How to Diversify School Offerings At Any Level

Bobby Dodd, Principal

Tia Holliman, Dean of Curriculum

Gahanna Lincoln High School

Learning Targets

• I can use steps to become more creative and innovative when creating new courses and programs.

• I can market and brand new programs and courses that I create.

• I can visualize and use others ideas to improve my school and classroom.

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Do You Really Need to Be Creative to Offer Great Programs?

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Steps to Follow to Diversify Your Portfolio

• Visualize how you can help your school and/or classroom grow.

• Some steps may apply to your school and/or classroom, some may not.

• Most important takeaway:

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Know Your Location and Who You Are

• Be realistic in your ideas and needs

• Think about what it will look like 5 or 10 years down the road

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Align Building Goals with Programs

• If the program doesn’t align to your building/classroom goals and vision, don’t do it!

– You will only be confusing your stakeholders

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Need

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Base Programs on the Need of Students, Parents, & Community

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How Do You Find Your Needs?

• Asked our students, staff, and parents

• Created a survey using Google Forms

http://goo.gl/forms/u3svBwGf9m

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How Do You Find Your Needs?

• Sent an email to parents using School Messenger – mass email software we use

• Use social media to spread the word:

– Twitter – school and personal accounts; ask other teachers to also Tweet link

– Facebook – Post link on school/district account; pay for Boost

– RemindHQ – mass text application; text the link to staff, students, parents

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GLHS Fabrication Laboratory

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Our Need

• We knew we needed to reach out to industry in Gahanna.

• We knew we had to reach out to the community.

• We knew we had to provide other opportunities for students to demonstrate learning outside of a traditional classroom setting.

• We had the equipment from a grant

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GLHS Digital Academy

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Need

• Parents and students wanted online offerings.

• We knew we needed to provide curriculum to students in non-traditional means.

• We knew we needed online curriculum that would allow for enrichment opportunities for students.

• We knew we needed to prepare ourselves for the future.

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Requests from Parents & Students

• We take suggestions and requests for classes often.

• Students get ideas from other school districts, friends in college, social media.

• It is imperative to have a large number of students who are interested in a class

• Curricular Change Proposal form to begin the process

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Having the Right Personnel in Place

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Having the Right Personnel in Place

• You need to have the right teachers to offer new courses and programs

– If you don’t, the program will not be successful

• Don’t offer programs just to offer them, put the right protocols in place to be successful

– Refer to the proposal submitted

• Hire with the future in mind

– Applicant’s degrees & licensure are important

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Having the Right Personnel in Place

• Applicant needs to have the right mindset that fits with the building and staff; open minded to starting new programs

• Professional Development– Where can staff get training?

– Make sure the training occurs early• Example – 1:1 programs

• Make sure counselors and other support staff are aware of intentions and timelines

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Simplify Your Resources

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Simplify Your Resources

• Use what you have

– GLHS FabLab & Digital Academy

• Start small if necessary

• Find the space – Make the space if you have to

• Write grants

• Meet vendors/textbook companies to evaluate resources

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See What Other Schools Are Doing

• Visit other schools

• Communicate with leaders in other buildings to see what they are doing

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Market & Brand the New Course

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Steps for Marketing the New Course

Communication

• Students, staff, and parents need to know about the course

• Social Media, Open Houses, Parent Meetings

• Let all parties know of the benefits of taking the course

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Steps for Marketing the New Course

Use What Other Schools Are Using

• Find other places that are offering the same course/program and see what they did to promote their course/program

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Steps for Marketing the New Course

Recruit

• The staff teaching the new course/program will determine the enrollment

• Staff with good student-teacher relationships is important

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Steps for Marketing the New Course

Create Excitement

• Too many times this is overlooked

• Use the local media to market your program

– GLHS Fab Lab article

• Use the course/program as a showcase at local events

– Community Art class article

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Steps for Marketing the New Course

Community University Courses

• If you leave with one thing today, create Community University courses for your parents to learn more

• You PTO/PTA can help promote this and attend the classes

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Steps for Marketing the New Course

Course Offerings Book

• Make sure the courses are in the book

• Make sure people know where the book is located online

• Have your administration and/or counselors create a video explaining scheduling process and mention the new courses

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Examples of New Courses/Programs

AP Classes

• How do we determine what new AP classes to offer?

• What steps do we go through to get approved?

• Why do we believe we should offer as many AP classes as we can?

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Examples of New Courses/Programs

Community Art class

• Listen to your staff and say “Yes!”

• Anyway you can connect community and schools is a great thing

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Examples of New Courses/Programs

Student Ambassador Program

• Why did we do this?

• How did we get it going?

• Did we have a model?

• How do we sustain it?

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Examples of New Courses/Programs

World History online

• Why did we change the way the class is taught?

• How did we get teacher buy-in?

• Who didn’t we have to get buy-in from?

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Contact Information

• Bobby Dodd, Principal

Email: doddb@gjps.org

Twitter: @bobby__dodd

• Tia Holliman, Dean of Curriculum

Email: hollimant@gjps.org

Twitter: @Ms_Holliman

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