Group aims for school changes

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EAST LIVERPOOL - Armed with big ideas, they meet in a small classroom.

Some 20 members of the educational community in East Liverpool have been participating in the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP), all in an effort to help the city school district implement programs that will improve student academic achievement.

So far, the group in the pilot program has met for roughly 15 of the 80 hours required.

According to Superintendent Ken Halbert, the careful study and ultimate decisions made by the group will have ramifications for years to come.

"We have challenges in this district, but we can do this," Halbert said. "We all have to buy into the same plan, focus on it and get every one of us on the same page."

The OIP plan will identify weaknesses and strengths and then the group will narrow down and focus on two or three areas where federal money will be used to help correct deficiencies.

"We will get everything pulled into one database that will show us where the needs are," Linda Henderson, the district's federal coordinator, said. "The tricky part will come when we look at that last sheet to determine where the most critical areas are."

Every year, the district has had to turn in a needs assessment evaluation. It was a part of the Consolidated School Improvement Plan that used to rely on Henderson pooling information from surveys, disciplinary reports and test scores for data.

Now, the OIP will give the district its academic focus.

"This program will drive the needs assessment," Henderson said. "We will have to set goals in the improvement plan." The same federal dollars - which Halbert said comes to roughly $3.1 million per year - will be better targeted, according to Henderson.

"It's a much more organized way to do this. It's been piloted in a couple of different places, and it's going to pull in better information."

The group consists of teachers, building principals, school board member Janice Martin, Henderson, Halbert, and other administrators like Mary Lyden, special education supervisor. There is also a parent taking part to help mold the discussions.

Helping to guide the group is Michele Demuzio, a liaison from the regional State Support Team, and Steve Hall, a member of the county's Education Service Center based in Lisbon.

"This is a 20-person collaborative effort to start from ground zero to come up with a plan to better teach the state content standards," Halbert said.

The superintendent has become so involved in the process that he has decided to assume another role. He's taken over as Director of Curriculum for the district. That position was taken away five or so years ago when fiscal emergency status was declared.

"I'm doing this simply because I feel like I have to do it, and only because I'm getting the support and help of 19 people to guide this journey," Halbert said.

The superintendent knows the task ahead is daunting but has faith.

"This is a very complex and difficult process we are going through," Halbert said. "With our particular history on state testing ... we've never done very well achieving these state standards."

He thinks he has a handle on what has possibly caused the district's current dilemma.

"This is a good town. I like our staff. But I told the board when I was hired that it would take five to seven years to turn it around," Halbert said, setting up his explanation.

"Our kids are as bright as the kids in any school district. Our staff is just as talented and committed as any staff in any school district," Halbert continued. "What you really had here is so many changes in staff and so many changes in building administrators that the law of dispersion is taking place.

"You find sometimes weak design strategies for academics take hold and then get constantly carried out month after month, year after year. So many programs came in and then left when people left the district that it fractured the process and left the teachers still wondering what approach to take."

Halbert said a new focus will help heal the fracture.

"What we are hoping to do now is work together and identify what exactly we need to do together and keep the team in place and heading in the same direction for a few years and learn to become consistent," Halbert said.

Henderson said she hopes the needs assessment part of the process will be completed by February. Between February and May, goals and strategies will be identified and the whole plan must be in place by July 1, 2009. Then the federal money available will be spent accordingly.

For Halbert, the OIP program is a new way to achieve his key goal.

"Get the teachers what they need," the superintendent said.