Building for Middle Level Success: Advisory & Advocacy Programs amle

1. Building for Middle Level Success: Advisory & Advocacy Programs www.amle.org

2. Who is AMLE? The Association for Middle Level Education • Where you can find us: • www.amle.org • Who we are: • The Association for Middle Level Education is the leading organization advancing the education of all students ages 10 to 15, helping them succeed as learners and make positive contributions to their communities and to the world. • What we do: • We provide vision, knowledge, and resources to over 30,000 middle level educators and leaders around the world. We help middle grade educators reach every student, grow professionally, and make great schools!

3. How is advisory part of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment?

4. How is advisory part of Leadership & Organization?

5. How is advisory part of Culture & Community?

6. What do we know? How can advisory serve these student achievement areas? Snowball!

7. What are the threats to Advisory? Inadequate length of time for advisory Teachers’ discomfort with subjects raised by students Lack of focus for the program Lack of professional development Lack of district support Lack of coordination with families Lack of shared vision & norms Organization & size of advisory groups

8. Key Decisions for a Successful Advisory Program

9. The Inquisitive Parent Scenario! Why does every adolescent need an adult to be his/her advocate daily in school? What does that really provide? What’s advisory about anyway? What would you say to defend your advisory program?

10. TEAM Time! How did it all happen? • Teachers in the building were thirsty for a better “homeroom” concept. It was 20 min at end of the day with low fidelity and high frustration; (2) A committee of teachers, counselors, and the principal met before the school year to discuss the vision, mission, and logistics of the advisory program –when in the day, days of the week, who would do it, number of students per group, curriculum for program, staff development; (3) A special meeting during pre-planningwas had with all staff members about the advisory program. The principal led the meeting, took questions, etc.;

11. TEAM Time! (4) The counselor and the committee worked on the curriculum for the advisory by linking it with a weekly character ed program. How did it look?

12. W.A.T.T.'s up? Websters Are Talking Together! How did it happen? • A committee of teachers and administrators decided that the current advisory program needed to be changed. Was homeroom. • Film Clips resource was explored as a way to infuse character education and increase dialogue between staff & students. The committee decided that all staff members would have a WATTS Up group. Theme-based WATTS Up plans were created to help teachers & staff conduct conversations about film clips. • Master schedule was created so there was a compromise between instructional time and advisory. Decided to rotate WATTS Up and DEAR Time every Thursday for 25 min. in the afternoon. • Climate survey was given to students before & after WATTS Up to measure effectiveness.

13. TEAM Time & WATTS Up? What did we learn? • Staff development should include video examples of what an effective advisory looks, sounds like. • You must monitor teacher/staff implementation. • When it’s not working for a certain teacher/staff, pair him/her up with an effective advisory teacher. • Maintain a committee of people to work on the curriculum for the program. • Get feedback from students and parents, too –but be careful what you do with it. • Need to have spaces for student concerns if you go with a curriculum (like Film Clips).

14. An Advocacy Program is… Key Questions to Ask: • Why do you want to do it? • Who are you serving? • How will you identify the students in the program? • How will inform parents of selected students? • Who is going work with the students? • How do you train your volunteers? • What activities will you have for students in the program? Who will monitor each one? • How will you involve community agencies? • When does it happen? –afterschool, during day, both?

15. An Advocacy Program is… • PATHWAY: • Who? Recommended & identified discipline kiddos. Letter to parents • When? During and after school. Sometimes with YMCA • Monthly events: 1 – 2- 3 • Basis: relationship only –no grades examined/discussed at length • CHECK & CONNECT • Who? Recommended & identified kiddos • When? During school • Quarterly check-in events (one week @ end of quarter; mentor selected the day w/ mentee) • Basis: relationship and skills

16. The following are some questions that may prove useful for purposes of discussion, implementation, clarification, direction, and evaluation… 1. What does the school’s mission statement say regarding advisory and advocacy? 2.What does the advisory program mission statement say? 3. What does “advocacy” mean? What are the parameters? 4. Who in the school will “manage and maintain” the advisory and advocacy programs? 5. How and when will the advisory and advocacy programs be evaluated?

17. AMLE’s 16 Characteristics of an Effective Middle School from This We Believe

18. Questions, Comments, etc.?Thanks for being a part of the magnificent middle level!www.amle.org Dru Tomlin, Director of Middle Level Services Dtomlin@amle.org