PHS Moves Forward With Plans For Individualized Attention

Candace Braun

During Princeton High School's end-of-year faculty meeting on Monday, the school's staff reported on the status of the new Small Learning Communities initiative.

A program that was implemented at the beginning of the school year through a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, it is designed to create smaller group settings in the high school as a way of personalizing the educational experience for students.

One of the aspects of the program is to help students find their outlet, and where they fit in, said Superintendent Judy Wilson: "It's not that you are the answer for the 15 students in front of you; it's that you have the resources to connect them with the right person."

One way that the high school plans to make these changes is by establishing a student database.

Following Monday's meeting, PHS Principal Gary Snyder said that the faculty has come up with four strategies for achieving the program's goals during the 2005-2006 school year: to raise academic achievement and close the academic achievement gap; to personalize the school environment for students; to improve critical thinking and literacy skills; and to build a professional learning community.

The school intends to raise academic achievement by having teachers analyze students' scores in class and on standardized tests. According to Ms. Wilson, administrators will participate in a workshop this summer to learn how to correctly track the data and establish a student database.

The goal of personalizing the student experience was debated for quite some time, said Mr. Snyder. With a school of almost 1,300 students and growing, it is difficult to give each student individualized attention.

The principal wanted each student to feel that he had a staff member who could serve as an advisor: "Many students do right now, but we want to get to the point where everyone does."

The solution that staff came up with was to reinstitute a homeroom at the high school. Beginning this fall, students will be assigned to a homeroom and a teacher for the duration of their time at the school.

Chosen by alphabetical order, students will meet in homeroom for 12 minutes, between second and third periods. Both the guidance office and cafeteria will be closed during homeroom, in case students are tempted to wander to other places, said Mr. Snyder. Guidance counselors will have a list of students and their locations during this time, so that they can touch base with them when necessary.

Teachers will be trained in critical thinking and literacy skills during professional development days in June, said Mr. Snyder. Jane Miller, author of the Chicago Guide To Writing About Numbers, will speak to educators about ways to teach students about how to write and report information involving numbers.

Other professional development days will be scheduled for the school year, the principal added.

In order to build professional learning communities, faculties will be divided up into different departments and grade levels on Wednesdays when there is an early dismissal, to discuss all the different parts of the small learning communities, and to brainstorm new ideas.

Freshmen and seniors will also meet on those days in peer groups, while sophomores and juniors will take an early bus home.