Tyee HS: Small Schools Transformation

Small Schools MYTHS & FACTS/FAQs - January 2005

2005-01-27T19:42:00.000-08:00

The Research and Design (RAD) team is now in its 4th year of existence as a reform group on Tyee’s campus. Over the past few years, we have been looking at and evaluating the systemic problems on campus and exploring a variety of possible solutions to these issues. We saw possibility of real change with the national educational reform organization, the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) which asserts that there are 10 common principles of successful schools.
As we attended CES workshops, visited a number of their small schools, studied their publications, and met with CES personnel, we began to see how their principles could offer hope to Tyee. After applying for and receiving a substantial grant from CES, Tyee is rapidly heading in the direction of converting our large, comprehensive high school into (at least 3) smaller, autonomous schools. All schools MUST HAVE 4 components reflected in the systems, structures, and philosophies of their school.

Each small school MUST:
• have fewer than 400 students,
• ensure that All students will graduate college ready,
• attract full range of ability and diversity,
• and address all 10 CES Common Principles (see attached).

Because of our dedication to these “must haves,” we know that any and all of the schools we create will serve each of its students well. We are currently in the design phase and have many questions that do not have clear cut answers, but we are aggressively pursuing these. In order to maintain “transparency,” we wanted to let you know what we are certain of and what we still hope to know. This document should clear up some of your confusion and assuage some of your concern.

Below you will find a list of misconceptions and frequently asked questions regarding small schools. Should you need more clarity around these issues, we invite you to contact the RAD Team or the administration at Tyee. We would also like to invite any and all students, family, and community members to get involvedwith this process and sign up to be on a design team.

MYTH: Small schools won’t have sports.

n groups offer our students a small, purposeful community and foster work ethics that are beneficial to their development. We have no plans to do away with sports at Tyee, especially since so many of our programs successfully offer students an opportunity for an extra curricular experience. In the future, small schools may to play sports as independent small schools, but the moreimmediate plan is to retain the sports program at Tyee as it currently operates.

MYTH: Small schools won’t have band, world languages, DECA, AOTT, etc. (“elective courses”)

FACT: For those students who will be next year’s 11th and 12th graders, we are committed to helping these students complete their programs. They will be “grandfathered” in and will be allowed to complete these programs (like AOTT or Spanish), even if the program isn’t offered in their small school. For the next few years, we will utilize regular school hours, before/after
school time, and Running Start to help our students complete these programs. Ultimately, three years out, we see our autonomous schools offering much course variety, but this variety might not show up on a transcript (it may be offered through internships, independent projects, community connections, etc.). In regards to each of our current specialized programs, we don’t know whether or not our small schools will have these, but we do know that the qualities
of said programs that appeal to students and parents (a cohesive community with clear and high expectations and connections to the “real world”) will be part of each student’s daily experience at his/her small school.

MYTH: Small schools won’t really change school culture. You have the same kids, so you will end up having the same problems.

FACT: All of our experience around small schools tells us that they dramatically improve school culture. School “discipline,” violence, and absenteeism are reduced while student engagement and a sense of belonging increases. Within his/her small school, each student will belong to a cohesive, purposeful community focused on learning to use their minds well. Through school visits and extensive analysis of small school reports, we know that small schools offer a sense of
belonging and connection to school that is substantially greater than it is at a large, comprehensive high school where students often feel “lost in the crowd” or unknown. Unity within small schools will replace the antagonism between students that currently exists at Tyee.

MYTH: Small schools will force students into particular career pathways.

FACT: While we have yet to narrow down our ideas about school focuses or “themes,” we do know that many of the themes that are being seriously pursued are open enough to attract a diverse population of students (This means that a school must attract not just “scientists” or “artists” per se). All schools must be able to graduate all students (complying with state
and district standards), so students will be required to study a variety of subjects (science, math, language arts, social studies, health, PE, vocational education, and the arts) in any of the small schools we create. Schools will focus on creating students who are active learners and participants in their community, encouraging them in a variety of potential post-secondary plans.

Small Schools Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How will small schools help my honors student?
or
Q: How will small schools help my EEL/Special Education student?

A: Because one of the foundations of each small school is a dedication to personalizing learning, each student will be challenged to learn/achieve at the level thatis best for him/her. Teachers will know students well—their learning styles, their current skill levels, their interests, and their goals. These elements will help teachers to create more hands-on, experiential, project-based learning that not only reflects an understanding of essential skills and content, but also allows students to insert some of their personality. This means all students(honors students, ELL students, Special Education Students, artistic students, kinesthetic learners) will have their needs served in a way that hasn’t been possible at a large comprehensive high school. Our small schools will be committed to the philosophy of teaching all students to use their minds well,but to create different means to achieve this end.

Q: How will small schools improve school to community/parent connections?

A: One of the current (unfortunate) realities of comprehensive high schools like Tyee is that there is little connection between the school and the community in which they reside. Parents don’t feel connected to their students’ teachers and have little to no say about what goes on in the classrooms. Likewise, students’ idea of “school” is limited to the campus grounds; they think that learning must happen within the walls of a traditional classroom. Small schools will eradicate these false traditions that separate a school from its community. Community members and families will be partnered with the school and students will be out in the community, performing internships, service learning, and experiencing the “real world.” The dedication our small schools will have to the community and our families will not only improve the area,but help our students to achieve more.

CES 10 Common Principles

1. Learning to use one's mind well: The school should focus on helping young people develop the habit of using their minds well. Schools should not attempt to be comprehensive if such a claim is made at the expense of the school's central intellectual purpose. Schools should be learner centered, addressing students' social and emotional development, as well as their academicprogress.

2. Less is more, depth over coverage: The school's academic goal should be simple: that each student master a limited number of essential skills and areas of knowledge. The aphorism "Less Is More" should dominate. Curricular decisions should be guided by student interest, developmentally appropriate practice, and the aim of thorough student mastery and achievement. Students of all ages should have many opportunities to discover and construct
meaning from their own experiences.

3. Goals apply to all students: The school's goals should apply to all students, while the means to these goals will vary as those students themselves vary. Teachers who know their students well can individualize instruction, without limiting their expectations of any students. Strong habits of mind arenecessary for all.

4. Personalization: Teaching and learning should be personalized to the maximum feasible extent. To capitalize on this personalization, decisionsabout the details of the course of study, the use of students' and teachers'time and the choice of teaching materials and specific pedagogies must be unreservedly placed in the hands of the principal and staff.

5. Student-as-worker, teacher-as-coach: The governing practical metaphor of the school should be student-as-worker, rather than the more familiar metaphor of teacher-as-deliverer-of-instructional-services. Accordingly, a prominent pedagogy will be coaching and guiding, to enable students to understand how they learn and thus to teach themselves and each other as members of a communityof learners.

6. Demonstration of mastery: Teaching and learning should be documented and assessed with tools based on student performance of real tasks. Multiple forms of evidence, ranging from ongoing observation of the learner to completion of specific projects, should be used to better understand the learner's strengths and needs, and to plan for further assistance. Students should have opportunities to exhibit their expertise before family and community. The final diploma should be awarded upon a successful final demonstration of mastery for graduation-an "Exhibition." As the diploma is awardedwhen earned, the school's program proceeds with no strict age grading and with no system of credits earned" by "time spent" in class. The emphasis is on the students' demonstration that they can do important things.

7. A tone of decency and trust: Families should be vital members of the school community. Close collaboration between home and school yields respect and understanding. Correspondingly, the tone of the school should explicitly and self-consciously stress values of unanxious expectation ("I won't threaten you and I expect much of you") of trust (until abused) and of decency (thevalues of fairness, generosity and tolerance).

8. Commitment to the entire school: The principal and teachers should perceive themselves as generalists first (teachers and scholars in general education) and specialists second (experts in but one particular discipline). Staff should expect multiple obligations(teacher-counselor-manager) and a senseof commitment to the entire school.

9. Resources dedicated to teaching & learning: Ultimate administrative and budget targets should include substantial time for collective planning by teachers, competitive salariesfor staff and an ultimate per pupil cost not to exceed that at traditional schools by more than 10 percent. To accomplish this, administrative plans may have to show the phased reduction or eliminationof some services now provided students in many traditional schools.

10. Democracy and equity: The school should demonstrate non-discriminatory and inclusive policies, practices, and pedagogies. It should model democratic practices that involve all who are directly affected by the school. The school should honor diversity and build on the strengths of its communities, deliberatelyand explicitly challenging all forms of inequity.

Tyee’s Small Schools Transformation: Questions and Answers

2004-12-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

In June of 2004, Tyee was one of 2 comprehensive high schools nationally to receive a Coalition of Essential School (CES) small school’s grant worth approximately $600,000 given out over four years. Additionally, in August of 2004, each of the 4 Highline School District’s high schools received a Department Education Small Learning Community grant worth approximately $350,000 given out over four years. The purpose of these grants is to provide Tyee with the resources to plan small autonomous schools that are equitable--better suited to meet the needs of all Tyee students.

What is meant by small equitable autonomous high schools? Conditions of the CES grant state that each of the high schools located on Tyee’s campus will consist of no more than 400 student and will have separate principals, budgets, designated space, building decision making processes and staff that focus on providing high quality education for all students. Resources are also distributed based on the needs of students.

Why not just use the money to hire more teachers or make building improvements? The grant can only be used to provide support as Tyee transforms from one large high school to smaller ones of not more than 400 students.

What type of support? The grant funds allow Tyee to hire a ½ time small school’s grant coordinator, a full time community engagement coordinator, a small school’s coach and pay for such things as school visits, conferences, teacher professional development to improve teaching in the classroom, community and neighborhood meetings and the hiring of interpreters for such meetings.

Why does Tyee need to change? Currently, Tyee’s average graduation rate is approximately 52% across all ethnic groups and the percentage passing for last year’s 10^th grade for all ethnic groups. Tyee is also finding more and more students and parents feeling disconnected to high school. While Tyee has made some gains in raising those scores it is not enough. The large impersonal nature of the current high school makes it difficult for students, parents and staff to tackle the complex issues confronting our community.

Why small schools? A full time teacher currently teaches 5-52 minute classes and will see approximately 140 students each day. Those 140 students may have any combination of 5 teachers spread out all over campus. In that model it is difficult for teachers to really know their students, coordinate interventions with each, know their academic needs as well as have a relationship with the students’ guardians. The small school model focuses on providing a personalized learning environment where staff, students and parents can know each other well and where a student’s education is connected to college and the world of work.

What about extra-curricular events like sports? Decisions have not been made regarding extra-curricular activities. There are many options out there to consider that provide activities for students. Community, student and staff involvement are necessary as we move towards making a decision on extra-curricular activities.

What about electives like band and art? We are in the initial stages of the transformation and design process. Community, student and staff involvement are necessary when we begin those design discussions. We will always need to be focused on designing powerful small schools that will result in students with college ready skills.

When will this happen? We are working with the district to determine a timeline for this transformation.

How will we move from a large high school to small ones? There are different ways to move from one large high school to several smaller ones. Part of upcoming discussions with staff, students and community will cover possible transformation options.

What will the small schools look like? The designs of the small schools will be formed after January 2005. As we move toward making informed decisions about small schools we will be inviting staff, students, parents and community members to attend small school visits, conferences, participate in home and town hall meetings and fill out staff and student surveys.

How can I be involved? Call Colleen Brandt-Schluter at 988-7209 or Val Allan at Tyee, 433-2341 we can let you know what events are coming up.

How can I learn more about small schools? In addition to attending school visits, neighborhood and town hall meetings the following websites are very informational:

www.HSD401.org www.BAYCES.org www.essentialschools.org

Small Schools Community Forum: Oct 7, 2004

2004-12-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

Summary of Discussions
As we gathered as Tyee staff, parents, and community members on October 7th, we had in mind one common concern: the best interests of our children. In order to “kick off” our learning around small schools and academic reform, we focused our discussions this evening around our perceptions of Tyee’s current state and our hopes for what our school could become. Tables were arranged with small groups of parents and community members (5-7) and one Tyee staff facilitator at each. The groups were guided through a series of three questions, all moderated and recorded by the Tyee staff. Around 15 – 20 minutes were given for discussion around each question and, at the end of the evening, some groups were able to share out their most salient points with the larger group. The three questions, as they were posed to the groups were:
1. What do you want from Tyee for your children and your neighbors’ children?
2. What do you think is working well about Tyee?
3. As we design Tyee’s small schools, what are some aspects of Tyee that you would like to see kept and improved upon?
While a daunting comprehensive list was complied of all 18 tables’ responses to each of the questions, there were obvious patterns that emerged in the recording of these discussions. In order to make this valuable information more manageable, we have lumped together comments around eight major categories that surfaced during the discussions. They are:
· rigor (or adhering to high academic standards),
· facilities,
· curriculum,
· culture,
· community,
· assessments,
· teaching,
· and relationships.

I. Rigor
When discussing the current state of academic rigor at Tyee, it is clear that what we want for our children is consistent high expectations. While we want an improved graduation rate (up to 100%), we go beyond that into hoping for improved literacy skills, SAT support, college planning and tracking for all students, and for students to be “prepared and excited to go to college.” We want out students to be academically challenged and to be given “real world training and preparation.” We want our school to push students beyond our current expectations into success.
In regards to what Tyee is doing well now in term of rigor, we feel that honors and AP classes set high expectations for students. There are programs in place for those who want to be successful (band, AOHT, AOIT, DECA, Upward Bound). We appreciate the college information and planning done by our guidance counselors and we like the newfound emphasis on college preparation (college visits, SAT prep. courses, etc.).
We would like to see rigor improved so that the systems that provide high academic standards to some students bring these to all students. We would like more access to AP courses and programs, college preparation curriculum, and high expectations. This way, all of our students will be well prepared for college and post-graduate life.

II. Facilities
We want better quality facilities at Tyee. We feel that the facilities could be improved so that technology and resources are readily available to all students. We would like to see an improved communication system, new or improved buildings, and to remove all “roadblocks for transportation to community experiences.” It is believed that we should re-examine our food/beverage sponsorship agreements. We would also like to see the lunch facilities and our free/reduced lunch system modified.
What we currently appreciate about Tyee’s facilities is that we have adequate resources, consistent tardy sweeps, new paint on the buildings, and an “overall cleaner campus.”

III. Curriculum
We want for our students a curriculum that is both relevant to the “real world” and academically rigorous. Students should be able to explore a variety of interests and not feel “pigeon-holed into one theme.” The curriculum we present to our students should provide them with a 21st Century experience and should be integrated into the needs and strengths of our business community. Students should focus on the application of knowledge, not just theory. We want a multi-cultural curriculum that is relevant and reflective. We want our kids to retain positive programs like band, sports, academic choices, and extracurricular activities. Curriculum should also focus on teaching democratic principles and the application of life skills.
What we feel Tyee is doing well in regards to curriculum is that we have multiple opportunities for students to be challenged and excited about learning. Some of these places where curriculum is promising are: band, interactive projects (when they happen), internships, OSC, AOHT, DECA, AOIT, driver’s education, the 9th grade house, after school tutoring, T.R.I.B.E.S., AP courses, ASL, the Running Start option, and the increased college focus.
While we are having success with certain programs, there are areas of need in the category of curriculum as well. We would like to increase focus on ELL integration into the mainstream classes, improved/mandatory foreign language study, drama, more fine arts, sports/clubs, after school activities, career training, mentorships, choir, health awareness, and internships.

IV. Culture
We want a school that integrates our children’s culture with the school culture as a whole, where both not only live in harmony, but where students’ diverse experiences feed the school’s identity. We want a school where students are accepted for who they are, a safe and civil environment where there is accountability for all. We want all of our students held to consistent cultural expectations and to be given opportunities to be able to work with others from different backgrounds. We want to expose our students to the benefits of multiculturalism and for this to be a sense of pride, not anxiety, for them. All people and religions should be treated with respect and honor at our school.
What we see Tyee doing well now with their school culture is that they are encouraging small communities to form that support our students. We have developed a safe place for students to learn, where students feel a sense of ownership over their education. We enforce mutual respect for all and are working on developing health and wellness standards. Our teachers are excited to be here and we are feeling the benefits of bringing diversity into our classrooms. As a result, our school pride and image among the community is improving.
We hope for a school whereby students’ diversity and individual experiences are highlights in the classroom. An increased experience with multiple cultures and an awareness of current shortcomings regarding cultural problems (i.e. bullying) is desired. We want increased accountability for students’ actions and more frequent communication with parents. A stronger sense of community (through school-wide assemblies) and school pride would also be appreciated.

V. Community
We want a school that has made appropriate and well-matched connections with the community. We like the idea of a “community school” that would provide social services for the larger community. We would like to embrace outside agencies and to focus on the importance of service learning for our students.
Currently, we value how Tyee has reached out to its community and is serious about engaging the community on our school’s decisions. We like how Tyee has helped its community partners to feel involved and that their voices are heard. One great example of this connection between students and our community was the CATCH 21 program.
In the future, we hope to strengthen community partnerships and to keep the community engaged. We would like more social workers in the school to help with issues of mental health. We would like to expand the role of site council to include community members. Finally, we would like to continue to explore the idea of a community school.

VI. Assessment
In the category of assessment, or how students’ skills are evaluated, we want a system that will acknowledge students’ different learning styles as well as meet their various needs. We want for teachers to use assessment to adjust their curriculum to students’ needs. We want to see an improvement in test scores and thus, a lower dropout rate. We want to continue to constantly assess our teaching tools (texts, methods, teachers, etc.) to see if they are the most effective at educating our students. We want to continue with project-based learning that encompasses more than one learning style.

VII. Teaching
We want teacher who both challenge and motivate our students to higher levels of success. Instruction should prepare students for college level work. Teaching should be professional, should encourage students’ strengths, should be relevant to the community, and should provide support for those students who lack basic skills. Instructional time needs to be extended to address our students’ needs and goals. Classes should regularly employ critical, high level problem solving.
What we enjoy currently about Tyee is that teachers seem to be invested in our students’ needs and goals. We recognize that Tyee has hard-working, committed teachers, a progressive administration, and an open-mid about reform. We enjoy the personal attention our students get from teachers and we feel the energy of the new, younger staff.
While we do appreciate the good teaching that we see at Tyee, we hope for more for our students. We would like to see more analytic thinking instead of the traditional memorization in the classroom. We would like to see all students feel confident and comfortable in their skills and thus enable them to pass the WASL. We want to see a highly qualified staff passionate about their work. We would also like our teachers to convey a clear purpose for their curriculum and to raise expectations placed on student achievement.

VIII. Relationships
We want for our students to have close, meaningful relationships with adult on campus so they can better achieve academic success. We would like for more opportunities to foster healthy parent-teacher relationships; as it stands, it is difficult to create and maintain these.
What we currently value about the relationships formed at Tyee is that they have provided a sense of community among some students (especially those who have experienced a 9th grade house). Student-teacher relationships are valued and developed and students are counseled for how to build their future. Mentorship in the 9th grade house is very successful at developing relationships and building community. For a large school, Tyee’s teachers are able to get to a personal level with their students. We appreciate programs like Pacifika that allow for close relationships between students and their community. Co-constructed class charters help provide a sense of student voice in the classroom. Stronger relationships between teachers and students are leading to higher expectations and increased interest in school for many students.
We still have a ways to go in regards to relationships for our students at school. We would like to see increased parent involvement, 9th grade house-like structure for all students, increased personalized instruction, and frequent teacher-student mentoring. We would like to build on the elements of the programs that we have seen be successful with building relationships on campus.

Overall, we learned much about each other on this evening. It was so exciting to see so many people gathered together to talk about their dreams for their children! It’s also encouraging to see so many commonalities between each table. We all want what is best for our children and many of us have similar ideas as to how we can attain this. It is our hope that you feel your voice was heard and acknowledged on this evening. We hope for many more of these conversations in the future. Thanks you for caring about our children!

Tyee Wins CES Grant

2004-12-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

June 7, 2004

Dear Tyee Parents and Community:

I am excited to inform you of some significant changes that will be happening at Tyee over the next few years. Recently, Tyee High School was awarded a grant from the Coalition of Essential Schools (or CES), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping schools to educate all children. This grant is in the amount of $600,000 and is to be used solely by Tyee over the next four years. The money from this grant is specifically to be used to convert our large, comprehensive high school of 1200 students into small, autonomous schools of no more than 400 students each. Small schools, which differ in principles as well as size, allow for the personalization and rigor that our students need. In our current structure, teachers aren’t able to collaborate and students can get lost in the impersonal system. Small and different schools are springing up in diverse urban communities all over the nation and are proving to have success with all kids. We, along with the assistance of the Highline School District and CES, are dedicated to providing this kind of academic and social success to our students.

This work of converting our comprehensive high school into autonomous, different small schools is intense. Currently, there is little time built into the schedules of our administrators, teachers, classified, and staff to work together on reform. We therefore received a waiver from the Highline School District for one late arrival day each week. This would mean that instead of having an Early Release day twice a month (as we have done at Tyee in the past), Tyee students would begin classes later (at 9:55) every Wednesday (beginning September 15, 2004). Teachers and staff will be at Tyee at their normal time (at 6:55) on these days, using this non-instructional time to plan and design their new small schools. While we regret to take instructional time away from our students, we know that this work will benefit our instruction and our students in the future.

Because your input and involvement is important to us, we wanted to report this news to you at the start of our reform so that you can be sure to give us your feedback and ideas. If you have any concerns about the CES grant, the late arrival, or Tyee’s reform in general, please call or email me at silvermax@hsd401.org.

Sincerely,

Max Silverman
Principal
Tyee High School