The Price of Success: A Middle School Story

Initial reluctance….
It was early days in the relationship between Price Middle School of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and Modern Red SchoolHouse. While wanting the best for their students, the teachers admittedly were not convinced that MRSH had the answers. Slowly, during Summer Institutes and in-school training sessions, the folks at Price traded APS standards for Georgia’s Quality Core Curriculum and began to rebuild their entire instructional plan. Shifting their standards, housing themselves in an older, temporary building while their new facility was being prepared, and facing total reorganization of their site-based leadership configuration were a few of the major changes they faced. But, the bottom line for Price was this: They wanted to improve student achievement.

Decision to change…
This need to facilitate improvement challenged them to make changes. Dr. Sheila H. Barker, principal, says, “The teachers were able to realize that change was necessary. They needed to begin doing things in a different way…to dig deeper to deliver instruction…and this meant we had to look at our professional development.” Price established a liaison with Modern Red SchoolHouse while also adopting the Project GRAD School Reform Design. The two proved compatible, and Gwen Hutcheson and Dr. Georgia Smith, key members of the Price staff development team, worked to coordinate the professional development training sessions for all staff. They established Task Forces and began to address specific needs from within the school’s structure.

Pursuit of excellence…
Their goals were clear: to increase students’ reading and mathematics achievement, improve attendance, and increase enrollment in higher level courses. The focus became even clearer: to design concept-based instructional units instead of teaching isolated skills. Modern Red helped with that process, and resistance slowly melted as understanding and achievement increased.

Price is a member of an elite group of MRSH schools that has continued their association with Modern Red well beyond the typical three years of implementation. Dr. Barker states, “It is important to us to designate monies for certain kinds of in-service. Using Title I funds, we have been able to continue our curriculum work and begin a focus on differentiating instruction. MRSH has offered us consistent professional development that has reinforced skills and built concepts. They look at our needs and have been able to prescribe a specific plan for our kids. We wanted to keep that connection.”

Price of success…
Have they been successful? Last year’s Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test scores were the best ever, enabling Price to meet AYP. Sixth grade showed a 16% increase in students who met or exceeded standards in reading. Seventh grade scores increased in all core subjects, and 8 th grade improved in every area but one. English/language arts scores showed improvement in all areas. Numbers of students in the lowest quartiles are decreasing, while mathematics classes show higher numbers in upper level courses.

What about staff morale? It is up, up, up from those early days. Teachers have established a professional learning community, and the focus at Price is definitely on students and their achievements. School partners provide incentives, spotlight achievement, and encourage improvement for individual children, in addition to providing materials and tutoring sessions.

In order to accomplish this, there was a price to pay in willingness to change attitudes, procedures, and expectations. There was a price to pay in commitment of time and energy. There was a price to pay in choosing to go beyond CSR and maintain a continuing partnership with MRSH. These educators have been willing to pay that price.

Meet Luther Judson Price Middle School …no longer the Price of resistance, but now the Price of success.

March 2006