New Program K-12 Coming in the Fall of 2021

Dexter Community Schools superintendent and school board president dropped a few huge surprises on the full board and community on Monday evening, March 8, 2021. The fairly positive surprises came about as a result of missing content and context in the board packet prepared by the superintendent and board president. If you missed the meeting and missed the news, here is the first big change coming to Dexter Community Schools in the form of a spring pilot for 20 students and then a full K-12 opt-in program in the fall.

This is the first in a very short series of articles sharing the news from Monday. Generally, information in the board packets would be available from four days before the meeting and onwards for community review, but that was not the case this time.

First up is the entirely new learning plan called DCS Spark Learning Environment. Beau Kimmey, Deb Eber, Melanie Dever, and David Teddy, the Research & Development Team, created the plan. They based it on the mindfulness book Dark Horse by Todd Rose which takes anecdotal success stories detailing how seemingly ordinary people achieve extraordinary success and parlays those tales into the generalized principle that following one's passion will lead him or her to success and happiness in career and life. The key, according to the book, is finding one's "micromotives." The book can be purchased through Amazon. Or I have a copy if anyone would like to borrow it.

Says New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant of the book, “Good grades? Optional. Formal training? Meh. This book is a compelling celebration of people who reject the conventional paths to success, achieve it anyway, and find fulfillment along the way.” (ADAM GRANT, New York Times bestselling author of Originals, Give and Take, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg).

Not having had time to consider the DCS plan in depth yet, and having a great respect for the team members putting the pilot together and confidence in their ability to work "miracles" in education, their plan, as presented, is laid out here in nearly verbatim terms as it was shared at the meeting, and without editorializing. The board meeting video section from Monday may be watched at this link, and readers may also access my direct notes from the meeting here. A formal presentation will be given to the school board by the team after the pilot program is complete.

From Monday's R&D Team video:

The new learning environment for Fall is called the DCS Spark Learning Environment

It will not replace current programs, and participation is optional. In the video, the presenters compared traditional education to an old-fashioned bridge once well designed that no longer works because it’s like trying to fit too much in to school.

The specific ideas for success and fulfillment from Todd Rose’s book Dark Horse are listed below.

1. Know your micro-motives
2. Know your strategies
3. Know your choices
4. Focus on the journey

His concept is that it’s not getting to the destination that fulfills you; it’s the journey.
Embracing the road trip was mentioned. Any student may choose to participate in the fall, but none are required to enroll.

The plan will support "competencies" from the learner profile and strategic framework.

In the new Learning Environment, students will practice competencies. The learning environment will support core principles, applied learning techniques, and modes of learning (explained below).

Core principles: Individualized, Know Yourself, Growth, Relationships, Voice and Choice, Joy

Applied Learning Techniques: Community and Civic Engagement, Exploration, Social and Emotional Learning, Social Justice and Equity, Collaboration, Mentoring, Productive Struggle, Reflective Learning

Modes of Learning: Learning Experiences, Project Based, Portfolio of Growth, Place Based

A new website will be live after the presentation. The Core Belief around which the program is based is the following statement:

The learning experience is a joyful journey of self-discovery and growth in which learners understand the value of everyone’s individuality. They are empowered, and are connected to the world in which they live. Learners have voice and choice in their pursuit of fulfillment. Strong relationships between learners, trusted adults and the community develop confident, capable, self-directed, life-long learners for a socially just world.

The website will offer more information about these features:

Growth Mindset
Competency Based
Community Collaboration, example: Communitree from Wylie
Relationships
Individualized to student interests
Understand themselves and their own identity better
Voice and choice
Pursuit of Joy: school is less of a task and they feel fulfillment

Key components of the program are the applied learning techniques, learning studios, and daily units, as laid out below:

The Applied Learning Techniques are centered around Social Justice and Equity. They include, but are not limited to:
Community and Civic Engagement
Collaboration is key because we all rely on others
Mentoring will help them gauge where they are now and improve
Reflective Learning Techniques
Productive struggles where the challenge is appropriate
Social Emotional Learning is integral to everything we are doing
Feel safe and good about what they are doing on a daily basis
Exploration without worrying about the outcome at the end

The Learning Studios provide unstructured time for daily learning.

Place based education instead of abstract concepts, build lessons around their world

Progress will be a growth portfolio
Showcase portfolio of works they are most proud of
Example Frederick Pelham Bridge project from Wylie
Available through Canvas for students and parent review

Key project features of the learning studio include:
Mixed age learning bands
Interdisciplinary projects
Narrative feedback on competencies (not grades)
Topics and content are dynamic with student interests
Teachers as guides and mentors
The daily schedule isn’t fixed
Flexibility in both time and place

Daily Units
Genius Hour
Learners have time to pursue topics of interest to them
Interests and Passions
Joyful Open Learning Time
Learning doesn’t just happen academically
Building, playing, drawing anime, designing
Skill Practice Time
Reading, Math Games, Writing, Music, Language, Art

The PILOT PROGRAM will roll out as follows:
Who: 20 students selected from 3rd to 6th grade
What: "How has COVID impacted communities?"

• Interdisciplinary Unit
• Embedded Math Content
• Genius Hour exploration time

Where: Creekside Intermediate School Media Center
When: Two weeks: March 15-26th
How: Research and Development team teacher facilitate

The next steps following the pilot program are an analysis of Pilot Program Results and presentation of those results to the school board and community. This will be followed by detailed program development.

If this does not sound like a program you want your child participating in, you may relax and do nothing. If you are intrigued and have a 3rd through 6th grade student, use the form below to request more information about the pilot program. Likewise, there is a form for interested staff members. The staff form will collect dexterschools email addresses.

Forms to apply:
Staff: https://tinyurl.com/sparkstaff
Families: https://tinyurl.com/sparkfamilies

Following the presentation, Elise Bruderly had a question. She wondered what metrics they were using for in the pilot, and what outcomes were they looking for. Mollie Sharrar answered her that students will give a response every day through video or journaling. There will also be post-participation surveys for everyone. Teachers will also have input. They will also get feedback from the community. It sounds as if the program follows its own guiding principle by assessing the value of the program using written or video feedback from participants, staff, and community.

No other board members had questions about or thoughts on the brand new program. They will wait until the pilot is complete and the formal presentation is made.