Fife Schools Share National Spotlight

By Pamela McMahan

Free Press Staff Writer

An extra dose of excitement permeated the hallways and classrooms of Fife 's schoolhouses last week.

Producers and crew from The Video Journal of Education spent two days interviewing and filming Fife 's teachers, students and principals, capturing the district's leadership in a student-focused school reform effort.

The Journal is an internationally respected, research-based clearinghouse of "cutting edge" resources for schools. The Journal's offerings, available in video, DVD, on-line and in book form, are used by thousands of educators throughout the U.S. , Canada and in other parts of the world.

Fife School District is one of five districts in the country sharing the spotlight in the Journal's upcoming series that looks at promising new ways to engage students in classroom learning. Fife's approach is part of a national model called "Working on the Work - WOW - Making Engagement Central."

Jeff Nelson , Columbia Junior High principal, explained what drives Fife 's celebrated learning efforts: "In our district we focus on the work we give our students. Our teachers spend a lot of professional time inventing and designing engaging student work."

The Journal came to town to document Fife 's success with this focus.

According to Journal executive producer Blanch Linton, "In over 14 years of traveling the country visiting hundreds and hundreds of schools, Fife's focus on student learning is one of the most effective we've seen. They have the mindset here where everyone is on the same page, working together - they have that down."

Like many communities, Fife had long recognized the urgent need for dramatic improvement in the performance of America's public schools. Spurred on by the leadership of Superintendent Steve McCammon, the district several years ago began investigating new education research and strategies. With an eye toward improving learning for all its K-12 students, Fife looked at the Center for Leadership in School Reform, a national organization based on the work of renowned educator Dr. Phillip C. Schlechty. Over 10 years ago, Dr. Schlechty and his staff developed a set of standards which provide a framework for school districts to work on school reform and the work asked of students. Fife liked the focus of the Schlechty model, and the district committed its energies to its Standard Bearer Network, one of 35 school districts in the nation to do so.

School districts in Standard Bearer Network share the belief that the key to improving schools lies in the quality of the work students are provided. To do this, schools must be organized around students and the work provided to students, rather than around adults and the work of teachers.

Fife teachers explored the Schlechty research and attended training sessions. The Standard Bearer "Working on the Work" model proceeds from the assumption that it is only by altering the quality of experiences students have in school that teachers can hope to improve the quality of student learning and student performance.

"Our teachers are designing lessons to better engage kids," explains McCammon. "What is the work we are asking the kids to do? What are the qualities that are likely to make schoolwork more engaging?"

McCammon and Fife 's teachers have zeroed in on carefully assessing lessons in math, language arts, science and the other subjects, purposefully looking for a list of design qualities that make a specific lesson engaging. Teachers at and across grade levels meet frequently in protocols to share their experience in teaching specific lessons, and to get feedback from their colleagues on what worked and what could be improved. This kind of teacher collaboration is an important part of "Working on the Work" in Fife .

"We really want our teachers to have time to collaborate," McCammon continues, "and these descriptive review protocols give us a forum to develop a common understanding of what quality work is." Hedden 3rd grade teacher Elaine Smith adds, "Bringing a lesson to a protocol with other teachers is a really valuable tool because it gives you a structure and common language.it's a non-threatening way for teachers to decrease isolation and to get feedback. If a lesson has been successful, colleagues can give a teacher that affirmation, as well as ideas about how to take it to the next level."

John Linton, Journal producer, commented that in his two days in Fife School District he saw "a camaraderie, a working relationship" that always helps smaller districts function better than larger districts. "We produce professional development videos on all areas of school reform, and we wouldn't be here in Fife if they didn't have something special that many other schools could learn from."

"Every teacher wants to get better," teacher Elaine Smith explains. "Working on the Work" is "a process of fine-tuning every day. But providing engagement isn't about me being funny and entertaining. It's about giving my students work that they will persevere with until they get it right."

(Reprinted courtesy of the Fife/Milton Free Press)