High School Restructuring

Cincinnati Public Schools

Five Low Performing Neighborhood High Schools

4-year Cohort Groups had graduation rates from 15% to 65%

Student Progress

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9th Graders

12th Graders

Background

Board of Education Appointed Committee of Parents, Teachers, and Administrators to Make Recommendations in 1999

Restructuring the comprehensive schools into small schools of 600 or Less

Create schools around themes such as College Prep or Information Technology

Received 2.4 Million Dollar Small Learning Communities Grant from Federal Government

Received 2.9 Million Dollar Grant from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Report Card Ratings of Restructured High Schools

School August 2003 Report Card Rating August 2004 Report Card Rating

Aiken Public Service Learning - No rating

Aiken University - Continuous Improvement

Aiken Traditional Academic Emergency Academic Emergency

Entrepreneurship Academic Emergency Continuous Improvement

Robert A. Taft Information Academic Emergency Academic Emergency

Virtual High School Continuous Improvement Continuous Improvement

Western Hills Design Tech Academic Emergency Continuous Improvement

Western Hills University Academic Emergency Effective

Western Hills Traditional Academic Emergency Continuous Improvement

Withrow International Academic Watch Continuous Improvement

Withrow University Academic Watch Excellent

Withrow Traditional Academic Emergency Continuous Improvement

Woodward Career Tech - No Rating

Woodward Traditional Academic Emergency Academic Emergency

Indicators Where Schools Showed Improvement After Restructuring

All schools for which 9th Grade Proficiency Test Passing Rate at grade 10 comparison is possible showed improvement in passing rate on all tests

Credits earned by grade level up at most of the schools

Western Hills University High School

Rated “Effective” on the 2003-04 State Report Card

Administrative Challenges and Opportunities

The Complexity of Change

“The issue is not that individual teachers and schools do not innovate and change all the time. They do. The problem is with the kinds of changes that occur in the educational system, their quality, and the random nature of the initiative.”

Mistakes with Change

Complacency – Create a sense of urgency that is at a high level, but not so overwhelming that staff lose enthusiasm

Collaboration – A critical component to meaningful change is to have staff involved in the change process – the powerful force of tradition will overcome a competent and charismatic leader if staff is not apart of the decision-making process

Mission & Vision – Assists in alignment, direction, and inspires the actions of staff members. Without this, staff members will “do their own thing”.

Instructional Initiatives

Ohio Graduation Test Success

Credit Recovery

Dual Enrollment

Seminar

Community

Students Parents Community Partners

Graduation Really Achieves Dreams

To ensure a quality public school education for all children in economically disadvantaged communities so that the high school graduation rate increases and graduates are prepared to enter and be successful in college

Project GRAD Cincinnati’sStructural & Process Components

Feeder pattern reform Local non-profit to facilitate reforms Use of data to drive strategic use of resources National technical assistance from Project GRAD

USA Learning & Support Visit process Multiple layers of program support/coaches

– Targeting teachers and principals Use of existing resources in the school/house.

Scholarship Program & Campus Family Support is the Cornerstone of Project GRAD Cincinnati

Components are: Walk for Success GRAD College Scholarships Additional Support Services

Framework for Summer Programs in Project GRAD

Summer Bridge Summer Institutes

Summer Programs

Services Successfully Implemented at the High School

Four successful “Walk For Success” to ninth graders houses. 600 homes visited with 68% scholarship agreements signed.

Two successful Summer Institutes held on University of Cincinnati campus and Cincinnati State & Technical College campus.

Three successful Summer Bridge programs for rising ninth graders held on the Western Hills University High School Campus.

Four successful college awareness days in schools K-12 Nine college tours have occurred for high school students Parent University established on Western Hills University

High School campus.

Facilitator Restructured High Schools

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Manager

Facilitate Development of Small Schools– Foster Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships– Collaborate with school based, instructional support, and

central office personnel.

Facilitate Communication– Gates Foundation– Schools– District– Community

Manage Gates Foundation Grant

Instructional Coach

Facilitate Implementation of Instructional Initiatives

Act as a Mentor

Coordinate Professional Development Gates Foundation support of professional development

Grantee Meetings Practitioners Forums School Based Sessions Institutes

State Report Card Rating

2002-03 State Report Card Rating: Academic Emergency (1 of 6 state indicators met)

2003-04 State Report Card Rating: Effective (5 of 6 state indicators met)

Student Test Scores

Measurable Progress for the 2003-04 school year on the above goals were as follows:

– Increase student test scores by 10% in all five areas of the Ohio Proficiency Test:

2002-03 2003-04 (+/-)

Reading 72.6% 90.0% +17.4%Writing 79.1% 90.0% +10.9%Citizenship 63.6% 94.2% +30.6%Math 37.1% 74.2% +37.1%Science 44.3% 85.8% +41.5%

Discipline

Reduce by 10% the percentage Out of School Suspensions & Expulsion

2002-03 Out of School Suspensions (270 total students) 450 - (21.10%) Expulsions (270 total students) 24 - (1.13%)

2003-04 Out of School Suspensions (400 total students) 298 - (7.0%) Expulsions (400 total students) 6 - (0.14%)

Attendance

– Increase school attendance rate of students by 5%:

2002-03 2003-04 % of Increase

Attendance Rate 83.1% 95.1% +12.0%

Western Hills UniversityHigh School

We are what we repeatedly do.

Therefore Excellence is not an act, but a habit!