 summer kick-off eventOn Monday, July 25 and Tuesday, July 26, the Showcase Schools team hosted their annual Summer Kick-Off event. Team members from the 2016 – 2017 Showcase School cohort, consisting of 37 schools, came together to collaborate with the Showcase team. This event began with thoughtful words of encouragement and motivation from Phil Weinberg, Lamson Lam, and Chau Ngo-Rayman. After two full days of hard work, school teams came away with an understanding of how to plan transformational learning experiences.
This year our schools’ visits will focus on topics ranging from collaborative structures to community school practices to affirming student identities. We are excited to share these visits with you this fall. See below for this year's full visit schedule.
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School teams had time to network, sharing elevator pitches about their work and their school's focus area. Participants in the activity traded Showcase business cards and built a list of schools they are interested in visiting starting in the fall.
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Attendees heard from past Showcase visitors about their experiences attending a Showcase visit, what activities resonated most with them, and how they were able to use what they learned in their own work. Showcase Principals and Assistant Principals talk about sharing from the school's perspective.
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Some people learn better with visuals, guides, or templates. In explaining a practice and exploring the nuances within, the audience may need supplemental resources. In a gallery walk, school teams explored the three different types of Showcase artifacts, learned about what purpose each one serves, and when it is appropriate to use them.
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Storytelling sets the stage for Showcase visits and drives the learning forward by providing context and forging a connection between the school and their visitors. Storyteller Tim Manley led the group through a step-by-step approach to crafting a personal story rich with details and imagery. After the hour-long workshop, Principal Matthew Mazzaroppi shared with the whole room a powerful and moving narrative.
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Collaboration is key! With so much to share about what it takes to plan a Showcase visit, it was great to have our schools attend the Kick-Off in teams to do their best thinking. Schools had the opportunity to build community with other Showcase Schools and set a collaborative tone for the upcoming year.
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fellows summer convening
On Tuesday, August 9, our 2016-2017 Showcase Fellows came together for the first time at the Fellows Summer Convening. Fellows are teacher leaders that lead the planning of Showcase visits at their respective schools, and they meet regularly throughout the year for professional development that supports them in this work. During the Summer Convening, veteran Fellows shared activity ideas and helpful tips on how to engage visitors in meaningful learning experiences. We are excited to welcome both new and returning Fellows to the program this year!
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2016-2017 showcase visit dates
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**Link is accessible to NYC DOE employees only. If you are not a NYC DOE employee but would like to learn more about Showcase Schools, please contact showcaseschools@schools.nyc.gov.
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In the spirit of sharing promising practices, the Showcase Schools team will be presenting at conferences this year to highlight the success and impact of the program. You can next find us at...
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 Coalition of Essential Schools (CES)
 Public Scholarship to Educate Diverse Democracies
Dates: December 1 - 3, 2016
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Website Link: Here
Showcase Session Details:
How to Harness the Power of Storytelling for School Improvement: During this session participants will have an opportunity to learn about the NYC DOE Showcase Schools initiative, a program designed to recognize, celebrate, and share innovative practices through interschool visitations. Storytelling helps frame the day, not for exhibition, but for authentic conversation around what “better” can look like in schools. The creation and sharing of school narratives helps bind schools together through collaboration to achieve a common purpose - student success. In this session participants will learn more about the importance of storytelling and the research that supports it, including how stories can anchor professional learning and provide transformational learning experiences. After hearing powerful, emotional stories from a few NYC principals, participants will have time during the session to begin drafting their own narrative.
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Have you seen our latest video "Making Thinking Visible" featuring Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx?
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Our schools have been heating up the press this summer with a lot of noteworthy achievements. Check them out in the news!
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“We know that top-down solutions […] and competition aren’t going to help us get better. [...] We have an obligation to be teachers not just of our students, but each other.”
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"The top-performing Renewal school was Public School 154 Jonathan D. Hyatt School, in the Bronx...'We’ve shown steady growth over the last couple years,' [Principal Alison Coviello] said, 'and that’s really what we’re looking for, steady improvement in all areas, in addition to test scores.'"
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Concourse Village Elementary School made the 'top ten' lists for their scores in English and math proficiency this past year. Way to go, CVES!
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"Sharing promising practices" is our motto, and we're constantly looking for ways to share further. We share all things Showcase on social media including our videos, news articles, and photos from our events. Like our Facebook page to keep up-to-date on our visits, or look us up on Twitter with #ShowcaseSchoolsNYC!
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Follow us on Facebook and share your Showcase visit experience on Twitter with #ShowcaseSchoolsNYC
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Thank you for reading our fifth edition of Noteworthy: The Showcase Schools Newsletter! This is an open subscription newsletter circulated among the Department of Education and past Showcase Schools visitors.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please send them to showcaseschools@schools.nyc.gov. We also welcome article ideas and contributions. Please be sure to mention “Noteworthy” in the subject line!
Are you part of a Showcase School and want to publicize school events or other PD opportunities to our newsletter audience? For more information on how to submit, contact Gala Lok.
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