Why We Chose King Middle and Casco Bay High Schools
A checklist of essential qualities for schools and school districts profiled in Edutopia's Schools That Work series.
A checklist of essential qualities for schools and school districts profiled in Edutopia's Schools That Work series.
Our Schools That Work series explores what goes on at some of the most innovative, successful schools around the country. These range from schools with long-standing records of high performance to turnaround schools now on the road to substantially higher achievement. We visit each school to take a close-up look at its best practices and the specific challenges it faces, then we assemble a package of stories and hands-on tools that you can use to replicate some of the school's successes.
Before even choosing a school, we give it a hard look to make sure it delivers the kind of creative, effective, replicable practices that Edutopia can stand behind. Here's a quick look at the standards and the strengths we saw in Portland, Maine at Helen King Middle School and Casco Bay High School.
| Minimal | Moderate | Strong | |
| Cohesive school culture with high expectations | x | ||
| Focus on 21st-century skills and themes | x | ||
| Use of project learning and integrated studies | x | ||
| Availability and meaningful use of technology | x | ||
| High student achievement and engagement | x | ||
| High or improving scores on standard measures | x | ||
| Use of authentic assessment with real-world application | x | ||
| Emphasis on inquiry and student-directed, rather than only teacher-directed, learning |
x | ||
| Collaborative planning among teachers | x | ||
| Personalized instruction and regular use of assessment to shape teaching and learning |
x | ||
| Culture of trust fostered between staff and students | x | ||
| Teachers given input and leadership in shaping school improvement | x | ||
| Relevant, ongoing professional development tailored to individual teachers' needs |
x | ||
| Meaningful involvement of parents and community members | x | ||
| Track record of sustained success for at least two years* *Founded in 2005, Casco Bay has so far graduated one class. |
x | ||
| Eagerness among staff to share best practices and help other schools replicate their success |
x |
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Fish Locally for Project-Based Learning Examples?
This Maine issue was very inspiring - and kudos to that state for making technology a priority. It proves that INVESTING in education pays off - a moral tale for legislators and states that are cutting education budgets. It would be nice to have the Bay Area gurus at Edutopia highlight some of the local Bay Area schools that have been doing this type of project-based learning for many years - especially in Silicon Valley where technology has always been in the forefront for decades. You don't have to go all the way to Maine to find great project-based learning examples. Palo Alto Photography students won first place in 2 categories in the California Student Media Festival (the oldest media festival in the country) in 2010 - check out their website for great student examples in every category at: http://www.mediafestival.org/ Edutopia should feature groups like the CSMF for project-based learning examples that are online and accessible for teachers and students.
You can see examples of project-based learning at my webpage that is designed to share an overview of projects to share with other teachers and showcase student work in project galleries: www.paly.net/photo