Effective Schools

Being able to develop a culture of collaboration and high student achievement requires rigorous curriculum development at the school and district levels. Curriculum and instruction work together to enhance student learning. Curriculum revolves around what is taught in school and instruction centers around how something is taught. (Sorenson, 2011, p. 32-35) To be more specific instruction can be defined as, “the strategies, techniques, materials, media, and place where the curriculum is implemented in schools.” If instruction, or the how, of a teacher does not match up to the curriculum, or the what, then student achievement will suffer. Vertically and horizontally aligning curriculum with the instruction that is happening within the classroom and school will in the end lead to greater student achievement which will be reflected on student assessments. (Sorenson, 2011, p.

Mark Biller describes the educational system like a delicate ecosystem, all parts of it need to work together if things are going to last. If the community does not support a school, odds are the school will have to close-down. If the teachers don’t work with parents, then kids will not get the support they need. If parents do not support teachers, students loose an

There are many approaches that can be taken in order to develop a school’s curriculum, or the material that the students will learn. If there were no federal regulation of curriculum, then it would not be possible to compare student achievement across districts or even states. The federal program, Common Core State Standards, assists in equaling education across the nation. The Common Core has reinvented the perception of student learning which, in turn, has caused American education to become a corporate institution. As a result, there has been a threat to states’ rights for education as more rigorous content has been implemented into classrooms by the government, which ultimately changes the role of the teacher.

Wiggins & McTighe (2005) said it best “teachers are designers” and we need the right to craft our curriculum and learning experiences to meet specified purposes (Pg. 13. Ch. 1). We are all teaching different students, in different cities, in different states; all of whom that have individual strengths and weaknesses, come from various homes, a multitude of diversified backgrounds, who speak different languages and all of whom who have experienced their lives in different manners. I have been teaching for well over 11 years, and I have never once modified my teaching to meet the needs of a curriculum, I always have and will continue to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of my students.

I am propose a model for the low-performing schools in the Southern Area. To design and develop a new strategy to improve the failing schools in the four areas of concern noted above. The attached proposal includes my research for solutions in the following areas: retention, professional development, and parental involvement.

In today’s economic environment even the wealthiest states and districts are having to cut funding for education, while districts which were already teetering on the edge are now in an even worse position. In some schools children have to face not having enough books, paper for copies, severe overcrowding,

School improvement is transformation. It is one of the most important actions of a school. It is a process that schools must use with fidelity to ensure that at all students are given the opportunity to perform and achieve at exemplary levels. School improvement is vital to schools and it is a process that cannot be done in isolation. It requires team work, collaboration, and constant analysis of data and setting of goals. School improvement goals focus on how to meet the needs of students. Addressing the educational needs, funding, and achievement gaps between subgroups is collaborative effort involves everyone that has a vested interest in the schools. These basic measures set the foundation for improvement. And so, if it is the

A high-performing school demands time, dedication, and collaboration. A strong leader is a catalyst to ensuring students are put in a position to learn and grow. To foster successful students, a good school must have goals that they work hard to accomplish. The establishment of collaboration and community support are critical attributes that make a difference.

Every year, starting at the age of five, billions of students enroll into school to acquire the foundation and building blocks of learning to succeed in the future. Although school is an important factor in determining a child’s position in society, there are different schooling types such as public and private schools that each have their own strengths in providing different types of students with different benefits. The clashing traits of public and private schools such as tuition, curriculum, scheduling, and school life satiate the undying needs of the differing population and interests in society.

There are many variables that determine a school's effectiveness level. A few examples include: leadership, high expectations for success, opportunities to learn, monitoring the progress of students, and a clear and focused mission statement. The Lyndon Town School in Lyndonville, Vermont has a strong effectiveness level. Their mission statement is “At Lyndon Town School our mission is to be caring, capable, and committed to lifelong learning. We will make today a learning success for all” (LTS, n.d.).

In order to teach successfully teachers must learn about first learn about their students. Teachers must assess the student’s capabilities and interests. Some students are visual learners, while others learn from hands on activities, or verbal communication. Not all students can learn through memorization, rather they learn through interest and relation to the topic. “To realize what an experience, or empirical situation, means, we have to call to mind the sort of situation that presents itself outside of school" (Democracy and Education). The curriculum should encompass material that is most useful for a student to learn. It seems that in the majority of schools, students are not given the flexibility to guide their own learning, but rather follow rigid instructions that destroy the student’s imagination.

I am completely confused by your statement of generalizing. I just assumed we were all talking about ineffective schools and teachers who are struggling to make progress. The one thing I have experienced working with schools for the past 25 years is tremendous progress in a variety of schools. If we break it down to its core, students need and desire a teacher who is encouraging, supportive, non-bias, promotes safety, positive, funny, relatable, respectful and can connect to the student’s experiences with a passion for the subject. I have seen teachers use simplistic reading strategies for students at risk, but see big academic gains simply because the students were more motivated by the environment and not the strategy. According to Zehm and Kottler (1993), students will never trust us or open themselves up to hear what we have to say unless they sense we value and respect them. Students who are considered at high risk for dropping out of high school, math achievement is significantly impacted by the perception of having a caring teacher (Midgley et al., 1989). Furthermore, students who perceive their relationship with their teacher as positive, warm and close are motivated to be more engaged in school and to improve their academic achievement (Hughes, Cavell, & Jackson, 1999).

Class size is one of the many factors that parents consider when selecting a school for their son or daughter. They believe that class size is relative to how much attention their child receives from his or her teacher in the classroom, and will directly effect how successful the child will be in their education. But how important is class size, exactly? This paper will examine various perspectives on the importance of class size in student education, including political and economical views, teacher outlooks, and the effect of class size on student achievement.

Been a principal who can communicate well with others is very vital to the success of a school. Some principals struggle with running a successful school because they fail to establish a positive communication system. Sometimes they do not necessarily know how to best communicate. At the same time, if a principal is great communicator and they have established a positive communication system in the school, they can focus on improving other needs of the school. For this week, we focused on principal’s first out of ten traits. First trait is The Communicator. According to 10 Highly Effective Principals by Elaine K. McEwan,

schools within a single school district in a mid-sized southern metropolitan city. The authors used the School Community Survey (SCS) to ask demographic questions and 65-questions in the “teacher section” to gather information that describes the school community from the viewpoints of parents, students, teachers, principals. The findings suggested that SCS measures consistently measured teachers’ perceptions and that those measures can be joined to develop summary measures of overall perceptions. The study further states that linear regression analyses using robust clustered standard errors recommends there are significant differences in both the individual, institutional, teacher perceptions. This study serves as a good source to study teachers and parents ' perceptions as it relates to parental involvement.