A struggling school finds reason for hope

By forming community partnerships, Hope High School in Rhode Island and other struggling public schools are showing signs of improvement.

from the May 31, 2007 edition

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Principal Sutherland wants to engage the whole staff in more cross-curricular development, something encouraged by the state official appointed to monitor progress at Hope.

Another of Sutherland's goals is that the school will move toward digital portfolios for each student. Starting with the class of 2008, demonstrating proficiency in all subjects with a portfolio of work will be one requirement for earning a high school diploma in Providence.

Students have already begun creating portfolios, but a small company called Digication is offering free software that makes it easier to create class websites and share artwork and commentary online. Created by two RISD professors and in use at a growing number of schools nationwide, its full interactive potential has yet to be tapped at Hope, largely because of the computer shortage.

Many factors have led to improvements at Hope High in the past two years. The state monitor has ensured a more orderly environment where student fights were once commonplace. The smaller schools and an "advisory system" for students to meet daily with a staff member have meant more personal connections and guidance.

After decades of being unaccredited, the school recently became one of just two high schools in Providence accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

'Two way' engagement is significant

The state report on progress at the school credits community partners like RISD, Johnson & Wales, and Brown University with helping to design courses and give students access to a wide range of "real world" opportunities. "It is the 'two way' nature of these arrangements that make them meaningful and sustainable," says the report from the Rhode Island Department of Education.

For Sproll, the two-way aspect of the partnership with Hope has meant he and his master's students have access to a laboratory of real learning. RISD has long placed student teachers at Hope and offered after-school programs, but now the depth of the ties between the two schools means more projects with real potential to improve learning.

Hope still needs to improve upon attendance, says Weigand. Her art majors tend to show up for class consistently, but some students for whom the classes are electives aren't as committed. "It's really hard to teach a kid who only comes every two weeks for a day." Attendance at Hope is about 86 percent, up from 76 percent before Sutherland arrived.

Improving test scores is also a slow prospect. Last year, 31 percent of Hope Arts students scored proficient in English language arts; 11 percent in math. This year's scores aren't out. But the staff, and Sproll, expect the changes at the school to trans­late into better academic performance. "The quality of their thinking [is] really insightful," Sproll says, remarking on the art and writing projects. "The [math and reading test] scores aren't where they need to be, but those don't represent where these young people are."

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