Earhart School

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Earhart School
CPS
Chicago Public Schools

• On the Same Page
• Patricia Walsh, Retired Principal
• Cynthia Banks, 8th Grade Teacher
• Stacy Stewart, 7th Grade Teacher

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CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE

• Organization Chart 2007
• Mayor City of Chicago
• Board of Education
• Chief Executive Officer
• Chief Education Officers
• Area Instructional Officers
• Principals
• Teachers

• Operating Budget - 4.406 billion (FY2006-07)
• Local sources 1.882 billion
• State sources 1.584 billion
• Federal sources 0.835 billion
• Per pupil operating expenditures as of FY05-06
• 9,758 operating expenditure per pupil
• 6,875 per capita tuition

Source Chicago Public Schools
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CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE

• Elementary Schools
• (481 total FY2006-07)
• 409 traditional schools
• 39 magnet schools
• 16 middle schools
• 8 gifted schools
• 9 special schools

• Students
• Student Racial Breakdown
• 48.6 African American
• 37.6 Latino
• 8.1 White
• 3.2 Asian/Pacific Isldr.
• 2.4 Multi-Racial
• 0.1 Native American

Source Chicago Public Schools
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CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE

• Local School Councils (each consists of)
• 6 parent representatives
• 2 community representatives
• 2 teachers
• 1 principal
• 1 student representative (High School only)

• Additional Student Information
• 85.6 of students from low-income families
• 19.9 of Illinois public school students attend
  CPS
• 13.7 are limited-English-proficient
• 94.0 attendance rate for elementary schools
• 86.0 attendance rate for high schools
• 92.1 citywide attendance rate

Source Chicago Public Schools
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Source
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AMELIA EARHART SCHOOL

• Safe, engaging and exciting center of learning
  for the whole community.
• Students participate in many activities, clubs
  and programs that support the educational program
  and challenge them to learn and grow outside the
  classroom.
• The faculty, staff, and parents at Amelia Earhart
  School believe that all children can learn.
• Our purpose as a school is clear We want all
  children to succeed in their educational, social
  and personal endeavors.

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EARHART SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION 2006
Source CPS Department of Research, Evaluation
and Accountability
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SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN GOALS

• Improve language arts skills with special
  emphasis on reading, oral language, and
  informational writing
• Improve math skills promote exploration and
  discussion of math concepts
• Increase students understanding and appreciation
  of literature, music, and the visual arts
• Enhance student use of technology to gather,
  organize, present information, problem-solve, and
  communicate
• Help students develop responsible behavior in
  becoming good citizens within the community
• Ensure that faculty and staff participate in
  continuous professional development activities
  that support the curriculum

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School Improvement Job Embedded Professional
Development

• School-Based Problem Solving
• Illinois Standards Achievement
• Learning First Assessment
• Chicago Reading Initiative

• Chicago Math/Science Initiative
• Strategies for Improving Math Problem-Solving
• School Improvement Planning Review
• Technology Integration
• Fine Arts Integration

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Community Engagement Parent Involvement

• General Parent Workshops
• Citywide Parent Workshops
• Selective Enrollment Workshop
• High School Fair
• (6th-8th Grades)
• Family Reading Night
• Magnet Cluster Fair

• Monthly Local School Council Meetings
• Monthly NCLB Parent Meetings
• NCLB Parent Workshops
• Science Fair workshop
• Parents Empowered to Raise Winners
• Reading Tips to Use at Home

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Adequate Yearly Progress-AYP

• The No Child Left Behind Act and Illinois law
  require the State to measure whether our school
  is making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
• AYP is based on the percent of students that
  meet/exceed standards on state tests, both as a
  whole and by different subgroups.

Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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ISAT Reading Meet/ExceedEarhart v. Rest of
Chicago Public Schools
Source Chicago Consortium on School Research
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ISAT Math Meet/Exceed StandardsEarhart v.
Rest of Chicago Public Schools
Source Chicago Consortium on School Research
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2006 Results for 3rd Grade

• Reading 96
• Math 92

Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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2006 Results for 5th Grade

• Reading - 86
• Math 93

Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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2006 Results for 8th Grade

• Reading 100
• Math 85

Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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Excellence-Striving For Perfection Shapes the
Quality of Our Work!
Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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Framing the Problem

• Under the NCLB Act, all students including
  children with exceptionalities are required to
  make progress on state academic content
  assessments 
• Changing demographics
• Need for increased social services
• Facility constraints
• Budgetary constraints

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LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES PATRICIA WALSH
2007

• An instructional leader must provide the
  framework for accountability

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LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

• ROLE PERFORMANCE
• Stimulate and encourage staff to work together
  and share in the decision-making process
• Encourage teachers to strive for learning
  experiences/ methodologies that work for all
  childrenprofessional development
• Emphasize that parents are partners of the school
  and that their involvement is needed and valued
• Develop positive relationship with
  regional/central office personnel

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LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with Local School Council, businesses and
  community leaders, i.e. encourage input in
  governance and on-site visitation.
• Exert positive influence on staff and facilitate
  problem solving options/ maintain stability
• Must be a curriculum leader and change agent
  (transformational leader) i.e. forward looking
  and progressive
• Develop planning calendar

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LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

• PROFESSIONAL VALUES
• Seek excellence in staff/student performance
• Believe that all students can learn/achieve
• Identify exceptionalities and provide
  compensatory and special assistance/accommodations
  
• Develop capacity beyond the here and now (i.e.
  must be visionary and futuristic in thinking) be
  energized about the job/work place
• Monitor and evaluate staff performance/student
  learning

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CHARACTERISTICS OF A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
CLASSROOM

• ROUTINES IN PLACECLASS RULES/DISCIPLINE, FORMAT
  FOR WRITTEN WORK RESPECTFUL OF TIME THROUGHOUT
  THE DAY (ENTRY, HALLS, EXIT) INSTRUCTIONAL TIME
  IS ON TASK.
• CLEAR EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS POSTED TO INFORM
  STUDENTS, OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING STANDARDS
  INCLUDED SETS THE TONE OF LEARNING, RUBRICS ARE
  KNOWN TO STUDENTS

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Planning For Success
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Ongoing Teacher Training
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Doubling and Sustaining Student Performance

• Implementation
• Principal and staff analyze data beginning in
  June.
• Instructional programs are developed based on
  data derived from local and state assessments.
• School-Based Problem Solving is an intervention
  model that is used efficiently and effectively by
  teachers to identify/support struggling students.
  
• Embedded professional development for teachers
  and educational support staff
• Parent communication fostered through use of
  weekly homework sheets, workshops, open house
  nights, newsletters, Local School Council
  meetings, and agenda books.
• Leadership teams that comprise of administrators,
  teachers, parents, staff, and students allow the
  buy-in process to work.

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Reading Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed
State StandardsAnnual Percentage by Gender for
Race African AmericanAll Grades
Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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Reading Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed
State StandardsAnnual Percentage by Free/Reduced
Lunch StatusAll Grades
Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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Math Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed
State StandardsAnnual Percentage by Gender for
Race African AmericanAll Grades
Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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Math Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed
State StandardsAnnual Percentage by Free/Reduced
Lunch StatusAll Grades
Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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Doubling and Sustaining Student Performance

• Advancing Student Learning
• Monthly assessments and grade books were used to
  monitor progress.
• Weekly test preparation
• Weekly Math Prompts
• Bi-monthly Writing Prompts
• Daily Silent Sustained Reading Time
• Report Card Progress was monitored quarterly.
• Authentic student work displayed in all
  classrooms.
• Student teachers in residence
• Internal Review

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Doubling and Sustaining Student Performance

• Funding and Support
• District-wide General Funds
• Supplemental General State Aid
• NCLB Title 1
• IDEALeast Restrictive Environment
• After School Counts Program
• Voluntary Public School Choice Grant
• Parents Making a Difference- Technology
  Fundraiser

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SCHOOLWIDE PROJECTS Cynthia Banks, 8TH Grade
Teacher

• As Lead Teacher (Curriculum Coordinator)
• Work with all grade levels to maintain a dynamic,
  uniform curriculum
• Promotes Independent Reading
• Facilitates schoolwide writing prompts that cover
  all types of writing
• Facilitates schoolwide math promptsboth extended
  and short responses

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Dynamic, Uniform Curriculum

• Basal reader series are uniform from K-6
• Theme Tests
• Skills Assessments
• Grades 6-7 use the same Literature series
• Selection Tests Quizzes
• Skills Vocabulary Development
• Unit Tests

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Test Preparation

• Each classroom implements weekly test preparation
  as part of the curriculum
• Every Friday - 20 minutes
• Principal monitors easily
• Previous Learning First tests are used for
  practice, review, and discussion
• Computer-assisted program, Study Island, which is
  aligned to state curriculum

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Reading Junior Great Books

• Establishes great dialogue and discussions among
  the students
• Student-lead with teacher serving as a
  facilitator
• Students are required to support their views
  using

I really dont agree with your comment because
on page ___ it said
I agree with what ____________ said. I also
think .
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Reading

• Students participate in sustained, silent reading
  for 20 minutes each day after lunch
• Students prepare before lunch
• Bi-annual incentive is awarded
• Monitored by the Principal
• Students are expected to read 25 or more books
  and report in a written or oral format
• Teachers select 3-4 classroom novels to
  supplement the reading program

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Schoolwide Writing

• Prompts are reviewed by the Principal and lead
  teacher and feedback is given to the teachers and
  students
• 1. Teachers introduce the prompt
• 2. Students brainstorm with teacher
• 3. First draft is reviewed for focus, support,
  etc.
• 4. Peer editing, conferencing takes place
• 5. Second draft is completed
• 6. Teacher edits and grades according to rubric
• 7. All papers are submitted to Principal for
  review

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Schoolwide Math Prompts

• Suggested prompts are distributed at the
  beginning of the school year and are due every
  Friday
• Students are taught the importance of
  mathematical knowledge, mathematical strategies,
  and mathematical explanations as suggested by
  NAEP, NCTM, and the Illinois Learning standards

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Schoolwide Math Prompts

• Prompts are viewed by the Principal and lead
  teacher with comments or suggestions given
• Teacher introduces the prompt and probes students
  to see what they know
• Checks for student connection with concepts,
  algorithms, and strategies
• Students complete prompt with work shown and
  written explanation
• All papers are graded according to rubric and
  submitted to Principal

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Schoolwide Activities

• Activities that enhance learning include
• Young Authors
• Schoolwide Spelling Bee
• Academic Bowl
• Book Club
• Battle of the Books
• Chess Club
• Annual Schoolwide Production (Play)
• Magnet Cluster activities and competitions

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SCHOOLWIDE PROJECTS Stacy Stewart, 7th Grade
Teacher

• History Fair is a vital component of history
  education for students in grades k-8.
• Aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards.
• Junior Historians conduct in-depth research and
  formulate partnerships with local historians.
• Students create essays, performances,
  documentaries and exhibits on topics concerning
  Chicago/Illinois History.
• Grants were awarded to the winning participants
  by community donations and school fundraisers.
• National Finalists advanced to Washington D.C.

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SCHOOLWIDE PROJECTSScience Fair

• Science Fair is a vital component of Science
  Education at Earhart School.
• Students apply scientific inquiry skills to other
  subject areas.
• In-depth research conducted by student
  participants
• Collaboration with scientific experts
• Students have advanced to the highest levels of
  city and state competitions.

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2006 ISAT Science Results
Source 2006 School Report Card
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Science Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed
State StandardsAnnual Percentage by Free/Reduced
Lunch StatusGrade 7
Source CPS Office of Research, Evaluation and
Accountability
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Lessons Learned

• Closing the Achievement Gap
• Ongoing professional development in all areas of
  LRE, including how to reach students with
  disabilities that have multiple learning levels
  in the general education classroom, learning
  styles and differentiated instruction.
• Teachers provide small group instruction for
  incoming students who need additional support
  in reading and writing.
• Whats Next For Earhart?
• Continue to offer programs that promote enthusiasm
  , exploration, and 
• academic excellence in an evolving economic
  and scientific- technological community.
• Advice for Other Schools or Districts
• Maintain a student-centered learning environment
• School and the community must work hand in hand
  to maintain open communications throughout the
  year.