ONTARIO PRINCIPALS’ COUNCIL 26 IN 2006, a project called The Model School for Inner Cities (MSIC) program started in three city schools. Since its inception, this grass-roots initiative has evolved, touching an increasing number of schools across Toronto’s inner city. The pro- gram was founded on five essential components: 1. innovative teaching and learning; 2. support services to meet the social, emotional and physical well-being of students; 3. the school as the heart of the community; 4. research, review and evaluation of students and programs and 5. a commitment to share successful practice. Lessons learned from inner city schools By Vicky Branco and Nancy Steinhauer • Illustration by Gracia Lam Break the Mold ... that all children in your school have their basic needs met so that they can focus on learning. ... that all families feel welcome in your school and are able to contribute by supporting their children’s education and well being. ... that all members of the community are valuable partners in supporting your students’ education, providing them with resources and services. ... that all staff members make social justice the foundation of learning, creating rich and meaningful units of study for their students. ... that as principal, you are part of a network of educators learning together about inclusion and achievement, exploring with peers the most effective ways to lead the instructional program. ... that your school is a place where children, parents, staff, community members and princi- pals learn together and share leadership. This is not just a dream. This is becoming the reality for 109 schools in inner city Toronto and the key to this reality is LEADERSHIP. IMAGINE ...
Transcript
ONTaRIO PRINCIPaLS’ COUNCIL26
IN 2006, a project called The Model School for Inner Cities (MSIC) program startedin three city schools. Since its inception, this grass-roots initiative has evolved,touching an increasing number of schools across Toronto’s inner city. The pro-
gram was founded on five essential components: 1. innovative teaching and learning;2. support services to meet the social, emotional and physical well-being of students;3. the school as the heart of the community;4. research, review and evaluation of students and programs and5. a commitment to share successful practice.
lessons learned from inner city schoolsBy Vicky Branco and nancy steinhauer • Illustration by gracia lam
Break the Mold
... that all children in your school have their basic needs met so that they can focus on learning.
... that all families feel welcome in your school and are able to contribute by supporting their children’s education and well being.
... that all members of the community are valuable partners in supporting your students’education, providing them with resources and services.
... that all staff members make social justice the foundation of learning, creating rich andmeaningful units of study for their students.
... that as principal, you are part of a network of educators learning together about inclusion andachievement, exploring with peers the most effective ways to lead the instructional program.
... that your school is a place where children, parents, staff, community members and princi-pals learn together and share leadership.This is not just a dream. This is becoming the reality for 109 schools in inner city Torontoand the key to this reality is LEADERSHIP.
IMAGINE ...
ONTaRIO PRINCIPaLS’ COUNCIL28
Focusing on strong, visionary leadership, the fundamental practice is that principals work closely to build relationships with all members of the school community and to empower all stakeholders as participants and partners in the teaching/learning process.
whAt do we meAn when we tAlk ABout inner city schools?In the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), “inner city schools” are identified as schools with a large concentration of students living in poverty. Currently, one in six students in Ontario are considered to be living in poverty. Children who live in poverty often have lim-ited access to proper nutrition, stable housing, recreational opportunities, as well as regular health and dental care. Each of these factors can be an obstacle in the teaching/learning process. In addition, parents living in poverty often face many challenges that may prevent them from taking part in their children’s educa-tion. This can also be detrimental to the child, since we know that parental involvement has a positive impact on student success.
whAt is A model school for inner cities?The Model School for Inner Cities (MSIC)
program is built on the understanding that all children come to school with the capacity and desire to learn, and that it is the task of the educational community to build on the unique strength of each child. In the TDSB, there are seven Model Schools working in col-laboration with a number of cluster schools.
Together, these schools provide strong profes-sional development for all staff, develop suc-cessful practices and share resources.
As participants in this program, we have been given the opportunity to help realize a vision of education for inner city students. Working with many other educators — all
of whom share a similar commitment to ad-dressing issues of social justice through our school system — there are many lessons we have learned.
innovAtive teAching And leArninglesson #1: student achievement is powerFor children living in poverty, student achievement has to be the principal’s num-ber one priority. A commitment to build-ing capacity in student learning within the context of the world in which these children live empowers students and leads to innova-tive teaching and learning. As Helen Bochar writes, for real learning to occur, “students need to see and hear themselves within the context of diversity and contributing to the formation of that reality.”
In the 109 schools involved in this proj-ect, we have adopted a “social justice lens” for developing rigorous and relevant curric-ulum for the students. Exemplary teachers from across the board have created cur-riculum units around the idea of students as agents of change. Through these units, students have developed an understanding that they can make a difference and effect change for the common good within their specific community. In 2009, these units were piloted in a summer school program offered to students from schools that were achieving at a Level 2 or below in Reading. Grade 1 and 2 students learned about their local community, and then wrote letters to the mayor suggesting strategies to improve the injustices that they witnessed around them. These units and samples of student work have since become a starting point for professional development sessions with school leaders, literacy coaches and teach-ers as they further explore how to incor-porate enduring understandings into their comprehensive literacy programs.
lesson #2: learn together A key strategy we have adopted in many of our schools is co-teaching, collaborative pro-fessional learning that motivates educators to improve student achievement. Co-teach-ing involves two teachers coming together to
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plan and teach a lesson. The process is dy-namic. As they teach, they encounter issues and difficulties, and must then collaborate to problem solve, improving learning for both students and teachers alike.
Principals, parents, and staff members have also participated in joint workshops about how to create strong community part-nerships. Using Joyce Epstein’s framework, schools have designed and implemented action plans to increase parental involve-ment. In one school, the Action Team for Partnerships identified gender respect as an issue of concern. With the help of Toronto Public Health, the team decided to pilot an existing health promotion program called Raising Sexually Healthy Children within the school. Sexual Health Educators trained parents to lead culturally specific groups for parents by parents.
support services to meet the sociAl, emotionAl And physicAl well-Being of studentslesson #3: Address the needs of the whole childStudent well-being is essential for learning to effectively take root. Hearing and vision clin-ics are accessible to all students within the 109 participating schools. Through a part-nership with corporations, we have ensured that any student who needs glasses or hear-ing aids receives them at no cost. Similarly, volunteer-run nutrition programs provide our students with healthy breakfasts, snacks, and/or lunches. These initiatives clearly demon-strate how our communities help support the basic needs of our students.
lesson #4: get to know your communityIn developing community partnerships, it is critical to understand both the needs and strengths of a school’s particular commu-nity. At one of the schools, the principal encouraged staff members to walk around the community and visit various agencies and institutions, including religious centres, health facilities and community housing. Staff members discovered the vast diver-sity of cultures within the community and a number of available resources. By becom-
ing engaged beyond the school itself, the staff could grasp the remarkable capacity not only of the school, but of the families and surrounding community as well.
school As the heArt of the communitylesson #5: open your doorsAdministrators play a vital role in providing a connection between the school and the com-munity for students, staff and parents. Making
schools accessible after hours is often integral to the concept of a community school.
Some schools have partnered with com-munity agencies to provide extra-curricular opportunities for the students. For instance, eight of our middle schools (grades 6 to 8) have implemented a program called “Be-yond 3:30,” providing children with access to after-school programming in a variety of arts, recreation and life skill activities. Each of
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these schools also offers community dining evenings where students cook for their par-ents and families can enjoy a healthy dinner together, followed by parent workshops.
reseArch, review And evAluAtion of students And progrAmslesson #6: make data your friendCluster principals examine data together to better understand our schools. Although student achievement is our ultimate goal, we monitor other outcome indicators as well, including parent satisfaction, absenteeism, suspension rates and others. Analyzed data becomes the impetus for decision-making at all levels. Many of our schools encounter challenges with absenteeism and lateness. One successful strategy has been the estab-lishment of breakfast programs to motivate students and ensure they attend school daily and on time.
We have also worked with select univer-sities to document our progress and further collaborate with ongoing projects. Several
of our schools have participated in a semi-nar on Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy, in which teams of teachers, along with administrators, work with university professors to explore issues of equity.
By seeking out partnerships with com-munity colleges and universities, school leaders have provided staff, students and community members with unique opportu-nities to build their own capacity. By enlist-ing researchers to document these efforts, we build credibility within the larger edu-cational community.
A commitment to shAre successful prActicelesson #7: create networks of peers While leading the instructional program is the critical task of a principal, professional development within a single setting is not enough. For systemic change, the practice of learning together needs to move beyond the school. An important aspect of the Model School program has been the opportunity
it provides for schools with similar demo-graphics and socio-economic challenges to learn together about literacy development, social justice and equity. Learning networks have been created for school leaders, teach-ers and parents. Clusters meet monthly to share in professional development, make decisions around the needs of the commu-nity and participate in joint projects.
conclusionIn our opinion, the MSIC program is mak-ing a difference for our inner city schools, primarily because it is focused on building leaders. Since the first three schools joined the project in 2006, 25 teachers have been trained as literacy and equity coaches. Over 150 administrators have had the benefit of training that specifically examines issues at the core of inner city education. More than 200 parents have been given tools and strategies to become active leaders in their communities. We have been successful in raising awareness about poverty and the
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conditions under which students living in poverty can best learn.
Being a “Model School for Inner Cities” is primarily a state of mind. When school lead-ers work together with their communities to provide students with opportunities, students are empowered. When school leaders help parents gain the tools they need to advocate for their children, families are empowered. When the school staff works together to bring innovation to teaching and learning, the school community is empowered.
The Ontario Leadership Framework identifies five critical tasks in the role of the principal: setting direction; leading the instructional program; building relation-ships and developing people; developing the organization; and securing account-ability. Working through the five essential components of the MSIC program, we have been able to address all five of these tasks in powerful, visionary ways. In developing our schools, we have also helped to develop leaders at every level of the organization. The result has been a movement of schools and school communities committed to pre-paring and educating our inner city stu-dents for life in the 21st century.
As Michael Fullan writes in The Six Se-crets of Change, “learning on the job, day after day, is the work.” In the MSIC pro-gram, we are committed to ongoing learn-ing with our communities — resulting in powerful, positive change for some of the most vulnerable students in our system. We hope to continue working together as lead-ers, to create leaders for student success. •
referencesBochar, H. (2010). Education in the 21st Cen-
tury: Global citizenship. www.mriems.com.Epstein, J., Sanders, M.G., Sheldon, S.B.,
Simon, B.S., Salinas, K.C., Jansorn, N.R., Van Voorhis, F.L., Martin, C.S., Thomas, B.G., Greenfeld, M.D., Hutchins, D.J., Wil-liams, K.J. (2009). School, family and com-munity partnerships: Your handbook for action, Third edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Fullan, M. (2008). The six secrets of
change: What the best leaders do to help their organizations survive and thrive. San-Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Model Schools for Inner Cities Task Force. (2005). Model Schools for Inner City Task Force Report. Toronto: Toronto District School Board.
Ontario Ministry of Education (2009). The Ontario Leadership Frame-work for Principals and Vice-Principals.
www.ontario.ca/eduleadership.
Vicky Branco is the Lead Principal, Model Schools for Inner Cities Project, the TDSB. Nancy Steinhauer is the principal at George Webster Elementary School, a Model School for Inner Cities within the TDSB.
