Getting Unstuck #193: Giving Student Voice to School Reform
Today’s guests will make reference to the non-profit XQ Institute:
“XQ Institute is the nation's leading organization dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in life.”
Our Guests
Sheri Nelson is an educator with 28 years of experience in all grade levels from Pre-K through higher education in both private and public schools through traditional and virtual modes of instruction. She is currently the Vice Principal of Elizabethton High School in Elizabethton, TN.
“We’re meeting the needs of our students — not just for their learning needs, but their social emotional needs. We’re also communicating all of that to our teachers. And we’re also looking at what the teachers need so that we can personalize their professional learning, so that they in turn, can support the students in the classroom.”
Alex Campbell is a multi-time Teacher of the Year recipient who lives with his wife and children in Northeast Tennessee. He is well regarded as a creative and innovative teacher that emphasizes connections between people over standards and curriculum.
“There are always reform ideas coming in, and usually they’re government initiatives or from somebody else. They’re one-size-fits-all. And I think people always wonder, ‘What is this?’ But to hear that our plan originally came from our students, I think there’s more buy in. People understand what it means for them. And it’s not something that was forced on us from somebody else. This gets to be our chance to design the school we want.”
Listen for
√ The elements that define the Elizabethton reform model.
√ How the community factors into the model.
√ The wisdom of starting small and slowly with any reform program.
√ How Elizabethton integrates SEL into academics.
√ The skills for future-ready graduates.
The high school’s STEM and auto mechanics classes took a donated, out-of-service golf cart and fixed the mechanical problems and upgraded a number of features. (above, members of the team working on the cart) The cart is now used to support official school business, parades, ballgames, etc. (below, the refurbished cart)
Blubber by Judy Blum
The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black
Connect with Sheri and Alex
Publications
Sheri
Is Your District Asking Students How ESSER Dollars Should Be Spent?
Does your school’s testing culture benefit students?
Alex
Ten Lessons That Will Get You Fired: But You Must Teach Immediately
Facebook- @ Ten Lessons That Will Get You Fired
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