The Road to Change: The LeARner Collective’s Mid-Cycle Convening
For nearly six months, Phase II of the LeARner Collective’s schoolwide transformation pathway participants have been on a long-haul road trip. In August, these educators set their destinations—improved student learning—and then, with Forward and 2Revolution’s support, brainstormed the most effective, expeditious route to get there.
As with any trip, we included strategic pit stops for them to recharge and gather the needed supplies to make it from Point A to Point B. What was their latest layover? Our Phase II mid-cycle convening. Fittingly, the gathering started with a mapping exercise, where the five school teams discussed their progress in Loop 1 implementation. A few highlights included:
Grimsley Junior High School shared how it honed in on durable skills by executing innovative tactics, such as a new student leadership committee, a joint seminar with the local high school and various teach-in discussions and toolkits.
Recognizing that academic growth requires more than classroom instruction, the Marvell-Elaine School District focused on effective communication and partnership building to increase the culture of literacy and community engagement in their district.
Lowell Elementary reflected on their efforts to strengthen both behavior and academic response to intervention (RTI) in their building, celebrating the creation and implementation of school-wide systems that have a big impact for both students and teachers.
Pea Ridge Intermediate School (PRIS) ensured greater student and parent-family partnership in academics through surveys and committees, enabling the team to uncover and better integrate the strengths and contributions from the PRIS community into their transformational work.
White Hall High School explored ways to help students and staff feel valued by strengthening culture, increasing belonging, reducing discipline referrals and, ultimately, enhancing classroom learning.
Throughout the day, teams shared their experiences from the last semester and explored where they coasted or, conversely, where they hit roadblocks. They head into Loop 2 with clear direction and a full tank. We’ll see them at the next stop: the Local Celebration of Learning.