Demanding perfection
Nancy Blackwell, the principal of Hambrick Middle School in Dallas, TX, wears sensible, low-heeled shoes - because she's always on her feet. A good principal should be walking from classroom to classroom all day,claims Ms. Blackwell, and her status as a good principal is supported by the numbers:
Last year, 99.3 percent of Hambrick's students passed the state math test. And the success cut across all student groups: The passing rates for black, white, Hispanic and poor students were all above 98 percent. That's despite the fact that more than three-quarters of its students are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches.
Her secret?
Her first task was improving discipline. There was some gang activity on campus, and the administration didn't have a firm grip on students' activities. "The kids were really in control of the school," she said...Quickly, she removed all the school's lockers to make hallways wider and make the time between classes less chaotic. She eliminated all the bells between classes to create a calmer atmosphere. Later, she added a strict dress code and metal detectors at school entrances...There were little details, too. Lunch periods now end with a few minutes of mandatory silence so students are calm when they head back to class.
In every academic subject, students take six "checkpoint" tests a year – locally designed exams linked to state curriculum standards. If the eighth-grade social studies Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test includes a section on the development of the American economic system, so does the checkpoint..."People say, 'You're teaching to the test,' " Ms. Blackwell said. "But that test covers the state curriculum, and if you're not teaching it, you're not doing your job. Every skill on that test is something a child needs to know. It's purposeful."
Her success is not measured only in test scores:
What a difference a few years makes. Teacher turnover has now dropped to about 5 percent a year, Ms. Blackwell said. Now the biggest enrollment problems are the parents who fake addresses in the school's attendance zone so their kids can attend Hambrick. The open house at the start of this school year attracted more than 1,200 parents. Ten years ago, it might have drawn 300.
Who knew that comfy shoes could make so much of a difference?