As a teacher in a school where 73% of the students are classified as low-income, having ample time to speak with directors, operations, administrators, and teachers in Brazil to learn about how to reach these students to increase student success was a priority. Intuitively, I have known that some of the factors that contribute to student success are dedication, motivation and resilience, but this is usually from the perspective of what students need in order to success. After speaking with several stake holders and teachers, I realized there are many more factors that contribute to student success: resources, training/professional development, leadership and communication.
School supplies in a school are without a doubt an important aspect of school success. Resources to not have to be just about the money we receive; having support from local businesses and nonprofit organizations is just as important. The local community involvement is important so that the students know they are receiving support from more than just their parents. In return, the schools can hold community meetings and fundraisers at these locations, while also providing free advertisement for these businesses. Nonprofit organizations provide a long list of resources as well. For example, there is a nonprofit organization that puts on an event called Hackathon, which provides coding workshops for middle school and high school students looking into game/application development. They often times provide students with community service and leadership opportunities. Other nonprofits provide students with afterschool spots and connection students with other alumni of their programs in order to get advice about what to expect after the program, after high school and after their undergraduate education. For teachers, these organizations often provide professional development for teachers to incorporate some of the students’ new learning experiences into the curriculum.
Training teachers to be familiar with the curriculum is also important. With the roll out of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), many teachers are still unsure about how to tackle the new claims students are being tested on. Because of the level of questions asked on the SmarterBalance (SBAC) test, students need more time talking about problems and writing answer with evidence to support claims. In addition to being trained on unpacking the standards, teachers need training on facilitating student discourse (and in some subjects, how to incorporate writing). Facilitating these kinds of activities require a proficient level of classroom management, much which is not continuing after you become a teacher. From the administrative level, principals and assistant principals should get continuous training on curriculum and student engagement, seeing as administrators have been out of the classroom for many years.
When administrators keep up to date with current teaching strategies, they set an example for teachers to also be update on their teaching. The environment of the school comes from the examples and expectations a leader sets at the beginning of the year. Principals set the goals for the school year and set the working conditions. When employees do not feel supported by their principals, teachers often have less motivation to go above and beyond in their work. When employees feel administrative support, they are more willing to be open-minded about trying to strategies and implementing new curriculum; in turn, students notice these expectations and will also rise to these expectations. In addition, principals will be the ones providing teachers with professional development, in which must be relevant by subject matter and grade level.
In order to know what kind of professional development is needed for a staff, communication is key. Classrooms should have protocols for students to voice their opinions about how a lesson went or even how well they did or did not grasp a concept. Teachers should have protocols for administrators to voice their opinions about professional development and whether or not they feel it provided enough strategies for different levels of students. Students should also be able to voice their opinions about how administration and security is doing in order to maintain students safety. Administrators need to be open about what is happening at a school because when problems are transparent, it provides a community approach to solving problems rather than one individual being able to take a look at a problem.
Without communication, administrators have difficulty deciphering the needs of every classroom. Without proper leadership, these needs get brushed under a rug and more teachers burn out. Without continuous professional development, teachers are expected to teach new strategies without having the knowledge to implement them. Without resources, the students will not have the motivation and dedication needed in order to be successful in school. All these factors have been prominent in many successful schools and it is important for educators to keep these factors in mind when thinking about their students’ success in struggling communities.
School supplies in a school are without a doubt an important aspect of school success. Resources to not have to be just about the money we receive; having support from local businesses and nonprofit organizations is just as important. The local community involvement is important so that the students know they are receiving support from more than just their parents. In return, the schools can hold community meetings and fundraisers at these locations, while also providing free advertisement for these businesses. Nonprofit organizations provide a long list of resources as well. For example, there is a nonprofit organization that puts on an event called Hackathon, which provides coding workshops for middle school and high school students looking into game/application development. They often times provide students with community service and leadership opportunities. Other nonprofits provide students with afterschool spots and connection students with other alumni of their programs in order to get advice about what to expect after the program, after high school and after their undergraduate education. For teachers, these organizations often provide professional development for teachers to incorporate some of the students’ new learning experiences into the curriculum.
Training teachers to be familiar with the curriculum is also important. With the roll out of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), many teachers are still unsure about how to tackle the new claims students are being tested on. Because of the level of questions asked on the SmarterBalance (SBAC) test, students need more time talking about problems and writing answer with evidence to support claims. In addition to being trained on unpacking the standards, teachers need training on facilitating student discourse (and in some subjects, how to incorporate writing). Facilitating these kinds of activities require a proficient level of classroom management, much which is not continuing after you become a teacher. From the administrative level, principals and assistant principals should get continuous training on curriculum and student engagement, seeing as administrators have been out of the classroom for many years.
When administrators keep up to date with current teaching strategies, they set an example for teachers to also be update on their teaching. The environment of the school comes from the examples and expectations a leader sets at the beginning of the year. Principals set the goals for the school year and set the working conditions. When employees do not feel supported by their principals, teachers often have less motivation to go above and beyond in their work. When employees feel administrative support, they are more willing to be open-minded about trying to strategies and implementing new curriculum; in turn, students notice these expectations and will also rise to these expectations. In addition, principals will be the ones providing teachers with professional development, in which must be relevant by subject matter and grade level.
In order to know what kind of professional development is needed for a staff, communication is key. Classrooms should have protocols for students to voice their opinions about how a lesson went or even how well they did or did not grasp a concept. Teachers should have protocols for administrators to voice their opinions about professional development and whether or not they feel it provided enough strategies for different levels of students. Students should also be able to voice their opinions about how administration and security is doing in order to maintain students safety. Administrators need to be open about what is happening at a school because when problems are transparent, it provides a community approach to solving problems rather than one individual being able to take a look at a problem.
Without communication, administrators have difficulty deciphering the needs of every classroom. Without proper leadership, these needs get brushed under a rug and more teachers burn out. Without continuous professional development, teachers are expected to teach new strategies without having the knowledge to implement them. Without resources, the students will not have the motivation and dedication needed in order to be successful in school. All these factors have been prominent in many successful schools and it is important for educators to keep these factors in mind when thinking about their students’ success in struggling communities.