Professional Learning Communities
A two-day “Professional Learning Communities” training event held in August 2007 enabled approximately 300 teachers and administrators from Corpus Christi’s six public school districts to investigate proven strategies of successful schools and discover how to align school practices to promote higher levels of learning. The training, requested by school principals and superintendents, featured keynote presenter Charlie Coleman of Solution Tree and luncheon speaker Al Silva, chief operating officer for Labatt Food Service headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.
Results: Campus leaders discovered creative ways to develop timely, directive, and systematic interventions that give all students the time and support needed to be successful. Anticipated outcomes included development of a coordinated plan to create a collaborative culture within the school and district and improvement of academic achievement aligned with federal mandates of No Child Left Behind. CEE continues to receive updates from the school districts on implementation at the school campus level.
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“Even One Dropout Is Too Many” Community ForumsThe impetus for
the creation of Citizens for Educational Excellence in 2003 was
community discussion on conflicting information about school dropout
rates. From November 2003 through February 2004, three community forums
brought together more than 250 business and community leaders,
teachers, students, and parents to discuss three questions:
1) Why do students drop out of school?
2) What are some “best practices” to pursue to address the causes of why students drop out?
3) What do we as a community need to do to implement the best practices we have identified?
A comprehensive document was produced by CEE in September 2004 entitled
“Community Strategies To Help More Students Graduate from High School
Ready to Continue Their Education and Enter the World of Work.” The
document detailed 15 high-leverage communitywide strategies to begin
solving Corpus Christi’s student dropout problem.
Results:
Heightened awareness of issues related to school dropouts and the
establishment of CEE as an organization committed to educational issues
impacting the Corpus Christi community. Three specific activities,
coordinated by CEE, supported one or more of the strategies highlighted
in the document and provided increased public awareness: High School
Reform, Small Learning Communities, and Recruitment, Retention, and
Development of Quality Teachers. The activities are described below.
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High School Reform
Transforming high schools to increase relevancy and rigor continues to be a priority throughout the United States to prepare students for post-secondary education and workplace opportunities. CEE organized a full-day High School Transformation Forum on September 13, 2006, with nationally known speaker Dr. Willard Daggett. Teams of administrators, teachers, students, and parents from 11 high school campuses to participate. Financial and/or in-kind assistance was received from the National League of Cities, City of Corpus Christi, Prichard Family Foundation, United Ways of Texas, and local business and community supporters.
Results: Dialogue has continued between CEE and superintendents and high school principals through scheduled breakfast meetings. Calallen High School received a grant for high school reform and added new curriculum, including Process Technology and Building Trades, to prepare students to enter the local workforce.
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“High Schools That Work: “Small Learning Communities”On
January 28, 2005, representatives of the National League of Cities and
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation participated in a High School
Small Learning Communities Initiative Site Visit and Leadership
Luncheon event in Corpus Christi. The event was part of the continuing
focus on the city's dropout problem.
The Leadership Luncheon
drew approximately 225 community and business leaders, educators and
leaders. Keynote speakers at the luncheon were Conrado Garcia,
principal, Foy H. Moody High School; Kyle Miller, Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation; Audrey Hutchinson, National League of Cities; and
John Fitzpatrick, Texas High School Project.
Corpus Christi was
one of five cities chosen by the National League of Cities as part of a
two-year program focused on creating small learning communities in high
schools. Moody High School implemented the small learning community
concept by creating five academies:
- Industrial Trades and Technology Management
- Arts and Humanities
- Business and Professional Management
- Pre-Engineering, Mathematics, and Science
- Health Sciences
Results: Through dialogue between CEE, Corpus Christi
Independent School District, and Del Mar College, a $400,000 grant was
received from the Gates Foundation, through the Texas High School
Project, to initiate planning and implementation of a high school
program for at-risk students that would be housed on the Del Mar
College campus. Collegiate High School opened in August 2006 with 100
ninth graders. A new freshman class was added in 2007-2008 and again in
2008-2009. By Fall 2009, the school will serve students in Grades 9-12.
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Recruitment, Retention and Development of Quality Teachers
On January 13, 2005, more than 100 community leaders and educators took part in a forum at Richard King High School to discuss what the community believes a quality teacher is. The meeting was one in a series of forums to address the dropout rate. After much discussion about what a quality teacher is, participants were invited to participate in one of three study teams to research challenges that districts face in recruiting teachers, retaining qualified educators and the need for training and professional development. The study teams met in February and March 2005. CEE convened a meeting at West Oso Elementary School on March 30, 2005, to review the three study teams' findings.
Teacher Recruitment Recommendations
- Provide adequate resources for quality recruitment efforts to be competitive with other districts.
- Consider partnerships with Region 2 Education Service Center for recruitment support such as coordinated job fairs, distance interviewing capabilities.
- Enhance online job application capabilities.
- Ensure local teacher salaries are competitive with the statewide market that constitutes the pool of potential teachers.
- Increase efforts to recruit military spouses.
- Enhance linkages with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M-Kingsville, and Del Mar College to ensure quality applicant pool.
- Consider linkages with business community to provide incentives for new teachers in the area.
Teacher Retention Recommendations
- Research local, state and national models that have been proven effective in retaining teachers. Provide the data to local school districts.
- Encourage districts to replicate existing "best practices" that work (e.g., CCISD Content Coach Program, West Oso New Teacher Initiative, CCISD New Teacher Study Group, TxBESS and other proven models).
- Create support groups for new teachers.
- Encourage districts to create one-on-one assistance for new teachers.
- Encourage districts to use screening tools (i.e. teacher and principal perceivers) with new employees.
- Encourage districts to provide new teachers with assignments/workloads that are realistic.
- Encourage colleges and universities to complete student teaching earlier.
- Create partnerships with local businesses in order to provide summer jobs/learning opportunities for teachers.
- Models that tie into local universities for college credit should be developed.
- Encourage districts to keep employees informed through a variety of communication tools.
- Explore opportunities for community groups to provide incentives for teachers new to the city to find housing.
- Encourage business partnerships with districts to provide funds for start-up supplies for new teachers.
Teacher Professional Development Recommendations
- Provide opportunities to interact informally with other teachers.
- Demonstrate effective teaching strategies.
- Provide experiences that are directly applicable to the teacher's classroom situation, preferably selected by the teacher and principal, i.e. practical, "hands-on" experiences.
- Encourage National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification.
- Develop online, web-based professional development for changes in laws or regulations that affect teachers.
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Small Learning Communities
On January 28, 2005, representatives of the National League of Cities and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation participated in a High School Small Learning Communities Initiative Site Visit and Leadership Luncheon event in Corpus Christi. The event was part of the continuing focus on the city's dropout problem.
The Leadership Luncheon drew approximately 225 community and business leaders, educators and leaders. Keynote speakers at the luncheon were Conrado Garcia, principal, Foy H. Moody High School; Kyle Miller, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Audrey Hutchinson, National League of Cities; and John Fitzpatrick, Texas High School Project.
Corpus Christi is one of five cities chosen by the National League of Cities as part of a two-year program focused on creating small learning communities in high schools. Moody High School has implemented the small learning community concept by creating five academies:
- Industrial Trades and Technology Management
- Arts and Humanities
- Business and Professional Management
- Pre-Engineering, Mathematics, and Science
- Health Sciences
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40 Developmental Assets
Search Institute, based in Minneapolis, MN, is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization whose mission is to advance the well-being of adolescents and children by generating knowledge and promoting its application. To accomplish this mission, the institute generates, synthesizes and communicates new knowledge, convenes organizational and community leaders and works with state and national organizations to support the healthy development of children and adolescents. At the hear of the institutes work is the framework of 40 developmental assets, which are positive experiences, relationships, opportunities and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. Created in 1990, the frame work is grounded in research on child and adolescent development, risk prevention and resiliency.
A copy of the 40 Developmental Assets is available here.
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Full-Service Community School ModelThe "Full-Service Community School Model" is one which provides coordinated, comprehensive services to students and their families in school buildings during non-instructional hours. These services can include, but are not limited to, tutoring, workforce assistance, family literacy instruction, health and nutrition education and family medical-care services.
The aims of such "full-service community schools" are to:
- Improve educational outcomes for students by using the immediate school neighborhood as an instructional resource.
- Decrease the likelihood of school dropout due to "life issues," such as illiteracy, poverty, inadequate health care, and drug and alcohol use, by co-locating preventive and intervention services for students and their families.
- Increase the likelihood that students and their families will make healthy choices that lead to improved quality of life.
- Build the capacity of young people and adults to be responsible for improving the livelihood of their immediate communities.
In August 2005, CEE received a $38,500 grant for Phase I of the project (August 2005-July 2006) that will enable CEE to establish a steering committee, conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, and initiate the strategic planning process. If additional funding is received, CEE would identify one or more pilot sites; hire a program coordinator to engage collaborative partners; and begin implementation of the strategic plan (Phase II); and continue implementation of the pilot site, expand to second site, and conduct evaluations of the pilot program outcomes (Phase III).
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