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McKinney, -Kay; And Othe_sGood Secondary Schools. What Makes Them Tick?,Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),Washington, DC.IS-86-209bc[86]25p.; For related document, see ED 275 679.For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.Reports - Descriptive (141)

MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.Acarlemic Standards; Discipline; *Educational Qual ty;institutional Characteristics; InstructionalLeadership; Morale; Parent Participation; Principals;*School Effectiveness; Secondary Education;*Secondary Schools; Teacher Effectiveness; TeacherStudent RelationshipSecondary School Recognition Program

ABSTRACTThe characteristics common to 571 public secondary

schools that have been recognized as exemplary as part of the"Secondary School Recognition Program" are described in this booklet.Descriptions are given of: (1) good principals; (2) good teachers;(9) teacher rewards and recognition; (4)_good student-teacherrelationships; (5) high expectations; (6) successful problem solving;(7) parent and community involvement; and (8) school goals. (JD)

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U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Remarch and improvementEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION

CENTER (ERIC)0 This document hem been reproduced es

received from the parson or organizationoriginating it

0 Minor changes have bean mad. to improvereproduction Quality

Pointe of view or opinionsstatedin thisdorkpTIM do not necessarily repreaent officialGERI poaltion or policy

AcknowledgmentsThis brochure is the result of the combined

efforts of Pat McKee, of the Recognition staff,and Kay McKinney, who wrote it, and NancyPau lu, who edited it.

For smin by the Supedzitendent cif Documents, U. Cntworoment Printing OfficeWuhington, DC 204R2

U.S. Department of EducationWilliam J. BennettSecretary

Office of Educational Research andImprovementChester E. Finn, Jr.Assistant Secretary

Programs for the Improvement ofPracticeMilton GoldbergDirector

Wormation ServicesJames Or . BencivengaDirector

Eight years ago Dixie HollinsHigh School was torn apart byracial tension and low teacher andstudent morale. Fights anddemonstrations made newspaperheadlines every day. Learning wassecondary. rdsruptions dominatedthe school day. Today, that's allchanged. The focus is onacademics instead of riots. Teacherand student morale is up. Schoolpride abounds. Dixie Hollins isnow a model school and a winnerof the Department of Education'sSecondary School RecognitionProgram.

-Dixie Hollins High SchoolSt. Petersburg, Florida1983-1984 Recognition Winner

httroductionAll parents want their children to attend

good schools. But what is a "good" school?The U.S. Department of Education decided

to find out. So it studied 571 exemplary publicsecondary schools that it previously had citedfor excellence as part of the "SecondarySchool Recognition Program." The Depart-ment has honored these schools since 1982 asshining examples of what American schoolscan become.

What makes these schools work? Forstarters, they all have strong principals andgood teachers, according to the Department'sstudy, "The Search for Successful SecondarySchools."*

* The study was conducted under contract by ThomasCorcor -id Bruce Wilson at Research for BetterSchool._ Philadelphia.

Good secor ' iddle, jurdorhigh, and tal anddynamic They pursueclear gc .1i T. ,;,,t, iles that mightdeter c _ndards, whichthey t ri o L.

Exc tu act ;n: richt: as allow theseschoc AMP n icated staffs.The Liv- environments forthe; s am ge adults andado: esur to w hs rmony. They invitethe if ti ...` :Le school and in turnask _ fo its support.

.7 schools share many.! fa; Alam identical. Some haverep_,tations for excellence;

otbe ..ic Hollins, were recentlytrarigf-zi_ d. sime are urban schools, somesubiarban, de,11 le rural. Some are big (thelargest of those recognized houses almost4,000 students); some are small (the tiniesteducates just 64). Some serve wealthyneighborhoods; others are in ghettos.

Good schools face the same problems manyschools do: inadequate facilities, decliningemollments, not enough money. Many havelarge low-income or minority studentpopulations.

Any school, despite the hurdles, can strivefor excellence. The authors hope this studycan help them do so. We owe it to this coun-try's students to make all our schools good.Parents, teachers, administrators, and schoolboard members can do their part by helpingtheir schools develop the eight characteristicsdescribed in the following pages.

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Mara Clisby had her basic1s fullwhen she took over Artesiam HighSchool. Artesia's reputation:71 wasbad. It was filled with garsms. One-fourth of the students were - absenton any given day. Test scoprers werelow. Mara Clisby laid down thelaw right off the bat: No nionspregang fights. She moved her deskinto the girls' bathroom autEl heldmeetings and counseling 0:were,just to stay visible. She corwincedteachers to ask more of stjullents.She convinced students to amskmore of themselves. It worled.The gang problems disappered.Average daily attendance remse to99 percent. Ughty percent ot=34 thestudents now go to college oin-pared with 54percent befor--e.Axtesia High School is now z. za goodschool.

-Artesia High SchoolLakewood, Californio1983-1984Recognitiort inner

1 Good PrincipalsExemplary schools have principala like Mara

Clisby, who know what it takes to get the jobdone and aren't afraid to do it. Succesuzsfulprincipals are innovative, enthasiaatio.c,creative, and knowledgeable. They ofen arethe major factor in their schools' succss,

Good principals nurture and encourEageothers to be leaders. They trust atherEi

department heads, raernI=Pers of school im-provement committees our advisory councils,and respected teachers----with importantresponsibilities,

Good principals are cormamitted to thestudants' welfare and vio-i-rk to create the boltpossible conditions for tlx&em. Students, inturn, trust and respect ti=em.

Good principals care al=Pout their teachers.They create the beat Possible working condi-tions for them. They alla-cv teachers a role inschool planning while v-srer forgetting theirresponsibility se the u1tiij leader. Theyknow when to pull iv tb reins and "betough," when to loosen u=i3 and share theirleadership.

Good principals work L=Liccessfully withstudents, teachers, paretmas, and school boardmembers. Although eaclimt_ group wants what'sbest for the students, th-y often disagreeabout what that is or ho....5v to provide it. Agood principal serves as --the final gatekeeperor decisionmaker when onflicts developamong members of the s.chool community.

Principals lead. their shools in variousways. No one leadership style dominates.Some principals are drum...ink and powerful,others low-key. What toti.tters most is that theprincipal's st),le fits the chool's needs.

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."It's r...ot a job to nas. It's our life.Ineffective teachers can't survivehere-the pressure to be good is in-tense. You want to measure up toyour colleagues."

-Homewood Higt SchoolteacherHomewood, Alabama1983-1984 Recognition Winner

2. Good TeachersAn exemplary school has goad teachers who

maintain order in the classroom, know theirsubject well, and succeasftilly get it across tostudents.

Many schools are able to recruit fineteachers but can't retain thernSaccessfulschools manage to keep them for severalreasons. Good schools offer competitivesalaries. They provide comfortable workingconditions. They give teachers a sense ofbelonging by allowing them some say aboutwhat happens in the school. They treat themwith personal and professional respect.

When teachers at Westchester MiddleSchool in Chesterton, Indiana, were askedwho made most of the important decisions inthe school, they said, "We do." They also canleave the school during their planning period."Good teachers plan all the tine the prin-cipal says, "so, why should they have to do itfor 48 minutes between 10 andlla.m.?They'll be better teachers if they can use thattime to go to the bank and malt° the depositthey need to cover the mortgage payment. Ijust treat them like the adults they are."Although such an option may not always be

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feasible, all otbosools can treat teachers withrespect and ttliettz-t.The physicEll ctimondition of a school affects

teachers. Me egiir.re of the building is less im-portant than lovorw well it's maintained.ilbachera want tcn.0 feel safe and secure and tohave usable Etrid I sufficient work space.Students retog'zim-nize good teaching. In fact,

most student-% ot.IIL outstanding schools werequick to point mkrat that the teachers madetheir schools RDd.

"One vi,ould have a hard time ncmptfeeling appreciated and recoguit4din this sebool. Everybodyreeognims everyone all the time,Teachers get the same types ofInotivatiumal rewards and incen.lives as cic the students. Recogni-tion and 4compliments are aregular &nay occurrence at thisschool."

Garts High School visitorMu Idrow, Oklahoma1983-1984 Recognition Winiir

cher Rewards andRecoanition

Teachers, like everyone else, enjoy beingrecognized for a job well done. Whensomething im a class goes wrongif a studenis disruptive or scores poorly on a math testteachers say they are held responsible.However, when things go wellif test scoresrise or the sektool wins an awardthey com-plain about being ignored.Good schools constantly recognize their

teachers, both formally and informally. AtWestchester Middle School in Chesterton, In-diana, the principal frequently writes shortnotes to teachers, thanking them forsomething special they have done. Manytimes the "tha.nk you" comes for somethingthe teacher wasn't aware had been noticed.Successful schools make sure teachers are

recognized by constantly encouragingstudents, parents and other teachers to praise--good teach.ing_ Seniors at some schools honorapecial teachers by reading their names aloud_

at graduation. And principals often encourageparents to compliment teachers for theirsuccesses. .

Thachers say the most importantacknowledgment comes from colleagues. Insome schools even peer recognition is not leftto chance. For example, staff at Metro Secon-dary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, discusspositive accomplishments at weekly meetings.Thachers praise each other for exemplaryteaching or for effectively working with a dif-ftcult student.

Some schools offer teachers more tangibleawards, such as merit pay, stipends for profes-sional development, or promotions to teamleader or curriculum coordinator.

Rewards, no matter what the forna, helpmotivate teachers to go that extra mile fortheir students.

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"Teachers respect students hereand with that respect comesfriendship. No teacher would turnyou down if you went for help."

-Louis E. Dieruff High SchoolstudentAllentown, Pennsylvania1984-198-5 Recognition Award

4 Good Student-TeacherRelationships

Students and adults in successful schoolsget along with each other. Consequently,students in exemplary schools are motivatedto work harder than those in less successfulones.

It Can be hard for secondary school teacherssupervising 100 to 150 students each day toget to know them. But ff a school is to be suc-cessful, teachers and students must havepositive, personal relationships. Such rela-tionships don't just happen. lbachers andprincipals must work at making them hap-pen. In successful schools, they do.

Principals in many excellent secondarys..hools encourage teachers to work closelyvrith their students in the classroom, in ex-tracurricular activities, and even in commu-nity projects outside of schools.

Some schools give teachers offices or workplaces where they can meet with individualstudents or small groups. Others may haveteacher-advisor programs where each teacherworks with 10 to 15 students.

Good schools give teachers time and oppor-tunities to work with students. For example,English teachers at Clayton High School in

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Clayton, MIssouri, azre assigned only threeclasses. During the remainder of the day theymeet with students one-on-one to discuss thefive or six major compositions required eachsemester.

These relationships let students knowteachers care about both their academicachievements and their personal well-being.In fact, students in successful schools saythere's always someone vnth whom they candiscuss problems.

Good schools use extracurricular activitiesto bring teachers and students together out-side the classroom. Such activities providestudents with opportunities to plan andorganize, play leadership roles, gain recogni.tion for their skills and achievements, andlearn social skills.

In many good schools as many as 90 percentof the students take part in extracurricularactivities, significantly above the participa-tion rate in an average secondary school.Some schools believe these activities are soimportant that students who can't find a clubsuited to their interests are invited to startone. School-sponsored clubs can range fromchess to juggling to scuba diving to sailing.

Such clubs can motivate youngsters in theclassroom. A student at Shaker Heights HighSchool near Cleveland was a D student beforejoining the th-ama club, where he got 'turnedon" to English. His grade point average roseto a B±, and he advanced to honors Englishand science classes.

Good student-teacher relationships areessential in helping both students andteachers conquer the monotony of daily schoolschedules and sustain their drive forexcellence.

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"I moved to Eastmont Schoolfrom another place. In my oldschool, teachers told me I was nogood, worthless, and never goingto amount to anything. When Istarted the same behavior patternin the new school, a teacher piffledme aside and said, Look, we don'tbehave like that here.' That savedmy life, because they never toldme I was worthless."

-Eastmont Middle SchoolstudentSandy, Utah1983-1985 Recogrdtion Award

lEgh ExpectationsAll students can learn; it just takes more to

motivate some than others Excellent schoolsfoster a "can do" attitude; principals andteachers expect a lot of all studeh .s and makeit their responsibility to motivate kids.They're also willing to give a pat on the backwhen it's deserved.

Many schools hailed today for academicachievement were once mediocre. They expected little of their students and made ex-cuses for their lack of achievement. Today,these schools push all students to theirhighest potential. And the boys and girlsknow they're being pushed. For example, astudent at American High School in Hialeah,Florida, says, 'Teachers are on you all thetime to do better. Even when you think youare working he'd, they expect you to keep im-proving. They keep adjusting the goalsupward."

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This school makes learnincs its number onepriority. Four years ago students were al-lowed to complete their own schedules andtake courses that met minimal requirements.That' ,iot so today. Counselors and teachershelp them choose classes that push themacademically.

Jamaica High School in Jamaica, NewYork, turned the focus on academics byestablishing seven different subject "institu-tions" where students concentrate on anacademically rigorous area, such as math orscience. The school believes its students willprosper when high standards axe set.Students in the Finance Institute, forexample, learn accounting, Wall Street opera-tions, law, banking, computer programming,and have a suranler internship between theirjunior and senior years.

Schools that push students also rewardthem. Northview High School in GrandRapids, Michigan, for instance, honors all itsstudents with at least a "B" average at anhonors convocation. Special awards are givento seniors with a B+ or better average. Morethan 700 parents and friends fill the neigh-borhood church where the ceremony is held.

Informal means of recognition also are im-portant. Whenever a student earns a place onthe honor roll, is elected to an office, or earnsa post on an athletic team, the school sends anote to the student's home.

Academic halls of fame get as much atten-tion as sports halls of fame in manyexemplary schools. Perhaps notldng sym-bolizes the changing climate in Americanpublic education better than high schoolswhich now print the names of their honor rollstudents on all of their sports programs.

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When Robert Eichoitz took overas principal of Pioneer HighSchool, the school grounds werelittered with everything frompaper to cans and bottles. It was amess. Undaunted, Mr. Eicholtz hadstudents turn the trash to treasureby recycling it. At the end of theyear, their recycling ventureearned them enough money for anall-expense paid trip to KnottsBerry Farm and a beautificationaward presented by the localChamber of Commerce, the firsttime this award was given to aschool.

-Pioneer High SchoolWhittier, California1982-1983 Recognition Winner

Iving ProblemsGood schools don't exist in a charmed

bubble. They face the same problems otherschools do: declining enrollments, not enoughmoney, and inadequate facilities. But thegood schools don't sit back and wait foranswers to appear. They view problems asopportunities and aggressively search forsolutions.

Faculty and students at Byng High Schoolin Ada, Ok laloma, built a showcase schoolwith almost no resources. The school is in apoor district with a large minority population.But vocational students and the maintenancestaff built the facility on donated land withmaterials purchased on sale.

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A vi9ito- to the school said, "One quicklyforgets when entering the grounds that this isa poor school. The teachers and students don'tthink of themselves as poor, they think ofthemselves as resourceful."

When Southwood Junior High School inMiami, Florida, faced declining enrollments,it created a Center for the Arts that providesa diversified program in art, drama, dance,music, and photography. It was so successfulthat student enrollment rose by 25 percent.

Like all schools, good schools have theirproblem students. But teachers, a counselor,amd the assistant principal at Linn-Mar HighSchool in Marion, Iowa, put their headstogether to find ways to help them. A studentassessment team meets regularly to brain-storm ideas on how better to reach individualstudents. They try to determine why a stu-dent isn't achieving or how a student can bemotivated. Thachers who work successfullywith a difficult student share their techniqueswith the student's other teachers. A follow-upconference ia held to check on these students'progress.

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Naval Junior ROTC Lt. Com-mander James H. Ryan believes asailor belongs on the water everyonce in awhile. So, Ryan's ROTCstudents at John A. Holmes HighSchool in Edenton, North Caro-lina, now have their own 39-ton,65-foot boat named America II,thanks to a U.S. Congressman, theschool superintendent, and theMaritime Administration. The pa-trol boat, which serves as a float-ing classroom, was donated by theMerchant Marines. Since then, thecommunity has rallied around

erica IL Welders, carpenters,pipefitters, plumbers, and electri-cians help with the upkeep.Businesses donate money for ma-terials such as radio equipmentand fiberglass. When the youngsailors from John Holmes diligent-ly navigate through the waters ofAlbemarle Sound, it's difficult totell who is prouder-the towns-people or the students.

-John A. Holmes Fligh SchoolEdenton, North Carolina1984-1985 Recognition Winner

7 Parent and CommunityInvolvement

Educators often remark that it is hard toget parents involved, particularly in junior

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high and higth s quite the op-posite is true in good schools because theydon't wait for the community to come tothemthey go to the community.

Many exemplary schools recruitvolunteersparents as well as non-parentsto be clerks or nm-ses' assistsnts, to teach, totutor, or to help plan special school activities.Twin Peaks Middle School reached out toretired people in Poway, California, with aGrandpeople Program. The retirees teach art,science, reading, and spelling. They helpsmall groups build special products in shop.Most importantly, they become confidants ofthe youngsters. The result? The volunteersreport a revitalization in their own lives, andstudents have learned to be more courteousand caring.

Good schools also work with parents todevelop aggressive publiG relations cam-paigns. Parents in Lincoln, Nebraska, made avideotape to tell the high school's story tocommunity groups.

Instead of hiding crises from the communi-good schools turn to it for help. For exam-

ple, when Lakeside High School in Atlanta,Georgia, was desegregated, the school askedcitizens to help deal with fears and concernsabout the change in student population.Meetings and open hjuses were held inneighborhood homes and in the school, andtruth squads and rumor clinics wereestablished.

Community businesses have supported stu-dent athletics for a long time. Good schoolssuccessfully seek out similar support foracademic activities. Cine anati, Ohio,residents contributed more than $400,000 lastyear to the School for Creative and Perform-ing Arts, a magnet school. More than 200,000people have attended its performances.

Model schools don't just "take" from thecommunity; they give in return. Studentsvisit local nuxsing homes or help raise moneyfor charity through bike-a-thons and other ac-

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tivities. Roosevelt-Lincoin junior High Schoolin Salina, Kansas, sends student musical am-bassadors into the community several times ayear; other students officiate at the SpecialOlympics and take part in an Adopt-a-Grandparent program.

These activides may not differ from thosein other secondary schools. What is differentis that they occur more often, involve morepeople, and are valued more by schoolleaders.

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Academics. Attitude. Athletics.Artistry. Those are the goals atChula Vista High School. Thesefour A's of excellence are extolledeverywhere, all the time at theschool. They are stressed in lettersto parents and students and arediscussed with students duringassemblies. Each week studentsare cited for excellence in aca-demics, attitude, athletics, orartistry. Teachers dispi.ly postersemphasizing the four A's. Excel-lence is constantly stressed in allphases of school life.

Chula Vista High SchoolChula Vista, California1983-1984 Recognition Winner

80 School GoalsMany schools have goals In fact, the goals

in successful schools often are no differentfrom those in their less successful counter-pEu-ts. But model schools discuss their goalsconstantly. Everybodyparents, teachers,students, and community membersknowswhat the school's goals are. They are takenseriously and are reflected in everything theschools do.

Teachers and community members in Col-ville, Washington, developed the high school'sgoals. These form the basis for all major cur-riculum decisions and are reviewed annually.Students know what the goals are, and theprincipal discusses them in a weekly news-

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paper coluimn and a quarterly newsi tter toparents.

These goals come alive because the schoolsare committed to them. Teachers and princi-pals ask questions: Are the students learningwhat they're supposed to? Is the English De-partment meeting its goals? Good schools areflexible and willing to revise goals to meetchanging needs of students.

Schools often are pressured to be all thingsto all people an impossible task. Settinggoals mollifies some of that pressure and letsa school focus on what it wants to accomplish.

Goals alone will not bring success to aschool They must be accompanied by action.Clayton High School in Clayton, Missouri, iswell known for its exceptional programs forbright students. Zat the principal wantedquality programs for all his students. Theschool developed a chemistry class, "Chemis-try for the Other Hag" which has receivednational recognition. A full-time counselorwas brought in to work with no more than 15students at a time. A new work-study pro-gram and a training program were started tohelp teachers work more effectively withstudents needing extra help.

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II we focus on failure, we mightget it. Ad if we focus on success,we might get it."

illiam J. BennettU.S. Secretary of Education

Good schools exist all over America. Each ofthe 571 schools cited as outstancling has suc-cessfully pm-sued excellence and equity ineducation. Each also has adapted policies andpractices to meet its umique needs. These ex-emplary schools are not exactly alike becausethere is no one correct way to run a school.

We know what makes these schools tick:good principals, good teachers, rewards andrecognition for teachers, positive student-teacher relationships, high expectations, will-ing-ness to solve problems, and clear goals.

It sounds like a simple formula to carry out.But striving for excellence requires sustainedeffort and commitment. Shortcuts do not ex-ist. The authors of "The Search for SuccessfulSecondary Schools" hope this study can makethe task easier by helping school and com-munity leaders, teachers, parents, studentsand policymakers ask the right questions: Doour schools have clear goals? What kind ofprincipal do we have? Do our schools en-courage positive relationships betweenteachers and students? Do we expect a lot ofstudents?

Asking questions like these is the first steptoward replicating the success stories foundin "The Search for Successful SecondarySchools."

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Ordering Information

Copies of 'The Search for Successful Secondary Schools-can be obtained from the Government Printing Office,Washington, D. C. 20402. When ordering, refer to GPOStock Number 065-000-00-270-1, and include a checkor money order for SS30, made payable to theGovernment Printing Office.

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