by Robert Pritchard, Ed.D. | Feb 13, 2020 | Updates
Community members frequently stop me to chat about our facilities and learning spaces. We have made some significant capital improvements over the past two summers and I am pleased to report that most of the feedback has been positive, and I am reminded that there are always improvements to be made. Some folks have suggested that we “do more” in order to promote equity, access, and opportunity on all of our campuses and on a scale that better meets the needs of our students and society. With this in mind, our District-wide Facilities Committee has been meeting with our architects to consider facilities improvements on all of our campuses. On February 27, 2020, our Board of Education will meet with our governance team and architects to explore imaginative possibilities to make improvements to our learning environments.
The SOCSD governance team will consider the research of architects Randall Fielding and Prakash Nair as a framework for developing a scope of work to support modern learning. In their book, The Language of School Design (2005), Nair and Fielding categorize school facilities design patterns according to six groupings. These six groupings provide a framework for understanding the types of projects that will best serve our students and will be considered when designing and planning future capital project upgrades. These are:
- Parts of the Whole: These are spaces in a school building that serve a particular function such as learning studios and casual eating areas. Other spaces are fitness/wellness centers and labs. Of course, classrooms and performance spaces are also included in this category. At SOCSD we believe that the “learning is in the doing” and this state is frequently achieved by getting students out from behind their desks.
- Spatial Quality: Projects that consider spatial quality as part of the design process emphasize characteristics such as flexibility and transparency. At SOCSD, we have recently accomplished this through furniture and equipment upgrades, but understand that the buildings themselves need to be renovated to support these improvements. These improvements include dispersed technology, indoor/outdoor connectivity, and variety (spaces that are non-standardized are symptomatic of an innovative mindset).
- Brain-Based: Patterns in this category deal with the design of spaces that stimulate the brain in ways that are beneficial to learning and overall human development. These designs address the manner in which spaces can be adapted to multiple intelligences and are figuratively described as watering-holes, caves, and campfires. While we don’t have any formal examples of these types of spaces at SOCSD, we are excited at exploring brain-based learning environments in our schools.
- High Performance: Our teaching staff (and learning community) has expressed a desire to use our facilities as a “3D Textbook” which considers topics such as sustainability, recycling, energy performance. Director of Facilities Jack Rallo has initiated a student co-curricular program that addresses energy performance issues in our buildings and has tremendous curricular implications. In this category, we will also consider how air quality (natural ventilation), color and full-spectrum lighting impact climate, and student/staff performance.
- Community Connected: One of our slogans at SOCSD is “Together We Can” which reflects our aim to integrate the community at-large into everything that we do. This is especially important for both practical and symbolic purposes. Practically speaking, these buildings are publicly-owned assets and are a manifestation of our communal talents. We want our students to be inspired and guided by the expertise and generosity of our multifaceted community. Symbolically speaking, our facilities are the hearth of our community for alumni and non-alumni alike. This is where we nurture our children’s growth and make our voices heard concerning our aspirations for them. Our schools, therefore, represent our commitment to something greater than ourselves and it is only natural that we (children and children-at-heart) respond to the iconic features of the physical campuses. I recently facilitated a guided tour of Tappan Zee High School for the TZHS Class of 1967 and was amazed at how each alumnus connected to the physical attributes of the building (upon seeing the TZHS stage, one alumna spontaneously broke into song and performed a musical number from the high school play in which she was cast when she was as a student in the late 1960’s). Welcoming entryways create a powerful first impression, but every subsequent space has a story to tell and the impact on our students can be profound and immeasurable.
- Higher Order: This category “brings-it-all-together” since it synchronizes the functionality of multiple subpatterns. For example, we recently met with representatives of the Tappan Zee High School staff to consider capital improvements to our high school facility. I was impressed by science teacher Jim Keelty, who provided a conceptual sketch of an “applied science wing” which could be an integrated space for multiple academic disciplines. An example of such design patterns can be viewed at the Designshare.com website. Above all, safety and security features are a top-priority and integrated in all designs.
Our aim is to move away from stand-alone, factory-model classroom designs, and transform our learning spaces districtwide to “Elevate, Engage, and Inspire” our students. Our ability to evolve and adapt with the needs of our changing society will require the contributions and commitments from all of our stakeholders. In the days and weeks to come, I look forward to hearing more from our community on this topic and am excited to share our progress.
Fielding, R. (2006). Best Practice in Action: Six Essential Elements that Define Educational Facility Design. CEFPI Planner. Retrieved from http://www.designshare.com/images/SixEssentialElementsIllustrated.pdf
by Robert Pritchard, Ed.D. | Jan 24, 2020 | Updates
As a nation, we are committed to compulsory education for children because we see value in providing a meaningful academic experience for all. This sense of value goes beyond mere compliance with compulsory education laws due to our perception of schools’ role in making our society a better place. A few weeks ago, I surveyed our stakeholders (parents, students, staff, and community members) to determine the three words or terms that represent aspirational goals which each stakeholder believes should be at the heart of our school district’s mission. The results of the survey illustrated our shared desire to develop our children into individuals who possess a strong sense of character and who are intellectually curious. The purpose of gaining this insight into the aspirations of our community was to develop our “North Star” as a point of common allegiance to a set of shared values. Here are some of the concepts and ideals that our stakeholders identified as aspirational values that are worthy of our commitments as a school district:
- A respectful learning environment for self and others;
- Students who have a sense of perseverance and who are responsible for their success;
- Kindness and compassion for others;
- A climate wherein all students feel secure and are safe;
- A community where all are inspired to learn and grow;
- A curriculum that stresses civic values in addition to mastery of academic content;
- Inclusivity and equity for all learners;
- Integrity and honesty in the face of challenging or difficult situations
These concepts guided our school district leaders towards the development of a values-focused mission. Based on the feedback we received from the survey, our next step was to connect the values of our community to our aspirational vision which will be:
- To deliver the highest quality education;
- To develop well-rounded students;
- To foster a community based upon respect, responsibility, caring and citizenship;
- To encourage diversity of ideas that is inclusive of different backgrounds and cultures;
- To provide a safe and nurturing environment where every student can work toward his or her full potential.
The third step towards developing our SOCSD Mission Statement, or “North Star”, involved bringing this feedback to our Extended Leadership Team (XLT) who drafted and developed value-propositions, or very rough drafts of possible mission statements. Our XLT is a group of instructional leaders (teachers and administrators) from all four SOCSD schools who were tasked with expressing the values of our community by drafting well-articulated statements of student success. After our XLT meeting on January 15, we had six draft mission statements that captured the spirit and intent that was articulated in the responses to our survey. Ultimately, we should only have one mission statement for our school district, so our next step was to identify and understand the themes and guideposts that were expressed by our XLT.
The fourth step in the process of finding our North Star was to have our Board of Education review the community’s feedback along with the value-propositions that were drafted by the XLT. At our January 23 Board of Education Workshop, the Board of Education trustees and several administrators analyzed the work of our stakeholder groups in order to identify themes and to develop an initial draft of our mission statement. To this end, our SOCSD Board of Education identified the following themes:
- High expectations / challenging curriculum;
- Future readiness and forward thinking students;
- Civics minded curriculum with an emphasis on “respect” as a civic value;
- Personalized learning for all students making every attempt to customize learning experiences for students based on interests and student choice;
- Equitable access to resources and opportunities in order that each child may reach his/her fullest potential
At the close of our Board of Education Workshop on January 23, the five themes listed above brought us one step closer to clarifying our North Star. Based upon our interpretation and understanding of the values and beliefs held by our stakeholders we are finalizing our official mission statement. This mission statement will be a powerful tool by which our school district can both achieve and measure student growth and readiness. We will accomplish this by elevating, engaging, and inspiring all students to succeed now and in the future and are committed to providing unique and differentiated experiences that ensure all students achieve their fullest potential. The Board of Education expects to formally adopt our SOCSD Mission Statement at an upcoming Board of Education meeting and wishes to thank all of those who contributed to this process.
by Robert Pritchard, Ed.D. | Jan 3, 2020 | Updates
Happy 2020! Did you make any resolutions? I always do, but the funny thing about my annual goal-setting process (a.k.a resolutions) is that my new goals are often just a recalibration of the goals that I already have in place. Here’s why: Because my resolutions take more than one year to achieve. My resolutions really look more like “healthy habits.” These healthy habits fit into a long range plan that may require several years to accomplish those established goals. Back in 2017, I wrote a blog that considered how our school district sets goals and what steps we take to ensure that we achieve those goals.
The SOCSD Board of Education and I work collaboratively, to establish expectations for ourselves and our students that reflect the aspirations of our community and society as a whole. Like any “resolution” it is important to have a plan to achieve goals, monitor progress, and analyze our progress. At each of our Board of Education Meetings, throughout the year, we do just that. So…Here are my New Year’s Resolutions (er…umm, goals) for the year:
Students will meet or exceed their building’s annual performance targets at all four schools (Focus Area A)
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- Target: Graduation Rates (TZHS) will improve in accordance with ESSA performance targets.
- Target: College, Career, and Civic Readiness will improve in accordance with ESSA performance targets. Incentive participation in high-level coursework and grade-appropriate action steps.
- Target: Academic Readiness will improve in accordance with ESSA performance targets (SOMS forecasting model). Academic Readiness is a function of student achievement and academic progress.
Collaboratively review, revise and enhance practices that guide the district’s efforts to recruit, evaluate and retain high-quality staff members (Focus Area B)
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- Target: Collaboratively update district-wide APPR plan, implement performance reviews for probationary teachers and standardize evaluation protocols for administrative team.
- Target: Increase clarity of certified hiring process through establishing recruitment flowchart and corresponding guidelines, while drawing upon district data to direct staff diversification.
- Target: Conduct look back of SOCSD staff attendance data, based upon NCTQ Attendance Study (2013), as a means to determine next steps.
Increase the quality of the digital presence for SOCSD. (Focus Area C)
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- Target: Website platform review and implementation
- Target: Student Management System/Parent Portal review and implementation
- Target: Improved data management and analytics
All schools will achieve their student engagement targets in the areas of attendance, discipline, and overall school climate (Focus Area D)
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- Target: Chronic absenteeism will decrease in accordance with ESSA performance targets.
- Target: The number of students with multiple discipline referrals will decrease in accordance with ESSA performance targets.
- Target: The School District “Climate Data” will improve in accordance with ESSA performance targets.
Equity, Access, Opportunity for ALL students (Focus Area E)
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- Target: The “District Comprehensive Master Plan” will provide a systemic, diagnostic tool for strategic deployment of capital resources in order to meet the future needs of the SOCSD academic program.
- Target: In compliance with ESSA, the District will advance educational equity in all four schools by ensuring that all students have equitable access to the highest quality educational opportunities, rigorous coursework, services, and supports in schools that effectively provide instruction to prepare all students for success in college, career, and citizenship.
- Target: The District Comprehensive Safety Plan will provide an integrated approach to ensure the social-emotional, physical, developmental well-being, and environmental safety of all students, staff, and community members.
by Robert Pritchard, Ed.D. | Dec 19, 2019 | Updates
As the new year approaches, I would like to wish everyone in the South Orangetown Community a happy and healthy holiday season! This past year was a period of intense growth that was the function of our commitment to building a culture of excellence. After we return from our winter recess this January, we will rededicate ourselves towards reaching every student by making them feel cared for and empowered. In 2020, we will continue to make relationship-building our top priority because positive relationships are the currencies upon which a culture of excellence is built.
This is the season when many of our families celebrate the importance of joy, peace, hope and love. These are not unfamiliar concepts in our school culture and I am challenging each of our employees at SOCSD to be, what Jimmy Casas refers to as “merchants of hope” for all students. In his book, Culturize, Jimmy Casas suggests that we educators can evoke positive responses from our students and build a productive school culture by:
- Bringing our best to work every day, whatever our best may be that day. Be grateful that we get the opportunity to make a positive impact on a child every day!
- Giving two minutes of our time to one student and one staff member every day. Be intentional with our time and then follow up with a quick word or note. The small things can make all the difference.
- Being empathetic. Taking the time to understand, share, and be sensitive to another person’s feelings is critical in building a culture of trust. Every student and staff member will face some sort of challenge at one time or another.
- Valuing the mistakes of others. Risk takers are born here. If we make a mistake, own it, apologize, and work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
- Modeling forgiveness – if we want to be effective leaders, we must be willing to sincerely accept an apology and move on. Believe that most people’s intentions are good.
- Understanding that we will not always see immediate results when working with kids. Be patient and think long-term. Many are just testing a system which has failed them many times over long before we came into the picture.
- Having high standards for all kids every day. Do not make excuses for kids based on race, socio-economic class, environment or poor parenting, etc. Believe in all kids all of the time (it also helps if you love them all of the time too!)
- Acknowledging inappropriate behavior of kids. By not doing so we are sending a message that they are not worth it or we have given up. If we hesitate to correct poor behavior based on their response to us, we have become part of the problem.
- Not being negative. Constant complaining and being negative about kids, staff, work environment, etc. without offering a solution says more about us than it does about those who we are complaining about. Bring positive energy every day.
- Taking time to smile/laugh and encourage others to have fun. When it is no longer fun to go to work, it is time to do something else.
Again, here’s wishing all of our families, friends, staff, and students a joyous holiday season (filled with hope, peace, and love)…I am looking forward to seeing everyone back after the winter recess well-rested and ready to learn!
by Robert Pritchard, Ed.D. | Dec 6, 2019 | Updates
Strong community coherence and commitment to shared goals is a guiding principle for improving student learning outcomes at SOCSD. A few years ago, we developed a vision statement that expresses our desire to ELEVATE, ENGAGE and INSPIRE students by building a culture of:
- High expectations where students will possess the knowledge and skills that will prepare them for a variety of post-graduation options.
- Healthy, productive, and supportive relationships between students, staff, families, and the community.
- Equitable access to opportunities in order for students and staff to pursue their full potential as responsible citizens and lifelong learners.
To this end, we recently invited students, staff, families and community members to reflect upon the vision statement and share the three words or terms that represent aspirational goals which they believe should be at the heart of our school district’s mission. If you haven’t done so already, Please take a moment to read the message to the community and complete the short survey.
It is important to note that the vision statement is firmly rooted in the research of Richard Elmore’s Internal Coherence Framework. The Coherence Framework suggests that the essential interaction between teacher, student, and content creates the basis of learning and is the first place that schools should look to improve student learning. We used this research to develop the “ELEVATE, ENGAGE, and INSPIRE” vision which is much more than just a motto or a slogan. This vision is built upon a framework that creates the conditions for continuous improvements in our schools. In plain English, the vision statement is an expression of our aspirations to:
Elevate – We are promoting student readiness through our work with our Curriculum Council and Building-Level Teams (BLT). An elevated curriculum is one that is relevant and meaningful and reflects our commitments to college and career readiness and promotes equity, opportunity, and access for all students.
Engage – We are developing a cadre of teachers who are highly skilled at delivering engaging instruction through our efforts to recruit, evaluate and retain high-quality staff members. Recently, our teacher leaders and administrators met to engage in the process of data inquiry. We are actively engaged in the analysis of root causes and are eager to explore further how to better engage students in the process of learning. A special thanks to our District Coordinator of Data, Assessment and Accountability, Ms. Jeanne Corcoran for her leadership towards a more meaningful approach towards data use.
Inspire – We are encouraging our students to become inspired to make the world a better place as a component of their learning. There are all sorts of examples of our SOCSD students who are actively involved in serving the community through co-curricular (interscholastic sports, academic teams, music performance) and extracurricular involvement (student clubs and activities). Most recently, we have seen the efforts of our students participating in humanitarian and not-for-profit fundraising through the Powderpuff Football Game, FIRST Robotics Competition, and the “service components” of the many honor societies at our secondary schools. A debt of gratitude is due to our community members who generously support these student endeavors with their “time, talents, and treasures” and to our Family Engagement Center (FEC) Coordinator, Ms. A.J. Walker.
So…where do we go from here and how can the community become further involved (if you haven’t done so already)? Well, at its January 23 workshop, the Board of Education will continue to develop and refine its mission statement as it relates to making us more cohesive as a community of learners with an emphasis on promoting and protecting our “Instructional Core.” To make this meeting as productive as possible, again, we need your participation and want to hear from you. Please take a moment to read the message to the community and complete the short survey at:
https://blogs.socsd.org/2016socsd/2019/12/06/board-reflects-on-climate-culture-and-mission/
Thank you again for your continued support of our schools and I look forward to sharing updates on this important work.
Reference:
Richard F. Elmore, School Reform from the Inside Out: Policy, Practice, and Performance (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Press, 2004)
