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| The Lowell Institute is committed to: |
| 1. Understanding how students learn is critical to improving student performance. Rote memorization and regurgitation have serious limitations for ongoing learning and are not the most effective in today's world with today's second language learners and children from low socio-economic homes. |
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Low socioeconomic kids struggle because they often have inadequate prior knowledge to deal with grade level expectations. It is possible, frankly imperative, that schools change how we deal with kids from low socioeconomic neighborhoods. This is where technology can come in. Using current levels of technology - cameras, video & digital, laptops, access to high value content video and the internet allows poor kids to have the connection with the world they need to increase their knowledge base AND the tools themselves provide significant motivation to learn (if used properly). 2. Improving leadership skills at the site level: this includes having principals build relationships with teachers and community, having strong understanding of instructional methodology, and a powerful understanding of how students learn. Instructional Leadership = Relationships based on improving teaching and learning. 3. Improving instructional methodology to fit the needs of the students goes hand in hand with increasing awareness of how students learn. Differentiation is more about what the students do than what the teacher does. This process requires the site administrator and teachers to understand how they fit together and how they can increase their methodological knowledge base. We, at Lowell, can provide a highly practical professional development program that will take site principals and teachers through this learning sequence. We also provide coaching support at the sites and in the classrooms to avoid the teacher belief that, "this will never work with my kids." This will work with all kids. Our interest is in developing an ongoing relationship with you, your district leaders, site leaders and teachers. There is no such thing as effective "sit and get" professional development. We provide initial workshops then regular (weekly, monthly, quarterly, by your choice) site coaching and mentoring support. We would like to be a part of your daunting project. Relationships are always first and over time can make a significant difference. |
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The Lowell Institute is a consulting organization established to provide educational leadership support in low performing schools, districts, and charter schools. The Lowell Institute consists of educators with
experience within P-20. Our staff brings experience from site and
district leadership positions, California Department of Education,
Program Improvement/ DAIT / SAIT (CDE approved providers), university graduate programs, as well as national school reform.
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