School 2 School Visitation Program

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School - 2 - SchoolVisitation Program

• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• Elizabeth Burmaster, State Superintendent
• www.dpi.wi.gov

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• Berland Meyer
• Education Consultant
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• berland.meyer_at_dpi.state.wi.us
• 608.266.5197

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What is School-2-School?

• School-2-School (S2S) is a part of DPIs
  statewide system of support to schools identified
  for improvement
• S2S offers opportunities for SIFI schools to
  visit schools that have been successful at
  addressing issues of student achievement
• S2S can provide materials, guidelines, planning
  assistance, and fiscal support to both visiting
  and host schools

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If you are a Visiting School
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Visiting a School

• Define your purpose for your visitation
• Meet as a staff to review your schools academic,
  instructional, and environmental profile
• Determine what it is you feel you need to change,
  infuse, or modify in your current program
• Commit to your thinking by creating a purpose
  statement for your visit. Why are you going?
• What will you look for during the visit?
• Know before you go!

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Visiting a School

• Select a visitation site
• Look on the DPI / S2S website for schools that
  meet the purpose of your visit and have similar
  demographics
• New Wisconsin Promise Schools
• MPS High Achieving / High Attainment Schools
• What can the potential visitation site offer you?
• Selection of a host school may be determined by
  common demographics, grade level, instructional
  programs, or specific sub-groups of programming
  (i.e. ELL, SwD)

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Visiting a School

• Define your visitation team
• The team may be composed of
• Principal
• Lead Teachers Reading and/or Math
• Special area instructors (ELL, SwD, etc.)
• Classroom teachers
• School Improvement team members
• Parent
• District curriculum leader

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Visiting a School

• Determine when to make your visit
• The S2S visitation program is available during
  the second semester of 2005-06
• Consider the school year schedule in selecting
  dates - avoid vacation periods, testing days,
  and special event days at the host school
• Make sure that key host school staff are present
  for your visit

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Visiting a School

• A Typical Visitation Schedule
• 830 AM - Arrive at the host school
• 830900 AM Orientation
• 9001130 AM Visit instructional areas on
  a 30 or 45 minute rotation
• 1130 AM1230 PM - Lunch
• 1230200 PM Continue visitation
• 200230 PM Exit conference Principal
• 230 PM Departure for home school

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Visiting a School

• What to look for during the visit?
• Use your defined purpose to help you to focus on
  specifics during the visit
• At large sites some staff may focus on one area
  while others might look at other areas
• Look at the entire environment as well as
  specific instructional and curricular activity
• Determine how various elements of the
  instructional program interact with one another
• Watch for key teacher behaviors that enhance the
  classroom environment, classroom instruction, and
  student achievement

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Visiting a School

• The role of the principal
• Provide leadership
• Convene current staff and assess the status of
  education at your site
• Determine the area(s) of need with your staff
• Define with your staff those needs in writing as
  purpose statements
• Define with your staff in writing the things to
  look for during the visit
• Serve as the official representative for your
  school

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Visiting a School

• Final preparations
• Make transportation arrangements
• Confirm with the Host Site principal your final
  visit plans and schedules
• Make arrangements for lunch
• Discuss appropriate dress for the day
• Review with the school team the purpose of the
  visitation

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Visiting a School

• After The Visit
• List those ideas you felt to be useful to your
  school for improving instruction and learning
• Determine which of those could/should be
  implemented by the staff
• Determine which could/should be implemented but
  would need additional staff development or
  curricular resources
• Establish a goal(s) that calls for staff action
  on certain identified issues dont let things
  slide from the table
• Communicate back to the host school

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Visiting a School

• Assistance from the DPI or MPS Coordinator
• Pre-planning assistance with the visiting staff
• Provision of sample schedules and effective
  school materials
• Help in selecting the visitation site
• Assistance in coordinating logistics
• Assistance with the debriefing session after the
  visit
• Financial support for transportation, meals,
  substitute teacher pay
• Website support materials are available at
  (www.dpi.wi.gov/sst/s2s) (under construction)

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If you are a Host School
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Hosting a Visit

• Benefits of hosting a visit
• It allows you to share your schools success
  story
• It calls for you to look at your program and
  understand what makes it work for students
• It provides a meaningful forum for your teachers
  to dialogue with other teachers and staff about
  their work
• It encourages your staff to have a greater
  appreciation of their work

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Hosting a Visit

• Understanding the purpose of the visit
• Understand why the school has chosen you for a
  visitation
• Be sure to understand the purpose your visitors
  have in mind
• Try to provide them with an experience that is
  relevant and meaningful toward their goal

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Hosting a Visit

• Preparing for the visitation
• Both principals should communicate with each
  other and have clear expectations about the
  purpose of the visitation
• Communicate those expectations to the host staff
• Try to provide the experiences your visitors are
  seeking
• Attempt to hold to a normal class schedule
• Determine if there are any off limits areas for
  the visitors
• Discuss confidentially issues

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Hosting a Visit

• Beginning the visitation
• The Role of the Host Principal
• Greet the visitors and hold a short
  pre-visitation meeting
• Discuss your school and its academic,
  instructional, and demographic profile
• Discuss your understanding of the groups goal
• Review the schedule for the day

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Hosting a Visit

• The Host Staff should
• Review the visitation schedule beforehand
• Alert the principal to any potential conflicts
• Stay on schedule
• Stay on topic
• Interact with the visitors as possible
• Join the visitors for lunch if possible

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Hosting a Visit

• End of the visitation
• The principal should hold an exit conference
  prior to the visitors leaving
• Review the day
• Answer any questions
• Revisit their purpose and determine if it was
  achieved
• Determine if you need to provide additional
  information

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Hosting a Visit

• Assistance from the DPI
• Provision of sample schedules and effective
  school materials
• Assistance in coordinating logistics
• Financial support for meals, substitute teacher
  (release time) pay
• Website support materials (www.dpi.wi.gov/sst/s2s)
  (under construction)

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Visitation Site Selection

• Possible sites
• New Wisconsin Promise Schools
• MPS - High Achievement / High Value Added Schools
• DPI highlighted schools
• Coordinated by DPI / MPS Coordinator
• S2S Visitation Request Form online
• www.dpi.wi.gov/sst/s2s (under construction)

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Online S2S Visitation Request Form

• If you are interested in visiting another school
  as a part of the S2S program,
• please complete the following form and submit it
  to Berland Meyer,
• Educational Consultant for DPI, at
  berland.meyer_at_dpi.state.wi.us
• Name of your School______________________________
  __
• Address ________________________________________
  _
• Phone Number ___________ Fax Number
  _____________
• Principals Name _______________________________
  ___
• Principals E-mail_______________________________
  ____
• Define the focus of your visit
  ____________________
• Select a school(s) from the list that meets your
  needs ______________

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Sample List of Visitation Sites
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S2S Resource Materials

• Video tours of selected New Wisconsin Promise
  Schools
• Morse Middle School, Milwaukee
• Barton Elementary School, Milwaukee
• Zablocki Elementary School, Milwaukee
• Urban Middle School, Sheboygan
• Webster-Stanley Elementary, Oshkosh
• OKeefe Middle School, Madison
• Jefferson Elementary, Stevens Point
• Birchwood K-12, Washburn
• Chetek, High School, Chetek
• Hayward Middle School, Hayward
• Longfellow Elementary School, Eau Claire

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S2S Resource Materials

• Web Site links
• School improvement
• Effective schools
• School Climate Surveys
• Visitation questions
• PDF Documents
• School-2-School Executive Summary
• S2S Tri-Fold quick look brochure

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Resources Continued

• Planning and facilitation support
• DPI Staff Berland Meyer berland.meyer_at_dpi.state
  .wi.us
• MPS District Coordinator
• TBD_at_MPS.org
• Logistical support
• Financial support
• Transportation, meals, materials Use DPI Claim
  Form 1135
• Substitute teacher reimbursement submitted by
  the District by June 15th

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Remember to be helpful .
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For more information contact

• Berland Meyer, DPI
• berland.meyer_at_dpi.state.wi.us
• 608-266-5197
• Mary Kleusch, DPI
• mary.kleusch_at_dpi.state.wi.us
• 608-267-3163

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Now, your input is needed .

• Can the S2S Program be of value to your staff and
  school?
• What changes, additions, or deletions would you
  suggest for the S2S program as it has been
  described?

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More input .

• What new documents or resources would you suggest
  be added or referenced to make the list more
  helpful to you and your school?
• Are the choices and locations of the suggested
  visitation schools reasonable and viable?
• What is missing?

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More input .

• Principals Is the process DPI has suggested for
  filing reimbursement claims reasonable?
• Is there another way that would be better?
• Can the DPI S2S program interface with the
  Learning Walks effort development by MPS?

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More input .

• Does the proposed Website appear to be of value
  to you and your school?
• What other resources should be added to this
  site?
• How can the DPI best assist you and your school
  if you decide to participate in the S2S program?

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More input .

• What else do you want to tell us about this
  program and its value to you and your school?

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Online Visitation Request Form

• S2S Visitation Request
  Form
• If you are interested in visiting another school
  as a part of the
• S2S program, please complete the following form
  and submit
• it to Berland Meyer, Educational Consultant for
  DPI at
• berland.meyer_at_dpi.state.wi.us
• Name of your School______________________________
  __
• Address ________________________________________
  _
• Phone Number ___________ Fax Number
  _____________
• Principal ______________________________________
  ___
• Principals E-mail_______________________________
  ____
• Grade Range (choose one)
• ___ Elementary School ___ Middle School ___
  High School
• What are you most interested in
  seeing?_________________
• _________________________________________________
• When would you like to visit? (date and time)
  ___________
• What school or schools would you like to
  visit?____________