Great School Don’t Just Happen
It doesn’t matter which school official you talk to in the surrounding school districts, every school in the area has its strengths and weaknesses. For some athletics is the leading force, for others it is academics and the arts that students and parents take extreme pride in. Many schools are overcrowded making it difficult for teachers to teach. So, what make a great school great? This article shares some points of interest to consider when one attempts to make this decision about a school.
Teachers and Staff
Schools that have have a professional staff, passionate ready to meet the challenge of educating today’s young people make a school great. When teachers go beyond the requirements of No Child Left Behind Legislation, Assessments, and the daily paperwork of education in the 21st Century by creating up-to-date curriculum, programing and initiative to meet the needs of failing students, a great school is formed.
The Students
Great schools do not teach subjects, they teach kids. Great schools allow students to be a part of the education process. great schools allow student to play a leadership role in the development and ownership of school climate, spirit and atmosphere.
The Parents
Great schools have involved parents. School that have 85-95% of their parents attending school conferences are great school. School that have parent volunteer opportunities are great schools. Parents who can schedule an appointment, tour, meet with teachers, counselors and administrators are great schools.
The Community
The community that surrounds a school have the ability to become a positive or negative force when it come to school support. Local business, government agencies, private foundations, daycare centers, churches and other community organizations play a huge role in the success or failure of a school.
What Makes a Good School a Great School?
It is the people of a school district. It is the staff, students, parents and community that consistently make the effort to improve the school district.
The National Education Association, the largest teachers’ organization in the United States, published 35 educational outcomes. Those outcomes play a direct role in transforming a good school into a great school. Those outcomes include:
1. Commitment to long-range, continuous improvement–parents and school
employees
2. Commitment to long-range, continuous improvement–central and building
administration
3. Clear, explicit goals
Involvement of all school-community groups in improving education
4. Everyone must be involved in improving education. This includes
teachers, educational support personnel, parents, administrators, students,
the school board, district administrators, and civic groups
Belief that all students can achieve under the right conditions
5. Teachers, ESP, students, and parents believe that all students can learn
6. School district administration and school boards believe that all
students can learn
7. Adequate space
8. Adequate supplies
9. Adequate support services
10. Psychological and social work services are available
11. The school is an overall learning environment for employees and students
Barriers are identified and removed
12. Specific barriers are sought
13. General willingness to remove barriers
14. Efforts to remove barriers by educational personnel
15. Efforts to remove barriers by students and parents
16. Efforts to remove barriers by administration
Barriers removed through a cooperative problem solving process
17. Using cooperative, collaborative (not top-down or bottom-up) processes
Daily assessment of students for improvement
18. By teachers
19. By administrators
Using:
20. Teacher-made tests
21. Oral classroom assessment
22. Exhibitions for assessment
23. Student background for assessment
Consistent assessment of programs, not individuals
24. Use of program assessment
25. Use of teacher ratings of program quality
Use of assessment results for decisionmaking
26. Assessment results are actually used, and school and classroom decisions
of teachers and administrators are based on how well programs and behaviors
accomplish goals
Selection of materials/resources based on quality and appropriateness
27. Selecting materials based on quality
28. Selecting materials based on appropriateness to students
29. Not selecting materials based on cost
Ongoing, consistent staff development
30. On decisionmaking skills (data collection, analysis, assessment),
problem solving skills, leadership skills, and communication skills
31. Is an ongoing, high-quality, state-of-the-art, practical experience for
all school employees
Two-way, non-threatening communication
32. Communication with school administrators
33. Communication with district administration
34. Communication with teachers
35. A climate for innovation
Great schools don’t just happen. The school staff, students parents and community members all play an important role in forming and sustaining a school labeled “great!”
