TEACHING FOR CIVIC CHARACTER AND ENGAGEMENT

Alternatives to Large, Traditional High Schools: Can They Enhance Students’

Preparation for Work, College & Democracy

Sheldon Berman, Superintendent

Hudson Public Schools, Massachusetts

TEACHING CIVICS AT HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL

9th grade core English-Social Studies course in Civics

Service-learning integrated throughout the curriculum

Modeling democratic decision-makingLeadership development trainingAssessment based on post-high

school voting and volunteerism

9TH GRADE CIVICS AT HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL: GOALS

Essential question: What is an individual’s responsibility for creating a just society?

Developing conceptions of justice and visions of how our community and world could be

Understanding human behavior - how people tend to behave when they live together

Developing the capacity and the skills necessary to participate actively as a citizen in our democracy and in our world

9TH GRADE CIVICS WEAVES TOGETHER

Study of self in relation to societyStudy of the structure of and rationale for

our democratic governmentStudy of events that gave rise to the

Holocaust as a case study in civic ethicsStudy of the 1st Amendment as a case study

in sustaining democratic freedomStudent-designed service-learning projects

that teach the skills of civic engagement

TEACHING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT THROUGH SERVICE-LEARNING

Community Service Learning is a teaching methodology that seeks to engage students in active civic participation through thoughtfully organized service experiences.

SERVICE LEARNING

LEARNING

SERVICE

Low in Service

Low in Learning

Low in Service

High in Learning

High in Service

Low in Learning

High in Service

High in Learning

TYPES OF SERVICE

EducationalEnvironmentalLegislative-Political ActionIntergenerationalHumanitarian

Educational: What topic do we study that my

students could teach to others?

Environmental: What topic could my students learn about by working to help the environment?

Political Action: What topic relates to a current issue about which my students could take a stand?

Humanitarian: What topic could my students learn more about by providing assistance to others?

Intergenerational: What topic could involve students working to help an older or younger generation.

CSL AND EDUCATION REFORM

Key strategy for long-term improvement Provides teachers with an important tool for

enhancing student understanding Supports project-based, inquiry-oriented, student-

active instruction Makes content and standards more meaningful and

understandable Excellent vehicle for performance assessment Helps young people make a school to career

transition Is essential to promoting civic understanding and

engagement

It’s a philosophy!”

“It’s more than a building...

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE

Representative democracy in schools is not effective in building the skills of deliberative dialogue and informed policy decision-making for all students.

Students need to directly experience being a responsible member of a democratic community.

However, this requires creating clusters or small schools within a school where democratic dialogue is possible.

Restructuring Hudson High School as a Laboratory for Democracy

Teams of 100 students in grade 8 and 9 Interest-focused, multi-grade clusters of

relatively equal size (125-150) for grades 10-12

Students stay in cluster for grades 10-12One-hour weekly democratic “town

meetings” within teams and clusters scheduled to discuss cluster/school-related issues or participate in other community-building activities

HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL

Potential large group meeting spaces

THEMATIC CLUSTERS IN GRADES 10-12

Science, Health and the Environment

Business, Engineering and Technology

Communication, Media and the Arts

Public Policy, Service, and Education

CLUSTER MEETING TIME

Week 1: Small group governance meetings in classrooms discussing an issue

Week 2: Whole cluster governance meeting discussing the issue talked about in the small groups the previous week

Week 3: Small group work on service projects in classrooms

Week 4: Large group meeting to hear a speaker

ISSUES FOR LAST YEAR FOOD SERVICE: Students advocated for changes in the food

service program, including serving home cooked, high quality food. The district is in the process of hiring a Chef to improve the food service program.

PARKING: The Community Council with input from clusters decided which students would be able to park in the front lot.

REPRESENTATION ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE: The Community Council set up a process for selecting a student to serve on the School Committee.

CLUSTER CREDIT: Students concerned a variety of strategies for providing recognition and accountability for cluster time, including whether students should receive credit and a grade for cluster time.

DRESS CODE: Initiated in response to faculty concern, students are reexamining the dress code for the high school.

ADVANTAGES OF CLUSTERING/TEAMING

A stronger sense of community Richer relationships between faculty and students Personalized school environment More meaningful instructional program More stimulating professional culture for staff Engagement of all students in consistent and

meaningful service-learning experiences Engagement of all students in decision-making about

school issues that promotes ethical development Improved academic performance

DIRECT INSTRUCTION IN STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Student Leadership CollaborativeStudent leadership conferencesSummer leadership instituteFull day leadership trainingWorkshops for faculty advisorsFor the future…a virtual leadership

course and student network

PERCENT OF 10TH GRADERS AT PROFICIENT AND ADVANCED IN ELA 1999-2004

48

57

61

74

67

76

3436

51

5961

63

30

40

50

60

70

80

99 00 01 02 03 04

HUDSON STATE

PERCENT OF 10TH GRADERS AT PROFICIENT AND ADVANCED IN MATH 1999-2004

35

4947

50

55

69

24

33

45 44

51

57

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

99 00 01 02 03 04

HUDSON STATE

CLASS OF % TAKING SAT VERBAL MATH1998 90% 498 4861999 88% 489 4782000 85% 498 4852001 84% 523 5242002 90% 507 5202003 86% 513 5272004 91% 521 533

NAT'L AVE 60% 508 518

MEAN SAT SCORES FOR HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENT ENROLLED IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES .

166 163

258240

75

225

83118

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

FY98 FY99 FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05

OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL

0% 0%

53%

31%

16%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1 2 3 4 5

RATING 1 (NOT SATISFIED) TO 5 (VERY SATISFIED)

PREPARED ABOUT THE

SAME54%

NOT AS WELL

PREPARED6%

BETTER PREPARED

40%

PREPARATION: CLASS OF 2003PREPARATION: CLASS OF 2003

SETTING HIGH STANDARDS FOR QUALITY WORK: CLASS OF 2003

0%4%

20%

55%

22%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1 2 3 4 5

RATING 1 (NOT WELL) TO 5 (VERY WELL)

PROMOTING RESPECT FOR CLASS OF 2003: HOW

WELL HHS PROMOTES RESPECT

0.0%

10.2%12.2%

51.0%

26.5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1 2 3 4 5

NOT WELL (1) TO VERY WELL (5)

CLASSTOTAL

RESPONSES YES % NO %2001 31 30 96.8% 1 3.2%2002 32 29 90.6% 3 9.4%2003 50 46 92.0% 4 8.0%TOTAL 113 105 92.9% 8 7.1%

At Hudson High School was there a teacher/coach/staff member who was particularly helpful and a positive influence on you?

POSITIVE ADULT INFLUENCE

CIVIC ENGAGEMENTCIVIC ENGAGEMENT

CLASSREGISTERED

TO VOTEPERCENT

REGISTERED VOTEDPERCENT VOTED

PERFORMED COMMUNITY

SERVICE

PERCENT PERFORMED COMMUNITY

SERVICE2001 18 58.1% 10 32.3% 18 58.1%2002 19 55.9% 6 17.6% 20 58.8%2003 41 80.4% 31 60.8% 32 62.7%TOTAL 78 67.2% 47 40.5% 70 60.3%

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT OF HUDSON ALUMNI

THE RESULTS

Young people begin to: understand the meaning of the common good, appreciate that their actions have consequences

for others and the community at large, and develop a sense of relatedness to and

responsibility for the larger human community.