Suspensions are Old School: A Proactive Approach to Student Management and Discourse - ASCD Conference

3-4:30
Dennis G. Queen, Principal Seneca Valley High School, Montgomery County, Maryland
Slide Show handout provided

Pillars to the Success of a School
Teacher Empowerment
High Expectations
Transparency
Invitational Schools
Stakeholder Accountability
Focused Staff Development
Student Centered

Why is is up to the administration to create a safe classroom for the teachers? This is not necessarily true.

Change - Culture, Leadership, Proactive, Celebrate - paradigm shift

If you are constantly reacting to students, they are running the class/school.

Teacher Empowerment
Give teachers control over their classroom
Accountable for Student Achievement
Accountable for Student Management
Documentation - get you out of a "he said, she said" every time

High Expectations
Students - attendance, homework, behavior
Staff - relationships, relevance of instruction, rigor, data
Parents - active participation, emails, phone calls, conferences, mandatory meetings involving achievement and/or behavior

Transparency
Sharing of Data
Parent Classroom Observations
Volunteers

Invitational Schools
Legendary Service
Parent Welcome Center - coffee, brochures, TV/Computer access

Stakeholder Accountablity
Same as "High Expectations" above

Focused Staff Development
Identify top 5 areas of need based on data
Staff Development Process - Introduction, Modeling, implementation, Evaluation

Student Centered
Schedule built around around student needs
Do school activities focus on student interests
Tough Love - honesty
Relationships - staff, student, community
Relevance of Instruction
Rigor