Teachers also meet after school for additional planning. Clusters provide a group identity for students. Each cluster has its own bulletin board filled with students' honor roll lists, upcoming events, and student council elections. Clusters sponsor their own programs, host field trips, and compete with other clusters in community service activities. One cluster set up mailboxes for teachers and students in the hallway so cluster members could leave supportive letters for each other.
Teachers agree that clusters foster a sense of school pride for teachers and students.
Professional Development Guest speakers and workshops have replaced faculty meetings focused on administrative matters as the standard staff development events. Teachers attend monthly workshops on middle school issues and innovative instructional strategies such as cooperative learning, reading and writing across the curriculum, conflict resolution, listening skills, and student learning styles. In addition, the school is a member of the Middle Grades Alliance, a support group for teachers established and funded by the state department of education and the New England League of Middle Schools. Teachers from Thurgood Marshall frequently participate in dinner meetings, study groups, and one-day sessions with colleagues from other middle schools in the area to share ideas. Implementation Most of the planning and oversight for the restructured program is carried out by Thurgood Marshall faculty.