School+Environment+Survey+Action+Plan

=Elements of the ACTION PLAN=
 * designed by the faculty and School Leadership Team**

__To be put into place by the administration (with the help and support of the staff):__
 * Create a buddy system for new students to be paired with upper-class students to ensure they feel welcomed into the community and know what it means to be a member of it.
 * Organize a career day to be explicit about the work we’re doing to prepare them for the future (bring in guest speakers from different fields).
 * Incorporate department meetings (time to collaborate with content-based colleagues) and subject-based professional development (either in or out of school) into the school year.
 * Continue the work of the data team to look at the data we have here in school AND provide time for teachers to look at data together (like what we did today).
 * Begin a Peer Tutoring program to take advantage of the strengths and leadership in our students.
 * Promote the development of specific advisory lessons to address some of the issues brought up in the survey (i.e. Student survey question 3E).
 * Continue to support the incorporation of the Global Ethics work into PD and advisory – helping each other, all the adults, and the students to develop Moral Courage.
 * Encourage the good work being done in the building!
 * Publicize the opportunities parents have to be involved – Open House week (bring your parent to school day), in-class events, etc.
 * Provide workshops (at PTA meetings) on how to be pro-active with their child’s academic success.
 * Start a Student Discipline Committee (maybe including a Discipline Coordinator on staff); work to ensure a clear understanding of the discipline code AND our approach to following it.
 * Encourage and support more events (i.e. Mother’s and Father’s day brunches, movie night, story night, end-of-year camping, BBQ, picnic, etc.) – possibly run by the PTA or clubs.
 * Provide structure and support for students to do paid and un-paid internships
 * Expand elective course offerings as much as possible
 * Allow time during PD to have teachers fill out the surveys
 * Provide substance abuse education (through advisory)
 * Ensure there are office hours for students to be able to talk with the counselor
 * Bring the SAD program into our school
 * Have teachers be more involved with programming (I don’t understand this one)
 * Use direct mailings home (do not rely on handing things out in advisory)

__To be put into place by the teachers and advisors:__
 * Invite families to participate – take and post pictures of past events on the web and continue to invite parents to school and class functions (esp. the “fun” things we do here in and around school).
 * Engage students in curricula-based activities (hands-on, technology, etc).
 * Have transparent conversations with students about how you are going to address their individual learning needs so it is clear to them that you are doing so.
 * Clearly state expectations via syllabi, letters home and/or postings on the internet.
 * Reward students with recognition for positive things (and be transparent about it).
 * Introduce innovative ways of learning and tap into the different strengths of the students in your classroom.
 * Continue to review credits earned/needed information with students after the conclusion of each semester (see existing lesson plans and handouts for reviewing transcripts); Guidance Counselor can address questions about this in college planning interview during junior year as well.
 * Continue development of the peer mediation program and other methods for students to communicate with adults, with each other, and about their concerns.
 * Continue to create, hand out, and post information about your class, your assignments, and events in your classroom so parents are “in the know.”
 * Use advisory (and classes) to continue to empower and enable students to use their voice to communicate with adults
 * Encourage the good work being done in your classrooms! Send home nice comments, etc.
 * Continue to increase the number of offerings for students (clubs, etc) and encourage students to start clubs when they have the interest.
 * IMMEDIATELY before giving the survey, complete an activity to remind students of the myriad of activities in which they do participate and the variety of things they do in classes as well AND review the key terms from the survey (what do they mean by “most students,” “enrichment activities,” etc.)
 * Use a phone log to keep track of your calls home (see Teacher Handbook appendices).
 * Use phone and email to keep in touch with parents.
 * Revisit the idea of Parent Teacher Conferences, Student Led Conferences, etc … to address the issues of question 4b (which survey?)

__To be put into place by the parents (through the PTA and the Parent Coordinator):__
 * Constantly remind parents of ThinkWave and the unique form of communication between school and home that the program offers
 * Encourage each other to be good role models, talk with their students, and stay in touch with what is happening at school and around the world
 * Go through the transcript activity like the students do – so they are clear about the credit expectations, Regents requirements, etc. [mail home transcripts?]
 * Make sure the school knows when you are NOT able to use ThinkWave so that we can use other means of communication.
 * Encourage the attendance of at-school functions (including Open House, field trips, in-class events, etc).
 * Sometimes target a specific parent group for events and activities (9th, 10th, etc)
 * Incorporate teacher visits and updates into the PTA meetings, minutes, etc.