The Best Practices Initiative: Exploring what works in education in Buffalo and beyond The Best Practices Initiative

explores effective school policies at the local and national levels. This project will create a platform through which educators, elected officials, and policy makers can analyze innovative practices, in an effort to improve achievement and educational outcomes for all Buffalo students. Parents, community members, and elected officials must look beyond the status quo for solutions in education reform, and by generating awareness around the practices and policies that work, Buffalo ReformED will push for effective solutions. We will begin conducting research at the local level, touring public, private, parochial, and charter schools in an effort to identify effective policies in the following areas of focus: attendance, parental involvement, discipline, teacher/administrative evaluations, and professional development. We will expand our research to assess national trends, identifying pilot projects, models, and policies that have been successful in urban districts across the country. The individual school-based reports and national reports will be organized into a compendium, creating a resource for the sharing of relevant strategies and policies.

School Facts Name: Tapestry Charter School Type of School: Charter School. Expeditionary Learning model (EL). Expeditionary Learning harnesses students natural passions to allow them to develop the curiosity, skills, knowledge, and courage needed to imagine a better world and work toward realizing it. Learning is accomplished through academic, cross-disciplinary learning expeditions, other active forms of teaching and learning, and a challenging and supportive school culture.

Grades: K-12 Total Enrollment: 502 Demographic Factors: Demographic Factors Eligible for Free Lunch Reduced Price Lunch # of Students % of Students 113 51 23% 10% 1%

Limited English Proficient 3

Racial/Ethnic Origin American Indian or Alaska Native Black or African American Hispano or Latino

# of Students % of Students 5 228 27 1% 45% 5% 0% 47% 0%

Asian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 2 White Multiracial 238 2

I. Attendance Attendance Rates: 94% Attendance policy overview: Attendance is taken at the start of the school day, and continually during the day at the start of each class. This ensures that students who have arrived late or leave early are properly accounted for throughout the day. Each class that a student misses is counted for individually so that there is accuracy in understanding patterns of particular students, and accounting for credits earned. The advisory Crew system helps foster positive relationships between adults and students, and is a first line of support in attendance issues. Guiding Questions How do you take attendance each day? At the start of every morning during homeroom teachers take attendance electronically from 8:20 until 8:22. In addition each teacher takes attendance throughout the day at the beginning of each class in order to maintain accuracy. If the student has not arrived by 2nd period, the school sends an automatic phone call home. Do you employ attendance teachers? No one person is employed to maintain attendance; individual teachers support and address attendance issues through the crew structure. Each student is assigned to a crew, which is lead by a faculty member. The group of students and teacher that make up a crew remain the same throughout grades 9 to 12, helping to foster positive school culture and relationships between faculty and students. The crew teacher works closely with designated students and shares any problems during a weekly staff and professional development meeting. The crew structure acts as a first line of intervention with attendance issues. Do you call parents of absent students in the morning? Parents are called in the instance of an absence and are also required to meet with a school administrator if a pattern persists with a student. Do you have strategies to boost attendance? Tracking early warning indicators, and assigning intervention measures with students who need extra support in attendance helps ensure that patterns of truancy do not persist. In addition, the crew structure helps support attendance by building one to one relationships between staff and students through which problems can be addressed. What is your policy on teacher absences?

There is not a high teacher absentee rate at Tapestry Charter School. Teachers are instilled with a sense of trust and personal freedom that fosters a professional work atmosphere. Teachers have the freedom to leave during the day should a need arise. If there is an instance in which a teacher is abusing this freedom, the principal will address it on an individual basis. II. Parental Involvement Parental Involvement policy overview: Parents play an important role in the school. Administration understands that personal circumstances can hinder a parents level of involvement, therefore they offer a variety of ways to participate at the building level, whether in an official group or as an individual seeking to address an issue. Parents are given direct access to the principal to discuss concerns or share information as a part of the Principals Advisory group. Parent input is solicited through surveys, and encouraged through participation at student-led conferences. Guiding Questions How would you characterize parental involvement in your school? Parents are actively involved in Tapestry throughout the school year. They are viewed as a valuable resource and treated like the customer. Whether the parent needs to be called for disciplinary reasons or to attend the student lead workshops, their needs and input are valued and addressed. Do you have a PTA or PTO, or other parent organization? If so, how often does it meet and how active are teachers in it? There are two organizations parents can participate in throughout the school year. The Principals Advisory Group (PAG) is a forum that allows parents to group and discuss the issues that are important to them with the Principal. The second group is the Tapestry Community Association (TCA). The TCA is a volunteer run fundraising organization for the school. The TCA also supports community involvement, and social events for students and families. Both of these groups meet once a month at the school, during the evening after work hours. What means of communication are used between the school and parents? How up-to-date are phone and email records for parents? Throughout the school year Tapestry sends out 6 report cards/progress reports, as well as a monthly newsletter. The website is an important resource for parents, and the Principals Advisory Group is a forum through parents can communicate any individual or school-wide concerns. Student led conferences are a key component to Tapestrys

communication strategy. These conferences are held in lieu of parent teacher conferences, and provide students the opportunity to share information about their progress and work in a forum that brings together the student, parents, and crew advisor. Parents also have access to a parent portal with up to date information on school policies, student-specific information ranging from academics to the food-service account. Tapestry provides parents and students with a Family handbook, that outlines relevant school information and policies. Is the student used as mediator (note sent with student) or is direct communication used more frequently (calling the parent)? Direct contact is the most effective method of communication; sending notes home with students is proven to be an ineffective mode of communication at the high school level. Parents are spoken to directly numerous times throughout the year, particularly at orientation, and at student led conferences. Do you employ innovative strategies to increase parental involvement? The Principal Advisory group is an innovative program because it gives parents a unique platform to address their concerns, away from the structure of a PTA, which is traditionally limited in its scope and responsibility. This also makes for a more personal and communicative relationship between the administration and parents, thus making the Principal responsive to the changing environment of the school, and needs of parents and students. There is a student lead conference at the end of every trimester at which students present to their parents and crew leaders their academic growth and achievements. 96% of families participate in the event, demonstrating the success of the program in fostering school and family partnership. This is in lieu of parent teacher conferences, and has been a successful way to boost parental support at Tapestry. Do you have a website? How frequently is it updated? Tapestrys website is a valuable source of information for dates, events, and school policies. It is regularly updated, and features a section especially for families with relevant information. III. Discipline Suspension rates: 18 students4% Discipline policy overview: Tapestrys disciplinary system is built on the methodology of Restorative Justice, an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of victims, offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of punishing the offender. Victims take an active role in the process, while offenders are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions. Within this methodology, the school implements a 3-tier system designed to classify discipline problems and direct the problem towards the corresponding means of correction. In

school and out of school suspension are not commonly used. Guiding Questions Do you have a code of conduct? There is a code of character listed in the Family Handbook. The code of character outlines the following Code of Student Self Discipline Beliefs: All students deserve to be educated in a safe and welcoming community environment; All students are responsible for the decisions they make and need to be held accountable for their actions; All students can change and improve behavior. Students deserve an opportunity to wipe their slates clean through the demonstration of long-term positive behavior. Do you utilize any innovative methods in dealing with discipline issues, or instilling good behavioral habits? Tapestry implements restorative justice practices, which require students to not only comply with school rules, but also recognize and assume responsibility for wrongdoing in order to maintain a strong and peaceful community. Within the restorative justice value system there are three levels of intervention available depending on the type of infraction. Most minimal issues are dealt with at the discretion of the teacher. Second level offenses such as dress code violations or skipping class result in a meeting with the teacher, dean of students, or assistant principal. These infractions usually result in detention or Saturday school. Third level infractions such as fighting or theft result in a meeting with the principal, and possible suspension. Both the second and third levels of intervention involve a meeting with a parent. Only serious infractions for which students refuse to take responsibility result in suspension. In school suspension is not widely used, save for detention, which occurs after school. How do you deal with in-class disruptions? Class disruptions are dealt with in class at the teachers discretion. Teachers can utilize a number of interventions including a reminder of the expectations, private conversations, offer of time and space, offer of time with the counselor, silent lunch detention, recording the incident in the log, contacting the parent, requesting apology for the action or after school detention with a teacher. Are any staff members working specifically with discipline or behavioral issues? There are multiple educators and professionals employed at Tapestry who work specifically with discipline and behavioral issues. The assistant principal, dean of students, and 2 full time counselors are trained to work with any student who surpasses a level 1 offense or needs to talk with someone in order to help alleviate any discipline or behavioral issues. The crew leader is an important part of addressing any discipline issues, as each leader shares a strong relationship with the student.

Do you utilize detention? Tapestry utilizes detention in two different ways, the first is the silent lunch during which students are expected to sit quietly while eating lunch, rather than socialize. The second is an after-school detention program with a teacher who supervises the period. What is your suspension policy? If so, what types of infractions result in suspension? At a rate of 4%, suspension is not commonly used as a disciplinary tool, however it is utilized when deemed necessary. All suspension is carried out the principal or the dean as a result of any level 2 or 3 infraction. There are numerous infractions listed in the Family Handbook that can result in suspension; in addition to these infractions there are also outlined methods to redirect the student before suspension is needed. Are out of school suspensions used frequently? Are in-school suspensions used frequently? Neither out of school nor in school suspension is used frequently. The disciplinary aim is to implement alternative intervention strategies before the problem escalates to one that merits suspension. In- school suspension was implemented briefly, but deemed ineffective because it gave students a way to be at school without participating in the work, and was treated as an easy-out by students. What is your policy on cell phone usage? Phones are stored in cabinets that are locked and supervised at the beginning of the day. If students are found using a cell-phone, they face detention. IV. Teacher and Administrative Evaluations Teacher/Administrative evaluation policy overview: Teachers are formally evaluated annually through the use of a school developed evaluation plan modeled on Charlotte Danielsons and Richard DuFours framework for evaluation and professional learning. There are three levels of evaluations; each is designed to correspond to the number of years a teacher has worked in the school. The basis for Tapestrys evaluation system is the notion of continuous improvement through formative assessment in collaboration with peers, mentors, school designers, and supervisors. It is the intention of this plan that teachers will participate as members of a Professional Learning Community to inquiry, models, criteria, feedback and reflection as the best means to improve professional practice. Guiding Questions What is your process for evaluating teachers, administrators?

Teachers are evaluated on a best-fit model, governed by how many years they have worked in the school. In year one, teacher and other instructional personnel members will a year-end summary conference with the supervisor. In this first year, teachers are evaluated broadly as it is important to establish their fit for and commitment to the school. In the beginning of their second year, teachers select two professional goals to serve as a basis for observation/discussion, feedback, and year-end evaluation. Depending on the goals selected, the principal may request support observation and support from the school designers. Second year instructional personnel will have at least one formal observation and will likely have a second one, in addition to a year-end evaluation. Each observation follows the same formalized procedure so as to ensure uniformity. In year 3 and beyond, the administration offers alternatives to traditional classroom observations. Tapestry teachers will choose to identify an individual project or group project focused their area of instruction. The teacher meets with the Principal three times a year to update on progress, and must present a final summary of the project and findings at the end of the school year. This method encourages professional development, and supports creativity and initiative of the teaching staff. In addition to each level, teachers are evaluated on the CALMS criteria, built around the tenets surrounding Expeditionary Learning, the framework that drives Tapestrys curriculum. CALMS Character Development, Compass traits: Are students respectful? Participating? Following Routines? Handing in Homework? Assessment for Learning: Are you assessing all students progress continuously to inform your instruction? Learning Targets: Are the lessons learning target clearly stated in the student-friendly language and references during the lesson? Do they include higher order thinking skills? Modeling, Mini-Lessons: Are you modeling what you are asking for? Do you demonstrate skills with Mini-Lessons? Student Engagement: Are many respectful student voices being heard? Are all students engaged? Do you have a rubric or specific format used for assessment? The assessments are based off of the Teacher Observation Form that is broken up into multiple domains as well as corresponding Expeditionary Learning connections. The Domains are (1) Planning and Preparation, (2) Classroom/School Environment, and (3) Instruction. Both the teacher and observer must sign off on the form. Are peer evaluations utilized? Informal peer evaluations are used from time to time depending on the team or grade

level. Peer evaluations are not formalized in the system, however teachers are encouraged to learn from one another. Do teachers/administrators take part in creating the evaluation system? The evaluation system was a collective creation of the Professional Learning Community at Tapestry Charter School. Together teachers, administration and professionals crafted a system that reflects Tapestrys values, provides useful feedback to teachers, and ensures improved instruction for students. How often do you conduct evaluations? Teachers are observed multiple times throughout the year and given feedback after each of these observations; they are given a summative evaluation at the end of the academic year. Who conducts evaluations of teachers and administrators? The principal is responsible for the evaluations of teachers and administrators, and the board is responsible for evaluating the principal and director of school. What bearing do evaluations have on employment matters such as termination? Evaluations play a role in guiding a teachers improvement and personal growth. There is a true understanding of the pressures teachers face on a daily basis and there are programs set in place to assist teachers when there is a need for improvement. Should negative evaluations persist, a teachers employment will be reconsidered. Do teachers get rewarded for doing a superior job? Teachers are not financially rewarded for successes, but leadership opportunities are available to those who do exemplary work and express an interest in taking on more responsibility. V. Professional Development Professional Development Policy Overview: Teachers participate in a weekly professional development session. The aim of professional development is to offer teachers opportunities to develop and expand their practice, share relevant information, and reach mastery in certain topic areas. Guiding Questions What types of Professional Development opportunities are offered to staff? Tapestry uses the Teacher Learning Cycle that breaks the staff into small groups of

teachers. During each cycle, teachers complete readings, long-term projects, or activities. Teachers are encouraged to explore areas of interest, and after completion of a reading or research, they share findings and lessons with the larger group. This helps foster a professional learning community and teamwork. Is staff required to complete set hours of professional development? Professional development is done on a weekly basis. Every Monday from 8:30-10:30am, the academic team comes together to plan, work on various projects, and conduct professional development initiatives. This meeting time was agreed upon as mutually beneficial for staff and students as a means of maximizing learning time, and effectively consolidating professional development time. Is professional development targeted at individuals or staff as a whole? Tapestry aims to target the staff as a whole, while encouraging individual interests. Through the teacher learning cycle, teachers become masters of a select topic and later re-teach this topic to peers. Each teacher is expected to use these and any professional development technique in their classroom. Is one on one or peer-to-peer mentoring utilized? Peer to peer mentoring is not explicitly built into professional development. Tapestrys administrators and staff aim to create a professional learning environment in which teachers are encouraged to share information, feedback, and best practices. How do you assess the professional development needs of the staff? Are evaluations used to further assess needs of staff? The professional development needs of the staff are realigned at the start of each year. As the year begins, staff and administration collectively set goals and objectives, and structure professional development according to serving these goals. Through research and findings from evaluations Tapestry decides what is best as it relates to the students and the staff. For example last year the focus was best practices for attendance, while this the focus was on literacy, differentiated Instruction, and assessment.