high school redesign
Executive Director Max Silverman
15675 Ambaum Blvd SW
Burien, WA 98166
Phone: 206.433.2361
High School Transformation
“…four-year college, a two-year program, technical training, or an apprenticeship. All these options fall under our definition of ‘college.’” Superintendent John Welch |
Imagine a high school where every student has an adult who is responsible to make sure he or she succeeds; where teachers have the opportunity to get to know their students’ learning needs and work more closely together to improve their instructional practice;
where, to quote the theme song of the hit TV series Cheers, “everybody knows your name.” Now imagine that this high school is not in some idyllic small town, but in a diverse and densely populated urban area.
“When high school students are asked to name the single most important change that might be made which would improve their learning, the overwhelming majority say, ‘having teachers who know me and who care about me.’”
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This is the vision behind Highline Public Schools’ reinvention of its large, comprehensive high schools. In 2004, the Highline School Board adopted a policy calling for all high schools to “redesign themselves into smaller learning communities or small schools.” Since then, Highline’s high schools have been going through a transformation with the goal of serving all students better.
The large, comprehensive high school of yesterday was not designed to prepare every student for college, nor was post-secondary education necessary for everyone in
yesterday’s economy. Today, every student will need college or some type of post-high
school training that requires higher levels of preparation. That means delivering education differently. In small schools or academies, teachers have the same students for multiple and consecutive semesters - sometimes even years - making it possible for them to get to know students’ individual learning needs and abilities, and leading teachers to become more personally invested in individual students’ success.
Highline’s Small School Choices
In September 2005, Tyee High School was reborn as three, independent small schools: Global Connections High School; Odyssey, The Essential School; and the Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment (ACE). The schools share the campus library, gym, cafeteria, and athletic teams. However, each occupies a distinct building on campus, has a unique school culture, and its own principal.
Last September, three, theme-based small schools opened on the Evergreen High School campus, each with its own principal: Technology, Engineering, and Communications (TEC) School; Health Science and Human Services High School (HS3); and the Arts and Academics Academy.
Highline High School and Mount Rainier High School have divided students into academies within the larger schools. Students choose one of four academies as
9th graders. They attend most of their 9th- and 10thgrade classes in their academies, staying with the same teachers and students for their core classes and some
electives.
The district has two additional small schools open to any student in the district: Aviation High School, a Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics (STEM) school with an aviation theme; and Big Picture High School, with an emphasis on independent study and internships.
Additional options include Puget Sound Skills Center with its career/technical programs; CHOICE Academy, a non-traditional school with high parent involvement; and New Start, for students who have been away from school for extended periods.
“Getting small” has some trade-offs. Independent small schools offer a slimmer slate of electives. Some students, especially those who started high school in the
traditional model, have been unhappy about not having classes with friends in other academies. Questions arise as to what to do with schoolwide programs like band. Sports boosters worry that athletic programs will suffer from split loyalties. These are tough issues that require work to resolve. We will continue to make sure music and sports programs remain a vital part of all our high schools. Small schools in other areas
of the country have successfully resolved these issues, too, demonstrating that athletic, music, and other shared programs can not only survive but thrive on small school
campuses.
“Small schools are more focused because everyone knows each other…They treat us like we are in college, and that helps me see they really want us to do well.” Elizabeth Campos, student at Global Connections High School |
Delivering a more personalized and rigorous high school education for all students requires resources—not just for organizational changes but also for ramping-up the
level of instruction, which is an essential part of our high school improvement work. Partners such as the U.W. Center for Educational Leadership, the Smalls Schools
Collaborative, and the College Success Foundation have provided training and technical expertise. Capital interest income has been tapped for some of the facilities work.
Ongoing administrative costs are generally a wash; having three principals on a campus is about equal to the cost of the principal and two assistant principals who typically staff a comprehensive high school. It is too early to have solid data about how small learning
communities have impacted student achievement in Highline. However, research by the Northwest Educational Research Laboratory and others shows that small schools can make a profound difference in the lives of students. Preliminary data in Highline backs up
those findings. In our annual survey, students reporting “I feel challenged every day in my classes” increased 14 percentage points. On the Tyee campus, that number jumped by 23 points since Tyee converted to small schools.
“I have personally noticed a greater sense of engagement and belonging between Mount Rainier teacher Amy Flanigan-Zadra |
"I wouldn’t be the student or person I’ve developed into if my traditional high school hadn’t converted into small schools,” says ACE senior Donna Docktor. “When I try to envision myself as a senior in a traditional high school…[I see] ‘okay’ grades, several absences, and a ‘going nowhere’ attitude… Now, I see the opposite of that.”
