North Charleston High School (NCHS) is dedicated to providing students with the world class knowledge and skills outlined in the South Carolina Profile of the Graduate to be successful in college and in their future careers. NCHS faculty, staff, and other stakeholders focused on collaboration and communication in the 2017 – 2018 school year to be examples for our students. As a result, various strategies and methodologies were implemented to bring about greater student growth and opportunities.
A renowned educational consultant of the Grapple Institute was hired to train and help implement authentic Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). This work involved constructing community knowledge, facilitating the PLCs, and looking at student and teacher work. PLCs met bimonthly in order to field test protocols to deepen team discussions around texts, data, and teacher dilemmas. Our charge in PLCs also involved personal reflections and supportive feedback with each other around the effect of our practice, and deliberately planning to positively impact student learning. Next steps with PLCs include further training on how teachers can turn data into action: identifying critical gaps in learning and instruction; collaborating on solutions and developing goal-driven action plans; and evaluating the plan’s effectiveness to determine the next course of action.
The school improvement/leadership team was broken into three groups to focus on culture and climate, family and community engagement, and curriculum and instruction. Each of these groups met on a monthly basis to implement a school improvement framework. The collaborative teams started with diagnosing and prioritizing needs, and then setting collective SMART goals based on data and focused on improving student outcomes. School improvement priorities were tied to our school renewal plan, and the faculty worked together to determine the strategies needed to reach our school-wide goals. Next steps involve selecting evidence-based interventions, as well as evaluating current programs.
At NCHS, students’ success is top priority. We currently offer students numerous career and technical courses, fine arts, and other electives which provide real-world experiences to translate into future college and career opportunities. We insist upon and foster student responsibility and self-reflection in order to grow leaders as this will directly ensure our students’ future college and career success. We will continue to find ways to support and grow our students academically, include parents, and seek community resources and opportunities for work-based learning, apprenticeships, and important learning collaborations.
Henry E. Darby, Principal
Greg Shore, SIC Chair
