A School Turnaround Success You Never Heard About! Charlotte M Murkland Elementary School in Lowell, MA, is a success story, which the media has chosen to ignore. That explains why you’ve not heard about it before now. “Why,” you ask? Apparently, the reason is quite simple. Murkland did not use the turnaround model so loved by media pundits. It created its success in quite another way. In a way that proves that public schools can, indeed, reform themselves. In a way that mirrors the successes of 27 Washington State “School Improvement Grants” (SIG) schools. And that’s a story media pundits do not want told. How did Murkland achieve its success? Here are ten reasons, as shared by EduShyster: edushyster/?p=3296 1. Kick-Ass Superintendent: “…tapping the collective wisdom of classroom teachers in order to solve problems…” In today’s world, experienced teachers are vilified as unworthy of consideration as professionals. Not so, at Murkland. 2. Union as a Partner: “Superintendent Chris Scott conducted a school-by-school listening tour with the president of the United Teachers of Lowell. Her goal: to hear the candid views of the city’s teachers about what was and wasn’t working in their schools.” Being recognized by leadership as having a viable and important role in improving schools is a very empowering experience. 3. Actually Interested: Teachers told their new superintendent that, “they were on the receiving end of an unending stream of initiatives, many of which bore no relation to what they needed to do their jobs.” 4. Bring Everybody Together: “The plan … was fundamentally a team effort that involved teachers, administrators and union leaders from the very beginning.” This has led to an enthusiastic staff response. 5. Great School Leaders: “The administrators at the Murkland … inspired their staff by acknowledging that they didn’t have all of the answers. That admission of vulnerability was *key* to transforming the culture of the school.” A culture of “help me help this school” is far more empowering that a culture of “here’s what I expect you to do to help this school.” 6. Look in the Mirror, Not out the Window: “This is the Murkland mantra …. teachers and administrators direct their energy at what they have the power to change.” This also means concentrating on the things that impact student learning and are within the power of the school to change. 7. What Great Teaching Looks Like: “The emphasis at the school has shifted away from individual teachers; they now work in teams within and across grade levels.” Experienced educators have maintained for decades that successful teaching is a “collaborative process”. Murkland seems to be proving that. 8. Team Really Means Team: “While the turnaround plan included a merit pay component, additional pay didn’t go to individual teachers who boosted test scores the highest but was shared amongst everyone at the schools, including janitors and cafeteria workers.” Research has repeatedly show that “merit pay” doesn’t work on an educational model. Apparently, Murkland understood this. 9. Professional Development: “At the Murkland, the teachers themselves are encouraged to become the experts and regularly present to their fellows on the latest research about effective teaching.” The chain of external experts of uncertain value was broken and replaced with further team building exercises in improvement. 10. Miracle Didn’t Happen Overnight: “The Murkland’s turnaround began in 2009 and the school has showed steady and impressive growth each year since then.” Anyone who tells you he/she can turn around your school in a year or two knows too little about the process to be given any real responsibility for change. The parallel between Murkland Elem School and Washington state’s SIG schools is a valuable lesson. Looking into the 27 Washington state SIG schools, which SPI Randy Dorn has said have out shown virtually all 1700 of the nation’s SIG schools, will reveal stories similar to Murkland. And they share another commonality; you’ve heard little or nothing about them. They deserve to become part of your educational reform lexicon.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 17:02:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015