BOCES Opens Two More Big Picture Learning Programs
by the CA-BOCES Communications Office
October 6, 2009
Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES has opened two more Big Picture Learning programs for the current school year. Joining the Elm Street Academy Big Picture Learning site are newly created programs at Olean High School and Ellicottville Central School.
According to Elm Street Academy Principal and Big Picture Director Chris McNell, “We started talking with Olean School Superintendent Colleen Taggerty and Ellicottville Central School Superintendent Mark Ward last year about opening programs in their districts and we are pleased to announce that we are now, in fact, operating Big Picture programs in both of those districts. The program at Olean High School currently serves 11 students, who are enrolled from Olean and Allegany-Limestone schools. The program at Ellicottville Central School now has 26 students enrolled from Ellicottville, Cattaraugus-Little Valley, and West Valley schools.”
Big Picture Schools were created to address the problem of students dropping out of school. Recent statistics show that in the United States, one student drops out of school every 12 seconds. Big Picture Schools provide a unique learning opportunity for students who are at risk of dropping out of school. Under the Big Picture concept, students become immersed in areas they are passionate about, in particular through internships and real-world learning experiences.
Mr. McNell said, “When I graduated from high school, I really didn’t value my own educational experience at all. I also didn’t know anything about my passions or my strengths. It wasn’t until after college that I realized that my calling was working with at-risk youth. Looking back at my own experience, I began to question why I had to wait until I was 25 years old to realize what my passions were and what I was good at.”
To address this problem, Mr. McNell guided the Elm Street Academy’s transition to a Big Picture School. At ESA, students learn in a somewhat unorthodox way. Each student’s education plan begins when the student connects with their advisors (alternate term used for teachers) to lay out what they want to learn that semester, and how best to do that, much like an independent study in a college setting. The school has different areas in which the students must learn. However, what is actually learned in each field is, to a large extent, left up to the individual student.
The kids also learn in the fashion that best suits them. Throughout the semester, students present exhibitions to demonstrate what they are learning. Big Picture Schools advocate hands-on learning that the students directly integrate into their lives. Internships are highly favored experiences.
Mr. McNell added, “We try to treat the students like young adults. I also strive to build a relationship with each and every student.”
The students all pass the New York State Regents exams. Six of the Elm Street Academy’s 2009 graduates earned a Regents diploma while three more earned GED diplomas. To graduate, they must apply to at least three colleges and get accepted to one.
Elm Street’s approach is not necessarily easier so much as different. It emphasizes individualism. “We don’t want to pump out 50 of the same seniors,” Mr. McNell said. “We’re truly taking one student at a time.”