Eastside Detroit Whole Schooling Cluster Bellevue, Howe, & Hutchinson Elementary Schools DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

OUR VISION
FOR OUR SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES
Coordinating Team
JUNE 21, 1998

On this day representatives of the cluster met to:

Develop a VISION
Identify PRIORITIES
Begin to develop a PLAN FOR A PLANNING YEAR.

This is what we did.

Model Urban Schools Known Throughout The World

Our schools are being recognized as MODEL URBAN SCHOOLS. They are SCHOOLS OF HOPE.

People from throughout the country and other countries are COMING TO VISIT OUR SCHOOLS to learn from what we are doing.

Our staff, along with parents and the community, have REDEDICATED THEIR HEARTS to support learning of the children and help one another.

Our staff, students, parents, and community members are RECOGNIZED AS EXPERTS people who can help others. They travel to other schools and communities talking about what we have learned. We are writing books and articles to tell others about what we have learned so that they can also improve their schools.

Our schools are helping to turn around the image of Detroit. Our students, staff, parents, and community members are INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADORS OF ACHIEVEMENT.

Success For ALL Our Students

In our schools, ALL children learn together, ALL children are successful.

We are giving our students and each other tools to GROW TO OUR FULL POTENTIAL.

All of our students are READING.

75% of all of our students PASS STANDARDIZED EXAMS, more every year.

Most importantly, all of our students along with their parents and school staff are growing intellectually, emotionally, and as people.

Connections and excitement with parents

Our school is GENERATING EXCITEMENT among parents and members of the community. We are CONNECTED to all parents in the school so that distance from the school is no longer a barrier.

Reaching out to strengthen the community

Our schools are helping to build a COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE, where people are working in the neighborhood. People are moving back into the city.

Our schools are REACHING OUT and making connection with businesses, community resources.

People in Detroit SEE and value what we are doing.

Key Priorities

Help bring the rest of the school staff to the level of ENTHUSIASM we feel.

Bring all parts of the COMMUNITY into a SHARED VISION.

Develop a sense of PRIDE in our schools.

EXCELLENCE BECOMES THE STANDARD not the goal for all of our staff, parents, and students.

Our schools become RESOURCE CENTERS FOR THE COMMUNITY.

We develop STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING.

Staff have opportunities for MEANINGFUL STAFF DEVELOPMENT.

Other important priorities

All children read by the first grade. Our schools meet the needs of the WHOLE CHILD at school.

Our schools help students become RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN LEARNING.

We develop connections with a range of MEDIA to help tell the positive story of what we are doing.

Each child has the TOOLS to learn and each teacher has the SKILLS & SUPPORT to help students.

Our schools REACH OUT TO PARTNERS to assist us in growing and improving.

Our schools FOLLOW-UP our children to determine their progress.

FIRST STAFF MEETINGS. Use a new approach using Storyliving or other multiple intelligences strategies to SET THE TONE for the year.

Connect with people and resources in the MEDIA.

Go visit other MODEL SCHOOLS to learn from what they have tried and accomplished.

IDENTIFY OUR OWN RESOURCES from which we can draw ­ experts and capacity at our schools, in our communities, among our partners.

Publish PR information to give in areas throughout the neighborhoods about what we are doing ­ businesses, churches, etc.

ASK CHILDREN WHAT THEY WANT from their schools.

EXPERIMENT IN OUR CLASSES. Try new things in our many classrooms constantly evaluating and examining what we are learning. How LEARNING SCHOOLS.

WHOLE SCHOOLING SUMMER INSTITUTE in the Summer of 1999.

Develop CLUSTER THINKING understanding that our strength is in our community and in our WORKING TOGETHER.

Develop READING AND STUDY CIRCLES of staff, parents, students, and community members to examine different issues.

Develop a CONCRETE SCHEDULE for these activities so that we can access substitutes and all TEACHERS TO MEET TOGETHER.

Develop a STUDY LIBRARY as a resource for the cluster on various topics.

In our meeting we all recognized that there are many barriers that can hold us back. We agreed to put all our fears, our responses to all external barriers, all our sense of inadequacy and exhaustion INTO A HOLE and NOT ALLOW THEM OUT ­ for the time being.

Each of these challenges, however, we recognized is an OPPORTUNITY IN DISGUISE. As we proceed we will ONE BY ONE PULL THESE ISSUES BACK OUT and develop STRATEGIES TO SOLVE EACH PROBLEM and deal with each issue.

Notes interpreted and respectfully submitted
by Michael Peterson, June 25, 1998.