The Case of What to Do First… …and Last Case Study Presentation by Team TEAM

Our guiding mindset…

Safe and Orderly Environment The halls and classes are chaotic The school is dirty There are frequent fire alarms The busses often drop the students off early in the morning with no one to supervise them The school lunches are unappetizing

Home-School Relations Students, staff and parents rarely attend school activities The neighborhood is unsafe and has a high rate of crime The parents do not feel welcome There is no PTA The athletic teams constantly end up with a losing season The school lunches are unappetizing

Clear and Focused Mission There is a mission, however, none of the administration, students, staff or parents interviewed could state the mission There is very little money for improvement The parents and teachers secretly believe that almost nothing can be done to improve the lives of “these students” in school or out of school Student homework is inconsistently given by the teachers and rarely completed by the students

Instructional Leadership The central office is inaccessible, distant, and remote The last principal was frequently out of the building, and on the occasions when he was in the building, he stayed in his office with the door closed

Opportunity to Learn and Student Time on Task The library collection is poor PA announcements disrupt the class quite frequently There are frequent fire alarms The halls and classes are chaotic

Climate of High Expectations for Success There is a mission, however, none of the administration, students, staff or parents interviewed could state the mission Very few teachers have a master’s degree and most are provisionally or temporarily certified Teachers are disorganized and make poor use of time Student homework is inconsistently given by the teachers and rarely completed by the students

Frequent Monitoring of Student Progress Very few teachers have a master’s degree and most are provisionally or temporarily certified Teachers are disorganized and make poor use of time Student homework is inconsistently given by the teachers and rarely completed by the students