Nine Characteristics of High

Performing Schools
Hollibrook Elementary (HB) - Houston, TX
Del Norte Elementary (DN) - El Paso, TX
Linda Vista Elementary (LV) - San Diego, CA;
Hanshaw Middle School (HA) - Modesto, CA;
Horace Mann Middle School (HO)-San Francisco, CA
Harold Wiggs Middle School (HW) - El Paso, TX
Dr. Richard Gómez Jr.
Demographics:
♦ Enrollment & Percent LEP/Free or Reduced:
– HB (1000, 67% & 87%); DN (650, 40% & 85%);
– LV (1000, 66% & 88%); HA (850, 73% & 94%);
– HO (650, 25% & 51%); HW (1000, 28% & 70%)
♦ Other Challenges:
– HB: 1st Generation Immigrants; High Drug/Crime Area
– DN: Single Family Homes; Blue-Collar
– LV: Multiple Languages; Gang Activity
– HA: High Poverty; Gangs; Migrants; 19% Unemploy.
– HO: High Poverty
– HW: High Student Mobility; Students W/O Schooling
1.) Clear and Shared Vision and
Purpose:
♦ All Exemplary Schools Developed, Often by
Means of an Extended Process, 5 Dimensions of
a Clear and Shared Vision & Purpose:
– High Expectations (LA/Math/Science/English)
– Cultural Validation (Climate w/o fear or put-downs)
– Community of Learners (Teachers as Professionals)
– Openness to External Partners & Research
– Comprehensiveness (Structure/Content of Curriculum,
Instructional Paradigm, Learning Environments,
Language Development Strategies,Organization of the
School, Use of Time, School Decision-Making)
2.) High Standards and Expectations
for ALL Students:
♦ ALL Exemplary Schools’ Administrators,
Staff, Faculty, Students, Parents, and
Community, Believe “Nothing Less Than
High Academic Success is Acceptable”
♦ Academic Challenges Were Taken on by
the “Collective” and Worked on Until They
Became Academic Successes!
♦ All Schools Had Twin Goals of English
Fluency AND Master the Content of the
Core Curriculum
3.) Effective Instructional and
Administrative Leadership:
♦ Principals (HA) or Teachers (HB) or
Parents (DN)
♦ ALL Exemplary Schools Developed a
Variation of Site-Based Management
♦ Leadership Consistently Was Flexible,
Open to New Ideas, and Approachable
♦ Democratic Process (Multiple Avenues for
Input by Staff, Faculty, Parents, &
Students)
4.) Supportive Learning
Environment:
♦ Exemplary Schools Achieved a Reputation
for Being Innovative, Progressive, and
Inclusive
♦ ALL Schools Used the Students Native
Language (Either to Develop Literacy Skills
or Content or for Both)
♦ Students are Seen as Learners/Teachers
♦ Academic “Families”
♦ Five Year BE/ESL Programs
5.) A High Level of Community
and Parent Involvement:
♦ ALL Exemplary Schools Drew Upon
Outside Resources as They Developed
Curriculum, Implemented New
Instructional Strategies, and Designed
Meaningful Assessment Systems
♦ Parents, Business Community, Universities,
Students, etc.
♦ Parent Centers, Parent Universities, After-
School Activities Program (ASAP)
6.) High Levels of Collaboration
and Communication:
♦ Teachers Interviewed and Hired Teachers
♦ Teachers in Vertical & Horizontal Planning
♦ Common Practices of Looping, Continuum,
Team Teaching, Cross-Age Learning, Open
Classrooms
♦ Parents & Business Community Included as
Integral Component of the “Team Effort”
7.) Closely Monitored Teaching
and Learning:
♦ Exemplary Schools Implemented Systems
Utilizing Multiple Measures
♦ Portfolios in Elementary
♦ Learning Academic Concepts Had Priority
♦ Utilized Much Hands-On, Cooperative
Grouping and Project Oriented Strategies
♦ Effectively Utilized Time as a Resource
8.) Aligned Curriculum & Instruction
with the Standards and Assessments:
♦ ALL Schools Aligned LA/Math/Science to State
Standards
♦ Curriculum to LEP Population was High Quality
and Paralleled the “Mainstream”
♦ Curriculum to LEP Presented in a Meaningful
Manner Making Connections Across the Content-
Areas and Building into the Curriculum Real-Life
Applications (Often Literature Based)
♦ Middle Schools Linked Science and Math to
Their LA and Social Studies
8.) Aligned Curriculum & Instruction
with the Standards and Assessments:
♦ Hired Social Workers Instead of Counselors
♦ Enrichment Versus Remediation
♦ One-Half of Categorical Funds Tied
Directly to Staff Development
♦ Writer’s and Reader’s Workshop; Pre-
Viewing Accelerated Schools; Academic
Reading; Whole Language; Sheltered
English; Thematic Units; Block Scheduling;
“Families”; and Cooperative Grouping
9.) Focused Professional
Development in High Need Areas:
♦ Teachers/Administrators Collaborated
Continuously to Determine Priority of Staff
Development
♦ Teachers Strongly Encouraged to Attain
BE/ESL Endorsements
♦ Rejected Notion that LEP Students must
FIRST Master English Before Attaining
High Academic Success