Educational Leadership - November 2009

expanded independent studies by implementing an internship program, which students can choose as an elective.

The counseling staff coordinates the internship program. Internships are available at radio stations, the fire department, local businesses, and other community organizations. Some students intern in elementary and middle schools as student teachers and technology trainers. One student worked for the town designing Web pages; another worked at a hotel and moved through every facet of hotel management during a yearlong internship. Principal Laura Rogers points out that

during student internships, students journal, self-assess, and are evaluated by their supervisor in the field. Our guidance outreach counselor visits the workplace every two weeks, meets with the student, and provides the final evaluation of the intern’s achievement.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROBERT J. HALE

Students at Manodnock Community Connections School students paint a stairway mural and construct a game board in a stained glass geometry class.

make a difference because the issue I was working toward changing (limited opportunities for individuals with disabilities) was my own choice.

shelter in Portsmouth wouldn’t have been given boxes of soup and quilts (Claffey, 2008).

As another way to personalize learning, Oyster River gives students the option of doing charitable projects instead of taking final exams in some courses. For example, students in the 9th grade World Cultures class conducted a project titled Power of One Voice. Students chose a cause, researched it, created a fund-raising initiative, and then reported back to the community during an open house. Guests at the open house—parents, community members, teachers from other departments, and former students who have graduated—use a rubric to assess the students’ level of achievement. Student Prerana Nanda wrote,

This project was a turning point for me— both in a personal and an education way. The Power of One Voice experience showed me that I wanted to do something to support AADI [an education institution in India created to help children with severe disabilities, both mental and physical], but I had never really known if it was possible until completing this project. . . . I felt obligated to really

The Power of One Voice evaluation is based on ( 1) a visual component that must appeal to viewers but also provide statistics, facts, and information sources related to the issue; ( 2) a well-organized, clearly written component that presents arguments and information supporting action on the issue; ( 3) an interactive component that explains and evaluates alternative and opposing policies as part of the oral presentation; and ( 4) an action component that explains how the student has acted on his or her issue and what others can do to take action.

By all accounts, the projects have produced great benefits. As a local news article commented,

Had 9th-graders at Oyster River High School taken final exams instead of doing an end-of-the-year project for their World Cultures class, the National Breast Cancer Foundation wouldn’t have received a “$1,000 donation…and the Cross Roads

A Focus on Competency,
Not Seat Time

The Monadnock Community Connections School (known as MC2) in Swanzey, New Hampshire, is a small public school of choice serving high school students who want a different learning experience. Until recently, MC2 was a stand-alone school serving students from a number of surrounding districts. It is currently in a period of transition as it becomes a school within a school at Monadnock High School in fall 2010.

MC2 has used the flexibility offered by the Follow the Child initiative to focus its assessments on genuine student learning. Students meet competency requirements rather than Carnegie-based time requirements. As described on the school’s Web site ( www.mc2school.org/index.php),