Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fourteen years ago, the Nathan Hale community embarked on a remarkable journey of school transformation. In the spirit of Dr. King’s exhortation, a team of staff and community members created the school’s mission and vision statement that still guides our work and reflects our commitment to social justice: The purpose of Nathan Hale High School is to ensure that ALL students become honorable, thinking, skillful citizens.
Using data gathered from students and families, Nathan Hale staff determined that in order to achieve this goal, the school needed to be restructured to provide for personalized, inclusive learning opportunities. Nathan Hale became a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools, and, using the 10 Common Principles* as a guide, created the structures that are so much a part of our culture of equity and success, including 9th grade academies, 10th grade Integrated Studies teams, 11th grade Language Arts/Social Studies blocks with Advanced Placement opportunities for all, and 12th grade integrated Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum.
As a new Principal, I’m committed to upholding the 10 Common Principles that have guided so much of the innovative and effective work at Nathan Hale. I have chosen to highlight a principle each month so that we can build a common understanding of the philosophy that guides our work each day and a common learning vocabulary.
February’s principle speaks to the importance of assessing student understanding through exhibitions, or demonstration of mastery. It states: “Teaching and learning should be documented and assessed with tools based on student performance of real tasks.”
In the 10th grade, our students are preparing for a mock trial exhibition, for which they must research and fully understand the thinking of various figures, real and fictional, in order to testify in character in a trial to determine the truth about human nature. I have watched groups of students working avidly and independently in hallways, in the library, in classrooms, and even in the lunchroom. They are learning to creatively explore philosophical systems different from their own, they are engaging in passionate debates, and they are preparing to present ideas in a courtroom setting adjudicated by real judges and lawyers.
Such exhibitions of understanding engage our students because they have relevance. Students are able to do more than simply memorize the key ideas in Voltaire’s Candide—they can argue from Voltaire’s perspective. They can apply their understanding.
When we ask our students to show intelligence and character, when we ask them to be honorable, thinking, skillful citizens, we are contributing to Dr. King’s dream of justice and opportunity, of a better world for all. Thank you for sharing the dream!
Marni Campbell, Principal
*See www.essentialschools.org
