This article was published in the October 27th, 2010 publication of Ed Week.
After reading this article, I was impressed with the fact that the Shawnee school administrators recognized the importance of emphasizing not only the academic skills for students, but the personal aspect of school as well. I agree that having a teacher who is passionate and dedicated to your success is key to motivating teenagers. In Sheridan School District, the staff went through inservice training at the beginning of the year called Capturing Kids Hearts. Staff members now apply different strategies, such as meeting and greeting students at the classroom door, to show students that they do care for and value every single student. The list of students failing a class decreased from 8 pages last year to 2 pages this fall at progress report time. In Shawnee schools they used a "name and claim" system, where teachers choose two or three failing students to focus their attention on and offer extra support. There is evidence that building a relationship with students can positively effect the amount they learn from you as a teacher.
The article about Shawnee schools also reflects upon the importance of building a sense of community within the school as a component of student success. I loved the quote in the article from a teacher stating, "when the students saw in every classroom the expectations are the same, they started to respond to that." To create an effective culture change, every member of the school needs to be on board and moving in the same direction. It can take a long time to make big changes, but it sounds like Shawnee schools are moving in the right direction. I look forward to seeing the outcome of the changes in Sheridan in a few years.
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