What Principals Are Saying:
“I was not a believer. The day Greg (our Education
Coach)
walked into our school—a locked-down school for many years because of
how dangerous it was—and told us how we were going to change all that
with some meetings and committees, I thought he was crazy. This could never
work. We had a school
that wasn’t perfect but it was under control. The last principal used
what I now understand to be a quick fix: get rid of the troublemakers, lock-down
the school. It quieted the school down and moved some problems out, but it
didn’t solve anything. Either the same kids came back or different ones
with the same problems. Nothing got solved. Last August we were assigned a
new principal who told us he wanted to try to solve some of these problems.
He said he had been at a school like ours and that in two to three years the
school was a different place. It was hard to believe that this could be true.
He brought in Greg who did training for the staff last August and that was
the beginning. Now four months later our school is changing—you can feel
it. It is a much safer place. What brought it about perhaps first and foremost
is our principal. He came in not only telling us what he expected but also
modeling what he expected and a big part of that was respect for the students,
the teachers, and the parents. He never yells at anyone. And he brought Greg
in. Since then there have been several trainings and these trainings have given
the staff tools to deal with the very difficult kids we see here, as well as
a feeling of empowerment and hope that things can really change. We have school
culture meetings where we get to talk about the kind of school we want to have.
That never happened before.”
--Assistant Principal
“Parents start out afraid to let their kids have
counseling. That was true here also. Then a few parents of kids with big
problems got counseling
from Dr. B and got better. Before you know it, other parents were coming in
REQUESTING counseling. Bad news gets out and good news gets out too.”
--Assistant Principal
“By setting up support structures, our staff members have come together
around instructional issues that affect students within our school. Students
and families that would have been referred to outside agencies are now receiving
services within the school confines providing more consistency. On-site mental
health services have allowed our guidance counselors to work more closely with
our Priority 2 students, thus servicing more students at our school. As a result
of Turnaround’s programs, we have been able to better identify students’ needs.
Our total number of referrals to CSE has been drastically reduced because students
are now provided with other more appropriate types of interventions.”
--Assistant Principal
“Amanda is a 12 year-old very large, strong girl who has assaulted teachers
and who has been assaulted by teachers. She was new to the school and people
thought that she was either retarded or emotionally disturbed. One day she
assaulted someone and all the teachers wanted our principal to call 911. The
principal wouldn’t do that but instead called a mental
health consultant to whom Greg had introduced us. In the middle of all of this he asked to talk
to Amanda on the phone. They spoke for about 15 minutes during which Amanda
quieted down. He explained to us that Amanda was very likely a child with autism
that had never been identified as such and that she was on the wrong medication.
He told us that she was frightened of her new school and that he would arrange
for a complete evaluation and adjustment of her medication. None of us can
believe it but Amanda is in class, calm, and adjusting well. Our AP accompanied
Amanda and her mother to this evaluation both to lessen their fear and to be
sure they went. We’d never had a plan for assessing out-of-control kids,
never had anyone to call that we could reach on the phone, never had any supervision
assessing risk. The only tools we had were strategies for getting kids out
of our school—to special ed, the emergency room or another school.”
--Middle School Principal
What Teachers Are Saying:
"Your workshop gave me incredible enlightenment and perspective. I came back to work feeling and knowing my purpose as an educator. It was like renewing my vows. I look forward to your next workshop."
--CIS 339 Teacher
What Clinicians Are Saying:
“R is a 6 year-old male who displayed active, off-task, and aggressive
behavior in school requiring several hours of one-to-one supervision per day,
provided by the guidance counselor, assistant principal, and principal. After
receiving appropriate evaluation and psychiatric intervention for untreated
ADHD from the MORE Program, R’s behavior, peer relations, and academic
functioning improved markedly. His teacher now describes him as one of her
best students while the guidance counselor, assistant principal, and principal
are able to devote more of their time to other school issues.”
--MORE staff case notes
“J is a 13 year-old female who had academic problems related to learning
disabilities and a speech problem, frequent fights with peers, and suspected
promiscuous behavior in school. After evaluation and consultation with her
mother that revealed several recent traumatic experiences, J was referred to
a neurologist and a psychotherapist. Recently, when asked what three wishes
she would like granted, J responded, “to go to college, get a job, and
buy a house.”
--MORE staff case notes