First-thing-in-the-morning meetings are off the table, but North Platte’s top school administrators continue to advocate weekly teacher meetings.

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Administrators now want teachers to meet Wednesday afternoons during the last two hours of school. Students would be dismissed or go to Kids Klub.

The change could take effect in the 2010-11 school year.

The stepped-up teacher meetings go along with more group, team-learning programs that are being piloted.

The school board is expected to discuss the weekly teachers meetings and perhaps vote during the board's meeting Jan. 26. The board will meet at 7 p.m. at McKinley Education Center.

In a few model classrooms across the district, small tables have replaced individual desks. Students study in small groups instead of alone.

And, more classrooms have two teachers. For instance, special education and "instruction coaches" frequently join the first-grade teachers in those classrooms at Lincoln Elementary.

A look at what’s happening and why:

Too much testing, not enough learning

When administrator Kathryn Murphy started working during the late summer at the North Platte school district, she found teachers and administrators working diligently in two key areas.

They were trying hard to measure student achievement and trying hard to adjust the curriculum to synchronize instruction from room-to-room and school-to-school.

What Murphy said she didn’t find was enough time for teachers to help each other become better teachers.

Murphy arrived in North Platte from eastern Oregon to become the full-time director of curriculum, instruction and assessments; a position previously filled by school principal Mary Derby.

Teachers are overtaxed with tests, she said, but aren't taking enough time to be colleagues and figure out how to excite more kids about learning.

In-service

Teachers currently meet during “in-service” days (formerly known as “teacher conventions”) – entire days or half-days dedicated to professional development – held 4-5 times a year.

Murphy believes the hours-long sessions don’t really foster better instruction, because there is not enough specific time allotted to follow up, compare notes and figure out the best next step.

Many teachers get together on their own to compare notes and strategize, which, when successful, tends to develop pockets of excellence rather than widespread excellence.

Murphy said the North Platte school district cannot assure parents that students get the best education possible as the students progress from class-to-class and school-to-school.

According to test and assessment results, North Platte’s overall academic performance is about average, Murphy said.

She and Superintendent David Engle began to foster changes, meeting more often with principals and taking “learning walks,” to visit classrooms, teachers and students.

“We’re partners,” Murphy said. “We’re not there in a ‘gotcha’ capacity. If doctors can learn from doing medical rounds, teachers and administrators can learn from ‘instructional rounds.’”

Murphy was highly impressed with the work ethic and dedication of North Platte teachers.

“I have rarely seen that kind of dedication,” she said. “And there is a close connection between administrators, teachers, parents and children. We have a good, caring culture.”

But, there is more to do, she said.

“No one is saying ‘we’re not doing a good job,’” she said. “But we hearing ‘we want to do better.’”

If teachers meet more regularly, it can be enjoyable, Murphy said. She speaks of excitement, energy, and enthusiasm – the joy of watching students be excited about learning.

“Educators are success junkies that way,” she said. “We love it when kids catch on.”

And for teachers to really help each other, they need to meet regularly, she said. The idea is to take the same amount of time spent in meetings and use it better.

“We’re not taking more time, we’re just distributing it differently,” she said.

Everything costs, money tight

After a preliminary meeting with director Eric Thomas of the Kids Klub after-school program in late November, Associate Superintendent Dan Twarling hoped the district could open the school buildings to students and adequately supervise them – without a great deal of extra expenses.

Twarling said para-professionals (teacher aides) might help the Kids Klub staff supervise children at the schools, without hiring more full-time staff.

And he hopes parents will team up to car pool or watch children while teachers meet.

“I’m hopeful it’s going to work out without a lot of staffing issues,” he said. “I think most parents will have a plan to work things out.”

Both Twarling and Engle said it doesn’t work for teachers to meet at the end of the week – for instance on Friday afternoons.

Twarling said he has been there, done that.

“I was in a district that let out every Friday at 2 p.m. so teachers could meet,” he said. “That was not productive. I know I’m not sharp at that time. People can’t make it because of activities. We need to get everyone involved when the vast majority are at school."

Twarling said money could be a problem.

Business Manager Stuart Simpson is looking at the budget to see if money could be directed to hire more staff.

It’s a hard time to find more money. The Legislature leveled state aid for the year 2010-11. Property tax revenues are flat. Meanwhile, teacher's salaries increase; so do utility costs. Substantial money has been spent on computers and other technological learning tools.

Federal stimulus money will help for a year or two, but those funds arrive after money is spent and receipts are presented to state and federal officials, Simpson said.

Until the economy turns around, schools will get the same amount of state aid as now, but not the annual increase to which they are accustomed.

Paloucek: Parents, students won’t be stranded

Board of Education President Jim Paloucek emphasized that the board’s number one priority is improving the quality of instruction in the classroom.

From what he has seen and heard, he believes making the change would have a positive impact on how well teachers teach.

Paloucek said that experts within the school system and two studies he has seen came out categorically in favor of weekly in-services.

“It seems to be a given that frequent, shorter sessions improve instruction more than what we’re doing now,” he said.

Paloucek referred to some of the comments at the meeting, where parents expressed concern about the delayed starting time for classes.

“There shouldn’t be the misunderstanding that parents and students are going to be left to fend for themselves,” he said.

Part of the challenge now, he continued, would be finding a solution to accommodate families that have to drop their kids off at the same time every day due to work schedules and things of that nature.

Paloucek expressed hope that scouting groups and youth clubs could meet during that time. He would be interested to explore whether or not an agreement could be reached with the city to allow Adams Middle School students to use the Rec Center during those hours.

“If this is a proven way to improve instruction, how much are we willing to sacrifice? That is the decision the community has to make,” Paloucek said.

He also said that since improving instruction is the school board’s primary mission, new expenses generated from that pursuit would require cuts from other areas.

“My position is if it is going to produce extra expenses, then spending must be reduced in lower priority areas,” he said.

He did not specify the lower priority areas.

Goal: clothes of excellence

Overall, school administrators are in the process of overhauling the way lessons are delivered in North Platte public school classrooms.

The ideal is to create “thinking cultures” where students are eagerly engaged in learning, engaging themselves and one another.

Lake Maloney and Osgood are making changes that Principal Ron Parks discussed Nov. 22 with the school board. Similar programs are underway in first-grade classrooms in Lincoln Elementary.

As an example, Parks showed the board a power-point photo of four fifth-grade students at a table, working on a lesson. One student was at the computer, doing research. Another was writing, making notes. Two were talking to each other. They were all partially turned toward one another.

Parks said they were engaged as a team and as individuals, learning the lesson and how to work cooperatively with each other.

In some elementary school classrooms, such as Lake Maloney’s, individual desks are gone, replaced by tables for small groups of students.

That’s a good thing, administrators believe. Education has had too much isolation built into it, with students at their own desks, studying quietly.

Individual learning has brought about many “pockets of excellence”, but not widespread excellence, Murphy said. Ideally, students should learn to communicate well, solve problems, think deeply -- and collaborate.

“We hope to create critical thinkers who are compassionate, sharp and community minded,” she said, “people who we would want on a jury if we were on trial, because they think that well.”

Very few jobs demand an isolated work ethic, Murphy said.

“We want students to communicate, to defend their thinking and work on projects that are meaningful and authentic,” she said.

Part of this article was first published in December in the Bulletin print edition.