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Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Do What Works
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I thought I would mine my notes a little more from David Banks, the New York principal of a public boys school, who spoke of the cheese-sandwich discipline method.
His overall point was that he does what works in his school. Some other examples:
His students are freshman and sophomore boys. They stay up late. So the first academic class doesn’t start until 9:15 a.m. (The boys have to be at school by 8:30 a.m. for breakfast and a schoolwide assembly.)
Teachers don’t like all those announcements butting in on their classes, so Banks instituted a policy against them. Everything that needs to be said must be covered at the morning assembly.
Getting parents to the school in the evening was hard. So parent meetings are held every other month on a Saturday morning. He gives parents a calendar at the beginning of the year with the dates marked. He said a parent or other family member from about 140 of 180 families attends each meeting.
He reiterated over and over the importance of doing what works at your school. His is a choice school, so he has more leverage. (He can screen students based on their interest in attending an all boys school, but he cannot look at their academic record prior to admission.)
Parents, teachers, students: Any other examples of how a school made a change that works? Thoughts on any of the above points?
