Small Schools Parent/Community Update March, 2004

This is the fifth in a series of e-mail updates about Small Schools at Heights High.

SHARED GOVERNANCE An Innovative Way to Guide a High School

The Shared Governance Team is a committee that represents the stakeholders in each small school. Its purpose is to create an environment of continuous improvement that focuses on student achievement.

These teams represent a new way of thinking and acting, for all team members. This democratic model champions collaboration, embraces creativity, and fosters personal responsibility for civic engagement.

Each small school at Heights High will have a Shared Governance Team that will provide input and advise on district and school policy. The teams will be facilitated initially by the small school principals and the teacher leaders with future facilitators/chair persons to be determined by each team. Members will report out to their respective stakeholder groups and will also take concerns and ideas to the governance teams. Decisions will be made by consensus based on team discussions.

Participants on each team will include:

• small school principal and teacher leader
• 3 teachers - one being a union steward
• 1 classified (non teaching) staff member
• 6 students
• 2 parents/caregivers
• 2 community members

The teams will have decision-making responsibility in the following areas:

• Advise on courses and scheduling
• Develop, monitor and evaluate each schools’ Academic Achievement Plan
• Involve family and community in life of the small school
• Provide input on courses for the small school
• Help define assessments of programs and services
• Provide input on professional development
  Help define and implement a communications plan
• Work with the CH-UH district Data Monitoring committee

The teams will have "advisory" input in these areas:

• Budget
• Hiring
• School rules and procedures
• School hours
• Extra-curricular activities
• Timeline

In early January, the small schools leaders participated in the first of several Shared Governance training sessions. Dave Lehman, KnowledgeWorks Distributed Leadership Coach and retired small school principal conducted the training session. Dr. Lehman was the principal of a small school in Ithaca, NY where he led a Shared Governance Team for 30 years.

Dr. Lehman began the training by emphasizing the value of shared governance teams. "In my experience at my own school and in schools I have seen around the country, these teams create powerful feelings of ownership that comes from adults and young people working together. They share ideas and make decisions to continually improve their small school, " he said.

By mid-March, students will know their small school affiliation for the ‘05-‘06 school year. Parents are invited to apply for openings on their child’s small school shared governance team by March 24. Community members are also invited to apply. In April, the shared governance teams will be formed and will participate in training sessions led by Dr. Lehman. Go to http://www.chuh.org/smallschools/parentcommapp.pdf to print out an application.

These teams that are formed this spring will continue to operate during ‘05-‘06 school year.

The above information was taken from a larger CH-UH Shared Governance Document that can be viewed at: http://www.chuh.org/smallschools/SharedGovJan.pdf

The Small Schools updates are prepared by Joy Henderson, Parent/Community Liaison for the Small Schools at Heights High. For more information contact Joy at 320-3052 or at J_Henderson@chuh.org.