School for Design & Technology
Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School
Los Angeles Unified School District
School for Design & Technology
Proposal for a Small Learning Community on the
campus of Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School
LAUSD District 4
Lead Teacher:
Russell Copley (Theatre Arts): M.A. University College Dublin, Ireland.
Co-Designing Team:
Brent Beaty (Social Studies): M.A. CSULA
Elizabeth Clark (English Language Arts): B.A. Pitzer College.
Mark Flatley (Mathematics): M.S. University of Illinois.
Larry Kronish (English Language Arts): B.A. U.C.S.B.
W. Andrew Lord, (Science): M.A., Occidental College, M.Ed. U.C.L.A.
Jonathan Malmed (English Language Arts): B.A. Kenyon College: Gambier, Ohio.
Patricia Winters (English Language Arts): B.A., CLAD. C.S.U.L.A.
1.
Unified Vision
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School for Design & Technology
Our fundamental purpose and what we intend to achieve as a School for Design & Technology is
as follows: Our dedicated team of both newer and more experienced teachers will truly
collaborate on developing curricula, best practices and on addressing individual students and
their needs across and between all classes and grades. This will enable us to best satisfy and go
beyond A-G requirements, and meet and exceed rigorous standards, so that we best educate and
prepare our students, whatever their abilities and challenges, for life, work and school after
graduation. Our teaching methods and our students’ learning will be project-based and studentcentered. We will use technology and media across subject disciplines in both traditional and
novel ways so that students feel more connected to the work they’re doing, take pride in doing it
well, and maximize their learning.
All our students will improve in fundamental skills, their ability to use technology and media,
and grow in creativity and imagination. All our students will have opportunities to do more than
they thought they could and to participate in the life and work of our Small Learning Community
(SLC). Students will see how all they study is connected and part of a larger pattern of
knowledge and understanding which requires the same skills, and imagination, for all their
classes, and for life outside their classes. Our teaching will be a combination of coordinated
projects and methods, and freedom for each individual teacher to develop their own style, voice
and study units. Our watchwords will be hard work, curiosity, personal responsibility, excellence
and fun.
The dual themes of “Design and Technology” will appeal to a variety of students, including
students interested in the application of design to technology or the use of technological tools for
design. It will also attract students whose interests are more specific to design, such graphic
design or stage design. Some students may have general technical or science interests or they
may be interested in specific technologies, such as cutting edge computer applications,
programming languages or audio video/media technologies.
The School of Design & Technology will offer several elective courses specific to the subjects
above. Importantly, it will also offer a rigorous core curriculum that provides a solid prerequisite
foundation to students who plan on pursuing a technical or design oriented college path. Students
who plan a career in computer science or engineering, with or without a design emphasis, will
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require a strong mathematics and science foundation. Often high school students do not as yet
have specific higher education or career plans, but they and their parents know that by having a
strong mathematics and science foundation, and by being technologically savvy they will have
numerous interesting options as they continue their studies in college, and in preparation for a
twenty-first century career.
We will connect our students and their studies to the world outside of high school for education,
careers, avocation, through partnerships and involvement with business, artistic and educational
groups. Ongoing partnerships already exist with Occidental College, Los Angeles Philharmonic,
Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Opera, Shaffner Stewart Production Design, Cornerstone
Theatre, UCLA Department of World and Cultures and Worldstrides USA. The internships
completed by students over the last three years have shown that the more practical and
meaningful real world opportunities students have to do their assigned work as well as pursue
what they are interested in, the more they will truly learn. Our goal is to expand collaborative
partnerships with businesses in the fields of scientific research, engineering and architecture.
The School for Design & Technology has just received a $1 million grant from the LAUSD
School Board in recognition of the great achievements made in our community arts
involvements. These funds will be applied to new technology in the auditorium.
Because parents are a critical part of the learning team, we will provide more regular
communication with parents, as well as offer them opportunities to become more familiar with
and participate in their children’s studies.
We will succeed because we have the time as part of the regular school day on a weekly basis to
talk to each other about our work and about our students. This is because we have the flexibility
to develop our own schedule within the larger school matrix. In addition, our professional
development will be SLC centered to focus on what we need to do our best and to get the best
from our students. Because we will have the freedom and autonomy, and the support and
resources, to try things, evaluate them over time, and change or correct them as needed.
Our SLC will have the reputation of a demanding and exciting place to teach and learn, where
the teachers are committed and passionate and the students have real opportunities to learn and
excel both in what they are required to do and what they want to do. This will foster an
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environment where teachers and students value and respect each other and work together to
make something good in the world and of themselves. By summer of 2007 we will have a
finished proposal. By summer of 2008 we will have a working plan, a finalized team and an
assigned group of students. We will begin full implementation and activity of the SLC in the fall
of 2008.
2.
Identity
The School for Design & Technology differs from other SLCs in that it is specifically geared
toward development of academic skills in the arts and sciences using design and technology as
preparation for the post-secondary and professional world. All faculty members in the SLC will
share common instructional procedures that will include but not be limited to the use of
culturally relevant content, the development of skills useful in the post-secondary world, the use
of teaching strategies that address multiple learning styles, the use of technology as an end in
itself and as a means toward gaining broader content knowledge, and the use of student-centered,
project-based, inter-subject curricula. Disciplinary strategies will be uniform throughout the SLC
utilizing agreed upon standards and procedures by the SLC faculty that are in alignment with
LAUSD grade-level content standards and used at each instructor’s discretion. The more
intimate quality of the SLC will allow for more effective academic and behavioral intervention
by the SLC staff. Decision-making within the SLC will be made democratically with an elected
leader communicating with Administrators on behalf of the entire academy.
The School of Design & Technology will have an environment where all disciplines will feel
accessible to students both in concept and physical space. There will be a multitude of
opportunities for students to use technology to advance their knowledge including computer
equipment, audio-visual apparatus, lighting equipment, photography, scientific research
apparatus, and any new technology deemed necessary by the SLC faculty for advancement of
student learning and application to the post-secondary world. Due to the disciplinary diversity
and collaborative nature of the SLC’s curriculum, students will be able to develop a sense of the
interwoven nature of all academic subjects. Whereas earlier, certain academic subjects may have
felt foreign or “too difficult” for students, this SLC will promote an ease of maneuverability
through different disciplines: a student who before was only successful in English will find the
ability to perform well in Math, too. This shift occurs when peer mentoring is used as an
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instructional strategy, as students lower their affective filter due to finding a consistent
cooperative learning environment and view their peers as partners.
All core subjects will be covered by the SLC with rigorous standard-based curriculum,
instruction, and assessment that are in alignment with LAUSD Instructional Guides but also
incorporate the spirit of the SLC. It will be preferred that students in the SLC spend at least 2/3
of their school day in classes within the academy so that these goals can be met. Overall, there
will be an SLC-wide emphasis on the Theatre Arts because of that discipline’s incorporation of
multiple skills and learning styles, the accessibility to students with disabilities, and the variety
of technological equipment that can be used. Theatre arts can be addressed in several elective
and core classes within the structure of the standards-based curriculum. For example, visual art
projects can be created with an emphasis on eventual presentation, Mathematics classes can
apply numerical concepts to stage design and any area where mathematical planning is
necessary, social science courses can conduct research and develop projects in a variety of
presentational mediums, music classes can be used in theatrical production, scientific research
can be presented in dynamic ways via documentary or other audio-visual presentations. Faculty
across disciplines will work together to apply the skills taught in their individual classes to
projects based in the collaborative world of theatre arts. Elective courses in a full variety of
disciplines with an emphasis on project production will be offered from the beginning of
student’s entrance into the SLC in 10th grade. Once school-wide core requirements have been
met, more elective courses will be available as the approximately 450 students of the SLC reach
11th and 12th grade.
Students will understand the SLC’s unique focus on the marriage of arts and sciences through the
use of design and technology as preparation for the post-secondary world. Hard work, curiosity,
personal, responsibility and fun will be promoted in the process of reaching these goals. During a
student’s ninth grade year, before their entry into the SLC, letters will be sent to parents and
assemblies will be held for the sake of communicating the vision and teaching philosophy of the
School of Design and Technology. Students who express a direct interest will gain entry. If the
SLC receives an overload of interest, entry will be granted based on an understanding of the
necessity of equal access to all SLCs across the campus. Our SLC will show diversity along
socio-economic, ethnic, and academic performance lines. Upon entry into the SLC, at the start of
student’s 10th grade year, every instructor will introduce their course by re-articulating the
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academy’s ideals and engaging classes in student-centered projects that address its vision. Any
early confusion about the academy’s mission will be quickly clarified due to this constant
promotion and early application of its ideals via student activities. Award ceremonies will
emphasize the values of the SLC throughout the school year recognizing students who
demonstrate success in these areas.
Contact will be made to the Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, and broader businesses and community
organizations about the goals of the SLC so that educational and professional opportunities can
be created and implemented into the curriculum. Our SLC will promote a simple yet meaningful
motto that will celebrate our vision. It will be chosen by students through collaborative debate
and used for easy understanding. T-shirts will be produced in order to take personal ownership of
our identity. In this manner, the vision of the SLC will be easily and clearly communicated to
students, parents, administrators, and the post-secondary and professional community at large.
3.
Standards-Based Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Evidence for lack of student success comes from a variety of sources. Our drop- out rate,
although low compared to many other schools, continues to be a problem in need of a solution.
We have an unacceptable number of students failing in critical academic classes such as algebra.
Our summer school enrollment of nearly 1500 students (50% of our student body), most of
whom are repeating classes to improve their grades, is another indicator that our curriculum may
not be meeting student needs.
In our 2006 WASC Accreditation process a student survey indicated that many of the incoming
9th graders from Irving and Burbank Middle School have trouble assimilating into the existing
student body. Additional lack of success comes from classroom evidence that the college-bound
track may not be the most appropriate career pathway for some of our students and that they
would benefit from an increase in vocational education course offerings that would provide for
them opportunities to acquire post-secondary job force skills. Lack of success is also seen in the
annual CST data that illuminate a significant disparity in scores between our socioeconomic
subgroups.
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On the positive side there are a number of things currently being done to address some of the
aforementioned student success issues. A variety of programs are in place and aimed at the 9th
grade issues, including the establishment of the 9th grade SLC. Tutoring is being offered in most
subjects.
Our GEAR-UP program has increased overall student awareness and academic
readiness for college. The AVID program introduces and reinforces specific college prep skills.
We have a drop out prevention program and a school PSA worker that help keep students in
school. Lack of student success is currently being addressed through tutoring, summer school
class offerings, counseling by individual teachers and support personnel and individualized
instruction. Many teachers are beginning to address non-college career paths in their curricula.
Unfortunately, though, there is no way to tell if any of the individual 9th grade programs are
working. Tutoring programs are largely ineffective because they are voluntary and, in most
cases, more like a study hall than tutoring. There is a general lack of parent involvement,
especially with respect to the parents of at-risk students. Although we use multiple modes of
communication between school and home, there continues to be a problem in this area. Our
biggest challenge is that there may be no way to fix many of the systemic problems without
changing the culture of all stakeholders within the school, especially parents.
Evidence that students are being successful comes from a variety of sources as well. For the
most part, our students enjoy coming to school, which is shown by a consistent high attendance
rate. Our top seniors are accepted to some of the finest academic schools in the country, in part
because of our very strong college-going culture. Our API ranks in the top four schools in
LAUSD and compares only with specialized magnet high schools. Marshall High School, the
local district school with scores closest to ours, has an API that is 60 points lower.
ERHS also shows student success in its strong extracurricular programs. The Eagle Rock Stage
opens plays that draw full houses and involve a wide variety of students including those with
special needs. Our award-winning jazz program has both big bands and combos that regularly
perform at prestigious venues locally, nationally and internationally. Our long-running tradition
of Battle of the Bands offers an opportunity for many marginalized students to participate in our
school life and culture. Our sports programs consistently rank in the top of our league and have
experienced success at the conference and city level of competition. We also have a number of
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service-oriented clubs that have expanding memberships and participate in numerous community
projects.
In order to address existing problems with curriculum and instruction requires more culturally
relevant content in our courses. We need to include more experiential learning that has specific
job skills and career applications.
We will design interdisciplinary curricula that include
collaborative student-centered projects involving real-world technology.
We will create a
professional learning community that shares best practices and is based upon true collaboration
throughout and beyond the classroom.
We need personnel that are passionate about teaching the “whole child” and committed to true
collaboration. To succeed we need time to collaborate—through common conference periods
and a bell schedule that permits weekly collaboration of the entire team. We need the freedom
within our areas of expertise to pursue creative strategies and experiment with novel approaches
to persistent problems.
We will institute professional development that includes monthly
meetings of the entire team. More resources are necessary to take our SLC from the hypothetical
to reality. We can provide some of this by actively pursuing grant monies to supplement the
subsistence funding provided by the district and state. Student success will be measured in a
variety of ways, including: completion of student “media portfolios,” periodic assessments in
core classes, an increase in graduation rates and a decrease in dropout rates, college placement,
demonstration of student learning through multimedia performances and completion of a
employability skills resume prior to graduation.
Our success as a Professional Learning Community will be evidenced by the implementation of
interdisciplinary projects, curricular evidence of interdisciplinary lessons, instruction that is
connected to collaborative learning with off-campus institutions, such as college and business
partners. Our success as a Small Learning Community will be measured by the viability of
programs unique to the SLC, the teacher turnover and emigration rates and the number of student
requests for our SLC.
In addition to the traditional formative assessments throughout and summative assessments at the
end of the semester, we will evaluate student progress through performance-based assessments
and authentic skills-based analyses. In other words, students will have to demonstrate that they
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not only understand the standards-based material, but can meaningfully apply that understanding
in practical situations and in using technical skills.
Our overall philosophy toward teaching and learning is that our kids have fun as they learn, and
seek knowledge relevant to their daily lives. We want them to find joy in the pursuit of
knowledge and we want to create opportunities for them to learn without knowing that they are
doing so. We want our classes to be characterized by experiential hands-on learning and we
want our students to be proud of the products of their efforts. We will introduce class activities,
projects and lessons that enable us to be creative and collaborative. We will use design and
technology as the media through which we facilitate both teaching and learning.
We will continue to base our core academic class instruction on the California State Standards.
We plan to find areas of overlap between disciplines that can be used as the foundation for our
collaborative instruction and student projects. As we have done in the past we will work closely
with grade level expert counselors and instructors to ensure our course offerings are aligned with
both A-G and graduation requirements. We will extend learning beyond the school day by
involving students in projects throughout the year that are interdisciplinary and real world
applicable. By involving students in rigorous projects and interesting tasks that are oriented
toward design and technology, we create life-long learners and bridge the gap between
“classwork” and “homework”.
We plan to encourage best instruction practice through the collaboration we design into our
professional development plan. Only through opportunities to share our collective expertise will
we be able to grow as a professional learning community. In our SLC we define rigor as
curricula that fosters deep understanding, connects previous knowledge to current study,
improves problem-solving skills, provides practical applications and stimulates reflective
learning.
4.
Equity and Access
Every student will participate in a rigorous quality curriculum that is culturally relevant and
linguistically responsive to their unique learning needs, thereby eliminating achievement gaps
between groups of students and supporting the schools in eliminating the proficiency gap. The
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first step most students take when determining their educational futures begins in the counseling
office with a counselor. Our SLC will continue to work with counselors in planning the best
academic course for students. As the population of the SLC becomes permanent, a survey of
students, parents, and teachers will be administered annually to determine future class offerings,
as long as A-G requirements are satisfied. Our SLC will review data (CST, CAPA, AP, et. al.) to
further fine tune course offerings. Department chairs, Special Education coordinators, the AP
Coordinator, the Testing coordinator and lead teachers will work in tandem with the SLC
administrator to disaggregate and disseminate this data. Students who need extra intervention
will be identified by this process and assigned to appropriate classes. Students needing
intervention will have less choice than those who do not.
Students remain with the same counselor from their 9th grade year until graduation. Students and
counselors form lasting bonds and can work closely together toward a successful graduation.
Counselors have a detailed plan for each child and know what each student needs in order to
graduate. Counselors can suggest a variety of options for students while still allowing them to
satisfy their graduation requirements.
This will not limit electives and students’ choices.
Teachers and counselors can work in tandem to keep tabs on students who need extra attention
throughout the year. It becomes important that students take an active role in their classes, which
will eliminate the past issue of students falling through the cracks. The class matrix will balance
the needs of the students with the expertise of the teachers. Most teachers will teach two grade
levels, depending on the size of the grades and the needs of the students. Some intervention
classes may have to be passported out of the SLC.
Eagle Rock High School has an “AP Fair” for students to express interest and intent to
participate in AP classes the following year. The purpose of the AP Fair is to let students know
what is available and learn about the various classes by attending AP presentations given by the
respective teachers. Students also make decisions based on information from counselors. Most
importantly, students make their AP choices based on personal interest, aptitude, parental input,
suggestions from peers as to the “best” classes. We will create the support network that will
assist otherwise qualified students who may not have the same parent, peer, counselor and
teacher support network. While feeder Junior High schools may not emphasize AP choices, we
will. All AP and advanced/honors courses will be accessible by all students in all Small
Learning Communities. Students wishing to participate in these courses will have a “passport”
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out of their SLC. Physical Education and elective courses are also passport classes, unless they
are integral to the vision of a particular SLC.
Eagle Rock extracurricular activities such as sports, performing arts are highly successful and
attract much interest and involvement. Tryouts are held and classes are offered that support these
activities. Because we have such diverse activities these include the greatest number of students
and tend to breakdown the cliques that may form.
The goal of our SLC is to offer a rigorous, creative, and fun program, which the students,
parents, teachers and will continue to implement and shape. This will allow us to offer
interdisciplinary opportunity for all kids regardless of physical and academic limitations. We
intend to offer career pathways and student centered project based instruction.
Students and parents will participate in an “SLC Choice Fair” after seeing individual
presentations given by SLC teachers. The fair will be advertised through classroom
announcements, bulletin notices, letters home, school wide meetings in the auditorium, Sprintel
messages to parents, school committee meetings. Our SLC will design a unique brochure
detailing the classes offered and the SLC focus. This brochure will be distributed at the SLC
Choice Fair, as well as mailed to every parent. Our SLC will maintain open seats equal to one
quarter of new, transferring and undecided students. All four 10th through 12th SLCs will adhere
to this requirement to maintain fair access. In addition, students wishing to switch from one SLC
to another will be allowed to do so at the end of the school year. They must apply, and be
accepted, to another SLC before a switch can be made. Students who do not make a choice as to
their SLC preferences will be randomly assigned to an SLC.
5.
Personalization
Personalization will help all students; parents, teachers and staff form unique communities,
which will allow all participants, become more connected to each other, the school and the SLC.
An adult via coordinated discussions between teachers, counselors and parents will know every
student in the SLC. This coordinated effort also allows the student to fully plan and develop
within the SLC so that interests, personal identity and goal setting fits into, and is part of, the
overall SLC curriculum.
To initially aid teachers, counselors and administration in this
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objective, all students will be given a questionnaire after acceptance into the SLC.
This
questionnaire will help students focus on personal goals (within the SLC and beyond), help
direct student learning and allow all involved to develop an introductory relationship. In turn,
students and parents will receive a brochure from each teacher in the SLC that personalizes the
instructor, clarifies classroom goals, identifies focus areas, and facilitates a personal relationship.
In addition and prior to the next school year, students will receive a catalog of the teachers
participating in the SLC, their specializations and classes being offered. All class listings will
have a short description so that students may choose the areas that are central to their
personalized educational requirements. Students, parents, grade counselors and administration
will have a copy of the introductory questionnaire and each year goals will be reviewed, and if
necessary, updated to reflect student growth.
To further improve communication between all participants in the SLC, the faculty of the SLC
will meet weekly during a prescribed time period incorporated into the weekly schedule to
address concerns of curriculum, SLC vision, and student’s academic and personal needs so that
formal SLC communication can be addressed. Although each faculty member has freedom to
communicate with students and parents on their own schedule, the smaller intervention teams
within the SLC will have formal communication via mail, telephone, or school-site conference
for students that are at-risk both personally and academically. Though a single teacher’s contact
with parents is an effective tool for personal and academic intervention, the team approach this
SLC will provide for each student increases the personal contact that parents appreciate for their
children and will translate into greater academic success.
Each semester, an SLC awards
ceremony will be given where students that demonstrate high academic and behavioral standards
are recognized. All parents will be invited. During Student Led Conference evenings, the School
for Design & Technology faculty will meet in common areas so that parents and students will
gain a sense of the learning environment and easily communicate with their children’s multiple
teachers.
In general, our belief is the smaller and more collaborative nature of this SLC will provide
parents with a more accessible faculty and a greater capability of monitoring their children’s
progress. Students will similarly have a more manageable experience through high school with
smaller set of teachers and the awareness that there is a better communication between parents
and teachers. The focus on development of skills that are applicable to the community outside
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high school will enable students to see more easily the necessity of the concepts and skills they
are learning and will, thus provide for a greater overall motivation. Under such circumstances,
academic and personal standards are expected to improve dramatically.
Within the SLC, after school tutoring will be promoted to assist at-risk students within itself. All
core subjects will be addressed and assistance for electives and courses outside the core will be
sought when necessary. Aside from the campus-wide Student Success team meetings and
Individual Education Programs, SLC intervention teams will be set up that consist of smaller
more personalized faculty teams of 4-5 teachers with common student rosters who will meet
during a prescribed period in the weekly schedule to monitor and assess student’s academic and
personal needs. The entire SLC will meet on monthly basis at a prescribed period during the
school day and during campus-wide Professional Development meetings so that SLC-wide
intervention procedures can be assessed. Due to the more personalized nature of the SLC, this
team will be able to provide a more personalized and effective intervention because it will
consist of faculty that have already had experience with students. Parents, counselors,
paraprofessionals, nurses, and psychologists will all have the option and an open invitation to be
involved in the Academy’s intervention teams.
In general, the School for Design & Technology will use the school wide intervention programs
as a resource but the more local version will be set up to provide the personal intervention that is
the intended advantage of a Small Learning Community.
For the benefit of all students, the School for Design & Technology faculty will work together to
share strategies that address all learning styles and, in general, use an approach that incorporates
student’s own personal experience and apply it to the development of technological/design skills.
Where our SLC’s vision is the application of arts and sciences toward the development of design
and application of technology, student’s personal experience will be utilized in the development
of these skills. For example, in an English class, personal journals can be turned into formal
persuasive, expositional or analytical essays addressing particular issues. These essays can be
transformed into a news broadcast or video documentary. In a drama class, the same journal
might be developed into a script for the stage or short film. In an art class, a sketch of a personal
item can be transformed into a digital image on a computer. In a math class, measurements can
be applied to the development of architectural design. Statistics can also be utilized toward an
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understanding of a local real estate market. Overall, classroom activities will be developed with
an eye toward practical application in the community. These curricular concepts will be
addressed and clarified by the SLC faculty and implemented with full participation across
departments so that there is an overall sense of development of technological and design skills
and how they can be used in post secondary education and the professional world.
To insure individual success in our efforts, students will be exposed to a varied curriculum that
will allow them to become self-aware, which will lead to a personal specialization in a particular
career pathway including: performing arts, visual arts, or technical arts. Because the SLC has a
three-year flexible course study that meets A-G requirements, this personalized program will
allow for individual expression. Students will be prepared for acceptance in the UC, Cal State,
Junior College or Trade Tech universities and colleges. This will contribute to a long term and
sustainable plan that perpetuates personal growth and relationships during the years the students
is a part of the SLC (10th-12th grade). During junior and senior years, post secondary academic
and career goals will be given special importance by the grade counselors and on-site college
advisor. In one-on-one meetings, students will reflect on what they have accomplished and
clarify post graduation goals so that they are able to realize individual ambitions. For those
students intending post secondary education, the SLC will establish relationships with local
statewide and national 2 year, 4 year and technical colleges.
From this spring of 2007, through the summer, and the entire school year of 2007-2008, the SLC
will solidify the vision and implement the concepts that will make our SLC successful. We will
need to meet throughout Professional Development days to clarify cross-curricular ideas,
organize community outreach programs, and develop academic and behavioral standards.
Administrators will be kept apprised of our progress and support will be sought out when
needed. At the present time, administrators will ensure that the faculty within the SLC will have
a weekly period apart from any common conference periods to meet for development and
implementation of the SLC for the 2008-2009 school year.
6.
Accountability and Distributed Leadership
All members of our academy will work collaboratively to plan and strategize in order to meet our
vision goals. Common planning time and autonomy are essential in the facilitation of this level
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of communication and cooperation. Our team elected a committed and responsible Lead Teacher,
who serves as an intermediary between the administration, district representatives, other SLCs
and our interdisciplinary teaching team. The assistant principal assigned to our SLC will
supervise all instructional and support staff involved in the implementation of the SLC.
Counselors, deans, librarians and other support staff will maintain their current roles to provide
consistency for students amid great amounts of change. A committee including lead teachers,
administration, parents, students and business and/or college partners will be formed and meet
monthly to discuss and decide on issues of student achievement, all business matters, and other
concerns for our academy.
While we believe in honoring and preserving the community spirit currently present on the
ERHS campus, we will distinguish our academy with a branding motto and logo. In addition, we
will create a student-run academy website and monthly newsletter. The web site and newsletter
will serve as a bridge in communication between the academy and the community. It will
include decisions made by the committee regarding the academy, school events, job
opportunities or internships in career pathways, student achievement, and other community
announcements or advertisements. The website will also serve as a link for teacher class pages,
which can be created and maintained by students.
publication of student work.
Teacher pages also offer a place for
Although students will still have access to all school-wide
activities, our students will also participate in and present activities and performances to the
entire student body. These activities and performances will represent a spirit unique to our
academy.
In order to fully realize our vision of a truly collaborative spirit, all academy teachers will meet
on a weekly basis to plan and evaluate interdisciplinary projects, develop interdisciplinary
curriculum, analyze and assess data, re-evaluate and alter lessons accordingly. Weekly meetings
will also include planning for end of the year special events, shows and performances of student
work, and discussion of any other academy issues or concerns. Each member of our academy
has a dedicated, hard working and creative work ethic, which serves as an inspiring model for
our students, as well as to other team members. All members are responsible educators who are
continually aspiring to challenge themselves, their colleagues, and their students. Members will
model inspiring behavior by participating in meaningful professional development, generating
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fresh and interesting approaches to old curriculum and always remaining open to new ideas from
within or without our SLC.
At the end of each semester, all SLC members will meet to discuss concerns about the
effectiveness of the academy plan, student achievement, attendance, curriculum integration,
student conduct and programming, and any other unforeseen issues, as well as develop strategies
to solve or circumvent these or other potential issues in the future. Again, our SLC will be
forthcoming with both the success and concerns of our students, their parents and the
community. We will develop ways in which students; parents and our community and career
partners can help us in achieving our goals.
7.
Collaboration, Parent and Community Engagement
The School for Design & Technology will engage and communicate with the families of students
in a variety of ways. These range from face to face meetings such as Back to School Night,
student
led
parent
conferences
and
Multi-teacher
parent
conferences.
Electronic
communications will be encouraged by use of email. A collaborative website will be a portal
through which parents and students can get updates on important information regarding student
achievement. A career fair will be arranged once a year bringing business and educational
institutes to our campus, providing career-building opportunities for students and parents.
Students, parents and the community at large will be able to attend, volunteer services, provide
sponsorship and mentor technical assistance in theatrical productions.
Programs, events and structures will be implemented to get and keep families involved with the
school. Parents will be represented on a three-tier leadership system.
The Intervention
Committee will include parents committed to finding strategies for at risk students, event
supervision, and one on one counseling. Our SLC Advisory Council will be comprised of
students, parents, alumni, teachers and industry professionals. The Advisory Council will advise
on professional development, establishing internships for students, budget issues, event planning
and liaise with elected community representatives. The third tier of parent participation will be
as elected members of the School Site Council (SSC). They will influence school policy and
share a voice with other parents from different smaller learning communities. Parents will
therefore have a say in school governance and decision-making. They will have access and give
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School for Design & Technology
feedback to the administration on a regular, structured basis. Parents will be able to access the
SLC office as well as the general Parent Center that is already available to the rest of the campus.
These programs and structures are designed to show respect for the families and the community
they come from. Racial tolerance will be part and parcel of every student’s education and
orientation. Parents from diverse cultural origins will be represented. The School for Design &
Technology will focus on multiculturalism as the overarching unifying theme that underlines its
approach to instruction. Diverse cultures will be celebrated, whether coinciding with calendar
dates that honor heroes, or more emphatically through theme-based projects that explore
diversity and tolerance. This will extend to the production of artistic and cultural events on the
school site.
We will handle the language barrier that frequently exists between non-bilingual teachers and
parents. All our teachers are either CLAD qualified, or presently in a program of study that
prepares them for accommodating English Language Learners. Staffing budgets will address
bilingual teacher’s aides in classes where students are not proficient in English. A tutoring
program will be established to reinforce instruction and parent involvement in the tutoring
program will facilitate strong two-way communication across the language barrier.
Our
emphasis on close parental proximity to the classroom will encourage parents to be partners in
their children’s educational plans and individualized graduation plans. Parents will be able to
have a one on one interview with either or both of their child’s counselor and the college
counselor on a per semester basis.
Parents will have a right to know why their child is
eligible/non eligible for certain courses of study.
Parents will be encouraged to advance their own knowledge, both as an individual and as a
parent by being partners in their child’s education. The School for Design & Technology will
encourage parents to further their own skills and education. We will provide parents with
information to colleges and junior colleges. Parent swill have access to our website that will
keep them informed of instructional objectives on a day-to-day basis.
The SLC will form lasting collaborative partnerships with industry professionals and institutions.
For example, through our existing theatre program students have developed technical and artistic
skills through the hands on training they get through internships at leading theatres, experiences
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School for Design & Technology
at summer camps, and service learning opportunities at professional companies. Students’
personal and professional growth has been influenced by inter-cultural exchanges at local,
citywide and international levels with students and professionals outside of their routine socioeconomic environment. These off campus experiences are already equally complimented by
weekend cross age service learning mentoring from entertainment industry professionals on
campus.
Students have developed industry standard technical skills as they form close
professional relationships with our adult mentors. This has been the model of a workplace
environment, particularly during our six-hour Saturday workshops.
This existing model will be developed to include students with other design and technology
projects. They will participate in the real-world experience of planning and production, where
experts provide the instruction. Alumni will serve as the SLC’s mentors and this will begin a
whole new phase of college-based leadership in our small learning community. These
partnerships with community members, employers and postsecondary institutions will support
and benefit the students academically, socially and personally.
8.
Professional Development
As a newly formed Small Learning Community, The School for Design & Technology is
committed to the necessary professional development that will enable the transitional period of
2007 - 2009 to be as successful as possible. The teachers within the SLC bring a variety of
complementary strengths to the group as well as a desire to work together and support each other
as a team to achieve the school’s goals.
The professional development that occurs at the School for Design & Technology is focused on
finding ways to improve our practices and in turn improve student achievement, and student
experiences, while leveraging all of the “small school” advantages that the SLC concept makes
possible. The collaborative environment that defines our SLC is well suited to these goals. It has
an altered schedule that allows the entire faculty to meet once a week for general school
business, and for ongoing collaborative projects planning, as well as vertical team planning
within the small academic departments. After school meetings occurs once a month, for more
extensive group analysis and planning. Vertical team professional development (PD) time is
focused on aligning instruction with standards, and for the sharing of ideas and results of new,
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School for Design & Technology
experimental, or ongoing strategies. Vertical teams also focus “articulation” of content to a
course from its prerequisite, and on assessment and analysis of data. Data driven analysis and
planning allows for identification of standards that need to be better addressed, and for
determining which strategies are most effective, and for defining future PD topics. Analysis of
data is used to assess the effectiveness of large intervention efforts such as Saturday tutoring
programs that are implemented for all of ERHS.
Cross discipline PD time is focused on development of collaborative projects and on finding
common or concurrent themes or “threads” that can be addressed from different subjects and
thus different perspectives. These include but are not limited to themes pertaining to our school’s
focus on design and technology. Collaborative projects help students and teachers to make
connections between subjects as well as connections to the “outside world.”
Teachers also help each other across disciplines to find new ways to engage students. We
identify those teachers within The School for Design & Technology who have demonstrated the
most success involving and engaging students in their subject, and focus some of our staff
development around the sharing of their practices. The SLC is a democracy, so any teacher with
a good idea for a professional development focus is also free to bring it up and we vote whether
and when such a PD meeting will occur.
The entire faculty of the SLC is engaged in an ongoing discussion to refine our vision of how
“design meets technology” and how we might improve the ways that our school reflects our
vision. How can we better address our themes of design and technology? Student and parent
feedback are an integral part of this discussion. For example, if there is a “demand” for certain
electives that pertain to our Design & Technology themes, then we will explore adding such
courses to our course list.
While our PD will be aligned with central and district school improvement goals, we plan to
spend most of our PD time on our own autonomous planning as described above. By working
together as a “professional community of practice” we will achieve our SLC goals as well as the
more global, site-specific goals as set forth in the ERHS “Single Site Plan.”
Our current highest priority categories for professional development are:
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School for Design & Technology
a. Curriculum Planning:

Vertical teaming to prepare students to meet future standards based requirements and for
data driven planning of instruction.

Cross disciple planning. Finding projects and cross discipline lessons
to help students
make meaningful connections.

Ongoing definition of the School for Design and Technology vision and curriculum.

Exploration of ways to better personalizes instruction.
b. Best Practices:
9.

Reciprocal Teaching/ Collaborative learning/ Group projects

Discipline and Classroom Management
Concluding Statement
As the design team for the School of Design & Technology, we wish to state our determination in
making this proposal become a reality. Design Team members represent all core content areas of
instruction. We believe we have a unique opportunity to combine our focused energies in
making our Small Learning Community a beacon of student involvement and academic
achievement. Our members will spare no effort in addressing all the educational needs of
students incorporating all modalities of learning. Students will graduate from our school career
and college bound, as proud ambassadors of the North East Los Angeles community.
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Appendices (Statements of partnership with the School for Design & Technology)
a.
LA Opera
b.
Center Theatre Group
c.
Shaffner Stewart Production Design
d.
Occidental College – Center for Community Based Learning
e.
Student Voice – Emily Hong
f.
Humane Society of Louisiana
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