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Whole School PaperA Community Calls for Education Reform at the Middle School Level
By Sasha Douglas and Walter Landberg
Murdoch Middle Public Charter
Massachusetts Charter School Association 2002
1. HISTORY Why Was the School Started? Murdoch Middle School (MMS) was founded in 1996 by a committed group of parents and community members known as the "Chelmsford Alliance for Education." The school began with 154 students in grades 5 through 8 and in the past five and one half years has grown to 276 students. The central focus of the school is to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of middle school students, with the understanding that this age group is one of the most challenging groups to effectively serve. Murdoch Middle School was started to educate middle school students in grades five through eight in a developmentally appropriate way, while insuring students receive the skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century. To this end, the school has employed a social worker to assist teachers and staff in working with the variety of needs of middle school students. In addition, the staff has very carefully and thoughtfully developed a project-based curriculum, one which interests and challenges pre-adolescent students. The original charter calls for teaching at the school to be "student-centered," with teachers as "facilitators" of learning, encouraging students to take self-directed interest in the material covered during the course of the school year. Our school’s schedule currently consists of extended blocks for project-based classes and shorter blocks for skills-based classes. As a result, on a daily basis, students spend one two-hour block in a "project" class, one approximately one-hour block in English Language Arts or Mathematics "skills" class, and one block in "specials" classes (Spanish, Challenge, or Art). By balancing a "skills" based approach with a "project" approach, Murdoch staff insures that students are prepared for the state-mandated, standardized testing, and acquire less quantifiable skills as well. Who Started Murdoch Middle School… and Why? The Chelmsford Alliance for Education is a coalition of community residents and business people working toward the common goal of promoting excellence in the Chelmsford schools. From the start, the goal of the Alliance was to build community awareness of educational issues, community support for programs with the public schools, and to help influence and support the mission and goals of Chelmsford Schools. Prior to creating and presenting a charter school proposal to the state, the Alliance had been actively involved with the public school system for a number of years, working to improve, and build awareness about, public education in the town of Chelmsford. The Alliance has the support of the Chelmsford School administration and has cooperated with them on a variety of programs and initiatives; together they:
The Murdoch charter serves as a major contribution of the Alliance to the education of students in the Chelmsford area. When the school was started, many members of the Alliance became members of the Murdoch Middle School Board of Trustees. Today, the Alliance acts separately from the board and, most recently, played a major role in securing the financing for the new school building, which will open this fall. The Chelmsford Alliance for Education, and now the MMS Board of Trustees, has always supported the goals and mission of Murdoch, and the success of the school is in no doubt linked to their efforts. By 1999, the MMS Board had laid the groundwork for the school and with Murcoch’s charter about to be renewed, it began to focus its efforts on developing a system of school oversight. After doing some research, the MMS Board voted to utilize the Carver model of governance (www.carvergovernance.com). In sum, in this model, the MMS Board develops school ends policies and provides limits and guidelines for the school’s director to follow. By developing these policies, the board assists the director in running the school, but it doesn’t micromanage his/her every action. The model provides an environment in which a school leader can work to achieve the goals of the school without feeling the pressures of constant oversight from the board of trustees. The current board meets twice a month to develop policy, hear from various committees, and hear the director’s report. Where to Now? Last year’s charter renewal solidified Murdoch Middle School’s standing among charter schools in Massachusetts. Many of the goals of the original Chelmsford Alliance have been realized, and new goals are being set and met each day; for example, the effort to design and construct a new campus for the school is in its final stages, with occupancy planned for the 2002-2003 school year. (See Appendix A for a narrative written by a founding board member.) Murdoch now looks to share its practices with other schools in the state and become known on a national level for excellence in meeting the academic and social needs of middle school students. Both the school’s founders and current staff believe dissemination is a necessary step, given that one of the purposes of charter schools is to provide an example of successful school reform. One of the ways Murdoch will look to share its practices is through the development of a teacher center, which in its early stages will provide formal opportunities for educators, parents, politicians, and others interested in education reform to observe, ask questions, and gather information about Murdoch, its school structures, ways of working with students, and methods of teaching. Currently, there are a number of opportunities for teachers and community members to experience the school and learn about its practices. For one, Murdoch has always had an "open door" policy, allowing parents, teachers, and community members to visit the school, take student-led tours, and observe in classrooms on any school day. In addition, through Murdoch’s extensive assessment system, the public is invited to visit the school during Jury Days and Quality Nights to review student work and provide feedback (see "Community Based Assessment"). II. VISION, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES The school’s vision, best expressed in its mission statement (quoted here from the Executive Summary of the 1996 Charter School Application), is to "provide students with a challenging, interdisciplinary education that will prepare students for the 21st century through an emphasis on holistic learning, higher order and critical thinking skills and practical application and integration of curriculum areas." Challenging, Interdisciplinary Education The teachers at Murdoch conduct a vast amount of research in order to gather teaching resources that both challenge and motivate students. From these materials, teachers create original projects, which last approximately eight weeks, and they teach students to value the process of learning and exploration. To prevent repetition and to ensure there are a wide variety of projects offered (to meet various skills and content), specific projects are offered every other year. The curriculum is hands-on and learner-centered with an emphasis on both the acquisition and application of knowledge. The best way to illustrate how our projects work is to describe one of the more recent projects designed and implemented by the MMS teaching staff. In order to introduce students in grades five and six to the disciplines of geology and astronomy, the math/science teaching staff created the Solar System Project. The Solar System Project integrates both the disciplines of math and science, as well as systems thinking practices (see "Systems Dynamics"), with the teaching of key skills and scientific concepts. In the project, students study the universe and the properties of rocks and minerals found on Earth. Higher Order Thinking Skills and Practical Application In order to help students gain an appreciation for the size of the solar system, teachers present them with the challenge of creating a scale model of the solar system that fits within the parking lot of Murdoch Middle School. This not only teaches students to apply the properties of scale; it also challenges them to contemplate how the space they use in their everyday lives fits into the universe. As students explore the astronomical phenomena that influence our calendar year and compare and contrast the properties of the nine planets, they develop a deeper understanding of the geology of the planet Earth and the moon that revolves around it. Guided by the scientific method and their newly acquired knowledge of the rock cycle and the physical properties of minerals, students collect data on a rock sample found in their community in order to identify its type. The study of geology teaches students to employ the techniques and understand the ideas that are often used in astronomy. Through their inquiries, students are required to produce practical outcomes that reflect the skills needed for "real world" success. Among these outcomes are graphs, written proposals for an independent portion of the project, and data collection. Students are also challenged to work collaboratively and manage both tasks and time in order to meet deadlines. Systems Dynamics The Solar System project, like all projects at Murdoch Middle School, was designed to help students integrate systems thinking concepts and system dynamics into their way of looking at the world. A system is an entity that maintains its existence through the mutual interaction of its parts (Bellinger n.d.). Systems Dynamics is the study of complex systems, including such human systems as families, organizations, cities, and nations (Senge n.d.). During the Solar System Project, over the course of a lunar month, students observe and record data about the illumination of Earth’s moon. They then use their data to create behavior-over-time (BOT) graphs, also called Reference Mode (Glossary 2000), which show the different phases of the moon over time. By sketching several variables on one graph, students gain an explicit understanding of how these variables interact over time. Meeting Individual Needs The teachers at Murdoch Middle School not only recognize the need to create challenging curriculum for all students, they also acknowledge individual learning needs and are committed to modifying curriculum in order to ensure that all students are appropriately challenged and supported. Moreover, students are often given a variety of choices regarding the ways they can demonstrate their knowledge. Work can be done in lieu of a class assignment or in addition to "regular" classroom work, depending on the needs and interests of the student. During the Solar System Project, students who want an additional challenge are given the opportunity to explore related topics of interest such as volcanoes, earthquakes, sunspots, and solar flares, through independent investigations that require them to develop a research question on a topic of interest, narrow down potential areas of focus, and conduct independent research (with teacher support and coaching). Likewise, the curriculum of the project is modified on an individual basis in order to support students whose learning styles make it possible for them to better process and express using certain media. Murdoch Middle School’s commitment to meeting the needs of individual students ties in closely with the school’s model of project-based learning. Each eight—week project consists of several assessment opportunities in which students are asked to show evidence of the knowledge and skills that have been either introduced or reinforced during the project. The assessments that students are given during projects allow them to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways, providing unique opportunities for students with non-traditional strengths. Providing students with a choice of assessments helps empower them to create meaningful products that demonstrate their knowledge. Moreover, it gives students the opportunity to make important academic decisions. It increases their ownership of their work, and it allows students to maximize their own unique talents and strengths, and the methodology. During the Ancient Civilizations Project, for example, students study a wide range of ancient civilizations over the course of two eight-week periods. In the end, students are asked to compare two of the civilizations they studied and are provided with a wide range of formats to use for their comparison. For their final assessment product, students can choose from a variety of possibilities; they can create:
Providing students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge using a self-selected option for assessment supports the vision of Murdoch Middle School. Objectives/Outcomes Among the school’s goals is a focus on developing students who are able to comprehend high-level concepts and apply their knowledge and skills in interdisciplinary projects as well as in everyday life. The projects at Murdoch Middle School are based on the guidelines provided by the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks and incorporate activities that prepare students to successfully meet the Murdoch Middle School Outcomes. The Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks provide teachers with an outline of academic standards, in terms of both skills and content, that students are expected to meet during a given school year. In order to ensure that all of the standards are covered in the curriculum, curriculum teams integrate these standards into the MMS two-year plan. Curriculum area teams then work to generate ideas that integrate practical application, higher order thinking, and systems thinking applications into projects. These projects prepare students to demonstrate the skills that are called for in the MMS Outcomes. Murdoch Middle School Outcomes, which were developed by original staff members and are based on the charter, are school-wide objectives that are the same for all students, across grades and disciplines. All areas of the MMS curriculum are designed to facilitate the achievement of these outcomes and to provide Murdoch students with opportunities to grow in these areas. The outcomes are clearly defined, so students and teachers can work together to set benchmarks and goals, based on the needs of individual students. The outcomes also serve as a form of self-assessment for students, as well as a tool to guide teachers as they work with students. Students lead conferences twice a year during which they review their progress towards meeting the outcomes, and they work with their teachers and parents to set personal goals, academic and social, that are based upon the MMS Outcomes and the state and national standards that serve a framework for learning at our school. The founding staff created the outcomes in August of 1996. Founding Director Sue Jamback introduced the idea of outcome-based education to the school and arranged for the staff to participate in a trainer-facilitated process to develop the outcomes for MMS. Using the charter as a guiding document, and engaging in small group activities and whole group discussion, they imagined the skills and orientations students would need to be successful learners at their school and beyond. The process helped set the context for learning for both the students and staff, and it led to the creation of Quality Night, Jury Day, and a number of other parts of the school that require students to be independent and responsible. The Murdoch Middle School Outcomes, excerpted here from the school’s Web site (Murdoch n.d.) state that students leaving Murdoch Middle School will be:
III. SUCCESS The Murdoch Team The Murdoch Middle School staff is composed of a diverse and dynamic group of individuals who are brought together as a result of their commitment to the vision and mission of MMS. They have chosen the school and are united in their willingness to work toward the attainment of the school’s mission. The strength of community relationships at MMS is not limited to the relationships that are built within the classroom. A cornerstone of the Murdoch philosophy, as stated in the charter, is to establish and nurture ongoing supporting relationships between home, school, and community. The parent-student-teacher team meets early in the year in order to establish this relationship and continues to work together throughout the year in order to meet the needs of the student. The first meetings of the team are informal: families are invited to an ice cream social where they mingle with the various members of the school community and get the opportunity to meet new teachers. Shortly after the beginning of the school year, parents are invited to attend an open house at Murdoch Middle School. Here they listen to teacher presentations about curriculum and projects that will be taught during the school year. At this time, parents and teachers often initiate conversations that continue throughout the year. At the open house, parents also sign up for student led-conferences, which take place several weeks later, after students have become acclimated to the norms of their new grade. At the student-led conference the team meets for a conversation about the academic goals and personal development of the student. The student spends time in school preparing for conference, and as the name implies, facilitates it as well. Students complete reflections and self-assessments, so they are prepared to talk about their own progress; they begin setting goals and creating action plans, and through role play they practice the skill of meeting facilitation. Usually, students are provided with outlines, which they can use to help them think of points they might want to cover during the conference. By the time students are in the seventh and eighth grades, they tend to be at ease leading a discussion on their own personal and academic growth. While through student-led conferences the student serves as the bridge between the home and the school, through Murdoch’s practice of "Homebase," the school helps create a familial atmosphere within the school. Homebase is similar to homeroom in traditional school systems in that students are to go to this one space first thing in the morning and then leave from this space in the afternoon. However, Homebase takes on quite a bit more at Murdoch. The students in each Homebase are assigned school-wide jobs on a monthly basis, such as giving tours, leading all school meetings, or assisting in the front office. Students in a given Homebase also do a lot together--eat lunch, for example, and team build (through challenge and scheduled Homebase time 1-2 hours a week). Students are in the same Homebase for two years, with the same core teachers, ensuring that students and parents get to know teachers well. The vision of Murdoch Middle School is by no means limited to the academic success of students. In order to best meet the needs of developing learners, Murdoch places a special emphasis on holistic learning, meeting the needs of the whole child. To this end, the school employs a social worker who works with individual students, is available to talk with all students, attends team meetings, provides staff with a knowledge base about students, particularly challenging individuals. She works to proactively anticipate and meet student needs and helps teachers better meet the needs of individual students. Parents are partners in the education of their children and work to support the vision of the school and the efforts of the MMS staff. Parents are involved in numerous volunteer capacities: working directly with students in classes, making copies in the office, answering phones, chaperoning and attending student led conferences. Parents also assist at Quality Night and Jury Day; they provide direct feedback and encouragement to student presenters. The culture of the school, fostered by our open door policy, allows parents to feel that they can be a greater part of their middle school child's education. At an age where parents typically stop volunteering in schools, and classrooms are "closed" to the public, Murdoch Middle School opens its doors. The success of MMS is made possible by the team of people--students, staff, and parents--that work together to make Murdoch Middle School what it is and the unique educational and social philosophies that guide interactions and contribute to building strong relationship between all members of the MMS team. Next Steps Following a rigorous process in 2001, Murdoch Middle School’s charter was renewed for an additional five years. Our 2001-2002 Annual Report (Executive Summary, August 2001) describes just what makes our school successful:
With our first renewal successfully under our belt, we look forward to taking our program to the next level--sharing our school model with other schools. IV. SCHOOL-WIDE ASSESSMENT Measuring the Success of Our Students At Murdoch we measure the success of our students using numerous internal measurements, community based assessments, and standardized assessments. The internal assessments are linked together to help us formulate a "full" picture of each student. External assessments help guide the school’s academic program and diagnose the needs of individual students. The staff and school leadership utilize the data from all these assessments to make adjustments to our academic program. Internal Assessments The chain of internal assessments begins with weekly feedback forms (see Appendix B). Each week, parents receive written feedback from one of their child’s two subject area teachers on their child’s academic and social progress. Students are required to read the feedback, share it with their parents, and return it to school. Teachers or parents may request additional feedback via this form. Students also receive quarterly Assessments (see Appendix C for a link to our computer based project assessment form), which teachers complete and send home with students on a quarterly basis. The assessments describe to students and families how a student is succeeding socially and academically in relation to the Murdoch Middle School Outcomes (see Appendix D) and Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks standards addressed during that quarter. In addition, teachers provide students and parents with a narrative that focuses on the qualitative aspects of a student’s life. Students are also required to maintain a portfolio throughout their careers as students at MMS. The Murdoch Middle School Handbook (August 2001) states that a student’s portfolio is to include high quality work samples (as determined by an attached rubric) from each area of study, documenting and enabling staff to assess student growth over time. Students review previously submitted work, add new items, revise work in their portfolios, and they must defend a portfolio item four times a year. Parents may view portfolios at any time, and portfolios are given to students when they depart from Murdoch, so they can be shared with the student’s future teachers and guidance counselors. Community Based Assessments Twice a year, a variety of extended community members are invited into Murdoch Middle School to provide students with direct feedback on their portfolios during Jury Days. Guests have included professors from nearby colleges and universities, faculty from other charter and public schools, graduate students in a variety of fields, business professionals, lawyers, doctors, parents, and school alumni. Each student chooses a particular project piece to present to the visitor or "juror" through a structured protocol (see Appendix E). In turn the juror provides feedback using a jury presentation rubric. The data from jury days is compiled and featured in our annual report, showing how students are successful in the eyes of outside assessors. Two evenings each year the entire school community gathers for Quality Night. In each Homebase, every student presents one project to at least three "outside assessors." Typically visitors are parents and family members, but occasionally visitors include graduate students in education, teachers and administrators from other schools and districts, and professionals from a variety of fields. Outside assessors use a standardized rubric to assess student work on the MMS outcomes. As with the information from Jury Days, data from Quality Night rubrics is compiled and featured in our annual report. Standardized Assessment To assist us as we develop curricula and structure our school day, Murdoch Middle School staff utilizes two standardized assessments. State mandated Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) testing is utilized to measure student success in relation to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and Standards. In addition, the school periodically assesses students utilizing Stanford 9 (SAT 9) testing. Most recently, to prepare students for next year’s round of MCAS testing and assess trouble areas in individual students, Murdoch staff gave the Mathematics portion of the SAT 9 to 7th graders and the English Language Arts section of the SAT 9 to 6th graders. The Success of Our Teachers We measure the success of our teachers by examining student achievement and the multiple other ways in which staff are required to perform, many of which have an impact beyond the classroom. Teachers at Murdoch are successful when they work with other staff to refine policies and procedures at the school, develop new programs that benefit students, provide each other feedback through observation, and function as reliable, committed team members. Murdoch teachers are also successful when they take part in school wide initiatives to improve policies and procedures. This year the school measured teacher success by examining student feedback, staff feedback, internal assessment data, and the results of parent surveys and observations by the director. We also utilized peer coaching, a system which calls upon teachers to observe and provide critical feedback to their peers on a number of occasions during the school year. That system did not, however, in the opinion of staff, assist teachers in improving their practices. A committee was recently formed to re-examine the peer coaching approach, develop a formal checklist of activities (utilizing input from all teachers), and put together a rubric. While in most schools teachers work, isolated, in their classrooms, at Murdoch teachers work together to prepare curriculum; such collaboration is required. Curricular and project planning begins in early August when curriculum planning teams, of which there are four (5/6 Humanities, 7/8 Humanities, 5/6 Math and Science, 7/8 Math and Science) begin to meet, write long term plans, and divide up the work of project planning between the three teachers on each team. During the school year, Murdoch teachers meet twice weekly beyond "regular" school hours to develop and plan curriculum. Successful teachers at Murdoch need to be team players, as their planning affects the success of their partner teachers. At MMS faculty are expected to problem solve on issues across the school and make improvements through a formal change process (see Appendix F). Teachers are most commonly the first to perceive curricular or structural issues interfering with the success of the school, and teachers have, from the start, been empowered to make changes happen quickly. Murdoch teachers may also take on more administrative leadership roles at the school. Currently, there are teachers serving as "leaders" in the areas of internal assessment, external assessment, professional development, and scheduling and operations. These leaders work closely with the director to convey information in their area to new staff, lead teams to refine these areas, and assist in the day-to-day support of teachers who face challenges in their area. There are also five curricular leaders who work to vertically align curriculum standards throughout the school. With the number of full time teachers at 12, many teachers are doing much more than fulfilling their responsibilities in the classroom. Murdoch is committed to providing opportunities for teachers to develop professionally. At Murdoch the professional development of teachers is done primarily in two ways. By providing administrative school-wide decision making power to staff (via committees and staff meetings) and by providing an environment in which teachers work together to plan project based curriculum. In addition, the leadership roles assumed by teachers serve as administrative stepping-stones. Moreover, the collaborative approach to curriculum planning allows new staff, unfamiliar with a project-based approach, the opportunity to learn from their peers. These activities also help teachers at Murdoch develop professionally. V. CHARTER SCHOOL STATUS Work with children is never "easy." Whether in a charter school, regular public school, or private school, the multiple needs of children are always challenging to determine and meet. Nonetheless, there are some distinct conditions and structures of charter schools that make the work of meeting the various needs of children more effective, if not easier. Specifically, these are: school philosophy and mission, teaching and learning, and school structures. Philosophy and Mission When the charter was written for Murdoch Middle School, school founders had meeting the needs of middle school students first and foremost in their minds. The founders felt that pre-adolescents had great needs, and that the schools in the region were not meeting them. The philosophy and mission of Murdoch Middle School was focused to this end. The writers of the charter wanted to keep students, at an age when many have typically "checked-out," interested in school, while preparing them for the world ahead of them. While our mission and philosophy foster great teaching and learning and provide a terrific "jumping off point" for highly motivated teachers, they also present a major challenge. Developing project based, "real world" activities for middle school students is not easy for adults whose experience of school is often colored by more traditional approaches. Further, balancing "depth," in experience and subject area, with the more traditional "coverage" has proven to be an enormous challenge, one that has forced changes in MMS over the past six years. Today, the staff at Murdoch continues to develop and redefine curriculum in order to ensure that students are presented with real world challenges and acquire the desire to look and think deeply. The Murdoch staff has, however, worked to overcome the challenges presented by its mission. For example, in the 2001-2002 school year, as mentioned earlier, we consciously made changes to our curriculum and daily schedule. Much of the critical feedback we received from parents, former staff, high school teachers, and from standardized tests focused on the need for our students to write better and to master basic mathematical operations. Our students were great at "thinking outside of the box" and were "excellent public speakers," students who "weren’t afraid to share their ideas in classes," however, it was clear that they hadn’t mastered some basic skills. Murdoch staff agreed that we should balance our project-based approach with skills development. We did not alter our teaching style, nor did we change our philosophy; the school’s charter calls for a project-based curriculum, and we have remained true to that charter. But we have chosen to set aside clear "blocks" of time to focus on the development of skills in reading and writing. During these skills blocks, "English Language Arts Skills Block" and "Mathematics Skills Block," students are grouped by grade level (5, 6,7 and 8), while during "Project Block" students continue to meet in multi age groups (5 and 6 or 7 and 8). The change was made because we listened to members of our community and especially to teachers, who felt they could attend better to the needs of all students when they taught them in a grade level classroom, following a more traditional curriculum. We also arranged our budget, so we could purchase curricular supplies for these hour-long periods. This also allowed teachers to spend more time working on and developing the projects, which are simply not available "packaged." At MMS, teachers have always worked to modify curriculum to meet the variety of needs in classes. However, through the new schedule, teachers are better able to manage the needs of their students, and they have more time to plan projects that meet the goals of the charter. School Structures Being a charter school allows us to make necessary changes quickly and with the input of multiple staff members. Our school’s staff "culture" is focused on teachers as decision makers. We don’t have a lot of overhead, or administration that has to "approve" decisions. The MMS Board of Trustees is very "hands off" in terms of the educational program. We don’t need to refer to a union contract; we just need to turn to each other and ask, "Do we want to do this? Can we do this? Is it feasible?" Frequent staff meetings, a (new) decision making policy focused on getting approval of a majority of staff, no oversight from an outside district office--each of these helps the our process. Another example of the school’s ability to make quick adjustments is the change we made in leadership structures. In the spring of 2002, for the first time formally, staff members took on leadership roles in areas in need of refining (internal assessment, external assessment, professional development, technology integration, special education, scheduling and operations, and curricular area leaders). At a staff meeting, Director Walter Landberg outlined the need for individuals to take on such roles. He felt increased teacher support and connection in these areas would benefit the school, and the increased responsibility would create opportunities for teachers. No one contended the need for the new roles. Staff provided input, and the initiative was implemented. Teaching and Learning With the current teacher shortage, attracting staff becomes a challenge for any school. But because of our distinct mission, we have been able to attract talented and committed teachers. One of the main reasons teachers choose to teach at Murdoch is because of the focus on project based, real world experiential curriculum; some also value the opportunity to have input into school structures. In this sense, the charter helps us to attract individuals who want to do a certain kind of teaching and who view students and schools in a certain way. Our challenge, or difficulty, is supporting a teacher when they enter our school, a school different from what they’ve experienced in the past--in teaching, learning, and curricular and instructional planning. The school’s mentoring system and the team approach to planning have helped new teachers and experienced teachers new to the school make the adjustment. We are also a very small school. As a result, not only are members of the faculty able to interact with each other in a more effective way; our students have a safer, smaller, and friendlier environment in which to learn. At the middle school level bullying, hazing, and other negative practices can become more prevalent; in the behavior of students, it is much easier it is to manage these types of behaviors when the student to staff ratio is 12:1 and the total school enrollment is less than 300. Murdoch Middle School is a place where students and staff know each other. Murdoch Middle School is an exciting and motivating place to work and learn. Moreover, our charter school status allows us flexibility in how we approach the myriad of issues that schools face. Approaching these issues while upholding the school’s mission and implementing its charter, however, can be challenging. It is the opinion of the authors that the work involved in meeting this challenge is what attracts the staff, parents, and students to the Murdoch Middle Public Charter School.
About the Authors: Sasha Douglas teaches 7th and 8th grade humanities at Murdoch Middle School, where she also serves as Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator. Prior to working at Murdoch, Sasha received her Masters of Art in Teaching (with a focus on Social Studies and History) from Brown University, where she also received a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies. She has taught history to students at Central High School in Providence, Rhode Island. She has a strong passion for community activism and has received numerous awards for community service. Walter Landberg is the Director at the Murdoch Middle School. He has served in this role since September of 2001. Prior to his appointment as Director, Walter taught 7/8 Humanities at the school for the 2000-2001 school year and worked as an Administrative Intern at Murdoch through the Harvard Graduate School of Education during the 1999-2000 school year. Before working at Murdoch, Walter directed a school for Teach For America’s summer institute in the summer of 2001 and served as a Corps Member Advisor during two previous summers. Walter began his teaching career as an elementary teacher in the public schools of Oakland, California and at the Campbell Hall Independent School in North Hollywood, California.
Contact Information Murdoch Middle Public Charter School
Appendix A
Building History of Murdoch Middle School By Nina Lewin, Murdoch Board of Trustees, When we first received the charter to start a charter school in Chelmsford, finding a place to house the school was one of our most difficult tasks. There was a 97% or so occupancy rate for industrial type buildings — so there wasn’t much available. We asked some local realtors to look around for us and we actually drove around town looking for "for rent" and "for lease" signs on buildings. Eventually, we came to two locations that seemed promising: one in North Chelmsford in an old mill building, where we would have had to share outdoor space, and it really was not very conducive to a school; and the other was the Chinese Bible Church, our present location. The Chinese Bible Church was, by far, the better choice, but the Church had a committee that needed to make the necessary decision to let us rent the space. When we met with them a final time, they indicated that if we could share our space with a religious school and use their cafeteria in the adjacent building, we could rent the space! It was time for celebration. The next huge hurdle was to find funding build out in our new location. The building owned by the Church had never been occupied (except for one small condo — which housed a lawyer). There were no doors, floors, ceilings, lights, etc. The sprinkler system was not to code. There was no adult bathroom. There were no water fountains. The HVAC system was not balanced or proper for a school. The build out was going to cost at least $120,000 (with luck). We went from bank to bank, trying to find a bank to lend $120,000 to a non-existent school with no students, no track record, no collateral, and no down payment. We went to every bank we could think of; finally, one bank, Enterprise, stepped forward and agreed to lend the school the money. Ah, now we have a location and money, but no builder and no time to advertise and get the school built via normal state channels. I called someone my husband knew from business, a superintendent on large-scale building jobs who happened to live in Chelmsford and believe in alternative education. He agreed to be the clerk of the works for us, for free!! He found someone who would work directly for the school (we had to have a payroll and put the builders on the payroll directly) and bring a few more people to work for us to do the build out. We started work the week after July 4, and were done in the nick of time, at the end of August. We found as many things as possible for free for the school--furniture, cabinets, etc. The build out came in $10,000 over budget (so we did the whole thing for $130,000) for what was really about a $250,000 project. Another victory for CPCS (Chelmsford Public Charter School--our name at the time)!!! We knew we could only have the space for 5 years; the Church eventually wanted the space for their religiously affiliated school. So we began to look for a new space. Again, there was not much industrial space available. We found a great building, Pondview Place, on School Street in North Chelmsford, which was smaller than we wanted but seemed promising. After much investigation, we, unfortunately, found that the building was contaminated underground with known carcinogenic chemicals, which had been dumped there by a prior tenant. The school abandoned the property. We looked for another new site, hiring a real estate agent to look for us all around Chelmsford. He put an ad in the paper, and a residential realtor called our realtor, indicating that she had a piece of residential land for sale that was part of an estate; there were about ten acres of land altogether. We visited the land, and the site was gorgeous, so we made an offer. (Schools and religious institutions are allowed to locate their buildings regardless of zoning). Because this was part of an estate, about 5 different people were involved in selling the property. It took them almost a year to agree on terms, a price, etc. Finally, we had an agreement. Meanwhile, we put out a request for a quote for an architect. Only three architects bid on the job, and only one of those architects truly understood the monetary and time constraints we were under. TKG Architects, Jai Singh Khalsa principle, was awarded the job of designing the building. Now we had to get through the town committees as quickly as possible so we could have all necessary approvals without losing our deposit on the land. It took the school over 9 months to get through the Planning Board, the Conservation Committee, and the Zoning Board of Appeals!!! We hired civil engineers, traffic study engineers, lawyers, etc. The abutters and others in the neighborhood were mostly opposed to the school going up in their neighborhood and they fought us at every possible turn. We started the process in December. By June, we either had to buy the land or lose it and our deposit. We bought the land. By August, we finally had the necessary approvals to build. Meanwhile, we were working on the financing for the new building. Beacon had found a group named MJK to provide MMS with tax-free bond financing. The rate was high but it seemed to be our only alternative. We investigated using them but needed some short term financing as well. A local bank, BankNorth, agreed to give us a construction loan, but they were bought out by MJK. We broke ground in December, and finished construction in time for students to enter the new facility in September 2002. Meanwhile, as we were investigating how to structure the loan with MJK, our lawyer went through Mass Development, a quasi-public entity that lends money to non-profits and other growth-oriented entities in the Commonwealth. Mass Development suggested we just go with a local bank for bond financing; it would be cheaper and easier. When we investigated this possibility, it was less expensive, less cumbersome, and did not come with some of the distasteful contingencies that MJK required. After about four months, we had an agreement with Boston Private Bank and Trust and Enterprise Bank (together) to fund the building. It’s been a long road but very exciting!
Appendix B
Murdoch Middle School Weekly Feedback Form
Name _______________________________ Teacher Name _______________________________ Subject _____________________ Weeks of _________ - _________ Work Completion _________ out of _________
Student Signature _______________________ Parent Signature _______________________
Appendix C
Quarterly Assessment Document
Appendix D
Murdoch Middle School — OUTCOMES RUBRIC
Name ________________________ Project ________________________
Date of Self-Assessment ____________________ Teacher Feedback:
Appendix E
MURDOCH MIDDLE SCHOOL
Portfolio Defense Rubric (2001 — 2002)
Student Name ___________________________ Grade _____ Homebase _________________ Date _____________
Title of Piece Being Assessed ______________________________ Assessor Name ___________________________
DESCRIPTION OF PIECE and ACADEMIC CONTENT
Assessor’s Feedback:
COMPREHENSION
Assessor’s Feedback:
APPLICATION
Assessor’s Feedback:
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Assessor’s Feedback:
OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF PIECE and PRESENTATION (check one)
Appendix F
Process of Change/ Democratic Staff Decision Making Process
Rationale for Process This process is being put into place to assist Murdoch Middle School staff in maintaining clear lines of communication when a staff member or group of staff members determine a need for change in a policy, schedule, etc. In effect, this process will:
Process for Change If you or a group of staff members would like to make a change in policy (retention, hall pass, etc.), the schedule (year-long, daily, etc.) and/or other areas of the school (assessments, quality night, etc.), you or a self-developed committee should utilize the following process: Step One: Write/re-write policy considering the following
Step Two: Notify staff via e-mail and request that staff members comment on the policy. Send an e-mail with the policy attached with the subject line in all capitals: POLICY CONSIDERATION. Staff members can comment on this copy or on a hard copy in the office. The policy will remain posted in a designated space (main office, next to mailboxes) for a week (or an amount of time deemed necessary depending on issue) for staff comments. It will be the responsibility of staff members to check this area frequently and or respond to the e-mail. Step Three: Policy is revised for presentation. The policy is revised or adjusted, using the staff’s comments, by the individual/group that posted the policy. Step Four: Policy presented to director A revised policy is presented to the director for her/his review with copies of revisions and comments from all staff. Step Five: Policy adopted into teacher handbook. The revised or "new" policy is formatted and handed out to all staff for insertion into their staff handbook (to be developed Summer 2002) with an effective date noted at the top of the document. The office manager will assist the director in making the final revisions and formatting the document for the staff handbook. Additional Notes on Process
References Bellinger, Gene. n.d. Systems Thinking: An Operational Perspective of the Universe. Outsights. Retrieved 19 May 2002 from <http://www.outsights.com/systems/systhink/systhink.htm>. Glossary of Terms. 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2002 from the Pegasus Communications Inc. Web site: <http://www.pegasuscom.com/glossary.html> Murdoch Middle School Outcomes. n.d. Retrieved May 2002 from the Murdoch Middle School Web site: www.murdoch-web.org Senge, Peter. n.d. Systems Thinking. Retrieved 19 May 2002 from the Society for Organizational Learning Web site: <http://www.sol-ne.org/res/kr/systhink.html>
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