More Success Stories >>

Poinciana High School in Osceola County Accepted
as Member of Successful Practices Network

Poinciana High School in Osceola County has been accepted for membership in a national network of K-12 schools committed to school improvement and high academic achievement for all students.

The Successful Practices Network, sponsored by the International Center for Leadership in Education, Rexford, NY, is a not-for-profit collaboration of good schools that are striving to become great schools. Through the Network, the professional staff of Poinciana High School will exchange best instructional practices, successful methodologies and peer support with other member schools.

Network Executive Director Ray McNulty describes the collaboration as "a way to link committed educators and district leadership with like-minded practitioners across the country. Even the best schools can't be expert in every aspect of school improvement. At the same time, these schools have enormous expertise in specific areas to share. The idea behind the Network is to connect schools with other schools that can offer needed expertise and possible solutions."

Network members identify their own improvement priorities and technical assistance needs as well as the experience and know-how they can share with other schools. Each school works through an assigned Network liaison to establish contact with other schools and with master teachers and senior consultants, who can provide research, data and approaches that otherwise might not be accessible to local educators.

Meeting academic accountability standards under the No Child Left Behind legislation presents a challenge for many schools. Cutbacks in state-level sources of technical assistance are forcing districts to find alternative mechanisms that will support their teachers. The Successful Practices Network is an innovative and informal way for schools to share knowledge — peer to peer — through specialty groups for various subject areas, special education, parental involvement, administration and so on.

Members also receive regular communications from the Network related to professional development, instructional tools and education trends.

For more information on Poinciana High School's involvement in the Successful Practices Network, contact Principal Debra Pace at 407-870-4860.