BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — When teachers at A.D. Henderson School, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, are asked how they succeed, the universal answer is one. There is one. “They have autonomy.”
A Pew Research Center survey of teachers last fall found that most teachers nationwide reported feeling stressed and overwhelmed at work. A recent study from Brown University and the University at Albany found that job satisfaction has declined over the past two decades, as has teacher autonomy in the classroom.
But at this South Florida school, administrators allow staff to have a high level of creativity in the classroom, and it’s working well.
Henderson, a 636-student K-8 public school on the campus of Florida Atlantic University, ranks in the top 1% in every subject and grade on the state’s most recent standardized test, except 6th grade math. ~3%. Ranked within the top 7%. In nearly every subject, over 60% of Henderson students score significantly above the state average.
Vanessa Stevenson, a middle school science teacher who is completing her third year at the school, said, “We are allowed a lot of our own personal input in what activities we want to do in the classroom.” She plans to begin equine medicine classes next fall, even though the school does not have stables. She believes she will find a way.
“There’s nothing that tells you, ‘Do this,’ so it’s a little bit of trial and error. You just have to figure it out,” she said.
Joel Herbst, superintendent of Henderson and its sister school FAU High School, calls the faculty the “secret sauce” and says the school’s success can be replicated anywhere if administrators cede some control. claim.
In those cases, teachers create practical programs that help students “not just demonstrate understanding, but develop deeper understanding,” he said.
“Give (teachers) the freedom to do what they do best: impart knowledge and teach beyond the textbook,” he said.
Madhu Narayanan, an education professor at Portland State University who studies teacher autonomy, said independence is highly correlated with teacher morale and success. However, autonomy must be combined with administrative support.
“You can’t just say, ‘Here’s the classroom, here’s the textbook, and I’ll see you in six months.’ These teachers have a tremendous amount of autonomy, but they feel lost. ” he said.
“That little extra thing.”
Henderson emphasizes science, technology, and mathematics, and utilizes arts and humanities to support these classes. Each year, about 2,700 families enter into a lottery for her 60 spots in Henderson’s kindergarten class, as well as open spots in other grades. There is no screening. Although some of the children who attend Henderson are gifted, most are average learners and some have learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
The only adjustment is to comply with a Florida law that requires the student population of university-run “laboratory” schools to match the state’s demographics in terms of race, gender and income. Because families request attendance, there is more parental involvement, a benefit Herbst and her staff acknowledge.
Selected kindergartners are tested several months before their arrival, so any needs can be attended to immediately.
“Some of them learn to read, and some of them know five letters. It’s not just reading, it’s all subjects,” said Lauren Robinson, assistant principal of elementary programs. Stated. “Rather than waiting until a certain grade level and saying, ‘Okay, let’s try to bridge the gap,’ we’re going to give them every opportunity to bridge the gap before it gets bigger and bigger.” . ”
In Jenny O’Sullivan’s art and technology classroom, kindergartners learn the basics of computer coding by navigating robots through mazes. A 4th grader and her 5th grader create a video celebrating Earth Day. Students learn to design arcade games, such as Skee-Ball, by making them out of cardboard for their classmates. Lego teaches engineering.
Although her new classroom is equipped with the latest technology, she insists that such lessons can be taught anywhere if teachers are allowed to be creative.
“My grandmother is from Louisiana, and there’s a little something special about the (Cajun) proverb, ‘Lagniappe,'” O’Sullivan said. “I will be the lagniappe in (the students’) education. Can I do without it? Yes. But do I want to? No.”
Sixth grade students in Amy Miramontes’ medical detective class don lab coats and goggles and work in small groups to solve mysteries each day. They examined sections of the rabbit’s muscles under a microscope using safe chemicals to determine what neurological disease each animal suffered from. They tested fake neurotoxins to identify the disease that afflicted their hypothetical patients.
Miramontes hopes the class will not only spark students’ interest in medicine, but also instill the knowledge they will need over the two years they will take the state’s eighth-grade science exam.
“They’re always learning by doing things,” Miramontes said. “Even if we fail, it’s okay. We’ll start over. But then we learn a great life lesson that we have to be very diligent.”
Marisha Valbrun, 12, took the medical detective course because she thought she might want to become a doctor. She learned that although science is difficult, she can overcome obstacles by asking for help.
“I feel like if I ask anyone in this room for help, I’ll get the right answer,” she said.
Teach science using art
In a school full of enthusiastic teachers, elementary school art teacher Lindsey West stands out. She can’t sit still as she explains how her classes are centered around science.
This afternoon in the Science as Art class, Ms. West and a visiting artist are teaching third graders how to make clay bobbleheads of endangered species. At the same time, we also teach the chemistry behind why the glaze changes color in the kiln.
“I hope that students who love the arts will also develop a love of science,” she said. “Project-based learning stays with kids for a long time.”
Third-grader Maximus Marrow said he learned how the animal’s camouflage works by making a leopard bobblehead.
“We have fun while making things about science,” said the 9-year-old boy.
Henderson’s success has led to grants, and nowhere is that better exemplified by the middle school’s drone program, which recently won a national championship in San Diego.
Henderson’s drone team has a room to practice flying the 3-inch by 3-inch (75 millimeter) four-rotor device around an obstacle course and a flight simulator donated by a local power company.
The drone program is a chance to compete while using the physics and aeronautics learned in the classroom, said teacher James Nance. Nance said expensive equipment is an advantage, but drone classes can be taken on a budget. At my previous school, we made a flight course using PVC pipes and balloons.
Eighth-grader Anik Sahay pulls out his cell phone in Stevenson’s science classroom. In Henderson, this usually means going to the office. But he is demonstrating an app he created that uses cameras to diagnose diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that is the leading cause of blindness around the world. It won first place at the state middle school science fair and is being considered for commercial use.
The 14-year-old credits his success to his years at Henderson, which started in the kindergarten program.
“The teachers here are great,” he said. “They’ve been trained on how to take us to the next level.”
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Sharon Lurye contributed reporting from New Orleans.
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