Much Better Than Adequate Progress

"Looking at our data, we know that our focus must be on literacy. Too many of our children still aren't meeting state reading standards. So our training and our work this year has focused on reading and writing.

"Every week I meet with teachers from each grade level to look at student work. In the past, teachers looked at student work to grade it, put it on the bulletin board, and to discuss it with parents. But we never looked at it together to see how we could improve our instruction. Now we do, and if we see that none of the children in the class capitalize or punctuate correctly, we know we need to improve our instruction in the conventions of writing.

"We don't teach to the test, but we teach to the state standards, and we make sure our students know how to take tests.

"Teaching is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. But if we do it well, our students will have opportunities that would otherwise be denied them."

Lincoln Elementary School, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Lincoln Elementary, in hardscrabble Mount Vernon, just north of New York City, has about 800 students, 55 percent of whom meet the requirements for the federal free and reduced-price meal program. Half the students are African American, 20 percent are Latino -- many of them recent immigrants -- and about 30 percent white. About 10 percent are identified as having a disability.

In 2005, 96 percent of fourth-graders met state reading standards and 100 percent of them met state math, science and social studies standards.

George Albano, principal:

"Everyone who walks into my building is mesmerized. It's the high expectations, it's the integration of the arts, it's the way the science curriculum is taught with a language arts approach, it's the fact that just about all our children learn to play chess.

"Our teachers don't teach to the test, but that doesn't mean we don't prepare students for tests. What is learning to play music, if not learning listening skills? What is learning to play chess, if not learning to think critically? Of course, you have to make sure students know what to expect on a test, but any teacher who just drills students on test questions is not truly teaching.

"One thing I see about No Child Left Behind is that at least we are no longer sweeping our achievement gaps under the rug. It has exposed the fact that in this country, non-poor children outperform poor children and white and Asian children outperform African American and Latino children -- and superintendents and principals have been embarrassed by those gaps.

"At Lincoln there is virtually no achievement gap. No child is left behind.

"This is because I have been able to find and hire excellent teachers who are supported through their first few years by a strong mentoring program and throughout their careers by strong collaborative relationships.

"We have created such an exciting environment that young people want to teach here. Unfortunately, too many good teachers are lost to the profession because of bad administrators. I have a young teacher who was about to give up on her dream of teaching because in her last school the principal gave her little support. Her former principal wouldn't even buy a reading program for her students with disabilities, essentially saying, "It's not important -- they're just special education students, no one expects them to read." After she came to Lincoln and experienced what true teaching is all about, she said she would retire in the profession.

"I believe that we have the teaching force in this country to get the job done -- many young teachers are better prepared than I was at their age. But we are losing them because of bad management.

"Our success at Lincoln has to do with many, many factors -- how we schedule our classes, how we involve parents, how we integrate the arts into all aspects of the curriculum, how we use data to drive instruction, how we create a school-wide learning environment, how we hire teachers and support them once they are here. It is no one thing. But it is good management.

"Anyone who wants to learn more about Lincoln can go to my Web site, www.georgealbano.com."

Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School, N.Y.

Just over the line from Queens and blocks from Belmont Racetrack sits Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School, with more than 2,000 students in 7th through 12th grades. In this working-class neighborhood, 25 percent of the students meet the requirements for free and reduced-price meals. Just about 72 percent of the students are African American, 13 percent Asian, 11 percent Latino, and 3 percent white. About 10 percent are identified as having disabilities.

In 2004, Elmont graduated 100 percent of its senior class, 69 percent of whom had earned the prestigious Regents diplomas, and 97 percent of whom went on to college, most to four-year colleges. After working there first as a social studies teacher, a dean and a coach, and then as an assistant principal, John Capozzi became principal of Elmont this year. He is the third principal since Elmont began its improvement process more than 13 years ago.

John Capozzi, principal:

"I think in simple terms, but I believe that the simple formulas often work. You have to set high expectations and attainable goals. For example, a goal could be raising the passing rate by 5 percent on a specific state assessment, and then establishing the strategies you are going to use to achieve that goal. You have to set short-term and long-term goals, always keeping your eyes on the end result. Little by little you get there.

"Thirteen years ago, Elmont was an under-achieving school. Today, instruction drives our building. We talk about it all day. We're always looking to improve instruction and increase student achievement.

"We use the observation process as the tool for instructional growth. When a new teacher comes to teach at Elmont, he or she is observed six to seven times a year for three years by their chairperson, district coordinator and administrators, who write detailed reports on what they see as effective instructional practices. They also include recommendations so that the next time that teacher is observed, they will see improvement in the areas identified. It might be improvement in questioning techniques, classroom management or creating more student-centered lessons. After the observation, a post-observation conference is held with the teacher, where the teacher becomes an active participant in the process, reflecting on the lesson. At the end of the conference, a plan of action is developed in order to address the specific needs of the teacher. A common plan of action is to have a teacher conduct a peer observation of a colleague and focus on the specific instructional strategies in need of improvement. We do this to aid our teachers in their instructional and professional growth. After three years, once the teachers have tenure, they observe each other.

"One of our teachers says that she had thought she had been a good teacher before she came here, but through the observation process she realized she had never before taught a lesson. Today, she's one of our most effective teachers. Her test scores are through the roof.

"In addition to this close emphasis on classroom instruction, we have what we call our 'hidden curriculum,' which develops personal relationships between faculty and students and deliberately works at developing character. This is mostly done through our extensive sports programs, clubs, and other after-school activities. The child who is involved in art, music, sports, and other activities is more successful -- these are all part of a full education.

"None of this is to say that Elmont is perfect. We have the typical problems other high schools experience. But we are always looking for new ways to improve. This work has to be about the relentless pursuit of raising expectations and improving student achievement.

"After all, parents trust us to make sure their children get a good education. We need to make sure we give it to them."