Central Unified has revamped the way teachers lead the classroom.
The changes are from the top down and the district is reporting good results.
The new method of educating students at Steinbeck Elementary School is taking Principal Christine Pennington out of her office and back into the classroom. "As somebody who is definitely at heart a teacher, it’s very exciting to see what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
Pennington’s new role as an instructional leader allows her to work with other teachers to gauge what works best for students. It’s a collaborative effort in every grade at every school district wide.
Pennington said, “All of the first grade teachers come together and they learn together at different points in the school year.”
Central Unified Superintendent Michael Berg says their motto is, “Every student can learn.” Their mission is to find out how.
Berg said, “So when we say, every student can learn, we mean every student, in that every student’s a little different so every instructional program, every instructional delivery is very prescriptive.”
There are 21 schools and about 15,000 students in the district. After about a year and a half of using this new method of teaching, Berg says the investment of time and money is paying off beyond just test scores. “We look at those as the measuring stick each year, because they’re a nice annual measuring stick, but we look at things like increased attendance rate, reduced suspension and expulsion rates, reduced discipline problems,” said Berg.
The changes are from the top down and the district is reporting good results.
The new method of educating students at Steinbeck Elementary School is taking Principal Christine Pennington out of her office and back into the classroom. "As somebody who is definitely at heart a teacher, it’s very exciting to see what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
Pennington’s new role as an instructional leader allows her to work with other teachers to gauge what works best for students. It’s a collaborative effort in every grade at every school district wide.
Pennington said, “All of the first grade teachers come together and they learn together at different points in the school year.”
Central Unified Superintendent Michael Berg says their motto is, “Every student can learn.” Their mission is to find out how.
Berg said, “So when we say, every student can learn, we mean every student, in that every student’s a little different so every instructional program, every instructional delivery is very prescriptive.”
There are 21 schools and about 15,000 students in the district. After about a year and a half of using this new method of teaching, Berg says the investment of time and money is paying off beyond just test scores. “We look at those as the measuring stick each year, because they’re a nice annual measuring stick, but we look at things like increased attendance rate, reduced suspension and expulsion rates, reduced discipline problems,” said Berg.