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Perspectives and Practice:
Creating One Better High School
National High School Center
Summer Institute 2008
Dr. Molly P. Howard
2008 NASSP/MetLife National High School
Principal of the Year
Jefferson County High School
Louisville, Georgia
Jefferson County High School
rose from the ashes…
Jefferson County High School
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Opened in 1995
Rural, East-Central Georgia
Single High School in the district
Approximately 1000 students
82% Economically Disadvantaged
78% African-American, 22% Caucasian, and
<1% Latino
“Deeper” Reflection Revealed:
 A system of “haves” and “have nots”
 Complacency and acceptance of failure
 Educational practices that created low levels of selfefficacy (students and teachers)
 Fear of change among stakeholders
 Random acts of quality teaching and learning
(curriculum, assessment, and instruction)
 We “didn’t know what we didn’t know”
 False assumptions about student successes AND failures
Leaders are dealers in hope.
Napoleon
Jefferson County High School
A school of HOPE for ALL:
 Higher Expectations
 Opportunities for Success
 Personalized Learning
 Experiences in Real-World Problem Solving
Insight:
Successful schools (and their leaders) do
not simply have a strong mission and vision;
they have a common set of core beliefs that
demonstrate- daily- a PASSIONATE commitment
that literally ALL students experience success.
High
Expectations
Each student is challenged academically:
Creating a Culture of High Expectations
 Elimination of lower level courses (less than CP)
 Inclusion of Students With Disabilities
 Creating Algebra That Works (mastery learning)
 Expanded AP offerings
 Creation of common course syllabi and assessments
 Creation of time and structures for job-embedded
professional learning
Insight:
Q: Why does one school experience success
with an intervention and another does not?
A: Perhaps, the intervention/strategy was not
deliberate and focused OR was not congruent with
the school’s core beliefs OR was not implemented
with integrity and fidelity.
Success is incremental!
Opportunities
for
SUCCESS
Each student is provided support for
learning: Extra Help is the NORM
 Established system of extra help: After-school and other
tutorials that are laser-focused on standards and elements
 Formative assessments to insure mastery of standards
 Progress Monitoring (based on student learning)
 A, B, C, NY (Not Yet) Grading
 Credit recovery by contract and in summer school
 Literacy Support for targeted, incoming 9th graders AND
on-going, school-wide literacy strategies
 Double-dosing strategies (across the curriculum)
 Year-long Advanced Placement courses
Insight:
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Success breeds success for students and
teachers, alike.
As success increases, innovation and risk-taking
grow exponentially.
Structured Extra Help builds student efficacyassigning zeros or failing grades does not.
Personalized
Learning
Each student is valued and educated in a
personalized learning environment
 Utilization of a 4 x 4 block schedule (teacher
benefits and student benefits)
 Teachers-As-Advisors serve as advocates and
coaches to ensure that all students are
postsecondary and workforce ready
 Each student has a trained, caring adult in the
building in his/her teacher-advisor
Jefferson County School System
Teachers-As-Advisors Statement of Purpose
The mission of the Jefferson County School System Advisor-Advisee
Program is to ensure high levels of student achievement through the
following:
 providing a caring, trained adult advocate ;
 establishing regular communication and an effective link between home
and school;
 advising students about academic decisions and monitoring academic
achievement
 creating, facilitating, and guiding movement toward a career concentration
so that each child will be postsecondary ready;
 facilitating seamless academic and social transitions across grades and
schools for students and their families.
Insight:
 Power
and influence DO NOT emanate
from position.
 Power emanates from and through relationships.
 People will do more for you than because of
you.
Experiences
in Real World
Problem
Solving
Making the Work Relevant
 Work-based apprenticeships
 Dual-enrollment in technical colleges and state
colleges
 Articulated courses
 Help Students access post-secondary institutions
prior to high school graduation
JCHS-Post-Secondary Ready
48% of the Class of 2008 will graduate
with both a high school diploma AND
a certificate of program completion at a
local technical college and/or college
credit that can be transferred to a fouryear, University System of Georgia
institution.
Insight:
 Students
must connect school work to
future work!
 To insure that students graduate, are postsecondary ready, and are prepared for
high demand, high skill, high wage jobs a
collaborative effort is required between key players:
* K-12 education
* Postsecondary education
* Local business and industry
* Local governmental agencies
JCHS SAT Scores
 For 2005-06, SAT scores at JCHS increased:
 25 points (Total)
 15 points (Verbal)
 10 points (Mathematics)
while the nation showed the biggest decline in 31 years.
 In looking at five-year trends, JCHS increased:
 46 points (Total)
 24 points (Verbal)
 22 points (Mathematics) scores
while the state had a 10 point gain over the past five years.
End-of-Course Test Pass Rates and Course Grades
Students Receiving College Prep Algebra I
100
80
60
2003/2004
2004/2005
2005/2006
2006/2007
40
20
0
% Passing EOCT
% making A or B
Jefferson County HS Graduation Rate
ALL
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
78.8%
77.6%
74.5%
66.0%
63.2%
Students
African
with
American Disabilities
77.6%
74.4%
75.8%
64.1%
58.1%
38.7%
44.8%
36.8%
43.5%
16.7%
Economically
Disadvantaged
78.4%
75.4%
75.0%
66.5%
57.8%
 Insights gleaned from Selena’s story:
Education breaks generational cycles!
 Success breeds HOPE!
 Hope EMPOWERS!
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 Visions can be realized through sustained,
focused, and collaborative work!
Contact Address
Dr. Molly P. Howard
Jefferson County High School
1157 Warrior Trail
Louisville, Georgia 30434
[email protected]