PBL+Paper+with+conclusion+11-16-10

         Hickory Ridge High School Problem Based Learning Activity Dolphins Team Angela Davis Gwendelyn Fristensky Kassandra Gallegos Renee’ L. Hanson Florida Gulf Coast University     <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> **__ Introduction  __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Hickory Ridge High School is currently a focal point of attention in the Wingfield School District. A large urban school of approximately 1800 students, Hickory Ridge’s student population is comprised of approximately 15% exceptional or special needs, 46% white, 40% African American, 12% Hispanic, and 2% Asian. The students’ needs at this school have changed over the years as is the case with many schools in our nation, and the faculty and school community have worked to meet these changing needs. The student demographics vary greatly from the Iowa State average. According to the Iowa Department of Education the state average includes 82% white, 5% African American, 0% Hispanic, 2% Asian, less than 1% Native American and 2% Multi-Race. The vast difference in demographics as compared to the state average as well as the overall student achievement levels makes Hickory Ridge High School an interesting case for school reform as well as a good place to implement technological innovations. Hickory Ridge has been under the leadership of Jim O’Connor who was a middle school teacher for eight years prior to moving into an assistant-principal position. Serving 13 years as an assistant principal has provided Jim with a lot of experience and led the way to his promotion last year to principal of Hickory Ridge. Jim’s years serving the school district and community have given him great insight into the community and he is actually known as the “keeper of the history.” The staff members at Hickory Ridge see him as knowledgeable but he is not well respected and they do not believe he has a real grasp on the district’s vision for their school. He is able to provide the younger staff with perspective and understanding of the community but the younger staff members also see him as having a very limited amount of power and importance. They do not see him as being able to help them with their upward mobility within the district. Over the last four years while serving as superintendent of the Wingfield School District, it has become evident that changes must occur. Each year new teachers known as “fast-trackers” have been placed at Hickory Ridge making a total of twenty-seven. These “fast-trackers” have all been in the top 10 percent of their programs of study and are knowledgeable about desired school reforms and are readily willing to share their expertise in the area of technology. The decision to place these teachers at Hickory Ridge was a carefully planned idea implemented in hopes that the principal and aging teaching staff would learn innovative programs and stay closer to the cutting edge of what is happening in education rather than settle into the whole “We’ve always done it this way” mentality. The plan is not going exactly as hoped because the new teachers feel that Principal O’Connor is always second-guessing their work and the aging staff members are not really interested in making any major changes to their programs. The new teachers question the principal’s ability to do his job properly and question whether or not the aging teachers can really get the needed results. Pressure from the board is mounting and school reform must be implemented. The board has a good vision for Hickory Ridge but implementing that vision will take some work on everyone’s part. Several different areas must be addressed to make reform happen. A plan must be developed and there must be stakeholder buy-in. Stakeholder buy-in to the school’s mission and vision is critical in creating a uniform belief system within a school. The Education Commission of the States (1992) purports that having a shared vision is a critical piece of the educational reform puzzle that anchors and gives meaning to the whole. Without that uniform belief as the glue that all stakeholders buy into, the odds that you will end up with a cohesive staff working for the benefit of increasing student achievement are slim. Therefore, one of the first steps in the plan is to generate a new mission and vision that involves district level personnel who actually have already expressed their desire for this school to be a reform model and a school rich in technological innovation. Other stakeholders that should be included are the administrators, faculty, non-instructional staff, students, parents, and community members/business partners. There is an old saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, any route will do,” which is a trap that Hickory Ridge cannot afford to fall into yet again. As development of the vision begins it is important to remind the stakeholders that the old vision does not have to be scrapped and that Hickory Ridge does not necessarily have to start from scratch but rather they can build on what is already known to be working and make improvements that are deemed necessary. The vision should reflect those common beliefs that bind the stakeholders together in their shared responsibility for the students. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> According to the Education Commission of the States, a vision: <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">can provide a common reference point for participants with different perspectives; <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">can raise public expectations for both educational system and student performance; <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">helps gain support for reform; <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">can help build persistence among the stakeholders; <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">can help motivate and inspire people; <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">allows a school community to control its own destiny; <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">can provide continuity through changes in leadership; and <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">provide a professional focus for teachers and administrators. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Developing a vision can be accomplished if everyone agrees that they are there for the best interest of the students and to increase student achievement. After completing this first step in the plan, another important aspect at Hickory Ridge must be addressed and that is the issue of building a community of respect. **__ Building a Community of Respect  __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Before people can function together, before teachers can work together, and before teachers and students can work together productively, there must be an atmosphere of respect. According to Sweetland (2009), children benefit when the adults in a school building work together productively and joyfully. Sweetland (2009) also mentions that too often schools end up being places of isolation, competition among students and teachers, and place unneeded emotional stress on those involved. Rather than being a place of nurturing and encouragement, faculty lounges and eating areas become places to complain about fellow teachers, students, administrators, and regulations. Rather than work for continual improvement, many educators fall into the blame game trap. In an effort to build respect among colleagues at Hickory Ridge, Professional Learning Communities will be implemented. Professional learning communities place teachers in a role of being the solution rather than the problem. Ample time will be provided for the professional learning communities to meet and have time for reflection, talking with coworkers, and finding new solutions to some old problems. It takes time to build a community and Sweetland (2009) acknowledges that professional learning communities take a long-term commitment if change is to take place, in fact, it could take three to five years for cultural shift to not just get planted but actually have time to grow and sustain. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Some ways to build respect include cooperation, leadership, balance, service, and responsibility. Staff members feel better about themselves when they have a leader they admire and respect. When staff members feel that a leader is concerned about him or her as individuals, they work harder. To build confidence of each other’s talents, one must work things out with other people and accept each other’s opinions. Working to develop this admiration and respect can be accomplished by creating collaborative activities that bring out the best in everyone. In this activity participants form small groups of five people and try to put together pieces of puzzles to form a square in front of each participant. Participants proceed according to specific rules which are enforced by the principal while the assistant principal can be appointed as the observer and the facilitator. After the activity, a debriefing session can build on experiences and feelings of the participants and the comments of the observers to examine the points raised by this activity. Principals can raise the expectations of the school community and help everyone live up to the mission of the school by using this process, reports Hyman (1986). Inspiring, doing the right thing, and empowering others are signs of a principal who show respect. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Having a principal who is credible and trustworthy is a major first step. The principal needs to exercise a high degree of moral leadership to raise the expectations of all staff and internalize the school’s goals and its philosophy. It is important for the principal to keep the organization focused on the vision and mission. It is the responsibility of the administration to keep everyone focused on the school’s and district’s goals. This can release their creative energies to work in cooperation and harmony to achieve better results. The school staff, with the principal’s guidance must understand the difference between what should and should not change in keeping consistent with the vision. A professional atmosphere where everyone is being heard through, evaluation and reflection, could balance among the staff. Creating communities that include long-term teachers, new teachers, and administrators can be a chance for everyone to speak in an environment that is non-threatening and equitable. **__ Communication  __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Sometimes to implement reform we have to be willing to throw out the old and accept the new and nothing could be truer than in the area of communication for the members of Hickory Ridge. In fact, Sweetland (2009) believes that meaningful learning often requires the development of new means of communication. One idea that will be included in the professional learning communities will be for teachers to write on index cards factors that influence student performance. Then they will separate the cards into two stacks: In My Control and Out of My Control. Sweetland (2009) reminds us though that the objective of the activity is not to reach consensus, but rather to open up discussion of the role of the teacher, inviting teachers who feel disempowered to acknowledge and claim the power of their personal influence, making space for redefinition and reflection on individual and collective responsibilities. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">According to Mullen & Hutinger (2008), when principals facilitate the study group process, they create informed teachers and achieve higher scores among students. Principals are also able to integrate school-wide study teams and bring universities to the process of building understanding and create effective strategies for student success. The power of the study group process is a representation of the growth process. The study group process is respectful of the fact that teachers know that there are no easy solutions for the complex issues they face. In truth, educators recognize that improving schools and one’s teaching practice is a journey. This journey may well have no definitive end in sight, the road may be pocked with potholes, and sticking to the path may be an act of trust at times. It will not be easy and it will not have immediate results, but it will honor the participants as professionals with expertise and experience to contribute, and over time, it will contribute to teachers’ own learning and sense of professional status. “The administrators, teachers, and counselors use these principles for guiding their study groups: students come first, everyone participates, leadership is shared, responsibility is equal, and work is public” (Murphy & Lick, 2005). Student achievement can be measured with teachers analyzing current achievement levels; setting goals for improvement; analyzing, adjusting, and refining instructional strategies; and evaluating student outcomes. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">As a way to assure the importance of community collaboration, at the end of the school year, staff can recap the year to discuss the needs for the next school year. The principal can ask teachers to identify topics that require their collective attention, such as working with unmotivated students, using the question and answer technique in the classroom, and cooperative learning. Some other important topics include technology in the classroom and reflective techniques for teachers. When different teachers share the same problems or issues, staff can consider these matters for in-service opportunities for the next school year. To drive change, Gilley & McMillan (2009), found that effective skills, while isolating the specific leader behaviors deemed most valuable to implementing change: motivation and communication. ** __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Team Building __ **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In addition to building a community of respect and working on increasing empowerment, motivation, and communication, some specific team-building activities will be implemented at future faculty meetings. Some examples of the activities include: <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Flaghouse Activity Guides recommend using a challenge tarp to have teams of teachers work together. The group of teachers lays the tarp down on the floor and the team members all stand on the tarp. The challenge is to flip the tarp over while your team is still standing on the tarp without stepping off. (Flaghouse Activity Guides, 2005) <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A second activity is more of a get to know you activity. This activity would work extremely well at Hickory Ridge due to the large number of newer teachers on staff. At a faculty meeting, each teacher receives a piece of paper with a place to write their name and then three things about themselves. Two of the things should be true and one should be false. An administrator reads them out loud and the staff tries to guess who it is. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> These are just a few team building activities that could be utilized and with a little background research, many more activities could be found and implemented during faculty and team meetings to work on developing a common respect among staff members while also building in a bit of fun during these trying times. ** __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Comprehensive School Reform __ ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> As the superintendent of the Wingfield School District, recognizing the need for comprehensive school reform has led to many discussions with the School Board members. The School Board decided on two comprehensive school reform models involving high schools: Co-NECT and Talent Development High School. Implementing these will help solve several of the issues going on at Hickory Ridge High and if the Wingfield School Board finds these to be successful, these models will be implemented at other high schools in the district. The district is also reviewing a few other reform models that begin with Pre-K and continue through high school so the transition from grade to grade and school level to school level will provide students with continuity of expectations and hopefully have a very positive impact on student achievement. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Co-NECT is a school reform model which aims to improve students’ achievement through the integration of technology into instruction. This model reorganizes a school into multi-grade groups of students and teachers. According to Cunningham and Cordeiro (2009), lessons connect curriculums through interdisciplinary projects. Ross and Lowther (2003) indicate that the Co-NECT model was designed around these five benchmarks: <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">1. Shared accountability for results: The whole school works together to attain goals. <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">2. Project-based learning - Teaching for Understanding and Accomplishment: <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">All students are continuously involved in projects and activities that ask tough <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">questions, involve the application of knowledge to real-life problems, produce <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">deep contextual understanding, and cause students to produce authentic, high-quality work. Many activities generate and depend on multiple, two-way partnerships with parents, businesses, and other members of the community. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">3. Comprehensive Assessment for Continuous Improvement: Assessment is  <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">standards-based and uses multiple measures of student achievement. Results are reported in informative, timely, and interactive. Results guide improvement in teaching and learning. <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">4. Team-Based School Organization: Teachers are organized in small learning communities or clusters with built in time for planning and reflection. Student grouping is designed to keep students and teachers together for more than one year and the grouping is flexible and purposeful. <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">5. Sensible Use of Technology: All members of the school are able to access modern technologies. Technology is fully integrated into the curriculum. <span style="font-family: 'Times-Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The Board felt that this reform model would be effective for Hickory Ridge because of the model’s blend of collaboration and technology. Hickory Ridge is in need of a reform that will get teachers working together and supporting one another. The Co-NECT model allows for teachers of different academic content areas to collaborate to integrate curriculums and create problem based learning activities that spans many content areas. Since Hickory Ridge has district-driven and district supported technology initiatives, it is equipped to handle the technological integration of the Co-NECT program. Some of the newer staff members are digital natives whereas some of the older staff members are digital immigrants and need help seeing technology as a bridge rather than fence. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Another model of school reform that the Board of Education of the Wingfield School District decided to implement at Hickory Ridge High School is the Talent Development High School reform model. This model is directed at schools educating students in 9th through 12th grades. According to Cunningham and Cordeiro (2009) this model is aimed at focusing instruction on students’ academic needs and career interests by dividing large urban high schools into smaller units. The Board of Education members felt that this model would work quite well at the high school which has suffered adversely from a split of it ’ s faculty and by dividing the school into smaller units and pairing some of the aging staff members with some of the newer staff members in a smaller environment could not only result in a benefit to the students but also in helping build the respect and collaboration that the administrators are seeking. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> A report from the United States Department of Education Institute of Education Science indicates that the Talent Development High School reform model calls for schools to reorganize into smaller learning communities including ninth grade academies for first year students and career academies for students in the upper grades - to reduce student isolation and anonymity. Research for Talent Development High School reform indicates some positive results in a case study of 11 schools in the Philadelphia area. By the end of the first year, students earned an average of 5.2 credits and in the comparison schools they earned an average of 4.5 credits. The end of the second year brought even more noticeable results with the Talent High students earning an average of 9.5 as compared to 8.6 and the largest difference being reported in the third year of reform with students earning 13.2 credits as compared to 12.3. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Bringing innovation and risk taking into the educational practices at Hickory Ridge will be part of the process as the staff members embrace the comprehensive reform efforts that are district-driven initiatives. Though some will try to buck the system and stick with what they feel is tried and true, the smaller collaborative groups from the reform models, the mentoring programs, and staff development will ensure adherence to the new protocols that come with reform. **__ Staff Support and Empowerment  __** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> According to Maele and Houtte (2009), success in implementing school reforms must embrace programs that increase teacher trust. At Hickory Ridge, Jim O’Connor is viewed by the staff as having limited power, importance, and as not being able to help them to gain desired promotions. Though he is viewed as being knowledgeable, he is not viewed as being able to understand the school district’s vision for HRHS. With the push toward reform, now more than ever, there needs to be an atmosphere of trust and ‘team’ at the school. It must be headed by the principal, and supported by the staff. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Maele and Houtte (2009) state that faculty trust in students, parents, colleagues, and the principal are associated with conditions of organizational value, culture, size, and group composition. With the creation of new vision and mission statements, Mr. O’Connor needs to make sure to include all stakeholders so as to unite them ‘under one flag’. The faculty seems to have trust already in the community and parents. Trust in administration and colleagues can be strengthened through team-building, and giving the faculty the power to serve on committees and carry out tasks throughout the process from selecting a reform program, to implementation, and assessment. The gaps in technology and teaching practices that exist between older and younger faculty need to be addressed, especially since the district reform initiative is one of creating a technologically driven, innovative school district. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">At Hickory Ridge, even though major pressure was put on the system to incorporate computers into the curriculum and daily instruction, the actual use of the computers by both teachers and students has been disappointing. The older faculty members are not motivated to embrace the integration of technology in the curriculum. Professional development in the area of learning new pedagogies is often found to be lacking in schools, and is the greatest obstacle to successful implementation (Groff & Mouza, 2008). Changes that must take place in order to implement technology use in the classroom may prompt teachers who are uncomfortable with technology and with change to resist and do only enough to skate by. In addition to quality staff development, an arrangement should be made for younger and older faculty members to work together in mentorship pairs or groups: the younger mentoring the older in technology and innovative teaching practices, and the older mentoring the younger in the informal structures of the school and community. Since many of the parents are also technically advanced, they could serve as somewhat of a mediating and facilitating presence during technology mentoring sessions. Through empowering the staff and bringing them together, the group will be better motivated to take on reform of the school under the district’s vision. In addition to empowering staff, a good administrative team must recognize the need for staff motivation. ** __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Motivate Staff to Research Reforms __ ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Getting the staff to work together and on the same page as far as the school’s mission and vision are concerned will go far in motivating them to contribute to finding an appropriate reform program for Hickory Ridge. The district’s reform efforts allowed a core of Hickory teachers to participate in activities that included technology-based tours and attending forums on the implementation of pilot programs to reform schools. Many of the younger teachers may already have knowledge of reform programs that may be appropriate at HRHS, and with new willingness to work together Mr. O’Connor might successfully appoint some catered think tank sessions to look over the extensive research and pertinent knowledge that exists for the desired reforms and promising innovative programs. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In situations where staff can work collaboratively with one another in varying groups and in varying roles and by extending their responsibilities, they come to recognize the worth of their work as individuals and to the school as a whole. They become happier in their work, and more willing to take on challenges and take risks (Lance, 2010). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The parents of HRHS also want to be involved in what is going on at school, and their aid should be enlisted in the many tasks involved in school reform. As stated by Guhn (2009), it is important, however, to make sure that parental support is not overly-present or given too much weight as it can be counterproductive by introducing more stress to the process. The positive energy that is brought by the support of the parents can be a catalyst for the staff to work together and utilize their unique skill sets with foci on student benefits and professional purpose. Greater community and parent involvement are well-known as valuable contributors to successful education reform, and connecting the school with the community through ICT (communication technology), is one way to keep the energy flowing from the parents into the staff (Hohfeld, Ritzhaupt, & Barron, 2010). Consistent, open communication regarding needs between staff and parents will ensure that parent support is at a level healthy for the school environment. ICT and technology integration is one way to conveniently facilitate this through the use of email, automatic phone messaging, classroom websites/blogs, and other digital means. ** __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Celebrating Hickory Ridge __ ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> According to the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (2004) the average public school teacher age in the State of Iowa is 46 years old. Hickory Ridge High School’s teaching staff consists of 45.6% of the teachers at age 46 or older and the remaining 44.4% being under 46 years of age. Of that 44.4%, 37.8% are under the age of 30 and 21.4 % are actually under the age of 26 which would be indicative of a younger generation of teachers coming in fresh out of school who are digital natives. They have grown up with technology being part of their lives and could offer a lot in the way of mentoring and training for staff that is not as comfortable implementing technology in their classrooms. The staff at Hickory Ridge can also be proud of the fact that 56.9% of the faculty has a master’s degree, 2.4% have obtained their education specialist degree and 2.4% have obtained either their doctorate or a professional degree. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Hickory Ridge is also fortunate to have a supportive parent group. Hickory Ridge’s parents are young, community minded and technically advanced. Research has shown that, parents who are involved with their child’s school will reinforce the teacher’s techniques and approaches at home (Seda, 2007). Hickory Ridge will be implementing school reform that requires the use of technology. The parents’ technology knowledge will serve to support the school’s technology driven reform efforts. ** __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Conclusion __ **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Hickory Ridge High School will continue to be the focus of attention in the Wingfield School District with some of the upcoming changes. Student achievement has not been a major issue with student scores remaining pretty consistent albeit there have been slight fluctuations. Student achievement can, however, be impacted by staff morale and that is one of the focused changes. Currently the school is being led by Jim O’Connor and a good portion of the staff members do not respect him. The staff is not cohesive and therefore a basic plan for reform has been devised and will be implemented at Hickory Ridge. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> The mission and vision will be revisited by all stakeholders to generate a clearer picture of where the school is headed and generate a wider stance of stakeholder buy-in. Once everyone is more or less on the same page, activities will be introduced to develop a more cohesive team of faculty, staff, and administrators. Team-building activities will become the focal point of faculty meetings and staff development days. The more experienced staff and the newer staff have to learn to come together and appreciate what the other side has to offer. Powerful communication needs to take place in order to be effective. Communication from the administrators to the staff, from the staff to the students, from the staff to the administrators, and from the school personnel to the community and other stakeholders are all important channels that need to be heard and acknowledged. Working on developing communication skills will be a top priority within walls of Hickory Ridge. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> In addition to generating stakeholder buy-in to the mission and vision, generating a feel of respect, and developing clear communication channels, the Wingfield School District will also introduce two comprehensive school reform models along with technology integration. Co-NECT and Talent Development High School models will be introduced. Co-NECT is a school reform model that integrates technology and Talent Development focuses on the students’ academic needs and career interests by dividing the school into smaller functioning units. Not only will these reform models benefit the students, but they will naturally develop a more cohesive staff with the smaller units relying on different members of their teams. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Hickory Ridge administrators will also be working to increase staff support and help introduce ways to make teachers feel more empowered in their positions. Staff will be encouraged to review the research as the implementation of the school reform models moves forward. Their opinions and support will be acknowledged and appreciated. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Hickory Ridge High School staff members have done a wonderful job of keeping the school connected to this community. Many staff members have been at Hickory Ridge for years providing stability and new staff members have joined the school bringing fresh, innovative ideas. Over half of the staff has a master’s degree and a small percentage of staff members have even obtained their specialist or doctorate degree. The parents within the community are helpful and involved and are the types of parents who help reinforce at home, the instruction that goes on at school. There is much to be celebrated at Hickory Ridge and efforts to recognize that will be made. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Though Hickory Ridge is in for some major changes, the changes are positive ones that will result in a better school climate and culture, and with stakeholder buy-in of the mission and vision and, hopefully, the community will see increased student achievement as a result of the efforts. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">  ** References  ** <span style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Creating <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">visions <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> and standards to support them//. 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 * __Mission and Vision__**