Community helps widen Chase County Pride

One of my educational heroes, Todd Whitaker, wrote that “It is the people, not programs, that determine the quality of a school.”
While this might just seem like a cute platitude, research has gone on to prove exactly that.
Robert Marzano and John Hattie each conducted massive studies of schools that came to the same conclusion; for Marzano, student performance is most closely tied to teacher performance; for Hattie, his research found that this effect is amplified when that performance is tied a sense of shared vision and desire.
While it would be easy for me to recount our successes of recent years by listing programs, it is the diligent and passionate work of talented educators that is making those programs successful—the program is just the vehicle to show off their awesome.
Yes, we have a high school Alt. Ed program that will soon graduate a handful of students who were once on the verge of dropping out; but it is the progress tracking that Todd Westover, and the tireless work with those students by Trent Herbert and Joey Lefdal, that really makes that program go.
Our elementary utilizes a structure called RAMP time that is helping students make significant gains in their reading and math skills; but it’s the tireless work of each elementary grade level team, often after hours and on non-contracted time, that gives each student the attention they deserve.
Our middle school, in less than two years, has gone from an idea scribbled in magic marker on a folding table in the boardroom to a highly energetic set of students and teachers who bring the joy back to school every day.
It’s not a schedule, structure or set of curriculum that has made that happen, it has been the team of people that gather together almost daily and ask, “How could we do (situation x) better?” Then, they set out with idealism and enthusiasm to make that happen—even when it means giving up their lunch time to make it happen.
In the next two semesters, our high school will roll out a set of measures to get students struggling with a concept or assignment immediate and timely help with that work. The foremost book on this subject openly admits in its opening chapters that high schools have struggled to make this work—they don’t have examples to share, because there hasn’t been one...yet.

To view more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. https://etypeservices.com/Imperial%20RepublicanID359/

 

The Imperial Republican

308-882-4453 (Phone)

622 Broadway St

PO Box 727

Imperial, NE 69033