Educational Leadership - October 2009

Questions About the
Learning Environment

Is our school safe?

In all the schools studied, particularly the secondary schools, leaders emphasized safety for students and staff as a prerequisite for learning. At Port Chester Middle School, principal Carmen Macchia explained, “In the beginning . . . kids would hold their bladders all day out of fear of what might happen to them in the bathrooms.” The school established structures, such as the frequent presence of school staff in bathrooms and hallways, to help students become accountable for their actions. The staff’s expectations and modeling of appropriate behavior and other good citizenship practices encouraged students to help promote school safety, which authentically contributed to changing students’ perspectives from one of “ratting out” their friends to one of civic responsibility to their school.

students with Taft and foster friendships, the visits also helped teachers gain a much better understanding of the cultural and socioeconomic influences on these students’ lives.

Have we fostered a bond between students and school?

The high-performing/high-poverty schools we studied provided “protective factors” that help build a bond between students and school. Paramount among these factors is promoting caring relationships between adults and students as well as among peers.

Although Granger is a small high school serving only 388 students, many students felt disconnected from school. Former principal Esparza’s focus on personalization led the staff to reorganize the school day to include a well-designed advisory program. All professional staff members, including the principal, advise a small group of 18–20 students four days each week and stay with those students for four years,

“Target the lowest-performing
kids,” cautioned one principal,
Do we understand the influence
of poverty on student learning?

Although the concept of a culture of poverty has been refuted (Gorski, 2008), too many educators continue to believe that people who live in poverty share a common set of beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors (such as a poor work ethic, alcohol or drug abuse, and apathy toward school). To counter these myths, leaders in the schools we studied use data and research to support high expectations of students. An ethos of professional accountability for learning is tangible in all the participating schools, in contrast to schools that blame students and families for poor achievement.

When Taft Elementary School welcomed more than 60 refugee students one year from 16 different countries, principal Susan Williamson knew the importance of developing an understanding of the cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of the refugee students’ families (Budge & Parrett, 2009). Enlisting the help of a former refugee whom the refugee community trusted, Susan and a small team of teacher leaders conducted multiple visits to each student’s home. Although the purpose of these visits was to invite students to a two-week summer camp designed to familiarize the

“even if the stimulus money
doesn’t last forever.”

navigating their path toward graduation and beyond. The advisory teacher regularly reviews each student’s progress through school-generated biweekly reports, holding students accountable for staying on track. Advisors identify any student who falls behind and work with the student’s teachers to intervene. “It’s all about relationships with the kids,” explained current principal Paul Chartrand, “and the advisory program is key to our continued success.”