The staff at Briscoe Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas believes that systemic change has made a positive difference for the school. The student population is 99 percent Hispanic. The school serves students of low socioeconomic backgrounds. Briscoe, an urban school, was experiencing problems found in most parts of urban areas at the time that the staff embarked on the KEYS initiative.

The KEYS assessment revealed that the school community needed to address three areas: open communication, resources, and collaboration. Staff members determined that they needed to begin by working within the school setting. As a team, the staff formulated a plan of action and implemented components.

Early in the process, the school instituted block scheduling. This allowed teachers an opportunity to collaborate. In addition, the school worked to align the school goals, curriculum and use of resources.

Collaboration on issues that have a significant impact on the school was key to bringing about open communication, according to the school’s principal. Teachers now have more input. They interview candidates for job openings and make recommendations to the principal, for example. The atmosphere around the school is less threatening. Everyone feels free to speak his or her own mind.

In terms of resources, Briscoe now uses the “Outward Bound"program initiative to work with fifth graders. Contacting community organizations was a positive move. Some volunteered time, and there are now more mentors in the classroom. AT&T adopted the school.

The school team is also taking a careful look at all assessment tools. Meanwhile, according to state assessment test results, the school has moved to exemplary status. Briscoe is, in fact, one of the first urban schools in the state where test scores have gone up.

The new confidence among the staff and the significant improvements in the test scores are just the beginning. The principal notes that Briscoe is “still a work in progress."

“Where if you dream it, you can achieve it."That’s a song that resulted from a KEYS pep rally at Kate Schenck Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas. The rally is just one of the results of the KEYS survey assessment.

Staff at Kate Schenck Elementary took the initial KEYS survey during the 1998-99 school year. This school, with approximately 700 students, is 63 percent Hispanic, 27 percent white, 9 percent African-American, and 1 percent other. There is a staff of 70.

The KEYS survey revealed the need for improved communication among and within all of its stakeholder constituencies. This included the need for collaborative problem-solving approaches, the creation of nonthreatening communications among staff and with administrators and parents, a willingness among the entire school community to remove barriers to learning, and to communication in a climate for innovation.

After reviewing the survey results, the staff began to look at ways to develop collaboration and improve communication with various school constituencies.

As a result, members of the staff are talking more about professional issues. The school’s Instructional Leadership Team joined forces with the KEYS team. Together they support initiatives that promote collaboration among staff. The group also began experimenting with team teaching.

The Kate Schenck staff also merged the KEYS concepts into professional development, worked to increase community involvement, and worked to gain corporate sponsors. Among the corporate sponsors is Texas AT&T.

The school is now reaching out to district administrators to develop stronger working relationships. Parents have been invited to the school to talk about KEYS.

Clearly, communication in the Kate Schenck community has improved tremendously—among the staff, with parents, and the community as well.

“Where you dream it, you can achieve it."