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What is personalization?

If even one person in a school knows him well enough to care,
a student’s chances of success go up dramatically.
Kathleen Cushman, Author,  Fires in the bathroom: Advice for teachers
from high school students.

Personalization is not just courtesy; it is the necessary condition for
efficient and effective teaching of each student. 
Sizer, T. (1992). Horace’s school. Redesigning the American high school.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

High schools can be very large, impersonal places. Students move from course to course, teacher to teacher over the course of four years. They leave behind the structure and support of middle school teams. For students to be successful, they must develop meaningful relationships with the school faculty and the students who will share in their high school experiences.

Personalizing the high school means that students are known well academically, socially and emotionally. To accomplish this requires that at least one adult on the campus knows the students' goals and assures that they are on track to achieve them. Faculty and staff act as advocates for students, helping them with decision-making and encouraging them to become involved in the numerous opportunities available top them. They understand the developmental needs of high school students and support them as they become increasingly independent young adults.

Like their students, parents need support as they enjoy their child’s high school years. School personnel who know students well keep parents informed about student academic success and opportunities for involvement. They serve as a point of contact when parents have questions about what is happening at school and they encourage parents to become involved

Simply put, personalization means that students do not just pass through high school; instead, they are a part of the high school, challenging themselves academically and contributing to an exciting community where they can discover new interests and develop personal and social skills.

To learn more about personalization, click on the links below:

The Case for Personalization Resources
The High School Redesign Network offers numerous links to national resources that define and describer personalization.

A Call to Action: Transforming High Schools for All Youth
The National High School Alliance provides a framework for redesigning high schools to become more personalized learning environments.

Knowing and Being Known: Personalization as a Foundation for Student Learning
This report details the process and results of efforts to personalize high schools in Washington State.

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