Catalyst Project Presentation

STUDENT VOICE AND

SCHOOL CULTUREImproving school culture by utilizing the leadership of students, specifically our middle school students, through a Student Leadership Council (SLC).

- Focus areas attendance and parental involvement

EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO MAKE POSITIVE SHIFTS

• How this project came to be…

• WHY is it essential to our school and should be to all schools?• In education, student voice refers to the values, opinions, beliefs, perspectives,

and cultural backgrounds of individual students and groups of students in a school, and to instructional approaches and techniques that are based on student choices, interests, passions, and ambitions.

• Hidden curriculum (2014, August 26). In S. Abbott (Ed.), The glossary of education reform. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum

• As an educator and now an administrator, student voice has always been a driving force when it comes to implementing lasting change in what matters most, student $ucce$$.

http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum


• Student Leadership Council Mission Statement

• Student Leadership Council will be effective leaders who give students a voice and help improve school culture.

• Student Leadership Council Vision Statement

• We want to be effective leaders who are respected by our peers, through running Monday Morning Meeting, setting a good example, and creating programs and activities that inspire students to enjoy coming to school and encourage the want to learn.


• A look at our school

• Riverside School – CMSD

• 14601 Montrose Ave., Cleveland, OH 44111-1322

• Enrollment (State Provided): 497

• Student & Teacher Attendance Rates - 2014-2015

• Student Attendance Rate: 95.1%

• Teacher Attendance Rate: 87.1%

• Special Program(s): MD/Autism(4), Gifted & Talented(4), LEP/ELLs


• So the question became,

•What can I do, to make positive shifts in

our school?


• The answer became, implementing a…

Student Leadership Council• President - Greg George

• Secretary Ambassador - Hayden Kissoon

• Treasurer - Kierra Zimmerman

• Director of Media Relations - Chan Thatch

• Vice President - Jessica Rivera

• Secretary Ambassador - Nadia Evans


• Improving School Culture and Climate

Student

Achievement

& Attendance

Teacher/Student

Retention &

Mindset

Parental

Involvement

+Continuous

School

Improvement =


• Focus Goal One – Parental Involvement • Focus on getting more parents involved during school day

• Focus Goal Two – Attendance & Tardies• Focus on students with more than 20 absences or tardies

• August – 95%

• September – 95%

• October – 96%

• November – 97%

• December – 95%

• January – 94%

• February – 94%

• March – 95%

• April – 94%

• May – 95%


• Student Leadership Council – Top 3 Focus Questions/Responses • Parents

1. Approximately how often has your child been absent this year?

2. Do you feel welcomed when you come to Riverside Elementary School?

3. What sources do you get most of your information about Riverside Elementary School from?

• Students1. What are you usually absent from school?

2. Why do you think you or your peers are tardy to class?

3. What suggestions do you have to improve attendance and reduce tardies at Riverside?

• Teachers

• What three things do you feel affect student attendance/tardies most?1. Transportation issues

2. Students lack of responsibility

3. Student behavior or poor choices


• Middle School Student Survey Results

1. How important do you feel good attendance and promptness are to your education and future success?

__ very important __somewhat important

__not very important ___not important

2. Why are you usually absent from school? Check all that apply.

__illness

__family emergency

__doctors’ appointments

__I cut school

__I need to help out at home, because

[most responses were about family]

__I don’t like to come to school, because

[1-some teachers are sexist 2 – afraid of talking to people]


• Middle School Student Survey Results

5. What suggestions do you have to improve attendance and reduce tardies at Riverside?

__more extra-curricular activities

__rewards for improved attendance or reduced tardies

__consequences for frequent tardies

__other: Explain_________________________________

a. Add 5 minutes in between class change bell

b. More transition time and less things to carry

c. Give us time between periods

d. Have specific times to go to bathroom as a class


• Student Leadership Council Ideas and Steps

• Parental Involvement

• Earth Day Project

• Every two week inviting parents

• Working with School PTC

• Family Fun Night

• Movie Night / Sports Tournament

• Attendance

• Monthly Incentives

• Recognition at MMM

• Attendance Award Field Trips


• Spring Timeline

• February 2015 - Group Planning of Curriculum

• March 2015 - Elections for Exec Board and Representatives

• Present idea at MMM - March 7

• Flyers for election posted - March 8

• Surveys out to public - March 9

• Student exec board sign up deadline - March 10

• Survey Return deadline – March 11

• Meet with students who signed up after MMM - March 14

• Analyze survey data (set updated goals if needed) - March 17

• Candidate speeches at MMM - March 21

• Voting for exec board - March 22

• Announcement of exec board - March 23

• April/May 2015 - Retreat and Prep with new Exec Board, etc.

• May - Review of year goals and plan for next school year

• May - Exec Board Retreat

• June – Planning with SLC for 2016-2017 school year

• Long Term Goals

• Riverside Student Leadership Council;

• 1 – Attendance/Tardies (meeting and surpassing AAP / Cleveland Plan goals)

• 2 - Parental Involvement (parent surveys, student created activities, etc.)

• 3- Overall improvement of school climate and culture

• Fall 2016 initiatives;

• Smaller focus areas that will be incorporated

• Student achievement (NWEA) updates (Fall, Winter, Spring)

• Discipline (will give suggestions on how to lower discipline referrals based on updated discipline plan)

• Parental involvement (every 2 month initiative)

• Monthly attendance reward initiative program

• *** above information subject to change once exec board selected and initially meetings held


What challenges

do you

anticipate?

Teacher “buy-in” with releasing

some of their control of the

classroom

Scheduling with implementing

Student Leadership Council

meetings during the day so there

are no before or after school

concerns (contract, parents,

etc.)

Understanding the bigger

picture…the WHY?

How will you addresseach challenge?

Use of research that shows the power of student voice in school (articles, book studies, etc.)

- Example / Recommendation R. Quaglia

Work with principal on scheduling for the upcoming school year. Cohort group has already worked on different

ideas for how to implement this into the school schedule and not interrupt instruction time

At assemblies, meetings (especially in the beginning part of the implementation process) vocalizing the importance of WHY student voice is important and how it can push this school forward in multiple areas.

Bi-monthly surveys to report progress.


• Distributive Leadership

• Teacher Leader Weber

• SLC Staff Liaison

• Designer of SLC Guidelines Packet

• Teacher Leader Haning

• Designer of SLC Notebook

• Works with students on documentation and processes

• Teacher Leader Kazcmarek

• Designer of SLC Parent, Teacher, Student surveys

• SLC Members meet 3-4 times a week

• Tuesday with Teacher Leader Weber

• Thursday with Teacher Leader Haning

• Other days in Assistant Principal Office (current meeting space)


• Community Engagement Tools

• Student surveys

• Teacher surveys

• Parent surveys

• Parent Letters

• Community Connections

• School Social Media Page (Instagram)

• This area is still a work in progress as the SLC members are reflecting on what is working and what needs to improve


• “Historically, student councils and other forms of student-led government were the most common channels for students to share their opinions and viewpoints, but many of these opportunities did not allow students to make authentic contributions to the leadership of a school.”

• The Glossary of Education Reform by Great Schools Partnership

• With the Student Leadership Council, these students will be an active part of our school Building Leadership Team and report directly to our Assistant Principal.

• Their voices will not just be heard, it will help lead to change in culture!

http://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/


• Why is Student Voice Important?• A Project-Based Case Study: Sammamish High School

• “Including Student Voice – March 2013 – Edutopia”

• One of the principles guiding the transformation work at Sammamish is that student achievement and engagement will increase when students have more ownership of their school community. The Student Voice key element reinforces that:• What students have to say matters in how learning happens.

• Students have untapped expertise and knowledge that can bring renewed relevance and authenticity to classrooms and school reform efforts.

• Students benefit from opportunities to practice the problem solving, leadership and creative thinking required to participate in a decision-making school community.


• Research shows…adult voice is not all that matters• A more student-centered approach would be to ascertain what motivates

individual students to achieve in a particular class and then enlist the students’ help in identifying other factors that might elevate their motivation, factors that may include changes to the context or changes to the individual’s beliefs and behaviors.

• Motivation, engagement, and voice are the trifecta of student-centered learning. Without motivation, there is no push to learn; without engagement there is no way to learn; and without voice, there is no authenticity in the learning.

• MOTIVATION, ENGAGEMENT, AND VOICE - APRIL 2012

• Authors - Eric Toshalis, Ed.D and Michael J. Nakkula, Ed.D

• http://www.studentsatthecenter.org/sites/scl.dl-dev.com/files/Motivation%20Engagement%20Student%20Voice_0.pdf

http://www.studentsatthecenter.org/sites/scl.dl-dev.com/files/Motivation Engagement Student Voice_0.pdf

Catalyst Project Presentation

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