Characteristics of High Performing Schools

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Characteristics of High Performing Schools
Washington State Traffic Safety Education
GET OUT OF MY WAY! Driving School

• Implications for Driver and Traffic Safety
  Education

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Characteristics of High Performing Schools
Washington State Traffic Safety Education

• Basic Education
• Essential Academic Learning Requirements
• Performance Objectives
• Student/Teacher Competencies
• Student/Teacher Assessments
• Agency Goals and Support

Education Reform
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Characteristics of High Performing Schools
Washington State Traffic Safety Education

• 1963 Driver Education Act
• Local School Contribution
• Surcharge on Citation
• 1.40 per Permit
• Student Fee
• 1967 Raised Minimum Driving Age to 18
• 16 If Completing Approved Program
• 1969 Renamed Traffic Safety Act
• Surcharges increased
• 1984 Repealed to Public Safety Education Account
  (8)
• 1991 Regular Funding Eliminated/1992 Restored
• 2000 TSE Taken Out of PSEA General Fund
• Lost Regular Subsidy
• 2002 Lost Low Income and State Coordinators

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Characteristics of High Performing Schools
Washington State Traffic Safety Education

• Washington State
• Where We Go From Here
• Our Mission
• Our Students
• Our Teachers
• Our Programs
• Our Goals and Strategies

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1. Clear and Shared Focus

• Staff and students share and commit to common
  goals
• Shared belief that all students can learn
• Common values and constancy of purpose
• The vision is shared ? everybody knows where they
  are going and why

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1. Clear and Shared Focus

• Who are key players?
• What is the common goal/focus?
• How was this established and communicated?
• What is a good forum for communication?

• Develop a focus that identifies your program and
  what you are all about a mission statement, an
  outcome goal, etc.
• Who are other people you need to include?

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2. High Standards and Expectations

• Teachers and staff believe all students can learn
  and meet high standards
• Recognition that some students must overcome
  significant barriers
• Offered course of study is ambitious and rigorous

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2. High Standards and Expectations

• Whos involved in setting standards?
• Teaching beyond the minimums
• Academic focus vs. licensing focus
• Shared belief that all students can learn and
  meet high standards?

• Why is it important to set standards?
• Discuss your current student standards with
  another program. What ideas can you share and
  learn?

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3. Effective School Leadership

• Effective leadership is required to implement
  change processes
• Administrators, teachers, staff and students can
  have different leadership roles and styles
• Effective leaders cultivate and nurture an
  instructional program and school culture
  conducive to learning and professional growth

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3. Effective School Leadership

• Who are the leaders in your schools now?
• Who can be leaders?
• Knowing procedures WACs and RCWs
• Inter-organizational and intra-organizational
  communication and leadership

• Plan a workshop for your school/program that
  will include many aspects of program leadership.
• What needs to be addressed?
• How can you implement this?

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4. High Levels of Collaboration and
Communication

• Strong teamwork among teachers across all grades
  and with other staff
• Everybody is involved and connected
• Includes parents, community members, schools, and
  students
• Problem identification and solution development

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4. High Levels of Collaboration and
Communication

• Who collaborates and communicates effectively?
• Are all parties consistent in their messages?
• GDL
• Community involvement

• How can driver traffic safety education be
  incorporated into traditional subject
  disciplines?
• How can collaboration and communication improve?

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5. Curriculum, instruction and assessment
aligned with standards

• Agreement between planned and actual curriculum
• Both are aligned with the essential academic
  learning requirements
• Use of research based materials and strategies
• Clear understanding of assessment system, what
  measured in various assessments and how its
  measured

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5. Curriculum, instruction and assessment
aligned with standards

• What learning modalities are we targeting?
• Use of innovation
• New or other resources/strategies/ materials
• Alternative learning activities

• Share some ideas with another school or program
• What new instructional techniques might we
  consider?
• What about different activities?

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6. Frequent Monitoring of Learning and Teaching

• Continuous adjustment of teaching and learning
  based on frequent monitoring of student progress
  and needs
• Multiple assessments (types and frequency)
• Results used to focus and improve instructional
  programs
• Results used to improve student performances

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6. Frequent Monitoring of Learning and Teaching

• Monitoring of student performance and
  instructional performance
• New or other resources/strategies/ materials
• Students that need additional support

• Who, what, how, and when are we monitoring?
• How can we teach AND evaluate more effectively
  to achieve goals and standards?

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7. Focused Professional Development

• Strong emphasis on extensive and ongoing
  professional development
• Professional development for all educators is
  aligned with the schools and districts common
  focus, objectives, and high expectations
• Professional development based on feedback from
  learning and teaching evaluations

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7. Focused Professional Development

• What assumptions do we make/hold?
• What are we doing to advance knowledge and
  expertise as individuals? As part of our field?
• Professional memberships

• Do we have a medium for sharing best
  practices?
• What are we doing to contribute?
• What professional standards are applied to you?

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8. Supportive Learning Environment

• School has a safe, civil, healthy, and
  intellectually stimulating learning environment.
• Students feel respected and connected with the
  staff
• Students are engaged in learning
• Instruction is personalized
• Small learning environments increase student
  contact with teachers

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8. Supportive Learning Environment

• What are we going to reach young people where
  they are?
• Environment respects dynamic qualities of the
  students, challenge is consistent with
  development
• New and emerging ideas/strategies

• How is your program (or could it be)
  incorporating safety? Civility? Technology?
  Personalization?
• What are new ideas we can explore to strengthen
  the learning environment?

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9. High Level of Parent and Community
Involvement

• Sense that all have a responsibility to educate
  students, not just teachers and staff in schools
• Parents, businesses, social service
  organizations, and community colleges/universities
  all play a vital role
• Shared ownership of concerns and responsibility

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9. High Level of Parent and Community
Involvement

• Who are key people with interests in generating
  safe young drivers?
• Do students understand their role and the
  implications of their responsibilities?

• How is each group engaged in the effort
• Parents? Youth? Community?
• Identify available resources in WA how can they
  be used in achieving your goals?

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Washington State Traffic Safety Education
Characteristics of High Performing Schools

• David E. Kinnunen
• Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
• www.k12.wa.us/trafficsafety/
• Washington Traffic Safety Education Association
• www.wtsea.com