![[Table of Contents]](/icons/up.gif){kind=icon}
At Hollinger, students' cultural heritage is recognized as a resource for enrichment. In a two-way bilingual program, all children receive instruction in Spanish and English for part of every day. Those who are not fluent in both languages study English or Spanish as a Second Language (ESL or SSL) in addition to regular language arts in their primary language. The whole school environment is bilingual and bicultural. Every classroom has student work, rules, displays, and other visual elements presented in English and Spanish. For example, social studies reports and lunch menus might be written in English, while class rules and book reports are presented in Spanish. Student work and enrichment materials in both languages cover the walls of classrooms and hallways. Most adults--both Hispanic and other--model fluency in both languages. To support the high value placed on bilingualism and biculturalism, the school hosts the district's only magnet program for gifted bilingual students. One of the teachers in the gifted program is considered to be an instructional leader, often recruited as a mentor by colleagues wishing to learn his innovative methods. For the most part, the school encourages second language acquisition through bilingual instruction in content areas supported by ESL or SSL classes, rather than as a separate and isolated pursuit.
Hollinger offers three 12-week trimesters alternating with three-week, theme-based "academies." The trimesters run from August through November, January through March, and April through July. In December, April, and mid-July, the academies feature full-day programs organized around themes chosen by the teachers. Participation in the academies is voluntary for both students and teachers. Students who participate will attend events for five hours a day and may stay for afternoon recreation programs. Teachers apply for the assignment by submitting proposals to the School Improvement Team for activities related to the theme.
Organizational/management structure. A School Improvement Team composed of teachers, parents, and community members guides the project. In August 1993, Hollinger will become one of Tucson Unified School District's (TUSD) first year-round schools. Hollinger also provides afterschool activities for students, after-dinner classes and workshops for families, and courses in adult education and computer literacy. Three or four evenings a week, the library and computer labs are open for community use.
A centerpiece of the Hollinger academic program is the Kellogg Foundation-funded project, Funds of Knowledge for Teaching (FKT), adopted by the school in 1991. Developed by the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) at the University of Arizona, FKT fosters a powerful connection between the culture of the community and the culture of learning at school. BARA staff--including a Hollinger teacher on leave to study at the university--trained all Hollinger teachers to gather and analyze information about the community through focused but loosely structured interviews with students' family members. Teachers first participated in several "retreats" in which they learned the relevant principles and procedures of ethnography. In the first two years of the project, teachers visited 150 families in their homes during monthly early dismissal days and other release time set aside for this purpose. Together, they created a "map" of community knowledge bases-- including farming, childcare, animal husbandry, retail trades, construction, auto repair, and international commerce--and wrote curriculum units that drew on students' familiarity with these areas to promote mastery of district goals and objectives across academic subjects. During the second year, Hollinger used BARA project funds to support three part-time substitute teachers, who provided regular teachers with time for home visits and related curriculum development.
As a result of these activities, Hollinger teachers have begun to transform the method and content of their teaching and their relationships with the community, shifting to more hands-on activities situated in familiar contexts. For example, one fifth- grade teacher drew on the expertise of a parent to develop and teach a unit on clothing that included studying clothing ads, analyzing labels, learning about fashions and design through history, examining patterns of weaving, and experimenting with fabric durability. Another teacher used the candy-making and selling activities of a student's family as the basis for a unit that incorporated study of geography, nutrition, computation, graphing, and language arts.
Professional environment. The FKT project allows teachers to identify and implement new curricula and teaching strategies based on their ethnographic research. The school's regular staff development program provides teachers with additional opportunities to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Staff development activities are conducted on a weekly, rotational basis. On the first Wednesday of the month, teachers at each grade coordinate plans and share ideas for the upcoming weeks. On the second and third Wednesdays, teachers organize sessions--led by peers or outside consultants--in which they learn new skills and share new curriculum materials. For example, the BARA staff may work with one group on ethnographic interviewing and lesson development, while a teacher presents the results of a new interdisciplinary unit to a second group. Early in the month, teachers register for the sessions that meet their needs, and the principal uses the sign-up sheets to track teachers' interests and achievements. On the fourth Wednesday, teachers conduct home visits, using the FKT approach to learn as much as they can about community life. Many teachers have become adopted members of their students' families and have found family routines, religious practices, and celebrations to be a rich resource for curriculum development.
Parent and community involvement. Comprehensive outreach to students and families is provided through Family Wellness Centers, which TUSD has installed in several of the poorest neighborhoods of the city. The one serving Hollinger is located in a nearby school; a small satellite office operates at Hollinger. The Center staff includes a certified teacher, counselor, parent liaison, and other support staff who help families solve problems that affect children's school work. For instance, if a family support worker discovers a serious family problem while investigating a case of student absenteeism, she can help the parents obtain emergency relief, sign up for medical help or welfare, or meet with others who can assist right at school. Hollinger offers a special program--Parent and Child Education (PACE)--to promote physical and intellectual development among four-year-olds and their families.
Faculty turnover has been all but eliminated. Although most Hollinger students fall into an "at-risk" category and the building itself is old-fashioned--factors that can make a school an unattractive assignment--even teachers whose tenure gives them priority in reassignment choose to stay. In a faculty of about 45, the only vacancies last year arose from two retirements and one spouse transfer. When the school opted for a 12-month program, the only teacher to leave was the one with a successful summer business that could not easily be reorganized; even he asked only for a year's leave to make the necessary adjustments before returning to Hollinger. Teachers, area administrators, district personnel, and university staff report that staff morale is high, as is community participation. They attribute much of the staff's energy and optimism to arrangements and leadership provided by the principal, who started her administrative career at Hollinger four years ago. The teacher education programs at the university now make extensive use of Hollinger for field placements. They have already begun to consider how to adjust the placement schedules to take advantage of the school's stimulating professional climate despite the imperfect match between the university and school calendars.
Hollinger Elementary School
150 West Ajo Way
Tucson, AZ 85713
(602) 798-2740
-###-
[Coordinating Services to Promote Learning]