot more responsibility, challenge and respect than adults give them credit for. … I think I get along so well with kids because I have incredible respect for them. I believe that every kid has got a certain beauty. Respect comes with individual attention Page 73 One Kid at a Time is the crux of the Met philosophy. It is treating everyone alike differently. This is the only way schools will really work and the only way every kid will be offered the education he or she deserves. … Our kids are being mistreated and abandoned by their schools, and too many are literally dying as a result. We have to save them, one kid at a time. One-Size-Fits-All doesn’t show respect Page 74 What we need is not just smaller schools and realistic education goals, but authentic relationships between educators and kids. What we need are truly personalized schools… The teacher’s primary concern is educating students, not getting through a certain body of subject matter. A one-size-fits-all approach to education will always be hit or miss. Can you imagine walking into a medical office and being shuffled off to a room with 20 or 30 other people who have the same complaint or disease, and then watching as the doctor discusses the treatment that all of you will receive before sending everyone out the door with carbon copy prescriptions? Of course not! Doctors see one patient at a time. Responsibility = respect Page 24 Most of our students at the Met, like most students everywhere, are ready to take responsibility for their own learning, are eager to be treated with respect, and have a lot to say about what they think should be the real goals of education.

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“Force-feeding” doesn’t foster respect Page 75 Truly personalized learning requires reorganizing schools to start with the student, not the subjects or classes. …where every student has a completely different curriculum based on who he or she is right now and who he or she wants to become. There cannot be a uniform curriculum for every student in the country or for every student in a single classroom. Force-feeding kids a rigidly defined body of knowledge is in total opposition to what we know about learning. Everything I know about kids tells me that there is no content that’s right for every kid. Photosynthesis or iambic pentameter may be very important to you, but they aren’t to me, at least not right now. Respect toward the community Page 76 The school must work hard at creating an environment that respects the individual but at the same time expects him or her to be a part of the community and respectful of it, too. The United States struggle with this as a nation and we struggle with it every day at the Met. We recognize that it’s a much more important goal than practicing for standardized tests. Respect Teachers, too. Page 77 Sending teachers to teaming workshops or bringing in experts to lecture on adolescent development is good. But in practice, it is … another example of an inadequate, one-size-fits-all approach. We must begin to think of teachers as learners, too, and approach their learning needs one at a time. School must be a growing place for everyone. Respect Parents Page 78-79 All students’ educational programs should be designed by the people who know them best: their parents, teachers, and themselves. … Listen to the parents when they say “this is what gets my kid excited about learning”; “my kid’s had only one good year at school and this is why.” It’s about respecting the parent in the same way you have to respect the kid, “A” School

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who even those he’s only 15, really does have an idea about who he is and what he needs. Why not focus on skills more than on information? Page 80 In this age of computers and technology, the amount of information out there increases every second and teaching a limited body of knowledge is no longer as practical as it once was. Motivating students to want knowledge and teaching the skills they need to get knowledge have become so much more important. Why can’t we understand that it is better to teach students the skills they will need to find information themselves than it is to just hand them a list of facts (or presidents or elements) to memorize? Democracy means respect Page 87 The kids rewrote all the school’s rules. Every kid was involved. Kids want pretty much the same things we adults want: no fighting, no drugs, respect each other, respect the school, and so on. I guarantee if you let the kids write the rules (and ask them to keep them clear and simple), the kids will be umpteen times more likely to follow them because they are their rules. This, of course, also relates to treating kids with respect and dignity.

“How do you get them to study?” Page 98 When we are interested in what we are learning, no one has to force us to keep learning. We just do. When a kid has her own learning goals in mind, nothing can really stop her from pursuing them, not even peer pressure. I remember coming to school one day and finding out it was “National Bunk Day.” One of our students told me some friends from another school tried to get her to “bunk” (skip school) with them. I asked her why she hadn’t. She replied, “Why would I bunk? I have work to do.” It was her work, and she wasn’t going to miss a minute of it. Before looking at the last chapter, please page through the Appendices. I’ve placed photos on pages that are particularly worth two moments of your attention.

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Appendices To keep the story flowing, I left out significant chunks of the DATA success story. 1. The data behind the swift change in results from Year 1 to Year 2 (the material in the first chapter came from this list) 2. The computer program used in the curriculum called Odyssey 3. The extended quotes from the book by Dennis Littky. While the influence of Littky was minor in year two (I had introduced the “small school drum beat” only after the major improvements were made), Littky’s work gave me the vocabulary to describe what had taken place. The appendix contains additional “readings” that could be introduced to parents, staff and students in the weekly newsletters and in posters that could be posted through the school. 4. Jim DiSebastian gave an extended presentation that was included in “A Principal’s Perspective,” a short DVD about small schools. 5. “The Shoe” – an example of an integrated lesson, transcribed from a video recorded in November 2005 at the Met Center. 6. A description of learning by Alison Gopnik. 7. A handout about charter schools.

Appendix 1

The Data behind DATA’s success A presentation by Jim DiSebastian Supplied to me by Ron Renna

Downtown Academy of Technology and Arts Going from an “F” to an “A” #2 in the state for largest gains in a middle school!! “A” School

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Principal, James E. DiSebastian Assistant Principal, David Jett School of Art •Full time Art classes for all students •Dedicated Art room •Students’ Art work featured in prominent local Art Gallery, FAU and the KC Wright Building •DATA took home all the top awards given at the 2006 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards •Annual school trip to Italy School of Technology •Assigned student computer usage daily •Computer curriculum in 85% of subject areas •Dedicated Computer Lab •Computers in every classroom •Filtered/monitored high speed internet access •Informative up-to-date school web site http://www.downtownacademy.org School of Downtown

•One aspect of our mission (included in our charter): To serve the

Downtown area of Fort Lauderdale

•DATA takes advantage of what Downtown has to offer.

Frequent walks to: - Museums - The Main Library - The Performing Arts Center, for shows - Huizinga Park or The Esplanade for PE

•Community involvement and participation

School of Choice

•Extra math help •Reading coach •Tutoring •FCAT Prep “A” School

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•Programs personalized to students’ needs After School

•Science Help •Math Help •Homework Help •Writing •Student Council •After School Enrichment

Program

•Drama •Yearbook

DATA Students School of the Future

•Overcame our “F” rating

and went up to an “A” for 2005-2006 *in one year* •DATA to maintain the “A” rating for 2006 and beyond •60% Title 1 students •School rated #2 in the state for student achievement improvement out of 2,854 public and charter schools •Governor's Award School of the Future (cont)

•Attained Federal Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) •Continuing with our programs and success. Students, Parents,

Faculty, and Board would like to see our small school expand to a more accommodating site. Accountability report first year

•2004-2005 School year

–Our first year in operation “A” School

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–“F” grade –80% of students met AYP criteria –85% of students had discipline problems –Title I school –Total Points Earned*= 271

•*A= 410 points, B=380-409, C= 320 to 379, D= 280 to 319, F= less

than 280 Scores

•Reading

–41% of students reading at or above grade level –44% of students making a year’s worth of progress in reading –43% of struggling students making a year’s worth of progress in reading AYP: BLACK, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED students in this school need improvement in Reading Scores •Math –26% of students at or above grade level –31% of students making a year’s worth of progress in math •AYP: BLACK, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED students in this school need improvement in Reading The Plan

•Hired a part time reading coach •Hired a full time and part time math coach •Staff meeting EVERY Friday •D.E.A.R. time- 30 minutes EVERYDAY •Weekly mini-lesson developed for all staff to use in EVERY

classroom EVERYDAY

•Introduced IMAC curriculum to students •Frequent testing “A” School

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•Two English classes a day (Language Arts and Reading) •Evaluating results of testing and adjusting mini-lessons and

curriculum as needed

•Developed discipline plan

Accountability report second year

•2005-2006 School year

–Our second year in operation –“A” grade –100% of students met AYP criteria –35% of students had discipline problems –Title I school –Total Points Earned*= 430 •*A= 410 points, B=380-409, C= 320 to 379, D= 280 to 319, F= less than 280 Scores

•Reading

–64% of students reading at or above grade level –75% of students making a year’s worth of progress in reading –75% of struggling students making a year’s worth of progress in reading AYP: All subgroups met this criteria Scores

•Math

–56% of students at or above grade level –71% of students making a year’s worth of progress in math •AYP: All subgroups met this criteria Comparison •Year one Reading “A” School

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•41% at or above level •44% learning gains

Math •26% at or above level •31% learning gains Writing •86% at or above level •Year two •Reading •64% at or above level •75% learning gains Math •56% at or above level •71% learning gains Writing •90% at or above level

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Appendix 2 Odyssey The school selected a computer program to present information to students on monitors. The positives included connections to the Internet (to amplify explanations for some segments of the lessons), short videos to explain sections, the option to print each lesson and give the segments to students to study at home. The negatives: the vocabulary sometimes included words most high school kids don’t use (example: biomes). Some questions had two answers that were both correct. Some questions depended on the ability to quickly scroll up and look for the answer. The skill was not testing the student’s attention span and patience. The method for many students was simply “find the information, drop it in the blank, move on” without connecting the information to their learning.

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Another negative: Some students asked for a chance to redo a section; it was cumbersome to reset the program and allow students to review and redo their answers. Much of the material in the Odyssey program was presented in a small type font that stretched across the screen. Two columns would have been easier to read or one narrow column. More photos, please. We spent so much time directing kids to use the program, many of us forgot to take a moment and describe where the name of the program came from. Nearly three thousand years ago, Odysseus made a long voyage with many obstacles. In the rush to “get the students on Oddysee,” (we counted at least five ways that students have misspelled the name), we missed an opportunity to spark the imaginations and make connections. We put too much emphasis in the grading system on Odyssey, giving it 50% of the grade point average in the first grading period. We had some kids who did C classwork, but they were getting Fs in Odyssey, so they were failing several classes. The emphasis shifted from 50/50 classwork to Odyssey to giving a majority of the focus on classwork, tests and homework. ADVICE: put up more signs showing how to spell the word. Oddysee, Odisee, Addisy, Oddissy were some of the ways that students spelled the word. So call it Roadways or Pathways or Harambee (let’s all pull together). 20/20 Hindsight: “A” School

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1) 2) 3)

Use a computer for some of the classwork Make sure the program can be printed out and studied at home Better: put the pages on CD, since it’s easier to print the pages at home or read the pages on a computer. Rather than rely on teachers to provide the review pages, the students could be given the material on CD and encouraged to review at home.

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Appendix 3 Littky’s book, The Big Picture: Education is Everybody’s Business Here are some more quotes from Littky’s book.

How important is “desire” in learning?

Page 5 The current push for one test that every kid has to pass in order to move to the next grade or graduate makes the whole situation even sadder. With their focus on end results, too many schools and education policymakers forget how much the process influences how a kid takes in knowledge and then uses it. Too many forget how intrinsic motivation and desire are to learning. So much of our entire approach to education in the USA cheats kids out of the chance to become lifelong learners. (In other words, we don’t respect students enough to give them the chance to become lifelong learners. Because Littky used the word “intrinsic,” that entire sentence was skipped over by some readers and ignored by most.)

Focus on applying information

page 5 I care more that a student is excited to go deeper in her exploration of the history of women in her native country than I do about the student’s ability to answer every question on a standardized U.S. history test. I care way more about helping kids learn to apply knowledge that I do about presenting

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them with knowledge and finding out if they have memorized enough of the facts to spit them back at me. ============================= To close this appendix, let’s look at other segments of Littky’s book that can provide a vocabulary to inspire parents to ask for smaller schools, mentors, narratives, testing by exhibitions and individual learning plans for each student. Page 3 The only really substantial thing education can do is help us to become continuous, lifelong learners. Learners who learn without textbooks and tests, without certified teachers and standardized curricula. Learners who love to learn. W.B. Yeats said it this way: “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” Page 3 A school board in Howard County, Maryland removed two criteria from its official policy on determining high school students’ grades: “originality” and “initiative.” This school board decided this because, they said, it is “impossible” to measure how hard a student tries or if a student’s work is original. What they were really saying is this: If it can’t be measured easily, then we can’t care about it, we can’t teach it, and we certainly can’t determine if a kid has learned it. The solution? Take originality and initiative completely out of your educational goals. Page 11 The act of being a teacher is understanding how learning works and figuring out how to apply all this to each student, one at a time. I know that it would be pretty easy for someone to take the goals I believe in and contort them so they fit nicely in to a lecture-based curriculum designed to be assessed with a standardized multiple-choice test. But being a teacher is about taking these goals and creating the best possible environment for supporting kids and learning. It is not about finding a way to fit these goals into the traditional methods of schooling.

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Teaching is Listening. Learning is Talking. (a motto painted on a Met Advisor’s truck by his students) page 13 Every kid approaches learning in an individual way. … The teacher’s role is to find what that way is for each kid. Teaching becomes figuring out how to see and listen to each kid, one kid at a time, so that the kid can reach the goals for himself or herself. Teaching cannot happen in a vacuum. The community and the child’s family must be included in every way possible. Parents are the student’s first and most important teachers and they cannot, must not, be left out of the education equation – not even when there are “professionals” around.

Learning How To Teach

What is one of the main obstacles to implementing procedures to make a Littky-style school? Many teachers don’t know learning when they see it taking place in front of them. Page 13 In the early 1970s I was placing student teachers in schools with “open classrooms”. These schools had kids doing projects in small groups instead of the traditional lecture format. One of my student teachers said, “This is great, Dennis, but when am I going to really learn how to teach?” She was standing there in an exciting, rich learning environment, but she couldn’t see it because it didn’t match her idea of what teaching was, which was standing up in front of the room, looking out at quiet rows of faces, and pouring knowledge into them. Many people believe that the teacher is the sage on the stage, rather than the guide on the side. Ron Renna used the sage-guide couplet when he described to me the philosophy of Downtown Academy. I hope that teachers at DATA are still getting that message: real teaching is about facilitating, making the learning “facile” (easy).

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These quotes have a common theme: if we respect students, then we will take positive actions. When we choose not to measure initiative and originality, we fail to respect the students.

So, have you read enough of these quotes to want to buy a copy of Littky’s book for your library? And to get a copy for your local school board? Go to BigPicture.org. ++++++++++ This issue of “what should we evaluate” and “how should we evaluate” are discussed by Howard Gardner in Intelligence Reframed, starting on page 160:

What would an expanded FCAT look like? Howard Gardner calls for performance tests, not quick responses or multiple choice or short-answer tests. He calls it “a performance of understanding.” From Intelligence Reframed… When it comes to probing a student’s understanding of evolution, “A” School

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the shrewd pedagogue looks beyond the mastery of dictionary definitions or the recitation of textbook examples. A student demonstrates or “performs” his understanding when he can examine a range of species found in different ecological niches and speculate about the reasons for their particular ensemble of traits. A student performs her understanding of the Holocaust when she can compare events in a Nazi concentration camp to such contemporary genocidal events as those in Bosnia, Kosovo or Rwanda in the 1990s.

Here is a performance of understanding by students in a Spanish class at CHAD in Philadelphia. The portfolio project aimed to employ language skills by assembling a graphic novel. Clever, isn’t it?

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“Measures of understanding” may seem demanding, particularly in contract to current, often superficial, efforts to measure what students know and are able to do. And, indeed, recourse to performing one’s understanding is likely to stress students, teachers, and parents, who have grown accustomed to traditional ways of doing(or NOT doing) things. Nonetheless, a performance approach to understanding is justified. Instead of mastering content, one thinks about the reason why a particular content is being taught and how best to display one’s comprehension of this content in a publicly accessible way. When students realize they will have to apply knowledge and demonstrate insights in a public form, they assume a more active stance to the material, seeking to exercise their “performance muscles” whenever possible. Pages 162..

If one assumes that understanding is equivalent to mastery of factual materials, or if one assumes that understanding follows naturally from exposure to materials, then there is no reason to require explicit performances of understanding. But it is more likely that we have avoided assessing understanding because doing so takes time and because we have lacked confidence that we will actually find clear evidence of understanding. Thanks to hundreds of studies during the past few decades by psychologists and educators, we now know one truth about understanding: Most students in most schools, cannot exhibit appreciable understandings of important ideas.

Gardner proposes three approaches Observational Approaches The first approach involves observing. The traditional institution of the apprenticeship is one example. Young apprentices spend much time with a master practitioner, observe him up close and gradually engage in the daily practices of a problem solving and product making. A children’s museum is a “A” School

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contemporary example to mold understanding. Students have the opportunity to approach intriguing phenomena in ways that make sense to them, they can take their time and they face no test pressures. They may bring issues with them fro home to school, to the museum and back again, gradually constructing sturdier understandings by using multiple inputs in diverse settings. These institutions can give us clues about how best to teach for understanding. Confrontational Approaches Frontal tackling of the obstacles to understanding: One comes to grips directly with one’s own misconceptions. For example, if someone habitually engages in stereotypical thinking, he can be encouraged to consider each historical event or work of art from multiple perspectives. None of these is foolproof. Teachers need to encourage understandings by pointing out inadequate conceptualizations and asking students to reflect on the consequences. Students gradually learn to monitor their own intuitive theories and thus cultivate habits of understanding. A Systematic Approach – Teaching for Understanding. Teachers are asked to state explicit understanding goals, stipulate the correlated performances of understanding, and share these perspectives with the students. Other features of this “understanding framework” include a stressing of central topics. For example: Why are there fourteen varieties of finches in the Galapagos Islands? When and how was the Final Solution arrived at?

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Tables in this art class in Philadelphia (the Charter High School for Art and Design, CHAD) are wide and sturdy. Students at Downtown Academy gain skills that can be enhanced at charter schools that include a focus on design.

Teachers need to assess students' understanding not simply at the end of the course but through regular interim practice performances. Multiple Intelligences is most usefully invoked in the service of two educational goals. The first is to help students achieve certain valued adult roles or end-states. If one wants everyone to be able to engage in artistic activities, it makes sense to develop linguistic intelligence for the poet, spatial intelligence for the graphic artist and sculptor, movement intelligence for the dancer and musical intelligence for the composer. If we want everyone to be civil, then it is important to develop the personal intelligences. The second goal is to help students master certain curricular materials. Students might be encouraged to take a course in biology so as to better understand the development of the living world. If individuals indeed have different kinds of minds, with “A” School

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varied strengths, interests and strategies, then it is worth considering whether pivotal curricular materials like biology could be taught AND ASSESSED in a variety of ways. p. 167 (emphasis added) +++++++++++++++++++++ In short, as a taxpayer, I became more impatient when I learned that school board members KNOW about the power of small schools but choose to stick with large schools for a number of reasons. As a taxpayer, I’m less concerned about the reasons for maintaining the status quo. I’m more worried about “How can we put more kids into small schools?” Since reading Littky’s book, now I add, “How can we start using narratives, exhibitions for testing, and portfolios?” Whatever it’s going to cost, it’s going to be more effective to treat students with more respect now than the “efficient” housing of kids that leads to 30% of the students to fail to complete high school, and more to fail to discover and follow their passions.

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Appendix 4 A Principal’s Perspective In May 2006, shortly after Jim DiSebastian learned that the school had received an “A” rating, he gave the following interview. The transcript that appears below fits the focus of this book (what does it take to create an award-winning charter school?). Jim talks about the role of parents and adults, further emphasizing the importance of not leaving a school’s success in the hands of teachers and administrators. Anyone seeking to create a fabulous school need the support of parents and other adults in the community. Like a child, it takes a village to “raise” a school. ============ Jim: Most of the schools that I’ve worked in have 500 or 600 students. That’s a bit smaller than these mega schools [2,000-plus students]. I once worked in a school with 1200 students. Based on my experience, I am very much for smaller schools. There are two very good reasons for a smaller school. First, everybody knows everybody. We get to know each child and they get to know each employee, you’re not just a number. We get to know the students’ needs. It’s more like a family. Second, when I was in administrator’s classes to become a better principal, one of the key lessons was that discipline issues increase disproportionately according to the number of disciplinary problems there are in a location. [This means that a small school with 200 students might

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have 10 kids with discipline problems, but a school that is 10 times bigger will have more than ten times the number of discipline problems.] If you have one or two kids in a class who are disciplinary problems, it’s not as bad a situation as when you have three or four kids who act out. The disproportionate result increases in larger schools. There are some drawbacks with small schools. A small school often doesn’t have some of the facilities that many parents are looking for. But on the whole, kids get a more personalized education in a small school.

Just being small isn’t enough. There are bad small schools. What can parents do to improve a small school? Jim: Parents are a key factor. They have to be interested and involved. We have an active parents association at Downtown Academy. Parents have a lot of input, I want to hear what they have to say, then they feel comfortable to tell us when they have a family issue [that can impact the student’s performance]. They know we care, we know each other, one on one.

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When you have a small school and you know that a child needs help in an area of mathematics, it’s easier to do something about it. You can take that child out of class and help him catch up and raise that child’s ability. This document is intended to inspire parents to get involved to improve small schools. What advice can you give parents who might want to act as mentors to other kids in the school? What I always remind people is, if you are going to talk with a child, imagine how you want your child to be spoken to and treated. Your school has been recently rated very well in the FCAT scores. How could this assessment test be expanded and improved to better measure learning? Howard Gardner has said that there needs to be a variety of tests to assess individuals. Kids can demonstrate understanding in other ways than pen and paper. Have you heard of other testing methods that the FCAT might grow to include? Jim: I have. When you are looking at the International Baccalaureate, they have other pieces so that the child is graded on, more than just the written part or filling in circles. It’s a good idea to sit down and interview a child to talk things out, to have a child demonstrate their ability. I’ve seen it with lots of students who don’t do well in written and bubbling tests. I’ve seen some kids who don’t know how to spell well and their essays reflect it. They know a more complicated word, but they won’t use it in a written test because they don’t know how to spell it. Jim: Yes, I’ve seen that, too. Thank you for your time. Jim: I hope this is helpful.

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Appendix 5 The Shoe The following commentary goes with the DVD that accompanies the printed version of this book. Short segments of “The Shoe” appear on youtube.com and short commentary is given in the videos. It is recommended that you watch the video after reading these comments so you have an idea what to look for in the video. To avoid distracting viewers from the presentation, “The Shoe” does not have captions. You see what I saw on November 30, 2005. Time / Teacher’s actions 0:00 Teacher tells the students to “write about the shoe. What do you see?” 2:15 Teacher says, “Read what you wrote.” 5:30 Teacher says, “I have a poem. Let’s read it.” 10:06 Teacher says, “I’m going to read the poem again. The title is important: A Worker Reads History. Can you guess what that means?...Do kings work?” 12:18 “Do you have problems with any of these words?” 14:49 “What point is the author trying to make?” 16:26 Teacher asks, “Based on what we saw in the poem, what did we miss about the shoe the first time we wrote about it? Go ahead and write something more about the shoe.” Track 2 2:00 T: “I’m going to ask you to share.” A student asks, “Can I go first this time?” Teacher: Does anyone have any objections to her going first?” (NOTE: Democracy at work in the class.) 2:57 Teacher: “Read what you wrote.”

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7:00 Okay, now pair up with somebody. Check the tags on your clothes. Create a list o all of the countries that your clothes come from. 17:01 Let’s count them up and them on the board. 25:03 We have 31 pieces of clothing from China and the total number of pieces is 49. What percent is from China?.... Student: “62 percent” T: Why? How did you come up with that percentage? Student: “It is 31 divided by 49.” 27:00 Teacher: “How do you figure out percentages? Let’s figure this out together.” 30:00 Let’s say that it costs 25 cents per hour for the labor. Let’s figure it takes someone an hour to work on this shoe. How much does it sell for in a store?” Student: “Seventy-nine dollars… I hate that.” Teacher: “What price does another store sell these shoes at?” 33:00 Teacher: “Why does it cost so much in one store and not in another store? How can one store sell so much cheaper than another store?” 36:00 T: “How can they make a profit when they sell the same shoe for just $30?” 37:00 T: “Why is Nike paying the Indonesians or the Chinese so little money? Is it right that Nike pays so little? Is it fair?” *The DVD’s recording ends at 40 minutes. +++++++++++++ This transcription of the teacher’s lesson shows that an integrated lesson flows naturally from subject to subject. How difficult is it to bring math, language arts, history, economics and science together? Isn’t the result worth the effort?

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Appendix 6 The Teacher as a Coach: Teaching Through Confusion Alison Gopnik in the New York Times covered these two topics in an essay titled, “How Children Learn.” Two themes permeate this essay. First, we tend to learn by watching a series of steps and then doing those steps while a mentor watches us. Any other procedure (such as learning by lecture) will tend to miss something in the transfer of information and skill. Second, there are two types of learning: the first is the observation of a new routine. The second is through rote repetition of the routine until it is learned (or becomes “automatic”). Gopnik concludes that tutoring and mentoring are preferred ways of learning since both types of learning can take place with feedback. Here is the key part about “confusion” that I like to quote often: Children seem to learn best when they can explore the world and interact with expert adults. …They learn by watching adults, trying themselves and receiving detailed corrective feedback about their efforts. … How many children ever get to watch teachers work through writing an essay or designing a scientific experiment or solving an unfamiliar math problem? You can find a copy of this essay at geocities.com/talkinternational1/nytimes.

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Appendix 7 A Handout about Small Schools Small Schools use our taxes efficiently …and many charter schools are small and effective. It’s not the number of students in a classroom. It’s the number of students in the school. Just being small doesn’t make a school good, but it helps when the principal and the teachers can remember every student’s name, strengths and weaknesses, and make a link between a parent’s face and the child. Relationships tend to be stronger in a small school. What is a charter school? A charter is an agreement between the operator and the State of Florida (and the local school board) to operate a school for the benefit of the public. What is the difference between a public school and a charter school? A public school is operated by public employees (the school board). A charter school is operated by an independent (private)board, usually as a non-profit organization, and public money I used to educate the children. A charter school can often act more quickly than a public school to implement innovative educational methods. About Charter Schools in Florida Number of charter schools in Florida: 356 schools Number of students in charter schools: 98,000 students Average size of charter schools: 275 students Average size of public schools: more than 500 students Average size of public schools in Broward County: 1,100 students

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An effective small school offers a community of caring, competence, and high expectations. A more-human scale is a potent antidote to student alienation. While impersonal “bigness” may actually provoke disruptive or violent behavior, small schools conducive to trust and respect tend to defuse it. Source: Steifel, L. A much-cited study of small high schools in New York City concluded that the cost per graduate is less, due to lower dropout and high graduation rates. The study concludes that “quite small additional budgets” are “well worth the improved outputs.” Steifel, L. et al (1998). The effects of size of student body on school costs and performance in New York City high schools, New York: New York University, Institute for Education and Social Policy. Wested.org/online_pubs/po-0103.pdf In other words… Small schools often build trust and encourage students to tell the truth. We use active listening in our small school to show that we really hear the other person (“I hear you saying that…” before we respond). Small schools encourage our personal best effort and small schools say, “No put downs” (we say “no” to bullies). Does your child walk into a see of one thousand other students after class? Why not learn about the Small School Advantage? Many public schools have too many students for a principal to know well. A possible solution is to break large schools into smaller schools. Compiled for distribution at Downtown Academy “We’re part of your community, so drop in and become a mentor.” (954) 767-0403 DowntownAcademy.org

Trust. Truth. No Put-downs. Active Listening. Personal Best. Seen at New City School in St. Louis, Mo.

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7 The Fourth Year and Beyond My goals for the school include the following: 1. Bringing in more mentors to the school (respecting students by giving them interesting adults to stimulate their minds) The plan is to continue to videotape those mentors so that students can review the messages that the mentors give them. (I respect the mentors by capturing their presentations; I respect audio learners who pick up some messages better after a second or third viewing). Past videos can be seen on youtube.com by searching for the accounts named “mistermath” and “mentorsonvideo.”

Mentors can teach probabilities with backgammon. “A” School

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The plan includes teaching students to edit and convert the videos to post on Youtube. (I respect the students’ ability to learn marketable skills that relate to their passion for TV and DVDs.) 2. Upgrading the computer room by seeking donations of computers. (I want to respect the students and not ask them to wait by giving them faster, more reliable computers.) 3.

In addition to “mentors on video,” let’s record as many pieces of advice on video or audio devices. Why? I respect the teachers for their efforts in putting their lesson plans on paper. Now let’s preserve some of those lessons in person, too.

Here’s an example of a mentor on video and how I approach a potential mentor. The question from the potential mentor (Laura) was: To: [email protected] Subject: Re: thanks Steve - Hi, got your letter. Regarding the 8th graders, what type of topics are you looking for? Laura My reply: The topics are specific to you. How do you use math in your daily work? Can you demonstrate how their parents can get out of a rental situation and into a house? When can owning a house cost about the same as renting? 8th grade is the highest level at our school. Marketing is a cool topic for many students. Let me know when you are ready to come to the school to give a talk and to answer their questions. Steve, English Tutor

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4.

Reaching out to fifth-grade students and their families by inviting them to “visit Downtown” for a full school day. Why not invite students to see what their next three years could look like? What is happening inside a charter school? “Learn about a Charter School Day” could become an ongoing event that would force students who are unhappy with being placed in Downtown Academy to either turn lemons into lemonade (and become ambassadors for the school).

Can you imagine the negative impact of hearing from a student that “this place is not for you or for anybody. It really sucks.” That’s what several students told me after I pointed out some of the advantages of a small school. “I like big schools. I wish I was back at Arthur Ashe,” (a large middle school) a girl told me. “I could hide back there. Nobody was on my back the way they are here.” The same girl made it clear to our in-school family therapist Pat Harris that she hated the school. “That person really enjoys making herself miserable,” Pat told me. I predict that bringing students to “visit Downtown for a day” will help this student grow emotionally or the school will need to ask the student to leave. That sort of negativity brings to mind the poem often quoted by Jeraldine Saunders, the creator of the Love Boat TV series: We tend to move toward that which we dwell upon. So let’s dwell well. In plain English, “We usually move toward whatever we think about. So let’s think about good things.” If that student’s attitude is allowed to fester, no amount of positive experiences will turn a visit next to her into an overall “plus.” 5.

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More attempts should be made to reach out to the local community. The principal or volunteers should be making

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presentations to business groups, small and large businesses, and taxpayers in general. Tell the “Small School” story and explain why a small school makes sense. (I respect the intelligence of the taxpayer: most people will be willing to hear about a more effective use of tax revenues – and starting more charter schools is part of that “more effective use.”) 6.

I maintain the hope that local unions will relax the hold that they have on teachers and management. Some union-held positions will be lost or changed if large schools are divided into smaller academic communities. I hope that unions will keep their eye on the main goal: protecting their jobs. … uh, I mean, educating the next generation.

7.

Greater understanding by the school board of charter schools. Despite millions of dollars being spent on students in charter schools, I get the sense that charter schools are lumped in with the “private voucher” debate. Should students have the right to go anywhere outside of the public school system? If we look at the effect of vouchers on children, we could say, “Sure.” But then there are fewer students and fewer dollars to maintain the large facilities operated by the school board. I hope that this story of an ever-more-successful charter school will inspire more people to study Littky’s words and break large schools into smaller identities. Yes, when a school principal can send out a letter without the “School Board of Broward County” embossed on the letter, we will know that the message of “smaller schools” is getting through.

The return address on an envelope from a large high school in Broward County had large letters “SCHOOL BOARD OF BROWARD COUNTY” and the name of the school in smaller letters on the next line. The letter was in response to my offer to create a workshop for parents about “Beyond the SAT: How to use portfolios to improve your chances in university.” The workshop never took place, but I “A” School

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had sent some videos to the assistant principal of the school. The letter was a generic letter to thank me for supporting the school. I know that the administrators of a school with more than 2000 students are busy…but if you’re going to send a letter, make an effort to thank the mentor with a letter, not a form letter. 8.

Obtaining video cameras to allow students to record and review important events from the school year (I want to respect the students by expecting them to make the recordings)

Use those cameras for exhibitions (stand-up oral tests). I want to respect the advice of Howard Gardner, Dennis Littky, Lois Hetland and others who advocate exhibitions and portfolios. By bringing portfolios into the school grading process and by encouraging students to speak as well as write about what they understand, we will respect the students by asking them to develop speaking skills. 9. Encourage a culture of cutting and pasting newspaper articles (I want to respect newspaper companies and their editors who provide papers at no charge, especially the Miami Herald in the 2007-2008 school year).

What is next? 10. 11. 12. 13.

Here’s more for my wish list: Create Individual Learning Plans for each student. Test students with exhibitions. Evaluate students with narratives Integrate the curriculum so no teacher teaches more than 50 students in a year (two classes of 25 students). 14.

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More Critical Thinking: In the school’s first year, students heard James Randi, a.k.a. the Amazing Randi, a magician and critical thinker who is

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under appreciated by the community of Fort Lauderdale. Principal David Jett asks students, “How do you cross a river with a wolf, a sheep and a large pile of lettuce?” and the question has galvanized the school into a spurt of Lateral Thinking – so why not put more of these challenges on the walls and offer prizes for creative lateral thinking? 15.

Add more health in the school’s curriculum: why not flood the students with interesting web sites like WhenWillIDie.com and fightMeningitis.com, webmd.com,… How about going for a long walk between classes? Nutritionist Marc Joiner advocates dividing the day into “A” and “B” hours: Every “A” hour, do a jumping exercise and drink a glass of water; in the “B” hour, drink water and eat something. 16.

More languages: put labels on items throughout the school, display phrases on walls and install audio screens (touch a button and hear a phrase: “A mi no me gusta espinaca”).

17. Curriculum: Integrate the subjects The typical middle school curriculum is divided into subjects: Math Science Social Studies Language Arts Reading Art A Possible Future: Features of the integrated program for a school of 132 students (6 classes of 22 students) “A” School

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a) Why not integrate Math, Science and Art? The Math teacher could also teach Science and Art, covering two groups of 22 students (44 students) The Art teacher could also teach math and Science (44 students) Science Teacher could also teach math and Art (44 students) b) Combine Language Arts, Social Studies and Reading Language Arts will also teach Social Studies and Reading Two groups of 22 students (44 students) Social Studies teacher could also teach Reading and Language Arts (44 students) Reading Teacher could also teach Social Studies and Language Arts (44 students) c) All teachers could include Spanish or another language in the curriculum. d) Teachers could go deeper into their relationships with 44 students, rather than trying to get to know 132 students. e) Each student would see only two teachers each week. f) The Language Arts and Reading teachers wouldn’t have to teach Math and Science (those are the two complaints I heard most often from teachers when the idea of one teacher covering all subjects is raised). g) It would be helpful if the Science teacher (who has been a male teacher at DATA for four years) could also show how he writes essays. To aid students in seeing how an adult struggles with writing, I created a 30-minute DVD called “Writing is a Struggle” that documents my attempt to write a letter to a reporter about the school…in under 30 minutes. “A” School

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It’s painful to watch but helps some students see that even adults need to rewrite in order to write. h) If one teacher really wants to teach a particular lesson to every student in the school, that lesson could be put on video, or the teacher could be a “guest lecturer” in the other classes. The art teacher could float in to highlight a science lesson or bring the students to the art class for part of the integrated lesson (perhaps for videotaping a segment like “The Shoe,” a lesson recorded at The Met in November 2005 that integrated history, economics, math, literature and science). i) The split could be Science/Social Studies/Math, thus allowing Art to be taught by the Reading and Language Arts teachers. teachers at Downtown Academy (Science, Math and Spanish). j) What is it like to write a two-page report every 9 weeks about 44 students or 22 students? Surely there will be teachers who will rather teach the entire curriculum so that they can stay with the same 22 students for the entire week. Why? They will need to write half the number of narrative reports. Likely objections to this proposal will be “Can the science teacher teach writing?” and “Can the Language and reading teachers teach math and Science?” See the comments by Dennis Littky from The Big Picture where he describes the teacher who admits that she doesn’t “get” everything in the math textbook and syllabus, but she turns out to be just the sort of teacher and coach that many students need. What does an adult who is confused do to get through the confusion? See also Alison Gopnik’s essay in the New York Times (summarized in Appendix 6) about the

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value of the baseball coach who doesn’t lecture but watches and gives tips while you make mistakes. k) Parents can see just two teachers, not the current six. l) Teachers don’t have to contact 132 parents – they write a syllabus for only 44 students to send home. Currently there are 6 x 132 = 2 curriculum sheets sent home at the beginning of the year. That’s six sheets that each parent has to sign agreeing to the teacher’s rules. Why not make it simpler for parents and students? Have two teachers lead a class for the entire year (or perhaps just one teacher, as many elementary teachers do).

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To the reader: Apologies for the disjointed style of writing. “This book could use an editor” is the principal comment that I’ve received in the minutes leading up to sending it to the printer. The aim was to condense two years of thoughts about small schools that I’ve had since visiting the remarkable Met Center in Providence, R.I. This book is dedicated especially to the following people: Dennis Littky for giving us the vocabulary to describe why small schools make sense (and why some small schools are worse than a well-run big school). R-E-S-P-E-C-T… My wife JK who ignores the intense shouting matches I have with television broadcasts about the “true” root causes of failing schools. She endured my lectures about how local schools could prevent drop-outs by implementing Littky’s policies. She heard most of this book when I read sections aloud (while she prepared meals and did the housework that I overlooked). I owe her. Ron Renna, the entrepreneur behind Downtown Academy who also brought me into the DATA family. My interview with Ron won me the position of Reading Teacher, giving me a front-row seat to a remarkable transformation and an exciting roller-coaster ride. Jim DiSebastian, who got me out of the classroom. Had I been teaching full-time, I probably would not have heard the Littky Interview on National Public Radio on April 25, 2005. John Kranstover, who showed me how to interact with a teacher who was floundering. Instead of ignoring the teacher, John said, “Have you thought about giving the students five questions to answer after each reading? These questions really helped me guide them in their reading.” The questions are: (1) What is the main idea? (2) What will happen next? (3) What is your reaction? (4) What is the author’s opinion or point of view? (5) What did you learn from the reading?

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Tom Timmon, the math teacher in DATA’s first year who, like me, switched to teaching as a tutor. He and I agreed that we’re less adept at “crowd control,” he observed. “I really like teaching students one at a time.” I wish Tom a fulfilling read of Littky’s book, which is dedicated to teaching “one student at a time” and “treating students the same differently.” To other teachers who have mentored me in the past, many thanks. In particular, I thank Mrs. Simmons (who said that she aimed at working with one student each year while she processed hundreds through her classes in a public school), Tony Lloyd (who, like John Kranstover, has a knack for not showing that he’s annoyed or frustrated), Pat Harris for her persistent “And what do you feel about that?” and “What are your options?” and “Can you reframe that?” David Jett, the current principal at DATA, for keeping an open mind to the flood of emails that he receives from me. The ADHD mind prefers to process information and then, once the email is sent, it’s time to move on to the next project. David understands this process and doesn’t feel he has to respond to everything I send him. It’s once of the nicest therapies that an ADD person can receive: an email address to send suggestions to. John Vornle, whose “Vornle Method” for getting into college can be found on TeachersToTeachers.com. Dr. Lois Hetland, who suggested that I visit several small schools that use portfolios as part of their evaluation of student work. Her Project Zero workshops (offered online and during the summer in Cambridge, Mass., usually the last weekend in July) provide more “A” School

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tools for parents and educators to transform schools. Visit pz.harvard.edu. For more information [email protected] or write to Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 124 Mount Auburn Street, Fifth Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138. Much gratitude to Santiago Masdeu at Factory Printing for meeting a tight deadline. It’s tough to print quickly when the Miami Book Fair is just two weeks away. To end this book, let’s look at the final paragraph of Littky’s book:

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To become a mentor at Downtown Academy, you don’t need to be rich, strong, or eloquent. Just answer these questions: 1. What did you learn in school that you still use today? (This answer shows relevance.) 2. What do you wish you had learned in school? Additional relevance plus a suggestion to a teacher to include something extra in a future lesson.) 3. Name one of your teachers. If you can name the teacher, then something was given by that teacher to you. What was it? Please honor that teacher by telling us why you remember that teacher. (This shows an important relationship)

4. Tell us about a book or a magazine or a newspaper article. What have you read in the past year that you use today? (This answer shows continued learning -- and we are asking you for a performance about what you took from the book, a performance of understanding.)

From MentorsOnVideo.org Students tend to watch a CD if they are told that it is not required. Any particular mentor isn't to expected to appeal to EVERY student, but rather to hijack at least one student from the reverie induced by surfing on the Internet or playing with an Xbox game. Make your own video and post it on youtube.com or call me and I'll put the mentor on the “to-video” list.

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MentorsonVideo.org What happens when a mentor visits a classroom? The mentor talks, the students ask some questions, and two weeks later…who remembers what happened in that room? That’s the reason for recording the presentation. During the first half of the 2004-2005 year at Downtown Academy, a dozen adults took time to share advice and tell stories. Some of the videos are on Youtube (search “Mistermath” and scroll to “mentors”) and others are on DVDs. If you would like to hear some of the mentors on video, write to me ([email protected]) or call me at (954) 646-8246. Please write to me if you need suggestions on how to put a mentor on video. Put a family therapist on your school’s team A special volunteer offered to speak to our 8th grade. Pat Harris, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist heard that tensions were rising in our class, so she chose to talk about “Does anger manage you or do you manage your anger?” The topic was just what my students and I needed to hear. We all listened to her presentation again on CD and reviewed her presentation. Since then, Pat has placed some of her “audio letters” and “messages from the heart” on the Internet. Find the links at ResolveToHeal.com.

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The Next Step Page 200

What’s it going to be? If you’re an educator, does the enormity of the task make retreating to your classroom or office …a much safer idea? Or does it make your blood boil that our professional lives and the futures of our students are held hostage to school structures and curriculum that fall far short of what they might be? …[H]uge changes are possible and necessary and it’s the responsibility of educators and everyday people to accept the challenge of seeing them through. Education is everyone’s business.

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