Innovative Schools turning lives around in New England

Among them is a school in Deer Isle, Maine, which has developed a marine studies program.

By LISA RATHKE
Associated Press /  May 19, 2013

WILLIAMSTOWN, Vt. (AP) — Failing 9th grade for the second year in row, A.J. Swan had accepted that he wasn’t going to graduate from his Vermont high school. He'd barely made it this far, after being held back in 7th grade.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t learning, he said, but he didn’t find what he was learning important and didn’t feel a need to write it down — as homework and papers — to show he knew it.

‘‘It wasn’t like a good feeling,’’ he said of knowing that he wouldn’t get a high school diploma.

That was until the school stepped in last year and offered him some alternative ways to prove what he knew — by writing papers on topics he was interested in, taking assessments and enrolling in a hands-on learning environment at a technical school where he has thrived in video. He’s set to graduate this spring and wants to become a documentary filmmaker.

‘‘We'll be proud to send him out there,’’ said Alicia Rominger, a social studies teacher and learning coordinator at Williamstown Middle High School. ‘‘He has the skills that he needs. Isn’t that the end all? He'll be able to go out and write, read, think, compute.’’

The school is part of the League of Innovative Schools, a network of 56 schools in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island working to improve their programs and share ideas with other member schools. The teachers and administrators meet with other like-minded schools in regional meetings to exchange ideas about what has worked and what has failed, and to build momentum for change.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald →

Learn more about the League of Innovative Schools →

From a KnowledgeWorks World of Learning blog post by Lillian Pace

A truly remarkable education transformation is underway in five New England states–CT, ME, NH, RI, and VT–inspired by the idea that every child can graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge to succeed in life. This transformation–called proficiency-based learning (aka: competency, mastery, or standards-based)–flips the education system on its head, providing multiple pathways, extra time, and intensive supports for a truly customized learning experience.

I was fortunate to experience this transformation first hand last week, thanks to an impressive tour led by the Great Schools Partnership. This organization is impacting every level of the system: from the grassroots coaching partnerships they have with schools and districts throughout the region to the high-level systems change conversations they lead as the coordinator for the New England Secondary Schools Consortium (NESSC). My big take-away from the tour is this: These leaders have the right vision for learning and an incredibly talented team of experts to help make that vision a reality.

Read the full post →