NORTH CENTRAL ASSOCIATIONVI SI TI NG COM}IITTEE REPORT

OAK LA~~ COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOLOAK LAWN , ILLINOIS

December 2 - 4 Incl ., 1970

CHAIRMAN

Dr . Earle W. Wi l t seAs soc i a t e Professor, Emeritus

College of EducationNorthern Illinois University

DeKalb, Illinois

ASSISTANT CHAIRMAN

Ral ph J. FrostAssistant Superintendent

Maine Town sh i p High SchoolDi s t r i c t 207

Park Rid ge, Illinoi s

North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools

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ILLINOIS STATE COMMITTEEOF THE

NORTH CENTRAL ASSOCIATIONCOMMISSION ON SECONDARY SCHOOLS

1970-71

Officers:

Dr. Lowell B. Fisher, ChairmanUniversity Coordinator of School and College RelationsUniversity of Illinois, Champaign

Dr. John S. Kemp, Associate ChairmanAssistant University Coordinator of School and College RelationsUniversity of Illinois, Champaign

Dr. Donald G. Gill, Associate Chairman for Junior High SchoolsDirector of the Laboratory SchoolEastern Illinois University, Charleston

State Department of Education Representative:

Mr. Verne E. Crackel, Deputy SuperintendentOffice of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Springfield

High School Representatives:

Dr. Vincent J. Conroy, SuperintendentDistrict #3, Lake View High School, Chicago

The Rev. John Fahey, PrincipalQuigley Preparatory Seminary South, Chicago

Dr. E. Thomas C. Jones, Assistant SuperintendentCrete-Monee High School, Crete

Dr. J . Keith Kavanaugh, PrincipalJ. Sterling Morton East High School, Cicero

Mr. William G. Alberts, SuperintendentQuincy Public Schools, Quincy

Mr. K. Lane Miller, SuperintendentBelleville Township High Schools, Belleville

Mrs. Vivian Turner, PrincipalBlackhawk Junior High School, Bensenville

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School Board Representatives:

Mr. Herbert E. BaumBoard of Education, Belleville

Mrs. Eleanor D. BranomBoard of Education, Bloomington

Mr. Virgil BremerBoard of Education, Metropolis

Mr. John D. CareyBoard of Education, Chicago

Mrs. Edgar C. CorryBoard of Education, New Trier Township High School, Glencoe

Consultants:

Mr. B. B. Burgess, Executive DirectorIllinois Association of School Boards, Springfield

Mr. Harold Fearn, SuperintendentWest Aurora Schools, Aurora

Dr. Paul Sparks, PrincipalJefferson Junior High School, Champaign

Dr. L. Donald Weston, Assistant ProfessorEducational Administration and SupervisionUniversity of Illinois, Champaign

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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3

• 49

57

· 66

73

78

• 83

• 88

92

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8

13

19

• 24

29

34

• 41

Business Education

English •

Foreign Language

Home Economics

Industrial Arts

Mathematics

Music •

Physical Education

Boys' Physical Education, Health & Driver Education. 96

Introduction •

Conunittee

General Area Reports

Philosophy and Objectives

School and Conununity

Student Activities

School Facilities •

Staff and Administration

Educational Media Services

Guidance - Pupil Personnel Services

Special Education •

Program of Studies

Art •

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Girls' Physical Education

Science •

Social Studies

Sununary

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INTRODUCTION

The Oak Lawn Community High School has experienced two interrup t ions

during the period of preparation for the North Cen t ral Evaluation . Superin­

tendentBill E. Wetzel resigned at the end of the 1969-70 school year after

serving the school district since its beginning . The vacancy was filled by

the appointment of Mr. J . E. Lynch .

The Oak Lawn Teachers Union has been negotiating with the Board of Edu­

cation for a ne w contract for several months. A strike resulted which was

settled before the visitation began.

Despite these setbacks, careful and extensive preparation was made for

the vis i t a t i on . The self-study extended over a period of 15 mon t h s . Mr.

Joseph Graham and members of the steering committee prepared an excellent

handbook of information which wa s mailed to the evaluators in ad vance of the

v i s i t a t i on . It provided an abundance of information about the Oak Lawn

Community High School . This f ac i l i t a t ed the wor k of the 28 visiting team

members. Many of the weaknesses discovered in the self-evaluation have al­

ready been corrected.

The recommendations con t a i ned in this report are the result of classroom

vi s its , co mm i t t ee meetings, and sessions wi t h teachers, students and adminis­

t r a t or s . Vi s i t ors wa t ched study halls, talked wi t h the librarians and wi t h

non-certified employees. Following a spirited 150 minute verbal analysis at

t he end of the first da y of v i s i t a t i on , members of the visiting team began

the preparation of a rough outline of their observations . These were refined

during the second day of v i s i t a t i on . At the close of the second day there

was a final group meeting for the evaluators. Impressions were exchanged.

Differences were aired. Thereafter, preparation of the committee reports

started in earnest . By noon Friday all reports were finished and in the hands

of Mr. Ralph Frost, Assistant Chairman.

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The recommendations made in this report rep resent the combined thinking

of college and high school representatives . They merit careful study . They

should be widely distributed. Some of them should have immediate action -­

others are long term. Some may be considered impossible; others imprac tical .

All are offered in good faith after thorough consideration of the many unus ual

circumstances at Oak Lawn. They should be used as a guide in making a good

school better. Some recommendations are repeated often. The more fre quently

they occur, the more significant they may be.

Serving on a North Central Association evaluating team is a labor of love.

No fees are paid . Team members are reimbursed for mileage, hotel and food

costs. That is all. The evaluators are especially grateful to Mary Ellanson

and Shirley Tomczak for taking care of the accommodations both at the school

and at the motel and for arranging excellent places for dinners . Dav i d

Sovereen reflected the efficiency of the business office by having expense

checks available for evaluators before they left for home .

Earle W. Wiltse, Chairman

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OAK LAWN CO~mNITY HIGH SCHOOLNORTH CENTRAL ASSOCIATION

VISITING COMMITTEE

Mr. James BarryPrairie State CollegeChicago Heights , Illinois

Dr. Ted BoduchMorton West High School andNorthern Illinois StudentTeacher CenterBerwyn, Illinois

Miss Carole BrandtUniversity High SchoolNormal, Illinois

Mr. Linus CarrollHomewood Flossmoor High SchoolFlossmoor, Illinois

Mr. Jack DaddonaKnox CollegeGalesburg, Illinois

Mrs. Bea FeldtReavis High SchoolOak Lawn, Illinois

Mr. Ralph FrostMaine Township High SchoolDistrict 207Park Ridge, Illinois

Miss Bonnie GlickLyons Township High SchoolWestern Springs, Illinois

Mr. Coleman HewittChicago State CollegeWestern Springs, Illinois

Dr. Lucie HornerNorthern Illinois UniversityDeKa1b, Illinoi s

Miss Ardith InmanEvergreen Park High SchoolEvergreen Park, Illinois

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Mr. Dav i d John sonWilliam Jewell CollegeLiberty, Kansas

Mr. Donald JohnsonWillowbrook High SchoolVilla Park, Illinois

Mr. James KeithCarl Sandburg High SchoolOrland Park, Illinois

Mr. Turrell LaveringEvanston Township High SchoolEvanston, Illinois

Mr. Lloyd LoweRichards High SchoolOak Lawn, Illinois

Dr. Jack ManwaringMa s cou t ah High SchoolMas cou t ah , Illinois

Dr. Dav i d McKayNorthe rn Illinois Uni versityDeKalb, Illinois

Mr . Stephen NagyReavi s Hi gh SchoolOak Lawn, Illinois

Mr . James OlsenMetamora Town sh i p School DistrictMetamora , Illinoi s

Mr s . Le i th a PaulsenBloom Township High SchoolChicago Heights, Illinois

Mr . Thomas SattlerUni versity of IllinoisChicago Circle CampusChicago, Illinois

Mr. Me r l i n SchultzMaine Township High SchoolDistrict 207Park Ridge, Illinois

Mr. Rex ShermanWheaton Central High SchoolWheaton, Illinois

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Dr. Carolyn ~~ i ten ack

Purdue UniversityLafayette, Indiana

Mrs. Mary WibergOak Park and River ForestHigh SchoolOak Park, Illinois

Dr. Earle W. WiltseNorthern Illinois UniversityDeKalb, Illinois

Mr. A. F. YoungThornton Fractional NorthHigh SchoolCalumet City, Illinois

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PHTI OSOPHY A:\D O,~JECn \'ES

In t, r od uc t i o n

Th e v is i t ing c ommi t t e e s t ud i vd r e po r t s p r cp a r cd b v c onuni t t cc s o f th e

school staff. The s ta t emen t o f ph il o s oph y an d o bj e c t i ve s wa s s t ud ied in

r e l a t i on to reports on school and c ommun i t v and th e progr am of s tud ies .

Fo llowing th is , i n t.e r v i cws we r e h eld wi t h t wo membe r s o f t h c- adm i.n i s t r a t i ve

s ta ff, one membe r o f th e phil o s o ph y commit t ee . a n d seve r al t e a cher s and

students se l e c ted a t r and om. Duri n g t h e i ntervi e ws, th e c onuni t rcc 1I1:1de a n

effort to det ermi n e (l) me t h od s us o d in d c ve l o pmcn t of th e stat ement o f

philosophy ; (2 ) t he unde r s t and i n a and ac c c p t ancc of rh e s t a terne n t b v s tude n ts

and t eachers; a nd (3 ) cv i d euc c- o I i mp l cmcn t a t i ou of t he s t.a t cme n t of phil os ­

oph y a n d obj e c ti v e s . C La s s r oorns we r e- v i s i tc- d t o d e t crrn i n c th e ex t e n t of

pupil accep t a n c e and d emoc ratic p r i nc i p l. c s e-mp l o vcd to p r oduc c- be h av io r a l

ev i d e nce of im p lemen tati u n .

a prin c i pa l. Th e commit tee devc l ope d a t vn t a t i v c- s ti-' l L'l!lL' ll t u l ph i l o so ph y a nd

objec t i ve s a n d th e n s o Li c i t e d thL ' c omrnen t s of r-a c h s t a I I mcmbe r . 'I'e ac h e r

comments a re r e f l ec t e d in the final statement o I ph i l o s o ph y and ob j e rt i v .vs •

S t ren g t hs :

The sta t e me n t of ph i l o s oph v r e f J v c t s :

1 . An attitude of student acc ep tanc p .

2 . A mut ual con c e r n of home , sc hool , commun i ty . an d c hu rch r e spon si­

bility fo r s y n t he s iz in g their influences fo r t o t a I e d uc a t i on a I dev elopment.

3 . An o bligat ion to d e ve l o» studen t awa r e rie s s of h i s r e s pon sibilities

in a d emo cr a tic soc i ety .

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Weaknesses:

1. Students, citizens, board members, and feeder school representatives

were not involved in the development of the statement of philosophy and

objec tives.

2. The development of departmental philosophies and objectives did not

follow the development of the school's philosophy and objectives.

3. Objectives are descriptive rather than behavioral making their

evaluation difficult to measure.

4. Individualizing instruction to meet student needs was not indicated

through observation and staff consultation as the philosophy deemed desirable.

Recommendations

1. The philosophy committee should continue to work, but expand its

membership to include students, citizens, board members, and feeder school

representatives.

2. The committee should meet with departments to synthesize depart-

mental philosophy and objectives with that of the school.

3. The school should strive to develop more measurable means to

determine if objectives are being accomplished.

4. The philosophy committee should evaluate and report annually to the

Board of Education through channels, on the "state of the philosophy" in

relationship to measurable and observable outcomes.

Sununary

Oak Lawn Conununity High School has an excellent developing statement on

philosophy and objectives. Further development, implementation, and periodic

evaluation by greater involvement, understanding, and commitment to those

principles will add direction and provide a cohesive approach to improving

instruction for boys and girls.Dr. Lucie T. HornerDr. Jack ManwaringDr. Ted Boduch, Chairman

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SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY

Introduction

The Self Evaluation Committee is to be commended for its cooperative

effort in collecting the necessary information t or the NCA Evaluation

Committee . It is apparent that many long hours went into the compiling of

data for this report . Also, a commendation should be given to the adminis ­

trative offices for their important role in supplying the research reports

and findings .

The NCA Evaluating Committee visited with the above groups to obtain

statistics and to seek additional information concerning past years in order

to form a more conclusive picture of the school and community. Contact was

made with various groups and individuals of the community to ascertain the

true feelings toward the school and related activities. Cooperation was

excellent in all areas and a feeling of pride and satisfaction seemed to pre­

vail during most of the interviews. As usual, there was a little of an ad­

verse attitude but nothing compared to the favorable atmosphere generally

present .

Findings

Oak Lawn seems to be a rather typical and stable community. Being

located next to a very large city, it automatically becomes a melting-pot of

ethnic groups . The leading national origin is definitely German, followed by

Irish, Polish, Italian, English, Lithuanian, Swedish, Scotch, Dutch, French

and Bohemian . Most families own or are buying their own home. About half of

the fathers are blue collar workers while white collar workers and profes­

sional people make up approximately twenty-five to thirty percent of the

employed .

There is very little occupational opportunity in the area serving the

Oak Lawn Commu~y High School . Many people living in Oak Lawn work in

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Chicago or other surrounding industrial areas .

There is an abundant variety of civic and service agencies in the commu­

nity and the re seems to be a sound working relationship between these grou ps

and the school . Approximately twenty clubs and other organizations are

involved in awarding scholarships and the organization of youth clubs . Many

chu rches in the area cooperate in the educational advancement of village

youth .

Cultural advantages are abundant in the area . Post high school educa­

tional opportunities are available at nearby Moraine Valley Community College

whose district includes Oak Lawn. Additional colleges and universities are

available in the Chicago area . Approximately 40% of the present senior

class intend to attend a four -year college or university; 16% plan to go to

a junior or community college; 8% will attend other post-secondary schools

such as business schools, technical institutes, etc .; 7% plan to continue

education but are undecided on type of school .

Pa rent -teacher associations are active in the Oak Lawn gr ade schools

but these groups do not exist in the high school . At the present time the

only parent groups connected with the school are the Band Parents and the

Athletic Boosters Club . These groups are very active and certainly help to

unite the school and parents of the youngsters participating in the music and

athEtic programs . One of the stronger links is the participation of the

marching concert band in community activities -- an important crite rion fo r

judgment by the public of the school . The public library encourages school

art displays. Additional exhibits of this type are encouraged .

For the most part the student body is fairly well satisfied with the

school . They seem to feel that almost all areas of academic and vocational

t raining are adequate . Further, they seem to think that thei r high school i s

pr ep a r i n g them adequately for college or employment immediately following h igh

school .

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The age-grade distribution and mental abil ity of students at Oak Lawn

seem to be well within the normal range. The withdrawal rate is not alarming

and would fall below the average for comparaule schools .

Extensive use of the building facilities by the community is eviden t i n

t h e Adult Evening Education program. Classes are held nightly and this re­

flects the sincere interest of the community in reaching vocational, avoca­

tional and professional objectives.

Diversified Occupations is the oldest training program in the coopera­

tive area of on -the-job training . Cooperative Work Training is in its

second year and is enabling students with limited ability to stay in school

and benefit from a job in the community.

The village of Oak Lawn has a population of approximately 55,000 and

serves a number of high schools other than Oak Lawn High School. It has been

estimated that the student population comes from an area of 37,500. The

school enrollment as of October 1, 1970, was 2797.

Not a great deal of emphasis is placed on planning group educational

programs . More concern should be placed in strengthening the areas of voca­

tional cooperative on-the-job training programs within the community, partic ­

ularly in the areas of Distributive Education and Office Occupations.

The school still recognizes the need for an auditorium for music and

dramatic productions . It is hoped the community will realize the need for

such a structure and consider the possibility of the construction of a civic

auditorium to be used by both school and community.

Teachers and students believe there is a great need for an organized

extra-curricular program. There is a feeling that the present program is

inadequate .

There is the usual feedback of lack of communications between the

s chool and community . This we heard from both sides .

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Recommendations

The following suggestions are not listed by priority.

The committee recommends:

1. more faculty involvement in assuming active leadership and partici­

pation in community affairs and projects;

2. closer working relationship with area news media to promote under­

standing and interest in t he school and related activities;

3. an auditorium to adequately handle music and dramatic productions,

community concerts, etc.;

4. the appointment of a faculty director of student activities. There

seems to be a need for planned and coordinated extracurricular activities

program;

S. the development of t he need on the part of faculty and department

chairmen in feeding information to proper areas for proper feedback to the

community;

6. closer articulation between the high school and elementary schools;

7. the organization of community and school groups to help tie the areas

together. (An active alumni association, parent-faculty groups, etc.);

8. the distribution of ye a r ly school calendar to faculty and community

groups;

9. the strengthening of the Distributive Education program and the

i~troduction of an Office Occupations program;

10. more community use of school facilities for recreational purposes.

The swimming pool seems to be the main concern.

Summary

On the basis of evaluative criteria it is evident that Oak Lawn High

School is attempting t~ ~stablish a wholesome school atmosphere.

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Relationships between the school and community can be described as good.

Although the recent strike did not help community relations, it is felt both

sides have become more aware of the others position. Community people became

involved that had never before been concerned. It is hoped their interest

will continue.

The school-community relationship may be expanded by increasing the use

of news media; implementation of sound community-school groups (parent-teacher,

alumni, etc.); assumption by teachers of leadership and participation in the

life of the community; coordinated efforts of both groups in carrying on stu-

dent activities program; closer articulation between the high school and

elementary schools and the coordinated efforts on the parts of the school and

community to work together.

The foregoing suggestions do not infer that these objectives are totally

lacking, but they should be studied and implemented as indicated.

Mr. Linus CarrollMr. David JohnsonMr. Rex ShermanMr. Lloyd J. Lowe, Chairman

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STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Introduction

The importance of an effec tive student act ivity program in the mode r n

high school cannot be over emphasized . A good or poor activities program

c an a f fec t all phases of a school system . Students want to be hea rd , and

educators must be ready to listen to their views r egarding their school lives

and must be vitally concerned with their activities bo th in and ou t of the

class room .

Although a wide variety of student activities should be provided i n a

comprehensive high school, probably the most essential one is an effect ive ,

workable student government. This organization should make eve ry effor t to

represent all segments of the student body and serve as a liaison between

administration and students. It should provide leadership in involving as

many people as possible in school activities to give students a feeling of

belonging and to promote school unity .

The four members of the Student Activities Committee evaluated the

program by dividing the activity offering into four general areas . Each

member was assigned one of the divisions and all evaluated the student body

representative structure, the Student Council. The areas of investigation

were athletics and intramural sports, Girls Athletic Association and club

activities related to sports activities correlated to the program of studies

and social activities during and after the school day . The members confe r r ed

informa~ly with selected sponsors of clubs, activities, and the coaches of the

various sports . At a luncheon, the committee had an opportunity to becom e in ­

formed regarding the views of students who were members of the Studen t Coun cil ,

National Honor Society and members of selected clubs and activities . Visi ta­

tions were also made to club meetings, a varsity and inte r -squad ath l e tic meet,

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I and selected "after school" activity programs . Copies of the schoo l ne ws­

pape r , ye a r book , student handbook and assembly , drama and music pr ogr ams we r e

evaluated for consistency, content, and feedback to the student body.

Findings

Strengths:

1 . In general, the Oak Lawn students appear to be genuinely happy and

are enjoying their school life .

2 . It is apparent that the administration and staff are interested in

the students and mos t seem to realize the need for a good and effective ac ­

tivity program.

3 . Most of the activities appear to be meaningful and have worthwhile

objectives . The wi de varie ty of activities can mee t the needs and interests

of most students in a l l grade levels.

4. There is an obvious interest and pride in the wide variety of ath­

letic events. These activities appear to repre sent the cohesive elements

that bind the student bod y together.

5. The Girls' Athletic Association offers as wi de a program of intra­

mural activities as faculty and staff limitations permit in the area of team

and individual spo r ts , gYmn as t i c s and aquatic s.

6 . Although interscholastic spor t s opportunities have not been developed

in the four individual sports approved by the Illinoi s High School Association,

interested girls have been provided interschool competition during several

s po rts days .

7 . In most cases · ~ o student handbooks, newspaper and program announce­

ments make an attempt to acquaint the students with t he numbe r of va r i ed

activities available and the specific participation requirements .

8. Efforts are made to present cultural and entertain ing progr ams

through the efforts of the drama club and music programs .

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9. The ye ar book is an attractive publication produced by what appears

to be a well-organized staff of dedicated students.

10. The academic activities are correlating much more closely to the pro­

gram of studies. In the past, many of the clubs existed a s a social function.

Also, membership in many of these activities require a past or current enroll­

ment in a course dealing with that activity.

11. Many of the clubs have a service function in the school as well as

a charitable function in the community. Many clubs participate in shows within

the community and display their artistic talents in the community library.

12. It is assumed by club sponsors that the members will maintain a

satisfactory grade point average. Failure to meet this standard disqualifies

a student's membership in any activity.

13. Generally speaking club sponsors seem to have the support of the club

members.

Weaknesses:

1. Although there are a number of clubs available to t he s t uden t s at

Oak Lawn and there is an operating Student Council, there s~ems to be a real

lack of enthusiasm by the student for these clubs and activities.

L. There is limited evidence of a line of communication between the

student body, the student council and administration. Student Council appears

to be a "latent" organization with little if any support from the student body

or school staff. It is a semi-functional activity that wallows in its own

wake without direction or goals. The sponsors are not clear as to their

function in the coupcil. The council should be the basis of student activity.

3. Students complain about the limited number of school dances and feel

it is impossible to get dances placed on the calendar.

4. Students feel they have very little if any time to socialize with

their peers. The 25 minute lunch period is too short to eat and socialize.

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5. There is considerable discontent wi t h regard to a "lounge' area .

Students feel they have been "promised" this area, but the administration has

failed to produce.

6. Students do not know where to go with reference to their needs for

new activities. A director of Student Activities should be appointed and , in

addition, the publicizing of channels of ccmnunication needs to be made .

7 . With the exception of the coaching staff, G.A.A. and a few academic

activities, the students feel that the sponsors have not established a pur­

pose for the activities they conduct and that some staff members aren't

interested in the activity program .

8 . Participation in the activity during the school day by students who

are employed after school is curtailed by scheduling conflicts.

9. The school assembly schedule is deficient in quantity and quality.

10. In most cases the sponsors are not aware of the financ es which a re

still available in their activity budget at the end of the month throughout

the school year.

11 . An athletic trainer or school nurse is not available to treat in­

juries which result from physical activities during the late afternoon and

evening activity program.

12 . The intramural program is a paper activity that is lacking in

organization, inclusion of a wide variety of activities, and announcement of

purpose to the student body .

13. The coaching staff and sponsors of certain sports -related activi ti es

are unnecessarily burdened with duties that should be handled by the custodial

staff . Examples: Assembly and disassembly of equipment, mopping floors and

preparing of areas prior to and after athletic contests, to mention only a f ew.

Recommenda t ion s

1 . There is a definite need for a Dir~~tor of Student Activities who

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should have released time to coordinate and promote the entire student activ­

ities program . The Director should be the Student Council advisor and should

act as a spokesman for the students and teachers . If the Director is success ­

ful in the assignnlent, he will be able to establish a line of communication

between the administration, the teachers, and the student body.

2 . The Student Council should have an opportunity, perhaps through an

all -school assembly and a column in the school newspaper, to acquaint the

student body with Student Council functions .

3 . Since scheduling conflicts curtail a great deal of activity, perhaps

a floating activities period would be beneficial. This period could occur

during the school day, once a week, and during enough periods to accommodate

adequately a portion of the student body each period.

4. An athletic trainer is strongly recommended to assist coaches with

their players prior to the athletic events and to be available during the

late afternoon and evening activities program to treat injuries. In this

regard, a training room or joint occupancy with the first aid room is suggested.

5. There is need for a more equitable compensation fo~ sponsors in all

activities .

6. A monthly financial report should be prepared for sponsors of

various activities to keep them aware of money which is still available for

their activity.

7. There is a need for a custodian to work directly with the athletic

department to handle the janitorial duties which are currently being assigned

to the coaching staff .

8 . A full-time secretary to the Director of Athletics should be hired.

9 . There is a need for a manager of all athletic equipment who should

receive a stipend which is the equivalent of any activity sponsorship . It

would be his responsibility to keep the equipment in good repair and have a

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filL on every piece of school equipment which has been i ssupd tv the students.

10 . A " socializing lounge" should be provided for j un i or s and seniors.

As a su ggestion, the committee would recommend a section o f the lunchroom .

11 . Organization of a regular assembl y schedule should be initiated.

12 . In the Intramural program, the availability of exis tin g facilities

needs a thorough investigation in order to offer the widest possible va r i e ty

of activities . h semester schedule of events should be printed and distrib-

uted through the homerooms . Results of the various events could be reported

back to the students during the morning announcements and the school ne wspaper .

13 . The students should have more scheduled social events, especially

more dances .

Summary

The overall Student Activities program at Oak Lawn wa s ve ry i mpre ssive

to the visitation committee . Not many suburban high sch ool s can be credited

with as vast a program to meet the needs of the student s.

It would also appear that the students of Oak Lawn Community High Schoo l

would enhance their educational lives by participation i n those ac tivit i es

which are currently available .

Miss Bonnie GlickMr. Donald John s onDr . David McKay~. Thomas Sattler, Chairman

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SCHOOL FACILITIES

Introduction

The school facilities which include the site, buildings, equipment and

service, a re major factors in the operation of a school program . The succ ess ­

ful operation of a modern sch~ol program requires that the s chool facilities

be adequate to meet current and future program demands .

The bu ildings should be designed, equipped, maintained and inspected s o

as to minimize the possibility of danger to the occupants in event of fi re,

emergency, or other disaster conditions .

The grounds around the buildings should be we l l - kep t and landscaped in

order to present to the student body and to the public i_, gene r a l as pleasant

an image as possible of the school community .

The report of the self-evaluation committee wa s studied closely and used

as a guide for this report .

Findings

Strengths:

The building appeared to be very well cared tor generally with most r ooms

well lighted and attractive in appearance . Most laboratory areas seemed to be

well equipped . The equipment appeared to have reasonable care . Sanitary

facilities were clean, in good working order, easy to care for and generally

located in easily accessible areas . Acoustical conditions we r e felt to be

acceptable in most areas .

There appears to be an appreciation among the students for the fine

physical facilities . Obvious opportunities for vandalism s eem to be ignored

by students . Books appear to be we l l used apd well cared for.

Weaknesses :

Wh ile t he equ ipment is adequate in most areas, little things not gene rally

19 .

conside red ove rwhelmingly important to the casual observer seem to be l acking .

Storage space in some areas appeared to be critical to the point of being

dangerous because flammable and volatile liquids were found to be stor ed on

open shelves . Bulletin boards seem undersize for most areas . Phon es , t ype­

writers and spirit duplicating equipment are not easily availabl e . Some

stairways and halls are poorly lighted and in need of upkeep. There appear s

to be a need for a system of scheduling repairs when they are r equested . At

times ventilation is a real problem in the chemistry labs.

The following is a list of areas visited in which special problems were

noted.

Spartan Gym: Storage space for everyday sports equipment is a problem.

Teachers' offices are inadequate . Lecture facilities for physical education

classes are lacking . The athletic director's office is totally inadequate

for his use . It is used for selling tickets, storage space and is cold in

the winter and always drafty. The athletic director needs a secretary on at

least a part-t ime basis .

Girl's Physical Education: Indoor facilities are inadequate and poorly

planned . They actually have two large gyms and a small storage station to

accommodate at one time six class sections . The pool is a firm facility but

is available to each department for one semester only .

Acoustics in the new gym are very poor . Locker rooms are inadequate in

size and traffic patterns throughout the area are ?oor . Locker rooms contain

no lockers for street clothes, have inadequate shower facilities and too f ew

mirrors . The department offices are separated and cramped for space . Equip­

ment space is not adequately shelved . Outdoor facilities are inadequate and

poorly developed for a good outdoor program.

Library : The library is used extensively during the summertime and, the r e ­

fore, should be a ir-conditioned . Protection from the sun through the ove rhead

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windows should be provided . Ventilation in the faculty library and confe r ­

ence rooms appears to be a problem. There is a real need f or audio-visual

product ion spac e .

Ar t : This is a mo re than adequate area, air-conditioned with fine facil ­

ities . Howeve r , storage cabinets fo r flammabl es should be provided . The

heating system in the kiln room appears to be a problem .

Home Economics: A dressing area of some type seems to be needed in the

sewing r oom. Sewing machines are constantly being repaired and appear to be

worn out . Some system of providing a small e qu i pmen t fund should be initi ­

ated . Supplies for these areas should be more easily available to the

individual teache rs . Periodically blown fus es indica te a definite need for

additional electric lines . Flying insects in the cooking area are believed

to be a serious problem. The possibility of additional screening in adja­

cent areas should be explored .

Language Areas : Some rooms appear to be too large . Relocation of some

classes should be considered . The stairwell outside of the language office

is poorly lighted and a cleaning and redecorating is suggested .

Shop Areas: The electric shop has a definite need f or the repair and up­

grading of equipment . Adequate facilities for the diversified occupations

program insofar as a room, phone, and other physical facilities are a defi­

nite concern . These are minor concerns, but important, in the me t a l shop . An

exhaust hood to overcome fumes in the hot metals area should be installed and

the possibility of the installation of a second speaker for this large area

should be explored . The engineering drawing area is well -lighted and storage

facilities are adequate . A fan . however, is needed in the vent of the blue­

print production r oom. The auto shop requires a spray booth with exhaust

system and the repl acemen t of test e quipment and motors to complete an already

fine program . The print shop needs storage space , student locker space, metal

21 .

cabinets for storage, shelves and bulletin boards. There is a light trap and

ventilation problem in the darkroom.

Maintenance: The need for a larger staff is felt by the teachers. The

need for larger facilities is evident after just one visit to the maintenance

area. It is surprising to see how well the building is maintained with the

limited staff and facilities.

Recommendations

1. The need for storage space should be investigated in all areas.

2. The present site is overloaded and it is recommended that no further

building take place.

3. Investigation of the needs in the Spartan Gym should take place and

steps taken to remedy the situation.

4. Adequate facilities should be developed to provide the athletic

director with proper office space and help.

5. Ventilation problems pointed out in this report should be attended

to as soon as possible.

6. A system for repair and maintenance should be instituted.

7. As soon as is feasible air-conditioning should be installed in the

library.

8. The problems accompanying construction such as unfinished areas,

missing fans, vents, etc. need attention.

9. Department chairmen and involved teachers should be consulted when­

ever changes, remodeling or new construction are being planned and carried out.

10. Lighting in some of the more remote areas in the building should be

brought to proper levels.

11. Typewriters, duplicators, and phones should be made easily available

to all teachers.

12. Adequate office space should be available to every teacher for

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personal records, files , and wor k s pace .

13. Long range pl an s should be es t ab l i shed to purchase equipmen t as it

becomes obsolete . Such machines as t ypewriters, sewing machines and ba nd saws

have a life expectancy of a given number of years . Priorities should be e s-

tablished to replace this equipment before the re is a comple te and f i nal

breakdown.

14 . Modern equipment shou l d be in use to narrow the gap between what t he

school is teaching and wh a t industry, science, and technology are prac t i c i ng .

15 . The lack of secretarial help appears to be a problem for t eachers .

This can be a serious ma t t e r and should be investigated.

Summary

Ge ne r a l ly speaking the existing space is being used effectively . However,

apparent economizing in comparatively insignificant areas that save little in

the way of money give the i mpression that the faculty is not consulted in

construction and that there is no primar y concern for the learning-motivating

process .

Concern for the care of supplies and student projects is lacking because

of an acute shor t age of storage space in some areas.

In spi te of what seems to be a rather bleak picture painted by this

committee, Oak Lawn Commun ity Hi gh Schoo l is felt by this committee to be an

outstanding school wi t h a gr e a t many more strengths than weaknesses .

Mrs . Bea FeldtMr. Coleman HewittMr. James OlsenMr. Stephen Nagy, Chairman

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STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION

Introduction

The administration and staff of Oak Lawn Community High School are to be

commended for the operation of an effective secondary school.

The members of this committee held conferences with the superintendent,

assistant superintendent for instruction, assistant superintendent for finance,

director of curriculum, director of vocational education, director of public

information and department chairmen. In addition the committee talked infor­

mally with Board of Education members and students.

The committee was particularly impressed with the detailed preparation by

the Oak Lawn Community High School staff in anticipation of the North Central

Association visitation. It was evident from the information given to the

visiting team that much time, effort and thought was given in developing the

materials.

Findings

Strengths:

1. The administrative team of the school is well prepared and dedicated

to enhancing the operation of a good school.

2. It was evident to the committee that District 229 is fortunate in

having seven members of a Board of Education who wish to provide the best

possible educational setting within the limits of their financial capabilities.

It was further evident that there was excellent relationship between the

Board of Education and the administrative team.

3. The committee feels that the "new look" in the organizational

structure is workable and augers well for the future of the school. However,

the new organizational structure will need review which may involve redefini­

tion of job assignments.

24.

4 . The committee was i mp re s sed with both the orderly and eff i c i en t

operat ion of the school and the courteous atti tude d i sp l ayed by both s t aff

membe rs and students. Within t en minutes after enter i ng , the commit t ee felt

"at home."

5. Publications intended for staff, s t uden t s , pa ren t s and the community

at large are well prepared . They cover a wide range of informational materia l s

and, as such, help to make a good school even better . The add i t i on th is year

of an administrative intern who is functioning in the area of public informa-

tion has strengthened board and administration effort s to improve channels of

communication within the Oak Lawn community.

6. Prudent management by a responsible Board of Education and adminis-

tra t ive staff has, until recently, made it possible for Dis t r i c t 229 to oper-

ate wi t hou t having to resort to deficit financing.

We akne s s e s :

1 . It was apparent to the committee that there i s a need to assess ways

and means to improve communications among all members of t he professional

s t a f f . Better communications should l e ad t o better understanding of roles

played and f unctions performed in the school di strict which , in turn , shou l d

he l p unify the staff and direct their effort s toward the goal of ever im-

proving the educational process.

2. Articulation, both within the school itself, with the unde r l y i ng

e lementary schools -- both public and private -- and the loc al c ommun i t y

college should be carefully examined.

3 . The in-se rvice training program in District 229 appears to be con-

ducted at a minimal l evel; a situation not uncommon in many school systems.

It is ho ped, that insofar as pos s i ble , that in-service training will be devel-

oped to the point wh ere it becomes an integral and meaningful part of the•

professional aspect of the school operation .

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4. It appears to the committee that teacher evaluation demands an inor­

dinate amount of time from two of the superintendent's assistants. Their in­

volvement in teacher evaluation to the degree now required, seriously curtails

the time needed to fulfill other and demanding responsibilities.

S. The committee feels that the time devoted to the orientation of

teachers new to the system should be expanded both at the opening of the term

and throughout the school year.

6. It appeared to the committee that the number of meetings at both the

departmental and interdepartmental levels were minimal. Failure to provide

opportunities for such committee meetin~as indicated above can have a dele­

terious influence on the operation of the school.

7. To the committee, secretarial help at the administrative level seems

to be adequate; however, this is not the case at the departmental level where

there appears to be a pressing need for assistance.

8. The committee believes that the effort being made by District 229 to

hire and retain able and ambitious teachers wi l l be strengthened by granting

additional ye a r s of experience on the salary schedule at the time of initial

employment.

Recommendations

1. Wi th i n the limits of the district's capabilities, additional secre­

tari a l help shoul d be hired for the various departments. This suggestion

could be implemented on a shared time basis among departments.

2. It is recommended that teacher evaluation procedures be reviewed

wi t h the possibility of strengthening the department chairman's role and modi­

fy i ng the role played by the assistant superintendent for instruction and the

director of curriculum.

3. Effective articulation is a characteristic of good management . With

this in mind, the committee recommends that the Board of Education and

26.

adminis t ration review the effort, o r lack of effort , being made in this are D.

It is sugg es t ed the Board presiden ts and superintenden ts at both the e l emen t a r y

a nd s econdary levels (public and p riva te), meet regularly to discuss pr ob lems

of mutual concern . It is further suggested that a cur riculum coordinating

committe e consis ting of staff members at t h e elementa ry, secondary and coll ege

l evels b e o rganized .

4 . I n f o rm a t i on supplied the visitation team indicates that many Oak Lawn

Commun i t y High School g raduates seek employment following their gradua tion .

For t his r eason it is suggested that the District 229 administration make a

careful assessment of its vocational -technical education program . This would

include the po s s i b i l i t y of establishing an advisory council of men and women

r epresenting local business and industry . This assessment should also involve

the desirability of expanding the cooperative education program to includ e

office occupations, child care and development and foods occupations . The

question needs to be asked: Are courses presently offered in business educa­

tion, home economics and industrial education meeting the needs of District

229 graduates who must enter t h e competitive labor market of the 1970 's?

5 . It is recommended that in the hiring of new teachers , the adm inis ­

tration be permitted to grant at least ten years of experience on the salary

schedule .

6. It is recommended that the administration investigate the possibility

of employing para-professionals in accordance with the Illinois School Code .

7 . It is recommended that the present assignment of coordinating student

activities be removed from the responsibility of the assistant superintendent

fo r finance and be placed under the leadership of a willing and energet ic

staff member . This is a very inclusive and time consuming activity and

should be re i mbur s e d commensurate with the position .

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Summary

The committee r egards the Oak Lawn Community high School a well or gan i zed

and well r un school which is directed by a ded icated an d responsible Boar d of

Education and administrative staff . The North Central Assoc ia t i on vis i t a t i on

comes at a time of transition for District 229 . If during the period of

transition , the Board, administration and staff make a co n tinual eval uation of

their goals and obj ections and, within this continuing ev alua tion , carefully

assay their strengths and weaknesses, the district will continue to move in a

forward direction, which will provide significant educational ex pe riences f or

all students.

Dr. Jack DaddonaMr. Ralph FrostMrs. Leitha PaulsenMrs. Mary WibergMr. Aiken Young, Chairman

28 .

EDUCATIONAL MEDIA SERVICES - LIBRARY AND AUDIOVISUAL

Introduction

The Library Media Department is a program of services supporting teaching

and learning in an inviting center as well as in teaching stations and learn­

ing areas throughout the school. This program of services requires both

generalists and specialists, adequate space, enlarged resources, enlarged

budget and administrative support. The center serves as a learning labora­

tory to students and teachers.

Findings

Strengths:

1. The Oak Lawn School Board and administration are to be congratulated

on their support and planning for the excellent library program which is in

operation for the use of students and teachers. A comparable unit of audio­

visual services has a good beginning and needs to be encouraged, nurtured and

developed with staff, materials, budget and production services comparable to

the library component.

2. A well qualified and knowledgeable director of Library Media Services

is in charge, supported by two well qualified and competent library generalists

who know the collections and assist students in wide use of them.

3. The size and quality of the book, periodical, and newspaper collec­

tions are superior.

4. The excellent rapport with student users is to be highly commended.

5. There appears to be good utilization by more than one-half of the

teachers, especially the young teachers who are using the Library Media Center

as a learning laboratory.

6. The professional collection is large and up-to-date.

7. The facilities are spacious, inviting and exceedingly well used in a

variety of multi-materials, multi-class activities.

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8 . The book , periodic a l, and printed col lection bud get is ve ry good .

9 . Special e f f or t s ar e made by the s t a f f to pu rchase promptly r ecen t

mate rials fo r new innovative progr ams, e .g . environmental sciences, con sume r

education, communication through media, and the humanitie s .

10 . Cla ss room collections are made available to the evening school

faculty .

11 . The collections are we l l organized and managed fo r ease of ac ces s by

students and teache r s.

12 . The centralization of materials in the Center wi t h the decentraliza­

tion of equipment in or near the teachin g s t a t i ons for ease of use is commend ­

ed .

13 . The college and careers collection is an excellent collection in th e

Library Media Center for the use of ~ll s t uden t s as well as the vocational and

other academic departments . The guidance department may need to develop a

collection fo r thei r special need s also . Often students pursue this informa­

tion on their own, independent of the guidance counselor and should be encou r ­

aged to do so.

14 . A core of s t uden t assistants makes a vital contributuion to th e

s ch ool community by their work in library and audiovisual activities .

15 . Library monitors and clerical staff are provided .

16 . Films are available to teachers and a f i l m rental and pur ch a se budget

is available~

17 . The t eacher committee who prepared the report should be commended

fo r its accurate evaluation .

Weaknesses:

1 . The s tatus of the Library Media Department needs to be firmly e stab­

lished as an academic de pa rtment in the minds of ~ll the facult y . The r e

appea rs t o be some t h i nk i ng by some of the facult y that only those person s

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who stand in f ront of formal classes and lecture, teach . Of course this i s a

fallacy . Some of the best learning in Oak Lawn Community High School is in ­

dep end ent and is directed by t eachers and lib rary media specialists in t he

Center .

2. The present audiovisual coordinator appea rs to be inept and un quali­

fi ed in r ecent audiovisual communications and t echnology . He a l so lacks the

time to adequately develop the audiovisual services . Teache rs and students

would be better served by a full -time specialist as a member of t h e Li b ra ry

Media Department .

3 . Teachers and students are in great need of space and staff assist ­

ance for the creation of video tape recordings, transparencies, slides , t ape s

and other audiovisual production activities .

4 . The audiovisual materials budget appears to be inadequate .

5 . The library generalists student load of an average attendance of

above 150 an hour in comparison to teacher student load not exceeding 30, an d

guidance counselor 's student load of 300 to 1 and not more than 20 pe r day i s

very high indeed .

6 . Liaison with the faculty of each department is presently managed by

a ve ry small staff but needs to be improved .

7 . The Library Media Center Services for the evening school , which

would require staff , is not presently available to evening students .

8. Centralized cataloging and an inventory of all learning mate rials

which are purchased with tax monies in all the departments should be c omple t ed

as additional c l e r i c al staff is available . Location of mate rial should be

shown on the catalog card .

9. The environmen t for users and the p r ese rvation of mate rials is

pr esently impaired by the lack of air-conditioning .

10 . Recent audiovisual equ i pmen t, especially video tape r ec or de rs and

miniature equipmen t fo r individual use , is meager or lacking .

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11. The number of library monitors i s inadequate for the student load .

Recommendations

1. A full-time audiovisual specialist who knows recent materials, tech ­

nology, and production should be added immediately to the staff of the Library

Media Department .

2 . An audiovisual production facility near the Library Media Center

(possibly Room ll2) should be equipped as soon as staff is available . A

graphics artist and/or technician will be needed as teachers increase their

request for services.

3 . The two half-time library monitors each should be increased to full­

time or an additional full-time monitor should be added to the staff immediate ­

ly to release the professional staff to work directly with students and

teachers and serve as liaison media specialists with the departments.

4. To improve communications a faculty liaison committee with represen ­

tation from each department should be named as advisory to the Library Media

Department. And in turn the chairman of the Library Media Department should

name a professional member of the staff as liaison to the departments . These

professionals should attend department curriculum meetings to improve the

materials selection.

5. The budget for audiovisual materials should be increased and the

department should concentrate its purchases in audiovisual media to develop

its collections to the quality of the printed media.

6. A central inventory of all media in the school should be maintained.

7. Air-conditioning would greatly enhance the environment.

8 . Additional library generalists with specialization in the various

subject fields to serve as liaison in the departments should be added .

Summary

The North Central Association Committee for Media Services is grateful

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for the excellent cooperation Which we received from the Steering Committee,

administration, the school board, the teacher committee and the many teacher s

and students who were interviewed in compiling this report. Media Services

are always evolving; additional s t a f f and re source s a s recommended in this

report will make a good program an outstanding one. We have en joyed and

learned by being here.

Ai s s Carole Br and tMr. Tur r e l l LaveringMr. Lloyd LoweDr . Caro l yn Whitenack, Chairman

33.

GUIDANCE - PUPIL PERSONNEL SERVICES

Introduction

Pupi l personnel services at Oak Lawn Community High School have had some

dramatic changes in the past two years. A change in administration brought

forth a new concept of structure not only for the pupil personnel service,

but for the entire school as well. In addition, changes in personnel due to

the death of the Director of Guidance created some tension and concern among

some staff members.

This ne w organizational concept, which provided for pupil personnel ser-

v i c e approach to guiding youngs t e r s , allowed for many chan ges in pupil person-

nel services which are being implemented thi s ye a r.

The s elf-study team did an ou ts t and i ng job of se l f - eva l ua t i on as we l l as

listing those activities and programs wh i ch they felt would gi ve Oak Lawn a

modern, we l l equipped, effective pupil per sonnel s e rvi c e s department.

A sur vey , designed to asse ss the feelings of admin is tra t i on , teachers,

and counselors wi t h regard to the services offered to youngs t e r s at Oak Lawn

wa s made prior to the vi s i t of the vis i t a tion team. The re su l ts we r e analyzed

and discussed by the evaluation team and then presented and di scus sed wi t h the

entire gu i dance department.

Findings

Staff:

The guidance s t a f f is qualified and well prepared. All counselors hold

the Specialist in Guidance Certificate. They bring a wide variety of back-

ground experience to the department; however, half the members of the depart-

ment have less than five years experience in the guidance ~~~

field.

The entire staff appear to work well together and make themselves avail-

ab l e to s t uden t s . There is some question as to whether the extracurricular

34.

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duties held by some members nf the staff detract from their availability to

see students .

The leadership in the department appears to be excellent in tha~ much

respect is given and received by its members. Although there wa s no apparent

concern by the staff that the director has a one -third counseling load, it

WaS felt by the eva l ua t i on team that this load should be taken away so that

each student would have a full-time counselor and the staff would have r e ady

access to the department head .

We were encouraged to find that beginning this year a social worker,

part-time psychologist, and reading specialist were added to the staff and

appear to be functioning quite well. There are additional team specialists

wh i ch will need to be added .

Facilities:

Each counselor has his own private office with adequate secretarial help.

However, the counselors are divided into three different locations in the

buildings which has advantages and disadvantages. In view of the past history

of the personnel department, the committee felt that an attempt should be

made to create a central counseling center so all staff members could be in

the area which would help coordinate the efforts of the entire department.

Each office appeared to have ample materials, but the furnishings in the

students' holding areas left much to be desired.

It was apparent that there wa s an attempt this year to organize and

catalog both educational and vocational material and place them in resource

centers. Much work still needs to be done in this area, particularly in

cooperation with the media specialists.

There was an area in two of the centers for small group work and in

another area in the building a room where large groups could meet.

All in all, the facilities seem to be quite adequate .

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Organization:

The organization of the department seems to be excellent. Ei'ch counselor

has been assigned to at least two committees which has created res ponsib i l ity

for developing and improving much needed services.

The counselor ratio is quite adequate, being comparable to many schJols

in the area . With the exception of travel funds the budget for the departmen t

appears to be adequate .

Services:

There appears to be some breakdown of communication between the various

departments and the pupil personne l service de partment. Counseling services

appear to be highly structured around the i nd i v i dua l in t e r v iew. I t appea rs

that most students are called in by their counselor .

Counselors appear to be frustrated and upset over the schedule change

procedure which takes a great deal of time and energy. A more direct and

efficient method of changing schedules must be found.

Students appear to see their counselors as members of the school staff

who help them with their registration, scheduling, and college admissions.

A relatively small number of students find counselors helpful in dealing with

personal problems. Because of the strict hall-guard sYstem, it appears that

s t uden t s have difficulty in going t o see their counselor on their own volition.

If the present organizational structure is maintained, counselors would

have better access to s t uden t s if they were assigned study halls near to the

counseling center. Although an attempt is being made by the social wor ker to

develop and carry out small group counseling programs, there is a definite

lack of organ i zed group counseling available to youngsters. More work and

addit i ona l t raining for the staff in this area will be needed.

A prog ram ex i s t s for the orientation of incoming freshmen but regis­

tra tion procedures have no t been adequate. A new method will need to be

36.

considered .

Pr ovi s i ons to help s t uden ts who find the school program difficult or un­

acc eptable wi l l need to be developed and / or improved . The te sting program is

now under e va l ua t i on and ne w material s are being con sidered . There is one

que st ion as to its usefulne ss and rea l value wh i ch must be dete rmined soon by

t he pup i l pe r s onne l se rvices t eam. Organized plac ement s e rv ice has been

ini tia ted and needs expansion . There i s a follow-up study program wh i ch has

al so been initiated t h i s year ; i t wi ll ne ed to be continu~d to become effective.

The counsel ing services that are being carried on appear to be excellen t .

There is very good r ap por t be tween t he s tudents and their counselors . There

appears to be good und erstanding and coope ration be tween the administration

and the pupil personnel s e rv i ce department and an adequate understanding and

cooperat ion between teachers and the counseling staff.

Recommendations

The commit t ee r ecommends:

1 . that a c entralized pupil personnel service area be established to

maintain adequate facilitie s for all member s of the team;

2 . that the pupil personnel service team continues to follow the gu i de ­

line s for extended student s e rvi c es , as outlined by the se l f - eva lua t i on t eam;

3. that a full-time voca t i ona l counselor be appointed;

4 . that the director of pupil personnel services be considered a fu ll ­

time position;

5. that a full-time ps ychologist be added to the staff wi th permanent

facilities in the pupil personnel services center;

6 . that a learning disability consultant be added to the pupil per son­

nel services team;

7 . that ca reful self-analysis be made by those staff members wh o hold

ex tr ac urricular duti es (fo r which they are paid) a s to thei r ability to wor k

37 .

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effectively in both areas;

8. that comfortable and functional furniture be added to the student

holding areas in the counseling offices;

9. that all educational and vocational materials be turned over to the

media specialist to be placed in circulation, and that a member of the pupil

personnel service team act as a consultant to the media specialist with re­

gard to ordering materials and use of the resource centers;

10. that additional funds be placed in the guidance travel fund;

11. that counselors move out of their offices on a more routine basis in

order to spend more time with students and staff in hallways, s~udy halls,

cafeteria, etc.;

12. that counselors be given the complete and final authority concerning

student schedules, limited only by classroom space. (Hopefully this would

shorten the processing of same.);

13. that counselors create a program designed to help students become

more aware of the total services available in the pupil personnel service

department;

14. that students be placed in study halls near the counseling office to

wh i ch they are assigned;

15. that time and money be provided for those counselors who are inter­

ested in receiving training in group counseling procedure s, and then time and

space provided for group work;

16. that an attempt be made to provide a better freshman orientation and

registration procedure, hopefully one that would involve the participation of

parents;

17. that counselors become involved in providing special programs for the

disinterested, socially and emotionally maladjusted youngsters;

18. that counselors improve identification of, and work with prospective

38.

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drop-outs and their families;

19. that counselor s continue and intensify the follow-up program;

20. that counselor s create and maintain a Counselors Handbook outlining

all the policies, regulations, and procedures for present staff as well as

new members;

21. that the s chool publish a "quality" newsletter for parents, commun-

ity, staff and administration;

22. that the school provide an in-service training program for teachers

new to Oak Lawr. to be carried out throughout the entire school year on a

voluntary basis;

23. that the pupil personnel services department assign a team member

co each department in the school to act as a liaison person between that de-

partment and the pupil personnel services department;

24. the creation of an on-going action committee to deal with articula-

tion between the "feeder" schools and Oak Lawn Community High School.

Miss Ardith InmanMr. Merlin SchultzMr. Donald Johnson, Chairman

Addendum

The following s t a t emen t is not part of the committee report but rather

an observation from this individual a lone

It appears that s t uden t s a t Oak Lawn Community High School are a well-

controlled, secure group of youngs t e r s . The y seem to be "locked into the

system" and appear apatheti:: in their discontent.

It is my feeling that a real disservice is being rendered to these young-

sters because they are not being given any opportunity to be self-directional

or self-motivating.

These students wi l l need to be given the opportunity to fail so that they

39.

may learn and achieve .• . they must be given the chance to "risk ." I do not

fee l that this school sy s t em allows for, or attempts to help, the se youngsters

to become self-appraising, self-actualizing , r esponsibl e yo ung men and women .

I feel that very careful consideration and attention to this are a of s t uden t

control be given by the administration so that a more flexible, stimula ting

atmosphere might prevail here at Oak Lawn Community High School.

Donald E. Johnson

40 .

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SPECIAL EDUCATION

Introduction

Recent Illinois legislation (1965) has given impetus to an expansion of

the special education program which encourages public schools to provide the

maximum of educational opportunity to handicapped children within the limits

of their ability. This commitment to handicapped children provides a com­

prehensive program of instruction tailored to meet individual needs and abil­

ities. This is an extension of the basic philosophy of public education in

providing a meaningful educational experience for all.

To meet the mandate of the Illinois legislature it is recognized that

most educational institutions need to expand facilities and personnel. At

present this expansion is taking place with some schools further along than

others in providing a balanced program of special education.

In reviewing the present program of special education as it relates to

the secondary school students of Oak Lawn Community High School, several

different aspects were studied. Since the self-evaluation which was done in

1969-70 did not cover special education, information was not available until

the committee arrived for the visitation. However, the general philosophy

and objectives of the school were studied in advance along with the curricu­

lum to obtain an overall perspective for meeting objectives connected with

providing an acceptable educational program for all students.

In attempting to assess the current situation three distinct elements

were studied: (1) professional personnel; (2) special curricula; (3) and

facilities. Members of the faculty, administration, and student body were

interviewed. Special emphasis was given to the understanding of the need

for a multi-disciplinary approach where many different helping services can be

integrated in carrying out a worthwile program. Psychologists, nurses,

social workers, counselors, as well as consultants and teachers, are largely

41.

-

I

I

I

I

responsible for these services.

Questionnaires administered to the s upe r i n t enden t s of the four cooperating

high school districts in the joint area agreement (AERO) concerning how they

viewed the special education services offered were reviewed along with a self­

evaluation made thi s ye a r by a faculty committee. A s umma r y statement of

AERO's philosophy and operation by one of their staff members was given careful

analysis.

Facilities both in the high school and at the AERO center were observed

as to current comprehensiveness and future projections. The director of AERO

was consulted and interviewed with various personnel on the high school staff .

An attempt was made to help high school personnel obtain a better under­

standing of the total commitment to special education necessary to meet current

state regulations. Encouragement was given to moving more rapidly in providing

for not only the more visible handicapped children but also in expanding the

scope of the program to include areas not presently part of the school's

program.

Findings

Strengths:

1. There was evidence of a concern on the part of the staff to more

fully meet the needs of handicapped children.

2. The employment this year of both a social worker and reading consult­

ant along with the incorporation of a pupil personnel concept is a positive

step towards providing the type of specialized personnel needed to complement

and sustain a special education program.

3 . AERO is an on-going operation although severely handicapped by lack

of suitable space and facilities.

4 . The planning of facilities for the AERO building has reached the

point of completion of design and is now ready for the letting of bids for

42.

construction . This is tangible evidence of the desire to meet needs in the

nea r future .

S. A survey of the extent of services to the hand icapped ha s been made

and the administration has been made aware of the strengths and shortcomi ngs

of the current operation.

6 . There is an effort to bring about an understanding of the problems

involved and trying to define limits of responsibility between th e h igh

school and AERO . Much articulation is still needed.

7. EMH students from Oak Lawn Community High School are housed and

instruction provided through AERO coordination at Evergreen Park High School.

8 . Some at tempt has been made to accommodate slow learners wi t h i n the

high school setting in specific areas .

9 . Services are being provided for students who are hospitalized or

ho mebound.

10 . The AERO director is especially well trained and prepared for h is

adminis tra t ive role . Although he has only been on the job for a f ew mon ths ,

he h as an exce l len t grasp of the overall program as he sees _i t .

Weaknesses :

1 . The problem of assessing a program that is in its i n itial stage as to

e f fe ct i ve ne s s is an ex t r eme l y difficult assignment. Oak Lawn h as bare l y

sc ratched the surface in meeting the present state requirements i n prov i ding

a viab l e program for special education .

2 . I t would appear that the high school is depending on AERO to t ake­

ov e r the leadership and operation of the total program without recognizing

the con t ribution it must make.

3 . Pr e s en t l y ther.e is no comprehensive effort being made to identify

those who are socially and emotionally maladjusted and t h ose who have s eve r e

l ea r n ing disabilities . Even if identification was made, t he present

43 .

curriculum or staff avail able wou l d be ve ry in adequate to g i ve the needed help.

4. Policies and proced ures for e stabli shing and operating a special

education program in the high school are not well defined. There is little

evidence to indicate that special education is an essenti al part of the pre ­

sent high school program.

5 . Little has been done to bud get the necessary funds needed to offer a

program fo r special education in the high school itself as 2pproved by AERO .

6 . Policies and procedures for establishing the operation of any s pe ­

cial education program in the school are not well defined.

7 . The identification, evaluation and p lacement of handicapped children

of all categories leaves much to be desired.

8. Usuage of facilities wi t h i n the high school are limited or nonexist ­

ent and any kind of comprehensive program would require an extensive altera ­

tion of use of the existing building. This includes office space, storage

space and classrooms. Two rooms were initially built for special education

use. These or similar space should be reclaimed and be available for the

original pupose.

9 . The lack of understanding on the part of the staff of what the pro­

gram of special education involves is apparent and creates a communication

problem between the faculty, pupil personnel staff, AERO and the administra­

tion . There is much haziness on the part of cert2in staff members in knowin g

what, if any, their role is in such an operation.

10 . It was not the purpose of this v i s i t a t i on to study the operation of

AERO . AERO is seen as a complementary operation which is going to relieve

the coope rating schools in providing certain services within their own build­

ing . The role of the high school in serving the students wi t h i n their geo­

graphical boundaries wa s a major thrust of consideration . The relationship of

t he work of AERO to that of each high school needs clarification so that the

44 .

o pera tion of a join t a r ea ag r e eme n t does not re su lt in s tud en t s being caugh t

in t he middle .

11 . Th e majo r difficulty of a s se ssin g weakne sse s in s pe c i a l educa tion i s

t ha t th e major aspect s a r e not in existence a nd that the program i s not a

fully impl emented operation a t pre sent . The current o pe ra t ion is extremely

l i mi t e d . I t would appe ar that the low incidence h andic apped a r e presen tly

being id entified prior to entr ance t o h igh sch ool a nd a r e never enrolled i n

th e h i gh school . As a re sult s e conda ry s ch oo l per sonne l are not consulted or

involved in the s c r e e n i ng proce s s .

12 . Th e r e appe ar s to be a l ack of underst anding o f an ove r a l l philosophy

toward handicapped children . The r ole of the sch oo l i s not clear. There is

evidence to indicate that the lack of s u ff i c i e n t per s onnel to accurately

identify the handicapped and as sess t he ma gnitude of the prob lem is a deter­

r ent to providing facilitie s for thi s g r ou p of s tud e n ts . Although it a ppears

that t hose who a r e most vi sible in being h andicapped a r e g i ven some assistance,

usually th rough outside re sources, it i s the c ategory of t ype s A, B, C

(socially maladjusted, emotionally maladjusted, learning disabilities) tha t i s

cu r r ently being ove rlooked . This sh ou l d not be con strued necessarily as a

deficiency of the counseling staff but rather the t o t al s ch oo l program as i t

is p re sen t l y constituted .

13 . Evaluation of outcome s of the limited program in existence i s somewha t

meaningless because of just getting started Rnd the meagerness of the pre sen t

e f f ort . Th e r e is much speculation by those interviewed regarding how the

s pecia l educ a t i on p rogram is looked upon by parents, teachers and a dmi n i s t ra ­

tors, but the re i s li t tle evidence to support the se feelings . Befo r e on e c an

assess a p a r ticular program there must be s ome a g r e emen t both concern ing what

t h e program should be and an understanding of the aims and objectives . Th is

need to k now where you are go i ng , how y ou are going to get t h e re, and then to

45 .

I

kn ow when yo u h a ve a r r i ved i s cruci a l in tryin g t o e v a l uate the s uc c e s s of the

venture . At present there is no con sensus .

Recommendations

1 . A commitment shou ld be made b y the total high s chool s taff that the

handic apped ha ve a ri ght to the maximum educ ation their ab il i t i es F i l l permit

a nd that , to the extent possible the home high school s e t t i n g should be used

as t he p l a c e of re sidenc e . Handicapped students s h ou l d be s e pa r 2 t e d f rom the

main stream of school life only to the extent o f maximizing their e du c a t i on a l

experience . As much a s po s sible they should remain an integral part of the

s ch oo l s etting .

2 . A method should be found which will not freeze a h andicapped student

in a special t ype of program. There should be flexibility o f programming

permitting children to move back and forth as they are a b l e to adjust, o r n o t

adjus t, to a more normal educational setting and fa c i l i t} .

3 . Before a s pecial educ ation prog ram can be imp l emen t ed, a careful

assessment must be made of the needs . This should include all s pecial educa-

ti on c ate go r i e s.

4 . On ce t h e ove rall needs are asce rtained, budgeting considerations can

be made for th e employment of a staff sufficient a nd c apable enough to handle

the job . This means that specialized personnel s u ch as psychologists, social

worker s , speech correctionists, consultants in hearing, reading an d learning

dis abilities, may a l l eventually become a neces sity for a full y operating

program .

5 . An overall in-service program should be instituted immed iately to

acqua in t the entire staff with the total program and with wha t ph a se s the

local high school can be expected to a s s ume and what AERO can handle.

6 . Bet t e r a r t i c u l a t i on between AERO an d the local high s c h o o l is needed

to p r ov i d e for understanding of r ol e s, to avo i d duplication o f s e rvice s, and

46 .

t o re a ch ag re e d u pon goals .

7 . Provi si on shou l d be mad e in t he hi gh s c hoo l bui l ding for qualified

personnel , sp ace and appropri ate instruc t i on t o th o se student s not able to

participate s ati sfactoril y in th e gene ra l academ i c pro gram.

8 . Counselor s, s o c ia l worker s, a nd psy chologi st s n e ed t o operate a s a

team in making suitable p l a cme n t for all students but in pa rticula r t h e

handicapped . Screening an d st a f fin g procedure s s h oul d b e cle a rl y s pe l l e d

out and consistently u sed.

9 . There appe ars t o b e a need t o provide fo r a mor e com p r eh e ns ive

articulation between the h i gh sch ool an d the e lementary schoo ls in identifying

handicapped children for e f fective p lacement in the h igh s chool s e t ting .

10. Labeling s tud ents should be held to a mi n im um. Such prac tice is

personelly damaging and can be inaccurate as well. What may be a handicap

in some instructional area and in some point in time, may become an asset in

another place at a different time . Categorizing s t ud ents b y g en e r a l class­

ifications interferes with the phi lo soph y t h at p l ac eme n t i s temporary.

11 . Special educ ation, more so th en the ge n e r al program, need s t he

warmth and understanding of truly dedicated person s. The s uc c es s of the pro­

gram is most directly related to the t ype of per sonn e l employed. More t han

usual care should be exercised in making choice s for s taff a ppo i n t me n ts .

Sensitivity to the needs o f the inrli vidual shou l d h a ve the highe st priority .

Summary

Oak Lawn Community High School i s participating in a j o i n t area a g r e e me n t

to meet the needs of certain h andic apped s tud e n ts . The r e is e vidence that a

constructive start h as been made, but there i s s t i l l a long way to go in

implementing al l a s pe c ts o f the progr am. One o f t he problems that need s

serious consideration is the need t o brin g abou t an und e rs tand i ng and an

awareness on the part o f the entire fa c u l ty of a c ommitment to the s pe c ia l

education aspect of the school progr am.

47 .

Oak Lawn is beginning to meet the problem of being of more service to

those who need specialized help . It is encouraging to note that steps have

already been taken after the self-evaluation study made last year .

A team effort is crucial to the future success of a viable and compre­

hensive program for special education . The talent is available to bring about

the n ecessary action to incorporate such a program within the school

s t ructur e .

Mr. Merlin Schultz, Chairman

~ o

ART

Introduction

Th e art department of Oak Lawn Community High School is well organized ,

effectively staffed, and successfully involved in the development of young

a r t is ts .

During the course of visiting the department, each art teacher was ob ­

served in the classroom situation. Conversations and discussions with indi ­

vidual teachers and groups were held in reference to facilities, equipment,

and curriculum, as well as staff relationships and student discipline. Ways

in which the art department has been and is involved in bringing art experi ­

ences to the community were also discussed .

It is evident that the faculty members are dedicated people and sincerely

concerned about the quality education of their students. The ever increasing

number of high school students reached by the art program seems to be the

ultimate testimony to the creative approach and overall success of the art

department.

Findings

Strengths:

1. Although the art courses are elective, and the students come from a

"blue collar" community which is usually not given to much interest in the

arts, the department has grown to a very large enrollment of six hundred stu­

dents . Further, as the survey "Occupational Intentions of the Class of 1970"

shows, the largest group of students in the class selected the arts. This

evidence seems to suggest that the parents, through their children, do appre­

ciate art in the curriculum.

2 . The department provides an impressive number of services for the

s chool, designing and constructing signs, posters, program covers, homecoming

floats, stage backdrops , and festival decorations. The department has also

49 .

contributed numerou s ac tiv i t i es and s e rv i c es t o va rious part s of the communit y,

c r eating float s for civic club pa rades , demon stratin g proc e s s e s in art t o

va rious groups, and exhibiting wo r k in the public s choo ls , bank s and library .

The lists are very exten s i ve and impre s sive .

3 . The academic backgroun d s of t he f acul t y a r e quite va r i ed . These

difference s of experience an d meth odology s hou l d s e rve as a hea lthy v~ r i e ty in

t he depa r t men t. The s i x faculty member s represent wo r k at twel ve colleges and

un ive rsitie s .

4 . The audiovisual materials acquired and ordered by the a r t department

s e em to be extensive . Prints, s l i des , filmstrip s, and books are readily

available for use in the clas sroom, either through departmental storage or from

the cooperative library s t a f f . It i s e specially noteworthy that the depa rtment

is bUilding a collection of s l i des of s t ud en t wo r k . These can be used as dis ­

play e xamp l e s for s t uden ts in the va r i ous cla s se s and can al so be put together

as traveling exhibit s of high s ch oo l wo r k to be s e n t i n t o the community .

Most of t he s l i de s and other vi sual material s a r e found in the depart ­

ment; this seems to be the most us e f u l place for efficient use in the classroom .

Other material s are on a temporary but long-term loan arrangement that still

permits them to remain in the a r ea of g r e a t e s t us e.

5. The phy sical fa c i l i t i e s of the department a r e g ene r a lly excellent .

The recent increase in s pa c e and the de sign o f the rooms h as created a ve ry

fine unit . The s to rage r oom, compl e t e wi t h a fac ulty wor k area, is s t r a t e gi c ­

ally located wi t h an entry through th e art office . The conc e p t of a flexibl e

wa l l between t wo of the room s i s in keeping wi th the trend toward team teach ­

ing in the Art I cour se s when g r oups larger than a single clas s may a ssemble

for s pec i a l events .

The room s a r e adeq ua t el y lighted and the appropriate facilitie s, such

as sinks in the ceramic s room, e t c . , a r e a vai lable and i n goo d wo r k i ng order .

50 .

All of th e art rooms are g r oupe d c l o s e enough togethe r s o that s t ud en ts and

teacher s can visit o r casually observe o t h e r classes . Th is situation sh o u l d

h elp to deve l op a b e tter und erstanding of the po s s ib le breadth o f a rt activ ­

i t i es and a rapport amon g those who use the facilitie s .

Th e wi nd ow areas that allow for room-to-room observation of cl a s s

activ i ties should prove to be e specially helpful fo r clas s c on t r o l. Th ey

should also h elp the t eachers cope wi t h the minor emergencies th a t might oc c u r

i n classe s working with a variety of materials .

6. The department has been actively involved in the preparation of stu­

dent teachers for man y y ea r s . It has recently been selected as a student

teaching center for s t ud e n ts from Northern Illinoi s University . Student

t eachers f rom several universitie s wo r k d aily in the depar t ment throughout

the y e a r . The cooperation b e tw e e n the i n stitution s and the a r t department ha s

beenexcellent.

7 . Art teacher s are a c t ively i n volved in stud ent act iv i ties : Art Club,

Photography Club, Workshop, Art-Science Fair, Ye a r b o ok - Sh i e l d , and others .

Many activities are c ond ucted on sh o r t term basi s a s we l l , requiring extra

time of the teachers and s pe c i a l use o f the existing facilities .

8. The c ou rs e l oad for each teacher and the size of each class s e ems

ve ry rea sonable. The s pe c ia l i z e d area s s uc h a s photography and ceramics have

been kept sma l l (avera ge 1 5 an d 20, respectively ) s i n c e the y require s pe c i a l

work stations and equipment . The other general areas are at capaci ty now

(average 20-25) f or the most efficient work s i z e .

Weakne s ses :

1 . Although the enrollment in the art department of about 600 studen ts

i s ve ry good compared to the total enrollment of a pproximately 2 ,800 , some

membe rs of the d epartment feel that art is not fully appreciated in th e commun ­

i ty . It is possible that the faculty membe rs wh o feel this way are no t f ul ly

51 .

awa r e of the impact of the art department on the community. It is ~lso poss i ­

b le tha t th e e x ce l l e n t effort of the department to communica te wi th parent s

throu gh special e ve n t s and newspape r publicity s till has a limited eff e c t .

In either e ven t, new efforts of communicating with the public seem r equired

o f each memb e r of the department and calls fo r r e n e we d efforts of c ommunic at ­

in g t o e a ch o t h er about their efforts and results .

2 . The a rt t e a cher s seem well qualified in thei r general bac kg round and

experience. Howeve r, no on e has obta i ned a mas t e r 's d eg r e e , and on ly two ha ve

taken s ign ificant work toward the advanced d eg ree .

3 . Th e h e a t er-ventilator unit in the k i l n r oom, insid e the Cer amic s

Room 236 , recent l y e xp l oded s t eam be cause of a pp a r ent improper instal lation .

It no t only p r esents a potential for r u i ning clay work c r ea t ed b y a number o f

the classes , but may be a safety hazard as well .

4 . There s e ems to be i n ade qu ate s pac e f o r exhib itin g thre e - d i me ns i on al

wo r k n e a r the art department and too f ew p ro tected display are a s in the main

h a l l wa y s of the school . It has also been found t ha t magnets do not hold

he a vy fla t work on t h e metal walls in some of t he ro oms. Seme me a ns must be

f ound t o e xh i b i t this work .

5 . Commun i c a t i on at a number of levels appea rs t o be a problem. It

s e ems tha t t he d epa rtment as a unit does not meet with regularity . Some mem­

bers exp ressed lack of involvement or awareness in certain group decision

si tua t ions . Curriculum development and clar ification of cu r r iculum details

a ppea r to be one of the problem areas . Lines of communication b e tw e e n the

d e pa rtment and the administration regarding interd isciplina ry coope ra t ive

e f f or t s for teaching need to be open. The formation of a human i ties cou rs e

wi thout th e full and active participation of t h e art depa rtment a ppea rs t o b e

an examp le of inadequate communication .

6 . An analysis of the curriculum indicates a need for more emphas is on

52.

linoleum, wood block, a nd rel a ted printmaking experience s in the curriculum .

7 . The empha si s in the cu r r icu lum a ls o s e ems to be mostl y two­

dimensional . A s oun d curriculum should ha ve a b al ance in t wo and three ­

dimensional experiences.

8 . A h uman itie s c ou rse i s c u r r e n t ly offered by th e En gli sh department .

Although it includes a r t as s ubj e c t matter, the a r t department ha s not been

asked to participate beyond s ome initial discu s sion wh e n the course was still

in the idea stage. It sh ould be noted that the art department chairman orig­

inally expre seed interest in wo r k i ng wi t h the progr am. However, the course

exists today wi t h o u t a team a pp r oa ch and as a product of the English depart­

ment alone .

9. There i s no permanent, full time s e c r e ta ry f o r t h e department, a l ­

though the a dmi n i s t ra t ive paperwork and descriptive li t erature for e ach

course amounts to a he a vy wo r k load each day.

Rec ommend ation s

1. Some art de partment facu lty me mbe rs do n o t s e em t o un de rs t and the

extent of involvement of the department in the community. In order to in­

crease community awarene s s and acceptance of a r t , the department could employ

expanded procedures to further their current excellent e ff ort s . The emphasis

should be placed on community involvement an d direct contact wi t h the a r t

students and their wo r k .

Some possibilitie s inc l ude: renewed contact wi t h elementary and

junior high s ch oo ls in the a r ea for di scus sion of exhibits in those s ch oo l s ;

student conducted demonstrations for civic g r oups ; and s t ud e n t - f a c u l t y con­

ducted sh o r t - t e rm workshop ~ for s p e c ia l oc c a sions, s uc h as making Christmas

decorations. Another urgent a r ea f or c on sideration i s the acquisition of

display space in a prominent f i rs t fl oor a r e a wh e r e v is i to rs to the school

are sure to s e e the s tudent wo r k .

53 .

2. The facult y shou l d be urged to continue de gree or post -degree work in

th e a rt fi eld . Th e r e have alre ad y been instance s wh e r e pe r sonnel h ad to be

re a s si gn e d into areas which were not thei r specialties . pll membe r s should

continually s e ek to upgrad e and s u p p l eme n t their kn owled ge and s k i l l s in the

a rts .

3 . Th e h eater-ventilator unit in the k i l n room , inside the Ce ramics

Room 236 , should be r epaired immediately s i n c e it appea rs to b e a safety

haza rd .

4 . The faculty have s h own exceptional skills in th e aesthetic de sign

and a r rangement of a rt work in their r o oms. In o rde r to exploit these sk ills ,

e x ten s i ve d isplay a r eas should be developed in the a rt depa rtmen t and through ­

out t he school . Flats could be construct ed or pu rchased to dis play more wor k

in the halls for s pe c i a l events . Cases which can be easily collapsed, moved,

and s tored, should be made to provide more space for three-dimensional wo r k .

Co r kboard should also be installed in the rooms where wa l l space i s ava i l a b l e

and flat work is too he a vy to exhibit wi t h magnet s .

5 . Re gular department meetin g s should be established wh i ch provide ade­

quate opportunity for each member t o express his v i ews to the entire g r o u p .

All departmental policy an d c u r ric u l um ch an ge s shou l d be explained in a con­

ci se manner s o that they may be a ppl i e d uniforml y .

6. The obviou s emph a si s on qual i t y dr awin g and paintin g wo u l d s e em to

lend itself to a variety of pr i ntmakin g experiences . Linoleum a nd wo od b l o ck

printing appe ar s to be al t e r na t e d wi t h s i l k s c r e en printing . The lea rning

expe riences involved wi t h l i no an d wood c u t should make them impor tant an d

n ecessa ry expe rience s to be emphasi zed . P rogre s sively mor e involved and more

d ifficult proce s s e s could be deve l oped t o pre sent challenging as we l l as

satisfying expe riences a t a l l l eve ls .

7 . The a ppa rent lack o f emphasis on sculptu re o r th ree-d imensional ex ­

perience s in the cur riculum require s som e adjustment . Th ree-dimensional

54 .

e xper i e nc e s do not a p p e~ r t o be g iven th e a t t en t ion r eq uired t o ade qua t e l y

balanc e t h e p ro g r am. Sc uLt u r a I pro ject s sho u l d in c l ude mode l i ng , con structi on

and ca rv ing .

8 . The t i me and energy r e quired t o pur s1\e t h e department' s expre s s .:d

intere st in devel opin g an art hi story c ourse wou l d s e em bette r spent in be ­

c omi ng c ooperati vel y invo l ved in the exi sting humaniti e s program in t h e

English department .

9 . The pre sent load fo r e ach teacher and the p r esent cla s s s izes sh ou l d

be ret ained . It i s e spe c i a l l y i mportant that the s ize of th e ph ot ogr~ph y and

ceramic s c la sses be main tained at l eve ls con si stent with the number of wor k

station s and amoun t o f equipment . No increa se in s i ze sh oul d be a llowed wi t h ­

ou t increa sed s pa ce and s e c t ion alloca t ion .

10 . The a r t an d Eng l ish depa r tmen ts shou ld wor k i n close coo r d i na t i on

and planning abou t the conten t an d methods used in the humanitie s cour se .

Since the course include s wor k in art, it se ems a ppropri ate that the nece s s ary

s ch edul i ng and s taff prob lems should be quickl y re so l ved to enab le coop~rative

plannin g in a t l eas t t wo of the subject a r e a s invo lved . The a r t department

h a s expre s sed inte r es t in pa r t icipa t i on in teaching o r contributin g t o the

cour se and should h a ve a ve s ted interest in t aking the initiative to find

ways to wor k d ire c t l y with the English department i n thi s matter. .

11 . Al t h ough a rt is a v isua l sub jec t , there a r e man y ways a t e acher need s

to pre sent content which shou ld be ve r ba l i zed or d iag ramme d . As the de pa r t ­

ment g r ows , the pape r work conce rning bud get s, o rde r i ng o f s uppl ies , an d

making report s also g rows r a p Ld l y , Sec r e ta r ial he l p wh ich i s permanent and

pre ferabl y pro fe s s i on a l should be made a va i l a b l e t o the department for a t

l ea s t a h a l f day , e a ch d ay .

12 . The fac ul ty should be allowed s e ve ra l da y s per yea r of r el eas ed time

to make pro fe s s ional visi ts to o the r scho o ls , art s tud ios , etc., f or the

55

purpose o f ac qui ring inforTn Cl tion vh i ch coul d be u se d in their a r t c l a s se s . A

sub stitute a r t t ea che r coul d s e rv e in the re gul ~r t 28ch er ' s ~ bsence . It is

s ug ges t e d that the te ach er meet wi t h th e rest of th e fac u l ty before de pa r t i n g

i n o r de r to dete rmine wha t i n f orm~tion the o t h0 r te acher s reque st, and meet

aga in upon r e tu rn in g t o r epor t wh a teve r n ew knQ\vl ed ge h a s been 1ea rncd .

13 . An open work shop, wh i ch i s no w in op eration, i s aVdil ablc t o a l l

intere s ted students fo r no credit . Wa ys shou ld be e xpl o r ed to e xpand the con-

c e pt wi th appropriate nearb y f acilities and wi t h add i t i on a l s ta f f help . It

offers an activity program fo r man y s t uden t s wh o wish to work constructive l y

in a rt du ring the free time blocks in their pro gr ams and should be expand ed

as enrollment sh ows it to be justified.

Summary

The d epa rtment of art has shown an impre ssive incre a se in enrollment e ach

year . Th e fac il i t i es and organization have enabled th e department to provide

efficien t se rv ic es for the faculty, the stud ent bod ;, and the community . The

ded i c ation and creative ap ?roach of th8 qualifi ed s ta f f to their cl as se s has

r e s u l t ed in an excellent pr og ram for the devel opment of young a r t i s ts .

Mr. David John sonDr . David McKa y, Chai rman

56 .

-

In t r llcl llL" 1 i Oil

Communi ty Hi gh School a r e 10 he commended to r t he i r t ho r cu ghn e s s i n -;el f -

evaluation . 111e r e po r t s p r e p.i r e d reflec ted ;I s i nc e r e effo rt t o r e v i e- the

entire de pa r tmental cu r riculum. f"cil i t iec; . and ope r e ti on s in u mrm ne r de ­

s ign ed to i mprove bu si ne s s education t o t he ben efit of 08k La-.n s t ude n t s .

Gi ven the time Li mi r a r i on s . th e s ize of thi s de pa r t men t , th e l o ..;s oI ;>

te am eva l ua t o r t o anothe r e va l ua t i on a r ea , thi s evaluation \.I8S 1 imi t ed in

terms o f depth and bread t h . A review wa s made of all wr i t t en s e l f e e ve l ua t i on s

o f the busine ss e du c ; l ion c;t;>ff . Fo r rna l an d in Conn:' 1 d i SC\lS S ion s we r e he 1d

v i th the depa r trnen t e l chairman crid s taff members concern i ng it ems ernpha s i z.e d

in s e lf - eva l ua t ions . Each of the te8c he rs , ~ i th one ~ xc e Pti0n , was obse rv ed

in a classroom teachin g s ituation. Problems related t o the cooperative wo r k

experience program wer e d isc ussed wi t h t he sc hool ' s vocational di rector .

Student s we r e r ;lndoml y selected to ob t8 in t h e i r v iews conce rnin g ho w

effec t ive ly th e department was mee ting i ts objec t ives . Depar t men t a l fac il -

ities and material s we r e ex amined and d iscus sed \Ii t h t he s t~ff whe n time per ­

mi t t ed . Curri c ulum gu id es fo r i ndi vid ua l cou rses were exam i ned . Fi n;> l ly , an

o ra l report was g iven t o the en t i r e dep8 r tmen tal s taff on p re l imi n;> ry fi nd i ngs

c onc e r n ed '.lith s t r e ng t hs and we akn e s s e s of the bu sine s s educ ation s taff and

progr am.

Fin d ing s

Strengths:

1 . Outs tanding cur ri culum gu id es ··e r e p repared f or the fo l l o~ ing cou r se s :

Typewr i t i ng , sh o r t ha nd , bu siness training , con s umer ed uc ation, da ta proce s sing ,

ac coun t i ng and s e c r e ta r ia l practice . The se gu i d es c ont a ined much detailed in ­

formuti on concern in g ob j e c t ive s , activit ie s, g r8d i ng , te C'ching technique s , and

57 .

re s ource materials .

2 . Excellent t e ach i n g , although s ornewh a t t r ad Lt Lon a l , \"Cl S obse r ved

du r in g t h e e V81ua t i on period . In most cla sses s t ude n ts fe lt f r ee t o exp re ss

t he i r opinions znd s o l ic i t t e ach er a s s i s t a nc e . Ind iv id u8l s tuden t a t ten t i on

was noted more o ften in the sk il l s subj e c ts (e .g . , t y pewr i t Ln g , d a t a proc e s s ­

ing, bu s i ne s s machine s ) . Most tAach e rs mad e ef fective use of t he ch a lkbo:lrd

and we re ab le to s t i mu l a t e thei r s tuden ts towzrd ac t i ve pa r ticipa t ion in cl a s s

di s c us s i on s .

3 . Equi pment and facilitie s , with s ome excep t ion s , a r e ve r y good . Type ­

wri ting classe s h ave excellen t desks and t ypewrit e rs . Data pr oc es s i ng h as

adequ8 te e qu i pme n t fo r t he needs of the cou r s e (e .g . , ac c oun t i ng machine,

s o r t e r s , verif ie r, ke y punch , wi r i ng b03rd s, e tc . ). The b us i ne s s machine s

cl a s s h a s a va riety of elec tr ic t y pewr i te rs , calcula to r s and dup licat ing

machine s. The accoun ting c l a s s i s equipped wi t h add i ng machines. Type\_ri t i n g

clas se s a r e e qu ipped wi t h demons t ra t ion s t ands and ad just a ble ch air s for e ach

s tud en t . Boo kholders a r e also avai labl e . Mul ti ple ch ann e l sh o r thand l ab

equipment is avai l able bu t no t presently oper a tiona l .

4 . The department has a comp rehe ns ive offe rin g of cour ses . The se quen c e

of c our se s for s e c r e ta r ia l studen ts i s ou ts tan d i ng .

5 . In most cl a s se s t here is an exc e ll e n t teacher-pup il r a tio.

6 . There i s very good t e acher- aid e qu i pment in t h e fo rm o f ov e rh ead pro­

jec t or s in most clas srooms . Re produc tion a nd tr an s paren cy making equipment

appea red r eadi l y ava i l ab l e t o the s ta ff . Bul l et i n boa r d material s appe ared

ab und an t and well or gani zed .

7 . The d epa rtmen t i s recogn i zed in the Chic ago metropolit an e r e a f o r the

qu al ity of i t s s ec r e t a r i a l stud en ts . This r eputation i s recognized wi t h i n the

sc h ool and t he busine s s c ommunity . Sec ret a rial s t uden t s a r e easi l y pl aced

becau s e of thi s reputa tion .

58 .

8. Ve ry e f fe c t i ve and wise use i s made of semi-circle se ating arrange­

ment f or c on sumer educa t i on and business t ra i n ing cl asses.

9. The r e is a nea t appea rance in al l cla s srooms and office working

a r e as . Fi le s, mate rials , and eq uipment a l l have their proper place.

10. Typewri t i ng studen ts are we l l taught a s evidenced by observance of

good t ypewri t i ng techn iques and posture.

11 . Con sumer education t e acher s use a va r i e ty of teaching techniques

other than l ectur e-d iscuss ion . Gr oup dynamics and case problems were observed

in ef fect i ve use. Most teac hers were we l l organized and made good use of

suppl emen ta ry mat erials .

12. Most s taff membe rs ar e a f f i l i a t ed with profes sional business educa­

tion a s sociations.

13 . Most staff membe rs appear to be s i nce r e in helping students.

14 . The s taff is ve ry inte r ested i n providing a quality consumer educa­

tion program.

15 . There i s a grad i ng sys t em in t ypewriting which is based on the indi­

v i dual i mpr ovement of t he l ea r ne r .

16. There is a well organ i zed consumer education program to meet state

requirements.

17 . The department has a dive rs i f ied typewr i t i ng program which meets the

needs of sec r etarial majors, co l lege preparatory s t uden t s (pe rs ona l use ) and

those who ne ed t o i mpr ove t hei r basic t ypewriting skill.

18. The r e is an availabil i ty of sk i l ls sub jects rooms for independent

s t udy .

19. The depa r tment has exper ienced and very competent staff members who

gu i de the de ve l opmen t of s tuden t teachers.

Weakn esses :

1 . There i s a lack of suf f i c i en t contact between the business community

59 .

a nd the coope r a t i ve vo rk p r og r am coo rd ina t or. The new c oor d i n a t o r i s in need

of .:Jss is to nce .

2 . The r e i s a l <Jck o f a specific progr am to fit the needs o f s t uden t s

~i t h I Q' s between 85 and 95 .

3 . Th e r e i s i n s u f ficient bullet in bo a rd spoce in most class rooms .

4 . He at control ne eds improvement -- extreme s in tempe ratures .

5 . Admin i s tr ation use of data proce s s i n g equ i pmen t du r ing t he firs t

per i od o f the da y inte rfere s wi t h s l ud en t work .

6 . The r e i s limited off i ce and wo r k s pac e fo r stoff member s.

7 . Th e r e are not enough cl ec t r i c t ypewr i t e r s in t h e de pa r t men t .

8 . Th e r e a r e too many unused de sk s in s ome c l ns s r ooms.

9 . Macro- e c onomic educntion is no t getting sufficient emphas i s .

10. Some s t a f f members a r e uninvolved in pro f e s ~ l on d l business educ a t i on

a s s oc i.a t Lo n s

I I . The re i s a need for profes sional busine s s education l i te r a t u r e in the

d e pa r t me n tAL off ic e .

12 . More chall e nge and s t r uc t u r e is r equired for C\'T s tuden ts .

13 . Lac k o f c oope ra t i ve spi r i t e x i s t s betwee n some staff membe rs . Bo t h

un i on a nd n on - un ion member s h ave expre s sed a de sire to unify th e depa r t me n t .

Someon e need s t o t ake the ini tiative to deve l op unity.

14 . The r e i s a need f or more de par tment al mee t i n gs to discuss c ommon

probl ems a n d t o be appr i sed of depa rtmental plan s . Desire is ?lso e xpres s ed

b y d epa r t me n ta l s t aff to be involved in decision mak i n ~ processes r e la tive t o

de po r t me n t affa i rs .

15. Le s s on ob jectives are nebulous in some cour s e s.

16 . Th e s ho r t h an d l ab is not ava ilable for ad va nced shor thand s t uden t s .

Recommendati on s

1. Th e de partment chai rman sh ou ld take the Ln Lt La t Lve t o fo rmu l a t e

60 .

s u b j e c t are a committees to make recommendati on s concerning s ubj e c t are a need s

and a pp ris e such committee s of the status o f their recommendation s.

2. The vocational director of t he s chool pl u s the wo r k experience coo r ­

din a t o r s should r eceive the moral and financial suppo r t of the sch ool supe r i n ­

t endent and Board of Education t o become membe rs o f the commun i ty Kiwan i s ,

Rotary, and Ch amber of Comme r c e organiza t ions . Such membership would b e fo r

the purpo se of enl i st i n g bu s i ne s s community ass is t anc e and s uppo r t fo r th e

de ve l opmen t of t he s chool 's work e xperience progr am.

3 . Arran gemen t s should be mad e by the department chairman, t ea ch e rs , and

stud e n ts t o ob t a i n businessmen from th e c ommun i ty a s gu es t s pe ake rs . Such pre­

s en ta t i ons should be videotape d i n o r d er to fr e e the speaker for the bal anc e

o f t he d a y and y e t afford all other cl a sses the opportun ity of s e e i ng and

hea ring the s peak er 's presentation .

4 . A s pec ific p r o g r am should b e e s t ab li shed to meet the need s of t h o se

s tud ents wh ose I Q' s fall in the 8 5-95 range . Such s tud en ts might be of f ere d

a s pec i al typ ewri ting class ac companied by anothe r s pecia l class in busine ss

machines. Th e s pecial business machines c l a ss would stres s operation of dup­

licating machines, adding machines, cash regis t e rs, k e ypun ch , and other

equipment utilized by clerical workers in occupations wh ich have l ower intel ­

ligence requirements. Some of the present content of the cle rical practice

course might be adapted for use in this special course.

5. Additional and l arger bulletin boards should be ins talled in most

business education classrooms to display student project work in the socio­

business subject s as we l l as the sk i l l subjects.

6 . Heat con trols in busine ss education rooms should b e corre c t e d to

stabilize extremes in temperatures . Effec t ive l earn i ng an d tea ching cann o t

tak e plac e in uncomfortable rooms.

7. The data p r oc e s s i n g work are a s need a dd i ti ona l spa ce. Th e student~

6 1 .

work in cramped quarters. Data processing equ i pmen t is too close together.

8 . The first period data processing class should be reduced in size be­

cause of administrative use of data processing equ i pmen t . Students a r e denied

"hands-on-hardware" time because of administrative ne eds.

9. Larger office wor k space should be provided for the busine s s education

staff. Such expanded work space should include enclosed conference rooms.

10. The department shou l d have additional electric typewriters. Repair s

and replacement should be improved on all machines. Most typewriters in bus­

iness and industry are electric and students should have maximum opp ortunitie s

to practice and develop high levels of competence on equipment they a r e most

likely to en counter when employed.

11. Unused de sks should be removed from classrooms where regular clas s

enrollment doe s not j us t i fy their presence. Room 364 has f orty de sks and ye t

no regular clas s meeting in that room has more than thirty s tuden ts . The

j u s t i f i c a t i on for their presence is that they are necessary for homeroom

students. The ten minute requirement of homeroom should not de ny more effec ­

t i ve use of that f acility for the rest of the day. Ten of the de sks should be

removed and the seats shou l d be arranged in a semi-circle arrangement as i n

Room 359 . This arrangement wil l enhance v i ewi ng for teacher s an d students .

Reducing the number of de sk s wi l l al so f acilitate movement of remaining desks

f or group dynamic s ar rang emen ts in the classroom.

12. The s t a t ed ob jective of the business education department is t o de ve l­

op sk i lled wor ke rs as well as concerned and educated citizens with an appr ec i ­

~ f o r and under standing of our economic society . The department current l y

has plans to phase s out Consumer Economics because of the introduction of

Consumer Education. Consumer Economics, as described in the co urse ou tline ,

included emphasi s on those concept s and understandings concerned wi t h the en­

tire economic system (e . g . , inflation, unemployment, monetary and fi scal

62 .

policy). Con sumer Education i s concerned wi t h individual con sumer problems.

Th e n e eds o f this c ourse are so great th a t there s imply is not enou gh time to

cove r so-called macro -economic concepts. A review of the Busine s s Tra i n i ng

course content reveal s unit s bein g taught wh i c h , in this evaluator ' s o p i n i on ,

s h o u l d be replaced b y the more important macro -econom ic concept s wh ich wi l l

help students appreciate and under st and our e c on omi c soc ie t y . I stron gl y rec ­

ommend that s u ch units as travel s e r v i c e s , communic at ion se rvices , transport a­

tion and shipping service s be replaced wi t h more mac ro-economics oriented

material . I would a l s o recommend tha t t he s taff conside r other textbocks fo r

a d o p t i on an d u se in this course .

13 . There is a need f o r professional business education literature in the

departmental office . Periodicals, y e a r b ook s , and ell busine ss educ ation cur ­

riculum rel ated mate rial s should be made readily a c c es s i b l e t o the s t a f f on

the third f l o o r o f the bui ld ing wh e r e most of the staff ' s time i s s pent . Be ­

ing a young staff, most members hove not had an opportunity to a c qu i r e thei r

own professional librarie s . 111e more e xperienced member s of th e s taff migh t

be wi l l i n g to d onate their public ations for such a purpose . The younge r staff

member s wou l d be the g r ea t es t bene ficiaries of s u ch an arran gemen t. Th is

practice i s COmmon amon g most s u b u r b an schools .

14. Th e coope ra t ive wo r k tr ~ inin g an d distributive educ at i on classes

s h ou l d h a ve a c u r r i c u l um gu i d e prepared with structured ob ject i v e s , ac t i vi tie s,

and re source s ge a r e d t o the need s of the students of this school . The coo r ­

dinator shoul d seek the ass is tan c e of more e xperienced coordinator s of subu r ­

ban scho o l s. I rec ommend Mr . Robert Va r n ey o f Fenton High Schoo l as an out ­

standin g D. E. c oo r d i n a t o r . Dr . E . Edward Har ris of Northern Illinoi s

University has an outstanding reputa t ion i n t his f i eld and should also be

consulted .

15 . Mo re departmental meetings should b e held t o d iscuss common problems

63 .

and receive progress r eports on s ta f f recommendations . The s t a f f sh ou l d be

involved in the decision makin g proce s s rel ative to textbook se l e c tion , pur­

chase of equipment, and an y other departmenta l matter s wh i ch af f e c t t he

effectivenes s of teacher s i n the cl a ssroom.

16 . Consideration should be g ive n to the g ra d ua l d e ve l opment an d imp le­

mentation of behavioral ob ject i ve s i n t he va r i ous course s o f th e busine s s edu­

cation cur riculum . This need i s g r ea t e r i n the s oc io- b u s i n e ss s ub jects th a n

in the skills s u b j e c ts which have their objec t i ves we l l de fined .

17 . Arrangement s sh ou l d be ma d e to h 3ve the s t en o multip le-channe l l ab

equipment a vai l able f o r adva nc e d s h o r t h a nd s t ud e n ts . Perhaps the bu s ine s s

machine s clas s could be located in anoth e r classroom on the third f loor. Room

375 being adjacent to Room 373 wou ld e nable the a d v an c e d shorthand s t ud en ts to

use the multiple-channel lab equ i pme n t. Oth e r possibilitie s or a r ra ngemen ts

should be considered . Maximum s pe e d de ve l opment of a dvan c e d shorthand s t ud e n ts

on an individual basis shou l d no t be den ied .

1 8 . Addi tion al members of the s t aff s h ou l d begin o r r e s ume graduate wo r k

leadin g towa rd the ma s t er' s d e g ree . Some s t a f f members arQ in need of a dd i ­

t ional c ontent bac kg round as well as me thodology in the teaching o f busine s s

educat i on subj e c ts .

19 . Coun s e lo r s ne ed to be mad e awa r e o f the caliber o f s t ud e n t to be

as s igne d to the data processin g class . Counselors assume data proce s sing

means key punching -- thi s i s not the case . Data processing students in this

program represent potenti a l pro grammer s . The course demands good logic ab i l ­

ities.

20 . One of the t ypewriting c l assrooms has a post which ob scure s the v i ews

of three s t ud e n t s . Consideration might be g i ven to rearrangement of the de sks

on a diagonal basis .

Summary

The busine ss education s t a f f of Oak Lawn Community Hi gh School is for the

64 .

most part young, imaginative, and enthusiastic. It has a sufficient number of

extremely well qualified and more experienced staff members who can work coop­

eratively with the younger members to make this staff one of the strongest in

the suburban area.

Mrs . Ellanson, as department chairman, is unquestionably devoted to the

school and the excellence of this department. It was heartwarming to read

about the pride of the staff in the success of the students -- this pride was

a common feeling among all staff members. The goals of the entire department

are compatible and deserve mutual consideration for the greater welfare of the

students.

A cooperative spirit must prevail in this department with all parties

making an effort to work together. All views and opinions should be heard and

genuinely considered. The potential for greatness as a total staff is here __

the realization of greatness will take place when unity is achieved .

Dr . Ted Boduch, Chairman

65 .

ENGLISH

Introduction

The Eng lish depar tment a t Oak Lawn Commun i t y High School h a s don e a Com­

mendable job of self-analys is . The member s of the de pa r t men t have been will ­

ing to t ake an honest look a t the tot al program in a professiona l manner tha t

is aimed at hel p i ng the department g r ow through the careful analysi s of

s t r eng t hs and we akne s s e s . There i s a sense of profe s sional pride, enthusia sm,

and cohe sion that promotes cooperation and mu t ua l respect among member s of

the depa r tmen t .

The wi l l i ng ne s s t o wo r k together , e stab l i sh new programs, and continua l l y

a t tem pt to improve, s t ems i n large part from the confidence and respect the

de pa r t men t chairman demons t ra t es t oward hi s staff ; this, in turn, re s u l t s in

the de pa r t men t displaying grea t conf i denc e in the l e ade rsh i p , abil i t ies and

ideas of the :' a i rman . The ov e ra ll re sult of the s e cond i t i ons is an innova­

tive , v i b ran t , and progre s s i ve dep artment.

The s taff is young an d is composed of twenty- s e ven teache rs, seven of

whom have a master 's deg ree . Sixte en of t h e te a che r s have less than two years

ex perienc e .

The course offerings include foundation cou r s e s in English I and I I for

t he f r eshman and sophomore l evels . These course s emphasize a wide var iety of

proce ss-centered experiences in all areas of langua ge , li te rature , and compo ­

si t i on . Beginning this yea r thes e cour se s are he t e r ogene ous l y grouped with

emphas i s on growth of individual studen ts .

The cou rse offe ring for the junior and se nio r yea r inc ludes a variety of

new e~crive semes t e r cou rses des igned to me e t ind i v idua l need s and i n te rests

of the stud ents . Th is ne w appr oach i s modern , exper imental, and a re a l fore ­

runner in its a t t empt t o help the individua l student make progre s s a t h i s own

pace . The s ta ff is t o be commended for th i s noble effor t, e spec i a l l y i n t h e

66 .

face of what the vis i t i ng team s ees a s an ex t r eme l y heavy student load .

Th e English s t a f f nnd member s of the vi siting team a re concerned ab out

the lack of opportunity f or student s t o t ake on increasing amounts of per sona l

re sp onsibility and f r eedom as they progress to the upper grades in the school

as a wh ol e . Juniors and sen i o r s mu st be accounted for each minute, it appears,

instead of being ch allenged to do independent s t udy and mak e choices fr om a

va rie ty of al t e r na t i ves in ho w they spend the ir un s ch edu led time .

The ne west clas srooms seemed to have been built without consulting Engl i sh

teachers and wi t h thoughts toward economy r ather than a learning environmen t.

The metal bu l le t i n bo ard a r rangemen t doe s not wor k , and being painted onl y

with latex paint c au se s dirt and gr i me to show sh or tly after con struction.

The r e a r e i nadequa t e s to rage fa c i l i t i es in s ome of the new rooms .

Fi ndings

St rength s:

Three outstanding conditions head the list of s t r eng t h s of the Oak Lawn

Engl i sh department . The leadership of the department chairman and the r e sul t ­

i ng cohesion an d innovative s pi r i t of the department as a whole stand out most.

The new e lective program e stablished for juniors and s en i ors is a s i gn ificant

step fo rwa rd , h aving been c are f ully de signed and implemented . Ano t he r ex t r eme­

l y impo rtant s t rong poin t i s the emphasi s pu t on providing for the i ndiv i dua l

studen t 's gr owt h wi t hin the f ramewor k of the new f ou r -yea r plan. Group goals

are pl aced sec ond to individual progre s s, and this could sh ow s ol i d re sult s in

the long r un . The ove r all care ful, experimenta l attitude and the freedom for

te achers to bui l d their own cour se a r ound individua l s t uden t 's need s he lp a­

chieve a c r ea t ive , productive a t mosphe r e .

Other st r eng t h s noted we r e the adop t i on of a heterogeneous gr oup ing ar­

rangement; ab ove av e r age rapport wi t h s t uden t s and the re su lting appr eciation

of s tudents for Engli sh c l ass as a place whe r e they can truly expre s s

67 .

t hemselves; excellent communication within the department; provision fo r staff

i n-se rvice ; and a general willingness on the part of th e staff to work ha rd

a t t he i r jobs . The recent h i r i ng of a re ad i ng s pe c i a l i s t should ultima t e ly

he l p t he ov e r all r e ad i ng probl em of the s choo l .

Weakn e sse s :

The v is i t ing team doe s have seve r a l concerns about the overall Engl ish

progr am. Are the obj ec t ives s t a t ed for the department and the i nd i vi dua l

co ur s e s s pec i fi c enough? There s eems to be a vaguene ss as t o what min imum

objec ti ve s a r e t o be wo rked towa r d each yea r . While the proce s s-centered ap ­

proach is ex ce ll en t , should n ' t the pr ocess i tse l f , which the s tuden ts need to

lea rn and th en prac t ic e , be more c l ea r ly s ta ted ? This wou l d be especiall y

he l pfu l t o new teacher s . And how exactly does t he composition program work?

Wh at is expected in the a r e a of exposi to ry writing, for example? This is one

a r ea of "t raining" wh e r t;; behav i or a l ob ject i ve s a r e a pplicable .

Ar e all s tud t;;nr ~ g i ve n an orientation program to the library?

The human it i e s I r ogr am is an exce l len t i dea and s or e ly needed in the

1970 's . But t he cour se may ne ed fu r t he r exp l ora t i on i n terms of a solid uni ­

f yin g p r i nc ip le . Fur t hermore , an examina t i on of which a r ea s of the humanitie s

a r e e s sential t o the co urse is in order, a s well as que stioning whether or not

a n i n t e rd e pa r t men t a l fa culty cou l d better se r ve as instructor s in a team

teachin g s itua t i on .

The t e ache r load is t ot a lly inad equate if t he department hope s to accom­

pl i sh it s goa l s in te ach i ng s t uden t s to expre s s t hemse l ves throu gh wr i t i ng .

With 140- 150 s t uden t s to mee t eve ry da y, no mean i ng fu l wr i t i ng program can

ex i s t. This mus t be remed i ed if the sch ool i s se r i ous abou t its goa l s .

The Engl i sh depa r t ment bud get for general mater i a l s and textbooks is not

adequa t e and no t propor t ionate to other de pa r tmen t s . Some s t uden t s cannot

t ake book s home bec ause th ere is onl y a r oom set fo r se ve ra l classe s . In a

68 .

textbook situation, this should not occur .

Some full time members of the English department do not have English

majo rs and their real teaching interest is in another field .

The central office makes the final decision on the number of sections of

each course to be offered, instead of allowing the department to determine

how to use the total number of sections allotted .

The staff office is not large enough to a l l ow teacher dialogue and joint

planning on a continuous, day-to-day basis .

Recommendations

As an outgrowth of their findings, the English committee makes the

following recommendations:

1. Carry out all aspects of the self-evaluation, noting weak areas and

beginning a program of improvement. Special attention to the " additional

comments" should be given since the se all seem valid.

2 . Reduce the teaching load for English teachers to no more than 100.

This is imperative.

3. Create a budgetary item for re search and development in curriculum __

especially in English where there is ample training and interest. This would

allow the innovative aspects of the department to be adequately designed and

evaluated .

4. Continue to wor k to develop a remedial, corrective and developmental

reading program at all levels. The reading specialist on our team has these

suggestions:

a . Three teachers are presently working in reading -- a r eadingspecialist, newly employed this year, and two English t eache rs , whoteach a part-time load in reading . The pr ogram cons ists of a coursein developmental reading, an elective fo r juniors and sen iors , and apr ogr am for r emedial readers . The reading development clas s es arewell organized; students in these large groups s eem t o be i nv olvedand l earning . The small group work with remedial readers, howeve r ,should be re-examined . In groups of only four or five s tuden ts thewor k should be geared to the individual r a t he r than t he group . A

6 9 .

folder for each remedial student should be kept and each day 's workshould be directed toward the individual student's problems andprogress.

b . Present reading programs should be maintained and strengthened.In addition to this, long term reading objectives should be developed .The reading specialist should take a leadership role in planning andimplementing programs that meet the needs of both teachers and stu­dents in reading : establish an all -school reading committee to ex ­plore the kind of help that teachers most need and want . This commit ­tee can then work together to develop both short-term and long rangegoals directed toward their needs . If the establishment of an all ­school committee seems too ambitious an undertaking at this time,consider the establishment of a committee within a single department-- perhaps English - - and begin work with teache rs in this smalle rarea first . The point is that if all students in a school as largeas Oak Lawn are to be helped, then teachers must become involved inthe problem and must be in-service trained so that they can eventu­ally help students develop their reading skills within the contentand context of the classroom itself .

c . The reading specialist should in-service train other readingteachers. This can be done by working closely with them on individ­ual cases or by establishing formal in-service work at specifiedtimes . This in -service work is especially important in the case ofEnglish teachers who are turning into reading teachers on the job .Teachers learning to be reading teachers will both want and needhelp in diagnosing problems and in determining the techniques andmaterials to use in helping students with their problems .

d . Clearly, a strong remedial program for severe reading disabilitycases, a developmental program for all students, a program of class ­room help for teachers in all departments, and a testing program fordiagnosis and evaluation require a larger staff . Involve teachers,map out your long range goals, and ask for more reading teachers tocarry out these goals.

5 . Consider the establishment of a one-semester independent study course

within the English department, a course emphasizing student direction, student

inquiry and student evaluation .

6 . Establish a separate speech and theater department . English and

Speech/Theater goals and approaches are not the same and are occasionally in

conflict. There are a total of six courses offered in this area in addition

to an extra-curricular program which makes special demands of its own.

7 . There should be some consideration given to a required basic speech

course. Youngsters who most need speech training will not sign up for an

elected course . Confidence in group and individual speaking situations is

70 .

e s sen t i a l t o producing participating citizens.

8 . There must be an auditorium built before Oak Lawn c an poss ibl y do

the job in t h e area of theater. A s choo l that has four gyms and a pool can

bui l d an auditorium. The theater and dr ama staff are handic apped by limi ting

wha t they can do and by di scoura ging what they want to do.

9 . In the areas of speech and theate r , be ce r ta in that teachers have

majors in this area, pre fer ably master 's deg rees . The prog ram of ext ra -

curricular s pe e ch cannot grow unti l qua l if ied , en t husiast ic pe op l e are moving

it ahead. The individual s now doing it (coaching individual even t s ) are

overloaded. Many sch ools of t h is s ize have seven t o t en such coache s . Suit -

able compensa t i on ough t to be given a ll individua ls designated to assist in

this are a.

10. The re should be a s peech therapist and/o r clin ic i an a s a re gular mem-

ber of the s pe e ch s taff .

11. Continue t o develop t he two r e sourc e cen te rs (f reshman and sophomore

pape r b ack librarie s ). Th ese should be en r iched as follows :

a. Ass ign a d i f f ere nt Engl ish teache r t o each room each period ofthe day -- in stead of ass igning h i m t o a study hal l .

b. Expand the f lex i b ility of the r e s ourc e cen t e r s by equipping themwith carrel s e qu i pped with f ilms t rip projecto r s , record players,tape recorders. Also add r eading a r eas and magazine s pertinent toEnglish study gene ra lly . Such an a r rangemen t wou l d a llow more stu­dents to learn on their own within the schedule . Thematic unitscould be prepared, for example, which would requi re a s t uden t tomake a presentation relative to that theme . Staffing and enrichingthe rooms would allow teachers to work with individuals and smallgr oup s in the regular classroom while the rest of the class make smeaningful use of the resource center .

12 . Work for the employment of more experienced teachers and retention

of good people al ready on the staff.

13 . Try to schedule teachers wi t h the same basic assignments to a common

pl ann i n g period so that more cooperative and team teaching can take p l ac e .

Con s i de r designating one teacher a s a "team coordinator" for such a r rang emen ts,

71.

i . e., English I teacher s who are f r ee 3r d period .

14 . Provide a s s oon as pos sible a much l arger o ff i ce a r ea, one th at wou l d

accommodate a de sk for e ach teacher, a re source a rea for teaching ideas, a

con f e r enc e area for consulting with individual student s, and some privacy for

the chairman . Room 208 could be a " na t u r a l " for s uch exp ansion .

15 . Secure non -profe ssional help . Secretarial help i s needed f or the

department, e specially the department ch airman, who , wi t h hi s trainin g and

enthusiasm, should not have to be involved in cleric al matter s . Leadership

and progres s are sh a r ply curtailed wh en this h appen s . Al so, paraprofessional

he l p could be an alternative to placing English teacher s in the resource room s .

16 . Hire people wh o have majors in the field in which they will be doin g

most of their teaching. Do not subordinate the classroom teaching situation

to procuring a s pon s or or coach for extra class activitie s .

Summary

The English department is a s t r ong , v i t a l department, providin g creative

and relevant experiences for young people. Th e st a ff membe rs wi l l need con-

s iderable support if the y are to really reach individual s a~ they have set

out to do. Immediate steps shoul d be t aken to evalua te ou r recommend ation s,

establi sh prioritie s, an d be gin a se r ious progr am of i mplemen t a ti on.

The sch ool admini stration and Boa r d of Educ a t i on a re u r ge d t o put progr am

above a bal anced budge t and then go out and ge t the suppo r t n eeded to provide

a program th at i s en r ich ed and tru l y r elevant to t oday1 s dynamic wor l d .

Miss Carole BrandtMrs . Leitha PaulsenDr . Carolyn Whiten ackMr . Jame s Olsen, Chairman

72 .

FOREI GN LANGUAGE

I ntroduc tion

During the three day visit the members of the committe e ob serve d all

foreign language teachers in their various classes . In o r d e r to j udge pr o­

gress ion from one level to another, we made i t a poin t to v isit l eve l one

through four o f a given language . We spoke to and met with each me mb e r of the

for e ign language staff, indiv idually and as a group . We had s eve r a l meetings

wi t h the head of the department, alone, as wel l as togethe r with memb ers of

th e staff . We spoke to students, inside th e c lass room and ou tsid e t hei r

classes . We joined in the teaching -- with th e conse nt of the in structor

on the third and fourth level in order to s e e fo r ourselves how we ll the stu ­

dents a re able to communicate in the foreign language . The conf e rences wi th

the teaching staff we r e we l l attended and after an initial shyness there was

considerable receptivenes s for our ob servations, suggestions and recommenda­

tions . We f ound the student s f r i e n d ly and wi l l i ng to answer our questions.

Our only regret wa s that some instructors had scheduled quizzes durin g our

v i s i t o r were replaced by a s t ud e n t tea cher, so that we we r e prevented from

seeing all teachers in action all the time.

Oak Lawn Community Hi gh School offers four years each of French, German ,

and Spanish, and t wo y e a r s each of Russian and Latin. Out of a present enrol l­

ment o f 2797 studen t s , 89 6 o r 32% a r e enrolled in foreign language classes .

The staff is comprised o f ten language teachers . On e of t h e Span ish t eachers

and one of the German teacher s a lso teach En glish classes . The cha i rman

teaches German . There is a 30 position Language Lab and two elec t roni c cla s s­

rooms. The semi-soundproof booths in the Lab a re equ ipped with aud io-ac t ive

e a r ph on e s and microphones; a few booths have tape decks . Th e elect ron ic cla s s ­

r OOms provide the students wi t h earphones and mic rophones; t he conso l e prov i d e s

the programs but does not allow listening in or mon itoring the students .

73 .

Finding s

Strengths:

All teachers of modern forei gn langua ge s handle their forei gn lan -

guage we l l . They seem s incere ly i ntere sted in their s t udents and show genuine

enthusiasrr f ~ · :· t.n e i r chosen profe s sion. Most te achers h ave travelled in a

country where Lhe lan gua ge they teach is spoken natively . Several teachers

have made extended stays there for the purpose of s t ud i e s or -- in one case ­

as a member of the Peace Corps.

It was quite e vident that the teacher s individually and the forei gn

language department as a whol e are appreciated by their s t uden t s wh o in several

instances expressed their feelin gs of loyalty in our pre sence.

Lan guage ins truction i s a s signed to spec i f i c cla s srooms. These rooms

are spacious , well lighted, and accoustically tiled. The y are for the most

par t very tastefull y equipped wi t h relevance to the pre sent-day student. The

class sizes are moderate (between 13 and 20) wi t h only one class of 25.

The rapport between teachers and s t uden t s and between colleague s s eems

to be good . No undue friction or deep-reaching dissention was brought to our

attention . Decisions concerning the curriculum involve all member s of the

department.

We found an adequate suppl y of listening tape. As f or materials from the

library or audiovisual aids such as foreign lan guage films, they seem to be

readily accessible to the teachers . The same facility exists for duplicating .

Teachers are wi l l i ng to give of their time to students who need their

hel p . Help and ad vice is given in the teacher's classroom . An adequate

supp l y of supplementary material is available for the student in need of addi ­

t i ona l work.

Four elementary schools offerin g French feed into Oak Lawn Community High

School . The elementary teacher s determine placement of the high school

74.

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75 .

In the class -

This gap of one

Frustration , disillusion -

no language course they can t ake durin g their senior yea r .

year may easily set him back upon entering colle ge.

pl a cemen t, and who wi sh to continue their l an gu age instruction in college have

4 . Students who entered hi gh sch ool wi t h one ye a r ' s credit of advanced

classes or through individual in struction .

2. The foreign language instructi on does no t a ppea r t o be gea r ed t o" ard

3 . With the excepti on of an attempt a t a b il i ty g ro up i ng at the second

men t, discouragement and loss of time wi l l be the result .

year level, there i s no provi sion for the gif t ed s t ud en t eithe r in special

of their knowled ge.

hend the forei gn language and t o use it, GO all le vel s, wi t h i n the l i mi t s

consistentl y talk about the fo re ign language i n t h e s tuden t s ' nati ve English.

room t he fo r e ign language is onl y ske t ch i Lv used and th e s tuden t s do not s eem

actively involved in the learning process of a living languag e . The t eacher s

Thi s unfortunate approach serious l y hampe rs the s tuden t s l a b i l i t y to compre-

ity would permit continued g ro~ th as fo r e ign language te acher s.

PERFORMANCE (speaking , understanding ) i n t he fo r e ign l an gua ge.

and i n the pe r f orrnanc e ach i e ver.en t rea ched b :: their s t uden t s . Greater humi L>

ment r e f l ec t s a ce r t a in o~e r -con : id e~ce i n cheir e::::ecti~eness as teachers

Weaknes se s :

S. Te ache rs do not seem suffic ien tl ~wa re of th e printed material in

the major f o r e ign langua ge s t hat i s ava i lable i n the U.S ., and \vhich the

libr8ry shou l d h ave on its shelves . The teacher s do not seem suff i cientl y

intere sted in helpin g the librarian o rd e r the book s. period i c als, news pa pe rs ,

etc . conducive to c arryin g out forei gn l an gu a ge project s thr ou gh research in

the fo r eign l anguage.

6 . There i s no d i sp l ay case or are a whe re student -produced forei gn

language exhibits could be s een by the en t ire student body .

Recommendations

1 . We urge that a more concent rated effort be made in the classroom to

communicate in the foreign lan guage . At all levels the student and t he t e ach er

must both be ac t ive ly in volved in using the f orei gn lan gua ge .

2. In the interest of the linguisticall y gifted student we recommend

that additional effort be made to achieve homogeneous gr oup i ng whe r eve r 8nd

whene ve r feasible.

3 . For the junior who has completed the existing f our- year langua ge

sequence and who plans to continue his langua ge trainin g in college, a fifth

year program should be definitel y considered for the future . Such a course

would eliminate the gap in the student 's foreign language sequence between

hi gh school and college .

4 . We ur ge active involvement by the en tire foreign langua ge department

as well as by e ach individual member in workin g closely with the lib rarian

t oward a richer suppl y of printed materials in the foreign languages .

S. A display area should enable the forei gn language s t uden t s to exhibit

the ir fo re ign language projects fo r all to see .

6 . We r e c ommend that the language lab facilities be fu r t he r expanded

for max imum use by hiring a part -time paraprofessional .

7 . A definite program for developin g conversational abil ity should be

76 .

set u p a t l e a st one day a week in one of the l ib rary conf e r en c e rooms. This

program must b e t e a cher guid ed in o rder to fulfi ll it s pu r po se. Teacher s so

assi gned should be relieved o f any other d ut y in addition to his teach ing

duties.

8. We r ecommend tha t th e depa r t men t pur sue it s i d ea s on the possibili -

ties of independen t study a t the third an d fou rth level fo r those students

whose schedule s do not permit the re gul ar f o rma l s t udy .

9. We s ugge s t t h a t taped progr ams fo r us e in the lan gua ge lab be dubbed

into smaller units to work so as to mak e their a c c ess i b i l i ty easier for the

instructor. This sug ge stion concern s i n particul dr certain t ypes of short

drills wan t e d for a specific clas s at a specific time.

10. We strongly wi s h to encoura ge the y oung teachers in the fore i gn

language department to become ac t i v e members of their re spective foreign

language teachers a ssociation.

Summary

The committee feel s th a t the forei gn lan gua ge d e p a r tme n t in its present

composition holds undeniable potentials as to its ef fecti veness in the teach -

ing of the forei gn lan gua ges offered at Oak Lawn Community High School. Its

members certainly ha ve the enthu sia sm an d the interest which their task re -

quires . The ne ce ssary te aching s k i l l s , absolutely e ssential to their task,

can only be acquired throu gh f r e qu en t reapprai s al and honest s e l f - e v a l u a t i on ,

but above al l , throu gh the wi l l i ngn es s tonever cease searching for new ways

to make the stud y of fo r e ign languages more relevant and meaningful to our

present day high s choo l studen t s.

The committee s i n c e r ely a pp reciates the cou r t esy and cooperation e xtended

by the foreign lan gua ge de partmen t du r ing t hi s v isi ta t i on .

Mr. Turrel l La verin gDr. Lu cie Horner, Chairman

77.

HOME ECONOMICS

In troduc tion

The progr am offered in the homemak i n g depar tment of Oak Lawn Community

High Schoo l follows the pr ogram of a specia l i ze d nature in t he food s and

cloth in g a r eas.

The scheduling of gi rls taking Homemak i n g I and II has been d iv i ded into

freshman and sophomore sections an d junior and senior sections . The content

of Homemaking I or II varies on the basis of the girls being mor e mature, not

nec e s s ar i l y advanced in the subject .

The r e are two foods labs and two clothing labs and a cent ra l home econo­

mi c s office for the four tea~hers. Each teacher has a desk i n this office.

The department chairman does not have a private area to herself . This of f i ce

r oom is also used by the stud~nts as an overflow work area for the c l othing

classes and miscellaneous activities.

The four labs are large to extra large. There seems to be adequa t e

stor a ge space for books in the office area .

The four teachers in the department have an experience ranging from about

seven to nineteen years. All teachers in the homemaking department have had

good background for the teaching of homemaking to the high school students .

The t e ach e r s of the homemaking department are interested in developing and

improving the offerings of the curriculum to meet the needs of a greate r num­

be r of students . Curriculum r ev i s i on requires a t ime a llotment f or t he ful l

de vel opmen t of course content . Too much emphasis i s placed on cloth ing con­

s t ruc t ion and on food preparation .

The t each e rs a r e i n tere s t edin the i r subjects and i n tnei r stud en ts . Some

evidence of this was appa r en t when the gi r l s f r om c l o t h i ng classe s came in for

extra help on their pro jec ts and teachers used their own time to help the

girls. The teacher s spend their own money on materials for their classrooms ,

78.

i.e ., extra paper back book s, bul le t in board decoration s, curriculum gu i de s

purchased from other state s, etc .

F i nd i n gs

Strengths:

1 . The home economics s ta f f i s ac ademically prepared, is conscientious,

and has good rapport with s t uden t s .

2 . The atmosphere in the clas sroom is relaxed, ye t we l l organized, with

students engaging in meanin gful learnin g activitie s in an orderly manner .

3 . Practical learnin gs are an integral part of the program with high

standards set and maintained .

4 . New facilities are homel ike for a good car ry-over from classroom

s ituation to home situation. Ba s i c principles of kitchen shapes and interio r

design were utilized in plannin g the new fo od s lab to further the girls '

appreciation of e valuatin g h ome pl anning.

5. A problem-solvin g a pproach i s u se d in th e laboratories .

6. Laboratories, for the mos t part, have good housekeeping .

7 . The students show e vidence of g00d self-discipline.

8. The s taf f g ives wi l ling ly of their c on fe r enc e time to a s s is t student s

in their clothing cons t ruct ion.

9. The use of bulletin board s pace , arranged by the teachers and stu­

dents, shows their c reativity and i nitiati ve .

10. A variety of manu fac tu r e rs equipment has been included to allow the

girls the oppo r t un i ty t o use and eva luate different available materials on

the consumer market.

11 . Up-to-date homemak i ng textbooks are used .

Weaknesses:

1. A more diversified curriculum is needed, especially in the area of

ch i ld development, famil y relationships and vocational home economics .

79.

..

2. Individual differences of students are not adequately met.

3. The curriculum is not relevant to today 's studen t and to the needs

of all grade and academic levels of the student body .

4 . Much be~ter communication is needed among staff concerning curriculum

and budgetary items in particular.

5 . New facilities have more than adequate expensive equipment; however,

less expen s i ve items are lacking .

6 . Older facilities need up-dating in simple decorative ways.

7 . Better organization of storage areas would be beneficial.

8. Lack of adequate bulletin board and blackboard space is evident.

9. No staff members belong to the American Home Ec onomi c s Association .

10 . The teaching years represented by the staff show little evidence of

study towards advanced degrees.

Recommendations

1 . A complete curriculum revision to incorporate more child development,

family relationships, vocational home economics should be initiated.

2 . The homemaking courses should be organized on a semester basis. This

would allow a greater number of students the opportunity to enroll in home­

making and the individual needs of the students could be better met.

3. A cooperative education program as it relates to home economics stJuld

be initiated.

4 . Courses should be made more adaptable to individual differences and more

should be done with ability groupings.

5 . Courses should be given more meaningful titles .

6. The beginning homemaking courses should be a survey type course. This

would help meet the stated philosophy of the program .

7 . The sewing construction projects requirements for the beginning classes

should be reevaluated. Simpler projects may give greater pe rsonal satisfaction

80.

and succe ss to the gi r ls in the progr am fo r mo r e th an one yea r .

8 . A sequence of construction technique s accordin g to the deg r e e of di f -

f icu l ty should be established .

9 . A gr ea t e r effort sh oul d be made to schedule s t uden ts wi t h a dif ferent

homemaking t e ach e r in the sequence of their course wo r k .

10 . Conference passes should be curtailed . An open lab sh oul d be c reated

t o ass is t s tudents in completing their projects .

11 . The r e should be a classroom for department or famil y livin g center

us e that could accommoda te non -laboratory classes. Folding chairs wi t h tablets

sh ould be ad ded t o pre sen t labs to facilitate class room learning .

12 . I f the phi l os ophy of the department i s to be full y met, a program

wh ich includes boys must be developed . A course in famil y re l ~ t i on sh i p s and

coope rative occupational work would help to fill part of thi s vo i d .

13 . The tools to satisfy the fund amental role of the department wou l d be

sat isfactor y if class size were restricted to 20 students per clas s f or labor ­

atory ex periences .

14 . There should be emphasis on the department function a s a team in

pl ann i ng the growth and development of the department .

15 . Regula rly scheduled department meetin gs should be a rran ged to improve

communication wi thin the department .

16 . Information should be given to staff members concerning the budget .

Partic i pation of t he staff is desi rable to help establish priorities when

moni es are t o be s pent .

17 . The se rv i ces of a parapr of e s s i ona l should be secured.

18 . Teach e rs sho uld be given additional r e l e a sed time to pu rchase g r o­

cerie s . Students a re cu rrently performin g this task and this places the

sch ool board an d teac h er s in a vulne rable posit ion .

19 . The depa r t men t should ex plore the poss ibi lity of t e am t e ach i ng with

81 .

such departments as art, industrial art s , and bu sine s s e duc a tion.

Summary

There is every indication that the homemakin g department is inten sel y

interested in creating a better program.

The staff is conscientious and the rapport be t ween t h e s t udents and

teache rs is excellent .

There is an awareness that new offerings a re ne eded t o re ach the d iversi -

fied interests of the student bod y .

The Oak Lawn Community High School and the homemaking teache rs are to be

complimented for the hospitality, courte sy, and coopera t i on extended to t he

visiting committee .

Mrs . Bea FeldtMrs . Mary Wiberg, Chai rman

82 .

INDUSTRIAL ARTS

Introduction

This is a report of a three da y v is i t to the industri al a r t s department

of Oak Lawn Community Hi gh School . In thi s length of time one can only

pa r t i a l l y fathom the ex t en t of the program . This report is de signed to help

make a good program better . Each member of the departmental s taff was inter ­

viewed, some extensively . A random samplin g of student s was intervie wed .

The de partmental facilities a re located in a rather concentrated a r ea of

a large complex. They have been in operation for abou t one yea r .

Findings

Strengths :

Staf f: The industrial arts department has a we l l bal anced s taff in te rms

of service, ranging from one to twenty yea r s . The ten s taf f member s h ad

their undergraduate college degree s from seven di f ferent schoo ls . The s taff

member s a r e youn g enough to have an understandin g of and a sympa t hy for t od ay' s

studen t. There i s an excellent relation ship between s taff membe rs and t he de ­

partment chairman . There is also a fine rel ationship between s taff and o t h e r

faculty members and the admi n i s t ra t i on . Many s t a f f member s a r e in f r eQuen t

con t act wi t h the community relative to the progre s s o f i nd u s trial major s tu ­

dents. Staff members have had con siderable trade experience.

Program : The program ba se i s an orientation course in wh ich the s t uden t

rotate s through fi ve different shop s wi t h seven weeks i n e ach. From this

findin g experience, major areas are elected . There i s a growi ng evenin g pro­

gram. A budding voc a t i ona l program shou ld grow with t he ne w fac i l i t i es . A

diver si fied occupations program has been in exi stence fo r s ome eight yea rs

and needs to be grea tly expanded.

Students: Students in the corridor s and the shops a r e we l l beh aved. In

the shop s they are all busy and manifest con siderable interest in wha t the y

are doin g . Mere students elect an industrial a r ts sequence th an can be

83 .

accommodated in the shops . The shops seem to attract a good cross-section of

students in terms of their ability .

Facilities : The facilities are new and for the most part adequate.

There are some few things that have not yet been completed which would make

the department much more effective . The equipment installed in the ne~1

building is largely new and up -to-date . Maintenance of equipment (always a

major problem in shops) is being partially taken care of by a part-time work­

er. Office space would qualify as adequate to excellent. The "write on"

walls are an excellent idea and show evidence of extensive use.

Weaknesses:

The department chairman should have more released time for administrative

duties . There should be more audiovisual materials and equipment. All shop

teachers at all schools have a constant battle to enforce safety practices

among students. This staff is no exception . A full-time electric-electronics

teacher would be a distinct addition to the staff. The present one doubles

in diversified occupations . Only the metal shop would seem to have an ade­

quate planning center . There is a need for more storage space in the shops.

Like most schools, there is not enough money for tools, materials and equipment.

Recommendations

The committee feels that the staff has done a remarkably good job in the

length of time they have had in the new building . The following recommendations

would likely have been implemented by the staff having been given enough time.

1. Since there is an overabundance of students it is suggested that room

290 be completed to provide an additional shop. Presently the shop has all

necessary equipment except an exhaust system . With the outlay of a small

amount of mone~ J new and large facility would be available for such a shop

as power mechanics . • some other course .

2 . The department needs:

84 .

a. a telephone in each off ice;

b. a s p i r i t duplic ator i n each off ice ;

c. a t ypewriter in each off i ce .

[There are t wo or more s taff member s i n each office .]

3. Some help shou l d be given th e department chairman in the form, a t

least, of a half time pro fe ssional t ypist / secre t a r y.

4 . A student aide t ypist should be ass igned to each teache r fo r at

least one period a da y.

5. All shop s wh i ch do not pre sently h ave pl anning c en t e r s should take

steps to provide one. This, in it s s i mples t f orm, may be a table in t he

corner wi t h some cur r en t catalogue s and maga zine s that a re r e l evan t to t he

area.

6. Further study mi ght be given to the or i en ta t ion course . It might be

feasible to add more units such as electricity or power mechanics . This

would cut the time to six week s f or each uni t. The general shop organLzation

has been used successful ly in some s ch ools .

7. Mor e locker and s t or ag e space sh ould be prov i ded i n the shops . This

may be done by adding shel ve s or l ocked cabinets in available store rooms .

8. A l arge centrally l ocated s t orage r oom might be established near the

receiving r oom f or gr os s material s such as l umber, bar stock, sheet metal and

hard board. Th is area sh ould be unde r l ock and key and under the full control

of the department he ad.

9. Teache r s should require all student s in the shops to ~ar safe ty

goggles, safety glas ses or f ac e sh i e l ds . Th is i s a con tinu i ng bat tl e .

10. The gr aph i c arts department may wan t t o de - emphas ize the lette r pre s s

operation and beef up the off set facilitie s. Th ey may want to keep on e or

two presse s and a fe w fonts of t ype for an occa sional job . This would r e­

quire that some letterpress equipment be removed f rom thi s a r ea .

85 .

11 . Flammable liquid s sh ou l d be s t o r e d in met al c abinet s. Qu a n t i t i e s of

flammables should be in locked ca b i n e ts away from the shop area .

12 . The dark room in the gra ph i c arts dep artment s h o u l d be provided \ei t h

a light trap alon g with added s t o rage and s h e l f s pa c e .

13 . Frequent checks should be made to be s u r e all machine s a r e properl y

guarded.

14. A progr am of long range priorities should b e s e t up to purchase re -

placements for machines that become antiquated .

15. A ventilated spray booth should be set up in the auto shop for

spraying cars since the lacquer is injurious to the health and is flammable .

16 . The auto shop does not now have overhead hoist equipment . From a

safety point of view, it is highly desirable that this equipment be installed .

17 . The auto shop should acquire new en gine te sting equipment s u ch as that

manufactured by Sun Electric Company .

18 . St ud i e s should be made to determine what and when additional vocation -

al courses may be added to the curriculum . The community should be involved

i n this study .

19 . A study of new and innovative courses should be made b y the staff:

for example, honors or pre -engineering courses .

20 . Considering the number of shops involved and the equipment in us~ a

full time maintenance man should be assigned exclusively to the industrial

e d uc a t i on department .

21 . The department should be on the alert for new machines and equipment

which would narrow the gap between the school and industrial practices . This

would involve such things as tape operated machines and computerized drafting.

Stud en t s should know of the existence of this equipment even if it cannot be

pu r c h a s e d.

86 .

22. A departmental committee sho uld be e stablished to keep abreast of and

select suitable textbook s f or the de pa r t men t .

23 . In some areas mach i nes coul d be made more safe by painting the moving

and dangerous parts in c olor code, perh ap s us i ng the Pittsburgh Paint code .

24 . Safety zone s sho uld be painted on the f l oor around machines which

might of fer some operating h a zard s.

Summary

The industrial arts progr am at Oak Lawn Community High School is on - going,

progres sive and ha s a bright f u t u r e . The staf f is conscientious, hard working,

above average and wi l l continue to improve as the yea r s pass . It is hoped that

the suggestions ,nade here wi l l provide a platform from which other suggestions

will be launched. All shoul d be on the alert for additional suggestions wh i ch

may come from the s taff , f e l l ow teachers, ~udents or the community . The

teachers, administrator s an d s tud en t~ a t Oak Lawn Community Hi gh School have

shown themselves to be exemplary ho st s and hostesses .

Mr . Stephen NagyMr . Coleman Hewitt, Chairman

87 .

88 .

St r e n g t h s :

1. The rna t.hema t i c s d o p o r t mcn t seems t o h a ve an an t hu s i a s t i c a rid compe ­

t en t s taff . The i r educ;l tion ;1 n d e xpp r i e n c e seem s u i tD b le t o th e i r ass Ign ­

ment s . Good s t ud nn t e t c a c h c r r appo r t e x i s t s in a n d ou t o f t h e' c l a s s r oom .

2 . The rna t.hcmn t Lc s d op a r t me n r ~l1d it s c ha i rma n h a ve ;1 rnu t u a I l v c o o pe r a -

ti ve a t t i t ud e t o wa r d e a c h ot he r . Th is c o opo r a r i on i s bo rn e ou t b y th e ir jo i n t

e f f o r t s i n cu r r icul um p lann in g ;lnrl cu r r icu l um r e vi si on .

3 . The ave r o ge c l as s s i ze i n t he b a s i c cl as s e s i s ve ry good . Th i s e n ­

able s th e in str uc t or t o g i ve the ~ x t r;1 a t t e l1t i o n so n e ce ss a r y a t the se level s .

~ A se r ious v t t e mp t h a s bee n ma d e t o gua ra n t ee th ut a [ e Cl che r ' s

depar t me n t;

3 . Ex ami n a t i on of textbooks used in al l co urs e s ;

4 . Exami n ati on of v s r i ou s cloc umen t s s upp l i e d b v th e ma r hema t i c s d e p a r t >

men t , such a s g rade d is tr ibu tion sh·';c'ls . c ou r s e r oc ommen d a t i on r e c ord s . f resh ­

man p l ac ernen t d at e. l Lb r a r v l ists. film s trip l ists . c t c . :

5 . Ex am i n a t i on o f th e spec i al ma t e r i a l p r e pa r e d fo r th e Nort h Cen t r .r l

vi si t a t i on. both th e i ndi vi d ual teache rs ' r epo r ts a n d t h e c ommi t t v e r e port .

F ind i n gs

s c h oo l o h je c t i v e s . ThL' s pecif i c ob j c c t i ve s o t th e ma t h emo t i c s d c pn r t men t; we r e

t ak e n i nt o c on s i d e r a t i on by t h e comm i t tee h owe ve r .

The e v ~l ucti on of t h e m2 t hem<Jti c s dep 3r tment W<JS complet ed af t e r :

1. Cl::ss r oom v i s i ta t i on s by the committ e e ;

2 . Con ver s 8ti cn s wi t h t h e de pa r t men t c h a i r mnn a nd wi t h me mb e rs of th e

cC'ntri buti o n to t he o ve r e n l l pu i l o s o ph v of t h e' s c h oo l .

schedule include no more than two basic classe s . This g i ve s each member of

the department an opportunity to teach a course whose mathematics leve l is

more sati sfying .

5 . Student placement is very good . Initi a l p l a c emen t is based on test

scores and the elementary teacher's recommendation . Final recommendat ions

are made by the math department. Subsequent recommendations a r e made by t he

department . Adequate provision is made to move a student from level to l eve l

if such movement is indic~ted.

6 . The course offerings are varied and seem adequate to provide an op­

portunity for all students to achieve thei r own level .

7. The department keeps a detailed and cumulative record of all students

taking math courses . This information is readily available to the faculty in

the mathematics office.

8. In cooperation with other school s, Oak Lawn participates in

"Mathlete" contests. These offer a little extra encouragement to some stu­

dents.

9. Attempts at articulation wi t h the feeder g r a d e school s has improved

the cooperation between these sch oo ls a nd Oak Lawn Community High School.

This has been particularly help ful in the placement of freshman .

We akne s ses:

1. Class size in s ome ad v enced classes is too large .

2 . Though class size in basic courses is not bad at present, rather

large variations in size do occur.

3. The textbooks in some a r ea s appear to be somewhat out of date.

4 . Many rooms used for mathematics lack sufficient blackboard space fo r

t h e most effective use by the instructor an d for participation by students .

Al s o , many such rooms lack bulletin boards or " mathematical" decorations of

an y kind .

89 .--

S. The mathematics office, which s e ems to be one of the fe\v places for

teacher conferences or student -teacher con ferences, is fa r too small .

6. Though film strips and other audiovisual aids are used and available,

greater use would be realized if projectors and the se films were located in

the mathematics office .

7 . Onl y a smell percentage of upper classmen, particularly senio rs, a r e

t aking mathematics courses .

8 . Many mathematics teachers feel that the counseling staff a ll t oo

often does not follow the recommendations of the mathematics depa rtment in

mak i ng out individual student programs .

Recommendations

1 . An effort should be made to reduce the variation in size of the ba s ic

classes .

2 . To gua r an t e e that all textbooks and materials do not become outdated,

at one time, a continuous re -evaluation should take place.

3. Every room used for mathematics should be provided with blackboa rds

on at least t wo walls . Such rooms should also have a cork bulletin board .

Those rooms used for specialized classes should have these aids requi red in

the room . This includes chalkboard stencils, wall charts , demonstrat ion

s l i d e - r u l e s , ~tc.

4 . Future building plans or future allocation of space should give

priority to a larger mathematics office or cente r .

S. Projectors and other audiovisual dev ices shou ld be located in the

mathematics office or center. Also located in the cente r should be thos e f i lms

or film strips used for the teaching of mathematics .

6. An investigation should be made to determine the r e a s on s fo r the l ow

percentage of seniors taking mathematics . Such investiga t ion migh t le ad t o

the adoption of othe r non -college prepa ration c ou rs es f o r upper c l assmen.

90 .

7. Greater communication should take pla c e bet"ee n the mathematics

department and t h e counseling staff , pa rt icu l a r ly wh en the recorrnnendation of

the mat h ema t ics staff conce rning student prog rams are disre ga rded for some

re a s on.

8 . Fu r t he r coopera tive ac tion between the feeder g r ~ d e schools and Oak

La~~ Community Hi gh School sh ou ld be a t temp t ed . Such cooperation might le ad

to the o f ferin g of algebra in t h e e igh t h grade and, the refo re, affect the

cu r ricu lum o f Oak Lawn Corrnnunity High School .

Surrnnarv

The mathematic s de pa r t men t a t Oak Lavm Community Hi gh School seems t o be

doin g a fine job. The c ou rs e o ff e r i ngs and cou rse content reflect a r eason-

able e f fort to ac complish the ob jectives listed in the philosophy of the

mathematics department.

We hope that the consideration of the recommendations of this corrnni t t ee

and the continued cooperation of the department can make a good p rog ram even

better.

Mr. Jame s KeithMr . James Barry, Chairman

91.

MUS I C

Introduction

The music de pa r tment of Oak Lawn Commun ity Hi gh School compa r e s very

favor ably wi th other high school s of comparabl e size in t he Chic ag ol and area.

The depa rtmen t cha irman , who is also band director, provide s strong leader­

ship . He se ts the pace fo r t he department by ach ieving and mai n t a i n i ng a

ve ry h igh perf ormance level with in the gr oups under h is own directorship.

The r e a r e two othe r st aff members, a total of three i n the department. One

i s the d i r ec t or of ch oral music and t h e othe r handles classes in bo t h choral

and ins trumenta l mus ic , plus a course in music t heory . All three are well

t r a i ned and dedicated teachers wi t h experience ranging from 11 yea rs to 20

years for :he department chairman -- h is 18th a t Oak Lawn.

Class vis itations were made over a two day period and i nc l uded eleven

of the t h i r t een c l asses schedul ed . The o t he r two were additional sections

of classes in which prior vis itation was made . One observa t i on , cons i s t en t

in all vis itations, was that attention t o the basic f undamen t a l s of good

music constantly prevailed .

Informal conversations with the three t eache rs disclosed s ome common

concerns -- the need for more space, the need fo r an aud itor ium , the hope for

reach ing more s tudents, the ne ed for an or ches t ra program, and the general

agr eemen t tha t the music cu r riculum shoul d be broadened to include more course

of f er i ngs i n the academic areas of music .

Find in gs

Strength s:

1. The r e is good emphasi s on basic fundamentals of music in all groups,

both in strumental and vocal . Thi s is reflected in performance. The quality

of litera t ure is excellent and wisely s e l ec t ed to fit the performance levels

of the va r i ous groups.

92 .

2 . The re is a wide dive rsif ication of cou rse offe r in gs in band and chor a l

mus ic , five diffe rent c a t ego r i es in each . Thus an op po rtun i ty is a Lfo r ded f o r

all s tuden ts to part i c i pa t e in a pe rfo rmance g roup, f rom beginn ing to the

mos t advanced hi gh schoo l level s .

3 . The conce rt band (ma r ch i ng band in fall and sp rin g ) is an exc e pt ional ly

f ine group, gene ra l ly re ga rded as one of the t op ban d s in t he Ch icago su bu r ba n

a rea . Its pe rformance reflects tho rou gh g r ound i ng in the basic fundamen tals

of good inst rument al music .

Weakne sses:

1 . There is no program fo r string or o rchest ra classes, even though some

school owned s t ringed inst ruments a r e avai lable . The r e i s need f o r an orch e s ­

t ra di rector who could also assist in othe r music c l a s se s.

2 . There should be a la r ge r propor tion of the student body participating

in music activities . Th is par t i cu l ar l y conce rns boy s in chora l g r oups .

3 . There seems to be some lack of commun icat ion among sta f f membe rs

wi t hin t he mus i c d epa rtmen t . Perh ap s thi s i s partly due to the fact that the

depa rtment is spread ove r th r ee d iffe ren t r ehear s al a r e as , none of wh i ch i s

adjoining .

4 . Attention should be given t o t h e devel opment o f a broader cu rriculum

in music . There seems to be an ove r -emphasis on pe r f orman ce g roups and a

ne glect of t he academic and c reative as pec ts of mus ic .

5 . There i s a deficiency in t he numbe r of boys pa r t ic i pa ting i n cho r a l

music, le ss than f i f ty . Th e r e shou l d be a determined and concen t r a t ed e f f ort

made to r e c t i f y this situation .

6 . Attention should be g iven to the prope r maintenance of pi anos in the

pr ac t i c e r ooms . Some a re in ve r y bad condition , t o the point of bein g almost

un playable . The re is no piano suitable fo r conce rt wor k . It woul d s e em t hat

a school of this size shou l d be equipped with a g r and pi ano fo r use on

s pec ia l occasions .

93 .

7. An auditorium, or concert area other than a gymnasium, should be

included in the over-all long range building plans .

Recommendations

To become more effective the music department should:

1 . Develope a string and orchestra program. Although this is listed in

the course offerings none exists at the present time .

2. One teacher should be added to the music staff . This should be a

teacher with a stri~g and orchestra background who could also relieve the

band director (who is also department chairman) of at least one band period

assignment.

3 . One more period of released time for administrative dut~es should be

made available to the band director (department chairman) . There exists a

situation, unique to this high school, where the band director is also the

organizing manager of the Chicagoland Stage Band Festival . This event re ­

quires much extra time and attention, spread over a per~od of at least three

months in mid -school year .

4. Academic music courses should be added to the curriculum . There is

but one at the present time, Music Theory . Suggestions would be courses in

Music Appreciation, Folk Music, Contemporary Music, History of Music.

5. A mixed chorus at the level just below the A Cappella Choir should

be introduced .

6 . A concerted effort should be directed toward getting more boys to

participate in vocal music activities . At present only 48 boys (out of 1424)

are members of vocal groups .

7. The size of the A Cappella Choir should be increased by at l east 50%,

or up to 75 to 80 members .

8 . Daily drills on fundamentals should not be extended beyond that point

where positive r e s ul t s accrue .

94 .

9. The glass panels in the two doors leading to rehearsal room 104

should be blocked out. Since the students must sit facing these doors, hall

traffic is quite distracting.

10. Any student who obviously has no intention of cooperating with the

msuic director should be summarily and permanently dismissed.

11. Pianos in the practice rooms should be repaired or replaced. Most

of them are in very bad condition.

12. The schedule should be adjusted so that the two top music performance

groups, Concert Band and A Cappella Choir, do not meet at the same time.

Music majors would then be able to participate in both groups.

13. There is a need for internal sound systems in rehearsal rooms 11 and

104.

14. There should be a greater recognition of the importance of Stage Band

as a legitimate music performance group. Include it in regular course

offerings.

15. The possibility of inaugurating classes in group piano and group

guitar should be investigated.

Summary

The music department of Oak Lawn Community High School is strong in per­

formance groups, except for orchestra, but quite deficient in academic course

offerings. However, even in the performance groups there should be a greater

proportion of the student body participating, espcially in vocal music, and

particularly boys. At the present time the concert band seems to have achievec

the highest level of the performance groups, considerably above the average

for schools of comparable size. All other groups should strive to achieve an

equal level of excellence.

Mr. Linus Carroll, Chairman

95.

BOYS' PHYSICAL EDUCATION, HEALTH AND DRIVER EDUCATION

Introduction

The over-all impression gained by the members of the committee regarding

the above mentioned subjects was most favorable. The faculty presented evi­

dence of a positivp. , whol e s ome attitude on the part of most students. There

was opportunity to observe classes, view existing facilities and equipment,

interview staff members and students and study policies and procedures. The

self-evaluations of the staff were available and perused.

In general, it is felt the program is well organized, well taught and

beneficial to the students participating. The harmony of the staff appeared

to be enthusiastic and interested in the continual process of improvement and

evaluation. The staff wa s also very cooperative and hospitable to the

committee.

Findings

Strengths:

The fo : lowing strengths observed by the committee which pertained to

these programs are as follows:

1. Classroom, gymnasium and locker supervision is good with all staff

members indicating a wi l l i ngne s s to share this responsibility.

2. Class size, relativp to existing facilities, is good and is conducive

to teaching basic skills and techniques. The administration should be commended

for this.

3. Provisions for opportunity for wide-spread student participation in the

interscholastic program is comprehensive in scope.

4. The student evaluation and testing program is good.

5. Most students exhibit respect for both their peers and for members of

the department's faculty.

96.

6. Budget s seem t o be mos t adequa t e and we l l distributed . De pa r t men t

personnel and admini stration shoul d be commended in this area .

7. All teachers appea r t o be de dic ated, s i nc e r e and qualified .

8 . Good d iscipline i s main t a i ned by al l staff member s in both the lab ­

oratory and classroom se t t i ngs .

9. Instructors are interested in the welfare and progress of students

in their clas se s and appe a r to be quali fied in several different activity

areas.

10 . The ve ry evident profes sional gr owt h of the staff is indicated by

each belonging to at l e a s t one profe s sional organization .

11 . The driver educ ation teachers and the administration are aware of

the deficiencie s wh ich present l y exi st in the total program and have recently

initiated s t e ps to improve the to tal program.

12 . The fa ci l it i es a r e ad equa t e i n mo s t areas but crowded in others .

Excellent use is made of tho se available . The instructional materials and

equipment ar e good , however, more re ference material gi v i ng information on

the activities t aught c ou l d be provide d. The SPARTAN gym ar~a is well kept

and clean .

Weaknes ses:

1 . Provi sions f or s taff , space , and equipment are necessary for a more

extensive program o f intramural s por ts participation.

2 . The program i n adaptive s por ts needs up grading in terms of qualified

personnel, su i tab l e spac e , eq uipment and time allotment .

3 . Inadequacy of outdoor space for programs for instructional purposes

should be better maintained and a program should be instituted for more ad e­

qua t e utilization of space available.

4 . The Co-Rec program should be thoroughly r eviewed and pos s i b l y en­

larged to include mor e student s and activities .

97 .

5 . There i s an ove remphasi s in sk i l l t e sti ng a t the f r e shmr-n .>nd sopho-

more leve 1.

6 . The re i s limit ed evidence of s t snd a r d Lz a t Lon on gr ad i ng t r unnc y .

7. The h e a l t h f i l m li b ra ry and v i s ua l a i.d s to s uppo r t i ns t r uc t i on o l

materials should be brou ght up- to - da t e and the supp ly in c r e~sed .

8. The r e se em t o be s ome s chedul i ng d ifficul t i es i.e., t wo c l a s se s

scheduled f o r the same teachin g 8rea .

9 . Standardiz a ti on of the testing program and g r ad i ng procedures sh oul d

be studied and eval ua ted.

10 . There shou l d be a r eview of s t ud en ts who a r e e xcu sed from ph y si c ~ l

education on a permanent basis an d every e ffort shoul d be man e t o re t urn t hem

to some t ype of ph ysica l educa t ion program i f po s sible .

11 . Locke r room f ac i l i t i es :

a . There is poor ven t ila t ion and l igh t i ng i n the aux ilIa r y gym andhealth classroom.

b . Students must supply their own soap .

c . Locker room space is at a premium .

12 . There is a ve ry de finite lack of storage space for all the activities

connected wi t h the physic a l educ ati on and d r i ve r education program .

13 . A mor e thorough s t udy and re search f o r ne w activities to supplement

the original curric ulum shou l d be o r igin a t ed an d pe riodicall y reviewed .

14. A minimal amount of te sting at the j un i o r and senior l ev el should be

continued a s t he s t uden t progre s se s through the four ye a r phy s i c a l education

prog r am.

15 . The s t uden t s in the health program classes are not integ rat ed .

16 . Areas designated f or certain activitie s are lacking in ad equa t e

equ ipment, thus hindering prope r inst ruc tion i . e. , chinning ba r and cl imbing

r op e are not available in the we i gh t t raining a rea .

98 .

Recommendations

1 . The committee concur s wi t h driver education depa rtmental pe rs onnel

on a r ec en t program submitted to admini st ration and state officials fo r ap-

p roval . After t he proposed cour se has been i mplemented , evaluation shou l d be

made annuall y .

2 . Hea lth program.

a . Studen t evaluctLon shou ld include te sting, pe rformance in paneld iscuss i ons , no t ebook and wr i t t en reports .

b . Serious con sideration shou l d be g i ven to the hi ring of a ce rti ­fied health ed uc ator .

c . Out side l ecturers and competent resource pe op l e should be in ­cluded in the in structional phase .

d . Freshmen and s ophomor e s should be given 27 weeks of phys i ca leducation and 9 weeks of health instead of 18 weeks .

e . Emphasis shoul d be on drugs, alcohol, venereal disease and a i r ­noise pollution . Good gr oomi ng , personal hygiene, etc . should bedi scus sed in physical education classes .

f. First Aid course shou l d be r educed to 4-1/2 weeks with t heremaining 4-1 /2 weeks in physical education .

3 . Summer wor k shop , under the direction of the administrator in cha rg e

of curriculum, shou l d include the athletic director, and the heads of boys '

and girls ' physical education . This would be for the express purpose of

improvement in the sh arin g and the utilization of all existing faciliti es .

4 . A secretary shoul d be employed wi t h respon~ibilities to the athletic

di rector and physical education depa rtment only .

S. Included in the physical education and athletic budgets should be

monies to be used by personnel to attend cl inics and conven t ions fo r purpose s

of professional gr owt h .

Summary

The visiting committee members were ve ry much impressed wi th the depa r t -

ments observed and the manner in which th e fine activi ti es programs we r e con -

ducted. We ho pe that should some or all of th ese recommendation s be

99 .

implemented, even more va l uab l e educational expe rienc es should re s u lt fo r

those now participatin g. An even mor e i mport ant result wou ld be the extension

of the program' s bene fit s th rou gh gr e a t e r s t uden t part i cipation.

Mr . Thomas Sat t le rMr . Rex Sh e rman , Chairman

100 .

GIRLS' PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Introduction

The girl s' physical education department is providing a varied program

of physical activitie s fo r a l l g i r ls of Oak Lawn Community High School . The

followin g f indin gs ~ nd s ugge s t i ons are based on information obtained from

class visitation s and confe r ences wi t h the department chairman and all teach ­

ers in the department and direct ob servation of the facilities and materials

provided for the girls' program. Interviews we r e held with the school nurse

and the sch oo l librarian and v is i ts we r e made to the audiovisual center in an

effort to ga i n knowledge concernin g policie s and materials related to the

physical education program. The e xten sive gene r a l information concerning the

s ch oo l wh i ch wa s given to the c omm i t t ee preceding the visit was also carefully

studied, with s pe c i a l attention given to the self-evaluation forms which had

been prepared by the in structor s.

The evaluation committee f ound all members of the physical education

staff to be ve ry ho spitable and helpful, g i v i ng willingl y of their time to

provide a s much insight into their program as was possibl~ in the time avail­

able. The department gave evidence of being aware of and concerned about most

of the identified we aknes ses and have already begun to implement many of the

areas of concern.

Findings

Strength s:

1. The pro fe s sional s t aff o f eight women are qualified, experienced

teacher s wh o ha ve a s i nc e r e interest in providing their student s with a pro­

gram designed to meet the need s of high schoo l gi r l s . All have majors in

their teaching field, t wo of the eight hold master's degrees . The dedication

of this s t af f to s t uden ts and t o ph ysical educ8tion is exhibited in the a tti ­

tude and enthusiasm displa yed by their students' high regard for physical

101 .

education and fo r their teach e rs . The in structor s keep up -to-date with thei r

profe s sion th rough membe rsh i p i n pro f e s sion a l o rgan iza t i ons and attendance at

profe s sion al meetings, wor ksho ps and clin i cs .

2 . Cooper a t i on between t h e boys' and g i r ls ' depa r tmen ts i s evidenced in

a coeduc ation a l vo lleyba ll program fo r sen io rs and arran gements made for shar ­

ing out side f i eld fa c il it i es i n the f a l l 8nd s pr i ng .

3 . Observed cl asses we r e or de rly and we r e conducted in a f r i end ly atmos ­

phere conducive to l e a r n i ng . Student s we r e re sponsive, se emed to be enjoying

the activity, and t h e re lationship between teacher s and gi r l s W8S one of

mutual re spect and liking .

4 . The in structional program i s well planned, providing a wide variety

of team and individua l s por ts , gymnas t i cs , fitnes s, rhythmic pnd aquatic ac ­

tivitie s. An adaptive clas s i s provided for those girl s wh o have medical

r e s t r i c t i ons. For the gi rl wh o is talented and interested in the field of

health and physical education, t wo leader s classes (Pe ppe r s ) are provided.

The Senior Pepper s are a ssigned to cla s ses and a ssist the instructors with

organizational tasks and demon stration s . Senior leaders observed appeared to

be efficient and to have the respect of the girls in the classes . Student

aide s are also successfully used in the department offices to do typing and

other time con suming clerical tasks .

5 . Wr i t t en , clearly defined objective s, policies, procedures, activity

unit outlines and a departmental gr ad i ng system give direction to the opera ­

tion, in struction and mana gement of the department . Frequent review and r e ­

vision of the curricular of ferin gs facilitates meeting the needs and interes ts

of the girls. Wr i t t en rule summarizations and study guides are utilized for

student study .

6. Phy s ic Gl _duc a t i on classes are scheduled fo r 55 minutes , giving ampl F

time for a good instructi~n~l program and dressing procedure s . Class s i ze

102 .

optimum , 6ve rag i ng about ]n . Tea che r s a re consc i en t ious in c arryin g out s upe r ­

v iso r y dutie s and h avc t h-, -sn I e Lv and the we l f a r e of s t ud ents in mi nd . The r e

a r e mi n imal acc i dcn t s i n th e pr ogr am. Prov is ions a r e made in the gyrn a r e a [or

treatment o f min o r injurie s s i nce t he he a l th c en t e r i s Cl "ri ua r t e r mi le" <l\~3Y

by the Spa rt an gym.

7. The ph ys i c a l ed uc a t ion in structor s a r e t o be commended [o r the wi l l -

in gne s s t o hol d departmental me e t i ngs in the evenin g s i nc e the a fter school

time i s s pen t i n s upe rv ison o f extra -curricular ac t iv i t i es .

8 . The de pa r tment i s re a s on abl y we ll s upp l i e d wi t h equipment which is

kept i n good o rde r and r epmr throu gh s taff e f fort. Fund s h ave been available

for 211 of th e e qu i pmen t and s upply reque st s of the department .

9 . It is commenda b l e that pa ssing grad es and credit in phy s i c al educa ­

tion count t oward t he hon or rol l and a r e required for gr adua t i on 8l t h ough

there i s some que s t ion as to wh e t he r thi s po licy i s s t r i c t ly f ol l owed .

10 . Th e s emes t e r health course of fered to freshmen i s comprehensive and

functional and se ems to be we ll received by the students .

11 . Wi l l i ngne s s to accept the responsibility f o r student teache r s is indic ­

a t ive o f the f e e l i ng o f profe s siona l responsibility the department has .

12. The department c o~ducts a reasonabl y broad i.nt ramural program under

the 2us p i c es o f the GAA to meet the need s of the g i r l s who desi re fu rther ex­

pel " "" e in s po r t s , gymnas t i cs and swi mm i ng . Other extra class activitie s

spon s ored by membe rs of the d e pa r t men t a r e an A~uatic Club, Cheerleaders and

Pep Club and c oeduc at i ona l gymnas t i cs . Provi sion i s being made in the program

for the highly sk i l l ed gi rl to c ompete in e xtramural sports in swi mmi ng and

volleyball . Th i s provi sion i s made pos sible by pa s s a ge of an amendmen t to t he

IHSA by-laws .

Weaknesses:

1. Lndoo r : ac il i t i e s , although recentl y expanded a r e inad e quate and

103 .

poorly planned . Si x cla sses a re nec es sa r i ly sch ed u l ed into t wo o r t wo ~ nd one ­

half teachin g s ta t ions , not coun t i ng the poo l ~I L c h i s u sed one s emes t e r .

Acoustic s in the new gym a r e ve ry poor. Ligh t i ng in the o ld g )~ i s poo r . The

south wal l in the new gym i s a r ou gh brick s u r f ac e that po se s C' s a f e ty h a za r d

and i s very des t r uc t ive to eq uipment . Th e locke r room s C1 r e ou i t e in adenuate ,

affording no l ocker s f or s t r e e t cl othe s s to ra ge or s u ff i c i en t l avatory and

toilet facilitie s .

2 . The department chairman te ache s too many cl a sse s (f ou r) and does not

h ave adequate time for administrative and supe rvisory res ponsibilities .

3 . Lack of s ec r e ta r ia l help l i mi ts the keeping of student reco rds, prep ­

a ration of t yped and mimeo graphed materials, etc .

4 . Th e department o ffer s a varied program but some unit s of work lack

depth and sk i l l progres sion. There is no opportunity for selection of activ­

ity by the s t uden ts . The s ta t ea department objectives and goa l s are very

"academic" and do not reflect the actual practices of the depa rtment of effect ­

ing behavorial chan ge s in the gi r ls .

5 . Although classes are scheduled on a daily basi s a~ the junior and

senior leve l , f r e shmen and s oph omor e g i r l s have only one s eme s t e r of phy s i c a l

activity, spending the remaining semester in health an d driver educC'tion/

fir st aid re spectively .

6 . The extra clas s activitie s s pon s or e d by the de partment are va ried but

no provision i s made for a modern dance activity and the numbe r of students

pa rticipating in the intramural (GAA) program is re l a t i ve l y small . The de pa rt ­

ment has not developed the pos sibilitie s for interscholastic competition that

are now allowed . This may be due in part to lack o f time and funds and is not

necessaril y a serious omi s sion, but it would hel p to better meet the needs of

the more h i gh l y skilled gi r ls .

7 . The d~partment has a functionin g adap tive class but du e t o schedul ing

10 4 .

difficultie s it i s not ava i lab l e t o a l l s t ud en ts who need it . The pr~ctice

of s end i ng s tuden ts wi t h l ong-term med i cal e xc use s t o s tudY hall o r of s ub-

s t i t u t i ng ano t h e r cour se i s que stionable .

8 . The department has no custodial help in the form of a matron in

either the gym or s wim l ocker room to c a r e for towels and the room. Too much

valuable pro fessional time is s pen t on maintenance of equipment, c are of

towels, etc .

9 . Showering facilities are not being utilized to the fullest extent .

10 . Outdoor facilities are inadequate and poorly developed .

11 . The department has no re gularly scheduled school time for depart -

mental meetin gs so almost all of the curriculum planning and department bus -

iness must be done at evening meetings .

Recommendations

1 . Con sideration should be g i ven to removin g health education from the

phy sical education curriculum .

a . Health education should be required in addition to the eightsemesters of physical education .

b. A qualified t~acher, certificated in health education, should beemployed to te ach r.ou rses in health, including those on the effectsof tobacco, alcohol and drugs required by state law, and in sexeducation.

c. The physical education department should continue to give supple ­mental health instruction related to their ac t i v i t i e s , but shouldnot be expected to provide the pl anned health education curriculum .

2 . Driver education should not be g i ven in time t aken from physical edu-

cation, but should be in addition to the eight semesters of physical education .

3. Lon g range planning shou l d be begun to add necessary additional in -

door teaching stations and locker rooms . The physical education staff should

be consulted in the planning of these facilities .

4 . Outdoo r play space should be developed and expanded .

5 . Deficiencies in facilities which can be corrected with relatively

105 .

little expense should be done prompt l y .

a . Although the locker rooms are too poorly planned to allow ade­quate space for the street clothes lockers that are so badly needed,every effort should be made to remodel these areas to make them morefunctional . Additional toilet and lavatory facilities must be in ­stalled and some provisions for hanging street clothes should bemade .

b . Acoustical tile should be installed on the walls of the new gym .

c. The rough brick wall of the new gym should be resurfaced to theheight of eight feet with a material which leaves a smooth surface,for example, epoxy paint .

d . All burned -out light bulbs should be replaced, especially in theold gym and the possibility of more candlepowers of light in the gymshould be investigated .

e. Shelves should be installed in the equipment rooms . Cabinets forphonograph and record storage would be more convenient .

f. Additional bulletin boards are needed in the gyms.

6. A matron should be hired to perform necessary custodial tasks now

handled by the staff.

7. The department should be provided with secretarial help. Considera-

tion might be given to the use of volunteer community personnel for this

purpose .

8 . The department chairman should be given more released time to ade -

quately fulfill her responsibilities in administration, departmental leader-

ship, and supervision. Her class load should not exceed two periods a day .

9. Time should be provided for regularly scheduled, monthly departmental

meetings, even if it means cutting down on the after school program . If such

meetings were scheduled on the same day of the week each month, the after

school program could be scheduled around them . It is essential that the de -

partment meets, as a whole, to share the responsibilities of planning, man-

aging and evaluating the total program.

10 . Elective activities should be included in the curriculum for the

junior and senior girls and consideration should be given to expanding the

106 .

coeducational offerings.

11. The department should continue to work on the evaluation and revision

o f instructional units, policies and procedures . Department objectives need

to be more realistic. Unit outlines a r e needed for the leadership program .

The teaching sequence for gr ade level s in the team spor ts needs clarification .

12 . The department chairman, the school nurse, and the counselor should

cooperatively decide the final status of long-term medical excuses . The de­

pa rtment chairman needs to keep a record of all medical referrals that are

not invol ved actively in some part of the department program.

13. The department should undertake an intensive stud y of its extra­

curricular program with the objective of better meeting the needs and inter­

est s of a l l g i r l s in Oak Lawn Community High School . This s t udy should

include the t ypes of activities to be offered, how the y should be scheduled

f o r an ef f e c t i ve a l l - round program and s ta f f assignments. Students should

h ave s ome part in this basic study.

14. Opportunities for additional work i n the area o f dance should be in ­

cluded in the extra-curricular offerings through the forma tion of a performing

g r oup .

IS. I nstruction in the cl a sses should be supplemen t ed wi t h a wider use

of a ud i ovi s ual material s, s uch as , f i lms t r i ps, loopf i lms , e tc. that s t uden t s

c oul d v iew du r i ng t he cla s s per i od or during s t udy pe ri od s. The department

s ho u ld ha ve ava i la b le to them a more ade qu a t e supp ly of ph onograph s and tape

r e c order s .

Summar v

Ci r ls ' phy s i c a l educa t ion a t Oak Lawn Commun i ty Hi gh Schoo l i s fund a ­

1I\l'I1 LlI h ' s ound . Des p i te limi t ed an d c r owded f ac ili t i e s th e st aff has incu l -

C,tl l'd ;J he a l t h v a t t I t ud e t ownr d physi c a l ed uc a t i on , and ha s pr ovided students

\d t h l'pportunil Lo s to le arn to en [ov an d a ppr ec i a r s movemen t in wavs that are

educationally sound, challenging and meaningful.

Mrs. Bonnie GlickMs. Ardith Inman, Chairman

108 .

SCIENCE

Introduction

The de gree to which the go a l s of the science department contribute to the

school' s ove r all ob jective s wou l d be difficult to determine. We, therefore,

made no s uch attempt.

We did attempt t o ar rive at some ideas about the strengths and weakne s se s

of the present Oak Lawn science program. The sources of our info rmation were:

1. cl ass r o om v i s i ta t i on in the science department;

2. con versation wi th i nd i v i dua l faculty members in the science depar t-

ment, and with the s cien ce d e pa r t men t chairman;

3. conversations with others in the school who seem to have some r~tion-

ship wi th the sc i e nc e d e pa r t ment ;

4 . an examination of the No r t h Central Sel f Study Reports on the general

areas ;

5. an e x amination o f the individual sc i en c e s taff members reports;

6 . '" examin ation f the self-evaluation repor t prepared by t h e science

depa r t me n commit tee.

Find i n g s

S t rengths :

1. The s c i e n c e sta ff is highly c ompeten t and ded ica t ed to th e t a sk o f

science educ ation . Wi th well over 50% of the departmen t holding the master' s

d e g r e e and their act ive participa t i on in summer ins titutes and other forms o f

t rain in g programs, they mus t r ank among the bes t prepared academic departmen t s

in t h e suburban area . Ad d i n g to this strength is the broad range of teach i n g

and work e x pe rience , a good balan c e of older and younger members, and a bro ad

geographic b a ckgro und dist ribut i on . In total, it i s an excellently prepared ,

well balanced s t aff.

2. The v ariety and s cope o f course offerings available to students i s

109.

excellent . An Oak Lawn student has the opportunity to take the minimum of one

year of science req~ed for graduation or may take courses leading to and

through advanced placement and college credit in science . Sufficient 8bility

grouping is done within this curriculum framework to provide opportunities for

students to do work in science to the limit of their abilities and interests

in the subject .

3 . The science staff appears to be both highly interested in and capable

of innovative and experimental programs leading to a general strengthening of

the total science program. This is most strongly evident in the new environ­

mental science program for freshmen which has replaced general science, the

use of audio-tutorial systems, the science seminar program and the advanced

biology and advanced chemistry courses. The adoption of new curriculum ap­

proaches such as BSCS biology and PSSC physics further demonstrates this out­

look .

4. Department-wide there appears to be used a wide variety of text,

audiovisual and other supplementary materials which have been chosen and used

with the abilities and interests of the students as the prime consideration.

A continuing process of evaluating and revising these materials is also going

on.

5. The science teachers, as a whole, seem to be dedicated to and active­

ly involved in the teaching of science as an experimentally-based, inquiry­

oriented subject as they have emphasized in the departmental philosophy. We

feel that they are doing this as well as can reasonably be expected within

the somewhat limiting time framework allotted by the modular scheduling system.

6. In every class visited by this committee, the immediate impression

was that a fine atmosphere of rapport existed between teacher and student.

This resulted in both a very good discipline situation in the classroom and

a good learning environment .

110 .

7 . Sufficient laboratory equipment supplies and physical facilitie s f or

s c i ence , particula rly in the freshmen and sophomo re levels, seems to be read ­

ily avai l ab l e , adequate for the courses, and appro pr i ate .

We aknesses :

1 . It appears that there is a lack of both specialized equipment and

s pe c ia l pu r pos e a reas for use in upper l evel and advanced classes . This seems

parti c ul ar l y true in regard to advanced bio logy, advanced chemistry , science

s emi na r, and individual student project wor k .

2 . All available evidence points to the lack of an established priority

sys tem in the matter of ordering equipment and supplies. It appears that

t he r e is too little coordination between and among the science teachers , even

within the same subject area, in determining equipment and supply needs and

in deciding which areas are most pressing. The result is duplication in some

items , deficiencies in others, and a resulting loss of rapport between certain

t eachers or groups of teachers.

3 . Bec ause of the experimental approach to teaching employed in the de­

par t men t and the resulting wor k load of preparing equipment. and materials for

laboratory work, we feel that the present class load for science teachers is

excessive and permits too little time for such work within the school day. It

seems particularly inequitable when compared with the work expected of teach­

ers in other non-laboratory academic areas .

4. In some of the lower level classes such as biology and environmental

sc iences, the class sizes were excessive . When combined with a lack of s torage

fac ilities for hazardous materials, poor ventilation in some areas, and limited

labo ratory table space, a potentially se rious safety hazard is produced . The

exc e s s i ve class sizes have the further effect of decreasing t he effectivenes s

of the instruction. We we r e unable to accurately determine whether the overly

large classes result from understaffing in the department, failure to properly

Ill .

" l e ve l" c lass si ze s , a c ombi na t i on of the t wo , o r s orne o the r I ac t o r s . I~e ~ ," r \.l ­

le s s of t he ca us e , th e s i tua t ion i s de t r imen ta l in r e gard t o bo t h safe t y and

ed uc a ti on .

5 . Harr y teacher s seem not t o kn ow wh a t i s ava i lable no r to rnakc I u l l

u s e of th e l i b r a ry and the sc ienc e mate ria ls it h a s ava iab le fo r ho t h I ac u l rv

and stud en t use . Fu r t he r , the teach er s . as a gr oup , se l dom make r e c ornmeuda ­

tion s t o the l i b ra r y stBff r e gard i n g add itional mate r ials t o be added t o th e

library. We fe el that t he y a r e ove r lookin g an ex t remel y va l ua bl e source o f

help i n their teach in g .

6 . The re app e ar s t o be a ce r tain l ack of mu t ual r e s pec t C' nd con f i dence

between t he departmen t ch airman and man y membe r s of th e s c ience s taf f , a fac ­

tor wh i ch tend s to inhibit de pa rtmental pr ob lem sol vin g ca pa b i l it ies and the

developrr~nt of ma ximum impl emen t a ti on and i mprovement of th e t o t a l s c ienc e

program.

Recommend a t ion s

1. A thorough review should be made of the proc ed ure s used in e st ab li sh ­

in g the departmental budget and the ord erin g o f items in an a t t emp t to es ta b­

lish prioritie s in capital equipment purch a se s. Eve r y effort shou l d be made

to coordinate bud get request s f o r e ach sub j ect a r e a r a th er t h an th e pre sent

system of accepting requests f r om e ach individual t eacher . Anv ch an ge in the

department budget which would require the ad d i t i on or de l e t ion of i t ems sh ou l d

be dealt with cooperati vely by the cha i rman and the s c ienc e teacher s .

2 . Class sizes sh oul d be reduced, wh e r e nece ssary, to provide for both

effective instruction and a reducti on in exi sting safe t y haz ard s, through the

employment of additional science teache rs and/or the levelin g o f s t uden t en ­

r o l l me n t s in ex is t ing classes .

3 . Addi t ional time for the prepa ration o f classroom and l abo ratory mate ­

rial s shou l d be prov i ded in the t e ach e r' s dail y schedules through a r educ t i on

112 .

in the number of cla s s a ssignment s, expan sion of the use of sc i en ce semina r

student aides and/or the empl oymen t of paraprofessional personnel.

4. Extended periods for laboratory work should be provided on a re gular

basis each we ek . At least t wo laboratory period s of 80 mi nu t es each shoul d

be provided we ekly f or biology, chemistry, ph ysics and the ad vanced science s .

5. Teach e rs should make more extensive use of available library material s

and should become actively involved in the selection of additional library items.

6 . In that an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation between the

depar tmen t cha i rman and the staff i s essential to e f fecti ve performance and

progres s of the department, and in that the size and complexity of the science

de pa rtment demands the f u l l time a t t en t i on o f the chairman and the staff, we

r ecommend that:

a . The cha irman be relieved of all add i t i ona l non- departmen t alduties to enab l e him t o prov i de mor e effect ive de pa r tmen t al le ader­ship .

b. Regu l ar departmen t a l meetings be schedul e d at l e a s t once eachmonth for the transac t ion of departmenta l busine s s such as cur r icul umevalu<~ ion and revis ion , t extb ook e valuation and adopt ion , budgetingand ord e r ing, and fo r coope ra t ive ly s t udy i ng and solv ing problems .

c . All mat ter s relating to cu r riculum change s, textbook ad op t ionsand purchasin g pr oce dure s be de c ided on a c oo pe r a t i ve bas i s wi t h a l lmembers of the depa rtment act i vely involved in all dec is ions .

d . Both the t eachers and the depa r tment ch a i rman attemp t to adoptan a t t i t ude of mutual r e s pe c t an d under standing towa r d each other' sa t t i t udes , ideas and s ugg es t i on s .

Summa ry

We f e e l that the overall f unc t i on i ng o f t he sc i enc e department both meet s

the needs of the s tudents of Oak Lawn Communi ty High Schoo l and fulfi ll s the

objective s s t a t ed i n the depa rtmental ph i l os ophy . This i s primarily due to a

highly competen t , forward l ooking and dedic ated staff ope r a t i ng in largely

adequate facilitie s and wi t h i n a broad range o f i nq uiry- oriented subjects . As

indicated a bove, seve ral changes wh ich c ould be i nstituted wi t h few if an y

additional ex penditures woul d , we f ee l , produce a mar ked i mprovement in wh a t

11 3 .

is already a much above av e rage science program.

Mr . James Bar ryMr. James Kei th, Cha irman

11 4 .

SOCIAL STUDIES

Introduction

The social studies staff of Oak Lawn Community High School is to be com­

mended for its realistic and sincere self-evaluation report. In two days of

visitation and individuel and group conferences with staff and students, the

statements mentioned in the report were found to be as reported. Only a few

matters need comment .

The whole field of social studies is in a period of transition. The

function of the social studies teacher is changing . His primary function is

no longer the presentation of subject, a lot more is needed today. Teachers

need to know what the subject matter does to the behavioral and attitudinal

patterns of students. The behavioral sciences are assuming increasing impor­

tance in all the social studies. The study of conflicts in values and ethics

is of increasing importance. These emerging factor~ compiled with the need

for more student-active involvement in the learning process for a greater de­

gree of internalization of the skills required to function in our society to­

da~ create a need for study and examination of social studies programs.

Findings

This committee commends the social studies department of Oak Lawn Commun­

ity High School in the following areas:

1. The very able chairman of the social studies department for the good

rapport which he has established with his teachers.

2. The department, for its interest in and attempts at changing courses,

and methods and the introduction of pilot courses and independent study

courses.

3. The very good rapport which exists between teachers and students .

4 . The multi -text approach being tried in some areas of the curriculum.

115.

S. The attempts of some teachers to move into the area of social reali ­

t ies and the study of~hnic groups and their culture and contributions .

6 . The good use some teachers are making of the library and audiovisual

aids.

7 . The general concern of teachers for the welfare of their students .

8 . The concern of some members of the department to re-evaluate the

social studies curriculum in an attempt to find more relevancy fo r the

students - - able students as well as those who find social studies difficult .

The committee asks the following questions of the social studies staff

with the intent of helping to focus on problems:

1 . Does the department really have an overall plan for a continuous

social studies program?

2. Has the department really tried to identify student behavioral out ­

comes expected as a result of the study of social studies?

3 . Has the department ~ade a real attempt to identify the basic con ­

cepts, skills and methods of inquiry which are common to all the social stud ­

ies as well as to the skills of the particular subjects?

Lf • Are study skills an integral goal of the curriculum in all subjects?

S. Has the department studied the possibilities of team teaching and of

flexible scheduling of students, teachers and facilities as a means of pro­

moting teacher interaction and making the best use of sharing teacher

strengths?

6. Has the department really considered the inductive approach to social

studies education in its selection of text and supplementary materiel?

7 . Does the department evaluate the course offerings with the possibil ­

ity of dropping some courses and adding others with more relevance to present

times ?

8. Is change (improvement) in curriculum, methods of instruction and

116.

organization of teachin g s ta f f we lc omed and encour aged?

9 . Are all the teachers o f the department aware of and interested in

closing the ga p which exists between s ta t e d objectives relatin g to s oc i a l re ­

alit ies, ethnic gr oups , methods of inquiry, an d ac t ua l pr actice in utilization

of content to ach i eve these objective s?

10 . I s the s oc i a l studies department aware of an d gua r d i ng against un -

w i l I i n v no s s to ac ce p t the student wh e r e he is, and i s the department willing

to mod if Y the prog ram to fit the s t uden t , instead of excluding the s t uden t or

tr yin g to make th e s t uden t fit the program?

Recommendations

I . Th e possibility of r e-institutin g t he World Histo r y requirement (o r

t-Jo rlcl Cultu re ) as a mean s of unif ica t ion of the methods and skills of the

soci al sci e nces a s we ll as Dppli c 3t ion of these skills should be sincerely

cons ide r ed .

2 . If ~0 rld Hislo r v i s not re-instituted, the department should give

s e r ious cons i de r a t i on to t he unifi c ation of methods and sk ills of the social

s t ud ies i n t h . - r c qu i r ed cou rses of Americ an History and Ame rican Gove rnment .

3 . The adminis t r at ion and s oc ia l s t ud i e s staff should s tudy th e pos s i­

b i lities of team teach i ng and flex ib l e schedulin g o f s t uden t s , t e acher s and

f acilitie s a s a me ans of us ing teach e r talents and stren gths to grea t er ad ­

vantage .

4 . The admi n i st ra tion and social studies department should take s t e ps

t o s e t up me an s of be tte r a r t i c u l a t i on with feeder schools .

5 . Teach e r s should not be bound to the textbook in developing a course

outline .

6 . The depar tment shou ld t ake steps to increase the use and ho lding of

mate r ials de a ling wi t h ethnic groups .

7 . The use of the library and audiovisual aids by all the memb ers of

117 .

the department s hould be encouraged .

8 . Independent study s hou l d be f o r all students ~nd e xp ected of a l l

s tudents. Those students in the l ower end of the ab i l i ty sc ale a r e th o se wh o

need it the most.

9 . All member s of the department should go over their li st s of objec -

tive s with the intent o f reducing them to basic skills and concept s. The se

ob jective s then should be shared wi t h other course s in order t o loc ate tho se

wh ich are basic to all areas of the social studies .

1 0. All members of the department sh o u l d p a r t i c i p a t e in ordering materials

for t h e library and in teachin g students how to use the library.

11. Films, fiction, and video-tape should be used more . The department

should also explore the use of video presentations by teachers .

12 . A resource file o f the community and of materials concerned wi t h

i n n o v a t i on in the social studies should be maintained b y the department . Ev al ­

uato ry comments and suggestions for their u se should be included . Some f rame ­

work needs to be devi sed f o r the in t e rchang e of ideas c on c e r n i ng the file .

13 . All members o f the d e pa r t me n t sh ou l d be encoura ged -to examine their

methods of teaching in order to i mprove s t ud e n t involvement an d activity in

learning.

14 . All member s o f the d e p a r tme n t need to wo r k wi t h e very other member

in the improvement of que stions wh ich go bey ond the memory level. Student s

also need to l earn the a r t o r sk i l l o f a s k i ng que stion wh i c h wi l l take them

somewhere. In other wo r ds , what is a good que stion?

15 . All members of the depar tment should g ive more s e r i ou s consideration

as t o where their content wou l d be of the most v a l ue in inductive teaching.

16. I f t h e department really wpn t s to become invol ved more in teaching

about eth nic groups, more consideration should be g iven as to how the city

can be u sed.

118.

17 . Serious considerati on shou l d be g ive n to the posi ti on of va l ues and

cont roversy in the social studies curriculum and the approach to be taken in

teachin g about va l ues and conf l i c t .

18 . Value models shoul d be de veloped by all department members as a

means t o guide di s cussion about va l ue s and controversy .

19. The social studies department should make better use of the fine

collection of over-head transparencies that are in the library .

20 . The social studies department should encourage inter-departmental

visitation by its members as a me8 ns of growth and interaction between its

members.

Summary

The committee was impre s sed wi t h many facets of social studies at Oak

Lawn Community Hi gh School. Many of the recommendations would apply to every

school in the nation and shoul d not be considered as a specific criticism of

the Oak Lawn social s t ud i es department. However, the social studies have

come late to reform. One has to remember the area of social studies has as

its major concern, the de velopment of citizens who can cope wi t h the problems

of a multi - valued society wh ich has to learn that fact s can be proven, but

that opinions can only be adv oca t ed . We have to develop citizens who have

the skills needed to de velop a sense of power and responsibility for their

own actions, know their own wor t h , and are able to engage in intelligen t and

informed decision making .

Dr . Jack Manwa ringDr . Jack Daddona , Chairman

119.

SUMNARY

Oak La\ID is an excellent hi gh school . Students are proud of their

school . Morale is go od . There is a minimum of absence. For the most part,

pup i l s are well dressed and well disciplined . This summary stre sses a few of

the many recommendations contained in the body of the report. They are cited

here in the hope that their consideration and adoption will tend to make a

g ood school even better.

1 . Improve the lines of communication . The need for better communica -

tion between the administration and staff, between school and community, be -

t we en department chairmen and teachers, and between members of the teaching

staff is apparent to every member of the evaluative committee . Interpersonal

g o od will and mutual confidence should be upgraded .

This problem is not peculiar to Oak Lawn . Other suburban high schools

are attacking this critical issue in a variety of ways .

a . Some schools are improving communications through the establish ­ment of a Superintendent's Advisory Committee . The group meetsmonthly and usually operates from a prepared agenda . Makeup of"SAC" varies -- citizens, deans, counselors, principals, departmentchairmen, and representatives from the teaching staff are oftenrepresented on the advisory committee. Minutes of the meetings arekept . Recommendations are made which the superintendent mayor maynot accept . Discussions are sharp and uninhibited .

b. A parents' bulletin is prepared and sent periodically by mail toparents who have children in school . Each bulletin is devoted toone aspect of the school program . Recent topics include : (1) theguidance program, (2) the high school 's developmental reading pro­gram, (3) opportunities for vocational education, (4) the learning­materials center, (5' the new math, etc . (Oak Lawn is now experi­menting with the "Oak Leaflet" -- this is a good start.)

c . Articulation between the high school district and the support ­i ng elementary school districts can be improved by the establishmentof monthly dinner meetings to be attended by the superintendent andt he board president of each school district . Matters of mutual con­cern a re discussed at the meetings .

d . One community has a youth council which meets monthly for al u n c h e o n . Members of the council represent the elementary schools,h i gh schools, private schools, police, welfare, Boy Scouts, Girl

120.

Scouts, Y.M.C.A. park district, Chamber of Commerce and M' .• ,. ' Ln i s t a -

r1al Association Man y commun1ty problems of common conc. ern are

solved at these meetings.

e. Teacher's organiza tions some times sponsor "Know-How" p b I ih

he i u i.c a-

tions in which teachers pool an d s are t e1r best classroom

prac tices.

As society become s more c ompl e x, the ne ed for establishing ne I'w 1nes of

communication and for keepin g them open grOW~ iu importance. Th'1S is especial-

Among them are the de fa ,

Secretarial service is

Its outstanding facilities

Aurora Wes t High School has such a

some communitie s house', W1v e s ,In

people to assist teachers Ln.. the area

1 21.

du t"y·

paraprofessionals can partially replace t heac ers

of non_certified

Only 50 are nOW being served .

Children in the Aurora hi gh school profit from services of a full

ly critical in Oak Lawn at this time.

The library at Oak L awn i s an excellent one.

consider use

2. Broaden the library services b y the employment of a full t' ,1me aud10-

visual specialist. This person s h ou l d be qualified to help teache . .rs v 1 t a 11 ze

their teaching wi t h the u se o f a u d i Ov i s u a l materials . He should be able to

prepare transparencie s in col o r , develop overlays for use with the ove rhe ad

projec tors, coo rd in a te the u s e o f tea ch ing f i1ms, etc. The aud iovisua1 COQr-

3.

dina t o r

is a service a gent for teachers.

program.time alert audiovisual coordinator, ~rking as part of ~e library

complex .

(The name was recently changed to Learning Resource Center.)

in every depar tmen t:.

n e e d state-supported types of special education .

truc tin g

and to re 1 ieve them of men ial tasks.

Expand the program of education for atypical children . If Oak Lawn

a normal community there are at least 280 atypical children in high school

y halls and in cafe t er i- 3

emotionallY dis turbed, the educab le handicapped, and others iden tified by

f .

<te in full use by s tuden ts every period of the day. To be effective, the

,dem learn ing resource c en ter requireS the cooperative efforts of well qual-

~ed librarians and audiovisual specialistS .

'c h o o l Code .

former teacher s, ass is t En gli sh t each er s by re adin g theme s . They also correct

math pape rs .

S . En rich and expand the o ff e r ings in voca t iona l e d uca t ion . t-lany

s c h o o ls the s i z e o f Oak La\m offe r a va rie t y of part time tr a de progr ams in ­

cludin g office occ upa t ions , c h ild ca re occ u pa tions , and food occ upa t ions .

Student s enrolled in s uch pro grams attend sch oo l h al f time and wor k h al f time

on a p a yin g job . Th is tend s to pre vent dropout s . Ch ildren th u s l e arn a

Student s,

tr ade and be c ome prod uct i v e c i t izens u pon g r a d ua t i on f rom h i gh schoo l . A vo ­

ca t iona l a dv iso ry c ommittee of l oc a l bus inessmen of ten develops intere st in

a nd r e spe c t a bility fo r the voca tional pro gr am.

6 . Pro vid e some unschedu led time in t he dai l y r o u tin e .

es pe c ia ll y jun io rs a nd senio rs , feel the need of d evelo p ing self d i rec t ion

b e f or e g ra d u a t i ng from school .

7 . Org anize a ca r efull y pl a nned pro gr am of pro f e s si on al s t imu la tion a nd

g ro\oJ t h .Th is i s ac h ieved i n some schoo ls t h rough s taff involvement . It

s hou ld i n cl u d e a v a r Le t y of a ct iv i t ies s uc h as s emi na rs , in stitu t e s , inter ­

v is i t:l t ion , intr Cl - vi sitati on, and stimula t ive s taff meetin g s. Op po r tun i t ies

fo r s uc h act ivi t ies a s pro vi d ed by r e c ent l e g i slati on s h ou l d be e xp l ored .

8 . Be gi n lon g r a n g e p l ann Ln g [ o r a dd i t i on a l sc hool fac il i t ies . Th e

ex is t ing sc hoo l build in g s hould not be expanded . I t i s a l read y too l arge fo r

it s 24 -:lc rc site . Cons ide r a tion s hould be g i ve n to th e n e e d fo r an a rea

t r n d c sc hool o r [or Cl vo c a t i on a l hi gh s c h oo l. Th e sch ool d ist ri ct owns a ri-

o t h c r s ite wh ic h mi ght be s u i ta b l e f o r a se c on d sc hoo l. In an y case , t h e

;1<1<1 i t i , ' I1 ;, l sc hoo l should not be c ome a s c h oo l fo r po r e n t i a l d r opout s , r ouub ­

n c c k -. . . i n d b u ms : thus n l L o w i n g th e p r c se n t h u i l d i nu t o become [l "l a ti n g r;l m­

m:l l - t1 "~' 11l,~, 1 (0 1- the o l i t c . collc gL'hollnd . Th i s t \"PC of C l:1SS d is t i nc t i on is

If :111

<l c t iv i t .\ ' pro ).!ram i ..; t o he ,..; u <.; L 1 i ll L:CJ,

i t nlu;.;l h n vc ;.;l rOl1\.': d i r e c t i o d ., n an gUld -

Morale is often a function of

I mpr o v e mcnt o f ;.; ta ff mo r ~le is a universal

With the belief that "every teacher" 'lS a

As involvement is accepted (in fact) mor'ale improves,

Teac h e rs s h o u l d have a voice in all matters that are re-

the 5 taff au t lined a five year program of reading de 1ve opment

It i s e speci ;lll y a c u te in Oak Lawn -

Impr o ve s t a f f mora le .

the kind wh i c h c an be pr ovi d e d by a d i rcc to r of s t ud e n t .i'l c t lv i t i es .

10 .

ance:

problem .

staff invol vement.

1ate d tot h e i r we 1far e .

The machinery for in volvin oo staff is difficult to develop; however l'tcan be

attained.As an example, staff concentration on the development of a school

wide program of readin g improvement recently provided the machinery for

strengthening morale and unifying teacher effort in a large suburban high

s c h o o l .The teachers unanimously voted to attack the problem, believing that

every person from the mas t capable reade r to the poores t, mus t improve his

ability to read in high school .

read in g teacher,

wh ich was presen ted to the supe rin tend en t and approved by the Board of Educ a-

pool in g a n d s ha r in g of c la s ssucce ss ful fo r i.rnpr ov i ,i.n g r e ad i n g .

film with sound tape to accompanyDevelopment of a study habits

a. Establishment of a reading strategy committee.

b . Funding and expanding a reading clinic for poor as well as for

g o o d readers.

c. Isolation of specific reading abilities that could best be devel­oped in each subject matter area - - (done by department),

Elements of the program included :

d.it.

e . Creation of desire to improve amon g the s t u d e n t s . Technique s

for motivation were used .

f. Preparation of information bulletin f o r p arent s wh i ch li ste dcommonl y used school references with the s ugg e s t ion " Book s mak e good

Christmas gifts."

g . Creation of a staff bulletin f o rtechniques which teachers have found

h . Compilation of information showin g the exten t of re a din g i mpro ve­

ment in the s c h o o l .

tion.

123 .

i. Preparation of application for a Federal grant to partially off­set the cost of the program.

j. Employment of a part -time consultant in reading.

Thus staff involvement which improves the climate for learning can be a

unifying challenge. However it must have administrative approval. Without

enthusiastic support, it will fail. Given both, the climate for learning will

reach a new high in Oak Lawn. This calls for leadership of the first order.

I t meri ts community support. It builds mutual confidence and respect. The

benefactors of good staff morale are the children of Oak Lawn Community High

School.

11. Expand the newly organized reading laboratory along lines suggested

in the example cited in recommendation # 10 . If this agency is to provide

leadership in an all school reading program it should not become a part of

the English department. Instead, it should be established as a service de-

partment for the entire school system. The reading laboratory should never

become the "dumping ground" for all the atypical children in school. Remedial

c l :. ' se s should be kept small .

12. Continue with plans for improving :he well maintained school plant:

a . There is immediate need f or extending the emergency lighting sys­tem to all areas where crowds of people congregrate at night. Re­place the battery source of power wi t h a gene r a t o r having capacityto maintain food preserving units and biologicals at proper tempera­tures during a power failure.

b. The size and age of the building indicates that some savingsmight be made in maintenance costs by the employment of a plumber,an elec t rician and a painter .

Dr. Earle W. Wi l t s e , Chairman

l 2 ~.