Sarah Sell

ELD 360- Final thoughts

April 30, 2012

2) Why is BRIM such a wonderful opportunity for administrators at the middle level? Breaking Ranks in the Middle is such a vital part of the administrations lives and leadership at the middle level for its many recommendations, strategies, and messages it send to them personally. Administrators are looked to as being the innovators of change in their schools, when a problem needs solving, and to support all students and staff within their facility. These responsibilities can sometimes be overwhelming and difficult, but with BRIM, administrators have a set of 30 recommendations, 9 cornerstone strategies and four school profiles that will inspire and provide ideas of how they can implement the most effective change in their schools. One of the greatest reasons I feel BRIM is great for administration is because it helps them to outline and track the change they need to make. Several of the school profiles began with the administrator diagnosing the problems that were impeding on the success of students and faculty. They did this through sampling students test scores, survey the faculty and making general observances. Next, BRIM will help administrators solve their issues with the 30 recommendations and cornerstone strategies. The recommendations address curriculum, instruction and assessment, personalization and the school environment, and collaborative leadership and professional learning communities, leaving no issue unaddressed. Breaking Ranks in the Middle will give administration the opportunity to get members of the staff to work collaboratively, build relationships, and receive professional development either from one another through PLCs or outside sources like an external evaluator. Administrators will come to learn from the recommendations here that when the teachers are happy the students are happy and the BRIM strategies will most certainly deliver satisfied teachers. Braking Ranks also helps administration personalize programs for the students and make the school environment one of a close connectedness between teacher and student, teacher and parent and school and community. With students individual plans for improvements and a personal adult advocate, how could any student fail under an administration that enforces these recommendations? Finally, administration have the opportunity through BRIM to improve their curriculum, instruction and assessment by better informing teachers of the content, teaching strategies, and assessment methods. BRIM helps administration realize the important of an adaptable curriculum to students lives and how education is a continuum for students with an emphasis on the importance of guiding them through these transitions. Overall, Breaking Ranks in the Middle is a resource ever administrator should have so that they may be the most informed and aware innovators of change in their schools and the field of education.

3) When considering the BRIM materials, explain a topic that you found particularly interesting and why? The topic that I found most meaningful and interesting was personalization and the school environment. This list of recommendations resonated with me the most because I am a firm believer that content knowledge is only a small fraction of what we as teachers instruct our students on. Most of the time we are teaching students how to be active and well rounded citizens promoting good character, manners, and a value for education. We do all of these things by creating personal connections and safe school environments in which students feel successful and cared about. I was particularly intrigued by the

Sarah Sell

ELD 360- Final thoughts

April 30, 2012

students personal plan for progress and their personal adult advocate. I feel that it is important for students, especially at the middle level who may be struggling with identity, to set goals and are guided in measuring their progress. Having an adult to confide in too is crucial at this age as many teens begin to rebel from their parents but are still in desperate need of guidance. For each student to have at least one adult in the school that they feel comfortable with that they could go to for anything could make all the difference in a successful or unsuccessful time in the middle years. Finally, I like how this set of recommendations reached beyond the school out to parents and the community. Many of the problems students bring to school with them are those from their home or environment. It is our responsibility as teachers to reach out to the parents and community as advocates for our students. Many times, the resources are out in the community, but you the classroom teacher may have to activate them for a family or student. Similarly, just as we model learning strategies in our classroom, we are also modeling good citizenship and proper codes of conduct in hopes that our students follow our example and take these attitudes out into the community with them at the end of each day. Hence recommendation number 17 is so important ( The school community, which can be values- neutral, will advocate and model a set of core values essential in a democratic and civil society.) because it reflects the influence we as educators have in shaping our students to be well rounded individuals in society. Finally, personalization was of particular interest of mine because when it is implemented, it shows how much teachers care about their students. When students know someone has an interest in them and what they do, they perform to that persons expectation because they trust you and respect them. You foster this respect and trust by giving students the freedom and support in doing activities that they love. For example, one school profiled stated that they gave their students internships and special interest projects as a way of personalizing their education. Overall, Personalization and securing a safe and comfortable school environment was of most interest to me because I feel that they are the most crucial components of motivating students and assuring their success in education.

4) Choose one of the highlighted schools and discuss why they were featured in the BRIM materials. One of my favorite school profiles was Freeport Intermediate School, a 7-8 school with 639 students in Freeport, Texas. Wanting to be an Urban Educator, I understood their unique challenges but was amazed by the way they overcame adversity to be a high achieving school. I admire Principal Clara Sale-Davis for realizing the difficulties the environment and culture imposed on the students and for doing something about it rather than being passive or abandoning the school all together. Upon her first week, a child was shot in a drive by shooting which led her to an impromptu speech at the candle light vigil. Her bravery here marked only the beginning of the changes she would make to improve the school culture and community at large. She noticed the sense of urgency here; in school safety, low test scores, parent involvement, creating more rigorous curriculum, differentiating instruction and more and was quick to act by creating the campus advisory team that would advise curriculum and instruction, staff development, planning, communication and school climate. She also established a campus improvement plan which would guide the changes they

Sarah Sell

ELD 360- Final thoughts

April 30, 2012

needed to make in their school. One of the greatest and most admirable areas of emphasis Principal Sale-Davis stressed was in relationships. She understood that these students needed that sense of belonging to a family due to the high gang populations. Therefore, she took a structure students were familiar with but made it constructive and non violent by implementing tribes into her school. In these tribes students feel a responsibility and sense of caring for each others well being and academic success. Students also are supported by the school with free lunch and breakfast programs, washers, dryers and clean clothes, and a social worker within the school that advocates for students and their families health care, insurance, etc. Sale-Davis says By filling in the gaps related to personal needs, we have filled in the achievement gaps; eliminating disparities in achievement among student groups, improving attendance, and dramatically decreasing discipline referrals (Sale-Davis, 224). Sale-Davis also works closely with the staff to be sure that their needs are met and make them feel comfortable and safe as well. She does such a great job facilitating and implementing common planning time, a time to share strategies, times of reflection and counseling and best of all fun activities like movie nights and casual dress days to promote motivation amongst the teachers. Sale-Davis knows that when the teachers are happy, the students are happy because satisfied and supported teachers will go the extra mile for their students by being more energized and excited for them and that is what brings students into the classroom every day. Sale- Davis also made an effort to involve the parents, in particularly those who are distant. She recognized that for many families English was a second language and therefore, she brought in bilingual counselors, and for the parents that worked multiple jobs, she utilized her PTA and community patrons to make up for this lack of support. She was effective in her communication with them, sending out newsletters, brochures and positive postcards. Finally, Sale-Davis transformed Freehold by providing students with transition days and mentor programs to make it easier adapting the high school or intermediate school (depending on where the child was going), personalizing students experience and education with a sense of belonging, and by exploring many methods to solve the problem whether it be academics, disciple or home based. Overall, Principal SaleDavis story is featured here and last in breaking ranks in the middle because it is a true inspiration of what good administration and staff can do to transform a school and the students in it. Her most important decision I feel was that she put the students well being and safety before academics because she knew that students were not going to perform well if they were afraid to come to school or with empty stomachs. She focused on what was truly important before addressing curriculum and testing. Freehold Intermediates profile is one every teacher should read to remember the power that we have in our relationships with students and that we need to foster their wellbeing in order for them to succeed physically, emotionally, and academically. 6) How has this course changed you this semester? What role will this complex, single experience have upon your growth and professional development? This course has drastically changed my perception of middle level education and overall philosophy of education. Prior to this course, I thought I understood what was truly important in students lives: their safety and wellbeing which we as teachers can create for them in our classrooms. I also was aware how important curriculum and closing achievement gaps were persistent goals among certain schools and of course the vital role

Sarah Sell

ELD 360- Final thoughts

April 30, 2012

parents played in their childrens education. However, what I did not understand was how to implement all of the recommendations for securing a safe school, best curriculum, parent involvement and more. Breaking Ranks in the Middle gave me the tools and knowledge of how to include the recommendations in establishing my classroom and lesson planning. Most helpful were the school profiles because you saw firsthand how the schools made the Recommendations unique to their situations. Some schools combined ideas, others omitted some. Each school evaluated what they needed and made a plan tailored to fit their unique situations. This was a valuable lesson in showing how to implement change and the importance of reflection. Had those schools not measured where they were and where they wanted to go, they would not be the successful school that we have read about. Reflection, despite how painstaking it is is crucial in education in order to make change in our students, classrooms, schools and even the whole community. I also liked the CIA model and that the students fit directly in the center of the curriculum, instruction and assessment. It was emphasized that CIAs must be academically rigorous if you want your students to advance to the next level. This was important for me because while I have high expectations for my students, I dont feel that I enforce them well enough. I realize now how this has to be done continuously beginning with curriculum design (Does the curriculum advance students thinking and problem solving skills?) instruction (Am I providing students with tasks that are challenging enough?) and assessment (Have students fulfilled my expectations through this measurement?) It was beneficial to learn all about the generations of our colleagues, parents, and students. We need to be informed of the people we will be working in order to form collaborative, healthy and strong relationships with one another. Understanding where each person came from in terms of their upbringing and life experience is significant in fostering those relationships. Finally, I learned the most about how important the students personal learning and experiences are and how you the teacher are to facilitate this. One of my favorite activities was when we all went around and wrote something positive on each others papers. It was the most uplifting and inspiring experiences that I cannot wait to use it in my classroom. It demonstrated the strengths that we see and appreciate in each other and most certainly could lift event the lowest students self esteem. When you do this activity in you classroom, you are creating a climate of trust, responsibility and caring for one another. Similarly, like the poem invisible we talked about how at the middle level, some students tend to slip through the cracks. This issue can be totally eliminated if teachers give their time and attention to students, to get to know them and work with them on interest projects. Breaking Ranks has a recommendation that assigns each child an adult advocate as well as a standard that give each teacher contact time with no more than 90 students a day. This personalized attention makes all the difference in personalizing students education because these close relationships allow teachers to better understand students thinking and best ways of learning. I have learned the most beneficial lessons and strategies from this class and Breaking Ranks in the Middle, not just for my future career as middle school educator but for wherever I may go so long as there are children to teach.