(Vol. 1, No. 1 - Winter 1996/1997)

Is your middle school a N.I.C.E. place to be?

By John Norton

You drive into the school parking lot and pull into a convenient visitor's spot. There's a friendly sign directing you to the correct entrance.

You walk in the front door. The hallway is clean and bright. Amid the colorful examples of student work, the way to the school office is clearly marked.

As you walk into the office, you're greeted by a member of the school staff. If you're a familiar visitor, they'll call you by name and make you feel welcome. You might even get a cup of coffee.
The adults in the office speak to each other in a professional manner. If there are students present, they're treated respectfully by the staff.

The staff attends to your request promptly. If you need to take a seat, there's one available. If you need information about the school, the PTA, or the academic program, one of the staff knows right where it is. As you leabe, someone tells you they're glad you came by.

Have you made a wrong turn somewhere? Is this the Twilight Zone? Why is this school so darned, umm . . . nice?

Hey, it's a N.I.C.E. place -- what did you expect? Surely you noticed the bright red and blue banner declaring the school a "Neighborly, Inviting Center of Education." The banner certifies the school has meet the criteria established by the JCPS Middle School Coalition, a community organization that brings together school officials, parents, community and business leaders -- and the 15th District PTA.

If it all sounds a little warm and fuzzy to you, or suspiciously like a school district public relations gimmick, Coalition organizers beg to differ.

"Schools have to work to be N.I.C.E.," says Coalition chair Lynn Rippy. "This isn't about window dressing. It's about making some real changes to become user-friendly."

Rippy sees the N.I.C.E. program as a logical extension of the school district's emphasis on setting standards for students and schools. "It's a good, understandable example of how standards can improve a school," she says. "In this case, we're not talking about instruction but about community relations, but the principle's the same."

Before a school earns the N.I.C.E. designation, it must survive anonymous telephone calls and a surprise visit by a Coalition team -- all aimed at evaluating the courtesy and helpfulness of the school staff. The team visit is reminescent of a restaurant inspection, as each member fills out a score sheet rating accessibility, appearance, climate, communication, and information.

What's the big deal? If you're a parent or guardian of a school-age child (or have been), you're not likely to ask that question. It's the rare parent who hasn't received a rude or indifferent reception from a school employee. Rippy tells the story of a mother with a baby on her hip who banged on the fortress-like entrance of a downtown middle school until a secretary finally opened the door, announced gruffly that "we're testing today" and slammed it in the woman's face.

"We know it goes on every day," says Susan Shortt, the JCPS staff member who serves as coordinator of the Coalition. "It may seem like a small thing, but when one secretary brushes off one parent, it can have a very negative effect out in the neighborhood."

In fact, the school secretary is often the key figure in establishing a school's atmosphere, says United Parcel Service's Cindy Read, who co-chairs the Coalition's community engagement committee. To help schools prepare for the N.I.C.E. campaign, UPS invited a group of school secretaries to participate in some of the company's customer relations training. "The feedback from the secretaries was tremendous," says Read. "It gave them some new skills and a sense that what they do is important."

Lassiter Middle School agreed to serve as the N.I.C.E. guinea pig -- and became the first school to display the red and blue banner in October. Principal Fred Harbison says his commitment to the program grew out of personal experiences.

"I was going to schools where you couldn't even find the entrance to get in," he recalls. "What kind of message does that send? One of our staff took something to four or five middle schools last year and she was really kind of shocked at the rude reception she received when she went into the main office. And she was a school employee!"

Why should schools care? "Schools can have a lot more success with parents and the community if they become 'user-friendly,'" Harbison says. "Ultimately, it impacts on student achievement."

JCPS Superintendent Stephen Daeschner has thrown his full support behind the N.I.C.E. campaign; he believes it will become a regular process with standards that rise over time. "I want to see it in every school in the district," he says.

Shortt is quick to say that the N.I.C.E. school program isn't a cure-all. But it is a conversation starter, she says. "There is no one-shot deal that will solve this problem. It finally has to come from within. We don't want nice buildings, we want nice people. The N.I.C.E. program is something that starts people thinking."

To learn more about the N.I.C.E. program or the other work of the Middle School Coalition, call Susan Shortt at 502-485-3946.