The recipe for a great International Baccalaureate World School includes ingredients readily available at Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy.
What's the difference between a good school and a great one? Noted Finnish educator and author Pasi Sahlberg names his essential ingredients (below) in an article published originally in “IB World,” International Baccalaureate’s magazine.
Students, teachers and administrators at Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy also would seem to have the upper hand when it comes to knowing the ingredients necessary for a great IB school. In fact, Notre Dame Preparatory School was named the state of Michigan’s top Catholic high school for the year 2016. Notre Dame Prep has served as an IB ‘World School” since 2007 when it was first authorized by the IB organization. In addition, NDPMA is the only Catholic school in the United States with all three IB curriculum levels, the Primary Years Program, the Middle Years Program and the Diploma Program.
The IB Program is derived from an independent, non-governmental, non-profit educational organization, which is a recognized leader in the field of international education, encouraging students to be active learners, well-rounded individuals and engaged world citizens. Founded in 1968, the IB today works with more than 4,000 schools in 150 countries to offer and develop its four challenging programs to approximately 1,235,000 students ranging in age from 3 to 19.
The recipe for a great IB World School
By Pasi Sahlberg
HANDFUL OF COLLABORATION — Collaboration should be a fundamental principle: of schooling, for both students and teachers. It creates cultures that strengthen helpfulness communication and social capital among students. Cooperation between students is also the best way to advance interpersonal skills that essential for teamwork outside of school. A strong collaborative culture builds a safe and secure psychological and social environment for risk-taking, creativity and innovation.
Lack of collaboration can lead to unhealthy competition and isolation. Building stronger social bonds between individuals can then become difficult. Non-cooperation can also affect young people's ability to understand how to learn together, how to communicate effectively and how to solve problems together.
SPRINKLE OF CREATIVITY — Play is a natural and powerful way to learn. If education aims to help each individual reach their full potential, then curiosity and imagination are key. Schools can only become more creative when they are places where teachers and children feel safe, respect one another, and have a sense of community. The current movement toward standardization of teaching and learning – and testing to see if common standards have been met — is doing the opposite.
Celebrating failure is one way schools can only become more creative. Everyone should learn to think that success and failure are not opposites. Failure precedes success. Also, be sure that creativity is not something that is always linkcd to arts and music.We all have creative capacities and talents but they manifest themselves differently.
ONE GREAT TEAM — There are four elements to a great team — good personal mastery of each individual, a sense of belonging emotional bonds and diversity of personalities and skills. Team member should complement one another rather than be too similar.
Organizing schools into groups of teachers is the best way to practice team skills. There is no shortcut to a 'team-based school' with strong team dynamics and productive cooperative learning.
A TIN OF PROFESSIONALISM — Successful school leaders share similar qualities to great coaches. They know how to inspire the people they lead. This requires a shared vision or dream that everyone feels passionate about. Great leaders know how to get the best out of their colleagues, and sustainable leadership in school requires that they understand the power of collaborative and distributed leadership practices. Great leaders arc those who are masters of collaboration and teamwork.
PINCH OF EQUITY — Equity refers to fairness and inclusion, and the most successful education systems are equitable. When students' family backgrounds say less about their performance in school, overall learning outcomes improve. Regardless of each child's circumstance, they should have an opportunity to fulfill their dreams.
However, schools also need adequate resources and system-level policies to enhance fairness and inclusion. Most equitable education systems, like that of Finland, for instance, systematically allocate more resources to those schools that have more demanding student populations, in terms of equity outcomes, rather than relying on head count. These policies are sometimes labeled 'positive discrimination.’
MISSION STATEMENT — Everyone should own the school's mission statement. Unfortunately, in many cases, a mission statement is there for for bureaucratic purposes rather than as an inspiring beacon for bringing the school together to work for a common purpose.
Mission statements should be prepared together with all stakeholders, be brief and easy to remember, and helpful in the daily work of teachers and others in the school. An inspiring mission statement can be a critical tool in moving the school.
x2: DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY — The world we live in is diverse and inclusive, so education should prepare children for that. International mindedness encourages diversity und inclusivity in education as well as open-mindedness and an appreciation of other cultures.
Most young people today live in international social networks and diversity for them is much more natural. We: must not let our schools become segregated in terms of social class, race or religion.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.