MEMBER PROFILE: Al Raby School for Community and Environment

Lucy Flower Campus
3545 W. Fulton Blvd
Chicago, IL 60623
Phone: (773) 534-6755
Fax: (773) 534-6938
Visit their website
Contact: Janice K. Jackson, Principal

Al Raby High School, named for a Chicago civil right activist, engages student learning around issues of social justice and environmental activism within their own community. Started in fall 2004, this school in the historic Lucy Flower school building recruits students predominantly from East and West Garfield Park. Al Raby aims to offer a rigorous college prep curriculum that equips students with real world experience by way of internship opportunities, portfolio development, and academic investigations into the Garfield Park community.

SCHOOL STATISTICS

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SIGNATURE PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES

• Inquiry Based Learning – All disciplines are taught using a variety of pedagogic approaches which include inquiry-based learning; project-based learning; thematic units, etc. These practices enable students to connect class work to real world problems.
• GIS Technology – Students learn to use cutting edge GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping technology to collect, analyze, and display data about social and environmental problems in their own communities. With two offerings in GIS and an advanced course in "Garfield Park Studies," AL Raby is one of a few schools in Illinois, and the only school in CPS to offer such a course.
• Internships – In 04-05 every student in the ninth grade was placed in an internship with a local community organization. To maintain high quality for this program, participation during the 2005-2006 school year will be scaled back to 50 students.
• Portfolio Assessment – All students develop a portfolio over four years that contains evidence of high quality work – for example, samples of writing and coursework, grades, a resume, and college response letters. Students are required to present a completed portfolio to an advisory board prior to graduation. View supplementary materials.
• Student Development Program – ARS will implement a new student development program for both 9th and 10th graders for the 05-06 school year. Student advisory will meet every Wednesday for one hour. Topics include School Mission and Vision, School Pride, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Community Activism, Goal Setting and Portfolio Organization.

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CALENDAR AND SCHEDULING

Calendar: CPS calendar year.

Schedule: On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, the school day lasts from 8 am to 3:30 pm, using an alternating A/B Block Schedule in which students attend 5 lengthened class periods. On Wednesdays, the schedule alternates between half days (ending at 12:16 pm) and full days (ending at 3:30 pm). On Wednesdays (both half and full days) class periods are always shortened in order to accommodate a schedule of 8 academic periods and 1 morning advisory period.

The following is an example of the 2005-2006 schedule:

Common Planning Time: Normal Wednesdays (Full Day): 8:00 –9:00a.m.
Alternate Wednesdays (Half Day): 12:30–2:55p.m.

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ACADEMICS

Philosophy – Overall instruction and assignments involve students' inquiry into personal and community issues. This technique is referred to as Inquiry Based Learning or Inquiry Based Approach (IBA) to learning. View supplementary materials.

Graduation Requirements – Al Raby students are expected to complete 28 course credits before graduating (4 more than required by CPS). Students must also complete 40 service hours. Throughout their four years at Al Raby, students archive examples of their exemplary work in a portfolio that is ultimately reviewed by a faculty committee before graduation.

General Coursework – Core subjects are complemented by electives focused on the environment and community organizing. In the 05 -06 school year, Al Raby has begun teaching biology instead of chemistry to the freshmen class because teachers decided chemistry could be more successfully presented later in the students’ academic career, in their junior year. The principal hopes to offer AP classes in the sciences and U.S. History sometime in the next 2 years. Al Raby is committed to rigorous writing instruction, using the Collins Writing Program – a professionally designed writing-across-the-curriculum program that aims to improve student writing and thinking by focusing students sequentially on specific skill areas.

View supplemental information

GIS – Students learn to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping technology to display data about their communities in a geographical layout (for example, freshmen in 04-05 mapped access to nutritious food in their neighborhoods). In 05-06, an elective entitled "Garfield Park Studies" is offered to students who have already completed two GIS courses and wish to study the community in greater depth. GIS is one way that Al Raby incorporates their theme of "community" in their curriculum. View supplemental information

Internships – Every ninth grader participated in an internship every other Wednesday in 04-05, in community organizations such as the Chicago Police Department, Garfield Park Conservatory, homeless shelters, and child care and community centers. The program aims to build students’ interpersonal skills, and expose them to positive resources in the community. View supplemental information

Integrated units – In 04-05 these did not happen due to a number of logistical problems. In 05-06, problems of timing and schedule conflict is being addressed by a more structured schedule with one unit occurring per quarter, and using each teacher participating in 2 units per year. A unit on Evolution for 05-06 explores the scientific aspects of evolution as well as the social/political controversy surrounding the Scopes trial.

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STUDENT ASSESSMENT

General Assessment: Major student assessments (either exams or final projects) take place at the end of each 20-week semester.

Portfolio: All students work toward completing a portfolio for graduation. The portfolio must contain a resume, four-year plan and grades, college applications, college response letters, essays, career research, records of interviews, samples of exemplary coursework, writing samples, a PowerPoint presentation, a recorded oral presentation, GIS project, standardized test scores, and internship records. Though a useful assessment tool, the portfolio is primarily meant to familiarize students with the practice of keeping records of exemplary work – a skill vital to success in college and the job market. A structured review process for student portfolios is being developed. View supplementary materials

Standardized Testing: ARS voluntarily administers the Explore test in May to gauge student improvement. Between the fall of 04 and the spring of 05, the number of Al Raby students meeting or exceeding national norms on the Explore increased from 43% to 62%. The average Explore composite was 13.2 in the fall and was 14.2 in the spring. Al Raby also participates in ACT’s Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS).

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STUDENT CULTURE

College Culture: Al Raby is developing a school culture to motivate and prepare students for college beginning freshman year. This interdisciplinary multi-year program incorporates the following practices:

• Portfolio planning – Students learn the art of resume/portfolio building and representing themselves through their work.

• Internships – Students obtain real world work experience and strengthen communication and organizational skills.
• Environmental motivations – The physical learning space of the school is decorated to encourage post-secondary options. Classrooms are decorated in college banners and logos, and halls display bulletin boards recognizing student achievement and maps marking the locations of historically Black colleges.
• College research – Students are required to do extensive research on colleges. At the end of each of their first 3 years at ARS, students are expected to choose a college they plan on applying to and symbolically “commit” to it by writing an essay detailing why they wish to go there.
• College exposure – Students visit college campuses as well as attend various special assemblies, motivational speakers, and college/career fairs. View supplementary materials

Security and Conflict Resolution: Though Al Raby has no official curriculum or system for conflict resolution, staff is committed to educating students on how to respond to anger and conflict in a peaceful manner. In February ’06 the school held a half-day “Peace Symposium” and a faculty team is following up with investigation to identify and adopt strategies to reduce student violence.

Student Support, Advisory, and Counseling: Al Raby employs a school counselor and full-time case manager. Students in special education work with the case manager and the school resource center. A new student development program for both 9^th and 10^th graders is being implemented in 05-06. Under this program, advisory meets every Wednesday for one hour and covers topics such as School Mission and Vision, School Pride, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Community Activism, Goal Setting and Portfolio Organization. View supplementary materials

Student Leadership Development:

• Student Council and Debate Teams
• Student-to-Student mentoring
• A group of students is creating a documentary about the Chicago Freedom Movement. The project is a collaborative effort that includes the Historical Society, which trained students on how to conduct interviews and collect oral histories.
• Entering students take an orientation trip to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to learn about environmental science, participate in team building and leadership development activities.

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TEACHERS AND STAFF

School Governance: Teacher leadership is a cornerstone at ARS. The school uses a teacher leadership governance model in which teachers and the principal make decisions together on curriculum, hiring of new teachers, school policies and procedures, and budgetary expenditures. An advisory board composed of parents, community members, and business people meets once a year. A separate Parent Advisory Council is also elected and meets once every month. In the school’s first year, the PAC served as an information exchange group. Al Raby plans to establish an LSC next year.

Professional Development: Each teacher is required to complete 30-50 hours of professional development (PD) training in either a subject area or in-school management strategies.

PD general areas of focus include:

• Standards Based Curriculum: Insuring that teachers know the state standards and use them as guides to shape curriculum
• Differentiated Instruction: Focuses on helping teachers identify strategies to reach all learners.
• Reading Improvement – PD stresses the importance of four areas outlined by the Chicago Reading Initiative: fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing.
• Technological Infusion – PD focuses on the value of technology as a classroom teaching tool. It Includes training in the use of various software applications, and Audio visual and GIS equipment.
• Sharing of Best Practices - Al Raby encourages teachers to visit other small schools, attend outside workshops, and return to share best practices with others at Al Raby (particularly regarding specific content areas, special ed programs and strategies, and school governance structures).

Most PD is facilitated by principal, lead teacher, other teachers on staff and the district offices. In a few instances PD is facilitated by the Chicago High School Redesign Initiative or through partnerships with institutions such as Chicago State University and National Louis University.

Teachers are also grouped into grade-level teams that meet one prep period per week.

PBI In-Depth School Visit: In May, 2005, the Al Raby school received a full-week in-depth visit by a team of three teachers and one former principal, and led by Practice-Based Inquiry© designer Tom Wilson. The protocol for the visit is based on the specific goals and strategies employed by the school, and involves careful observation of students’ actual learning, along with the teachers’ and the school’s support for that learning. The team’s report was designed to be objective and free of biases or pre-occupations of individual observers. The school is using the report to determine the most effective ways to strengthen curriculum and instruction. For more information visit Catalpa LTD.

Staff Culture & Leadership Development: In 05-06 Al Raby will have 16 classroom teachers and two special education instructors. Hiring decisions involve the entire staff in recruiting, interviewing, and selecting new teachers.The school has one lead teacher and two grade level team leaders. Leadership is also fostered through positions like Director of Extra-Curricular Activities, Director of Internships, etc.

Teacher Evaluation: Two official evaluations are done per year using the generic CPS format. The Principal uses a separate, more extensive rubric in the many internal teacher reviews she conducts throughout the year. The Principal and Lead Teacher use these reviews to push teachers to hold themselves to higher standards. In 04-05 teachers were encouraged to do informal observations of one another’s teaching. In 05-06, peer teaching observations are also employing the Principal’s extensive evaluation rubric.

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PARENTS AND COMMUNITY

School Advisory Board: A school advisory board comprising parents and community members meets once a month.

Parent Night: A Parent Night is held each semester. GED, job training, and technology training programs are offered at the school simultaneously as incentives for attendance.

Bring-Your-Parents-to-School Day: In 2005, students organized the first ever Bring-Your-Parents-to-School-Day. Parents attended a portion of the school day with their child, attending classes, school meetings, and special performances.

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EFFORTS THAT DIDN’T SUCCEED

• Al Raby’s alternating schedule was adopted in the summer of 05 as a response to faculty concerns that the existing fixed block schedule unintentionally denied some teachers equal access to their students on weeks when long weekend holidays and internships coincided.

• In 04-05, Al Raby found that not all students are mature or motivated enough to take advantage of an internship (and not all internship providers are equally equipped to work closely with high school students). To maximize the educational benefit for students, the Principal has decided to keep the program small. In 05-06 participation has been scaled back to include 25 freshmen and 25 sophomores.

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HELPFUL RESOURCES

• A partnership with Bethel New Life Community Development Center has been invaluable. Bethel is involved with most of Al Raby’s community activities, serves on the parent advisory council, and sponsors Al Raby interns.

  Contact Person:
  Mary Nelson, CEO Bethel New Life
  Mildred Wiley, Education Coordinator
  Lorna Wilson, Community Liaison Al Raby/Bethel New Life
  Phone: (773) 473-7870

• Center for Neighborhood Technology

  Contact Person:
  Steve Perkins,
  Phone: (773) 278-4800

• Garfield Park Conservatory

  Contact Person:
  Eunita Rushing,
  Phone: (773) 638-1766

• Chicago University partnership- helped design the GIS curriculum and labs and helped with access to GIS data. Chicago State contact: Mark Bouman.

• Book: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

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SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

1) Inquiry Based Learning

This approach to instruction aims to empower students to take an active role in their own learning by way of project work and problem solving. Inquiry based instruction typically engages student learning by challenging students to solve hypothetical problems. Al Raby’s focus on the community naturally steers many assignments toward student investigation of real problems in the Garfield Park Community. In this way, students come to know and use the landscape, people, and resources of the community as an extension of the classroom.

Contact Person: Jim Schwartz, Al Raby Lead Teacher,

Email: jtschwartz@cps.k12.il.us

Challenges:

With the direction of the Principal and the Lead teacher, Al Raby faculty is currently searching for ways to strike a balance between the inquiry based instruction and "traditional" instruction students receive.

Sample Project:

The following project will be completed by all freshmen in the 05-06 school year:

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2) GIS Curriculum

In the fall of 04, between the months of September and December, teachers participated in a 38-hour training course, provided by Chicago State University, on how to use the GIS technology. ARS has two facilities with the latest software and equipment modeled after university laboratories. Though currently this work is offered mainly within the GIS courses, the hope is to eventually integrate the use of GIS technology throughout all subject areas.

Contact Person: Tamara Hagen, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) teacher, Al Raby,
Email: tamara.hagen@sbcglobal.net

Sample projects: The following are examples of eight-week long final projects completed by all students in the 04'-05 freshmen GIS class:

Additions to the program:

In addition to the GIS I and GIS II currently offered, a course in “Garfield Park Studies” is being offered in 2005-2006 for students who have taken both GIS courses and wish to further study the people, resources, and politics of the Garfield Park community.

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3) Internships:

In partnership with Bethel New Life, a local community development organization in 04-05, Al Raby placed every ninth grader in an internship with a local business or community organization such as the Chicago Police Department, Garfield Park Conservatory, and a number of homeless shelters, child care facilities and community centers.

Contact Person: Lorna Wilson, Bethel New Life

Phone:(773) 473 - 7870

In-House Evaluation: This past year, the internship program suffered from a number of uncommitted internship providers. After the director received reports from students that they often spent their internships playing cards or working with employers who "just didn't like kids," the school created a questionnaire to be filled out by both students and internship providers. From this questionnaire, the director, in collaboration with Lorna Wilson at Bethel New Life, was able to identify problematic placements.

View the Site Evaluation Rubric (pdf)

Changes to the Program:

Last year’s events exemplified the difficulties in sustaining a large internship program. To minimize logistical demands on the school and maximize the benefit for the student, the director has decided to limit the number participating in the program to 25 freshmen and 25 sophomores.

View the 05-06 Internship Program (pdf)

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4.) Collins Writing Program

Al Raby uses a professionally designed writing-to-learn/ writing-across-the-curriculum writing program called the Collins Writing Program. Using this model, instruction is tailored to focus students on a few key areas of their writing one assignment at a time. By addressing what the program calls "Focus Correction Areas" one at a time, students feel less overwhelmed and are given the space needed to become more conscious and critical of their own writing.

Examples of Focus Correction Areas include:

• Using a clear topic sentence and strong conclusion

• Explaining ideas with sufficient/relevant details

• Using content specific vocabulary

• Varying sentence beginnings/lengths

• Using end marks and commas correctly

• Including graphic illustrations with labels

The program involves a cumulative writing folder and 5 different types of writing assignments (each type stressing a different set of skills). To learn more visit: http://www.collinseducationassociates.com

Contact Info:

For information on specifics of this program in practice contact Lori Birenberg at at Al Raby, Email misslorib_raby@sbcglobal.net

Noble Street Charter High School and School of Entrepreneurship at South Shore also use this program. Their contact information is as follows:

Bill Olsen, Principal of Noble Street Charter High School

Email: wolsen@goldentigers.org

Bill Gerstein, Principal of School of Entrepreneurship at South Shore

Email: Billgerstein1372@yahoo.com

Phone: (773) 535-6190.

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SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS

Table of Contents

This portfolio is a record of _____________________'s growth throughout four years of high school. The following components, chosen by the student, are included in the portfolio:

1. Resume
2. 4-year plan of courses and grades
3. College contacts
   1. Catalogs and brochures
   2. Essays of interest
   3. Applications
   4. Responses
   5. Letters of recommendation
4. Career options
   1. Education research
   2. Requirements
   3. Interview
5. Coursework & reflective responses
   1. Writing samples:
      1. Essay
      2. Research paper
      3. Lab report
      4. Poetry/free writing
   2. PowerPoint presentation
   3. Recorded oral presentation
   4. Data and analysis using GIS
   5. Science project
   6. Integrated unit projects
6. Inventory of scores on state and local standardized tests
7. Activities & community involvement
   1. Extracurricular activities & sports
   2. Service learning
   3. Internship project
8. Awards & certificates

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COLLEGE CULTURE

Character Building (Begins freshman year)

• Becoming independent
• Completing homework/assignments
• Note-taking
• Studying
• Internships/Externships (in-house workshops and seminars)
• Begin portfolio building
• Assemblies/motivational speakers

Climate (Reflects post-secondary options – Colleges & Universities)

• Classrooms/offices decorated with schools almamater/logos
• Map with markers that reflect historically black colleges/universities that are identified with color codes
• Banners hanging throughout school
• Bulletin Boards
• High Expectations
• Space for board recognition

Four-Year Plan Of Action

Freshmen Year: Building character to create independent students through:

• Internships/Externships
• Note taking
• Homework Policy
• Portfolio
• GPA/Class rank
• Mock college applications
• Extra-curricular activities

Sophomore Year: College plan of action begins (Find interest/Inventory)

• Fairs/Career Day to include professionals/college representatives/trade and craft representatives, etc.
• Local visits to colleges and universities (within Illinois boundaries)
• Developing/researching career interests
• Filling out job applications

Junior Year: It’s all about focusing…Continuance of college plan of action and implementation

• Deciding on a career/trade/craft
• Choosing a post-secondary school
• Testing (ACT/SAT, etc.)
• Financial Aid, scholarships, grants and loan options
• Tours (National)
• College prep
• Portfolio prep

Senior Year: Crunch time...Finalizing logistics to academic excellence

• Complete college applications
• Letters of recommendation
• Fill out Financial aid forms (FASA, scholarship deadlines, etc.
• Complete portfolios
• Other last minute logistical details/requirements

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ADVISORY CURRICULUM

Freshmen Advisory Curriculum

Sophomore Advisory Curriculum

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