bto success story: ESTES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

When Nancy Paddock became principal of Estes Elementary School four years ago, she seemingly was on familiar ground. She taught at the school the previous 10 years, and worked half-time as assistant principal during the two years prior to her promotion. Yet she found herself in uncharted waters due to a number of changes taking place within the school and surrounding community.

Principal Paddock led the school through these challenges by focusing upon continuous improvement of student learning, creatively maximizing resources, and honoring teacher input. Low-income, high-minority schools that perform better than expected often have a strong and steady principal like Nancy Paddock at the helm. She is one of 84 principals participating in the 2009-2010 Beat the Odds program.

School Overview

Estes Elementary School (Marana Unified School District) serves approximately 750 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Approximately half of the student population is minority and low-income.

Paddock's promotion to assistant principal and then principal coincided with a building boom in the north Tucson suburb of Marana. The school's student population doubled in a little over three years, necessitating the addition of 16 modular classrooms, and the hiring of a large number of teachers.

"To me, being a strong and steady principal involves having the courage to stay the course while you are in the uncomfortable stages of the change process," Principal Paddock said. "It also includes humility ... to clearly listen to teachers and have the teachers be part of the discussion and planning process. It is extremely important that you are connected with the teachers, to build trust."

Collaborative Solutions

To establish a collaborative culture and trusting relationships, the school instituted Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in which teacher teams participated in weekly grade-level work sessions. Teachers also met with the school staff on early release Fridays to discuss vertical alignment and special projects.

"Teachers initially were excited to have team time, then struggled with the challenges of learning how to work collaboratively," commented Principal Paddock.

During the one-hour PLC meetings, teachers created common weekly assessments, and mapped the curriculum and assessments they had agreed upon. They also established an intervention model that provided students who needed additional support with 30 minutes of re-teaching or enrichment.

Their collaborative skills also were put to use during the introduction of an alternative core reading program. The pilot program was designed to help students achieve two years of growth in one school year, to close the gap between readers and nonreaders.

"It required teachers to completely hand over their students to the reading specialists for 90 minutes of reading instruction in a smaller group setting than in the classroom," said Principal Paddock.

The teachers' trust in the reading specialists was well-founded. Students not only achieved exciting improvements in literacy, but they blossomed as students. "We're seeing the behaviors of successful students from struggling learners who normally shrink back," the principal said. "They are volunteering in discussions, raising their hands, interacting with the content and with each other."

Honoring Teacher Input

At the early-release Friday meetings, teachers are asked to bring their best thoughts regarding what it would take to move the school forward. One of the recommendations that teachers submitted to Principal Paddock and the school leadership was to start the school day 15 minutes earlier. It was a small change that made a big difference.

Colleen Frederick, a fourth grade teacher who has been at Estes for 10 years, said students now spend 15 minutes--rather than 25 minutes--on the playground prior to reporting to class. "It's the right amount of time to burn energy, but not get overly wound up," she said.

The additional 15 minutes in the classroom allow students to eat breakfast (all Estes students eat breakfast in their classrooms). In addition, teachers often use this additional time to allow students to write in journals, do a spelling activity, or simply review a previously taught skill.

"When it comes to instructional time, every little minute counts," Frederick said. "The extra 10 to 15 minutes gives kids time to settle down. By 9:00 a.m., they are alert and ready to rock and roll."

Summary

Looking back on her first four years as principal, Paddock said, "Our focus has been to continuously improve student learning through collaborative solutions. We have had some peaks and valleys typical of the change process. We needed to create trust and relationships so that we could have a team approach.

"We talked about it this year," she said. "It has made us stronger to go through those challenges."