Episode Details

• What we teach and how we teach
• PK-8th grade over a quarter million devoted to students
• Small class sizes, 2 teachers in a class of 20. Started at 85 students
• Incredible amount of individual support
• Transportation is 7% of the budget. 
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day
• Wraparound services
• On-site partnership with Dayton’s Children's Hospital - full-time mental health, doctor, and other services for kids.
• Startup year - be naive about what starting a school entails. 
• Temporary site - Fire marshall
• Working with a local Medicaid provider
• 30% higher in every category than every other child on Medicaid
• Looking at lots of data for whole-child outcomes
• 51% at grade level at the start, and 85% at grade level at the end of the year.
• Not all roses and sunshine
• Screenings for character, mental health, etc. 
• Age 27 goals. 
• How they teach - Tried finding instructional strategies that really moved the needle. 
• Influenced by Hattie’s work - prioritized by effect size.
• Teacher quality matters
• Benjamin Bloom’s Research - Acton Academy
• Using personalized tools in a smart way. 
• Zearn math program - typically used as supplemental
• Thrown the idea out the window
• Mixed-age classrooms. 
• Start teaching at the instructional level, not the age or grade level.
• Personality and character benefits
• Looking at Age 27, and how that reflects in 1 year. 
• Hire in the top 10% of teachers. 

About AJ Stich

Adam J. Stich (A.J.) is the founding principal of The Greater Dayton School.  Prior to starting in this role, he spent nearly seven years as a principal in Chicago Public Schools, where he drove strong outcomes for students and teachers.  You can hear his first interview on Transformative Principal at this link.

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance

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