Boston was in full bloom when we headed down to Harvard University to present at the Community Organizing and School Reform Conference on March 23-24, 2012.  This national conference brought together 300 community organizers, education researchers, youth, educators, funders and other stakeholders to discuss the contributions of community organizing to school improvement and equitable education policy. The conference provided an opportunity to discuss the role of community organizing in the current policy context, learn about new research and practice in the field, build relationships within and across stakeholder groups, and build capacity to advance the work of community organizing and school reform.  YATST was represented by Taylor Ducharme (Hazen Union School), Emma Galvin (Burlington High School) and Helen Beattie, YATST Director.

Below are Emma's and Taylor's reflections regarding the experience:

Emma Galvin:

My weekend at Harvard not only opened my eyes to the world of community organizing and school reform, but gave me a much needed blast of inspiration. As I learn more about the many complex facets of our education system, it is easy to get discouraged. This conference reminded me there is a whole world of smart and dedicated individuals who are also grappling with these issues. Each workshop and panel challenged my understanding of how communities work together towards change and reaffirmed my support of the YATST values. There are many different approaches, but strong, trusting relationships between adults and youth must be the cornerstone of any school reform process. I’m excited to get back to work.

Taylor Ducharme:

The experience of having the opportunity to speak in front of community organizers, professors, passionate parents, and energized youth from across the country at the Harvard Graduate School of Education was unlike any other.  It was amazing enough to be able to give voice to all the work that we do in Vermont, but it was even better to be able to share that work with people that work hard to change lives.  YATST mainly works in the classroom as an agent of change; I learned first hand that our work isn't limited to that.  A key component of creating change in schools is forming trusting relationships.  I knew how important this aspect was to our work before going to the conference.  However, I realized that building authentic relationships on a personal and institutional level is ESSENTIAL to anything that we do as students, educators, administrators, and human beings.

The other presenters on our panel were Principal Robert Cordova and professor John Diamond, who are true fighters in the battle for a higher societal view of education.  They both spoke to the power of relationships through the example of one-on-one discussions and the value of relational power, in the form of social capital, that transforms schools instead of the "tops-down" model of transformation.  With that understanding of the value of relational power, it is easy to see why YATST can succeed in transforming schools despite the uncertainty that this kind of work has.  This work is so new and dynamic that even the top researchers and change agents around the country are searching for answers.  I believe the answer starts with building relationships and I am confident that YATST provides a model that can help schools realize this answer.  I am even more of a believer in the work that I am doing alongside hundreds of smart, dedicated, and passionate people.  If we all work together, we can create the change we wish to see in the world; this is what drives me forward in the fight for an excellent education for all.

The video of the YATST panel presentation can be found at the following link:http://matchondrygrass.org/conference/?page_id=240.  It begins at 34:14.

• "I will provide quality over quantity."
• "I will look for more opportunities outside of the traditional classroom."
• "More student-led activities: students as facilitators; students as teachers."
• "Create a safe place to fail (and move forward)."

This is a small sampling of the instructional goals teachers set at the Harwood YATST in-service for 350 K-12 faculty.

The YATST team began the in-service with the "This is Your Brain...on Information" play.  The play highlights key elements of engaging learning supported by current brain research, based on Dr. David Sousa's information processing model. The audience then adjourned into 14 smaller, student-facilitated groups to help teachers relate the lessons of the play to their own practices.  Teachers participated in "chalktalks", a written and silent form of dialogue, which was then debriefed by the group (School Reform Initiative protocol).  In the spirit of the YATST strengths-based approach, the first chalktalk question asked participants to identify the ways their instructional practices were already aligned with brain research.  The second chalktalk question challenged teachers to reflect on steps they could take to deepen the alignment. The faculty concluded the session by setting specific goals. These were taped on the larger chalktalk sheets, carried to the cafeteria and displayed on the walls, encircling the room as participants convened for lunch.

A short slide show captures this event. The first two slides are taken in the cafeteria and show several of the chalktalk sheets. You will then see the two essential questions that prompted the teachers to grapple with their own practices. This is followed by a representative sampling of the goals that the faculty set for themselves.  It provides compelling testimony regarding the scope and depth of the issues that YATST triggers, affirming Margaret Wheatley's belief that, "There is nothing more powerful than a community discovering what it cares about."  We would add, there is nothing more powerful than students orchestrating that discovery!

The link to the slide show is: http://youtu.be/kz_ellRXCYQ

KICK-OFF a SUCCESS

"Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you are right" (Henry Ford) frames the YATST theme of "Great Expectations...or Not?". Is it really that simple? Five Vermont high schools confronted this question at the January 25 kick-off.  The day began with an exploration of the individual and educational system's forces which impact expectations, envisioning schools where:

• teaching practices are driven by a growth mindset which believes that ALL students can learn at high levels through effort
• academic failure is no longer an option
• stereotypes no longer influence teaching practices or limit an individual's learning potential
• there is equal access to an excellent education for ALL students

Barbara Cervone, Founder and Director of What Kids Can Do, Inc., then framed the task of these YATST teams: Explore community-wide perspectives on expectations through videotaped conversations with students, teachers and parents.  Short clips from the videotapes will then be selected by themes, based on their potential to provoke dialogue about expectations.  These will be used as powerful tools for community dialogue and change throughout the spring.  The goals of this work are to:

• increase
  • students’ expectations of their own academic performance
  • teachers’ expectations of ALL students’ academic performance
  • parents’ and community’s expectations for children’s high academic performance,

• reframe academic failure or struggle as a natural step in a learning process, rather than an indication of limited learning capacity,

• dispel the common myth that intelligence is fixed and predetermined.

The teams will meet again on April 3 to share their interview experiences, preview video clips, and begin planning venues to provoke community dialogue.  Participating schools are: Burlington High School, Cabot School, Hazen Union, Peoples Academy and Mt. Abraham Union. Winooski will also be joining this effort. This work will be showcased at the May 11 statewide YATST/ Vermont Rural Partnership conference and will be one aspect of the YATST keynote address at the upcoming BEST Institute. This work is fully funded and supported by the Vermont Department of Education.

We knew we were with kindred spirits when we saw the words, "Rigor, Relevance and Relationships"  on the wall of the Casco Bay High School common area.  Throughout the day, it became crystal clear that "Shared Responsibility", YATST's 4th "R", is part of the fabric of the school's project-based approach to learning.

The Hazen Union YATST team spent a day at the Portland Maine Casco Bay High School, which has embraced the Expeditionary Learning School model.  The day began with observing their 11th grade "Exhibition of Learning". Students are focusing on the problem of our over-dependence on fossil fuels as a year long theme.  Each student had researched one alternative to fossil fuel use. They were presenting a synthesis of their research and a recommendation for policy change in front of a panel of community experts and teachers.  Many students later recounted their excitement to head down to West Virginia this spring to interview local residents and explore the realities of fossil fuel mining first hand. The quality of these presentations, and culture of high expectations, were notable.

The team toured the high school in the afternoon.  In many ways, the school felt very familiar, with the team splitting off to observe English, social studies and math classes. However,  we also learned about an assessment system which is linked to demonstrated mastery of learning instead of traditional grades, a strong teacher advisory system titled, "Crew", and two week-long "Intensives" per year in which students and teachers explore a wide variety of subjects, often multidisciplinary in nature, through experiential means.

Project-based learning is the heart of the Expeditionary Learning School model.  "Our model for teaching and learning challenges students to think critically and take active roles in their classrooms and communities, resulting in higher achievement and greater engagement in schools."  There are over 150 schools and 40,000 students engaged in expeditionary learning nationally.

YATST members framed their observations through the lens of the 4 Rs.  The team will convene next week to share their reflections and craft a presentation to fellow YATST members, the faculty, and the school board.