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STANFORD, CA — The School Redesign Network (SRN) at Stanford University announces the release of a new study kit designed for educators involved in or considering a school redesign. The kit, Windows on Conversions: A Multi-Media Exploration of Redesign at Four Comprehensive High Schools, is an up-close and vivid examination of successful school redesign. The promising practices of four schools across the country — in rural Maine, suburban California, inner city Chicago and the urban fringe of Tacoma, Washington — have been documented in a this multimedia tool kit which includes an interactive DVD, written case studies of the four high schools and a facilitators guide.
Windows on Conversions enables users to learn about the conversion process from the frontlines, reported in the voices of teachers, administrators, parents and students who are successfully transforming their schools. The study kit provides vivid images of the promising practices and challenges facing comprehensive high schools as they convert to small schools and small learning communities, illustrating both the truly difficult work of converting existing schools into radically different types of learning environments as well as the promising outcomes this work can produce.
"Small learning communities by themselves are not enough to improve learning and close the achievement gap," says Linda Darling-Hammond, SRN Co-Director and a Stanford University Professor of Education. "However, redesigning high schools can be a first step in creating an environment in which diverse students can reach their potential. Collectively, these four schools represent many of the critical organizational and instructional changes needed to create high schools that work."
Windows on Conversions costs $60, plus shipping, and can be ordered here.
For a brief overview of each school and brief reviews, please see below.
Windows on Conversions Featured Schools
Clover Park High School
Located in Lakewood, Washington, an urban fringe community of Tacoma, Clover Park High School serves one of the most socio-economically diverse student populations in the state. Clover Park is also racially diverse with 64 percent of the student body made up of students of color. In 2001 the school began the transformation from a comprehensive high school of nearly 1,500 students into four small learning communities (SLCs). Clover Park's redesign effort is significant for its commitment to teacher-led instructionally focused professional development within each SLC. Since redesigning Clover Park has demonstrated substantial improvements in student achievement overall as well as a significant narrowing of socio-economic and racial achievement gap.
Hillsdale High School
Located within a vast tract of suburban communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hillsdale serves a racially and socio-
economically diverse student population. Forty-two percent of students speak a language other than English at home and 51 percent are students of color. In the early 1990s a few Hillsdale teachers began redesigning aspects of the comprehensive high school. By 2002 the majority of Hillsdale's staff recognized that the school only provided a portion of its students with a rigorous curriculum, so they began implementing SLCs one grade level at a time. Hillsdale's redesign effort is notable as a teacher-led, highly democratic initiative. As a result of the redesign and the staff's commitment to high expectations for all students, all 9th and 10th graders enroll in college preparatory biology and chemistry, raising the percentages of African American and Latino students enrolled in these coursesfrom 18 percent to 100 percent.
The School of Arts
The School of the Arts is located in the heart of Chicago's south side. All students are African American, 87 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch and 30 percent are designated as special education students. The School of Arts is one of four new small schools born out of South Shore High School — a school that, before its redesign, was emblematic of the failing urban school system. Beginning in 2001 and fueled by community activism and staff discontent, South Shore High School split into four small learning communities. Each operates almost entirely autonomously, sharing only athletics, band programs and a few elective teachers. The School of the Arts infuses the arts and an afro-centric focus in its curriculum and provides substantive opportunities for student leadership. Early signs of the redesign's effectiveness are demonstrated through substantially improved graduation rates — from 50 percent to 96 percent — reduced discipline problems, a dramatically changed school climate, and positive student achievement gains.
Noble High School
Located in rural Maine, Noble High School serves a racially homogeneous, but socio-economically diverse community in which an achievement gap exists between higher and lower income students. From 1990-97, Noble's staff implemented a first phase of reform to address the gap, applying a variety of reforms including heterogeneous grouping of students, a core academic curriculum, grade-level teacher teams and block scheduling. A second phase of reform in 2003 transformed Noble from a comprehensive high school serving 1,200 students into three SLCs. Grade-level teacher teams for core classes in English, social studies, mathematics and science have become the building-blocks for Noble's three academies. By 2005, when Noble had completed two years of its transition to academies, early signs of improvement were evident in the areas of discipline, attendance and academic achievement.
Windows on Conversions Reviews
Very well done. It's a good set in all and provokes a lot of possible discussion. With authentic footage throughout, the film delivers some important themes about school redesign and instruction: the democratic involvement of all parties, the reminder that school redesign takes time, and the question of what teachers have to do/think before they can usefully embark on a complex and serious "revolution."
Among the films are wonderful scenes about teaming; the power of collaboration and the dilemmas of leadership; the importance of democratic involvement and the concept of starting with strengths, not remediation.
— Deborah Meier, Educational Reformer, Writer and Activist
The Windows on Conversions product presents a compelling vision of what's possible in high schools. It includes compelling stories of change that are detailed and that include the voices of students and adults that have made these changes possible. It's about real schools and real students and provides a powerful picture of the possibilities for educating youth. This product can be used to begin a schoolwide conversation on the value of personalizing the learning in high schools.
— Joe DiMartino, President, Center for Secondary School Redesign, Inc.
Windows on Conversions shows a diversity of conversion processes, school districts and student populations. I like the inclusion of conversations about some of the stumbling blocks/difficulties of both implementing and sustaining the conversions.
— Janice Ollarvia, NASSP Distinguished Principal for Secondary School Reform
The films give very clear descriptions and testimony of the organization changes from a big comprehensive high school into small learning communities, the structures and components of the SLCs, and the importance and role of relationships. Student and teacher/administrator voices are strong and authentic. I am going to use the dvd with coaches I work with and at several schools we are working with on conversions.
— Jacqueline Ancess, Co-Director, NCREST, Teachers College, Columbia University
This product is an excellent piece for school sites that are just beginning the redesign process. It provides an excellent overview for communities or boards of education considering improvement efforts and could also act as an introduction to a student series on school redesign.
— Deborah Howard, Program Director, KnowledgeWorks
The DVD is great. It is "educator friendly" and easy to use. The case studies highlight some solid examples of HS renewal. Its innovative and modern. I think it is a great tool.
— Matthew Malone, Superintendent, Swampscott School District
This is a needed resource in high school redesign.
— Karen Phillips, Director, Oregon Small Schools Initiative
