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It's Time to
Share: Read All About
Success Stories From Around the State
By Chris Barron
CISL Writer/Researcher
chris.barron@k12.wa.us
It doesn't matter
what time of the year it is, sharing is good. And we're here
to help.
The Center for the
Improvement of Student Learning (CISL) is mandated by the
Legislature to serve as a clearinghouse for research,
promising practices and success stories. We put out the call
for success stories and promising practices and many of you
responded. If you've got a program or idea that's worked
well for you -- and is linked to learning -- we want to hear
about it.
To submit your
success story or promising practice,
click
here for a Word form.
The following
success stories and promising practices might not work at
every district or school, but there certainly might be a
tidbit or idea to take from each one. CISL doesn't
necessarily endorse the following stories or practices, but
is sharing them to hopefully inspire others and to serve as
a statewide clearinghouse.
 South Kitsap School
District: Engaging All Families - Back to School Celebration
Bridgeport School
District: Building Leadership Capacity in a Bilingual
Community
Bridgeport
Elementary School: The Connection, a monthly newsletter
Union Gap School
District: Back to School Information Fair
Naselle Grays River Valley School District: Perpetual
Calendar
Stillaguamish Valley
School/Arlington Public Schools: Parent Partner
Program
Lake Hills
Elementary/Bellevue School District: Wrap-Around
Services Pilot Project
Discovery Lab
School: Partnering With Community Volunteer
Harney
Elementary/Vancouver Public Schools: Marimba
Band
Walla Walla Public
Schools: Partnering to Build Awareness
Alderwood
Elementary/Bellingham School District: Days of
Harmony
Terrace Heights
Elementary: Grandparent/Senior Citizen Turkey
Gravy Day
Morris Ford Middle
School: Guiding Good Choices
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South Kitsap School District top of page
Practice:
Engaging All Families -
Back to School Information Fair (Click to read)
 Overview:
To introduce the “Family
Friendly Schools” concept, the district contracted with the
Family Friendly Institute to conduct a two-day seminar for
teams comprised of both staff and parents from each school
and department in the district. One of the shared outcomes
was the creation of some type of “Welcome Back” celebration
at each school. These varied from a “meet your teacher ice
cream social” evening to a full scale barbeque for all
families. In addition to school celebrations, the South
Kitsap “Family Friendly District” team developed a
district-wide “Back to School Celebration” for all district
families.
Grades served:
All grades
Who has
benefited:
500 students; 300 families and/or other
caregivers; 50 School/District teachers, administrators,
other staff; and 50 community members and
others.
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Bridgeport
School District top of page
TWO PRACTICES:
Practice:
The Connection, a monthly newsletter (Click to
read)
 Overview:
This publication has simply
helped our parents to know what has happened in our school,
and what is coming up. It’s not an “original revelation”
practice, but sure has helped out community interact with
our school.
Grades served:
Preschool to 5th grade
Who has benefited: 350
students; 300 families and/or caregivers; 40 school/district
teachers, administrators, other staff; and 100 community
members and others.
Practice:
Building Leadership
Capacity in a Bilingual Community (Click to read)
Grades served:
Preschool to 12th grade
Overview:
Every community needs to embrace its diversity. As
school leaders, it is important to identify, recruit and
train emerging leaders from within your school and
community. Developing a cadre of leaders helps to sustain
school initiatives and promotes leadership capacity with the
community. For communities, like Bridgeport, it also gives
voice to families of second language learners. There are
potential leaders out there. We need to build a system that
welcomes them to a leadership role.
Who has benefited: 707
students; 115 school/district
teachers, administrators, other staff; and 22,059 community
members and others.
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Union Gap School District top of page
Practice:
Back to
School Information Fair (Click to read)
 Overview:
The purpose of the
“Back to School Fair” is to provide information about
community and school resources to our families. The 2-hour
event takes place early within the first month of school and
includes a simple dinner and booth presentations with
hands-on activities and written information that families
can take home. This is a great time for school staff,
students, families, and community partners to meet and form
working relationships in a fun, non-threatening arena.
Grades served:
Preschool to 8th grade
Who has
benefited:
200 students; 150 families and/or other
caregivers; 30 School/District teachers, administrators,
other staff; and 50 community members and
others.
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Naselle Grays River Valley School District top of page
Promising practice:
Perpetual Calendar (Click to read)
 Overview:
Beginning in 07-08, we implemented a perpetual
calendar based on input from students, parents and
staff. Up until this time, the administration had
submitted three calendars to the staff and parents,
and after a vote, one was chosen. We changed the
practice to one where we worked hard to find out
what people wanted in a calendar, developed
guidelines for implementation, and use that
information to build a calendar each year.
Grades served: Preschool to 12th grade
Who benefits: 345 students; 200 families
and/or other caregivers; 65 school/district
teachers, administrators, other staff; and 2,000
community members and others. |
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Stillaguamish Valley
School/Arlington Public Schools top of page
Promising practice:
Parent
Partner Program (Click to read)
 Overview:
Stillaguamish Valley
School is a Parent Partner Program. As such, input
from parents and staff is critical to determine the
direction the school goes in terms of providing
services to home school families. To gain this
input, an Advisory Team consisting of five elected
parent representatives and two elected staff
representatives work directly with the principal to
interface with the families and staff to develop a
meaningful program that meets the needs of the
students at the school. This team meets one to two
times per month.
Grades served:
Kindergarten to 12th grade
Who benefits:
280 students; 150 families and/or caregivers; 20
school/district teachers, administrators, other
staff. |
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Lake Hills Elementary/Bellevue
School District top of page
Promising practice:
Wrap-Around Services Pilot Project (Click to read)
 Overview:
The Wrap-Around
Services Pilot Project is an innovative partnership
between the City of Bellevue, the Bellevue School
District, and the United Way of King County. Working
collaboratively, we aim to:
Provide schools that
effectively meet the educational and developmental
needs of the diverse children and youth they serve;
Involve local residents in the life of the school
through volunteer activities, family participation,
and lifelong learning; and maximize the public’s
investment in local school facilities by making them
available to local residents for educational and
recreational activities.
Grades served:
Preschool to 5th grade
Who benefits:
Because this is a
comprehensive program: all Lake Hills students over
the past three years (1,000-plus); all Lake Hills
families and/or other caregivers (4,000-plus); the
entire Lake Hills teaching, support and
administrative staff (75 per year); and all
community members who have participated (350-plus) |
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Discovery Lab School top of page
Promising practice:
Partnering
With Volunteer (Click to read)
 Overview:
Discovery Lab School's Shakespeare
production is an annual event, which began 10 years
ago. A retired judge, Randall Marquis, works with
teacher Irene Smith to put on the annual production.
The goal of this annual event is to help students
become acquainted with the stories in Shakespearean
Drama. It helps them develop their confidence and
presentation skills.
Grades served:
Grades 4 through 12
Who benefits:
4 School/District teachers, administrators, other
staff (not including those in the audience); 10 community members and others; and
300-plus audience members comprised of people of all
ages who were interested in seeing the performances. |
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Harney Elementary/Vancouver
Public Schools top of page
Promising practice:
Marimba Band (Click to read)
 Overview:
Last spring, Harney was the fortunate
recipient of some unusual and exciting musical
instruments, due to the generosity of our local
Rotary Club, and a Harney patron. Our marimbas
arrived late in the school year, so this is the
first year for our new marimba band, comprised of
4th and 5th graders.
Grades served:
Grades 4 and 5
Who benefits:
16 students in band;
all
students in school; and community members |
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Walla Walla Public Schools top of page
Promising practice:
Partnering to
Build Awareness (Click to read)
 Overview:
Nationally recognized singers/songwriters Monte
Selby and Steve Seskin joined a number of Walla
Walla organizations and businesses and the Walla
Walla Public Schools to help build community
awareness about the issues of bullying and
harassment. The celebrities met with students during
the week at various local schools, culminating in a
community concert Oct. 25 at Cordiner Hall on the
Whitman College Campus.
Grades served:
Kindergarten through 12
Who benefits:
All students |
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Alderwood Elementary/Bellingham
School District top of page
Promising practice:
Days of Harmony (Click to read)
 Overview:
By engaging students
in authentic experiences which incorporate
pro-active social skills and ensure meaningful
application of their learning, and giving students
the opportunity to interact with their community in
that application, students will understand the
importance of being lifelong learners in a diverse
community and gain the knowledge and application of
Citizenship. These pro-active social skills are
taught by the Counselor once a month and teachers
carry out the lessons with supplemental lessons
throughout the rest of the month.
Grades served: Kindergarten to 5th grade
Who benefits:
350 students; 350 families; 1,292
school/district teachers, administrators, other
staff; and 73,000 community members |
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Terrace Heights Elementary top of page
Promising practice:
Grandparent/Senior Citizen Turkey Gravy Day
(Click to read)
 Overview:
Every year in the
early spring we invite our children’s grandparents
and local senior citizens for a turkey gravy
dinner. We do this every year, 1 for kindergarten
and 1st grade invitees, and 1 day for 2nd
and 3rd grade invitees. We have between
200 and 300 guests at each dinner. We have also had
our 3rd grade choir or marimba group
perform for our guests.
Grades served:
Kindergarten to 3rd grade
Who benefits:
350 students;
100 families; 40 school/district teachers,
administrators, other staff; and 50 community
members. |
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Morris Ford Middle School top of page
Promising practice:
Guiding Good
Choices (Click to read)
 Overview:
Guiding Good Choices
in a parent/youth education program with each
session delivered over the course of 5 weekly - 2.5
hour meetings. The session conducted at Ford Middle
School in spring of 2007 consisted of the 5 weekly
meetings, plus one additional parenting support
meetings (which the parents requested). We served
10 families, with 9 completing all 6 sessions. All
meetings provide the family participants with
dinner, materials for homework, and supervised
activities for children ages 3 - 14.
Grades served: Grades 6 to 8
Who benefits:
9 students; 9 families |
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