Executive Summary. Winston Churchill High School

Transcription

1 Eugene School District 4J Bj Blake, Principal 1850 Bailey Hill Rd. Eugene, OR Document Generated On October 19, 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 4 Additional Information 5

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Churchill High School is located in the southwestern section of Eugene, Oregon and is one of four comprehensive high schools in the district, enrolling 1200 students. Approximately 13% of the students have a documented disability, 35% of the student body identify as a student of color, and 65% identify as white. Families who identify as needing support through free and reduced meals is at 45%. The Churchill attendance area community encompasses a variety of residential, commercial, rural and urban neighborhoods, and that mixture, along with our diverse population of students listed above, builds what we at Churchill see as a dynamic, healthy, and demographically exciting student body. One of the hallmarks of CHS is the Career Technical Education programs of study. Our Engineering, Health Occupations, Graphic Design, Rachel Carson Natural Resources, and the West End Visual and Performing Arts pathways provide for our students to build experience in industry, to take college-level classes, and to explore their passions and interests. Along with these pathways, Churchill has a strong college-going culture, with AP and IB classes, along with supports for students to be successful in these classes. We have a school-wide focus on 9th grade success structures, as well as an established AVID program and academic support classes for students in grades Churchill High School's 2015 graduates took 309 AP and 71 IB tests and earned nearly $3.5 million in scholarships. Of our 222 graduates, 190 are going to college. Churchill offers over 130 college credits in multiple subject areas. For example, in math alone we had 450 registrations in our College Now mathematics classes, totaling nearly 2000 credits worth approximately $200,000 in tuition. That's just a small part of the college credits earned by our outstanding graduates before they left high school. Service is another hallmark of Churchill with our students giving over 15,000 hours of volunteer service, making a difference in the lives of people throughout the Eugene community. Page 2

5 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The Mission of Churchill High School is to develop the academic, physical, and social potential of each student. The staff, students, and families of Churchill value and empower each person to truly seeing all members as individuals and supporting them to be a part of the learning that helps them grow. We create a school culture of respect by teaching and expecting the principles of Lancer PRIDE (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, Excellence) in all members of the Churchill community. We continue to work toward equity for all our students and staff. The achievement gaps that are the tradition of the American education system still exist at Churchill. We recognize we are underserving the same populations as all other schools. Yet we have made it our main goal this year to work collectively and individually to discover how to change this for our students of color, our students in poverty, and our students who struggle academically. Page 3

6 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Churchill High School is proud of its respectful, caring school culture that prepares students for their next steps into college and careers. As word has gotten out about Churchill's programs and personnel, our enrollment has grown 10% each year over the past three years. On our school site, we have an engineering and natural resources building completed over the past five years that supports our Engineering and Rachel Carson pathways. We have invested both personnel and equipment for our Digital Media and Design Thinking programs, which are open to all students. CHS is nearly 1-1 with either laptops or ipads, with our goal being a full 1-1 within the next three years. One feeder middle school is now a STEM school, providing a seamless transition for incoming students. This year we instituted a 9th grade success initiative, with resources focused on assuring our 9th grade students are prepared for college by the time they finish 11th grade. Our award-winning visual and performing arts programs continue to grow with the goal of developing a West Eugene Arts center, and CHS athletic teams provide our students with excellence in the development of both leadership and sports skills. Along with over 50% of our students being involved in sports, Churchill has a multitude of extracurricular options for students. We have five affinity groups (BSU, LSU, GSA, ASPISU, NASU) and over 25 student-initiated clubs, including Student Leadership, Debate, National Honor Society, and Key Club. Student involvement in all areas of our school is a high priority. Our next challenge is to more explicitly address the issue that some of our students are not succeeding in our school. Our teachers are warm and inviting people who help students achieve due to the relationships they form. Despite that, our students of color, students on IEP's, and economically disadvantaged students do not achieve at the same rate. We have begun to address this in many ways. Our district is working closely with the Center for Equity Education and a large percentage of Churchill staff have received Taking It Up training. Administrators at CHS have attended multiple CFEE extended trainings. Each staff member has a student achievement goal focusing on supporting students from an underserved population at our school. We are committed as a staff to growing and learning what it will require for us to be able to affirm the identity of each student and staff member in our school, and to assure that there are no identities that predetermine success, or lack thereof, at Churchill High School. Page 4

7 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. From the families to staff to the students, all members of the Churchill Learning Community are committed to the very best academic and cultural experience for our students. Like group of our students said, "Churchill is awesome because the teachers care about you and if you learn, people accept you, and school is actually fun. We like being here." Page 5