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We at Schiller have the belief that it takes 100% buy in from all staff to make a change in a child’s life. All of our students are extremely important to us and we show this by greeting our students each morning, encouraging each of them throughout the day, and contacting their parents many times during the week to give positive encouragement and support.

Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.

Our parents are notified of all school activities in a monthly mailing, an online calendar, an automatic phone call and a school website. Parents are invited and encouraged to attend all events including monthly parent meetings, Coffee with the Counselor, school performances, Take A Father to School Day, Family Night, Conference Day, Open House, and a Back to School Event. Parents are surveyed after each event as well as participating in District-Wide Parent Survey. Schiller had the highest amount of completed parent surveys in the Pittsburgh District.

Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.

Each month our school has a PSCC (Parent/School/Community Council) meeting. At each meeting we invite a guest from a community organization to speak to our parents. Several of our meetings are Community Events, such as Choral Concerts, Spring Musical, and Family Night, where all of our teachers attend and run a content-centered activity in their classroom. At this event, Community Providers are set up at tables throughout the school where they can encourage parents and family members to participate in the wealth of resources throughout the City of Pittsburgh.

Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.

We at Schiller have the belief that it takes 100% buy in from all staff to make a change in a child’s life. All of our students are extremely important to us and we show this by greeting our students each morning, encouraging each of them throughout the day, and contacting their parents many times during the week to give positive encouragement and support. We feel that school change and improvement is a reachable goal by never giving up. The entire staff at Schiller is in the mental mind-set to achieve, and we work each day to move our students toward the goal of them having a positive future.

What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?

Our top 2 goals for the next year are to promote College and Career Readiness around Common Core and STEAM focus, as well as increasing student achievement.

What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?

We feel that the attribute that sets us apart from other schools is the way we CARE for our students. Every staff member at our school is dedicated to our students’ academic, health, and social needs from the beginning of the day until long after each day is over. From the very first day that teachers are hired at Schiller, they realize that this is a school that accepts nothing less than 100% dedication to the students. This can be difficult at times, but the CARE factor is what makes our school stand out

Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.

Implementing a tutoring program for students led by teachers and peers that focuses on individual eligible content needs. This program has helped us a school community identify student weaknesses, and has led our efforts to put teachers, and students as teachers, in place to help our students grow.

Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.

Our School Counselor and FACE Coordinator were hired out of Title 1 funds. The Counselor is an extremely important part of our staff because she not only counsels students, but runs the level system, attendance, and all school programs dealing with the social wellness of our students. The FACE Coordinator is in charge of all Parent and Community events, such as monthly parent meetings, parent surveys, and parent volunteers.

Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.

Our teachers participate in a PLC (Professional Learning Community) each week. During this time, teachers collaborate on teaching and learning topics such as analyzing data, planning engaging lessons, and equity in the classroom. As a staff, we take what we have learned at the PLC, observe each others’ classrooms, discuss ways to improve our lessons, and create new lessons to improve the teaching and learning environment at our school in an organized, consistent, and full-staff manor.

Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.

All classrooms have a system in place that tracks student data on standardized tests, formative assessments, and summative assessments. This information is used to place students in small groups within the classroom, choose students in need of peer and teacher tutoring, and to guide future instruction within the school.

Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.

Our school’s student body functions on a Leveling System. Based on a tracking sheet for each class on which we record infractions such as Homework, Attendance, and Appropriate behavior, students fall in to levels; Stallion (the highest and most-rewarded level), Positive, Neutral, and Concern (concerns must complete a reflective essay which focuses on improved behavior). Students are rewarded for positive behavior with incentives such as a school store and Field Trips. Students are encouraged each week to improve their behavior or Academic Performance to achieve these incentives and raise their level.

• Category 1

  Selected in 2015

• Grades: 6 - 8
  School Setting: urban
  Town Population: 305,412
  Student Enrollment: 147
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 65%
  White/Caucasian: 25%
  Hispanic: 1%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
  Asian: 1%
  Native American: 1%
  Other: 7%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:25
  % Reduced Lunch: 74%
  % ELL Learners: 0%
  Founded: 1939
• PRINCIPAL:
  Paula Heinzman
• CONTACT:
  1018 Peralta St
  Pittsburgh, PA 15212
  412-529-4190
  sstromberg1@pghboe.net