The first person I heard speak about "core values" was Dr. Todd Whitaker, several years ago when he came to Perry Central to speak. He talked about defining our core values and how all of our decisions really stem from those. I held core values that guided my actions before Dr. Whitaker's speech--I just had not called them by that name or written them down on paper. Since that time, we have gone through several iterations of school improvement plans where we are required to articulate our school's mission, vision, beliefs and values. There is one in particular that always makes the list.
All students can learn.
That seems like a simple enough statement, yet if we really believe it--if it is a core value--then it drives our actions in significant ways. It changes the expectations we have of students, and it is no longer good enough that the only best and brightest students achieve. If all students can learn, then we play a part in all of them achieving academic goals. If they can learn, but they do not, we are called to respond.
The writers and researchers of a school improvement approach called "Professional Learning Communities" (PLCs) advocate for a "whatever it takes" system in which clear learning goals are identified, student performance is measured against those goals, and then a system is in place that provides support to ensure that students meet or exceed the goals. Proponents of a PLC assert that if we say we believe that all students can learn, then we had better walk that talk with systems of support to ensure that students do, indeed, learn.
Robert Marzano, a leading educational researcher, talks about highly reliable organizations--ones that achieve their mission--and their laser-like focus that mission. He uses this analogy. Imagine if a company's payroll software stopped working the day before checks were issued. Pretty much everything in the organization would stop, and all systems would wrap support around fixing the payroll software because people have to be paid. Now imagine if we reacted the same way when students struggle to learn. In a highly reliable organization, that is exactly what happens--there are systems in place to ensure that the mission of the organization is accomplished no matter what.
Our school corporation has taken this approach to heart. Each day, students are asked to persevere in their learning. If they do not understand something the first time, or if they do not succeed on an assessment, there is time built into their day for additional learning and support. If seven hours a day is not enough time, then after the student gets a snack and goes outside to play for awhile, he or she can come back to Lights On or CIA and get tutoring from a certified teacher. This approach requires deep commitment from students and their teachers. It demands that we act on our belief that all students can learn, and I continually marvel at how our school community rises to the challenge. Commodores are walking the talk every single day.
The writers and researchers of a school improvement approach called "Professional Learning Communities" (PLCs) advocate for a "whatever it takes" system in which clear learning goals are identified, student performance is measured against those goals, and then a system is in place that provides support to ensure that students meet or exceed the goals. Proponents of a PLC assert that if we say we believe that all students can learn, then we had better walk that talk with systems of support to ensure that students do, indeed, learn.
Robert Marzano, a leading educational researcher, talks about highly reliable organizations--ones that achieve their mission--and their laser-like focus that mission. He uses this analogy. Imagine if a company's payroll software stopped working the day before checks were issued. Pretty much everything in the organization would stop, and all systems would wrap support around fixing the payroll software because people have to be paid. Now imagine if we reacted the same way when students struggle to learn. In a highly reliable organization, that is exactly what happens--there are systems in place to ensure that the mission of the organization is accomplished no matter what.
Our school corporation has taken this approach to heart. Each day, students are asked to persevere in their learning. If they do not understand something the first time, or if they do not succeed on an assessment, there is time built into their day for additional learning and support. If seven hours a day is not enough time, then after the student gets a snack and goes outside to play for awhile, he or she can come back to Lights On or CIA and get tutoring from a certified teacher. This approach requires deep commitment from students and their teachers. It demands that we act on our belief that all students can learn, and I continually marvel at how our school community rises to the challenge. Commodores are walking the talk every single day.
