reavis rebirth - local initiatives support corporationschools and local initiatives support...

A partnership of Reavis Elementary School, Quad Communities Development Corporation, Chicago Public Schools and Local Initiatives Support Corporation/Chicago

With major funding from The Atlantic Philanthropiesand additional support from The Chicago Community Trust, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Polk Bros. Foundation

May 2008

REAVIS REBIRTHReavis elementaRy schooliss chicago Plan for school transformation

PrinciPle

1Learning time in schools must be extended through after-school, saturday and summer programs; that extended-time content must be integrated with a strong

core-school academic program; and out-of-school-time faculty, regular faculty and other staff should have significant shared training and planning opportunities.

PrinciPle

2the highest quality of preventive, youth friendly and confidential health care must be provided on-site to middle-school students; and those health services must be

embedded in broader programming that covers nutrition, fitness, prevention and reproductive education.

PrinciPle

3Improved access to public benefits must be made available to parents of middle-school students; that access must be convenient; and it must be part of an array

of social supports that ensure parents are providing the most stable base possible for their children.

PrinciPle

4Parents, community members, local organizations, school faculty and students must be an integral part of planning, implementing and monitoring

the transformation of the school. community ownership helps ensure that the plans are realistic and appropriate for that particular school community, and it supports continuity and sustainability of programming beyond any one leader or group of stakeholders.

this plan was created under a planning grant from the atlantic Philanthropies, which seeks to create a robust and replicable model for middle-school improvement. the plan is constructed around four principles, which together comprise the chicago model of integrated services in schools:

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the chicago signaturethe first three principles flow directly from atlantic’s model, which is already being implemented in the state of new mexico. the fourth principle — that parent and community involvement are integral elements of school change — is based on lisc/chicago’s experience supporting comprehensive community development over the past eight years. By engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders in both planning and implementation, lisc’s new communities Program has shown strong promise of improving the quality of life for 16 chicago communities. embedding this approach into the atlantic Philanthropies model will help transform schools and ensure that all students can succeed in their transition to high school, college and/or careers.

the iss-chicago program builds on 15 years of school-reform progress in the chicago Public schools. it is overseen by the chicago committee, which includes representatives of the following organizations:> the chicago community trust> chicago Department of children and youth> chicago Public schools> JP morgan chase Foundation> the John D. and catherine t. macarthur Foundation> michael Reese health trust> Polk Brothers Foundation

the program is coordinated by lisc/chicago and includes participation of five lead agencies in lisc’s new communities Program, a 10-year effort to implement comprehensive community development in 16 neighborhoods. Participating schools and neighborhoods are:> ames middle school/logan square neighborhood

association> orozco community academy/the Resurrection Project

(Pilsen)> marquette elementary/southwest organizing Project

(chicago lawn)> Perspectives-calumet middle school/Greater auburn-

Gresham Development corporation> Reavis elementary/Quad communities Development

corporation

For more InFormATIon, conTAcT:

mIchAeL T. JohnsonPrincipalreavis elementary school834 e. 50th st.chicago, il [email protected]

sydA segovIA TAyLorIss Program manager Quad communities development corporation (Qcdc)/reavis elementary school4659 s. cottage Grove ave.chicago, il [email protected]

chrIs BroWndirector, education ProgramsLIsc/chicago1 n. lasalle st., 12th Floorchicago, il [email protected]

Reavis elementaRy school iss Plan | 2

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InTEnSIVE PlAnnIng DRAwS BRoAD PARTIcIPATIon Reavis elementary school and the Quad communities Development corporation (QcDc) were chosen for participation in iss-chicago through a competitive process in early 2007. they represent one of five school-community partnerships seeking to create and demonstrate a new model of integrated services in schools (iss).

the Reavis/QcDc partnership led a comprehensive planning process between February and may 2007. more than 40 people participated in four initial visioning and goal-setting meetings followed by committee work and plan-writing meetings. the summary plan that follows is the result of their work.

Reavis and QcDc thank all who contributed. the list below was compiled from sign-in sheets and may not include all participants. our apologies for any omissions or misspellings.

reavis elementary school

Michael T. Johnson, Principal

Andalib Khelghati, Reavis assistant principal

Quad communities develoPment corPoration

Bernita Johnson-Gabriel, Executive Director

Rebecca Janowitz, New Communities Program Director

Yvette Kelly, QCDC

Planning ParticiPants

Dawn M. Alvarez, Reavis teacher

Brenda Bannor, consultant

Yvonne Battle, Abraham Lincoln Centre

Milo Boraz, Kenwood High School assistant principal

Giselle Boyd, Youth Guidance

Tinger Bryant, Reavis teacher

Charlene Campbell, Reavis parent

Demietrice Davis, Reavis

Amanda Deisch, Abraham Lincoln Centre

Latesha Dickerson, Chicago New Teacher Center

Adrienne Garner, Chicago Public Schools

Angela Hampton, Reavis parent and volunteer

Phillip Hampton, Chicago Public Schools-Community Development

Krista Hinton, CPS Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (Reavis PBIS coach)

Melissa Jones, MLS

Regina Little, Reavis parent and Local School Council president

Dr. Tim Long, Komed

Margaret Pinaglia, Reavis teacher

Carol Reels, school nurse

Evelyn Reid, Near North/KoMed Health

Ken Roberts, Abraham Lincoln Centre

Brenda Robertson, Reavis counselor case manager

Dr. Mashona Smith, MLS

Berneice Thomas, Near North/Komed Health

Wahabi Tijani, Komed

Anita Tutson, Reavis teacher

Daniel Ward, Chicago New Teacher Center

Keshia B. Warner, Reavis resident principal

Deonna Wheeler, Abraham Lincoln Centre

student ParticiPants

Johnny Byrd, high school senior

Tierra Burres, high school senior

Revira Davis, high school senior

Antione Williams, high school senior

Erica Kellum, high school junior

Jeremy Ward, high school junior

Darcell Dawson, high school sophomore

Timothy Pleasant, high school sophomore

technical suPPort

Chris Brown, ISS-Chicago consultant

Jobi Petersen, ISS-Chicago consultant

Richard Muhammad, scribe, LISC/Chicago

Patrick Barry, scribe coordinator, LISC/Chicago

Liz Reyes, Illinois Facilities Fund

Kirby Burkholder, Illinois Facilities Fund

Susana Vasquez, LISC/Chicago New Communities Program director

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the Reavis Way: high expectations, mutual respect and teamworkReavis elementary school sits at 50th street and Drexel Boulevard on the border of the Grand Boulevard and north Kenwood neighborhoods, a short distance from historic Bronzeville and hyde Park. the school’s 467 children from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade are almost entirely african-american, mostly poor and sometimes seen as trouble by teachers at area high schools.

the school has a high population of students with asthma, diabetes and special education needs, and more than one-quarter of the students move in or out during the school year. Reavis feeds students primarily into two nearby high schools, the Walter h. Dyett academic center and Kenwood high school, and is down the street from martin luther King college Preparatory school, one of the city’s selective-enrollment high schools.

Four years ago, Reavis was a low-performing school, and there is still room for improvement. the student attendance rate in 2006 was 94 percent, slightly below the citywide average of 95 percent. teacher attendance and the quality of teaching have been serious issues in past years and more progress is needed. Discipline problems also require attention, with 45 suspensions as of may 2007, though this is a reduction of about 66 percent from the previous year.

Despite these challenges, Principal michael t. Johnson believes the school is on its way back; he calls it the “Reavis Rebirth.” a graduate of the new leaders for new schools principal-training program, Johnson arrived at Reavis four years ago when the school was on academic probation and had severe behavior problems. now, with

1 ScHool AnD coMMUnITY conTEXT

PROFILE: REavIs ELEmEntaRy schOOL

stUDEnt chaRactERIstIcs (2006)

Number of students (PreK-8) 467

Number of middle-school students (Grades 6-8) 147

Percent low-income 95.9

Percent African-American 98.9

PERFORmancE (2006)

Percent 8th-graders meeting standards – reading (ISAT) 67.4

Percent 8th-graders meeting standards – math (ISAT) 45.7

Attendance rate 94.0

Percent mobility (transfers out/year) 26.4

Source: Illinois School Report Card, 2006

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gains on many fronts, Reavis is considered a “turnaround school.”

in 2005-2006, school test scores for every grade increased, as measured by the illinois standards achievement test (isat). third grade students made substantial gains in reading, rising from 28.2 percent who met state standards to 46.5 percent. third grade math scores increased from 28.6 to 60.5 percent. Reavis 8th graders made gains in math that were above the district average, while reading scores were several percentage points below the average. the percentage of students who meet promotion criteria is trending up, rising 6.3 percent between 2004 and 2006.

Putting children firstPrincipal Johnson, his staff and a core group of committed parents have grounded their work in “the Reavis Way,” an expectation that students can achieve, a commitment to strong teacher training and a determination that every student will be served.

“When we are having any kind of communication, dialog, discussion, even an intense discussion, the adults in the building — it doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher, school aide, security guard or parent — you as an adult have to see children as the center of the conversation,” said Principal Johnson.

the school has made serious efforts to forge partnerships and to address the social, emotional and health needs of students. one program helped students receive eye exams and eyeglasses. another, called Barrel of monkeys, engages primary- and intermediate-grade students in a 10-week program that uses humor and drama to teach creative writing, short stories and skits.

chicago communities in schools helped expand cultural awareness through visits to the lyric opera. churches, including the church of latter Day saints, have provided tutoring services and participated in beautification projects. Gear Up, a federally funded effort, works with middle-school students to encourage college attendance and arranges a college tour that allows 8th graders to experience student life and talk with african-american students.

all the changes have created an environment more conducive to learning. Getting things in order to start the

school day now takes about five minutes, versus 20 minutes when Johnson arrived. out-of-school suspension days have fallen dramatically, Johnson says, and fights have been reduced from a couple scraps a day and after-school violence that required police response to almost no in-school fights and significant reductions in instances where police were needed this year.

the next steps are curbing the number of students in after-school detention and creating rewards for good

PROFILE: QUaD cOmmUnItIEs nEIghbORhOODs, chIcagO, IL

DEmOgRaPhIcs

Population (2000) 78,949

Population change 1960-2000 down 119,323

Percent African-American 88.5%

sOcIaL anD EcOnOmIc chaRactERIstIcs (2000)

Population below poverty level 38%

Number of households (2000) 40,171

Households w/public assistance 4,752 (14.8%)

Households with income above $35,000 11,856 (37%)

Public and private school enrollment (2005 estimate K-12) 12,585

Reavis School is on the border of the Chicago Community Areas of Kenwood and Grand Boulevard. The service area of the Quad Communities Development Corp. covers all of the Oakland community and parts of Douglas, Kenwood, and Grand Boulevard. This chart shows total numbers for all four communities.

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT


behavior and positive contributions, like free time in the gym for students who have done well, or monthly pizza parties for classes that log perfect attendance.

“We see a large number of students really trying to follow what we call the Reavis Way,” Johnson says. “We say we shouldn’t have to scream and shout at kids. We should treat them with respect and dignity even when they are being disruptive.”

Quad communities: neighborhoods in transitionReavis school is at the south end of the Quad communities, four adjacent neighborhoods between chicago’s south loop and hyde Park, home of the University of chicago. the four neighborhoods are also known as Bronzeville, which was the historic center of african-american life in chicago and later became the site of the city’s largest concentration of public housing. With more than 9,000 units of low-income housing in mostly high-rise developments that were poorly managed and deteriorating, the four neighborhoods became high-crime, high poverty areas. over the years 1960 to 2000, they experienced severe housing loss and population decline, losing nearly 120,000 residents.

today, the neighborhood is undergoing rapid revitalization. the chicago housing authority’s Plan for transformation has led to the demolition of the vast majority of high-rise public housing, followed by new construction of mixed-income developments that are one-third market-rate housing, one-third affordable and one-third public housing. the private housing market is thriving and the neighborhoods are seeing new retail investment for the first time in years.

Quad communities Development corporation (QcDc) was formed in 2003 to help manage and guide this new development so that it serves existing residents as well as newcomers. QcDc convenes residents, organizations, businesses and others, promoting a comprehensive approach to community development. When QcDc organized a quality-of-life planning process in 2003 and 2004, the 450 participating stakeholders identified education improvement as the community’s number-one priority. an october 2004 report by the illinois Facilities Fund found that of the seven elementary schools in the

QcDc service area, only two were performing at acceptable levels, and neither of these is open to all children in the attendance area.

Because of the limited choices for quality education, only about half of the public school students in the QcDc service area attend nearby elementary schools, and only one-fourth of local students attend area high schools. QcDc is working to change this situation. it helped leverage new resources to add full-day preschool at Donoghue and Robinson schools and supports use of a local attendance area for all area schools, including charters and selective-enrollment schools that would otherwise draw from all over the city.

this plan for Reavis school is part of a larger strategy to improve schools at all levels, from pre-school through high school. Keeping students close to home will allow them to form long-term relationships and develop cohort solidarity with their classmates, a crucial factor as they move together from elementary school into high school. creating more local education options also helps stabilize the neighborhood as a mixed-income community where local schools are used by all residents, rather than developing new schools that primarily serve the higher-income residents now moving into the Quad communities.

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our vision: civic-minded graduates who take charge of their learning

Graduates of Reavis elementary school will take with them ownership of their learning process and a sense of respect for themselves and others. at a minimum, graduates will perform at grade level, develop solid nutrition habits, and will possess a high level of self-esteem. Graduates will also be civic-minded, willing and able to think about how their conduct affects others. they will balance working independently with asking for help when needed. Reavis students will graduate having had the experience of being part of an academically and socially enriching community centered on their own unique talents and abilities.

Academics > our students will be algebra ready by the 8th grade.> our students will be independent readers, using

non-fiction and informational texts. > our students will be self advocates for their own

learning and will be able to set their own educational goals and know how to achieve them.

health > all children at Reavis will be physically and emotionally

healthy through school and as they graduate. > no child will graduate with a preventable illness.> a comprehensive, family-based approach to illness and

injury that can’t be prevented will be taken at Reavis.

social supports> a central intake process for all students will be used to

assess behavioral, social, emotional (including mental health) and academic challenges.

> our students will be served by a support system that engages students in becoming respectful, civic-minded, caring, academically successful and responsible human beings.

2 VISIon AnD goAlS


an extended day and stronger core to continue its turnaround and better prepare its students for high school, Reavis will develop an extended school day and a more rigorous academic program, with an emphasis on the middle-school grades.

We will work with cPs and the chicago new teachers center (cntc) to implement departmentalized classrooms for 6th through 8th grades, concentrating first on reading and math instruction and then on science and social studies. We are recruiting new teachers to work in the middle school grades and will orient them to the new program using cntc’s training system and a coach trained by cntc. the middle school will also be the focal

point for introduction of new curricula covering reading, writing, math and science.

our extended-day will provide three and a half hours of after-school time, including 90 minutes for homework support and tutoring and two hours for enrichment activities and physical fitness. a saturday school will be added one or two times per month, along with a four- to six-week summer session to help students maintain their school-year academic gains. We will also use an outdoor grade-level community-building camp experience early in the fall semester to help students build healthy relationships among themselves and with their teachers.

the “Reavis Way” will continue to provide guiding principles for students, faculty, parents and staff as we pursue our goal of preparing graduates for high school and beyond.

3 ScHool TRAnSFoRMATIon PlAn

REavIs ELEmEntaRy schOOL IntEgRatED PROgRam FOR schOOL tRansFORmatIOn

hEaLthy stUDEnts

> On-site health clinic> Teen pregnancy and STDs> Fitness instruction> Aquatics program> Nutrition education> Healthy food> Meal supports

sOcIaL sUPPORts

> Needs assessments> Positive school culture> Life coaching and peer support> College for Certain

ExtEnDED Day anD LEaRnIng

> Open until 6 p.m.> Saturday school> Summer programming> Physical activity and clubs> Music and arts> Middle school endorsements> Data-driven instruction> Drop Everything and Read> Teacher and tutor training> Readers and Writers Workshops> Ramping up Math

FamILy/cOmmUnIty InvOLvEmEnt

> Family income supports> Communication and problem solving> Parent council and parent workshops> Community action> Community Advisory Board

Reavis RebiRth

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We will use team-building activities and a culture of high expectations to put the interests of students at the center of our thoughts, conversations and work.

alongside the extended-day and learning activities, we will partner with near north health systems/Komed to build and operate an in-school health center. the center will provide a full range of physical and mental health services and its staff will manage or contribute to related health education programs. We will improve the quality of food in our cafeteria by adding a salad bar and add after-school meals through a Kid’s café.

social supports will include needs assessment, introduction of the Unity Project to help faculty guide and support students as they build decision-making skills, mentoring programs and a partnership with the nearby center for Working Families to help families improve their financial strength. all middle-school students will be exposed to multiple programs about high school selection and preparation, and eighth graders will participate in college-awareness programs.

Phasing and impactthe school transformation Plan will be implemented over a four-year period, with an initial emphasis on building a rigorous academic program through the recruitment,

induction and development of high-quality staff. the after-school, saturday and summer sessions will be integrated into the academic day; wherever possible, after-school staff and tutors will receive the same curriculum training or professional development as the daytime teachers.

the anticipated impact of an improved and more cohesive teaching staff is improved academic achievement; increased participation of students in the academic program; and higher levels of students that are engaged in the academic program.

We also anticipate improvements in student reading capabilities and writing assignments; student portfolios with examples of their work and progress; and students who are prepared to take on a rigorous mathematics curriculum in high school.

the health center and social supports will help create a healthier student body that is better able to engage in learning. We anticipate a reduction of preventable disease and injury, fewer health related absences and improved behavior. there will be a continued decrease in student discipline referrals as teachers are provided with more tools and support to manage students and classrooms.

SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION PLAN


We have made good progress at Reavis over the last three years on academic improvement, but much more is needed to reach our vision for Reavis graduates. our plan is to create a more rigorous academic environment, with a special focus on the middle-school grades. We will create departmentalized learning in grades 6 through 8 and work with the chicago new teacher center to hire and train new teachers with the required subject-matter certifications.

We will also create an extended-day program that provides additional time for intensive academic work

with teachers, tutors and other support personnel, along with enrichment activities that help address health, social and emotional needs.

the foundation of the middle-school program will be a young teaching staff that participates in regular professional development and coaching to build a more effective and demanding academic program. When Principal Johnson began at Reavis, the school copier was printing 1.5 million sheets a year, an indication that much of the classroom time was spent filling in work sheets. now, several new programs are already in place — such as the chicago Reading initiative to improve performance and the college-awareness program Gear Up, in partnership with the University of chicago — and more programs will be added.

student success will continue to be celebrated, with student gains recognized in monthly cluster town hall meetings (grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8). these assemblies celebrate student birthdays and achievements such as most improved for behavior, most improved academics, and other improvements and successes in or out of school.

Departmentalized middle school our middle-school students now stay with the same classroom teacher most of the day, but we will shift from these self-contained classrooms to a departmentalized program to expose all middle-school students to teachers with subject-matter expertise in language arts, math, history and science. Graduates of Reavis who participated in the planning process said that a departmentalized structure would help prepare students for the transition to high school.

4 EXTEnDED DAY AnD lEARnIng: BUIlDIng A FoUnDATIon

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chicago new teachers centerBecause much of the middle-school staff will be new, we will partner with the chicago new teachers center for induction, training and mentoring of the middle-school teachers. Founded at the University of california-santa cruz and now operating in 17 school districts including chicago, the cntc uses highly trained mentors to work with new teachers both during the school day and after school.

new teachers will be selected in part for their willingness to work the extended days that are part of this plan. But to avoid teacher burnout, the after-school and weekend programs will also depend on new part-time staff, interns and personnel from partner agencies. Professional development for the extended-day personnel will be aligned with the academic program.

extended-day planWith the school day extended until 6 p.m., all middle-school students will have the opportunity to participate in literacy, mathematics and enrichment activities to strengthen their ability to perform academically. the extended-day program will offer one hour of targeted academic tutoring or homework support, with two hours of arts and social recreational activities to extend their thinking, and be strongly integrated with regular school day programming and technology.

the cPs after-school program and the middle school male advising program are already in place and additional programs will be added. Formal relationships will be established with partners such as americorp’s city year, citizen schools, the University of chicago’s neighborhood schools program and other service and arts organizations that can provide the necessary programming support.

a digital technology program will be created, modeled in part after the existing program at nearby north Kenwood-oakland charter school. the digital program might include writing and editing of web-based material, web-casting, creation of e-newsletter and video production. arts, dance and cooking classes will be offered on a rotating basis, always with an academic component that links back to classroom teaching.

We recognize that some of our middle-school students have responsibilities to care for younger siblings and relatives, but still need an opportunity to participate in the extended-day programs. Reavis will identify students responsible for the care of younger siblings and develop programs for primary and intermediate siblings of those students. the result would be more students who have such responsibility joining extended school activities.

summer enrichmenta four- to six-week summer enrichment camp that operates four to five hours daily will keep students connected to their academic work and contribute to their emotional physical, academic and cultural development. Partnerships with local museums and cultural organizations (such as the smart museum, oriental museum, museum of science and industry, little Black Pearl Workshop and others) would be forged to offer stimulating off-site activities for middle grade students.

Participating in summer camp is a way to keep students from losing ground academically during the break and a way to provide middle-school students with an opportunity to increase their literacy and mathematical knowledge. in addition, the students would participate in physical and recreational activities that support healthier lifestyle choices.

Reavis is already involved with the cPs summer school Remediation Program, Gear Up, and the italian american sports hall of Fame. the camps connect well with proposed health, academic, and social supports at the school.

outdoor campGrade-level community-building camps will be used to help students learn about themselves, develop social/emotional thinking skills, create positive relationships with each other and envision their potential. Using camps like iron oaks, camp edwards or camp Red leaf, the Wednesday-through-Friday outings will take place each fall to build a sense of momentum early in the school year and increase student “buy-in” into the academic program and the Reavis Way. the camps fit established patterns at Reavis of gathering students to acknowledge their achievement and building a greater sense of community. the camps will also provide the faculty with an opportunity

EXTENDED DAY AND LEARNING: BUILDING A FOUNDATION


to engage students in a different setting to build relationships. Parents will be invited to separate sessions for parents on the first day of each camp.

Quarterly learning targetsWorking with the new leaders for new schools program, we will institute quarterly learning targets to help track student performance and more rapidly respond to their learning needs. these regular interim assessment tests, administered the first week of each marking period, provide teachers with timely data that allows them to teach or reteach material as needed. Periodic retesting shows if the students have grasped the material. the system also gives students and their parents a clear idea of the learning targets and their progress.

in the first year of the program, starting in fall 2007, teachers will prepare mathematics learning targets aligned with the illinois state standards, then share with students and parents so that they understand the purpose of the learning targets and testing. teachers will also review and address curricular coherence through illinois state standards and curriculum mapping in the summer of 2007. in the following years, students will join in quarterly

school-wide assessments in reading, writing, mathematics, science and history. the program will be designed in collaboration with mark murphy, interim assessment director for new leaders for new schools, with ongoing collaboration and support from the Quality improvement initiative of the cPs office for Principal Preparation and Development.

new curriculathe iss planning process has spurred Reavis to expand its use of high-quality curricula to better prepare middle-school students for high school. We will tap several programs that are established and well-proven in chicago, including the striving Readers Program, chicago Reading initiative, chicago math and science initiative, Facing history and ourselves and expeditionary learning outward Bound. the extended-day program will be used to support the new curricula through tutoring on the new subject matter, professional development for teaching and after-school staff, and integrated programming that reinforces the new curricula.

> striving readers. the goal of the reading program at Reavis is to offer students a balanced program so that

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EXTENDED DAY AND LEARNING: A COORDINATED APPROACH

they enter high school as independent readers and writers. middle-school teachers will participate in the striving Readers program which includes ongoing professional development in research-based best practices. teachers will collaborate daily and weekly with a site-based intervention teacher. the literacy intervention teacher will provide intensive instruction and support for struggling readers. Primary and intermediate students will be prepared for striving Readers with instruction on comprehension, fluency and vocabulary, and with new basal-reading textbooks.

> everyday math and math Thematics. We will introduce new materials and professional development from the chicago math and science initiative, using everyday math in the lower grades (K-5) to prepare students for middle-school success, where the math thematics program will be used. teachers are already attending cmsi trainings to institute these programs.

> Apangea math tutoring. to help students build a strong mathematical foundation and be “algebra ready” for high school, the school will utilize apangea, an online application that guides students through mathematical concepts using a combination of artificial intelligence and live support. the software allows teachers to monitor student progress and use it to differentiate classroom instruction daily. the software will be utilized for students in all grades — primary, intermediate and

middle school. this program will require setting up a writing/mathematics computer center.

> Facing history and ourselves. Used successfully in chicago and nationally, this program engages students of diverse backgrounds in discussions of racism, social justice and tolerance, making history relevant and applicable to the student’s daily life. We will implement the program at Reavis through a training module for middle school teachers, and have already begun meeting with faculty at another iss-chicago school that uses the curriculum, ames middle school in logan square. Reavis already employs a chicago history museum program for 3rd and 4th graders, providing a foundation for the middle school program.

> expeditionary Learning. We will organize our curriculum primarily through learning expeditions. learning expeditions feature linked projects that require students to construct deep understanding, build skills and create products for a live audience. learning expeditions support critical literacy, promote character development, create a sense of adventure, spark curiosity and foster an ethic of service. they address central academic standards of content, skills and presentation. they encourage the authentic integration of academic disciplines and include goals related to character and community.


sick children don’t do well in school, whether the issue is missed days or the inability to focus on learning because of ailments or health problems. We also know that stressed-out teachers can’t provide top-notch instruction, which makes health services and health education a top priority for the Reavis school community.

at Reavis, there are large numbers of students who are obese, suffer from asthma, and are at-risk of, or are being treated for diabetes. there are also many children with unmet mental health needs. the only ones receiving services are students with serious behavioral problems; most students have no access to mental health services.

Poor health, for both adults and children, is a serious problem throughout the Quad communities area. the Grand Boulevard community adjacent to Reavis shows the highest incidence of risk among the five iss school communities, according to the chicago Department of health’s Behavioral Risk Factor survey (2006). it had high risk factors for residents not having a health plan, no cholesterol check, no exercise, smoking, binge drinking and non-daily fruit consumption. the same neighborhood had 89 live births to teen mothers in 2003, a 23.4 percent rate compared to 13.5 percent citywide.

a school-based health center will ensure that every child receives the physical and mental health care they need, facilitate the management of chronic conditions and provide effective preventive services. the center will ensure students and their families and the school community have comprehensive health care sufficient to address preventable disease and injury and manage disease and injury that cannot be prevented.

in-school health centerWe will partner with near north health service corporation/ Komed to operate the school-based health center at Reavis and provide physical, mental and dental health services. near north is a Federally Qualified health center that served 27,000 patients through 80,000 visits in 2006. it operates four primary-care sites in chicago including two that are near the school: cottage view health center, about two blocks from Reavis at 4829 s. cottage Grove, and the Komed holman health center, six blocks away at 4259 s. Berkeley.

the partnership with near north/Komed will provide a medical home for students whose parents so choose and supplementary services for students whose primary medical home is elsewhere. Preventive services will be provided to the entire school community during non-school hours. the proximity of the affiliated clinics means that family members of Reavis students can be easily served nearby.

the center at Reavis will be designed as a “child and adolescent-friendly” facility and focus on offering an environment that is welcoming, reassuring safe and confidential. Komed, a longtime area health provider, will provide services based on its experience and operations that reflect the best practices of community-based health care operations.

the center will provide physical, mental and dental health services and will integrate lessons on nutrition, health education, exercise and other preventative measures to benefit students and the school community. a school health index will be employed to look at the school’s health status in several areas, including individual health, physical safety, community health and school health (the building environment).

5 HEAlTHY KIDS – HEAlTHY ScHool coMMUnITY

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comprehensive health servicesthe health center’s primary function will be to improve the health of Reavis students so that they can perform better academically and socially. a school health committee will involve staff and parents to make sure that there is a comprehensive approach and a focus on improved health, from physical and building safety to school meals and class curricula. the committee will meet at least once a month.

our plan for developing and providing health services includes the following components:

> each child will be provided with an individual health plan to support academic achievement. For example, a special-needs student who is overweight could be supported in weight loss efforts to boost self esteem and stimulate greater participation and engagement in academic work.

> case conferences and multidisciplinary meetings will be employed to identify health issues and any interrelationship to academic performance, such as a student who misses days because of continued illness or an asthma sufferer whose medicine increases his level of activity, and which otherwise might be construed as a disciplinary problem.

> ongoing assessments will be created to ensure proper care of students and a confidential “health Report card” will be used to engage and inform parents about

the status of their children’s health. the ongoing assessments will be used to determine if any student health needs are going unfilled and to identify gaps in care that need to be filled.

> the content and quality of student absence forms will be improved to offer a better picture of those conditions that contribute to children spending time out of school.

> Komed will provide dental services.

the center will support existing school health programs providing for vaccination and screening; individualized health plans such as 508s; and counseling for children with diagnosed social/emotional disorders. it will also be integrated with the Reavis physical education curriculum, “Get our youth in shape.”

health center build outReavis identified rooms 115 and 117 for the health center space. the health center will be accessed from the main entrance and will not have a separate entrance from the exterior of the building. the center will incorporate the following elements, as shown in the floor layout:

> Waiting areas

> Reception area/desk

> 3 exam rooms

> nurses’ station/secure medical record storage

> conference room for health education

HEALTHY STUDENTS: LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE


> locked cabinet for medications

> office space for counseling and service providers

> laboratory space (workroom) with pass-through connection to washroom

> Washroom

> accessory storage spaces

to accommodate the program, Reavis will need to relocate a pre-K room and a special education resource room. the development budget provides funds for this relocation and associated physical improvements.

integrated health educationthe health center will be the central partner in creating a seamless connection between health and academic lessons, in particular health education and physical education classes, but also in any coursework where lessons about health can be related to core subjects.

the health center will be an information center providing age-appropriate posters, pamphlets and opportunities for guided student and parent discussion groups. students will be encouraged to share what they have learned with their peers and with others through art projects. For hands-on nutrition education, students and their families will have access to near north/Komed’s model grocery store and kitchen.

Reavis teachers and Komed health educators will work collaboratively on health-themed projects and curriculum units, and will partner with parents and students to create effective community outreach.

science, health and careersstudents will have the opportunity to conduct science experiments relating to health in their science classes. center staff will support appropriate science fair projects on health themes. also, students will be introduced to the full range of health care careers through annual visits to nearby Komed health center sites at 43rd and 49th streets. Komed staff will be invited to make classroom visits through the year.

Reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseasesReavis students will receive comprehensive reproductive health education through the smaRt moves program developed by the Boys and Girls clubs of america. this program’s stay smaRt (skills mastery and Resistance training) component teaches students the benefits of resisting alcohol, tobacco, drugs and sexual activity. an independent evaluation found that at 15 months and 23 months after the program, participants had significantly less sexual behavior than the control group.

improved school nutrition to ensure no student begins his or her day hungry, Reavis will implement a universal breakfast program. Reavis will also work with the chicago Public schools to explore ways to provide healthy food choices for students, such as a cafeteria salad bar or other options to increase the nutritional value of school food offerings.

Fitness and danceexisting sports programs at the school will be supplemented with classes in capoeira, the strenuous and fun afro-Brazilian martial arts and dance discipline. We will develop a comprehensive dance program by bringing teachers and students together with outside experts such as muntu Dance, a chicago institution building a new theater nearby on 47th street, and hubbard street Dance chicago. hubbard street’s education and community programs include workshops, professional development, after-school programs and in-school residencies. accredited by the cPs teachers academy and the illinois state Board of education, the programs are specifically designed to bridge after-school and academic activities. our youth in shape (o’yis), a program that provides systematic, school-wide physical fitness and nutritional program designed to the meet the needs of the whole child, staff, families and community through creative movement, exercise and health education that provides the skills, knowledge and motivation to keep kids in shape and encourage lifelong learning, will also be used inside the school.

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the Reavis Way means always putting children at the center of the school’s agenda, and that means we must discover and meet the social and emotional needs of our students.

We have made progress in recent years on reduction of discipline problems by instituting Positive Behavior interventions support (PBis), a tested approach to creating positive school environments. PBis brings together parents and staff to establish clear rules and expectations, implement appropriate strategies and reward good behavior.

Reavis has been one of eight chicago Public schools implementing PBis in partnership with system of care chicago. socc services are designed individually for about 30 students at Reavis and may include group or

one-on-one counseling, tutoring, and building relationships with teachers, family members or other trusted supporters.

While socc has helped address the needs of our most disruptive students, we believe a broader program of social supports is needed to serve all students. also, the socc program is being phased out by cPs, so we will work with our health-services provider, near north/Komed, to develop a new program that will provide continuity and serve more students.

We will also provide mentoring, specialized training on social-emotional issues, an after-school nutrition component and significant efforts to help students consider and decide which high school path they should take.

6 SocIAl SUPPoRTS: MEETIng nEEDS oF All STUDEnTS


needs assessmentthe first step in creating effective support systems will be a needs assessment to target programs. to gain honest and useful information from students and their families, Reavis will use its health partner, Komed, to do the needs assessment and coordinate services. the initial focus will be the 147 children enrolled in middle school. interview guidelines will be developed and agreed upon between Reavis, Komed and our neighborhood partner, Quad communities Development corporation (QcDc). Komed and QcDc will help administer different aspects of the survey to maintain confidentiality within the guidelines of the various partners.

We envision that some of the identified needs will be:

> connect students with services.

> establish a resource center for students.

> educate staff about adolescent growth and development to better recognize indicators of normal behavior and signs of problems.

> ensure that social emotional learning standards are taught.

> engage students and parents on adolescent issues.

Unity Projectthe Unity Project was used in schools throughout new york city after the 9/11 tragedy, helping students develop resilient and healthy responses to the crisis. the program will be used at Reavis to help our students develop a heightened ability to turn challenges into opportunities for personal and community growth. Drawing on research of the Resilient Responses to social crisis inter-Faculty at harvard University, the project involves training of teachers, staff and students in the skills necessary to create a resilient school culture. By engaging students in structured service-learning opportunities and transformation exercises, the program provides a framework for integrating social and emotional goals into the academic curriculum and extended-day programs.

mentoring effective mentoring can be an important part of a child’s life and Reavis is looking to incorporate a solid program. Reavis will start by implementing an in-school mentoring effort that focuses daily teacher attention on those

students with the greatest challenges. each staff member will have responsibility for one or two students. such a program is already in place at neighboring north Kenwood oakland charter school and will be used as a model. Daily check-ins will be utilized and the extended-day program will provide additional opportunities to connect the youth with teachers and other caring adults.

another way we will provide stronger adult-child contact is through a program being negotiated with the nearby University of chicago school of social services administration. the school places student interns in community and school settings. We are designing an advisory program that will be supervised by Reavis personnel and includes an advisory period for 90 minutes that connects students to their education in informal ways. We are also exploring a mentoring partnership with Big Brothers Big sisters.

inclusion Reavis does not currently meet the best-practices standard for the inclusion of children with special needs. We are committed to meeting this standard and providing every child with the optimal learning environment. through

19 | Reavis ReBiRth

the cluster meetings sponsored by QcDc, the school leadership became aware of the model inclusion programs implemented at a nearby neighborhood public school. the principal who spearheaded this program retires this June and has agreed to advise Reavis on full-inclusion practices.

attendance supportsWe want to increase attendance by adding home visits to track attendance problems more closely. For our health initiatives to have the full impact possible on academic achievement, we need direct knowledge of the circumstances that may impede attendance. Both physical and mental health issues can play a role in undermining attendance. at the same time, home visits can transform a potentially negative encounter between parents and the school into a positive connection. We will deploy trained support staff to track attendance and monitor referrals. QcDc will closely support this effort because of the widespread interest in the community in supporting attendance through purposeful outreach.

after-school food: Kids caféWith our school day extended to 6 p.m., our children will need an afternoon snack, and we plan to provide hot and nutritious meals in partnership with the Greater chicago Food Depository’s Kids café program. an initiative of america’s second harvest administered locally by GcFD, the Kids café is already offered in 41 chicago locations, including 16 schools.

high school placementthe Reavis community wants to make sure the work we do isn’t lost as our students go off to high school. our aim is to make sure each graduate feels that good options exist for high school and to help the students choose the best school for their aptitude, interests and future ambitions. We will incorporate “high school here We come,” which exposes students to high schools, meets weekly to discuss student areas of interest, explains high school requirements and arranges high school visits.


successful schools as community anchorssuccessful implementation of this plan can make Reavis elementary school a true community resource. it can become a place where students from the community want to be from morning to evening and on weekends. it can become a central point of communication for parents and community members, and support the kind of balanced housing and retail development envisioned in the Quad communities quality-of-life plan.

Quad communities Development corporation is committed to partnering with Reavis to transform the school into a local resource, and to create the community and parent involvement that will sustain the school over time.

QcDc’s approach to education was developed in response to the quality-of-life plan published in 2005. the goal is a local network of high-performing neighborhood schools that are open to local residents so that all families have viable educational choices from preschool through high school. QcDc has partnered with elementary schools to expand and bring in new pre-school opportunities, and has reached up the high school level to promote articulation, cohort advancement and increased local opportunities. the school transformation plan at Reavis, with sustained involvement of QcDc and other neighborhood partners, will produce cohorts of graduating eight graders prepared for a rigorous local high school. QcDc will work to leverage this progress into other local elementary schools while simultaneously improving the two local high schools, with a goal of creating a high-quality network of local schools from preschool through high school.

communication and outreachWe believe that we must engage parents more effectively to implement our improvement plans. Grade-level meetings for parents will be held early in the school year for 6th, 7th and 8th graders and their families. the initial focus will be on the Reavis Way — the school’s values, expectations, and processes. outreach will continue at various times throughout the year, including report pick up days, which will be expanded to include more communication time among parents, students, teachers and staff.

7 coMMUnITY AnD PAREnT InVolVEMEnT

21 | Reavis ReBiRth

there will be ongoing opportunities to engage parents as the school offers greater programming such as the after-school, summer and outdoor camp programs. each of these programs will be introduced at a meeting for parents, and the meetings will be used strategically to develop ongoing communication and relationships with the students’ family members.

education organizer QcDc will add an education-focused organizing position to support the communications and outreach outlined above, and to help spread the best practices implemented at Reavis to other elementary schools in the QcDc service area. For the community to experience the true value of what will happen in the middle school, substantial parent and community organizing must occur in support of high school options, transition and graduation. at present that ‘high school’ is itself a fragmented series of limited options. QcDc’s education outreach director will be recruited, trained and supported to conduct this work.

Family academic nightsReavis will open its doors to family members once per quarter to provide regular opportunities for parents to learn about and get involved in their children’s academic work. these family nights will focus on a particular subject area each time, covering science, math, literacy and writing. the Family science night, for instance, might include hands-on workshops for students and parents to demonstrate concepts being taught in the classrooms.

Family income supportsall families at Reavis will be encouraged to take advantage of the resources of our partner institution, the abraham lincoln centre and its center for Working Families (cWF). the cWF is part of a national network of support organizations that connect low-income families with employment programs, financial counseling and screening for public benefits so that they receive all possible financial supports. the cWF at abraham lincoln centre helps eligible families sign up for child health insurance, food programs and housing assistance, and in 2007 provided free income-tax-preparation services for 792 families and

individuals, capturing $1.2 million in tax refunds and the federal earned income credit.

a network of local schoolsReavis is a member of the lakefront cluster of elementary schools, all of which work with QcDc. cluster principals from both public and charter schools meet regularly to discuss topics of common concern, including special education and the use of data to direct assessment. the cluster schools are improving, some dramatically, and there is a growing emphasis on learning from one another.

this increasing coherence, however, is not yet mirrored at the high school level. none of the high schools in the service area is high performing, including the selective enrollment high school. high performing students seek opportunities outside of the service area, while many other students who complete elementary school are not successful in high school. For this reason, QcDc, Reavis and the lakefront cluster will focus over the coming years on producing viable local high school choices so that the gains at the elementary and middle-school level can continue for all local students. the partnership between QcDc and Reavis designed to implement iss will be truly sustainable as the practices and policies developed for iss at Reavis become a catalyst for change, transforming the entire network of neighborhood schools, charter and non charter alike.

For more information, contact:

mIchAeL T. JohnsonPrincipalreavis elementary school834 e. 50th st.chicago, il [email protected]

sydA segovIA TAyLorIss Program manager Quad communities development corporation (Qcdc)/reavis elementary school4659 s. cottage Grove ave.chicago, il [email protected]

chrIs BroWndirector, education ProgramsLIsc/chicago1 n. lasalle st., 12th Floorchicago, il [email protected]

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