RJK Middle School Removed from State List after Successful Restructuring

2009

Robert J. Kaiser Middle School Principal Deborah Wood started the new school year with a smile on her face and deep pride in her heart. After almost a decade of being classified by New York State as a poor performing school, as of August 2009, RJK is officially off the state list.

To accomplish this, the school’s curriculum was analyzed and adjusted to meet all the New York State standards for learning. Classroom teachers began working in teams and aligning their techniques to ensure consistency in each subject area. Through ongoing intensive professional development, teachers refined their methods for engaging students in the classroom with a focus on teaching to the multiple learning styles of their students. School improvement teams and subcommittees that included parents, teachers and administrators created new and more effective ways to guarantee that students were learning what they needed. That included establishing a school-level assessment system focused on reaching certain goals by specific dates to ensure that students would be ready for the state tests.

Although it’s been a long, tough challenge, Wood believes her staff has emerged stronger, more invigorated and ready to continue to move forward.

“Now we need to sustain the programs and initiatives that have worked and set our goals even higher for the future,” said Wood. “We must challenge our students to even greater feats because it is really all about them - everything we do is for the kids.”

Photo: RJK Principal Deborah Wood, center, stopped by Katie Moskowitz’s and Danielle Cornish’s seventh-grade class during an anti-bullying lesson. An important part of RJK’s academic success is due to the increased collaboration among teachers and staff to provide students with a safe and supportive learning environment.  Click here for more about the lesson.