Parenting Journey: nurturing gatherings to help parents be their best

Photo: Trainers Donn Reid (right front) and Ashley Hampton (third from right) sit with parent students at a recent Parenting Journey session, which always includes a hot meal.

Parenting styles are influenced by one's past, by one's whole family, and by the cultural, social, and economic circumstances in which families find themselves. Building on the idea that adults must learn to nurture themselves before they can nurture their children, the Parenting Journey course emphasizes the experience of the parent as a person instead of the parent in a disciplinary relationship with their children. By coming together and exploring what did or didn't work in their experience of being parented as children, parents can begin to make conscious choices about the way they want to successfully parent their own children.

The Parenting Journey is a 13-session course designed for parents who want to be supported in learning more about themselves as parents, about their relationships, their strengths, and the resources and skills they need to effectively parent their children. Over meals in a warm and nurturing environment, parents are supported and encouraged to care for themselves, and each other, while participating in a series of experiential exercises and activities.

Over the many years we've taught this course, the feedback is always the same: Our caregivers walk away feeling more prepared to deal with the many stressors that come with being a parent. We're excited to bring this course to our Domus Academy parents to help them help their children.

Class size matters. Period.

We know there's debate in the education community: Does class size matter? How much? If so, for which kids?

For our kids, it matters significantly. Domus Academy students are here to learn, and many need to catch up academically. To do that, they need extra time with their classroom teachers. Every minute counts. And if there are additional barriers facing a young person--poverty, social/emotional challenges, troubles at home, illness--that child will struggle to focus in class. The disadvantages just stack up.

A study released today by the Brookings Institution states, "it appears that very large class-size reductions, on the order of magnitude of 7-10 fewer students per class, can have significant long-term effects on student achievement and other meaningful outcomes. These effects seem to be largest when introduced in the earliest grades, and for students from less advantaged family backgrounds."

Large-scale reduction from previous classes our students were in? Check.
Students from less advantaged family backgrounds? Check.

Not only are our class small, with an average of 10 students per class, we strive to always have two adults in the classroom at all times for additional support for students.

Whatever it takes.

Our Thanksgiving celebration

It's a tradition at Domus schools: We have a huge feast and invite friends, family members, and alum to join us to celebrate all we're thankful for. This was our second celebration, and it was a blast! Music, decorations, homemade goodies...no better time was had anywhere in New Haven yesterday.

More photos from our fun celebration are here.

All of us at Domus Academy are thankful for the support of the community, our students, family members, loved ones, our colleagues, and the many people who have made this school possible.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Tonight's Report Card Night

At all Domus schools, we ask parents to stay engaged as partners in their child's education by doing things like coming to Family Nights and Report Card Nights. It helps us create and maintain the relationships which help us, in turn, best serve each student. A child's success requires all the partners--student, parent, and school--giving their best effort.

At tonight's Report Card Night, I talked to one mom whose son is definitely giving it his all. B. is a 6th grader whose mother told me all about his transformation in just a few short months.

"He's been doing great. His grades are coming up, he wants to do homework--he never wanted to do homework before...his behavior has changed--he's more calm. He loves the staff." Mom is visibly proud about B.'s tremendous progress.

When asked about the differences she sees between this school and B.'s old school, Mom says Domus Academy staff members "take time with the kids--they talk with them. [The school has] the advocates--B. goes to [family advocate] Mr. Smith, and he'll go talk with him about any problems" he's having. When I note, after Mom explains how B. takes responsibility for his education, from doing homework to making sure his uniform is all together, she notes with a smile that's true, "plus he's got Mom and Dad backing him up."

Student, parent, school: When everyone pitches in, it works. 

Teambuilding!

Our DA team went through the Hopkins School’s Adam Kreiger Adventure program in New Haven as a way to build team and get to know each other. They utilized the 30+ low and high elements, structures made up of any series or combination of wires, ropes, cables, tires, and wood. The many activities the team did indoor and outdoor focused on a wide range of objectives which may include establishing group trust, cohesion, and/or communication.


And it's great for all ages! Here's some Domus kids from another program years ago stretching their boundaries and supporting each other...about three stories up in the trees.

New! Video about our extended-day music program

"I don't wanna fight with people" ..."It's really helping my grades go up."

Yes, music is doing all that and much more.

Kick back and relax as you hear from our students about how creating music helps them express themselves in a healthy manner, feel heard, and feel part of a group--such basic human needs, and you can do it all by creating some tunes.

This video is expertly produced and full of great beats and mature insights from young people finding themselves--take a break from your day to experience the talent we're nurturing at Domus Academy.

Rashid and his TFA teachers and mentor at the big dinner!

Rashid and Stephanie at the Teach For America dinner

Enjoy this great photo of Rashid and Stephanie at the annual TFA dinner, where they brought home the importance of dedicated, high-quality teachers who go the extra mile to transform lives.

Domus Academy shines at annual Teach For America CT dinner

This is a pretty terrible picture, but on the left on the big screen and on the right, brightly illuminated, you can see former Domus Academy student Rashid Whitley addressing the 500+ guests at the annual Teach For America CT dinner at the Greenwich Hyatt last night. TFAer and 2nd-year DA teacher Stephanie Sun also wowed the crowd with an inspiring and funny speech about what it was like to start a school from scratch. (Hint: Very interesting!)

But it was Rashid, more than another other speaker (sorry, Governor!), who brought home what transformational education is all about. Rashid started Domus Academy as "Ra-Ra," as he was known: lacking confidence and not interested in being known for academic success. Ra-Ra was not exactly on the path to big success. But with the persistence of DA staff, Ra-Ra realized he had it in him to be successful. He became highly focused on his grades, "stuffing [his] pockets with review sheets." He became Rashid: a student recognized for high academic achievement who believed in himself and knew he had a future.

Rashid reminded us why schools like Domus Academy and efforts like Teach For America are not just important but vital.

We must reach every student.

Every student can be reached.

We must never give up.

If we don't, we will miss turning Ra-Ras into Rashids, and Rashids can change the world. 

Good stuff coming up!

This Friday is Good-Standing Trip Day, with five of our students attending a fun movie outing in recognition of their hard work to keep their grades up. Many of our students, despite being intellectually capable, have not experienced school success, so treats like this serve to recognize their hard work, motivate them to push through tough times, and show other kids there are benefits to focusing on school. If you want to donate movie tickets or a few games of bowling to congratulate our students, they'd love that!


RED ALERT: On October 27th, our student will roll out, for the very first time, two songs they've written during our extended-day program. They're presenting their songs at Family Night--we'll post them after their premier. Help us grow our music production program by donating any instruments you have at home; a Stamford music store has offered to repair them for free!

"Give me one word which describes Domus Academy."

These were the instructions I put to our students at lunch. Some of their responses were really surprising, and funny, and interesting...some took their time, mulling over their thoughts, while others instantly had a word for me.

Shaquila, Public Ally

A *what*?

Public Allies is a nonprofit organization which develops the next generation of leaders. They place these leaders in other nonprofits to help us achieve our goals. An AmeriCorps program, PA has a "track record of results and impact" which has "led to recognition and honors from the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, The Bridgespan Group [our faves!], McKinsey & Co [another fave!], Fast Company, and others."

Domus has two Allies: Christine, who's working as an educational advocate in our group homes in Stamford, and Shaquila (above), Domus Academy's attendance outreach worker. She works with kids to make a plan so they're at school (and on time!) every day and supports parents and caregivers in their role making that happen. 

You'd be surprised at the barriers which exist for students being timely. What if you're staying with a friend or family member because your family had to give up your apartment? What if staying with someone else meant your school bus wouldn't come get you at your temporary place since you're not on the lease? (true story) What if you can't get a ride and you don't have money for bus tokens? What if your only option for a ride is at 9:30am?...Do you just accept you'll always miss first period?

Bottom line for students: If you're not at school, you're not learning. So Shaquila calls some students at 6am every morning to make sure they're awake and getting ready. She rides the city bus with one every day. She drives to get a young person if he or she hasn't show up at school. She calls moms and caregivers every morning to make sure *they're* up and getting their kids ready--and while she has them on the phone, she talks about job openings if they're unemployed, or skills workshops happening in the city, or upcoming cultural opportunities.

Then she helps everyone--parents and students--make and stick to a plan for getting to school on time, every day.

No blame (what does that solve?)--we just figure it out so students are in school and ready to learn. We're thrilled to partner with Public Allies to have more help in educating a group of talented, bright students who need a different environment in which to succeed. 

Cute kids!

Can't write a whiny post and not give you a taste of what's happening at school...

Kids and staff have a serious discussion after lunch

Hey, what's the deal?

We've been at it (the blog) since June, and only one comment? (No complaints about that one--a big cheer for Maurice!)

But we'd love to hear from you...we know you're out there (we see all the hits--we know you're reading). So tell us what stories you like, which are just meh, and what you'd like to see, and *please * comment on stuff you like.

Like we teach the kids, constructive feedback is good. Don't worry, we can take it. :)

Maybe, to get you started, we'll throw out a list of possible story topics, and you can tell us which sounds good:

• a profile of a family advocate and what his/her day is like
• a profile of a new student
• what our reading specialist does all day
• our Wish List (hint: We help families with Christmas...let us know if you'd like to adopt a child in a family struggling to make ends meet)
• a profile of a returning student
• our approach to extended-day programming and what we do it that way

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

Music to their ears

When you're surrounded by dozens of children who love music and who also need to believe in their ability to do great things, what do you do? Well, a lot of things, but one thing you definitely do is start a band! We have some very talented musicians in our student body who are itching to start producing their own music. Luckily, we also employ some talented musicians who've volunteered to help the kids get their musical venture off the ground.

So, we have talented kids and dedicated staff members...but no equipment. Do you have an instrument you can donate? Do you know someone who is connected to a band or music store? Even a few instruments can get us started! Thanks for your help in developing the talents of our young people.

2 to 3 bass guitars
2 to 3 electric guitars
1 to 2 bass amplifiers
1 to 2 electric guitar amplifiers
1 to 2 keyboards
1 to 2 keyboard amplifiers
2 drums sets with hardwear
guitar stands
PA system

You never know what motivational tool will do the trick to help a child push through her academic struggles...often times, it's passions such as music or art. Let's not take the chance we're missing the opportunity to help a student find the one thing in life that can get him through tough times.

This isn't your old school culture...or is it?

Schools are communities, and communities of all kinds express themselves through their culture. At Domus Academy, like Domus' two charter schools in Stamford, our culture is different from that of many other schools. It takes some getting used to, but that culture exists to remove all distractions and help students be ready to learn--it also helps children learn skills they'll need to be successful later in life.

• We set up each classroom, be it art or math or social studies, to have the same whiteboard arrangement and information. This saves time--time kids can use learning something instead of on figuring out where to find an assignment.
• We require students to mentally and physically prepare themselves for learning: In the hallways, they must be quiet and physically still (so as not to distract themselves or other students).
• We require uniforms, which means kids don't have to worry about having the "right" shoes or jeans. (It also reduces funds a parent or caregiver must spend on trendy school clothes). 
• We require students to tuck in their shirts and wear a belt so they look neat; learning is fun but also serious business. 
• We tell kids all the time what we expect--we want them to succeed, and the faster they figure things out, the faster they get to the good stuff.
• We set high expectations: We expect them to behave appropriately, to focus, to work hard. Adults who cannot or will not set high expectations for students cannot be part of our school community.
• We require students shake a teacher's hand and look him or her in the eye as they enter each classroom, every time: These are fundamental skills everyone needs to be successful in life. (Plus, it's just polite.)
• We never give up on a child. There's always a place for a young person to find success, and while we expect a lot from a young person, we also expect adults responsible for his success (ourselves included) to find or create a place where each child to reach his full potential.

Did your school have a strong culture? How important is culture in creating a successful educational environment? Who's doing a great job at creating that culture? (We like visiting other schools who are getting it right.)

First day!

For many Domus Academy students, today is a day of culture shock.

"Tuck in your shirt, please."
"We'll walk down the hall when we're in a straight line and are all quiet."

But for Esteban, these rules are no surprise.

Esteban, who's now in 7th grade, tells me he got in "lots of fights last year." But he's glad to be back at Domus Academy this year and happy to see so many staff members have returned. "This year," he says firmly, "I'm going to be respectful."

He's also going to be a leader, which he tells me later as he helps his classmates stay focused on how to properly enter the classroom, which doesn't include the current chatter and horseplay.

Esteban has his eyes on the prize. And through this blog, you'll meet many more students who do as well.

Check out our photo album with snaps from Day 1.

Overheard at tonight's orientation & BBQ

Scene: Two gangling, smiling boys walking down the hallway together after scoping out the gym at their new school...
"Man, I hope you're in my class this year."
"Yeah, me too. This is going to be fun!" 


Yep, two adolescent boys genuinely happy about returning to school.


Watch for photos from the first day of school (whenever that is...).

What our social services team did on *their* summer vacation

Family Advocates Porchia Wright and Paul Smith with Director of Social Services Ashley Hampton

Domus schools employ the use of social services teams to address complex social and emotional needs youth in our schools often face. The Domus Academy social services team made 35 home visits this summer, a key way to build relationships so kids and families understand our only agenda is their success. That trust is critical when we need a kid in the middle of a meltdown to listen to us, or when we have to have a tough conversation. Home visits also help us learn about a family: All the little things you discover about someone when you sit down over tea in their living room help us understand where a family is coming from so we can be respectful of and better understand their beliefs and experiences. 

It all goes back to a Domus core value: Loving relationships change people. When kids understand we love them, and they trust we have their best interests at heart, they become open to making positive change and know we'll help them make that change. We hope you'll watch that wonderful process unfold this year.

What I did on my summer vacation

Our school staff spent the summer, in addition to doing dozens of home visits to families, working on the tools they need to make sure Domus Academy is a rigorous learning environment with high expectations and a strong school culture. Last year, we were very successful creating trusting individual relationships with students, which helped us move beyond the lack of hope, motivation, and interest we saw in our students—despite their tremendous academic potential.

This year, we want to pair that keen ability to develop relationships with a focus on core values. In fact, we’re spending the first month of school on a school-wide core values unit centered on the names of our students’ homerooms: ICARE (Integrity – Community – Ambition – Respect – Empathy). Each value has associated with it three to five tangible behaviors and actions; students will self-report on how they’re doing, and staff will weigh in as well.

Along with this focus on school culture will be an increased focus on guided reading utilizing a new leveled library, providing students with engaging materials at their reading level. Columbia University’s Readers and Writers Workshop, a method of instruction successfully used in schools for over twenty years, is particularly helpful for schools and classrooms with students reading at a variety of levels. Our students will now be able to find many interesting books at their level and. Students practice skills like inference in a classroom setting, with their teacher modeling the skill, then do small-group classroom work, then independent work on their level using the new leveled library to find interesting books at their individual ability. The more they read books on their reading level, the more successfully they’ll build critical skills such as decoding, fluency, and comprehension.

So Year Two, with its luxury of lessons learned from Year One, will bring a tighter school culture with a foundation of key values and a more rigorous learning environment using proven methods from respected institutions. Add to that our intense social/emotional focus, and you have a whole-child approach to educating youth.

Domus Academy makes the cover of Yale Magazine

Did you see this spring 2011 story about the kids of Domus Academy? Molly Hensley-Clancy does an outstanding job putting the reader right there in the school hallway to experience the challenges facing our students as well as the issues our staff members must overcome. And don't miss the slideshow.

Rashid's dream

On a bulletin board at Domus Academy: Rashid is going to be a chef because “I want to see how happy people are after they taste my food.” We’re expanding our extended day activities to expose kids to new experiences; we’re open to hearing about anything they couldn’t do at home or in their neighborhoods. 

Let us know if you have a talent or skill you want to share: robotics, tango dancing, rugby, baking, gymnastics…what else could we teach our kids that might spark a lifelong hobby or a profession?

Domus Academy welcomes new school director Billy Johnson

It feels as though a long-lost relative has finally come home: Billy talks like everyone else at Domus does about having high student expectations, holding everyone accountable for ambitious results, and looking forward instead of back. 

But Billy's also back home...literally. He's a native New Haven son who's back to make an impact after teaching and leading schools for the Middletown Public Schools and Amistad Academy. "I have a huge concern about the gun violence" here in New Haven. His mission here goes beyond the professional realm--helping Domus Academy youth reach their potential is personal.

Billy has been working with our school staff to put a plan in place right now to "make sure our activities align with the mission." His turnaround of Stamford's Stark Elementary School, long the city's lowest-performing school, is well-known, and here, like there, he knows "we must be very intentional about what we do." He's met with every single staff person to hear about where they think their strengths lie and what they believe the school needs. "Everybody [at Domus Academy] believes that kids can do wonderful things." (High expectations? Check.)

Our conversation returned again and again to students, as it does when you talk with any Domus employee. "There are so many great kids with so many great talents, and they haven't been given the space to express themselves in a way" that works for them. He's already created partnerships with city organizations to help us expand the ways we engage students during the day and during our extended-day program.

Another word that popped up again and again? Results. And another: Excuses. 

He wants one of those. Guess which one.

Maurice's story

 photo: www.richardfreeda.com

This is Maurice. He just graduated Domus Academy as an 8th grader. Maurice had struggled in his other New Haven schools, and his behavior when he arrived at Domus Academy was...well, "challenging" was the word we used. He wasn't really happy to be in any school, much less ours, and it seems he wasn't shy about letting everyone know. It probably didn't help he was three grades behind in reading and five grades behind in math. It's tough to focus, behave, and have hope when you're so far behind. Thankfully, we're like bulldogs: persistent and stubborn.

Maurice is incredibly smart--he loves computers and has a real talent with them--and we knew that once he made the decision to put some effort into his work, he had great potential to do well academically. Maurice didn't trust us right away, so it took awhile for him to turn his grades and behavior around. This spring, Maurice got himself in a tough spot, and he made the right decision. It wasn't an easy call to make, but he did it, and from that point on, we knew he was listening to us. He also came to school on a daily basis. Now, that may not seem like a big deal to you, but it was a complete 180-degree shift for Maurice.

Fast forward to the end of the year: Maurice, our 8th grader three grades behind in reading and five behind in math, met goal on his CMTs, outperforming half his peers across the state and making tremendous progress during the year. I asked Maurice's mom what changed for her son, and she said, "He had a lot of help from Domus Academy. [School director] Mr. McGuire was there for him no matter what. He got into some trouble, but they didn't give up on him."

We know this is just the beginning for this bright young man and look forward to seeing him continue to improve and mature as he attends Hillhouse this fall.

A student's perspective

It's clear Domus Academy parents value the support our family advocates provide; this blog's previous post highlights just a few of the comments we've heard. But what about students? How do they feel about family advocates?

"My family advocate is someone I can always go to for a listening ear and advice."

"My family advocate is someone who goes to my house and meets with my aunt about what goes on at school and in my neighborhood."

"I love my family advocate--she helps me be successful and helps me work through my anger."

Family advocates continue their work during the summer, making home visits and ensuring youth are connected with critical community resources to hopefully stem the tide of summer slide, the academic loss occurring during the summer which hits youth living in poverty the hardest. Next week, we'll provide an inside look at what summer brings to Domus Academy.

What makes us different

That's a pretty long list: subsidized uniforms to save our families money and so kids can focus on academics instead of fashion trends; free breakfast, lunch, and snack, because kids can't learn when they're focused on how hungry they are; much smaller classrooms for individualized attention: When we know a student and his strengths and areas of challenge, we can more effectively and quickly get him back on track; family engagement, including regular events like Family Night and calls home at least weekly to share good news and any concerns...

There's more, of course, but I think you see the trend: What does it take for the young person to win? What does each child need to get back on track and reach her full potential? No blame, no fingerpointing...that doesn't get us far. Instead we focus on solutions. Our family advocate model, which you'll hear about a lot on this blog, is one way we walk the walk when it comes to solutions.

Family advocates are school-based professionals who help students and families remove non-academic barriers to learning. Family advocates conduct home visits, sit in on school district meetings like PPTs, connect families to valuable community resources like counseling, and ensure a family's basic needs are met. What do Domus Academy parents say about family advocates?

• "She tries to help [my daughter] be accountable."
• "[My son's family advocate] worked with us to solve any problems [my son] has. I think the world of her."
• "No other school keeps up with [my daughter] like this." 
• "[My son] used to get in trouble all the time, and now he goes and talks with [his family advocate]."
• "[Our family advocate] has provided a way for me to still be informed and also provides a ride when I can’t get up there on my own. She’s always there for everything."

When we started our school model in 1999, we had a mantra when it came to our staffing approach: Teachers are hired to teach, and family advocates are hired to make sure kids are ready to learn. Not everyone believed bringing a social services approach to education was going to work, but preliminary data for Domus Academy's first year shows an average improvement of more than two grade levels in both reading and math...in just ten months. 

Seems like different is good...and working.

This morning's 8th grade graduation

What a morning! Just ten months ago, we opened the doors at Domus Academy New Haven, a school we were asked to run by the New Haven Public Schools. Students were poor--desperately poor--were performing far below their potential, and had complex barriers keeping them from being successful students.

Fast forward to today, 10:35am: A sudden and intense downpour could not dampen the spirits of families and graduates who celebrated unprecedented learning progress (one student went from performing at a 1st grade level in math to an 11th grade level in 10 months) and significant social and emotional progress ("[My son] is more in control of his emotions--he's able to control his anger.")

Ashley, Domus Academy's director of social services, told the story of a young man who asked to speak with her, identifying a feeling he had of wanting to change his behavior and put himself in the position of being successful. This young man had, over the course of a few months, started to see he had a future if he wanted it. And he decided he did.

I think that's what I saw the most of today: hope. Hope in the eyes of the dad who told me with pride about his son's "100% academic change--and now no fights--he can control his anger" and that son telling me he knows he'll "do better in high school because of Domus Academy--my behavior, my attitude, my words" are different now.

Some would say we're in the business of running a school or educating children, but I think it's more accurate to say we're in the business of helping people rediscover hope for the future.
**********
More pictures (and more on the way) are here in our Domus online photo galleries. 

Here goes!

We're excited to bring you Life at Domus Academy, a new blog detailing everything going on--the good, the bad, and everything in between--at our New Haven middle school.

We'll kick things off next Wednesday with coverage of our 8th grade graduation ceremony. Over the summer, we'll give you an inside look at what happens at a Domus school (empty hallways? not even close): From Teach For America staff conducting curriculum reviews to our very active yet educational summer school, you'll see it unfold real-time. Our unique family advocate model runs all summer; we'll tag along with DA family advocates on visits to students' homes and show you how they help remove non-academic barriers to student success.

Suggestions on what you'd like to see? Let us know, and thanks.