group of dedicated leaders and teachers. The path just might not be as
well-tended.
district initiatives. A teacher under the pressure of too many “programs”
is never going to implement with the fidelity or depth that makes a
difference. Our question becomes, then, how to make it part of doing
business, not an additional duty or requirement. The whole idea of
commitment vs. compliance comes up a lot.
Our most valuable resource has proved to be
the teachers and leaders in our schools. They
are the ones who make or break the work.
Data from Findley Elementary School’s Pilot years is impressive, and
was a strong contributing factor in the Cohort 2 expansion. Highlights
include:
• A reduction in out-of-school suspensions by 57% and overall
behavior referrals by 35%
What resources were most valuable in the process? Were there
certain resources you needed at different stages of the journey?
Did they evolve?
• Average daily attendance rose to 96%
• The mobility rate dropped dramatically from 31% to 12%
Our most valuable resource has proved to be the teachers and leaders
in our schools. They are the ones who make or break the work.
Developing a responsive and respectful collegiality with those teachers
and principals makes all the difference. They are the ones telling us
what is working and what they need. Without that, the logic model fails.
In the age of information there is just a mountain of texts and websites,
so no one stands out. It all comes down to people.
• An after-school drama program drew over 80 students
• Parent-teacher conference attendance grew from 82% to 98%
• 100% of teachers at Findley agreed that the arts contributed to
heightened ambition of instruction and overall improvement of the
school environment.
• Math proficiency gained 11.4% and reading proficiency gained 2.5%
How have students and teachers responded to the initiative?
What have been some tangible and intrinsic results from this
work?
Right now, in the larger cohort, we are really working on adult actions.
There is a positive response to the work – teachers get it. Where our
struggles seem to persist is how this works with other building or
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Actor and former White House advisor Kal Penn spends a day at Harding Middle School
Photo Credit: Des Moines Public Schools