[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”East EPO Three-Year Report 2019″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
In April 2014, the president of the Board of Education of the Rochester City School District approached the University of Rochester about becoming the Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) overseeing East High School, an iconic yet persistently failing Rochester high school. The State of New York had labeled East as an \u201cout of time\u201d school, having tried every intervention at its disposal without success. Unless the district placed the school under the supervision of a receiver, such as an EPO, East High School would close.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In 2015, only 33 percent of the class graduated on time. The dropout rate was 41 percent, and there were 2,468 suspensions. The projected graduation rate for 2016 was 19 percent. The University did not take the request to partner with East lightly. As an EPO, we would have to develop the capacity to take on such an enormous commitment, and we recognized the tremendous risk involved. But there was a clear and present crisis at East, and we were asked to step up. If not us, then who?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The University could not stand by and let the school close without offering our best efforts to turn it around. Recognizing the need for expanded resources, to renegotiate union contracts, and to make deep and fundamental changes in the school, we accepted the invitation from the Board and began a year of planning. In September 2015, the EPO welcomed the first class of students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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By Race<\/strong> 91% Economically Disadvantaged Students<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 19<\/strong>%\u00a0English Language Learners<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 13<\/strong>% Students with Disabilities<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n This report is an effort to communicate our work to the communities we serve and our partners. While our scholars have amazed us with their many success stories, and the trajectory for the future looks positive, we are not ready to declare East a complete success story. Nor is the University interested in taking credit for the accomplishments of our faculty, staff, scholars, and families. They are succeeding because they did the work. The University provided structure, systems, and advocacy to support the success of everyone in the East community.<\/p>\n The EPO has enjoyed deep community support from agencies, philanthropists, and city government. The Board of Education of the Rochester City School District has been instrumental. The Board has supported the additional costs for turnaround schools and given us the freedom to implement a best- practice model. The New York State Education Department and the Board of Regents have also been valuable partners, providing technical assistance, policy flexibility, and very real encouragement. Close partnering with our employee associations has been vital, and we appreciate the willingness of our teachers to rethink their practices. We are especially inspired by our families and scholars. They have consistently stepped up to meet the challenges of college and career readiness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We are currently in our fourth year of the partnership between the University and East. We now have verified academic and other data from the three completed school years. These data provide just part of the story of what has occurred at East. They point to significant gains in graduation rates, a changed culture that puts relationships and personal accountability at the heart of the community, and an improved academic program and environment that supports student learning and achievement. Here we share these results as well as the programs and practices that we believe have been critical to the positive trends we see at East.<\/p>\n Our current efforts focus on continuing to execute the plan in place with fidelity and flexibility. We also outline here what we see as areas of focus in this work as we continue to grow as a community. We are ever mindful of the work ahead for East, the Rochester City School District, and urban schools nationwide.<\/p>\n Dr. Shaun Nelms, Superintendent East High School<\/p>\n Dr. Stephen Uebbing, Director, University of Rochester-East High School Educational Partnership Organization (EPO)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n First and foremost, we sought to help our scholars feel safe and valued. A foundational element of the entire plan was to create a school culture based on trusting relationships and individual dignity. The use of the word \u201cscholars\u201d is an example of that. It is an aspirational term, suggesting a learned person. That is what we desire for our students, that they see themselves as scholars, with all that word implies regarding intellectual curiosity, effort, accountability, and responsibility.<\/p>\n Cultural change is difficult to measure. Perhaps the simplest way to indicate the change in culture at East is by looking at systems that deal with inappropriate behavior. Before the EPO, when students misbehaved, they were likely to be suspended. This punitive approach had dire academic consequences. In 2014, East suspended students at least 2,468 times, 39 percent of which were out of school. We have also seen improvements in attendance. Average daily attendance increased from 77 percent in 2014\u201315 to 90 percent at the Lower School (grades 6\u20138) and 82 percent in the Upper School (grades 9\u201312) in 2017\u201318, with further increases in Fall 2018 to 91 percent and 85 percent, respectively. While a significant gain, it is not nearly enough. We still have, on average, over 10 percent of our students missing school on any given day and over 30 percent of our students missing at least 10 percent of their school days. We are hopeful that the stronger school-going culture built at the Lower School will translate into better Upper School attendance in the years ahead.<\/p>\n At East, we are taking charge of our future by<\/p>\n \u2022 being tenacious<\/strong> [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n The improvements at East can be traced to implementation of five systemic changes.<\/strong><\/p>\n We take a school-wide restorative practices approach to school discipline, behavior, and relationships. At East, it is the responsibility of all parties to build and repair relationships within the community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Every adult at East has received training in restorative practices, and our team of social workers oversees implementation.<\/p>\n Every scholar in the building belongs to a small group that meets daily under the guidance of one or two adults.<\/p>\n We designed this structure to ensure a close relationship with a caring adult for every student and a place where we can foster a culture of care, trust, and accountability that prioritizes relationships.<\/p>\n Many of our scholars exhibit extraordinary courage in the face of chronic trauma in their young lives. The scholars are smart and resilient but also benefit tremendously from the support of additional school counselors and school social workers to help navigate the challenges and social-emotional trauma associated with living in a high-poverty environment.<\/p>\n From the start, the EPO has insisted that every adult working at East be \u201cAll In\u201d and involved for the right reason: to put students at the heart of the school and to do the hard work of transforming a high- need urban high school.<\/p>\n To that end, all existing faculty and staff were invited to reapply for their positions at East. They then were asked to commit to the plan to be \u201cAll In,\u201d which they would help to define and build as a community.<\/p>\n East partners with 13 community agencies. We have a school-based health center, and dental services are provided onsite through the partnership with the University of Rochester. Our scholars have mentors from the community.<\/p>\n The Family and Community Engagement (FACE) committee has worked to provide better access for families and thereby increase family engagement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n The impact of the cultural changes goes beyond decreased suspensions and increasing attendance. A simple walk down the hallway has a different vibe these days\u2014one can see that scholars are more connected to teachers, staff, and each other. There exists a new vitality and respect in the way scholars carry themselves and move through the building. There is an increased sense of safety. A recent survey of scholars placed trust in teachers and staff at more than 98 percent. This culture shift results from a holistic approach that places relationships at the forefront and carefully and specifically allocates resources to put the care of students at the heart of change. We believe that this changing school culture connects directly to some of the positive outcomes that have become apparent at East, including increased attendance, graduation rates, and family engagement; improved test scores; and decreased suspensions, behavioral incidents, and dropout rates.<\/p>\n Indicator<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 2014\u201315<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 2017\u201318<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Suspensions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 2,468<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 369<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Out-of-School Suspensions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 1,045<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 43<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Average Daily Attendance<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 77%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n Lower School<\/p>\n 90%<\/p>\n Upper School<\/p>\n 82%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Graduation Rate<\/p>\n Dropout Rate<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 61%<\/p>\n 2017\u201318 33% EPO Year 3<\/p>\n 2014\u201315 Pre EPO<\/p>\n 41%<\/p>\n 2014\u201315 Pre EPO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n The change in school culture involves and affects the entire school community, including East staff, scholars and their families, and the larger Rochester community. The FACE committee, formerly the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), has seen a significant increase in family participation and decision making. Our scholars also help to shape the new culture at East. The number of East scholars sitting on governance council and other leadership committees continues to grow.<\/p>\n We have opened East\u2019s doors to the community. Much has changed during these first four years of the EPO because we have allocated a number of resources toward building and strengthening community. The support of our many community partners and agencies has helped to provide surrounding families with direct access to resources, such as job fairs, a food pantry, and expanded and new health-related services, to name a few.<\/p>\n University of Rochester<\/strong><\/p>\n Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development<\/p>\n School of Nursing\u2019s School-Based Health Center<\/p>\n Eastman Institute of Oral Health<\/p>\n Pre-College Programs of the David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity in Arts, Sciences, and Engineering<\/p>\n Flaum Eye Institute<\/p>\n Center for Community Health and Prevention\u2019s Teen Health and Success Partnership<\/p>\n Foundations<\/strong><\/p>\n William and Sheila Konar Foundation<\/p>\n Farash Foundation<\/p>\n Greater Rochester Health Foundation<\/p>\n Community Agencies<\/strong><\/p>\n Center for Youth<\/p>\n Champion Academy<\/p>\n Connected Communities<\/p>\n Encompass (Education Success Network)<\/p>\n Food and Resource Pantry<\/p>\n Hillside Family of Agencies<\/p>\n Ibero-American Action League<\/p>\n Monroe County<\/p>\n Monroe Community College<\/p>\n North East Area Development<\/p>\n Urban League of Rochester<\/p>\n Villa of Hope<\/p>\n YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n There are three components based on rigorous educational research that shape our work on academics at East.<\/strong><\/p>\n We believe that instruction must start with quality curriculum. When the EPO began its work, we engaged in a five-year comprehensive curriculum development process that teachers collaboratively create and deliver. Using the research-based framework \u201cUnderstanding by Design\u201d to create curriculum, students, teachers, and administrators share understanding of what students are learning, why they are learning it, and what additional help students may need. All students receive high-quality curriculum using high-quality materials.<\/p>\n Under the EPO, East has adopted a highly intentional instructional process, which provides time for daily collaborative planning among teachers, tight alignment to the curriculum, use of clear learning targets, and techniques that build student engagement. In a recent survey, more than 90 percent of teachers reported using new teaching strategies to enhance student engagement. The majority of these teachers report that students are more engaged in the classroom. Eighty-four percent of teachers feel supported to improve their teaching craft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The EPO has adopted a process of student common formative assessments, which includes student projects, classroom activities, and tests, in order to understand students\u2019 progress and to inform teachers in making adjustments to their planning and decision making. Teachers collaboratively analyze student data in order to plan instructional strategies to meet the specific needs of our scholars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Key structures put in place to support academic achievement include increased emphasis and time built into the schedule for literacy and mathematics, a deliberate and supportive ninth-grade academy, and academic support periods, as outlined in the following sections.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n The EPO added both time and staff to build the literacy and mathematic achievement of our scholars. From grades 6 through 9, every East scholar takes an English language arts class as well as a class in literacy. Services in these classes include targeted intervention, remediation, and enrichment based on each individual scholar\u2019s reading score and needs. When we began our work at East, 87 percent of scholars scored in the Below Basic category for state-mandated assessments of literacy, and only 2 percent of scholars scored in the Proficient category. According to the most recent assessment figures, the number of scholars with Below Basic performance has decreased to 59 percent, with more students (11%) performing as Proficient or Advanced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n NY State Testing\u2014English Language Arts Level<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 2014\u201315<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 2017\u201318<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Level 4<\/p>\n Advanced<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 0%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n 2%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Level 3<\/p>\n Proficient<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n\u2022 52.61% Black or African American
\n\u2022 33.49% Hispanic
\n\u2022 8.88% White
\n\u2022 4.15% Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
\n\u2022 0.48% Two or more
\n\u2022 0.39% American Indian and Alaska Native<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nConsistently Stepping Up<\/h2>\n
Thoughts from Our Leaders<\/h4>\n
Changing the Culture<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nBy comparison, during the 2017\u201318 school year, there were only 369 suspensions, of which 12 percent were out of school. That is not because we now tolerate inappropriate behavior. Rather, we treat inappropriate behavior as a violation of the culture of the community, supporting opportunities to repair relationships and rebuild that culture. We are thoughtful in our approach to discipline. Suspensions are reserved as a last option only after we\u2019ve tried other restorative approaches and for the most serious offenses. We have found that we can resolve many conflicts and repair relationships more successfully with this approach, and far fewer students are missing instructional time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nMission<\/h4>\n
\n\u2022 thinking purposefully<\/strong>
\n\u2022 advocating for self and others<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRelationships and Practices that Support Students and Community<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
<\/h4>\n
1. Restorative Practices<\/h4>\n
2. The Family Group<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
3. Adequate Support Staff<\/h4>\n
4. The Right People<\/h4>\n
5. A Focus on Community<\/h4>\n
Impact<\/h2>\n
Indicators of Culture Change<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n \n Community Partners<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Authentic Learning Through Rigorous Instruction<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
Curriculum<\/h4>\n
Instruction<\/h4>\n
Assessment<\/h4>\n
Emphasis on Literacy and Mathematics in Grades 6\u20139<\/h2>\n
Literacy<\/h4>\n
\n<\/strong>East Lower School (Grades 6\u20138)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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