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North Reading High School
North Reading, MA
School Type: Public
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School Setting: Suburban
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Level: High
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School Design: Traditional
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Content Presented By:
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Design and Implementation
Once the leadership at North Reading High School in North Reading, Massachusetts decided to address equitable education issues at the school, they realized they needed a mission statement and vision to guide them in their efforts. The resulting document voiced the philosophy that all students can learn and all learning is personal.
In order to lift this philosophy from the page and into the classroom, the school community enacted the following changes at North Reading:
- Collaborative leadership structure: Two in-house Academic Division Leader (ADL) positions were created to work with the principal and supervise curriculum, instruction, and assessment in Humanities (English and social studies) and Math, Science and Technology. In regular division meetings, teachers discuss curriculum ideas and teaching strategies with the ADLs and each other. Curriculum chairs from the district, spanning K-12, cover foreign language, performing arts, health, and school-to-career. These chairs meet regularly with the ADLs to plan and reflect on educational strategies and to keep each other informed about their progress.
- School leadership team: This group includes staff from special education, guidance, athletics, and health and social services, as well as content area teachers. Together, these representatives meet to further the school's mission of personalized learning and teaching. They discuss every aspect of students' school lives to gain a better perspective on how their school can meet the needs of the whole student.
- Modified block scheduling: Instead of having seven classes a day, students now have four. There is also a time called Power Block, when students can do research in the library or computer lab, seek advice from guidance counselors, or work on projects in the art resource center. This schedule allows time for teachers to attend pertinent professional development opportunities and to work active, hands-on projects and personal assessment into their classroom practice.
- Professional development on personalized teaching: Prior to implementing the full student-centered mission of the school, all teachers had to attend a six-week course on multiple learning strategies. This helped them identify the learning preferences of their students as well as their own different ways of learning. Throughout the year, teachers attend workshops on new instructional strategies for personalizing learning and other areas that may need improvement.
- School-wide writing rubric: This common document, created by a committee of teachers, students, and parents, ensures that students are writing to a high standard in each of their classes.
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