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It's imperative for students of all backgrounds, ethnicity, race and income have the opportunity for a quality education. Here at Schools That Can, we aim to ensure that every child has that access. The collaboration and support we give to our schools is all part of the collective effort of each individual to help give light to the potential living in every student. School leaders Vinny Dotoli and Sheila Durant share their experiences in the relationship their schools have with STC. Schools That Can is a perpetual spark in our thinking about collaboration and sharing best practices. Last year, we shared Harlem Academy’s approach to building academic vocabulary and our use of primary source documents in history with a group of STC schools in New York. This year, we are participating in the planning for the STC 2014 National Forum in Harlem, and we look forward to learning from and sharing with an even broader group. The National Forum will also offer an opportunity to share our work on advisory and character growth. And we are interested in exploring how our peers approach family partnership, technology integration and close reading of non-fiction texts.
- Vinny Dotoli, Head of Harlem Academy Being a part of the Schools that Can network has had a major impact on the learning of my school community as well as my own personal learning. Like the proverbial process of “getting the right people on the bus,” it is a refreshingly insightful experience to participate in the round-table discussions and school tours with like-minded individuals who share similar core values around student achievement. Being a part of an exemplary group helps further the learning of my staff and myself through sharing best practices and defining excellence within student achievement. We are able to engage with other schools around common dilemmas, possible solutions and concrete next steps and are able to re-examine and redefine our shared purpose of teaching and learning.
- Sheila Durant, Principal of PS. 69