|
Vision Network Doubles in Size
Two more Delaware school districts (with nine schools each) and two more public charter schools have joined the expanding Vision Network of districts and schools that are beginning to implement the recommendations of Vision 2015. Doubled in size from last year, the Vision Network now includes 21 schools serving 14,000 students in all three counties in Delaware.
As participants in the Vision Network, superintendents, heads of schools, principals, teachers, and staff have committed to changing their practices of teaching and learning – as well as their school cultures – in an effort to accelerate student achievement.
Vision 2015 welcomes the following new participants to the Vision Network:
Christina School District
Christiana High School
Glasgow High School
Newark High School
Bayard Middle School
Gauger-Cobbs Middle School
George V. Kirk Middle School
Shue-Medill Middle School
Lake Forest School District
W.T. Chipman Middle School
Lake Forest High School
Charter Schools
Thomas A. Edison Charter School
Sussex Academy of Arts and Sciences
Learn more about the training plan for phases one and two of the Vision Network and the other schools that are participating.
Media coverage: The News Journal, May 7, 2008 “11 schools join ‘Vision’ network"
VISION-aries
"It's going to take us a while to get there, but the school and the kids are going to benefit from it… It's all about looking at your data from the DSTP and other tests and figuring out what your needs are for your kids."
--Principal James Cove of Chipman Middle School, new participant in Vision Network
"[The Vision Network] has refined our thinking about making positive changes for our students…We're not just looking at our language arts and math classes, but looking at how we get problem solving strategies in physical education or visual arts classes…”
-- Principal Darren Guido of Capital's Central Middle School, which joined the Vision Network in 2007. |
|
Did You Know?
The Vision Network of schools represents six public school districts and four charter schools located in all three Delaware counties. The Network is governed by a nine-member council of educators, business representatives, and community leaders from throughout Delaware who are overseeing the implementation of Vision 2015.
Vision Network training partners include the Delaware Academy for School Leadership and the education consulting firm Focus On Results. The American Institutes for Research is conducting an independent evaluation.
Research
Promoting collaboration and improving educator, student, family, and community engagement and satisfaction are two of the primary goals of the Vision Network training.
As part of these efforts, Eric Hirsch of the New Teacher Center will offer Vision Network leadership teams a one-day workshop in August. At the workshop, Hirsch will present some of the results of his research, which focuses on improving teaching and learning conditions, recruiting and retaining teachers, and alternative compensation models. Hirsch has surveyed more than 500,000 educators in 12 states over the past four years about their school environment.
The workshop will address the following research results:
- Positive teacher work environments are significantly connected with increased student achievement.
- Strong trusting internal and external relationships and supportive leadership are essential to student success.
- The most important factors influencing whether teachers remain at their schools are a positive, collaborative school climate and support from colleagues and administrators.
- Teachers in hard-to-staff schools value guaranteed planning time, additional support, and reduced class sizes.
Contact
To get the latest information on how to become involved with Vision 2015, please visit our web site: www.vision2015delaware.org or e-mail us at info@vision2015delaware.org.
|
