A Recipe for Restructuring.

Built to feature state-of-the-art instructional technology our new school was touted as a "school of tomorrow" before we even opened the doors to students in fall 1993.

But that phrase has become so overused it is virtually meaningless. To become a school of tomorrow, we had to start our planning today. During our inaugural year, we wrote a restructuring plan that earned us designation as an Indiana 2000 school.

Useful Steps

Our planning experience was largely positive, so I am sharing some of the steps that worked for us, as well as a few caveats.

* Recognize readiness. After discussion among staff led to agreement, we proceeded to develop a plan to integrate technology throughout the curriculum.

* Form a core committee. A committee of staff, parents, and community representatives agreed to attend weekly meetings and prepare synopses from professional literature for discussion at each meeting. The principal, serving as committee leader, sets the agenda and facilitates the meeting.

* Read literature on restructuring and technology A thorough understanding of restructuring and alternative school structures helped us envision the possibilities. A comprehensive examination of technology and its role in the curriculum was necessary so that we would plan with a strong research and practice base.

* Attend conferences and visit other schools. Committee members and other school staff attended professional development sessions and visited schools to gain firsthand knowledge of successful practices.

* Involve everyone in planning. Constantly ask, "Who else needs to be involved?" and "Who else needs to know this?" The committee will move fast due to common experiences, but bring everyone along or else many will still be at the starting point. Encourage a common vocabulary to generate excitement and ownership. Talk it up until it belongs to everyone.

Staff members gave reports about the conferences and site visits. We published a newsletter for students, staff, parents, as well as the central office, community, school board, and other schools. We discussed progress at staff meetings and committee members answered questions and solicited feedback. We made presentations to the school board and parents.

* Make informed decisions. Base decisions on research, successful practices, professional judgment, and local needs. Look around and identify the good things that are happening in classrooms and then write a plan to make them happen for all children. The outcome of the plan should not be a surprise to anyone.

* Set individual goals. Everyone should commit to the plan and its overall goals but provide flexibility in the time line of implementation. We say: "Do what you can, when you can."

* Schedule staff development opportunities. Work together to accomplish goals by attending conferences and in-house focus sessions, reviewing research and successful practices, and sharing among staff.

* Focus on school goals. All visits, readings, and conferences have a purpose: they must coincide with the overall goals. Accentuate the positive, spread the good news, and celebrate progress. When restructuring gets overwhelming (and it will), remind everyone of all that has been accomplished.

* Don't start by mandating a program. Programs such as whole language or cooperative learning are strategies to accomplish goals. identify needs first, determine how children learn best, write goals, and then choose strategies to accomplish those goals.

* Don't rush. Make decisions when people are ready. Lack of commitment can doom a plan to failure.

* Don't start with the final plan in mind. Guide the process but the ideas and decisions emerge from participants.

Key Linkages

Here is what we decided. Our restructuring plan is called "We CONNECT" because we believe that teaching and learning should be guided by the philosophy of connections.

Each letter in CONNECT represents a key element of our program and illustrates our commitment to connecting Curriculum, Objectives, individual Needs, a Nurturing environment, Evaluation, the use of Connections, and Technology.