By Jessica Strohschein, Brandon High School, Ortonville, Michigan
On a typical Wednesday, Brandon High School is filled with students and staff who are refreshed, alert, and ready to do what they have to do. Why is Wednesday so special? Wednesdays are special at Brandon because they are PDS days. And what does PDS stand for? Well, it's not what PDS stands for that matters - it's what PDS is.
PDS means Professional Development Schools, a program that started a few years ago with the simple goal of making our schools better places. It is based on the idea that two heads (or, in this case, many heads) are better than one. Brandon High School, Oxford High School, and Oakland University are the cornerstones of the Professional Development Schools system. Members from each school meet with each other and express common problems that educators and administrators often have, and they also share any solutions to those problems. This system allows time to get together and discuss problems and come up with solutions.
Which is where Wednesdays come in. Every Wednesday morning, teachers and administrators meet and talk about issues of concern and plan activities and meetings with members from other schools. Even students can get involved. For instance, this year the Student Councils of Brandon and Oxford planned a few dates on which Brandon Student Council members and their supervisors traveled to Oxford High School and shared concerns and ideas. They even planned a PDS dance that was held at Oxford High School.
The PDS program also allows time for students to do what they like best: sleep in! Students also may choose to spend their time in other ways. Brandon's branch of the National Honor Society held tutoring sessions where struggling students could come and get the help they needed, at no cost. The National Honor Society also volunteered some of this time to the younger grades by assisting in reading, Spanish, history, and other elementary school classes. The Student Council used this time to hold Wednesday morning meetings every other week. Some students chose to use this time to make up tests or quizzes, come in and work on art or computer projects, or participate in special classes such as French 3.
Another great use of the time allowed by the PDS program was to spend time on the North Central Accreditation (NCA) process. First, the NCA Steering Committee was able to schedule meetings every other Wednesday morning. The meeting time also permitted students to become involved in the NCA process and give a different viewpoint to certain issues. Second, the Steering Committee Chairpersons were allowed one Wednesday a month for discussion and brainstorming sessions with Brandon faculty. These sessions made the staff feel more involved in the accreditation process and helped the steering committee immensely.
This school year, several Brandon students will have the opportunity to take advantage of PDS. A few honors classes, such as Economics and Advanced History, will be offered by video hook-up with Oxford High School. These students will not only be able to experience a new technology, but they will be able to take an advanced educational challenge that, without PDS, would not be possible.
Yes, the Professional Development Schools program is a wonderful thing that provides many people with great opportunities. It is safe to say that because of PDS, students and staff are refreshed and ready to go not only on Wednesdays, but on every day of the week.
Posted on March 6, 1995
URL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/go/94-4gc2. htm