Expeditions - Others
• We may not know exactly how to make the necessary changes, but the industrial model no longer fits the needs of students in the 21st century. A school year that is only 9 months long and teachers working 185-195 day contracts is not sufficient. That concentrated amount of time needs to be spread out to allow for more reflection by teachers during the school year and students to have breaks without the long summer break that most students do not engage in some type of academic engagement - causing much of the following school year to be spent recovering what has been forgotten.• We need to change....
• Get the book and have all your employees read it! It would be great to have the students read the book!
• I think others should know several things about the articles I read. I'm not sure I agree with pouring millions of dollars into more research on "what is wrong with our nation's high schools". Let's look at what is working in successful high schools right now! Great emphasis was placed on lowering the student drop out rate. I agree, but does a diploma necessarily mean a student has learned the academic basics. I thing smaller schools with high expectations and more personalization would help improve the drop out rate. In conclusion, I'd like to end with a quote from one of the articles "A successful high school experience insures a successful transition into continual learning". I don't think anyone is ever done learning!
• I did come to the realization that there are many possibilities and that colleges are willing to work with high schools. There will be some pit falls but some creative thinking will help to overcome these. I believe that it is essential to involve students to see what they are interested in. It does us little good to create programs that are of little value to our students. On the other hand we have the opportunity to inspire students in our classrooms with these types of programs. Students may see more relevance to high school if these options are pursued.
• It's good to study theories/ look at trends and question our teaching and how we do it as it makes us better teachers and makes our students better prepared as a citizen and worker.
• What a great book! It gave me a new outlook on why being positive is so important!
• The book I read contains "cutting edge" ideas for education reform. The experiences that are portrayed in the book revolve around constructivist concepts. This is not your typical high school experience.
• From my reading I didn't see any really innovaive new ideas on change to the High School experience.
• Best Practice High School appears to be part of the Chicago Public Schools system. Students have to apply for enrollment and enrollment is limited to 400 students.
• In two years this dual language program will be offered k-12 in Omaha. This will be the first of its kind nationwide.
• Our world is changing according to Dr. Taggett - China and India are way ahead of us (Biochemistry is required for high school graduation in those countries) and we will be like Europe with some wealthy people and the rest in lower middle class - it is evident already in Norfolk with one of our plants moving to China - we either change our high schools or we will not be the top producing country of the world - but then I would rather live here in the US then in those countries and their ideals.
• I think that Mr. Christensen’s point is well made. The difficulty is in how to make those changes. It is the high school years that form the connections for the next steps that students take when they leave our public schools. A successful high school experience insures a successful transition to continued learning, entrance into the world of work, and becoming a contributing member of our society for all students.
• It seems to me that all of the pieces to rethinking high schools are so intertwined, so effect each other that schools should not expect to just pick the pieces they like and expect the same results. Careful planning, implementation, and evaluation is necessary.
• Continue to read and find ways to do things better.
• Almost ever article in the two magazines (Principal Leadership and Scholastic Administrator) covered new innovations or visionary concepts. Some are very impressive.
• Even though I chose articles that were relevant for me, I feel as though I've taken the easy way out. I look forward to hearing from those who made visitations or conducted personal interviews.
• As an educator in the classroom, I placed the entire responsibility of my students’ success on me. In order for my program to be successful I did not allow my students to have an active role other than to “do as I said.” As a result of this conference, I have learned that it is important for students to be enabled and aware of how they learn in order for them to practice skills that they will need to be successful and productive later in life.
• That there is so much good information out their not only on high school change but also on change and the change process (i.e. in the business area) that we need to take advantage of.
• Students have the most potential in their strength areas. Many things that are taught in schools will never be used by many students. Skills training is important. Some things like reading and writing will be required of almost all people. Classwork and required coursework needs to be more relevant to the future needs of the students. If a student has a talent and interest in one area, opportunities must be given to that student when possible. Dropout rates are unacceptably high. Making schools more relevant to students will create an environment where students are more excited about coming to school.
• I want the the other participants in the confernce to know from my expedition is that we need to shift our energies from "who is to blame?" to "what can we do to improve the situation?" We need to accept that the past "was what it was" and move forward.
• All projects/innovations took TIME/RESOURCES to implement
• I most sincerely believe that as we develop a keen sense of educational purpose, we will begin to move from looking at schooling differently. Currently we spend far too much time and effort on educational process and not enough time and effort upon educational outcomes. In other words, we must move to a standards base or outcomes base rather than a "seat-time" base for measuring student accomplishment. Is it more important for a kid to have four years of math or be able to demonstrate mastery on a given number of mathematical outcomes, or to be able to apply critical thinking skills to complex social situations?
• A climate of social intolerance hinders economic growth.
• The difference between a good and great school is that the high-performing high school has a more intellectually coherent program of study based on a curriculum that grows progressively more challenging from the freshman to senior year.
• The possibility of sharing e-learning course across the NVC conference, NVTP, NTS etc.
• that students are open to changes and want high school to be exciting.
• The book, "Good to Great", is a fantastic book that applies to business, education and life as a whole.
• Chapter 9 in STARTING AT HOME by Nel Noddings begins "Children in happy homes are sheltered by attentive love. Their health, safety, and growth are promoted by parents - other selves - who are there for them. Parents listen, respond appreciatively, and help their children make well-infomred choices, although they cannot respond positively to every desire expressed by their children. Parents have the vision of the kind of person their should should become and the training required can be work for parents and children alike." (Perhaps schools can become much more personalized - for both students and parents - to address the needs of students so all students have the support they need to build relationships and to reach their full potential.)
• I wonder if any schools in Nebraska have raised their requirements for graduation which, allows "all" students to be able to enroll immediately in college.
• Parents are still very serious about thier child education and that administator and teachers need to take thier job very serious.
• I think the time/schedule in which the day is run is something that should be more flexible. I have students that cannot come in for extra help because of job commitments or after school activities. These students need to have the time when a teacher is free to help them with their questions instead of feeling overwhelmed and unable to ‘fit the learning into’ their schedule.
• Much brain research has shown that teenagers have a different metabolic clock that literally keeps them up at night and moves their normal sleeping schedule ahead into the morning hours. Many school activities and starting times go against this natural clock. Furthermore, kids need to drink more water. A dehydrated brain doesn’t think as well.
• Learning does not have to be painful and arduous for the student. Many teachers, parents and students go through the system with certain assumptions about education that stifle the very education we are trying to promote. Learning is something that needs to be exciting and solicited by the student. That ownership is crucial to making meaningful connections.
• NA
• The reading helped us see a strengthened relationship between career and technical education and preparation for a student's future
• Read the book it will challenge your ideas and create ideas
• All of the schools cited were urban settings. Rural was considered 1200 students. How successful would someof these ideas be in a true rural setting?
• Most of the other participants seem to believe what has been addressed.
• Change takes time and nothing can be expected to be done over night (or even in one year.)
• Schools in Nebraska had better get on board or we're going to be the "Conestoga wagon" of education the rest of the nation already believes us to be.
• We really need to rethink this whole notion that we are trying to give all kids the courses necessary to be a successful four-year college student. That is NOT where the jobs (or the money) will be in future.
• Anything is possible with an enthusiastic teacher who believes that students can succeed, who isn't afraid of hard work and learning, and who gives students extraordinary opportunities to achieve and believe in themselves. Rafe developed relationships with his students.
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