Great Expectations Recognizes 'Model Schools'

Schools acknowledged for commitment to Great Expectations methodology, which emphasizes mutual respect, academic excellence

NORMAN, Okla.Great Expectations, a non-profit foundation that provides intensive professional development to teachers and administrators, announces its 2013-14 highest recognition: Model Schools. Based on Great Expectations theory implementation, there are three categories of recognition, including Transitional School, Progressive School and Model School.

To be named a Great Expectations Model School, over 90 percent of the teachers must successfully implement all of the classroom practices. The school’s principal must also model the classroom practices, and the school needs to serve as a standard that other administrators and educators can visit and learn from.

The Great Expectations training model is guided by six basic tenets and 17 classroom practices. The tenets and practices provide guidelines for program training and implementation, and they serve as standards for evaluating Great Expectations schools.

The basic tenets include:

  • High expectations
  • Teacher attitude and responsibility
  • Building self-esteem
  • All children can learn
  • Climate of mutual respect
  • Teacher knowledge and skill

“We strive to transform teachers’ lives and remind them why they began this profession in the first place,” said Linda Dzialo, Ph.D, president and CEO of Great Expectations. “The Model Schools achieve the greatest excellence and create supportive, nurturing environments. Put simply, these schools lead by example.”

View all of the Great Expectations Model Schools for 2013-14 here: http://www.greatexpectations.org/schools_model.php.

View the complete schedule.

Featured

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, OR

    Preserving Legacy, Designing for the Future

    As historic academic buildings age, institutions face a difficult decision: preserve and adapt or demolish and rebuild. How do we honor the legacy of these spaces while adapting them to meet the needs of modern learners?

  • California K–12 District Completes Elementary School Campus Replacement

    The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) in Richmond, Calif., recently announced the completion of a replacement campus for Lake Elementary School, according to a news release. The school has capacity for 470 students between Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and sixth grade.