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Vermont Rural Partnership: Bringing School into Community, Community into School |
By placing your mouse over the highlighted text, a box will appear with annotated comments. Also provided is a link to the complete list of comments. |
| Bringing
School into Community, Community into School "What would it be like if the smallest, most economically challenged schools had the opportunity to work together? Could structures be created so they could learn from and support each other? Could they as a group leverage resources they would be unable to access alone? Could they commit to common goals and support each other in their accomplishment, work to get better together? Could students be empowered to take a critical leadership role in their schools and communities? Most importantly, could they bridge the gap between schools and communities, utilize community resources to make a difference in schools, and in turn meet community needs and make a difference in their communities? After all, if small schools cannot bridge the gap between schools and communities, who can? Small schools are uniquely poised to maximize community connections, and they need the support of the people power that communities can provide. This was the promise of the Vermont Rural Partnership." Margaret MacLean, Principal of Peacham School [1] The questions posed by Margaret MacLean above have been
the driving force behind the Vermont Rural Partnership since its inception.
Could a group of small schools band together to bridge the gap between
school and community, creating a structure that would help us learn from
and support each other? In addressing the four essential components of
Portfolio Entry 3, we will also be answering Margaret’s questions
and telling the VRP story. I. Impact on Instruction
and Student Leadership Evidence to illustrate and support each area is excerpted
throughout the document or included in the annotated appendix. Place-Based Learning in VRP Schools
Figure
1.1 [2] Teachers provided an inventory of 152 place-based
projects in 12 schools, indicating place-based criteria that applied to
each project. This chart combines the results to show trends within these
schools. 
I. Impact on Instruction & Student Leadership How has involvement in the Vermont Rural Partnership (VRP) impacted instruction in its member schools? How has it promoted student leadership? PLACE-BASED CURRICULUM Over the past five years, the VRP has focused much of its energy on helping teachers develop interdisciplinary curriculum that builds on and uses historical, environmental, and human resources in the community. With help from various service providers and the exchange of ideas and practice at conferences, VRP schools have made significant progress toward developing place-based curricular units and service-learning activities that are aligned to the Vermont Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities. In fact, a consortium of groups spear-headed by VRP members successfully initiated changes in state standards around place-based learning and sustainability. [3] Inventory of Examples In the spring of 2002, we asked VRP teachers to provide an inventory of place-based learning examples they had been conducting in their classrooms (Figure 1-1). Sixty-nine teachers in twelve schools returned inventories of classroom activities, describing 152 projects they classified as place-based curriculum. [4] Criteria such as "Connects to community", "promotes understanding or appreciation of place", "promotes citizenship or service" and includes a "work or product made public" were characteristics of the majority of these projects and activities. "An important part of our work with the VRP has been to engage in purposeful conversations on how to incorporate place-based learning throughout our teaching. Doty’s teachers worked with Joseph Keifer and Mark Skelding to plan place-based units. Our teachers all enrolled in a place-based curriculum development course that focused on meeting the Vermont standards while teaching environmental issues." [5] David Wells, Principal, Doty Memorial School
Learning in Place Conference On May 20, 2002, workshops were presented by VRP teachers and students from ten member schools at the "VRP Learning in Place Conference" at Johnson State College. [6] Explicitly described as "A Conference for Vermont Teachers and Students by Vermont Teachers and Students," the Conference offered four workshops for each of three grade levels (elementary, middle, and high school). The range of workshops included explorations of local history, river units, habitat research and environmental studies, and cultural explorations (see Appendix). Many presentations of student work involved original research they had conducted about local historical or environmental issues that was presented to their communities. Typical workshop descriptions included phrases such as "Students will share their work with map-making and interviewing," "Students will share their own student-developed Naturalist Field Guide" and "how student work has impacted the local community," [7] indicating the high level of commitment to student-driven learning connected to place in VRP schools. "... Curriculum of place was important to the teachers but we lacked clear direction for how to develop and integrate using the standards. This year four teachers have developed units on the history of Walden in grades one through four. These teachers will lead us on our journey next year in creating a social studies curriculum that will incorporate the important components of what makes our community special." [8] Jeffrey Lindgren, Principal of Walden School While the learning in Place Conference itself exemplifies how the VRP is working to deepen and spread place-based curriculum in Vermont’s schools, many other curricular exam-ples of such learning have had a significant impact on instruction in VRP schools. In the VRP Report 2000, Community Works Journal, and Vital Results Through Service-Learning: Linking Students and Community in Vermont, numerous community-based learning initiatives in VRP schools have been documented and widely shared. The VRP Website In April 2002, VRP launched its own website to share curriculum exemplars, information about member schools and conference highlights. [9] The website now features curriculum exemplars shared at the Conference. Schools around the nation as well as in Vermont can learn from and contribute to our experiences in this area by visiting us at: http://www.vermontruralpartnership.org "I feel the VRP stands out as a leader among Rural School and Community Trust projects in terms of including students in important decisions, soliciting student input, supporting student-organized efforts, and providing students the skills they need to be effective leaders and partners." Cara Cookson, Former VRP student leader [10] Students as Leaders VRP students are increasingly perceived as assets to their communities. In their roles as mentors, data gatherers, investigators, interviewers, writers editors, and presenters, VRP students are continually challenged to stretch themselves in the areas of independent learning and leadership. "Two of our students helped develop and implement a student leadership curriculum that has been disseminated statewide. [11] A group of students organized two regional student extravaganzas. . .These were wonderful events that truly inspired our students. That involvement led to a reorganization and revitalization of our student governance system. For the first time in the sixteen years that I have been at Cabot, there is an effective student governance system." David Book, Principal, Cabot School The Adventures in Leadership curriculum David refers to above has been included by Senator Jeffords in Federal legislation to facilitate its dissemination statewide. [12] Student voice is openly encouraged as part of the regular partnership retreats in the fall and spring. "... [M]ost importantly, the retreats have become the voices of the students...Their needs, their interests, their concerns are at the forefront of the VRP work," according to Joseph Kiefer of Food Works, a VRP service provider who has been deeply involved in curriculum development. 13] Students have been challenged to become independent learners who listen to and respect each other’s voices. Facilitated by Helen Beattie, a VRP service provider who has been instrumental in developing student leadership, VRP students formed a Student Alliance and organized day-long conferences for middle and high school students to showcase their involvement in their communities and in their own learning. [14]
"The Student Alliance has had the biggest impact on me. It was through this group that I learned how to problem solve, how to speak effectively in public and make presentations, and how to work with others, particularly older adults. Helen and VRP were especially supportive of my senior project on Student Leadership and helped to turn my vision of a Northeast Regional Student Leadership Conference into an exciting reality." [15] Cara Cookson, former VRP student leader Not only have students played a pivotal role in VRP, they have impacted state and national policy. In fact, they advocated for youth voice on the State Board of Education, which now has two student members, one from Peoples Academy (a VRP school). On the national level, VRP students have been instrumental in developing a Youth Council, which actively advises the National RSCT Board of Directors. In fact, they have secured two voting positions on that board. [16] Three VRP secondary level schools will be participating in a new PEW civic engagement initiative. This effort will result in school-wide student dialogue and action planning to further VRP priorities. II. Engaging the Community How has the VRP affected the relationship between member schools and their communities, engaging communities in schools and vice versa? MAKING CHANGE SYSTEMIC: An Interview with Jan Eastman ". . . you don’t do projects. You have to find a way to do systemic change. It may take longer, but it’s the only way it’s going to work in the long run." Jan Eastman, President The Snelling Center and "Community of Purpose"[17] In and out of state government, and a former member of Peacham school board, Snelling Center President Jan Eastman had known and worked with many of the players in Vermont’s educational drama before the Vermont Rural Partnership started. By the time the Annenburg funding arrived, Jan had begun the School Leadership Project at the Snelling Center. Three of the principals who would be part of the VRP were already involved in the Leadership project. She knew that the principals in the partnership wanted funding for leadership and community connections. When Margaret MacLean redrafted the grant for the Rural Schools and Communities Trust, seven schools submitted grants on their own and created a nonprofit to get the funding directly to these small schools. At this point, VRP began to need a governance structure, and from then on, the Snelling Center was behind the scenes helping us take the steps necessary to evolve one as we hammered out a vision for where we wanted to go. "A lot of this early work was about making this effort systemic, making sure we were listening to what the schools wanted, even if it wasn’t what we had envisioned. We were trying to help the schools see that they had to envision their own future. If we really wanted a nonheirarchical structure, we had to let go. It’s risky, but we have modeled that behavior. Most of the work is done before the meetings— talking to people, preparing them." Toward a Community of Purpose[18] The term Community of Purpose refers to how you create the connection between the school and the community that becomes the school-community vision. "If you walk down the street in a small town, and you stop four or five people, and at least two of them who do not work in the school know what’s going on at the school, then you have a community of purpose." Ray Proulx, Snelling Center Faculty As Jan explains, it is an understanding that the whole community has to be responsible for the school, not just the parents. "It’s our social commitment to our kids." "The Community of Purpose three-year planning process . . . was a truly expanding experience for all of us involved. . . . [T]o reach into the community through the grassroots organizing of kitchen meetings gave all of us a sense of inclusiveness that made the process rewarding. The work of reviewing and revisiting issues that the community and school were concerned with made us all open our minds and hearts to what was best for the school and children . . . We all learned a great deal about education, children, our community and the teachers." Bess O’Brien, parent and community member Starting with the People: Learning Community Seminars "It’s important to start with the people," says Jan. "A lot of work cannot happen until the principal is secure in his/herself - enough to let go so he or she will share leadership within a school. That’s creating the professional learning teams.[19] The school leaders also have to be secure and confident to ‘let go to the community,’ and they may have to find their own language to do this. "We want to be sure the community is electing the right kind of school board members, and that the school board members are asking the right kinds of questions in a hiring process, so that when you’ve created this climate and this new culture, it really is bought into. It can’t all be done by a principal or positional leader. It wouldn’t happen that way." Every Community is Different Community of Purpose meetings have happened at Washington Village, Cabot, Coventry, Burke, Walden and Peacham schools. "They look different at every school because they need to," according to Jan. "At the Snelling Center we have grown well-practiced in listening to what’s going on with a group of people. We try to honor other people’s work, and honor where the community is, and build on that. What I’ve found in other ‘change processes’ is how quickly things can go wrong if a school or an individual school leader gets way out in front of the community." "There is a way of doing this work that doesn’t assume we have all the answers. Community of Purpose work didn’t come early because people weren’t ready for it. And it doesn’t have to be called "Community of Purpose" — some schools have done this on their own or in other ways. But in places where people are ready to be sure they are connected to community, and to test their assumptions about how much support they have, this kind of work can be useful and valuable. In Coventry, the principal is leaving, and this is a good time for her to do this work. Her school has made a lot of strides and if they have done a good job, there is a good chance the community will hire someone who will continue to do this work. In Burke, the principal began to figure out ways to let go, to get community members and others really committed rather than doing too much of the work herself.[20] She worked hard to do that. Our job is to support, and to help people seek to do more than might otherwise seem possible, but not to do it all." Getting at the Values "Community of Purpose work is value laden, we really want to get at the values. A mission statement is important, but what leads up to the mission statement? Why would someone want to come to your school? What makes your school different? What Community of Purpose work is for is to have the right kind of conversation with the community. You need to understand where the community’s values are and understand if there are conflicting values because that’s what’s going to get you in trouble. People’s values don’t change. You need them to set the framework: What do they believe in and really care about? That then gives you, the staff members at the school, the ability to design how you present your education plan and your curriculum." "This work should be done when everything’s fine, not when there’s tension." Jan Eastman "If you have communities talking at the value and purpose level, not the implementation level, you’ll have fewer points of disconnect. What can happen then are true conversations and dialogue, avoiding debate. It takes time and trust to do this. If you have these kinds of conversations, it can help you predict where the mine fields might be. It is also important to work in teams, so that someone can be watching. It’s important for people to see and feel that what’s going on is not unique to their situation. Because you want them to learn from other experiences as well as their own. It takes time and effort to make sure everyone gets to the table, and it takes honest commitment to make sure that the conversation is not about implementation, but about the values we hold dear and what our commitment to kids is." "There is a way of honoring people that lets you validate opinions that you don’t necessarily share — "Here is what I heard you say" — acknowledging that a person has been heard, that his or her ideas have been listened to, have influenced the conversation. If we can help people be more secure in who they are, by listening to and understanding them, and if we can let go of the idea that we need 100 percent agreement on issues, we can have a conversation that honors what we all care about, and come to a common understanding of the values we share. Don’t get angry when you lose a vote. Move on." Jan Eastman Deep Community of Purpose work has set the stage for all the hopes, wishes, and dreams of the Vermont Rural Partnership. LINKING SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY 6th grade student journalist School-Community Newspapers In news-papers produced by students, our communities and schools are finding out about each other and students are learning valuable writing, editing and production skills. In the six years since the partnership began, VRP students have begun producing at least five school-community newspapers on a regular basis (Kid Row Press, Belvidere Free Press, Panther Prints, Bucketville News, The Bulldog Press). These newspapers often feature articles about people in the community or community events and are the only source of local news for these small towns. [22] "The [school-community] newsletter has now become an expectation in the community and two teachers are involved in making this newsletter project school and community based." Jean Korstange, Wardsboro School Community Members in Schools Vermont’s rural communities naturally comprise a wide variety of knowledgeable people who have expertise as farmers, woodsmen, map-makers, scientists, environmentalists, historians, artists, film makers and story-tellers. Community members have been increasingly involved in the life of the VRP schools through projects such as gardens and nature trails, video production, habitat investigations, and historical research. Two thirds of the projects in Figure 1-1 included "community participation in the learning process." [23] (link to Figure 1-1) "Because of our connection to VRP, the school is more open to people outside the school acting as teachers, and the independent study program has helped other students who don’t do well in the traditional classroom." Maura Shader, Senior, People’s Academy A large majority of the teachers who returned surveys indicated that community members were involved in their projects as volunteers or mentors, and many reported that they provided financial support and/or acted as partners with a stake in the outcome as well. To name only a few of many examples:[24]
"An important example of the effect on the community of VRP work in our school was a project in the second and third grade: They raised money for the fire department to buy a new fire hose. At the presentation to the Fire Department, the chief cried. He said no one had done anything for the Fire Department before. That kind of involvement enhanced our school’s relationship with the community. So as a result of the VRP work, I have seen more support from the community, greater involvement of community members with the school.[25] There is support for us at the town meeting when they vote on the school budget." Dick Shanley, Principal, Fairfield Center School Developing Community Assets In addition to academically challenging community-based work such as creating newspapers and conducting environmental research and oral history interviews, student involvement in community service is a hallmark of VRP schools. As shown by the remark above, student contributions to their towns have a powerful impact on a community’s perception of — and involvement in — its school. Part of the VRP’s explicit mission is to support development of community assets such as parks, snow shoe trails, animal habitats, gardens, architectural and human treasures and historical artifacts. Student–produced tour guides along with articles in Vermont Life, local newspapers and journals attest to the VRP’s efforts to cherish and enrich life in our communities.[26] "VRP is entirely based around students. Especially within my school it’s been obvious that students have had a big part in what they make of their school and what they make of their community." Maura Shader, Senior, People’s Academy The
VRP spearheaded a systematic process for students to analyze school and
community assets and become change agents based on their findings. This
innovative student-centered approach has been presented at a national
Developmental Assets Conference and adopted by communities throughout
the country.[27] III. SUPPORTING STRUCTURES: How has the governance structure of the VRP developed and operated to insure VRP’s sustainability? The Governance Board In the 1998-1999 school year, the VRP formally began to operate with a governance board consisting of one voting representative from each school. The full governance board meets at least four times per year, and a core workgroup meets more frequently as needed to conduct business and stay up-to-date with grant reports, funding requests, and other issues. Through its representatives on the governance board, member schools set policy based on consensus, together deciding how and where to spend our energy and resources. The Partnership has been able to match and leverage funding from a number of sources over the six years since its inception, including the Henderson Foundation and Learn and Serve America.[28] Without the overhead of office space and operational costs, the majority of that funding has gone directly into our schools through mini-grant applications, or has supported service providers who work one-on-one with the teachers and students in curriculum development and student leadership. 29] This has provided schools with the flexibility and freedom to build on our strengths and when needed, to focus on areas of weakness. Seasonal Retreats In addition to governance board and working group meetings, the VRP also sponsors retreats in the fall and spring of each year to provide member schools and students the opportunity to learn what other members are doing, share ideas and expertise, and benefit from activities and workshops led by VRP service providers.[30] Offerings have included community-building exercises, reflec-tion writing workshops for students and teachers, student presentations of projects, and workshops in place-based and service-learning strategies. Community members frequently attend along with students, teachers, and principals from member schools. As part of the VRP’s efforts to document our progress, a regular feature of these conferences has been visual displays of photographs, drawings, and student work, with time to wander through the gallery, sharing and celebrating our efforts with all the Partnership members. These retreats have been pivotal in building and sustaining the VRP vision.
Attentive teachers at Doty Memorial School participate
in "The first retreat was like a special gift that the VRP had given to me! Time to talk with wonderful people who were struggling with the same issues that I was. Advice, shared concerns, similar questions and more conversation. Now that I work for the Education Department of the State of Vermont, it is even clearer to me that principals of successful schools need to have a network for conversation.[31] Successful schools have a vision that is protected and encouraged by the principal." Tina Muncy, Former Principal Of all the benefits that accrue to VRP schools, one of the most valuable has been the opportunity for principals in these isolated rural schools to share their experiences, reflect on their work, and re-energize themselves by connecting to others engaged in similar challenges and frustrations. Curriculum Mapping The Curriculum Mapping project conducted by Joseph Kiefer of Food Works was a process that enabled schools to inventory their current practices in place-based[34] learning, celebrate their accomplish-ments, and develop strategies for achieving their unmet (or not yet fully formulated) goals. What emerged from this year-long effort to conduct one-on-one interviews with teachers at VRP schools was a mandate to support teachers in their efforts to relate place-based learning to state standards and align curriculum with standards and assessments. [35] Recommendations that came out of the Curriculum Mapping project included:[36]
IV. NEW IDEAS, RESOURCES, CONNECTIONS: What new ideas, re-sources and connections have been generated through the work of the VRP and its service providers? As we have attempted to show, the VRP has forged long-lasting
connections with nonprofit service providers who continue to offer resources,
ideas and hands-on opportunities for growth to VRP members in their four
chosen focus areas. Through Food Works in the area of
place-based curriculum development, Helen Beattie, In
the area of assessment and documentation, a fourth major focus for the
VRP, nonprofit service provider Vermont Community Works (VCW)
has documented An important way in which VRP’s member schools gauge their evolution in the four focus areas is by regular self-assessment using rubrics that continue to stretch the schools and stimulate growth. [40] Regularly revisiting these rubrics at our twice-yearly conferences has helped keep us on track and moving toward our goals. With help from the Snelling Center and the Paul Foundation, on-going Learning Community Seminars training is currently helping to create and support "learning communities" of teachers at many VRP schools. Faith Dunne, president of Partners in Education in Hartland, Vermont, was a moving force in this work until her untimely demise in August, 2001. Designed as a way for "teachers to help teachers to improve student learning," professional learning communities "identify learning goals that make sense in their schools, look reflectively at practices intended to achieve those goals, and collaboratively examine teacher and student work in order to meet their objectives." [41] [Research Bulletin, Center for Evaluation, Development and Research, Dec. 2000, No. 28]. Such opportunities are essential for teachers to continue deepening their practice, and reflect an important new connection for teachers forged through membership in the VRP.
Deep work is always challenging, long-term work, and we feel the Vermont Rural Partnership is just beginning to work at a deep, sustained level. In fact, we are at a pivotal point where our impact is beginning to be felt throughout our schools and communities. At the same time, our schools and communities are constantly changing, and therefore the VRP must continually develop and adapt over time if it is to remain vital. [42] The work of sustaining community involvement is never done. Turnover in School Leadership One of our greatest strengths has been our "grassroots" style of bottom-up organization. Students, teachers, community members and principals have driven the efforts of the VRP since its inception. But this strength also implies an inherent weakness: One of our biggest challenges has been maintaining continuity despite frequent turnover in school leadership. With high principal turnover a perennial problem, we need leadership support. Though we have tried to include superintendents, we have not yet been successful in garnering their active support. VRP has purposely chosen to invest in leadership development at a grassroots level. We have specifically promoted skill building for students, community members, teachers and principals in the areas of leadership growth. This work has had an impact, and as a result we truly are a grassroots movement for schools and communities getting better together. However, principal turnover is a big stumbling block. In some communities it sets our work back considerably; in others, it is at minimum a delaying factor until a new principal is up to speed. [43] Because new principals have so much to deal with, VRP is rarely high on their agendas. Grassroots investment in leadership development has kept the work alive at some sites until new leadership "catches on." Nevertheless, principal turnover remains our biggest challenge. Leveraging Resources Another continual challenge is the need to link with other initiatives and influence them toward achieving our goals, thus leveraging our resources to support a common vision. The work in which our VRP high schools will participate through the PEW Civic Engagement initiative exemplifies how we are attempting to address this challenge. [44] APPENDIX: EVIDENCE The following evidence has been compiled, copied and included with this document. Pieces of evidence (with the exception of website addresses) are numbered to help you identify them from the list below. Themes and Aspects for Entry 3:
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