Running head: INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

Ingraham School & Community Profile Katherine Parker Seattle University

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE Table of Contents

I. Demographic Information..............p. 3 Student Staff Attendance II. Data Interpretation.p. 9 III. School Counseling Program.p. 15 IV. Strategic Elementsp. 19 V. Key Relationships..p. 22 VI. Being Visiblep. 26 VII. Community Mapping..p. 29 VIII. Conclusion.p. 34

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE Demographic Information Student Demographics

The total enrollment, as of October 2012, for Ingraham High School is 1,022 students. Ingraham High School has a 50% rate of students utilizing free and reduced lunch. Figure 1 represents the demographics of students by race. This information was acquired from the school registrar on Nov. 1, 2012. The pie chart in Figure 1 indicates 0% for Pacific Islander. Because the percentage is so low it displays as 0%, however there are 6 students in this category. Figure 2 shows the actual number of students representing each group. Figure 3 reflects the gender of the student population.

Student Demographics by Race

Am Indian 8% White 45% Asian 23% Black 12%

Hispanic 12% Pac Island 0%

Figure 1. Student Demographics by Race. This figure shows the racial profile of students attending Ingraham High School as of October, 2012.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

Am Indian , 95 White , 564 Asian, 295

Black, 152 Pac Island, 6 Hispanic, 146

Figure 2. This figure shows the number of students in each racial category attending Ingraham High School as of October, 2012.

Male

Female

48% 52%

Figure 3: Student Demographics by Gender. This figure shows the gender profile of students attending Ingraham High School as of October 2012. Ingraham High School offers students many programs and services such as special education, International Baccalaureate (IB) full and partial degrees and Running Start college credit program. Figure 4 generally represents the break down of students in each program as reported from Office of the Superintendent and Instruction (OSPI) for the 2011-2012 school year data (Office of the Superintendent and Instruction). New data is not yet available for the 20122013 school year.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

Running Start, 60

Special Education, 117 Transitional Bilingual, 62 Section 504, 16 Migrant, 23 APP/IB, 244 Foster Care, 3

Other, 424

Figure 4. This figure shows the number of students in special programs at Ingraham High School, 2011-2012 (OSPI). According to data from the Seattle Public School Scorecard 2011-2012 school year, 10th grade students are 80% proficient in reading, 60% proficient in math, 85 % proficient in writing and 67% proficient in science. These results are passed on the percentage of students who passed the HSPE in each content area. Graduation rates for four years or fewer is 80% and six years of fewer is 81%. There is only 1% increase in graduation after 2 more years of High School. This is an area that needs intervention to raise the graduation rates of 5th and 6th year seniors. Staff Demographics Figures 5 and 6, respectively, display the racial and gender breakdown of the faculty and staff at Ingraham High School as of October, 2012 as collected by the school registrar.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

Faculty-Staff Demographics by Gender ( N=108)

Male Female

44% 56%

Figure 5. Faculty-Staff Demographics by Gender. This figure shows the gender profile of all faculty and staff members employed at Ingraham High School as of October 2012. This does not include the new teachers hired in November, 2012.

Faculty-Staff Demographics by Race (N=108)

Asian 10% Black 7% Hispanic 5% White 78%

Figure 6. Faculty-Staff Demographics by Race. This figure shows the racial profile for all faculty and staff employed at Ingraham High School as of October, 2012. Information regarding faculty-staff socioeconomic status is not made public, however, according to OSPI at least 63.2 % of teachers have a masters degree or higher. In addition, six staff members are National Board Certified teachers. In terms of the classroom environment, the

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

average class size at Ingraham High School is 23 students. This data was taken from the 20112012 school report card and does not reflect the overcrowding in the science and L/A classes this year due to having more students than projected. Attendance The following charts reflect achievement patterns at Ingraham High School. The school registrar retrieved this information from the district data system E-SIS on November 1, 2012.

Figure 7. The two graphs above represent attendance by risk category and student absence rates compared to average high school rates.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

Figure 8. The graphs above represent the movement in and out of Ingraham in October 2012 followed by the enrollment on October 1, 2012 vs. November. 1, 2012. Discipline Ingraham High School uses incident reports for any disciplinary action. This information was very difficult to find. After approaching the school registrar, head counselor and the principal, the only data available is seen below in figure 9.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

Short Term Suspensions 9/5/12 - 11/1/12

2 1 2

Black

Hispanic

White

Figure 9. This graph indicates the amount of short-term suspensions by race for September and October, 2012. Data Analysis Ingraham High School was allotted more funds by the district due to a higher enrollment than projected. The new funding consisted of a .2 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) school counselor and two new teaching positions, one in science and one in language arts. Many staff members were pleased with the increase in enrollment at Ingraham, but this also caused some disruption. Some teachers had 38 or more students until new teachers arrived in mid-October. Teachers did not get paid stipends for the overload until October and many were frustrated with the counselors for putting too many students in the core classes. Over enrollment in classes caused disruption for students as many commented on loud disruptive classes and disliked being moved to balance classes. A system wide intervention of a new policy that address enrollment before the second month of school is needed. My supervisor, Carrie Richard and I have discussed this matter and she said the district may allow schools to hire extra teachers as early as August next year, if they foresee a higher enrollment than projected. The data in Figure 8, enrollment of students by grade level, shows the 9th grade class with a higher enrollment that the other three grades. After a discussion with Carrie, I learned this

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

10

could be due to the recent addition of the Accelerated Progress Program (APP). This allows highly capable students to start as freshmen in the APP program and then accelerate the IB program by starting a year early in 10th grade (IBX). This is an alternative to the only other highly capable program at Garfield High School. Another reason the 9th grade class is larger may be due to Ingraham becoming an international school next year (Carrie Richard, personal communication, November 8, 2012). As the data indicates above, the racial breakdown of the faculty and staff does not mirror the student population. The staff has a higher White/Caucasian representation with 78% verses 45% in the student body. The representation of Asian, Black and Hispanic staff is lower that the student population by about half in each category. There are no staff members who identify as American Indian or Pacific Islander, leaving a small population of students to represent these races. There are slightly more female staff members than represented in the student body. Below in Figure 10 is a graph of the IB students disaggregated by race. As stated above, there are 244 students in this program. The majority of the students identify as Asian (39%) or White (34%). The under representation of the other student groups could mean they need more advocacy and support. The IB program is open to any student who would like to take the courses. Some students are very driven to apply and get information about the program. Those that are not as aware of the program may need an advocate, so they too can experience the benefits of the program. Information needs to be distributed to all families, especially students that are under represented. Currently there is just an information night about the IB program. More information should be given during class to reach students/families who are not able to go to the information night.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

11

The OSPI Washington State Report Card reports there is only one student in both the IB/APP program and special education program. Carrie and I discussed this and we both feel there are more students that may qualify for both programs. Based on interactions with IB students on my caseload, it seems they have an invisible struggle that is hard to define. They have the ability to do their work, but it is not getting done and they dont know why. A barrier exists for them, preventing them from performing at their potential, possibly an undiagnosed learning disability. Gifted students needing special education services, twice exceptional, is not a concept used at Ingraham very often. Some teachers believe gifted students should be able to achieve well on all assignments. This belief can impact the students self-esteem, as students get frustrated when not excelling in all areas, as expected by others. According to psychologist Leah Altemeier, gifted individuals usually are not exceptional in every academic area (personal communication, February 5, 2011). An intervention to address this misconception and support students with strategies should be put in place. A basic method of testing for deficits or processing skills is needed to identify the specific areas a student is struggling. This is difficult in the public school because if a student qualifies for special education services they are offered modified classes. A struggling IB student needs strategies for functioning with a deficit in an advanced class, not a modified class.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

12

Students in IB by Race
1% 5% 7% 34% 39% 13% 1% Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Asian Black PaciNic Islander White Multiracial

Figure 10. Student enrolled in the IB program disaggregated by race (OSPI). The graphs below are disaggregated by race and program of scores on the state reading and math tests for 10th graders. As mentioned earlier 80% of students passed the reading tests and 60% passed the math tests. It is important to note that the English Language Learners (ELL) have the lowest passing rate on both tests (see Figures 11 and 12). After talking with Jacky Graupner, another school counselor at Ingraham, she informed me that there are not a lot of options for ELL students who do not pass the standardized tests. They have an option to do whats called a Collection of Evidence project. If they do not pass this, they do not graduate. More support is needed for ELL students to be prepared to graduate. It is important to make sure their courses are appropriate. I just met with a student in the ELL program that is struggling in science. She doesnt know English well so is unable to grasp many science concepts. In any class some useful accommodations might be sequential lessons, scaffolding, translation glossaries and word lists.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

13

Students ProJicient on State Reading Test

Race or Special Program Special Education Eng. Lang. Learners Free/Reduced Lunch White Asian/PaciNic-Islander Hispanic Black 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent

Figure 11. This figure shows the percent of students by race or special program that passed the HSPE for reading in 2012.

Students ProJicient on State Math Test

Multiracial APP or Spectrum Special Education Eng. Lang. Learners Free/Reduced Lunch White PaciNic-Islander Hispanic Black 0% 20% 40% 60% Percent 80% 100% 120% Race or Special Program

Figure 12. This figure shows the percent of students by race or special program that passed the HSPE for reading in 2012.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

14

According to the data in Figure 7, the majority of students are at very low risk/no risk for attendance issues. However, 176 students are at very severe risk in their attendance patterns. This ties into a current problem with a 10th grade Language Arts class where 50% of the class is absent during 1st and 2nd period. As seen below in Figure 13, this is reflected in the data for offtrack 10th graders. After talking with the other school counselors about this data, we decided to do a needs assessment to the 10th graders, hoping to find out why they skip class and what resources they need. I will use the results for my advocacy project. Some of the resources offered on the survey are organizational skills, stress management, and social skills.

Figure 13. This chart acquired for the school registrar, displays the attendance and unexcused absence rate broken down by grade level on November 1, 2012.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

15

Finally, the lack of data on incident reports at Ingraham High School shows a great need for a better system that tracks referrals. Information about the incident, such as the time, location, and others involved would help administration and counselors respond proactively when finding patterns. Currently, we cannot pull up any disciplinary information about a student. Carrie mentioned one of her students was suspended and she had no idea when talking to his teacher. This information is important for school counselors because it gives us a better picture of the student. In order to provide a holistic approach to counseling, we need to understand what other issues students may be dealing with at school. Data would also help justify why staff are needed in certain areas during lunch and breaks. An incident happened last week between a male student and a large group who took his phone. This occurred in an area that is not normally supervised. Collecting discipline data would reveal if this were a common place for incidents. School Counseling Program The school counseling department at Ingraham High School this year is comprised of four counselors, one designated as a stay in school counselor and myself as an intern. I distributed the School Counseling Program Implementation Survey (SCPIS) to the head counselor, Carrie Richard and LeAnn Hust, the stay in school counselor. I will discuss the strengths and gaps first, then address my conclusion and recommendation for the program. a. What are the programs strengths? A few strengths stood out from both counselors surveys. Carrie and LeAnn have different roles, so their answers were often different. However, the following are strengths from both perspectives. Every year the counseling department provides guidance lessons to all students designed to promote academic and career development. This year we have already gone into the 9th grade classrooms and introduced them to the high school credit system and college

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

16

awareness. Each grade level has specific guidance lessons that are shared by all the counselors and every student develops a high school and beyond plan. Teachers are supportive of these lessons and offer their classroom and class time throughout the year. Counselors are valued at Ingraham High School as indicated by the following: (a) The job matches the duties performed, (b) 80% of the time directly benefits students, (c) resources are available for counselors to take part in professional development and workshops, (d) school counselor priorities are valued and discussed at various meetings, (e) good communication exists between caregivers and counselors. All of the above strengths are a reflection of the priority the principal and staff place of the counseling program. Counselors are given the freedom and support to do their work with a team of counselors that support each other. b. Where are the gaps in the program? One of the main gaps reflected from the SCPIS survey is there is no formal plan for closing the achievement gap for minority and low-income students. This is seen in the data on proficiency in state tests (Figures 11 and 12). ELL students are the lowest scoring group followed by Black and Hispanic groups. In addition there is no formal mission statement that guides the counseling department. Without these frameworks, the counseling program tends to be more reactive than proactive. Providing needs assessments and collecting data is another gap at Ingraham High School. Needs assessments are rarely given to students on a regular basis. We just gave one to a language arts class in response to an absence issues, but this was a one time intervention. Data is rarely analyzed by ethnicity, gender or SES status. There are limited data programs for disaggregating the data and some of the data is not entered in the computer so further hinders the process.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

17

Finally, an annual review or evaluation of the program does not exist. An area of growth for this program is to keep more data and evaluate to see what is working. c. What conclusions can you draw based on the results of the SCPIS? Overall, Ingraham has a strong supportive staff and administration. This allows the program to flourish and have autonomy. Healthy relationships between the staff and counselors enhance the effectiveness of the program as team work is evident. Counselors time is valued and not interfered with by responsibilities outside the program. Some areas of growth for Ingraham are creating a data driven counseling program. Data collection, analysis and evaluation are not done on a regular basis. Because data is not driving the building decisions, some students may not be getting the help or resources they need. For example, the ELL students and other low achieving groups are not being monitored, as there is no formal plan to support these students. Much of the counseling program reacts to issues that arise, instead of proactively addressing students needs. d. What recommendations do you have based on the results? Based on the results from the SCPIS survey, I recommend four ways to improve the gaps mentioned above. First, develop a mission statement that is aligned with the school mission statement. A mission statement specifically for the counseling program can guide the direction and priorities of the program. This can be done at the weekly counseling meetings on Wednesday. The completed mission statement can be posted on the Ingraham website. A great place to display the mission statement is on a counseling department website, which is another recommendation for the program, to display helpful information for students and caregivers. From the mission statement counselors can develop individual and program goals. One of the

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

18

program goals that should be addressed first is a practical plan for closing the achievement gap for minority students. A second recommendation is to develop and regularly given needs assessment specific to each grade level. The assessment should ask questions relevant to a specific time in the school year, such as the beginning of the year, mid semester (first and second) and end of the year. The surveys should measure the social and emotional, academic and career needs of the students. Interventions for the year should be based on the results of the needs assessment, including reevaluating the routine guidance lessons to see if they fit the needs of the students. Third, I recommend working with the technology department to find a program that works with the school data system to disaggregate data. Breaking down the data by race, gender and SES is important to find areas for intervention. I also recommend analyzing data within a program such as IB or special education to find areas that need more support or structure change. Finally, I recommend developing a tool to evaluate the program at the end of the year. I would create a survey that rates the services from the counseling department and provides a place for comments or suggestions for next year. This could be done on the computer, so data could be collected and analyzed easier from over 1,000 students. At one of the last counseling meeting of the year, discuss the results and start a plan of improvements for next year. The more data the counselors can collect before and after an intervention the more evidence they have to show the counseling department is effective based on the positive changes in the students. The head counselor, Carrie Richard commented that she values the SCPIS survey and it is a good tool for fine-tuning the program. She was interested to see that LeAnns answers were quite different than her own. This pointed out the very different perspectives the counselors have about the program and the need for more communication and data to really show progress of the

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

19

counseling program (Carrie Richard, personal communication, November 15, 2012). Data would eliminate some of the varying perspectives on how the students are being served. Carrie agreed that the program was not very data driven and that was an area for improvement. When asked if she used the ASCA model to guide the program she said she would like to but the large amount of students per counselor inhibits truly aligning with the ASCA model. I would like to get more information on why this is not achievable for Ingraham as the ASCA model should make reaching more students easier, not harder. Strategic Elements Ingraham High School became an accredited institution in1961 by the Commission on Schools of the Northwest Accreditation Commission. The mission statement, posted on Ingraham High Schools website, is: To empower Multi-Ethnic Urban Youth to participate fully in post high school training, in the world of work and society, in order to become productive and responsible citizens in our local and global community (Seattle Public Schools, 2012) a. What are the schools core outcomes? This year Ingraham High School released their School Plan and Budget for the 2012 -2012 school year in their school report available on Seattle Public School Website (Seattle Public Schools, 2012). The core outcomes for this year are as follows: For reading: The percentage of 9th grade African American students meeting or exceeding typical growth on MAP will increase from 45% to 55%, and for 10th grade students we will increase the percentage of students proficient on the state test from 80% to 85%. For math: Students passing the Geometry End of Course Exam will increase from 80% to 85%. For all students we will increase the percentage of students with fewer than ten absences per year from 54% to 60%.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE b. What are the schools strategic initiatives or school improvement plans?

20

Ingraham High Schools school improvement plan consists of plans to achieve the core outcomes above. For math, an after school and lunchtime tutoring will be available for students who need geometry help. Teachers will recommend tutoring for students as needed. Geometry teachers will have daily office hours during lunch and after school Monday through Friday. These schedules will be updated as needed and posted around the school. Ingraham will offer intensified Algebra 1 as a two-period block class using district adopted methodology and class size guidelines. Algebra 1 teachers will offer instructional assistance in individual or small group settings. To reach the reading goals, Ingraham will provide a Read 180/Reading specialist and assign students who scored a 1 or 2 on the 7th grade WASL to a Read 180 class. The schools strategy to decrease absences is to assign a truancy specialist to support students with truancy issues. Ingraham youth ambassadors will serve as peer counselors and sources of support for truant youth. d. What specific innovations are under development? Currently, Ingraham High School is preparing to become an international school by the 2013-2014 school year. In addition to offering an IB program, Ingraham High School is pursuing changing their status to an international school. The goal of an international school is to promote international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national curriculum different from that of the country the school is located in (Wikipedia, 2012). An example of creating and international environment is the school obtained and installed a world clock in the library this year. The

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

21

following is a list of requirements necessary to gain international status as a school (TIEOnline, 2012): a. Transferability of the student's education across international schools. b. A moving population (higher than in state schools or public schools). c. Multinational and multilingual student body d. An international curriculum (e.g. IB - DP, MYP, PYP) e. International accreditation (e.g. CIS, IBO, North Eastern ASC, Weston Ass. of Schools and colleges). f. A transient and multinational teacher population. g. Non-selective student enrollment. h. Usually English or bilingual as the language of instruction. e. Does the school have improvement days? What will occur during professional development days? Ingraham High School has several professional development days throughout the school year; building improvement days do not involve the faculty or staff. Before the start of the school year, two faculty-staff development days were held in August. The counselors did not attend these meetings, as they were involved in the master scheduling. There are three full day professional development days throughout the year. The last two have the option of being canceled due to inclement weather make of days. Half-day professional development days are also spread out over the year, about once a month after a two-hour early dismissal. Another day set aside for staff and administration is a day between semesters in early February, 2013. During the past professional development days, staff have mostly focused on a department specific workshops with choices available throughout the district to choose from.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

22

The counseling department attended a seminar on cutting at Ballard High School during the most recent professional development time. The international school process of gaining global visibility and perspective has also been a focus of these times. On future professional development days, staff will focus on the process of the student intervention team (SIT) and review 504 plans. Staff members were trained in first aide and suicide ideation and continue to address the school improvement plans at staff meetings. The counseling department is involved in a committee called instructional council (IC), which plays a role in designing and implementing the strategic elements of the school. As mentioned earlier counselor input is valued in this school and is taken seriously. Counselors also support the strategic elements of the school by referring students to tutoring for math support and monitoring a students progress in the CAS requirement of the IB program. CAS stands for creativity, action and service, areas students must volunteer their time to gain service hours. These hours align well with the school mission of being productive and responsible citizens in a local and global community. Key Relationships Supportive relationships are greatly valued at Ingraham High School. This is evident in the interactions between staff, administrators and students. Below is a description of these relationships in detail, much of which is derived from a conversation with Carrie Richard. 1. School and parents relationships in general are very positive. After public events the feedback from family members is positive and encouraging. Based on responses by caregivers, Ingraham feels like a responsive and welcoming place. It is often possible to just drop by and talk to the counselors without an appointment. Many parents are active in the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and volunteer on a regular basis at school.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

23

However, this scenario does not represent all parents as you can see in the Ingraham school report (Seattle Public Schools, 2012). Data shows 86% of parents had a positive response to the school, however only 14% of parents/caregivers took the survey. There is room for more exploration with a better sampling of the parent population 2. School and community relationships appear strong at Ingraham High School. This year there are quite a few grant funded programs working in the building. These programs include the University Tutors, Making Connections program from the University of Washington who focuses on career development, and El Centro De La Raza who advocates for the Latino community. All these programs from the community support Ingraham students with tutoring, case management and family support. Other community agencies provide Ingraham students with scholarships and service learning resources. Many places in the community provide service learning hours (volunteer) such as the hospital, private offices, police departments, etc. Some community members even volunteer their time to share their expertise with staff. For example, last week a biofeedback therapist spoke at our counseling meeting and shared some simple calming techniques. Ingraham also utilizes the community for referrals such as psychologists, speech therapists, and doctors. A specific specialist can not be referred, but can be included on a list for caregivers. 3. Staff and administration relationships are generally positive. The majority of teachers support the principal and administration. Last year the principals job was threatened and the staff and parents rallied around him to support his position. Mr Floe, the principal appears to be approachable and encourages autonomy in individual programs. However, some staff would like a little more direction and leadership from the administration.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

24

There are two assistant principals. One is very well respected and according to Carrie, staff members focus on his strengths. However, the second assistant principal does not seem to have the same relationships with staff and may be seen as unreasonable at times. 4. School counselors and teacher relationships are generally good. Teachers are supportive of counselors pulling students from their class and often volunteer their classroom and class time to guidance lessons from the counseling department. Teachers and parents also rallied around the head counselor, Carrie Richard, when her job was in jeopardy at the end last year. Teachers often consult with counselors about student issues, working as a team to solve problems. Staff will also talk with the counselors about personal problems or use their office to get some space. The main conflicts between teachers and counselors arise around scheduling issues. When classes are overloaded teachers often blame the counselors or want to transfer out a difficult student without first identifying the antecedent or trigger for the behavior and implementing an intervention. 5. School counselors relationship with the principal is positive. As mentioned early, Mr. Floe respects the counseling department and values the services they provide. He generally encourages the department to do what is necessary for the program, however according to Carrie there are times when he doesnt agree. For example, a few years ago a previous student committed suicide and the principal did not want to dwell on this issue. The counseling department on the other had was adamant that the issue needed to be address and offer resources for struggling students (Carrie Richard, personal communication, October, 11, 2012). The principal is very supportive of counselors attending workshop and when possible will provide the funds necessary to attend.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

25

Teachers, parents, support staff, students, counselors and administration all play different roles in the school building. Using the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory it is possible to see the influence of some members of the school community. The application of the roles outlined in the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory (the innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards) depends on the situation. An example of school counselors as the innovators was played out in our last counseling meeting. When consulting with a biofeedback therapist about ways to support students with ADHD, I was told of a high school that starting the school day with Physical Education (P.E.) class first (Linda Spain, personal communication, October 23, 2012). Research shows that doing 30 minutes of aerobic exercise in the morning significantly increase a students focus throughout the day. I brought this to the counseling meeting and very quickly the school counselors took on the role of the innovator. They were excited about taking a risk with changing the schedule to find out if the research results could be generalized to Ingraham. The early adopters would be the staff in the P.E. department. This would be a good opportunity for the P.E. department to collect data that supports the need for the program. Often the P.E. department faces many cuts, so they may quickly invest in an idea that shows evidence of positive change in students. The early majority may be the parents and the students who are not sure of the schedule changes but eventually willing to give it a try. The late majority may be the teachers who want their classes to be first period instead of P.E. Once they see the results of the data and notice that their students are more alert and focused in class they will start to accept the change. Students who do not need P.E. for credit because they have a waiver from an outside sport may also be

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

26

considered late majority. At first they may not see the need to do more P.E., but later may realize they have better concentration at school so start to think it may be worth it. The laggards may be the older generation in the school, wondering why we are keeping data on students and requiring them to fill out observations of their students with ADHD. They may think it is a waste of time and unnecessary to change the whole schedule around just to try a new idea. They may not be interested in data driven decision-making and want to just focus on their class. The agencies most often accessed for student support are the public library and the teen center on campus. These will be discussed in more detail in the Community Mapping section below. Being Visible To increase my visibility within the Ingraham school community and beyond, I attended five different types of meetings during the fall of 2012. 1. School counselor team meeting, Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. I regularly attend the school counselor team meetings at Ingraham. They are a great place to learn more about the program and what is currently happening at Ingraham and learn any new updates from the district. Often Carrie will share information from district meeting she has attended such as new credit details or new enrollment policies. I have also been able to share some ideas for the counseling program and brought in a guest to speak about biofeedback. 2. Student Intervention Team (SIT) meeting, Mondays at 1:00 p.m. I met with the SIT three times this year. This team consists of all the school counselors, the school psychologist and the school nurse. During the meeting students of

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

27

concern are presented and recommended for testing to the school psychologist. She then decides if she has enough information and reason to pursue testing for a deficit. I presented a student at my second SIT meeting. Giving the school psychologist some background information, test records, grade and attendance patterns were enough for her to say yes to formal testing for this student. However, the parents also need to agree for testing to occur. This parental agreement has not happened yet. 3. Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Club, Thursday, October, 18th, 2012. I attended Ingraham high schools GSA meeting with Carrie, who is one of the advisors for the club. The meeting is held in one of the Spanish classrooms during lunch on Thursdays. Students trickled in as the bell rang, bringing their lunches with them to eat during the meeting. The club is co-lead by two female seniors. They welcomed the group and started the meeting by recommending a game to play. This ides was quickly denied and the meeting then turned into a brainstorming session about how to encourage more participation in the club, as their numbers are decreasing. Many ideas were given and during an enthusiastic conversation. Carrie gave a few suggestions on how to appropriately use the club funds, such as making t-shirts for the club. Next, the group discussed a phone banking activity to support the equality in marriage referendum. The final consensus was to start advertising the group as an information source for all to broaden equity and fairness. There were 12 girls and 3 boys in attendance. 4. Seattle Public School Board Meeting, Wednesday, October, 17th, 2012. The school board meeting started with a discussion about math and the continuing achievement gap for students of color. One board member stated it has been five years of collecting good data, however the data shows the interventions still are not effective.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

28

Another speaker pointed out that teacher diversity matters. The current diversity make up of Seattle teachers does not match the student population. One suggestion was to grow our own teachers, providing scholarships for students of color to pursue a teaching credential program and then return to Seattle when they graduate. Of the many other topics and agenda items discussed I found the one on Wi-Fi very interesting. An engineer, nurse, teacher, parent, and a expert on radiation talked about he harmful effects of the electromagnetic frequencies given off by Wi-Fi in the schools. Their plea was to not install Wi-Fi in the elementary schools due children being more susceptible to microwaves. This meeting had well over 100 people in attendance. 5. Parent Conference, Monday, October, 29th, 2012. Afterschool, I met with an 11th grade student, his parents and teachers. This student has been failing all of his classes this quarter, so a meeting was called to discuss his strengths and how to support him at Ingraham. I met with the student ahead of time to prep him for leading some of the meeting. He did a great job telling his family and teachers that he wanted to do well, he just didnt understand some of the work. Many things were cleared up in this meeting and some guidance was given to the student about how to move forward. I was very pleased to hear most of the teachers tell this student that he was an asset to their class. One teacher even said he made her class better by his presence. This is exactly what the student needed to hear. I facilitated most of the meeting and once the teachers left the parents were informed that their student is eligible for IEP testing. This was received with mixed emotions and is still in process, as we are waiting for the parents to approve the testing. The meeting was from 2:30 to 4:00.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

29

In addition to the above meetings, I am in the classroom from 1-3 hours a week. During this time I am observing students, consulting with teachers, presenting guidance lessons and searching for students who do not come down when they are called. Community Mapping Below is a resource guide to many of the service available to teens at Ingraham High School. 1. School Based Teen Center: Ingraham Teen Health Center 1819 N 135th St. Seattle, WA 98133 PH: (206) 205-0430 Karen Boudour (Nurse Practitioner), Elenora Von (Mental Health Counselor), and Christy An (Clinic Coordinator). This school-based health center offers medical and mental health screening, treatment, health education in classrooms, and preventive services. Groups focusing on a variety of issues such as tobacco cessation and self-esteem are also offered. Health fairs to promote healthy attitudes and behaviors, nutrition education and cooking demonstrations can also be arranged through the clinic coordinator. This center targets adolescents who are uninsured and underinsured, those who have no other option to get medical care and counseling. They also serve young people who have insurance, but who want confidential care and advice. The health center is located in the school nurses office and is open during the school year, Monday Friday from 7:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. The health center is available to all Ingraham students. The staff is well trained to understand and treat the special health care needs of teen students. Referral Procedure: Both Public Health and school nurses regularly refer students to this school-based clinic. Any student may be seen by appointment with consent from their parents, during school hours or after school. Under Washington state law, youth may independently access reproductive health

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

30

care at any age without parent/guardian consent; they may independently receive drug and alcohol services and mental health counseling from age thirteen without parent/guardian consent. 2. Seattle Indian Health Board: Leschi Center, 611 - 12th Avenue So., Suite 200, Seattle (Metro bus route #36) PH: (206) 324-9360 Relay 711 or 800-833-6384 or 800-833-6388 Steve Gallion (Youth Services): steveg@sihb.org Seattle Indian Health Board is a multi-service non-profit community health center dedicated to improving the health and well-being of urban American Indians and Alaska Natives living in the greater Seattle-King County area. This center provides services to Native youth, their families and the community at large, with an understanding that to effectively treat youth, you must involve family and community. Medical staff provide primary and preventive care as well as dental and mental health services. Other services offered are case management, tutor assistance, life skills groups, cultural appreciation, and substance abuse education. Referral Procedure: Appointments may be scheduled the same day or day-after in the urgent care clinic. Hours of clinic operation are 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with extended hours until 8:00 p.m. every Wednesday. Direct care services at SIHB are provided on a sliding fee basis. Many public and private insurance policies are accepted. For more information or to schedule an appointment contact: Steve Gallion at (206) 324-9360 or email at: steveg@sihb.org. 3. Adolescent and Teen Obstetrical Care at UW Medical Center: 1959 NE Pacific St. Seattle, WA 98195 PH: (206) 598-3300 Katherine Debiec, M.D. Adolescent and teen obstetrical care is offered at the Maternal and Infant Care Clinic to meet the unique medical, emotional and social concerns facing pregnant teenagers. UW provides comprehensive care for young women up to age 24, their partners and families. A team including

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

31

an obstetrician, nurse, MA, dietician, and social worker all have experience working with pregnant teens. Pregnancy options counseling and support of educational and career goals are also offered. Childbirth classes just for teens, including those receiving care outside of the UW system are also available. Refereral Procedure: Students may self-refer and request an appointment by filling out a form online at : https://apps.medical.washington.edu/requestappt/?PageName=/Patient-Care/OurServices/Medical-Services/Obstetrics/Specialized-OB-Clinics/Pages/TeenPregnancy.aspx&lid=29 4. YouthCare- Age 1217: Adolescent Emergency Shelter: Location: U-District (NE Seattle) Shelter Hours: 24 hours PH: (800) 495-7802 Melinda Giovengo, Executive Director YouthCare runs the only short-term emergency shelter in Seattle for homeless youth aged 1217. YouthCare offers 12 beds for youth to spend the night safely. Trained counselors and staff work individually with each youth to meet their immediate needs and plan for the future. Staff will work with police and other agencies and authorities to make sure its safe for youth to return home if they end up choosing this option. If it is not safe to return home, Youth Care will find them a safe place. Referral Procedure: Call (800) 495-7802, and youth will be asked some brief questions. If they qualify, teens can enter the Shelter that day. If not, teens will be directed to other options. Within 8 hours of entry into Shelter, a parent, guardian, or Child Protective Services (CPS) worker must consent to a teens staying in the program.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE 5. Catholic Community Services-Jackson Park Tutoring Center: 14374 30th N.E. (Community Building) Seattle, WA 98125 PH:(206) 364-7026 Sarah Waugh (Supervisor) The Jackson Park Tutoring Center is located in Northeast Seattle to

32

provide youth with a safe, positive, and stimulating environment to explore learning and experience academic and personal success. Trained volunteers work with individual or pairs of students. In addition to offering academic support, volunteers serve as role models and friends to the students. At the tutoring center, students build skills in reading and math, get help with homework, and strengthen their sense of self-esteem and self-respect. Jackson Park Tutoring Center is one of six YTP tutoring centers located throughout Seattle. During the summer, YTP offers programs to help high school students build academic and life skills. Students and tutors work one-on-one or in groups as they rotate through various activities under the guidance of the YTP Center Supervisors and youth leaders. Students participate in various reading-integrated activities such as science, math, social studies, arts or writing. Referral Procedure: The Jackson Park Tutoring Center serves approximately 70 students living in the Jackson Park Village low-income housing community. Services are free and students can drop in when the center is open during the late afternoon and early evening hours. For questions contact Sarah Waugh at 206-364-7026 or jackson@ccsww.org. 6. Bitterlake Community Center: 13035 Linden Ave N. Seattle, WA 98133 PH: 206-684-7524 (front desk) Ron Mirabueano (Teen Program Director)/ PH: 206-233-3974 Bitterlake Community Center offers a variety of programs for high school students such as

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

33

a basketball league, tutoring and teen talking groups. Teen can also just drop in to the teen center between 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. to play board games, shoot some pool, create art projects and hangout in cozy chairs. Volunteer opportunities are also available for students who want to meet their volunteer service learning hours. All of these programs are afterschool and free of charge. Referral Procedure: Teen programs at Bitterlake Community Center are available to students in 6th -12th grade. Students can drop in afterschool and no registration is needed. Contact Ron Mirabueano with questions about the program or Isaiah if interested in gaining volunteer service learning hours. Other resources include, Sib shops a resource from Seattle Childrens hospital for siblings of patients with chronic medical conditions, Seattle public library who offers tutoring and computer services, North Seattle Family Center who offers tutoring and after school activities, Boys and Girls Club of Wallingford, Shoreline Community College offering alternative programs to earn a GED. During a discussion with Carrie about these resources, we noted the following services as currently being used to improve student achievement or educational problems: (a) The public library commonly is used by students who do not have access to a computer at home, (b) Shoreline community college has received a few referral already this year for students who are not thriving the in system at Ingraham and need another option. I will be attending an orientation with one of our students next week to see if this is a good fit for her, (c) grant funded tutors from University Tutors and El Centro De La Raza, as mentioned earlier, are widely used after school to improve student achievement, especially in Math and Spanish. The above services may not be reaching some needy students at Ingraham. I have seen many 11th grade students this year with an average of 5 credits. They are not on track to graduate

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

34

and no intervention is in place for them. A step-by-step plan to catch these students before they cant catch up is to implement an Response to Intervention (RTI) model in the school. The students that are failing in 11th grade need to be caught earlier so their self-efficacy is not damaged by failing grades reinforcing they are not good at school. One an RTI model is initiated students on tier 2 or 3 of the model can be directed to the above programs. Part of the problem is many student fly under the radar and are not supported until their senior year when they realize they wont graduate on time. An RTI model would be more proactive and reduce the number of students in need of intense tier 3 interventions. Graduation rates of 5th and 6th year seniors as noted above, only increases by 1%. Conclusion This school and community profile highlights the many strengths of Ingraham High School. The support the administration, teachers and staff give the counseling department enables them to do their job well. Also, the counseling team each brings their own individual gifts to the program, making it stronger as they compliment each other. I have seen this dynamic in counseling team meetings when issues arise and the team works on it together treating each other with respect. The many programs offered at Ingraham make the school a strong choice for students interested in an IB program, sports, theater, technical programs and Running Start college credit program. Ingraham High School is supported by many grant-funded programs that enable more student to benefit from one-on-one support through tutors and case managers. Finally, another strength of the school is the full time nurse, mental health center and teen center. It is very convenient for student to get their health needs met right on campus. Collaboration with the nurse and psychologist also benefit the students by providing interventions for the whole person.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE

35

Some gaps have also been highlighted in this profile. The largest one is the lack of discipline data. Ingraham is reacting to the behavior problems that arise, instead of strategizing ways to prevent further disruptive incidents. I experienced in internship class how helpful discipline data can be in addressing a problem. Knowing this makes the need for entering and analyzing data greater, because once you use a tool it is hard to go back to a less structured system. Another gap is the lack of support for struggling IB students. It is great that the program is offered, but continual support as students travel through the program is necessary. Also, as mentioned earlier there is no formal system for catching students at risk for not graduating. It is hard to keep track of so many students, but putting a system in place would help reduce the need for intensive interventions later, saving time. Finally, the math program does not seem to be meeting the needs of the special education population. As seen in the data this group struggles to pass the state test. Many students repeat the modified math class, evidently they are not learning the material. Reflecting upon this profile, the one issue I think needs further advocacy and exploration is how to support all types of IB students. Ingrahams focus is heavily on the international school perspective. They are very proud of the IB program and the benefits it has to offer. However, I think they need to step back and assess how all students are doing in the program. Are they all thriving? What is the drop out rate and who is dropping out? Finding out more information on who is successful and who isnt would help identify what further supports need to be put in place. Finally, advocating on systems level to educate teachers, parents and students that participants in the IB classes may also need extra support, interventions and coping strategies to successfully complete the program.

INGRAHAM SCHOOL PROFILE References

36

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (2012), Washington State Report Card. Retrieved from http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary Seattle Public Schools (2012), Ingraham High School Home Page. Retrieved from http://ingrahamhs.seattleschools.org/ Seattle Public Schools, School Report, 2011-2012.Retreived from http://www. http://ingrahamhs.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/D epartmental%20Content/strategicplan/schoolreports/2011/SchoolReport_2011_020.pdf?s essionid=09e381a60542f507ca666e7db11f8558 TIEOnline (2012), What Makes a School International? Retrieved from http://www.tieonline.com/view_article.cfm?ArticleID=87 Wikipedia (2012), International School. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_school