PROJETO FÉNIX

1. PROJETO FÉNIX September 2012 Luísa Tavares Moreira

2. OurSchool Numberof Teachers Numberof Students Kindergarten School – 3 to 5 years of age 100 5 Elementary School – 6 to 9 years of age (1st cycle) 22 390 Middle School - 10 to 11 years of age (2nd cycle) - 12 to 14 years of age (3rd cycle) 225 344 High School – 15 to 18 years of age (secondary cycle) 76 Vocational education 70 Administrative service – 12 Assistance workers - 20

3. The school is located in a rural area near the town of Póvoa de Varzim. There is a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds amongst our population. • The school opened in 1995 and in 2003 it was constituted as a Group of Schools named “Campo Aberto – Beiriz”, which includes two kindergartens, four elementary schools and the main building, with middle and high school.

4. Contextofthe Project • ProjetoFénix had its origin in Beiriz Group of Schools; • The Ministry of Education included our Projeto Fénix inProgramaMaisSucessoEscolar (More School Success Programme), a governmental programme that regulates projects intended to fight against academic failure. It has given the opportunity for other schools to adopt this specific typology. • It has been implemented countrywide in 43 schools since 2010, having the supervision of a University and the Portuguese Ministry of Education.

5. Each school operates according to a four year contract which defines the increase of the success rates to 1/3 of the results in a specific grade level as an annually stipulated target . • In order to achieve these results, schools are given a credit of 35 hours to be distributed among two grade levels (one from the 1st cycle and another from the 2nd or 3rd cycle). • In “Projeto Educativo” (Educational Project) the educational community defines the school guide lines which are included in Projeto Fénix.

6. PROJETO EDUCTIVO An inclusive school, guided by values, towards academic success Improving results Decreasing academic failure Preventing drop outs and absenteeism Marzano (2005) who says that “(…) school is the indicated focus for the reforms”.

7. Success Learning achievements Evaluation

8. Dynamics EIXO I EIXO II

9. EIXO I – constitution of classes Principle of the Relative Homogeneity Possible to implement in each grade level Good performance Very good performance Portuguese and Maths ≤ 3 (C/D/E grades) Low and Medium performance Fénix classes Non-Fénix classes A B C D E

10. EIXO I - Dynamics A B C D E FÉNIX CLASSES NON FÉNIX CLASSES “NEST” CLASS • Possibility: • 1 or 2 Fénix classes; • 1 or 2 “nest” classes.

11. ThisDynamic – EIXO I – requirescertainconditions: FÉNIX “NESTS” EXTRA TEACHER EXTRA TEACHER • Possibility: • 1 or 2 Fénix classes; • 1 or 2 “nest” classes. • STRONG PEDAGOGICAL LEADERSHIP

12. EIXO II - Dynamics A A A A A A A B B B B B B B Students with specific difficulties may punctually reinforce curricular contents by shifting from one class to another.

13. ThisDynamic – EIXO II – does notrequirethesameconditions as EIXO I

14. Students’ representations They considered that the implementation of ProjetoFénix, made them: • be more motivated; • feel more willing to learn; • learn “faster” in Portuguese and Maths; • learn better in the “other subjects”. And they also thought: • the mobility amongst Fénix classes / Nests didn’t cause any awkwardness; • students felt comfortable with the fact of going to the Nests when they felt learning difficulties because they could overcome them more easily;

15. Parents/tutors’ representations • They also considered: • their children learn more in these classes; • school was able to find solutions to promote all students’ learning and academic success; • family’s involvement at school increased. • They appreciated that their children attended the Fénix classes.

16. ProjectoFénix was capable of providing: • Higherself-esteem to thestudentsandteachers; • Betterlearning, mainly in Portuguese andMaths; • Betterstudents’ individual results; • Parents/ tutors’ awarenessthatschool does everything for allstudents’ success; • Greater cooperation, involvement, articulation and professionalism of the teachers; • Betterschoolenvironment; • Greater global successoftheSchool.

17. The scope ofthe Project Fromthe 43 schoolsthatadoptedthe Project in thefirstyear, 39 wereable to achievethestipulatedsuccess targets. Atthemomentwehave 60 newschoolswhich are going to implementit

18. StrengthsoftheProjeto Fénix • The overcoming of learning difficulties in nuclear subjects, such as Portuguese and Maths; • The importance of students´ results, but also of their progression; • The promotion of the student’s self-esteem and the academic self- concept; • The effective use of the pedagogical differentiation principle; • The definition of the educational learning goals for each school year, so that the curricular contents may be worked on; • The reduced number of students in the Nests allows a real opportunity for a teacher/student interaction and also to work on lacking basic knowledge and skills.

19. The logic of the Fénix organization allows new ways of pedagogical partnership and a more frequent communication amongst teachers; • The success of the Project brings forward: • More communication amongst the teachers and the Head Teacher/School Board; • The decrease of dropout rates at schools where the Project is implemented; • Greater academic demands, a better academic culture and school environment; • The Fénix schools’ network allows the exchange of experiences and the access to pedagogical resources.

20. School Community Family PROJETO FÉNIX

21. ALL STUDENTS can learn more... have the same time, with another quality of time... No one is left behind!