National School Reform Faculty

A Tone of Decency
Date: November 9 - December 7, 2004
Listserv: Coaches

Tuesday, November 9, 2004 11:44 AM
Dear Colleagues,
I am currently working with a new high school (145 students, 38 10th, the rest 9th; public charter; south LA; brand new school building; students by lottery from inside LAUSD; 64% Latino; 36% African American; partnering with Cal State Univ, LA on Gates' Early College; high parent interest/involvement; talented, professional teachers).

We are inviting parents, students, faculty, and professors to set the agenda for purposefully building our culture. I welcome any and all ideas, experiences, cautions, and advice to help us start our journey toward building shared understandings for an exciting, effective educational environment.
Juli, CA

Tuesday, November 9, 2004 4:23 PM
Linda Christensen's Reading Writing and Rising Up provides incredible conversation entry points - particularly "What's in a name" and "Where I'm from." Creating and sharing these forms of expression have allowed students to understand each other better and allows them to use what they know best... themselves... as the engine that drives their learning. I highly recommend this teacher resource for anyone working with a group of people.
Jean-Jacques, IN

Tuesday, November 9, 2004 4:33 PM
Juli,
I don't know if the suggestions I give would be benifical to your school but for 5 years I was Family Resource Center Director for Hamilton County Schools and now I work with at risk families teaching a pre-k classroom in rural Tennessee but here goes.....Parents want to have a say in their child's education but many times one or two parents seem to dominate the entire group. What I do is to set-up learning communities with a specific focus. These groups could be determined by a chalk talk as to what are the concerns/interests of the parents in regard to their children's education.
I would form an advisory group that hears reports from each group and presents to all parents their findings. From that presentation, a plan could be formulated. Congratulations and I hope all goes well with you!
Kathy, TN

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 10:16 PM
I recommend Expeditionary Learning!
Dana, MA

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 11:55 PM
Juli,
To my way of thinking, the most important thing is that all the constituencies learn how to engage in the kinds of substantive conversations the CES and NSRF have been working towards for all these years. At the Heart of Teaching: A guide to reflective practice by Grace McEntee, et. al. offers some interesting readings. (course, as a co-author, I'm biased.) I'm also wondering if a study group might go back and read Sarason's The Culture of Schools and the Problem of Change. It's a bit old, but still seems to have much to offer. Good luck.
Simon, RI