Five Paths to Success

4. Building on the Past

An historic school in Spokane emphasizes leadership and advocacy.

By Mindy Cameron

Spokane, Washington—On a warm spring day, picturesque Lewis and Clark High School could be a movie set for the latest teen film. Students are enjoying their lunch break on the plaza, a few boys are tossing a football on the expansive lawn, others are milling in an adjacent garden. Around the corner, tree-filtered sunlight bathes the steep steps and grand entry of this historic school building so beautifully restored just a few years ago.

Lewis and Clark, which sits along Interstate-90 near downtown Spokane, is the oldest and most urban of the city's five high schools. While it is steeped in tradition, there's nothing old-fashioned about the approach to learning at LCHS.

After three years at the school—two of them as principal—Jon Swett is intensely focused on leadership development and "thoughtful use of data" as keys to achieving goals in two priorities: academics and advocacy. The academic goal is to close the achievement gap; the advocacy goal is to support teachers and students. "You meet the needs of students by supporting the teachers," says Swett.

Guided by Vision

LCHS has been recognized for its Advanced Placement programs: Indeed, Newsweek magazine last year listed the school among the country's top 4 percent of high schools in a ranking based on the number of students enrolled in AP programs. The school also exceeds both district and state averages on WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) in all areas, including math, reading, writing, and science.

The challenge is to maintain the school's reputation for high achievement while raising the levels of all students. "What I want to hear is that we have a strategy for getting kids to standard," emphasizes Swett. At LCHS, the precise meaning of "standard" is still being worked out, but the goal is to exceed NCLB and state standards set in the WASL. "I want the LC standard to mean something," says Swett, "What do kids know, what can they do, what can they understand? Can they tackle a problem they have no information for and come up with a meaningful response?"

Swett has organized his leadership team to focus on the priorities. Assistant Principal Mike Malsam leads a ninth-grade initiative that serves as a pilot program for keeping kids current in core classes. Assistant Principal Paula Ronhaar heads the leadership development initiative.

Swett recruited both Malsam and Ronhaar to LCHS from other schools in the district to help him achieve his vision. "I came here specifically because of Jon's blended leadership model," says Ronhaar. "Jon thinks outside the box, which is unusual in education, and I've been in it since 1976. He's leading a shift to instructional leaders, and everyone is expected to have a vision."

Teachers as Leaders

Developing a leadership team starts with the hiring process. "We need teachers with the capacity to be advocates for kids," says Ronhaar. Swett's formula is simple: Hire teachers who love kids and their content area, and who are coachable.

The "coachable" part is essential because LCHS teachers are expected to be part of the leadership team and to commit to a common focus. "All the resources are wrapped around the teacher," says Swett. "In the classroom, that's where the magic happens."

One key component of staff training is an education model created by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, authors of Understanding by Design. The Wiggins-McTighe model stresses the importance of approaching any curriculum by beginning with the end in mind. That means asking the question, what is the "enduring understanding"—the big, important idea or concept—students should take away from a lesson?

Time for teacher training and collaboration is a challenge. At many schools the schedule provides little time for teachers to work together. Thanks to district policy, "we have the gift of time," Ronhaar observes. In the 2004-2005 school year, all Spokane public school students will start late on Thursdays to allow teachers to work together.

Malsam uses a business analogy to explain why the school is devoting so much of that time to collaboration and leadership development among teachers. Teachers tend to be like independent operators and entrepreneurs, he says. "We're trying to turn them into collaborators because the highest failure rate in business is among start-ups by entrepreneurs. The collaborative business model is the franchise and more of them succeed."

Focus on Freshmen

Changing the culture is also at the heart of the ninth-grade initiative. It grew out of the realization that the status quo wasn't working—especially for freshmen. Malsam notes that resources are limited, so it's important to bring a laser focus to the kids who need it the most. "We focus on the kids as they walk out the middle school door."

Since math is often the biggest hurdle for students making the transition to high school, LCHS established the Tiger Academy, a summer program for entering ninth-graders who are identified based on middle school recommendations. Along with math, instructors also work on "soft skills": social, emotional, and organizational. Tiger Academy is not remediation, Swett emphasizes, "It is a highly rigorous environment."

Once at LCHS, freshman learning is carefully monitored. The first indication a ninth-grader is dropping below "standard" triggers intervention, says Malsam. The teacher calls the parent and notifies student services, which follows up with tutoring.

This "real-time" feedback loop is called a Circle of Advocacy. In 2002-2003, before the initiative was launched, a third of all freshmen were failing at least one class. At the end of the first semester of 2003-2004, the failure rate was cut to 18 percent, even though standards had been raised.

Without the layering effect of advocacy circles, you run the risk of burning out your teachers, Malsam believes. The advocacy initiative allows teachers to teach because parents and staff are quickly engaged on behalf of students who need extra support.

Upholding tradition

There are many ways to tell the story of Lewis and Clark High School. It is a school with a proud history, including the recent renovation, a cadre of loyal alumni, strong AP programs, a valuable art collection, and an auditorium and pipe organ that are valued community resources.

As Swett tours the building he is obviously proud of all that. But he is looking forward to writing a new chapter of LCHS history. He cites increasing enrollment in a part of Spokane that is not growing. It is the most diverse high school in the city and is a school of choice for many students and their parents.

High expectations are as real here as the freeway just outside the school door. "We have to be good stewards of our reputation," concludes Paula Ronhaar.

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Courtesy of Explosion Illusion Photograph