Transcript Alternative to Closure Proposal for East High School

WORKING DRAFT
Community School
Proposal for East High
Neighborhood
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Written by Kirsten Mahovlich and Michelle Perez
Developed in collaboration with Lisa Donahue, Ruth Ann
Horowitz, Shirley Reeder, Lena Boswell, Anne Galetta,
Vanessa Jones, members of the class of 2011, various AST
staff members, various community members, and Attevo
With appreciation to The Knowledge Works Foundation for
many of the ideas outlined in this proposal
The East Side
Community
Academy
Proposal and Program Overview
The Vision
The East Side Community Academy will
blend a hi-tech academic program with a
full-service community center and
recreation facility that will prepare students
for real-world job opportunities and postsecondary education options while
simultaneously engaging in community
building through outreach and economic
development.
The Plan: The Physical Divide
Divide the East High building along a
North/South axis
Repurpose the Western half of the building
for use as a hi-tech vocational and college
prep program
Repurpose the Eastern half of the building
for use as a community center and
recreation facility
The Plan:
The No-Violence Pledge
Because the entire goal of this facility would be to
promote healthy mental, physical and economic
growth and development in the Hough/Superior
neighborhood, all parties in anyway connected with
The East Side Community Academy would be
required to take a No-Violence Pledge. This pledge
would apply to activity both inside and outside the
building walls. The concept is that by providing a
state of the art facility with both rigorous and relevant
academic opportunities as well as practical and
appealing community services, this campus becomes a
highly prized and respected asset where the seeds of
community leadership can be sown and spread
exponentially.
The Plan: Two Worlds, One Goal
The Academy of Hi-Tech
Vocational Arts
Possible Program Offerings
• Tech/Customer Service
 Possible partnership with Attevo
and/or other community businesses
• Sound Engineering & Recording
 Possible partnership with the Rockn-Roll Hall of Fame
• Center for Wellness and
Environmental Studies
 In partnership with Nguzo
Saba Gardens
• Hi-tech Foreign Language and
AP Lab
 Funds may be available through
EEFT grant currently under review
The Community Academy
Possible Program Offerings
• Cleveland Clinic Satellite service
• Cleveland Public Library
Satellite service
• Adult Education/GED classes
• Child care/Elder care program
(local providers)
• Low-cost lease space for local
entrepreneurs and non-profit
agencies (small business
incubator)
• Full-service recreation facility in
partnership with The City of
Cleveland
• Market Gardens
The Academy of Hi-Tech
Vocational Arts
Technology and Customer Service: As an alternative to international
outsourcing, Attevo is pursuing partnerships with community colleges
and school districts to create a hands-on, hi-tech training center to
prepare students for real-world job opportunities in technology and
customer services, immediately upon graduation, regardless of their
ultimate career goals. This program could possibly be extended to
adult community members through a twilight program. Cleveland
becomes a front-runner in the push to link public and private sector
interests for mutual benefit.
Sound Engineering and Recording: Perhaps through a partnership
with the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame as well as an intensive grantwriting and fundraising campaign, Cleveland becomes the first city in
Ohio to offer a state of the art sound engineering and recording
program to students. With its ample auditorium space, The East Side
Community Academy becomes a venue for all local performance
artists who are willing to take the No Violence Pledge.
The Academy of Hi-Tech
Vocational Arts
Center for Wellness and Environmental Studies: In partnership with
Nguzo Saba Gardens, an already established community organization,
the entire campus becomes a state of the art “green” school that is the
first of its kind in an urban setting. The center prepares students to
enter “green” jobs or to transition into “green” programs at the college
level. Possible program offerings include: Photo Voltaic Installation,
Energy Auditing, Urban Agriculture, HVAC, Market Gardening, and
Bio-Diesel Technology. Possible certifications in the area of wellness
include: Fitness Trainer, Exercise Physiology, and Nutrition
Education.
Hi-Tech Foreign Language and AP Lab: Through a proposal
already under review at the state level, a hi-tech lab is created that will
offer diverse language options as well as a wide variety of AP courses
in a distance learning format.
The Community Academy
The Community Center: In an on-going effort to involve and engage
community members as well as develop and support economic
opportunity, space will be made available to any local agency,
business, community group, or institution of higher education willing
to adhere to guidelines conducive to a space shared with young adults.
With enough collaboration, space could be offered for lease at nominal
fees, allowing fledgling businesses to take root as well as providing
after-school internships and employment opportunities for students.
The Recreation Facility: In a partnership with The City of Cleveland,
our gym, track and pool areas are renovated and improved to provide
convenient access to healthy activities for both students and
community members. Possible economic development connections
might include the opening of a Curves franchise by a local
entrepreneur or the addition of a Yoga studio by a local practitioner.
The Community Academy
The Green Focus
Because health is a major concern in our community and
unemployment is an ever-growing reality, The East Side
Community Academy will give students and community residents
an opportunity to participate in a wide-variety of health and
wellness programs as well as providing summer jobs for students.
Possible Programs and Initiatives:
•
•
•
•
•
Learning Garden
Market Garden (local produce available for local sale)
On-site Greenhouse and Fruit Orchard
Rain Barrel Water Collection System
Landscaping
School Status:
District Operated Charter
In a partnership between CMSD administration,
the CTU and a cohort of teachers, students,
parents and community members (The Legacy
Cohort) a request for charter is filed with the Ohio
Department of Education and an extensive grantwriting and fundraising campaign begins
School status is negotiable based on collaboration
with district, community and business
stakeholders
The Learning Model: Situated
Learning
Situated Learning was introduced by Jean Lave
and Etienne Wenger
In a situated learning model, “learning takes place
in the same context in which it is applied” (Lave
and Wenger, 1991)
This theory suggests that students learn best
through relevant instruction that takes place in
real-world settings. The “journeyman-apprentice”
relationship is a perfect example of this model.
The Learning Model:
Instructional Approach
Situated Learning: Students learn in a setting that is both
relevant and rigorous
Teachers use a combination of research based teaching
models
Rigor and Relevance (Willard R. Daggett)
Classroom Instruction that Works (Marzano, Pickering,
Pollock)
Differentiated Instruction (Tomlinson and McTighe)
Literacy and Numeracy Instruction is embedded in every
content area through the implementation of a school wide
Literacy Triage Plan (Knowledge Works Model)
Technological and Environmental Literacy is placed at the
forefront of the school-wide mission
The Learning Model:
Embedded Literacy Instruction
Literacy Triage Plan
All students’ literacy needs will be assessed upon entry
All students whose reading levels are significantly
below grade-level will be automatically entered into an
intense reading remediation program to continue until
they are reading at or above grade level
• Based on individual student need, the following options will be
available:
 Personal reading tutors
 Reading intervention classes
 Use of reading remediation software
The Learning Model: An
Individualized Approach
A full range of special services will be provided
Self-contained classrooms
Resource classrooms
Full-inclusion classrooms
• Co-teaching
• Case management support
Behavior and academic modifications
AP program offerings
Social and academic interventions
The Leadership Model: A
Collaborative Approach
McREL Balanced Leadership Model implemented
within the framework of a teacher-lead school to
create an Academic Leadership Team
Implementation of KWF Non-negotiables
See PDF “Non-Negotiable Attributes”
Creation of a Collaborative Leadership Board
where local leaders and community developers
can provide program insight and critique
Business/facility manager provides whole program
oversight (including The Community Academy)
Teacher Responsibilities*
Extended school year for teacher planning and professional
development
Weekly embedded professional development and team
meetings (if possible, with early release for students)
Quarterly grade level team release days (with sub
coverage) for data analysis and data-driven planning
Maintenance of a student advisory period in place of
homeroom duty
*Compensation to be negotiated between District and Union
Modified Scheduling
Possible extended-day or twilight service for
students
Possible flexible-scheduling or late-start options
for students with legitimate transportation
conflicts
Modified block scheduling options
Student-guided, personal scheduling service with
interest-focused course selection and career
planning portfolio
The Legacy Cohort
Whether at East High or at an alternative location, current
East High 11th grade students would have the opportunity
to work and learn together with a cadre of teachers devoted
to the implementation of this proposal. The goal would be
to involve these students in every step of the process from
grant-writing and fundraising to staffing and program
development. In the Spring of 2011 they would graduate as
the final class of East High, their legacy being the gift of a
new, groundbreaking community school that will serve to
develop the Hough/Superior neighborhood and strengthen
the city of Cleveland for years to come.
Timeline and Implementation
Spring 2010
Summer 2010
Fall 2010
District/Board approval of plan
Selection of teachers for legacy cohort
(collaborative selection process to be
determined)
Selection of planning year
implementation site (possibly at East High,
reduced usage)
Grant Proposal/Fundraising Writing
process begins
ODE application for charter process
begins
Possible implementation of “The Green
Focus” (learning gardens, market gardens,
landscaping projects)
Class of 2011 begins academic year with
Legacy Cohort teachers at selected site
Grant Proposal/Fundraising Writing
process continues
ODE application for charter process
continues
Possible implementation of prospective
Attevo partnership
Possible set-up Hi-Tech Language Lab
(pending EEFT grant award status)
Fall/Winter 2010
Spring 2011
Summer 2011
The Legacy Cohort works to engage
public and private interests in the leasing
and utilization of The Community
Academy space, establish a student
governance board and continue the work
of fundraising and grant-writing
Depending upon relationship
established with the district, interior and
exterior space in The Community
Academy could become available for
space renovation and program
development
Receipt of prospective charter from ODE
Establishment of school leadership
components
AAP development and opening year planning
Graduation of the Legacy Cohort class from
East High School
Pending funding and resource availability,
renovation of classrooms and facilities for the
Academy of Hi-Tech Vocational Arts
Full staff teacher/leadership hiring process
begins
Full program implementation
Finalization of all leadership, financial
and academic details
Active pursuit of commercial and nonprofit leasing opportunities
Full implementation of “The Green
Focus” projects
Proposal Rationale
While closing East High school may appear to be a financially sound
decision, the students and community members of the Hough/Superior
neighborhood will be severely and unnecessarily negatively affected
by this proposed closure. We concede that current enrollment trends
have greatly impacted the East High student population and that a
change is necessary for the growth and development of both the school
and the community. Closing this building will inevitably lead to the
creation of a private charter school or the expansion of an existing
charter program that may not serve the best interest of this
neighborhood, our students, our teachers, the Cleveland Metropolitan
School District, or the City of Cleveland as a whole. If we want to
protect public education in this city and in this nation, we must learn to
innovate, collaborate, and create truly purposeful learning communities
within the context of public school systems. This can only happen
when all voices have a place at the table.
Request for Proposals
As a small core of teachers and students, we have put considerable
time and energy into the creation of this proposal. However, we
recognize that our plan is not the only possible plan for East High. We
respectfully request that the district put into place a process by which
proposals such as our own could be considered in a formal and
equitable manner. While the district has made considerable efforts to
provide forums for feedback regarding the proposed transformation
plan, these venues have not provided for a serious exchange of ideas.
An RFP would allow students, teachers, non-profit agencies,
community groups, and local businesses to participate in the redesign
of not only this building, but in all buildings slated for closure or
repurposing. The task that the district has undertaken with this
transformation plan is immense and its success hinges on the degree to
which this district is prepared to unite and engage all stakeholders in
the change process.