Join the conversation

Story posted June 22, 2011

Results
Between 2007-08 and 2010-2011, Glencliff has had an:

• Increase in graduation rate - 66.4% to 81.2%
• Increase in student enrollment in Honors and/or AP courses - 20% to 33.3%
• Increase in student performance on writing assessment - 58% to 93% scored proficient or advanced
• Increase in students receiving Dual Enrollment credit with a community college +12%

Four years ago Glencliff High School in Nashville, TN rewrote their vision statement in order to create a profound change in the culture of the school. The first sentence reads, “Our vision is to make Glencliff High School a truly comprehensive place of learning and the central focus of the community.” Glencliff strives every day to bring that vision to reality, and has been successful in many ways. Since Glencliff has implemented the community schools strategy, they have leveraged the services and expertise of over 70 community partners and have seen significant increases in the graduation rates, student performance, and the engagement and support of families and community partners.

Coordinating Resources with a Focus on Results

Glencliff uses multiple measures to guide their planning. The School Improvement Plan, which is written by a large leadership team includes staff, administration, students, parents and community leaders. It is used as the school’s framework for action. Each year the school examines student academic performance data, which not only includes data, but also graduation rates, drop-out rates, attendance, truancy, discipline, and multiple survey results. This data, along with benchmarks set by NCLB, guide planning for the academic year; funding and staffing decisions are based on these results and goals are based on student performance and non-academic data from the previous year. Glencliff then leverages partnerships and resources to fill the gaps.

Aligning Curriculum and Instruction with the Supports Students Need

When Glencliff began implementing the community school strategy, the school was faced with multiple challenges; low 9th grade promotion rates, attendance, discipline, and school climate problems, inadequate academic performance and lack of relevance in the curriculum for students. To combat this, Glencliff created multiple arenas of community participation and programming that are available during the day, evening, and weekends. They formed partnerships with community-based organizations (CBO’s) that provide programs for students during the school day. Many of these opportunities are based in the classroom and have an intentional focus on instruction and curriculum.

The high school instructional reform initiative focuses on Career Academies, which are aligned with the philosophy of community schools. Each academy (Engineering, Health, Business, Hospitality and Marketing, and Freshman Academy) has partners that engage the students and teachers in meaningful ways. Business partners offer opportunities to experience the world of work. Youth development partners offer clubs and organizations that specialize in leadership, service, and arts programs. In the afternoon there is an alternative academic setting for students who do not at- tend during the day, or who need remediation, enrichment, or ELL support. University partners arrive after the regular dismissal and work with these students, who are the most at-risk on their dual enrollment courses.

Four years ago when the school was experiencing high levels of gang activity and high levels of discipline incidents, Glencliff implemented an advisory period, which is a 30 minute homeroom that meets at 7 am every day. Students stay with their advisor and advisees throughout their four years in high school, and advisory has become an important way for students to connect with an adult and for adults to become advocates for their advisees. The advisory curriculum provides whole child support and addresses issues of conflict resolution, communication skills, study skills, time management, career exploration, and more.

Creatively Using Partnerships

Glencliff has been creative in how they align community partners to support student learning and development. Partners, are recruited and supported by the Academy Coach, and provide programs and opportunities during the school day that have intentional focus on instruction and curriculum. The Family and Community Engagement Specialist manages other partners that work with students to provide “whole child” supports. Partners provide onsite counselors, mentors, tutors, and caseworkers that come to the school each day to work with students.

Teachers as Partners

Career Academies help teachers understand the practical application of the skills they are teaching in the classrooms, as well as the most current practices in their fields. Glencliff teachers have come to see that community partners are integral to their success; they have created a culture of openness to new ideas and strategies for instruction and assessment by allowing partners to help guide instructional planning. Partners involved in the Career Academies invite teachers to “externships” at their sites, speak to classes, help develop curriculum and assessments, design job shadowing and internship opportunities for students and accompany staff to professional conferences.

Focusing on Healthy Students

In 2007, Glencliff was a school struggling with gang violence, high rates of absenteeism, and low student performance. The school had a large number of students who were absent due to illness, as well as students who were performing poorly on health indicators in wellness and PE classes. In repsonse, the school organized the “Glencliff Community Coalition” and together reached out to the community for help. The coalition created a Community Health Framework to address the health needs of students. The school and its community partners created a comprehensive wellness program for the staff and students. they collaborated with the local YMCA to renovate their pool, which is open to the community, and with United Neighborhood Health Services to open an on-site community clinic, which serves 1000 patients each year. Glencliff also partners with Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital to run a schoolbased garden, now the largest in the city.

Educating and Engaging with Families

In a recent survey conducted by the school, 95% of parents surveyed in the Parents as Partners program expressed an increase in knowledge about state academic standards, how the school system functions, and how to help their child with homework and have a productive parent-teacher conference. Families come to Glencliff with multiple needs. A school climate and needs assessment survey offered two years ago, helped define those needs and allowed the school to target partnerships and resources in response.

Glencliff parents serve on the school’s leadership team, represent the school on the district-wide Parent Advisory Council, and serve on a cluster (the elementary and middle schools that feed to Glencliff) team as well. Many Glencliff parents participate in a program called the Parent Support Group, which makes decisions on school issues, raises funds for the school, and recognizes faculty.

In a survey conducted by the Small Learning Communities program at Glencliff, 80% of parents surveyed expressed satisfaction with the communication about school and academics. Glencliff has been able to achieve this high standard from parents by hiring a full time Spanish interpreter ( 2007), a fulltime Arabic interpreter ( 2010), a part time Somali interpreter (as of 2009), and a full-time Family Engagement Specialist ( 2008).

In spring 2011, the school established a full-time Family Resource Center with a devoted staff member in a dedicated space for classes and meetings. Parents use the resources in the center to apply for jobs, work on resumes, and read online newspapers from their country of origin. Glencliff parents and community members come in the evenings and on weekends to attend parenting classes, workshops, and leadership meetings. Partners provide expanded workshops for parents in order to help them navigate high school with their student and prepare them for careers and/or college.

Making Glencliff the “hub” of the Community

The use of the school building has increased substantially because there are many community events, such health fairs, Parent University, Housing Informational Events, Night Out Against Crime, gang awareness events for parents, immigration information sessions, parenting classes, teacher preparation workshops, and other neighborhood/community events and celebrations. Glencliff has been able to create unique partnerships and supports that have created a school where students feel challenged, supported and prepared for life beyond high school and where the vision that they crafted four years ago has now become reality.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Maame Ameyaw, Coordinator of Communications and Operations at the Coalition for Community Schools, housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership. The school’s website is http://www.glencliffhs.mnps.org/site150.aspx.

This story was originally featured as a winner of the Coalition for Community Schools' 2011 National Community Schools Award for Excellence. 

To learn more about community schools, visit the Coalition for Community Schools' website.

Story reposted with permission. See as originally published here.