Freedom helps fuel innovation

As South Charlotte Middle School Principal Christine Waggoner walks the eighth-grade hall, she finds five boys sprawled on the floor. No worries. They've just found a new place to work equations. Moving around is supposed to jump-start the male brain. Waggoner is among 48 Charlotte-Mecklenburg principals recently granted new academic freedom in what has been a top-down district. She made one of the boldest opening moves, launching single-sex classes.

The guys, who wear dress shirts and ties on “Manly Mondays,” get a little more noise and activity. The girls in the classroom next door have an array of coloured markers and decorated papers on their desks, which are arranged for face-to-face discussion. Teachers say both groups ask and answer questions more freely, without fear of looking dumb in front of the opposite sex. Public scrutiny often shines on failing schools. Leading a suburban school like South Charlotte – where gifted kids are abundant, test scores high, poverty rare and parents engaged – might seem like a breeze.

Not so, says Waggoner. Her challenge is to push the academic stars while helping a growing number of kids who left low-scoring urban schools for a better opportunity. She is driven not only by her own vision, but by district officials who scrutinize her data and parents who, in the words of the PTA president, “don't tolerate ‘adequate.'”

She was honoured to make Superintendent Peter Gorman's “freedom and flexibility” list last spring, a distinction granted to principals with a history of strong results. The goal: Unleash innovation and recognize that different schools have different needs. But Waggoner, a 62-year-old cancer survivor who believes her work keeps her healthy, didn't wait for permission to take charge of her school. In six years at South Charlotte, she has created electives that let students delve into World War II, develop leadership skills and design their own science experiments. She has kids researching such topics as disease in Africa. Separating girls and boys to see if they learn better is just the latest twist.

Waggoner is spurred by her belief, backed by recent research, that middle school sets adolescents on the path to success or failure. Her message to students is the same, regardless of their background: “If you do it our way, we can almost guarantee you will be successful when you get to ninth grade.”

‘Like a CEO'

Five days before school opened, parents poured into South Charlotte. While her bosses were still pondering single-sex classes, Waggoner had selected students, notified their parents and lined up a national expert to explain the concept. She wanted to try the technique with different types of kids. Some classes would tap top-scorers, others decent students who might flourish in a new setting. Some parents took umbrage at the letter explaining why their kids had been chosen. Were they being stigmatized?

PTA President Jill Balick describes South Charlotte families as “an academically motivated population,” where many can afford private school and expect public schools to be just as good. Parent involvement is a plus. The PTA is currently raising $50,000 to put Promethium boards, a high-tech interactive whiteboard, in every class. But it means Waggoner must always be ready to explain herself. She's known for giving parents candid answers, Balick says: “Whether they like her decisions or not, they respect her knowledge.” At the August meeting, Waggoner apologized for any confusion created by the letters, assured parents they could opt out of single-sex classes and let the expert make his pitch.

Sarah Murphy, whose daughter was picked for an all-girl class, asked to get her son into an all-boy equivalent. She, too, says Waggoner has parents' respect: “She is extremely warm and friendly with students and parents, but she's a bottom-line person, like a CEO.”

New kids, old standards

First semester, all South Charlotte seventh-graders wrote grant proposals for easing disease in Africa, a task that combined writing, math, science and geography. Jessica says friends at other schools don't do that kind of work.
“I feel challenged,” she says. “It's a good feeling.”

South Charlotte's 900-plus students include more than 100 who transferred in, mostly from the high-poverty Albemarle Road and Cochrane zones. This year's poverty level hit 16 percent – low by CMS standards, but up from 12 percent last year. Waggoner is chagrined to report that her 2008 pass rate on state exams dipped to 89.6 percent. It's a score most principals would kill for, but just shy of the usual “School of Excellence” label. Based on last year's scores, Waggoner has about 70 students at risk of failing this year's reading exams and 35 behind in math. They'll use that 45-minute extra period to beef up their skills.

For the first time this year, South Charlotte recruited mentors for struggling students, a common step at high-poverty schools. Here, the PTA stepped in and found about a dozen adults eager to help. No matter where kids come from, Waggoner says, they can meet high standards. She and the eighth-grade teachers are about to crack down on late work: After a week, there will be no credit, a move designed to prepare the kids for high school.

After Christmas break, a new student showed up in an oversized T-shirt and sagging pants. Waggoner told him he was welcome – after he went home to change clothes. “Do you know,” she recounted with a smile, “the mother thanked us!”