BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) 鈥� When at A.D. Henderson School, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, are asked how they succeed, one answer is universal: They have autonomy.
Nationally, most teachers report feeling at work, according to a Pew Research Center survey of teachers last fall. Waning job satisfaction over the last two decades has accompanied a in the classroom, according to a recent study out of Brown University and the University of Albany.
But at this South Florida school, administrators allow their staff high levels of classroom creativity 鈥� and it works.
A public school of 636 kindergartners to eighth graders on the campus of Florida Atlantic University, Henderson scored in the top 1% to 3% in every subject and grade level on the state鈥檚 latest standardized tests, with the exception of sixth grade math, where students scored in the top 7%. In almost every subject, 60% or more of Henderson students score significantly above the state average.
鈥淭here is a lot of our own individual input allowed in doing the activities that we want to do in the classroom,鈥� said Vanessa Stevenson, a middle school science teacher finishing her third year at the school. She plans to start an equine medicine class next fall even though the school has no stables 鈥� she believes she will find a way.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of trial and error because there鈥檚 nothing being handed to you saying, 鈥楧o it this way.鈥� You just have to figure it out,鈥� she said.
Joel Herbst, superintendent of Henderson and its sibling calls the faculty his 鈥渟ecret sauce鈥� and argues the school鈥檚 success can be duplicated anywhere 鈥� if administrators cede some control.
When that happens, he said, teachers create hands-on programs that help students 鈥渘ot only show their understanding, but gain more depth.鈥�
鈥淕ive (teachers) the freedom to do what they do best, which is to impart knowledge, to teach beyond the textbook,鈥� he said.
Portland State University education professor Madhu Narayanan, who studies teacher autonomy, said independence has a high correlation to faculty morale and success. But autonomy must be paired with administrative support.
鈥淚t can鈥檛 be, 鈥楬ere is the classroom, here is the textbook, we鈥檒l see you in six months.鈥� Those teachers have tremendous autonomy, but feel lost,鈥� he said.
鈥楾HAT LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA鈥�
Henderson emphasizes science, technology and math, using arts and humanities to help with those lessons. About 2,700 families enter a lottery each year for the 60 spots in Henderson鈥檚 kindergarten class and openings in other grades. There is no screening 鈥� some children entering Henderson are prodigies, most are average learners and some have learning disabilities like .
The only tweaking is to comply with a Florida law requiring the student population at university-run 鈥渓aboratory鈥� schools match state demographics for race, gender and income. Because families apply to attend, parental involvement is high 鈥� an advantage Herbst and his staff concede.
Selected kindergartners are tested months before arrival so any needs can be immediately addressed.
鈥淪ome of them come in and some know five letters 鈥� and it is not just reading, but all subjects,鈥� said Lauren Robinson, the elementary program鈥檚 vice principal. 鈥淲e are going to provide every opportunity to close those gaps before those gaps grow and grow, instead of waiting until a certain grade level and saying, 鈥楴ow we鈥檒l try to close them.鈥� It鈥檚 Day One.鈥�
In Jenny O鈥橲ullivan鈥檚 art and technology classroom, kindergartners learn computer coding basics by steering a robot through a maze. Fourth and fifth graders make videos celebrating . Students learn design by building cardboard arcade games like Skee-Ball for their classmates. Legos teach engineering.
While her new classroom has the latest technology, she insists such classes can be taught anywhere if the teacher is allowed creativity.
鈥淢y grandmother is from Louisiana and there鈥檚 a (Cajun) saying: 鈥楲agniappe,鈥� that little something extra,鈥� O鈥橲ullivan said. 鈥淚 get to be the lagniappe in (the student鈥檚) education. Could you do without it? Yes. But would you want to? No.鈥�
Working in small groups while dressed in white lab coats and goggles, the sixth graders in Amy Miramontes鈥� Medical Detectives class solve a mystery daily. They have examined strands of rabbit muscle under a microscope, using safe chemicals to determine what neurological disease each animal had. They have tested fake neurotoxins to determine which ailments afflicted their imaginary patients.
Miramontes hopes the class not only piques the students鈥� interest in medicine, but implants knowledge needed in two years when they take the state鈥檚 eighth-grade science test.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e always learning by having their hands on something,鈥� Miramontes said. 鈥淚f they mess up, it鈥檚 OK 鈥� we start over. But then we learn a great life lesson that we have to be very diligent.鈥�
Marisha Valbrun, 12, took Medical Detectives because she might want to be a doctor. She鈥檚 learned that while science is challenging, by seeking assistance she can overcome obstacles.
鈥淚 feel like if I just ask any person in this room for help, they can give you that right answer,鈥� she said.
USING ART TO TEACH SCIENCE
Even at a school where teachers exude enthusiasm, elementary art teacher Lindsey Wuest stands out 鈥� she can鈥檛 stand still while describing how her lessons center on science.
On this afternoon in her Science as Art class, Wuest and a visiting artist are showing third graders how to make clay bobblehead dolls of endangered species 鈥� while also teaching the chemistry of why glazes change color in the kiln.
鈥淗opefully those students who love art can also develop a love of science,鈥� she said. 鈥淧roject-based learning sticks with the kids for longer.鈥�
Third grader Maximus Mallow said that by working on his leopard bobblehead, he learned how the animal鈥檚 camouflage works.
鈥淲e have fun while we create stuff about science,鈥� the 9-year-old said.
Henderson鈥檚 success leads to grants 鈥� and nowhere shows that better than the middle school鈥檚 drone program, which recently won a national competition in San Diego.
Henderson鈥檚 drone teams have a room to practice flying the 3-inch-by-3-inch (75 millimeter), four-rotor devices through an obstacle course, plus flight simulators donated by the local power company.
The drone program is a chance to compete while using the physics and aeronautics learned in the classroom, teacher James Nance said. While expensive equipment is a benefit, Nance said, drone classes can be taught on a shoestring. At a previous school, he made a flying course out of PVC pipe and balloons.
Eighth grader Anik Sahai pulls out his cell phone in Stevenson鈥檚 science classroom, an act at Henderson that . But he is demonstrating an app he created that uses the camera to diagnose diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. It took first place in the state鈥檚 middle school science fair and is being considered for commercial use.
The 14-year-old credits his success to his years at Henderson, beginning in the program.
鈥淭he teachers here, they鈥檙e amazing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been trained on how to get us to the next level.鈥�
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Sharon Lurye contributed reporting from New Orleans.
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