To be perfectly honest, after reviewing the most recent "Kids Count RI" statistics for "District C", and contemplating what those statistics might mean for the students and teachers who interact in the high school, I was a little concerned. As a newish teacher candidate who can count the number of high school classes I've taught or observed on less than two hands, seeing these statistics and noting the number of English Language Learners and impoverished students is a bit daunting. While it is generalizing to say that urban schools do worse than suburban schools, I have never had to lesson plan for students who might not even speak English. Also, having worked on the District C/District P border for the past four years or so, I entered this semester with some distinctly negative prior experiences with District C. Suffice to say, I was incredibly (and pleasantly), surprised when our class visited DCHS for the first time last week and met Principal Jimmy LaPorta. He gave off an aura of enthusiasm and hope, and it was instantly easy to see why District C has been trending upwards in every educational facet that counts over the past few years. Mr. LaPorta utilizes what seems like an innovative system of observation that allows him to evaluate his teachers without putting them on the spot through his anonymous reporting system. This system of 3-5 minute classroom visits seems like a stroke of genius in that it allows the administration to detect both positive and negative trends and act on them as they occur, rather than having a typical yearly evaluation. Mr. LaPorta's system allows for constant adaptation and tweaking of methods that aren't working, and praise of methods that are. I am excited to be a part of this, and to be the proverbial parrot on his shoulder as he points out things that work and things that don't in a challenging educational environment.
Hey Dale, so at first I was a bit puzzled at the short class visitations because I thought we would be spending entire classes with one teacher, but after thinking about it, it makes more sense to get a bunch of smaller samples than a few big samples because this will allow us to gather a very wide range of info. The Principal, to be honest, surprised me too, for one thing I didn't know he would be white. Seeing as the town is predominantly hispanic, I was surprised, not that it matters, I was just surprised. The kids count book paints a picture that wasn't seen when we first walked into the school. It was clean and nice, not what one would think after reading about the town in kids count, but I think that's a testament to the great job that they are doing with the school environment.
ReplyDeleteI agree I think the way JL planned the observations works very well. I've spent plenty of observations sitting in a class where all the class did was watch a movie, not a lot of knowledge I can get there. Even when I observed an actual class day sometimes nothing happened that I could really sink my teeth into and question. With these flash observations it vastly increases the chance that we'll see something that we can learn from.
ReplyDeleteWhat really astonished me about the Walk-Through process is that they were performed not only by teachers and the administration, but also by parents. So often we hear about the negative statistics in urban schools; single parent families, struggling to make it. Time and time again I have read about how urban parents are less involved in their children's' education because statistically they have less free time then suburban parents. However, this is truly not the case at District C. Parents are active volunteers, they organize and plan student activities and events in addition to helping the faculty and staff. From what I observed on our first trip to the high school, parents are an essential part of the engine that has helped District C in becoming a successful, innovative and up and coming educational facility.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with you regarding the 3-5 minute classroom visits. When considering something as temperamental as a high school classroom, it is best to get as many points of data as possible, on as many different occasions as possible. Not only does this allow you to view the progression over the course of a school year, but it also doesn't allow one bad observation to ruin the reputation of an other wise great teacher. The latter being a negative aspect of yearly evaluations. This why I feel what we're doing is going benefit this school a great deal. We will be able to give multiple points of data that will be analyzed to create a better learning environment. As you said, it really is a great idea.
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