New York Voices #517; Year of Change

When. New York City has over a million students attending classes in some twelve hundred schools making it the largest public school system in the country. And for decades the problems have been just as large. Only half of public school students graduate from high school in four years and less than half meet national reading and math standards. In 2002 the city began one of the largest school reform efforts ever undertaken. The mayor was given unprecedented power by the state over public education and. He moved aggressively to transform the system to fix failing schools. This reform movement included a radical new approach to choosing in training new leaders who are

expected to become agents of change. The one and only way to succeed is by having the right lead is in the right place at the right time. In 2003 Mayor Bloomberg and schools chancellor Joel Klein created the Leadership Academy. Its mission to recruit and train the next generation of school principals. The Academy selected 90 applicants to undergo a year of intensive training before becoming school principals. We followed three of these aspiring principals for two years to see if leadership can be taught and whether in the final analysis they each can be counted on to build one good school. Funding for a year of change leadership in the principal's office provided by the Wallace Foundation supporting ideas sharing solutions expanding opportunities additional funding for New York Voices provided by the members of 13 Michael t MARTIN And Elise JAFFE

And Jeffrey Brown. The leadership academy with its 75 million dollar budget was funded by private donations including a substantial grant from the Wallace Foundation. The Academy opened its doors in July of 2003. Alexandra Norma Lisa Larry Wilson and a file asked me now about Checo are part of the first wave of aspiring principals. They're paid a principal salary of ninety two thousand dollars as they train and as part of the deal they must commit to work as principals in New York City for a minimum of five years. Previously the three had been teachers in city schools but none had any management experience as assistant principals which is the usual path for getting the job. Here's how they describe their outlook on coming into the program. Having worked as an educator and a loving teaching I love teaching I love being an educator I like seeing that spark that OHA that realisation that a learner has. I see a principal ship as sort of the school is now your class.

And I guess that's what gives me the courage to move forward toward being a principal. Right now I feel like an aspiring principal and I think in my first day of school wherever that school might be that's when I'll really feel that I am the principal of this building. I don't feel that yet in terms of starting a school I compare it almost to like getting married and looking for a home for the first time and buying the dishes. It feels that way to me. You know just that. Opportunity. We can do anything we want and we can do it really well and it will be great. You'll see. After a year in the job they have come to a new appreciation for the difficulties of their new career. For them girls come over here for the express purpose of fighting in the day I think I was a little naive. Probably a lot naive and innocent about the reality of the day to day realities of being a principal.

When you say. It's always much harder to be a principal than to think about being a principal. I had a great year. However it's been much harder. Than than anybody could ever anticipate. We think you know what. You know and and I have a really big issue with that I don't know. That's for public schools or that's just the school. That's not acceptable. You can imagine what it's like until you're in it as intense as the Academy was as intense as being a classroom teacher was being the principal is most challenging but at the same time really rewarding during their two year journey to the principal ship. Many of their core beliefs and theories about creating change were put to severe test just before they became principals. Chancellor Klein posed this question to remind them of their mission. Now you're out there in the hot water and I just want you to say a lot about the following question which is changing the system how much is the system changing.

I was born in Dominican Republic and I lived there with my grandmother. My mom and dad came to the United States to work and to establish themselves economically in order to bring my brothers and sisters and I to the United States. I came here when I was seven years old. And came to a very cold country and. I was placed in a school where it was an English classroom for English. Oh me. It was the same question for me. And I was in first grade. They hold you back OK because of your age. Usually when you come from another country at that time in 1977. And as a teacher and as a bilingual teacher. That is one of my main goals to provide opportunities for children that come from other countries. I never thought I would be a person. But when this opportunity came about it was explained to me that. They were looking for instructional leaders so that the role of the

principal was going to change. And that seemed very exciting to me. You're learning to develop yourself. Personally emotionally intellectually and then there's the academic learning the logistics of being a prison you have to build a lot of you know some sense in order to work as a team and work effectively. The overarching goal is to create transformational leaders. We frame the role of the principal as the instructional leader that their job is to align all resources time money staff parents everything in the interest of instruction and teaching and learning in the classroom. To that end Sandra Stein and her staff had to simulate the difficulties of the job by creating fictional schools for the aspiring principals to lead on paper and in discussion groups. They were learning to set goals and work through problem scenarios. If I am a teacher in this room. And this in the school. I am at. This is absolutely too much.

All of this is beautiful and this is what we want in three years and that in our vision and we know it doesn't happen overnight. From one from the right hand the principal another type of simulation the leadership academy uses to prepare the aspiring principals is role playing. Here they learn to handle situations they may face in the real schools. What's a child's brain. Julie Julie was really minor and what class this year. She was in this class. And I wanted her to be in the class why would you move or understand what's the problem. All of her awful things about the teacher. Well I didn't make that most. So let me go get you did make the move on to the principal. Yes I am the president by looking to make a move you should know who made the move that's ridiculous I know exactly who made the move and I'm just trying to find out OK like I was like what happened in this is I don't like the. Man. Tippett.

Right. So not owning the decision does not help the situation. At times when I felt how am I really going to do this. They just puts push me that extra mile. I think I've developed a lot of stamina. Simulations are no substitute for first hand experience. So the aspiring principals spend most of their training year following mentor principles in action. Rafael as mentor was Neil Oprah Molla a principal who had previously worked at the regional level and had close ties to the Leadership Academy. I definitely wish I had the training that Rafael is receiving only because it's a real experience. I mean she has the opportunity while she's not ultimately responsible what happens in this building. She is all the time she spends here is in every sense of the word a principles whereas my internship had to be done

piecemeal. And it wasn't a real experience. During her training Rafaello like all of her classmates had the time to reflect on the type of environment she hoped to create. When I open my school I hope. That if you were to visit but you would hear the buzzing of two languages definitely. I hope that you hear children's laughter. I hope that you hear children thinking I hope that you hear teachers speaking in a tone that you know that they are enjoying their job. You don't hear the frustration. Or the stress that the teaching classes because it's so hard is one of the hardest jobs in the world I think. And I would hope that you will be able to see me that I will be very visible in the building and be available with an open door and that it's a community where we all collaborate and we work together and we feel that we all therefore come and visit. In September of 2004 all of Raphael's ideals were confronted with the reality of the school she was assigned. P.S. One forty seven. Failing

Elementary School in Bushwick Brooklyn. It had been designated a school in need of improvement for two years. In the year prior to Rafael's arrival the school had been assigned a new principal who had met fierce resistance from the teachers. When she tried to implement the chancers new curriculum. That principle only lasted one year now it fell to Rafaela to move in with the same curriculum and her new vision and to begin the process that would remove the school from its failing status Rafaela challenge was to motivate the same group of teachers that her predecessor could not. The teachers here have been here for over 10 15 years and it's very hard you know to come into our building we feel this is our building and these are our children and we know I would challenge and we know what they need. We have chaplains ideas from. Day one now we coming with this new administration with their ideas their perspective people you know now we have another person coming in. So that's that's a lot. It's you know it's a lot for a child just a lot for a teacher. We are all individual

eyes and we want to see what our own individual ality in our classroom so it's very hard said consing listen to others telling us how to do this and how to do that. But where are educators and where West flexible and we're going to do it. Happy New Year. Katon. Happy New Year. Eve great Vishy I see a little different than I did last year they're more accepting. This year I'm not feeling to many negative vibes from them they're not like bombarding me with issues so that's a good sign. You know where you're going. Yeah. In her first week Rafaela began the process of becoming the school's instructional leader by visiting classrooms and making observations. I didn't know. I try to do something that's going really well. And maybe one day that. That's what. I'm trying to really look at the school. From an objective point of view. Coming in as a new person. I wanted to really not make that many changes in

terms of personnel and people are. Instead Rafaela focus on what she knew which is how a classroom instruction should look and sound. She would give feedback to her teachers and relay information through her cabinet. One is you know structure starting right away because there was a kind of a. I noticed I was down time and time there shouldn't be teacher centered. But yesterday. I saw some developing some classroom rules and the children were either does have a teacher standing in the middle of the room. And I don't think that's very. You know. And it's not what. You know. I eat so I didn't get the reaction I anticipated. So I'm very happy. That. I feel that I'm good. I'm being given a chance. To start fresh and really. Share my ideas with others. I'm. Not.

Saying. By November Rafaela has started to leave her mark on the school having initiated a make over that according to the school custodian was no small feat. Oh she's a very tough customer because she's very demanding. She knows what she wants and she requires it. In a minimal. More than the average. She knows she has a vision. That I have not seen. And in anyone for a long time and she found a real ally in her assistant principal. We have the same philosophy. I mean all of her I should say were amazed because she really knows. Like the ballasts literacy. And so I learn something. Every day. I feel that my greatest contribution. Is to help Rafaela as much as I can meet. Her vision for the school. But for some of her teachers her management style and especially her method of communicating was beginning

to come under fire. One criticism was about her practice of leaving post-it notes for teachers. We actually don't like going out. Because it's a fact that we prefer personal comment. The writing really is just in passing and to just tell me change this. This looks good. It's not enough you know where people are not people are not books and we expect the conversation. Like the way. He used to happen. Anderson really put emphasis on the. Word tissue. She's definitely creating an environment. That is very nurturing for the children. There are some teachers who really love this new style. They love her new approach. And there are teachers here who are very frustrated and angry about the approach. Some days I come home I'm extremely frustrated. There are some days I come home I'm excited about the change. I think for you right here that she has gotten the parents more involved in the school. It's it might seem like a small change

since there was almost no parent involvement before. I see it. It's probably the most dramatic change. Her biggest. Hindrance is that she didn't have managerial experience before she came to this school and if she has a weakness I think it's in expressing herself to a large group of people like the faculty at the school. The Leadership Academy provides guidance even through the first year on the job. On this day Rafael is visited by Sandra Stein. You've been going around giving feedback but I try to. Write letters or similar. Well now that you have systems in place so that you have a chunk of time in the day they are devoted to you probably be able to do more. Right. So now the question is. How are you delivering these messages and what do they understand your purpose to be. Well I can only. Go By. Different things that I that I might hear. So. And one term that I heard was policing. And.

That hurt in a certain way like it hits you because it's like it's so not about me policing. It's about like. Good instruction and make it better for the children and if good things are happening then you don't have to defend yourself or you don't have to be intimidated by me coming into your classroom because. If you're a good teacher you're a good teacher and. I want to know what you feel passionate about. And what are you an expert on. So that I can building expertise. But I also want to know what you want to work on and grow so that I can provide you with the professional development. The first year of anything is very difficult. Newness of the challenge and the questioning yourself as you make decisions. Most things you're doing for the first time and there are not many veteran principals who are signing up to go into turnaround situations. So we need to prepare the first year principals as best we can and to go in and make a difference because Rafael his predecessor had only lasted

one year in the school. There was a wait and see attitude among some of the teachers about whether Rafaello would survive. Then in the spring came the answer. The regional leadership strengthen Rafaello decision but officially appointing her as principal since she's been officially appointed. She's changed a lot she's become more personable that way. Other teachers think she's personable and could use some help on that. I've seen a change in her and I think it's only going to get better with time. There is that. Commitment that comes from being appointed I feel in terms of wow you know this is my school and I'm I'm expected. To. Transform. And I'm expected to increase in achievement and I'm expected to improve instruction and I'm expected to make the children's lives better. I respect it to. Make it easier for all of us to build community to change towards what we want schools to look like and we like the

primary expectation is that Rafael and her teachers will turn the school around. Yet more. In the fall the student's math scores for the test they had taken the previous year came back and they were high enough to remove P.S. 147 from the needs improvement list Rafaela congratulated her teachers and students for this accomplishment. Then in the spring came more good news. The scores for the English test that the students had taken in January came back in the results for P.S. 147 had improved by 20 percent over the previous year while Rafaello was pleased with the results. The atmosphere in the school was more a surprise than celebration. Because we didn't so well I'm not sure what they reflect. The principal has been here for a long time she was very big on Tess a lot of test prep in the past. Two years we didn't really have a lot of test prep so that's I think a lot of that had to do you know the surprise like wow. Why do these kids do so well when we

weren't doing what we used to be doing. I was happy about the results. But I was a little concerned about how some of them really were promoted will actually pass those tests. They're not they're very low functioning by any objective measure. P.S. 147 has improved over the year but not everyone wants to attribute that success to the changes implemented by Rafaello. I don't think the new approaches have to credit this change in test scores. I think you have to credit the teachers a lot and the parents but mostly it's pretty these kids because they are pushing themselves all year. I think teachers should get a real big round of applause. Yes Miss Esther now she did as well. But I think the teachers really need to be. Up. A lot falls on the teachers. You know I mean they're the ones who have been in the classroom every single day. But you know you got to give her a little credit you know. She did make sure everyone was doing their job which. Which is why the kids did so well.

So I don't see it as a failure of my leadership. There isn't that shared joy because. There there is joy I feel. Whether people don't. Have knowledge and or celebrate in front of me I. Or don't say it in an interview or something. Those same very people are very active. And the same people of every open to new ideas and you know ideas that I've brought in. There hasn't been anyone that hasn't worked with me to move towards our goal. My best assessment all the people who've been here before who have been here for years will turn around and say this is a different place. It looks different it feels different it sounds different. And that is valuable to me. Was there pressure. Yes was a frustration. Absolutely. But in terms of a we in a much better place than we were before. Yes because a strict union rules it is very difficult to fire a teacher. When teachers and principals don't see eye to eye. It's the teacher who must request a transfer.

A summit P.S. 147 are contemplating despite the school's improvements including myself I did put in and I'm not going right now. However I enjoy my staff here. I work well with them. They're lovely people. I also like working with Miss Aspinall as well. I mean there are it's very frustrating working for her. But but you know that's part of the game. The leadership academy training also included discussions on staff turnover. It is a positive thing. Because. Again Change is good. We're moving forward and. You should be here because you want to be here and because you're happy to be here and I want my teachers to come in and say you know I choose to come to work. I choose to work at P.S. 147. Because I believe in the vision I believe in where we're going.

I believe in where we're headed. And I want that kind of passion. And if someone can live with that. And they need to move on that's fine I can live with that too because everyone should be happy with their work. I look at next year which is that that's what we're getting ready for Mike. Now I know where I'm going. Now I know who my key players are. Now I know who I'm with. No matter who you are. Where you come from. Or where you go you define yourself. Don't ever allow anyone and I do mean anyone to tell you who you are who you are not what you are what you are not. You define you. You're going to run into people who are going to judge you by the color of your skin. You're going to run into people who are going to judge you by the straightness of your hair. You're going to run into people who judge you because you speak with an accent.

You're going to run into people who will judge you by the fact that you come from Harlem the Bronx or Brooklyn. You tell them. I define who I am I define myself to myself. For my eyes was. Larry Wilson came to the academy from a career in teaching. His expertise was in math and science and he eventually became a staff developer. I realize that as a staff developer I could have even a larger mission than being a classroom teacher and that the potential to affect the education of children was even greater. I'm the friend of the teacher. I am encouraging. I'm questioning I'm helping the teacher decide what should be their path. However as an administrator I think there is even another step that you take towards enlarging and expanding upon that. That mission

of educating young people. I'm very passionately believe that education is definitely one of the keys to success particularly for children of color particularly for poor people. Horace Mann has a great saying he said over 100 years ago that education beyond all other devices of human origin is the great equalizer of the conditions of men. It is the balance wheel of social machinery. And I truly believe that morning there is a child out here somewhere who. Needs an opportunity to get through. And my school may be the school that's going to deliver. Larry spent most of his teaching career in elementary and middle schools. The one he was placed in his residency side with his mentor principal. He was assigned to a combination middle school and high school. I've worked with three year olds up to grade 8 but I've never worked with high school students so that's a very new experience for me.

Sandy Ferguson is Larry's mentor principal. This building had a failing middle school in a way that was here for years. At that point the hallways were filled with kids. Things didn't stay on walls and International Studies as a redesign project coming out of that. We didn't change stuff we didn't change students. Building wasn't closed to reopen. So this is very much a turnaround project where the point where we're incredibly proud of the change that we've made and how far we've come. We're also at a point that is very much to the stream. What makes Sandy to my mind such a good mentor for me is that he is a learner. He is not someone who says you know what I've been in the system 20 years I've paid my dues I'm the principal I'm in charge. It's my way or the highway. So now you can have a school next year and be. You're going to be initiating a lot of things. I mean what have you taken away in terms of the. The pattern of change in a school I can expect my students to learn if I'm not expecting my staff to learn as well.

If I'm not expecting myself to learn as well I think that I always see you pushing the ABA lope I always see you pushing us to reflect on our own practices and reflect on what we do why we're doing it and how we can do it even more effectively. When did I decide that being a principal was the right thing for me. They're going to laugh because I wanted to tell you that I'm not sure yet that being a principal is the right thing for me. I see a principal ship as sort of school is now your classroom and I guess that's what gives me the courage to move forward toward being a principal. And four months ahead of schedule. Larry got his chance when we were in an unprecedented action says Chancellor Klein removed forty five principles for poor performance. Larry replaced one of them in the spring while his fellow aspiring principals were still training. I was stunned. I got an email. Oh Larry I think we we're definitely going to go with this school. And but I'm going to need

you to start a little bit earlier some developments that happened. And I thought what. OK. And then I fell in love. Now I want to be there I want to be working there I want to meet the people I want to meet the children I want to walk the halls. So it really was like being alive the only differences I really could sleep a whole lot better the morning days. How are you. I'm good. This is actually my favorite part of the day because I get to be outside. I get to see all of my students the ones who are on time mostly. At first the kids weren't used to it they were looking at me like they were guilty of something. But now they're pretty much gotten used to it. Good morning sir. Thank you for taking off your do rag. I'm back. Too many things on your head bro. Worries mission was to create a community of learners at Bread and Roses. But the path to creating that community had many roadblocks and not everyone wanted to go along for the ride.

You have a handful of kids who either don't come to school. Overcoming this good job. Then you have kids who come to class and they just want to make sure that they pass the classes. And I thought that goes I mean I just want to get to safety and get my credit and then you have kids who want to do their work and want to excel and want to make sure they had good grades and make sure they're on the honor roll. And they do everything that is that of them plus more. The library a Bread and Roses was one area where these issues played out. The library just seemed to be this loud and it was not a place to study. It was not a place where students who wanted to work who needed to work. Could get work done. I'm trying to save this library until we got to the library next year. The best way to get a real understanding real quick was shut it down all together. Those kids who have the most pressing needs would make themselves now. Right now Miss Wolf is book the library for Period 1. I'm not locking everybody out of the

library. Only a few people. You've got to control. The library. The thing that's making me not close you out is because every time I come in there I see that you're working. I see the miners working. There. A group of you better always working on your life so why why not then I'm. Going to let our that's actually what's happening. Is what I need to get by. Well thank you for taking time to write and basically trying to get paid by trying to be immediately one time not me claiming that my. But. I mean. This I can do yesterday without any doubt. That's right if you could somehow that's what you're going to see I don't think I want to get my way. Try not to have. To pay to be. This is what you're going to do. You're going to work on writing out for now your revisions. And then when you can get in there for the next period for the remainder of the day then you can type them and. Just hand write the revisions I need you to work with me and compromise on this. All right. And tomorrow it will not be an issue but I do need you guys to finish up as quickly as possible.

And that young lady really broke my heart because to hear a student say. I have to get my work done I have to get my work done and to be so adamant about it and to be so persistent. I really respected her you know. And. Also it was an issue it was a problem that I was learning to solve. But by the middle of the next school year he had changed the tone of the library. That was good in school. All aboard. Aboard. Larry's vision for where he wanted to leave the school was reflected in a field trip he took with the freshman class before the new school year started instilling his vision of the freshman class was important because it be the first group he would guide throughout their four years in high school. The idea really with the summer orientation was to support instruction for freshmen as they arrived. Monday. The posture that I wanted the students to take in that environment is the same posture that I want to take in

this one and that is the posture of the learner and I believe there are certain traits that a learner evidences among them an observation that were not in the city were not yelling over traffic they were not yelling over fire and now why. Now open your hearing open your eyes. See when there is the observation skills are is so key there so necessary they are germane to learning they are germane to understanding and it's a part it's observation skills or something that you're going to need and use for your entire life on this planet. Right now. Word. You know you are never going to you know don't hurt us. Yeah I heard Chancellor Klein say and Bob no say and Sandy Stein say and Liz Garageman say don't be afraid to be Bowl our right.

Oh yes. You know make one. But on the way to making one good school there would be challenges and bumps on the road. When the new Fall term started. Larry began by instituting high visibility changes. That's how you are you. Wearing. The new uniform policy. A stricter enforcement of student attendance and 17 new teachers and administrators were among the most obvious changes. Good morning. How you doing. Good morning. Another initiative Larry and his staff introduced to keep the freshmen on the right path. Was meeting with them about their report cards. You got some work to do. You know that you told me that you've been doing some different things. I believe you. I mean that you are doing different things. The question is are you going to continue doing those things differently. You have so much on the early side. Would you please. I know you want to buy school supplies. There are schools in Region 8 that do the report card conferences I thought it was just a really good

practice. For particularly incoming freshman to understand that high school is a different game and that the accumulation of credit leads to the awarding of a diploma. You have an average of seventy three. That's pretty good. I am pleased with. The game because it is passing your average white more average. That means you're an understudy that you know I'm going to mention as the principal of a school you take on the burden the sins as well as the gifts of the school. At this point as the principal of the school I have inherited whatever came before me. What came before was a designation of red roses a school in need of improvement a portfolio review instead of a Regents test evaluation system and low math scores and then asked. Lot of people doing this. And this is 40 and 40 who told you that this was an isosceles triangle.

Nobody because of the students poor math scores. Larry hired a math coach to work with both the students and the teachers. 90 students that sat for the January regions. I'd say we had about. 20 to 30 passing So that's a third that path starts failing. A lot of our students have had such a bad track record and with mathematics that their belief is so tainted right now that they just don't want to try. And. If anything I think that's what I'm trying to push teachers to get changed because once that can change then I can ask you to do anything in math and you'll be confident in trying to. The. God. Discipline issues tend to escalate with each grade and take everyone's attention away from teaching and learning. A little bread and roses has a relatively low incidence of violence. The enforcement of discipline still requires Larry's constant attention. No. No no problem. Talk about that group down.

There. You know. What's going on down there. I don't know but I don't like the look of. That group. Came to pick up a couple of our girls. And they're not from our school. That is something. They're waiting to patiently. That's something. Right. There. Yeah that's something. That. What you saw today was had to do with a little name calling that blossomed into a full fledged family feud. And this is a longstanding conflict and so it came back again this year there was a conflict mediation session conducted by my doun with those young ladies earlier today. But sometimes I forget to tell the other parties that they were alerted that everything is called off. Did you bring video of them girls come over here for the express purpose of fighting. I thought you all did a mediation the day I thought this was all over with. So then why have you not

heard from a bro. Your I don't actually know if that's what every now my number and most people know. Why because I'm going. And because they're with you. Yeah when I was a I know not. The full thrill. And that may have been what happened today. So the conflict is now fresh again and we'll deal with it again tomorrow. Until eventually someone is suspended and then they'll get the message and it will go away until next year until they graduate. This emotional roller coaster is common in a school that is trying to improve. So the principals were asked to map their own highs and their own loads. I learned that I wasn't the only one not sleeping. I learned that I wasn't the only one dealing with resistance. We really were placed in the kinds of situations that we were promised we would be placed at. For Larry. Some of his highs and lows have included working with his assistant principal

Larry listed a fight with his AP more than once among his lows. But he would not discuss the nature of the problem with us as AP would not appear on camera to discuss the situation either. There is a perception among our naysayers that. We can't handle the job that perhaps we were handed something that we weren't ready for or deserving of is probably really what people feel and we take our hits because of that. Clearly any time you go into a situation where somebody has really been busting their humps to make it work. And then here comes the golden child which is probably a little bit of how we are perceived you know from the Leadership Academy. Maybe I wanted this job. You're on your way to earning all your credits this school like most in the city will be ultimately judged by its Regents test scores and its graduation rate. Unfortunately this year is our percentage is about the same as it was last year. And that is about 50 percent a little more than 50 percent

of the students who arrived four years ago will actually be receiving diplomas this year. That's not a great percentage. I believe that it is probably consistent with the data elsewhere but it's just not a good enough number 50 percent. The good news is that 90 percent of that group is off to college. So that's a silver lining in it. But it is clearly one of the issues here. And if there is anything. That I. Or Breton roses can do for you from this point forward. Remember you have a home. Give us a holler. We'll be here. I don't think it occurred to me last year at District 6 that I wanted to be a principal. It was almost like a calling out.

Program. It seemed to me like wow this is it. This is what I want to do. Well most of the leadership academy graduates were assigned to existing schools. Alexandra normally had a very different set of challenges. She opened the doors of a brand new school to an immigrant population of students from 34 different countries with only one thing in common they spoke little or no English. To be successful she must get all of them to pass the state's Regents exams in four years. I realized I wanted to be a teacher and be involved in education when I was 15 years old and I've never wanted to do anything else as a teacher you can. Impact directly on a certain number of students. And it's a really rewarding and wonderful thing to do if you really want to change. The state of education. You can't do it as a teacher. It has to be done.

From above with the hope of making a difference she began her training a training that was rigorous and not always fun. There were times when people were good to each other and were very collaborative. And there were times when people were very competitive to put people together in a group for seven weeks for such a long period of time each day. I mean there were sometimes explosive. Situations. The bottom line is is most cool. I just feel like I'm not being heard to make sure I'm not going to talk anymore because I don't feel like you're getting what I'm saying at all. It's like. I'm like. I'm aware of that I saw you he said you don't have to make a. Strategy but it can be done internally. Now you know that we know that you know we very well. Know that you clarify they really don't want to. Write a visit like. This one. And it was difficult. To handle sometimes. But I think what I learned from it was the importance of managing those

relationships. And how when you're trying to build something. It is going to get tense and it is going to get hard. But if you keep your vision. That you can. Learn to work together. What I saw was what Alexander wants to build is a new school for recent immigrants. One of the most vexing challenges of the New York City schools is the large number of non English speaking students. The leadership academy assign Alexander to a mentor principal with that in mind on this day. Principal Saran ski and Alexandra meet a group of middle school students as they visit perspective high schools. I want to welcome all of you to the school I hope that next year a lot of you will be our students all of our kids coming out to the US tell them quite a much reading at level one eye level two on a scale of 1 to 4 which means that pretty much everyone is below grade level and everyone. Struggling with literacy issues we want to support you and make sure that you can

keep. Strong your Spanish or your other native languages but also learn English. No one has ever really gotten kids who are nonreaders as a group to graduate and go to college a lot of schools are pushing those kids out because they know they're not going to graduate in four years and it's going to bring down their statistics and they won't meet the targets of NCLB and the state. But we're choosing to take our men and figure out how to educate them. One of the really good things about a school where everyone is learning English is no alas if you don't know a word you know unless you if you can't say it right you know it's OK to try and make mistakes. Well and having Shell as a mentor has been a very positive experience for me. He's very supportive and I have learned a lot from him. How many of you are spending your first winter in the United States. Just never say this to you tonight and he's right. I was born in equity in many ways I see myself

as having accomplished the American dream that my parents set out to accomplish when they came to this country. I think that I haven't and I wouldn't even call it a desire a need to share that with other people like myself. It is possible. To do what you want to do and to be successful at it. No matter what. People say. You're an immigrant. You don't know English. You yeah you have obstacles everybody has obstacles. But if you work really hard and I know that sounds really nice and you want it. You can do whatever you want to do. In the spring of 2004 Alexander became the principal of the newly created international school at Prospect Heights as part of the city's reforms massive factory schools like this one that churned out thousands of students are being replaced by small schools. Alexander is one of five separate small schools in the

building. It has large clean classrooms with wireless internet access and enormous gym a model court room and even a pool for the first time I saw the school building. I was really happy and excited to be here. This is a great facility. It's fabulous space. She's going on like most of her colleagues at the academy. She was able to select all the teachers for her school teachers who share her educational point of view. In the weeks before the school opened she worked with her staff to develop a curriculum that stressed learning English. You know they met to discuss a field trip to the Brooklyn Bridge. They would kick off an interdisciplinary approach to learning a few good things. Will you extend it to a labor union. You know then then you may talk about bridges in their own country. Research says that. When students are exposed to the same themes over and over throughout the day that they are going to be not only more able to learn the vocabulary because that's repeated from one class to the next but also to have more access

points to the concepts that. They're trying to learn. So I think right now we're. Setting a tone and more importantly we're. Learning how to do it together. And. What we do this is what we do. I'm really scared and nervous about the work that we decided to engage in AI. However I also feel confident that. The team that we put together is a really good team. No matter cried away. Cause our students knew the concrete before they can move on to the abstract and to really get them to understand the idea of a bridge. Most times we as educators become rather our good and we believe that we are the only source of learning that could ever happen in the lives of students and. Boy are we wrong. Because. Learning happens all around them all the time it happens when they go

home. It happens when they come to school in the morning and they're on their way. Happens all the time. And it. Doesn't always have to do with. Reading and writing. And it doesn't always have to do with being in a classroom and hearing information from a teacher. The International School has students from 34 countries speaking over a dozen languages and at the beginning of the school year they were separating into cliques especially at the beginning you or you really need people who speak your language to be around you people because you need to communicate and you need to be understood. And sometimes the things you want to say you don't know how to say but your friend knows how to say it can become something where you know be patient. Stick with the Haitians Chinese take the Chinese and then they begin there. There begin to be friction between the groups. We're doing to address that before it becomes a problem is. Trying to instill a sense of community through the advisory program. Talking about individual rights versus the rights of one of

the. Messages that I and all the teachers kept hammering home to the students during the orientation program was we're in this together. You can learn on your own that you will learn a lot more together. And part of the team approach requires that students teach each other and the team approach of students helping students has its challenges because there is a wide range of ability among the students. Kids who can't count. And you have kids who can quadratic equations without a doubt how I spend most of my time is trying to make sure that there's an entry point for each of the students so that they don't feel like they're wasting their time there and after something that's valuable for that. But we know that some of the kids who say they are not being challenged are making their feelings known. To tell you what you told me. It's been a little town. That. Wanted to go to. School. Next year.

I think I. Know the show. What do you think about that. I think if. You think he's serious. In. Next year we're going to tell it. With either by the glass or with. Some teachers. And other teachers. Around. Six. Other. Six new teachers. Like. The teacher. Let's. Talk to me. Later. Finally. I think it's common practice is in several international schools that some kids just get moved up faster. Math in particular is a subject where there is a greater disparity in ability among the students. What we don't ever want. Is tracked.

Classes in any subject. Because in this particular school what what it would look white if we track for math would probably be a bunch of kids with light skin in the advanced math class and a bunch of kids with dark skin in the lower level classes. And. Honestly I don't believe in segregation I don't think anybody does or anybody would admit to doing it and I think tracking leads to segregation and. We don't want that in our schools. As Alexander and her teachers work to get their students caught up in academic English. The state rules for high school graduation have still not been written with English language learners in mind. What's happening now is that the state has decided that. All students will graduate in four years it's a worthy goal. You know like you can't argue with that. However when you have English language learners who have come in to this country today and then you expect them to graduate in four years or less it's a little bit unrealistic I mean the research says that kids need. Five to seven years to learn

academic English or not kids anybody should I mean. Most spirited right there. Yeah she's one of our International. Successes. Sherman Akhtar came to the International School from Bangladesh and had difficulty communicating at the beginning of the school year because she only spoke a few words of English. I shall remember her which was not very right. No. I don't because now she speaks like. 50 words a spanish. Word. We are now expecting our kids to learn academic English in four years or less.

Which. Some kids are perfectly capable of because they have circumstances in their lives that make it so. And other kids are not. And so what happens to schools. Like ours is that. Kids don't graduate in four years. A big chunk of them do a number like 65 percent is a number that. The international network has has gathered. Which is a nice number compared to the city. It's not a great number but if you consider who our kids are and if you look at your number five and even year number six for some of those kids the rate is much closer to 90 percent. So for us. It would be wonderful. If we could. Be measured differently. If we could be given more time to do the good work that we do the Leadership Academy is not just another bureaucracy with people simply punching a clock. They are racing the clock to make change in the students last. But the program does have a hefty price tag. Seventy

five million dollars over three years and it's unclear if this method of hand picking new leaders and training them to turn schools around will be the tipping point to a successful public school system. The principles we followed face major obstacles to positive change and flexible teachers. Students who have discipline problems and lack basic skills. And finding ways to educate students who don't speak English. Nevertheless after the first year on the job Rafaela Larry and Alexandra still believe that their leadership and training can make the crucial difference in creating one good school and creating something new and wonderful and exciting I think in that sense and affecting the lives of. Potentially 432 kids and 27 teachers. Does that transform the system. I don't know. I hope so. I know for sure that I wouldn't be a principal today if it hadn't been for the music academy. And I know that I'm right and I know that I feel like I'm doing the right thing and I can see by my

kids and my teachers that this was the right thing for me to do. It can only be expected. That the system will do some changing but hopefully you're pushing back just as hard but in a smart way. I don't know that change is futile and that whether you're good or bad or effective or not effective leader makes a difference no it definitely makes a great deal of difference in an organization. And makes a great deal of difference. We got the best friend you could for the amount of time we had and certain things you just have to learn by being on the job. And when it comes down to and that's what it's about. It's about teachers teaching and about children learning. And if you were good at that. Then that's what you asked to supervise. Then I think you can do what's best for children and the other things you learn later.

Funding for a year of change leadership in the principal's office provided by the Wallace Foundation supporting ideas sharing solutions expanding opportunity additional funding for New York Voices provided by the members of 13 Michael Timor and Elise JAFFE And Jeffrey Brown.