PS 197 Has the Wright Stuff

We have good news from the Big Apple! Public School #197, the John B. Russwurm School, reports impressive improvements since becoming a Modern Red school last year. Mr. Renardo Wright, principal, acknowledges that PS 197 was a low-performing school that had been struggling to improve student performance. The state of New York had placed them on the SURR (School Under Registration Review) list due to the percentage of students functioning below appropriate academic levels. Prior to their adoption of the MRSH design, fewer than 20% of their students were at grade level in literacy and mathematics. They needed reform, and after searching for a model to suit their needs, they chose Modern Red.

After only one year of training and implementing some of the design elements, Mr. Wright says they can see a big difference. One of these differences is the learning environment. The teachers at this school have always been interested in meeting students' needs but did not fully realize the importance of the physical and emotional climate of the school as it impacts learning. Now they consider room arrangement and the organization and storage of materials when they implement a unit of study. If you visit PS 197, you will see a wide array of student work as well as the standards the products represent. A recent visitor remarked on how impressed she was with the variety and quality of student work on display. She said that the building looked like a place of achievement, and that is a true reflection of the vision the administrators and teachers have for their school. "We display everything," says Mr. Wright. "Our focus is on children's work and accomplishments."

Student performance as reflected by test scores signals the most impressive difference. In 1999, mathematics scores on standardized tests indicated that only 14.3% of the students were operating at or above Level 3 (grade level). 2002 scores showed that 47.2% were at Levels 3 and 4 (Level 4 signifies above grade level performance), and 2003 scores revealed that 60% of the students are now functioning at or above grade level in mathematics. What a change for the better! Literacy scores also show progress. 1999 scores showed 27% in Levels 3 and 4, 2002 scores showed 31%, and 2003 scores revealed that 40% of the students perform at or above grade level in language arts.

However, the biggest improvement occurred within the lowest performing segment of the student body. They have moved from 30% of the students in 1999 operating at Level 1 (not meeting the standards for the state of New York ) to 29% in 2002 to only 6% at Level 1 in 2003. That calls for celebration!

And what is the cause of this recent success? Not a major staff turnover, since only a few of the teachers were new last year. Nor was it a sudden burst of effort by the teachers; these teachers have always worked hard. One difference is the arrival of Mr. Wright as principal. His leadership has had an obvious positive impact on the school. One educator described him as a man with "lots of vision" and the ability to "rally his teachers around him."

When asked, however, Mr. Wright is quick to claim Modern Red as the main catalyst for change at PS 197. He said the most contributing factor in the improvement of student achievement is MRSH. The Modern Red design helped the teachers look at the curriculum differently than they had before. They began to look specifically at what the state expects and ask themselves, "What are we doing to achieve that?" They came to understand how to use standards and assessments to the students' advantage. According to Mr. Wright, a highlight of the Modern Red training is its impact on collaborative work. For the first time, the teachers had the opportunity-and the guidance-to plan across grades. After the training, they knew better what to do to assist students in reaching academic goals. No longer did they see only as far as the end of the school term; rather, they began to see their classes as stepping-stones along the entire seven-year academic walk. They kept in mind the end result and worked with a new focus. The teachers are learning how to incorporate literacy instruction into other areas, such as science or even mathematics. They are becoming familiar not only with the value of interdisciplinary instructional units but also with strategies for building and teaching such units.

"No matter how much improvement we have seen, we look forward to even better results next year," claims Mr. Wright. Changes don't always come easily, and everyone did not immediately jump on the MRSH bandwagon. But after some initial reluctance, the teachers at this school became accepting; and once students and teachers began experiencing greater success, the same teachers got excited. As Mr. Wright says, "Once you have that kind of energy and enthusiasm, it can't help but carry over into the classroom." And with the combination of Renardo Wright's leadership and Modern Red SchoolHouse's model and guidance, that is exactly what is happening at PS 197.

January 2004