New program approved for next fall
School-Within-A-School will help freshmen adjust
by Anita Hairston
To help freshmen adjust to the high school work load, a task force of seven staff members created a proposal for a School-Within-A-School, a program that would give more attention to ninth grade students.
The proposed structure for the program consists of five volunteer teachers and 80 ninth grade students. Students would receive instruction in science, math, social studies, English and Skills For Living. The program will allow sufficient time for electives students want to take. Participation in the porgram would be on a voluntary basis.
The objective of the program is to build stronger student-teacher bonds. The task force hopes this will result in students excelling academically.
"Eliminating leveling, which Barbara Harris, math teachers Henry Hudson and Katie Liekoski, English teacher Judy McElroy, social studies teachers Fred Mills and Debbie Turnes, guidance counselor Kaye Price and Young.
The program proposal must go to the Model School Planning Team and to the District Steering Team for consideration, and must be approved by the board of education. The board approved it to begin in the fall of 1992.
School-Within-A-School courses would be taught in a flexible 215 minute block of time, allowing extra time for any teacher to negotiate the amount of time they need for their class each day. Teachers would work together in preparing the lesson plans to assure that students would not be overwhelmed with work. "Classes would take mix, not just the cream of the crop or the people at risk," said Harris. "This is the difference between the Taylor Academy program and this proposed program," said Young. Harris coordinated a program similar to the proposed School-Within-A-School in Cleveland, which was successful
Administrative Principal Dr. Charles Shaddow said that the School-Within-A-School program is an excellent way for studentsw to get to know their teachers. Dr. Shaddow said "One encouraging aspect of the program is the fact that teachers have an opportunity to experiment in planning and implementing programs that they and the students are interested in."