Making a great public school

NEA Today, Sep 2003 by Winans, Dave

A commitment to meaningful reform is put to the test in an urban New Jersey district.

Lincoln Annex elementary, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, faces the challenges of any urban school. But if educators at this K-4 facility get it right, Lincoln may soon look like something out of the leafiest of suburbs.

Lincoln staffers have a green light-through a formal agreement of the school board, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), and the New Brunswick Education Association (NBEA)-to demonstrate how any neighborhood school can become a "Great Public School" through reforms such as smaller class sizes, family involvement, and meaningful professional development.

With its population of some 200 low-income students (82 percent Latino and 16 percent African American) drawn from the surrounding neighborhood, Lincoln is as real-life a demonstration site as they come.

No less real is the teaching force, a blend of seasoned vets and new teachers, many holding "alternative route" certification.

Lincoln teachers and education support professionals (ESPs) work under the standard NBEA bargaining agreement, put in long hours, and enjoy but one perk: the support of an NJEA staff team specializing in every area from education research to professional development.

Through extensive NJEA training and inclusive decision making-via a 12-member school leadership team-staffers spent the 2002-03 school year building a solid foundation for their five-year "Academy Project at Lincoln Annex."

The project officially begins in September, when baseline data have been compiled and teachers start action research projects. But NEA Today visited Lincoln for a preview, and initial progress is encouraging. Some indicators:

* Families are getting involved. Collaborating with school-family liaison Marlon Osuna, Lincoln Annex teachers and ESPs have worked overtime on outreach activities, including a United Nations Night and a Cinco de Mayo celebration, to build parents' comfort level with the school and make them real "stakeholders." Parents can even use the school's washer and dryer for free if they agree to spend the "spin" time in their children's classrooms.

* Students stay out of trouble and get more attention. Teachers, paraeducators, and principal Mary Jane McDonald all report that Lincoln Annex's smaller class sizes, averaging 15 students, make for fewer disciplinary problems. "If a kid does cartwheels in class he just doesn't have an audience!" says para Allison Karakowski.

"Smaller classes mean more attention to each student," notes community resident Tim Otero. "Mrs. Youssef knows every student in my sister Kayla's class, and that helps them do well in school."

In this environment, "you really get to each child's strengths and weaknesses," observes Title remedial reading and math teacher Catherine Mooney. "When I come into a classroom, the teacher can quickly tell me where I should focus my work."

* Teachers have more ways to teach. With smaller classes and training tailored to practitioner needs, "we can bring a broader range of materials to students," stresses floating reading/language arts teacher Harriett Johnson, a 30-year veteran.

A smaller class allows for special projects, "makes kids active participants in learning," and enables them to learn real-life skills, adds new teacher Sofia Palfey. She's teaching her first graders how to read a restaurant menu and even getting each of them to outline, write, and bind a book, using as a model a book she produced at their age.

* Students are learning-and loving It. "The teachers here don't give up; it's all about the kids," enthuses Tito Lopez, the father of two Lincoln Annex students. "They stay on top of the kids. My son can't stay focused, so the teacher gives him stuff in short bites and makes sure I stay on top of him at home."

Lopez' daughter, Sha'asia, says she loves participating in classroom math and science experiments and Lincoln's after-school Girl Scout troop-one of the school's four dubs. Those Girl Scouts, by the way, none of whom spoke English when school began, all became English speakers in less than a year.

Keep an eye on this school.