Ideals and ideas combine to inspire and create
a school atmosphere of high expectations and achievement.
The Tyndall principal
and staff believe that their students have unlimited potential,
and that the key to unlock that potential is effective teaching.
Professional development, "the work", is prioritized in
the area of Reading, which is the school's instructional focus.
In the last few years, the school reports that they have made a
transition from presenting information to students, to sparking
higher order thinking. They use a Reading series based on six blocks
that was developed with District input. It includes self-selected
and guided reading, with a companion writing component. They committed
time and research to discover what makes a Reading program effective,
and which ones are, so that they choose what works for their students.
Results: Grade 4 FCAT Writing, 127 students
tested: 3.3, above district 3.2; FCAT Reading and Math higher than
district and state
Practices that Promote High Performance:
- Reinforcing your goals with intensive professional development
that parallels teaching and program content
- Taking advantage of any and all district support and programs,
such as data assessment, that can help
- Dedicating dollars to expand books and selections in the media
center to encourage student reading
The Principal
believes "you are what you honor, monitor and pay attention
to." Tyndall was formerly a Department of Defense School. Although
now part of the School District, the school still serves parents
and students from the Air Force Base. Patriotism and citizenship
ideals permeate the school and influence student expectations. Despite
a high mobility rate (47%), the school credits a committed and supportive
parent and partner base including the "Wives of the Officers."
The principal's leadership and responsiveness sets the tone. She
even opened up her office so that students could glimpse her world.
Every day she tells students "Make it a great day, or not.
The choice is yours."
Results: School Grades: 2000: A; 2001: A;
2002: A.
Practices that Promote High Performance:
- Using the unique character of your school and parent population
as a bond and theme for your school
- Conducting "school profiling" to know your students,
parents, community-researching your identity
- Establishing an open door policy (Principal) for all stakeholders:
students, parents, teachers, partners
The school is
focused on aligning goals and instructional programming to Sunshine
State Standards. These benchmarks and standards flow through Tyndall's
planning and professional development. The school reports quality
support in this area, and in sophisticated data analysis, from the
District. Goals and plans are cross-aligned, and then cross-referenced
with data. This is ongoing. The school monitors student performance
regularly and wants to do even more in this area so that remediation
can be almost instantaneous. Professional development centers on
data analysis and application. The programs used by the school combine
homegrown and external with District input, including "Tyndall
Writes," and "Know the Author."
Results: FCAT Reading and Math are
considerably above the district and state mean scores at all levels.
Practices that Promote High Performance:
- Using the 5 minute walk-through of all classrooms (by Principal
and Assistant Principal), that monitors and provides feedback
to teachers on everything from being on task to critical thinking
- Allowing time for programs to work and have an impact before
discarding for the flavor of the month
- Using the internet to research other best practices, promising
programs and education innovations
< Back to Case Studies
|
