8th grade graduation: an inspiring morning!

Guests write positive messages on posters for each graduate

We're still going through all the photos and videos from graduation morning, but here are a few quotes from students which speak to the impact this school community is making.

Crystal (this year's social valedictorian*) on her growth as a person: "I have learned to think before I react...I communicate my feelings."

Jaquan (academic valedictorian): While he was proud of a long list of things, including being on the cover of Yale Magazine, he was "most proud of making honor roll every quarter I was here"..."We will always remember the Domus way of doing things...when things get rough, we can always count on our Domus family."

*We have an academic valedictorian, the traditional honor which goes to the student who has shown the most academic growth, but we also have a social valedictorian, an honor bestowed upon the student who has shown the most social/emotional growth.

Post-CMT testing fun

Remember taking standardized tests? Me neither, for the most part, but I do still sweat when I envision (and I can see every desk and window in the classroom) walking in to take my ACT. I was a good student with excellent grades, so imagine what must be running through the minds of students who've never gotten good grades, who might have never been told they are smart, and who possibly have not even taken one of these tests in the past?

Stress. Lots of stress. School for young people like that is stressful enough, and unfortunately, many also have out-of-school stress to deal with: family life, neighborhood issues, health issues, and more. Too much for a young adolescent to take.

Fortunately, Domus Academy is staffed with people who understand very well stress and what we can do to minimize its negative effects. That's important during CMT time; even though over 60% of our students are special education, everyone takes the test. Everyone. Kids who haven't taken it before or haven't taken it in years. Kids who've just witnessed violence and are dealing with that stress. Kids who are hungry and struggle to focus. Everyone.

So Ms. Bauman, our art teacher, ensures the kids have hands-on, engaging, and interesting  activities ready to go after testing, when emotions are running high. Relief! Anxiety about my results! Fear of another bad grade! It piles up, but this year's activity of making masks had all the kids fully engaged. Plus it was a facial sensation most had never experienced. Every student I saw on Wednesday was loving the activity.

We're lucky to have problem solvers who give our kids just what they need when they need it.

The annual Domus Academy/Trailblazers Academy Hoops Matchup

It's our new favorite tradition: Domus Academy hoopsters truck down to Stamford to take on the other Domus middle School, Trailblazers Academy, in a competitive but fun game. This year, DA took the JV game by 4 points but lost the varsity match. Post-game pizza gives everyone a chance to share favorite moves and moments and get to know each other. Check out the picture album from today's well-played games. Congrats to all, and many thanks to the staff members from both schools who came to cheer everyone on--even a large New Haven contingent, despite the commute home!

Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times writes about New Haven education reforms

Those of us in the mix know New Haven's education reforms are breaking new ground in a variety of ways, including a view of teachers' unions as partners instead of enemies. In yesterday's New York Times, columnist Nicholas Kristoff highlights New Haven's efforts to drive student achievement by ensuring the small number of teachers not up to the task (and who cannot get there with support and training) will no longer be leading classrooms. No one expected that to affect hundreds of teachers, and it did not.

But that's not the extent of education reform in New Haven, and it's certainly not the goal. The goal, as always, is the provision of a world-class education to every student, and everything written about education reform needs to drive that home.

We're thrilled Domus Academy is part of New Haven's effort to replace that one-size-fits-all approach to education so every child graduates with a shot at the American dream. Schools like this belong in every city, where there's a small group of young people who are struggling. Instead of blaming them, or their parents, or the system, let's just provide them with the educational environment they need to find success.

And as our last post showed, they are 100% capable of that success.

Aaaaaand: We're back! With amazing results!

Domus Academy is producing some seriously amazing student gains. Check out this bar graph from the New Haven Public Schools regarding our progress getting kids to Proficiency and Goal on the CMTs. Yes, that's us, to the far left, outpacing everyone else. It's hard to not crow when these gains have been made by young people many folks had written off. Everyone had low expectations of what they could achieve--it's hard to reach your full potential when adults don't think you have far to go.

Let's change that thinking, folks. Clearly, as these results show, it's wrong-headed.