Houston County High School
Warner Robins, Georgia
Houston County High School has been recognized on CNN and in over seven national publications over the last two years for the integration of technology across the curriculum. Named an Intel Model School, a Hitachi Beta School, and a Promethean Case Study Program School, Houston County High boasts not simply an abundance of hardware, but rather a totally wireless environment that utilizes technology as a tool to enhance student learning in every classroom. Every technology solution implemented, whether hardware, software, or teacher staff development, was put in place to improve instruction and provide students and teachers with an environment that best resembles standards for educating young people in the 21st century.
The motto, “a school with futuristic goals and old-fashioned values,” is truly exhibited in the integration of technology. Unlike many school environments where technology solutions were implemented to take the place of traditional strategies, Houston County High takes technology integration to the next level by keeping traditional solutions and enhancing them with technology skills that will prepare students to be the most competitive in the market today. In the furniture manufacturing program, students design and build fine furniture sometimes appraised at well over $10,000. The students utilize technology in a new wireless Centrino lab with CAD 2004 by designing the pieces, tracking progress, and preparing materials lists. In the adjoining working area, students can program cutting patterns on the high tech CNC lathes. However, students utilize traditional furniture-building techniques, such as dado joints, dovetail joints, and dowels in lieu of staples and nails. In the Agriculture program students learn animal science at the school farm. While dairy and pig production techniques at the farm closely resemble typical strategies applied on farms across the country today, Houston High students study and utilize artificial insemination, embryo transfer, ultrasound, and perform research projects on protein loading for maximum growth. In the Air Force Junior ROTC program, students can fly any plane from a Cessna to a jumbo jet airliner in the flight simulator lab. Ten students in the Flight Club last year attended ground school taught by a regular FAA ground instructor and took the ground school test. It is noteworthy that all ten students passed the ground school test.
Houston County High School has had the opportunity to provide technology road maps for many schools across the United States in the last five years. Since August of 2002, over 140 different groups from 20 states have visited the school to look for technology solutions to use in their schools. In addition, solid partnerships have been established with Intel, Gateway, Dell, Promethean, Hitachi, JES & Co., Pitsco, Star Software, Plato Software, and Middle Georgia Technical College. Houston County High has accepted several technology challenges, including the development of technology lesson plans utilizing LOTI standards for the state of Georgia, participation in a national research project with students in the 9th Grade Academy utilizing Tablet PCs, and Teaching Math in the 21st Century.
Excellence can be achieved if you…
Care more than others think is wise
Risk more than others think is safe
Dream more than others think is practical and
Expect more than others think is possible.
-Roland Barth
These words embrace the spirit of Houston County High School. Old-fashioned values are important, yet 150 years of methods must now be altered. Though they strive for excellence, the most important goal is to develop life-long learners. The school’s philosophy and methods embrace the newest and best ideas in the field, but a focus on students is the real measure of success. Houston County High School strives to serve as a model for those interested in caring, risking, dreaming, and expecting more for children.
Houston County High School’s educational program is built on instructional standards and curriculum, which are challenging and meaningful. Consistently strong performance on Georgia’s Graduation Tests is only one example of instructional excellence. On the 11th grade writing assessment, HCHS juniors scored in the 96th percentile this year, 5% above the district and state average. Continuously expecting more, students consistently meet higher expectations year after year on national standardized tests.
Effective technology integration makes interactive teaching and learning possible, and in no place is this philosophy more evident than at Houston County High. Advanced Placement students take their classroom lessons and transfer that knowledge to the building of award winning projects like sophisticated 3-D imaging technology or the development of bacteria that, in spray form, can safely eradicate kudzu. There also are students with special needs who create sophisticated, computerized landscape designs, and then implement those designs in community settings. Students don’t just read chapters and answer the questions. In science classes, students use computer-linked probes to interact with elements by digitally measuring their different properties. A national research project is currently in progress using the newest Tablet PC’s to determine whether 24-hour access to this technology will increase student learning.
It is important that students actively participate in lessons that involve and prepare them for life. Towards that end, the faculty maintains a focus on student achievement and supports the necessary means to improve it. In November of 2003, the faculty participated in the National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE) Survey to rate themselves on Indicators of School Quality. The area with the highest score was “Expands Instructional Support for Student Learning.” Houston County High teachers offer ways for students to collaborate with them beyond the regular school day, including school-based, free tutorials two nights per week, online academic forums and chats, and instant messaging sessions for homework help. In addition, 57% of teachers offer personalized tutoring before or after school. Research-based, subject-specific tutorials are utilized by students who need help on standardized tests. Fifty percent of teachers utilize interactive websites to provide students with additional academic support. Through the use of a web-based classroom management system developed in-house, students and parents can actively check grades, attendance, test scores, and transcripts online in real time. A quick click can immediately put the teacher, student, or parents in contact to discuss questions, concerns, or problems. Teacher paperwork is a thing of the past and instruction is the primary focus.
The next highest indicator on the NSSE Survey was “School Leadership Promotes Quality Instruction and an Academic Climate.” A score of 3.5 in this area indicates the vitality of the leadership found at Houston County High School. School leaders, including administration, department chairs, school improvement team, school council, and classroom teachers, have established a pervasive tradition of innovation and cooperation. One example of this is the vision of the administration to create a separate “school within a school” in the form of a 9th Grade Academy. Working with departments and individual teachers, school leaders found a way to help ease the turbulence of transition of students from middle school to high school. By expecting more than others think is possible, school leaders challenge the staff to pursue excellence.
For a vision to become a reality, it must be shared. The organization of Houston County High School is one of participation and the culture is one of total inclusion. On the NSSE Survey, 3.5 out of 4.0 was scored on the standard of “shared vision, beliefs, and mission.” All staff are involved in decision-making, goal setting, and development of the instructional program. Through numerous booster and support organizations, parents are highly involved in the school. Currently, there are over 400 parent volunteers in the band program alone.
Partnerships, such as those established with Intel, Hitachi, and Star Software, are critical to the success of HCHS. These partnerships have made it possible for students to create original music in a wireless MIDI lab, have 24 hour access through the Tablet PC project, and design and build fine furniture. Partnerships allow them “dream more than others think is practical.”
Excellence at Houston County High is measured by numerous indicators. The 9th Grade Academy is one such example. Since its inception in 1998, this program has resulted in a 55% reduction in the number of discipline referrals and a 42% reduction in the number of student retentions in the ninth grade. Another indicator of excellence is the culture of technology that has evolved at HCHS. Technology is integrated into every aspect of student learning and has had a proven impact on teaching and student achievement. Maintaining standardized test scores above local and state averages for multiple years is a third indicator of excellence. A final indicator is dedication to a vision of educators, parents, and businesses working together to form a community of life-long learners interested in caring, risking, dreaming, and expecting more than others have ever done.
During the last accreditation visit, the committee chair made a statement that epitomizes the excellence at Houston County High School. He said, “If a student cannot be successful at this school, he cannot be successful.”