Focused Learning

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Focused Learning Communities for 21st Century
Results The Why, What, and How of High School
Reform in I-SS
?
?
Dr. Bryan Setser Chief Quality Officer Executive
Director of High School Reform
Dr. Steve Hill Executive Director of Career and
Technical Education Mr. Lamar Lewis Freshman
Academy Director Lake Norman High School Mr.
Mark Carter Freshman Academy Director West
Iredell High School
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Vision
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The mission of the North Carolina State Board of
Education is that every public school student
will graduate from high school, globally
competitive for work and postsecondary education
and prepared for life in the 21st Century.
Iredell-Statesville Schools will rigorously
challenge all students to achieve their academic
potential and to lead productive and rewarding
lives.  We will achieve this mission with the
support of parents, staff and the community.
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Why Reform I-SS High Schools?
A new generation of students expects a learning
environment that integrates todays digital
tools, accommodates a mobile lifestyle, adapts to
individual learning styles and encourages
collaboration and teamwork.

2006 American Life Project Report
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And Yet...
Yesterday Today? Tomorrow?
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21st Century learners still need us to teach them
what to do when they dont know what to do. Dr.
William Daggett
Children are native to cyberspace and we adults
are immigrants. - Douglas Rushkoff
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Then
movies
records
mtv
books
tv
cnn
vhs
phone
magazines
pen paper
radio
cassette
?
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Now
pda
podcasts
tivo

web movies
movies
instant messaging
ps2 x box
bluetooth
records
P
blackberry
email
fax
mtv
books
)
iPod games
cable tv
tv
car dvd
pagers
cnn
cd/dvd
video conf.
vhs
tm
phone
magazines
mobile phones
satellite tv
pen paper
net
mp3 player
computers
wifi
radio
cassette
MySpace
VoIP
portable phones
blackberry
?
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Kids are wired differently today evidence in
neural research supports the intensive amount of
time engaged in technology has changed the
prefrontal cortex kids can toggle and multitask
much faster than adults (4-6 times faster)
International Center for Education, 2006
New Communities
New Content
New Connections
2005
2000
2003
Connected Individuals
Collaborative Communities
Virtual Communities
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Todays students are bored out their minds with
Farris Buhler type of teachers who focus on
paper worksheets or computerized work sheets.
www.leadered.com
Ian Jukes and Anita Dosaj The InfoSavvy Group,
February 2005.
?
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And yet.... Our High Schools are museums, and
we have become the curators. High School
students reflect adult apathy and unwillingness
to change. Graduation rate in I-SS is at
64 Nationwide the results are the same..
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12th Graders View of School 1983 to 2000
Percent
School Work is Meaningful
Courses are Interesting
School will be Important in Later Life
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The Condition of Education 2002, National Center
for Education Statistics
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?
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"For the first time in our history, we are going
to face competition from low-wage,
high-human-capital communities, embedded within
India, China and Asia. It will not be enough for
us to just leave no child behind. We also have to
make sure that many more young Americans can get
as far ahead as their potential will take
them. How we meet this challenge is what will
define our nation's political economy for the
next several decades."
?
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• What has I-SS done to get ready
• for reform?
• We have aligned our efforts with the

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The Power of the PDSA Process

• Lamars personal PDSA journey
• A walk through the document
• 5 generations of revisions
• Executive Summary
• The Work
• AP, Virtual, and Registration Reform
• Funding
• Curriculum Guide Revisions

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Focused Learning Communities

• Wading into the waters of reform by Mark Carter
• Freshman Academies past and present
• Grant relief and/or sustainability
• FLC Leadership The Road Ahead

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I-SS 2010 How To Build A Student For The 21st
Century
12/18/06

• CCTL
• SHS Performing and Visual Arts Magnet
• 21st Century Institute and Related Academies
• North Carolina Default Curriculum
• Emergent Technologies and Pilots Podcasting at
  SIHS and The Biotech Corridor

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Challenges Conclusions

• 1. Encourage students to take more art and
  career tech courses research is very clear
  that this improves reading and math skills.
• 2. No research supports that doubling up on
  reading and math in elementary while dropping
  arts actually improves student skill levels.
• 3. Reading is key to life-long learning and
  reading in the content area is key to life-long
  reading.
• 4. You will not have change until you have more
  pressure for change than resistance to change.
• 5. Change will be difficult --1/3 Effect.
• 6. Leaders must create community/business/pare
  nt led pressure to facilitate change.

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Q A