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Whole School Paper

Hilltown Cooperative Charter School: A Model of Holistic Education

Massachusetts Charter School Association
Exemplary Whole School Model Dissemination Grant

2002

The Hilltown Cooperative Charter School (Hilltown) was started in 1995 by a group of local parents, artists, and educators who sought to bring an educational alternative to the rural hill towns of western Massachusetts. These pioneers were grounded in the belief that children are our most valuable resource and schools, as a result, our most critical institution. They felt the traditional elementary school structure did not provide what is essential to the optimal education of children: a partnership of parents, teachers, and students. Our founders envisioned a school with the following five elements (excerpted here from the school’s original charter school application):

1. A child-centered approach to education. "Creative thinking can best be encouraged in an environment in which teachers are not mere dispensers of information but rather models, resources and guides, helping children to develop their own ideas and solutions" (Duckworth 157). This relationship between teacher and student embraces the innate curiosity and rich potential of each child, rather than focusing on the student’s lacks and deficits. It also accommodates a wide range of individual learning styles, providing each child with the means to most effectively pursue his or her individual learning.

2. A collaborative approach to education. To maintain the motivation and self-esteem of teachers, they must be empowered to make their own decisions and trusted to direct their own teaching. A cooperative, interactive school environment, in which teachers are not isolated but are in dialogue with other teachers and administrators, allows for a cross-fertilization of ideas and provides students with a model of teamwork.

3. A thematically unified experiential curriculum fully integrating the arts. This approach, drawing from a pre-school model in Reggio Emilia, Italy, recognizes the arts as "critical tools for creative learning and self-expression" (WMHCSC 1994, 7). The arts provide a unifying language with which to explore all subject matters. Rather than dividing the curriculum into discrete, scheduled subject units with rigid time constraints, the curriculum emerges from students’ interests and is linked through the study of general themes (rivers, for example). Beginning with student interests and integrating the curriculum heightens the learning process and allows students to see the interconnectedness between the sciences and the humanities.

4. Family involvement as integral to the educational process. Parents are critical to the successful education of their children. But in most schools, there is not an open door policy; parents are not welcome in the classroom at any time. Moreover, because a curriculum is prescribed, there is less room for parents to add their expertise or bring in what they can offer. A successful school environment must provide parents with ample opportunities for in-depth, meaningful connection with their children’s experiences.

5. A school experience integrated into the rich fabric of our community and rural environment. Stimulating scientific material lies just beyond the walls of any school. In the hill towns, there is a wealth of wilderness and agricultural resources. Utilizing these resources not only offers new curriculum opportunities; it also fosters respect for the earth.

These five elements are grounded in a combination of educational philosophies and movements. Several of these informed our founders’ approach: progressive Constructivist education (Dewey 1938; Piaget 1965; Duckworth 1987; Vygotsky 1978), with its emphasis on direct experience and teachers as models and resources, rather than dispensers of knowledge; the Reggio Emilia approach (Malaguzzi 1993; Edward, Gandini, and Forman 1993), which recognizes the importance of social and intellectual development, both fostered through the arts; the theory of multiple intelligences (Gardner 1993), its focus on the connection between self-esteem and valuing individual learning styles; and liberation education (Freire 1974), in which dialogue and cooperation form the basis for critical analysis, and individuals exercise their right to "unveil" and thus transform the world for themselves.

The founders set out to create a learning environment with an emergent curriculum, integrative arts, and a high level of community involvement, all of which would build students’ self-esteem, enhance critical thinking, and encourage curiosity. Charter School legislation afforded us the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of such an education, in a public school unburdened by traditional hierarchies and systems. This child-centered approach, focusing on the needs of individual children and following their creative impulses, became the backbone of Hilltown’s educational philosophy, and was complimented by the school’s commitment to governance by a parent cooperative using a consensus model for decision-making.

Hilltown’s vision is to involve students, teachers, parents, administrators, and members of the community to sustain a non-discriminatory, rural learning environment that draws upon the Reggio Emilia approach. At Hilltown we believe that children’s innate curiosity and creativity naturally lead them to explore the arts and sciences. We also believe that when a child’s natural interest is integrated into the curriculum, the result is personal empowerment, critical thinking, joy of learning, and appreciation of the importance of diversity and cooperation (WMHCSS 1994, 1).

At Hilltown we believe that children, families, schools, and community form an integral system. As such, a school must interact in a collaborative manner with each component of the system. Just as an agricultural community depends upon the contribution of every member, young and old, to provide nourishment for all, so a school must provide roles and rewards for all participants. Worldwide, grassroots activists, religious leaders, educators, and heads of UN-affiliated organizations have recognized the crucial role educational institutions must play in teaching children how to live with respect for each other and for the environment. Hilltown serves as one model of how this can be accomplished.

Hilltown has eight overarching goals, with their associated objectives, and specific activities that document how we work toward achieving them. These goals and objectives are part of Hilltown’s Accountability Plan, which was written by the Educational Coordinator, the Administrative Coordinator, and a Board member, as part of the school’s Charter Renewal. The plan was written with parent and community member input, provided through surveys and community forums, and included submitting drafts to the staff and Board. Below are the goals from the Accountability Plan (Hilltown 1999, Appendix E), and objectives and activities, as updated since the plan was written and with language modified for clarity.

Hilltown is a dynamic community. Life within its walls is sensory, complex, growing, connected, and at times, messy. Many elements come together to create Hilltown’s distinctive culture, our way of being, and more importantly, our way of doing. Various external and internal forces have changed and molded our vision and practices over time, some in predictable ways, some not, yet somehow Hilltown remains distinct. Our successes (which can be grouped into three general areas: our innovative learning environment, embracing goals 1,3,5,6; our community relationships, goals 2,4,7; and our unique governance structure, goal 8) are directly linked to our previously described goals.

The students at Hilltown learn how to learn: how to question, how to research, how to analyze, how to be successful working alone and as a team. We believe critical thinking, independent judgment, and problem solving strategies are at least as important to our students’ future success as getting the right answers. We assess using on-going observation by teachers and parents, and through the various tests, rubrics, and competency levels that are part of our program. Our students, on the whole, demonstrate strong academic performance (see "Assessment"). Our innovative learning environment, by engaging students in their learning process, is fertile ground for academic as well as social growth. Multi-age education, an emergent curriculum approach, and integration of the expressive arts in the classroom are all important to our success.

Multi-age classrooms and projects are part of Hilltown’s foundation. Students often spend, on average, two years in a classroom. Classrooms are not referred to by grade level, but by color--from the Blues class to the Greens and so on, up to our middle school class, the Prisms. These mixed-age groupings allow students to become comfortable in the roles of both mentor and learner. By working together, students learn to appreciate their own unique talents and those of others. Multiple intelligences are easily recognized and frequently applauded. Classes often become partners: the Purples (10-12 year olds) help the Blues (5-7 year olds) with math; the Prisms (12-13 year olds) are reading buddies with the Greens (6-8 year olds). Other day-to-day activities, such as recess and lunch, also mix classes and ages.

Mini-courses are a lauded tradition at Hilltown. The entire student body participates in these four-week elective courses held on Wednesday mornings. The topics, inspired by the interest and expertise of parents, teachers, and students, are diverse, encompassing a wide range of skills and accommodating many learning styles. Some of these intensive courses are co-taught by students, and all allow students to explore topics of interest to them. Past mini-courses have included Indian Rongoli Floor Painting, Newspaper Reporting, Wood Marble Mazes, Conga Drumming, Weaving, and Anatomy of a Horse. In her paper, "Mini-courses at the Hilltown Cooperative Charter School," Laurel Z. Gardner states that mini-courses "keep learning joyful, active, and alive for everyone at the school" (Gardner 2000, 3).

Upon completion of their mini-courses, students often present what they have learned at another Hilltown tradition, called All-School. All-School is a weekly time when all the classrooms gather in one place to share what the week held for them; we sing, celebrate birthdays, and make special announcements. At All-School kids learn how to speak and perform in front of groups and how to give attention and praise. It is a melee of feet and arms, little ones in the laps of big ones, teachers and students sitting crossed-legged on the floor together, groups and individuals standing up to be heard by the community as a whole--a snapshot of our unique environment.

A recent All-School assembly opened with a joyous four-part community round about spring. Two girls from the Reds (9-11 year olds) announced, in unison, the main event. Prisms (12-14 year olds) recited favorite and original poems. Questions followed. A teacher asked how they decided on the form of their oral presentations. A student asked how their coffee house, a fundraiser for their class trip to Colonial Williamsburg, went the night before. Another group of students, who had taken a mini-course on Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art and dance form, performed to music. Then each student with a birthday that week stood up, said their full name, and how old they would be. In response, the crowd clapped and sang (with an especially loud outburst from the children after one teacher announced she was turning the ancient age of forty-four). Announcements of up-coming school events, a gentle reminder to refrain from wearing clogs on the climbing wall, and a song used to dismiss each class sent the students chorusing back to their classrooms.

Il Teatro, a performance venue, is another way our students gather to learn in a multi-age setting. Three times a year, students, often accompanied by parents and community members, share their creative talents before the student body. When asked about Il Teatro, one thirteen-year old boy said, "Even younger students are not scared to show themselves. We appreciate their trying" (Interviews 2002). Students play music, sing, recite poems, and perform a variety of comedy skits, daring acrobatics, and original dance numbers. Prior to the performance, students present their acts before a panel of peers who provide feedback; they also rehearse outside of school hours.

Another aspect of Hilltown’s innovative learning environment is our commitment to emergent curriculum. We view learning as a journey. Students are encouraged to ask questions and chart their own course to discovery. Along the way they gain confidence, and just as important, become committed to the learning process. The healthy tension between this emergent curriculum (that emphasizes process) and the Massachusetts Frameworks (that emphasize outcomes) creates a rich classroom experience. "We are finding ways to balance what kids want to do with what kids must learn while making sure they acquire the skills that will help them learn in every setting," said one teacher (Interviews 2002).

With increased external requirements and our own need for direct instruction, we have adapted our original ideal of an emergent curriculum (expressed in our founding element #2 as "thematically unified experiential curriculum") and now utilize Conversation Guided Curriculum (CGC). CGC is a method developed by teachers at Hilltown that allows students to help determine the curriculum while also meeting Standards from the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

In CGC, topics from the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks are used to identify themes of study and determine content areas. Based on a given topic, teachers pose an initial, open-ended question (referred to in the Reggio Emilia approach as a provocation). "What do you want to know about ocean animals?" for example. An object (perhaps a fish skeleton) or a presenter (a marine biologist, for example) jumpstarts student discussion and inquiry. Exploration--research, study, experiments, and other activities that come out of this inquiry--happens next. This exploration naturally leads to more opportunities for provocation, and the cycle continues.

The Frameworks also help identify specific skills students are to develop, and we have found that sometimes these skills need to be taught through direct instruction (for example, we must directly teach the multiplication tables, even if students don’t discover them on their own). CGC helps us balance our emergent curriculum with both the direct instruction that we have found necessary and the standards, set by the State of Massachusetts, which we must meet. CGC is a tool, grown out of experience and compromise.

The series of provocations and discussions used in the CGC method not only help chart the course of discovery; they also validate kids’ ideas and prior knowledge. The method also helps students understand that teachers are here to make sense of the world with them. As one teacher noted, "I pick out key components that I have to cover; sometimes I do direct teaching to be sure it is covered, other times I do experiments. Sometimes I hold back those skills I want them to learn until it is the right moment." In the end, external assessments, based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, help us evaluate and confirm the students’ learning. Even without these external measures, one teacher notes, "We know that the CGC approach is very successful because the kids are so enthusiastic about it. They will never forget their study of sound. It is a part of them" (Interviews 2002).

Last year, two of our teachers, Paula Yolles and Laurel Loomis, conducted workshops for public school teachers on CGC. They developed a video showing how this innovative model uses the children’s quest for understanding to propel learning, and how it can be adapted anywhere.

In the video, an initial provocation, based on a topic in the Massachusetts Frameworks "What do you know or want to know about sound and hearing?" is used to challenge the Yellows (8-10 year olds), awaken their interest, and peak their curiosity about the subject. Students then experiment with different ways of making sound. They pluck guitar strings, bang on drums, and clash cymbals, activity that leads to questions about vibration and to the study of the ear. The teachers record kids’ discussions, experiments, and questions and, building on this information, come up with another provocation, "How do you get this tuning fork to make a sound, and what happens when you hit it against certain objects?" This experimentation lends itself to the introduction of the scientific method. The students ask themselves questions: What happens when you hit it against a shoe? What about a metal table? Does the tuning fork work with only one prong? And they experiment to find answers. The students learn the importance of changing only one aspect of their experiment at a time, and they learn to test their theories repeatedly before reaching conclusions.

The next provocation involves rubber bands and examining how variables, such as length and tightness, affect the sound it makes. The teachers come to realize that the students are confusing sound with vibration, and they hold a class discussion to clarify the difference. After the meeting, it becomes apparent that the class wants to make their own instruments and form a band. The teachers invite a guest instrument maker to the class. During his presentation he explains how he goes about his work and invites the students to become air molecules flowing through different instruments, allowing them to think about sound from yet another angle. The students plan and construct their own musical instruments, using unique combinations of milk jugs, coffee cans, juice boxes, balloons, string, rubber bands, and other recycled materials. They perform in concert before an enthusiastic crowd at All-School (Yolles and Loomis 2001).

Hilltown’s arts-integrated approach to learning enhances the depth and quality of children’s learning. Our curriculum is inspired by the "multiple language" approach developed in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in which children express themselves and their ideas through writing, speaking, singing, drawing, building, and many other "languages." It is far more than simply an art curriculum; it is a process in which "the teachers are searching to hear and see the hundred ways youngsters can learn and explain what they know" (Hendrick 139). Special education students, whose strengths often lie outside traditional modes of expression, are especially helped by this multi-modal approach. As one student said, "I like the integrated curriculum because I get a broad perspective on what I am studying" (Interviews 2002). For example, using boats that they designed, Hilltown students studied the currents of the Mill River that runs behind the school. They used the rhythms of Caribbean music to explore mathematical concepts. During the study of colonial history they employed the scientific method of inquiry, exploring which natural agents, including beets, teas, and onion skins, worked best for dyeing fabric. At Hilltown learning is not confined to students’ heads; it employs their hands and bodies as well.

Our atelierista, or arts teacher, and our music and movement teacher are "the heart and soul of the school," in the words of one student (Interviews 2002). They work closely with classroom teachers to align their projects with class interests and curricula. For example, part of a study of ancient Greece, completed by the Oranges (8-10 year olds), included researching gods and goddesses. Our music and movement teacher worked with students individually to choose one god and develop three body movements that exemplify three qualities of that deity. The students met in pairs to collaboratively choreograph their work. They then performed before a spellbound audience at All-School. When the Reds (9-11 year olds) studied ancient Greece, they worked with the atelierista to make Greek pottery, masks, and frescoes, and they re-enacted myths using claymation and puppets. Interdisciplinary connections emphasizing the visual and musical arts create a common language that unites our community.

These mainstays of our innovative learning environment--multi-age groupings, an emergent curriculum approach, and arts-integration across disciplines--have changed over time, as we have learned what works and what does not. When Hilltown first began seven years ago it was a one-room schoolhouse with three Reggio-trained teachers, and 36 students, who ranged in age from five to nine. The school was a true experiment, with no set curriculum, no structured academic times. One student remembered, "There were lots of hands-on activities and interaction. We could go outside and study a butterfly for hours, or dissect a squid and write with the ink. This was good and bad. The school was disorganized; there were fewer basics taught to us" (Interviews 2002).

We are no longer a one-room schoolhouse, but are busting at the seams in our current fourteen-room space, with 138 students, 18 teachers and assistants, and 6 staff members. Today, there is a schedule to the day, and there are requirements; students ask questions, explore, and they learn basic skills. We are now blending the fluidity and spontaneity of these early years with the structure necessary to educate children in a larger school.

Because we have learned that some students benefit from direct instruction (and in fact without it they may "slip through the cracks"), we have made changes in how the emergent curriculum is practiced in our school. The curriculum has also changed because our teachers, while excellent and dedicated, are not all trained in using emergent curriculum. Balancing the external Framework requirements with the emergent curriculum requires that teachers have extra planning time and high levels of cooperation with their peers. We have learned we must give our teachers the time and support necessary for this process to work.

As we reflect on our five founding elements (see "History"), we realize our curriculum is the area that has changed the most. Though we work hard to integrate the arts, show the connections between science and the humanities, and have studies emerge from student interests, we have evolved a long way from our original intention of utilizing unifying themes with no set, scheduled curriculum. Over time, many internal and external pressures have shaped our academic program. Externally, there are requirements mandated by the State of Massachusetts. Internally, there is an ever-diversified body of parents who want validation through external measures (MCAS, for example) and who want high test scores and the academic structure conducive to achieving them. In addition, we have realized the importance of some direct instruction, especially when our students have such a variety of learning styles. Our focus has shifted from the purity of our original vision to maintaining the fertile co-existence of an emergent curriculum (responsive to individual needs) and the consistency in planning and content necessary to ensure a sound educational foundation for each student. We are learning to preserve what is essential in our philosophy while at the same adapting it to work in our current circumstances.

At Hilltown trust starts with the school’s relationship with parents. Teachers and staff gain trust from parents by listening to them and by keeping their doors open. Good communication is thus modeled on a daily basis for the students. The students themselves are engaged in learning and sharing with one another--across ages, across classes, across gender. This constant cooperation and collaboration on many levels creates an atmosphere of inclusion and of respect. Each member of our community is in dialogue with other members on a continual basis. As one student put it, "Everyone knows everyone" (Interviews 2002). The trust fostered by this dialogue, in turn, enhances the learning environment. This dance, this dynamic, is central to Hilltown’s character.

At Hilltown students are inclusive, and they treat one another with respect. As one staff member said, "Kids are expected to take responsibility, and to take care of themselves, each other, and the learning that happens here" (Interviews 2002). To help guide these interactions teachers and students created a Code of Conduct that hangs in every classroom:

• Treat others as you want to be treated.
• Include everyone if at all possible.
• Use your eyes and ears to be careful and safe.
• Speak one at a time and listen to others.
• Respect materials.

In one class, for example, two children called a halt to another group of children who were teasing a boy about his recently pierced ear. These students reported the incident to their teacher, who commended them for standing up to their friends, and the class held a discussion on how we treat each other. Students are comfortable expressing themselves, and this comfort, coupled with the familiarity they have with one another, dissipates peer pressure. "There is not an in and out group," commented one thirteen-year old girl (Interviews 2002). Children not only relate to their peers, but also to students of all ages and adults. They learn to view themselves and each other three-dimensionally.

At Hilltown, teachers and students are partners in learning. As the above incident demonstrates, students feel safe voicing their concerns and know teachers will listen to them. Seemingly small details, such as teachers being on a first name basis with students and sharing the same bathroom as students, give concrete evidence to the leveling factors present in our school. It is a partnership fostered in big and small ways.

Teachers and staff model how to act with each other. They are highly committed to group development, supporting each other through observation, feedback, and mentoring. Collaboration is furthered through regular, focused meetings. School normally ends at 3:00, but on Wednesdays students go home at 12:30, and the afternoon is reserved for meetings. In addition, for five days at the start of summer vacation and five days at the end of it the staff reflects on the past school year and plan for the upcoming one. A lack of an "us vs. them" (teachers vs. students) mentality means teachers quickly respond to changing school programs and address individual student’s needs and concerns. For example, when staff noticed that students’ general decorum deteriorated with the advent of spring they all agreed on a simple school wide plan. First, they gathered student input via student council. Council members decided they would each model respectable behavior themselves and hope it would be contagious. Then, each teacher reminded his or her class of what was appropriate attire and behavior and left it at that. Before long, shorts lengthened and the din of the hallways lessened.

One of Hilltown’s strengths is good communication. Another is the fact that all members of the Hilltown community are accessible to one another. In fact, at Hilltown, one rarely passes through a closed door. Administrative offices and classrooms are open. Whether it is a student who needs a sympathetic ear or one who needs the top twisted off her soup thermos--adults are there to help. At day’s end our Administrative Coordinator sits by the front door, zipping coats, and checking carpool schedules, while other staff members tend the halls, saying good-bye to the children.

Our doors are always open to the local community. Area educators and experts, from inventors to native Spanish speakers, are brought in to enhance classroom learning. Students take numerous field trips to local museums, theatres and state parks, and they are taught to use community resources. Teachers collaborate with other schools and area non-profits; last year, for example, students performed a benefit concert for the local library, sang at a nursing home, and participated in buddy projects with local high school students.

Our accessibility to one another is also fundamental to what many view as the key to our community at Hilltown--our Cooperative. The Coop, made up of staff, parents, and community members who commit at least four hours of work per month to Hilltown (enabling them to become voting members who elect the Board of Trustees), enhances education by strengthening the ties between school and home. Parents are everywhere in the school, and provide a flexibility, richness, diversity, and intimacy that we might not otherwise achieve. Children thrive "when mothers and fathers are provided with support and treated as experts regarding their own child’s development" (Duckworth 228).

Many come to our school not because of our educational philosophy, but because we offer many ways for parents to be involved in their children’s educational environment. Parents and other community members choose how they want to be involved--from helping with decisions regarding hiring and budgetary issues, to serving on the Board of Trustees and other committees, to assisting teachers in classrooms, to teaching mini-courses, and developing and running extra-curricular programs. To keep members informed and to introduce them to one another, Hilltown holds Coop meetings, workshops, potlucks, and weekly drop-in "rep raps"; we publish a monthly newsletter and make an inventory of skills parents can offer the school. The scope of parental involvement, in the words of a former Board member, "creates a tenor about taking care of the world and each other, it is not just about parents taking care of their own" (Interviews 2002).

Over time, as both the needs of the school and the make up of our group of parents have changed, so has the nature of our Coop. We have found it difficult to maintain the same sense of community that characterized our school when it was founded. In the beginning, as one founding member recalled, if you didn’t help clean up after a meeting, you’d come to school the next day, and the mess would still be there. If you didn’t bring your expertise to a certain subject matter, it wouldn’t be covered. Everyone had to help out or the school simply didn’t run (Interviews 2002). Now, we are running a school, not building one. The parent role can seem less vital.

To strengthen our Coop, Hilltown hired a Community Coordinator. Since coming on board two years ago, she has helped Hilltown figure out meaningful ways for families to become involved. She organizes community wide celebrations throughout the year and helped develop our Family Handbook and documents such as Helpful Ways to be in an HCCS Classroom. She helps write expectations for teachers in support of parental involvement, and she helped create our Community Compact of Understanding (see Appendix A), a document that outlines the responsibilities of the school, parent/guardians, and students, as co-collaborators in the creation of a learning community that nourishes and supports all members.

Since Hilltown’s beginning, consensus has been the foundation of our decision-making. Consensus is different from voting or majority rule in that it is a "cooperative approach, which seeks to arrive at well-informed decisions by representing the integrated views of those participating in the process. A decision hinges upon whether or not all of the parties involved can reach a mutually satisfactory level of agreement" (Arthen 2000, 3). With consensus, there is an incentive for the majority to listen to and incorporate the views of the minority, which helps to create an environment where disagreement can be expressed without fear.

Several years ago, it became clear that our governance system was inadequate for the size and unique complexity of our school. We hired a consultant to help us create a structure that maintained our commitment to consensus, team leadership, and parent involvement, while facilitating communication and delineating decision-making responsibilities. The Governance Evaluation Report (1999) is the document that came out of this process. Now we are organized into four domains: the Board of Trustees (15 members, all of whom are community members and/or parents), the Education Domain (made up of an Educational Coordinator, all teachers and teaching assistants), the Administrative Domain (made up of an Administrative Coordinator and staff), and the Family Domain (made up of the Community Coordinator, two parent representatives, families, and all members of the Cooperative).

Domain Council is made up of the three domain coordinators and the President of the Board of Trustees and is the top authority for school operations. Management Team has representatives from each domain as well as two parents representatives, and as such, is the one body that represents all constituents and is responsible for issues that cross school and home. Decisions both within domains and between them are made through consensus. This structure creates many access points through which parents and other community members can bring concerns. Parents can speak to the Management Team, approach teachers, talk with the Community Coordinator, their parent representative, or they can speak to the Board.

This is not to say we are a seamless operation. Because we are less cohesive philosophically than we were in our early years, for example, we now find an efficient and inclusive model of consensus more difficult to achieve. In addition, the high level of trust and communication that unified our founders is more difficult to maintain. As we become more of an institution, reflection on and clarification of our process and goals is vital. Our governance structure allows this reflection to happen, allows dialogue to take place between the different parts of our school community. We have learned that if our structure is flexible, we will be open to hearing people’s voices, and able to accommodate the changes necessary to keep us strong.

At Hilltown, resolving conflict through consensus is more than a goal; it serves as a model for students and teachers, a tool they can use to reach decisions creativity and through cooperation, not simply through competition and choices. Consensus requires us to admit there may be more than one good solution to any problem. We continually reflect on the tensions that define us: the tension between an emergent and a set curriculum; between an experimental and a public education; between academic goals and social ones; between holding a common vision and welcoming diversity; between emphasizing breadth and encouraging depth; and between engaging in dialogue and taking action. We evaluate and adjust. And somehow, even with this flexibility and expectation of change, in the words of a founding member, " The basic elements are still here. We maintain our original integrity" (Interviews 2002).

Students spend 1000 hours a year with us, for up to nine years. During this time, whatever happens, planned or ignored, constructive, destructive or benign, has an impact on their lives, and academics is just one part of this impact. With this in mind, we do not measure our achievements solely through academic excellence; we assess how our students care for one another and the world around them. To capture Hilltown’s success we assess our innovative learning environment, our community relationships, and our governance, and how they build on and reinforce each other. Because it is difficult to quantitatively measure certain aspects of our school, our assessment is a complex, on-going, multi-faceted process, allowing us to reflect on our experiences, and modify and adjust them for improvement.

Measured against traditional standards, and our own standards, our students are successful. We use a variety of assessment tools to evaluate their academic and social progress, including standardized testing, internal performance assessments, and observations. Our students demonstrate competency in basic skills, as evidenced in their scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (see Appendix B), and in meeting the rigorous demands of the Commonwealth, as evidenced in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (see Appendix C).

The adaptation, design, and piloting of assessment tools have always been part of Hilltown’s internal assessment process. We have a regular assessment cycle, each fall and spring, for reading, writing, and math, and we use developmental, performance-based tools. For reading, we use the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) and the Steiglitz Reading Inventory for upper level readers who score higher than the DRA. Last year, 87% of students made a gain of one year or more in reading level. For writing, we administer a writing prompt, which is anonymously scored by two teachers using our writing rubric. 91% of our students made a gain of at least one writing level last year. For math, we give students a set of problems drawn from the Massachusetts Math Curriculum Framework and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards. Last year, all students showed improvement, with some classes increasing their scores by as much as 49%. Teachers also monitor progress in all skill areas by observing problem-solving activities and in-class work, and through reviewing journal entries, homework assignments, and projects (as represented in written reports, class museums, student portfolios or documentation panels, further explained later in this section). Assessment is an ongoing and integral part of the school day.

All Hilltown assessments are designed to align with our developmental competencies and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Our age appropriate skill competencies for reading, writing, math, science, and social studies provide our teachers with an outline of skills to be taught to each age group, evaluated throughout the school year, and documented in our Competency Reports (see Appendix D). A series of reporting rubrics reflect growth in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, community values, work habits, art, and music and movement, identifying student progress by developmental category, SAPM--student, apprentice, professional, and mentor (see Appendix E). These rubrics provide structure and consistency and help us describe individual progress in a way that avoids any suggestion that a student is a failure. Twice a year parents receive progress reports, with developmental categories and narrative descriptions of student progress. During the two annual parent/teacher conferences, the parents work with the teacher to identify academic and social goals for their child.

At Hilltown, we evaluate more than student learning; we evaluate our educational practices as well. We are grounded in the belief that our educational practices--a multi-age environment, an emergent curriculum approach, and arts integration--lead to academic and social growth, and we continually look for evidence of how well we are including these three elements in our school. We look not just for their presence, but for their vitality.

Throughout the year, staff documents each of these educational practices through observations, conversations, and a review of written materials. Class rosters, records of attendance at mini-courses, our school-wide schedule, and notes from student council meetings allow us to observe our multi-age groupings. Minutes from staff meetings, work documented in staff planning books, material covered and conversations that take place at teacher trainings, documentation panels and portfolios, and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework Strands addressed in each class help us observe the balance between emergent and standard curriculum. The content of both mini-courses and student presentations (those given in class, as well as those given during All-School and Il Teatro assemblies), and videos of and notes on student work help us determine the depth of arts-integration. Through these varied gatherings and dialogues, parent-teacher conferences, forums, and class meetings, students, our community members, staff, parents, and others are engaged in conversation about our educational environment.

Two innovative means of evaluating student progress, documentation panels and portfolios, are aspects of the Reggio Emilia schools that we have adapted for our own use. Documentation panels are a unique way of visually displaying and documenting both the process and the outcome of an educational activity. The panels provide students with a means of reflecting on the how, why, and what of learning, while documenting the process. Portfolios are a way of showing an individual child’s progress throughout the year. They are notebooks filled with artwork, writing, and a student’s own reflections on his or her work. Both of these are effective tools for evaluating the complex development of student learning.

"We must look at what is valid for who we are," states one teacher (Interviews 2002), regarding assessment. Though difficult to measure, we strive to create an environment where students experience all learning as interconnected. We work to portray learning not as an end in and of itself, but as a finely crafted tool with which we sculpt our lives.

At Hilltown, we create a setting where learning happens successfully. Our emphasis on community is about nurturing and sustaining this environment. We believe our non-academic learning goals, such as the ability to creatively solve problems and the ability to participate in consensus decision-making, are as important as our academic ones. While it is a challenge to assess how an emphasis on community and family impacts a child’s learning, this impact is easy to observe. The trust and respect among our community members is evident in how our students handle conflicts with each other, how students speak to teachers, what teachers say about students, and how parents talk about our school to prospective families. As one eighth-grade student commented, "The atmosphere here makes it comfortable to ask questions. I am not afraid to go the teacher if I have a question about something. And if I can ask questions, I can learn" (Interviews 2002).

Hilltown has found some creative ways to analyze rich anecdotal information gained through observation. The social progress of students is measured in the fall and spring through the use of our HCCS Community Values Rubric, which includes items such as representing and sharing work in a variety of ways, acting respectfully towards self and others, and practicing problem-solving and conflict resolution (see Appendix F). The well being of students is evaluated through student attrition rates, reports of bullying, suspension and expulsion rates, letters sent home to parents, and the reports of those who monitor lunch and recess. As with the evaluation of our learning environment, we use classroom observations, student presentations, informal surveys of recent graduates and their parents, a review of notes from meetings and events (Board, staff, Management Team, student council, community forums, etc.) complete the picture. Moreover, some members of the Hilltown community feel that in the future it may be necessary to go outside of academia and into the realm of social work and public health to find additional evaluation tools.

The vitality of our teaching staff is also crucial to the success of our community. Throughout the year, the Education Coordinator, and other members of our staff, monitor the well-being and performance of staff and pay close attention to staff satisfaction and attrition. Parents have many opportunities to give feedback to staff either personally or through the various avenues set up through the school governance structure; parents also formally evaluate staff through extensive surveys at the end of each school year.

We also closely monitor our staff’s ability to engage students in our local environment. Each teacher documents field trips taken, guest speakers and artists who come to the classroom, and any other way the community and classroom come together. Our Community Coordinator keeps a running list of the school’s community service activities (such as participation in Adopt-A-Highway programs or performances at nursing homes), helping us assess our level of engagement with the local community. We also document how we share our school model with others. Dissemination takes place in many ways: presentations at educational conferences, papers written on our practices, student teachers hosted in the classroom, and collaboration on joint projects with other schools. We also document visits by outside educators and students interested in our educational approach.

Parent involvement is assessed from a number of angles--parents’ membership on Board of Trustees, Management Team and ad hoc committees, a record of parent volunteer hours, and attendance at and notes from parent trainings, small group meetings, and forums. We assess the strength of the Coop by examining the percentage of parents participating and the quality of that participation. Parents are surveyed annually as to how to make the Coop work better. Throughout the year, we solicit parent feedback on school issues, and learn what the most effective communication mechanisms are. For example, to obtain input on the fiscal year 2003 school budget, we held two community forums in March of 2002. Out of these forums grew the questions for a survey distributed to parents and an opportunity to discuss the results of that survey at a morning coffee hour with the Administrative and Education Coordinator.

Hilltown places great value on staying attuned to the strength of relationships between staff, parents, students, and the community. While we recognize the importance of quantitative assessment, we are convinced it is only one way of evaluating our success. We have found that nothing enables us to grow and improve as much as community members engaged in the process of disciplined reflection and adjustment.

As our governance structure is relatively new, we are constantly monitoring how it functions, and we work at "smoothing out the wrinkles." The flexibility and multiple communication opportunities provided by our four domains enable us to anticipate problems before they become crises. We assess the strength of our governance structure by examining the percentage of Board trustees who serve out their terms (just one did not this past year), the number of times a vote was held in a domain (voting an indication that consensus failed, no votes taken this past year), and the number of formal complaints brought to the Board (none this past year).

We also formally review our Board’s minutes and annual reports, examining the Board’s ability to respond to concerns within a reasonable time period and charting members’ involvement in key issues. We recognize that it is difficult to measure the success of consensus itself. We view it as an educational process and view disagreement and conflict not as signs of a problem, but signs consensus is working. We also review the minutes of meetings and attendance at parent orientation meetings, and we conduct regular surveys of families, to ascertain if the community understands how we operate.

Hilltown’s ultimate goal for students is that they leave with a basic skill set: a good dose of self-esteem, a love of learning, and the capacity to be good citizens. We dare to deviate from societal norms and do not measure our success in superlatives, but in balance. This requires a long view of success--a view not visible through the myopic lens of annual tests. One parent spoke for many when she said that whether her daughter excels on the MCAS or not is immaterial because she knows she will succeed at life (Interviews 2002). The benefits of our complex, experimental approach to education accrue over time. We must watch, with patience and faith, trusting that from these firm roots at Hilltown, children will grow and thrive.

While our status as a Charter School has allowed us to realize much of our original vision, it has also been a mixed blessing. As a public school, we face cutbacks as all schools do. Yet our funding is already stretched. Our physical facility has no library, gym, cafeteria, nor does it have adequate outdoor space. Our teachers have limited classroom resources and receive 85% of the salary of their area colleagues. The lack of school transportation is at best a nuisance and at worst an insurmountable barrier for some families. The mechanism by which we receive our funding is inherently divisive. Built on competition for dollars, not cooperation, it causes resentment in the local community, limits opportunities for collaboration, and complicates the process of disseminating our innovative practices to the public schools.

Our lottery system, while fair, does not allow us to increase enrollment of families whose children might be especially well served by our cooperative, inclusive environment. It also prevents us from prioritizing families who are committed to our vision and goals or familiar with cooperatives and consensus decision-making. Moreover, the children of staff members, unlike siblings of current students, do not receive priority in the lottery or in enrollment.

Being a charter school involves an innate paradox. We exist as an experimental school, a laboratory to show that education can happen successfully in a different way. Yet we are subject to outside standards and controls and are told what tools we can use to judge our achievements. If we do not measure up to these external standards, we can be closed. The temporary nature of our charter brings a certain sense of unease, of instability, and we must put our focus, every few years, not on achieving our goals, but on achieving renewal.

On the positive side, the ephemeral quality of our existence means Hilltown can never become complacent. What’s more, we have learned to develop a system that accommodates and harnesses change, and at the same time retains what is working. Engaging in this process, of sorting chaff from grain, requires us to continually reflect on who we are and why we are here. And this makes our work easier.

Nothing builds solidarity, across differences, like working together toward a common goal, like building a school from the bottom up, and that’s just what charter schools do. Hilltown community members are united by their commitment to a set of educational values. Our closely-knit community attracts a certain type of teacher, committed to alternative teaching styles. The consistency in values among our staff facilitates communication and trust and eases transitions for students as they go from teacher to teacher through the school. The ability to control our school size also facilitates this closeness.

Public funding means parents have educational opportunities for their children for which they do not have to pay extra. This allows for a cross-section of income levels and a more representative and diverse student population than is possible in most private schools. Being a public school was critical to our founders who wanted to "attract students whose families have never considered going outside the public arena for their education, as well as those whose disillusionment has driven them to seek alternatives" (Hilltown 1994, 8).

Being a charter school is the only way Hilltown can exist as a public school. Unencumbered by the ties that bind the district school system, we are developing and refining innovative educational practices, assessment procedures, and a governance structure radically different from a standard school’s. Yet many of these elements--such as Conversation-Guided Curriculum, a Community Values Compact, multi-age projects, and greater parent participation in school decisions--could easily be incorporated in, and be of benefit to, other public schools.

We are united by the belief that education can forge a different course. Charter school status has offered Hilltown Cooperative Charter School the freedom to explore and experiment, and we’ve used that freedom to not only practice a model of holistic education but also demonstrate that it works. Our students are learning; the school is vibrant and growing, and the balance we’ve achieved has resulted in success.

The gestalt of the Hilltown community, our vibrancy as a whole, is difficult to capture in a few pages, but the essence is easily felt. To the casual observer, Hilltown is a place of teachers, parents, students, the young and old, working and learning together, in a comfortable and secure setting. One guest noted, "You have a community and everyone carries it around. It’s visible" (Interviews 2002). We don’t isolate--academic subjects and social skills, or big kids and little. We provide a holistic learning space in which kids and adults can grow together and practice how to live in the world. A few years ago, twenty educators from Indonesia visited Hilltown. One man, barely able to speak English, communicated what he observed through gestures: Hilltown not only cared about the students’ heads, but also their hearts.

Hilltown is at an exciting point in its development. We just graduated our first class of eighth graders. The closeness of the class is palpable, and their excitement about learning is infectious. Students delivered graduation speeches in which they described how they felt about themselves and the world, explained what they have learned at Hilltown, and expressed their hopes for the future. One thirteen-year-old boy said that during his time at Hilltown, "My heart just grew. I have found something inside that won’t be quiet. Once you find it, it doesn’t go away" (Interviews 2002). Many of these students will be entering new schools with foreign entities like grades, pop quizzes, peer pressure, and situations in which they will not be allowed to negotiate. We will listen carefully as they look back on how well we helped prepare them.

About the Author

Kris Holloway-Bidwell, MPH, is a writer and public health consultant. Her two sons attend Hilltown Cooperative Charter School.

Contact Information:

Hilltown Cooperative Charter School
P.O. Box 147, 132 Main St.
Haydenville, MA 01039
413-268-3421
hccs@mediaone.net

Appendix A - The Hilltown Cooperative Charter School

At the Hilltown Cooperative Charter School we believe that education works best as a cooperative process among teachers, staff, parents, students and the community at large. We believe that parents’ involvement in their children’s education contributes greatly toward their success, and the school relies on its cooperative structure to create the innovative and alternative educational environment that is at the core of its mission. This compact of understanding is a way of clearly stating our common commitment to collaboration in creating a learning community that nourishes and supports all of its members.

The administration and staff of the Hilltown Cooperative Charter School pledge to:

1. provide a safe, cooperative and respectful environment for learning.
2. believe that all students can succeed and learn.
3. nurture each child’s innate creativity and encourage his/her self-expression using many modalities.
4. communicate and work with your family to support your child’s learning.
5. have challenging expectations for students and staff.
6. seek out and value parent participation and input in all areas of the school community.
7. respect and honor the cultural differences of students and their families.
8. seek to improve our program through an ongoing cycle of planning, evaluation and refinement.

I ______________________________________________, Teacher and

_________________________________________, Coordinator

Pledge the school staff’s commitment to the above stated responsibilities and ideals.

Date: ______________________________________________,

The Parent pledges to:

1. read the school handbook and abide by the policies and guidelines set out in it.
2. to the very best of my ability, give 4 hours of volunteer service per month, or 40 hours per year, that will benefit the school and help my child and others learn.
3. ensure that my child arrives at school on time (8:20 a.m.), rested and ready to learn.
4. ensure that my child comes to school each day dressed appropriately for the weather and with a nutritious lunch and snack.
5. help my child take responsibility for completing home-study assignments in a timely manner.
6. keep myself informed and up to date about events and issues at school by reading the notices in my mailbox, newsletters, e-mails and posted announcements.
7. attend at least two individual parent/teacher conferences and one classroom meeting per year.
8. help strengthen the school community by participating in events and discussions whenever possible.
9. show respect and support for my child, other students, the staff and the school.

I, ______________________________________________,

Parent/legal guardian(s) agree to do my best to follow through with the responsibilities listed above.

Date: ______________________________________________,

A parent’s ability to follow through on this agreement will in no way impact their child’s acceptance or dismissal from the school.

1. do my best to learn while in classes and when doing the home-study I am assigned.
2. show respect for myself, my school, my teachers, other people, and materials.
3. be inclusive of others and resolve conflicts in a positive, non-violent manner.
4. take responsibility for my actions and my safety.
5. believe that I am a person who can learn in many different ways.

I, ______________________________________________,

Student, will do my best to keep this agreement.

Date: __________________________________,

Appendix C — MCAS Scores, Hilltown Cooperative Charter School, 2001

Table 1. MCAS Reading, Spring 2001, Grade 3

Table 2. MCAS English Language Arts, Spring 2001, Grade 4

Table 3. MCAS Mathematics, Spring 2001, Grade 4

Table 4. MCAS Mathematics, Spring 2001, Grade 6

Table 5. MCAS English Language Arts, Spring 2001, Grade 7

Appendix D — Hilltown Cooperative Charter School Competency Report

Appendix E – Hilltown Cooperative Charter School, Student Progress Rubric

The developmental categories by which we report student progress are:

Student: tries to meet expectations, attempts to participate, needs adult support.

Apprentice: meets expectations, participates, seeks adult guidance frequently.

Professional: independent, participates actively, seeks adult guidance on occasion.

Mentor: independent, shares ideas/resources with others, encourages peers.

Appendix F: HCCS Community Values Rubric

Comments:

References

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Dewey, J. 1938. Experience & Education. New York: Collier Books.

Duckworth, E. 1987. "The Having of Wonderful Ideas" and other Essays on Teaching and Learning. New York: Teachers College Press.

Edwards, C., L. Gandini, and G. Forman, eds. 1993. The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Freire, Paulo. 1974. Trans. Myra B. Ramos. Education for Critical Consciousness. New York: Continuum.

Gardner, Howard. 1993. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

Gardner, Laurel Z. 2000. Mini-Courses at Hilltown Cooperative Charter School. Retrieved 9 May 2002, from www.masscharterschool.org/fellowships/docs/000059.

Hendrick, J. ed. 1997. First Steps Toward Teaching the Reggio Way. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Hilltown Cooperative Charter School. 1999. Hilltown Cooperative Charter School Charter Renewal Application.

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Piaget, J. 1965. Trans. Marjorie Gabain. The Moral Judgment of the Child. New York: The Free Press.

Students, Staff, Parents, and Board Members (Interviews). 2002. Interviews by the author. Hilltown Cooperative Charter School, Haydenville, MA. April-May.

Vygotsky, L.S. 1978. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Western Massachusetts Hilltown Charter School Collaborative (Hilltown). 1994. Hilltown Charter School Application. February, 1-8.

Yolles, Paula and Laurel Loomis. 2001. Conversation Guided Curriculum: Integrating Children’s Conversations, the Classroom Curriculum, and the Arts. Videotape. Haydenville, MA: Hilltown Cooperative Charter School.

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