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**INTRODUCTION:\
THE CONTEXT**![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.91875in"
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Golda Meir School, an imposing, four-story structure situated in the
Brewers Hill neighborhood on the northeast edge of Milwaukee's busy
downtown, belies its regal bearing. Inside, visitors find a school in
constant motion, a hub of intense student-centered activity and a magnet
for community volunteers. Golda Meir Elementary School provides a Gifted
and Talented Program designed to meet the needs of the diverse urban
population it serves. Test scores reflect academic progress that could
only be achieved by students motivated by an exciting, interdisciplinary
program and supported by caring families. Golda Meir's 360 students in
grades three through eight move constantly, shuttling among classrooms,
scheduled specials, midday options, and off-campus music and performing
arts programs. A first-time visitor may wonder how the many core
curricular classes and the wide variety of non-academic classes can
possibly all fit into a traditional school schedule, but soon learns
that the school's core philosophy of learning is expressed through a
mosaic of opportunities that foster student and teacher curiosity and
learning.

Built as an elementary school in 1890 in a former residential/industrial
area where brewery owners and workers lived, worked, and socialized,
Meir initially served the nearby German neighborhood. Next, Jewish
families moved to the neighborhood, followed by African American
families. Today, all of the former brewery buildings have been rehabbed
into multi-use commercial buildings, including space for two small
alternative high schools and a small middle school, while Golda Meir
still serves its intended original purpose of educating what has become
a very diverse student population.

All classrooms in the old building have high ceilings and plentiful
natural light. Hardwood floors and\
beautiful classic woodwork enhance the learning environment. In the
classrooms, desks or tables are clustered in groups, and walls are
decorated with student work, descriptions of learning strategies, and
inspirational posters. Framed artwork lines the walls in the stairwells,
providing inspiration as students make the climb to the gym on the 3rd
floor, or descend to the basement cafeteria for lunch.
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The school's historical background enhances the learning environment as
well. Golda Meir, former Prime Minister of Israel, attended the school
from 1906 to 1912, and returned to Milwaukee in 1969 before the school's
renaming as Golda Meir School, an urban gifted and talented magnet
school. Milwaukee was one of the first districts in the country to
initiate public magnet or specialty schools in order to retain white
middle class children in city schools and to attract non-minority
children from the suburbs to the city schools in order to take advantage
of the specialty programs, all in compliance with federal desegregation
orders. Golda Meir's long-term success in graduating students with high
levels of academic achievement has been a key factor in its popularity
with families both in the city of Milwaukee and in surrounding suburbs.

Looking at the school's financial picture, one finds that Golda Meir
receives one of the lowest per pupil allocations in the district,
\$5,800 per student. Title 1 funding is limited based on the school's
lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch compared to
the high poverty school district. The administration at Golda Meir
creatively supplements its district allocation with grants, community
partnerships, and classroom support from student teachers, high school
interns, and numerous parent and other volunteers. The principal Thomas
Hanley said, "Even with less money, we are doing better" than the
majority of schools in the district.

Three years ago, with the support of the school community and the
consent of the district, Golda Meir School added middle grades---one
class each of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. They hoped to be able to lease
space from a nearby arts academy to add additional middle grade classes
to enable a higher percentage of the elementary grade students to remain
in the program through the 8^th^ grade. The goal was to carry forward
its philosophy of "offer\[ing\] a wide array of gifted and talented
programs and services directed toward developing the abilities and
competencies of children enriching their lives as well as the lives of
people with whom they interact" for students though their middle school
years. Due to budget constraints, the district withdrew its support for
renting additional space, and instead began consolidating public
schools. This resulted in limiting the middle grade classes to one
section per grade level.

The student population at Golda Meir reflects the diverse population of
the Milwaukee area, including 41% Caucasian, 4% Hispanic/Latino, 51%
African American, 3% Asian/Pacific Islander, and \<1% American Indian
students. Thirty-eight percent of the students receive free or reduced
lunch, and 4% of the students have special education needs.

**APPLICATION PROCESS**

In order to recruit students for its 3rd grade class, each year, the
Golda Meir administration sends out letters describing the school's
philosophy and program to parents of 2nd grade students who achieve an
average score of 4 in the city's Student Promotion System. Parents can
then apply to Golda Meir for the 90 available 3rd grade seats. Interest
in the program is high, and the school typically receives approximately
120 applications annually.

Many parents apply because of the school's excellent reputation and cite
reasons such as, "my son needs to move faster" or "my daughter was not
challenged" in her primary school. The application includes a section
for teachers to fill out, addressing the child's current performance in
the academics, as well as exploring the student's interest in the arts,
self-direction, sense of imagination and humor, and other skills and
interests. Golda Meir carefully creates a 3rd grade class that is
balanced by gender, ethnic, and socio-economic status, and is open to
students with learning disabilities. It draws students whose parents'
socioeconomic backgrounds range "from welfare to millionaire," the
principal said. As slots open, students may be accepted into the other
grades. Often other school administrators recommend students who are
academically strong but whose learning is compromised due to social or
emotional issues, or learning disabilities, posing an additional
challenge for the Golda Meir staff.

**INTEGRATED CURRICULUM AND FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE**

The way the school is structured provides a scaffold approach for
students moving from 3rd through the 8th grades, so that as they grow
and mature, they see an increasing number of different teachers and take
on more and more responsibility for their own learning. Third and fourth
grade teachers each work with a self-contained class for the core
academics, with students having access to other curricular areas or
specials according to a carefully planned schedule. Fifth grade teachers
team teach, with students moving to different classes for various
content areas. Each middle school teacher teaches one content area class
(math, science, or language arts) and one other class, either social
studies or Spanish, based on need and schedule.

The school has an average of 5% special needs (SPED) students. Based on
their individual education plans (IEP's), SPED students go to the
resource room for one-on-one or small group instruction for certain
content areas but spend most of the day with their regular education
classmates. The SPED teacher follows the classroom curriculum, providing
needed help and support. For instance, he reads aloud the same trade
books the class reads, preparing special education students for upcoming
classroom discussions. One special education teacher assistant
circulates from the resource room to the classrooms, as time permits,
providing one-on-one help in the regular education environment.

The school's vision statement challenges the Golda Meir staff "to create
a stimulating environment where the potential of every student is
challenged and rewarded." Staff members strategically plan lessons
incorporating a variety of levels of thinking, leading to the higher
levels of Bloom's Taxonomy in their instruction. Many class activities
are project-based and allow students to demonstrate learning in multiple
ways and to become skilled in managing multi-step learning
activities.![](media/image4.jpeg){width="4.1125in"
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Teachers explain that learning needs to reach the "whole child." Within
limits, teachers choose their own curricular materials, determine when
to teach each content area, and how to teach---including deciding on
types of groupings and length of lessons, based on their students'
learning styles as well as their own teaching styles. One teacher
recalled, "I was turned off in middle school. I am a very visual person
and therefore use lots of visuals in my classes. My goal is to help
students see how the world works."

The principal hires teachers who thrive in this flexible,
interdisciplinary way of teaching, teachers said. "All teachers have
different styles but can put together a curriculum that piques the
students' interests," explained Principal Thomas Hanley. "The philosophy
is not that more \[time\] is better, but rather to give them \[the
students\] experiences so they want to learn."

As an example of the integrated curriculum one finds at Golda Meir,
students in a 5th grade science classroom were working on a project that
combined scientific research and writing, integrating their
understanding of an organism's life cycle and a chapter in their science
book. Students pretended to be genetic engineers who had been hired to
create a perfectly adapted animal to survive on a planet of their
choice. This assignment consisted of both a drawing of their animal and
an essay about the animal and its environment. Students labeled their
drawings to highlight their animals' unique adaptations, such as "feet
that have extremely thick skin so the plants won't kill it if it steps
on one as its planet had many poisonous plants." Each student worked
from a rubric for the essay which listed the qualifications and criteria
to be assessed: presence of adaptations, completeness of tasks, use of
scientific language, and quality of artwork and language.

Student opportunity to exercise choice is another feature throughout
many Golda Meir classrooms. In one math class, the teacher provided the
parameters of what she wanted students to do for an in-class math
problem, and the students chose the method they wanted to use to solve
the problem. In another math class, the teacher noticed that two
students had different answers to the same algebra problem, and asked
the two students to write their calculations on the board and explain
their thinking to the class. During the discussion, one student
recognized an error in his thinking but didn't falter, continuing to
answer questions from the class in an atmosphere of safety.

During a read-aloud in a 5th grade classroom, the teacher suggested that
while listening, students could sketch a scene from the story. Before
reading, the teacher used a range of strategies to engage students,
asking clarifying questions, activating their prior knowledge by asking
about a recent social studies lesson, and using the computer white board
to bring up a map relevant to the story, thus building connections among
several\
curricular areas.

**PEOPLE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO**

Golda Meir staff members arrive at school early and stay late. They
offered to give up their teachers' room to provide an additional room
for a math class. One parent talked about how her son's teacher comes in
early once a week for his clarinet lesson. Teachers take turns
sponsoring mid-day enrichment opportunities for all students. One
teacher explained that, "kids feed off the teachers and the teachers
feed off the kids." In turn, students are passionate about their work
and their school, noting that, "Our teachers expect the best." "The work
is challenging. Teachers help you do work you do not understand."
"People in the community recognize Golda Meir in a good way." "We have
so many experiences outside of the classroom; it is amazing to others
what we've done at this
school."![](media/image5.jpeg){width="2.4791666666666665in"
height="2.2354166666666666in"}

The 30-33 student class size at Golda Meir means that staff members are
creative in finding ways to increase the student-adult ratio. More than
ten student interns serve as support in the classroom; high school
students volunteer (many of them former Golda Meir students) at the
school for their community service credit. Parents are often in the
school working with students, supporting teachers, or overseeing midday
activities. Teachers adapt their spaces when implementing flexible
groupings, whether peer to peer, small-group, or whole-class
discussions. Most classrooms appear noisy, even chaotic, but student
engagement is close to 100%. When asked if the school has a student
behavior plan, the principal said "Yes, each teacher has a behavior
plan, and none are the same, but they all work." If a student interrupts
a group discussion, the student is asked to do "time out" in a chair, or
in another classroom, or occasionally in the principal's office.
Students know what is expected of them---to learn with enthusiasm and to
respect the learning of others.

Supportive parents and families are an integral part of the Golda Meir
community, and more than 90% of parents attend the fall conferences.
Students are in charge of the spring conferences, where they show their
parents a compilation of their year's achievement in their classes and
help to facilitate the conversation between their parents and their
teacher. Parent volunteers are critical to the success of many of the
'extra' programs one finds at Golda Meir.

**EXTRA-ORDINARY ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES**

The principal strongly believes that students should not be working in
classrooms for more than two and a half hours at a time. "Don't you want
a change of pace in your daily schedule? Wouldn't it be awful to be in
the same room for 6-7 hours? I want all kids to have a good day," he
says, explaining that he achieves this change of pace through a creative
use of specials and midday options. Golda Meir's part-time
specials---art, music, industrial arts, tap dancing, and physical
education---are woven into the weekly school calendar and share the
building's limited space (for example, the arts and industrial arts
share a room). Teachers of the specials use the district learning
targets and state standards and are trained to use flexible groupings in
their curriculum. The goal, the administration said, is to bring more
academic skill development into the specials. One younger gym class was
singing a popular tune and making shapes like triangles and squares.
When asked about the high number of specials offered, the principal
responded, that specials are the "hook that pull kids in".

The midday is divided into two blocks: from 12:25 to 12:50 and from
12:50 to 1:15. Students eat lunch during one block and move to
activities that they have chosen for the week or day, depending on the
activity's time demands, during the other block. Through the mid-day
options, dancing, and specials, students are active, focused, learning,
and having fun. One teacher commented that lunch time was the time for
fights and bullying in the school he came from; in Golda Meir free time
is purposeful and fun. The midday blocks offer another opportunity for
students to exercise choice, since everyone must go to something. Some
are open with daily limits on numbers, and others have longer term
commitments. Students often race through lunch to attend their chosen
mid-day options. ![](media/image6.jpeg){width="2.6326388888888888in"
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Parents and the administration feel students are motivated by the
specials and enrichment opportunities at Golda Meir. As the principal
stated, "We need to find each child's talents and gifts. Kids need to
explore to find their talents and gifts." In one classroom, student
teachers run Math Wizards in 4-5 week midday blocks for up to four
students who require extra math help. The activities are small-group
math games based on the students' needs. Other midday options include
Junior Great Books, chess, drama games, a programming club, guitar
groups, chamber music, basketball, and of course playground. There are
"directed games" for students who want to play games but for whom
teachers feel an organized activity is necessary. Teachers, parents, and
volunteers, passionate about each activity, run the midday options. One
teacher conducts the chamber orchestra in what amounts to a large
closet.

The principal has a knack of bringing adults into the building who can
connect with kids and make a difference beyond the academics. Tap
dancing started as a midday option, and became so popular that the
principal raised money to purchase tap shoes for those who could not
afford them and hired a tap teacher so that every class could have the
weekly experience of an invigorating tap dancing lesson. The teacher
explained that tapping is a "safe" activity for all kids because it
keeps them focused on their feet, and not their bodies, effectively
eliminating inappropriate play. There is an emphasis on discussing and
writing about appropriate school behaviors, and the teacher commented,
"Sometimes I just talk to the students about how to stay out of trouble
and just say no."

Mad Hot Ballroom, based on an inspiring dance program featured in a 2005
film, is another "in-thing" at Golda Meir. Through a grant for this
project, all middle school classes take ballroom dancing. One teacher,
herself a professional dancer, eagerly organized her students to get
ready for dance class and took part alongside her students, just one
example of the many learning opportunities teachers and students share.

**THE COMMUNITY AND WORLD IS THE CLASSROOM**

Teachers are encouraged to go beyond the classroom to explore ideas,
expand students' skills, and foster each student's abilities. At the end
of each week all parents receive a blue legal-size page listing field
trips and extra student activities; the list often runs to both sides of
the page.

Because Golda Meir is an urban school in close proximity to the downtown
area, students can walk to enrichment opportunities such as the nearby
Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Each grade level attends at least
one student concert as well as other performances in the community at
large. Three times a year, each Golda Meir class goes to the Milwaukee
Art Museum for guided visits. Fifth grade students become junior
docents, guiding friends, faculty, and family members through a
culminating event at the museum. In addition, all students attend at
least two live performances at the Todd Wehr Theater and take field
trips to the Urban Ecology Center for interactive science experiences.
Each family is asked to pay an annual fine arts fee of \$50 to fund the
seven events; scholarships are also available.
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A second example of Golda Meir's commitment to learning beyond the
classroom is the fourth grade class trips. Parents receive a letter
outlining the trips that each of the classrooms takes, and return a note
if one of the trips might work for their child. Fundraising is an
integral part of each trip. One class goes on a seven county overnight
tour in Wisconsin, another goes for a week to historical sites in
Maryland and Virginia, and the third goes for a ten day trip to Denmark
and Amsterdam, which includes a family stay. Each class studies thematic
units connected to the trips. For instance, the class going abroad
learns some Danish, studies about Anne Frank, and writes letters to the
family in Denmark hosting each student. One teacher said of the trip,
"Travel experiences have no boundaries. It pushes them to limits they do
not yet know. They come back a 'whole new salad'." Students at various
grade levels talked about the grade 4 trips as the highlight of their
Golda Meir experience.

**ATTENTION TO DETAIL**

In 2002, Milwaukee Public Schools introduced a new measure of
accountability, Value-Added Growth analysis, which measures grade level
academic growth in reading and math from one year to the next (not
simply performance) on the state tests. Eventually growth analysis data
will be available for teachers at the student level. Golda Meir was able
to find that although its students were high-achieving, some groups of
students were not growing as fast as the district averages.

The curriculum area most in need of improvement was math, especially 3rd
grade for both minority and non-minority subgroups. The school initiated
additional math strategies and activities that were implemented in
classrooms, in specials, and during midday options. The entire staff
brainstormed activities and strategies for motivating students with
deficits to excel in math. One result was a commitment to the midday
Math Wizard option. Students who are required to attend participate for
two or three days a week, freeing the other days for midday options of
their choosing.

A second step was hiring a math consultant to help with the difficult
task of unpacking the data, determining students' skill deficits, and
identifying appropriate strategies and activities to address those
deficits. For the current school year, the district funds this
consultant, known as a Math Teacher Leader (MTL), who works with
targeted students for 30% of the day and with teachers the other 70%.
With teachers, the MTL previews individual lessons based on the new
district math curriculum, examines student work, works with the student
teachers on math concepts and skills, and facilitates two-hour monthly
collaborative planning sessions, grade-level meetings, and other staff
development opportunities. The MTL said she needs to bring the research
to the teachers and "marry conceptual and procedural knowledge." Her
goal, she said, is "to be able to talk about each student mathematically
and what we are doing instructionally to help them."

**CONCLUSION**

When asked "what key factor or asset do you feel contributes to Golda
Meir's success", teachers spoke of the school's culture. Noting that
students come from different neighborhoods in the city and are in fact
very diverse, once at Golda Meir, "they are all on the same playing
field," said one teacher, "We can bring them together." The school's
culture offers students opportunities to grow and learn in many
different ways; very few students who come to Golda Meir leave.

Parents used the words "supported" and "opportunities." They felt they
and their children were supported by so many people in the building and
praised the many enrichment opportunities their students would not have
in\
other schools.

The administration identified the school's best asset as "choice."
Giving both students and teachers choice in, for instance, midday
options or curricular materials, best achieves the vision of Golda
Meir---"where the potential of every student is challenged and
rewarded"---said the principal.

Asked for suggestions for replicating Golda Meir's key factors or
assets, teachers cited "location." Being located near community
resources "keeps a level of excitement. It is so nice to walk to
activities and not take a bus," a teacher said. Others pointed to the
interdisciplinary curriculum as something that may be more readily
replicated.

Parents suggested the school has a "can-do" attitude. Explained a
parent, "If you have a new idea, and even if it had been tried and
failed, the principal says, 'We tried it; it did not work, but let's try
it again differently.'"

The administration pointed to the dedicated and committed staff, "You
have to look at yourself and ask if you want to be here. This is a
different type of school. Staff wants to work hard and work for kids."
To find long-term dedicated teachers, the principal believes his job is
to "find what motivates staff." After visiting the school, it is easy to
understand why students enjoy returning again and again. It may be best
summed up with the example of a student teacher who went to Golda Meir
as a student, returned as a student teacher, and hopes to become a
permanent member of the staff.

+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| Gold Meir School               |         |         |        |       |
|                                |         |         |        |       |
| **Wisconsin Knowledge and      |         |         |        |       |
| Concepts Examination           |         |         |        |       |
| (WKCE-CRT)**                   |         |         |        |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| \% proficient and above: 4th   |         |         |        |       |
| grade Reading                  |         |         |        |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
|                                | 2004    | 2005    | 2006   | 2007  |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| All                            | 99      | 98      | 95     |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| Black                          | 97      | 95      | 96     |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| Reduced or Free Lunch          | 97      | 97      | 96     |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| State Scores                   |         |         |        | 81    |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| \% proficient and above: 4th   |         |         |        |       |
| grade Math                     |         |         |        |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
|                                | 2004    | 2005    | 2006   | 2007  |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| All                            | 86      | 85      | 85     |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| Hispanic                       | 80      | 71      | 76     |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| Reduced or Free Lunch          | 84      | 77      | 81     |       |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+
| State Scores                   |         |         |        | 77    |
+--------------------------------+---------+---------+--------+-------+