MIDDLETOWN
STANDARD VOLUME 1 / NO. 6 February 2003
BUILDING A LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
Dear Colleagues & Parents:
Learning Walks™ have become part of our teaching and learning practices in the Middletown Public Schools. Trained walkers, using a specific protocol visit our classrooms on a regular basis. These organized visits through a school’s learning area, using the Principles of Learning, focus on instruction and learning.
Learning Walks™ are a catalyst for school analysis and reform. Learning Walks™ provide schools and teachers with information that will facilitate discussion and reflection on what is working well and what should be a target for improvement.
Our Learning Walks™ throughout our schools show evidence of a system working together on Clear Expectations... teachers communicating what students will learn, how they will learn it, and what qualifies as good work; and Accountable Talk… requiring students to use evidence appropriate to the content, interpreting and using statements of others and pressing for clarifications.
Our principals and staff have demonstrated a strong commitment to this work and its focus on improved instruction and learning. As we continue this work with the University of Pittsburgh, we further examine and strengthen our instructional practices in the Middletown Public Schools.
For more information on Principles of Learning check our web site: www.ri.net/middletown.
Sincerely,
Rosemarie K. Kraeger