On the Same Page
June 2004
In September, the Board of Directors approved goals and objectives for the 2003-2004 school year. While these goals and objectives were not the only planned efforts to improve the Laboratory Schools experience, they did serve as a focus for our efforts. This month�s On the Same Page is intended to serve as a status report of what took place and what remains to be accomplished.
Goal I. To Improve the Educational Program
Objectives:
A. Continue to define the curricular scope and sequence at each division and publish course descriptions with expected student competencies.
Grade levels and departments are in the process of completing this task and have or will be entering the information on a curriculum template developed by our Technology Department. Before the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, all of the course or program descriptions and expected student competencies will be accessible via the website.
B. Develop recommendations for the future of the Laboratory Schools including division size, class size, and space requirements.
This objective will not be accomplished this year but the issues have been raised and preliminary work has begun. On March 31, an �Educational Summit� was held to discuss these issues. Included in the facilitated conversation were representatives from the high school student body, the Faculty Association, the administration, the Parents� Association, and the Board of Directors. Class size is a subject for collective bargaining and will be addressed next year through negotiations between the University and the Faculty Association. Increasing the size of the high school by up to 100 students was also discussed. During the 2004-2005 school year, a feasibility study will be conducted to be certain that the demand for ninth grade openings will likely continue into the future. In the meantime, acquiring additional program space in Judd Hall will remain a priority.
C. Reexamine the high school schedule and consider adjustments to maximize student learning.
The high school Academic Dean and the curriculum committee have proposed two alternative schedules designed to increase class time for core academic subjects. Our Registrar and scheduling committee will test the schedules to determine conflicts. At the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, student and teacher reaction will be solicited. Should a new schedule change any conditions in the collective bargaining agreement, negotiations with the Faculty Association will be required.
D. Continue to improve upon professional development opportunities for staff including the Schools Attuned initiative.
Although many individual teachers continue to grow professionally, there is not an organized program for staff development. It is a weakness that needs to be corrected and funded appropriately. To that end, a new position, Teacher on Special Assignment, has been created. Catie Bell will be assuming that position next fall and, as part of her assignment, will be working with faculty and administration to establish a comprehensive program for staff development.
Training teachers to understand better the learning differences of children remains a priority. New teachers will be expected to participate in the Schools Attuned training during their three-year probationary period. Since this program was started, 44 teachers have been trained. This summer, 11 are enrolled in the week-long summer program that includes two one-day follow up sessions in the fall.
E. Establish qualitative and quantitative measures and baseline data where appropriate to assess educational program effectiveness.
During this school year, the All-Schools Council met frequently to create a set of nine measures that will be used to assess school improvement. Known as �Quality Indicators,� these measures include improvements to student achievement, our financial well-being, the quality of space for programs, and professional development. Next year will serve as our baseline, and we will track our progress during the next several years. In addition, the administration will be keeping assessment data including achievement testing, AP testing, and SAT/ACT results to compare our student results with national norms.
Goal II. To Improve Related Services
Objectives:
A. Establish new methods of communication with the intent of increasing trust and building community.
All Laboratory Schools� publications are being reviewed. The first review and resulting improvement occurred with Lab Directions, our quarterly publication for parents and friends. A group of interested professionals who have an association with the Schools were invited to a focus group facilitated by the Director. Their constructive criticism led to a redesign of this publication. The Director writes a monthly web article, On the Same Page, addressing important issues for the entire school community. In addition to the print and web communications, the Educational Summit held in March, brought together leadership members of Lab Schools' family to discuss two important topics-class size and school size-that identified common goals among all groups.
Communicate goals and objectives and end of year status report.
The goals and objectives for the year were disseminated to parents and faculty following approval by the Board of Directors and were published in the first issue of On the Same Page, October 1. The end of year status report is being communicated through this document.
Develop, consolidate, and make readily available to constituent groups clear operating procedures and policies for the UCLS.
All known and current operating procedures for the Schools have been collected and will be published on the new UCLS website prior to the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year.
The President of the University appointed a Governance Committee to make recommendations regarding the future of the Board of Directors. As part of the recommendation, bylaws and operating procedures will be developed and published. Changes to existing operating procedures will go into effect during the 2004-2005 school year.
The Parents' Association updated their bylaws and operating procedures at the beginning of the school year, and they are available for all parents on the website.
Utilize the UCLS website more frequently for the dissemination of timely information.
Some enhancements, including details about important events, have been added recently to a new web calendar on our website. However, most of the changes will be noticeable next year as the next generation of a Lab Schools website is rolled out in the fall.
B. Establish clear understanding of the financial needs of UCLS.
� Approve a strategic development plan.
The Board Development Committee, under the leadership of Board member Steve Kaplan, has identified priorities for the future. Assisted by a development consultant, the Committee met frequently this year and, as a result, established a strategic direction. More people associated with the school community will become involved in our major fundraising effort, the Community of Givers. The primary objectives will be to increase the level of giving and the percentage of participation. A new position, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations, has been advertised with an anticipated start date of September 1.
� Establish scholarship goals.
An ad hoc Board committee, under the leadership of Halina Brukner, presented a series of recommendations that were approved by the Board of Directors in December. Included among the recommendations were increasing the amounts of scholarships given to individuals, incorporating additional funds for student discretionary expenses, and increasing our fund raising efforts to better finance scholarship demand.
C. Continue to address the maintenance and cleanliness of the Schools' facilities.
During the summer of 2003, four bathrooms in Blaine Hall were completely renovated. The remaining six bathrooms in Blaine will be renovated this summer.
The heating/ventilation ductwork in Belfield was professionally cleaned to improve the air quality.
Three additional custodians�for a total of 12 Lab Schools� custodians�were hired to keep up with the cleanliness of the buildings. The appearance of our facilities was among the individual goals for building principals. Emphasis on maintenance and cleanliness will continue as one of the Quality Indicators.
D. Conduct a review of the admissions statistics at the Laboratory Schools and reaffirm and/or update the operational priorities with University officials.
At the April meeting, the administration and Board of Directors reviewed admission statistics and reaffirmed the priorities within the administration�s control. A previous meeting with the Associate Provost and Chief Counsel of the University clarified priorities for members of the University community. In addition, a process for keeping track of the status of potential faculty members with children interested in attending Lab is now in place. The percentage of children affiliated with the University and admitted to the Lab Schools remains at approximately 50 percent.
On June 10th, the class of 2004 will graduate at Rockefeller Chapel and join the thousands of University High School alumni throughout the world. Like those who preceded them, I believe that this group of young people is well prepared to enter the world of higher education and will someday affirm that it was at Lab where they learned how to learn. The primary reason our Schools remain so highly effective is because there is a history of continuous improvement. We intend to add to that history as we keep the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools at the forefront of American education.
David W. Magill
Director
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