Designing School for Student Success: Case Study of Caldwell Early College
[Photo: Earth and environmental science teacher Denise Allen discusses results of an experiment related to global climate change with freshmen Bethany Annas and Joseph Powell.]
The following post is an excerpt from a case study of Caldwell Early College High School, a partner with NC New Schools. Click here to download the complete case study.
From the moment one enters the school, there is an almost palpable difference in the atmosphere and culture between Caldwell Early College and many traditional high schools. Everything from the student photos to the furniture is purposefully selected and placed based on published research. Even the school’s location on the campus of the community college was a careful and deliberate decision.
Key to the school’s design is a supportive stair-step approach that gradually introduces students to the demands of college coursework. Students can enter the school only in 9th grade, when they take the first of their college courses — physical education during first semester, music or drama in the second semester. The number of college courses students take increases each year. High school teachers coordinate with college instructors to ensure that students receive the support they need from their high school teachers to succeed. By 12th grade, students take all college courses, except for seminar and Spanish at the high school, while they work on completing their two-year associate degree.
English, math, history, science, and seminar are taught on alternating days Monday through Thursday, while Friday is reserved for “extension learning,” which includes off-campus learning, service learning and visits to colleges and universities. Seminar occurs in all five grades, from 9th through 13th, and focuses more on affective rather than academic learning, helping students develop skills such as self discipline, persistence, time management, organization and collaboration.
At each grade level, teachers collaborate extensively to create integrated cross-curricular units of study tied to a unifying theme or “Big Idea” that help students connect classroom learning across various subject areas and understand the relevance to themselves and the world around them. For example, students study how each academic field discovers, tests, validates and applies new knowledge in a cross curricular project called “On the Hunt.”
Teachers also work together across grades so that there is a seamless and coherent connection from one grade level to the next. By engaging in common grade-level teaming, teachers are able to observe and communicate with one another about student needs and plan accordingly. Teachers share information about students’ lives that may be affecting their work and teachers plan together how to support individual students across each of their classes. Teachers are available to students before, during and after school. Students actually come to the early college on work days and other days off just to be with their “families” away from home. Monday afternoons are protected time set aside for grade-level team meetings. All of the teams meet in the same room each week and support one another.
What design decisions to you see at your school that improve teaching and learning? Or are there obstacles in the school’s organization that hinder teaching and learning? Share your thoughts in the comments below.