OU Center for Effective Schools

Renowned graphic novel author Michael Dahl made an Author’s visit to present a writing workshop to students and teachers at Riverside Indian School. Students have been reading and enjoying many of his graphic novels from the Library of Doom and Dragonblood series. Teachers are using these books to increase student achievement in reading and to develop motivation for reading. Mr. Dahl told of his experiences and inspirations as a writer, reader, and author. He encourages the students to write about what they know and enjoy.  Students participated in a drawing to receive many of his books from another of his series, DC Comics. He is the author of over 100 books, a three-time winner of the AEP Distinguished Achievement Award and a Teacher’s Choice award from Learning Magazine. Michael Dahl is known for writing books that get kids excited about reading through humor and insight.

For the past 2 years, OU CES has been working with Lummi Nation Tribal School and High School, Wa He Lut Indian School, and Yakama Tribal School to raise student achievement. Technical assistance for these schools includes two days on-site to provide professional development to teachers and administrators.

Through the Effective Schools Model, trainings have focused on the Seven Correlates of Effectiveness and included

• data driven instruction
• state standards alignment
• culturally relevant teaching
• differentiated instruction
• novel unit integration
• professional learning communities
• classroom management through engagement
• instructional leadership

OU CES also facilitated the schools in their grant writing efforts.

 

The University of Oklahoma Center for Effective Schools recently invited Keynote Speaker Keith Lowry to host several fun, interactive workshops on Team Building for schools working with OU CES. Known as a humorous and engaging speaker, Lowry showed participants how to work more collaboratively with other staff members and how to improve communication within their schools.

Lowry has been teaching and training in a wide variety of settings for over 25 years, to great reviews. His unique style of edutainment keeps audiences laughing and learning. Lowry’s extensive experience in managing people and time turns each session into a gold-mine of ideas and revelations that participants can take back and put to use immediately.

Barry Long of Talk and Roll Enterprises has partnered with The University of Oklahoma, Center for Effective Schools to present an inspiring and intense training session for schools working with OU CES on maintaining a Safe and Positive Environment within schools. Motivational speaker Barry Long challenges how students and teachers face life's trials with inspiring and humorous stories. These trainings illustrate useful tools, showing people new and valuable ways of dealing with life’s challenges and pressures.

After his recovery from a near-fatal motorcycle accident, Long learned meaningful lessons about overcoming life’s challenges and now shares his message of hope and success with others. Long has remained active in competitive wheelchair sports, and he takes his unbridled enthusiasm for life to new heights, which he shares with his audiences. He is an avid participant in extreme sports like snow skiing, water skiing, road racing, wheelchair biking, and skydiving.

The University of Oklahoma Center for Effective Schools recently hosted a dynamic workshop on Professional Learning Communities for schools working with OU CES. In this PLC workshop presented by Keith Adams, participants learned how high-performing, collaborative teams can work together to implement reflective practices "that raise student achievement."

Adams earned his bachelor's degree in history from Bowie State University, a master's degree in teaching from Grand Canyon University and Educational Leadership Certification from Hood College. Currently he is the social studies department chair at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, MD and directs the district's PLS's. He also conducts workshops for educational groups on the benefits of Professional Learning Communities.

OU CES works with Chemawa Indian School in Salem, OR and Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, OK to raise student achievement. OU CES provides on-site professional development based on the school's needs to the academic and residential staffs through the Effective Schools process.

OU CES also provides on-site college credit courses in collaboration with The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma for the Student Services Department, which includes the Home Living Staff and Education Technicians, in need of additional credit hours as outlined and required by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Center for Effective Schools will plan, develop, coordinate, and implement staff development through these courses.

OU CES provided monthly on-site professional development for the teachers and administrators of four identified alternative high schools within the Youth Connection Charter Schools (YCCS) organization. These schools included Ada S. McKinley, Sullivan House, CYCI, and Jane Addams. The trainings were a combination of collaborative group trainings at the YCCS administration offices as well as on-site trainings at the individual school sites.

OU CES also provided a school-wide needs assessments to determine critical areas of need in order to provide on-site professional development at individual school sites. In addition, OU CES analyzed all test data, reviewed records and reports, met with individual school principals, observed classroom instruction, and provided Effective Schools' trainings for school improvement teams and school administrators.