A Boston Middle School Shows the Way

In this Education Week article, Boston principal Amanda Gardner shares what she believes were the key elements in successfully turning around a struggling middle school (formerly the Gavin Middle School, now UP Academy Charter School):

• Schoolwide policies – She and her leadership team established clear procedures on everything from fire drills to classroom rules to how students should deal with a broken pencil during a test. “Educators need not worry about dealing with the confusion – or unclear expectations – of policies that vary from classroom to classroom,” says Gardner. 

• Time for collaboration – Grade-level content teams have at least two 50-minute planning periods a day; once a week teachers have a three-hour planning block with grade-level colleagues; and every Friday is an early-dismissal day that frees up 2½ hours for departmental or schoolwide professional development meetings. In addition, there is a stipended lead teacher for every four or five classroom teachers to conduct demonstration lessons and provide cultural leadership.

• Accountability – State test scores are important measures of student achievement, “but if we consistently evaluate our performance,” says Gardner, “these scores should largely serve to reaffirm what we already know.” Teachers are observed and coached every two weeks by their managers (three deans of curriculum and instruction), and students’ progress toward interim assessment goals is tracked closely. Parents receive biweekly progress reports on their children’s accomplishments and rough spots. 

• Extra time – The school has an eight-hour school day, with an additional hour for homework support and detention.

“In my reinvigorated school,” concludes Gardner, “there is no such thing as getting ‘stuck’ with a bad teacher… or a bad student. There is no such thing as ‘slipping through the cracks.’ It’s virtually impossible for bad practices – in teaching or in learning – to persist without being recognized and addressed… Our model proves that dramatic change happens when you get the details right, foster constant collaboration, and track the results.”

“The Many Keys to Radical Classroom Change” by Amanda Gardner in Education Week, Mar. 27, 2013 (Vol. 32, #26, p. 36, 32), www.edweek.org 

From the Marshall Memo #480