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Wyandotte High School
Kansas City, KS
School Type: Public
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School Setting: Urban
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Level: High
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School Design: Alternative
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Content Presented By:
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The Education Alliance at Brown University
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National Association of Secondary School Principals
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Replication Details
Replication Tips
Principal Thompson and his staff offer the following tips for traditional high schools attempting reform:
- Involve all staff and keep everyone informed at each step of the process. The Stakeholder Team at Wyandotte included veterans who might have been naysayers had they not had input in the process. Also all staff had a hand in setting priorities and discussing the improvement program, options for instruction and hiring, and professional development. The group also set up communication mechanisms for parents and the community.
- Use research and data at every step in the process. Teachers and administrators at Wyandotte based their approach to small learning communities, the features of the First Things First program, their reading model, and their peer coaching system on research. They also based all discussions and decisions within the SLCs on careful examination of the demonstrated needs and performance data of the students.
- Make professional development ongoing, job embedded, and focused on staff and student needs. "We have an outside consultant who's been with us for five years," says Principal Thompson. "As long as you stay away from the "fly-by-night" people you can build a good foundation."
- Create solid relationships among teachers, students, parents, and the community. Small learning communities provide the environment in which teachers and students can build strong relationships. But the Wyandotte staff has also branched out into the community. They invite teachers from other schools in to observe their classes and make presentations on their progress. "When we were looking for something eight years ago, other people extended a hand to us," says Thompson.
- Give a reform time to work and realize that the work is never truly done. "This is an ongoing process," says Thompson. "We have not cornered the market on this stuff but we have a good handle on it and we've seen a great deal of improvement."
Costs and Funding
The reform work at Wyandotte High School is a collaborative partnership among the school, the Kansas City, Kansas School District, The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and The Institute for Research and Reform in Education.
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