Author Archives: Gabriella Duran Blakey

Innovative Interview Process Finds Innovative Teachers

Opening a new charter school is challenging, yet energizing in so many ways. Over the past few months I have worked as the primary contact of the school. Often times it can feel a bit isolating. However, beginning the process of hiring staff to join me on this journey is exciting. Knowing we are creating a team energized by each other, willing to become trailblazers in school reform, and eager to think from a new perspective gives me a sense of hope and confidence in the work we will embark on with our students at Health Leadership High School.

As an experienced principal, I approach the process of hiring new teachers with a bit of uncertainty and hesitation. I always hope to bring in teachers with positive attitudes, teachers that are enthusiastic about their contribution to their school and society through their work as a classroom teacher. As I look at bringing on new teachers to our staff, I also have to be cognizant of the effect the culture of the school will have on the teachers’ ability to work with students.

Often new teachers coming into the culture of the school are affected by veteran teachers. Their colleagues influence these new teachers as they navigate the culture of the school. Colleagues disenchanted with the work of the school may have a damaging effect on these new teachers and their longevity in the field of education.

In addition to bringing new teachers into an established culture of the school, I often had little choice in the teachers I could hire each year. District offices often give principals a ‘must-hire list’ that includes teachers who need to be placed in other schools due to budget constraints at their current school, as well as other issues that may cause them to be placed on this list. Prior to hiring teachers who apply directly to the school or may be applying from outside of the district, I must hire these teachers who are often placed to work in my school. This process of placing teachers in schools forces the school leader to Continue reading…

Professional Development Center Supports Albuquerque Start Up

Health Leadership High School is a new high school opening in Albuquerque, New Mexico committed to providing the best education to the students who need it the most. We will serve poor students and from low socioeconomic families that are between 14 and 24 years of age. The school anticipates that most of the students will be under-credited and off track to graduation and we expect that 80% of all students enrolled will fit this profile. This demographic of young people need a relevant highly personalized approach to learning. Many studies have documented the need for relevancy and purpose in their learning for at-risk students and the school is committed to making school directly related to their future ambitions to work in the health care sector.

This is the time to re-engineer career preparation in high school. The health sector is changing at an unprecedented rate and we face an unknown future. However, we know that in an era of scarce resources, a well-educated and skilled workforce is our best chance to shape a healthy future for our communities. Regardless of the job any of our graduates hold, they will need a broad understanding of the determinants of healthy communities, families and individuals. They must also understand the systems that can improve the services that support the health of our citizens and that have the capacity to actually serve their clients well. Finally, they will have a diploma with currency in the workplace and be prepared for a career in the sector directly after graduation and/or continue to college after they graduate.

As an experienced principal, I felt confident running the day-to-day operation of a school, working with teachers and students, developing relationships with families, and even working with a tight budget. However, as I took the move into opening up a brand new charter school, I knew I was going to need to push outside of my comfort zone of schools to build a school schedule receptive to the needs of students and reflective of work in the industry, develop relationships with industry partners, and create a project-based curriculum responsive to our industry partners yet intriguing to students. Eagle Rock’s Professional Development Center came to my aid to be not only a thought partner in this new work, but a mentor to me as I worked to through deconstructing school design and redesign a curriculum relevant to students who are disengaged in the current system of school.

Eagle Rock’s Director of Professional Development, Michael Soguero and Dan Condon, Associate Director of Professional Development sat down with me to engage me in a conversation about vision, redesign, and re-engaging students. I was inspired by their confidence and enthusiasm in the work ahead of us at Health Leadership High School. Rather than instruct me with a recipe of what to do with the design of the school, Michael and Dan posed questions to me in my vision and mission of the school. Their ability to push me in my thinking enabled me to come up with a concrete plan for my own professional development goals as I developed the school.

Based on our conversation, I developed two professional development goals. The first goal included creating a Project Based Learning (PBL) project based on the health sectors outlined by the industry and the needs of the community. The second goal was to engage our industry partners from the health field in the development of our projects. This work was important for me to obtain relevant information to inform our projects and demonstrate the value of our industry partners in school design. With the constant listening ear of Dan as he thoughtfully pushed me in my thinking to ensure I was true to what I laid out as the goals of my work, we were able to develop three PBL projects to share with industry partners.

Sharing curriculum with industry partners is exciting, cutting edge, and frightening. Sometimes as educators we share a finished product, but rarely do we engage with industry partners at the layer of curriculum development and design. I was a bit hesitant to share the information, gather input, and redesign as needed by the industry. Yet, with the help of Dan having honest conversations with me about outcomes for students and sharing protocols to guide the discussions with our partners I was able to facilitate a successful curriculum meeting with twelve partners from the health field. Industry partners responded that they had never been part of such progressive curriculum design, nor had they ever had the opportunity to ensure the curriculum was directly aligned and relevant to their industry.

As I followed up with Michael and Dan on the success of our creating curriculum with industry partners, I realized I was in a place to start organizing the daily schedule to reflect the work of the curriculum. Thoughtfully, Michael and Dan asked me to articulate the essential elements we need to add in the school and without the constraint of time discuss what a day in the life of a student at Health Leadership High School would look like. As they listened carefully to my vision, Michael was able to help organize a weekly schedule with me in a way to reflect the cutting edge work, align to the vision and mission of the school, and transfer onto paper in a way graspable to the daily work of students and teachers.

The work of Eagle Rock Professional Development Center allowed me to begin putting ideas of school design centered on student re-engagement into reality. Their ability to listen, organize ideas, and provide tools applicable to my work was of astounding service. Their work and passion is admirable and inspiring. They have shared their knowledge in a way to encourage me as I embark on this new venture to create a healthy, meaningful learning environment for our students who need it the most.

If Eagle Rock’s Professional Development Center were to work with your school what would you choose to focus on?