Update
Revitalizing Steller:
Beliefs, Concerns and
Actions
A position paper supported by
Barbara, Charles and Robin Wohlforth
Gary, Treva and Jordyn Steele
Alyse and Patrick Galvin
Cheryl and Heidi Hilmes
What we believe
We believe Steller’s core philosophy must be clearly understood and accepted by all members of the present and future school community—students, parents and staff—and our educational practice continuously aligned to the philosophy.
We believe the school’s role is to inspire and encourage the passions and enthusiasms of its students. The teachers’ role is to facilitate students’ exploration and interests, coaching them to promote active involvement in their own learning.* The most effective learning is based on student development, not transferring content.
We believe freedom makes the best environment for students to learn and become responsible. Responsibility cannot be taught—it must be learned through experience with a minimum of externally imposed rules.
We believe in a culture of educational experimentation and risk-taking. Students, teachers and the entire school community should constantly innovate and test our limits. We should trust students to dare greatly and not be afraid of failure; trial and error is the best teacher.
We believe the best measure of a student’s work is the work itself. Grades and standardized tests are a poor substitute. Students and their peers should evaluate themselves in equal collaboration with staff, rather than as subjects of an institution.
We believe in collaborative decision-making based on equality and shared values, not hierarchy or bureaucracy. Empowering students and parents is a core element of our program. Federal, state and school district policies should serve the needs of our program rather than the reverse.
We know that these ideas and practices work, because they have worked in the past at Steller and continue to work at other schools around the world. They have been studied and documented. We want to adopt these proven models to transform Steller as quickly as possible.
What concerns us
Organizations naturally drift from their founding ideals. Everyone is responsible to help get Steller on course. We are committed to revitalizing Steller by refocusing the school on the unique principles and values that give the school its reason to exist.
·
Philosophical
buy-in internally. The practices and statements of some staff, students and
parents suggest they don’t support an open optional model of education. Steller’s unique mission requires that the entire community
believes. Those who want another kind of education can pick another option.
·
Philosophical
buy-in externally. The
·
Communications
and decision-making. The inability of students, parents and staff to
overcome apathy and other self-imposed barriers has crippled our collaborative
process and made school improvement difficult.
·
Active
involvement. To remain unique and free, the Steller community should
constantly examine itself and strive to protect a special educational space. Without
constant vigilance, the school will continue to drift from its vision and
philosophical roots.
·
Flexibility
in the day. The school day is scheduled in a grid of short time periods.
Students too often march from class to class to receive teacher-delivered
content. We strongly support the Wednesday schedule proposal with long,
relatively self-directed blocks of time.
·
Alternative
evaluation options. Traditional teacher-issued grades do not take advantage
of the opportunities of self- and peer-evaluation or openly communicated
rubrics that put students in charge of their own learning.
·
Restrictions
and rules. We perceive a creep toward traditional disciplinary methods,
which are not appropriate at Steller. Students who are not trusted cannot
develop responsibility for their own actions, and easily lose faith in the
collaborative decision making that should define Steller.
·
Family
involvement. Families must be engaged as full partners in each student’s
education.* Steller should be an entire community of life-long learners.
·
Involvement
in the greater community. Students do not get enough experience in how
things work in the adult world or learn enough about their part in making a
community.
Our Action Plan
We want the Steller community to take the following actions as soon as possible to address our concerns and to revitalize Steller’s adherence to our core beliefs. This list is organized by numbered goals supported by lettered action items
I.
Educational
Methods
1. Progressive models. Study and adopt model open optional methods drawn from national organizations educational research of best practices.
a. Draw the best ideas from the book Breaking Ranks as a school improvement plan;
b. Rejoin
the Coalition for
c. Develop a statewide coalition of schools sharing our philosophy, using the web to build a broader community of communities and to share ideas and information;
d. Develop
a relationship with a university willing to work on research and professional
development relevant to our philosophy.
2. Seminar. Revive and expand seminar and the Socratic dialog as core methods at Steller.
a. Retain a staff member dedicated to implementing seminar;
b. Include seminar in staff training;
c. Integrate seminar and Socratic practices whenever possible into group educational settings;
d. Revive
the system of preparing parent and older student coaches to assist students in
working in these methods.
3. Innovative teaching. Support inspired and innovative teaching, and work with those using traditional teacher-delivered content methods to change or to transfer to another school that matches their teaching style.
a. Clearly define open optional methods as expectations for all teachers and staff;
b. Encourage teachers to involve students in developing the content and structure of their classes to match student interests and learning styles;
c. Teach
in ways that engage students, cause them to persist, and, when work is
successfully completed, to derive personal satisfication
and acquisition of knowledge, critical-thinking, problem solving skills and
other abilities.*
d. Collaborate with outside experts to observe practices in use, communicate best practices, and recommend changes;
e. Provide
opportunities for teachers to mentor and team up to observe and make
suggestions;
f. Reorganize
traditional compartmentalized subject structures and foster the use of teacher
teams to integrate the school’s curriculum, emphasizing depth over breadth.*
g. Review
and document improvement to provide accountability in fulfilling the school’s
educational philosophy.
4. Student experimentation. Push students to challenge themselves with independent and self-directed study and remove all barriers to such experimentation; and lessen penalties for failure.
a. Develop examples and materials to show students and teachers what is possible;
b. Use counseling groups to share ideas, skills and encouragement for student directed learning;
c. Free up teacher time to help students working on their own;
d. Disengage independent work from the “grid” of the school schedule and the building, allowing learning to take place where and when necessary;
e. Allow pass/fail grading, extended time, or amend goals to obtain credit as options for those trying new ideas.
5. Assessment. Move toward alternative evaluation methods, including an end to grades.
a. Research the possibilities, costs and benefits of alternative evaluation methods;
b. Provide staff development in collaborative and self evaluation methods;
c. Make a community decision on whether or not to have grades and how grades should be awarded;
d. Integrate assessment into instruction so that assessment is accomplished using a variety of methods that do not merely measure students but become part of the learning process.*
II.
School
Organization
6. Counseling Groups. Reinvigorate the counseling group process as a core of the Steller experience.
a. Devote in-service time to staff training on how to lead groups;
b. Require accountability for counseling group time;
c. Reinstate
counseling groups as a primary avenue for the student body to communicate and
make decisions;
d. Assign
each student a Personal Adult Advocate to help him or her personalize the
educational experience;*
e. Help
each student draft a Personal Plan for Progress (PPP) that will be reviewed
often to ensure that the school takes individual needs into consideration and
to allow students, within reasonable parameters, to design their own methods
for learning in an effort to meet high standards.*
7. Flexible Scheduling. Develop flexible
scheduling and student grouping patterns to meet the individual needs of
students and to ensure academic success.*
a. Adopt a schedule with large blocks of time for self-directed academic and community work;
b. Work toward a college-like model with less structured seat time and more time for students to work on their own or in small groups.
8. Rules and bureaucracy. Adopt a zero base of rules and bureaucracy, freshly thinking through and judging every limitation to student freedom and community decision-making.
a. Gather all existing rules, policies, bylaws and paperwork affecting Steller students, parents and staff;
b. Create a collaborative working group to start from a blank slate to hear the justifications of items to be included in a written school handbook that covers all community expectations;
c. Adopt a single, comprehensive handbook by community vote;
d. Work with ASD to approve Steller exemption from rules that we do not adopt;
e. Rely on the assumption that everything that is not prohibited is allowed.
9. Size of the school. Reduce the size of the student body to make Steller better able to focus and to innovate.
a. Create a working group to identify an ideal school size based on research and past experience;
b. Work with ASD to reduce school size through attrition.
10. Self-governance. Foster self-governance, closer to the charter school model.
a. Draft and adopt a school charter;
b. Work with the school board for explicit, written recognition of our school’s special qualities and need for independence and self-direction;
c. Move
decisions regarding budget and staff allocations to the school level as much as
possible to ensure the input of those who know the situation best;*
d. Work with ASD to assure that a person who is supportive
of and knowledgeable about our philosophy is our principal’s direct supervisor;
e. Discard
structured school decision-making processes that are not working in favor of a
looser, more inclusive process;
f. Recognize
the leadership of students, parents, and others in the school community as an
enhancement to the work of the principal, who should nurture and support this
potential for leadership;*
g. Consider a town-meeting model rather than a representative government model for our decision-making to reduce distrust and bureaucracy and to open up involvement.
III.
Staff and
Student Body Development
11. Hiring. Involve students and parents in all aspects of hiring.
a. Define
the expectations and philosophical grounding needed for prospective Steller
staff members for use in screening and educating applicants;
b. Assure
that each new teacher has a broad base of academic knowledge, with depth in
multiple areas;*
c. Create a hiring committee approved by the school community;
d. Provide training for those involved in hiring to assure fairness and adherence to all applicable laws and regulations;
e. Obtain support of ASD and bargaining groups to allow staffing decisions based on school needs.
12. Professional development. Concentrate on staff development to emphasize open optional teaching practices.
a. Form a collaborative group to define and prioritize the staff’s educational needs;
b. Adopt
a goal for teachers of knowing and being able to use a variety of strategies
and settings that identify and accommodate individual learning needs and
engaging students;*
c. Obtain buy-in from ASD and needed funding, drawing on grant sources such as the Coalition for Essential Schools;
d. Write a staff development plan with goals, timelines and a budget;
e. Create
a system of Personal Learning Plans (PLP) for professional development guided
by teachers and the principal that addresses the individual’s learning and
professional development needs as they relate to the academic achievement and
developmental needs of students.*
13. Student recruitment. Take action to bring families to Steller who believe in the open optional philosophy, including changes to the lottery system and development of elementary open optional schools as feeders.
a. Network with open optional elementary schools and communicate with parents there to encourage applicants;
b. Create
materials and communicate directly with schools sending students to Steller to
make clear the characteristics of students who will be successful;
c. Amend the lottery process to offer priority to students who have studied in an open optional setting (as has been done for language immersion).
14. Admissions. Redesign the Steller admissions process, using students and parents to advise prospective families on the philosophical and volunteer commitment required for students and the school community to thrive.
a. Design a model process incorporating clearly expressed parent and student expectations;
b. Work family-to-family with those considering coming to Steller with required sessions to outline the risks and commitment required in coming to our school;
c. Change
the recommendation process for sixth grade teachers to more clearly indicate if
students are a good fit with our philosophy;
d. Set up a sustainable system of interviews and tours.
IV.
Community
15. Educational activism. Express opposition to NCLB, high-stakes testing, and school district limitations on our program.
a. Work as a community to critique NCLB and other mandates and to document how they are affecting our school;
b. Develop political action to change these laws and policies;
c. Involve
students in finding better ways to publicly establish school success.
16. Togetherness. Create new opportunities for community togetherness socially and educationally.
a. More meaningful family social occasions for groups within the school;
b. Create a speaker’s bureau of parent experts and helpers who can volunteer in class;
c. Find
ways to extend the day to allow for more parent participation.
17. Community involvement. Improve engagement in the outside community through service and internships.
a. Create a staff position to manage and recruit opportunities;
b. Use counseling groups to share community experiences, hear from community members needing help, and inspire students to get involved.
c. Connect
the curriculum to real-life applications of knowledge and skills, extending beyond
the school campus to help students link their education to the future and to
the community;*
d. Promote
service programs and student activities as integral to an education, providing
opportunities for all students that support and extend academic learning;*
e. Advocate
and model, as school community, for a set of core values essential in a
democratic and civil society.*
18. Leadership and divergence. Strive for a social and educational environment that encourages leadership qualities and divergent thinking among all students.
a. Use counseling groups to reward individuality and hand leadership over to students when possible;
b. Create forums for continuous self-study and improvement of the school by students;
c. Offer academic credit for leaders who work on the process of improving the school or who participate in school government;
d. Ask teachers to remove conformity and teacher-based instruction from classes and ask students to make their teachers accountable;
e. Guide
students to be community activists and savvy operators within the political
systems of the ASD and government;
f. Reward
student leaders with awards, recommendations and other recognition that will
benefit their college prospects.
V.
Keeping the
Vision
19. Strategic Planning. Broaden and deepen the strategic plan and work for buy-in and participation by every member of the school community
a. Expand the strategic plan committee;
b. Expand
the approval process to assure awareness and maximum buy-in by all students,
parents and staff;
c. Define
criteria and measurable outcomes.
20. Core principles. Research and revisit the school’s founding documents and work with past alumni, staff, and parents to help reconnect with the school’s purpose.