Small Learning Communities
Heterogeneous Grouping
TDMG Climate Program
School-Family-Community Partnerships
Innovative approaches to school organization and staffing can greatly increase students’ efforts and teachers’ effectiveness. Talent Development schools establish separate learning communities of 200 to 300 students. These small learning communities are traditionally organized into vertical houses with teaching teams (two or three teachers) being responsible for fewer than 100 students. TDMG recommends semi-departmentalization and, when appropriate, looping. The resulting small, stable learning communities encourage students, teachers, and families to establish strong bonds and close, caring relationships.
Many middle schools inadvertently foster low achievement by sorting some students into high-quality instruction while relegating others to lower-quality education. TDMG has demonstrated that all children are capable of succeeding in demanding courses when given appropriate support. Heterogeneous grouping for core academic classes helps TDMG schools reach high levels of academic performance. The TDMG program provides extra help for struggling students and training and ongoing support for teachers to ensure success for everyone in the heterogeneous classroom.
The TDMG Climate program helps schools set the tone for learning by creating a safe, nurturing, positive atmosphere. It provides positive responses to appropriate behaviors, consistent consequences for inappropriate behaviors, and support for students who have difficulty managing their behaviors even with consistent rewards and consequences. Schools have customized the TDMG climate program to successfully increase student attendance and decrease tardy rates to meet federal AYP guidelines.
TDMG climate believes that students will behave properly when appropriate behavior is explained and rewarded with more attention from school personnel than inappropriate behavior. The TDMG High Five A's and B's Behavior Standards continually and explicitly teach appropriate behaviors.
TDMG Climate provides rewards, consequences, and additional support for troubled behaviors. Components include dinner with the principal; staff appreciation events; classroom rewards; anger, grief and social skills management training; a centralized late room; a Reflections or time-out room; an in-school suspension Success Suite; behavior intervention teams and behavior improvement plans; and bully-proofing training. A member of the school staff runs each school’s Climate program with support from a TDMG Climate facilitator. Talent Development Middle Grades schools participate in the National Network of Partnership Schools. This network, established by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, brings together schools, districts, and states to develop and maintain a comprehensive program of school-family-community partnerships. As part of this network, TDMG schools establish action teams that carry out school, parent, and community involvement activities in a focused and coherent way.
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