Summary

Trussville City Schools had always been good, but they were isolated from each other with little interaction and minimal job-embedded professional learning. In addition, the suburban district’s dropout rate was relatively high. Superintendent Suzanne Freeman met these challenges via the following steps.

  • Development of a clear, compelleing mission statement
  • Professional staff development
  • Innovative and collaborative lesson design
  • Emphasis on high-level learning as opposed to testing
  • Establishment of academies, taught by subject/skills experts, connecting learning w/real-world experiences
  • Establishment of special programs using online learning, teacher-led instruction, etc. to serve at-risk students
  • Technology integration to increase student engagement
  • Parent meetings and ongoing communication to build community acceptance

The district’s percentile ranking has improved each year, as has its graduation rate. Dr. Freeman attributes the success to the clarity of the district’s mission. Now the district is looking forward to a broader use of technology, particularly online learning and 1:1 student handheld devices.___________________________________

Case Study: Trussville City Schools

Trussville City Schools became a new district in July 2005, after the mayor and city council determined that education should become the centerpiece of their growing community. A small suburban district outside of Birmingham, Alabama (U.S.), with four schools and 4,200 students who stay together throughout their school careers, the Trussville schools had always been good, but they were isolated from each other with little interaction and minimal job- embedded professional learning.

Building the Vision

When Dr. Suzanne Freeman joined the district in November 2004, her first goal was to build a clear and compelling vision.  In many collaborative meetings with community members and teachers, she and her team discussed numerous key issues that contributed to the development of the vision. “I wanted the community to have ownership, and I wanted us to work toward a commonsense approach about what we wanted for our children, with an emphasis on meaningful high-level learning not on testing,” said Dr. Freeman.  

The discussions focused on the difference between profound and superficial knowledge, taking students deep into content using innovative lesson design for hard-to-teach concepts, appealing to learners’ different needs and interests, the need for leadership at all levels, building capacity, and more.  

The mission and vision statements that resulted are far more than static communications that reside on the district web site.  According to Dr. Freeman, “We made mistakes along the way, and we used those opportunities to have candid conversations. So we are constantly learning. At every leadership team meeting, we talk about one of our beliefs, and we have disciplined conversations about how we are furthering our mission.  Everything we do is anchored by our mission.”

New Programs

High School Academies

Trussville City schools introduced numerous academies at the high school level—including Biomedical Sciences, Business and Finance, Electrical Construction, Engineering, Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Information Technology, and Life Skills —to connect learning with the real world and allow students to experience career options.  To lead the academies, the district brought in many outside specialists, including a master electrician, two engineers, and a highly trained chef. 

The Biomedical Sciences Academy uses the nationally recognized Project Lead the Way curriculum, which gives students the academic foundation to enter fields such as biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, physiology, and radiological sciences. Students in the Engineering, Electrical Construction, and Culinary Arts Academies designed and built a life-size gingerbread house for a local Ronald MacDonald house. The Engineering Academy students work with NASA engineers via Skype on designing parts for ARIS (Active Rack Isolation System) on the International Space Station. 

Bridges

When Dr. Freeman came on board, the dropout rate in the district was high and the graduation rate about 86%.  According to Dr. Freeman, “Some students were not engaged in learning and fell behind—a traditional high school was not a good fit for them.” 

The district introduced the Bridges Program, designed for students who have failed multiple classes or who are not successful in a traditional high school, to serve this population with a combination of online learning, teacher-led instruction, and social/emotional support —all geared around students and their needs. “Again,” said Dr. Freeman, “It’s all about the learning, and we do whatever it takes.” 

Professional Learning

The district has invested heavily in professional learning.  The POW (Power of Design) Academy lets teachers work collaboratively to design lessons on difficult-to-teach and hard-to-learn topics. 

It is becoming common practice for teachers in the district to read professionally, share their learning with each other, and participate in meaningful conversations about student learning.  Teachers use various protocols to review student work and are constantly talking about how to engage students in learning so that they will learn the content at high levels. 

Educational Technology

The district has placed a large emphasis on technology, since the concept that profound learning comes with student engagement is key, and technology helps build that engagement. 

The district has moved from an unreliable network and a few computers here and there to a laptop for every teacher, widespread student access, and a range of engaging classroom tools such as podcasts, Skype, and video cameras. Teachers and students are using technology to find information, publish their learning, and connect with experts across the world. 

Community Acceptance

Many of the changes in the Trussville City Schools required a break with traditional ways of thinking, to ensure that learning was firmly at the center of every decision and every activity. 

Dr. Freeman and her team encountered some resistance to this cultural shift, so they decided to improve the way they told the story. They designed a series of parent meetings to discuss the role of student engagement in academic success and compiled an online “Window into the Classroom” video library to illustrate classroom and school activities. 

According to Dr. Freeman, “We started to hear from parents that dinner table conversations were changing. Parents began to see that their children were engaged in learning, and they were amazed by what their children were learning.”

Similarly, some teachers struggled with the idea of bringing in non-educators to lead the academies, but these concerns dissipated when teachers saw that students were benefiting from profound learning experiences.

However, Dr. Freeman stresses the need to find and retain the right staff who are truly committed to the students and are continuous learners. She also believes that ongoing professional development is essential to continuous improvement as a system.

Communication

Proactive communication has been a key ingredient in building understanding, acceptance, and involvement in the Trussville City Schools. The district’s electronic newsletter, In the Loop, now in its 4th year, includes a range of news items, the “Windows into the Classroom” video library, and an invitation to blog with the superintendent.  

Via her blog, the superintendent has asked students what percentage of the school day they enjoy learning; explained teachers’ use of Skype, wikis, and blogs to enhance learning; and asked parents, students, and teachers whether they support cell phone use in school (the student response was very positive—students are allowed to use cell phones for learning activities with teacher permission).  

The district has a Facebook site, and every teacher has his or her own web site. Especially in the elementary school, teachers regularly use Skype to connect students with other children and children’s authors around the world.

Impact

In the first year of operation, the district moved from the 68th percentile or 11th in the state to the 72nd percentile and 6th in the state. Its percentile has improved each year, especially in grades 3-5.  In spring 2009, students in grades 3-8 scored at the 74th percentile. The graduation rate has risen from 86% to 94%, and the district has been featured in Education Week, the online edition of Business Week, and several other national publications.  

Dr. Freeman attributes this growth to clarity about the district mission—designing engaging and challenging work that allows students to learn important content at high levels—as well as the new academies and the disciplined use of lesson design to increase student engagement, reading volume, and teacher support of the mission. According to Dr. Freeman, “There are so many profound learning experiences that we cannot keep up. Student engagement and high-level learning are just how we do our work.”

Test scores have also improved, but Dr. Freeman has commented, “We have done well as measured by test scores even though we don’t focus on them. We believe that our test score improvement is a by-product of student engagement and our emphasis on profound learning.”

Next Steps

The major focus is on continuing the work.  According to Dr. Freeman, “We want to continue making progress so that every student every day is engaged in his or her work and learning at a high level. We want all students to love learning for their entire lifetime.”  

The district is also looking at a broader embrace of technology, particularly more online education and a 1:1 student handheld device. The goal is to use time, people, and resources in a different way and be more responsive to the different ways students learn.   

For more information and Dr. Freeman’s blog or podcasts, please visit www.trussvillecityschools.com.