In November, 2002, SOMEF awarded an $11,000 grant to help pay for the school district’s participation in a groundbreaking professional development program called the Tripod Project. The Tripod Project was designed to offer a fresh approach to addressing the achievement gap between white and Africa
n-American and Latino students by seeking to improve performance for all. South Orange & Maplewood joined a select group of top-ranking culturally diverse districts nationwide to engage in this research project under the stewardship of Ronald F. Ferguson, Ph.D. of the Wiener Center for Social Policy Research at the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University.
The Tripod Project was founded on the principle that academic success is dependent upon three fundamental and interdependent aspects of instruction: content, pedagogy and communication. The project provided our educators with important information about classroom interactions with the goal of improving lines of communication between teachers and students. With increased knowledge about effective means of communication, teachers gained insights into new ways of achieving success in the classroom.
During the 2002-2003 school year. surveys were administered to students and teachers in grades 1-12. The results provided information on attitudes toward students’ academic performance. Data from individual classes informed teachers as they shared ideas about teaching practices relating to the three areas of instruction.
Principals received results for their individual schools and developed protocols for on-going discussions in their buildings. The district administration received results in the following groupings: individual elementary schools in the district, all district elementary schools, all elementary schools in the Tripod Project, individual secondary schools in the district and all secondary schools in the Tripod Project. Dr. Ferguson also provided some springboard discussion questions for use in each building based on overall survey results.
SOMEF was pleased to be able to help make it possible for the district to take part in this project that drew on the latest research aimed at closing the achievement gap, which is a top priority for SOMEF, our schools and our community. The best way for us to excel as a district is by making sure that all of our children are performing to their best ability.
South Orange-Maplewood
Education Foundation(SOMEF)
The Tripod Project
