BEVERLY — St. Barnabas Elementary School in Beverly can officially boast of having a Harvard-educated faculty.
Principal Elaine Gaffney and second-grade teacher Grace Sadowski attended a training session at the iconic university in late June. The educators spent the week learning about Harvard's Data Wise Project.
The lessons learned from the professional-development opportunity sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago are being implemented at the school at 10121 S. Longwood Drive, Gaffney said Tuesday.
"I am so impressed with the teachers here because they are constantly looking for new ways to teach our kids," said Gaffney, who has been principal at St. Barnabas for the last two years.
Gaffney explained the program taught by Harvard professors as a way to use data to improve student learning and retention. But the data is not exclusively culled from standardized tests.
"We think of data as any bit of information about our children," said Gaffney, adding that the system is designed to work with input from parent meetings, homework assignments and even observing classroom behavior.
"What I found most interesting was the amount of information we already collect as a school that can be used as data," said Sadowski, a Beverly resident.
With school back in session, the pair are in the process of sharing what they learned with a nine-member leadership team. These teachers will go on to educate their peers at the Catholic school.
An eight-step process will be used to assess and improve reading throughout the school year. A webinar with Harvard professors is scheduled on Thursday to see how things are going and help answer questions.
"I believe that Data Wise will be the piece of the puzzle that helps lift St. Barnabas student achievement to the next level," said Sadowski, who has taught at the school since 2010.
Gaffney believes improved test scores will also come as a result of the effort, but it is not the ultimate barometer for success. In fact, she declared the program a win already as teachers have begun sharing successful strategies and taking a wider view of their approach to education.
"It's creating a time to think about your profession," she said, adding that often teachers get bogged down with grading papers, tying shoes and other elements of the daily grind.
Gaffney hopes to use this same Harvard approach next year to tackle math. She's also asked that the teachers to do at least two professional development programs on their own next year.
This may take the form of an intensive seminar in Orlando or something as simple as an online course, said Gaffney, noting that the Southwest Side school will help pay for expenses.
"It's really a commitment to lifelong learning," she said.
Gaffney said the trip to Cambridge, Mass., was professionally rewarding, but she and Sadowski also were able to sneak away to see some of neighboring Boston.
"We took a little time after one of our meetings to stop at Fenway [Park], and we did go to Cheers," she said.
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