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Aspire Public Schools was started to catalyze change in California’s public school system by building small schools in urban neighborhoods to prepare students for college. With 14 schools throughout the state wholly focused on a culture of “College for Certain™”, my school is one example where we have worked to build a culture of excellence that begins with our staff and trickles through to students, parents and the communities in which our schools are operated. For us, the idea that all our students will have a chance to earn acceptance to college is more than just a way of life in the organization. At all levels, there is a committed vision and inexhaustible determination to persist until every student knows the feeling of receiving that diploma and a college acceptance letter.
Aspire seems to be doing something right. Last year, all 10 of our schools grew in API test scores. The average growth for all schools was 49 points, and each school grew an average of at least eight times the state’s target. My school, Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy (Wilson Prep), grew 70 points over last year, and we saw 100 percent of our first graduating class last year earned acceptance into one or more four-year colleges. Of the 16 graduates, 13 were first in their family to go to college. Every Aspire school believes that its students are the social entrepreneurs of tomorrow, and delivers a rigorous, thoughtful curriculum to foster creative learning and mastery of the basics.
One of the great things about being part of a network of charter schools is that we have the opportunity to learn from one another, and utilize the best practices that work across all schools. It has allowed us to stay fresh, troubleshoot on areas around instruction and coaching, and stay focused on the end result – success for our students.
How Aspire Builds a College for Certain™ Culture of Excellence
Brainwash with College
The College for Certain™ mantra is felt in every cell of the school. When students walk down the hallways at Wilson Prep, they are not just attending classes that will afford them a college education; they turn corners into classrooms filled with rich inspirational text on the walls, reminiscent of a library. Every classroom in the Aspire network is named after a four-year college and university, which feeds into each school’s theme of college. At my school, it’s normal to hear teachers or students shouting the call-and-response, “College? Claro!” – our motto -- in the hallways between classes. We infuse every moment of the school day and year with college days, annual college fairs, daytime college trips, or bulletin boards in the hallways that highlight a different aspect of college-going culture. Nearly every activity, billboard or lesson has a reminder about college to it. One of my colleagues recently received an email from a parent: “My five-year-old is talking about college. Thank you.”
Professional Development
At Aspire, whenever we have an opportunity to come together, it is best to share best practices around curriculum and instruction as our primary task. In our Wednesday staff meetings, we avoid any topic that is not related to the practical day-to-day task of student instruction or improving culture. Now, we alternate weekly staff meetings with specific subject area meetings in an effort to make decisions from the perspective of the whole community, subject areas and grade levels
Aspire principals also believe that sharing leadership opportunities not
only change the flavor of what is presented but allows upcoming leaders in the Aspire community an opportunity to grow and receive experience. During the second semester at Wilson Prep, my lead teachers are alternating leading meetings and are assigned responsibilities such as facilitator, recorder, coach and timekeeper
A Cycle of Inquiry
Research says that looking at student data is a strategic way to improve achievement. Three years ago, Aspire implemented the Cycle of Inquiry as a way to keep teachers accountable for student growth. Using formal and informal assessments, teachers instruct students using the California state standards as the goal. Once the curriculum is taught, educators assess students. When the results come back, we use this as an opportunity to see what worked and what didn’t for specific students and groups of students. At the next staff meeting, we exchange ideas that may improve instruction for the specific students who didn’t make proficiency. Next, we implement the strategies during class time or after school in guided instruction. The goal: students knowing the standards. The process: deliberate and intentional. The result: a 70 point jump in Wilson Prep’s API base score for 2005.
A Passionate School Culture
The glue that holds all Aspire schools together is individual school culture. Each time someone new walks through the doors of a school, the tone and feel should be as evident as the colors of the walls. Every Aspire school has a culture that incorporates the ideas of enthusiastic parents, committed students, a highly motivated staff, and the idea of College for Certain™.
All Aspire secondary schools have Advisories, peer groups run by a teacher or community member that allows students and mentors to talk from the heart but lead with our goals in mind, never compromising our mission or integrity of program. However, Advisory does not begin on the first day of school; it occurs in the minds of our community members before we even meet the students, which we started in our inaugural year with an all school retreat. This overnight experience led us into the woods with 248 students, 17 teachers, some parents and a very excited principal, who hoped for organic relationships to be formed among students and staff. Though the concept is not deep, the result is. Trust-building exercises, softball games, campfires, school chants, student-initiated poetry, impromptu competitions, hot chocolate and hugs were definitely ingredients for a deep bonding experience. .
Advisory continues throughout the school year with daily homework checks by the advisor, implementation of study skills, and opportunities to talk socially and emotionally, freely without opinion or criticism. Filling out college applications, creating resumes and following up with advisees to make sure they have completed homework assignments are just some of the examples of what Advisory time can look like.
The other cultural element that has worked magic is Town Hall. Every Friday, the entire school community meets for one hour in Town Hall to celebrate achievements and talk about areas of growth. Town Hall is a commercial for college. Every senior’s college acceptance or recent achievement is announced. The call, “College?” and the response of “Claro!” begins the assembly. Students thrust their fists in the air, some stand on seats, others shyly respond, but the point is never stop talking about college. PowerPoint presentations by teachers talking about their college experience highlight fifteen minutes; Wilson Prep alumni Max Caraballo, Wilson Prep Class of 2005, makes a guest appearance to tell students how he earned a 3.38 during his freshman semester at Columbia University in New York, where he is on full scholarship.
This year, Wilson Prep will see its third class of seniors graduate and head to college. To date, we have had a number of early acceptances, and the halls are abuzz with “Did you hear?” “She got into…” “Did you finish your essay?” Building a culture of high expectations and quality takes time, a thoughtful approach, and a village, so to speak. At Aspire we’ve worked hard to create that tone across the organization. Strong achievement is critical to catalyzing change in the system, but we have learned that an overall culture of excellence matters too. It reinforces Aspire’s strongly-held belief that every student can learn, and that a college preparatory environment can offer the opportunity for all students to enter college.
Troyvoi Hicks, M.Ed., Founding Principal, Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy, an Aspire Public School
Email: troyvoi at gmail dot com
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