A redesign, starting from the top
Changes to Meriden started at the end of 2019.
Mr. Crispino, a former principal, was hired to oversee all elementary schools after helping turn around a district school that was in danger of being taken over by the state due to poor results. The school eventually received a prestigious national award, and Mr. Crispino was invited to apply the lessons learned district-wide.
Then the pandemic hit.
Meriden reopened faster than many places, in the fall of 2020, a move that surely helped protect against more serious academic losses. Still, many families chose to stay home, including in Franklin, where some students stayed away for many months.
To make up for lost learning, schools across the country have sought to add instruction, albeit often outside the school day, during afternoon tutoring or summer school. Such programs can be helpful but depend on student attendance.
Meriden continued to bet on the school day itself.
District officials had reallocated a half hour earmarked for extra help on various topics — either from teachers or through worksheets — and devoted that time to math.
In the halls of Franklin, math is now taught the same way: a short lesson, followed by group work. For 15 or 20 minutes, the teacher meets with some students, while others work in their own groups. Students who need extra help go with tutors, some of whom have been paid with federal pandemic relief funds.
At the sound of a chime or buzzer, the students rotate.
Julie Sarama, who researches early math education at the University of Denver, said working with students in small groups “is really important, and a lot of teachers after kindergarten don’t want to do that.” . Part of the resistance, she says, comes from tradition. “You just teach the way you were taught.”
At Franklin, the changes were based on a meticulous schedule for its approximately 350 students. The school’s principal, Joanne Conte, observed the classrooms, along with Mr. Crispino. Even a five-minute delay on returning from recess could attract attention, as those five minutes were a waste of instructional time.