Description of School

Ganado Intermediate School serves 515 students in grades three through five within a four-school district educating 2,200 students. Ganado is located in a rural and isolated valley in northeastern Arizona within the Navajo Nation.

Demographics

Student Racial/Ethnic Composition:

98% American Indian (Navajo)

1% White (not of Hispanic origin)

LEP Students: 68%

Qualify for Free/Reduced Price Lunch: 88%

Receive Special Education Services: 11%

Background and Goals

The staff at Ganado was concerned that their students consistently were scoring in the lowest quartile on the state-mandated norm-referenced tests (Iowa Test of Basic Skills and Stanford 9). In 1992, through a collaborative process, the school staff identified reading as the most important area needing improvement, with writing and thinking skills as vital corollaries. Rather than leaving the curriculum, instruction, assessment and program design to others, the teachers and staff created their own instructional plans and research-based strategies, and evaluated their practice based on student achievement.

Professional Development Design and Implementation

• Career Ladder. The Career Ladder model offers structured support for new teachers and self-directed support for veteran teachers. Teachers create individualized three-year professional development plans, in consultation with the principal and the grade level team teachers, that set individual goals for more effective instruction. The plans are designed to assist with school, grade level, and classroom needs, and the plans outline the specific activities that will help teachers attain their goals. The professional development plans entail constant self-assessment through use of teaching portfolios, in which teachers monitor their progress based on student achievement.

• Increased Incorporation of Students' Culture. Two-thirds of the teachers at Ganado are Anglo, and the staff realized that the Navajo community that they served had specific cultural needs which the curriculum and teaching techniques were failing to incorporate. The staff integrates learning with the Diné (Navajo) philosophy of education to align the curriculum with local values and utilize computers and multimedia labs to capitalize on the students' learning styles. To understand better the community they serve, the school sends regular correspondence to parents, and parents teach teachers about the Diné culture.

• Collaboration Among Staff. Communication and continuous reflection are integral elements of Ganado's school culture, and the school holds regular grade level meetings to discuss curriculum and student needs. In such meetings, the staff looks at specific results of a particular initiative or activity, and reflects on why they achieved those results. They continually discuss individual children and how to better accommodate students' difficulties and learning styles.

• Partnerships with Outside Organizations and Institutions. Six partners support Ganado's professional development plan: 1) Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College, Vermont; 2) Northern Arizona Writing Project; 3) Northern Arizona University; 4) Diné College, 5) Northland Pioneer College; and 6) Tempe Elementary School District. With these partnerships, Ganado is closely linked to the latest research and best practices in teaching and learning, and the school also receives specialized assistance from university personnel (e.g., in LEP classes).

Objective Evidence of Success

Scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and Stanford 9 tests indicate that the average scores of students at Ganado (including the scores of special education students) have increased. Students with limited English proficiency are making gains in reading and writing, and the disparity between boys' and girls' scores has narrowed.

Contact Information

Ganado Intermediate School
Susan Stropko, Principal
P.O. Box 1757
Ganado, AZ 86505
(520) 755-1120
(520) 755-1139 (fax)
susan_stropko@breadnet.middlebury.edu

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