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Local leader helps promote Bladen initiative

Tanya Head is no stranger to ambitious efforts to change education.

During the mid-1990s, she was a member of one of the first assistance teams deployed by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction to reverse the direction of schools deemed low performing under the state’s former ABCs accountability program. She admits she wasn’t always greeted with open arms. Assistance teams were often perceived as more punitive than supportive.

Now, as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Bladen County Schools, Head is helping lead a different type of effort in school transformation – one that is gaining momentum across the state and winning fans among classroom teachers and principals with an approach that builds on educators’ talent and strengths.

“This initiative is an incredible opportunity for our district, teachers, students, and community,” Head said in a recent interview. “The idea that students can earn college credits while in high school and experience a high level of support in that effort is tremendous. It’s been a game changer for our instructional program and students.”

Bladen is one of 11 districts in the state that are part of the Rural Innovative Schools initiative, managed by NC New Schools and backed largely by a $15 million federal grant, aimed at improving student outcomes by raising expectations and opening doors to college courses to improve readiness and graduation rates. In all, 18 rural high schools across North Carolina are now participating in the effort, which is being expanded in the state and several other states with a new $20 million, five-year federal grant awarded to NC New Schools late last year.

Head believes the initiative is helping forge partnerships among the schools, Bladen Community College and businesses in the county.

“In rural school districts, opportunities like the Rural Innovative Schools Initiative can offer life-changing experiences for students,” Head said. “Families, students, and the business community are embracing this initiative. We are excited that our students understand that college is possible, whereas before it seemed like a goal in the distance – sometimes seemingly unreachable for a lot of students. This opportunity allows students to experience the rigor of college level work, and once successful, they gain more confidence in themselves and their ability to master higher level coursework.”

After just one full semester of participation in the effort by the county’s two high schools, initial results are promising, Head said. Students at both schools enrolled last fall in college courses amounting to 1,300 credit hours, and of those, approximately 90 percent of the students in the courses were successful, district data show.

Four of those students enrolled in college courses reflected on their experience at a recent school board meeting. Their message was simple: “ ‘This has made me a better student. I have to be more responsible and discipline myself to complete the online assignments in a timely manner,’ ” Head recalled one of them saying. “Students also alluded to the rigor and demand of the courses.”

“That level of responsibility is what we hope every student will display in their post-secondary endeavors ,” she said. “We honestly believe the rigor of these classes will impact the future choices they make in a positive and sustaining way. Students are taking ownership of their learning, and the diverse course choices allow personalization in their learning.”

The district’s educators also are learning that some students need extra support to achieve success while in high school. As a result, the district has hired one facilitator for each of the two high schools to help students stay on track with online courses and to assist them as needed. Students take online courses from Bladen Community College, East Carolina University, and UNC-Greensboro. Students can also take online courses through the North Carolina Virtual Public Schools platform.

In their high school courses, students are benefitting also from the initiative’s strong focus on professional development and coaching for teachers. “The focus is on emphasizing rigor and student engagement,” Head said. Teachers had already started adopting more innovative approaches to teaching and learning as part of a 1:1 laptop computer initiative the district launched a few years ago, she said, and the Rural Innovative Schools initiative has added a key new dimension.

“Teachers have grown as instructional leaders,” Head said. “The goal is to develop master teachers.”

The initiative has also helped broaden the horizons of the district through networking with other schools and districts in North Carolina and elsewhere, she said. A study visit to schools in McAllen, Texas, left a lasting impression for Head and others from the district who went to see a similar program in action.

“I think I saw the highest level of commitment and dedication to making this program work that I’ve seen in a long time,” she said. “Everyone was committed to making it work. Everywhere we went teachers were engaging and enthusiastic. It was very rigorous and authentic teaching and learning. We saw a lot of quality teaching and learning.”

Bladen’s goal, Head noted, is that that teachers will employ the training they are receiving to create classrooms that are more engaging and follow practices promoted by NC New Schools that stress reading, writing, speaking, listening, and talking every day and in every classroom.

“Engaging classrooms do make a difference in the learning outcomes of the classroom,” she said.

“The instructional coaching and leadership efforts of our support teams are key in the process. We have had great support and coaching through the process. Also, the administrators in both high schools are providing strong leadership and have high expectations of students and staff.”

Ultimately, Head said, leadership is a critical part of the district’s direction. She credits Superintendent Robert P. Taylor with the district’s clear focus on student achievement.

“We think a lot alike when it comes to the success of kids,” she said, “but I can’t say enough about his leadership or vision. Additionally, our school board members are truly committed to the success and opportunities for students. It takes this kind of collaborative leadership and focused effort to create and sustain positive changes.”