Being an avid reader of educational research, I came across an interesting article in this month’s “Leadership” magazine. It stated, “The school improvement process is moving too slowly for many of our young people. Student engagement is usually the missing link to providing a stimulating and challenging education.” This made me think about Palmer Way and how we engage our students. It went on to say, “The CA Department of Education school improvement process is centered on nine Essential Program Components (EPCs) that measure school structures that support academic achievement. Out of the nine, six are focused on reading-LA and math, mostly focusing on instructional material, instructional time, lesson pacing, etc. None of the components address student engagement, student involvement in the learning process, the development of higher-level thinking skills, or the application of skills.”

This article recommends adding a 10th EPC. Calling the EPC, “A Culture of Student Learning and Engagement” and would have objectives that include:
• The evaluation of relevant curriculum that applies to real life skills.
• Content classes such as history-social science and science that addresses student engagement.
• Teacher-student relationships that nurture a culture of respect and empowerment.
• Motivating students via a climate of student engagement.

Criteria and clarifications would include integration of higher-level thinking skills , such as using Bloom’s Taxonomy to reach higher levels of understanding, the application of knowledge, and the demonstration of knowledge. It would require a committment from the school and staff to empower student pursuit of active learning; more specifically asking ourselves the following questions:
• How do teachers include relevancy?
• How do they nurture curiosity?
• How about involving students in the lesson planning and goal setting?

Consider this, “If students are not engaged in the learning process, all of the testing, data analysis, teacher meetings and instructional minutes in the world will not motivate students to learn.” Powerful and eye-opening!

Luckily, Palmer Way has always done a great job at actively engaging student in their education. We also realize that student engagement is not merely observable actions, such as overt activities (Think-Share-Pair and using activotes., for example.) We also recognize that there are levels of student engagement. Motivating students through spelling bees, art projects, family fun nights, building volcanoes and having spirit days all contribute to engaging student to the academic world.

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