Under the leadership of a new principal, staff and teachers met for six months to revamp the curriculum and assessments. Teachers visited their students' homes to enlist parents' support, the school year was expanded through July, and class size was reduced in all grades. Today, Snively takes an interdisciplinary approach to thematic instruction, offers four early intervention programs for preschoolers, and operates a family resource center.
Teachers meet monthly to collaborate on planning.
It is important to make a commitment to change and not be afraid to take the necessary risks. M any of the schools we highlight in this guide were not just the highest-poverty schools within districts, they were also the least effective before they organized under the schoolwide banner. They changed because the principals and staff were committed to overhauling programs they knew were not working for their students. Schoolwide planning especially expanded the core of academic subjects that students studied, and it improved instruction. Teaching teams had both the flexibility to restructure their compensatory programs and the resources to achieve their goals, especially for students at risk.