All of the stories published in Changing Schools in Louisville (Volume
2, Number 1) are now available on MiddleWeb. If you'd like to order a hard
copy of our newspaper about Louisville middle grades reform, you
can order it here for the price of postage.
Here are the stories published in the paper edition of Volume 2,
Number 1:
Principal
leadership drives middle school reform agenda -- Although middle school
principals in Jefferson County, KY still struggle to find the time they
need to be "leaders of standards-based reform," they say a heightened
awareness in the central office about their key role in reform is leading
to more support and better principal professional development.
Principal Talk -- A group
of middle school principals examine samples of student work and discuss
the pros and cons of using collaborative teacher discussions around student
work to help drive improvements in teaching and learning. Includes
work samples and rubric.
School reform enters the mainstream
as JCPS pushes performance standards -- This update on middle school
reform efforts in the Jefferson County Public Schools finds that the ideas
that have been percolating among some middle school leaders for several
years have begun to gain mainstream acceptance. In part, that's because
"even in the middle schools that many Louisville residents consider
the most successful, (student) proficiency levels are far from statisfying."
Beyond the Buffet -- JCPS
leaders believe better professional development can help teachers rasie
standards and expectations for themselves and their students. But can they
find the time -- and change traditional "cafeteria line" thinking
about teacher training?
Teacher Talk -- Eavesdrop
as a group of 7th grade teachers at Williams Middle School in Louisville,
KY explore the collaborative examination of student work for the first time.
Still Shaping Up -- During
the 1996-97 school year, JCPS middle school leaders recruited a handful
of teachers from each middle school to help push forward the district's
standards-based reforms. But while the experience has been mostly a good
one for members of the "teacher cadre," their influence outside
their own classrooms has been very limited.
School Life with Distinguished
Educator -- About one-half of the middle schools in Jefferson County,
KY are required by state law to use the services of a "distinguished
educator" -- a teacher or principal who has left the schoolhouse for
a year or more to advise schools who have fallen into Kentucky's "decline"
or "crisis" categories. Two DE's answer questions about how their
role as state-sponsored "coaches" mesh with the district's reform
agenda.
Escaping the prison of time
-- A former Kentucky middle school principal shares some ideas about beating
that old school demon, Time.
Bringing down the wall between
parents and schools -- Parents and teachers both need to change if schools
are going to increase learning for all students, says Bev Raimondo, director
of community support for the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.
"Just as professional development for teachers must be fully integrated
into the life of schools today, parent engagement must be woven into every
school's fabric."
Questions and Answers about
Standards and School Reform -- Written specifically for readers in the
Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools, this brief discussion of standards
may be useful to anyone looking for ideas about communicating with a lay
audience.
ORDER THE NEWSPRINT EDITION
To receive a copy of the newsprint version of Changing Schools in Louisville,
send a self-addressed envelope with $1.01 postage to Kevin Kirkwood, The
Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, 250 Park Avenue, Suite 900, New York, NY
10177. Ask for "Changing Schools in Louisville, No. 3."
Back to the Table of Contents for Changing Schools
in Louisville.