Revere High School (RHS) is one of only 18 high-performing middle level and high schools selected to present at the Ignite ‘16 School Showcase as part of National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Annual Conference February 25-27, 2016 in Orlando.
NASSP and the Center for Secondary School Redesign (CSSR) annually host this national showcase that convenes school leaders, teachers, and students from the nation’s top middle and high schools to discuss effective practices, programs, and strategies with colleagues from across the country.
Over the last four years, Revere High School (RHS) has experienced profound organizational changes yielding positive results in student achievement. A culture of innovation led by educators who have high academic expectations for by providing them with a rigorous and meaningful curriculum is flourishing. For example, learning has been put into the hands of students through the Flipped Learning and Student Centered (SCL) models. Teachers and students can be observed partnering with each other to use digital technology (iPad) to learn curricula, enrich instruction, and promote SCL practices. Teacher autonomy shown through various SCL committees engaged in action research geared towards planning, implementing, and studying urban education issues with a focus on problem-solving strategies to improve student learning has been flourishing at RHS.
Rigor, relevance, relationship, and resilience have set the stage for engaging and effective instruction. Expanded learning time (4×4 Block of 80-minute periods) provides students the opportunity to participate in-depth curriculum exploration, cross-disciplinary learning, and electronic portfolios. An advisory period to support students and foster personalization; a Freshman Academy to help students transition to high school, and Professional Learning Groups to promote collaboration, analyze and share classroom practices, and learn new instructional strategies through job-embedded professional development are among other innovative changes. School-wide rubrics aligned with Common Core State Standards are displayed and used throughout the school.
“I am humbled by this honor but students, teachers, parents, and the community are the ones who should be credited for their transformative vision and spirit of academic innovation, leadership, and collaborative work,†said Principal Lourenco Garcia. “As a principal, it has been an honor and privilege to work in such engaging, vibrant, and progressive learning environment.â€
Schools are chosen to present on the basis of their outstanding reputations for quality and innovative practices with challenging populations. At the Showcase, they will share stories of implementing those practices, many of which are aligned with NASSP’s Breaking Ranks framework for school improvement.
“The schools presenting at this year’s Showcase are truly inspirational,†said CSSR President Joe DiMartino. “As they share their stories of implementing the Breaking Ranks framework, participants will become energized about the possibilities. They will bring back with them accounts of success that will provide a vision for transformation of their own schools.â€
The other schools selected for the 2016 Showcase are:
Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, Spring, TX
Douglas Taylor School, Chicago, IL
East Leyden High School, Franklin Park, IL
Frank H. Peterson Academy of Technology, Jacksonville, FL
Hall-Dale Middle High School, Farmingdale, ME
Hastings Middle School, Hastings, NE
Joplin High School, Joplin, MO
Lexington High School, Lexington, NE
Maplewood Richmond Heights High School, Maplewood, MO
Mater Academy Charter Middle High School, Hialeah Gardens, FL
North Providence High School, North Providence, RI
Pottsgrove High School, Pottstown, PA
Raymond High School, Raymond, NH
Ravenswood Middle School, Ravenswood, WV
Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe, NM
Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia, PA
Timberview Middle School, Ft. Worth, TX