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

  • Compton High School

    Compton High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Compton High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.

  • Wenger Names New Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts, Controls

    Wenger Corporation, which provides products and solutions for music and theater education, performing arts and athletic storage, recently announced the hiring of a new Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts and Controls.