School Visits

Flying fish, art museums, too many cups of coffee, too many pints of beer, and three school visits. That pretty much sums up the last ten days of life. Needless to say, my trip to Seattle was great, but very busy! Seeing what other schools are doing in terms of learning support really provided me with some clarity. I just want to highlight a few bits and pieces from each program.

My first visit was to Klahowya Secondary School, where I spent the first four years of my teaching career. Great people, great kids, but way too driven by data, test scores, and state standards. I was mostly interested in their zero/zero program and a program they call academy. The zero/zero program targets students who turn in late work and the academy program is set up for all students, providing access to extra support at the end of each school day. One program was reactive, while the other was very proactive. I liked the academy program, as it was available to all students, implemented school-wide, and was developed using existing structure and staff. The zero/zero program seemed to be fulfilling it purpose in that kids are not turning in late work, but many of the teachers that I spoke with questioned its impact on learning and its punitive approach.

My second school visit was with Seattle Academy. SAAS is a GREAT school. It is one of those schools that makes you wish you could go back to high school and be a student there (a very scary thought, especially for me)! The faculty at SAAS was very genuine and welcoming. The school has a "culture of performance" that resonates throughout their multi-block urban campus. SAAS has a learning support department that is available to student who need extra support and assistance in navigating their school experience. Their learning support classes have a 4:1 ratio and focus on "helping students understand their strengths and weaknesses, learn how to access resources to overcome their weaknesses, set personal goals, collaborate with peers and adults, and advocate for themselves." Along with learning support, SAAS has developed a note-taking resource for their struggling and excelling note-takers. Basically, students who take really great notes can post their notes in a share file and receive service hours. Students who are more challenged when it comes to taking notes can access these notes to help them study, prepare, or learn how to take better notes. It is a wonderful system that I noticed the students in the support classes using on a regular and very consistent basis. Probably the best part of my visit was hearing the perspectives of the academic teachers, regarding the support department. All of the teachers felt very positive about the learning support program, noting that it really took the burden/responsibility off of their shoulders, as they felt they were not alone in supporting students with learning challenges.

My third visit was with Lakeside School. Both the upper and middle school offer learning support services. I was fortunate to sit down with the learning resources coordinator at both levels.

Middle School
The middle school has a student life department that is staffed by a student support team. The student support team includes a counselor, two brain and learning lab specialists, and a family support liaison. The student life department also oversees the life skills curriculum. The life skills curriculum is taught at the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade level, with each grade level driven by three essential questions: Where have I come from? Where am I going? Who am I now?

Upper School
The upper school houses a learning resources center. The learning resources coordinator, Rosalyn Schiller, wears many different hats. First, she coordinates all on-site peer and professional tutoring. She facilitate a student support team who meet weekly to develop action plans for students. She documents the post evaluation process, creating student profiles. Lastly, she keeps track of extended time and the communication between parents, teachers, and students about eligibility for accommodations on National Standard Exams. She probably does more jobs than I have listed here. She is an incredible resource! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to meet her.

All of my school visit were extremely insightful. I am so grateful that I was able to sneak a peek at different models. I feel like I have more of a sense of what is doable, manageable, and sustainable.