ERIC Number: EJ853139
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-8938
EISSN: N/A
Never Arrive: Teachers Reflect on a CES Elementary School
Spiri, Helen; Ayers, Pamela
Horace, v23 n3 Fall 2007
What is a Coalition elementary school? In the Chesapeake Coalition of Essential Schools network, each of its schools has made meaning of the ten Common Principles in very different ways. Many of the network's elementary schools have grown into fine examples of what CES brings to pre-kindergarten through fifth grade schooling. Principals, teachers, community members, and sometimes district administrators have come to see the value in centering education not on a checklist of purported "best practices"--implemented step-by-step and without reflection--but rather on a philosophy of schooling that requires and inspires teachers to redefine their expectations for themselves, their colleagues, their students, and their communities. One such community is Salem Avenue Elementary School in Hagerstown, a small city in western Maryland. Salem Avenue joined CES in 2004. Teachers at Salem Avenue describe the differences between a CES school and other schools in terms of student engagement, expectations, and support. Amanda Weighley, a second grade teacher who began her career last year, describes the difference between her CES experience and her training to teach: "There's a lot more student centered learning; it's not all about the teacher. Students get more out of their learning because they are responsible for it." During the 2005-06 school year, as appreciation for the power of the CES Common Principles began to grow, Salem Avenue's teachers and parents reached consensus around six school-wide habits of mind which form the core of instruction at the school. The habits of mind have helped the school community to understand the Common Principles as philosophy rather than checklist.
Descriptors: Educational Philosophy, Educational Change, Student Centered Curriculum, Learner Engagement, Elementary Schools, Educational Principles, School Culture, Reflective Teaching
Coalition of Essential Schools. 1330 Broadway Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94612. Tel: 510-433-1451; Fax: 510-433-1455; Web site: http://www.essentialschools.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Maryland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A