Posted on March 15, 2002 at 11:50 a.m.

STORY:

They are the resilient schools, the schools where students learn and achieve despite being in some of the nation’s toughest and poorest communities. These schools, and the people who run them, are the subjects of a new book Bouncing Back, (Eye on Education Inc., 2002) The book identifies seven “strengths” that teachers and administrators in poor school districts must have to succeed against the odds. The book’s co-authors, Jerry L. Patterson, Ph.D., Janice Patterson, Ph.D., and Loucrecia Collins, Ed.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Education, interviewed school leaders at six successful, but cash-strapped schools on the West Coast and in the South Central and Southeastern parts of the United States. The schools were selected because their students score at or above the state average on standardized tests.

WHAT:

“An effective school is a school with lots of resources, well-fed children and learning advantages,” said Janice Patterson. “Resilient schools, on the other hand, face ongoing, tough, complex situations, and yet, are still successful.”

The book outlines the “strengths” commonly found in resilient schools and their leaders:

• Resilient leaders promote a can-do spirit within their schools, maintaining high expectations with the firm belief that every child can learn and that there are no excuses for failure. One school, for example, required parents to sign contracts promising to provide their children with a place and time to study each day.
  
  
• Principals act as buffers, shielding teachers from excessive administrative paperwork and other distractions that take time away from teaching.
  
  
• Resilient schools provide supportive environments for novice teachers who struggle to keep order and teach their subjects.
  
  
• Resilient school leaders aren’t afraid to invite naysayers to join them in the conversation about moving a school forward academically.
  
  

All of the interviews for the book were kept confidential to encourage school leaders to talk openly and honestly, said Patterson. She says the book is an excellent resource for anyone who exerts leadership at schools, including principals, teachers and parents.