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Solution-Focused Accountability Schools
for the Twenty-First Century:
A Training Manual for Gonzalo Garza Independence High School
Principal Investigators
Cynthia Franklin, PhD
Calvin L. Streeter, PhD
Contributors: Jo Ann Garner, Johnny Kim and Laura Hopson
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Cover picture by: Keith Mannix
“Serenity”
Keith Mannix enrolled in Garza in Fall, 2002, and graduated in May, 2003. Keith had
been in the Liberal Arts Academy and had to return to his home school when that program
closed. He reports that he needed some guidance to finish his diploma on time. Keith attended
Montessori schools through the seventh grade and found adjusting to large bureaucratic public
secondary schools a major challenge. Keith is nineteen and is living on his own, working full
time, and taking the core academic classes at Austin Community College. Keith is very
interested in graphic design that he taught himself on his home computer. Art was his last course
before graduating. Although graphic design and art are major interests, his true passion is writing.
He writes every day, at least three poems. When an idea comes, he has to get it down on paper.
Keith has not decided on a career path — architecture, writing, graphic design all sound
interesting. He “will probably attend the University of Texas.” Keith values his Garza experience
and sees the school as paving the way for education reform. “The community-based learning
environment that you find here is integral in the evolution of education as a whole. The system
here is organic and benefits the students and the teachers.”
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Solution-Focused Accountability Schools
for the Twenty-First Century:
A Training Manual for Gonzalo Garza
Independence High School
Principal Investigators
Cynthia Franklin, PhD
Calvin L. Streeter, PhD
Contributors: Jo Ann Garner, Johnny Kim and Laura Hopson
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at The University of
Texas at Austin for funding the project that led to the development of this solution-focused high
school training manual. Members of the Hogg Foundation Executive Committee visited
Gonzalo Garza Independence High School and saw the potential for this school and encouraged
the research team to develop a training manual on the solution-focused high school for the
purposes of conducting outcome research and replicating the Garza High School model. A
special thanks to Carolyn Young who supported our work on the training manual.
We also owe a debt of gratitude to Principal Victoria Baldwin, Assistant Principal Sam Watson,
and all the gifted counselors, facilitators, staff, and students of Garza High School. Their talent
and creativity never cease to amaze us. We count ourselves fortunate to have studied “the best of
the best” public educators and their students. They truly function as a family and we appreciate
their respect, commitment, and hard work that made it possible for us to tell their story.
Finally, a special thanks to Jo Ann Garner, MSSW, LMSW, a visionary school social worker
who first brought the message of solution building to Principal Victoria Baldwin and inspired the
use of the solution-focused therapy at Garza. We were fortunate that Jo Ann became a member
of our research team. Jo Ann has served as our solution focused coach and trainer at Garza and
our personal guide in the school culture. We are certain that without her vision and guidance that
the solution building model at Garza High School would not have been birthed.
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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“Beckoning” by Chase Dalton
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Chase Dalton
“Beckoning”
Chase came to Garza during his sophomore year. He was attending AISD’s Science
Academy he commented was that there was “not more difficult work, just a lot more work” at
the academy. Chase has not accelerated his studies since he came to Garza; he plans on taking
his time and keeping his GPA high. He has always taken art in school, and really enjoyed the
class at Garza. Chase plans on attending the University of Texas at Austin, followed by graduate
school, perhaps in accounting. He really enjoys math. Chase comments on Garza: “ I think the
program is too independent for some people and just right for others. It’s well thought out and
the teaching staff is very committed. His advice to other students: “Make progress every day.
Know what you need to do to make progress daily--the conditions and mind set. It’s important to
know when you’re working and when you’re not.”
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Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century:
A Training Manual for Gonzalo Garza Independence High School
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 — Solution-Focused Therapy in Schools: An Empirical Basis .............................. 1
Introduction................................................................................................................................. 1
History and Development of the Brief Solution-Focused Therapy ............................................. 2
Assumptions ................................................................................................................................ 3
Research on the Solution-Focused Therapy ............................................................................... 7
What can we Conclude from the Research on Solution-Focused Schools?.............................. 18
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 21
Chapter 2 — How Solution Building Came to Garza High School........................................ 31
Introduction............................................................................................................................... 32
The Need for Urban High School Dropout-Prevention Programs ........................................... 32
The Importance of Public Alternative Schools of Choice ......................................................... 37
What We Know About the Effective Methods in Alternative Schools ....................................... 38
Evolution of Gonzalo Garza Independence High School ......................................................... 38
What is Solution Building? ....................................................................................................... 43
Assumptions of Solution-Based Conversations ......................................................................... 44
Establishing Rapport /Describing the Problem ........................................................................ 48
Types of Relationships .............................................................................................................. 49
Developing Well-formed Goals/Exploring for Exceptions ....................................................... 50
Feedback and Homework/Evaluating Progress ....................................................................... 52
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 61
Chapter 3 — A Look at a Solution-Focused High School Using Concept Maps .................. 69
Introduction............................................................................................................................... 69
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Background and Significance of Concept Map Research......................................................... 69
Concept Mapping Methodology ................................................................................................ 70
Solution-Focused Alternatives for Education Project: Concept Mapping Results .................. 73
Interpreting Cluster Map .......................................................................................................... 77
Pattern Matching ...................................................................................................................... 77
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 82
Chapter 4 — How to Start a Solution-Building School: ......................................................... 87
Introduction............................................................................................................................... 87
Background and Brief History of the School ............................................................................ 88
Getting Started .......................................................................................................................... 88
Funding and Cost of the School ................................................................................................ 92
Basic Student Profile: Types of Students .................................................................................. 92
Administrators’ Roles ............................................................................................................... 94
A Model School ......................................................................................................................... 99
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 101
Chapter 5 — Administrative and Leadership Patterns at Garza High School .................. 107
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 107
The Importance of School Leadership .................................................................................... 107
Key Traits of an Effective Principal........................................................................................ 108
What Effective Principals Do.................................................................................................. 109
Illustrations of How the Leaders Lead.................................................................................... 110
Working with Students. ........................................................................................................... 112
Staff Recruitment and Hiring .................................................................................................. 112
Accountability Process............................................................................................................ 113
Case Examples of Solution-Building Process in Administration............................................ 120
Solution-building skill: identifying strengths .......................................................................... 120
Solution-building skill: looking for solutions. ........................................................................ 122
Solution-building skill: collaboration ..................................................................................... 123
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 126
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Chapter 6 — The Solution-Building School Culture at Garza High School ....................... 133
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 133
The Importance of School Culture .......................................................................................... 134
Mission Statement ................................................................................................................... 137
Code of Honor......................................................................................................................... 137
Case Scenario ......................................................................................................................... 139
Entrance Materials and Interview .......................................................................................... 141
Case Example.......................................................................................................................... 142
Blueprints ................................................................................................................................ 144
Narratives and Metaphors ...................................................................................................... 145
Example of Changing a Student Narrative ............................................................................. 147
School-Change Narratives ...................................................................................................... 149
Garza’s School-Culture Metaphors ........................................................................................ 150
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 151
Chapter 7 — Instructional Programs at Garza High School ............................................... 157
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 157
Student-Teacher Relationship ................................................................................................. 158
Classroom Environment.......................................................................................................... 159
Individualized curriculum and small class settings ................................................................ 160
Student-Centered Goal Setting ............................................................................................... 162
A Solution-Building Approach to Classroom Instruction ....................................................... 162
Facilitators.............................................................................................................................. 163
Classroom Structure ............................................................................................................... 164
Curriculum Design.................................................................................................................. 167
A Caring Classroom Culture .................................................................................................. 173
Creating Solutions to Problem Behaviors .............................................................................. 174
Portfolios................................................................................................................................. 177
Volunteer Activities ................................................................................................................. 180
Transitional Programs ............................................................................................................ 181
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Graduation Requirements ....................................................................................................... 183
Graduates in Residence .......................................................................................................... 187
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 188
Chapter 8 — Student Assistance Programs ........................................................................... 195
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 195
Comprehensive School-Based Support Services ..................................................................... 196
School-based Mental Health Services .................................................................................... 197
School-based Health Services ................................................................................................. 198
Transdisciplinary Teams......................................................................................................... 198
The Transdisciplinary Approach at Garza ............................................................................. 199
Counselors .............................................................................................................................. 205
Counselor Specializing in Drug and Alcohol Use .................................................................. 206
Counselor Specializing in Dual Enrollment and Scholarships............................................... 207
Counselor Specializing in Testing .......................................................................................... 207
Counselor Responsibilities...................................................................................................... 210
Facilitator’s Role in Providing Services to Students .............................................................. 215
Communities in Schools .......................................................................................................... 219
Visiting Teacher ...................................................................................................................... 222
Outreach ................................................................................................................................. 224
Student Health Services .......................................................................................................... 226
Services for Pregnant and Parenting Teens ........................................................................... 228
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 232
Chapter 9 — Solution-Focused Training and Empowerment for Staff and Teachers....... 239
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 239
The Futility of Getting Others to Fix Our Problems............................................................... 240
Everyone in the School Must Be Trained to Become a Solution Builder................................ 241
Focus Shift .............................................................................................................................. 245
Experimental Action................................................................................................................ 247
Solution-Building Student Advocate ....................................................................................... 247
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First Aid and Triage................................................................................................................ 250
Strategies for Introducing the Model ...................................................................................... 253
Obtain support from administration ....................................................................................... 254
Identify one person to be primarily responsible for training .................................................. 256
Modeling solution-building conversations for staff ................................................................ 256
Creating training materials .................................................................................................... 257
Providing professional development sessions ........................................................................ 257
Developing student worksheets, interviewing forms, and teaching tools ............................... 257
Book study group, practice group and video tapes................................................................. 258
Consulting with staff on other ways to incorporate the model in the school .......................... 259
Individual coaching sessions with teachers ............................................................................ 259
Create strong partnerships with selected school staff ............................................................ 260
Assess what the school is already doing to build solutions .................................................... 261
Introduce the model through an interdisciplinary team structure .......................................... 264
Seek input from all constituents, especially students .............................................................. 267
Maintain a school focus in solution-building conversations .................................................. 267
Provide opportunities for training by an expert in solution-focused therapy ........................ 268
Support educators in shaping the model with their own unique philosophy and approach ... 269
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 270
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Tables
Table 1.1 Practice Principles for Solution-Focused Schools ....................................................... 19
Table 2.1 Garza’s Three-Level Impact Team ............................................................................... 42
Table 2.2 Comparing Solution Building with Problem Solving ................................................... 46
Table 2.3 Stages of Solution Building: De Jong and Berg vs. Murphy ........................................ 47
Table 3.1 Cluster Replay............................................................................................................... 73
Table 5.1 Effective vs. Ineffective Principal Traits ..................................................................... 108
Table 5.2 List of Facilitator Expectations .................................................................................. 115
Table 6.1 List of Statements Reflecting Students’ Enforcement of the Code of Honor .............. 139
Table 9.1 Student’s Strengths, Abilities, and Assets ................................................................... 244
Table 9.2 Think Advocacy is Something New? ........................................................................... 248
Table 9.3 Confidentiality and the Role of the Advocate ............................................................. 249
Table 9.4 Strategies that Work.................................................................................................... 254
Table 9.5 Admissions Interview .................................................................................................. 258
Table 9.6 Graduation is the Result ............................................................................................. 260
Table 9.7 Characteristics of a Solution-Building School ........................................................... 262
Table 9.8 Characteristics of a Solution-Building School Ratings .............................................. 263
Table 9.9 Troubling Issues for Educators................................................................................... 270
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Figures
Figure 2.1 Characteristics of a Solution-Building School........................................................... 41
Figure 3.1 Point Cluster Map ...................................................................................................... 76
Figure 3.2 Uniqueness vs. Importance – Teachers...................................................................... 79
Figure 3.3 Importance vs. Solution – Teachers ........................................................................... 80
Figure 3.4 Importance – Teachers/Staff vs. Students .................................................................. 81
Figure 4.1 Garza’s Organizational Structure ............................................................................. 95
Figure 8.1 Flow chart for connecting students to support services .......................................... 219
Figure 9.1 Training and Empowerment Model ......................................................................... 266
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Appendices
Appendix A: Outcome Studies on Solution-Focused Therapy .................................................... 277
Appendix B: Solution-Building Process Review ......................................................................... 285
Appendix C: Data Collection for Chapter Three........................................................................ 287
Appendix D: Cluster Statements ................................................................................................. 289
Appendix E: Exit Portfolio .......................................................................................................... 297
Appendix F: Role of the Student Advocate ................................................................................. 343
Appendix G: Impact Team Workbook ......................................................................................... 345
Appendix H: Progress-Measuring Forms ................................................................................... 347
Appendix I: Book Study and Practice Groups ............................................................................ 351
Appendix J: Solution-Building Videos ........................................................................................ 353
Appendix K: Blueprints Activities ............................................................................................... 355
Appendix L: Planning Exercise for Developing Solution-Building Schools .............................. 361
Appendix M: Referrals and Inventories ...................................................................................... 365
Appendix N: Student Observations to Teachers ......................................................................... 375
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“The Ancients” by Hector Gallegos
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Hector Gallegos
“The Ancients”
Hector Gallegos really discovered his love of art in junior high school. Hector, the father
of a four year old daughter and a one year old son, has often had to place supporting them over
his schooling. After leaving his regular high school with four credits shy of graduation when his
daughter was born, Hector enrolled in Garza where he completed one credit before leaving at the
birth of his son. Hector has worked the past four years at the same job and has continued his
drawing, experimenting with various media and subjects. He is especially interested in Aztec
themes and working with pen and ink. Hector is working now toward a one-man show of this ink
drawings with Aztec themes. Hector is twenty-one and is exploring options for obtaining a highschool diploma. Hector’s drawing, “The Ancients” received a Silver key award and special
recognition by the Texas Education Agency.
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Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the 21st Century:
A Training Manual for Gonzalo Garza Independence High School
Chapter 1 — Solution-Focused Therapy in Schools: An Empirical Basis
Solution-focused therapy has become a popular and frequently used model in social work
and marriage and family therapy… One particular area in which this therapy has shown promise
is in working with classroom management and school-related behavior problems. (Source:
Jordan C. & Franklin, C. (2003) Clinical assessment for social workers: Quantitative and
qualitative methods, Second edition. Chicago Lyceum Books, page 37.
Introduction
This training manual introduces and describes a solution-focused high school, Gonzalo
Garza Independence High School, in Austin Texas. Garza High School is an alternative, public
school of choice in the Austin Independent School District. It has pioneered both by applying the
philosophy and practices of the solution-building approach to its’ education. Over the past eight
years, solution-focused therapy has been introduced into public education by social workers,
counselor educators, and family therapists (Metcalf, 1995; Murphy, 1997; Kral, 1995; Sklare,
1997; Webb, 1999; Franklin, Biever, Moore, Clemons & Scamardo, 2001). (In the professional
literature, Solution-Focused, Brief Therapy is also called Solution-Focused Therapy, Solution-
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Building Conversations, Solution Building and Building Solutions. These terms will be used
interchangeably in this manual to refer to the solution-focused approach that was developed at
the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee.) Garza High School has taken this model further
by fashioning an entire school in accordance with the solution-focused model. This chapter
introduces the solution-focused therapy model and its importance to public education. First, the
chapter offers a brief background and history of the therapy, followed by a description of the
therapy model, its basic assumptions and focus. It further describes the empirical basis for this
model within school-based practice and the need to continue to study the solution-focused
approach as a promising alternative to current paradigms of education. Finally, the chapter
presents a set of principles for a solution-focused school model.
History and Development of the Brief Solution-Focused Therapy
Solution-focused therapy was developed by its co-founders Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim
Berg and colleagues as a response to the question, “What works in counseling and therapy?” The
co-developers of the model worked in a therapy clinic with a team and other therapists observing
clients behind a one-way mirror and using qualitative, process research methods attempting to
discover the most effective and efficient therapy techniques for getting clients to quickly change
(de Shazer, Berg, Lipchik, Nunnally, Molnar, Gingerich & Weiner-Davis, 1986). Their clients
were diverse and many were low-income families and children with multiple problems. Because
de Shazer & Berg and their colleagues used idiographic, hands-on methods to develop and study
the therapy, they did not use experimental research to ground it in social science or educational
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change theory. For this reason, the solution-focused model does not have a single theoretical
base. Instead, what it offers is a set of effective change techniques that can be applied by mental
health professionals and educators to help people build solutions. Even though the developers of
the therapy did not generate singular theory-base, the solution-focused therapy has been
identified with social constructionism and social constructivist theories (Franklin & Moore,
1999). The approach appears to be philosophically consistent with constructivist education and
could be identified with those reform movements in education that promote constructivist
learning models. Franklin and Nurius (1998) also worked to ground solution-focused therapy in
an empirical theoretical foundation in the cognitive sciences.
A discussion follows of some of the major assumptions of solution-focused therapy as
well as a brief summary of the empirical research basis for the model. Chapter 2 discusses in
more detail the techniques and practices of solution-building conversations and offers further
examples of how these techniques are used in a high school setting.
Assumptions
A solution-focused therapist views the client as competent. That is, the wellness of the
client is always emphasized over deficits or pathology. This competency orientation focuses the
therapist on identifying resources of the client enabling the person to solve their own problems.
Solution-focused therapists elicit from the client personal strategies and social situations that
have helped them avoid the problem in the past (Franklin & Moore, 1999). In addition, they
explore times when the problem is not currently occurring in the client’s life. For example, a
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student may have problems attending school 50 percent of the time. A solution-focused therapist
might use the tool of exception finding (see description in Chapter Two) to explore the methods
used by the client, which allow them to attend school 50 percent of the time with the goal of
amplifying those effective strategies
Focusing on the solution to the problem and not the problem itself is especially
emphasized in this school system. By looking at the deficits of the problem, traditional methods
of intervention have led to blaming the parent, student or teacher. Metcalf (2002) argues that by
stepping outside the problem through the processes of “externalizing the problem” (seeing
problems as influences to be overcome) and “exception finding” (identifying times when
problems are absent), those involved with the student are able to work together to defeat the
problem. (See Chapter Two for examples of these techniques.)
In addition, solution-focused therapists see the client as the expert on their own problems
and lives. This is in contrast to those therapies that interpret behavior as underlying
symptomatology of another problem. Simply put, solution-focused therapists define the problem
as what the client says it is. For this reason, the therapist takes a “not knowing approach” to the
client’s problem (Franklin & Moore, 1999). Franklin & Moore (1999) claim that this does not
mean that the practitioner has no expertise, but rather that he or she does not know as much
about the client and his or her resources as the client does.
School-based helping professionals who practice solution-focused therapy in the schools
also adhere to the “client as expert” assumption. The “experts” in the school setting, however,
refer to all individuals impacting the student. The individuals most often included in school-
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based interventions are teachers, administrators, parents and child. When approaching these
multi-system interventions, Murphy (1996) recommends that the therapist assume the whole
treatment team has the strengths and resources to solve their own problems. The expertise of the
therapist should only be used as a means to elicit the problem solving capabilities of the parents,
teachers, administrators and students (Selekman, 1997). Of particular concern for the solutionfocused therapist in school settings are the student’s desires for therapy. Selekman (1997) claims
that traditional models of school-based intervention have de-emphasized the student’s wishes in
lieu of what the teachers, parents or administrators want for the child. He recommends that the
student’s desires be included in all educational planning and family therapy.
Consistent with an optimistic view of the client, solution-focused therapists do not
believe in the concept of resistance and lack of desire to succeed. Instead, it is thought that all
clients have the desire to change. de Shazer (1988) argues that what has been termed resistance
by professionals in the past is, instead, a message the client is giving the professional that the
intervention being used is not working for them. He describes this behavior as cooperative in
nature by claiming it is an effort on the client’s part to “help the professional person help them”
(de Shazer, 1979). To the solution-focused therapist, resistance is a dangerous label that can
result in an antagonistic relationship between the therapist and client. Additionally, it promotes a
self-fulfilling prophecy whereby the client becomes resistant because he or she is expected to do
so (de Shazer, 1988).
Solution-focused brief therapy is future oriented. That is, there is not much investigation
into the past except to inquire about those times when the client has been able to develop
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solutions to the undesired behavior. Instead, the solution-focused therapist helps the client
develop and visualize behavior that is more desirable or adaptive. Futuristic solution
development is facilitated by a key-orienting question called the “miracle question” (See Table
1.1 for an example and Chapter Two for further descriptions of future-oriented questions and
conversations). This helps the client visualize what their life would look like if the problem were
to disappear.
Solution-focused therapists believe that complex problems do not necessarily require
lengthy solutions. de Shazer (1991) argues, “Solutions may be generated from seemingly random
and unrelated shifts in concepts or action and often without the need for elaborate problem
pattern description (p. 88).” Franklin and Moore (1999) propose that this does not mean solutionfocused therapists are “problem-phobic (de Shazer, 1994).” Instead, these therapists believe that
simple, effective solutions can occur despite a lack of detailed knowledge of the problem. For
example, a solution-focused therapist would be more interested in the fact that a student has
perfect attendance in science every week than knowing the exact classes he is missing or why he
might feel he has poor attendance.
Finally, solution-focused therapists have incorporated the systemic idea of wholism in
their approach. Wholism asserts that by changing one part of a system, a ripple effect takes place
which results in a change in the entire system. For example, the therapist might choose to
intervene with only the parent of a child, assuming that a successful intervention on one family
member will lead to changes in the whole family system.
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Research on the Solution-Focused Therapy
Brief solution-focused therapy was developed in mental health settings and only recently
have researchers begun to study the process and effectiveness of the model. Solution-focused
therapy was developed using inductive case study methods of inquiry that are based on practice
wisdom rather than randomized experimental designs. The research that concerned the early
developers of this model was described as, “first try something, see if that worked, then try to
describe it in detail” (de Shazer & Berg, 1997, p. 121). Practitioners and researchers are in the
early stages of developing effectiveness studies based on experimental designs (de Shazer &
Berg, 1997). Currently, there are approximately twenty-eight outcome studies on the model. The
body of research on solution-focused therapy is fragmented and varied in terms of sophistication
of the methodology. Research in this area has ranged from informal process studies with clinic
populations to experimental, randomized group designs. Almost all of the research has been
conducted in applied, community settings.
Early studies on the solution-focused therapy model were process oriented and sought to
determine which components of the model were helpful. These are briefly reviewed to show the
evolution of research in this field. Recent process research, which has used a more sophisticated
methodology, is discussed in greater detail. Outcome research on the model is reviewed and
presented in order of methodological sophistication. A general review of the literature is
followed by a more detailed review of studies conducted in school settings.
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Process Research
The process studies conducted at the Brief Family Therapy Center have investigated
various components of the solution-focused model to determine effectiveness. Components
researched are pre-treatment improvement, or how much clients change on their own before
seeing the therapist (de Shazer, 1985, 1988); the effect of presuppositional questions, or
questions that shape cognitions so that clients can see change is happening or has already
occurred (Weiner-Davis, de Shazer & Gingerich, 1987); the effects on compliance in therapy of
the Formula First Session Task which asks clients to continue doing what works and to keep a
log of what is going right (Adams, Piercy & Jurich, 1991). Also studied were therapists’
perceptions about what is the most helpful solution-focused therapy technique (Skidmore, 1993),
as well as perceptions of therapists and clients in solution-focused therapy (Metcalf & Thomas,
1994; Shilts, Filippino & Nau, 1994, cited in Franklin & Moore, 1999). Franklin and Moore
(1999) summarized the results and concluded that pretreatment improvement is common (de
Shazer & Molnar, 1985; de Shazer, 1988); presuppositional questions help clients develop new
views of their situation (Weiner-Davis, de Shazer & Gingerich, 1987); clients typically cooperate
with the Formula First Session Task and report improvements in their second session (Adams,
Piercy & Jurich, 1991). They also concluded that therapists find the miracle question most
helpful (Skidmore, 1993), while clients find the scaling questions most helpful (de Shazer, 1991),
and that client-therapist collaboration is associated with treatment success and therapists’
solution talk is typically followed by client’s report of change (Metcalf & Thomas, 1994; Shilts,
Filippino & Nau, 1994).
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Much of the research on solution-focused therapy was conducted at the Brief Family
Therapy Center in Milwaukee. The goal of these studies was to inform practice, not to measure
overall effectiveness of the model. Beyebach and colleagues (Beyebach & Carranza, 1997;
Beyebach, Morejon, Palenzuela and Rodriguez-Arias, 1996) conducted further process studies
with a larger number of clients. Beyebach and Carranza (1997) studied ninety-seven cases from a
private brief psychotherapy center. They looked at therapeutic interaction and dropout rate
(Beyebach & Carranza, 1997). They found that the absence of conflictive interaction was
associated with a lower dropout rate. In a study investigating the association of three cognitive
variables with solution-focused variables, Beyebach et. al. (1996) concluded that pretreatment
change showed a significant, positive correlation with generalized locus of control and selfefficacy, and that compliance with homework assignments after the first session was
significantly and positively correlated with generalized locus of control. Furthermore, specific
expectancies correlated with customer-type relationships and well-formed goals. Specific success
expectancies also correlated with the customer-type relationships. In addition, the researchers
found that focusing on pretreatment change may be a better predictor for change than goal
setting (Beyebach, et. al. , 1996). Finally, Beyebach & colleagues concluded that a strong
relationship exists between internal locus of control over one’s life and treatment outcome. That
is, subjects who came into treatment with the sense that they had control over their own lives did
better than those who had an external locus of control or the sense that external situations control
their lives. Given the relationship between internal locus of control and therapeutic outcome, the
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authors suggest that solution-focused therapists not only help the client discover what works, but
that the client can make it work.
Outcome Studies
As previously mentioned, approximately twenty-eight outcome studies have been
conducted on the solution-focused model. Most of these studies have been completed since 1997,
and the majority demonstrated positive findings showing that solution-focused therapy is a
promising model that deserves further study. Research designs are limited, however, and only a
few of the studies come close to approximating efficacy criteria for examining an effective
treatment. See Appendix A for a review of the studies.
Solution-focused interventions are increasing in school settings. Examples are appearing
in research literature of their success in helping students who are experiencing a variety of
mental health and educational problems. Six of the twenty-eight aforementioned outcome studies
were completed in school settings (Franklin, et. al. 2001; Geil, 1998; LaFountain, 1996; Moore
& Franklin, under review; Springer, et. al, 2000). Only two of the studies (LaFountain, 1996;
Moore & Franklin, under review) approximate efficacy criteria for effective intervention. This is
not an uncommon state of affairs in educational interventions, and until more is known, it should
not be seen as an indictment of solution-focused therapy in schools. For example, there have
been few rigorous evaluations of dropout prevention strategies in the history of education despite
the fact that these programs have been funded for more than thirty years. Slavin & Fashola (1998)
reviewed the literature on dropout prevention programs and found only two programs that met
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evidenced-based criteria for an effective intervention. When evaluating the empirical base of
solution-focused educational intervention, therefore, it is important to consider its development
in the overall context of development of evidenced-based interventions in schools. Following is a
review of the major outcome studies on solution-focused therapy conducted in schools.
Post-test only
Litrell, Malia, and Vanderwood (1995) utilized a randomized post-test only designed to
answer the following research question: How effective are the three counseling approaches in (a)
alleviating students' concerns, (b) helping students reach their goals, and (c) modifying the
intensity of students' feelings? The subjects were sixty-one high school students (grades 9-12)
who sought treatment with a school counselor. Students were randomly assigned to one of three
groups: a problem-focused brief counseling approach with a task, a problem-focused brief
counseling approach without a task, and a solution-focused brief counseling approach with a task.
Outcome data were collected using self-anchored scales as measurement instruments
given to both students and teachers. These consisted of likert-type scales asking the students and
teachers various questions pertaining to the research question. Data were collected at two and six
weeks after the first counseling session. The authors found that there was significant difference
between sessions two and six; however, the three brief-counseling approaches (i.e., problemfocused with task, problem-focused without task, and solution focused with task) did not differ in
their effectiveness in alleviating students' concerns, moving them toward their goals, and
decreasing the intensity of undesired feelings related to their concerns. The authors claim that
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this finding “throws into question the claim of those who believe that a solution-focused
approach is more effective than a problem-focused approach, at least when it comes to
counseling that is of single-session duration” (Littrell, et. al, 1996, p. 455).
Several problems exist with the internal validity of this study. First, no standardized
measurement instruments were used. Furthermore, no pretreatment measures were implemented,
thus limiting the ability to conclude that it was the treatment and not some extraneous variables
that caused change in the students.
Quasi-Experimental or Experimental Control Groups
LaFountain and Garner (1996) investigated the impact of solution-focused groups on
school-aged children and counselors. Fifty-seven school counselors were assigned to either a
control or experimental group. The experimental group received training in solution-focused
therapy and the control group did not. The experimental group provided solution-focused group
counseling for students while the control group provided no group counseling. Pre and posttests
were given to both groups. The outcome measure was the Index of Personality Characteristics
(IPC), and was given to the students prior to treatment and eight weeks after treatment. The
authors found that there were statistically significant differences between the two groups on three
subscales of the IPC: nonacademic, perception of self and acting in.
There are a few problems with the methodology of this study. Gingerich and Eisengart
(2000) point out that because the counselors knew the purpose of the study and were the referral
source for the study, the student characteristics associated with treatment outcome may not have
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been randomly distributed between the groups. He also questions the generalizability of the study
because there was no specific diagnostic group targeted. Finally, expectancy of the counselors
may have played a role in any benefits seen in the data, not just in the intervention.
Moore & Franklin, (under review) implemented a quasi-experimental evaluation of the
effectiveness of a school-based solution-focused therapy intervention. This study was meant to
replicate and improve upon the study done by Franklin et. al. (2001) that is reviewed under
single-case designs below. The intervention included faculty and staff training, teacher-therapist
consultation, formal collaborative meetings, which included the teacher, student and therapist,
and individual therapy with the students. Referrals were obtained through the teachers and
principal at two middle schools in Schertz, Texas. A pre-test post-test design was utilized with
seventy-eight students participating in a mean of five sessions of solution-focused therapy. The
Teachers Report and Youth Self-Report measures of the Achenbach Child Behavioral Checklist
were used as measurement instruments. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with repeated
measures (pre, post and follow-up) were conducted to assess the effect of solution-focused
therapy on the children’s internalizing and externalizing scores as reported by the Youth SelfReport and Teacher Report and of the Child Behavioral Checklist. With the exception of
students’ own report of their internalizing behavior, the intervention was found to be effective at
reducing school-related behavioral problems. The main weaknesses of the study were the lack of
randomization and the fact that the two groups ended up not being matched on the gender
variable. The control group had more boys than the intervention group; however, an examination
of the pretest and of the groups separately did not indicate a difference between the groups on the
gender variable. This still remains one of the stronger studies on solution-focused therapy that
has been accomplished in a school setting.
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Single-Case Designs/AB Designs
Murphy (1992) reports the result of a case study conducted using what he called brief strategic
family intervention (BFSI). BFSI is a hybrid of the techniques used by the Mental Research
Institute and those of the solution-focused therapy approach. The case study involved a student
whose parents complained that the student’s school-related anxiety was interfering with their
daily functioning. The specific problems were: frequently asking to have the student’s
temperature taken; pleading with their parents to let them stay up later at night; and pleading
with their father to take them home upon being dropped off at school in the morning which
included sometimes refusing to leave the car. Outcome was measured by daily parental reports of
frequency of temperature being taken, and daily ratings of child’s morning and bedtime
behaviors on a scale from 1-10 where one represented very unacceptable and ten was very
acceptable. Data were analyzed using the following strategies: 1. Data from the baseline period
were compared with the intervention and follow-up period. This analysis revealed a dramatic
change between baseline and intervention data on all three target behaviors. 2. Score overlap was
examined based on the notion that the fewer the number of overlapping scores between baseline
and intervention phases, the larger the intervention effect. Murphy reports that there were no
overlapping scores between baseline and intervention data. 3. Data were analyzed by examining
the variability and trend of scores between and within phases based on the idea that highly
variable intervention scores suggest greater caution in interpreting results (Kazdin, 1982, as cited
in Murphy, 1992). Murphy claims that, while the morning and evening scores on behavior varied,
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the degree of variance was similar to that found in the baseline phase. The author concluded that
the results of this case study lend support to the effectiveness of the brief strategic approach in
promoting desired change.
Several problems exist with the author’s conclusion. Murphy (1992) reports two
problems. First, using only one case severely inhibits the ability to generalize the results.
Secondly, internal validity is compromised by the lack of adequate controls. That is, there could
be many factors that contributed to the change other than intervention. Furthermore, the
intervention the client received is not well documented. While the author describes the basic
tenants of brief strategic family intervention, he fails to specify the details. Therefore, it is
impossible to ascertain whether those components of the therapy associated with solutionfocused therapy contributed to the success of the client, or if that success can be attributed to the
other treatment techniques. The benefit of this case study is that it moves beyond anecdotal
claims of efficacy and attempts to quantify such claims by using systematic methods.
Franklin and colleagues (1993, 1997, 2001) and Geil (1998) demonstrated methods for
evaluating the effectiveness of solution-focused therapy using single-case experimental designs.
They argued that single-case experimental designs might be a good approach to use in validating
the effectiveness of the therapy because the idiographic nature of the therapy process lends itself
to exploring change through the single-case method.
Geil (1998) used single-case AB designs to compare three treatment conditions:
behavioral consultation, solution-focused consultation, and no consultation on the behavior of
children in an elementary school. The sample consisted of eight student-teacher pairs: three
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assigned to solution-focused consultation, two to the behavioral consultation, and three to no
consultation. Students had all been identified as exhibiting externalizing behaviors in their
respective classrooms. Outcome measurements were obtained using trained behavioral observers
who used the Instructional Environment System – II in addition to teachers using the Code for
Instructional Structure and Student Academic Response (CISSAR).
Geil (1998) found that consultation was better than no consultation, but only two of the
consultation cases had statistically different changes in two of the consultation cases (one in the
behavioral group and one in the solution-focused group). Consequently, the authors admit that it
is difficult to develop firm conclusions about the efficacy of consultation interventions.
While implementing an AB design weakens their ability to provide solid conclusions
about the impact of the intervention, internal validity is strengthened by the use of standardized
behavioral outcome measures that include both subjective and objective data.
Franklin, Corcoran, Streeter and Nowicki (1997) conducted a single-case design study
that measured the effectiveness of solution-focused therapy using clients from Youth Options, a
runaway and homeless shelter. The researchers utilized an AB design to compare before and
after treatment functioning. The researchers made comparisons using self-anchored scales as
measures. It was argued by the authors that client self-anchored scales are a natural extension of
the scaling technique used in solution-focused therapy and provided a helpful method for
practitioners to collect outcome data on each individual case. The results of three single cases
provided general support for the value of client self-anchored scales in practice evaluation. As is
common among single-subject designs, the researchers in this study were unable to obtain
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baseline or pretreatment data. To minimize the effects of this problem, researchers employed the
use of a reconstructed baseline. In a reconstructed baseline, the clinician retrospectively
reconstructs the baseline of a problem from various sources. Reconstructed baselines have utility
in the use of single-subject designs, but are limiting in terms of accuracy and pose problems with
statistical analysis.
In another single-case study, Franklin, Biever, Moore, Clemons and Scamardo (2001)
measured the effectiveness of solution-focused therapy on school-related behavioral problems in
a school setting. The researchers implemented a single-case, AB design. The research team
provided 5–10 sessions of solution-focused therapy services to seven children with learning
disabilities who were referred for classroom behavioral problems. Data from Conners' Teacher
Rating Scales were analyzed using visual analysis of the data in relationship to clinical change
scores, effect sizes, and improved percentage scores. Results indicated that solution-focused
therapy was followed by positive changes on a range of behavioral problems for five of the seven
cases. The authors concluded that solution-focused therapy shows promise for helping special
education students with their academic difficulties and classroom behaviors.
This study improves upon Franklin’s previous single-subject design by increasing the
sample size, delaying treatment to obtain an accurate baseline, and utilizing standardized
measurement instruments in addition to self anchored scales. Further, the study is an
improvement over much of the research that precedes it by using both standardized measurement
instruments and standardized research protocol. The primary weakness in this study is its
external validity. The use of AB design also limits its internal validity, although researchers used
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systematic replication to offset this limitation. Without adequate replication, single-subject
designs are fraught with “idiosyncratic conditions that cannot be generalized to other clients,
practitioners or settings” (Rubin & Babbie, 2001).
What can we Conclude from the Research on Solution-Focused Schools?
Solution-focused therapy appears to be a promising school-based intervention. There is a
a small, but growing body of research conducted in schools on the effectiveness of solutionfocused therapy model. The research on the model shows that it is a successful and popular
model capable of being applied in the real world of schools. It is a plus that all the studies on the
model have been completed within the schools. This indicates that the solution-focused model
has good face and ecological validity and can be applied in real world setting. Replication of
effectiveness studies using larger sample sizes is needed to further substantiate these findings
and build an evidenced-based model for education.
Franklin et. al. (2001) indicated that the model will be more effective in a school if the
teachers and staff were trained in the model. Moore & Franklin (under review) demonstrated that
teachers can be trained, and the solution-focused therapy can have positive effects on special
education students using a teacher consultation framework. These authors stated their belief that
in order to maximize the model’s effectiveness in a school setting, the entire school culture,
norms, and practices would need to change and follow the strengths and empowerment
orientation of the solution-focused model. The current educational paradigm would need to shift
to build a truly solution-focused school model. (See table 1.1 for a set of principles for a
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solution-focused school model.) The main components of this shift would be more academic
freedom coupled with strong accountability and personal responsibility; unlimited creativity and
out of the box thinking; public schools with choices embedded in their teaching styles; mastery
based learning at the core of all educational processes; more rewards and less punishment; more
individualization and almost no standardization; more collaboration between learners and those
who offer the learning; a focus on strengths and giftings of people instead of their deficits and
pathologies; and an emphasis on personal relationship building. Figure 2.1 in Chapter 2 further
highlights the types of characteristics that a solution-building school environment would include.
Table 1.1 Practice Principles for Solution-Focused Schools
1)
Strong interpersonal and relationship skills of school personnel. Each school
staff focuses on building warm, supportive and affirming relationships with
every student. Students are personally known by each teacher and staff
member.
2)
Start where the student is in relationship to their academic skills, learning style
and personal needs.
3)
School culture is built around a strengths orientation focusing on building a
community of empowered learners.
4)
The school culture promotes the idea that behavior or “doing” is the key to
success in school and in life. Hard work and pride in oneself are important to
accomplishing life tasks like graduating from high school.
5)
Positive words and compliments are seen as important for helping students
achieve their academic and life goals. School staff identifies positives in
students. Compliments and positive feedback are given to students on an ongoing basis. Administrators, faculty, and staff model this type of behavior
toward one another.
6)
The school has a future orientation. School personnel emphasize what
students can do next to achieve and improve themselves. Faculty and staff
focus students on positive behaviors and what they have done in the past that
works and on what they can do differently that will work for them. If you are
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Table 1.1 Practice Principles for Solution-Focused Schools
doing something that works do more of it and if what you are doing does not
work do something different.
7)
The school culture facilitates beliefs in choice and self-determination. The
solution-focused school is a school of choice that facilitates commitment on the
part of its’ participants.
8)
The school culture of the solution-focused school fosters responsibility for self
and others.
9)
Teaching and learning is done in a collaborative manner.
10)
Faculty and staff focus on building motivation and confidence in learning and
achievement. The natural capacities of students are used to help them to want
to excel.
11)
Goal setting and a task orientation are pivotal to the schools’ instructional
practices. Students are taught to set clear goals and to use small steps and
tasks to achieve those goals. Academic instruction is portfolio and mastery
based and goal driven.
12)
Small increments of change are valued and praised by faculty. Students can
progress as fast or slow as needed. Instructional practices are self-paced, and
individualized.
13)
The staff helps students to notice their positive progress and plan for additional
progress through the use of scaling questions or other self-evaluative tools.
For example, on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being you have completely reached
your goal of coming to school to finish your science project? Where are you
today? If the student says a “5”, the school staff says. “That’s great! How can
you get to a 6.”
14)
The school staff uses the Miracle Question or other hypothetical/pretend
questions that evoke positive imagery and promote the trying out new
behaviors. They ask the Miracle question , for example, “Let’s just suppose
that you go home from school tonight and, while you were sleeping, a miracle
happens, and these difficulties that you are having in completing your school
credits in math disappear. When you woke-up in the morning, what would be
the first thing that you notice about your life that would be different? Staff may
also ask the pretend question; “Let’s just suppose that you did know how to do
math for a moment. How might that change what you are doing in school?”
15)
Faculty and staff help students build confidence by solution building. Solution
building differs from the traditional problem solving approach that is used in
schools. Faculty lead students through the steps of solution building and help
them master the cognitive and behavioral skills needed to solution build. These
skills include but are not limited to being able to articulate what is desired
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Table 1.1 Practice Principles for Solution-Focused Schools
instead of what is the problem, mastery of goal setting, the ability to imagine
and vision a bright and successful future, a focus on doing something different
and facilitating small behavioral changes.
The core principles in Table 1.1 are at the heart of Gonzalo Garza Independence High
School. This school accepted the challenge to transform its’ culture, norms and practices into a
solution-focused school. It serves as a model program for how a public school makes the
paradigm shift to solution building. It also serves as a model for how to develop a solutionfocused high school. The remaining chapters in this manual highlight the incredible journey of
Garza as it transformed itself into a solution-building school and provides the “nuts and bolts” it
takes to build and operate a solution-focused high school.
Summary
Garza Independence High School is pioneering the solution-focused approach to dropout
prevention, and successful work and career transition. Brief Solution-focused Intervention is a
mental health model that was developed by clinical social workers and family therapists. It has
evolved over the past eighteen years in the context of working with multiple-problem,
impoverished and hard-to-reach individuals and families who sought help at counseling and
social services agencies. The solution-focused model is a strengths-based, mental health model
that offers specific skills and change strategies for enabling and facilitating positive future
behaviors. It is future oriented, goal directed, and offers a set of well-defined and easy to learn
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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intervention methods that focus on making changes in people’s perceptions, behaviors and social
environment. The behavior change procedures offered by the solution-focused model is easily
taught to all school staff including teachers, administrators, school social workers, and school
counselors. This model is beginning to be used in schools and outcome studies show showing
that it is a promising model that deserves further use and study.
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Chapter One References
Adams, J., Piercy, F., & Jurich, J. (1991). Effects of solution-focused therapy’s “Formula
First Session Task” on compliance and outcome in family therapy. Journal of Marital and
Family Therapy, 17 (3), 277-290.
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Duncan (Eds.), Handbook of solution-focused brief therapy (p. 184-204). San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Bozeman, B. N. (1999). The efficacy of solution-focused therapy techniques on
perceptions of hope in clients with depressive symptoms. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, LA.
Corcoran, J., & Stephenson, M. (2000). The effectiveness of solution-focused therapy
with child behavior problems: A preliminary study. Families in Society, 81 (5), 468-474.
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de Shazer, S., & Berg, I. K. (1997). What works? Remarks on the research aspects of
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Gingerich, W. J., & Eisengart, S. (2000). Solution-focused brief therapy: A review of the
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Lambert, M.J., Okiishi, J.C., Finch, A.E., & Johnson, L.D. (1998). Outcome assessment:
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Murphy, J. J. (1992). Brief strategic family intervention for school-related problems.
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single case design. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.
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therapy: A single subject design. Crisis Intervention 3, 13-24.
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Unpublished doctoral dissertation, York University, New York, Ontario, Canada.
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Shilts, L., Filippino, C., & Nau, D. (1994). Client-informed therapy. Journal of Systemic
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Springer, D., Lynch, C., & Rubin, A. (2000). Effects of a solution-focused mutual aid
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19, 159-172.
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focus on problems or solutions? Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA.
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change to construct the therapeutic solution: An exploratory study." Journal of Marital and
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Zimmerman, T.S., Jacobsen, R.B., MacIntyre, M., & Watson, C. (1996). Solutionfocused parenting groups: An empirical study. Journal of Systemic Therapies 15(4), 12-25.
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“Woven Basket” by Priscilla Cardenas
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Priscilla Cardenas
“Woven Basket”
Priscilla Cardenas came to Garza in Summer, 2001. She has completed twenty-two
credits and plans on graduating in 2004. She had always taken art classes in school, but did not
know she had any kind of talent until she took art at Garza. Priscilla reports that she transferred
to Garza after she missed a lot of school, mostly from skipping classes, in the fall of her junior
year and could not catch up with her class on the regular campus. Priscilla is a PAL (Peer
Assistance Leader), and she truly values the experience. “I had a PAL in sixth grade. To be able
to be that person for another kid is the best thing about PALs.” Priscilla’s long-range goal is to
become a pediatrician. She expects art to remain a hobby but hopes to continue her pursuit as a
pediatrician. Her advice to all students is “Don’t limit yourself.” “Woven Basket” received a
Gold Key award and is housed in the Austin Community College permanent collection.
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Chapter 2 — How Solution Building Came to Garza High School
Imagine a high school where students are in control of their destiny. Imagine a high
school where people believe that a student’s environment and past history does not have to
decide their future. Imagine a high school that teaches that a student’s family problems and poor
neighborhood do not have to dictate their personal success in school or work. Imagine a high
school that considers a student’s personal adversities and life difficulties as strengths that they
can harness for their personal betterment. Imagine a high school that inspires hope and teaches
that the small steps a student takes can lead to major life changes. Imagine a high school where
each principal, teacher, social worker and staff member are convinced that every student has
capacities that can be built upon to assure a positive outcome. Each teacher exudes the
philosophy that success builds upon success and that each small achievement matters. Imagine a
high school where administrators, teachers, social workers, and counselors work individually
with every student enabling the removal of barriers to learning and school success. Imagine a
high school where at-risk and dropout youth attend school, graduate and successfully transition
to college and work. Imagine Gonzalo Garza Independence High School, a solution-focused,
alternative high school where dreams come true. (Cynthia Franklin, PhD, the University of Texas
at Austin, 2002.)
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Introduction
This chapter describes the characteristics of a solution-focused, dropout-prevention high
school and maps out the major methods that Garza Independence High School used as they
began their journey toward building a solution-focused school. Garza started out as an alternative
public high school of choice, founded on best educational practices, adopting many of the
practices that were thought to be effective in the fields of dropout prevention and alternative
schools. From this point, Garza moved toward developing itself into a solution-focused high
school. This chapter summarizes the need for urban dropout-prevention schools like Garza and
briefly highlights some of the best practices in education for dropout prevention. The chapter
further describes many of the processes and techniques involved in using solution building in a
dropout-prevention school. Case examples from Garza High School are used to illustrate the
techniques of solution-building conversations in operation within the school. Philosophically, the
innovations found in best educational practices within effective alternative schools and solutionbuilding conversations are strikingly similar.
The Need for Urban High School Dropout-Prevention Programs
Failures to complete high school and to successfully transition to work and college are
critical incidents that deprive youth of a productive future. High school dropout is linked to
social and economic dependence. Lower wages, poverty, and reliance on public assistance are
strongly associated with high school dropout. Put simply, those youths that leave school
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prematurely and fail to complete high school do not have as bright economic futures as students
who finish school and make a transition to college and work (Rumberger, 2004).
High school dropout is often thought of as a problem for the poor. While it is true that
youths from low income and impoverished settings are more likely to dropout of school, high
school dropout crosses socioeconomic classes and comprises complex learning, health, social,
and psychological issues that contribute to a young person’s dropout status. According to a
report for the U.S. Department of Education, National Center of Education Statistics, “in 1999,
11 percent of students from families in the lowest 20 percent of the income distribution dropped
out of high school; by way of comparison, 5 percent in the middle 60 percent of the income
distribution dropped out, as did 2 percent of students from families with incomes in the top 20
percent” (NCES, p. 2). Youths who leave school are often failing at the time of their departure.
Despite myths to the contrary, however, many dropout youths are not academically deficient or
learning challenged. In fact, many academically competent and high performing youth leave
school for a multitude of psychological and social reasons. Academically, these youths are more
than capable of finishing school but because of other difficulties do not interface well with
traditional urban school systems.
Youth leave school prematurely for many reasons, including:
a) Poverty and low income leading to a need to work and support family members;
b) Stresses associated with being a pregnant and parenting teen;
c) Substance abuse and mental health problems;
d) Family dysfunction and crisis;
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e) Health problems of self or family members;
f) School failure and academic deficits in learning and achievement;
g) Gang activity and adoption of criminal subculture;
h) Problems coping with existing school climate such as violence and safety issues;
i) Mismatch between the learning style of a youth and the instruction offered by a
traditional school system;
j) Language and cultural barriers; and,
k) Iconoclastic and artistic pursuits of some youth such as art or acting.
Reasons for dropping out of high school often overlap in a way that makes it difficult to
develop a singular profile of at-risk, urban, high school dropouts. Experts on dropout have come
to the conclusion that there are both individual and institutional reasons for dropout, and that in
order to be effective, educators must be willing to address the issues that reside in both
individuals and schools to help diverse youths avert dropout careers (Rumberger, 2004). The
youths that are most at risk appear to come from ethnic-minority and low-income backgrounds
and have several academic achievement and psychosocial challenges to overcome. Yet there
exists considerable debate and diversity of opinion as to why this is the case. For example,
Rumberger & Thomas (2000) have shown that racial differences in dropout rates are explained
by family and community factors, and that once these factors are controlled, the differences
between race and dropout rate disappear. Respectively, however, the status dropout rate is 28.6
percent for Hispanics, 12.6 percent for African Americans and, 7.3 percent for white/EuroAmericans. Comparable data are not available for First Nations People. Based on the available
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data, Hispanic youths are the most at-risk group for dropout. The status dropout rate for Hispanic
youths born outside the United States is an astounding 44.2 percent.
As the data indicate, youths from diverse cultures and backgrounds are at risk for dropout
and are currently dropping out of school. It is an increasing challenge for urban school districts
to engage the diversity and numbers of youths who leave school prematurely or are currently
failing and on the verge of leaving school. The education profession and the dropout-prevention
field, in particular, are in need of model at-risk and dropout prevention programs that have been
adequately evaluated and are evidenced based. There is a specific need for the development of
effective, cost-efficient, model programs that are transportable to other urban school districts.
Successful Methods for Dropout Prevention and Retrieval
A large amount of academic and research literature has pointed to several successful
methods for dropout prevention and retrieval. Thousands of studies have been published on the
subject, and many promising interventions have been created. Yet, for all the hoopla, little
research evidence actually exists for the effectiveness of various program components.
Comprehensive reviews of the literature have failed to produce more than two or three strong,
empirically-based studies (e.g. Dynarski & Gleason, 1998; Slavin & Fashola, 1998). The
National Dropout Prevention Center, however, lists fifteen strategies for dropout prevention that
have been found to have some degree of effectiveness:

Systemic renewal through the process of a school’s constantly evaluating its goals and
objectives;
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
Professional development to equip teachers with new skills and techniques for working
with at-risk youth;

Early childhood education;

Alternative schools;

Instructional technologies;

Service learning;

Conflict resolution and other social skills training;

Out of school experiences;

Community collaborations to provide support for schools;

Family involvement;

Reading and writing programs to enable every child to learn better;

Individual instruction;

Mentoring and tutoring;

Addressing learning styles and learning issues associated with multiple intelligence; and,

Helping youths achieve career and workforce readiness.
In its development, Garza Independence High School adopted these characteristics. In
subsequent chapters, various program components such as individual instruction and the use of
technology, service learning, the equipping of teachers working with at-risk students will be
covered in some detail. Of course, the challenge for urban school districts is the ability to offer
these multiple components in cost effective programs. Chapters Three and Four address how
Garza is able to do so.
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The Importance of Public Alternative Schools of Choice
For the past thirty-five years, the educational literature has made a strong case for
alternative schools for at-risk youths as offering effective programs for dropout prevention and
retrieval. Anecdotal case reports and a number of program evaluations have pointed to the
effectiveness of alternative schools for at-risk and dropout youths (Wehlage and Colleagues,
1989; Dynarski & Gleason, 1998). Of course, there are many types of alternative schools ranging
from gifted programs to those that offer disciplinary alternatives for violent and potentially
dangerous youths. The type of alternative school that appears to work for dropout prevention and
retrieval for a large number of diverse youths in urban school districts is a small school of choice.
The school of choice offers short, flexible schedules, individualized, self-paced learning, and ongoing help to remove the social, psychological and educational barriers to learning and
achievement. Many evaluations indicate that educators believe these smaller schools of choice
are effective for helping urban, at-risk youths finish school. The components found in successful
alternative schools have also been shown to be the same components that are in the effectiveschools literature (Rumberger, 2004).
Even though alternative schools are undoubtedly one of the best researched methods for
dropout prevention and school districts should count them among their list of best practices, few
alternative schools have been evaluated using experimental designs and other rigorous research
methods. Virtually nonexistent are well-structured, randomized experimental designs or
longitudinal research studies that follow youths who graduate from alternative schools into
adulthood, and evaluate their work and career success.
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What We Know About the Effective Methods in Alternative Schools
Several reviews of the literature on effective alternative schools reveal they have
competent, highly trained staff and a structure that is flexible and smaller in size, with more
individualization and choices in curriculum design and services. Other reviews demonstrate that
some of the more effective alternative schools have a rigorous curriculum and actually may
resemble private, elite schools more than public schools (van Heusden Hale, 2000). Rumberger
(2004) identifies the following characteristics of effective alternative school programs for
dropout prevention:
1) A non-threatening environment for learning;
2) A caring and committed staff who accept personal responsibility for student success;
3) A school culture that encourages staff risk taking, self-governance, and professional
collegiality; and,
4) A school structure that provides a low student-teacher ratio and a small size in order to
promote student engagement.
Evolution of Gonzalo Garza Independence High School
Gonzalo Garza Independence High School designed its programs using the best
knowledge available for urban, dropout prevention, including the characteristics found in the
aforementioned descriptions of effective alternative school programs. Garza was specifically
designed to remove the learning barriers for an ethnically diverse group of urban students who
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are at risk and have multiple social, psychological and learning challenges. Garza has several
community partners who help meet the needs of their diverse, challenging student population.
Examples of partners include: The School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin,
Communities in Schools and the Austin Community College. Garza’s multidisciplinary program
helps urban dropout students meet the learning expectations of Austin Independent School
District and the exit-level, standardized, TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test.
It also prepares them through service learning for citizenship, employment, and future education
by engaging them in real work in businesses and community agencies.
Garza’s evolution as an academic alternative high school incorporated a philosophy so
similar to that of solution-focused therapy that introducing the model as a means of day to day
conversations could be done with relative ease. By following the best practices in dropout
prevention and alternative schools, Garza had already adopted many components of solutionfocused therapy such as collaboration, respect, individualization and relationship building. The
following characteristics of solution-focused schools identified in Table 1.1 in chapter one, were
well established with the staff and students when the idea of a solution-focused Impact Team
surfaced in fall, 2000:

Faculty emphasis on building relationships with students;

Attention given to individual strengths of students;

Emphasis upon student choices and personal responsibility;

Overall commitment to achievement and hard work;

Trust in student self-evaluation;
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
Focus on the student’s future successes instead of past difficulties;

Celebrating small steps toward success; and,

Reliance on goal setting activities.
The solution-focused Impact Team served as the first formal introduction to the solution-
building model into the school’s evolving structure. Garza developed as a solution-focused
school in a nonlinear, multifaceted fashion with no single characteristic leading the way. Each
characteristic was present in sufficient force to support the others and to support the introduction
of solution building as an overarching philosophy for the school. Introducing the model through
the Impact Team provided Garza with language that described its uniqueness. See Figure 2.1 for
characteristics of a solution-building school.
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Figure 2.1 Characteristics of a Solution-Building School
Impact Teams developed as a response to a growing concern about students leaving
public education without completing their studies. During the school year 1999-2000, Austin
Independent School District (AISD) and Austin and Travis County governments created a team
of community leaders to address this issue. Called the Dropout Task Force, this group
recommended many initiatives that were implemented in the district beginning in 2000-2001.
One initiative was the development of an Impact Team on each campus. The team was charged
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with identifying students, both in the aggregate and individually, who were at high risk of
leaving school prematurely. The team developed appropriate interventions to counteract student
departure. During the summer of 2000, two school social workers developed a model for the
Impact Team based upon solution-focused treatment and counseling (Metcalf, 1995; Murphy,
1997; Sklare, 1997; Webb, 1999). This strengths based, solution-focused Impact Team model
places emphasis on the assets within the student and the environment, naming the staff member
who works with the student an “advocate”, “guide” or “coach”. At Garza, all staff were trained
to serve as solution-focused student advocates, beginning in January 2001. From the beginning,
the intent was to take the solution-focused approach beyond the Impact Team, as illustrated by
the following description of the process from early training materials (Table 2.1):
Table 2.1 Garza’s Three-Level Impact Team
Group Interventions
Forum for identifying groups of students who have common needs,
and developing strategies for addressing those needs.
Individual Interventions
Strength-based process of intervening with a student to explore
solutions to school difficulties.
School Culture
Process by which faculty and staff gain awareness, comfort, and
capacity in using the principles of a strengths-based, solutionfocused approach in their every day interactions with students and
colleagues.
The Impact Team process became the vehicle by which staff began to adopt techniques
from solution-focused treatment. Referrals to the team emphasized student assets. Not only
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teachers, but students and parents were encouraged to complete versions of the basic referral.
Training the entire staff resulted in an unforeseen outcome: the facilitators handled issues, which
might have lead to an Impact Team referral, and few referrals came to the team. Currently the
Impact Team mostly addresses school-wide issues and serves as an advisory group for
continuing education in and adherence to solution building. Implementing solution building at
Garza is now an expectation in the principal’s accountability system (see Chapter Five). Training
continues as staff’s understanding of the model deepens their confidence and they increasingly
engage in solution-building conversations with students and each other.
What is Solution Building?
Solution building is a term used by De Jong and Berg (2002) to describe the use of
solution-focused therapy in interviewing. This concept clearly emphasizes the model’s departure
from problem solving. It is an excellent tool to use with educators, with its connotation of an
active, open-ended process in which students and staff construct solutions within the context of a
conversation. The description most often used at Garza is “solution-building conversations”
which serves to assure the parties that they are not engaging in therapy. The model began about
25 years ago in family therapy, most notably at the Brief Family Therapy Institute in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, and is based on careful observations of actual sessions with troubled families. The
philosophy emphasizes respecting peoples’ strengths, assets and talents, choosing hopeful,
positive, empowering language, experimenting with new behavior and celebrating incremental
change. Several descriptions of the model (Murphy, 1997; Thomas, 1997) identified specific
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assumptions upon which the process is based. These in turn became a part of the training at
Garza.
Assumptions of Solution-Based Conversations
Solution-building conversations within a school setting are founded upon principles
that parallel the principles of solution-focused schools in general. See Table 1.1 in Chapter One
for a review of those principles. The assumptions, values, and beliefs that inform solutionfocused therapy can be grouped into four constellations of concepts:
Solution Driven:

The purpose of the conversation is to discover clues to a possible course of action that
will reduce the impact of a difficulty.

A small change in any aspect of the difficulty can create a solution.

Complex problems do not need complex solutions, nor is there a logical connection
between the problem and the solution.

Successful solutions are conceived in terms of taking new action rather than stopping
old behaviors.
Asset Based:

Students, teachers, and parents have the strengths and abilities to change school
difficulties.

Any goal must be developed by the person experiencing the difficulty.
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
Recognizing and affirming the student’s competence and ability to change is highly
motivating.
Focus Shift:

Concentration on future possibilities supports change.

Insight into the nature of the problem is not necessary for building solutions.

There is always an exception to the difficulty, a time or place when the problem was
less or even absent.

In a school setting, the emphasis is upon solutions that enhance personal development,
academic success and progress toward graduation.
Experimental Action:

Change is going to happen.

There is no one correct course of action toward building a solution.

There are many possible meanings and ways to understand any given behavior;
therefore, if one view is not working, try another.

If it works do more of it; if it does not work, do something else. (Murphy, 1997;
Thomas, 1997)
These assumptions demonstrate how solution building differs from problem solving (Table 2.2).
The shift is away from the past and toward the future. There is minimal attention paid to what is
wrong. Attention is focused on what is working. The person is seen as capable, not flawed. The
entire endeavor is hopeful and places responsibility for the change on the person experiencing
the difficulty. The solution-building process follows clear steps and relies upon techniques that
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have been proven to work. For these reasons, the model has been transferred to many areas other
than family therapy: childrens’ protective service (Berg & Kelly, 2000); school counseling
(Metcalf, 1995; Murphy, 1997; Sklare, 1997; Webb, 1999ab); substance abuse (Miller and Berg,
1995); and business. Educators can easily learn to use this system of positive tools to aid students
in discovering their own strengths and building solutions based on these strengths and abilities.
Table 2.2 Comparing Solution Building with Problem Solving
Solution Building
Problem Solving
“How did you do that?”
Focus on future
Solution-talk
Attention on what is working
Student is capable
Student is source of solution
Advocate skilled at “not knowing”
Frees teacher from responsibility
of fixing the problem
“Why did you do that?”
Emphasis on past
Problem-talk
Attention on what is wrong
Student is flawed
Teacher is source of solution
Teacher is “all knowing”
Teacher accepts responsibility
for fixing the problem
Stages of Solution Building
Most authors present a schema of the solution-focused process that identifies distinct
steps (De Jong and Berg, 2002; Murphy, 1997; Kral, 1995; Metcalf, 1995; Webb, 1999). Several
examples from these authors are presented in Appendix B in some detail. Clearly these stage
descriptions are quite similar. This discussion will use the stage description presented in De Jong
and Berg (2002). Like most stage descriptions, these represent what occurs within the context of
the traditional therapeutic interview. In solution-focused therapy, the time taken for the interview
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varies. The initial contact can go beyond the confines of the usual fifty minutes, and subsequent
contacts are frequently much shorter. In schools, solution-building conversations usually take
place outside this structure all together. Although a facilitator may set time aside for a more
formal conversation, the stages often occur over a longer period of time. The first two stages
usually occur as a regular part of the student-facilitator relationship. Therefore, a teacher can
move to the next three stages, the more active solution building, at the beginning of the
conversation. One main concern among Garza staff is that they do not have time to do the stages
as they would be done in therapy. In reality, the stages are incorporated in many daily
interactions thus enhancing the more structured conversations. Early training at Garza relied on
the Murphy description of solution building. Recently we have been using the stages presented in
De Jong and Berg (see Table 2.3 for comparison).
Table 2.3 Stages of Solution Building: De Jong and Berg vs. Murphy
De Jong and Berg
Establishing Rapport.
Describing the Problem.
Developing Well-formed Goals.
Exploring for Exceptions.
Feedback and Homework.
Murphy
Establish and maintain cooperative changefocused relationships.
Clarify the problem.
Define changeable problems and reachable goals.
Apply exceptions and other client resources.
Encourage changes in the “viewing” and
“doing” of the problem.
Evaluating Progress.
Evaluate and maintain desired changes.
Terminate counseling.
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Establishing Rapport /Describing the Problem
Each stage requires a set of skills. During the time when the focus is on building rapport,
it is important to communicate the belief that the student has resources, and that the advocate
truly wants to be of help to the student. In a solution-building school with emphasis on
relationship, developing rapport with students is an expectation. Using language that
communicates possibilities, and acknowledging areas in which the student has been successful
are built into routine classroom interactions. Often when a teacher engages in solution building
there have already been times when attention has been given to describing the problem. In
solution building, however, the focus is upon guiding the student to explore details that can be
used later to construct a solution. The journalist's rule of questioning applies: Who, What, When,
Where, How, and How often. Murphy (1997) describes this process as video talk, asking the
youth to relate the details of the problem that would be presented on a video tape. It is important
to give the problem sufficient discussion and attention. This assures the student that the teacher
takes the problem seriously. Establishing rapport and describing the problem are both activities
that occur over time, and lay a solid foundation for teacher and student to come together to coconstruct solutions.
A scaling question can also be used to bring attention to the degree of the difficulty.
Scaling questions are used at many points in solution-building conversations. Here is an example
of a scaling question with a teacher using the model:
Teacher: “On a scale of 0–10, with 0 signifying the worst attendance possible and ten
being perfect attendance, how would you rate yourself today?”
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Student: “Oh, I think about a six.”
Teacher: “What tells you it is a six?”
Student: “Well, I come to school at least three days a week and I stay in most of my
classes.”
Teacher: What would have to change for it to go to a seven?”
Student: “Well, when I come to school I could stay in all my classes, and I could come
another day each week.”
Teacher: “Could you try that for the next week? We could talk again about how that
worked for you.”
Scaling questions are used to help the student assess the degree of the difficulty, the
confidence that they can do the suggested behavior, the intensity of a feeling, the level of support
they have at home, and many other areas. Most teachers are comfortable using the scaling
question before they gain confidence in other techniques in the process.
Types of Relationships
Identifying the nature of the student’s relationship to the solution-building process offers
guidance for initial approaches to take with the student. De Jong and Berg (2002) present three
levels of involvement that students bring to the change process. The first type of relationship is
that of visitor, denoting that the student is merely visiting the process with no recognition that
there is a problem, or that they have any part to perform in dealing with it. Often the student has
been forced to speak to someone or to come to a staffing. It is difficult not to confront these
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students with their “denial of responsibility”, but this tactic will not serve to engage them in the
process. With this student, one must focus on discovering what he or she wants to happen. Then,
it becomes possible to articulate a goal. Teachers have been concerned about the nature of these
goals, which can be self-serving and none too noble. Wanting to get “Mr. Wilson out of my
business” is a workable goal and can serve to move the student into the more involved
relationship of complainant. A complainant clearly recognizes that there is a problem but sees
changing someone else as the solution. Teachers and parents, as well as students, often begin as
complainants. The task is to listen for what they want and to explore their sense of powerlessness.
Again, it is difficult not to challenge a complainant’s perception. The idea is to help them
identify some things they might do to impact the other person’s behavior. This approach can
move the student into the direction of becoming a customer. A person is in a customer
relationship when they not only recognize the problem, but also recognize that they have a
central role in building a solution. Although this student may not have a well-developed vision of
what a problem-free future will be like, probably they already have some ideas for building steps
toward solutions. Training at Garza has emphasized interviewing techniques rather than the types
of relationships. Recognition of the student’s stance vis-à-vis the process is a useful tool that will
be included in future training.
Developing Well-formed Goals/Exploring for Exceptions
Actively co-constructing solutions is the work of the two middle stages. Here the
conversation shifts from problem-talk to solution-talk. The advocate and student seek to identify
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what is important to the student, and from this, exploration goals can be developed. Goals are
steps toward a solution and must be specific, possible, behavioral and important to the student.
Often students have experienced goal setting in other areas of their lives, but lack skill in
developing goals that meet these requirements. Using a scaling question is a powerful tool in
developing goals, which are defined by small increments that represent movement up one point
on the scale. During this stage the questioning strives to lead the student to create a vision of the
future without the problem. Constructing goals is enhanced by using the miracle question, or
with younger students, the pretend question. Both ask the student (or parent or teacher) to
describe in specific detail what would happen if the difficulty were to disappear while they slept
one night. Fleshing out this vision in as much detail as the student can give not only enhances
motivation for change, but also provides clues for constructing first steps toward solutions.
Below, a school social worker poses the miracle question:
Social Worker: “I’m going to ask you a strange sort of question which will require you to
use your imagination. Okay? Let’s say you go back to class and at the end of the day you
go to your job, and then go home and have supper, play with your baby and whatever else
you do before you go to bed. Tonight while you are sleeping a miracle happens, and your
problem is completely solved. It is not longer in your life. But, since you were sleeping,
you do not know this has happened. What would be the first thing you would notice when
you got up?”
Student: (Usually after a long pause to think.) “Well, I would want to get up. I would talk
to the baby more when I woke him.”
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Social Worker: “How do you think your baby might act?”
Student: “You know, he might not be so fussy if I felt like talking to him and holding him.
Probably if he wasn’t fussy, my mother would notice and maybe smile when we came
down the stairs.”
Social Worker: “What do you think you might do if your mom smiled at you?”
Student: “Well, I would smile back and I might eat some breakfast myself, instead of just
feeding the baby.”
Social Worker: “What else would you notice?”
The journalistic questioning continues along with video talk and asking, “What else?” to bring a
vision of the future to life for the student. A follow up question is asking if any part of the
miracle is already happening, even if just a little bit. This yields a possible avenue for the student
to do more of what she is already doing. No problem exists in the same intensity all the time.
Exploring for exceptions to the problem and reviewing in detail those instances when the
difficulty is absent or even a bit better provides clues to the direction to take in building a
solution. With exceptions, the student has already experienced some change and success and can
be carried forward by the momentum of this success.
Feedback and Homework/Evaluating Progress
In therapy models, there is a break after the active goal setting and solution building.
When the model was being developed, there was a “reflecting team” who observed the
interaction through a one-way mirror, and the break in order to gain their impressions and
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guidance. Taking a break also allows a facilitator time to think about the conversation and
prepare feedback. A break for collecting one’s thoughts is highly respectful of the student. In a
school setting, taking a break can accommodate the difficulty for both students and teachers in
setting aside a large block of time. Taking a long break might negate the impact of the goal
setting activities, especially the vision of the future without the problem. Most models for school
counselors do not include a break, so it has not been a part of the training at Garza. The break
could be quite helpful in conducting a staffing with the student present.
The break can be a useful tool when used in the context of school meetings which include
the student. Frequently, the student and parent are overwhelmed when sitting in a room with
teachers, counselors, and administrators discussing the student’s difficulty. Identifying one
person to conduct the interview and using the rest of the team as “reflectors” counteracts the
student’s feelings of being in the hot seat. Here the solution-building coach conducts the
interview in a staffing.
Willa is a mother who has been in and out of school three times. She and the baby’s
father are married, but have recently separated. Since the separation, Willa has discussed her
situation with three counselors, the daycare staff, and several teachers. Before spring break she
talked to two teachers about hurting herself. Staff is concerned about what to do and has set up a
staffing for Willa. The solution-building coach, who does not know anything about the issues,
conducts an interview while the rest of the team observes.
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Coach: “Willa, I do not know anything about your situation, but I do know all of these
people are concerned about you. Will you tell me why you think this meeting is
happening?”
Willa: “I’m missing a lot of school. My baby is sick. I don’t have transportation. My
husband has filed for divorce. I don’t have a job or any money. I’m living with my uncle
and his wife who treats me like I’m thirteen. And I just feel overwhelmed and so tired all
the time.”
Coach: “You sure have a lot to cope with. It must have been hard work to get here today.
How did you do that?”
Willa: “Well, I knew this meeting was very important. So I got up an hour early today, so
I could be here.”
Coach: “How did that work for you?”
Willa: “I had plenty of time to get Jamie fed and dressed for school. I got some breakfast.
I was up early enough to have breakfast with my aunt and uncle.”
Coach: “What else was different about this morning?”
Willa: “I just felt like my attitude was better, and I had time to talk to the day care ladies
when I dropped Jamie off.”
Coach: “If I made a video tape of you with a good attitude and you with a not so good
attitude, and showed them to you, what would be different?”
The conversation continued with a miracle question and more exploration of exceptions. Then,
the team took a break. The team had a lively discussion and developed homework tasks and
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agreed to compliment Willa on something they had observed about her during the conversation.
Hearing these compliments was a powerful intervention for Willa and also for the staff who had
felt hopeless about her situation.
Whether you have a break or not, the next stage is the “do something different” part of
the process. First, one compliments the student on his or her participation in the conversation and
on the positive traits, beliefs and desires that came to light during the conversation. Then, it is
time to make suggestions for action. Homework assignments arise out of the vision of a future
without the problem and those exceptions that already occur. Often the homework entails the
student’s observing a part of his or her life to report back. Homework assignments can also ask
the student to act as if the miracle has happened for part of the day. Using a scaling question can
lead to specific steps to be tried for a week. For example, if the student rates his or her
involvement in English class as a four on a scale of 0–10, the advocate can help the student
describe what would have to happen for his involvement to move to a five. Performing those
then becomes the homework assignment.
The next step is evaluating progress. In a school this can be fairly informal with a teacher
asking a student how things are going or asking where he or she is on the scale. Compliments are
important at this point as well. Here is a great place to use “How did you do that?” and other
comments that are truly cheer leading for the student. Scaling often reveals that the change has
been greater than one step on the scale. Scaling can also rate the student’s level of confidence in
his or her ability to maintain the change. In more formal therapy, the practice is to approach each
session as if it were the last, and one task of evaluating progress is to determine if another
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meeting is needed. In the classroom, there is continued contact with the student, so termination is
not an issue. Early versions of the Impact Team assumed that the advocate would not be the
teacher, and this is certainly a possibility. At Garza, however, most students and facilitators
prefer addressing issues in the context of their established relationship in the classroom.
Techniques and Tools
Solution building occurs when a conversation is based upon certain communication
strategies. Choosing positive and hopeful language, creating a vision of a future without the
problem, and identifying goals and steps toward goals are techniques that advance the movement
toward a solution. Techniques and tools tend to cluster around certain areas of focus, as is
illustrated below.
Language Magic
de Shazer titled one of his books on solution-focused treatment Words Were Originally
Magic, and truly word choice is the bedrock of the model. Removing the word “why” from the
conversation, or replacing “if” with “when” can strongly impact the emerging ideas the student is
forming about his situation. Webb (1999) provides a series of language lessons as a central part
of her training model. (The numbers by some items refer to the page in Webb’s book.)
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Externalize
This involves giving the problem a name to separate it from the person. For example:
“Tell me about a time when you were able to overcome anger and not have a fight with your
brother.” (45)
Temporize
These language choices avoid any description of the problem that makes it sound
permanent. Use “sometimes, yet, as if, when,” and past tense when referring to problems. “I’m
always late,” becomes “You were late today.” (56)
Labelize
Avoid using labels, especially educational labels, to describe the student and her problem.
Use neutral descriptive language instead. Thus “Amanda is a slow learner.” becomes “Amanda
needs more time with her lessons.” (50)
Empower
Help the student discover a personal reason for changing his or her behavior. This takes
control away from others (parents, teachers, principals, even the juvenile court) and gives it to
the student. Questioning explores consequences of continuing the behavior as well as
consequences of giving up the behavior the facilitator might ask. “If you continue to forget your
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homework what will happen at school? At home? With your friends?” or “What will be different
when you start remembering to bring your homework to school?” (37)
Positive connotations
When students, parents, or teachers describe a troublesome behavior in negative language,
one offers a positive or at least neutral description. Thus “controlling” becomes “providing
structure and direction,” and “withdrawn” becomes “introspective, contemplative, or observant.”
Creating a Vision
De Jong and Berg (2002) stress the importance of attending to what the person really
wants and co-creating a vision of the future that includes both what he wants and freedom from
the problem. There are several techniques which aid in achieving this outcome.
First formula task
The student, parent, or teacher is asked to observe what is happening in her life at school
(or in her relationship with her daughter; or in the class) that she would like to have. This shifts
the focus to what is working and to what is satisfying.
Changing the “viewing” of the difficulty
This technique addresses the student’s interpretation of the situation, pointing out other
possible interpretations that could more easily lead to a solution.
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Student: “Miss Wallace, the new English teacher, just does not like me.”
Teacher: “What does she do that tells you she does not like you?”
Student: “She is always on my back about my work to see if I got it done.”
Teacher: “Can you think of any other reason she might be on your back about your
work?”
A day in the life
In this scenario the student is asked to walk in the shoes of another person with whom he
is having difficulty. “Lets say that you are invisible and you are able to observe James all day,
but he does not know it. Watch him as he is getting ready for school. Is someone with him? How
does he look this morning: frowning, happy, mad, bored? What is he having for breakfast?”
Miracle question
Using this miracle question is one of the most unique tools in solution building. Adding
to the previous example:
Social Worker: “Let’s talk about when you first get to school. Would anyone notice a
change in you?”
Student: “Probably my first period teacher because I’d be on time. And maybe my
girlfriend, Annette, who can usually tell when I’m mad. I sure hope no one would say
anything.”
Social Worker: “What do you think your teacher might do?”
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Student: “Well, he’s pretty cool. He might say something very quietly like, “good to see
you,’ but he wouldn’t embarrass me.”
Social Worker: “What else would be different at school that morning?”
Video talk
Murphy (1997) uses this term to describe how to help the student provide specific details
about an aspect of the problem. “If you made a video tape of the class what would I see?” De
Shazer uses this question in a training tape: “Let’s say there are two movies: one of you before
the miracle and one after. If we put them side by side, what differences could you point out?”
Doing Something Different
Every model includes task assignments and homework for the student, teacher, or parent
to perform. Some of this homework is observational as discussed, but also people are asked to
change their behavior in some manner.
Doing more of exceptions
Every problem situation has times when it is not happening. “Well, you made it to school
today!” “What was different about this morning?” “When was the last time you got to school?”
“What was special about that time?” “Was anyone else involved in helping you get here today?”
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Changing the “doing” of the problem
This technique is based upon the notion that if one interrupts the pattern of the behavior
in any way the behavior will change. “During the next two weeks, you and your mother can
continue to fight, but when you first feel yourself getting angry, you have to give your mom a
hug and tell her you love her.” “For the next week you can only be late to math class on
Wednesday.”
Scaling
Scaling is used in every stage of solution building, and has been explained previously.
Scaling is an easy place to begin and fits many situations at school. It is especially helpful in
identifying the beginning steps. Sometimes having an actual scale is helpful.
This method is also very adaptable to the classroom teaching situation.
______________________________________________________________
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Summary
This chapter stresses the need for urban dropout prevention schools like Garza High
School and briefly highlights some of the best practices in education for dropout prevention. It
describes how Garza started out as an alternative, public high school of choice founded on best
educational practices, adopting many practices that were thought to be effective in the fields of
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dropout prevention and alternative schools. From this point, Garza moved toward developing
itself into a solution-focused high school, first adopting a method known as a solution-focused
Impact Team. It is important to note that the solution-focused model was not forced on school
administrators, staff and faculty, but evolved out of their intrinsic work with student motivation
and behavior around a dropout prevention process they called the Impact Team. Solutionfocused thinking, essentially, became a model guiding their success with at-risk students and
represented the primary model undergirding their school mental health practices. It was easy for
the school to move in the direction of the solution-focused model because of similarities between
effective alternative school practices and solution-building conversations. Finally, this chapter
illustrates how the solution-focused therapy model works in a school and provides specific
examples for how some of the important philosophical viewpoints described in Chapter One are
applied. Specific descriptions and examples of techniques for solution-building conversations are
also provided.
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Chapter Two References
Benson, Peter. (1997). All kids are our kids, San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass, Inc.
Berg, I. K. (1994). Family-based services: A solution-focused approach, New York:
Norton.
Berg, I. K., & Kelly, S. (2000). Building solutions in child protective services. New York:
Norton.
Davis, T. & Osborn, C. (2000). The Solution-Focused School Counselor: Shaping
Professional Practice, Philadelphia, PA: Accelerated Development.
De Jong, P., & Berg, I. K. (2002). Interviewing for solutions (2nd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA:
Brooks/Cole.
de Shazer, S. (1988). Clues: Investigating solutions in brief therapy. New York: Norton.
de Shazer, S. (1994). Words were originally magic. New York: Norton.
Dynarski, M. & Gleason, P. (1998). How can we help? What have we learned from
federal dropout prevention programs? Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research.
Franklin, C. (1992a). Alternative school programs for at-risk youth. Social Work in
Education, 14(4), 239-251.
Franklin, C (1998). Using Solution-focused Therapy with Children and Teachers in
Schools, Training Institute, Ninth University of Texas School Social Work Conference.
Franklin, C., Beiver, J.L., Moore, K.C., Clemons, D, & Scamardo, M. (2001).
Effectiveness of Solution-focused Therapy with Children in a School Setting. Research on Social
Work Practice, 11(4), 411-434.
Kral, R., (1995). Strategies that work: Techniques for solutions in schools, Milwaukee,
WI: Brief Family Therapy Press.
Metcalf, L. (1995). Counseling toward solutions: A practical solution-focused program
for working with students, teachers, and parents. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Miller, S. & Berg, I.S. (1995). The miracle method: A radically new approach to problem
drinking, New York: Norton.
Murphy, J.J., (1997). Solution-focused counseling in middle and high schools. Alexandria,
VA: American Counseling Association.
O’Hanlon, W.H., (1999). Do one thing different: Ten simple ways to change your life.
New York, NY: Harper-Collins.
O’Hanlon, W.H. and Beadle, S. (1997). A guide to possibility land: Fifty-one methods for
doing brief, respectful therapy. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Rumberger, R.W. (2004). What can be done to prevent and assist school dropouts? In P.
Allen-Meares & M.W. Fraser (Eds.). Intervention with Children and Adolescents: An
Interdisciplinary Perspective (pp. 311-334) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Rumberger, R.W. & Thomas, S.L. (2000). The distribution of dropout and turnover rates
among urban and suburban high schools. Sociology of Education, 73, 39-67.
Sklare, Gerald B., (1997). Brief counseling that works. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press.
Slavin, R.E. & Fashola, O.S. (1998). Show me the evidence. Proven and promising
programs for American schools. New York: Corwin.
Thomas, F. N., (1997). What you see is what you get: Competency-based techniques with
couples, families and other earth units. Workshop, Texas Network for Children.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics (2000a)
Dropout rates in the United States: 1999 (NCES 2001-022), by Phillip Kaufman, Jin J. Kwon,
Steve Klein, and Christopher D. Chapman. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
Van Heusden H. S. (2000). Comprehensive school reform: Research strategies to achieve
high standards. San Francisco: WestEd.
Wehlage, G., Rutter, R.A., Smith, G., A., Lesko, N., & Fernanandaz, R.R. (1989).
Reducing the risk: Schools as communities of support. New York: Falmer Press.
Webb, W. H. (1999a). Solutioning: Solution-focused interventions for counselors.
Philadelphia, PA: Accelerated Press.
Webb, W. H. (1999b). The Educator’s guide to solutioning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press.
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Werner, E.E. and Smith, R.S. (1992). Overcoming the odds: High risk children from birth
to adulthood. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
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“Styrofoamosaurus” by Mark Sprinkle
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Mark Sprinkle
“Styrofoamosaurus”
Mark Sprinkle came to Garza in May 2002 with 9 credits. Mark has completed 6 credits
and expects to graduate in May 2004. Mark came to Garza because of severe health problems;
when he was 12 he developed arthritis in his back with severe pain. He has had one back surgery
which was not too successful. There are days when the pain is so bad that he cannot move.
Garza’s flexible schedule, and self-paced curriculum allow him to come to school when he can.
Mark comes in the afternoon, giving him the time he needs to handle the tasks of getting up and
going in the morning. In regular high school, even with homebound he was so behind that he
would not have graduated. Mark plans on attending aviation school, which combines a college
degree after high school. He plans to be a commercial pilot. He describes life at Garza: “This is
an extraordinary school. People here go beyond their teacher duties. I really love being able to
blast through the courses.” The art teacher collected “computer Styrofoam” , asking for some to
do something with it. Mark rose to the task. “Styrofoamosaurus” is displayed in the hall at
Garza. The sculpture has never been disturbed in the 18 months it has been there.
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Chapter 3 — A Look at a Solution-Focused High School Using Concept Maps
A Case Presentation of Garza High School
Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the findings from Concept mapping research
on Garza Independence High School. (See Appendix C for research methods used to collect data
about practices employed by Garza High School.) Concept maps provide a structured method for
developing a conceptual framework for what is working at Garza and how effective each
component of the high school is in helping students achieve their educational goals. The strength
of Concept maps is they allow researchers to collect information in the form of qualitative
information like words and statements, and conduct quantitative analysis in their conclusions.
This chapter presents the findings from staff and students at Garza High School.
Background and Significance of Concept Map Research
In an effort to prevent school dropout and academic failure, Garza Independence High
School has worked to create a solution-focused model. As discussed in Chapters One and Two,
the solution-focused intervention is a strength-based, goal-oriented model used by administrators,
facilitators and school mental-health professionals. Working within a solution-focused
framework, the school has integrated many of the effective practices in education for dropout
prevention and retrieval. The School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin has
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worked as a partner to develop research on the solution-focused school model. Insoo Kim Berg
from the Brief Family Therapy in Milwaukee has also served as a trainer.
As part of an effort to evaluate the solution-focused school program at Garza
Independence High School, the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin is
using concept mapping to detail Garza’s unique, strengths-oriented, solution-focused approach.
In this research, we are interested in examining what is working at Garza and how effective each
component is. The goal of the research was to receive input from administrators, faculty, staff
and students regarding the unique features of Garza High School that makes it effective in
helping students achieve their educational goals. Concept maps provided an empirical method
for investigating the program components of the school, their importance to the school's
outcomes, and their solution-focused features.
Concept Mapping Methodology
Concept mapping is a structured method for developing a conceptual framework. The
process uses qualitative data to produce quantitative results. Concept maps are produced in a
specialized software program (Concept Systems, Inc.) using multivariate statistical techniques,
including multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis, to provide pictorial
representations of relationships and relevance of the identified concepts (Trochim, 1989).
Administrators, faculty, staff and student participants were asked to complete three
specific tasks during the concept mapping sessions: brainstorming, sorting, and rating. Student
participants attended separate concept-mapping sessions from facilitators, staff and
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administrators so that they could be more open during the brainstorming session. The students
participating in the concept-mapping session were selected from the principal’s advisory council.
The brainstorming session for facilitators, administrators and staff was held on January 6,
2003 at Garza High School and involved thirty-seven participants. The brainstorming session for
students was held on January 9, 2003 at Garza High school and involved fourteen students.
Participants from both sessions generated a combined total of 182 (107 from
staff/admin/facilitators, and seventy-five from students) unique statements in response to the
focus statement: “Describe the specific characteristics of Garza High School that help students
achieve their educational goals.”
Statements from the brainstorming sessions were entered into a computer. Then 182
cards were printed, each with its unique statement. Participants were asked to individually sort
all 182 statements into piles that had a similar meaning, or concept, and to give each pile a name.
There was no right or wrong way to group the statements. After participants had sorted all
statements into conceptual piles, they placed a rubber band around each pile and wrote a
representative label on the back of the bottom card.
The rating session involved the same facilitators, administrators and staff who
participated in the first session. However, a different student sample was purposely selected by
school counselors in order to get a broader student perspective. None of the students from the
principal’s advisory council participated in the second session.
After all the cards were sorted, participants filled out three rating sheets which contained
all 182 statements and three different rating questions:
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1. “When comparing Garza Independence High School to traditional public high schools,
how unique is each of the characteristics listed below?” Participants were asked to rate
each of the 182 statements on a 1–5 Likert scale where 1=not at all unique, and
5=extremely unique.
2. “Considering the unique features of Garza Independence High School, how important is
this characteristic in helping students graduate from high school?” Participants were
asked to rate each of the 182 statements on a 1–5 Likert scale where 1=not at all
important, and 5=extremely important.
3. The final rating sheet gave a brief overview of the characteristics of solution-focused
therapy and asked, “Given the characteristics listed above, how closely does each
statement below match with the solution-focused, strengths perspective?” Participants
were asked to rate each of the 182 statements on a 1–5 Likert scale where 1=no match,
and 5=a perfect match.
Again, working individually, participants completed each rating sheet. They were asked to try
and rate the statements so that there would be about an equal number of statements for each
rating code. Because students were not familiar with solution-focused therapy, the rating sheet
which they filled out for that question was not used in the pattern-matching analysis.
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Solution-Focused Alternatives for Education Project: Concept Mapping Results
A cluster replay was used to determine the total number of clusters for the analysis. Using
the worksheet for deciding on the number of clusters, filled out by the participants, and a printout
of the cluster replay, members of the research team identified which clusters were merged at
each step starting from the top of the list (Table 3.1).
Table 3.1 Cluster Replay
Cluster Replay From 20 to 8 Done
Cluster Replay Listing
At Cluster 19 merged: 16 17
At Cluster 18 merged: 8 9
At Cluster 17 merged: 5 6
At Cluster 16 merged: 10 11
At Cluster 15 merged: 4 5 6
At Cluster 14 merged: 7 8 9
At Cluster 13 merged: 12 13
At Cluster 12 merged: 1 2
At Cluster 11 merged: 19 20
At Cluster 10 merged: 12 13 14
At Cluster 9 merged: 16 17 18
At Cluster 8 merged: 3 4 5 6
Reading through the list of statements for each cluster from the cluster replay list, we determined
whether we agreed, disagreed, or were undecided about whether those clusters should be merged.
In selecting our final cluster solution, we chose to use the lowest number of clusters on which we
consistently agreed. The final decision was to use fifteen clusters because it gave us a richer
description and understanding of the different components of Garza. The cluster map (Figure 3.1)
was taken to a focus group from Garza High School to validate the meaning of the clusters and
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determine cluster names. The focus group, which consisted of three students, two facilitators, the
principal, a social worker and a counselor came up with the following cluster names and
descriptions:
1.
Relationships: This cluster captures the statements from the brainstorming that deals
with the broad relationships between student/principal, student/student,
facilitators/student, and among staff.
2.
Professional Environment: This cluster captures concepts of recognizing and
appreciating each other’s strengths and skills and ability to work with each other to
preserve the school’s mission.
3.
Respect Evident Throughout the School: This cluster captures concepts of trust and
respect evident throughout the school amongst students, facilitators, staff and
administrators.
4.
Strength-Based: This cluster describes the school’s focus on strengths in students,
facilitators, administrators and staff. It also recognizes and encourages risk taking
despite the potential for failure because failure is seen as a learning experience.
5.
Sense of Community: This cluster captures the concept of close, supportive, and
nurturing relationships within the school. For example “Garza is like a family; every
one knows each other on a much more personal level.”
6.
Student-Student Interaction: This cluster describes student’s respect for each other and
appreciation of differences.
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7.
Empowering Culture: This cluster captures concepts of individual freedoms and
encouragement of personal responsibilities given to students.
8.
Cutting Edge: This cluster captures specific techniques used at Garza that are nontraditional and unique to Garza. The focus group felt these were characteristics that are
not mainstream and not practiced at other schools because they are seen as risky.
9.
Organizational Foundation: This cluster captures the broad concept of how the school
is set up: class schedule, academic plans, orientation and school staffing.
10. School Size and Structure of School’s Day: Concepts in this cluster are similar to
cluster 9 expect this cluster gives specific examples of the school day’s schedule and
classroom characteristics.
11. Admission and Exit: This cluster captures unique features of graduation requirements
and admissions criteria. It highlights that student’s completion of course work is
scheduled according to their self-paced progress. Students can complete high school
requirements at any time of the year.
12. Resources Directed to Student Success: This cluster captures individualized services
that Garza provides to help students meet academic requirements, continue on to postsecondary education, and obtain employment skills and experiences.
13. Preparation for Life: Concepts in this cluster are similar to cluster 12, but it focuses on
specific programs for increasing post-secondary education and employment for the
student.
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14. Student Success: This cluster focuses on helping students define and achieve personal
goals and recognizing their success in meeting those goals.
15. Continuous Improvement: This cluster captures the concept of continually examining
their practices and willingness to make changes to better help students achieve their
educational goals.
See Appendix D for a list of all statements by cluster.
Figure 3.1 Point Cluster Map
Point cluster map- All
Respect Evident Throughout the School
1
7
92
44
139
76
95
120 176
91
42 46 Sense of
110
61
111 135
162
38 133
Community
118164
Professional
94
15 12 151
Environment
34
13028
141 24
Student-Student
68 45 60
83
27
Interaction
146 123 73
179
175
137
70
104 163
58 140
65
Strengths166 113
57
150
124
8112 128
Based
171 13
115
173
14520
67
147 167 119 125 62
66
161
132
69 59
160
32
21
Continuous
134
178
182
88 8956
Improvement
40 153
109 103
149
86
93
9 107
33
Empowering
138
85
117
80
23 Culture
87
64
Student Success
159
154
36
180
49 14
41
organizational
148168
174
152
foundation
142177
96
99
116 127
156
53
55 158121
98
157
19
82
39
129 169
26
29
71
155
74 126
Preparation
102 52
90
172
47
78
25
for Life
97181
31
Size &
114 136
84
81
22 School
131143 79 170
Structure of
63
122
48
30
School Day
10
106 101
50 3
100
511
16 75 4
2105 144 776
165
72 4354
Resources Directed to
108 35
Student Success
18
51
Cutting Edge 17
37
Relationships
Admission & Exit
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Interpreting Cluster Map
The analysis placed the statements on the map in such a way that statements which were
piled together frequently are closer to each other on the map than statements which were not
piled together frequently (Trochim, 1989). Our analysis focuses on eight clusters for which staff,
faculty, and students sorted statements most consistently. These eight clusters contain statements
that participants most often sorted together. The four clusters in the top right corner of the map
are grouped together because they center around the theme of community. Respect Evident
Throughout the School, Sense of Community, Student-Student Interaction, and Empowering
Culture all emphasize relationships throughout the school. Statements in these clusters focus on
collegiality and the strong sense of community felt by students, facilitators and staff.
The four clusters on the bottom right corner are grouped together because they center
around the theme of school organization. Organizational Foundation, School Size and Structure
of the School, Cutting Edge, and Admission & Exit all emphasize the unique way in which
Garza operates as a 21st century school. Statements in these clusters addressed the structure of
the school, unique programs and non-traditional teaching practices that help Garza students
succeed in their academic goals.
Pattern Matching
After the final cluster map was selected and analyzed, pattern matches were conducted
based on the three rating sheets and demographics. Pattern matching represents subgroups’
agreement levels on the content of the cluster map. Each axis has the same label as the cluster
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created in the final cluster map. Cluster labels are ranked in order of importance from top to
bottom for each group. These two measures aggregated at the cluster level are compared to see if
there is consensus or disconnect between groups. If the line connecting the two axes is horizontal,
there is perfect consensus or match. Pattern matching also calculates a correlation coefficient that
describes the strength of the relationship or match between the two variables. A value of 0
indicates no match where a value of +/-1 indicates a perfect match (Trochim, 2000).
The first pattern matching compared how facilitators, administrators and staff scored
clusters on the uniqueness rating sheet relative to the importance rating sheet (Figure 3.2). That
is, on the left axis, facilitators, administrators and staff rated how unique the characteristics are at
Garza. On the right axis, they rated how important these unique characteristics are in helping
students achieve their educational goals. The higher scoring clusters for the uniqueness of Garza
tended to be concrete features of the school, such as cutting edge practices, school size and
structure of the school day, and admission and exit policies. Facilitators, staff and administrators
rated statements in these clusters very high as unique features of Garza when compared to other
traditional high schools. Clusters that deal with school culture and relationships scored higher on
the right axis, indicating that they were rated as more important in helping students achieve their
educational goals.
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Figure 3.2 Uniqueness vs. Importance – Teachers
Uniqueness vs. Importance- Teachers
uniqueness
importance
4.43
4.43
cutting edge
respect evident throughout the school
school size and structure of school day
sense of community
empowering culture
organizational foundation
sense of community
student success
admission and exit
strengths-based
continuous improvement
Professional environment
student success
continuous improvement
student-student interaction
cutting edge
respect evident throughout the school
student-student interaction
organizational foundation
empowering culture
relationships
school size and structure of school day
strengths-based
relationships
Professional environment
admission and exit
resources directed to student success
preparation for life
preparation for life
resources directed to student success
3.47
3.47
r = .28
Clusters such as Respect Evident Throughout the School, Sense of Community, Student Success,
and Strengths-Based were considered the most important features at Garza in helping students
achieve their educational goals. This helps to explain the weak correlation (r=.28) between these
two measures. The most unique features of Garza tended to be concrete organizational aspects of
the school while the most important features in helping students achieve their academic goals
were relationships and school culture.
The second pattern matching compared how staff, administrators and facilitators rated
statements on the importance rating sheet to statements on the solution-focused rating sheet
(Figure 3.3). The left axis ranked how important the unique features of Garza are at helping
students achieve their educational goals, while the right axis ranked how closely these
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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characteristics match the solution-focused, strengths perspective. This pattern match had a high
correlation (r=.72) which indicates that there is high agreement between the two ratings.
Figure 3.3 Importance vs. Solution – Teachers
Importance vs. Solution- Teachers
importance
solution
4.47
4.47
respect evident throughout the school
respect evident throughout the school
sense of community
sense of community
organizational foundation
relationships
student success
strengths-based
strengths-based
student-student interaction
Professional environment
continuous improvement
continuous improvement
student success
cutting edge
empowering culture
student-student interaction
Professional environment
empowering culture
organizational foundation
school size and structure of school day
admission and exit
relationships
preparation for life
admission and exit
school size and structure of school day
preparation for life
cutting edge
resources directed to student success
resources directed to student success
3.22
3.22
r = .72
Three clusters (Respect Evident Throughout the School, Sense of Community, and StrengthsBased) were in the top five clusters for both measurements. Facilitators, administrators and staff
rated the unique features that help students meet their educational goals consistently with the
characteristics of a solution-focused, strengths perspective. Participants from our focus group
who examined these pattern matching charts explained that they have become invested in the
solution-building model because they see it as being important in helping students succeed
academically. They see the characteristics of the solution-building model as being consistent
with the important features in helping students meet their educational goals.
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The final pattern matching examined the consensus on important characteristics that help
students meet their academic goals between facilitators/administrators/staff and students (Figure
3.4). The correlation coefficient was weak for this pattern match (r=.32) which indicates there
was some disconnect on what students and facilitators/administrators/staff thought to be
important.
Figure 3.4 Importance – Teachers/Staff vs. Students
Importance- Teachers/staff vs. Students
teachers
students
4.26
4.26
respect evident throughout the school
student-student interaction
sense of community
sense of community
student success
respect evident throughout the school
organizational foundation
empowering culture
strengths-based
preparation for life
Professional environment
strengths-based
continuous improvement
organizational foundation
cutting edge
Professional environment
student-student interaction
school size and structure of school day
empowering culture
cutting edge
school size and structure of school day
continuous improvement
relationships
resources directed to student success
admission and exit
admission and exit
preparation for life
student success
resources directed to student success
relationships
3.47
3.47
r = .32
The clusters which students thought to be important in helping them achieve academic success
centered around relationships, such as Student-Student Interaction, Sense of Community, and
Empowering Culture, as well as clusters that centered around future goals like Preparation For
Life and Strengths-Based. While facilitators, administrators and staff also viewed relationships
as important, they rated more concrete aspects of the school and goal-setting as being important.
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Clusters like Organizational Foundation, Professional Environment, and Student Success were
higher on the teacher’s axis than on the students’ axis.
Summary
From the cluster map analysis, fifteen clusters were generated which represent how the
statements are generally related. In examining the fifteen clusters, two themes emerged from the
final cluster map: sense of community and unique organizational practices. Each theme consisted
of four clusters. The pattern matching analysis further describes how these themes are rated by
facilitators, administrators, staff and students. The higher scoring clusters for the uniqueness of
Garza tended to be concrete features of the school like cutting edge practices, school size and
structure of the school day, and admission and exit policies. When rating how important these
unique features are at helping students achieve their educational goals, clusters that deal more
with school culture and relationships were scored higher on the right axis. Facilitators,
administrators and staff also see the characteristics of the solution-building model as being
consistent with the important features in helping students meet their educational goals. The final
pattern matching shows that students thought the clusters that centered around relationships were
important in helping them achieve academic success. Facilitators, administrators and staff rated
more concrete aspects of the school and goal setting as important. Through this concept mapping
analysis, administrators, staff, facilitators and students identified a sense of community and
unique organizational practices as important factors in helping students achieve their academic
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goals. Concept mapping research supports the fact that solution-building techniques can be very
helpful in building relationships and helping students succeed in school.
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Chapter Three References
Franklin, C, Biever, J., Moore, K., Clemons, D., & Scamardo, M. (2001). The
effectiveness of solution-focused therapy with children in a school setting. Research on Social
Work Practice, 11(4), 411-433.
Trochim, W. (1989). An introduction to concept mapping for planning and evaluation. In
W. Trochim (Ed.) A special issue of Evaluation and Program Planning, 12, 1-16.
Trochim, W. (2000). The research methods knowledge base, 2nd Edition. Available at
http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/index.htm.
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“Time” by Eli Cerda
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Eli Cerda
“Time”
Eli Cerda’s earliest memories are of his enjoyment of art, especially drawing. His large
extended family is made up of artists, including two young men who live and work in Taos. His
father creates computer web designs and has encouraged Eli to work with art on the computer.
There are also musicians in the family. Eli plans on a career that combines art and music,
perhaps as a producer. Eli dropped out of his regular high school. He first enrolled in a private
alternative school and earned six credits there. When he changed to Garza in Fall 2002, he had
thirteen credits. Like so many Garza students, his friends had come here and encouraged him to
join them. Eli works a full-time job and has been living on his own for the past several months.
He is working on his last three courses which he must finish before his twenty-first birthday
which is in three months. As Eli vows, “I’ve got to be the first one in my family to graduate.”
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Chapter 4 — How to Start a Solution-Building School:
Background and Development of Garza High School
“The superintendent called me in and said I’d like you to do something for me. He
painted a picture of a school for juniors and seniors that removed traditional barriers of high
schools. And I said I don’t know jack about high school. And his reply was ‘Good!’.”
-Victoria Baldwin, Principal
Garza High School
Introduction
Garza High School was designed to be a unique twenty-first century, solution-focused,
alternative learning center with two seemingly paradoxical foundations: one technology-centered
and the other human-relations oriented. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to
the origins of Garza High School. A brief summary of the background and development of the
school from the time of its conception are provided, along with some of the major planning
strategies that were involved. In addition, the unique philosophical principles and guiding
philosophies that were woven into the very fabric of this school model are identified and
explained.
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Background and Brief History of the School
In 1997, the creation of Garza Independence High School in Austin, Texas was placed in
the hands of its current principal, Victoria Baldwin. Ms. Baldwin had no office, no budget, and
five months to create and staff this school. At first impression a reader might ask why a person
would take on such a task. However, Ms. Baldwin is not one to shrink from challenges. She has a
plaque in her office that states “I dwell in possibilities.” All her life experiences had also
prepared her for envisioning an effective alternative school for at-risk youths. For example, Ms.
Baldwin’s mother was a social worker. Ms. Baldwin herself had been a successful middle school
principal in low-income, minority schools on the tough side of town. In addition, she had spent
time in Washington D.C. as a representative from the practice field during the Clinton
administration. She was accustomed to thinking in terms of best educational practices, program
design and getting the job done. Intuitively, Ms. Baldwin knew how to gather the best people,
and use the best educational practices to design this school. (See Chapter Two for a discussion of
the best educational practices in alternative schools.)
Getting Started
As principal, Ms. Baldwin’s first task was to secure a temporary building where she and
her small staff could work until the renovation and remodeling of an unused elementary school,
built in the 1930’s, was completed. Ms. Baldwin assigned one of the assistant principals, Mr.
Ray Torres, to the project because of his expertise in construction work and his connections with
various construction companies. Mr. Torres explains, “My job, basically, here at Garza has been
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to work with the building. The building had been an elementary school for some fifteen years
and it was in complete disarray when we got here.”
While the school facilities underwent renovation and remodeling, Ms. Baldwin and her
foundational staff of two assistant principals, a school-to-career counselor, a social worker and a
curriculum specialist interviewed and hired clerical and support staff, facilitators and facilitator
assistants, and counselors. Additionally, committees of one or two people were formed and
charged with addressing various aspects of the school’s design: budget, staffing, curriculum,
technology, school-to-work program, social services, students, and evaluation. At the weekly
steering committee meetings, each committee updated the group on the status of their roles. For
example, the social services committee discussed how child cares services would be offered at
Garza; the technology committee discussed wiring each classroom and ordering computers and
other equipment; the curriculum committee attended various trainings by curriculum specialists
around Austin; and, the school-to-work committee made contacts with local businesses to form
partnerships for internships, job readiness seminars, and job placement opportunities.
As Ms. Baldwin continued to work on this monumental task, she started to envision the
purpose of the school, the kinds of students attending the school, the situation of the world, and
what she hoped the school would accomplish. Ms. Baldwin realized that traditional high schools
did not meet the needs of all students. School matters, but only insofar as it yields something that
students can use once they leave the school. She decided that the concept of Garza High School
was to prepare students with the skills necessary to meet the demands of the twenty-first Century:
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It began with the premise of what the graduate of the twenty-first century
should look like. What skills do they need? What is it that they need to
know and be able to do? So, it started with the end and worked backwards.
This process of trying to figure out what the graduate in the twenty-first
century looked like began with brainstorming sessions involving school
leaders, facilitators, parents and students. We designed the school program
based on this information. I envisioned a school that integrated community
service, social services, technology and self-paced curriculum within a
supportive campus environment.
Students are introduced to the world of work through internships, apprenticeships and
jobs within the business community, preparing them to take their places in the work force of
today and tomorrow. Alternatively, the curriculum links what happens in the classroom to real
life situations relevant to careers and post-secondary opportunities. Garza’s design provides a
sense of hope and destiny for students who are ready to give up or have already given up the
chance to earn a high school diploma.
Garza High School prepares students for post-secondary education as well as for careers
in the twenty-first century through an opportunity to experience a different kind of educational
environment. One of the main components of a twenty-first century school involves
incorporating technology into the curriculum. As a result, all of Garza’s courses integrate
technology, and students receive multiple opportunities to explore and expand their technology
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skills. Technology tools available in every classroom include multimedia computers with internet
connections, printers and a variety of software. Additionally, scanners, video cameras, digital
cameras, audio recorders, projectors and graphic tablets are readily available. Beyond equity of
access to technological equipment, students have a variety of technology courses to choose from,
such as computer applications and maintenance, desktop publishing, multimedia animation,
media technology and web mastering. By integrating technology with the curriculum, the classes
foster critical thinking, problem solving and project-based learning. The self-paced format of the
school also demands independent decision making, time management, self motivation, and
acceptance of personal responsibility in success or failure. These are all valuable skills of a
twenty-first century student, and necessary for success in post-secondary education as well as the
workforce.
Another unique aspect of Garza High School is its success at evolving into a solutionbuilding high school. Garza tries to use many of the techniques and philosophies of solutionbuilding model discussed in Chapters One and Two. The program emphasizes each student’s
potential, building a plan for mastering Texas and Austin Independent School District graduation
expectations, including the state-mandated high school exit test, through a self-paced and
technology-enhanced curriculum. The goal of the curriculum is interdisciplinary, thematic,
problem and project based. Using current best practices and research, Garza High School
empowers students to become life-long learners and productive members of society.
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Funding and Cost of the School
The facility renovations for Garza High School began in July of 1997 at a total cost of
$1.8 million. Equipment and furnishings total an additional $200,000, with funding provided by
the 1996 Children First Bond Program. When Garza first started in 1998, there were twelve
facilitators and nineteen staff. In 2003, Garza has an annual budget of $213,138 and has
increased its facilitators to sixteen and full-time staff to twenty-six.
Basic Student Profile: Types of Students
Students at Garza are a diverse group that reflect the Austin community at large. When Garza
first opened its doors in 1998, it had 292 students and the student body’s ethnic composition
consisted of 25 percent African-American students, 30 percent Caucasian students, and 45
percent Hispanic students. As of February 2003, Garza has 380 students with 19 percent AfricanAmerican students, 43 percent Caucasian students, and 36 percent Hispanic students. Some of
the characteristics of students attracted to Garza include:

Students who profit and thrive from a non-traditional approach to learning characterized
by an integrated, interdisciplinary curriculum which is problem and project-based and
enhanced by access to technology.

Students who wish to pursue a high-school education as part of a comprehensive program,
including preparation for post-secondary education and a strong school-to-career
component, as well as integrated health and social services.
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
Students who need support and encouragement in a personalized learning environment.

Students who have the motivation and ability to learn independently and wish to
accelerate learning.

Students who have a need for a flexible schedule that is personalized and individualized.

Students who have experienced life circumstances that have presented barriers to their
graduation.

Students who have dropped out or are likely to drop out of a regular high-school program.

Students who have earned ten credits will be preferred.

Students who are pregnant or are teen parents and need child care.

Students who find themselves lost in a large high school and lack a significant attachment
in the traditional high school setting resulting in poor academic performance with
subsequent loss of graduation credit.
Despite 92 percent of Garza students being identified as at-risk, students completed 98
percent of all credits attempted, and 86 percent of graduates indicated that they would pursue
higher education during the 2000-2001 school year. The average SAT score for Garza students
was 1048 and the average ACT scores was 21.4. According to the 2002 AEIS Report, Garza
High School had a completion rate of 96.7 percent and a dropout rate of 3.2 percent. With the
success Garza has achieved in such a short time, students from all different backgrounds are
choosing to enroll.
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Administrators’ Roles
Like other high schools, Garza’s administrative structure consists of a principal and two
assistant principals. The principal is in charge of not only the overall management of the school
and staff, but also oversees all the school committees, student advisory group, childcare services
and assistant principals. The principal’s role and leadership patterns of the school are discussed
in more detail in Chapter Five. The roles of the two assistant principals can be divided into two
components: facilities and students. One assistant principal is charged with all aspects of the
physical plant, such as buildings and grounds, and the staff who help maintain it, like custodians.
The other assistant principal is responsible for the counseling department, Blueprints (new
student orientation), student discipline and student attendance. Both assistant principals evaluate
facilitators and recruit/determine eligibility of prospective students (admissions). When the
principal is off campus, the assistant principals are in charge of making decisions if something
happens. While administrators do have delineated roles within the school, all the administrators
work as a team on all aspects of running the school, and their talents are tapped in areas where
they are of value. This sets Garza’s organizational structure apart from most high schools
because it is circular rather than top-down. There are no formal, set boundaries in terms of job
responsibilities, and no academic/school departments they supervise solely. Decisions are not
made from a traditional top-down format, but rather from a collaborative, shared-input process
where all administrators are involved in all aspects (Figure 4.1).
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Figure 4.1 Garza’s Organizational Structure
Counseling
and Support
(child care,
Social
worker,
IMPACT,
etc.
Clerical
Team
Students
Community
Outreach
(business
partners,
ACC dual
enrollment
Curriculum
and
Instruction
Team
Administrative
Team
Committees
Parents and
Guardians
Operations
(cafeteria,
custodians,
etc.
Another unique aspect of Garza’s organizational structure is the number of formal
committees established to help run the school. Garza’s organizational structure is similar to
Gareth Morgan’s organizational model. Morgan (1993) describes this model as highly innovative
and built around teams. Project teams become the driving force behind the innovation and
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remain flexible enough to adapt to the changing environment. “The influence of functional
departments is minimized. People are appointed to work on specific projects” (Morgan, 1993, p.
164). In this model, the organization is controlled by the central management team, similar to
Garza’s administration which oversees the organization’s functions. The flatness of Garza’s
organizational structure and the use of teams helps to create a collaborative learning environment
with a high level of autonomy. There is no established hierarchy in this school. It’s based on a
person’s initiative. The administrative organization at Garza is more about handling the district
mandates and requirements than about staff supervision and decision making.
Garza’s committees are voluntary, composed of administrators, facilitators, staff and
students. The purpose of formal committees is to streamline some of the functioning and
decision making, resulting in increased operational efficiency, and to embody the campus
mission to foster a community of empowered learners. Other schools may have teachers and staff
involved in committees within their own departments. The committees at Garza, however, are
interdisciplinary, as well as cross-disciplinary. Facilitators and staff are asked to be involved in
areas beyond their expertise. New committees can be formed at any time as needed, and
committees that are no longer needed can be phased out. Committees are reviewed once a year,
and staff has the opportunity to change committees on which they serve. The existing
committees at Garza are:
1. Attendance — This committee addresses concerns, procedures and initiatives included in
the Campus Improvement Plan, as well as additional attendance-related issues.
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2. Campus Improvement Plan — This committee reviews, monitors and maintains the
Campus Improvement Plan, and participates in ongoing evaluation of action plans.
Strategies are selected that help to maintain a positive learning environment, one that
capitalizes on student strengths, and in which all individuals are actively engaged in a
challenging and meaningful curriculum.
3. Events — This committee is involved with prom, graduation, community and showcase
nights and facilitator appreciation week. It would likely require additional time during the
instructional week in order to involve students.
4. Hospitality — This committee organizes monthly staff birthday celebrations, offers
support for family members in time of grief, coordinates celebrations such as weddings,
baby showers and new homes. It also plans other community-building activities, such as
“playing” together on a staff development day.
5. Impact — This committee is a problem-solving team that helps students who are
experiencing a lag in their educational success. Students may self-refer or may be
referred by any adult on campus. The Impact Team may offer the student the option of
referral to an outside agency, if appropriate.
6. Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) — This committee performs the
responsibilities specified in the TEA (Texas Education Agency) regulations concerning
the bilingual education (elementary school) and ESL (English as a Second Language,
secondary school) programs for students identified as LEP (Limited English Proficient).
The LPAC allows professional education personnel and parents to be responsible for
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recommendations regarding the identification, instructional placement and
reclassification of LEP students.
7. Partners in Education — This committee recruits partners committed to working with
our campus, creates and maintains a database, and generates appropriate print materials to
promote an adopt-a-school initiative.
8. Public Relations — This committee designs, creates, edits and produces public relations
materials, including pamphlets, posters, invitations, cards, guidebook and website
materials.
9. Scholarship — This committee assists in the selection and recommendation of students
who must be pre-selected before applying for certain scholarships. They review
applications, ready essays, and gather information from other staff members in order to
make recommendations for final selections.
10. Professional Development — This committee designs, organizes, and typically facilitates
professional development that meets the campus needs and goals.
11. Texas Assessment of Knowledge Skills (TAKS) — This committee addresses TAKS
concerns, procedures and activities included in the Campus Improvement Plan, as well as
additional TAKS related issues.
12. Technology — This committee takes care of inventories, budget, purchasing and other
technology-related activities, including training of staff in Austin Independent School
District Competencies Part I and Part II.
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13. Volunteer and Internship Project (VIP) — This committee develops and manages
community involvement activities.
14. Gifted and Talented Identification and Selection — This committee oversees the legal
recruitment, identification and selection of students for inclusion in gifted and talented
services as regulated by the Texas State Plan for the Gifted through the Texas Education
Agency.
This collaborative team approach exemplifies working within the solution-building approach to
school management.
A Model School
Davis (2000) states that a solution-focused school cannot operate without the principal’s
full endorsement and active participation. Davis cites Metcalf’s (1995) three guiding principles
for school principals as a framework for supporting facilitators and students within a solutionfocused model. Principals must first be accepting so that both facilitators and students feel that
they are in a place where they are wanted and needed. Second, facilitators and students need to
have their thoughts and feelings validated. “When a facilitator says that Jane constantly acts out
in class, that is exactly what the facilitator believes. When Jane says that Ms. Jones is always on
her back, that is exactly what the student believes. Neither view is the “right” or accurate one”
(Davis, 2000, p. 93). Third, both facilitators and students need structure. Principals should have
some structural protocol to follow. “In the case of Jane and Ms. Jones, structure may represent
allowing an opportunity for each to express her feelings, and then soliciting from each of them
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suggestions for what to do next” (Davis, 2000, p. 93). While these principles are a good
foundation for developing a solution-focused school, school administrators need to do more to
ensure the school’s success.
By 2003, Garza has received both national and state recognition for educational
excellence:

2003 AED Center for Youth Development and Policy Research, Program of the Month
for January;

2001 Family PC Magazine, Top 100 Wired Schools;

1999 Vera Institute of Justice, New York, Model School; and,

1999 U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice, School Safety Report
Recognition.
Much of Garza’s success has been through trial and error on what works for this school.
Principals looking to model their schools after Garza will need to bring facilitators, parents and
students together in the redevelopment of the curriculum and learning environment. It is
important to include them in the process through collaborative meetings and discussions.
Ms. Baldwin says:
This is a model we have here at Garza that has evolved and continues to
be fine-tuned. Other principals should have a dialogue with their staff and
see if the different components of Garza would work at their own school.
As a principal, there are some things I need to say, “okay, here are some
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givens. Now, what that looks like we’ll determine together, and we’ll
modify it and fine-tune it together. That is how true school reform occurs.
And your overall goal and outcome should be are students going to be
more successful? If you’re trying something and it’s not working, don’t do
it. Do something different. What’s amazing about our public school
system is that we are still doing all these things that are obviously not
producing the same results that they were at one time when we had more
compliant students and parents.
By collaborating with facilitators, staff, students, and parents, school administrators can
successfully incorporate many of the different solution-building components into their own
schools.
Summary
Garza High School was creatively inspired and was birthed out of a posture of “not
knowing” what works. The principal, as developer of the school vision and model, did not claim
to have all the answers about building an effective high school. In fact, she even lacked
experience working in a high school. What she did bring was a vision for an effective twentyfirst century school, a set of guiding elements for what should go into that type of school (e.g
technology, integrated social and community services, self-paced curriculum and supportive
campus environment). This vision, however, was not created alone but in collaboration with
multiple groups of people including students and parents. From that point, the principal
proceeded to use that vision as a target, and a goal to guide the organizational development of the
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school. The organizational development was also collaborative in nature and completed by
committees of staff and participants. Thus, the school was not one person’s dream, but a dream
of many who contributed to the background ideas and development and continue to do so
through the on-going, team-management committees within the school’s organizational structure.
The school has a functionalist and purpose-driven orientation to its mission. Garza came into
existence to help at-risk students graduate and to educate students whom other schools might
alienate or to provide them with what they needed to remove the barriers to their education. Thus,
the community goal that planners strove toward was to produce a school that could cater totally
to the individual needs of a highly diverse, at-risk student population. Based on their own
respectable graduation statistics and the national recognition that it has received so far, it appears
that the Garza High School has made considerable progress toward showing success as a twentyfirst century, solution-focused learning community.
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Chapter Four References
Davis, T. E. & Osborn, C. J. (2000). The solution-focused school counselor: Shaping
professional Practice. Philadelphia: Accelerated Press, Taylor & Frances Group.
Metcalf, L. & Thomas, F. (1994). Client and therapist perceptions of solution focused
brief therapy: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Family Psychotherapy. 5(4), 49-66.
Morgan, G. (1993). Imaginization. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications.
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“Cityscape” by Ryan Davis
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Ryan Davis
“Cityscape”
Ryan Davis came to Garza because he wanted to graduate in three years and take
advantage of the Austin Community College dual-enrollment classes. He accomplished both,
graduating in May, 2002. Now nineteen, Ryan has completed his freshman year at the University
of Texas at Austin. Although he is enrolled in the art school, he is still deciding on a career path
that will call upon his talents and truly interest him. Ryan really became involved in art as a
middle school student. At this time he also began to play the trombone. Before attending Garza,
he had concentrated on music: “With music you can become better technically and know it. Art
is more hazy.” Ryan comments about his time at Garza: “Garza is the most successful and
enlightened public school I have ever been involved in. Public schools promote a certain
standard of success and those who meet it are glorified (over all the others). It works here
because human care and communication and interaction mesh with the function of a public
institution. The energy of the staff at Garza is directed at finding, in each case, what the student
needs.”
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Chapter 5 — Administrative and Leadership Patterns at Garza High School
Principal knows students’ names
Principal asks for input from student advisory cabinet in decision making
Principal knows all students on a personal level
Statements made by students during Concept Mapping
Introduction
This chapter covers the role of the school administrators and how their leadership helps to
improve the school overall. It describes some of the major roles and tasks of a solution-building
administrator. We begin with a literature review looking at the importance of having school
leadership, the overall characteristics of an effective administrator, and what effective
administrators do to improve schools. A description of Garza’s administration and leadership
patterns are given. Case examples are added to show how Garza’s administrators lead the school
within a solution-building model, and how they use the solution-building process in their
everyday duties.
The Importance of School Leadership
Research on school leadership, especially the role of principal, has drawn a lot of
attention in the past twenty years. Mendez-Morse (1992) notes one of the major findings from
effective schools research is the importance of having instructional leadership as a key
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component. Principals who have leadership skills and are highly motivated can have a significant
effect on the campus, regardless of the unique ethnic or socioeconomic factors of the school and
the nature of the student population (Task Force on Education for Economic Growth, 1983).
Key Traits of an Effective Principal
Reynolds (2001) cites the work of Teddlie and Stringfield (1993) when identifying key
traits of an effective and ineffective principal:
Table 5.1 Effective vs. Ineffective Principal Traits
Effective Principal Traits

Offering stable, appropriate
Ineffective Principal Traits

leadership

Using formal and informal
leadership

structures


Sharing power
Being willing to respond to
external-to-the-school change
Exhibit changeable-over-time
Using formal structures more
than informal


Lack of staff involvement
Reluctance to relate either to
parents, the community or the
external educational reform
agenda
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Information from other evidence-based studies on characteristics of effective principals include
having and fostering a shared vision, valuing human resources, being proactive and taking risks,
believing schools are for learning and being effective communicators and listeners (MendezMorse, 1992).
What Effective Principals Do
Mendez-Morse (1992) also reviewed several evidence-based articles that focused on what
effective principals do. They identified important components as (Leithwood and Montgomery,
1982; Stallings and Mohlman, 1981; Rutherford, Hord, Huling, and Hall, 1983):

Proactive in nature and take steps to secure support for change efforts on behalf of
their students;







Go out of their way to be helpful to facilitators and staff;
Are constructive in criticism they provide;
Explain their reasons for suggesting behavior changes;
Share new ideas;
Set good examples by being on time or staying late when necessary;
Are well prepared; and,
Care for the personal welfare of the faculty.
Based on these characteristics, the effective principal is a strong interpersonal leader who is
caring toward students and staff, fosters staff development and multiple resources and leads by
example. In short, the principal creates a context where people can excel and change.
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Many of these characteristics are evident in Garza’s solution-building administrators. The
solution-building model emphasizes a strengths-based approach that offers specific skills and
techniques to help catalyze positive changes. Administrators at Garza High School successfully
use techniques such as identifying strengths, looking for solutions and collaboration to help
change perceptions, behaviors and school environment.
Illustrations of How the Leaders Lead
Solution-building techniques at most high schools are mainly implemented by school
counselors and rarely used by administrators. Garza administrators, on the other hand,
incorporate a solution-building therapy model approach in their own work and utilize key skills
to lead the school. The administration’s commitment to the model is key to creating a school
culture in which everyone is invested and uses the techniques of solution-building therapy:
It was the principal's philosophy to train the entire school for the first couple of
sessions. Data clerk people were in there, registrars, custodians, because she said
anyone can be an advocate. Our custodian is so involved with a lot of our kids and
has been a huge advocate and role model for a lot of our kids. He does citywide
basketball and recruits some of our kids for that. He talks with them about
manners and accountability, it's just amazing. Anyone can be an advocate; a kid
may bond with the cafeteria person, so that person needs to be trained like
everyone else.
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The strong presence and leadership style of the principal helps create stability in the school
environment and encourages facilitators and staff to utilize the solution-building model in their
work:
This kind of leadership takes far more time than just making a decision.
Sometimes you do just have to make a decision. I’m a big believer in democracy
and lead this school through democratic actions. In a democracy, you have many
freedoms, and I don’t like to be told what to do, and I don’t think most people do
either. But, when it is yours and you exercise the freedoms that you have
appropriately, it’s very powerful. I think we are demonstrating to kids a different
way of life from what they have experienced before. I think we need to show the
students that they do have value, and one way you demonstrate that is by valuing
what they have to say. You value their voice so that we can get to the next plateau
which is to show them how they can give back to the community.
Ms. Baldwin, Principal
While some school administrators support and encourage the use of solution building by
counselors, few actually practice these techniques in their daily duties. Administrators at Garza
lead by example and constantly use solution-building techniques with students, facilitators and
staff.
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Working with Students.
What is unique about the administration’s leadership is their use of solution building to
foster a relationship with students. The administrators view the students as the experts in solving
their own problems. This is a different approach from that taken by other administrators. Because
Garza’s administrators believe students have the knowledge and insight to solve their problems,
student input is valued and sought out. Ways in which Garza’s administrators use solutionbuilding intervention skills to assist students include:

Helping students come up with a realistic solution;

Looking for ways in which the solution is already occurring in their lives;

Determining small, measurable goals toward the solution; and,

Taking immediate steps to make a difference in educational and life outcomes.
This strengths-based approach is a major theme throughout the solution-building model as
discussed in Chapter One and offers all administrators specific skills for fostering strengths in
students. Identifying the student’s strengths helps build confidence in a student that a solution is
possible and empowers the student to continue building on his or her strengths. This helps create
positive changes for the students quickly and shifts the focus away from the negatives.
Staff Recruitment and Hiring
The principal uses the technique of identifying strengths when hiring facilitators and staff.
She tries to hire facilitators and staff with specific skills, traits and strengths valued by the
culture of Garza. From the beginning, the principal knew the kind of people she wanted at Garza
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and advertised positions seeking candidates not only with credentials, but also with attributes
such as creativity, energetic, risk taking and caring. One of the assistant principals states:
Our facilitators really care, but I think one of the reasons we have been successful
is because the principal was able to select or choose the same type of people to
work for her. If she weren’t as dedicated, and if she weren’t as friendly or open,
then none of us would be.
The idea of working at a school that encouraged non-traditional means of teaching and
learning attracted most of Garza’s facilitators. Central to the mission of Garza is the
solution-building technique of identifying strengths in every individual, students as well
as facilitators.
Accountability Process
Schools need teachers and staff who are passionately committed to kids and principals
who actively monitor accountability among facilitators and staff in order to sustain excellence in
teaching. At Garza, the principal considers herself to be “the keeper of the flame of the vision.”
She is the one who tries to keep detractors away from facilitators and staff so that they can do
what they do best, work successfully with kids. The principal, Ms. Baldwin, uses an
accountability process to ensure that facilitators and staff remain committed to their work and
don’t become apathetic:
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I’ve noticed that, over time, people become complacent. It’s very easy, even for
me. It’s a very easy place to become complacent, until you realize that you are.
And you realize people are taking advantage of leaving school early or taking
time off. So, that would be a good example of my role as the keeper of the flame.
The schedule last year allowed the facilitators to come in from 8–8:30 a.m., and
they had time to plan and prepare, and then they had more time at the end of the
day. And I said to them, we’re going to take a look at this schedule to see if it
works and, if I feel like you’re taking advantage of it, for instance, you’re coming
in late because students don’t get in till 8:30 a.m., and then you leave at 3:30 p.m.;
I’m going to think you don’t need that time for curriculum writing. And, they did
take advantage of it, so it’s gone. Abuse it, you lose it.
When describing ways facilitators meet the accountability expectations, Ms. Baldwin provides
this example:
The ones that rise to the top are your more conscientious and more organized
people. They are the ones that, if a kid is absent, [they] are calling him that day.
They keep good documentation and follow-up. They are masters of their
curriculum and are always thinking of other ways of enhancing or modifying it
for their students. They engage in on-going professional development and they’re
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rarely absent. It’s that kind of work ethic combined with creativity and innovation
that sets them apart.
The principal uses a list of expectations (see Table 5.2) to assess the strengths of each
facilitator in an annual accountability review. This review is independent of the state appraisal
system. These expectations reflect areas of emphasis during the school year and are subject to
change each year:
Table 5.2 List of Facilitator Expectations
Accountability for Professional Development Days—Describe fully
how you addressed the accountability expectations, where
applicable. Use back if needed.
1. Credits Earned
2. Integration of Technology
3. Solution focus
4. Curriculum Development
5. Professional Development
6. Exit Portfolios
7. Attendance
8. Gifted and Talented
9. Committee Contributions
10. TAKS Preparation
11. Campus Contributions
12. Textbook Accountability
13. Institute for Learning Principles
14. Plays Well With Others
At the beginning of the school year, the principal conferences with each facilitator; each
expectation is reviewed and discussed and goals are collaboratively set for the school year. At
the end of the school year, a follow-up conference occurs to review progress made on the
accountability expectations. During this accountability process, the facilitators and staff have to
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provide documentation of how each expectation has been met. For example, facilitators are
expected to monitor the attendance of the students. There is a process whereby, after five
absences, the students are referred to either their alphabetically assigned counselors or the
assistant principal. In keeping with the solution-building model of collaboration and looking for
solutions, the attendance referral is used to find out what’s going on and to help the student. The
assistant principal states:
Obviously, students are not going to be successful if they are not in school. And so, the
facilitators are required to do certain things when students are absent, and they do it and
they’re pretty thorough about it. They are expected to contact that kid. We’re not calling
home to tell the parents their kid is absent; we’re calling home to talk to the kid. What are
you doing? Why are you not here? They listen to the student’s response and will respond
appropriately. “Well you should have called to let us know. We told you it’s important to
call and let us know when something is going on. When are you planning on being back?
Do you have your work to work on?” We are just trying to show the kid that we care and
that we are serious about what we say we do here. Now, after 3 or 4 times, if the kid
continues to do that and the facilitator is concerned that the kid is not very serious about
the program, then they bring that to me. And asking me if we can do a
facilitator/student/principal conference, and we do a lot of those.
The accountability process can also show how a facilitator or staff member can fail to
meet the expectations of their job performance:
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One person I have in mind rarely uses technology even though [he has] had five
years to do it. Not sure if they have a process in place for monitoring attendance,
and [the facilitator’s] own attendance isn’t even good. I’m not sure if there is any
evidence of his using solution building in working with students or colleagues.
And [the facilitator] doesn’t make any contributions to committees or the
operations to the school.
The principal will use solution-building techniques with a struggling facilitator or staff member
during the accountability meeting. A case example given by the principal:
I use solution building during those meetings by asking, “ tell me what you think
this looks like because I think there is a gap between my expectations and yours.
So, where would you put yourself on a scale?”
I have one facilitator, in particular, that I have to talk with because I
realize I just can’t help her because she’s just fearful. She’s a fearful person and
it’s hard for that type of person to be brave in a school like this. So I need to say
to her, “what would it look like if you were not consumed with fear and what
would it take to for you to get there?” That is different from saying, “you’re not
doing this or that.”
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Some facilitators had a difficult time making decisions because they had been trained not
to do that. The principal explained:
If someone came to me and said, “what do you think about it,” I would ask, “well,
what do you think?” We would work together on it. When you don’t make
decisions then you have no ownership of it and therefore you have no
accountability or responsibility.
The principal always informs facilitators that at Garza they are going to have different roles and
responsibilities than they have experienced in the past. “We put a lot of trust in our facilitators to
be the experts in the classroom. That is different from other schools.” Facilitators are also
involved in the decision-making process, and their input is sought out and listened to.
Garza also emphasizes accountability in the students. Students choose to attend Garza
High School and, conversely, school administrators can choose to remove students for severe
disruptive behaviors like fighting. Ms. Baldwin states:
You are the person in charge of your own life and life is full of choices. I think
many times we don’t learn except through painful choices-cause and effect.
Sometimes the best thing I can do for some student is to cause some crisis in their
life by expelling them. I don’t do them any favors by allowing them to get away
with violating our code of honor because then I become an enabler.
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A case example given by Ms. Baldwin:
I’m dealing with a situation right now with a young woman who was born to a
drug addicted (both cocaine and heroin) mother, and it just gets worse from there.
Her brother died of AIDS, and her mother died. She’s bi-racial, bipolar, and has
attention deficit disorder. And we had worked with her earlier because she was
involved in the theft of a credit card with one of our facilitators, and I had a
hearing on her, a removal hearing. But she presented herself in such a way that I
thought, you know, maybe she’s learned this lesson and I can put her on a
probated removal. Well, yesterday I was getting ready to do a star walk, and I
heard this raised voice and I could tell it was not happy. So I go out to the hall,
and here she is going off verbally on this person. It’s like, which part of you
thinks this is okay, anywhere. I mean not here. What if you were out on the streets
and you did that to a policeman? You’re going to be dead someday with that kind
of behavior. So the big issue is I have her on a probated removal, so do I remove
her? This ought to be a lesson, maybe a life-saving lesson. You knew you were on
probation and the first [condition] said that you will respect yourself or others.
The hearing was in October, and she’s done great since then and I understand she
missed her appointment to get her medication, and maybe that accounts for her
behavior. But you know what, if you don’t take your medication and you’re
diabetic, then you can go into a diabetic coma and you could die. If you choose to
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not do something and you act like that, there has to be a consequence. Now I
don’t know what it’s going to be, but we’re going to have a hearing and it will be
with a committee, not just me. She’s got to learn somewhere, somehow, that that
type of behavior is not going to be tolerated in most places in our society.
While Garza offers flexibility and support in working with students, accountability for actions
and respect are expected of everyone at all times.
Case Examples of Solution-Building Process in Administration
As mentioned earlier, three key solution-building techniques used by Garza
administrators are identifying strengths, looking for solutions and collaboration. These
techniques are used with staff, facilitators and students on a regular basis for a number of
different situations. Building on the guiding principles for a solution-building school mentioned
in Chapter Three, administrators incorporate these solution-building techniques in their daily
roles.
Solution-building skill: identifying strengths
One of the key ways administrators use solution building in their work with students is by
focusing on strengths. This can be especially effective when working with students who are
experiencing problems or exhibiting behavioral issues. The attitude in solution-building therapy
is one of great respect for the student and belief that the student is the expert in resolving the
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problem. Solution-building therapy assumes that students have the knowledge, strengths, skills
and insights to solve their problems. It is a different way of thinking about the helping process
because it asserts that students have the inherent strengths and resources to help themselves. By
focusing on the student’s strengths rather than their problems, change occurs more rapidly
(Lipchik, 2002).
The following is a case example of the principal using solution building:
I deal with kids on a regular basis all the time. I’m dealing with a student who’s
been in a residential treatment for substance abuse. She came to visit me in my
office and she said, “I haven’t felt a lot of these emotions in a long time.” And I
said, “Now you can see the difference between when you’re loaded and when
you’re not. . . What else can we do here or what can I do to help you stay sober?
What does that look like?” So I think I instinctively do that with most kids.
By focusing on strengths rather than problems, Ms. Baldwin reinforces the point that this
student has the skills and knowledge to succeed, and gives the student credit for that success.
This builds confidence that a solution is possible and empowers the student to continue building
on his or her strengths. It helps to form responsibility and helps students understand that they can
work through difficult scenarios, even if they don’t like them.
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Solution-building skill: looking for solutions.
Along with identifying strengths, a second major component of solution building focuses
on looking for solutions. In solution-focused therapy, it’s the use of language that helps bring
about changes for the client. The phrasing of questions is presumed to affect the way clients view
their problems and the potential for change (Cade & O’Hanlon, 1993). Behavioral change occurs
by working with the student to identify the problem, to look for times when the problem is absent,
and to develop attainable goals to help resolve the problem (Sklare, 1997). The administrators
use Socratic questioning to help the student view the situation from a different perspective and to
look for clues where the solution is already occurring in the student’s life.
Even when disciplining students, the administration takes a solution-building approach.
When students are given detention, they are required not to only think about what they did to get
in trouble, but also to explore what they could have done differently. They are asked to envision
what a solution would look like, and how they can make those changes:
During detention, students are given a thought sheet that is used to help students
write out what happened. We would ask specific questions like what happened the
first time, what happened the second time, what could you have done to keep that
from happening, what will you do the next time this happens? And so that was a
way for us not to have to sit there with them, but still engaged them in some
mental reflection about what happened. So it became, what can we do to do a
better job? What could you have done for this not to happen? What were some of
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the other choices you could have made? So the kids would rattle those off for you
because they know the right answers. What can you do to correct that?
Solution building requires that the individual concentrate on the present and the future.
Because the past cannot be changed, it is not necessary to analyze past actions that resulted in the
problem in order to find a solution to the problem. One major assumption in solution-building
therapy is that change is constant and inevitable; a small change can lead to bigger changes. By
working with students to find solutions in a situation where the student feels stuck or
overwhelmed, making a small step towards the goal can generate hope and lead to bigger
changes (Lipchik, 2002).
Solution-building skill: collaboration
Quality schools invite all participants, regardless of who they are, to participate in the
decision making which follows along the lines of solution building. Collaboration is an important
component in the solution-building therapy model used by Garza administrators. By listening to
others and seeking their opinions, administrators can discover a broad range of ideas which helps
their decision-making process. The use of collaboration at Garza is valued because it helps bring
about better work and better solutions. The principal believes in and practices the solutionbuilding technique of collaboration by creating committees who have various responsibilities:
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I am a real believer in shared decision-making and in collaboration. For instance,
the professional development committee is probably the most innovative, creative
group of professionals I’ve seen. I’ve let them loose. I mean, it’s theirs, and they
do come and show it to me and maybe we just change a little bit here, but that’s
all the input I give. It’s probably the highest level of professional development
I’ve ever seen.
The assistant principal uses collaboration when dealing with student conduct issues.
Instead of just doling out a predetermined consequence to the student, the assistant principal
brings other people together who are involved in the situation to discuss the student’s situation:
She (a student) requested a meeting with me, but I thought that wasn’t enough.
We need the facilitator from Blueprints, we need a counselor, and her probation
officer, and we’re all going to sit here and talk about this before we make a
decision.
As stated earlier, one of the most unique ways collaboration is used at Garza involves the
relationship between the principal and the students. Collaboration is encouraged throughout the
entire school and that concept includes students. It is not just administrators, staff and facilitators
who have a say in the school, but also students. In keeping with the solution-building model of
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students as experts, student ideas and input are valued and highly sought out at Garza, which is
something that is not typically done at other schools. Ms. Baldwin states:
I’m not sure if most principals listen to students. Students in this school have a
voice. They are the solution builders. They have a voice in many ways, like
through my student advisory cabinet, which works directly with me. I just feel
that the people closest to the issues should be the one solving the issues, instead of
dictates and mandates.
A case example from Ms. Baldwin illustrates this type of collaboration:
One of our biggest problems at Garza is poor attendance. So, I brought to the
student advisory cabinet a schedule for next year that gives them a fifteen-minute
break in the morning and afternoon. We tried this once before but it didn’t work.
The kids really liked it, but what they said was there was nothing to do during the
breaks. So my student advisory cabinet came up with this idea of building a game
room and climbing wall so that during the break they would have somewhere to
go and have board games and pool tables. The students came up with the idea that
it would be locked, except during the breaks and at lunch and would help keep
more kids on campus. The students are insistent that the school does not pay for it
and that they will raise the money. And I said, “what does that look like? So what
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would be some of the first steps we need to do? Have you thought about doing the
research on the materials?” So, we will do that on a step-by-step issue. Other
people are saying, “you can’t do that because of the liability issues involved with
a climbing wall.” Well, if I let the liability issues deter me from doing things then
we wouldn’t do anything. I’m thinking, I’ve never seen these kids be so excited
about something. So it’s either this or they go smoke dope on the corner and
where’s the liability there?
These examples of solution-building techniques used by administrators can be easily
incorporated into other aspects of an administrator’s role because of their flexibility. The ideas of
identifying strengths, looking for small, measurable solutions and seeking collaboration are skills
that can be used by anyone in most situations. While solution-building techniques have gained
tremendous popularity among school counselors, school administrators can use these skills to
improve overall working conditions and school environment.
Summary
Evidence-based research has identified the importance of school leadership in creating an
effective school. A solution-building administrator leads by example not only by encouraging
facilitators and staff to use solution-building techniques, but also by practicing these skills
themselves. Solution-building administrators create an environment where collaboration is
encouraged, and sharing power is perceived positively. By also focusing on strengths and giving
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positive and constructive feedback, administrators show they care for the personal well being of
the students and staff. The principal at Garza High School demonstrates how these principles are
used in the daily work of a principal in a school that serves at-risk students.
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Chapter Five References
Cade, B.& O’Hanlon, W. (1993). A brief guide to brief therapy. New York: W.W.
Norton.
Davis, T. E. & Osborn, C. J. (2000). The solution-focused school counselor:
Shapingprofessional Practice. Philadelphia: Accelerated Press, Taylor & Frances Group.
Hord, S. (1992). Facilitative Leadership: The Imperative for Change. Southwest
Educational Development Laboratory Report. Available at
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/cha01.html
Leithwood, K. & Montgomery, D. (1982). The role of the elementary school principal in
program improvement. Review of Educational Research, 52(3), 309-399.
Lipchik, E. (2002). Beyond Techniques in Solution-Focused Therapy. (pp. 3-23). New
York, NY: Guildford Press
Mendez-Morse, S. (1992). Leadership Characteristics that Facilitate School Change.
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory Report. Available at
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/cha02.html
Morgan, G. (1993). Imaginization. Newbury Park, CA. SAGE Publications.
Reynolds, D. (2001). Effective School Leadership: The Contributions of School
Effectiveness Research. Available at
http://www.ncsl.org.uk/index.cfm?pageid=ev_auth_reynolds.
Rutherford, W.L., Hord, S.M., Huling, L., & Hall, G.E. (1983). Change facilitators: In
search of understanding their role. Austin, TX: The University of Texas, Research and
Development Center for Teacher Education.
Sklare, G. (1997). Brief Counseling that Works: A Solution-Focused Approach for School
Counselors. (pp. 43-64). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc., Sage Publications.
Stallings, J. & Mohlman, G. (1981). School policy, leadership style, teacher change and
student behavior in eight elementary schools. Prepared for the National Institute of Education.
Mountain View, CA: Stallings Teaching and Learning Institute.
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Task Force on Education for Economic Growth. (1983). Action for excellence: A
comprehensive plan to improve our nation's schools. Denver, CO: Education Commission of the
States.
Teddlie, C.& Stringfield, S. (1993). Schools Do Make a Difference: Lessons Learned
from a 10-year Study of School Effects. New York: Teachers College Press.
Texas Education Agency. (2002). Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) Reports.
Internet. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/2002/
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“Nuts and Bolts” by Mark Gentry
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Mark Gentry
“Nuts and Bolts”
Mark Gentry came to Garza as a sophomore with eleven credits, and he finished eleven
credits to graduate in May, 2003. When Mark was at his regular school, he was involved in a lot
of fights. He reported that he was an outcast, a “headbanger”, and he was the target in the fights.
Before coming here, he was not doing well in school. He was behind in credits and was
undecided about whether he wanted to complete getting a diploma. With his mother’s remarriage,
Mark and an older brother have taken over the family home. He works full time and wants to go
to Austin Community College (ACC) in Spring 2004. He has already completed two drawing
classes at ACC through the dual-enrollment plan. Mark says of Garza: “ I want to go to a place
that really wants you to succeed and have a good life. Here the teachers really care. I needed
somebody to push me to come and to work. If I had not come to Garza I would have been a
dropout.” Mark has always liked to draw and doodle. He enjoys graffiti art, and he continues to
work on “real art.” At Garza he found out that he is an artist. “My art teacher gave me the one
gift I’ll never forget. She taught me how to draw. And, she gave me the confidence to know I can
draw.”
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Chapter 6 — The Solution-Building School Culture at Garza High School
“Garza helped me make my dreams come true by supplying a positive, clean and
challenging atmosphere. The reason I'm here is because the school I last attended failed to
supply the things such as those stated above, and also failed to teach, but spent more time
correcting students behavior. I strongly believe that in order for a student to work to their full
potential they should be supplied with the proper atmosphere… I'm truly convinced that Garza
will contribute to making my dreams come true. I will contribute to Garza's dream by
understanding and obeying Garza's Code of Conduct which is to demonstrate personal honor
and integrity at all times, choose peace over conflict, and respect myself as well as others. I do
believe that when Garza's dreams come true, surely every student who walks through the doors
will feel as I do, and their dreams will come true as well.”
Garza Student
Introduction
Garza High School has developed a unique solution-focused school culture. This culture
offers components that help students change their beliefs and relationships, and learn the
principles inherent in the solution model, as well as offering unique program methods for helping
students to become educated. This chapter discusses the importance of school culture to the
educational process and defines some of the major program components and elements that makeup Garza’s unique school culture. Most importantly, the chapter identifies how the solution-
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focused approach can be used to change personal narratives of students and how school
narratives and metaphors created by the principal are used to help students embrace the solutionfocused change culture in the school.
The Importance of School Culture
School culture can be defined as an interplay between three factors: the attitudes and
beliefs of persons both inside and outside of the school environment, the cultural norms of the
school, and the relationships between persons in the school (Boyd 1992).
Goodlad’s study in 1984 found that each school has its own unique ambience/culture which may
suggest useful ways of making the school better. Boyd (1992) uses a study by Patterson, Purkey,
and Parker (1986) to summarize and further describe what is known about school culture:

School culture does affect the behavior and achievement of elementary and secondary
school students (though the effect of classroom and student variables remains greater).

School culture does not fall from the sky. It is created and thus can be manipulated by
people within the school.

School cultures are unique; whatever their commonalities, no two schools will be
exactly alike, nor should they be.

To the extent that it provides a focus and clear purpose for the school, culture
becomes the cohesion that bonds the school strongly as it goes about its mission.
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
Though we concentrate on its beneficial nature, culture can be counterproductive and
an obstacle to educational success. Culture can also be oppressive and discriminatory
for various subgroups within the school.

Lasting fundamental change (e.g. changes in teaching practices or the decisionmaking structure) requires understanding and often, altering the school’s culture.
Cultural change is a slow process. (p. 98).
Boyd (1992) cites several studies (Deal and Kennedy, 1982; Krueger and Parish, 1982;
Sarason, 1982; Patterson, Purkey, and Parker, 1986) that suggest that school culture can either
assist school improvement efforts, or act as a barrier to change for at-risk students, depending on
how well the school leaders understand and use this notion of school culture. Rossi and
Montgomery (1994) also found, in their review of the literature, several studies (Hill, Foster, and
Gendler, 1990; Fraser and Fisher, 1982; Moos, 1979) that support the conclusion that school and
classroom climate influence student performance. They also reviewed studies (Teddlie and
Stringfield, 1993; Bryk and Thum, 1989; Comer, 1988; Eberts and Stone, 1988; Gottfredson and
Gottfredson, 1985; Landers and Landers, 1978) that found five factors that may improve the
school environment:

Effective principal leadership;

Safe and orderly setting;

Engaging extracurricular activities;

Reductions in the size and impersonality of schools; and,
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
Educational programs designed to fit the unique needs of specific students and school
contexts.
The characteristics described above are similar to those highlighted in Chapter Two as
being important to effective alternative schools. These components can also be found throughout
effective schools literature (Rumberger, 2004). Garza High School is an alternative school of
choice that is providing these types of experiences to their students, and this is evident from the
statements made by the students and faculty in the concept mapping (Chapter Three), and can
also be seen in the administrative roles and leadership patterns of the school discussed in Chapter
Five. It will be further evident in Chapters Seven and Eight, which discuss in more detail the
classroom practices, extracurricular activities and human services components of the school.
There is no doubt that school principals and administrators play an important role in
creating and influencing Garza’s school’s culture. Research has not only shown the importance
of a school’s culture, but also how school leaders affect the learning environment. What follows
is a discussion of some of the major program components set in place by Garza’s leaders and
faculty. These components shape school culture in accordance with the solution-focused change
model. The idea of change narratives and metaphors is also discussed, with examples of how the
solution-focused approach to education is used to help students change their personal narratives.
As a part of the school culture of Garza, the principal also set into place certain change narratives
and school metaphors that act as change metaphors. These narratives are believed to be
important for helping at-risk students at Garza change themselves and participate in the
educational process.
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Mission Statement
“Gonzalo Garza Independence High School shall foster a community of empowered
learners in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust where every individual is challenged to
learn, grow, and accomplish goals now and in the future.”
Garza’s mission statement reflects the major values and philosophy of the solutionfocused school. It is both relational and individualized. It also encompasses major techniques of
the model by honoring goals and a future orientation. The students in the school often understand
the solution-focused culture of the school, and the unique way that Garza shows respect to
everyone. Thus, they show affection for the collaborative model and the art of listening to what
kids say and want. This is also part of the solution-focused perspective and is acknowledged in
the mission statement, as well. The mission statement is not just hidden in some operating
manual. It is proudly portrayed in the school for everyone to see. As was reflected in the concept
mapping, Ms. Baldwin, the principal, is viewed as the keeper of the mission. This mission
statement is therefore valued by the faculty and important in the day to day operations of the
school.
Code of Honor
At Garza, the belief is that high expectations will contribute to a student’s success. All
individuals including administrators, facilitators, staff and students are expected to practice and
model the Garza Code of Honor:

Demonstrate personal honor and integrity at all times.

Choose peace over conflict.
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
Respect ourselves and others.
This code of honor has been put on a card for students to carry around with them.
Garza Independence High School also follows the discipline procedures of the Austin
Independent School District. Incidents of disruptive behaviors are referred to the school
administration. However, what is unique is how students themselves enforce the code of honor
on campus, and how they identify with it. See Table 6.1 for a list of some of the statements from
the concept mapping that reflect the students’ own enforcement of the code of honor.
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Table 6.1 List of Statements Reflecting Students’ Enforcement of the
Code of Honor
During a week-long Blueprints orientation, new students get an
explanation from other students about how the school
operates and behavior expectations, and the code of honor.
Students are not given suspension, but “reflection” when they do
something wrong.
Students are loyal to the school and protective of other students and
the school environment.
Students become more independent and confident because they take
personal responsibility for their success.
Staff is trusted by students.
Students need more self discipline to succeed at Garza because they
are given a lot of freedom.
Students do not have fights.
Students are mature.
Students respect the campus and code of honor.
Students are treated with respect by teachers.
Students treat teachers with respect.
Students respect each other.
Students get to know teachers, counselors, administrators and staff on
an individual basis.
During displinary situations there is also evidence that students take
personal responsibility for breaking the code of honor.
Case Scenario
Students get into an argument in the parking lot and Ms. Baldwin, the principal, calls
each into her office. Two students threaten to harm another female student’s car. There is an
exchange of profanity between two boys and a girl. The two boys show up first in Ms. Baldwin’s
office for reprimand.
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Ms. Baldwin: What is wrong with this picture?
Boy number 1: (Eyes gazed down) I am sorry. I do not know what happened to
me, I lost my temper. I broke the code of honor. She made me mad. I wanted to
hurt her car. She owed me some money. But, I messed up. It is not worth getting
thrown out of school over. I messed up bad.
Boy number 2: Yeah, he is like my friend. She was cussing at him. I just told her
to shut her _____ mouth up. But, it is like he says, we broke the code of honor. It
is not worth getting thrown out of school for, even if she was being a bitch to us.
Ms. Baldwin: Yes, you did break the code of honor, and you know how important
that is. That better not happen again because you know the consequences.
Both boys: It won’t!
Ms Baldwin: So, what is it about yourselves that convinces you that this won’t
happen again? What convinces you that you will not break the code of honor
anymore?
From this abbreviated example it is clear that the code of honor is an integral part of the
school culture, and students are aware of it as a ethos of behavior. The school leaders and
facilitators use the code of honor to reinforce the relationship orientation of the school and its
positive social practices.
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Entrance Materials and Interview
Students apply to Garza on a self-referral basis, and application may be made at any time
during the school year. Entrance is based upon desire and commitment. Ten credits are preferred
and an interview with administrators is required. The two assistant principals interview every
prospective student for half an hour to an hour in order to find out more about them, and to see
how Garza can help them achieve their educational goals. They state:
We have a set number of questions that we ask the students and it’s not to be nosy
or anything like that. We ask these questions mainly to find out what’s broken
because if we don’t know what’s broken, we can’t help to fix it. The kids that are
coming here have a myriad of issues and problems. It isn’t because they just
dropped out that they don’t want to go to school anymore. Some of them have to
work. Some of them have issues with drugs or alcohol, or their parents or family.
Or with some, just the mere fact they can’t come to school because they don’t
have transportation. We know all the things that we have here at the school and
things we can offer students. Almost everything is individualized. By asking these
questions, we can see if it’s a good match, and if it’s a good match, then certainly
we know they are going to be successful here.
During the entrance interviews, Garza staff communicate to students and the importance
of choice and self responsibility. It is not uncommon, for example, for parents of at-risk students
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to try and take responsibility for these students and to speak on their behalf and try and get them
into Garza. The following case example demonstrates this.
Case Example
A mother and daughter show up asking to speak to a counselor. The daughter has
been withdrawn from her previous high school because of truancy and drug problems.
Counselor: What makes you think that Garza is the right place for your daughter?
Mother: This school has a good reputation for helping students who have had some
problems to graduate. She really needs some motivation at this point, and I do not think
she is ready to go back to her old school. So, I am wondering if you have a place for her
here?
Counselor: Well, I do not know. You see, I think that would be up to your daughter. Her
choice. I am wondering if she is ready to commit to coming to a school like Garza. You
see we are a school of choice. I will have to ask her if she is ready to work hard and to
make that commitment. [Turning to daughter, and being firm with the mother not to
speak on her daughter’s behalf] How about it, your mother thinks Garza is a good place
for you, but I am interested in what you want. You will be the one who will have to come
to school here and do all the hard work. And Garza is not an easy school, you know.
Your mother cannot do it for you, as much as she wants to help. What makes you think
that Garza would be a good place for you to go to school?
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Daughter: I am not sure. I need to go back to school. I have some friends who came here,
and they say it is a good school that treats students differently from other schools.
Counselor: Hum… So, what would be different for you?
Daughter: I heard there are fewer rules, no cliques, less pressure. You can get your work
finished with less hassles from teachers. Like, the teachers help you more.
Counselor: So, let’s just suppose those things are true, and I think they are for many
students, how might that help you be a good student at Garza?
Daughter: [Silence, mother tries to intervene.]
Counselor: I think your daughter has to think through this one. It is her schooling. [This
stops the mother.]
Daughter: I think if I had more one-on-one attention, I could finish my credits. I get
distracted easy. They say I have ADHD and I need to stay focused. I think it could help
me focus. I had trouble with the big classrooms. I just need some help focusing, I think.
Counselor: So, on a scale of 1–10 with ten being, I really believe that Garza could help
me with my focusing and I could do well if given an opportunity to come here, and one
being, I am not really sure in the long run that it would really matter that much. I might
still have some trouble focusing. Where would you rate yourself right now?
Daughter: Probably about a seven or eight. I think it could but I am not completely sure
until I try it out.
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Blueprints
Blueprints is a new student orientation that every student must attend prior to starting
classes. Blueprints is described in more detail in Chapters Seven and Nine. Blueprints provides
the mechanism by which students begin their socialization into the culture of Garza and the role
of a Garza student. The expectations include behavior in keeping with the code of honor,
becoming responsible for one’s own learning and progress, learning to ask for what one needs
and goal setting. In addition to socialization and a new role, students also receive information
about Garza: the year-round calendar, portfolio requirements, community service, a truly selfpaced curriculum, attendance and consequences for nonattendance, dual enrollment at Austin
Community College, and expectations for course completion and graduation.
This orientation is designed to introduce the student to the school and its program. It is
also the beginning process for their school portfolio. The portfolio is described in more detail in
Chapter Seven, and a sample exit portfolio is included in Appendix E. The orientation also starts
the process of orienting the student to goals and what happens in the future, after graduation. A
school-to-career specialist guides students through career interests, work styles, and workplace
preferences using a software package that identifies these personal facets and others. Called
Choices, this process comes toward the end of Blueprints, and connects information from
previous days, giving the students considerable information about themselves. After identifying
career interests, students are presented with college information by another specialist who works
with each future graduate on post-secondary educational options. Graduate in Residence
Programs are also described where the school services are offered as a transitional academic
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support system for students after they graduate. Graduates in Residence allows graduates to
return to Garza for tutoring, use of the library, computers, and on-going help with the transition
into post-secondary education and career.
Narratives and Metaphors
Narratives and metaphors are important tools for shaping beliefs in school cultures.
Language itself is a powerful tool in shaping beliefs. The solution-focused approach to education
takes the view that both talking and acting (doing) are powerful ways in which one changes.
Talking and acting usually take place in a social context (like schools) and are open to social
reinforcement. What you say and do is so important because practice really does make perfect.
Hearing the words of others leads to believing, and also leads to actions. This process sets down
habits and behavior patterns that are reinforced by the act of doing itself and the social context in
which it occurs (how people respond to what you do). A tool of solution-focused therapy is using
language to help build on strengths and restructure the cognitions and beliefs, and also to help
people take small steps toward the behavior (the actions) they want (Franklin & Moore, 1999).
For this reason, a solution-focused therapist directs people to discuss solutions instead of
problems and uses language to raise expectations and beliefs toward change. The solution
building way of talking (as discussed in more detail in Chapter Two), for example, would say to
a student, “when” you change instead of “if” you change. It would also emphasize the
importance of hearing the positive words and rehearsing the positive images, important
techniques for facilitating change. Cognitive rehearsal is seen as important to coaching change in
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a student, and this approach is sometimes called “cheerleading” because it compliments small
behavioral improvements in the students and asks the students to cognitively rehearse what they
did to get those improvements.
The solution-focused culture of Garza High School allows for personal coaching toward
the changing of personal narratives of students. Here are some steps that are inherent in the
solution-focused approach that lead to changing narratives of students:
1). ACCEPTING THE STUDENTS’ STORIES AS THEY ARE ( Listening, accepting
and affirming experiences of each student in a nonjudgmental way).
2) PROCLAIM NEW STORIES that have not been heard in the form of positive words,
compliments, strengths, exceptions, goals and positive future behaviors.
3) PROMOTE HEARING of new stories and metaphors. Help students to speak about
personal mastery, successes, steps to success, strengths, exceptions, goals and new
behaviors. Coach them to talk in a complimentary way about their personal mastery
and how they are changing, and how a present experience is different from a past
experience in a positive way. It is important for students to hear themselves say
positive things about themselves and their educational experiences. Help them to
repeat positive words and to say them again and again. Repeat the positive words and
encourage others to repeat them so that the students can “hear” the words said about
them.
4) FACILITATE COGNITIVE REHEARSAL (IMAGES) of positive behaviors and
goals. It is especially important for students to envision educational mastery, a clear
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picture of goals and a life without life- controlling problems. What will they be doing
when they are doing well in school? Concrete behaviors are emphasized for the
purposes of cognitive rehearsal. What will they being doing instead of missing a lot
of school?
5) ASSIGN NEW BEHAVIORS AND TASKS in the form of small steps and goals that
lead to accomplishments and mastery.
Example of Changing a Student Narrative
Another way of looking at the way solution-focused therapy uses language as a vehicle
for change is to think of creating a new narrative or story by changing the talking, images
(including metaphors) and actions (doing) of a particular student. If a student, for example, says,
“The school I went to is bad and they never taught me to be a good reader. Now, I can’t get a
good job because you got to be a good reader. I do not think they should blame me. The schools
are no good. They kept passing me and I could not read. It is the no good school’s fault.” That is
a story that is affecting that student’s education. The notion of “bad reader” is a label and it
serves as metaphor for the student’s abilities to succeed in life. The notion of the “no good
school” serves as a label and metaphor for educators and the educational experiences of that
student. Most traditional schools would take a defensive posture against the student’s story, and
defend the school or blame the student for the failure. Of course, this would be contrary to the
philosophy of the solution-focused school which takes more of a student-centered perspective.
The solution-focused school would affirm the student’s viewpoint (story), but at the same time
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seek to help that person find exceptions and strengths necessary to change the story, and to
choose more empowering labels and metaphors.
In the case of the student with the “ I am a bad reader” label, opportunities would be
sought to show that the student had aptitude for reading, and in fact, could become a good reader.
The student would be coached to see these characteristics in themselves, acknowledge them (say
them out loud so as to hear the words) and cognitively rehearse them. The teacher would repeat
the words in complimentary fashion and go over the points (Cheerleading). Thus, slowly but
surely, a new way of talking about one’s self and a new image would be shaped over time. At
first, the student might say, for example, “I used to be a bad reader but I am learning now.” Then,
over time that could be changed too, “I am learning to read now.” Then, later on after more
mastery had occurred, “I know how to read and am doing pretty good.” Of course, talking about
being a good reader and hearing that one is a good reader would be reinforced with masterybased learning. The student would be mastering the skill of reading in small steps, perhaps by
learning to read auto mechanics magazines instead of library books at first, but he would be
learning to read and mastering the learning. The “bad school label” would be changed too, “I
used to think all schools were bad and could not teach until I came to Garza, but now I know that
there are some teachers that do care and some really good schools.” Of course, some important
emotions are being shaped through this process and the relationship-orientation of Garza High
School. Fostering trust and respect becomes absolutely essential in transforming narrative
because the student must form some positive attachments with the educational process.
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School-Change Narratives
The solution-focused school culture at Garza High School uses the solution-building
approach to shape the stories and metaphors of each student entering the school, but the principal
has developed a few school-community narratives that are useful in transforming the narratives
of students. The stories and metaphors that Garza tells about itself become powerful change
agents for its students. Each student comes to the school with a personal story about their life and
educational experiences. It is usually a story about failure or disempowerment. The story may be
about the failure of other schools, or personal failure (their mental disorder, learning disability,
drug problem, truancy, etc.), or of other people such as family members (who got divorced, have
drug problems, beat them, abandoned them, etc.) or of a boyfriend who left her abandoned and
pregnant with no income and so forth. Most often the failures of everyone become a part of the
story. Life has been tough for many of the Garza students. For many students their own behavior
problems come prominently into play as a source of difficulties for them (I got arrested; I got the
girl pregnant; I ran away; I got kicked out of school; etc.). Regardless of situation, however, each
story is interspersed with nuances of oppression, personal struggles, and even personal “demons”
that prevent success in life and in school.
On the other hand, the stories are also filled with resilience, strength and transcendence.
These youths have been through so much grief and life difficulties that many of them have
already experienced more problems than many adults have in their whole lives. At the same time,
however, they are survivors and are still seeking to succeed in life by coming to Garza. These
students have not given up on life. They want to graduate from high school. Adolescent mothers,
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for example, choose to ride the public bus for thirty minutes with young infants just to finish
their education. Students may work two jobs to support themselves while coming to school. A
student whose family was killed in a car accident and has nowhere to live is trying to make ends
meet while attending school. There are homeless students and students paralyzed by social
anxiety or suicidal thoughts. Despite past failures, they all want to graduate from Garza High
School. It is up to Garza to hear each student’s unique personal story and to offer a transcendent
story of hope and change that can help the student find in their own story a way to move forward
with school and life.
Garza’s School-Culture Metaphors
Ms. Baldwin, the principal, has developed two important metaphors that appear to help
students find transcendance and assist them in their personal change process. These metaphors
are further used in the school to describe the solution-focused school culture. The first of these
metaphors is that the school is “like a hospital.” This is a metaphor is for healing culture at Garza.
Ms. Baldwin says the school should be “like a hospital,” accepting everyone and helping
everyone, regardless of their condition. Students are invited to accept themselves where they are
and to accept every other student, and to engage in the solution-focused healing culture the
school has established. This healing culture includes an array of support services, teachers
trained in solution-focused triage methods, and a variety of mental health and social services.
These support services are described in Chapter Eight.
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The second metaphor is the most pervasive and can be seen on the bulletin board when
entering the school. On the bulletin board is a picture of the faculty and staff, and at the top are
the words, “WE ARE FAMILY.” The principal refers to this metaphor often in her personal
contacts with students. She uses the phrase repeatedly in her speeches, including her graduation
speech, telling the students they are to stay in contact with the school forever because “we are
family.” This metaphor is used by most people at Garza and it connotes the relationship
orientation of the school. The counselors at the school joke, “Most students can’t wait to get out
of school but once they come to Garza, we cannot get rid of them. They want to stay.” The “we
are family” metaphor appears to be important for many students who use the school as an
ongoing social support system and positive social environment. The positive relationships in the
school were frequently mentioned as important for the effectiveness of the school in the conceptmapping research. The “we are family” metaphor appears to reflect this important emphasis (see
Chapter Three).
Summary
This chapter discusses the importance of school culture to the educational process, and
defines some of the major program components and elements that make up Garza’s unique,
solution-focused school culture. Most importantly, the chapter identifies how the solutionfocused approach can be used to change personal narratives of students, and how school
narratives and metaphors created by the principal are used to help students embrace the solutionfocused change culture in the school. Two school-change metaphors were identified: “the school
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is like a hospital” and “we are family.” Of these two metaphors, the “we are family” metaphor
appears to have prominence in the culture of the school, and has been widely adopted by both
faculty and students.
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Chapter Six References
Boyd, V. (1992). School Context: Bridge or Barrier to Change? Southwest Educational
Development Laboratory Report. Available at http://www.sedl.org/change/school/
Bryk, A.S. & Thum, Y.M. (1989). The effects of high school organization on dropping
out: An exploratory investigation. American Educational Research Journal, 26, 353-383.
Comer, J.P. (1988). Educating poor minority children. Scientific American, 259(5), 42-48.
Deal, T. & Kennedy, A. (1982). Corporate cultures. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley
Publishing.
Eberts, R. & Stone, J. (1988). Student Achievement in Public Schools: Do Principals
Make a Difference? Economics of Education Review. 7(3), 291-99.
Franklin, C. & Moore, K. (1999). Solution-Focused Brief Family Therapy. In C. Franklin
& C. Jordan (Eds.). Family Practice: Brief systems methods for social work (pp. 105-142).
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Fraser, B. & Fisher, D. (1982). Predicting Students' Outcomes from Their Perceptions of
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Goodlad, J. (1984). A place called school - Prospects for the future. New York: McGrawHill.
Gottfredson, G.D. & Gottfredson, D.C. (1985). Victimization in six hundred schools: An
analysis of the roots of disorder. New York: Plenum.
Hill, P.T., Foster, G.E., & Gendler, T. (1990). High schools with character. Santa Monica,
CA: RAND.
Krueger, J.P. & Parish, R. (1982). We're making the same mistakes: Myth and legend in
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Landers, D.M. & Landers, D.M. (1978). Socialization via interscholastic athletics: Its
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Moos, R.H. (1979). Evaluating educational environments: Procedures, measures,
findings, and policy implications. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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Patterson, J.L., Purkey, S.C., & Parker, J.V. (1986). Productive school systems for a
nonrational world. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Rossi, R. & Montgomery, A. (1994). Education Reforms and Students at Risk: A Review
of the Current State of the Art. US Department of Education. Available at
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdReforms/.
Rumberger, R.W. (2004). What can be done to prevent and assist school dropouts. In P.
Allen-Meares and M.W. Fraser (Eds.). Intervention with Children and Adolescents ( pp. 311334). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
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“Ancient Calendar” by
Mayra Rodriguez
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Mayra Rodriguez
“Ancient Calendar”
Mayra Rodriguez enrolled in Garza in August 2002 with 14 credits; she graduated may,
2003, having completed the recommended plan with 10 more credits. Mayra came to Garza after
dropping out twice from her home school. The first time she dropped out was after a miscarriage.
One of her teachers would not accept the note from her doctor requiring 6 weeks off from school
and refused to allow Mayra to make up her work. The second time she dropped out was in early
2002, after her son Anthony was born. She had had trouble with the pregnancy, and again there
were issues about her being on homebound and getting work and credits. When Mayra graduated
she had caught up with her classmates. Mayra had made an Aztec Calendar in middle school, but
did not finish it because she wanted to make it too detailed. She was unable to take art in high
school because the classes were always full. At Garza she had the time to complete her Aztec
calendar. Mayra says of Garza: “It was a self-motivated school, which was what I need. No one
telling her what she has to do; no teachers on your back--nagging. When someone gives me the
work to do, I like to get it done.” She has completed classes quickly: Graphic Design in a week
and Algebra II in 4 weeks. Anthony is now 18 months old, and he stays with his grandmother
while Mayra attends Austin Community College (ACC).
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Chapter 7 — Instructional Programs at Garza High School
“Garza High School helps me maintain high grades in all of my classes by letting me
work independently and at my own pace, so that I may meet my goals when I am ready. If I have
more input in what classes I take, and what topics I study, I become more interested in my school
work. Therefore, I become more motivated to do well at this school, and to achieve higher grades.
Second, I am able to graduate early from Garza by completing all of my classes and credits
quickly. I stay on task because I am more interested in what I'm doing. I have set a goal to
graduate early and to attend The University of Texas after High School. Working hard will allow
me to obtain my goal.”
Garza Student
Introduction
Classroom structure and environment play an important role in motivating students to
meet academic goals. Creating a caring, supportive community in which students feel safe and
respected is vital to fostering academic achievement (Jones and Jones, 1998). While teachers
may not have the training to address every psychological need of their students, they can create a
supportive environment by learning basic techniques for working collaboratively with students to
resolve problems in the classroom (Jones and Jones, 1998). Teachers often feel that the majority
of student issues arise because of problems in the home. However, despite environmental
stressors that influence their attitudes and behaviors, teachers are in a unique position to help
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students succeed because of the amount of time they spend with students and the opportunities to
model effective social skills and goal-setting strategies.
This chapter describes the role of the facilitator at Garza Independence High School, as
well as the classroom structure and culture. Many aspects of the classroom structure and culture
overlap with the characteristics of effective alternative schools reviewed in Chapter Two and the
student-centered, relationship-oriented cultural component summarized in Chapter Six. This
chapter, however, provides much more detail on the classroom structure and teacher student
relationships. Specifically, it outlines the physical appearance of classrooms, facilitators’
interactions with students, curriculum design, scheduling options, goal-setting strategies,
collaboration between students and facilitators to find solutions to classroom difficulties, and
evaluation of students’ work. The chapter also describes programs that help students make the
transition from high school to higher education or employment. Requirements for graduation and
individualized student recognition for completing graduation requirements are also discussed.
Student-Teacher Relationship
Even when a student has a difficult home life and has little trust for adults, a teacher can
build trust by showing respect for the student’s abilities. Teachers can demonstrate such respect
by allowing students to assist in developing classroom rules and setting academic goals. They
can engage in open dialogue with students about classroom expectations, listen to the students’
concerns, and allow students’ to generate ideas about personalizing the curriculum (Baer, 1999;
Jones and Jones, 1998). While teachers need to have a structured classroom in which students
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can work without disruption, they can help students feel more invested in their own learning by
giving them choices in the structure of the classroom and curriculum. Providing choices is also
consistent with adolescents’ need to feel that they are developing autonomy (Baer, 1999).
Building trust and respect with students is critical, because research indicates that frequent,
positive student-teacher relationships are associated with higher academic achievement (Niebuhr
& Niebuhr, 1999; Waxman et. al., 1997).
Teachers who demonstrate a desire to know students on a personal level and who treat
students as individuals are viewed by adolescents as more caring, which can increase motivation
(Bosworth, 1995). Similarly, teachers who listen to students and are willing to help students with
their work when asked are viewed more positively by adolescents (Bosworth, 1995). Students
who have positive student-teacher interactions and feel that their teachers care about them also
tend to like school more (Baker, 1999). When compared with primary schools, high schools are
typically characterized by increased teacher control and poor student-teacher relationships,
which are associated with lower motivation among teens (Eccles et. al., 1993). This trend must
be reversed if we are to help adolescents become more engaged in school. A close studentteacher relationship can be especially important with at-risk children who may have experienced
repeated school failure and poor relationships with teachers (Murray, 2002).
Classroom Environment
In research studies, classroom environments that effectively promote learning have the
following four characteristics: maintaining a learner-centered environment; learning for mastery,
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which provides an understanding of the material, in addition to the reasons it is being taught and
clarifying what mastery of the material looks like; conducting formative assessments that reveal
the students’ thinking process; and, recognition that the context, or environment, in which
learning takes place can facilitate learning if it encourages camaraderie and collaboration
between students as well as creative problem solving (Bridglall, 2001). It is important that
students have opportunities to engage in active learning projects and integrate real-world
experience into subject matter in order to maintain their interest in the material. Research has
indicated that using a basic skills approach, at the expense of active learning opportunities,
results in unmotivated students who are at risk for school failure (US Department of Education,
1994).
Integrating technology into classroom can also promote positive learning experiences.
Using technology can empower and motivate students to achieve their academic goals, and can
help teachers accommodate students with different learning styles (US Department of Education,
1994). In addition, it provides teens with skills that will make them marketable to universities
and employers.
Individualized curriculum and small class settings
Students tend to be more effective when their work is individualized and they work in
small-group settings, instead of in whole-class settings in which all of the students are working
on the same task simultaneously. Students learn at different paces, and it is not possible to
conduct instruction to the whole class in a way that will meet all of the students’ needs equally
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(Waxman et. al., 1997). An individualized curriculum allows teachers to use individualized
benchmarks for success and assign skill-appropriate materials that are of great interest to
students, all of which can result in increasing students’ engagement in the material (US
Department of Education, 1994). The personalization allowed by small class size makes it easier
for teachers to work with students at multiple skill levels in the same classroom. Combining
students on different grade levels in the same classroom is also helpful because students can
learn from each other, and students increase their mastery of the material by teaching it to others
(Darling-Hammond, 1997). Research indicates that including high and low achievers in the same
classroom setting results in positive effects for both (US Department of Education, 1994).
Chapter Two highlighted the importance of small class size in the effectiveness of
alternative schools was highlighted. Small class size also allows teachers to know their students
on a personal level and give students more personal attention. Teachers can provide
individualized assistance to students by spending their time sitting with students and talking with
them one-on-one, instead of lecturing from the front of the classroom. Teachers are able to learn
about individual students’ strengths and areas in which they may need additional assistance. The
close relationship with students allows teachers flexibility in addressing students’ difficulties
because they have a better understanding of the cause of the difficulties. Teachers can intervene
before the student falls behind and becomes overwhelmed. Small class size also allows teachers
to be more flexible with students and help them to set more realistic goals that will not lead them
to feel frustrated. (Darling-Hammond, 1997).
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Student-Centered Goal Setting
Student-centered goal setting enhances students’ abilities to achieve academic goals.
Students who are able to personalize goals according to their own interests will be more
motivated. Goals should be meaningful to the students but should also be realistic and specific so
that students are able to achieve them and feel a sense of accomplishment. Students need
immediate feedback regarding their progress toward meeting goals in order to enhance
motivation. Students should also have the opportunity to self-evaluate their progress (Jones and
Jones, 1998). It is important that the teacher communicate high expectations about students’
abilities to meet their goals. If teachers communicate that they believe the students are capable
and responsible, they tend to achieve more in school. In evaluating students’ progress toward
meeting their goals, teachers should provide ample positive feedback, in addition to constructive
criticism. The most helpful feedback directly follows desired behavior, is specific and believable,
includes compliments, and is directly tied to previously articulated expectations. (Jones and
Jones, 1998).
A Solution-Building Approach to Classroom Instruction
Garza Independence high school uses a solution-building approach to classroom
management that is consistent with the ideas outlined above. As explained in Chapters One and
Two, the solution-building approach emphasizes students’ strengths and encourages them to see
that they are responsible for their successes. The solution-building approach views individuals as
the expert on their own problems and as the source for ideas about potential solutions to those
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problems (Berg, 1994). In the classroom environment, this means that facilitators work
collaboratively with students to find solutions to academic and behavioral challenges. Facilitators
demonstrate respect for the students’ ability to define successful strategies for reaching academic
goals. While the curriculum is designed to meet state and district requirements, students are
given many choices in defining how they will meet those requirements. Students who help define
their academic goals are more likely to feel personally invested in meeting those goals. Another
characteristic vital to creating a solution-building setting involves creating a supportive, caring
classroom environment in which students feel respected and valued for their strengths (Murphy,
1996). Garza Independence High School applies solution-building practices in developing the
classroom structure and culture.
Facilitators
Faculty at Garza are called facilitators instead of teachers. The facilitator’s role is not
merely focused on instruction, but on motivating students to become active learners who develop
a feeling of responsibility for their own education. Instead of lecturing at the front of the
classroom, the facilitator works individually with each student to promote active learning
experiences. This individual relationship is vital to helping children succeed in classes that have
students at multiple skill levels. One facilitator expressed this idea as follows:
Some of the kids are learning math for the first time. They learn math because the
math facilitators don’t allow them to move until they really understand. If the
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student is not getting the concepts using one approach, the facilitator says, “Let’s
try it this way.” If that doesn’t work, she will try it another way until the student
understands the concepts.
The facilitator spends much of the time sitting with a student, discussing his/her individual
progress. Facilitators meet with students at least once a week to discuss their progress in terms of
specific academic goals. They describe an important part of their role as modeling effective
communication styles, teaching compromise and effective problem solving. One of the
facilitators described her role as follows:
I think our strength here is that we give the kids good academics, but what we do
best is help them become young adults. We help them learn socialization skills
and communication skills and how to adapt. A lot of these kids come from
environments where harsh language and violence are the ways to get things done.
We show them how to compromise and that there is more than one choice in
everything that they do.
Classroom Structure
Classrooms at Garza have the following characteristics

Small class size

Students sitting at tables instead of individual desks
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
Technology

Students of multiple skill levels in the same classroom
Small Class Size
Since small class size is critical to fostering a personal relationship between facilitators
and students, classes at Garza typically have between fifteen and twenty students. One facilitator
explained the importance of small class size as follows:
It’s important to know your students and their circumstances. If you have too
many students, you can’t keep track of that many characters and do a good job of
it. I think it’s why we are successful with good communication and maintaining a
personal connection here. You have to keep your numbers small so you can know
the students and keep that communication going.
Having a small class size facilitates the kind of personalized curriculum that helps Garza students
succeed where they have had so much difficulty at other schools. One facilitator described the
following situation:
I’ve had some students who speak Spanish as their primary language. Since they
publish the math text in both Spanish and English, I will tell them they can use the
Spanish text. I will have some students who use both the Spanish and English
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texts, and they can take the tests in Spanish. Their grades change dramatically. I
don’t know if I would have discovered the language difficulties in a larger
classroom. Those students would have probably stayed very quiet and would have
not done well. I think we have so many students who get overlooked because we
don’t know their individual circumstances. I think every teacher goes into
teaching wanting to personalize their curriculum to meet students’ needs, but it
becomes overwhelming when there are too many students.
Students’ Work Space and Access to Technology
Students at Garza work at tables instead of individual desks. The small number of
students at large tables allows students ample space to work on their individual projects. If they
need to use multiple materials simultaneously for their projects, they have room to spread them
out on the table. It is also easier for students to work together than if they were sitting at
individual desks. The small class size also allows students to use the computers and other
technology within the classroom easily. Each classroom has four to eight computers with internet
access and connections to printers, scanners and zip drives. Students can work independently and
conduct research related to their individual projects. Garza also has two computer labs, and
students have access to digital cameras and video equipment. Technology is integrated across the
curriculum, which ensures that all students will be proficient with computers, computer
applications and the internet by the time they graduate. This prepares students for technology
skills they will need in the workplace.
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Students at Multiple Grade Levels Working Together
Classrooms are defined by subject area and include students at multiple grade levels. For
example, students in the same mathematics classroom may be studying algebra or geometry.
Garza has open enrollment, so new students can enter the school at any time during the school
year. The same classroom may have students who have been at Garza for several semesters
alongside students who have been at the school for a few days. Including students at multiple
grade levels within the same classroom provides opportunities for peer mentoring, and learning
the academic and social expectations of Garza from their classmates.
Curriculum Design
Curricula for classes at Garza have the following characteristics:

Self-paced

Personalized materials

Personalized scheduling

Mastery-based evaluation

Personalized goal setting
Self-Paced Instruction
Students’ academic progress at Garza is measured solely by the number of credits they
have achieved. They are not grouped into grade levels as they are at traditional high schools.
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Students can set their own pace for completing class material without penalty. If they feel
uncomfortable with the subject matter or have little prior experience with it, they can spend more
time than the traditional semester to complete a course. If students are strong in a subject and can
complete the material quickly, they can complete the course and move immediately to a different
level. Garza students often view the self-paced curriculum as a motivation to complete their
educational goals quickly, and some are able to graduate a full year earlier than a traditional high
school, if they are motivated to spend additional hours on course material and enroll in multiple
courses simultaneously. One facilitator described how she personalizes her curriculum for
different students:
I might have some students who are very bright but lazy, and I won’t give them
permission to read something that is below their skill level. We’re not going to
allow them to read Stephen King, for example. With some kids, I might give them
three weeks to read a play if they are working hard and struggling with the
material, and I might require another student to finish the same material faster.
We look at each student’s skill level and ask ourselves, “How am I going to push
this kid and motivate him and keep him going; how am I going to work with this
kid who is at a different level?”
Another facilitator in the math department illustrated this type of personalization:
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When a student isn’t learning the material, we may do a lot of repetitive work.
I’ve had to go all the way back to second or third grade level and pick problems to
help them build those skills. For example, I had a student this morning who has
taken algebra one several times and couldn’t add two negatives. So we started
talking about money because he is really interested in money and I’d say, “So if
you lose eighty dollars and then you lose twenty dollars.” And he said, “Oh, I
know.” So you find a way to get it across to them. I’ve even had kids counting
things like they did in elementary school because they never understood addition
and what it meant.
Personalized materials
Class curricula must meet district and state requirements, but the facilitators work to
individualize course material while meeting those requirements. The facilitator explains the
requirements for completing the course and gives the student a course syllabus that outlines the
items the student is expected to produce. Then, the student often has the opportunity to
personalize the curriculum. Instead of requiring students to read a particular book, for example,
the facilitator asks them to choose a book from a particular genre. Students have flexibility to
tailor their class projects to meet their own interests.
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Personalized schedule
In addition to being able to personalize their work for individual classes, students have
many options for personalizing the courses they choose to take. If a student is interested in a
particular subject that is not being offered, facilitators can work to develop an appropriate
curriculum, and the student can complete the necessary coursework to receive credit. They are
also allowed to take courses at Austin Community College for college and high school credit.
One facilitator described the students’ ability to personalize their curriculum as follows:
If a student in a traditional school has an interest in sociology, there has to be at
least fifteen other students who want to take the class in order for the school to
provide it. Here, we only get one or two students a year who are interested in
sociology, but they are able to take it. We develop courses based on students’
interest instead of based on the numbers of students who are interested.
Students are allowed to choose a schedule that best meets their needs. They can attend in the
morning block from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., or in the afternoon block from 12:30 p.m. until
4:30 p.m. They can attend both blocks if they want to complete classes more quickly. If students
need additional modifications to the schedule because they are working or have parenting
responsibilities, the facilitators work with students to meet their needs. One of the facilitators
described the following scenario:
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You have your own relationship with the student. There’s a kid in my class that
leaves every day at 11:15 a.m. because she works, and she’s on her own and she
has to pay rent. She works really hard from 8:30 a.m. until 11:15 a.m., so we
made an agreement that she can leave at 11:15 a.m. even though class lasts until
12:00 p.m.
Mastery-based evaluation
As mentioned earlier, academic progress at Garza is defined in terms of earning credits.
There are no deadlines students must meet in order to pass a class. Instead, facilitators evaluate
assignments as students complete them. If the work does not adequately demonstrate mastery of
the subject, the facilitator gives the student specific feedback and asks them to resubmit the
project. The self-paced nature of the curriculum means that students do not fail a class, although
they may not complete it within traditional semesters. Students are asked to revise the material
until they have mastered it. The result is that students actually learn the content. One facilitator
explained:
The goal is mastery. You can’t fail a course. You may never finish but you can’t
fail. The student turns work in and we grade it. If it’s not at a passing level, we
give them feedback and suggestions and ask them to resubmit it. I will often write
on a paper I’ve graded, “You can resubmit at any time for a better grade.”
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A facilitator in the math department explained how mastery-based assessment prevents students
who understand the material from being held back in school:
In math, we get quite a few gifted kids, and one of the reasons they haven’t done
well in other schools is that they’ve had so much repetition to do. Sometimes in a
traditional school, if students don’t do all of their daily requirements but make
great grades on a test, they can still fail the class. Here, if they can show
proficiency on a test, they can move on to the next level, or if they can do an
assignment, they have to show it and explain it orally so we know that they really
understand the concepts. For gifted students, the repetition can make learning
more of a punishment if they have a good understanding of the materials.
The same facilitator used another example to illustrate how the personalized attention and
emphasis on mastery can help students who are struggling:
A lot of kids take a really long time to get through their first semester of math but
then in their second semester, it’s like a switch goes on and they have caught up
with those basic things that have held them back or have gotten over their fear and
have more self confidence because they are getting good grades on their daily
assignments.
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Personalized goal setting
At Garza, students are given the responsibility of defining their own goals for their
academic and personal life. During Blueprints, students are asked to write their educational and
career goals in their own words. They show these written goals to the facilitator. The facilitator’s
role is to work collaboratively with the student to reach the goals. For example, the facilitator
learns from the students whether their goals include completing their credits within a particular
time frame, and whether they intend to go to college after graduation. If the student has a
particular interest for post-secondary education, the student can focus their academic work in
ways that will help them reach those goals by enrolling in course at Austin Community College,
and to begin receiving college credits while in high school.
A Caring Classroom Culture
Facilitators at Garza work to create a supportive, caring environment by getting to know
students personally. Facilitators meet with new students to discuss their goals and personal lives
in order to gain an understanding of some of their strengths and challenges. They demonstrate
respect for all students and compliment them on their strengths. One facilitator described a
typical interaction with a new student:
If it is the person’s first day, I start out by talking to that student and find out what
their purposes are. Are they trying to graduate quickly or not? Do they have
children? Do they live at home? I try to find out who they really are as people.
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The staff at Garza create a caring community atmosphere in the classrooms by emphasizing that
each student is an individual with different strengths and challenges. This minimizes feelings of
competitiveness and low self-worth among students who need to work harder in a particular
subject. This can be especially important in classes that combine students at multiple skill levels.
In the words of one facilitator:
One of the reasons our students don’t compare themselves to each other is that
Blueprints does a really good job of emphasizing from the beginning that this
school is about the individual. Each person is different and valued. Almost all of
our students have accepted this and feel relieved. So, I might have a student who
is doing a lot of repetitious work sitting next to a student who is moving very
quickly, but I think kids are very aware about who is gifted at something and who
is not. If you don’t put them down for not being as fast, if you hold them with
equal esteem in your heart, they feel that and can say, “Well, I’m not as good in
math as that person, but that’s okay. I’m still worthwhile.”
Creating Solutions to Problem Behaviors
The solution-building classroom environment also means involving the student in
decision making about behavior. Problems that arise with poor attendance, for example, are
addressed initially through a dialogue between the student and facilitator. A typical interaction
would begin with the facilitator asking the student about attendance and whether the student
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considers the behavior to be problematic in terms of meeting goals. If the student defines the
behavior as a problem, they are more likely to feel motivated to change it. The facilitator then
works with the student to define solutions to the problem. The same is true for issues that arise
regarding academic requirements. A facilitator described the following scenario:
One of my students got really angry because he said I hadn’t told him about one
of his class requirements. He threw his books down, ran to the door and slammed
it. I followed him out into the hallway and told him I really wanted to talk about
what just happened. We talked and I said, “Well, you have a choice. You can stay
out here or you can come back to class. What do you want to do?” He said, “I’m
going to walk around for a few minutes to cool down and then come back to
class.” I said, “Okay,” and that’s how we worked it out.
Another facilitator explained how solution building can give students a feeling of responsibility
for overcoming their difficulties:
We give the students ownership of their problems and what the outcome is going
to be. Because, then, they can name what their problem is instead of my saying
that they have a particular problem. Once the students can say, “I guess I spent
too much time on the internet and that’s why I haven’t gotten my work done.
“Well what do you need to do?” “I guess I need to stop surfing so much on the
internet.”
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Using solution-building techniques creates an atmosphere in which students start to see that they
have the skills to resolve their difficulties, and they understand that they have options for
responding to challenges. One facilitator admitted that changing their philosophy to solution
building did not come easily after years of managing their classrooms in a more directive fashion.
A facilitator explained:
It’s taken a lot of time to give up the “I’m the fountain of knowledge” thing. I find
that I have to back up and let the student propose solutions, instead of my
providing the answers. But, I know that solution building is helping us as a school.
We are helping students learn to make good decisions for themselves and to see
that they have that power, and to see that their decisions are up to them and often
the outcomes are up to them.
The facilitators seem to agree that the positive student-teacher relationship and the increase in
students’ confidence is worth the difficulty of implementing solution building.
The Garza handbook outlines a model facilitators can use to guide students:
1. Develop an image of a realistic solution. Help the student develop a clear
picture of what their world would be like without the presenting problem.
What will be different when the presenting problem is no longer a problem?
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2. Discover how and in what ways the solution is already occurring in the
student’s life.
3. Determine small, measurable steps (goals) toward the solution.
4. Describe those thoughts, actions and feelings that can be utilized to obtain the
goals. This includes recognizing possibilities for using different aspects of the
student’s life, such as hobbies, fantasies and competencies in other areas to
promote change.
5. Do something to make a difference. Ask the student to focus on doing more of
the same behaviors that have worked in the past, or doing something totally
new and different in the situation. The new behavior is directed towards
changing repetitive behavioral patterns. (Adapted from Kral, 1995, as cited in
Franklin & Biever, et. al., 2001)
Portfolios
A portfolio is an organized documentation of academic achievement that should show a
student’s progress toward academic goals. It provides students with a means of showing
examples of their work throughout their education at Garza. It enables facilitators to conduct a
more thorough, meaningful assessment of students’ work and can highlight strengths that may be
overlooked in more traditional forms of assessment (Karolyn and Franklin, 1996). Portfolios can
communicate the depth and breadth of a student’s understanding of material (Hutchison, 1994).
The portfolio makes students more competitive in interviews for college admission and
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employment because they can support their statements with concrete evidence of their
achievements. It also builds feeling of self-efficacy because students can see how much they
have achieved.
At Garza, students receive an orientation during Blueprints about the portfolio process
during their first week of school. During that first week, students develop the following sections
of their portfolios:

Cover page designed by the student

Essay. Students write a one-page essay about why they came to Garza. They are
asked to consider the barriers they may face in completing their education and the
strengths they have that will help them overcome such barriers. They also discuss
their strengths that may need further development.

Code of Honor. The student provides a description of their personal code of honor
outlining their expectations for how they will treat others and how they will be treated.

Resume.

Guide for courses. The student records notes from meeting with the counselor that
outline the courses they will be taking.

Personal statement. The student writes about their learning style and personality,
along with a description of their career interests and the results of the career profile
completed during Blueprints.

Goals. The student lists the goals they will achieve while at Garza. They are asked to
think of a series of short goals that are attainable and measureable.
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By the time of the student’s first class, the first section of the portfolio is completed, and
the student gives the portfolio to the facilitator. The facilitator and student review the portfolio
together so the facilitator can get to know the student on a personal level and begin to understand
the student’s personal goals for the work at Garza and after graduation. The facilitator also
reviews and provides feedback about the student’s resume. The student adds to the portfolio
throughout the coursework at Garza. Categories of information are developed and grouped into
sections to create the portfolio’s organizational structure. Before a student can graduate, a
complete exit portfolio must be produced that contains all of the following:

Error-free, academically appropriate cover page

Completed table of contents

A reflection essay

Error-free introduction to the portfolio describing its purpose

A complete, current and error-free resume that includes all of the student’s skills and
work experience

A complete and error-free sample cover letter

Academic submissions are developed from samples of work completed in classes at
Garza. The samples should demonstrate mastery of coursework and progress toward
meeting academic goals. Academic submissions include three sections: 1) topic,
which consists of the submission’s title; 2) evidence, which consists of the sample of
work; and 3) analysis in which the student explains the sample of work included and
what was learned through completing the work.
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
Documentation that the student has completed at least twenty hours of volunteer work
or community service. (The student writes a description of each volunteer project and
what he/she learned from the project. These submissions should contain the same
three sections listed above: topic, evidence and analysis.)

Evidence of participation in activities and/or organizations

Awards or certificates

At least two generic letters of reference
An example of a Garza student’s portfolio is presented in Appendix E.
Volunteer Activities
The director of the Communities in Schools (CIS) program coordinates the Volunteer and
Internship Projects (VIP) club for Garza students. Garza students are required to complete twenty
volunteer or community service hours before they graduate. CIS coordinates a volunteer fair to
bring in volunteer agencies so the students can make connections with organizations that match
their interests. The CIS director describes her goal for providing the students with opportunities
for meaningful volunteer experiences:
I want kids to get the idea of real community service – not babysitting for family
or doing household chores. Our students volunteer at food banks, the children’s
hospital, and the humane society. They can work in a few different places to
obtain a variety of experiences, or they can go to the same place for the entire
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twenty hours so they can build a relationship with one place. The volunteer work
helps them develop life skills, develop relationships with others and know the
importance of follow through. They learn what it’s like if someone is counting on
you and you don’t show up, and they feel the importance of the work they do.
Some students went several times to a children’s hospital and went to the dialysis
unit where they saw kids on dialysis. This kind of experience gives kids
awareness that the world revolves around other people. One student said, “I was
sad about my boyfriend last week, but look at what this kid is going through.” The
kids begin to feel fortunate about what they have.
In addition to helping Garza students grow and mature, this type of community service
has the added benefit of making them marketable to colleges and employers because of
their real world experience.
Transitional Programs
In order to encourage students to pursue higher education and ease the transition from
high school to higher education or employment, the school provides career fairs and college fairs
that allow students to learn about a wide range of opportunities. Garza counselors and facilitators
keep students informed about scholarship opportunities and college programs that match their
interests. Garza has a career specialist who meets with every student to assist with resumes and
interviewing skills. She also coordinates workshops that help students learn about the
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interviewing process and interviewing skills. She talks with students about their career interests
and arranges informational interviews, job-shadowing opportunities, career fairs and interviews
for internships. Because she knows each student individually, she can present job advertisements
that match the student’s interests.
In addition to the career specialist, Garza has a grant-funded, Advance project counselor
whose purpose is to ensure that students are informed about post-secondary educational
opportunities. She helps students with college applications and provides information about
entrance exams and financial aid opportunities. Both the Advance staff person and the career
specialist work to arrange college fairs at Garza and to arrange for students to attend college fairs
at other locations. Garza families have also benefited from college financial aid application
workshops offered on four consecutive Saturdays. As in other Garza programs, the
individualized approach to serving students helps them achieve their goals. The Advance project
counselor explained:
This school is so successful because each student is an individual whether they’re
getting a test or a scholarship. The career specialist can see a scholarship and can
say, “this scholarship would be perfect for student A,” and she will personally
contact that student. She may see a job and know that a particular student would
be interested. Compared to another school where they might have an assembly for
the entire junior class to inform them about all of the opportunities. It’s much
more individualized. The kids are treated like you would treat your own kids.
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Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate from Garza, students must:

Meet Texas Assessment for Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) requirements,

Complete all required credits,

Return all borrowed books,

Complete twenty volunteer or community service hours,

Complete the Exit Interview and Exit Presentation, and

Do the Star Walk.
The exit interview and exit presentation includes a panel of at least three staff members,
and any others that the student wishes to invite. During the interview, the student describes their
occupational and educational plans. Then, the student shares any feedback and perceptions about
Garza. Specifically, the student is asked to describe the weaknesses and strengths of Garza, as
well as any feedback about the year round scheduling. The student outlines each component of
the portfolio and presents samples of work completed in courses. The interview and presentation
allow Garza staff to monitor their programs and ensure that students feel prepared for the
transition from high school to work or higher education.
One student summarized her work at Garza in her exit interview:
I’ve learned a great deal not only from classes I’ve taken at Garza, but also from
the people that have influenced my life here. Throughout the English courses I’ve
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taken at Garza, my writing skills were broadened and my creative outlets were
further explored. I became knowledgeable in how to make websites for the first
time ever. In BCIS, I furthered my knowledge of computer programs and the
tasks you can accomplish with each one. Through Economics and Government, I
discovered the ways in which our financial and governmental systems work and
how to benefit from them. Psychology taught me to perceive the way in which
people act and think. I learned a great deal about the history of our country and
the root of many of our nation’s problems throughout US history. Photography
gave me a means to express myself through printing and developing film.
In addition to the education I’ve gained from Garza’s courses, I have also
learned how to embrace and greatly admire diversity, how to stay ambitious and
on-task, and how to accept and cherish all people for who they are and not based
on their backgrounds. In conclusion, I’d like to leave Garza’s future graduates
with a few words. As cliché as it sounds, stay on task, and always keep your mind
on your goals. Try to take part in as many school-related activities as possible.
Above all, take pride in Garza and it’s atmosphere because you will probably
never encounter more expressive, open-minded, caring, and amazing individuals
than you will here.
After completing the interview and presentation of the exit portfolio, the student
schedules a time for a star walk. The Garza star walk is a ritual to individually recognize students
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who have completed graduation requirements. The school’s principal broadcasts over the school
loudspeaker a list of the student’s accomplishments. She also reads the student’s advice to other
students trying to graduate from Garza. The student is presented with a star- shaped plaque and
proceeds with family and/or friends and their counselor, or one of the administrators through the
entire school while all other students and staff line the hallway and cheer for the student, clap
and blow bubbles.
One Garza student described her feelings about Garza at the end of her exit presentation
as she was about to begin her star walk:
Graduating from high school has definitely been a milestone. I didn’t think I
could make it, but today I’m going to walk out of here with a star in my hand and
a certain sparkle in my eyes. A year ago, I told myself that I would be satisfied
with a high school diploma. Would you believe that I am currently a full time
student at Austin Community College majoring in associate degree nursing? My
dream is to become a registered nurse because I love to help people in any way I
can. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll run into someone who at one point in my
life reached out to me. How special and touching that moment will be when I can
turn around and reach out my hand to them.
The star walk allows students to be recognized individually and inspires other students to
continue working toward their academic goals. The following star walk description is adapted
from observations of many Garza star walks and reviews of students’ reflective essays:
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Maria had just completed her exit interview and portfolio presentation before
a panel that included her favorite two teachers and her counselor. Her mother and
sister were there to support her, as well. She presented the sections of her
portfolio including many examples of completed projects, and her mother was
amazed at the self-confidence and presentation skills Maria had developed. Maria
read a section of her reflection essay that described her first perceptions of Garza.
Maria described feeling for the first time that her teachers believed in her. They
took the time to know her as a person and gave her respect.
After watching dozens of Garza students proceed down the halls with their
family and friends in the two years since she had been admitted, Maria was finally
ready for her own star walk. Many times she had wondered if she would have this
opportunity. Maria had dropped out of her home school after her sophomore year.
She had been attending fewer and fewer classes during that year and had become
involved with drugs. Eventually, her mother was able to convince Maria to get
treatment for her drug use and go back to school. Maria enrolled in Garza and
thrived on the personal attention she received there.
The principal, Ms. Baldwin, read Maria’s advice to her schoolmates. “Keep
your eye on your goals. Focus on the present instead of on your past mistakes and
believe in yourself.” Then, Ms. Baldwin read a list of Maria’s academic
achievements including the successful completing of her classes at Garza and
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classes in Psychology at Austin Community College. She read Maria’s future
plans of attending the University of Texas at Austin to become a clinical social
worker.
Following the reading of Maria’s accomplishments and plans,
Ms. Baldwin presented Maria with her star plaque and they proceed through
Garza with her mother, sister and counselor. Everyone in the school lined the
hallways, cheering for Maria, congratulating her, and showering her with confetti
and bubbles. Her mother accepted the congratulations of many Garza students and
staff regarding her daughter’s achievements. She is the first in her family to
graduate from high school.
Graduates in Residence
The caring, supportive relationship between Garza staff and students continues after
graduation. All graduates are considered “Graduates in Residence.” They can return to Garza at
any time to talk to staff, use the library, or receive assistance with applying for employment or
higher education. They are invited to use all resources that Garza provides to enrolled students.
This continued support eases the transition from high school to work or higher education and
increases their chances for future success. One counselor described an example of a student who
graduated in the spring of 2003. The student decided he wanted to attend Austin Community
College and returned to Garza several times during the summer after his graduation to use the
computers, to receive help with revising his resume and completing the college application and
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financial aid forms. Many other students return to the school after graduation for help with job
placements and to get college application and scholarship information. Some students come back
to Garza to use the computers because they have no internet access at home.
Summary
Instruction at Garza is individualized and mastery based. Instructional programs are built
around mastery, goal setting and personal relationships between facilitators and individual
students. Academic activities are designed to build motivation and confidence toward academic
and life accomplishments, such as setting and finishing goals, and completing course credits.
Conversations with Garza facilitators emphasize personalization above all else. Personalization
includes fostering a personal relationship with every student and tailoring all aspects of their
education accordingly. Some have argued that so readily accommodating all of students’
individual needs may not adequately prepare them for pressures in the real world. The Garza
facilitator’s response to that is to help students believe in themselves, first. Then, they will have
the strength and self-confidence to accomplish their goal of finishing high school, and be able to
meet the challenges that lie ahead. One Garza student described her feelings of pride and her
wish that every struggling student would have the same support she experienced at Garza:
In those Ms. America pageants, you know how they always ask the contestants if
the had one wish, what would it be. Well, If I were up there representing the great
state of Texas in my skimpy little two piece, I would say that my one wish would
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be to have a school like Garza in every city. That way, kids that wouldn’t have a
chance at a regular public high school could actually get the opportunity to
graduate. Without this institution, I would definitely have joined the ever growing
percentage of high school dropouts long ago and would be going nowhere in my
life. People have always said that without goals, you will never get anywhere in
life. Well, I’ve had plenty of goals. I just haven’t always been very good about
following through with them. So, by actually finishing high school, I can now
honestly say that I am proud of myself for going the distance, even if it’s just this
once. You know, I haven’t had any reason to be proud of myself in a long time. It
feels good to be able to say that I am proud and mean it.
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Chapter Seven References
Baer, J. (1999). Adolescent development and the junior high school environment. Social
Work in Education, 21(4), 238-249.
Baker, J. A. (1999). Teacher-student interaction in urban at-risk classrooms, Elementary
School Journal, 100(1), 57-70.
Berg, I.K. (1994). Family-Based Services: A Solution-Focused Approach. New York:
W.W. Norton and Company, Inc.
Bosworth, K. (1995). Caring for others and being cared for. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9),
686-694.
Bridglall, B.L. (2001). Research and practice on how people learn. Pedagogical Inquiry
and Praxis, 1, 1-4.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). The Right to Learn: A Blueprint for Creating Schools that
Work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Eccles, J., Wigfeld, A., Midgley, C., Reuman, D., Mac Iver, D., & Feldlaufer, H. (1993).
Negative effects of traditional middle schools on students' motivation. Elementary School
Journal, 93(5), 553-575.
Franklin, C., Biever, J., Moore, K., Clemons, D. & Scamardo, M. (2001). The
effectiveness of solution-focused therapy with children in a school setting, Research on Social
Work Practice, 11(4), 411-433.
Franklin, C., & Biever, J. (2000). Treatment manual and research protocol for learning
challenged students in schools. University of Texas at Austin.
Hutchison, N.L. (1994). Performance assessments of career development. Greensboro,
NC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services
Jones, V.F., & Jones, L.S. (1998). Comprehensive Classroom Management: Creating
Communities of Support and Solving Problems (5th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Karoly, J. C. & Franklin, C. (1996). Using portfolios to assess students' academic
strengths: A case study, Social Work in Education, 18(3), 179-187.
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Kral, R. (1995). Solutions for schools. Milwaukee: Brief Family Therapy Center.
Murphy, J.J. (1996). Solution-focused brief therapy in the school. In S.D. Miller, M.A.
Hubble, and B.L. Duncan (eds.) Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, (pp. 184-204).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Murray, C. (2002). Supportive teacher-student relationships: Promoting the social and
emotional health of early adolescents with high incidence disabilities. Childhood Education,
78(5), 285-290.
Niebuhr, K.E., & Niebuhr, R.E. (1999). An empirical study of student relationships and
academic achievement. Education, 119(4), 679-682.
U.S. Department of Education (1994). Education reforms and students at risk: A review
of the current state of the art. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education. Available at
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdReforms.html.
Waxman, H.C., Anderson, L., Huang, S.L., & Weinstein, T. (1997). Classroom process
differences in inner city elementary schools. The Journal of Educational Research, 91(1), 49-59.
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“Call of the Spirits” by Jeannie Guerrero
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Jeannie Guerrero
“Call of the Spirits”
Jeannie Guerrero enrolled in Garza in Spring 2000 with 11 credits. She had always gone
to school in Austin, but when she was 13 her mother remarried and moved the family to San
Marcos. She tried high school there but found the strict rules, including a dress code that required
the girls to have their skirts measured each day, difficult to accept. She returned to Austin and
moved in with her grandmother. She completed 14 credits at Garza and graduated in May 2002.
Jeannie was always interested in art and won small contests in elementary school. When she took
art in middle school, she discovered that it was seen as a “slack off” class and worse, she never
could get anything done. She never took art again until she came to Garza. Creative art will be an
important outlet in her life, but never a job. She wants to work with young people as a teacher,
counselor, or social worker. “I never want to lose track of what it was like to grow up. Teen age
years are the toughest, and I want to be that helping hand, that little push, like the people here at
Garza were for me.” Jeannie has been self-supporting since she was 17; at 20 she works full time,
lives independently, and takes classes at Austin Community College. Jeannie’s painting won a
Gold Key and won first place in her category at the Austin Artists’ Harvest.
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Chapter 8 — Student Assistance Programs
Social Services, Mental Health and Health Programs at Garza High School
We’re not islands anymore. We realize the strengths of everyone’s gifts. An
important part of solution building is knowing how others can help our students.
Just because you’re in my room doesn’t mean that there aren’t many other people
here who can help.
Garza Facilitator
Introduction
A critical ingredient in creating a warm, supportive school climate is providing the
support services that address students’ potential barriers to academic achievement. Chapter Six
discussed the school culture and the fact that Garza is thought of as a family, and even a hospital
for those who need healing. The integration of support services into the school environment and
the removing of psychosocial barriers to learning is never questioned at Garza. As was discussed
in Chapter Four, the integration of community services was part of the original vision that
Principal Victoria Baldwin had for a Twenty-First century learning center. From the perspective
of Garza, psychological and social barriers are the result of difficulties within the students’
families, peer relationships or communities. When the barriers impede students’ success in
school, Garza accepts responsibility for helping them overcome such barriers. Garza follows the
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best practices in school mental health assistance and support services by offering several
integrated and comprehensive services that address different student needs (Center for Mental
Health in Schools at UCLA, 2003; Foley, 1998). Service provision within schools is effective
when service providers work together as a team, sharing knowledge and demonstrating respect
for each other’s skills (Streeter and Franklin, 2002). An atmosphere of trust, respect and caring is
essential in fostering such collaboration (Epstein, 1995). Garza’s solution-focused therapy model
(described in Chapters One and Two), solution-focused administration and team-management
model (described in Chapters Four and Five) makes this possible.
This chapter describes the many student support services provided by Garza
Independence High School, with case examples that illustrate the importance of these services in
helping students reach their academic goals. Specifically, the chapter discusses the mental health
and health services along with other support services provided by Garza staff and school-based
staff. The chapter focuses on personalization of services, active collaboration and
transdiciplinary exchange of knowledge and roles among all Garza staff. These characteristics
make Garza’s student support services unique and effective in helping students overcome
barriers to academic achievement.
Comprehensive School-Based Support Services
Many schools, often referred to as full-service schools, are attempting to provide a
comprehensive array of support services by joining with community agencies and collaborating
to provide health, welfare, recreation and life skills programs (Dryfoos, 1996). This is critical in
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helping many students succeed, because academic failure is often the result of social, economic
and emotional problems, rather than solely academic difficulties. Some necessary support
services include: reengaging students who have become disengaged in their classes, providing
support during transitions, increasing family involvement, preventing and resolving crises,
outreach in the community, enabling increased attendance, addressing problem behaviors and
reducing suspension and dropout rates (Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA, 2003).
Providing a range of support services within the school setting has the potential to benefit
schools by improving childrens’ attendance, grades and overall achievement, while giving
service providers access to children in need of their services (Franklin and Streeter, 1998).
School-based Mental Health Services
If students have unaddressed behavioral and emotional needs, their academic
performance suffers. Providing such services at school increases the chances that students will
receive them. School-based services are also helpful because teachers and other school staff are
often in a good position to detect mental health problems in children due to their observations
and interactions with students (Werthammer-Larsson, 1994). Roans and Hoagwood (2000)
conducted an extensive review of school-based mental health services, and found positive
outcomes for children participating in interventions addressing emotional and behavioral
problems, depression, conduct problems, stress management and substance use. When these
issues are successfully addressed in schools, students are better able to meet their academic goals
(Roans and Hoagwood, 2000).
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School-based Health Services
School-based Health services help ensure that students’ health issues will have less of an
impact on their school performance. Many health issues can be resolved at the school, and health
centers can work to prevent health problems by providing information to students and staff about
issues such as teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and substance use. Research on
school-based health services supports the conclusion that students who use the clinics report less
substance use, better attendance, lower dropout rates and lower birth rates. In addition, surveys
of students, parents and school staff indicate that they find the school-based health services to be
accessible and convenient, and tend to report high levels of satisfaction with the services
(Dryfoos, 1996).
Transdisciplinary Teams
While placing a diverse range of support services in a school is a good first step in
creating a supportive environment that helps students achieve academic goals, it is equally
important that support and school staff actively collaborate and communicate with each other. It
is often not enough for staff to be in the same school and update each other on their work with
students. In order to maximize their effectiveness with students and create a supportive school
climate, all staff will need to share information, respect the knowledge and skills of other
disciplines, and be flexible in integrating others’ ideas into their interventions. This type of
collaboration characterizes the transdisciplinary team model described by Streeter and Franklin
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(2002). As members of a transdisciplinary team, social workers, counselors, teachers and other
school staff go beyond collaboration. They engage in a teaching-learning process in which they
teach techniques from their disciplines to others, and incorporate others’ techniques into their
own interventions. While team members are not likely to develop expertise in another’s
discipline, they can develop the skills to use techniques that increase their competence in
resolving student issues, and create consistency in the treatment students receive from all team
members.
In order to create effective transdisciplinary teams, it is often necessary for team
members to change their ways of thinking about collaboration. Mutual respect and trust for staff
from other disciplines is essential, and members are required to develop a sense of shared
responsibility for the team’s work. The solution-building approach can facilitate the success of
transdisciplinary teams. Its emphasis on active listening and focusing on strengths facilitates
collaboration with students, parents and teachers in developing interventions. The solutionbuilding practitioner adopts the stance that different approaches may result in solutions and
respects the unique ideas, beliefs and styles of others involved with the student (Murphy, 1996).
The Transdisciplinary Approach at Garza
The transdisciplinary approach employed by Garza has taken on a unique character
because of the emphasis on solution building. Solution building facilitates the transdisciplinary
approach in two important ways. As described above, the underlying tenets of solution building,
such as viewing others as experts, focusing on strengths, and collaborating to create solutions,
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fosters an openness to incorporating the techniques of others. Secondly, the administration’s
requirement that every staff member be trained in solution building creates an environment in
which the staff already understand the skills and techniques used by other staff. When they are
called on to collaborate with others about a student’s difficulties, they already have a common
foundation of knowledge to build upon. One counselor described the continuous school-wide
effort that promotes solution building:
We have all read books on solution building. The facilitators have study groups in
which they read different solution-building texts, and they get together during
lunch to discuss them. The approach really is on everyone’s conscience. We
remember to focus on the students’ strengths instead of immediately telling them
what they are doing wrong. Focusing on problems is a reflex that counselors,
teachers and parents have. Here, we have constant reminders that we are looking
to build on the positive and form solutions. We work to keep the solution-building
consciousness going throughout the campus.
A common theme in interviews with Garza staff involved collaboration. All of the
interviews emphasized the importance of sharing information in order to obtain a more complete
picture of the student’s strengths and needs, and to help find solutions to difficulties. One
counselor described a situation with a student who was having so many difficulties in her
personal life that her academic performance and attendance were suffering:
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She’s a mother and her mom was never much involved in her life. Eventually, she
and her boyfriend got married and she had a baby. What started out as a
wonderful relationship with her husband soured, and there were some economic
issues that came into play. She had taken the state exams several times and had
not been successful. She was coming to two counselors, the special education
staff, and the parent outreach specialist. She was not focused on school. We
arranged a meeting with all of the people involved with her at Garza and used
solution building with her. Everyone discussed her strengths and allowed her to
define the problem. She came to understand that her main purpose at Garza was to
finish high school and pass her exams. She decided that she was distracted with
too many issues in her life, such as the difficulties of being a parent and her
marriage. By going to see so many different staff, she was only getting one of her
needs met – the need for attention. So she decided to pick one person that she
would work with on the issues, and she would try to stay in school.
Garza staff describes a great appreciation for the skills of others and a willingness to
incorporate their techniques into their own work. For example, counselors and social workers
work with teachers to increase their solution-building skills. Facilitators are receptive to learning
new techniques and say that new skills are helpful in addressing many students with issues in the
classroom, rather than by immediately taking students to the counselor for help. One of the
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facilitators described a change she had noticed since starting to use solution building in the
classroom:
One of the things that I’ve noticed is that I used to spend a lot more time down at
the counselor’s office with a student having a three-way talk. I can’t remember
the last time I did that because I don’t need to anymore. I can have a conversation
with the student in the classroom, and it doesn’t get to the point where I am as
frustrated.
Another teacher described how learning solution-building techniques has helped her to
work with students who are having difficulties, without harming their self esteem:
A lot of our kids are very sensitive, and the solution-focused practices have given
me a way to avoid hurting the kids, because it’s up to them to say anything
negative. It’s up to them to decide how to solve the problem. I’m not the dictator
anymore. I’m sitting there with the student, asking questions according to the
Socratic method. Students may feel bad about themselves which they can talk
about. You know, one might say, “I really feel guilty because I said I would call
you and I didn’t. I forgot.” And that’s so much better than my saying, “We have a
problem because you didn’t call me”. It’s been so much better for me.
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These excerpts show that facilitators are willing to incorporate techniques from another
discipline and are open to seeing how those techniques improve their work with students.
The transdisciplinary approach has also proven to be helpful to mental health staff at the
school, such as counselors and social workers. Because everyone in the school is trained in
solution-building therapy, the staff at Garza can be confident that students will be treated
consistently with care and respect, and that their work will be supported by other staff. One
counselor described the following situation:
I was working with a student who was very depressed. We started using solution
building, and now she is successful and feels good about herself. If I were the
only person she could have come to for help, I would have been drained, and that
would have been my only job, and school counselors can’t do that. The really
great thing about being here is that we can do that kind of work in our office and
know it will be supported out there by the rest of the school staff.
As with any system in which many people are required to work together, collaborating
may cause some conflict and tension (Streeter and Franklin, 2002). Such tension does not
necessarily undermine the team’s ability to solve problems together, if team members
consistently demonstrate respect for others’ points of view. One counselor described an example
of tension between staff that could have resulted in a breakdown of the team approach but did
not:
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We do great collaborative work here, but with any human relationships there will
be personality conflicts. We have those here as we would have at any other place.
Sometimes I will move a student out of a classroom because the student no longer
feels that it’s the best learning environment for him. I had a facilitator come to me
and say that he wished I had given them more time to work things out before
moving the student. Since then, I really make an effort to call in the facilitator and
have a conversation before I make any schedule changes.
The example illustrates how conflicts can be resolved when staff members actively listen to each
others’ ideas and are willing to learn from each other. The director of Communities in Schools at
Garza described a similar situation in which she and a counselor disagreed about a student’s
needs:
A student made a remark that sounded suicidal to me. I thought it was serious and
that the mom should have been notified. The counselor didn’t. We talked through
the situation and the counselor said, “ I know you need to do what you think is
right,” and gave me room to do what I felt was right.
Such mutual respect fosters a supportive community for students whose personal or family issues
are affecting their school performance.
The individual roles of Garza staff in supporting students are described below. It is
important to bear in mind that all staff members said in interviews that their services were
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successful because of the strong atmosphere of teamwork and respect that allows Garza staff to
share responsibility for the success of their students. It often appears that different Garza staff are
sharing the same roles. However, because of the constant communication among those working
with the same student, services are rarely duplicated. Instead, students are treated consistently
with care and respect and are able to witness staff doing the same amongst themselves.
Counselors
Garza has three counselors that are assigned to students alphabetically, based on their last
names. Because the student body is relatively small (approximately 400 students), counselors are
able to spend more time with individual students than they could at a more traditional high
school. Each counselor has a unique area of specialization: drug and alcohol use, scholarship and
dual enrollment and testing. Because the school is small, facilitators and other staff learn the
specialization of each counselor, and refer students to the appropriate person. In the words of one
counselor:
Because the school is small, we have a family environment. All of the facilitators
know each counselor’s area of specialization. This school is a family and there
has been very little change in faculty. A new facilitator has a buddy who helps
orient them. They are assigned a mentor by the principal. That also helps them
understand the role of the other staff.
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Counselor Specializing in Drug and Alcohol Use
This counselor’s activities include educating students about drug use issues in Blueprints
and classrooms and collecting survey data to determine the prevalence of drug and alcohol use at
Garza. In addition, the counselor may work individually with students who need help
overcoming substance use. The counselor described a situation in which a student who was
assigned to another counselor came to see him because he had been arrested on a drug-related
charge and was returning to Garza. Students facing barriers related to drug and alcohol use
benefit from the counselor’s expertise in this area. He can inform the student about many
treatment options and support the student in taking steps to overcome substance use issues and
focus on academic goals. This counselor described his roles as follows:
I’m here on a grant from Safe and Drug-free Schools. If students have a drug issue,
then the teacher and other counselors know to send that child to me. I have
facilitated dynamic groups around that issue. I bring in people from the Travis
County Underaged Drinking Program to do alcohol awareness presentations in
every classroom once a year. I have also done a school-wide survey on alcohol and
drug use. After looking at some of the surveys, I think alcohol is a bigger issue that
we realized, and marijuana seems to be a drug of choice. I’m surprised at the
number of students who have rated alcohol use as a problem on a scale from 1 –10.
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From the counselor’s explanation of his role, it is evident that the counselors work to determine
the needs of the students and tailor their services to meet those needs. This is a common theme
among Garza support staff.
Counselor Specializing in Dual Enrollment and Scholarships
Since many students at Garza elect to enroll in classes at Austin Community College
(ACC), they often need assistance to register for ACC classes and apply for financial aid.
Enrolling in classes at ACC is encouraged at Garza as a doorway to post-secondary education.
Having a counselor who specializes in helping students enroll makes this process much less
overwhelming for the students. Regardless of students’ alphabetical assignment to a particular
counselor, they are able to schedule an appointment with the dual-enrollment specialist for
assistance. This counselor also informs Garza students about scholarship opportunities that help
pay for classes at ACC.
Counselor Specializing in Testing
This counselor helps students who are having difficulty passing state achievement tests,
such as Texas Assessment for Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The counselors inform students
about their services during orientation, so students are aware that they can receive individualized
assistance if they have difficulty with the tests. Often, a student will request to see the counselor,
or a teacher will recommend that the student work with them to improve test scores.
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If a student fails a section of the TAKS, the counselor meets with the student, and they
discuss the areas in which the student struggled. The counselor will also talk with the student’s
teachers and the special education department to obtain a complete picture of the student’s needs.
The counselor will typically give the student a pretest, review the test results carefully, and link
the student to the appropriate tutoring services. Following the tutoring, the student is given a
posttest to determine whether the student is ready to take the actual exam.
The counselor described a situation in which another counselor’s student came to see her
for help with testing issues. The student was having difficulty in her math class and was at risk
for failing the TAKS. In addition, the student had a math phobia and was not attending her math
class. The counselor talked with her about what she needed, in order to evaluate whether she
would need tutoring or whether she might need to be tested for a learning disability that could be
making the math class especially stressful for her. In this situation, the counselor met with her
teachers and the other counselor who had worked with her, and reviewed her scores on previous
tests to obtain as complete a picture as possible about her situation. She explained her roles as
follows:
With testing, we first do a pretest and place students with a particular tutor or
teacher based on their score. We go through tutoring and then do a posttest. Then,
if they are ready, they take the test. They may pass the posttest, but not the real
test. If they continue to struggle, there will be a facilitator working with them in
that area. The facilitators are excellent at noticing when students are able to do the
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material, and yet the next day they can’t remember it or apply it. We consult with
the special education department to see if there are pointers they can give us, and
we constantly consult with the student and try to reassure them because it is very
frustrating for them. It is a lengthy process and we keep trying new things until
we find something that works. We don’t always succeed the first time, but we
don’t give up.
This description shows how the relevant staff work together to share information and
responsibility for helping the students pass their tests. The counselor is willing to try techniques
recommended by facilitators and the special education staff, in order to find a solution for each
student. The individualized attention the counselor provides often results in a strong supportive
bond. One counselor explained:
What makes testing assistance different at Garza is the individualization. When
students don’t pass a section of the TAKS, the testing counselor forms a personal
relationship with every one of those kids. She assesses their needs. She works
with them to set up tutoring. She gives the student old tests and looks at their
track record in the subject area. The results are carefully analyzed. I had one of
those students who had taken the test many times, and she developed such a close
relationship with the testing counselor that she continued to work with her for all
of her needs.
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The counseling process is as personalized as the curriculum. Students may decide that
they work well with a particular counselor regardless of their counselor assignment, or the
counselor’s specialty, and they are allowed to meet with whomever they wish. The positive team
culture at Garza allows counselors to feel comfortable working with any student. One counselor
states:
We have a strong counseling department and we all work well together. The kids
naturally flow to each of us and may want to work with one of us for one
particular reason or another, and we will work with any children.
Counselor Responsibilities
In addition to specialized roles described above, Garza counselors provide the following
services to students:

scheduling,

individual counseling,

gathering information on student needs, and

group counseling.
Scheduling
As in other schools, counselors at Garza are responsible for students’ course schedules.
Often, counselors may find that they spend so much time helping students with scheduling issues
that they have little time to provide counseling services. Scheduling can take a significant
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amount of the counselors’ time at Garza because schedules change throughout the quinmester. A
student may finish a course at any time, and will need to see the counselor to add a new class.
However, the counselors at Garza recognize that the scheduling process provides an opportunity
to touch base with students on a regular basis. Every time a student comes to see a counselor for
scheduling, the counselor takes the time to learn more about the student. One counselor
described this process as follows:
At other schools, counselors sometimes say that scheduling takes so much of their
time, they don’t have time to do counseling with the kids. For us, it’s an
opportunity to check in with students every time they come in – it’s not going to
be a real quick meeting to change the schedule or drop a course. It is an
opportunity to talk about where they are and what they want to do.
The scheduling process is personalized for every student. When a student finishes a class, the
counselor shows the student a list of the courses needed in order to graduate, and the student can
decide which course to take next. One of the counselors explains:
After a student completes a class, we pull up the student’s case history on the
computer and go through everything together so the student has a picture of where
they are in terms of graduation. We pull up the entire list of courses needed by
that particular student and let them decide where they go next.
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Providing students with opportunities to make decisions about the curriculum builds feelings of
self efficacy and responsibility for their own education. This can lead to further academic
success.
Students are also able to choose facilitators with whom they would like to work. For
example, a student may be able to choose among four different English teachers. Occasionally, a
student will not feel comfortable in a teacher’s class and will ask to be transferred. In this case,
the counselor would typically meet with the student about the issue and then speak with the
facilitator. While this has the potential to create strained relationships between the counselor and
facilitator, both realize that a student may not feel comfortable working with a particular
facilitator. The counselor works to match the student with the facilitator who will provide the
best learning environment for the student. A counselor described this matching process as
follows:
We learn a lot about a student through Blueprints and the essay in which they
describe their goals and learning styles. The essay is so telling about things the
students have been through in their learning and their life. So we have a lot of
information from the beginning, and the more we work with the students, we can
tell from their personality which facilitator they will click with. So we try to
match them with the right facilitator. Every once in a while it’s not the best match,
but usually it works well.
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Individual Counseling
Counselors provide individual counseling for students who are having difficulties in the
school or personal life. Meeting to discuss scheduling changes may result in a discussion about
overcoming personal difficulties that are distracting the student from their academic goals. The
counselors use solution-building techniques to help students determine their own solutions to
personal difficulties. One of the counselors described the use of scaling questions in individual
counseling sessions:
Scaling questions are a quick way of getting to the meat of things. It’s helped me
do some brief and meaningful interventions. It’s easier to interrupt their distress
when I can ask them to rate their problems on a scale from one to ten. They will
often come in with two or three different problems that they are overwhelmed
with, and if we can pick one to work on and use the scaling questions, we can
bring the focus back to school success. Scaling can often stop the storytelling
about the students’ problems, which can take an hour, and it makes it quicker to
move toward finding solutions. It’s amazing to me how quickly students
understand how to use the scaling. They know exactly what we mean when we
say “On a scale from one to ten, how are you coping?” They can put a number on
it right away, and it’s so nice because they will seldom say it’s a zero or a one. So,
that allows us to say, “Wow, so it’s a five. What makes it that high?” They can
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tell us what makes it a five instead of a one, which allows us to focus on the
positive stuff and go from there.
In the description above, the counselor shows how solution building can help counselors work
with students who have multiple difficulties, build on their strengths to give them a feeling of
competence, and work toward returning the students’ focus to their academic goals.
Creating Support Groups Based on Student Needs
Garza counselors also collect information about students’ needs, and implement
programs that will meet those needs. For example, the counselors distribute surveys to learn
about the prevalence of alcohol and drug use. Since this is a common problem among Garza
students, the counselors typically run a group designed to address the issue. Every year the
counselors coordinate classroom presentations about alcohol and drug use designed to
discourage students from using substances. They also learned through working with students at
Garza, that some students needed a support group for gay and lesbian teens, so they developed
the Garza Rainbow group that meets weekly. Students in the group discuss issues of
discrimination and other stressors they face as gay and lesbian teenagers. The group provides a
forum in which students can support each other. One of the counselors who facilitates this group
described how they build the sessions around students’ needs:
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We brought in a pastor to talk with the students. A lot of them wanted to talk with
someone in the church because they are confused. They get mixed messages.
Some of them belong to churches that are very open and accepting, and others
belong to churches that are very conservative. The session with the pastor was
very good. I really like the fact that students tell us the issues they want to work
on, and we do it.
Facilitator’s Role in Providing Services to Students
The transdisciplinary approach to providing services at Garza is illustrated by the
important role the facilitator plays in providing support services to students. Since teachers have
the most contact with students, they are often in the best position to assess how their students are
doing. Garza teachers have a close relationship with their students, so they are often aware when
the students are experiencing difficulties in their personal lives. This relationship allows
facilitators to address the situation with students in a caring manner, and students are able to
discuss their difficulties openly. Since teachers are trained in the solution-building approach,
they are often able to help the students work through difficulties and find their own solutions. If a
student’s difficulty requires more time and attention, the teacher connects the student to the
appropriate staff. One counselor described this process as follows:
The facilitators do a lot of triage and a lot of counseling. They are on the front line
and see the students when they need to see someone with additional expertise, or
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someone who can make appropriate referrals. Teachers spend the most time with
the students and have established trust with them so they are likely to go to the
teachers first.
Triage, which is defined by Webster as the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients, was
used in interviews to describe the facilitator’s role. In a school setting, the term triage translates
to the facilitator’s ability to understand students’ needs and refer them to the appropriate schoolbased services. As one counselor explained:
In many instances, it is the teacher that sees the problem first and does triage with
the student to direct them to the appropriate services. We will do academic
advising with the students. There are some kids who show up in the counseling
office without talking to the teacher first, because they know that’s what we’re
here for. Very often, they go to the facilitator because there is trust, and the
philosophy of solution building is consistent throughout the school. That’s what
makes Garza unique. It’s not that it doesn’t happen at other campuses, but I think
it happens more often here because we have really made an effort to institute that
kind of relationship building.
The counselor described the following situation that illustrates the importance of such
collaboration in dealing with crisis situations:
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One student I worked with this week came forward to her teacher first about a
crisis situation. This girl said her boyfriend had been hitting her and wouldn’t let
her leave the apartment. He would follow her to work. He didn’t trust her, was
telling her what to do, where to go, and when to be home. He had threatened to
kill himself and her if she didn’t do exactly as he said. She told all of this to the
teacher, who listened and suggested that they go down to talk to a counselor to
ensure that they did everything possible to keep her safe. That’s how they ended
up in my office. She told us that she had never told another adult about this
situation. If she had been in a regular school I don’t think she would ever have
ended up in the counseling office. She would have probably finished her work,
picked up her books, and gone right back home. Because she had personal
attention from her teacher all morning, she was able to work up the courage to tell
her. The atmosphere of trust is throughout the building.
The director of Communities in School described the importance of the facilitator in providing
social services, as well:
The teachers are doing an assessment in the classroom to see whether to send a
student to CIS, to the counselor, or someone else. They don’t just say, “Well, if
it’s not math, take it somewhere else.” They figure out who on campus can best
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help. The teachers know the resources we have and they do what they can, what
they feel comfortable with. When they know the kid needs further intervention,
they are pretty aware of what person to send them to.
Figure 8.1 illustrates a typical flow of interactions in working to create solutions to
student difficulties. The facilitator often becomes aware of the problem first and, with the
student’s knowledge and permission, shares information with the appropriate staff at Garza.
Often, Garza staff will meet with the student’s family to create solutions. Depending on the issue,
Garza staff may also connect the student to relevant community resources. All of those involved
with the student are engaged in a collaborative sharing of information and defining of potential
solutions.
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Figure 8.1 Flow chart for connecting students to support services
Facilitator
Counselor
Student
CIS,
other
support
services
Administrators
Family Members
Community Organizations
Note: Arrows represent direction of communication.
Communities in Schools
The Communities in Schools (CIS) program exists at many public high schools. The
major services provided by CIS at Garza are consistent with those provided elsewhere, such as
individual counseling and group counseling, outside referrals for mental health needs,
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medication needs, health needs, and linking students with tutors. The CIS program at Garza has a
great deal of visibility. The director gives a presentation to teachers every year about the services
students can receive at CIS. The CIS director at Garza goes into every classroom and talks with
the facilitators, makes sure that CIS is described in the Garza handbook, and serves on
committees at Garza. The principal views CIS staff as Garza staff and they are treated as such.
They can provide:

Crisis intervention,

Tutoring and mentoring,

Birth control resources,

Health referrals,

Connections to resources such as Medicaid, food stamps, housing, and legal
assistance,

Employment skills training, and

Community service options.
As in the counseling department, CIS builds groups and services around the specific
needs of the student body. The director either asks students about groups they would find useful
or starts a group based on her own knowledge of the student population. She monitors group
attendance to see if students are using the group. Based on knowledge about student needs, CIS
staff has facilitated a support group that focuses on grief and loss, a self-esteem group for women,
a group for gay and lesbian students, groups for pregnant and parenting teens, groups on
substance use issues and a group for students coping with depression.
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Since Garza is a school of choice, the students who come to CIS often want help with
different issues from students at other schools. The CIS director described this difference as
follows:
At other high schools, kids are often referred for behavior such as disrupting class,
skipping, or an altercation with a teacher or student. We don’t deal with these
issues as much at Garza because it’s a school of choice. We don’t have punitive
measures for poor attendance. Students are respected by staff and are respectful of
teachers. Students are allowed to have cell phones and to eat in class.
Consequently, there are fewer behavioral problems to address. Garza students are
more likely to want counseling for relationship difficulties with a parent or partner.
One of the strengths of the CIS program is the commitment to follow through in
connecting students to resources. The director of CIS said that follow through is one of the most
important factors for helping at-risk teens succeed in school. She described the type of followthrough that CIS provides to students at Garza as follows:
Kids will come to us for help because they’re trying to get out and make it on
their own. They may want a job or may want to move into Section Eight housing
because they’re not getting along with mom. We help them plan this out and do
some reality testing to help them realize that they can’t just move out the next day.
We can help them get their own housing and food stamps. Sometimes, we help
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them see that it might be better to stay with mom. I think because we hold their
hand every step of the way, we can help resolve some major life obstacles so they
can get back to school and focus.
CIS staff often serve as advocates for students. If a student is having a lapse in attendance
due to a personal problem, CIS staff may advocate for the student to be excused from school for
a few days, while maintaining confidentiality about the student’s situation. For example, if the
student needs time away from school because they are looking for housing, applying for
Medicaid, or needs treatment for a sensitive medical issue, the CIS staff may approach teachers
or administrators to explain that the student has a good reason for being absent, and will be out
for a particular number of days. The CIS director gave the following example:
If a student needs to be absent due to a medical issue that she doesn’t want the
administration to know about, I could go to the assistant principal and say, “This
girl is going to have poor attendance for a few days and then she’ll be back. Trust
me on this.” The administration is understanding and will often allow the student
the time to resolve the issue, if they agree to return and focus on school.
Visiting Teacher
Visiting teachers provide outreach to families and community agencies in order to
address the unmet needs of students, and to enhance communication between school and home.
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Each school in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) is assigned a visiting teacher who
may serve seven or more schools. At Garza, the visiting teacher mediates troubled family
situations, secures resources for students, contracts for services for special education students,
counsels students and parents directly, participates in community task groups, and serves on the
Impact Team. The visiting teacher at Garza also developed the Impact Team workbook and
trained the staff in solution building.
The visiting teacher can also provide crisis intervention when an event impacts the entire
school, helping to mobilize additional support from the district and community. During one
spring semester, there were three student deaths that deeply affected the Garza community. The
visiting teacher collaborated with the administrative team, counselors and CIS staff to create a
plan for dealing with the shock, anger and grief that swept the school. During the crisis, the
visiting teacher supported the mental health staff of the campus by working at the school for
several days, conducted a needs assessment, and recruited other counselors and visiting teachers
to come to the school to provide assistance. They provided students with individual and group
grief counseling. Teachers who needed special attention were able to talk with someone not tied
to their campus. Several days later, the visiting teacher arranged for Victims Services to debrief
Garza staff. The visiting teacher at Garza has become an important member of a transdisciplinary
team through their collaboration with administrators, teachers and support staff in stressful
situations. As with the CIS staff, they are not an official Garza staff member, but shares
responsibility for students with staff members.
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Outreach
Garza provides a number of outreach services to students. Most of the outreach occurs
when students have a lapse in attendance. Because staff knows the students on an individual
level, they are able to consult with students and work collaboratively to develop solutions to
attendance problems. After a student has three absences, the facilitator has a conversation with
the student about it in order to learn about any circumstances that may be contributing to the
problem. The teacher relies on the student to define whether the attendance is a problem. If the
student has not returned to school after the three days, the facilitator will complete an attendance
report and give it to the outreach learning facilitator.
One of the roles of the outreach learning facilitator is to conduct outreach to students
when they are having attendance problems. She uses any means possible to locate the students
and have a conversation with them about their attendance. Outreach attempts typically begin
with phone calls to a student’s home. If the facilitator is unable to have a meaningful dialogue
with the student via telephone, she will schedule a home visit. The facilitator’s philosophy is to
use any means necessary to reengage the student in school. The outreach learning facilitator
described the following scenario:
I got a call from a facilitator saying that one of her students had disappeared again,
and she heard that he was working at a car inspection place. She told me where
she thought the inspection place was located and I found it. I saw the kid there
working on a car. I didn’t want to embarrass him or jeopardize his job, so I waited
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until he was finished, and I approached him. He recognized me, and I gave him
my card and said, “You need to call me.” He called that afternoon and I talked
with him about his future plans and asked him about his goals. He decided to
come back to school.
The transdisciplinary approach to resolving student problems applies to outreach attempts
as well. Often, one of the student’s other facilitators will accompany the outreach learning
facilitator on home visits. A CIS staff person, a counselor, and even the principal may
accompany facilitator to see a student. Anyone who has a close relationship with a student is
encouraged to be involved with the outreach process.
The outreach learning facilitator also follows up with students if they don’t return to
school at the beginning of the year. She coordinates visits to the hospital if a student has had a
baby, and attends funerals when a student loses a family member or loved one. When necessary,
she helps to arrange transportation to job interviews, doctor’s appointments, and workplaces. She
also works to prevent lapses in attendance by coordinating workshops that address barriers to
academic success. For example, she has arranged parenting workshops and goal-setting
workshops for pregnant and parenting teens, since they are likely to drop out of school when
they are faced with the many responsibilities of parenthood.
The outreach process is consistent with the caring community fostered by facilitators,
counselors, CIS staff and all others who work at Garza. This results in students who view Garza
staff as a solid support system. Because of this, students who are having difficulty are more
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likely to work to maintain contact with school staff, which facilitates the outreach process. The
CIS director discussed the following example:
We just got a call from a student who was once suicidal, but we don’t know if she
will be coming back to school. She hasn’t been here for over a year, but she calls
every couple of months if she needs resources. We often become students’ main
support system. We develop such a strong relationship, and that’s great, but it’s
sometimes sad to see that they feel like their support system is the school.
Student Health Services
Garza provides a number of health services for students that focus on prevention,
wellness and intervention. The CIS office provides a number of preventive health services to
students based on their needs. The CIS director coordinates a health fair so the students can learn
more about maintaining good health. The fairs provide information on contraception, smoking
and mental health. She also facilitates groups for which she sees a need, or which the students
have requested in school-wide surveys that she distributes. For example, when many students
expressed an interest in learning about prenatal development, the CIS director began offering a
prenatal group for pregnant teens so they could learn about their baby’s development and
understand how to maintain a healthy pregnancy. CIS will also offer sex education classes that
teach children about the risks involved with sexual activity, and how to minimize such risks
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through safer sex practices. The CIS director described how she tailored the information she
provided on sexual development to meet the students’ needs:
Many of the girls have no idea of what their cycle means or what ovulation means.
They don’t understand the specifics of how you get pregnant and what behaviors
put them at high risk, so I try to educate them.
The counselors may also facilitate groups aimed at preventing health problems in students. One
of the counselors has facilitated a group called Not on Tobacco (NOT) to teach students about
the risks associated with tobacco use, and to encourage them to abstain. The counselors also have
developed groups that address the risks involved with alcohol and drug use, which Garza surveys
have indicated is an issue with which many students are struggling.
Garza also provides many services to intervene when students have health issues. The
nurse at Garza, for example, plays an important role in helping pregnant teens stay healthy. She
monitors their weight to ensure that they are eating enough, helps them schedule doctor’s
appointments, and follows up with them to make sure they attend the appointments. The parent
support specialist at Garza described intervening with a pregnant student who was not taking
care of herself:
I was concerned about one girl I was seeing because she wasn’t really eating. She
didn’t have lunch money, and if she did, she still wasn’t using it for food. I would
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regularly get her to come to my office, and I would bring something for her to eat.
That way, I could see her eat, and at least I would know she got one meal that day.
With health services, as with all other services provided at Garza, the staff tailor their work with
students around individual needs.
Garza also has instituted a wellness program, for which facilitators create their own
programs for students. Generally, the thirty minutes after lunch are available for wellness
activities. Wellness time has typically centered on physical education activities, such as power
walking, golf, bowling and salsa aerobics. Other offerings have included drumming, jewelry
making, Tai Bo, aromatherapy, origami, candle making and Christmas arts and crafts. Wellness
tends to follow the rhythm of a Garza school year: in the fall there are many activities to choose
from and the groups tend to meet regularly. After spring break, the overall involvement in
wellness lessens as energy centers on helping students make progress toward graduation.
Services for Pregnant and Parenting Teens
Garza staff is highly sensitive to the needs of pregnant and parenting teens. Pregnant and
parenting teens regularly make use of the following services:






Individual supportive counseling
Groups
Connecting to Resources
Monitoring health status
Taking Charge Group
Day Care
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Individual and Group Supportive Counseling
The CIS director works frequently with pregnant teens, and emphasizes the amount of
support they need during their pregnancy. She described their situation as follows:
Parents are not often able to provide much emotional support initially because the
teen does not want to tell them, or because the parents are as overwhelmed by the
pregnancy as the teen. The student’s mom may not be supportive or happy about
the pregnancy, and may not want the boyfriend to come around. At the same time,
the teen will be anxious about him and want him to be a father.
The need for support is often compounded by the lack of support some girls have from
their boyfriends as the pregnancy progresses. The CIS director explained:
The boyfriend often says he thinks the baby is somebody else’s. A lot of pregnant
teens lose their partners during the pregnancy because they don’t want to assume
the responsibility. It would be interesting to see how many of the girls are still
with the person who got them pregnant by the time they deliver. I don’t think it
would be very high. By the end of that nine months, which is a very long time for
a teenager to be in a relationship anyway, not many of them are going to have that
boyfriend in the delivery room.
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Understanding this need for support, the CIS staff and other Garza staff try to give pregnant
teens as much attention as possible. The parent support specialist described her efforts as follows:
They need more support if they’re pregnant or parents. I’ll make sure I give them
a hello, good morning, acknowledge that they’re there – that means a lot to them.
CIS and other Garza staff often offer groups involving prenatal care and parenting skills.
The groups also provide the teens with an opportunity to meet other students who are faced with
the challenges of staying in school while caring for a new baby, and these students can form a
strong support network for each other. The CIS director described some of the needs of pregnant
and parenting teens at Garza:
I developed the prenatal group because it is something I just saw a need for. We
had a big pregnant population last fall, so I did a needs assessment to see if
students were interested, and many of them were. Sometimes they want a
parenting class or a self-esteem class, so I’ve offered those, too. Generally when
they’re pregnant, the focus is on the pregnancy itself, so they’re trying to get as
much information as they can.
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Connecting to Resources
Often, pregnant and parenting teens at Garza are anxious because they feel they do not
have the necessary financial and material resources to care for a baby. CIS staff often helps the
teens with applications to Medicaid or WIC, or by helping them make day care arrangements. If
the student does not have clothes or other equipment they need for their baby, CIS will connect
them with an outside provider who can supply them with those resources.
Monitoring Health Status
The parent support specialist and nurse provide prenatal health assistance by monitoring
the teen’s weight, ensuring that they have the proper nutrition, and sometimes providing the teen
with transportation to doctors’ appointments. The parent support specialist explained how Garza
staff are willing to go the extra mile to keep the teens healthy:
I work with the pregnant teens and the nurse around health issues. We make sure
they’re making it to their doctors’ appointments. I remind them to go see the
nurse and get their weight checked. If they need transportation to get to an
appointment, I’ll take them. I keep a car seat in my office in case I need to drive a
teen parent, with her baby to an appointment.
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Taking Charge Group
In addition to monitoring their health status, Garza staff work to help pregnant and
parenting teens juggle their parenting responsibilities while maintaining their school goals. Garza
has regularly offered the Taking Charge group for pregnant and parenting teens. The group helps
teens learn how to use their strengths and resources in order to overcome obstacles to achieving
goals. The group members participate in setting and accomplishing goals in four major areas:
education, relationships, career, and parenting. Through positive reinforcement and group
support, teens learn that they can overcome the many potential barriers associated with teen
parenthood that could prevent them from succeeding in their academic and personal lives.
(Harris and Franklin, 2003)
Day Care
Garza is able to provide teens with a grant-funded day care program that is free for their
students. The day care program requires that students maintain good attendance in school and
take a parenting skills class to encourage continued development for the teen as a student and a
parent.
Summary
Student Support services at Garza are fully integrated into the school’s academic mission.
Facilitators are trained in the solution-focused, mental health model and are the front-line staff
involved in triage and referral. This is all a part of the team management approach utilized by the
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principal, Victoria Baldwin, that was discussed in Chapters Three and Four. Sharing of roles
between facilitators and counselors is a good example of a transdisciplinary team model and is
consistent with the collaborative power sharing needed to conduct the solution-building model.
Solution building removes rigid role designations between counselors and helpers and one-upmanship in favor of client empowerment, and it requires that equality and respect be given to all
participants. In speaking with staff at Garza and reviewing materials on the school, it often seems
that the school’s priority is creating a family environment in which all students and staff are
treated with trust and respect. This kind of culture was discussed previously and carries over
strongly in the student support area. This may seem counterintuitive when we consider that a
school’s main function is helping students succeed academically. However, the two functions are
intrinsically linked because students’ academic success can be so dependent on their confidence
and the belief that others have faith in their abilities to succeed. At Garza, many students have
not experienced these feelings in any other setting, and are succeeding academically for the first
time. In the words of one graduating Garza student:
When I first started at Garza, the road seemed hard and long but definitely not
impossible. I know to some people, graduating from high school comes easily,
like slicing a piece of cake. For me, it was an ongoing battle, and there were those
days when I felt like I couldn’t fight anymore. There were times when I couldn’t
even get out of bed because my faith was overwhelmed by my doubt. I didn’t
want my problems to get the best of me. I wanted to change my life for the better,
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and Garza was the perfect place for me. Just during the past two years that I have
been here, I feel that I have matured a decade. When facilitators treat the students
with respect and understanding, the effort and progress students demonstrate in
return is amazing. The support I received was out of this world. People here don’t
give up on you, and, because of their kindness and patience and my motivation, I
am standing here at this moment.
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Chapter Eight References
Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA. (2003). An introductory packet on
working together: from school-based collaborative teams to school-community higher education
connections. Los Angeles, CA: Author. Available from: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu
Dryfoos, J.G. (1996). Full service schools. Educational Leadership, 53(7), 18-24.
Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9),
701-713.
Foley, E. (1998). Restructuring Student Support Services: Redefining the Role of the
School District. Children Achieving: Philadelphia's Education Reform. Progress Report Series
1996-1997. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education, Research for Action,
OMG Center for Collaborative Learning.
Franklin, C. & Streeter, C. (1998). School-linked services as interprofessional
collaboration in student education. Social Work, 43(1), 67-69.
Harris, M. & Franklin, C. (2003). The effectiveness of a school-based, cognitive
behavioral curriculum for adolescent mothers. Social Work Research, 27(2), 71-84.
Murphy, J.J. (1996). Solution-focused brief therapy in the school. In S.D. Miller, M.A.
Hubble, and B.L. Duncan (eds.) Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (pp. 184204). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Roans. M. & Hoagwood, K. (2000). School-based mental health services: a research
review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 3(4), 223-241.
Streeter, C.L., & Franklin, C. (2002). Standards for School Social Work in the 21st
Century. In A. Roberts & G. Greene ( Eds.). Social Workers Desk Reference. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Werthamer-Larsson, L. (1994). Methodological issues in school-based services research.
Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 23(2), 121-132
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“Dream Catcher” by Becky Fowler
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Becky Fowler
“Dream Catcher”
Becky Fowler enrolled in Garza in January 2001 and graduated in May 2003, after
completing eighteen credits. Becky came to Garza because her older sister had come here and
had encouraged her to come. Becky emerged as a leader while attending Garza, volunteering as a
PAL, serving on the Prom committee and serving on the Principal’s Student Advisory Counsel.
Becky was named Garza Peer Assistance Leader (PAL) of the year. When asked about her
experience at Garza, she pointed to the different atmosphere and climate at Garza. “I was in
control of my learning instead of my learning being controlled by everyone else in the classroom
but me.” Becky is working and attending Austin Community College with plans to transfer to a
four-year school later. Becky Fowler's ceramic vase won a Gold Key award.
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Chapter 9 — Solution-Focused Training and Empowerment for Staff and Teachers
“Most people do what they do because they don’t know what else to do.”
Insoo Kim Berg
Garza Independence High School
February 2002
Introduction
The success of Garza Independence High School owes much to the creative leadership of
its principal and her creative staff development. It was her idea to have every teacher trained in a
mental health model like solution-focused therapy. As discussed in Chapter Eight, Ms. Baldwin
realized she would never have enough counselors and social workers to go around. She wanted
every teacher to be trained and equipped to serve as the first line of defense. Each teacher was to
be a competent, creative staff who worked diligently to learn and apply solution building in their
teaching and interactions with students and their teachers. There is no doubt that the foundation
of the solution-focused school rests on the backs of the teachers. No solution-focused teacher, no
solution-focused school. This chapter describes a training model for helping teachers learn the
solution-focused therapy model and for mastering skills for applying solution building in their
day-to-day interactions with students. This training model has been successfully applied at Garza
High School, and it could be of use at other schools, as well.
In order for a school to maximize its potential as a solution-building school, it becomes
important for all participants in the school to be able to live out this model. Previous chapters
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described how solution building operates in administration and can be seen in the day-to-day
practices of the principal (Chapter Five), and in the practices of classroom instruction (Chapter
Seven). This chapter discusses in more detail how to transfer a mental health model like solutionfocused therapy into an educational setting and how to train and empower teachers in these
methods.
The Futility of Getting Others to Fix Our Problems
The administration and staff at Garza have long wanted to provide more services for the
student body. Most early efforts centered on bringing more professional help from the community
to the school, with health, mental health, employment, housing and other needs addressed in a
one-stop approach provided at a center on campus. Many factors combined to render these efforts
unsuccessful: agency policies, reduction of financial support for all human services, turf conflict
between various agencies, and district policies. The frustrated efforts of Garza to bring community
services to the school is not an unusual experience. In fact, several studies involving systemic
reform in schools have indicated that it is difficult to gain collaboration from mental health and
health care providers. The whole field of systemic reform of schools has not been able to
demonstrate lasting results as far as changes in the larger institutional structures go (Rumberger,
2004). Although the needs of students remained high, after several futile attempts at collaboration,
staff energy and attention moved to instruction, curricula, innovative scheduling and other more
academic issues. The frustrated staff developed a sense of powerlessness in the face of student
issues and problems. Certainly the school addressed many student needs with the counselors, CIS,
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visiting teachers, and the school nurse, but teachers and administrators remained concerned about
students who seemed to “fall through the cracks.” The solution-focused Impact Team model
empowered teachers and administrators, as well as counselors, to work with students as they faced
a myriad of issues. The model introduced staff to a means of communication that drew upon the
student’s successes and strengths for solutions.
Everyone in the School Must Be Trained to Become a Solution Builder
Vicki Baldwin’s decision to train all Garza staff in the solution-focused approach
presented quite a challenge to the social worker who helped design the Impact Team model. The
idea was to train a few volunteer teachers, rather than an entire staff. Ms. Baldwin displays a sign
her office that reads, “Show Me the Money,” so there is never much doubt about what she
expects; thus a training plan began to take shape. In November 2001, the first training was a halfday of professional development for Garza staff. The choice of a half-day was dictated by some
trepidation of the trainers, concerned that staff might not want to dedicate that much time to the
endeavor and their own inexperience. Since then, the training model evolved as facilitators have
assumed ownership of the process and become more involved in designing and delivering the
training. Having experienced, dedicated and creative educators work in a team with mental
health staff to bring solution building to the school removes the early challenge of Ms. Baldwin’s
decision.
So how does a school adopt the solution-focused approach and create a solution-building
climate? Developing a training plan at Garza revealed several strategies that other schools can
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employ when introducing solution building. Such notions as determining the overall readiness of
a campus to take in the model, specific steps in a training process, the role of the solutionbuilding coach, and forging partnerships with counselors and teachers emerge as strategies that
can enhance other schools’ efforts to become solution focused. Throughout the process, a sharing
across professional lines defines the emergence of solution building at Garza. School social
workers, counselors, teachers and administrators meld their areas of expertise into a unique
understanding, which informs the whole as well as the parts. Franklin and Streeter (1998) call
this shared awareness transdisciplinary knowledge. As facilitators feel more empowered to apply
the model, the sharing increases. For example, recently a facilitator raised the issue of
developing a curriculum on solution building for students. She commented, “The best way for
me to learn something is to teach it.” Creating opportunities for facilitators to teach solution
building can provide a powerful technique, supporting their adoption and continued use of the
model.
Solution Driven: Solution driven conversations target behavior change. These changes
are small steps in a desired direction, not sudden transformations. Usually what is wanted is
more of a particular positive behavior the student has performed in the past, rather than entirely
new behavior. Teachers may need to be reminded that solutions embody changed actions,
through increasing productive behavior patterns in place of unproductive behavior patterns. Of
course, much teaching results in changed behavior, but the idea of being an agent of personal
behavior change sits more comfortably with the mental health staff in the school.
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Asset Based: Learning to be asset based in the presence of students with difficulties has
proven to be extremely freeing for staff. Models of interaction that require full and lengthy
analyses of problems tend to become depressing for all parties and destroy what hope there
might be to change or improve the situation. Maintaining the view that the student has assets,
strengths, talents, and resources to meet the challenge infuses the interaction with hope, which
serves to motivate the student to action. Table 9.1 presents a list of strengths from an Impact
Team referral.
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Table 9.1 Student’s Strengths, Abilities, and Assets
_____ Engage adults
_____ Able to make/keep friends
_____ Adapts to new situations
_____ Curious
_____ Controls excitement
_____ Obeys adults
_____Cooperates with ideas of others
_____ Demonstrates ability to learn
_____ Sense of humor
_____ Tells the truth
_____ Future oriented
_____ Comfortable in new situations
_____ Handles stress well
_____ Completes what is started
_____ Considerate of others
_____ Shows maturity for age
_____ Maintains attention
_____ Demonstrates athletic ability
_____ Basically is happy
_____ Reacts with proper mood
_____ Accepts responsibility for actions
_____ Follows basic rules
_____ Settles disagreements peacefully
_____ Respects the rights of others
_____ Gets along with siblings
_____ Shows a good appetite
_____ Stands up for self
_____ Is physically healthy
_____ Tolerates criticism well
_____ Is accepted by peers
_____ Able to think before acting
_____ Can share the attention of adults
_____ Demonstrates a sense of fair play
_____ Can wait for attention/rewards
_____ Shows leadership
_____ Copes with distractions
_____ Accepts praise well
_____ Cooperates with adults
_____ Shows empathy for others
_____ Speaks positively about family
_____ Is a loyal friend
_____ Demonstrates skills in the arts: music, art,
_____ Actively engaged in learning
dance, photography
_____ Values helping others
_____ Other: _________________________
One clear hallmark of the school community at Garza is the attention given to individual
strengths of students. This attention fosters a sense of trust that students can and will move past
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the barriers that have blocked their movement toward graduation. The emphasis on learning
styles, the inclusion of individual goals that direct the student’s weekly academic
activities, and the "whatever it takes" attitude all express the deep assumption that students who
come to Garza bring the assets, resources, and talents to be successful in school and in life.
Seeking and finding strengths in the students can also increase the staff’s hope and motivation.
Every campus has educators who recognize the innate talents and assets of students and infuse
their interactions with faith in the student’s ability to be successful. When students realize that
they have "what it takes" to meet challenges, overcome barriers, and resolve difficulties,
educators are reminded of the joys of working with youth and participating as observers in
their unique unfolding.
Focus Shift
Mental health workers and educators are by necessity and preference future-oriented people, and
they welcome any opportunity to focus on what behaviors can lead to a solution, rather than in
analyzing the problem behaviors of the past. Looking to the past to seek exceptions to the
problem is quite different from scouring the past for multiple details about the origin and reasons
for unwanted behavior and feelings. Facilitators at Garza have found the practice of looking for
exceptions to problems intriguing. Shifting the focus to times when the unproductive behavior
did not happen, provides teachers with valuable information and may even furnish clues to
changes they might want to make in individual assignments.
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Teacher: “ I have tried to listen and be understanding, but Alice continues to
spend most of her class time surfing the web instead of writing her history report.
I don’t know why she insists on doing this.”
Coach: “I don’t know why either. Was there any time this week that you noticed
she was working on her class assignment?”
Teacher: (After a long pause.) “You know, she did some work on her report
Tuesday morning.
Coach: “What was different about Tuesday morning?”
Teacher: “ She found a web site about fashion in the roaring twenties. She’s doing
her report on that era. I could tell she was really interested in the flapper and her
style. She asked me if I thought there were any books in the library.”
Coach: “Can you think of any other times when she’s been that engaged in
researching her report?”
Teacher: “She had a lot of questions when another student presented a report on
the life of the pioneer woman. Alice was more animated than I’ve seen her since
the first of the year. There may have been some other times, too.”
Coach: “Well, if you see a pattern to those exceptions you could come up with a
way to alter the assignment and capture that interest and animation.”
Teacher: “ I know there have been other times when she showed that excitement.
I’ll have to do some thinking about this.”
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Experimental Action
Ultimately, the challenge is “to do something different.” Trying different actions may sound like
“trial and error” learning, but keeping planned actions tentative with a “let’s see what happens”
attitude, reduces the pressure on both the facilitator and the student for having to identify the one
best solution. The follow-up question of “How did that work for you?” keeps the focus on whose
solution we are seeking and who judges its success.
Solution-Building Student Advocate
All students benefit from a caring relationship with an adult who supports them in their
growth and development. The presence of such an adult is a major protective factor in supporting
youth’s resiliency (Henderson, Benard, and Sharp-Light, 1999). The benefit of such a
relationship is even greater when the student experiences difficulties. Often a school counselor
assumes this role, but today’s students require more guidance than can be provided by counselors
alone. The solution-building student advocate (see Appendix F) provides this relationship within
a system of communication that enhances positive student change through the co-construction of
possible solutions. Any Garza staff member may fulfill the role of the student advocate. At a
larger campus, the role can be assumed by anyone who has been trained in the solution-building
model. An open mind, acceptance of the assumptions of the model, an ability to form
relationships with children and youth, and a hopeful and respectful attitude about how people
change are all that is needed. Many educators feel very comfortable with the title of advocate;
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indeed they already serve as advocates in the lives of students as this activity from early training
as Table 9.2 illustrates:
Table 9.2 Think Advocacy is Something New?
Check the statements that describe your actions and opinions.
___ I think I view teenagers differently from most adults.
___ I know the names of students outside my own classes.
___ I don’t tolerate bullying, and I stick up for kids who are bullied by others.
___ I am involved with youth outside of school.
___ I contact each of my student’s family at least once during the school year.
___ I have at least one article of clothing to demonstrate my school spirit (Garza T-shirt,
cap, jacket).
___ I help keep the school clean by reporting broken or damaged property or picking up
litter.
___ I stand up for teens when adults bash them telling stories about teens in trouble
committing crimes, acting out or taking unnecessary risks.
___ I enjoy finding out about what interests students (i.e. their music, video games,
favorite stars).
___ I inquire about the community service activity in which my students participate.
___ I expect students to remember that I have feelings, too.
___ I believe that no student should have to learn something that does not to relate to a
skill that is likely to be required in life after high school.
___ I enjoy putting what I am doing on hold for a Star Walk.
___ I make a special effort to welcome new students.
___ I have eaten lunch in the cafeteria with a student.
___ I don’t tolerate racism at my school.
___ I have made it a priority to create a caring and safe environment for students, as well
as for me to work in.
THINK AGAIN! THESE ARE ALL WAYS TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR GARZA
STUDENTS (that you’re already trying!).
Adapted from What Teens Need to Succeed by Peter L. Benson by Kara Penniman
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Although this list is specific for Garza, most high school teachers would check many items in the
exercise. Certainly, one can find in any high school a teacher who no longer remains passionate
about students, but most teachers truly care about the students and are willing to come to their
defense, even while maintaining high expectations.
Teachers at Garza are called facilitators, and their role is to guide the student through a
self-paced curriculum, seeking the individual strengths of each student to apply to learning tasks.
Student advocates guide the student through a process of fashioning possible solutions based
upon past successes and a positive vision of the future, trying these solutions out and evaluating
the outcome. Advocates create a trusting relationship with the student, with no other goal than to
aid the student in a change effort. They are caring adults who offer to serve as catalysts for the
student’s work in changing unproductive patterns of behavior which hamper continued growth
and development. Advocates are expected to honor the boundaries of confidentiality within this
unique role with students. The training notebook at Garza provides information on
confidentiality (Table 9.3).
Table 9.3 Confidentiality and the Role of the Advocate


Advocates respect a student’s right to privacy.
Advocates do not solicit information from students or parents unless it is essential to
helping the student solve problems.

Advocates may disclose confidential information when appropriate with a valid
written consent from the student and his/her parent.

Advocates do not discuss confidential information in any setting unless privacy can
be ensured . . . not in hallways, lounges, etc.
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Table 9.3 Confidentiality and the Role of the Advocate
Continued…

Advocates take reasonable steps to ensure that student’s records are stored in a
secure location and that only authorized staff have access.

Advocates take precautions to ensure and maintain confidentiality of information
when using computers, e-mail, telephones, faxes and answering machines.

Advocates talk with students about the nature of confidentiality and the limitations of
the student’s right to confidentiality. Advocates help students understand the
following circumstances in which disclosure of confidential information may occur:

Student poses a danger to self or others.

Advocate suspects any incidence of child abuse, neglect or maltreatment.

Advocate and record are subpoenaed by a court.

Advocate seeks consultation and/or reports outcome in an Impact Team review.
“Confidentiality and the Student Advocate,” Kierce May, Garza Impact Team Notebook,
2001.
Although all teachers at Garza have become solution-focused student advocates, other campuses
may choose to train all or only a portion of the teaching staff.
First Aid and Triage
One early hurdle to clear is the discomfort teachers feel with the idea of
acting as counselors and therapists. Counselors may not be too accepting of the idea, either.
Advocates are not therapists, and most teachers do not wish to become therapists. However, both
teachers and counselors do accept the concept of first aid. Anyone who sees another person
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hurting can render first aid. First aid and triage involve assessing the injury and discomfort,
stabilizing the situation, determining the level of care needed, and either providing the necessary
care or aiding the person in accessing what they require. Clearly this is an expectation for
teachers who are often given a few band aids and other medical supplies each year to keep in
their desks. They are not asked to be health care providers—this is the role of the school nurse.
Garza facilitators do render mental health first aid and triage. Facilitators provide mental health
first aid when a student is obviously distressed, and they determine the level of care and
intervention the student requires. In providing first aid, they listen to the student, review what is
going right, and negotiate some goal-directed next steps. The discussion below between
Ms. Wilson and Liz offers an example of first aid:
Liz (obviously upset and angry): “Why did you call my mother? She has been ragging me
constantly and demanding that I come home where she can make me go to school.”
Ms. Wilson: “ Liz, let’s step out in the hall. Now, can you tell me what has upset you so?’
Liz: (starting to cry) “I don’t live at home. My stepfather kicked me out at Thanksgiving
after I had a fight with my mother. She hit me and called me a whore. They both drink a
lot. I love my mom, but I just can’t be there right now.”
Ms. Wilson: “I’m really sorry you are having all these problems, Liz. You really do well
when you make it to class. Aren’t you trying to graduate in May?”
Liz: Yeah, that’s the idea, but I also need to get more hours at work. My girl friend’s
mother has been nice, but I feel I need to help more.”
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Ms. Wilson: “Mr. Castro might be able to help you with the work problem. You could go
this afternoon to talk to him. But we still need to talk about what will help about
attendance.”
Liz: “I guess I just can’t be absent ever again.”
Ms. Wilson: “I don’t ask for perfection. And, anyway, you’ve got so much going on in
your life. But you know I have to keep up with my students’ attendance. I certainly don’t
want to get you in trouble with your mother, but I have to call after you have been absent.
Your mother’s is the only number I have.”
Liz: “I really don’t want you calling my mother or my friend’s house.”
Ms. Wilson: “What do you think I could do instead?”
Liz: “Well, if I’m not going to make it, I could call you.”
Ms. Wilson: “I’m certainly willing to try that. But if you’re out two days and you haven’t
called I’ll have to call someone. Who do you want me to call?”
Liz: “You can call me at my friend’s house. The number is 751-1890.”
Ms. Wilson: “Good. We have a plan. Do you want to talk with Mr. Castro now? Or do
you want my feedback on the essay you wrote on the homeless?”
Often, students like Liz can be helped to get back to class and their schooling fairly quickly.
Other students have needs beyond first aid, and the advocate’s role is to help them connect with a
counselor or social worker at school who can work more intensively with the student and provide
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referrals to community resources. A Garza student described her time at the school in the
following excerpt from her graduation reflection paper:
The qualities I discovered in myself at Garza greatly surprised me. I became a
better writer and even entered a few contests and had my work published. I
realized, while at Garza, what it is to be an adult by moving out on my own,
taking on a lot more bills, and keeping my steady job (in which I got another
promotion) through everything. I also discovered my will to go to college. At
Crockett, I was so angry at the whole schooling system for letting a good kid, a
smart kid, turn into a wanna-be drop-out, that I swore I’d never put myself
through that again. I was depressed, was angry, and completely frustrated with the
schools as well as myself. I have potential, lots of it, and for some system to be
able to destroy and suppress that was a great task, but A.I.S.D. managed to do it,
and I hope they realize that’s what they are doing. I hope they will see someday
that when they scar kids and completely shut down their lives, Garza is the
hospital that has to fix the wounds and give the therapy.
Strategies for Introducing the Model
Whether one is training an entire faculty or only a portion, several activities emerged at
Garza that may enhance future efforts in creating solution-building schools. (These are presented
in Table 9.4.)
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Table 9.4 Strategies that Work
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Obtain support from administration;
Identify one person to be primarily responsible for training and adherence;
Create strong partnerships with selected school staff;
Assess what the school is already doing to build solutions;
Introduce the model through an interdisciplinary team structure;
Seek input from all constituents, especially students;
Maintain a school focus in solution-building conversations;
Provide opportunities for training by an expert in solution-focused therapy; and,
Supporting educators in shaping the model with their own unique philosophy and
approach.
While these strategies are straightforward and easy to understand, using them to provide
guidance for introducing and maintaining the model in a school requires some discussion.
Obtain support from administration
The principal establishes the climate and vision of the school. Empowering staff to reflect
on the assumptions of solution building while using the techniques prevents problems from
increasing and allows for minimal disruption of the learning environment. Most principals will
support any effort that delivers such an outcome. Teachers usually are expected to take care of
small problems, those that can be tended to quickly and without a lot of effort or specialized skill.
Principals become interested when they recognize that solution-building conversations will
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lessen the number of incidents serious enough to need their attention and keep the problem close
to the immediate situation where a solution is most likely to develop. This empowers teachers to
handle behavior concerns on their own. Most principals recognize that there are never enough
counselors to deal with all the problems that students bring to school. Principals will often
welcome the analogy of teachers providing first aid and triage, but not counseling. This
distinction must be made often not only with administration and faculty, but also with mental
health professionals who work with the schools. They may need reminding that school focus and
the business of learning guide solution-building conversations. Observing a teacher or counselor
use a technique from solution building may convince a principal to try the model. At Garza, a
social worker demonstrated the first formula task at the end of a staffing with a student, as a
prelude to meeting with the student later in the week. This so intrigued the principal that she
became receptive to adopting the process school wide. Of course, it helped that the student
improved his attendance.
Social Worker: “Nathan, we’ll get together next Thursday to talk about attendance and
your sad feelings, but before we meet I want to give you some homework. I know you
don’t have much homework at Garza, but this is easy homework. Okay?”
Nathan: “I guess I can try anything once.”
Social Worker: “Fine. So, between now and Thursday, I want you to observe what’s
going on in your life right now, and I want you to notice all the things you have in your
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life that you want to keep. Most of the time I talk to people about changing the way they
do things, but I want us to start what it is you don’t want to change. Okay?”
Nathan: “Sure, I can do that.”
Identify one person to be primarily responsible for training
The mission of any school is to educate students and move them toward graduation.
Solution building certainly enhances this process and increases the educator’s skill in carrying
out the mission. These solution-building skills support education, and learning remains the
facilitator’s central focus. If a school is to develop a solution-building climate, it is necessary to
identify one person for whom solution-building training is paramount. At Garza, a school social
worker serves as the solution-focused coach/trainer. This person supports increased use of
solution building through various activities.
Modeling solution-building conversations for staff
The first demonstrations of solution-building conversations at Garza were done through
role playing with the solution-focused coach, a counselor taking the teacher role and a facilitator
acting as a student. In another session, one trainer showed a problem-focused conversation
followed by another conversation with the same “student” using solution building. Modeling also
occurred in a staffing with the school team acting as a reflecting team. Again, a counselor skilled
in solution building demonstrated the model in a Garza faculty meeting that had been called to
address a campus-wide concern.
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Creating training materials
The initial staff development yielded the production of an Impact Team workbook
containing materials used in the training. Many authors cited in this manual provide items in
their books that can be duplicated. (Appendix G contains a list of the contents of the Garza
workbook.)
Providing professional development sessions
Probably the most important strategy here is to involve faculty in professional
development as presenters. Not only do training partners share responsibility for the work, but
they also provide an educator’s point of view and experience.
Developing student worksheets, interviewing forms, and teaching tools
Incorporating the interviewing tools from solution building into everyday documents
heightens the use of the model and demonstrates to staff another way to use it. Notice the
difference in these two sets of questions from the admissions interview presented in Table 9.5.
(See Appendix H for the following progress-measuring documents: Measuring Your Success, a
form developed by a teacher for students to use to track progress; Meeting Worksheet, an
interviewing guide teachers; Solution-Building Framework, a discussion guide developed by
faculty for professional development; and Solution-Building Conversations, an interviewing
guide called informally, the cheat sheet.)
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Table 9.5 Admissions Interview
(The additions are in italics.)
1. What do you know about Garza High School?
How do you expect Garza to meet your needs and help you be successful? Anything else?
2. Tell me about your performance at your last or current high school: Attendance? Academic Progress?
Behavior? Etc.
Attendance--Tell me about times when you went to school almost every day and attended all your
classes? What was different in your life when you were able to go to school regularly? Anything else?
Academic Performance--When have you really been able to understand schoolwork, remember what you
have learned, and feel good about being a student? What was different about those times? How did
you do that?
Behavior--Have there been times when your behavior has kept you from being successful in school?
What was different about the times when this did not happen? What did you do that was different?
3. Explain your transportation situation and your plans for getting to school each day.
4. Can you think of anything else that would help you be successful here at Garza? Any special needs?
5. Garza Code of Honor
Demonstrate personal honor and integrity at all times.
Choose peace over conflict.
Respect others and ourselves.
What does this mean to you? Can you commit to following this code?
In your summary of the interview, identify the strengths you and the student have discussed. Even if you
have decided that the student is not ready for Garza, complement the student in some manner.
Book study group, practice group and video tapes
After large group staff development sessions, small group activities are the next step. At
Garza the coach sets up two kinds of groups: book study groups and practice groups. Each
faculty member is expected to participate in one group. Faculty selected from six books that the
coach had summarized; there were six book study groups, and two practice groups who worked
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independently with some consultation from the coach. (Appendix I, Book Study and Practice
Groups lists possible books for study.) The school also purchased several video training tapes
that aided in training sessions and were used by the practice groups. (Appendix J presents the
videotapes used for training at Garza.)
Consulting with staff on other ways to incorporate the model in the school
A professional development committee designs all of the training at Garza. This
committee has developed solution-building documents to survey faculty for planning future
trainings and to conduct group discussions. Several facilitators have indicated an interest in
teaching the model to students. The coach offers help in all such endeavors.
Individual coaching sessions with teachers
Making time to talk with teachers about how they are using the model allows the coach to
support the further use of the tools and provides an opportunity for exchanging ideas about the
model. Facilitators have designed and used exercises as a part of their curriculum. Table 9.6
presents a segment of a Blueprints activity used in class. The complete activity is presented in
Appendix K.
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Table 9.6 Graduation is the Result
What behaviors/people have gotten in the way of your success at school?
When does the difficulty happen more?
When does it happen less?
When it happened less what were you doing differently?
How did you do that?
How did that make it better for you?
What talents do you have that can help you be successful at school?
If I were to view a video of you being successful, what would that look like?
(Laura Grayson, Garza, 2003.)
A solution-building coach need not be full time at a campus. They can serve several
campuses or provide the full complement of school social work services to a single campus.
What is necessary is knowledge of the model, commitment to making it available to educators,
and the skills needed to carry out the strategies that move a school toward having a solutionbuilding focus.
Create strong partnerships with selected school staff
Whether the coach is assigned to one campus or many, it is essential that several key staff
become enthusiastic supporters of solution building. A school counselor, administrator or teacher
who reads a book on solution-focused counseling, attends formal training, and/or engages in
informal discussions about using the model, may become a full partner in the training.
Identifying a co-trainer who is a part of the campus is especially important when the coach is
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assigned to more than one school. Involving as many campus staff in training as possible
enhances both the training and those who participate. While assessing the school for the
presence of solution-building characteristics, additional partners may emerge. The coach is wise
to create an advisory group from the faculty and staff to assist in developing the training and to
support other solution-building efforts at the school. The Impact Team serves this function at
Garza. The team helped survey the entire faculty before developing a training plan. Involving
faculty and staff in identifying student strengths not only increases commitment to the model, but
also expands the faculty’s acceptance of taking a strengths-based approach. Partners should
represent counselors, social workers, administrators and teachers so that a full exchange of
professional approaches can occur in planning and delivering of the training.
Assess what the school is already doing to build solutions
Determining the degree to which a school is ready to accept solution building is a
necessary first step before introducing the model. Assess the presence of the characteristics in
Table 9.7, identified by Cynthia Franklin, as a part of the concept mapping in this report.
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Table 9.7 Characteristics of a Solution-Building School
Faculty emphasis on building relationships with students
Attention given to individual strengths of students
Emphasis upon student choices and personal responsibility
Overall commitment to achievement and hard work
Trust in student self-evaluation
Focus on the student’s future successes instead of past difficulties
Celebrating small steps toward success
Reliance on goal setting activities
None of these ideas are foreign to educators. Most teachers agree that they are statements of best
practice. Although all the characteristics do not have to be fully realized, a critical mass needs to
be present if solution building is to be successfully introduced in any school. Not everyone has to
accept these principles or demonstrate them all the time, but the principles must be sufficiently
present to support acceptance of the idea of changing the way people communicate with each
other. There will be teachers who demonstrate these ideas every day; they need to be identified
and encouraged. The closer the principal is to accepting these ideas about students and their
schooling, the better chance there is for successful comprehension and integration. Solution
building can be the first step, but the presence of these supporting conditions will make it much
easier. One way to determine how ready a campus is for embracing solution building is to
evaluate the campus in terms of the characteristics. Using scaling questions to form an evaluation
not only yields information on the degree of support on campus, but also serves to help potential
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coaches become more comfortable using the technique. (Table 9.8 is a part of an exercise that is
repeated in Appendix L, Planning Exercise for Developing Solution-Building Schools.)
Table 9.8 Characteristics of a Solution-Building School Ratings
Rate your school on a scale of 0–10 with 0 being the absence of the characteristic and10 being
the school truly represents the trait. Please note how you decided on your rating.
Faculty emphasis on building relationships with students
___________________________________________________________________
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Attention given to individual strengths of students
___________________________________________________________________
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Emphasis upon student choices and personal responsibility
___________________________________________________________________
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Trust in student self-evaluation
___________________________________________________________________
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Choose the three highest characteristics and describe them in fuller detail using the journalistic
questions: Who, What, When, Where, How and How Come?
After completing the rating scales, a coach can use the information to identify staff to involve in
the training, areas needing more attention, and where to begin. This exercise can also be used in
assessing a part of a campus, such as the freshman faculty, all fifth-grade teachers, or the
administrative team. With some information about readiness, it becomes easier to employ
strategies for introducing the model.
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Introduce the model through an interdisciplinary team structure
Solution building will find better acceptance if it is presented in a structure that addresses
student issues that need attention. Most schools have developed ways of identifying unsuccessful
students that employ a team approach to assess these situations. The notion of using an adult as
the student’s advocate, within the team structure, opens the way to train that person in solution
building. Solution building eventually may move beyond the initial structure, but the structure is
necessary in the early development of the model. At Garza, it was the Impact Team which
utilized the model, but the traditional structures used to discuss students and their needs (ARD,
Referral Committee, Discipline Review Teams, grade level teams, cadres, etc.) are all possible
venues in which to begin introducing solution-building conversations. A good first step is
introducing strengths-based inventories and referrals into this process.
The original referral form was a front and back page with student strengths and assets on
one side and student difficulties on the other. There is also an opportunity to note what has been
tried to solve the problem. Subsequent versions have used solution-building interviewing tools to
explore the difficulty. The strengths are presented in a checklist form and are divided into
strengths and assets within the student (Murphy, 1997) and those in the student’s community
(Benson, 1997). Counselors, teachers and school social workers evaluated these checklists as a
part of their development. When introducing the new referral form to Garza staff, trainers used
this exercise:
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Faculty was divided into small groups with the assignment of reviewing a referral on a
student, discussing the situation, and developing a tentative plan for a staffing to address
the student and her issues. Some groups received a traditional problem-focused referral
and others received the strengths-based form, both describing the same student. After
some time in the groups, the trainers led a discussion focusing on what the groups had
planned for the staffing, revealing the two sets of information. The proposed plans were
quite different, as was the information identified as being needed to complete a plan.
The referral form can be tailored to each campus, especially the list of potential resources within
the school. On any given campus, teachers, counselors, support staff and administration can
brainstorm for their own ideas about student strengths and assets to include in the referral form.
At Garza a social work intern developed inventories for both students and their parents to
complete. A revision of the student inventory has been developed for use in Blueprints. (Several
versions of referrals are presented in Appendix M including: Blueprints Inventory, Garza Impact
Team Referral, Garza Student Inventory, and Garza Parent Inventory.)
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Figure 9.1 Training and Empowerment Model
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Seek input from all constituents, especially students
In developing the initial Impact Team structure, administration, counselors and teaching
staff provided fundamental information and were asked for suggestions. Students also reviewed
the process. At Garza, a group of students came up with valuable suggestions which changed the
Impact Team process considerably. Their suggestions, Student Observations to Teachers, are
reprinted in Appendix N. A word of warning: avoid using the word “referral” which conjures up
images of being “in trouble” and sitting outside the principal’s office. Even the older students in
an elementary school can provide input. Not all schools have a Student Advisory Cabinet, but it
should not be too difficult to bring together a group of students to learn about solution building,
and the team that will employ it. The solution-building coach at Garza uses surveys to assess
facilitators’ confidence in themselves as solution builders, and evaluations after formal training
sessions. As teachers become empowered with the approach, additional ideas emerge for using it
at school, and the coach listens to and encourages these new ideas.
Maintain a school focus in solution-building conversations
Many students live with serious difficulties every day of their lives. It is not unusual for
these difficulties to intrude upon their time at school. For many students, school provides a haven
where they can learn and work away from their problems. When teachers encounter these life
problems, often they feel powerless. Solution-building conversations empower teachers to
respond to students in distress. At the same time, keeping a clear school focus is important for
both teachers and students. The question to keep foremost in mind is, “What can we do at school
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to made things better and make you more successful?” It is very tempting to become deeply
involved in a student’s situation out of school, but that is not the intention of equipping teachers
with the skills of solution building. Students will want to talk to their teachers about their
troubles, especially in a setting that stresses the importance of relationships. No one wants to
discourage that. Teachers have a powerful role in encouraging students to talk with the mental
health workers available on campus, and to seek help in the community. Teachers provide first
aid and triage, and part of triage is getting the students to the next level of care. Nevertheless,
solution-building conversations in school focus on school and on solutions to be constructed
there.
Provide opportunities for training by an expert in solution-focused therapy
Insoo Kim Berg, one of the cofounders of the model, has visited Garza twice to train the
staff and has since adopted Garza. Having contact with her and observing her use the model has
had a lasting impact on the faculty as they struggle to weave solution building into the fabric of
the school. Although it may not be possible to have one of the cofounders come, most larger
communities have mental-health practitioners who are very familiar with the model and can
provide expert training for staff. One way you can bring the cofounders to the school is through
videotapes, books and trips to conferences.
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Support educators in shaping the model with their own
unique philosophy and approach
After the first training, facilitators at Garza began to use scaling in a variety of ways.
Students and facilitators negotiate weekly goals for class, and scaling has been used widely in
this process. The Professional Development Committee designed a solution-building session as a
prelude to creating the Campus Improvement Plan. Although mental health staff may not see the
potential for incorporating the model into classroom activities, certainly, skilled educators have
that capacity. The principal has called upon a counselor to lead solution-building staff
discussions addressing campus wide problems. Each time an educator uses the model to design a
form, an exercise, a discussion format or any other activity, he or she shapes the model in a way
that makes it more accessible in the school setting and reinforces not only his or her
understanding, but also the understanding of others. At Garza, a growing body of
transdisciplinary knowledge is emerging as educators make this model from mental health their
own, and employ it in unique and creative ways.
Educators, like mental health workers, are trained to be skilled problem solvers. At the
beginning, they may find many of the activities and assumptions of solution building
counterintuitive and “against the grain” of their normal practice. Daily, educators give advice,
make judgments, and are the experts and the authority when interacting with students. Dealing
with the following troubling issues can pose quite a challenge for educators attempting to use a
solution-building approach (Table 9.9):
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Table 9.9 Troubling Issues for Educators
Moving out of one/up one/down positions.
Avoiding advice giving.
Giving up role of expert.
Avoiding making judgments.
Operating from a position of “not knowing”.
Giving up the following solution attempts that usually fail. (Murphy, 1997, 119-125)
Logical reasoning
Guilt trips
Denial, avoidance, protection, responsibility
Forcing something that can only happen spontaneously
Escalating punishments
Probing for underlying reason or cause.
Equally challenging is deciding when to set limits and demand action. When a teacher moves out
of the traditional role there is a danger of moving too far. Educators maintain the roles of
instructor, grader, gatekeeper, curriculum designer, behavior manager and model, nurturer and so
many others. As a result, they may need guidance in order to see that having solution-building
conversations with students is one of their roles. Certainly, the philosophy of solution building
will influence many of their actions, including a view of students as responsible and empowered.
It is important for educators and mental health workers alike to keep in mind that high
expectations and the appreciation of hard work are central elements in a solution-building school,
and in any school that truly respects students and their assets.
Summary
This chapter discusses in detail how to transfer a mental health model, solution-focused
therapy, into an educational setting and how to train and empower teachers in these methods.
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Several ideas for training teachers are presented. The experiences at Garza High School that
worked best in helping teachers adapt these methods into classroom format are presented. Ideas
are also presented for how to recruit and gain supporters on a school campus, and how to
maintain the solution-focused emphasis in a school. The role and importance of the solutionfocused coach is further highlighted. This training model is essential to setting up a solutionfocused school, and should be followed by practitioners who wish to build solution-focused
schools, or want to engage in teacher training.
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Chapter Nine References
Benson, Peter, (1997). All kids are our kids, San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass, Inc.
Franklin, C & Streeter, C. L. (2002). Standards for School Social Work in the 21st
Century, Social Workers Desk Reference (2002) Roberts, A. and Greene. G., (Eds.) New York:
Oxford University Press.
Henderson, N., Benard, B., & Sharp-Light, N. (Eds.) (1999). Resiliency in action:
Practical ideas for overcoming risks and building strengths. Gorham, ME: Resiliency In Action,
Inc.
Murphy, J.J., (1997). Solution-focused counseling in middle and high schools. Alexandria,
VA: American Counseling Association.
Rumberger, R.W. (2004). What can be done to prevent and assist school dropouts? In P.
Allen-Meares & M.W. Fraser (Eds.). Intervention with Children and Adolescents: An
Interdisciplinary Perspective (p.p. 311-334) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
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“Purse” by Lisa Delgado
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Lisa Delgado
“Purse”
Lisa Delgado enrolled at Garza in May, 2001, and graduated the following May after
earning 16 credits. Although Lisa dropped out of high school when she was a sophomore and
was out of school for a year, she graduated within four years of entering high school. Lisa,now
19, is living on her own and attending Austin Community College. She plans on first becoming
a bilingual teacher in elementary school, but her long range goal is obtaining a Ph.D. in Spanish
and teaching in higher education. Lisa commented about her Garza experience: “I thank Garza
for helping me grow up. Here at Garza you have to do it. You have to take things in your own
hands.” Lisa Delgado’s cardboard sculpture “Purse” earned a Gold Key Award and was
displayed in New York City.
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Appendices
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Appendix A: Outcome Studies on Solution-Focused Therapy
Outcome Studies on Solution-focused Therapy
Post Test Only
Author and Date: Beyebach (2000)
Population: Families
Sample Size: 83
Setting: Family Therapy Center at University in Spain
Number of Sessions: 4-5
Measures: Presenting Problem Classification System, First Session and Last Session Rating
Questionnaire, Follow-up Questionnaire
Results: 82% of clients reported problems were solved during therapy. Outcomes at termination proved
long lasting, correlating highly with outcomes as measured at follow-up.
Author and Date: Lee (1997)
Population: Children
Sample Size: 59
Setting: Children’s mental health facility
Number of Sessions: 5.5
Measures: Questionnaire from BFTC
Results: 64.9% success rate
Author and Date: Lindfross (1997)
Population: Prisoners
Sample Size: 59
Setting: Prison
Number of Sessions: 1-12
Measures: Recidivism (new offense with return to probation or prison)
Results: At 12 months after release prisoners in the treatment group had a recidivism rate of 53%
compared to 76% for the control group. At 16 months recidivism rates increased to 60% for the
experimental group and 86% for the control group, and differences remained statistically
significant. In addition, the seriousness of recidivist offenses and length of resulting sentences
was less for the SFBT group than the control group.
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Outcome Studies on Solution-focused Therapy
Author and Date: Littrell, et. al. (1995)
Population: School children (grades 9-12)
Sample Size: 61
Setting: High school
Number of Sessions: 3
Measures: Self-anchored scales
Results: No difference between brief therapy groups
Author and Date: Macdonald (1994)
Population: Psychiatric patients
Sample Size: 41
Setting: Psychiatric hospital
Number of Sessions: 3.71
Measures: Questionnaire from BFTC
Results: 70 % successful
Author and Date: Macdonald (1997)
Population: Psychiatric patients
Sample Size: 36
Setting: Psychiatric hospital
Number of Sessions: 3.35
Measures: Questionnaire from BFTC
Results: 64 % showed improvement
Author and Date: Sundman (1997)
Population: Adults
Sample Size: 382
Setting: Public social service agencies
Number of Sessions: Not reported
Measures: Therapist and client completed questionnaire
Results: Although both groups appeared to have improved, no statistically significant differences in goal
achievement were found.
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Outcome Studies on Solution-focused Therapy
Author and Date: Triantafillou
Population: Children
Sample Size: 12
Setting: Children’s residential treatment agency
Number of Sessions: 4
Measures: Serious incident reports (restraints, police, hospital); medication use
Results: The SFT group had decreased by 65.5% compared with a 10% decrease for the control group.
During the same period, two of the clients in the treatment group were able to discontinue their
psychotropic drugs completely whereas 66% of the control group clients increased their dosages.
Experimental or Quasi Experimental Designs
Author and Date: Bozeman (1999)
Population: Psychiatric patients
Sample Size: 52
Setting: Outpatient mental health clinic
Number of Sessions: 3
Measures: Beck Depression Inventory, Nowotny Hope Scale
Results: SFT group improved significantly more on Hope scale. Effect size was 1.09 which is large. No
significant difference on Beck depression scale. A limitation of this study is the possible lack of
proficiency in SFT by therapist.
Author and Date: Cockburn, et. al. (1997)
Population: Orthopedic patients
Sample Size: 48
Setting: Rehabilitation Program
Number of Sessions: 6
Measures: F-COPES and PAIS-SR
Results: Significant difference between traditional and SFT on both measures. No effect size mentioned.
Limitations include lack of generalizability due to small sample and stringent criteria for
participation.
Author and Date: Eakes (1997)
Population: Families
Sample Size: 10
Setting: Mental health clinic
Number of Sessions: 5
Measures: Family environment scale
Results: Significant between group differences on 4 of 11 dimensions of the scale. No effect size
mentioned. Limitations include small sample size and no follow-up, just pretest and posttest
scores.
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Outcome Studies on Solution-focused Therapy
Author and Date: Eakes (1997)
Population: Families
Sample Size: 10
Setting: Mental health clinic
Number of Sessions: 5
Measures: Family environment scale
Results: Significant between group differences on 4 of 11 dimensions of the scale. No effect size
mentioned. Limitations include small sample size and no follow-up, just pretest and posttest
scores.
Author and Date: Moore & Franklin, (under review)
Population: Students
Sample Size: 59
Setting: Middle School
Number of Sessions:
1. Four hour teacher training on solution model
2. Three to four teacher-therapist consultations
3. One to two formal collaborative meetings between teachers and students
4. Five to seven 30-45 minute individual therapy sessions with children
Measures: Teacher Report form of the Achenbach Behavioral Checklist, the Youth Self Report of the
Achenbach Behavioral Checklist.
Results: Internalizing and Externalizing score for TRF shows experimental group declined below the
clinical level by post test and remained there for follow-up. Comparison group changed little b/w
pre, post, and follow-up. Effect size for internalizing was 1.4 which is large. Effect size for
externalizing was .61 which is medium. Internalizing score for YSR shows that no difference b/w
experimental and comparison. Effect size was .08 which is weak. Externalizing score for YSR
shows experimental group dropped below the clinical level and continued to drop at follow-up.
Effect size was .86 which is large.
Author and Date: LaFountain (1996)
Population: Elementary/High School children
Sample Size: 311
Setting: Elementary/High School
Number of Sessions: 8
Measures: Index of personality character
Results: Modest but statistically significant between-group differences were found on 3 sub-scales of the
Index of Personality Characteristics: Nonacademic, Perception of Self, and Acting In. These
differences suggest that students in the experimental group had higher self-esteem in
nonacademic arenas; more positive attitudes and feelings about themselves; and more
appropriate ways of coping with emotions. No effect size mentioned. A Limitation of the study is
the use of self-reported scales instead of more objective or behavioral measures.
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Outcome Studies on Solution-focused Therapy
Author and Date: Lambert (1998)
Population: Adult Couples
Sample Size: 72
Setting: Private practice
Number of Sessions: 2-7
Measures: Outcome questionnaire
Results: 36% of the 22 SFBT patients whose initial Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45) scores were above
63 were recovered after 2 sessions of SFBT, and 46% were recovered after 7 sessions.
(Recovery was defined as reliable change and were below the clinical cut-off score.) This
compared with 2% of the comparison group recovered after 2 sessions of time-unlimited eclectic
treatment, and 18% recovered after 7 sessions. No effect size mentioned. Other limitations
include use of a single brief self-report questionnaire.
Author and Date: Lindfross & Magnuson (1997)
Population: Adult criminal population
Sample Size: 60
Setting: Swedish prisons
Number of Sessions: 5
Measures: Recidivism
Results: Treatment group less recidivism, less serious crimes at 12 and 16 months.
Author and Date: Seagram (1997)
Population: Youth Offenders
Sample Size: 40
Setting: Secure Facility for youth offenders
Number of Sessions: 10
Measures: Test of self-conscious affect for adolescents, Jesness behavior checklist, Coopersmith selfesteem inventory, Carlson psychological survey, Teacher report form, youth self-report.
Results: The treatment group had significantly more optimism for the future, greater empathy, fewer
antisocial tendencies, and less chemical abuse (Carlson Psychological Survey), and less difficulty
with concentration (Achenbach). Effect size ranged from .76-1.03 which is large. Within a 6month follow-up period, 4 (20%) members of the treatment group vs. 8 (42%) members of the
control group had re-offended (run away or were moved from open to secure custody).
Limitations include lack of external validation to help verify self-report data and reduced sample
size at time 3 which reduced power of the test, increasing likelihood of type II error.
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Outcome Studies on Solution-focused Therapy
Author and Date: Springer, et. al. (2000)
Population: Children
Sample Size: 10
Setting: School
Number of Sessions: 5
Measures: Hare Self-esteem Scale
Results: SFBT subjects made significant pre-post improvement on the Hare Self-Esteem Scale, whereas
the comparison group’s scores were unchanged. Effect size was .57 which is moderate.
However, a covariance analysis of post-test scores (with pre-test scores the covariate) found no
significant between-group differences. Limitations include small sample size and absence of
randomization.
Author and Date: Sundstrom, (1993)
Population: College Students—all females
Sample Size: 40
Setting: University
Number of Sessions: 1
Measures: Beck Depression Inv., Depression Adject. Checklist, Rosenberg self-esteem scale
Results: Both groups significant improved on BDI and DAC; no significant between groups differences on
any measures.
Author and Date: Zimmerman, et. al. (1997)
Population: Couples
Sample Size: 36
Setting: Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic
Number of Sessions: 6
Measures: Marital status inventory and Dyadic Adjustment Scale
Results: Significant difference between groups after treatment. No effect size mentioned. A limitation is
that neither partner had to have necessarily consider their relationship to be good or bad. They
only needed to be interested in improving the relationship in some way. There was no clinical
cutoff score.
Author and Date: Zimmerman, et. al. (1996)
Population: Parents
Sample Size: 42
Setting: Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic
Number of Sessions: 6
Measures: Family Strengths Assessment (FSA) and Parenting Skills Inventory (PSI)
Results: Some benefits for experimental group on the PSI, but not FSA. No effect size mentioned. A
limitation is the study did not use equal sample sizes.
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Outcome Studies on Solution-focused Therapy
Single-Case Designs / AB Designs
Author and Date: Corcoran (2000)
Population: Children
Sample Size: 136
Setting: University sponsored mental health clinic
Number of Sessions: 4-6
Measures: Feelings, Attitudes and Behaviors Scale for Children, Conners’ Parent Rating Scale
Results: Results showed significant improvement from pretest to posttest for a number of subscales in
the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale: conduct problems, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
Author and Date: Dahl (2000)
Population: Elderly
Sample Size: 74
Setting: Outpatient Clinic
Number of Sessions: 2-3
Measures: Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire, Self-Scaling
Questions
Results: T-Test showed moderate increases for both GAF and self-scaling scores.
Author and Date: Franklin et. al. (1997)
Population: Adolescents
Sample Size: 3
Setting: Youth runaway and homeless shelter
Number of Sessions: 5
Measures: Self-anchored rating scales
Results: Significant improvement in all 3 cases.
Author and Date: Franklin et. al. (2001)
Population: Learning challenged middle school
Sample Size: 7
Setting: Middle school
Number of Sessions: 5-10
Measures: Conners
Results: Five of seven (71%) cases improved per teacher’s report.
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Outcome Studies on Solution-focused Therapy
Author and Date: Geil (1998)
Population: Elementary school children and teachers
Sample Size: 8 student teacher pairs
Setting: Elementary school
Number of Sessions: 12 consultations
Measures: Instructional Environment System –II and Code for Instructional Structure and Student
Academic Response
Results: Statistical difference in two of the consultation cases – only 1 SFT case.
Author and Date: Naude (1999)
Population: Adult couples
Sample Size: 8 couples
Setting: Military clinic
Number of Sessions: 4 or 8
Measures: Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Goal Attainment Scale
Results: Marital adjustment appeared to improve from baseline to treatment in 5 couples. Seven couples
reported they met their therapy goals.
Author and Date: Nelson (2001)
Population: Adult couples
Sample Size: 5
Setting: Not Mentioned
Number of Sessions: 4
Measures: Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, Self-Reported Goal
Sheet
Results: On the RDAS and KMSS scale, 7 participants showed improvement between baseline and
intervention scores. 2 showed little change in scores and 1 reported a decline in scores. On
SRGS, 8 reported progress, 1 reported no change and 1 reported a decline in score. Results lend
support to the supposition of positive outcomes from SFT’s couples work.
Author and Date: Polk (1996)
Population: Adults
Sample Size: 1
Setting: Employee assistance program
Number of Sessions: 6
Measures: Days abstaining from alcohol, days work attended
Results: Modest increase in both days abstaining from alcohol and work days attended.
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Appendix B: Solution-Building Process Review
DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM/DIFFICULTY
Seek the students’ “take” on the difficulty.
Respect students’ language and echo their key words.
Question from a position of “not knowing” the students’ experience and perception.
Use open-ended questions:
How is ___________________ a problem for you?
Who else is concerned about ______________?
When does the difficulty happen more? Less?
What have you tried to lessen the impact of this issue? How did that help you?
How does __________________impact your important relationships?
Suppose things were better? What would be different?
Video Talk: Questioning for details about the difficulty. “What does it look like? What
do you feel? What does it sound like? What would a video camera pick up and record?
Externalize the problem. Tell me when you have overcome ______________.
Use scaling to aid the student in assessing the degree of the problem.
Scaling also can reflect how someone else assesses the strength of the problem.
______________________________________________________________
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
DEVELOPING WELL-FORMED GOALS
Scenarios of possibility.
Goals arise from what is truly important to the student.
Goals arise also from who is important to the student.
Goals are places to begin not the final result.
Stated as presence of something, not the absence of something.
Goals are behavioral: How would you know you are doing better? How would your
teacher know? Your friends? Your parents?
Goals are realistic: Is that something you could do?
Use scaling to identify small steps toward goal.
Use Miracle Question or Pretend Question to probe for possible goals.
Miracle Question: “Suppose that when you go to sleep tonight a miracle happens and
your problem with attendance is solved. You don’t know what happened because you
were asleep. What would be the first thing you would notice that was different? What
would you be doing different? Who would be the first person who would become aware
of your miracle?”
Pretend Questions: “Pretend that you no longer have difficulty completing work in class.
What would be the first thing your facilitator would notice that would alert him to your
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change? What would you be doing different in class? In home before coming to school?
Which one of your friends would be able to notice the change?”
Students often say, “But I’m not like _______________.” (You suggest that they pretend
they are.) Or to, “I don’t have (want, like, need) ______.” Answer “Pretend you do!”
Acknowledge the challenge of meeting the goal.
EXPLORING FOR EXCEPTIONS
Every problem has an exception--some time when it does not happen.
Students and teachers are often not aware of these exceptions.
Exceptions build on student successes.
Exceptions identify the direction for possible change.
When was a time when ________________was better or happened less often or was
easier for you?
Where were you when it was easier? What was different about that place?
What were you doing different? What would be the first thing I would be able to notice
that was different?
Who was with you? How did you do that?
GIVING FEEDBACK AND HOMEWORK
Give sincere compliments about what the student has been able to accomplish.
Deciding to seek someone to talk to about it. Getting to school today. Coping with the
demands of school, family, work, relationships, and poverty.
Insoo’s “WOW! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?”
Asking students to notice for a week what is going on in their lives that they would want
to keep, that they would not want to change.
Asking students to notice when they make some progress toward solving the problem.
Giving a more positive explanation or connotation to the description offered by the
student.
Using tentative language to describe the problem: Sometimes you __________;
You have not ____________ yet.
Use WHEN, not IF.
Avoid labels.
EVALUATING STUDENT PROGRESS
Continue to scale the problem.
What was it like when you kept ___________________ from happening?
What did not work?
Who helped you change ________________?
What did you notice happened when ___________________ was out of your life?
What advice would you have for another person facing this same difficulty?
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Appendix C: Data Collection for Chapter Three
Information presented in this manual was obtained through a combination of open-ended
interviews and focus groups with Garza faculty and staff, participant observation, and analysis of
school documents. Data was collected by research assistants over a period of six months from
January, 2003, through June, 2003. The process used for each data collection method is
described below.
Individual Interviews
Research assistants conducted open-ended interviews with the following Garza staff: The
principal, two assistant principals, the director of Communities in Schools, the Parent Support
Specialist, and the Outreach Learning Facilitator. In addition, the NovaNet Lab facilitator and the
facilitator in charge of horticulture and social studies were interviewed because of their
knowledge of wellness activities at Garza. Interviewers asked open-ended questions in the
following topic areas: their role at Garza, unique characteristics of Garza, factors that help Garza
students graduate, and the influence of solution building on the schools curriculum, support
services, and culture. Interviews were 45 minutes to 1 and ½ hours in length and were audio
recorded when permission was granted by the interviewee. Audio recordings were transcribed
and analyzed for themes pertaining to the topic areas specified above. Statements characteristic
of the themes were extracted from the transcripts and incorporated into the chapters. Identifying
information was removed to protect the confidentiality of Garza students, faculty, and staff.
Focus Groups
Research Assistants conducted two focus groups to obtain information about classroom
structure and culture and the student support services provided to Garza students. One focus
group consisted of four Garza facilitators who were asked to participate because they had been
working at Garza since its inception. Two of the facilitators teach English; one teaches social
studies; and one teaches math. The interviewer asked open-ended questions in the following
topic areas: the classroom structure; the classroom culture; typical interactions with students; the
facilitators’ role in the classrooms; differences between the facilitators’ role in the classroom at
Garza and teachers’ roles in other schools; facilitators’ interactions with school support staff;
influences of the solution-building approach on classroom structure and culture. The focus group
lasted one hour and was audio taped with the participants’ permission. The audio recording was
transcribed and analyzed for themes pertaining to the topic areas described above. Statements
characteristic of those topics were extracted from the transcripts and included in the relevant
chapters. All identifying information was removed from the statements to protect the
confidentiality of Garza staff, faculty and students.
The second focus group consisted of the three counselors at Garza and the Advance
project staff person, whose role was to promote post-secondary education for Garza students.
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The interviewer asked open-ended questions in the following topic areas: services provided by
counselors and other support staff; services students use most; counselor’s interactions with
school support staff; coordination of support services; ways the support services help students
stay in school; and, influences of the Solution-building approach on students support services at
Garza. The focus group lasted one hour and was audio taped with the participants’ permission.
The audio recording was transcribed and analyzed for themes pertaining to the topics described
above. Statements characteristic of the themes were extracted from the transcripts and included
in the relevant chapters. All identifying information was removed from the statements to protect
the confidentiality of Garza staff, faculty and students.
Participant Observation
A research assistant conducted participant observation of the following activities:
Blueprints (Garza’s student orientation), faculty meetings, and staff development sessions. The
assistant conducting the observations works at Garza as a consultant for 15 hours weekly and is
familiar to Garza faculty and staff. This allowed her to conduct observations in an unobtrusive
manner, and she participated in school activities by conducting Blueprints sessions and staff
training on solution building. Information from observations was incorporated into the relevant
chapters with no identifying information to protect the confidentiality of Garza faculty, staff and
students.
Document Analysis
Research assistants analyzed school documents which consisted of the following: the
Garza Independence High School manual; the Garza Impact Team manual; meeting minutes
from steering committee meetings in 1997 before the school opened its doors; a working draft
document dated February, 1998, which discusses the school’s purpose, the student profile, school
operations and schedule, expectations of students, eligibility, application and registration
information, student learning expectations, and facilitators’ schedule. Information pertaining to
the culture of the school, the curriculum and classroom structure, student support services,
coordination of services, and administrative structure was incorporated into the relevant chapters.
In addition, research staff reviewed student artwork and poetry for examples to include in the
manual.
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Appendix D: Cluster Statements
Cluster 1: Relationships
1 ) Facilitators act as student advocates and students are encouraged to
openly communicate with facilitators
135 ) Staff has moral commitment to guide students' development
110 ) Principal knows all students on a personal level
92 ) Principal knows students' names
24 ) Principal asks for input from student advisory cabinet in decision making
94 ) Respect for professionalism
141 ) Natural (authentic) peer mentoring among staff
111 ) Principals take time to get to know students through an initial interview
Cluster 2: Professional Environment
61 ) Staff's strength of belief and commitment supercedes a need for
recognition or approval by others
133 ) "Administrative staff is skilled, fearless, and share school's vision"
76 ) Administrators are solution builders not disciplinarians
60 ) Staff are more honest about opportunities
45 ) High expectations for staff
38 ) Administration is a strong team comprised of people with different
strengths
65 ) Multiple opportunities for meaningful staff development
70 ) Facilitators practice the depth and breath of their disciplines that allows
flexibility
68 ) Administration questions old practices and acts to consistently preserve
school's mission
Cluster 3: Respect Evident Throughout the School
164 ) Students treated with respect by teachers
176 ) Students treat teachers with respect
162 ) "Students get to know teachers, counselors, administrators, and staff on
an individual basis"
139 ) Positive relationship between students and staff that develop trust
7 ) Students feel comfortable seeking staff assistance when having a
problem with another student or staff
46 ) Students are trusted by staff
44 ) Staff is trusted by students
120 ) Teachers talk with students
42 ) Establishment of trust
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118
83
95
12
91
15
)
)
)
)
)
)
Any student can ask to talk with any staff member at any time
Mutual respect replaces authoritative power structure
Staff helps to create genuine environment of affection
Staff and students are allowed to be themselves
Students get to observe positive relationships between staff
Awareness and sensitivity to demands of students
Cluster 4: Strength-Based
130 ) Natural (authentic) individual student mentoring by staff
147 ) Creativity is fostered for students and staff
149 ) Students have an incentive to graduate because they see graduation as
attainable
161 ) Students learn that they will be rewarded for giving
163 ) Staff and students are encouraged to take risks (failure is viewed as
learning experience)
57 ) Wellness period provides students and staff with opportunities to play
together in various activities
28 ) Staff is understanding about absences
178 ) Decisions on students' needs are developmentally appropriate
27 ) Student-teacher meetings instead of parent-teacher meetings
104 ) Traditional educational power struggles are minimized or eliminated
67 ) Needs of the whole student are addressed/receive attention
21 ) "Thoughtful, individualized, personalized matching of students with
staff and curriculum"
115 ) "If students are missing from school for several days, they receive phone
calls and a home visit from caring staff, not truant officers"
134 ) Mixed educational philosophies
93 ) Parent involvement
66 ) Fearlessness and discernment in deciding what's in the best interest of
students
Cluster 5: Sense of Community
167 ) Students are recognized as decision makers
166 ) Students are known by name not by a number
112 ) Minimal hierarchical social atmosphere
119 ) Engagement - students are given ownership and responsibility
151 ) Nurturing and emotionally responsive environment
113 ) High touch (appropriate/good) affectionate environment
160 ) Natural consequences are used to help students learn about cause-effect
relationships and life
34 ) Everyone knows everyone else (students and staff)
8 ) Minimal verbal altercations addressed by positive interventions
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123 ) Garza is like a family
146 ) Collegiality and strong sense of community
Cluster 6: Student-Student Interaction
128 ) Acceptance of differences
124 ) Students are able to interact with students from many different
backgrounds which promotes acceptance
137 ) Students respect each other
150 ) "Respect for differences in general (i.e. ethnicity, social orientation,
academic progress, age, economic status, etc.)"
179 ) Students get to know classmates well and interact more with each
other
140 ) Students are loyal to the school and protective of other students and
the school environment
171 ) Everyone is accepted regardless of background differences
58 ) Friendships among students from different backgrounds and
experiences
132 ) Students respect the campus and code of honor
69 ) Students become more independent and confident because given more
personal responsibility for their success
73 ) Empathy for peers who are experiencing a hard time
125 ) Natural (authentic) student peer mentoring
173 ) Popularity is not important at Garza
175 ) School has moral fiber (empathy for one another and humanity)
59 ) "Everyone at school follows code of honor that includes respect,
integrity, peace over conflict, and finding personal peace"
145 ) Students do not have fights
62 ) No cliques so students are seen as individuals
13 ) Students are mature
20 ) Absence of physical fights and violence
Cluster 7: Empowering Culture
89 ) Minimal social competition
86 ) Students assume responsibility for their own educational progress and
direction
64 ) Students need more self discipline to succeed at Garza because they are
given a lot of freedom
107 ) Casual environment
109 ) Stress free environment
88 ) Students are intentional in creating and sustaining a positive learning
culture
154 ) Choice creates personal investment
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85 )
41 )
9 )
117
23
87
148
168
)
)
)
)
)
14 )
103 )
49 )
56 )
Focus on unlimited possibilities
Students are given clear expectations
"Students are not given suspension but ""reflection"" when they do
something wrong"
"Students can eat, drink in class, listen to music in class"
Don't have to raise hands to leave classroom
School of choice for both students and staff
Students are welcome to stay at school when their classes are over
"Garza is not an alternative school but a progressive, non traditional
school where students choose to attend"
No dress code
"Code of honor is simple with three points, including no violence,
respect yourself and others"
Students have freedom to leave campus at any time
"Garza is a small school (about 500 students), which allows everyone to
be close with each other"
Cluster 8: Cutting Edge
100 ) Students take one course for 4 hours a day at a time
144 ) Students take fewer classes each day (1 or 2 per day) than at other schools
11 ) Year round school schedule that allows for frequent breaks
6 ) Year round extended day to meet student needs
5 ) Open enrollment and open exit
105 ) Self-paced academic progress
77 ) Flexibility in scheduling
48 ) No report cards or progress reports
2 ) Homework is an option for students but is not required (work is done
only in the classroom unless the student decides otherwise)
108 ) Self paced curriculum
51 ) Enrollment based on 10 credits or more
17 ) Students have to have 10 credits from another high school to get into Garza
35 ) Age does not determine whether students are admitted to Garza (only
number of credits)
Cluster 9: Organizational Foundation
81 ) "Students are not organized into classes (Freshman, Sophomore, etc.).
Progress is determined by number of credits."
169 ) "Self-directed, non-competitive academic environment"
116 ) Student-centered application of state and district mandates
114 ) Students complete more academic credits here than those at other high schools
74 ) Students get to choose the classes they take and the order of the classes
97 ) Every student has an individualized education plan
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136
181
127
155
129
)
)
)
)
)
122 )
Students have structured choices on curriculum content
Class work is not overwhelming
Low student/counselor ratio
Structured orientation provides an introduction to the school's culture
"During a week-long Blue Prints orientation, new students get
explanation from other students about how the school operates and
behavior expectations, code of honor"
Students don't have to pay to attend Garza
Cluster 10: School Size & Structure of School Day
121 ) Lunch hour is flexible
78 ) Students can take as long as they want to finish projects - no deadlines
126 ) Small class size
22 ) All students are not at school at the same time because of scheduling differrences
55 ) Many students have family or work responsibilities outside of school and
the school caters to their needs
71 ) No school bells indicating start or class
90 ) Students choose time to attend classes
158 ) No sorting or selecting
82 ) "Physical structure of classroom- no desks, round tables in cafeteria"
19 ) Small school
Cluster 11: Admission and Exit
3 ) Students spend more time studying and do higher quality work at Garza
than students at other high schools
50 ) Entrance portfolio begins in orientation and is foundation for exit
portfolio; it allows the student to consider why they came to Garza and
introduces them to the code of honor
43 ) Credit analysis is provided by registrar during application process and
is reinforced by counselor
54 ) Students can substitute classes if they've already covered the material
101 ) Infusion of technology across all classes
84 ) Students are informed about opportunities to achieve credits
72 ) Students complete a minimum of 20 hours of community service prior to
graduation
18 ) Academic portfolios are used as an authentic assessment of students'
demonstration of what they know
37 ) Exit portfolio is a cumulative reflection of students' achievements
Cluster 12: Resources
16 ) Garza has college fairs
165 ) TAAS/TAKS tutoring (student chooses tutor and time during the school day)
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79 )
75 )
106 )
170 )
63 )
25 )
10 )
4 )
96 )
30 )
52 )
39 )
98 )
47 )
CIS- communities in schools provides a wide range of social services
and the services are integrated
Garza has more scholarships and free classes than other schools
Class on criminal justice that teaches students the penalties associated
with doing drugs
Students get help with resume writing
Students can return after graduation to take classes and use school's
resources; GIR (graduates in residence) program for students who
have graduated
"Two dedicated staff positions (Parent Involvement Specialist and
Outreach Facilitator) to deal with students who have special
circumstances, such as teen parents, students with poor attendance,
and students with medical problems "
"Tailoring curriculum and services (i.e. job placement,
college/career/personal counseling, day care, job fair) to meet individual
student needs (focus on individual) "
Equitable access to resources
Inter-disciplinary curriculum development
"No sports teams, so all money is spent on the students to help with
educational programs, scholarships"
"Many ways to earn community service hours (VIP club, Garza Green,
soup kitchens, food drives, massage classes, babysitting, or student's
choice of community service activities)"
Vending machines are always on and working properly
Exit portfolio demonstrates evidence of success
Geographic location
Cluster 13: Preparation for Life
131 ) Garza has many job fairs and students are encouraged to look for work
while in school
143 ) Equal opportunity and encouragement for dual enrollment (ACC Early
College Start)
31 ) "Counselors give students vouchers so they don't have to pay fee to
take standardized tests (SAT, ACT)"
172 ) "School has a program to address any problem a student has (i.e. CIS,
day care, groups such as Rainbow group, phenomenal women group,
relationship group, Kit Kat group)"
29 ) Staff recommend that students take classes at ACC
102 ) "Garza offers assistance to students who have graduated - students can
return to use services (counseling, etc.)"
157 ) Special effort to assist teen parents
142 ) Students are encouraged to use CIS
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177 )
99 )
53 )
CIS provides a safe environment for students
Resources are used primarily for instruction and support services
Staff and students have abundant resources
Cluster 14: Student Success
174 ) "Daily, weekly, and yearly goal-setting that involves students"
156 ) Star walks allow individual student recognition when they graduate
26 ) Star walks- public recognition and celebration of individual success
and passages
180 ) Students are encouraged to think about their future (in terms of
college and employment)
152 ) Meet special students' needs through mainstreaming and team approach
138 ) Goals are revisited and revised
159 ) "Active partners in education membership (volunteer time, PR)"
36 ) "Physical plant (i.e., cleanliness, bright rooms, lots of plants/flowers)"
Cluster 15: Continuous Improvement
153 ) Focus on sound practice and research
182 ) Staff considers individual students' situations in designing curriculum
40 ) Freedom to experiment with and modify curriculum continually
32 ) Help students understand life is a journey and they will apply what they
learn here after graduation
80 ) Creating exit portfolio often confirms other people's feelings of the
student's self worth
33 ) The exit interview provides opportunity for staff to self-evaluate work
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Appendix E: Exit Portfolio
EXIT PORTFOLIO
May 14, 2003
(Name)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Reflection Essay
Resume
Academic Work
Activities and Awards
V.I.P.
Reference Letters
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Reflection Essay
First of all I have to thank my sister for making all the decisions in her life that she has
because without her I would not even know about this school. Second of all, I would like to
thank my mom for her patience with me in addition to the freedom she gives me by allowing me
to make my own decisions and be my own person. If it weren’t for either of them my life would
not have gone the way it has.
Garza has become my home; since the first day I walked into the building I was
comfortable and knew it was the place for me. Now I am leaving my home to start a new path
and hopefully find a place that is just a comfortable to me as Garza.
When I started at Garza I believe I only had about ten or eleven credits and now I have
more that twenty-five credits. The list of classes and teachers I have had is too long for me to
really even remember. But I believe it goes something like this: Ms. Valentine for Geometry and
Algebra II; Ms. Aviles and Annie for World History and BCIS; Ms. Cason for Economics; Ms
Boyer for English 2 B, English 3/oral interpretation and English 4/Communication Applications;
Ms. Grayson for US History and PALs; Mr. Atchison for P.E.; Mr. San Segundo for Chemistry;
Mr. Clark for Integrated Physics and Chemistry block A; and Ms. Thomas for almost all the art
classes under the sun. As well as these classes I also took a United States Government class at
Austin Community College.
In addition to learning the normal school things like when the Depression was and what
the people experienced during this time, I learned about myself. When I decided to come to
Garza my primary reason was because I was losing myself at my old school, no longer knowing
where I stood within myself, and needed something different. I did not know what to expect by
coming to Garza, but I knew it was a step in the right direction.
Since coming to Garza I have grown enormously as a person. When I started this school
I was a quiet, reserved fifteen year-old and now I am leaving a confident, sometimes too social
eighteen year-old. A transformation I do not believe could have been possible without the loving
environment at Garza. I don’t really see the difference in myself as much as others do because to
me I have always been this person. The only thing that was missing before I came to Garza was
such a large group of people who truly cared for me and did not have to. This environment,
which is the basis of Garza, is what fostered the confidence within me.
I never thought writing my reflection essay would be this difficult, I thought the thanks and
praise justly due to this school would come flying out, but as I am finding out it does not. There
are no word that can totally encompass all the feelings I hold towards this school and the people
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who work here. I feel no matter what I say it will never be enough to truly portray how much this
school means to me and what a difference coming here has made in my life. When thinking
about what to write I went over all the wonderful things I have said about this school to visitors,
prospective students, school board members, or anyone else that would sit long enough for me to
talk about my beloved school, but again none of that seemed to suffice. We all know we have a
great school and there is no need for me to do a sales pitch. What I need to do is talk about this
school and my relationship with it, but again I draw a blank. The only thing I can think about is
all the great relationships I have formed here and how grateful I am that I can say I attended
Gonzalo Garza Independence High School. The facilitators, or teachers for all you non-Garzaites,
are the best I have seen, always willing to help the students and go that extra mile, but most
importantly is the ways they allow us to be ourselves, never judging and always caring. They are
extension of our parents, strict when you need them to be, but willing to give praises when due.
This is what I will miss the most, the relationships I have built with everyone here, no matter if I
had them for a teacher or not. I will miss being able to go inside a facilitator’s room and unload
my day like in Ms. Grayson’s room or discuss the day to come as well as Vaseline glass or the
horrors of fluoride in the water like in Ms. Boyer’s room. I will miss not only the academic
freedom I have at Garza, but also the personal freedom I have here. I can be myself at this school
and no one will really care. I can be a perfectionist who likes to write a six-paged paper when
two is enough or who will talk to almost anyone and no one will think, “Who does that girl think
she is?” I will miss being able to be stupid around my friends and no one caring because they can
do exactly the same. But I guess that is one of the many things I am grateful about that this
school has strengthened within me; not to care what others think. Do what is best and rings true
with your integrity and things will fall into place.
To close I would like to thank everyone who is here, as well as those who are not here
because I couldn’t invite the whole school because everyone of you have shaped me into the
person I am today. You all have allowed me to grow in a way not possible anywhere else at my
own pace and time, and I will be eternally grateful and indebted to everyone of you. Thank you
for your time and know I will never forget my time or experiences at Garza.
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Resume
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OBJECTIVE
My objective is to work diligently while building a relationship with my fellow
workers and servicing the community.
EDUCATION
Gonzalo Garza Independence High School
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Austin, Texas
Senior- graduation Spring 2003
Top 2% of class
Nine hours attained at Austin Community College through Dual Enrollment
Program
PALs (Peer Assistance and Leadership)- two years of mentoring 6th graders at
a neighborhood school
PAL of the year for Garza High Scholl in 2003
PAL Director’s Award for Austin I.S.D. in 2003
Diversity Training with National Coalition Building Institute
Perfect Attendance Award
DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Good Citizen Award
INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES
I have a wide variety of interests. I enjoy visiting local museums in Austin, as
well as canoeing at Zilker Park. One of my favorite activities is to enjoy one of
the many live music venues in downtown Austin. In June of this year I graduate
from high school and plan to attend Austin Community College and, after two
years, transfer to the University of Texas.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Roscoe’s Food Mart
Austin, Texas
Cashier – 1998
A family-run restaurant/store. Through this experience I have managed to learn to
use the cash register, stock shelves, bus tables, and perform the up-keep in the
store.
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VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
I have more than 125 hours of community service. Some of my volunteer
services include:
 Empty Bowl Project- Austin Area Food Bank
 Team leader for a campus-wide clean up at school and surrounding areas
 Food drive for Caritas
 Summer mission trips to Chicago, Washington, D.C., La Feria, Texas, and
Mission, Texas
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
PERSONAL: Leadership abilities, responsible, quick learner, dependable,
trustworthy, personable, work well independently or as a team member.
TECHNOLOGICAL: Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft
Publisher, Microsoft Word
OFFICE: Typing, answering phone, copying, data entry, good communication
skills
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Why I came to Garza...
One reason I came to Garza is because it is the environment that I need to
be in to do my best in school. At McCallum, I was doing well but I just wasn’t
happy. It wasn’t the type of school I needed to be in. I don’t do things the way
everyone else does. I set my own pace and do things on my time and that is why I
came to Garza. At Garza I am allowed to do my work to my best ability and won’t
be distracted by other teachers and student. The students here have the same goals
that I have and it with be a nice change to “normal” schools. There will no longer
be the hassle of students that don’t want to be there or other things like football
and other events.
Another reason I wanted to come to Garza was because I have the chance
to graduate early and start college. Even if I don’t graduate early I would have the
chance, which is important to me.
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United States
History
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Bill Clinton’s Legacy
People through the ages have looked at presidents as people unlike themselves being
superior, brave, extraordinary, but this is never so much true when in reference to children.
Anyone five years older than themselves is seen in the light of greatness, but when that same
person is the PRESIDENT of the United States they are seen with ten times more admiration and
awe. For the majority of Mr. Bill Clinton’s presidency this thought was true to me. I had no idea
the difference between Clinton and Bush Sr. or Clinton and Washington, other than, of course,
Washington was our first president, to me they were all powerful men with the hard job of
running our country. As I aged, though, I became more in tune to the space, country, world
around me, no longer caring as much about recess and such things, and paying more attention to
the actions of people around me. By the time I began to even care about politics and the
president the only thing I knew about our president of two terms was his work with the economy
and, of course, Monica Lewinsky, having no opinion about him.
Bill Clinton’s two terms were a mixed bag of outcomes some good, like the national
deficit being cut in half, some bad, the impeachment trials, some unsure, the North American
Free Trade Agreement, and some good tries, like ending the ban on homosexuals in the military.
Even though the attempt to end discrimination within the U.S. Armed Forces, which I agree with,
did not occur, Mr. Clinton did attempt to end the ban. He was, as people say, stuck between a
boulder, not just a rock, and a hard place. The boulder he was stuck between being the U.S.
military and people of America and the hard place being his fellow members of the American
government. This does not mean that I believe the solution of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t
Pursue,” in which gay members can still serve without the fear of investigation and/or expulsion
as long as they keep their sexual orientation to themselves, is the best solution compared to what
was promised in the beginning of Clinton’s election, but it is a step in the right direction. For that
step in the right direction and the attempt to change the very discriminatory nature of our Armed
Forces I respect our former president. The original idea was to have a total and complete lift of
the ban in all sections of the United States military making sexual orientation a non-factor in the
recruiting and time in active duty, the homosexuals, both gay men and lesbians, would be
admitted and serve as any other heterosexual person would. There would be no question of
eligibility to serve no matter if the person was gay or straight; if they wished to serve they would
serve like in any other non-discriminatory nation such as Canada, Israel, Norway or the
Netherlands. The US military, though, strongly disagreed with this idea saying homosexuality is
incompatible with military services. Homosexuals are not a group that should serve based on a
threat to morale, discipline, unit cohesion, and a desire to avoid health risks, since gays are
associated with higher rated of sexually transmitted diseases they are considered a significant
health risk. When military personal were asked 3 out of 4 males and half of the females were
opposed to the presence of known homosexuals in the force. The main reasons given were fear
of sharing quarters, against their moral and religious beliefs, and concern for the spread of AIDS.
They also showed concern that homosexuals would be subject to violence if allowed into the
military. With the military strongly against the presence of gays in the military and the President
and his supporters strongly for lifting the ban the two sides had to come to an in-between point.
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The end compromise was the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and Don’t Pursue” policy, but this was not
an easily met compromise. A lot of deliberation took place on both sides of the issue until the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” also known as the DADT policy became final. Some people view the
policy as unconstitutional, violating the First Amendment freedom of speech protection by not
being able to say, “I am gay.” Other such as Tanya Domi, former Army captain saw it as “the
same discrimination, just a new twist.” While others like the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and
myself find it “represents a milestone on a long road to full inclusion of gays and lesbian
Americans in the civic life of our nation.” Along with striving to end the ban of homosexuals in
the military Bill Clinton has participated in other acts to advance gays roles and rights in the
American community. These advances include attempting to add the amendment “sexual
orientation” to two pieces of legislation, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the Employment
Nondiscrimination Act, appointing James Hormel as the first openly homosexual Ambassador,
and proclaiming June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
With the knowledge I now retained about our 42nd president, other than Monica
Lewinsky and the economy, I believe that Mr. Clinton was a good president. He may not have
stayed within the scope the American people are comfortable seeing their president in throughout
the entirety of his terms, which few presidents do and even fewer get caught like him, but he did
do his job. Mr. Clinton, for the most part, made smart, thoughtful decisions for America, the
people living here, and for people around the world. To me he goes down in the books as a
favorable president who put forth his best effort into running our country, but was not perfect.
Our presidents are not magical, special people with certain abilities to act and be better than
everyone else; they are human just like we are, making mistakes and stupid decisions just like we
do. They are normal, everyday people who happen to have a lot of power and influence, nothing
more.
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Integrated Physics
and
Chemistry
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Experience Two
“Moving Company”
1) Proposal~
The first step that needs to be taken to improve the safety of the company’s ramps is to
lengthen the ramp and make the incline between 20 and 25 degrees. This would ensure a safe
and useful ramp in which heavier objects would not slide down as compared to a shorter
ramp with a higher degree of incline.
~
Another step needed to take place to reduce the risk of heavy items sliding down too quickly
is to create friction on the ramp by adding small strips of sandpaper or any other rough
surface to the top of the ramp. The strips should be places about every one and one half to
two feet.
~
The final step that would help increase the safety of the moving company would be have
additional manpower while loading and unloading. This step would ensure the safety of your
men and objects and increase the speed and ease the work is done. There should be at least
two men for every heavy object being moved. For more difficult items a pulley could be
installed to help ease the job of moving equipment and could increase the safety.
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2) Drawing- new ramp
Lengthen ramp
Side
View
20-25 degree incline
Top
View
Strips of sand paper to cause friction
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Chemistry
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Portfolio Project
Joseph Priestly
Joseph Priestley was born March 13, 1733 near Leeds, England. Priestley began studying
to become a minister but because his strong liberal beliefs conflicted with the church’s teachings
he became a religious dissenter. Priestley joined the Unitarian religious group where he became
the pastor of a small church in Leeds.
Priestly interest in science did not become especially strong until he met Benjamin
Franklin in 1766 where his spark for learning began in the field of electricity. One year after
meeting with Franklin, Priestley’s first discovery was made. In 1767, Priestley discovered that
graphite conducts electricity. Later he invented soda water for which, in 1772, he was elected
into the French Academy of Sciences and, in 1773, received a medal from the Royal Society.
Another important discovery occurred in 1772 when he observed the respiration of plants.
Priestley’s most notable discovery occurred in 1774; he placed mercuric oxide into a test
chamber and found it caused a candle to burn brighter. From this discovery he found
dephiogisticated air, but today this gas would be referred to as oxygen.
As well as being a scientist Priestley also was a tutor in the languages and literature at
Warrington Academy in Laneshire and also served as a librarian. Priestley’s nonconformist
religious and political beliefs brought him many problems. His book the History of Corruptions
of Christianity, written in 1782, was official burned in 1785. His open support of the American
and French Revolutions led to his home and church being burned down by an angry mob and his
relocation to London. Even after his relocation, Priestley and his family continued to be
persecuted until they immigrated to the United States, where the scientific population openly
welcomed them.
Priestley settled in Northumberland, Pennsylvania where he continued to practice his
Unitarian beliefs and spread the religion throughout the United States. Joseph Priestly died
February 6, 1804, at the age of seventy-one.
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Antoine Lavoisier
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was born on August 26, 1743 in Paris, France to an affluent
lawyer. He was schooled at the College des Quatre Nations, where he took a broad spectrum of
classes. In 1764 he obtained his license to practice law, like his father, but soon turned to science.
Lavoisier focused on geology and for four years studied under geologist J. Guettard.
During his time under Guettard, Lavoisier wrote and published a paper on how to improve the
lighting of Paris’s streets as well as some agricultural work, for which he was elected in the
Royal Academy of Sciences. In 1768, he joined the Farmer’s General, a private company that
collected taxes and tariffs for the government. In 1775,he was elected to the national Gunpowder
Commission, which accounted for his quality laboratory that was used for his extensive
experimentations.
Lavoisier was responsible for the establishment of the Law of Conservation of Mass,
proving the phlogiston theory to be inconsistent, which was the basis of Priestley’s extermination.
He also made a list of elements that could not be broken down further, which included oxygen,
nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus, mercury, zinc, and sulfur. But his most notable scientific role
was the naming of oxygen along with its role in combustion.
Lavoisier, after hearing of Priestley’s discovery, repeated Priestley’s experiment and
showed that air was made up of two parts, one part with the capability to combine with metal to
form calxes. He then named the “air” responsible for combustion oxygen (Greek for acid-former)
and the inflammable air hydrogen (Greek for water-former).
Lavoisier was politically liberal and was aware of the social reforms that were needed in
France. His political ideas led him to take an active part in the times just before the French
Revolution. He served on a committee dealing with the social conditions of France, tax reforms
and new economic strategies, and the need for improvement in the Paris’s hospitals and prisons.
During the French Revolution, Lavoisier and the other members of the Farmers
General were arrested and thrown in prison. In 1794, after a short trial, lasting less than a
day, all the Farmers Generals were sentenced to death by the guillotine and thrown into a
common grave.
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English 3
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Gone With the Wind
Margaret Mitchell, an American author, wrote the novel Gone With the Wind in 1936.
The novel was then, in 1939, created into the great American film, Gone With the Wind, starring
Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. The opening, in both productions, is set in 1861 and travels
through the Secession, Civil War, and Reconstruction, while following the life of young Scarlett
O’Hara.
In the Encyclopedia of Novels into Film, Mitchell is quoted, “If the novel has a theme, it
is that of survival.” And then asks the question, “What makes some people able to come through
catastrophes and others, apparently just as able, strong, and brave, go under?” An example of this
strong person, who makes it through hardship, is the character Scarlett O’Hara, who lives
through the devastation of losing all she knew as her life due to war, in the movie Gone With the
Wind. One characteristic that sets Scarlett apart from many of the other characters in the film is
her strong sense of self, even if she is not the best person, and knowing what and who she wants
to get out of life. She doesn’t really care what other people say about her; she really only cares
about herself, which is a quality that keeps her alive and strong through all the troubles she
experiences. She doesn’t carry the attitude many woman had during that time period of women
come second to what men want and what they think and do is the only right way. Scarlett
expresses what she wants and makes sure many know her opinion, “Fiddle-dee-dee. War, war,
war. This war talk’s spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream,”
is a comment she makes while making small talk with Brent and Stuart Tarlaton. Normally, a
woman of that time would have acted oblivious to a conversation that did not interest them or
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praise the men on how brave they were for wanting to fight, but not Scarlett, she goes on to add,
“Besides there isn’t going to be any war... If either of you boys say ‘war’ just once again, I’ll go
in the house and slam the door.” A character that does not make it through the war and is the
grave opposite of Scarlett is Melanie Hamilton, who Scarlett refers to as a “goodygoody,” the
wife of Ashley Wilkes. Melanie is a woman of her time, putting all of her life around her
husband and never caring much about her needs and wants. She is a strong woman but her
lacking knowledge of self worth is what makes her “go under” in the end. People who survive
are those who know what they want and expect out of life and who are willing to go through the
troubles knowing somehow things will get better, as long as they keep on going. As said by
Scarlett O’Hara at the end of Gone With the Wind, “I’ll think of it all to-marrow at Tara. I can
stand it then. I’ll think of some way... After all, to-marrow is another day.”
Gone With the Wind is considered one of the greatest, most beloved films of the
twentieth century with a star-studded cast appearing in a three and a half hour film. The film was
given the highest-grossing film status, received thirteen nomination and eight Academy Awards
and was restored and re-released in 1998. Gone With the Wind deserves all of the attention it has
received over the years. It is a very well put together and interesting movie. Its controversial plot
and story line was able to compete and keep interested a viewer of the twenty-first century,
which can be a very difficult task. With today’s movies being action packed and drama filled
Gone With the Wind was able to hold its ground with controversial issues of the time, 1939, like
rape, drunkenness, and racial politics. The film, even though its great length, keeps audience
members entranced with its classic story of love-hate relationships and war and is to be
considered a great, timeless film of today. Almost anyone, as long as they like viewing the
frustrations of romance, could sit down and enjoy Gone With the Wind no matter their age or
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background. There are really no qualities of the movie that stand out and make it any more or
less fun to watch, it is an all around good movie. Gone With the Wind reminds people to survive
through hardships no matter the circumstance, which is a lesson that can always be valued no
matter the time or the people.
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English III
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Poetic Interpretation
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“Painting the Gate”
May Swenson
“Painting the Gate” is a dramatic poem because it tells the story, without a narrator, of
someone painting a gate and what happens while they are painting. I chose this poem because it
is an action that takes place almost everyday and anyone can relate to but also because it seemed
as if it would be fun to perform due to the free flowing actions that took place. The experience in
the poem is how a person paints a gate and how it gets everywhere including their cat and in
their hair. The poet’s attitude is very free and flowing, a very carefree type of person who lives
life with a good outlook The sound pattern is short sentences with few, maybe accidental,
rhyming words. This pattern helps illustrate the abruptness of the actions done, as if done
without any thought put into the idea. The physical responses required by this poem would be to
look as if I was just painting by wearing an apron or some type of clothes to protect against the
paint. The vocal requirements would be to sound energetic about doing each step of the story and
to tell it in a way that I am telling what happens but also to act as if I am recalling the actions as I
speak. I want the audience member to remember a time in their life when they did something
really off the wall and without any thought just because they felt like doing it. The part of the
poem that will be the biggest challenge to perform will be to not sound as if I am reading a list of
thing but actually thinking about them.
“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” Robert Frost
This is a dramatic poem because it tells a story, without a narrator, of a man who is
traveling and decides to stop in the woods. I chose this poem for the simplicity but also because
it shows the connection between people and nature. The poet’s attitude is he is amazed by woods
and everything to do with the woods and just wants to stand there and soak in everything around
him. The rhyming pattern supports the meaning because through the rhyming is the thought
process of the author. The wonder of all the simple things around him and the joy of being there
are seen through the rhyming. The physical requirement is to seem as if I am in a mood of
recollection, to act as if I was there and saw the forest. The vocal responses are to be soft spoken
to get the mood of being in forest at night in the cold almost to the destination. I want the
audience members to be stimulated enough to think of a time they were alone in nature and were
in awe of everything around them. The portion of the poem that will be difficult to perform will
be to have a sincere tone and attitude throughout the whole poem.
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“The Unquiet Grave”
Traditional British ballad
This poem is a combination of narrative and a lyrical because it is a story being told
which includes deep emotions and feelings. I chose this poem because of the emotional
appeal of the characters because in some way I can relate to the story. The experience in
the poem is of a young man who has lost the love of his life because she died. Everyday he
sits on top of her grave mourning for her until one day she asked him why he is sitting on
top of her grave; he should be living his life. The poet’s attitude is depressed and
melancholy. The sound pattern makes the characters seem more sincere about what they
are saying, that they actually care about each other. The physical responses required by the
poem are to have slight almost non-existing gestures to match the mellow tone of the poem.
The vocal responses the poem requires are to speak slowly in a low tone of voice to match
the sad mood of the poem. I want the audience to feel the sadness of the man but to also
feel the strong desires of the woman for the man to get back to his life and not waste his
life away waiting for something he will never have. I want the audience to share the
feelings of loss the man has by remembering someone they have lost in their life. My
overall attitudes while performing will stimulate the audience members to think and feel
the emotions of the poem. The portion of the poem that will challenge me the most will be
to have the correct tone or intonation of the voices at the correct time.
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English IV
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Capital Punishment:
Killing the Killer
English IV/Communication Apps.
The legal infliction of death as a penalty for violating criminal law, known as capital
punishment, has been a reality throughout history. Whether the punishment for the named crime
is stoning, drowning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, beheading, or lethal injection, it is truly
only a difference in time and location. In England, during the time of Henry VIII anyone who
imagined the king dead would be sentenced the death penalty. In early colonial America, death
was prescribed for stubbornness in a child, and in more recent time capital punishment was set
into place when a killing of a human being occurs. One unwavering aspect of the death penalty,
no matter the century or said regime, is a strong opposition to government killings. People hold a
lack of understanding as to how the killing of one person for the death of another makes logical
sense and upholds justice. After a timely amount of research, learning both sides of the capital
punishment argument, I have gained a footing on the ongoing debate. There are many platforms
that can be taken up against the reasoning for capital punishment like the lack of respect for
human worth and life, the bias that takes place both ethnically and monetarily, or even the
number of innocent lives being taken away by the government, but instead I will speak on the
main views held by those for the death penalty.
People who support the action of killing the killers believe capital punishment is needed
for true justice. They pose the question, “Why should we, as taxpayers, have to pay for the
housing, up-keep, and food of killers? Why not just kill them?” and think deterrence of like
crimes happen due to the death penalty. I hope to help lead to the enlightenment of how these
thoughts are incorrect; and, as an alternative, how life imprisonment without a chance of parole
is a more democratically correct, economically sound, and logical option.
When people are asked why they support the death penalty, their first response is often
because they believe the killers deserve to die for what they did and then proceed with a quote
from the Bible extracted from Exodus:” you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
hand for hand...” But have these people heard the quote, “An eye for an eye and the whole world
goes blind?” I think not.
Again, have these same people thought if this reaction is the one they wish from their
government, from the people who are in control of their life, to react in such an immature,
elementary way of ‘he hit me so I will hit him back.’ This is not the way of government, let alone
a democratic government. The role of government is to analyze information and then to logically
produce an outcome. It is not there to act off of the emotions, in these cases revenge, of the
people. Government and emotion should not coincide, but always be separate entities. It is when
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government policies are made from emotion when problems arise, like in the case of capital
punishment. When the emotions of people are brought into the decision-making process, true
democracy cannot be accomplished. As said by Clarence Darrow, an America lawyer, “The state
continues to kill its victims, not so much to defend society against them- for it could do that
equally well by imprisonment- but to appease the mob’s emotions of hatred and revenge.” So
true justice is not gained, only a compliance with the array of emotions felt by society and their
need for vengeance. This idea is best illustrated by Richard Dieter’s, director of Death Penalty
Information Center, comment on capital punishment, “It used to be that the public generally
thought the death penalty was a deterrent to crime. Now it is more of a retribution argument, a
life for life.”
The government is there not to abide by the wants of society, but to do what is best for
all the people, meaning the following of the democratic way. To be more exact this means
abiding with human rights. What is best for the people is what reflects the views of their country,
in our case democracy. America was founded on the basis of a democracy and slowly seems to
be losing its ground. The United States is one of the few developed countries still incorporating
capital punishment into our judicial system, with a small improvement being preformed recently.
A court ruling found the federal death penalty unconstitutional due to the large amount of
innocent people being killed. This is a step in the right direction, but it pales in comparison to
other countries in the world.
After World War II, Germany and Italy were the first two major powers in Europe to
abolish capital punishment. This sudden eradication of the death penalty is most notable due to
these once Socialist and Fascist countries trying to distance themselves from totalitarian forms of
government who regularly violate human rights. After the fall of the communist regime, many
Eastern European nations abolished capital punishment to give the appearance of being more
democratic and to disassociate themselves with their former rulers and their abuse of power.
Another situation in which a new government has chosen to rid themselves of capital punishment
is in South Africa where the people related it to apartheid, a policy of racial segregation. Other
nations that have abolished or no longer use the death penalty include: Britain, Northern Ireland,
Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Romania, The Czech Republic, Brazil, Cape Verde, Iceland,
Monaco, Panama, Venezuela, Portugal, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Norway, and the
Netherlands. For many of these countries the elimination of capital punishment” was one of the
many ways the citizens of these countries rejected unlimited state power over individual
life”(MSN Online).
If the United States likes to pride itself on being the giant democratic power, caring
about every and all, and of forward thinking, I feel it is time for us to advance by means of
following the footsteps of lesser powers. As said by former New York governor, M. Cuomo, on
the subject of the reinstatement of capital punishment, “This is a step back in what should be a
march constantly toward a higher level of civility and intelligence.” America needs to look
toward to the actions of our political equals and follow them for once, instead of the reverse of
them following us. What harm could be done? Only the United States of America getting closer
to the vast goal known as true democracy. And what would be so bad about that?
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Another common response by the supporters of the death penalty is, “Why should I have
to pay to keep the killer alive?” Thinking that killing the person will put less strain on them as
taxpayers, but instead it is the opposite. It costs more to put someone to death than it does to
keep them in jail for a life sentence without a chance of parole. This makes the option of life
imprisonment far better then the death penalty in an economical standpoint. This aspect of the
capital punishment debate has been studied thoroughly, multiple times, and in many different
states. The cost of putting someone to death, including the pre-trial, trial, and post-trial aspects of
a capital punishment case, varies from state to state. In Florida it stands at $3.2 million, while in
Texas spending of taxpayer’s money total $2.3 million per execution. But what is common
between all states is money is being wasted. In Florida, to imprison a person for life without
parole cost six times less than the $3.2 million to execute them and in Texas in is three times less
than the $2.3 million to keep a person in the highest security level for forty years. A recent study
stated California could save a minimum of $90 million dollars each year if they would abolish
capital punishment. For a country that is in a time of economical difficulties the fastest way to
unload some of its burdens would be to get rid of capital punishment, and instead opt for life
imprisonment without a chance of parole. A killer would be in jail with no a chance of getting
out and there would be more money in circulation, which is what the government really wants.
Lastly, the strongest reason why capital punishment should be brought to an end is the
reasoning for its induction into the judicial system. The whole logic behind capital punishment is
that it deters like crimes and will, in the end, reduce the amount of murders. After countless
hours of research “there simply is no scientific evidence that the presence of the death penalty- in
law or in practice- deters murder any better than lengthy imprisonment”(Haas). When it is said
that deterrence does work, what is meant by that is killing the killer will stop that one person
from killing again because they are dead; however that same outcome can be produced by a life
sentence without parole. But that is not the supposed purpose of capital punishment. The
knowledge that killing another person can end with your own death is assumed to be what will
stop people from killing others. This fact has not been seen, often because these types of crime
are acted out of rage and heightened emotion causing logical thinking to not be a priority.
To the contrary, there are indications that states with the death penalty have a minor rise
in the homicide rates compared with those with long prison terms, generating the idea that capital
punishment may induce, instead of lower, crime. The reasoning behind this theory is “people on
the fringe of sanity receive the wrong message from a publicized execution. Such people are
likely to identify with and assume the role of the state, the executioner, and not the executed
offender”(Haas). This means the person will see the state killing and from their own feelings of
hatred, betrayal, or humiliation presume the role of the state and kill the person who in some way
wronged them and not see themselves doing the incorrect deed. They would see themselves as
the state, doing what is allegedly best for society. A 1980 study of New York from 1907 to 1963
stated there was an average of two more homicides subsequent to the months after a state
execution. Texas executes the highest amount of prisoners than any other state, but continues to
have one of the highest homicide rates. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) holds statistics
showing death penalty states can have murder rates twice as high as state that do not impose
capital punishment. In Missouri, a state with capital punishment, the murder rate is 8 per 100,000.
In Iowa, a state without the death penalty and regionally close, the homicide rate is only 2 per
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every 100,000 people. When Oklahoma resumed executions in 1990 there was an immediate
increase in murders.
The above stated data points to the conclusion that the death penalty does not stop people
who are not already in prison from killing and, once they have killed, life imprisonment can
generate the same outcome as the death penalty, but without the adverse effects. People who
support the death penalty declare these facts and other facts inconclusive to whether deterrence
works or not, but believe the death penalty should still be carried out until more definite
information arises.
Capital punishment, no matter its name, has been practiced over the course of history.
Whether it was during the time of kings ruling over the known world or today, with all of our
advancement in technology and explorations of space, the legal infliction of death has remained
present. Even though the practice has long standing it still doesn’t make it correct. The death
penalty has proven to be undemocratic in practice, more expensive than life in prison, and
unsuccessful in the deterrence of like crimes. All these factors point to the conclusion that the
death penalty should not be used; instead, life imprisonment should be implemented. Life
imprisonment accomplishes all the stated goals of capital punishment without taking lives.
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English 4
Short Story
10-23-02
“Love and Centipedes”
Tuesday Racinski’s, the main character in Paul Zindel’s short story Love and Centipedes,
life changes when two discoveries are made. The first discover is her unnatural connection to the
centipedes in her life. The second, her science partner’s girlfriend finds out she has been rubbing
her boyfriend’s feet. Tuesday is unhappy with her life until the day she is paired up with Kyle
Ecneps for a science project. Her outlook on life changes like “some sort of blessed design and
sweet sorcery to the universe,” because too many things have been going well for her.
Everything changes, though, when Tuesday goes to Madame Wu’s for dinner with her mother
and runs into Maureen Willoughby, the girlfriend. Maureen proposes that Tuesday be a part of
the prom committee because Kyle says she is so smart “like a Louise Pasteur and Robert
Oppenstriner and Mademoiselle Curie all rolled into one.” Tuesday hesitantly agrees, and later
that evening Maureen comes over to Tuesday’s house. The story ends with Tuesday deciding
whether or not to call the authorities and realizing, “Centipedes…they’re like love... Scary.
Complicated. A powerful thing creeping from the shadows... Love on tiptoe and with a hundred
tiny feet. Glorious little feet.”
One significant literary element found in the story “Love and Centipedes” is the style,
meaning the way in which language creates a story. The author of the story, Paul Zindel, creates
wonderful imagery, which could not have been done without his elaboration skill, or word choice.
An example of Zindel’s active word choice and elaboration can be found in the first sentence of
the story: “Tuesday Racinski’s large green eyes glinted with concern as a three-inch furry
centipede descended over the faded wallpaper storks of Madame Wu’s.” There are many
different ways this sentence could have been written that would entail the same message. He
could have just written:“Tuesday saw a centipede coming down the wall,” but instead the author
chose very descriptive words and intricate details, painting a picture of the action taking place in
the opening of the book. From reading the first sentence, someone’s green eyes wide open can be
seen, and as the story progresses, it is then understood the person, Tuesday, has a worried look in
her eyes, and as it progresses even more, you then understand the object of concern is a
centipede. Then even more, the furry centipede is making its way down stork wallpaper at a local
restaurant, assumed to be of oriental descent. The elaboration in the story allows the reader to
interact in this ever-changing and growing picture in the mind. A sort of cause-and- effect type
of story telling, without one part of the sentence another part could not happen. All of this action
helps create a very round, full sentence. Opposed to the flat, boring, and unstimulating sentence
that could have been used. The details in the first sentences create a very natural structure,
allowing the reader to read and process the information at the same time. Unlike short choppy
sentences which call for the audience to read and then analyze. When the action of reading and
analyzing is not simultaneous it makes reading harder, causing the reader to put more effort into
the action of reading and make imagery a secondary thought to the literal meaning. Seeing the
words as words, opposed to actions or pictures. Other examples of elaborate, detailed sentences
are: “The mother was focused on sucking the meat off a gingered beef rib as the daughter
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watched the bug’s antennae swished gracefully through the air.” When read, the sound of
someone slurping their food can be heard, along with an image of the same person hunched over
their meal almost rabidly guarding it with their life. In the sentences:
“The insects reached her face and raced up into her nose and down into the
channels of her ears. They flooded her hair, bulging it, shaking it from within like
it was a wig crudely attached to her scalp. Maureen cried out, and the swarm
bathed her mouth, hundreds of long, angry insects rippling across her moist
tongue and pouring down her throat,”
Chills can be produced and felt all over the body, causing the reader to want to shake clean from
the imaginary centipedes that have overpowered their body. Not only can this sentence be felt,
but also seen; it plays in the mind like a thousand other scary movies. The bugs crawling all over
the body in a manic frenzy, but slowly disappear as they find their home in the crevasses of the
body. The word choice adds to the already descriptive story by making it even more in-depth and
telling. Using the first sentence as an example, the word “glinted” makes you understand
Tuesday is not overwhelmed with fear about the presence of the bug, but instead intrigued
enough about the centipede to show interest in her eyes. “Rippling” is another good word choice.
The fluidity of the moving centipede, like the movement caused by a stone being thrown in the
water, can be seen making its way across the girl’s tongue, again causing shivers to go
throughout the body. Without the strong style used by Zindel, the story Love and Centipedes
would not create the same reactions from readers.
The soundness of the characters, most notably the main character Tuesday, is an
additional attribute in creating the well-written, intriguing, off-the-wall story of mixed-up
teenage love. The author is able to bring to life self-conscious, hesitant Tuesday who’s realistic
qualities captivate the reader’s mind. The characters Tuesday and Maureen, especially Tuesday,
are such solid teenage girls the reader can almost imagine the story is plausible, even though the
basis is extremely unfeasible, and strange. It is almost as if Zindel goes into the minds of teenage
girls and take their thoughts. He captures every aspect of being a girl, like their lack of
confidence. Here Tuesday is thinking to herself, “You’re so fat, Tuesday, you’re your own
realm.. .it’d take eighty days to go around you in a Lear jet, “a sentence liking to one many girls
have uttered at one point in their lives. Not only does Zindel assume their thoughts, but also their
actions: “Tuesday had tiny, tiny proportions on her own plate, but it was too late. Her small
frame, like her mother’s, had when long ago hidden under nearly two hundred pounds of clotted,
hated fat.” Like many girls, she is unsure about her weight, and not eating or eating very little is
thought to be the way out. Zindle also brings to life the ever-present fanciful, fun attitude in
teenage girls where not all of their child-like behaviors have left them. When Tuesday sees the
centipede crawling across the wall she decides to talk to it, “Hello, wee centipede. Can you see
me, little buggie? Can you hear what I’m thinking? Can you?” She then continues saying, “Don’t
come to our table. Please don’t. Please, sweet living thing, make a left turn and travel away from
me. Climb back up the wall and go to Maureen Willoughby’s booth.” He then makes the
transition from the nice, playful girl to the devious, plotting girl, “Go to Maureen, the great
cheerleader from Tottenville High. Go to our most beautiful leader of cheers... Go above their
booth and drop onto their long sleek blond country Club hairdo...” Then Zindel proceeds to catch
yet another face of a teenage girl in Tuesday by grasping the love-struck girl, “Tuesday...
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continued to secretly caress the crumpled size ten- to-twelve ankle support she clutched in her
hand... Just touching its thick, pliant ribbing eased her back into the stupor of romance and
prayer and coincidence that had recently absorbed her life.” Zindel then allows the reader to take
a glimpse into the almost obsessive, crazed world of an infatuated girl, which most often is
wished to remain hidden. A world where every aspect of their world turns to the object of their
affection, every thought, and every move is somehow for that person, in this case Kyle. Not only
does Zindel create the unsure Tuesday, but also the peppy, insane girlfriend and the simple,
small-town mother. Maureen, the girlfriend, from the very beginning, is seen with dislike, then
switching to uncertainty as her attitude towards Tuesday changes and she begins to act nice.
Maureen fulfills the cheerleader role: she spends time exclusively with other cheerleaders and
popular people, dates an athlete, and talks the stereotypical cheerleaders way, “Exactly. I mean,
that’s how ‘brill’ you are.” But suddenly, she turns in to the exact opposite of a genteel, calm
cheerleader to a crazed, jealous girlfriend:
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THIS?’ Maureen shrieked. Maureen twisted
Kyle’s initials on the support distorting them fiercely as though they were images
in a fun-house mirror... Tuesday began to breathe deeply... her lips stretched into
a silent scream. Her hands lowered as though to pray, but instead, they
surrounded the insulated case of the transformer. The voltage was so high now
that sparks leapt across the two shiny steel terminals...”
Maureen, in this part of the story, is everything you hear and see about crazy people in the
movies. She has gone insane and nothing will stop her. She is no longer the sweet cheerleader
she was before, she is now enraged with jealously and hate for Tuesday and anything that might
matter to her, like her pets. Then Zindel introduces another realistic character, Tuesday’s mother,
who truly needs little explanation to give life to: “The juice trickled down and fell onto her
aquamarine fringe blouse, her favorite, the one she ordered from the Home Shopping Network. It
had CASINO on it spelled out in Day-Gb playing cards.” Tuesday’s mother is the embodiment
of a mother in a rural community. Without the round characters in Love and Centipedes, the
short story would not have been the same. It would not have intrigued and consumed the reader
as much as it did. The strange story line would be thought of as excessive and without reason,
turning the reading off, rather than making the audience want to read more, finding out how the
story ends. The realistic characters make this story believable, which is very important in an
offbeat story about love and centipedes.
In the end, the short story Love and Centipedes by Paul Zindel is an entertaining story to
read. It must be read with an open mind because the story line is not average, but once read, it
can be greatly enjoyed and even read twice to achieve the full effect. I would recommend this
story for everyone except younger children due to the basis of the story, which may be too much
to handle or understand. A lesson that can be taken away from reading this story is don’t rub
somebody else’s boyfriend’s feet, and if you do, don’t let them in your house when you’re alone.
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Physical Education
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Fitness Plan
Goals — My goal while participating in this physical education course is to progress my muscle
toning, but mostly to maintain the body shape I am in now.
Training Principles — The actions I will take place in to produce these results will be going to
the gym a minimum of twice a week for an hour. Where I will be participating in strength
building by lifting weights but also by doing a cardiovascular workout, treadmill, bike, stair step,
or elliptical. Along with my trips to the gym I will also participate in pilates three times a week.
Each session help tone and firm my existing muscles, but as I progress it will also help gain
muscles.
Technologies — Tools that can be used in my program:
 Heart rate identifier on multiple machines in the gym; treadmill, bike, stair step, elliptical.
 Timer on machines
 Distance measuring device on machines
 Stop-watch to time self
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Career Interests
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10-17-0 1
Job Questions
1. What career interests you?
The career field of mental health counseling interests me.
2. What are the job duties?
The job duties of this type of counselor are to aid people in promoting mental heath in
everyday life. To help individuals deal with addiction and substance abuse, suicide, stress
management and problems with self- esteem. Mental health counselors work closely close
with other mental health specialists like psychologist and social workers.
3. What courses in high school and college should you take to work in the field? Why will
these courses help?
There are no specific courses that are necessary to take in high school, but in college it is a
very detailed process. There are eight core areas: human growth and development; social and
cultural foundations; helping relationships; group work; career and life style development;
appraisal; research and program evaluation; and professional orientation. Depending on the
state and school there are so many years of full time study, including numerous hours in
clinical internship. These courses will help because they will give the student experience and
information needed to be a full-time, independent
counselor.
4. Will you have to become certified of licensee to get a job in this field? If so, what
kind of certification or license do you need?
Yes, 45 States and Washington D.C. have some form of counselor credentialing, licensure.
certification. or registry legislation. The requirements vary from state to state, some it is
required and in others it is voluntary. To receive certification as a mental health counselor,
generally, a master’s degree in counseling, 2 years experience of post-master’s experience, a
period of supervised clinical experience, a taped sample of clinical work, and a passing grade
on written examination.
5. What advantages would work experience give you when applying for a job in this field?
In job placement nothing would change because often job experience is necessary. In the
general it helps the person deal with the responsibilities of the job they will soon be taking on.
6. What are the tasks you would enjoy in this field?
The aspects of this job that I would enjoy are the interactions with other people and helping
them with their problems the best way I can.
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7. What are the tasks you would not enjoy?
Even though it is not stated in the book or website, to be a counselor you have to do a ton of
paperwork, which I hate. Anything other than that would be hard would be to get someone
who had a difficult problem and I wasn’t experienced enough to help.
8. What is the labor market need for this career in your area? In the United States?
The employment opportunities for a counselor through 2008 in expected to grow faster that
average. In my area the need for a counselor is always present, the only down side is that
there are a substantial amount of other people in the career field, so there is competition.
9. What is the pay range for the career in your area in the United States?
The national average for a mental health counselor is $38,650. The highest percent pay being
more that $73,920 and the lowest 10 percent at $21,230. The range for Austin I believe to be
same because the town itself is not economically depressed.
10. Why would you consider this job?
I am considering this job because of the interaction it has with people and also because of all
of the information I would learn. Another perk is there are many fields you can work in with
a counseling degree alone.
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Awards/Honors received:
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National Honor Roll
Who’s Who of High School Students-2 years
Trustee Award- 2years
Gold Key Award- piece of pottery
Silver Key Award- drawing
Perfect Attendance
Student of the Quinmester
Certificate of Achievement- Language Arts
Certificate of Achievement- Social Studies
Certificate of Achievement- Art
Heritage Council Award
DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Good Citizen Award
PAL of the year- Garza High School
Director’s Award-PALs
Extra-curricular activities/awards:
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Junior Varsity Softball
Choir
SAI)D (Students Against Drunk Driving)
Principle’s Advisory Cabinet (student council)
Garza Green (school beatification group)
Camp Enterprise with the Rotary Club of Austin
Prom committee and fundraising
Panel presentation for AISD drop-out presentation Task Force
Panel presentation for delegation from the Department of Education
Panel presentation for AISD school board
PALs (Peer Assistance and Leadership)
Empty Bowl Project With Austin Area Food Bank
Organization of Anti-War panel at high school
Mission trip to Washington D.C.- one and a half weeks
Mission trip to Chicago- one and a half weeks
Mission trip to La Feria Texas- one and a half weeks
Anti-Smoking presentation to elementary students with Teens Against Tobacco Use
(TATU) and the American Lung Association-2 years
Brown Santa- 1 year
Hand on Housing- 1 year
Juneteenth Parade volunteer-2 years
Capitan of school-wide campus/neighborhood clean-up-i year
2001 Lulu Flores Campaign volunteer
2002 Travis Country Voting Sector volunteer
Art classes at Laguna Gloria
Summer 2003- Mission Trip to Mission, Texas and border towns in Mexico
Relay for Life- relay to raise money for cancer
Food Drive for Caritas- Austin
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References
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Gonzalo Garza
Independence High School
To Whom It May Concern:
I have been witness to a blossoming. That is what first comes to mind when I think of _____.
She came to Garza a shy fifteen year old with a desire to learn on her own and be left alone.
She has blossomed into a confident outspoken young woman who is a leader among her peers.
Aware of the challenges of being a teenager in this day an age, _____ has made choices that
are positive, creative, and which impact her community at school and in the greater Austin area.
As a student in honors United States history, _____was able to use her artistic talents to
explore and analyze the effect that political and economic events have had on our social
development. The honors curriculum requires the student to read one novel per semester.
Because our students have a hand in designing their standards based curriculum, _____ was
free to choose any American author whose work reflected the impact of a historical event on
our society. In her analysis of Somerset Maughn’s, The Razors Edge, she explored the impact
of World War I on American society. She used the visual art of the period to depict the
character’s conflict and connected that conflict to America’s painful post war experience. Her
research and analysis resulted in two posters labeled “The Dueling Worlds of The Razors
Edge.” The posters hang in my classroom as examples of outstanding work, and a standard for
other students to emulate. Her second novel was E.L.Doctrow’s Ragtime for which she created
a Power Point presentation on Doctrow’s use of American arch-types of the late 1800’s and
how they reflected the time period in America in which he wrote the book, the 1970’s. Her
research projects included a informational pamphlet on women who were involved in allied
espionage during World War II and a mock newspaper that reported on the Federal Arts
Project of the Great Depression.
We do not have an honors government course, so _____ chose to take the course at Austin
Community College. She did very well in the class and got involved as a volunteer for a
gubernatorial candidate, canvassing neighborhoods.
_____ has also been involved in PALs for two years. PALs is an acronym for Peer Assistance
Leadership, a program which involves students in mentoring younger students and in
developing their leadership skills. She has successfully mentored a student at Campbell
elementary school once a week for the last two years. The PALs curriculum requires students
to plan and execute a community service activity. is planning a workshop for Garza students
from “The Peace Foundation.” This will involve the presentation, question and answer forum
and follow up activities here on campus.
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She is also involved with the VIP club, a community service club here on campus, the Principal’s
Advisory Board, and is a trainer for the National Coalition Building Institute. There are other
organizations that she participates in off campus. With all of this she has still found time to
compete in local art shows and to be ranked third in her graduating class.
_____ has blossomed into a young woman who understands that her actions can have a positive
impact on the community she lives in. She is one of the student leaders on campus and one to
whom the facilitators and administrative staff look to for an honest and solution focused
approach to campus improvement. She will be a positive force and a wonderful addition to an
college campus. Garza high school and I both have benefited from our association with her.
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Gonzalo Garza
Independence High School
To whom it may concern,
I would like to recommend that _____ be granted a Gonzalo Garza Independence High
School Diploma of Graduation. I teach _____ self-paced accelerated Chemistry and
Spanish courses. I have known her since January of 2003, and I have learned that she is
organized, creative, and strives to do her best at all times.
Through a great deal of personal perseverance and motivation _____ completed my
Chemistry part B course in less than six weeks and will received high marks. For most
High School students Chemistry is not an easy subject. To complete the second half of
Chemistry in less then six weeks with high grades and maintain school related
extracurricular activities such as PALS and community activities such as church
mission trips and Food Bank_____ is admirable if not above average. To her
embarrassment, I would use her as my reference to other students as an example of
disciplined work habits.
During her time with me_____ she would complete work with a consistent effort and I
noticed she still found the time to offer assistance to other Chemistry and Spanish
students. When several students would ask for assistance, I would refer some to _____
knowing she had covered the material and was articulate enough to explain the material.
I also would look up _____’s work to use as a reference for other students. I was
especially impressed by her use of MS Power Point to complete several Portfolio
Projects.
_____ is a shining example of a Gonzalo Garza Independence High School student.
This is a young woman who is proud of whom she is, as well as where she lives and
attends school. I am confident that her deep academic commitment will continue to
enrich whatever environment she is in and is worthy of the G. Garza Independence
High School Diploma of Graduation. I recommend her for completion and graduation
with tremendous pride.
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Garza Independence High School
1600 Chicon
Austin, Texas 78702
May 14,2003
To Whom It May Concern:
_____ is a resilient young person that readily accepts others as individuals and respects
their hentage, racial and ethnic identity, and the experiences that have shaped their lives.
Currently, she attends an inner-city alternative high school that serves a diverse
demographic student population from throughout the city. Her choice to attend this high
school demonstrates her maturity, level of responsibility, and self-motivation since the
program design is self-paced; ultimately must determine her academic goals and meet
them independent of seat-time and direct instruction, thus far, her progress has been
excellent.
I have experienced the pleasure of working with _____ during school year 2001-2002
and 2002-2003 as her instructor in English III, English IV, Oral Interpretation, and
Communication Applications. For four hours every day accepts a great deal of
responsibility in a writing-based lab that requires her to design her own goals for
completing the course, maintain an ability to independently focus on inquiry-based tasks
for extended periods of unsupervised time, and refine her oral and written communication
skills. Her communication skills, oral and written, are fluent and rank above those of her
peers. Not only does _____ express her thoughtfulness and creativity via written and
spoken venues, but also in the visual; she is a gi ed artist who has received awards for
sculpture in local competitions.
_____ demonstrates a positive attitude and balances her serious nature with a sense of
humor. ha e not witnessed fail at any of her efforts; however, from informal
conversations, I know that _____ has experienced obstacles in her life that she has had to
overcome or accept. _____ encounters problems with a creative and thoughtful approach.
She studies the possible angles an en decides the best solution. Furthermore, she is
studious; she not only completes assigned tasks, but her natural curiosity leads her to
conduct independent study on topics she wants to know more about. She is a pleasant
student, a well-adjusted individual, and sets a positive example for others.
_____ is a role model for her peers. She is friendly and gets along with everyone, her
peers and the adults in her life. She demonstrates fairness toward others and maintains
integrity in her relationships. She is cooperative and assists when her help or insights
contribute to a solution or a fair compromise. Not only is she well mannered and polite,
but also she understands how to communicate appropriately with peers and authority
figures. She puts her best into her academics and refuses to compromise quality. Her
work is often used as examples of quality work for her peers to study. She respects others
and their rights and expects the same in return.
Additionally, she has displayed leadership initiative on several occasions through her
participation in a variety of community service projects; she helps organize class field
experiences at local museums; she voluntary participates in the Peer Assistance League
(PALs) that includes mentoring elementary school children; she coordinates community
activities such as neighborhood clean-ups; she fundraises for disaster relief for the
American Red Cross; she creates art projects for auctions to feed the hungry in Austin,
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Texas; she participates in mission work with her church in Chicago, Illinois working with
inner-city children. This spirit of giving back to the community is valuable because it
demonstrates her humanitarian concern.
_____ represents Garza Independence High School well. Her attitude and determination
will surely be an asset in whatever environment Becky chooses for her academic or
vocational endeavors.
Sincerely,
Language Arts Facilitator
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Appendix F: Role of the Student Advocate
Role of the Student Advocate
At Garza, any staff member who has been trained takes the role of the advocate in the
solution-focused approach to addressing school difficulties. Teachers at Garza are called
Facilitators, a role that is already somewhat different from the traditional classroom teacher.
Facilitators guide the student through a self-paced curriculum, seeking the individual
strengths of each student to complete the learning tasks. As advocates, they guide the student
through the process of finding possible solutions, trying them out and evaluating the outcome.
Advocates create a trusting relationship with the student with no other goal except to aid the
student in the change effort. Advocates are not counselors or therapists, although the
solution-focused techniques they have been trained to use evolved in counseling and therapy.
Advocates are caring adults who offer to serve as catalysts for the student’s work of changing
unproductive patterns of behavior which hamper continued growth and development.
Advocates are expected to honor the boundaries of confidentiality within this unique role
with students.
As educators, advocates are experts in changing student behavior in the realm of
teaching and learning. In the Impact Process what is being learned on many levels is a new
way for the student to see himself and his story. The skills that are being developed are skills
in the area of trying new actions to replace current, unsuccessful actions. Advocates
encourage a tentative, experimental approach to the process of change. Counselors and
school social workers can take the role of advocate, but their most important role is to consult,
mentor and debrief the advocates and to provide ongoing training in the solution-focused
approach.
Advocates are encouraging and respectful in their explanations of the difficulties
students are trying to address. To do this they avoid explanations that:
Blame the students for their problems. When we blame someone, we attribute bad
intentions and traits, not holding people accountable for their actions.
Invalidate the student’s experience. Even when we may not think the student’s
interpretation of the event is accurate, we accept what is said as a valid interpretation
of the experience.
Preclude the possibilities for change. The strongest gift we can give a student with
difficulties is legitimate hope.
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Remove or block the recognition of personal accountability. A true sign of disrespect is
assuming that the student “just cannot control her behavior or help herself”.
Some activities advocates engage in with students include:











Meeting with student/parent to obtain more information, using the strengths-based
referral inventories.
Using humor to help students see the situation is less grim, without minimizing the
impact of the difficulty or the discomfort is causes.
Assuming past and present problem-free times and asking the student to talk about
problem-free times, even if they occurred while the person was sleeping!
Speaking about the difficulty as if it is in the realm of normal human experience,
rather than an exotic or terrible thing.
Assigning a “homework” activity, usually an effort to change the way the student
views the difficulty or himself.
Assuming that the person is an active agent in her life by suggesting that any success
is the result of the student’s efforts.
Setting goals that are meaningful to the student and helping her develop a way of
tracking progress toward these goals.
Introducing doubt into old beliefs which are not helping the person find solutions.
Providing support and encouragement. Cheerleading!
Monitoring progress and giving praise when earned. Even older students appreciate a
not of recognition and praise.
Requesting consultation from counselors and the Impact Team.
Source: The content on explanations to avoid is based on information from O’Hanlon (1997)
and Thomas (1997).

The content on explanations to avoid is based on information from O’Hanlon (1997) and Thomas (1997).
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Appendix G: Impact Team Workbook
Discovering Strengths to Find Solutions
Garza’s Impact Team Workbook
A Solution-Focused Approach to Solving School Difficulties
Overview
Development of the Impact Team at Garza
Garza’s Three Level Impact Team
Becoming Strengths-Based
Impact Process
Garza’s Impact Process for Individuals
Student Observations and Suggestions
Process Flow Chart
Role of the Advocate
Confidentiality
Reminder
Solution-Focused Approach
Overview
Research on What works on Helping People Change
Resilience and Protective Factors
Assumptions of Solution-Focused Interventions
The Brief Solution-Focused Counseling Process, John Murphy
Guidelines for Using Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in the School
Setting, Linda Metcalf
The Five D Model: Develop, Discover, Determine, Describe, and Do
Solution Attempts that Usually Fail
New Ways to View the Difficulty
Changing the Viewing
Map Patterns/Video Talk
Scaling and Scaling Worksheet
Interrupting the Problem by Changing the Doing
A Day in the Life
Offering Positive Connotations
Temporize
Labelize
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Finding Solutions
Homework/Task Assignment
Empower
Externalize
The Miracle Question
Exceptions to the Difficulty
Tracking Potentials
Tools
Garza’s Impact Team Referral
Student Inventory
Parent Inventory
Advocate Worksheet
Road Map to Solutions
Impact Team Staffing
Student Participation Satisfaction Survey (From SAP Model)
Staff Satisfaction Survey (From SAP Model)
Training Notes and Handouts
Bibliography
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Appendix H: Progress-Measuring Forms
Measuring Your Success
NAME___________________________________ DATE__________________
What were your goals for the previous quinmester? Check the goals that were fully met.
When it comes to meeting your goals, what are the obstacles that get in your way?
Choose 1 of the obstacles you listed and design a plan to overcome it.
OBSTACLE
WHAT I CAN DO
RESOURCES THAT CAN
HELP
Having reviewed your goals, measure your progress on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the
lowest score. Scaling allows you to see your progress on a continuum. Consider the
following criteria before marking the number that represents your progress:
• Attendance
• Number of courses finished
• Quality of work done
Circle the number that represents your progress.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
What are 3 goals that you will set for the next quinmester?
1.
2.
3.
Describe what it will look like, sound like, and feel like when you are meeting all of the goals
you have set for yourself.
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MEETING WORKSHEET
STUDENT: _____________________________
ADVOCATE: ____________________________
We met today ____________________________, 20_____.
What has been happening since the last time we met?
On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the problem in control and 10 the student in control, where was
the student when he/she came in today? (Circle and label "today")
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Where would the student like to be on the scale, the next time you meet?
(Circle and label "goal").
What is the goal?
What are 3 steps (solutions) to get closer to the goal?
1.
2.
3.
Other people to be involved in attaining goal:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
We will meet again on _______________________________, 20_____
at_____________AM/PM.
Form developed by Kara Penniman, Social Work Intern, 2001
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SOLUTION-BUILDING FRAMEWORK for 4/21/03 DISCUSSIONS
DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM/CHALLENGE AREA
Seek the staffs’ “take” on the challenge area. (Include observable attributes)
•
Respect staffs’ language and echo their key words.
•
Question from a position of “not knowing” the staffs’ experience and
perceptions.
•
Use open-ended questions to elicit information.
How is ___________________ a problem for you/ Garza?
How does __________________impact Garza’s success?
•
Use scaling to aid in assessing the degree of the problem.
(Scale in comparison to where Garza wants to be on the issue).
SCALE
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
DEVELOPING WELL-FORMED GOALS
Goals are scenarios of possibility; places to begin, not the final result.
Goals are stated as the presence of something, not the absence of something.
•
Use Miracle Question or Pretend Question to probe for possible goals:
•
“If a miracle happened tonight, and we woke up tomorrow and our problem
was solved, what would the first sign that this occurred? What would we be
doing? What does it look like?”
EXPLORING FOR EXCEPTIONS
Exceptions identify the direction for possible change.
Every problem has an exception--some time when it does not happen.
•
When was a time when ________________was better or happened less often?
•
How did we do that? What was the staff doing?
•
When does the challenge happen more? Less?
•
What have you tried that lessened the impact of this issue?
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FEEDBACK AND HOMEWORK (First 3 points are reminders for group leaders.)
•
Give sincere compliments about what each person has been able to
accomplish.
•
Use Insoo’s “WOW! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?”
•
Use WHEN, not IF.
•
Ask staff to notice for a week what is going on with this challenge. What
would they want to keep and not change? What worked, what made a positive
difference?
•
Ask staff to notice when they make some progress toward solving the problem.
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Appendix I: Book Study and Practice Groups
Book Study and Practice Groups
Individual Training Plans
In addition to staff development directed to the entire staff, staff will have an opportunity to
participate in a group focusing on increasing skills in becoming solution builders. There are two
group formats: Practice groups and Book Study groups. Please indicate your preferences below.
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Practice Group: Yes ______ No_______
Book Study Group: Please list your first, second, and third choices.
_____ Interviewing for Solutions, DeJong, Peter and Berg, Insoo Kim, 2nd Edition, 2002. This
book is written for college students, both undergraduate and graduate, in social work.
The book is full of examples, and covers the entire process of solution building. Berg is
one of the founders of the solution-focused model and presented to the Garza faculty last
year. There are videos that accompany this book, which is the one Insoo recommended
when she was at Garza in 2002.
_____ Counseling Toward Solutions, Metcalf, Linda, 1995. Linda Metcalf is one of the
foremost proponents of using the solution-focused approach in the schools. This book is
directed primarily to school counselors, but includes interesting material about using the
model to design a whole school. Metcalf trained the AISD counselors in 2001 and
works out of Arlington. Garza’s Impact Workbook relies heavily on her work and
contains several examples from this book.
_____ Teaching Toward Solutions, Metcalf, Linda, 1999. Linda Metcalf continues her interest
in using the solution-focused model from mental health in reforming schools. The
audience here is made up of teachers at all levels. This book reviews the whole process
and addresses its use with student who present academic, behavioral, and social
challenges. The reader is encouraged to duplicate sections for use in the classroom. This
book is out of print.
_____ Solution-Focused Counseling in Middle and High Schools, Murphy, John, 1997. John
Murphy teaches at a small college in central Arkansas, ad sees middle and high school
students regularly in his clinic. He also consults and several schools in the area. This
excellent resource focuses primarily on using Solution Building in the school setting.
This is the book that AISD distributed to every counselor in the district. Case
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studies/dialogues are used to help the reader understand the technique. This is a book
that can get a reader excited about using the model.
_____ Do One Thing Different, O’Hanlon, Bill, 1999. Bill O’Hanlon is a professional counselor
and a marriage and family therapist. He also is one of the developers of the solutionfocused approach and developed Possibility Therapy. A very easy, enjoyable read, this
book was written more for the reading public than for clinicians. Although not written
directly for educators, it takes little effort to see how this “mind set” could be
advantageous in a school setting. Caution: reading this one may change your personal
life. Again, it truly is an easy read.
_____ Webb, Willyn H., The Educator’s Guide to Solutioning, 1999. This book is written
specifically for educators: teachers, administrators, and counselors. It was extremely
helpful when developing the Impact Team Workbook for Garza staff. Webb freely offers
“ 61 Masters” which can be duplicated for the reader’s own use or as part of a training
endeavor. She provides especially good information on the need to change language
patterns.
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Appendix J: Solution-Building Videos
Solution-Building Videos
The Right Path or the Other Path
Steve de Shazer interviews 16 year old Naomi who uses drugs, skips school and hangs out
with the wrong crowd, especially her boyfriend. Excellent example of the model and of how
even a very experienced practitioner often gropes for the next best question. Also important
is de Shazer’s choice of the problem to be worked and his homework assignment. Insoo Kim
Berg and Gale Miller provide comments. Tape covers first session and part of the second
session. Tape length: 100 minutes.
Interviewing for Solutions De Jong
This tape presents five different interview situations using solution-building conversations.
Insoo Kim Berg, Peter De Jong, and Kristin (a social work student) conduct the various
interviews. Insoo and Peter provide commentary after the clips. Tape length: 100 minutes
Melissa is a voluntary client, interviewed by Kristen. The segment is the first session and a
later session. This is a good example of using solution-building techniques to address the
issues of an overwhelmed student who is balancing motherhood, marriage, and graduate
school. Segment length: 43 minutes (minutes 0-45)
Tim is interviewed by Peter De Jong, in the role of a Child Protective Service Worker. Good
example of work with a client who has not sought help and who is defensive because his
children have been put in foster care. Probably not to germane to our population. Segment
length: 26 minutes (minutes 46-69)
Alex and his mother Nancy are interviewed by Insoo addressing communication problems
within the family. Excellent demonstration of the model. This is the video Insoo used when
she was here in 2002. Segment length: 12 minutes (minutes 69-81)
Sam is a young child who is interviewed by Insoo about his anger. Shows how to enter into
the child’s world and how the model can be shaped to fit the language and understanding of a
child. Segment length: 14 minutes (minutes 82-95)
Karen is a woman who is interviewed by Insoo after her discovery that her husband is having
an affair with a woman at his office. She is overwhelmed and begins the session saying she
does not know what to do. An especially nice example of Insoo using the miracle question to
help her client focus on possible goals. This segment ends with an interview with Karen by
Peter. Segment length: 24 minutes (Minutes 95-119)
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Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Appendix K: Blueprints Activities
Blueprints Activites
Laura Grayson
Garza Facilitator
Blueprints, 2003
Graduation is the Result
Name________________________________________
List three reasons why a diploma is important to you.
Who are the important people in your life?
Who are the people that push to graduate?
What behaviors/people have gotten in the way of your success at school?
When does the difficulty happen more?
When does it happen less?
When it happened less, what were you doing differently?
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How did you do that?
How did that make it better for you?
What talents do you have that can help you be successful at school?
What is the single most important behavior that will help you be successful at school?
How will you know that you are being successful at school?
What can Garza do to help you succeed?
If I were to view of video of you being successful, what would that look like?
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GUIDELINES FOR SETTING GOALS
Know about you and how you work.
Set goals over which you have control. These are performance not outcome goals.
Make your goals very detailed and measurable so that you can adjust them when needed.
Set realistic goals. Don’t set them so high; making it impossible for you attain them or so low that
there is no challenge. This takes practice.
Ask for help when you need it..
MOST IMPORTANTLY, CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!!!!!
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Setting Goals
You are ready to set some goals for yourself. These are goals that can be helpful to you while you are
a student at Garza. When you are setting these goals, take into consideration the answers to the
questionnaire “Graduation is the result.”
Graduation:
•
Day: __________________
•
Month: ________________
•
Year: _________________
Who will be your coach? ___________________________________________
Measure: (How will you know you are closer to your goal?)
Behaviors:
List the behaviors that are going to help you achieve this goal? (You may want to refer to questions 5
and 6 from the questionnaire.)
•
_________________________________________________________________
•
_________________________________________________________________
•
_________________________________________________________________
Laura Grayson, Garza Blueprints, 2003.
Who will be your coach? ___________________________________________________
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Measure: (How will you know your behaviors are changing, or
being positive?
Talents:
Think of the talents that you have? What is one thing that you can do to further develop those talents?
•
_________________________________________________________________
Who will be your coach? ___________________________________________________
Measure: (How will you know its being developed?)
Contribution:
What can you contribute to the Garza community?
•
___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Laura Grayson, Garza Blueprints, 2003.
Measure: (How will the community know that you are
contributing?)
List some possible roadblocks you may encounter on your trip towards graduation.
How will you adjust for them?
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Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century
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Appendix L: Planning Exercise for Developing Solution-Building Schools
Planning Exercise for Developing Solution-Building Schools
Characteristics of a Solution-Building School
Rate your school on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the characteristic is absent and 10 being
the school truly represents the trait.
Faculty emphasis on building relationships with students
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Attention given to individual strengths of students
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Emphasis upon student choices and personal responsibility
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Overall commitment to achievement and hard work
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Trust in student self-evaluation
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Focus on the student’s future successes instead of past difficulties
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Celebrating small steps toward success
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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Reliance on goal setting activities
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Choose the three highest characteristics describe them in fuller detail using the journalistic
questions: Who, What, When, Where, How and How Come?
Creating Solution-Building Schools Training Program. Developed by Joann Garner LMSW.
Contact at www.jjgarner@texas.net
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Strategies for Creating a Solution-Building School
Rate your school on the following strategies, with 1 meaning that this would be very difficult
and 10 being easy to accomplish.
Assess what the school is already doing to build solutions.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Obtain support from administration.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Introduce the model through an interdisciplinary team structure.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Create strong partnerships with selected school staff.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Introduce the model through an interdisciplinary team structure.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Create strong partnerships with selected school staff.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Seek input from all constituents, especially students.
_________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Review your scales and identify which three strategies you plan to employ in the fall
semester to introduce solution building to your school.
SLC Creating Solution-Building Schools Training Program. Developed by Joann Garner LMSW.
Contact at www.jjgarner@texas.net
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Steps to Take in Training
Rate the following training activities and tasks on the basis of your confidence with 1
meaning that you are not confident about performing the task and 10 being that you are very
confident.
Model solution building for staff
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Develop training materials.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Provide staff development sessions.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Establishing book study and practice groups.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Develop forms with solution-building questions.
________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Review your scales and in the space below, identify three goals which you hope to
accomplish by the end of the first semester, 2003-2004. For each goal write the first step you
plan to take (or solution in the direction of meeting the goal).
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Appendix M: Referrals and Inventories
Garza Student Inventory
Blueprints
Student:
Date:
Please check all that apply to you, even if only some of the time.
In School:
_____ I plan to follow Garza
Code of Honor
_____ My school provides a caring,
encouraging environment.
_____ My parent(s) or guardian(s) help me
succeed in school.
_____ I take pride in my schoolwork.
_____ I get along with adults at school.
_____ I can cope with distractions.
_____ I want to do well in school.
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
I can be a leader at school.
I usually care about my school.
I feel safe at school.
I expect my school to have clear
rules and consequences for behavior.
Graduating is important to me.
I follow facilitator’s directions.
I plan to be close to at least one
facilitator.
Others: ___________________
The people who care about me at school are _________________________________________
At Home:
_____I feel safe at home.
_____I get along with my siblings.
_____I receive high levels of love and
support from family members.
_____I can talk to my family about most things.
_____My family has clear rules/consequences.
_____My family knows most of my friends.
_____My parent(s) or guardian(s) care about me.
The best thing about my home is __________________________________________________
With Friends:
_____I am good at keeping and making
friends.
_____I can resist peer pressure.
_____I am friends with people from
different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.
_____My friends are generally responsible.
The friends I can turn to are _______________________________________________________
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In the Community:
_____I try to resolve conflict nonviolently.
_____I feel useful to my community.
_____I volunteer in my community.
_____I feel safe in my community.
_____I believe it is important to help other people.
_____I have a job that is important to me.
_____My neighbors encourage and support me.
_____Others: ______________________.
I am involved in the following sports/clubs/organizations:
______________________________________________________________________________.
Inside Myself:
_____I keep the promises I make to
myself.
_____I feel good about myself.
_____I am creative.
_____I can stand up for what I believe.
_____I can ask for help when I need it
_____I am generally happy.
_____I believe I have control over many things
that happen to me.
_____I tell the truth even when it’s not easy.
_____I can accept and take personal responsibility.
I am glad I am:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Please check all, which are true for you.
_____I won’t be graduating on time.
_____I am not doing as well in school as I
did last semester.
_____I have difficulty paying attention in class.
_____School seems useless to me most of
the time.
_____I only go to school to see my friends.
_____I don’t get along with the
facilitators/staff.
_____My attendance is a problem for me.
_____I am often late for class.
_____I usually leave school in the middle of the day._____I have been absent without my
parent’s knowledge.
_____I have run away from home.
_____I often sleep in class.
_____I feel suicidal.
_____I have a lot of conflicts at school.
_____I am isolated at school.
_____I use illegal drugs.
_____I use alcohol.
_____Sometimes I intentionally hurt myself.
_____I have been involved with the
police/courts.
_____I don’t have many friends at school.
_____I have trouble waking up for school.
_____I generally dislike the other students at my school .
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One thing I have always enjoyed about school is:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
One thing that has helped me have really good attendance in the past is:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
One thing about school that I want to change since I am coming to Garza is:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
When have you been able to do this in the past?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What do you need from Garza to help you do this?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
One person who can help me do this is: _____________________________________________
What one thing will you do different during your first two weeks to make this change?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Form developed by Kara Penniman, Social Work Intern, 2001
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Garza Impact Team Referral
Student:
School:
Grade:
ID Number:
Student’s Strengths, Abilities and Assets:
Please check all that apply to the student, even if only some of the time. *
_____Engages adults
_____Able to make/keep friends
_____Curious
_____Follows facilitator direction
_____Cooperates with ideas of others
_____Demonstrates ability to learn
_____Sense of humor
_____Tells the truth
_____Future oriented
_____Comfortable in new situations
_____Handles stress well
_____Completes what is started
_____Considerate of others
_____Shows maturity for age
_____Is a loyal friend
_____Reacts with proper mood
_____Basically is happy
_____Follows Garza Code of Honor
_____Accepts responsibility for actions
_____Respects the rights of others
_____Settles disagreements peacefully
_____Is physically healthy
_____Gets along with siblings
_____Is accepted by peers
_____Stands up for self
_____Can share the attention of adults
_____Tolerates criticism well
_____Can wait for attention
_____Able to think before acting
_____Copes with distractions
_____Demonstrates sense of fair play
_____Cooperates with adults
_____Shows leadership
_____Speaks positively about family
_____Accepts praise well
_____Demonstrates skills in the arts:
_____Shows empathy for others
music, art, dance, photography
_____Actively engaged in learning
_____Values helping others
_____Demonstrates interests outside of school
Other:_________________________
(i.e. hobbies)
Strengths in the School/Family/Community:
Please check all that apply to the student’s situation or actions.**
_____Older siblings have graduated
_____Supported by non-parent adults
_____Student is close to a facilitator/staff member
_____Parents encourage good
performance
_____Parent involved in schooling
_____Neighbors monitor behavior
_____Caring school environment
_____Supportive neighbors
_____Community values youth
_____Useful role in community
_____Friends model responsible behavior
_____Involved in religious institution
_____Involved in sports, clubs, organizations,
_____Clear rules/consequences in
family each week
_____Tutoring: school and community
_____Serves in the community
_____Experiences safety in home,
_____Spends time at home
neighborhood, and community
_____Has positive adult role models
_____Youth communicates with parents
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Strengths in the School/Family/Community: (continued)
Please check all that apply to the student’s situation or actions.**
_____Has a mentor
_____Successfully maintains
employment
_____If a teen parent, demonstrates
_____Other:_____________________________
positive parenting
Comments:
Referring Person:
Date:
*Student strengths adapted from J.J. Murphy, Solution-Focused Counseling in Middle and High School, American
Counseling Association: 1997, p. 171.
**Environmental strengths list adapted from Peter Benson, All Kids are Our Kids.
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Garza Impact Team Referral
Student:
School:
Grade:
ID Number:
Conditions or behaviors which are impeding the student’s successful use of school
opportunities for growth and achievement:
Academic Progress
Behavior/Discipline
_____Declining quality of work
_____Is not expected to graduate on time
_____Slow progress in current class
_____Reading deficit
_____Writing deficit
_____Math deficit
_____Will not answer in class
_____Failure of TAKS
_____Inattentive
_____Cheating
_____Avoids performing
_____Disorganized/loses things
_____Other:_____________________________
_________________________________________
_____Has few friends
_____Teased by peers
_____Disruptive
_____Disrespectful of adults
_____Lying
_____Runs away
_____Tantrums
_____Off task behavior
_____Alcohol use
_____Drug use
_____Sleeps in class
_____Vandalism
_____Police/Court involvement
_____Refuses to do assigned work
_____Impulsive
_____Sudden change in appearance
_____Stealing
_____Uses profanity
_____Verbally aggressive
_____Cries inappropriately
_____School refusal
_____Poor hygiene/signs of neglect
_____Suicidal statements
_____Withdraws/isolates
_____Creates frequent conflicts
______________________________________
_____Doesn’t manage excitement
_____Other:____________________
Attendance: (Please Comment)
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
______________________________________
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What has been done to address the problem? (consultations, referrals to school counselors/social
workers, parent/teacher conferences, referrals out of school)
Additional Comments:
Referring Person:
Date:
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Garza Parent’s Assessment
Student:
ID #:
School:
Grade:
Please check all that apply to your child, even if only some of the time.
In School:
_____My child follows Garza’s rules.
_____My child is a leader at school.
_____My child’s school provides a caring,
_____My child cares about their school.
encouraging environment.
_____My child feels safe at school.
_____I help my child succeed in school.
_____My child’s school has clear rules and
_____My child takes pride in their
consequences for behavior.
schoolwork.
_____Graduating is important to my child.
_____My child gets along with adults at
_____My child follows facilitator’s directions.
school.
_____My child is close to at least one
facilitator.
_____My child can cope with distractions.
_____Others:_______________________________
_____My child wants to do well in school.
The people who care about my child at school are:_________________________________________
At Home:
_____My child feels safe at home.
_____My child can talk to me about most
things.
_____My child gets along with their siblings. _____Our family has clear rules/consequences.
_____My child receives high levels of love _____I knows most of my child’s friends.
and support from family members.
_____I care about my child.
The best thing about our home is:______________________________________________________
With Friends:
_____My child is good at keeping and
making friends.
_____My child can resist peer pressure.
_____My child is friends with people from
different cultural/racial/ethnic
backgrounds.
_____My child’s friends are generally
responsible.
The friends my child turns to are:______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
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In the Community:
_____My child tries resolve conflict
nonviolently.
_____My child is useful to the community.
_____My child believes it is important to
help other people.
_____My child has a job that is important to
them.
_____My child volunteers in the community. _____My neighbors encourage and support
my child.
_____My child feels safe in the community.
_____Others:______________________________.
My child is involved in the following sports/clubs/organizations:
_________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Inner Strengths:
_____My child keeps promises.
_____My child is generally happy.
_____My child feels good about him/herself. _____My child believes they control their life.
_____My child is creative.
_____My child tells the truth even when it’s
not easy.
_____My child stands up for their beliefs.
_____My child accepts and takes personal
_____My child asks for help when needed.
responsibility.
I am glad my child is:__________________________________________________
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Garza Parent’s Assessment
Student:
School:
Grade:
ID #:
What are your major concerns about your child’s education?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What are your major concerns about your child’s behavior?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Other general concerns?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
I have tried to address the problem by:
_____Changing schools.
_____Talking to facilitators/teachers.
_____Talking to counselors.
_____Talking to administrators.
_____Talking to social workers.
_____Talking with a counselor/therapist outside of school.
_____Talking to other parents.
_____Others:______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Comments:
Parent:
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Appendix N: Student Observations to Teachers
Student Observations to Teachers About
Completing the Referral in a Joint Session
This is the time to look someone in the eye as an individual who your are curious about, and show
them you care. Tell them things about you that need to be said. This is not the time to walk a fine
line between personal and “let me stay on this side of the desk.” PLEASE, be honest, be real.
Before we make an attempt to dictate a conversation using questions, we would like to remind
you that you need not check a certain amount of questions to complete a quota. These are
icebreakers! If you don’t start a conversation with the first question, move on to the second.
Repeat until you feel you know the individual sitting across the table from you.
1.
What do you think this paper is all about?
Be honest. (Really we can take it.) In order to explain what this document is all about, it is
necessary to understand what the student thinks the document is for. This needs to be
brought up so the student understands that this is a conversation tool as opposed to another
“emotions in school” worksheet that is based on completion as opposed to content.
2.
Why are you here now? Why are you at this school as opposed to another?
This is a great way to let the student vent feelings, and it gives you a good idea about the
student if you pay attention. Look for clues like problems with teachers, social problems,
efficiency/content, etc. Try to make this school all that school never was by understanding
past problems.
3.
What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness? This is the essential part of
what this is all about.
4.
Why is that your greatest strength/weakness? This is a catalyst for more conversation on
question #3 for the shyer, confused student. It gives you the ability to harness the power
and work on the weaker situation.
5.
Describe a situation in which you were the most/least successful. Why? The “Why,” just
like the one above, is a way to let the student see what it takes to be both successful and
unsuccessful.
6.
Do you think there is a problem in school right not or at home or with something else? If so,
what and why? This should cover all the different topics that this whole process is
essentially about.
7.
How can we fix this? THIS IS OUR GOAL! PLEASE KEEP IT REAL!!!
Solution-Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty-First Century