Closing the Opportunity Gap

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Exemplar Type: PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
Title: Closing the Opportunity Gap: 10 Instructional and Organizational Criterion with Rubrics
Grades: Pre-K - 12
Discipline: Interdisciplinary
Submitted By: Greg Smith

Summary: At the most basic level, a School of Opportunity must strive to ensure that all students have access to rich, challenging and supported opportunities to learn. This means that the school’s best opportunities cannot be exclusive or rationed. For this reason, we will not recognize a school as a “School of Opportunity” if it significantly restricts or stratifies student access to those best opportunities. In addition, we will not recognize a school as a “School of Opportunity” if it has “zero tolerance” policies or other discipline policies that unnecessarily exclude students from opportunities to learn.

Big Ideas

  • A healthy and sustainable future for human and other life is possible

  • Every system is perfectly formed to get the results it gets

  • There is no beginning or end in a system. Intervene where there are favorable conditions, i.e., where and when possible

  • Fairness applies to all. To us, to them and to the "we" that binds us all together

  • Sustain-ability requires individual and social learning and community practice

  • We are all responsible for the difference we make. Everything we do and everything we don't do makes a difference

Higher Order Thinking Skills

  • Mindful: Metacognition

  • Mindful: Questioning

  • Mindful: Reflective Thinking

  • Mindful: Transference

Dispositions

  • Curious

  • Efficacious

  • Motivated

  • Respectful

  • Self Aware

Applications and Actions

  • Engage in Dialogue

  • Teach and Learn

  • Design to optimize health and adaptability

  • Empower people and groups

  • Make the least change for the greatest effect

  • Take responsibility for the difference you make

  • Be inclusive

  • Practice justice and equity for all

  • Take responsibility for the effect you have on future generations

  • Treat others with respect and dignity

  • Listen to one another

  • Serve your community

Community Connections

  • Evaluate progress (read the feedback), reflect, adjust, and continually improve performance

  • School buildings and grounds serve the whole community as learning hubs for continuing education of individuals as well as school and community stakeholders to learn together for the future they want

  • Provide Independent and Curriculum Based Learning Sites (case studies, learning journeys, research sites)

  • Provide Physical spaces for school and community stakeholders to learn and work together for the future they want