The Saline Reporter
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Report finds middle school 'isolated'
Report: Saline Middle School lacks a shared, coherent vision
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 14, 2008
Saline Middle School lacks a shared, coherent vision, falls short of meeting the educational needs of some student subgroups, and is isolated from other schools in the district, concludes a report released this week on the school's educational program.
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Saline resident Ronald Williamson, a middle school expert and professor of leadership and counseling at Eastern Michigan University, prepared the report, which was commissioned last spring by then-Superintendent Beverley Geltner at a cost of $7,500.
"One of the things I want to stress is what the middle school's strengths are and how do we build on those strengths," Williamson said in his presentation to the school board Tuesday night. He said the school's staff is "exceptionally well qualified" and that "(student) achievement overall is solid."
He further stressed that the report's focus was on the middle school program and not personnel.
Among his findings were:
•There is no shared vision among staff;
•Program development is not driven by data;
•There is a perception among parents that social-emotional support takes precedence over academic preparation;
•The school should be more responsive and attentive to a growing diversity in the student population;
•Elective offerings are limited and seem "to reflect the idiosyncratic interests of staff, rather than a coherent, thoughtfully planned program";
The relationship between the middle school and other schools is "tenuous," resulting in isolation.
"The middle school is isolated from the rest of the district," Williamson told the board. "There are some linkage issues across the three levels of education that need to be addressed. That is a district issue."
He concluded a "stronger emphasis on grade-to-grade and school-to-school articulation" was needed, requiring a districtwide response.
Williamson said heightened accountability laid out at the state and federal levels require a comprehensive look at curriculum that "flows smoothly from level to level."
He recommended that a planning group be formed to address the isolation concern and another group convened to make recommendations on forming a mission statement and modifying the curriculum to provide support for both students who are less successful and those who could benefit from additional acceleration and academic enrichment.
Administrators' response to the report was largely positive, if somewhat cautious.
"I say some of the concerns you find in this report you are likely to find in any other building," said David Raft, who took over as middle school principal from a retiring Nic Cooper the first of this month.
Middle school administrators and staff will look closer at the report in coming weeks, Raft said.
"My thing is starting to communicate more and creating some commonality between the buildings," he said. "I think that alone will help a lot."
Interim Superintendent Scot Graden said the middle school's isolation was a districtwide concern.
"We need to see ourselves as administrators and teachers of Saline Area Schools," Graden said. "We can no longer associate ourselves with only one building."
Board members embraced the report, encouraging similar reports on other buildings in the district.
"I think it's excellent to have someone from the outside look at this," said Board Trustee Kim Van Hoek, calling the report a valuable tool for improvement. "I think this is a great model and would be valuable for all the buildings."
Board President Lisa Slawson agreed.
"We constantly need to be learning," she said. "Instead of education being reactive, this is a very good example of being proactive."
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or bcox@heritage.com.
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