One thing that I told all students is that our faculty and staff will have an ongoing theme this year on two of the twin pillars on classroom and school excellence: command and care.
These words come from Professor Ron Ferguson's work on closing the achievement gap, where he and his team of researchers have identified seven qualities that make for excellent classes and excellent schools. Two of these are command - first labeled control by them - and care.
Schools where students experience command provide safe, predictable, orderly learning environments. We're making strides here by the addition of a part-time Dean of Students to our administration, clear and systematic practices designed to reduce cuts and other unexcused absences from class, offering training to staff who want it on classroom management, and the rolling out of a school-wide anti-bullying program, based on the internationally acclaimed Olweus anti-bullying program.
Alongside these efforts, we're working hard to make sure all students at WHS experience nurture and care. We've placed all ninth and tenth grade students in advisories, which meet in small groups every seven days to focus on aspects of high school community building and success beyond the classroom. Through a federal grant, we've been able to boost our partnership with the Watertown Youth Coalition, bringing additional resources into the school. And we're making subtle changes in administration, guidance, hallway expectations, and a wide array of other areas to make sure that the interaction between students and adults at the high school is as positive as possible.
Command and care: we hope to keep these twin pillars strong and balanced. Let us know how we're doing.
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