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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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Summary
The practice:
Developing a Learning Community
The school develops a culture in which students and teachers know each other well and learning?including ongoing professional development for all staff members?is valued. Parents and other community members partner with school staff to insure that all students graduate from high school with options that lead to further achievement.
- A large, urban high school is now organized into small learning communities, defined as "schools-within-a-school," taught by interdisciplinary teams of teachers serving groups of 160-200 students.
- Together, teachers and administrators have developed a Teaching and Learning Document that articulates a focus for all teachers and students.
- Teachers participate in regular study groups and are paid for two hours of professional development per week.
- Graduation rates have risen from 40% in 1999 to 70% in 2001.
Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas had a rich history as one of the oldest high schools west of the Mississippi. But by the mid-1990s, urban flight and other factors had sparked a major decline. The school contended with safety concerns, test scores that were among the worst in the state, high dropout rates, and accreditation that was in question. Change at Wyandotte High School had to be broad and systemic.
Beginning with the 1998-99 school year, the staff restructured the entire school into small learning communities of about seven teachers for groups of 160-200 students. Teachers and administrators have worked collaboratively to ensure the success of the communities, and every teacher builds relationships with the students and parents
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