Today, my group of cross- district colleagues met for the first time since I received my critical friends feedback from Northeastern. At our meeting, we formalized our next steps based upon that feedback. We now have the first iteration of action steps in place:
1. District leaders will read Learning to Improve, by Anthony S. Bryk, Louis Gomez, Alicia Grunow, and Paul L eMahieu. Harvard Education Publishing (2015) this summer.
2. District administrators, principals and teacher leaders, will read research articles and several selections of literature in early fall. To build background, we will begin with an overview of examples of innovative high schools as included in this site. In addition, we have agreed upon two texts to build a common understanding:
4. Based upon our findings, we will begin to articulate our vision, mission, and goals for our work with our stakeholder groups in the winter.
5. Throughout this process, we will engage in site visits to each other's high schools and high schools known for their innovative and successful instructional approaches to learn from the field.
6. After developing a clear vision, mission and goals with the stakeholder groups involved, we will bring our plans back to our larger school community groups for feedback and refinement.
7. We will use our research, our vision, our mission and our broad goals to engage in the action-research and strategic planning using the Deeper Learning Planning Guide to begin the transformational change envisioned through our collaborative efforts in the spring.
I am certain that as we continue our work, we will need to refine the steps outlined above. Even so, I am energized, excited, and optimistic about our collaborative work to re-imagine high schools as we know them.
1. District leaders will read Learning to Improve, by Anthony S. Bryk, Louis Gomez, Alicia Grunow, and Paul L eMahieu. Harvard Education Publishing (2015) this summer.
2. District administrators, principals and teacher leaders, will read research articles and several selections of literature in early fall. To build background, we will begin with an overview of examples of innovative high schools as included in this site. In addition, we have agreed upon two texts to build a common understanding:
- Deeper Learning: How Eight Innovative Public Schools Are Transforming Education in the Twenty-First Century, by Monica Martinez and Dennis McGrath. The New Press (2014). ISBN 978-1595589590 along with the Deeper Learning Planning Guide
- Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education ,by Sir Ken Robinson. Viking (2015). ISBN 978-0670016716
4. Based upon our findings, we will begin to articulate our vision, mission, and goals for our work with our stakeholder groups in the winter.
5. Throughout this process, we will engage in site visits to each other's high schools and high schools known for their innovative and successful instructional approaches to learn from the field.
6. After developing a clear vision, mission and goals with the stakeholder groups involved, we will bring our plans back to our larger school community groups for feedback and refinement.
7. We will use our research, our vision, our mission and our broad goals to engage in the action-research and strategic planning using the Deeper Learning Planning Guide to begin the transformational change envisioned through our collaborative efforts in the spring.
I am certain that as we continue our work, we will need to refine the steps outlined above. Even so, I am energized, excited, and optimistic about our collaborative work to re-imagine high schools as we know them.