Ashley Elementary Revisited
The Promise of a New School, One Year In
Denver Public Schools administrators had big plans for Ashley Elementary since at least the spring of 2012, when it proposed the school undergo a “strategic intervention.”
In the spring of 2013, DPS announced that it was bringing in new leadership to the school, at the corner of Montview Boulevard and Syracuse Street just east of Park Hill. Ashley was placed in turnaround status, effectively putting the entire staff on notice, because of the school’s low performance.
Though the principal was fired, the district’s plans were stymied by an overwhelming turnout of vocal parents advocating for their children, their teachers and their neighborhood school. Philip Garvin, a community member who has provided financial support and has been actively involved in the school for 18 years, as well as Beverly Haddon, CEO of the Stapleton Foundation, also stepped up to support Ashley and its community.
On May 9, 2013, Alyssa Whitehead-Bust, DPS Chief of Innovation and Reform, informed the Ashley community that a group of parents and teachers, along with a new principal, would be allowed to develop and submit a strategic plan that would outline their own new vision for their school. “The only plan that will be considered is the one we conceive of collectively,” she said.
The hope and excitement at Ashley was palpable.
In the summer, during his interview for the principal position, Zach Rahn told the teachers he would be creating an innovation school with the existing staff. “A school is more than one leader, it’s a team,” he said.
A new leader
Rahn came to Denver as a Teach for America fellow, and later graduated in 2009 with an MA in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver. He was assistant principal at the Cole Arts & Science Academy and, most recently participated in a leadership program spearheaded by the DPS Office of School Reform and Innovation that trains its residents by embedding them in charter schools.
Arriving at Ashley Elementary with leadership qualities DPS embraced, Rahn nonetheless faced many challenges. He was following in the footsteps of a beloved principal; he was under pressure to increase the school’s performance; he was facing a community that had grown distrustful of DPS’ attempts to improve its school; and the school needed a complete re-design.
One year later
The Ashley innovation plan was created by a group of teachers and parents who worked with the new principal, through the summer and the fall, into the evenings. They visited other schools, analyzed curriculum, brainstormed and constructed what they felt was a school design that fit their community. The plan was submitted to the district in December 2013 with much of what the teachers had formulated. But something happened between the collaborative work and the finished product presented to the district. Added without their knowledge, some teachers say, were some sections that promoted the philosophy of Uncommon Schools as described in the book Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov.
In a recent interview Rahn said that 50 percent of the teachers would not be returning next year – and that number might grow to 85 percent. He maintained this was not surprising given the changes the school is experiencing.
But several teachers, who asked their names not be used, say the hardest thing is that many of these same teachers who helped write the plan won’t remain at Ashley to implement it.
The new protocol
Teach Like a Champion emphasizes teaching techniques, not curriculum. It focuses on how to teach students, not what to teach them. At Ashley, this has translated into a school culture that details hallway procedures, breakfast protocol, uniform standards, and a system of rewards and punishments. The goal is to maximize efficiency that will translate into higher achievement.
Teachers receive regular “Culture Blasts” from the school’s Dean of Culture. These are memos with directives and updates about procedures and discipline and often include direct quotes from the book such as, “There’s one acceptable percentage of students following a direction: 100 percent. Less, and your authority is subject to interpretation, situation, and motivation.”
Once students enter the building in the morning, if they are wearing the school sweatshirt, they must lift it, to allow a staff member to note if they are wearing a belt, a mandatory part of the uniform. If not, they will be required to stay in “reflection,” a euphemism for after-school detention. That reflection time is 30 minutes for most students, and 15 minutes for kindergarteners.
There is a strict set of procedures about how and where to eat breakfast that has by now become a thorn in the side of many, because it has changed so often. First, overruling what teachers had determined, Rahn decided students had to eat in their classrooms. Then, depending on their grade, lunch moved to the auditorium, then to the lunchroom. And then it changed again.
“The breakfast scenario has changed at least five times,” says Lisa Dunkin, the parent of a special needs 5th grader. The constant shifting of policies in general, she says, has led to increased behavior issues in her child.
Walking through the hallways, students must walk on lines of colored green or red duct tape that mark pathways throughout the school. Their hands must be by their sides, their heads facing forward, and there is no talking allowed. Once they are in front of their classrooms, they shift to another set of black duct taped lines and then move into their classrooms.
“Kids were just running wild through the hallways before,” Rahn said. “Now we can move all the children through the building effectively.”
Sarah Hancock, a parent and staff member says, “I’ve taught a lot of kids how to wink this year, telling them, if I wink at you, it’s like I’m giving you a hug.” She adds, “What’s really sad, is that some of these kids really need some special attention that we can no longer give them. Kids need discipline and consistency but not like this.”
Teachers also all have a “behavior pole” for their class. It is a multicolored stick with individual pegs that identify each student. All start the day on green for good behavior. ECE and Kindergarteners can move up to blue (for excellent) but other grades can only move down to yellow, orange and then red. Once a student has reached red, he/she must stay for the 30-minute “reflection” after school. The pole follows them throughout the day. It is handed to specials teachers, lunchroom and playground staff. If a student’s behavior falls below green, it is there to be seen by all, all day.
In our interview, Rahn emphasized the importance of consistency within the school, of needing policies that everyone follows throughout the building to build a positive culture of learning. But he then pointed out that some teachers do not follow all discipline guidelines. Most teachers still have their own reward systems within their classrooms. He says he will be implementing a school-wide reward policy next year.
Some teachers admit that the intense discipline has made it easier to handle behavioral problems, but parents Karina Rodriguez and Margarita Chavez liken the practice to public shaming. “The children are not happy,” they say, “Sometimes there are 20 to 30 students who have to stay after school still this late in the year.”
Rahn disagrees, saying that the approach is working and that discipline in the school has dramatically improved, with fewer children needing to stay after school.
A community ripped apart
After difficult experiences at two different schools, Dunkin joined Ashley, her neighborhood school, four years ago. “It didn’t have a good reputation because of its test scores but it was a hidden gem.” The principal at the time, Ken Huslander, welcomed her family she says.
“We came to Ashley with low expectations and through the years the focus has always been on my son’s success. Dr. H always went out of his way to check up on him. This year, my son lost his support system. His teacher, a veteran teacher whom he loved, left before Thanksgiving because he didn’t feel he could teach here anymore. At the beginning of the year, Principal Rahn assured my son he wouldn’t need to worry about the belt requirement because of his special needs. He didn’t keep his word. This has created a spiral of negativity. There are weeks when my son spends four days in after-school detention.”
Teachers describe the “old” Ashley as a place that was embraced by the community, where parents used to bring in their children into the school cafeteria to have breakfast.
Some say they no longer feel welcome in the building.
“There have been some rigid changes in how we conduct business,” says Jennifer Keel, who has worked at Ashley since 1984. “Parents used to be allowed in the building as long as they wanted. Now, we are trying to get the kids and the parents to look at the school with high expectations.”
The relationship between some faculty and the administration has disintegrated into distrust. Wide discrepancies in teacher evaluations, low morale, and the inability to collaborate on the larger concept of the school’s vision have been difficult.
Garvin, a true benefactor to the school, was head of Ashley’s School Collaborative Committee, the school’s leadership body, last year. With the new plan, the CSC was disbanded. Although Garvin was asked to serve on the school’s Board of Advisors, he has opted to focus his involvement on the Summer Scholars program instead.
The fabric that held this school together – parents, teachers and community members – has unraveled. Community meetings have been contentious and angry. The promise that Rahn made on May 23, 2013, “To preserve that sense of family,” is no more. At least for now. The question is, can it be rebuilt?
The road ahead
The radical changes at Ashley are clearly welcome by some parents. They like Rahn’s bold enthusiasm and approach. They are ready for change and want the school to shed its past history tied to low TCAP scores and bad performance.
But last year’s scores had already increased, dramatically in some areas. At this time, only 3rd grade TCAP scores are available for 2014. Ashley’s scores have fallen by three percent – after increased by six percent last year.
The rest of Ashley’s scores are still unknown. As is Ashley’s future. It is clear that Ashley will not be the kind of school that many of its teachers and community had envisioned and planned. With at least half of the staff not returning next year, Ashley will have a completely different feel in August. It will be a new school.
It is too early to know if Zach Rahn will be Ashley’s equivalent of pro football coach Josh McDaniels, or if he will bring to Ashley the turnaround that DPS had charted all along.
Lynn Kalinauskas is Education Chair of the Greater Park Hill Board of Governors.