Edutopia - August/September 2008 - (Page 25)

points due to the successful reclassi⇒cation of students as ⇓uent in English. Ninety percent of CUHSD graduates now attend either community college or a four-year university, and both Central Union and Southwest high schools were showcased in the National Center for Educational Achievement’s 2004–05 round-up of best practices. Teachers Rule “The idea of continuing to provide support to teachers in the classroom is really what the success of this district is all about,” says CUHSD superintendent C. Thomas Budde, who notes that “key people in key positions”—two academic coaches and three program-improvement resource teachers—have been vital in improving classroom instruction districtwide. A shift in 2008–09 will bring one academic coach, two programimprovement resource teachers, and one English-language resource teacher. Also, several classroom teachers will be given an extra prep period to be used to support new teachers. “Teachers have a lot on their plates,” says Tricia Petter, program- improvement resource teacher and former English teacher at Central Union High School. “I think what this position does is enable teachers to say, ‘I really want to be able to do this, but I don’t have the time to put it together. Can you research it for me? Can you ⇒nd the programs that will make this run better?’” This kind of advice and mentorship can be in⇒nitely helpful for new teachers, but any and all teachers can also use a “sounding board,” as Petter puts it, between themselves and the administrators. “Instead of the teachers going directly to the administration with issues,” says Petter, “we’re there to help them ⇒nd solutions, so that when they do go to the administrators, it’s more like, ‘We’ve already thought this through, and this is what we’d like to do.’ The teachers don’t see us as teachers and the administrators don’t see us as administrators, but in actuality we’re doing both things.” “I truly believe that if a teacher is in need of something emotionally, the kids are going to be the ones who suffer,” says Marilyn Burt, academic coach at Central Union High School. Having someone there to help, whether it’s with state standards, classroom management, or personal issues, not only helps teachers do their job better but also “makes you feel at home,” says Southwest High School English teacher Christopher Spanos. “Someone cares about you.” Having resource teachers on tap also means that researchbased instructional strategies, customized for individual Sky’s the Limit: Students at Southwest High School. EDUTOPIA.ORG EDUTOPIA 25 http://EDUTOPIA.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Edutopia - August/September 2008

Edutopia Contents Up Front Feedback Dispatches Sage Advice Ask Ellen Head of Class Cool Schools Design: Building on Disaster What's Next Full-Service Schools In the Trenches Moral Aptitude Serious Gaming Behaveyourself.com Media Is the Message The Way of the Wiki A Match Made in Cyberspace Hail to the New Chief Rise of the Robots Disrupting Class As Others See Us Heart & Soul Pop Quiz: Moby

Edutopia - August/September 2008

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