National Middle School Association37th Annual Conference
Baltimore November 5, 2010
Janet AngelisKristen Wilcox
Know Your Schools~for NY Kids
Collaborative ConversationEssential for Middle-Level Success
Trust = 1 key to collaboration
The single most important thing I would say is to build trust with your faculty. . . .
You have to do a lot of listening. How many conversations do you have to listen to?
… A lot. You have to make the person you are listening to more
important than yourself. That’s huge.- Holland principal
• Share evidence of collaboration in middle schools with consistently higher-performing students
• Structural and cultural support• Highlights from case study schools• Introduction to online resources • Opportunities to reflect on these practices in participants’ own
settings.
Collaborative ConversationEssential for Middle-Level Success
For each pair of statements (1-11), circle the one that better describes
your own situation.
We can do this together.- JFK Middle School
Fire up the collaboration. Get department people to work across the curriculum. Pull out the data and use it as a magnifying glass to clarify what we are doing in the classroom. . . . Be
reflective.- A.L. Leonard principal
What we do well is the relationship between teachers and students and from teacher to teacher. . . . The whole school is one big family team. Kids see the
team spirit and know that we have that kind of relationship with them also.
- West educators
Findings Consistent with Other Research, Recommendations• Anfara• Bryk and Schneider• Fullan• Hargreaves• Lieberman • Dufours • This We Believe
Background
2nd and 4th in a series of 5 studies • Elementary schools (2005)• Middle schools (2007)• High schools (2008)• Middle school science (2009)• Critical Needs (2011)
Sample selection relies on achievement data (state assessments) over time
Study Samples• 10 consistently higher-performing (HP) schools
with 6 similar but consistently average-performing (AP) schools, based on state assessment data (Grade 8 Math & ELA). (MS Sci: 7 HP, 3 AP)
• Favor poverty (F/RL)• Urban, rural, suburban• Open admissions• State average per pupil expenditures
Sample HP Middle Schools
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
urban rural surburban
high needs
average needs
n = 17
• 2-day site visits• Semi-structured interview protocols with
teachers and administrators• For science study, classroom observations• Documentary evidence collection• Analyzed and wrote case studies for each site• Cross-case analysis to develop best practice
frameworks and reports
The data
Methodology
Collaboration: 3 Essential Components
• A climate of respect and trust• Structures to support it • An expectation of collaboration
Everyone is responsible for teaching all children. - Jefferson principal
• Trust and
Respect
• Structures
• Expect
ations
A self-reinforcing, positive cycle = getting to the sweet spotCollaboration, Trust, and Respect
trust
collaboration
more trust
morecollaboration
formal/informal
Collaboration, Trust, and RespectIt was a struggle. . . .
At that point, I just asked myself, “Am I on an island here, or do I have somebody to help me that I believe in?” So that’s how we develop most everything. . . .
We didn’t just change [things] for certain kids; we changed them across the board. Because if I was
too wordy for her kids, guess what? I was too wordy for a third of my kids, too.
- Oliver Winch science and special ed co-teaching team
I can work with any faculty member in this school, which is a credit to the administration for picking the
right people.- J.T. Finley teacher
It’s hard to work in our structure if you want to work independently; you have to be collaborative.
- Geneseo principal
Trusting and Sharing: A Way to Work
The collegiality amongst the five of us [subject area team], you can’t ask for much more. You really
can’t. “I need this.” Cut, paste, bang, take. Take. Take. You change what you need to change. “Mr. X, I’m taking your name off this.” “I don’t really care.” Seriously: take, use, help, ask questions, come in,
clarify.- Oliver Winch science teacher
Collaboration and Respect: Looking for and Building on Strengths
• Acknowledge what teachers and students do well• Look for strengths and build on them to fill gaps –
including in state assessments• State assessments measure program > students• (Contrast deficit models)
We communicate from one grade to the next. We respect teachers in the grades below.
V-V-S teacher
We believe that every child has a special gift. Our vision is to get that gift to come out.
- Port Chester teacher
Showing them they can do it no matter what. Don’t stress the disability.
- West teacher
• Trust and
Respect
• Structures
• Expect
ations
Collaborative Structures: Who Meets?• Teams, Departments, Grades• Specialists – teachers (coteaching consulting)• SBDM/SDM, other school-community bodies• SSGs, SSSTs (teachers, specialists, families)• Committees: strategic planning, hiring, text
selection, professional development• Leadership Teams
Now we meet every other day for 42 minutes. . . . Before that we didn’t notice the kids as much – didn’t focus on them. The team time has
allowed the school to focus on students.- Holland teacher
Collaborative Structures: SchedulesTypical meetings and schedules:
• Teams/Clusters: several times/week; daily or more• Grade-level: several times/month (student focus)• Department: twice/month (curriculum focus)• Special ed – regular ed: daily• Daily opportunities for students to get help (AIS,
tutorials, labs, etc.)
Collaborative Structures: Teams
• Responsible for instruction• First line of intervention• Bring in social services, parents, et al. as needed• Usually include special educators
• More than core subject teams: PD, special projects, etc.
Sharing information about a shared group of 120 students, we
are never alone.- West teacher
Blue 7 H 1 2 3 L 5 6 7Math TP 7 7+ 7
High7 AIS 7
blSS TP 7+ 7+ 7 7 PrepELA TP 7+ 7 7 7 PrepScience TP 7 7 7+ 7+ PrepPlus TP RR7
redMath 7+
Prep MSS Rdg 7
Plus TP 7+ Prep MSS RR6 or
AIS Rdg
Plus TP 7+ SS 7+ Sci 7+
Sci 7+
Duty
SC Prep Rdg 6-8
ELA 6-8
SS 6-8
Sci SSR 7 blue
Sample Team Schedule, Port Chester MS
http://www.albany.edu/aire/pdf/Staff-C-NY-PortChesterMS.pdf
Collaborative Structures, Schedules
I meet once a week with my department, every day with the teams; we’re scheduled for it. The team meets daily.
- Finley special educator
Three out of five days, we have a scheduled period where the whole grade team meets. Special ed is included in that.
We talk about all the kids who need help, across the curriculum, about the curriculum. . . . We can meet all five
days if we want to.- Greene science teacher
Each team has a team leader. Each department has a department head. . . . They teach. They have
one less duty a day so they can . . . collaborate with teams and departments. Teachers meet informally at many times during the day, and
many departments meet daily first thing in the morning. Departments meet at least once a
month formally and teachers also meet on half days.
- J.F. Kennedy principal
Committees (school, community members)
e.g., Hiring, Text Selection, Professional Development
Team Members, Prof. Development Plan, Utica
Teachers – 5 Parent - 1 Higher Ed – 1 UTA Pres – 1 TC Director – 1 Administrators – 5 Teaching Assist. – 1
http://www.albany.edu/aire/pdf/Staff-D-NY-Utica1.pdf
Collaborating with the Community
• SDM not “Some Day Maybe”• Curriculum Councils • Strategic planning teams• Hiring committees
The schools don’t stand separate and apart from the community.
- Huntington administrator
Community
We can’t do it alone. . . . Parents are involved here. The faculty makes decisions collectively and the PTA is
very involved. They want what is best for all the students, not just theirs.
- Westbury principal
Collaborative Opportunities for Students
• Collaborative classrooms• Multiple opportunities to connect• Multiple opportunities for special attention – lunch, after
school, tutorials• Opportunities to affect school policy• Recognition for more than academics and athletics
I love to learn new things with students!- Port Chester teacher
Students – Structures to Help Them Connect
• Clubs and sports• Dedicated activity period• Identify the interest(s) of those most at risk• Recess for all• Keep up with changing demographic• Guide rooms
We want to create enough niches to connect with students and parents in many difference ways.
- V-V-S administrator
Students -- Recognition
• Lunch with the principal• Awards
Focus on the high-achieving students. Call their names [on the PA], not the detention
students.- Westbury teacher
Collaborative Structures: Other Examples
• Room assignments• Looping (“vertical teams”)• Instructional leaders
We put classrooms and department offices in the same wings to increase communication.
- J.F. Kennedy principal
Our faculty meetings have turned into professional development; it’s very interesting.
- Oliver Winch science teacher
Collaboration Expectations:What Do They Talk About?
• Student performance/needs – individually and collectively
• Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction• School policy• Professional learning
The center of the conversation is always how can we help kids do better. . . . Keep that focus all the
time and it really helps direct where we need to go. - Johnson City principal
• Trust and
Respect
• Structures
• Expect
ations
Collaboration about Curriculum
• Departments do own mapping – not handed down – and revisit it continually
• Teams plan and do interdisciplinary units – all core subjects, some, with “encore,” etc.
• Include special educators• May cross school levels – V-V-S Congruency meetings
We’re always tweaking things [re the science curriculum].
- Armstrong (Wayne) science teacher
Collaboration about Assessment
• Daily, formative assessment by teachers• Some departmental assessments by district• Analyze state data; address program needs
I’m constantly refining the unit as student needs appear; I do a lot of monitoring as students are
working. Then I’ll meet with the group to talk about what I saw.
- Niagara teacher
When I think of our science program and how well they do, I do believe it’s because we have Core Groups. . . .
We’re always looking at what each other is doing so that we make sure we’re covering the curriculum,
we’re covering it in the right places, people are revisiting it, and the kids are getting everything
they need so that they can be successful on those assessments.
- Johnson City administrator
Collaboration about Instruction
• Literacy across the curriculum – with support• “Procedure/operations” terms• Know others’ standards but responsible for own
We are all teachers of reading, so we always embed reading instruction in our
science instruction.- Winch science teacher
Collaboration about School Policy• Homework • Discipline• Hiring• Programs and texts
We have a shared discipline philosophy. We share the way we do everything. Every
one of my colleagues helps. Everyone knows the expectations for behavior [as
well as] academics.- West teacher
Collaboration = Professional Learning
• Team time• Teacher Study Groups • Teachers Sharing New Skills - workshops
Our teams are so small that they are always together and always talking. A big part of professional development comes from common
planning time and common team time.- Holland teacher
Collaboration: Expectations of Leaders
From the Queensbury Administrator Interview Questionnaire:
• Describe a time when you had strong convictions about a course of action but were then convinced to try another approach. How did it work out?
• Describe your experience working as a team member – what makes you an effective team player?
• How do you collaborate with colleagues? Please give examples.
Even if we don’t all agree, what we are arguing over is what the best thing for kids is.
- West teacher
I have to say that the reason for those high scores is because we work collaboratively, professionally
from 6th to 8th grade.- Oliver Winch science teacher
Collaboration: A Case in Point
Port Chester Middle School Classroom
We are superstars at collaboration.
Teacher
Every teacher is a teacher of literacy.
Principal
Port Chester Middle School
Eligible for Free Lunch 43% 37%Eligible for Reduced Lunch 9% 8%Limited English Proficient 14% NAStudent Ethnic/Racial Distribution African-American 11% 20% Hispanic/Latino 68% 20% White 21% 53% Other 1% 7%Meeting/Exceeding Standards, Gr. 8 ELA
66% 49%
Meeting/Exceeding Standards, Gr. 8 Math
73% 54%
Total Enrollment: 790, gr. 6-8 2005-6 PC MS state cf. 2009 6%
2%4%
1%12%78%8%75%79%
45%15%11%
8%73%17%1%75%89%
Grade 8 ELA results, 2006
You need to work as a
team; there’s
nothing a teacher can accomplish
alone. Teacher
We are all ELA
teachers. TeachersJ. Marino, 2007, Port Chester MS: Best Practices Case Study
Rebuilding the WheelYou have to have staff involved in decision making. We have 8 or 9 new teachers coming in next year. We need to go back and rebuild the wheel to keep the wave going. . . . We need to constantly overhaul and do tune-ups.
- Port Chester MS Assistant Principal
Continuous Improvement
Once you’re successful, getting that extra 5 or 10% is very, very difficult. But we’re not happy at 90%;
we’re not happy at 95%. We’re not even going to be happy if we reach 100%. We’re always seeing ways
that we can . . . improve.- Armstrong (Wayne) teacher
Collaboration
• Catch as catch can• Expectation not articulated
or clear• Intermittent discussions• Less decision making• Each teacher responsible
for own subject area• Teachers left to own
devices• Teachers handed a
curriculum• New teachers “wait their
turn”
• Scheduled time• Expected• Ongoing discussion of C,I, A,
and student performance• Decision-making ability• Teachers reinforce skills
across subjects• Coaching, PD, support
provided• Teachers build living
curriculum• New teachers expected to
play active role
AP HP
So how many conversations do you have to listen to?
• Trust and Respect
• Structures
• Expectat
ions
http://www.albany.edu/aire/kids/http://knowyourschoolsny.org
• Case studies of the HP middle, MS Science, high, elementary schools
• Cross-site reports for all• Best Practice Frameworks, with details and
samples of evidence• On-line surveys• Key word collections• Presentations• School Improvement Tools and Services• Find Your School (NY, NJ, MA)
[email protected]@uamail.albany.edu
CEU Code: XU7
• Book from TC Press. Wilcox and Angelis, Best Practices from High-Performing Middle Schools. In NMSA bookstore here.
• Journal articles, e.g., Wilcox, K. C. “The Importance of Civic Responsibility in Higher Performing
Middle Schools: An Empirical Study,” Education and Urban Society 20(10), pp. 1-16, 2010.
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