Dillard to operate on new schedule
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 7, 2015 1:46 PM
Dillard Middle School students can sleep an hour later in the fall, while staff will use that time for additional professional development.
Wayne School of Engineering Principal Gary Hales and Dillard Principal Sonja Emerson partnered on the change-up that will result in a later start time and five additional days to the Dillard calendar next year.
It may seem like "unlikely pair of schools" collaborating, Dean Sauls, acting assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, told the Board of Education Monday night.
But it makes sense, he said, given the success at WSE in contrast to the "huge teacher turnover" rate of 24 percent Ms. Emerson said she experienced this past year.
"For a lot of beginning teachers, they don't have time to build that collaboration," she said. "When I got to Dillard the focus was on (student) remediation. There was a period built in during the day.
"What I found was I have teachers who don't know how to remediate."
Hales, who is working on his doctorate in the area of teacher recruitment and retention, approached Ms. Emerson a few months back, she said, with an eye toward "flipping the remediation" concept.
"Instead of students, let's remediate the teachers," she said, explaining that as a "vertical alignment piece" to shore up skills for those new to the profession.
Hales said a similar approach has worked at WSE.
"What we have done in our school is to redefine the professionalism in the building by having teachers meet every day," he said. "What it's done, especially with teacher turnover through the years, it's allowed us to maintain consistency, despite teachers coming in and out of the program.
"We have done the same staff development for eight years since (the school began)."
Hales said he is confident the model can be effective at Dillard.
The daily 45-minute "professional learning community meeting" would kick off each school day with a different theme -- including lesson tuning, departmental meetings, professional development and a positive reflection day.
The principals suggested the tiered bus system would help with the start time change for students while not inconveniencing teachers.
"Teachers have to be in their classroom at 7 a.m. and are not getting out until 3 -- that's a long day," Hales said. "And teachers are starting their days with students coming in."
Wayne School of Engineering has a bit more flexibility, since students attend classes from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
The proposal was for Dillard students to start the day at 8:30, with the 2:45 p.m. dismissal time to remain the same.
Ms. Emerson said the idea, and later start time, has already met with enthusiasm from both teachers and parents.
"They (teachers) are truly excited because the bottom line is they want to be better teachers," she said. "Research proves that money does not keep them -- it may recruit them -- it's how you give teachers autonomy and when you give teachers a voice and feeling knowledgeable and empowered. Money is good but it doesn't keep them."
Hales said he has found that when the "right system of support" is offered, educators become less frustrated and reliant on each other.
Dr. David Lewis, assistant superintendent for accountability, explained how the time change would work. While it may free up 45 minutes for teachers every day, the school still needs to meet the 1,025 hours of instructional time for the year.
In order to do that, five days will be added to that school's calendar. Four teacher workdays and an extra day at the end of the year will fulfill that requirement, he said.
The school board approved the proposal, as well as time changes at two other schools -- one a clerical error, the other to accommodate tiered busing at a new school opening in the fall.
A typo resulted in an incorrect start time reported last month for Edgewood Community Developmental School. Its hours will remain the same in the fall, 8:20 a.m. until 2:50 p.m.
Spring Creek Middle, in order to be in line with other elementary/middle school combinations, will operate from 7:45 a.m. until 3 p.m.