HOUSTONJoin the NEP and the Spring Independent School District in celebrating 40 Years of Career Academies

in Houston! Join the designers and founders of the very first career academy for a look back at that

crucial turning point in education. Join today’s innovators and practitioners in a celebration of

today’s outstanding practices. Join the NEP in a look at the future of career academies and, on a

broader scale, small learning communities. See what these changes mean to you and your students!

Mark your calendars for April 22-25, 2009. For details visit www.neponline.org

SLC Success Conference

Inno

vatio

nSUMMER 2008

Schools recognized for their progress on the 5 Keys for Successful Academies

The task was reasonable enough:

Identify sites making exemplary progress in

transitioning their schools from traditional high

school settings to small learning communities

(SLCs) or career academies. Why? So other

schools would have success stories to exam-

ine, resources to utilize, and know where their

time and money would be well-spent for site

visits.

With so many great schools nation-wide,

the NEP began using it’s 5 Keys for Successful

Career Academies as a gauge. Created in

1999 by the National Educator Program, the

5 Keys are simple and straight-forward.

“Schools of Promise” are schools that

have achieved proficiency in at least two of

the 5 Keys. Eight schools in six states were

identified in the first round of awards.

Not only have the schools received

recognition for their hard work and

collaboration, but their communities have

learned their schools are on the cutting edge

of a fundamental shift in secondary

education. So far three articles have been

published in the Salem Statesmen-Journal and

the Ogden Standard-Examiner.

The highest honor a school can earn

from the National Educator Program is the

designation of “NEP Beacon School.” To

acquire this title a school must show mastery

of all of the 5 Keys. It is a very demanding

measure and as of this date, no school has

earned that designation.

One of these schools might be the first as

they continue to progress, or it could be

another school not yet measured will apply

for the honor. Will your school be the first?

Visit www.neponline.org to learn how.

inside this issue:

Where to find Schools of Promise! 2

5 Keys for Successful Academies! 3

School Designation FAQs! 4

Lab School Update! 5

Powerful Advisory Class! 5

Next issue preview! 6

The award-winning staff of the Morton Freshman Center in Cicero, Illinois.

NEP Names Eight “Schools of Promise” Nationally

Official publication of the National Educator Program

1

April 22-25, 2009

Dekaney High School Phil Eaton, Principal Spring, Texas Spring Independent School District Dr. Ralph H. Draper, Superintendent 832-764-7260

Foley High School (Not pictured) Kenneth Dinges, Principal Foley, Alabama Baldwin County Public Schools Dr. Faron Hollinger, Superintendent 251-943-2221

Ben Lomond High School Peggy Dooling-Baker, Principal Ogden, Utah Ogden Public Schools Dr. Noel Zabriskie, Superintendent 801-737-7976

McKay High School Cynthia Richardson, Principal Salem, Oregon Salem-Kiezer Public Schools Dr. Sandy Husk, Superintendent 503-399-3080

Morton Freshman Center (Pictured on font page) Joseph Gunty, Principal Cicero, Illinois HSD 201 708-863-2200

Ogden High School Sandra Jolovich-Motes, Principal Ogden, Utah Ogden Public Schools Dr. Noel Zabriskie, Superintendent 801-737-8700

Samuel J. Tilden High School Cultural Academy of Arts & Sciences Diane Varano, Principal Brooklyn, New York New York City Public Schools Joel I. Klein, Chancellor 888-NEP-1997

Wunsche High School Debi Koch, Principal Spring, Texas Spring Independent School District Dr. Ralph H. Draper, Superintendent 832-764-7650

2008Schools of Promise

PHOTO CREDITS - Jean Miyahira of Honolulu, HI

Award Ceremony photos taken at the 6th annual SLC

Success Conference in Las Vegas, NV

April 11, 2008 (Schools displayed alphabetically)

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INNOVATION SUMMER 2008

Would you like your school to be a School of Promise or a Beacon School? Find more information on the 5 Keys for Successful

Career Academies at www.neponline.org/academies. You may also call (888) NEP-1997 and request and information & an

application packet. Let YOUR light shine!

5 Keys for Successful Career Academies

A career academy's success comes by design. Academies and SLCs are not likely to succeed if they are yet another "program" to be implemented. Where academies thrive is in schools where they are part of a whole-school, systemic improvement initiative.

Successful career academies have five characteristics in common. This gave birth to the 5 Keys for Successful Career Academies created in 1998. They are the basis for the NEP's TINA (The Initial Needs Assessment) and TONYA (The Ongoing Yearly Assessment), and are the unifying element of multi-year professional development plans at NEP schools.

For a career academy to succeed, thrive, and sustain itself, it will need the following 5 Keys:

Key #1 - Faculty’s Sense of MissionFaculty and administration at the school share a common vision of what the school is supposed to become and agree on the value of what career academies will bring to the school. Teachers have ownership of the process.

Key #2 - PreparationA thorough needs assessment (such as TINA) is conducted that identifies desired outcomes, a school's strengths and assets, areas of change, benchmarks, a timeline, a long-term staff development plan, and involvement in a network of schools for data sharing (such as the NEPwork). Research is done into the various forms of implementation career academies can take and aligned with the vision of the school, it’s teachers, administrators, students and community.

Key #3 - Career AreasCareer themes are chosen for the schools early in the process based upon two main factors. First, it is determined what resources are in the community to support instructional experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Second, which career areas are most expedient for promoting student mastery of state-mandated content standards.

Key #4 - Specific and Well-Planned Staff DevelopmentSuccessful academies outline a course of staff development based on their initial needs assessment (such as TINA). This plan targets areas of need the staff has and also provides a mechanism to build capacity among the staff for future staff development that does not rely on an outside provider. Staff development includes training, consultation with an outside expert, staff-directed follow-up via peer collaboration and coaching, conferences, site visits and more.

Key #5 - Well-Integrated CurriculumAcademic vigor is important to school success. Vigor is in place when a school has rigor (meaning high expectations and standards), support structures in place to help students meet those expectation, and the students are working hard because they want to meet the expectations. This vigor is found in both academic and career/tech classes.

Successful integration is found at all levels: Classroom, Partner and Team levels. Learning experiences contain all Meaningful Instruction components. The curriculum is flexible to allow teachers leeway in creating learning experiences, as well as providing the ability for teachers to capitalize on unforseen learning opportunities.

The 5 Keys as listed here are abbreviated for space. To read about them in more detail, visit

w w w . n e p o n l i n e . o r g / a c a d e m i e s . h t m

3

What are they?

Schools of Promise have established proficiency with at least two of the 5 Keys for Successful Career

Academies and have established a firm foundation for a successful and sustainable future. It is a temporary designation good for three years and may be renewed annually for two additional years beyond that. By that time, a successful School of Promise should have completed its evolution into a Beacon School.

Beacon Schools have mastered all of the 5 Keys for Successful Career Academies. They are in a mode of continual improvement, have built capacity and sustainability, and are deemed by the National Educator Program as worthy of emulation. This is the highest honor the NEP can give a school.

How do we become one? If you are working with the National Educator Program for technical assistance in high school transformation to academies, or if you are a NEPwork school, you are already on track to become one.

Do we have to work with the NEP to receive designation? No. Just go online to www.neponline.org for information, or call 888-NEP-1997 and ask what steps you must follow and what documentation needs to be submitted.

Do we have to have career academies? No. The 5 Keys for Successful Career Academies are adaptable to all forms of SLCs, career clusters, freshmen academies, and magnet schools.

How much does it cost? There is no cost. You have already paid the price in your e!orts to build a great school and student achievement. We recognize success and want to identify you to other schools nationally as a model and resource for success.

How many schools have been honored? There are only eight NEP Schools of Success nationally. As of yet, there are no NEP Beacon Schools. We have very strict and demanding criteria to earn this designation. Will your school be the first?

Schools of Promise&

Beacon Schools

Let Your Light Shine!

4

NEP Lab School Update

The Tilden (R)Evolution

From “Impact School” slated for closure to “School of Promise” - the Tilden evolution becomes a full-fledged revolution.

June 2008 - Tilden graduating class

grows by more than 43%

In 2007 Tilden awarded diplomas to 209

graduates. Twelve months later, 300

graduates are credentialed.

Success with Over Age-Under Accredited

Faced with over 700 Over/Under

students two years ago, the New

Opportunities program has dramatically

reduced this number. Once perceived as

a night school for eventual dropouts,

New Opportunities now has a waiting list

of students applying to get in, becoming

a de facto academy.

UFT Professional Development Center

A center for teacher development and

peer collaboration right on campus run

by the teachers union. Innovation is the

only agenda item here.

Transition to Career Academies

The Cultural Academy for Arts &

Sciences opens in Fall 2008. Watch for

Project Apollo - a powerful curriculum

integration unit design to incorporate

content standards into a personal and

intense learning experience.

Leadership & Planning Retreat

NEP and the UFT will work with staff with

transition & instructional planning and

peer coaching skills over the summer.

Student Empowerment & Ownership

NEP will work with student body in

verbal skills and peer coaching to help

empower them to take ownership of the

school culture.

Powerful Advisory Class: From Football to PoetryBy Coach Peter WatermanNEP Lab SchoolBrooklyn, NY

In the fall of 2007, I took over an advisory class at S.J. Tilden High School. The Advisory class was a new concept which allowed the teacher to get to know a group of students, assisting them in personal and scholastic development.

I decided to reach out to my students in a different manner than might have been expected. The class did not have a strict curriculum; we as teachers were given the freedom to create our own process for our individual advisories. I saw the class as an opportunity to get to know the students on a deeper level, to begin the conversation about the future as most of them had not thought seriously about life after high school. I decided to have the group delve into important issues such as goal setting, teenage concerns, current events and health related issues using performance art as the medium.

I took this opportunity to use poetry, prose, singing and even freestyle rap (“off the dome” as the kids like to say), as the genre to reach the young men and women. Initially, most were shy and hesitant, there was resistance, along with some disciplinary and punctuality issues which I needed to address. I quickly realized the young men were reticent and seemingly uninterested; the young ladies were more open to writing and performing about issues on their minds. Their poems were longer and well thought out; the guys seem to write shorter, more superficial poems. Eventually, we began to trust each other; many of the students had preconceived notions about me and about each other, which we had to overcome.

Another obstacle the students had to overcome involved learning how to allow others to speak, finish their thoughts, and to accept their opinions, then giving an opinion (point – counterpoint).

Students were allowed to write about any topic on their minds (while keeping the language appropriate). Students could not read two poems consecutively, but they could read as many poems as time allowed within the first thirty minutes of the one hour period. During the second half of the period we had our discussion about a topic that came up in the poems, or any student could suggest a topic, the group usually made the final decision. Sometimes the discussion was so heated it carried over to the next day. Everyone was encouraged to give their opinions; if someone was speaking, you did not interrupt, as listening was a skill we needed to work on.

The young men became very involved during the discussion period giving strong opinions. Initially, most discussions fell along gender lines, but as the term progressed, that changed as students felt more confident in their opinions. Occasionally, we had a “talk show” type segment with a student host, volunteers were the guest and the rest of the class became the audience for a question and answer period. Within a month, we had discussed more than twenty topics ranging from relationships to suicide, from rap music to the Michael Vick case.

Students started to bring friends to the class if a teacher was absent or if they needed to make-up a class they had missed. The prerequisite was that everyone got involved in the discussion.

As the term progressed, the young men become more open. I recorded the number of poems each student read; the class became very competitive about who had done the most poems. The poems that the class enjoyed the most were read. All poems had to be original; the class became very observant that poems were of high quality and authentic. The students cared a great deal about who read next. The young ladies seemed almost insulted if someone was allowed to read before them despite the rules.

I believe this advisory class stimulated each student’s creativity, built their self confidence and gave them an avenue to express strong emotions in a positive way (putting it on paper). To my surprise, they delved into very sensitive issues and their true personalities came to the surface.

Continued on p. 6

For Information on the NEP Lab School or Site Visits

Call toll free (888) NEP - 1997 and

choose option 3. Or go online to

www.neponline.org

5

INNOVATION SUMMER 2008

coming in the fall

issue of Innovation:

What IS an “NEP Lab

School” and what happens there?

Spotlight on curriculum

integration for Science Academies:

Project Apollo - Brooklyn, NY

Biofuel - Foley, AL

Upcoming national and

regional events

Information on NEPwork

enrollment for cohort II: Our

patent-pending SLC support

network!

Teacher articles on ideas for

inspiring classrooms

New Column: The Student Voice

Students from NEPwork schools

share their insights on continual

school innovation

Award nomination information.

Recommend your colleagues and

schools for national recognition!

Powerful Advisory Class, continued from p. 2

The class used poetry as a stress reliever which possibly helped them handle daily dilemmas. They appreciated that their words were being acknowledged – no

right, no wrong. They expressed themselves freely; no judgments were made and there was always lots of laughter in the class.

Early on, one young man asked the question, “Yo, why do we have to write poems?” I asked him why he thought it was necessary. After a momentary pause, he responded, “I guess it’s good to listen to everyone else’s opinion and let them have their say” He had come a long way; He was one of our disciplinary problems who had interrupted others daily, argued and was late or absent at the beginning of the term.

The students realized their voices were being heard; they were being listened to in this class. It became a safe haven for communicating their innermost feelings and desires.

Towards the end of the fall term, my colleague, Mr. Sparacino, suggested we perform our poems for his class. It was successful; the students were confident. I mentioned it to Ms. Varano who suggested we have a poetry slam in the Blue Café for other classes. This new venue gave us new motivation which carried over into the spring term. The goal became getting ready for the slam at the end of the month. Our motto, as suggested by one of the students, became, “Fix Your Poem”. We performed in the Blue Café in February (Black History

Month), in March (Women’s History Month), in April (Environmental Issues), and our final slam on May 16. The poems this term became more insightful and humorous. The performances became clearer as they learned to command the audience and emphasize the key points in their production.

I am thankful to all for the opportunity to have the students showcase their talents. It made them feel special. They realize the class is a special moment in their lives, and I hope their efforts project a better feeling about our school to others and from others to the young people of S.J. Tilden High School. Ms. DeSiano added another aspect to the experience by taking photos, having some poems typed and creating a bulletin board for the class. We are very appreciative.

For me, the most touching, satisfying and memorable moments occurred during the fall term when a young lady names Ms. Michel, who had quite a few absences and tardies started coming to class consistently and on time. She initially did a few poems. They were thoughtful and good. One day she asked if she could sing one of her original songs. I said if it was good she would receive credit for two poems. She was very good, soulful – she had a great voice. Afterwards she did a song each day. She sang at our first slam at the end of the fall term. She made up the classes she had missed and went on to graduate in January. I felt that if the process had reached this particular young lady, the class had been successful.

* * * * *

Staff

Mark A. Thompson

Director

Jill Klinofski

Secretary

(888) NEP - 1997

www.neponline.org

Board of Directors

Dr. Dalane Bouillion,

Asst. Superintendent

Spring ISD

Connie Majka

Philadelphia Academies, Inc

Diane Varano,

Principal

NEP Lab School

National Educator Program, LLC

3700 Quebec Street

Bldg 100, Suite 286

Denver, CO 80207

NEP Lab School

Samuel J. Tilden High School

Cultural Academy of Arts & Sciences

5800 Tilden Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11203

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INNOVATION SUMMER 2008