Last April I visited high schools in the Tucson Unified School District (AZ). My visit was to learn about how they work with their staff to improve student learning and promote school improvement. It was a difficult day because Tucson principals were informing teachers and other staff about personnel reductions planned for the 2009-10 school year. The reductions were extensive (nearly 20%) but both principals met individually with affected employees to inform them of the loss of their jobs and to individually talk with them about next steps. I was impressed with the compassionate, respectful way the principals handled difficult conversations.
I met with Patricia Dienz, principal of Pueblo High School and our conversation focused on strategies the principals use to improve student learning. Despite the difficult budget picture in Tucson, Pat talked about the commitment of the staff to make a difference in the lives of their students.
Pueblo, like many large high schools struggles to improve student attendance. Teachers and administrators at Pueblo found that when students had a positive relationship with at least one adult they were more likely to attend school. In response, they redesigned the advisory period, converting it into an Academic Check In (ACI) period. ACI meets twice each week in the middle of the day. Teachers work with 20-25 of their own students and monitor student grades and attendance. The time is also used to schedule make-up work, tutoring or for re-taking a test at the school’s Testing Center. Since implementation of ACI there has been both a decline in suspensions and an increase in student attendance. Patricia Dienz, principal at Pueblo, contributes the faculty’s results oriented approach as critical to their success. “We don’t just gather the data. We use it to make decisions about how to improve ACI. It works because it is done in a non-accusatory way. We just focus on results.”
