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Teamwork
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Arthur W Coolidge Middle School
Kendale Elementary School
Arthur W Coolidge Middle School
Reading, MA |
| School Statistics |
| Total Enrollment: |
511 |
| Type of School: |
Public, Grades 6-8 |
| Location of School: |
Suburban |
| Demographics: |
White: 96%
Asian: 2%
African American: 1%
Latino: 1% |
| Computers: |
Desktops: 138
Laptops: 6
Handhelds: 1 |
There's something special about a school that can make everyone from the custodian to the superintendent feel like teammates. Indeed, the Coolidge Middle School team goes well beyond teachers collaborating in the classroom—the entire community is involved.
A few years ago, the school's Improvement Committee decided that for everyone to be metaphorically on the same page, there must first be a literal page—an actual document to which all could look for guidance. The result is a report outlining a special collaborative approach that has become the school's foundation: developing small communities of both adult and traditional school-age learners. At Coolidge, teamwork begins with this organizational structure that has been integrated into the school's culture.
 The school runs a comprehensive grade five to six transition program and loops seventh and eighth graders with a team of teachers for two years. The teacher teams are clustered geographically by grade in the small groups, and time is allotted for daily team teacher meetings. A team leader represents his or her group at weekly administrative meetings. There are also weekly departmental meetings to keep everyone well informed.
Coolidge leaders eliminated timed bells to give team teachers more flexibility within the schedule. It's common to see a math or language arts teacher to pick up the phone, or run across the hall, to ask a teammate for 10 extra minutes to complete a project.
Teacher teams also work closely with parents. Edline, a daily-updated homework hotline and online student progress report, has improved school-to-home communications.
The most impressive example of Coolidge's teamwork is in the community's combined effort to make sure students succeed. That involvement has most certainly contributed to the school's dominance at the annual state science Olympiad for the past 11 years. Everyone gets involved—teachers, retired community members, even local scientists. There is always someone who who wants to help Coolidge students succeed, and the results are evident every day.
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