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'A School in
Heaven for Kids'

Mary Harrison Primary School Builds Changes Around Families in Rural Toledo, Oregon

STORY BY SHANNON PRIEM
PHOTOS BY TONY KNEIDEK

Know you what it is to be a child? It is to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear; it is to turn pumpkins into coaches; and mice into horses; lowness into loftiness and nothing into everything, for each child has its fairy godmother in its soul.
—Francis Thompson, 1908

Notice how Tovee Rowley hops off the school bus and you'll see the power of absolute belief.

She can't wait to explore, to create, and to navigate the world around her. When Mom comes to visit, the second-grader rushes to share her poem on hamsters. It's a wonderful poem. No need to worry about the spelling…not yet.

Sometimes Tovee needs to slow down a bit. But there's no need to worry much about that, either. After all, it's in her nature to boldly create, learn, and seek approval. At Tovee's age, experts say, children are as vulnerable as they are confident and invincible.

Mary Harrison Primary School has restructured itself around this belief. Just as important, teachers, administrators, and others believe that every child can learn, and every child has a unique ability or strength. Their jobs are to find and nurture it.

Mary Harrison is a close-knit school of 250 children in Toledo, Oregon, a rural community nestled in the Coast Range about seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. More than 50 percent of the children's families have incomes below the poverty level in a town that relies on fishing and a dwindling timber economy for its livelihood.

Until 1988, Mary Harrison provided a traditional education in which children sat in neat rows and progressed through age-specific grades. Teachers lectured. Parents dropped their kids off, then went home. A few came in to help.

Then the school cracked open a new book and started to redecorate.

one are the rows of desks. Every class is a colorful cluster of things to touch, marvel at, hear, and count. Children huddle in groups. Ages don't matter much, but learning styles and levels do. Children and classrooms tend to be noisy. And finding the teacher is like searching for Waldo. (Try looking near the floor in a cluster of children.)

Mary Harrison was among the first Oregon primary schools to embrace the critical mass of early childhood research that advocated developmentally appropriate, child-centered education. The school became part of a NWREL pilot on school-based early childhood centers that began in 1988. Today, the school is among 10 in the United States being considered as a national model for Right From the Start, a project by the Childcare Action Campaign of New York.

At first, parent concerns presented obstacles (don't experiment on my kid!), and this year, larger class sizes and funding issues challenge staff. However, staff commitment to the school's shared vision of "what is best for kids" keeps the restructuring on track, along with support from Principal Barbara Fields, who was chosen 1996 Administrator of the Year for Lincoln County School District.

The transformation, though, began under former Principal Anita McClanahan. She and her staff took to heart findings from Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age Eight, a publication of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). McClanahan and her staff recognized the need for Mary Harrison to change to a family-centered approach to create a more meaningful learning environment for children.

Sharing the Vision

Staff spent months crafting a shared vision statement and restructuring plan. Educating teachers to integrate the recommendations in the NAEYC report became a priority. Last year, the school negotiated early-release days for collaborative planning with neighboring schools to improve transition and identify curriculum gaps and duplications.

Using NAEYC work as a study guide, teachers at Mary Harrison evaluated their own curriculum, dovetailing in developmentally appropriate practices such as whole language instruction and cooperative learning. In fact, certified and classified staff alike took the 10-week course on cooperative learning, and no one missed a class, McClanahan says. Original restructuring goals were:

Honor Differences

In Karen Johnson's multiage (first- and second-grade) classroom, younger children often benefit from the experience and wisdom of older children. When a six-year-old student struggled with a math problem recently, his seven-year-old workmate offered reassurance. "That's okay," he told his friend. "I didn't know how to do that last year, either."

"You didn't?" the six-year-old asked, astonished and relieved to hear that learning is an ongoing process.

In a multiage classroom, students not only learn from each other, they also gain confidence and perspective. "When you can't tell the difference between a first- and second-grader, the method is working," says Johnson. "You have to honor differences and teach in flexible groups." For example, she uses open-ended reading and writing assignments, which help kids advance at their own levels.

When Mary Harrison began its early childhood program, it also implemented a schoolwide thematic approach to curriculum. In autumn, students and teachers focused on relationships to look at how people relate to each other in communities and as friends or family members. Units culminated in family celebrations such as a holiday open house and multicultural fair. Later, this approach became more individualized within classrooms. Teachers now use both approaches to integrate math, language, and social sciences.

Children are actively involved in learning and decisionmaking. During part of the day, children learn in work centers of their own choosing. Students create classroom rules and jobs. To learn how to resolve conflicts peacefully, children role-play situations and reach solutions. And, they are responsible for keeping their rooms tidy.

This year, student portfolios are a major part of assessment, Fields says. Some teachers use student-led conferences, and parents track progress by noting in writing or on forms their child's growth as a reader and writer. Standardized tests are not given until the beginning of third grade.

"We aren't too concerned with standardized tests early on," says Fields. "Our primary concern at this age is to help children learn to become learners."

Other elements of Mary Harrison's child-centered school include:

Fields says that parents and other family members are expected to be involved in their children's learning in routine and meaningful ways. "Every single adult is responsible for building on the positive," she says. "We ask ourselves and our families, 'How do we talk to kids? What behaviors are we modeling?'"

It Feels Like Home

To parents, the nurturing, open atmosphere is evident.

"This place feels like home," says Linda Rowley, Tovee's mother, who also is a parent volunteer and school bus driver. The school has helped Rowley and her daughter from the start, recognizing Rowley's challenges as a single parent and caregiver of her own mother. She's become one of the school's most active supporters and volunteers.

"It's a very caring place; they want you here," she says, walking into her daughter's classroom. Rowley sits on the floor with Tovee and friends around her to read. It's a nice break for Tovee's teacher, Karin Dunaway, who needs to arrange the mid-morning snack donated by parents. "You can't put your finger on it, but as a parent I noticed it, and now as a teacher it's obvious," Dunaway says. "We all care about each other."

Adds parent volunteer coordinator Kristy Norman, "There aren't places you can't go here; they never ask you why you're here. We all belong."

In fact, Norman says, there are always adults looking out for children in the school. "When a child comes out of the bathroom," she notes with a laugh, "some adult will usually ask, 'Did you flush?'"

Early Challenges

"In the beginning we faced times of critical change," McClanahan recalls. "I had just read the NAEYC work on developmentally appropriate practices and immediately said, 'Yes.' It fed my passion for children, especially at Mary Harrison, where 75 percent of our families were low income. We had to fundamentally change by teaching children not just at school, but in the context of their families."

McClanahan, who now directs the Oregon Department of Education's early childhood program, says it has been rewarding to watch Mary Harrison School evolve and mature. "You have master teachers at Mary Harrison," McClanahan says.

"A deep commitment and shared vision is behind their success. They are close to my heart. I know they're clinging to what they believe, and that will sustain them as we move toward new challenges such as funding and state assessment standards. The bottom line is that they will do what's best for young children."

Recognizing the key role of families early on, Mary Harrison began making home visits in 1989. In teams of two, teachers reached 75 percent of Mary Harrison families at home to identify the unique strengths and goals of each child. The remaining 25 percent met with teachers in restaurants or at school. It was the parents' choice.

"We sadly realized that many of our families didn't even know what their own children's strengths were," McClanahan says. School staff persisted, conducting open houses, tours, surveys, and phone calls to encourage parents to take an active role in the school and their children's education. The following year, 98 percent of the parents invited teachers into their homes.

As a result of the school's reaching out, parental involvement increased dramatically. Some parents found themselves in the school for the first time. Many others had attended Mary Harrison, but had had little or no contact with the school since childhood. While funding problems and larger class sizes slowed the program, informal outreach continues with school potlucks, work parties, and a new student orientation program. Weekly teacher newsletters help keep families informed about class activities and learning strategies. Teachers also share the lyrics to songs children are learning and offer examples of children's work.

Sustaining Beliefs

"We work as a team in everything we do," Fields says. "Helping children in transition, which is a major challenge for this age, doesn't come naturally. We work at it constantly." Early-release days also allow staff to plan collaboratively and to work with staff at Arcadia Intermediate School, a neighboring school that children from Mary Harrison attend for third through fifth grade.

Fields notes that strong support from district administration is critical when schools are planning and implementing widespread changes. "Our administration believes in school-based improvements and has given us the freedom we need," she says.

Fields also says that school leaders must embrace a clear vision that transcends the day-to-day and year-to-year difficulties that education faces. "My personal belief, regardless of funding problems, is that each child is gifted in some way and that we can improve their education," she says.

Then, with a smile, Fields adds, "If there's a school in heaven for kids, I hope it's like Mary Harrison."

Shannon Priem is a freelance writer based in Vancouver, Washington.

For related information, see Reaching Children Where They Are.

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