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Mark Wilson-Building a Culture of Success

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Mark Wilson-Building a Culture of Success

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Building a culture of success - Mark Wilson

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7 Things that Happen when Students Own their Own Learning

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7 Things That Happen When Students Own Their Learning

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My children do not have braces, yet.  We've only visited for consultations.  In the brief visit, adults call my children by name; adults engage my children and me in dialogue about worries and concerns; adults seem appreciative to have us as potential patients.  This is a culture that is inviting and makes be want to be there.

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I would describe (and have described) Rising Hill as a place with a great culture, very supportive, strong community, and constantly focused on growth.

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I feel like we have been growing a lot in the areas of relationships and service, but that innovation and exploration are areas where I feel like I have a lot of opportunity for growth. With Genius Hour becoming a focus near the end of the school year, exploration will naturally happen. I do not, however, feel like many of my students feel empowered to explore without guidance yet. I have felt a little like a first year teacher again this year - big ideas and dreams, but spending much of my time trying to keep my head above water. Because of that, the innovation that I crave has taken a back seat to the day - to -day operations.

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When I was getting married, we bought A LOT of wine at Trader Joe’s for our reception. We told the cashier we were getting married, he told us congratulations, we paid, and we were heading out and he brought us a bouquet of flowers. 💐 I think that is normal practice there and that above and beyond service almost 6 years ago still stands out!

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Rising Hill has such a positive culture! I would say respect is a key part of that positivity between teacher and teacher, teacher and student, and also a majority of student to student. Our climate really is kind and caring and all about how we can serve one another and others. Staff and students are valued as individuals and recognized for their strengths.

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I agree that innovation and exploration are Rising Hill’s next steps. I know that I’m not where I want to be or the level I have been at in the past with my lessons and experiences that I provide to kids. On my end, I think innovation will come with more collaboration and as I continue to lay a solid foundation with our kids.

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When I was getting married, we went to Trader Joe’s to purchase wine for our reception and since we bought so much, the cashier asked what it was for. When we told him, he congratulated us, we paid and were on our way out, and he followed us with a bouquet of flowers.💐 It’s been almost six years and it still stands out! That above and beyond customer service made us feel really special!

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They don't have a big budget or charge tuition. Yet each of these ten elementary schools excels beyond traditional expectations. Learn how to bring their innovative ideas to your kid's classroom.

Suppose you had to grade your child's elementary school. Would you give it a B? In an exclusive survey with the market-research firm Quester, Parents found that while most moms are generally happy with their kid's education, one third have concerns about the pace of the curriculum and a quarter don't think it encourages creativity and independent thinking. How can you take your student to the next level? To find out, Parents asked state departments of education, charter-school associations, teacher groups, and our Facebook fans to nominate innovative public elementary schools. More than 500 suggestions poured in, and from them, we picked ten to feature. Each trailblazer took a different approach to excellence, but all have buzz-worthy ideas that could make your kid's school everything you've longed for it to be. Take notes!

Copy its success If not many parents are involved in your child's school, try to find out what's keeping them away so you can address the problem. Moms and dads played a huge role in Broad Acres' comeback, and parental involvement makes every school better, says Bayewitz. "For instance, when we switched our parent meetings to the mornings, which was more convenient, our attendance doubled." Also consider talking to your child''s principal about setting up a parent-volunteer schedule for all the classrooms, if one isn't already in place. "Teachers don't just need help at special times, like on the day of the Halloween party; they can benefit from having a parent in the classroom who can read with small groups of students or help them practice writing the alphabet," he says. "That extra attention the students receive makes a huge difference in achievement."

Copy its success Many schools recognize the benefits of integrating arts into the curriculum, but they don't have the money to do it. Make your child's school aware of funding sources. Just as Walton and Sonora did, local arts organizations and schools can jointly apply for the Partners in Education program from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (kennedy-center.org), which provides access to training and materials for its 100-plus partners. Schools can also seek grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (nea.gov) and the Dana Foundation (dana.org). "Even if you can't get a full-blown program into your child's school in the near future, ask the principal if you can contact local arts organizations to see if they'd be willing to hold workshops with the students," suggests Dr. Relph. "Thanks to grants, some local arts centers like ours are even able to offer free admission and busing subsidies for schoolchildren to see a performance."

More Honor-Roll Schools

TALBOT HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Copy its success Talbot Hill's MicroSociety Inc. is part of a network of 200-plus schools in 40 states; learn how to bring the program to your kid's school at microsociety.org. Because of the extra staff, training, and supplies required, Boni estimates that it costs $75,000 to $100,000 to implement the program and about $25,000 to $30,000 per year to maintain it at a school with 500 students. "The Talbot Hill Educational Trust (a nonprofit organization) and our PTO raise most of the money to keep it going," she says. But schools can test the program on a smaller scale. "We tried it in one classroom for a year and then broadened it for the next year before we took it school-wide," Boni says. In the meantime, you and like-minded parents can meet with teachers to discuss ways to simulate real-world businesses in the classroom. For example, groups of third-graders could sell a craft they made, such as friendship bracelets or duct-tape bookmarks, at the art fair or parent open house. Creating a business plan -- that includes a supply budget, price points, and sale analysis -- would be part of the learning experience.

Copy its success Forest Lake created a nonprofit educational foundation to help fund its technology purchases. "Through donations from area businesses for a silent auction and ticket sales from the school performance, we were able to raise about $8,000," says principal Kappy Steck. "Parents were instrumental in reaching out to local businesses for us." Forest Lake also received technology grants from several foundations. Go to eschoolnews.com for a list of available grants. In addition, your child's school can apply to be a Microsoft Pathfinder Innovative School (pil-network.com); teacher training, equipment, and software are provided.

More Honor-Roll Schools

K. W. BARRETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Copy its success All Pine Jog's teachers received training from Project Wild (projectwild.org), a free program of the Council for Environmental Education. The group offers workshops for teachers in every
state as well as curriculum and activity guides.

Copy its success You may want to suggest to your child's teacher to look into the NASA Explorer School Program. Any teacher can sign up for free lesson plans and monthly live video chats between NASA scientists and students. They may also apply for the opportunity to have the class conduct experiments in an aircraft, such as NASA's Vomit Comet. Get the details at explorerschools.nasa.gov. Some of Barrett's science projects are funded with grants, like Toyota TAPESTRY, and supported by partners such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "We established a grant-writing committee and gave teachers relief time to apply for the awards," says principal Theresa Bratt. "If your child's school doesn't have a team to do this, see if it's something the principal would like you and other parents to organize."

More Honor-Roll Schools

JOHN MUIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

ODYSSEY CHARTER SCHOOL

Wilmington, Delaware
K-5 520 students
It teaches a foreign language -- with a twist. Not only do all students learn Greek from instructors native to the country, but they also show off their speaking and listening skills in math class. It's part of a movement, common in Europe, called content-based foreign-language instruction, in which one or two subjects are taught in a different language. "Our students, only 6 percent of whom have a Greek background, pick up the language skills faster this way," says George Chambers, president of Odyssey's board. "Plus, it's a better fit for some kids and parents than immersion, in which all subjects are taught in a second language." Math and Greek make a perfect pairing, explains Chambers. "Mathematics has roots from the Greek language," he says. "For instance, all the names for plane shapes in geometry come from Greek words. Once kids know that pente means five in Greek, it's easy to remember than a pentagon is a figure with five sides." Students receive five hours of math lessons weekly in Greek and another five in English. As a result of this extra instruction, nearly 100 percent of second-graders met or exceeded the state's standards in math. Says kindergarten teacher Mary Lou Strauss: "It's amazing to watch students thinking and problem-solving in two languages. Even if they don't keep up with their Greek after they leave Odyssey, these children certainly will have an advantage in a global world."

Copy its success Just 15 percent of public elementary schools nationwide offer a foreign-language program. If your child's school doesn't, join with like-minded parents to start one. Emphasize the link between foreign-language skills and strong test scores -- the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (actfl.org) and the Center for Applied Linguistics ( www.cal.org) have much of what you'll need to make the case.

Copy its success John Muir bases its gardening and cooking classes on a curriculum developed by Network for a Healthy California. If you live in the state, your kid's school can apply for a grant to fund the program at www.harvestofthemonth.cdph.ca.gov. Otherwise, you can still download activity sheets and materials. Garden grants are also available from other sources. Get news about the latest funding opportunities from schoolgardenweekly.com. If a garden isn't in your school's foreseeable future, cooking lessons are still an option. "Some recipes could easily be made in the classroom with the help of parent volunteers," says Orth.

Copy its success Approach the school administration with an offer to fund a get-together for teachers in your child's grade level. Partner with a few other families to defray the cost. It doesn't have to be elaborate; breakfast or afternoon coffee is just fine to give teachers a chance to bounce ideas off one another.

Copy its success Many museums and science centers have displays or historic objects that are in storage. With your principal's permission, you could approach museums to determine whether they'd be willing to lend those as "traveling exhibits" for your child's school, suggests Murray. Nearby businesses also might be willing to sponsor the cost of developing an exhibit -- for instance, the neighborhood power company may underwrite a display on energy. Munford teamed up with Southern Custom Exhibits ( www.sceexhibits.com) to produce its interactive displays and received funding from the U.S. Forest Services' Kids in the Woods program ( www.fs.fed.us) and local businesses.

Originally published in the October 2012 issue of Parents magazine.

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They don't have a big budget or charge tuition. Yet each of these ten elementary schools excels beyond traditional expectations. Learn how to bring their innovative ideas to your kid's classroom. Suppose you had to grade your child's elementary school. Would you give it a B?

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That made me remember a time when my husband and I went out to dinner for our anniversary. They threw confetti on the table when they seated us, and brought us a free yummy dessert. It made us feel special and recognized!

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I think with our book study, teachers are showing signs of feeling empowered to try new things. Hopefully, this will start to happen with our students as well. If we can provide opportunities, examples, and time for our students to try new things, that will naturally help them develop skills they will need in the world.

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I loved seeing our vision woven into our Kindness/Valentine's Day parties through our service projects and through the many activities we did during Kindness week. I would love to see more of this integrated into our classroom work, possibly through our upcoming Genius Hour work, or if it fits into something like a unit writing project. I love when it comes together naturally and just seems to make sense with what we are already doing!

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I think we have the opportunity to make known the importance of the energy saving features of our building and how our school is making a positive environmental impact on the world. Possibly start a before school recycling club? Other ways to integrate green concepts and amplify how we can all contribute to helping our earth. Earth Day Projects in April?

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We really are one big family! I feel that everyone from the staff, students and parents that we truly are one big family all working towards the same goal. I have never worked in a building where everyone respects each other like we do at Rising Hill.

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I agree that I feel that I have fallen short this year in the areas of innovation and exploration. I too am looking forward to completing Genius Hour with my class this year. I think this will be a great opportunity for us to get into the Tinker Lab more to explore and create our projects. I love the idea of putting more of a focus on our energy saving building. I think several of the kids would really enjoy learning more about that. I think that Earth Day projects in April would be a great place to start especially since we have such a beautiful area around us that we want to keep looking its best!

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Rising Hill is a warm and welcoming school! The atmosphere is about respecting and supporting each other and our students. There is a positive vibe felt throughout all the classrooms, library, office, cafeteria, and neighborhoods.

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I think in the next several months we will have opportunities to innovate in the Tinker Room. There are many available supplies in there and I think with some time this spring we can grow into exploring innovators.