Schools That Work

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by Dorothy Callaci

Jan 22, 2008 12:31 PM

World Journalism Prep a model of partnership from the start

SCHOOLS THAT WORK Often the problem schools in the city are a focus of this newspaper, but there are many schools where there is an excellent rapport between the administration and the staff — something that is a key ingredient in successful schools. This is one in an occasional series of articles highlighting schools where such teamwork can serve as examples to all schools.

World Journalism Preparatory School is “not a traditional place,” according to math and science teacher Larry Malmud.

“The collaboration here is phenomenal — between grades, within grades, between staff and administration, students and staff. The back and forth is terrific,” he explained. “It’s like a percolator where ideas keep bubbling up.”

The Flushing school, now in its second year, is serious about partnership and collegiality. Even its origins were collaborative. Together, teacher Laura Grosselfinger, now the chapter leader, Principal Cynthia Schneider and Assistant Principal Nancy Poulos created the proposal for the school.

“Starting a school — creating it from the ground up — is hard work,” Grosselfinger concedes. She described a busy summer of workshops and training for the 11 original staff members and a hectic September when everyone had “a million jobs.”

Even before the new reorganization, as an empowerment school, the principal had greater autonomy and responsibility for the school’s results and Schneider is comfortable encouraging everyone to share that responsibility with her. When 6th-grade teachers discovered scheduling problems in September, she gave them carte blanche to rearrange classes so the schedule worked for everyone.

“I used to dread going to work in the morning,” Grosselfinger said of her previous assignment. “Now I love it. The administration appreciates us and we all feel we’re in this together.”

Students learn to support one another, too. Sixth-graders delivered survival kits — juice drinks and snacks — to stressed-out 9th- and 10th-graders who were taking the PSATs recently.

Every Wednesday students are dismissed at 1 p.m. for field assignments — interviews, library research — and staff and administration spend the time together working on new ideas, professional development and other school issues. And every afternoon students meet with their assigned teacher in an advisory — similar to a homeroom — to discuss problems, prep for college or deal with any other issues. “Kids love it and I love it,” Grosselfinger remarked. “It’s a great way to connect with kids.”

She credits the “advisory” with keeping discipline issues at a minimum because teachers notify advisory teachers of discipline issues immediately. If the problem is not solved at that level it’s pushed to phone calls and e-mails home, to detention and, as a last resort, to suspension. “Discipline problems are rare,” Grosselfinger explained, “because we’re a small school and work closely together and because we emphasize responsibility.”

Today the school has more than doubled staff size to 24 plus a guidance counselor with a student body of 350. Class size averages 26 with English classes at about 20.

Last year’s teachers recruited many of the new staff members joining the school this year. Applicants spend a day at the school so they can talk to teachers and students and get an understanding of the philosophy and atmosphere of the place. They also teach a demonstration lesson and subsequently meet with the principal and students of the class to discuss and critique the lesson.

Malmud, who came to teaching from an accounting/business background eight years ago and transferred to World Prep this year, said the whole-day application process ensures that an applicant and the school are “a fit for each other.”

“It’s a unique place,” Grosselfinger added. “We give people a chance to see what we are about and whether they want to buy into it.”

Parent Coordinator Helen Reed “loves” the new school, which two of her children attend, because “there’s a community here. Everyone knows the kids.” Because the students are from all over, she is busy reaching out to parents to make them part of that community. Workshops at the next PTA meeting are designed to get parents online so they know about and can access the school Web site, keep abreast of student progress and receive messages from teachers.

Math teacher Carolyn McGrath noted that, as it is a small school, teachers are able “to differentiate curriculum and tailor lessons to kids’ needs.” She was busy posting grades and comments to the school’s Web site.

Housed on the third floor of IS 25, the school, as its name indicates, provides a special focus on journalism classes for both print and broadcast media. “We are working on quality writing — rewriting and rewriting,” Chapter Leader Grosselfinger said. “Teachers here serve as facilitators and the students do the work.”

With a degree in journalism and a beginning career in advertising, Grosselfinger, who started out as a teaching fellow, came to World Journalism Prep via a school in Brownsville. “We’re very busy creating the stuff we need so we’re a work in progress,” she pointed out. “But we’re getting there.”

Getting there means that in two years it will be a 6-12 school.

[You can learn more about the school at its Web site, www.wjps.org.]