Lead Where You Stand - Using Student Voice to Create Change

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Mount Vernon High School

Second Presenter's Institution

NA

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Strand #1

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Strand #2

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Relevance

Students that have experienced trauma, live at or below the poverty line and may not have access to successful mentors, exhibit behaviors that are contrary to scholastic settings. The MVHS leadership, school counselors, teachers and behavior team have worked to identify these barriers to learning. The implementation of structures to support students' emotional health are pivotal in our work. Through the implementation an Academic Reflection Center (ARC); of restorative circles, monthly social-emotional lessons, a Principal's Advisory Council (PAC) and other strategies, we have created an environment for learning where students feel relevant, intellectually & physically safe, and invite community to share in the success.

Brief Program Description

Participants will understand the fundamental importance of systems and structures that support student learning. We will provide an overview of obstacles that students in trauma face and practical ways to help support their academic growth and build meaningful relationships. Where fiscal constraints may exist, learn how to use existing human capital and community based organizations as a resource.

Summary

According to Dr. Pedro Noguera, students within high poverty districts can achieve high standards if they are held accountable for their actions and provided the supports they need (2008). Jenson goes on to also warn that the “kiss of death” for students from low-income environments is when educators do not hold them accountable to high standards of academic achievement and conduct. The “poor them” mentality and chronic excuse of inappropriate behavior rather than educating, coaching, and holding students accountable, in the long run will only limit their ability to learn, secure employment, and thrive within a 21st Century job market (Jensen, 2013).

These important views undergird the approach our school has taken to ensure we help to eliminate barriers and hold students to high standards. To this end, we embarked on a journey to recraft our School Vision Statement to include language about perseverance, grit and agency. These efforts are sustained by systems and structures that support emotional well-being as well as a rigorous instructional programs.

Using the “Equity Walk” exercise as the basis for Lead Where You Stand, participants will understand the importance of finding leadership qualities in their students, staff, parents, guardians and school community. Participants will understand how one high school located in an urban NY area is refusing to allow the cycle of poverty to continue. This city school district of 4-square miles is navigating the urban/suburban dichotomy and graduating students of color and those at or below the poverty line at increasing rates. Participants will also learn ways to involve stakeholders in social-emotional development while deepening the instructional capacity of pedagogical staff.

Evidence

Faced with a record-high suspensions in the 2nd month of school, this school looked at the systems and structures that needed to be implemented to support a safe academic environment. Among the strategies used, a few proved to be especially successful. The implementation of Academic Reflection Center (ARC), the use of KNIGHTS Days for social emotional learning & partnerships with our community based organizations helped to decrease the overall suspensions from 70 per month to 5. Promising practices include, KNIGHTS Days, where counselors, psychologists, social workers, safety officers, custodians and community based organizations take the full schedule of a teacher for the day and implements a lesson based on the theme of the month. The teacher, in turn, attends in-house professional development with colleagues. This approach has increased the access to social-emotional skill development for students as well as provided teachers a grassroots approach to their own development. The implementation of KNIGHTS Days was successful in identifying and stopping more than 6 suicidal ideations, 25 experimental drug uses helped the school create two clubs for diversity.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to understand how student voice and choice impact systems and structures.

Participants will identify alternative to suspension programs for students.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Ronald Gonzalez

Distinguished Principal/Transformational Leader

2019 Manhattan College - Distinguished Service Award

2016 NYS Region 2 Administrator of the Year

Dr. Ron Gonzalez has lead transformation efforts at Mount Vernon High School for the last 8 years of his 22 year career. His visionary leadership has led to improvements in student performance which include graduation rates the highest in over a decade in a large comprehensive high school in an urban district. He attributes much of the success of this school transformation to the systems he set forth, training of staff and using student voice as an agent of change.

His leadership has gained recognition among his peers and across New York State. Most notably being named the 2016 NYS Administrator of the Year for Region 2 – RASA; as well as the recipient of city citations, NYS Assembly recognitions and County Legislative Proclamations for increasing graduation rates. Accomplishments he accredits to the work of the Leadership Team built under his guidance. He recognizes the power of collaboration and endorses both empowerment and accountability equally and emphatically in and among his team.

Dr. Ron Gonzalez’s work as the transformational leader that guided Mount Vernon High School to flourish academically has also been identified as a “School of Promising Practice” by the NYSED Regents Reform and Title I offices. He and the MVHS Leadership Team have provided presentations and technical assistance to schools throughout NYS that have also been identified as Focus Schools.

His doctoral research focused on the impact of educational seat time for Black/African American Students and Economically Disadvantaged Students. As a practitioner and researcher, the in-depth analysis of New York State data helped him to make strategic decisions for implementation within his school. He uses book studies, historical contexts and brain exercises to push the thinking of his staff, in an environment of inquiry that is safe for risk-taking.

Education

Ed. D., Executive Leadership, St. John Fisher College

MS. Education, Educational Leadership, Principals Institute, Bank Street College of Education

B.S. Education., Manhattan College

Leadership

Principal

Administrators’ Union President

World-wide and National presentations with the National Innovative Schools Summit - - “Lead Where You Stand”

NYSED Presentation on School Improvement as “Peer School of Promising Practice”

Collective Bargaining and APPR Negotiations Leader

School Law Institute, Columbia University

Keyword Descriptors

student voice, school change, reform, SEL, suspension, attendance, advisory

Presentation Year

2021

Start Date

3-10-2021 10:05 AM

End Date

3-10-2021 11:05 AM

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Mar 10th, 10:05 AM Mar 10th, 11:05 AM

Lead Where You Stand - Using Student Voice to Create Change

Participants will understand the fundamental importance of systems and structures that support student learning. We will provide an overview of obstacles that students in trauma face and practical ways to help support their academic growth and build meaningful relationships. Where fiscal constraints may exist, learn how to use existing human capital and community based organizations as a resource.