|
|
Leading the LearningDistrict-Wide Systems to Accelerate Achievement, K-12 District and school leaders from the Sanger Unified School District present how broad culture shifts at the district level translated to vastly improved learning opportunities in the classrooms, enabling the district and all of its schools to exit Program Improvement status and post impressive student achievement results for the past seven years. They share the best practices they initiated, and the processes they used to encourage and sustain significant changes in adult behaviors to accomplish this impressive district-wide turnaround. Presenters include:
This two-day institute is intended for district teams: Superintendent; Cabinet Members and Directors; Elementary, Middle, and High School Principals and Assistant Principals. (Individuals are also welcome). The institute concludes with each district team identifying key challenges they wish to address in their respective districts in 2011-12, complete with specific objectives, timelines and responsibilities. About the Sanger Unified School District The Sanger Unified School District lies in the middle of California’s Central Valley where the child poverty rate is two to three times the national average. Here families have been locked in a cycle of poor educational outcomes and poverty for decades. Sanger USD has 19 schools including three charter schools, a community day school, and an adult school serving 10,500 students. Like other California school districts, Sanger USD is challenged to educate students from families with limited educational backgrounds, many of whom do not speak English. Eighty percent of district students are poor, 80 percent are minority, and over one fourth are English learners. In 2004, Sanger USD was named one of the 98 lowest performing districts in the State with seven schools, and the district, moving into the Corrective Action Phase of Program Improvement, as called for in the Federal No Child Left Behind Act. Program Improvement can be a life sentence for districts like Sanger USD, especially with increasingly higher thresholds for moving out of PI and ever shrinking resources. Within two years, Sanger USD exited Program Improvement status. All seven schools moved out of Program Improvement within five years. Overall, Sanger USD has shown some of the highest overall achievement gains in the State; 13 schools have been designated as California Distinguished Schools; 12 schools have been designated as Title I Academic Achieving Schools; two schools have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools with one more nomination pending, and all 13 elementary schools were honored for their outstanding character development programs. By the end of the 2008-09 school year, all but one of Sanger’s 13 elementary schools reached the state target of 800 on the Academic Performance Index, with the middle and high schools close behind. Sanger’s story is not about creating a magic bullet, or even a recipe. It is a story about adopting a stance that focuses on student learning, respects teachers and school leaders and invests heavily in their learning, and believes passionately that learning from data and from experience leads to wise decisions inside classrooms and beyond. It is also a story about inspiring people to believe in students and work hard on their behalf. Because Sanger’s leaders believe in the power of evidence to guide new directions, their story does not follow a step-by-step linear path. Rather, they draw upon the work of key researchers, consider new approaches, implement changes, then remain consistent with their belief in the continuous improvement process. The district continues to make new adjustments as new evidence suggests what is and is not working well. Click here to access the Accountability Progress Report for Sanger Unified School District About the Presenters Marcus Johnson, Superintendent “I have worked with districts in all 50 states and every province in Canada,” says nationally known education author and consultant, Richard P. DuFour, “and I consider Marc Johnson the most effective superintendent I have ever seen.” Marc discusses how the district’s vision, mission, policies, goals and priorities focus on the academic achievement of all students, and especially English Learners, Latino students, students with disabilities and other high priority students. He explains how he and the Governing Board keep staff, parents and community informed about the district’s progress toward achieving these goals and implementing the Lead Education Agency Plan. He presents how district leaders develop an organizational culture that supports a coherent, research-based instructional program within the district and across all schools. He stresses how important it is for the Superintendent to “lead the learning” by setting student achievement as the top priority. He describes the “non-negotiables” the district establishes to ensure educational opportunity for students, then explains how each Principal and faculty determine specific programs within those established parameters for their school. This “loose-tight” approach requires reciprocal accountability, meaning if the district requires teachers to use certain elements of effective instruction in the classroom, then it is the district’s responsibility to provide the necessary training and follow-up support. “The district owns the failure if you don’t provide the support,” he says. He explains the elements of effective instruction the district negotiated with the teachers bargaining unit, which are itemized on walk-through forms, and serve as the basis for evaluations. He explains how the “Principal Summit” program encourages site administrators to take the initiative to work in collaboration with faculty members to improve achievement in the schools. Marc was recognized by AASA for restructuring the district’s schools into professional learning communities focused on student learning, and for promoting high quality instruction and teacher collaboration. The criteria for National Superintendent of the Year include leadership for learning, demonstrating creativity in successfully meeting the needs of students in his or her school system; communication, strength in both personal and organizational communication; professionalism, constant improvement of administrative knowledge and skills, while providing professional development opportunities and motivation to others on the education team; and community involvement, active participation in local community activities and an understanding of regional, national and international issues. Rich Smith, Deputy Superintendent An enthusiastic and persuasive speaker, Mr. Smith presents the steps this diverse, low-income district took to exit Program Improvement status and achieve impressive student performance results. He provides a detailed analysis of the criteria used to determine Program Improvement status and suggests how a district should approach the effort to exit. While all subgroups in the district are succeeding, he presents how the district supports innovative approaches for students with disabilities, English Learners, and Latino students. He explains the key role professional learning communities play in each school, and shares how they are structured and supported. He describes the elements of standards-based effective instruction that the district negotiated with the bargaining unit, including clearly stated lesson objectives, checking for understanding and student engagement. He shares how student progress is frequently assessed and how teachers use the professional learning community system to review results and determine next steps. He provides examples of the Response to Intervention program in the district. He describes how he mentors Principals in the district to help them develop capacity as effective leaders. Rich has been involved in Public Education in the Central Valley for over 35 years. He has taught at the elementary and high school levels. He has also served as a Special Education Resource teacher. He served as principal for four different elementary schools, as a high school administrator for nine years, and at the district office level for ten years in a wide variety of positions. He was named as Administrator of the Year for the Clovis Unified School District in 1998 for his work at the high school level. He came to Sanger USD in 2004 as the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and also served as Associate Superintendent before being named Deputy Superintendent in 2007. He has worked tirelessly to build and strengthen a culture of collaboration throughout his district and was a driving force in the reform efforts that have lead to Sanger USD gains in student achievements and recognition as a district of excellence. As a result of the District’s turn around over the past six years, Rich has accepted numerous speaking opportunities to share Sanger’s success stories and the power of PLCs throughout California. Additionally, over 160 districts from throughout California have visited Sanger Unified to see first hand the power of collaboration. Daniel Chacon, Principal, Sanger High School Sanger High School was recognized as a California State Distinguished School in 2005 and 2009, and a Title One Academic Achievement School in 2006 and 2007. However in 2002, Sanger High School had been identified as an underperforming school and participated in the Governor’s Immediate Intervention for Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP). The catalyst for improved student achievement began with the II/USP process and progressed into a school driven by professional learning communities. Daniel explains the focus on effective instruction in the classroom, which includes standards-based learning objectives, checking for understanding, and emphasizing student engagement. He discusses his approach to working with teachers who are reluctant to embrace fully all components of the instruction model. He shares the walk-through form he and the other school administrators use to monitor instruction in the school. He shares the school’s comprehensive program to inform students about all components of the CAHSEE and prepare them in the most optimum manner to perform well on the exam. He explains how the specific, targeted intervention program provides the assistance students need to master the standards-based learning objectives in the core subjects. He shares examples of the frequent assessments that measure student understanding, then explains how the subject matter teams on campus meet in the professional learning communities to analyze student performance and determine next best steps to improve achievement. Enrollment: 2800 Socioecomonically Disadvantaged: 74 percent Click here to access the Accountability Progress Report for Sanger High School Jon Yost, Principal, Washington Academic Middle School Jon reports on the school’s guiding belief to, “make it easier to succeed than to fail.” He explains how teachers and administrators have worked diligently over the past three years to change their culture and implement professional learning communities. PLC’s have been at the core of their school improvement, with a chief result being improved performance for both students with disabilities and English Learners. They have systematically incorporated many layers of intervention within their Response to Intervention pyramid. They had over a 30 percent failure rate in core classes four years ago and it was under 6 percent this past year. The school’s can-do spirit is encompassed in their motto: “We Can, We Will, We’re WAMS.” Over 20 districts visited WAMS during the 2009-10 school year, observing the school’s effective practices to help ALL students learn. WAMS focuses on making sure all students are prepared for high school by the end of their eighth grade year. The school strongly encourages students to get involved. Multiple opportunities are offered for students to participate in athletics, performing arts, academic teams, and clubs. Washington Academic Middle School was recently named as a one of five 2011 “High Performing Model Middle Schools” in California’s Schools to Watch program. JoDee Marcellin, Principal, Lincoln Elementary School Dr. JoDee Marcellin is an elementary principal at Lincoln Elementary in Sanger Unified School District, which is one of fourteen elementary schools in the district and serves 380 K-5 students. Approximately 94% of the students are Hispanic, 4% are White, 54% are English Learners, and 14% are Special Education. Lincoln also educates all elementary Special Day Students in the district. Additionally, Lincoln exited Program Improvement in 2009 and has continued to grow from an API of 612 (2004) to 772 (2010). Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI), and Response to Interventions (RtI) create a systematic foundation for Lincoln’s success. JoDee began her educational career at Sanger High School teaching science and health for three years, and then served as assistant principal for seven years. Following her tenure at the high school, JoDee worked as K-12 curriculum coordinator for three years. JoDee has been involved with CalSTAT and the Riverside County Achievement Team (RCAT) for over ten years. These relationships provided opportunities to develop and implement facilitation skills, which were cultivated in her work with the Golden Bell Award winning Sanger Academic Achievement Leadership Team (SAALT). As the SAALT coordinator, JoDee oversaw the professional development needs of Sanger Unified in the areas of systems change, educational leadership, PLCs, EDI, and RtI. She currently uses this breadth of knowledge to improve school and community relationships at Lincoln Elementary. JoDee received her Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in athletic training, her Masters Degree in Public Health, and her Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from California State University at Fresno. JoDee is proud to work alongside some of the best educators in the nation who are passionate about facilitating success of ALL students. JoDee struggled as a student growing up and consistently works to ensure Every Day, Every Child, Whatever it takes! Enrollment: 390 Socioeconomically Disadvantaged: 100 percent Click here to access the Accountability Progress Report for Lincoln Elementary The Program Find out what steps Sanger USD took at the district and school levels to exit Program Improvement status, and post impressive students achievement results. The Sanger District and school leaders will present information in key note speeches; job- alike break-out sessions (Superintendent, Cabinet members, Elementary, Middle and High School); a Principal “Summit” demonstration; and facilitated discussions among the job-alike groups to help participants determine what they wish to focus on in 2011-12. Date, Time and Location Monday and Tuesday, June 20-21, 2011 Hilton Ontario Airport Hotel To access the online registration form, please click here. To access the registration form in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, please click here. Fees and Cancellation Cost: $465 per person (until June 7); $570 on or after June 8 (subject to space availability) Cancellations received by June 7, 2011 will be subject to a $50 fee. All materials included |
|