By Marley Seaman
In his 75-minute talk, titled "Focus on the Future of Baldwin Schools," Britto gave parents the outline of his career, from teaching in Providence, R.I., to being an administrator in Bridgeport, Conn., and then moving to Baldwin. He also discussed effort-based learning, and what he expects the schools of Baldwin to do for students.
Britto said it would be "arrogant" of him to come to Baldwin from Bridgeport and institute sweeping changes. Instead, he pledged to find out what was working in the school system and what was not, and work to improve the district. "When teachers and administrators ask very deep questions about practice, you can really transform a school," Britto said.
Most of the evening was devoted to discussion of effort-based learning, a teaching and learning style developed by the Institute of Learning in Pittsburgh, and which Britto championed in Bridgeport. The central principle of effort-based learning is that intelligence is not set in stone, and students can become smarter by working hard.
Britto focused on three goals of effort-based learning: improving students' results with "clear and high expectations," using "fair and credible evaluations" to measure progress, and "academic rigor in a thinking curriculum" that would challenge students and encourage them to learn larger concepts instead of just isolated facts. All three are listed as "board priorities" in Baldwin.
Many people have accepted the idea that intelligence is inherited and unchangeable, Britto said. As a result, they lower their expectations for children, or excuse their failures when they should be telling them to work harder.
Revision is a key component of effort-based learning, and Britto explained that even when the work is hard, students succeed when they are given clear expectations and the chance to improve their work. "In my experience, no one flunked out of Harvard," he said, referring to his graduate studies there. "If [a paper] did not meet standards, it would say 'revise.'"
Britto also explained his style of leadership, saying he would welcome input from others and seek a clear picture of what is happening in the classroom. "In a complex situation," he said, "the hierarchical model will not work."
Britto stressed the value of teachers' reaching a consensus on what constitutes good work. "A successful school is one where teachers have a consensus on what is high-quality work. Without consensus, you can't have exemplars," he said. Exemplars are samples of good work that are shown to students, in keeping with the effort-based theory. Britto showed parents a sample of a fourth-grader's work, and asked them to take four minutes to come to a consensus about the quality of the work. Their answers ranged from A to C, which Britto said illustrated the difficulties of forming a consensus.
At the conclusion of the talk, parents applauded, and many remained in the aisles, discussing what they had heard. "I think a lot of what he says, if applied right, can work," said Gloria Jones, the mother of an 8-year-old at Plaza Elementary. Jones added, however, that she was concerned that some teachers in Baldwin might be reluctant to adopt a new teaching style. "We have teachers that have been teaching here a long time," she said.
Comments about this story? MSeaman@ liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
