Alternative School Offers Students a Different Way to Learn
Staff Writer
March 22, 2010
In a speech on education early in March, President Barack Obama recognized and praised the Big Picture Learning design, citing its ability to “give students that individual attention, while also preparing them through real-world, hands-on training.”
Allegany and Cattaraugus counties have their own Big Picture Learning school, Elm Street Academy in Cuba. Actually, says Elm Street’s Principal Chris McNell, there are three Big Picture sites under the auspices of the Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES. In addition to Elm Street Academy, there are smaller sites in Olean and Ellicottville that operate within the schools there.
Approximately 70 schools in 18 states use the Big Picture Learning design, which emphasizes smaller-sized schools and educating one student at a time through a personalized approach to learning that includes real-world, hands-on experiences.
In his speech, President Obama called for “giving students who are behind in school a chance to catch up and a path to a diploma.” Mr. McNell says that would be a fair description of some of Elm Street’s students. “For most of them, it’s a last resort,” he said. “It’s for kids who can’t sit in a classroom nine periods a day.” He says these students start their experience at Elm Street with a period of self identification. The school asks the student to identify his or her strengths, weaknesses and areas of interests. Then the students and their parents are asked to commit to the learning process at Elm Street. Family engagement is one of the 10 categories of distinguishing characteristics for Big Picture schools.
President Obama referred to this in his speech, saying education “will take parents getting involved in their children’s education, consistently – going to parent-teacher conferences, helping their children with their homework.” After committing to the process, students at Elm Street go about planning their own education. Mr. McNell teams students with “advisors” – more conventionally known as teachers – who mentor no more than 10 students. With their advisor, students design their own projects to work on in areas that suit their interests. Advisors help students identify the educational content in areas like English and math that their projects need to include.
In his speech, President Obama said that achieving success in education “will take students, as well, showing up to school on time and paying attention to classes and staying out of trouble. They’re not let off the hook. Education isn’t a passive activity; it’s an active one.” At Elm Street, the students crafting their projects and then start working on them. They track their progress in a digital portfolio, where they also store the “artifacts” of each project, including articles, photos, papers, etc.
Every ten weeks they face a review panel made up of their advisors, family members and other important people in their lives. The panel looks at their work, holds them accountable for what they have or have not achieved, and gives them feedback. The digital portfolio is also a way that the home school districts of the students at Elm Street can track which academic areas to give credit. Students ultimately receive their high school diplomas from their home districts.
“High schools shouldn’t just make sure students graduate,” said President Obama, “they should make sure students graduate ready for college, ready for a career, and ready for life.” Last year, all but one of Elm Street’s seniors not only graduated, but were accepted into college. Elm Street Academy is working on its second class of graduating seniors. “They become independent learners,” Mr. McNell said. “We no longer have to show them why learning is important.”
One of the most critical ways they experience the importance of an education is in their “Learning Through Internship” experience. After they have identified their areas of interest, the students look for companies or organizations that can provide real-world opportunities in those fields. “They make calls and ask questions,” Mr. McNell said. “If that works out, then they interview. If that goes well, then they job shadow.” The final step is to set up an internship and work at the company on a regular basis, often two or three days a week, he said. Elm Street’s students have worked with Cuba Memorial Hospital, Holiday Valley ski resort in Ellicottville, in elementary classrooms in the Olean City School District, at the Haskell Valley Veterinary Clinic in Olean and with the BOCES Career Technical Education department, among other businesses and organizations.
Mr. McNell said the key is freedom of choice for the students.