TECHNOS—Cheryl Price, Program Director, Great Expectations

July 27, 2008

Cheryl Price, Program Director, Great Expectations

As its motto says—"Tall oaks from little acorns grow"—the Great Expectations (GE) phenomenon is one that grew from the basic idea that every child can learn and deserves respect, and every teacher can learn new, more caring methods of pedagogy. Cheryl Price agrees. She has been a teacher of children and educators for more than 20 years and has been involved in GE since it began in 1990. For six years, she was a principal in one of the original 25 schools selected to pilot the program in the state of Oklahoma. A native Oklahoman, Ms. Price holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. In addition, she holds certifications as a reading specialist and an elementary principal. She served on the GE Advisory Board which was comprised of teachers, administrators, and higher education officials across the state of Oklahoma. These professionals provided insight and direction for the program as they pertained to the process of educating students and the part that GE should play in reforming the educational process in the state. As GE’s program director, Cheryl provides program coordination for the most dynamic and meaningful teacher training program for experienced and entry-year teachers in Oklahoma. As a result of her leadership, GE has experienced dramatic and unparalleled growth, branching out to 13 other states. In addition to her Great Expectations responsibilities, Cheryl serves as a committee member for the Oklahoma Residency Program, which is a program that shadows, guides, and supports entry-year teachers during their first year in the classroom. She also directs the Oklahoma Principals’ Academy, an educational leadership program which provides year-long training and follow-up support for public school administrators. Cheryl conducts professional development seminars and works with teachers, principals, and superintendents throughout the country as they implement the Great Expectations program in their classrooms, schools, and districts.

Contact Cheryl Price at priceck@nsuok.edu.

T: Tell us a little about GE’s founder, Charlie Hollar…Who is he? How did he become involved in teacher professional development? What was his interest in teaching and classroom ambience that caused him to develop GE?

C.P.: Charlie Hollar is a retired businessman from Ponca City, Oklahoma, who has a history of being a volunteer in his community as well as around the state. He wanted to do something for the education of the state of Oklahoma and formed the Great Expectations Foundation in 1991. His interest in teaching and classroom ambience that caused him to develop GE was that he saw the need for educators to have an opportunity to have continued training in some specific areas (such as the basic tenets of GE) once they began their teaching.

What prompted Mr. Hollar to establish the GE Foundation?

He was prompted to establish the GE Foundation to provide financial support for summer training and mentor support throughout the school year for the schools. The funding is provided in primarily three ways: private donations from other foundations and corporations, state appropriations for schools to have scholarships for training, and tuition from training.

Why do you think GE sprung up and has developed in Oklahoma? What is it about Oklahoma that makes it a good place for such a program to grow and prosper?

I believe GE has developed in Oklahoma because it initially began in this state and the state legislature has provided seed money for schools to have training. The Foundation is located here and most of the focus and effort has been to develop Great Expectations schools in this state for the last 15 years. The mentoring component is very crucial to the development of the schools. I think it grows and prospers here because, just like other states, the educators here want the knowledge and skills needed to continue to provide the best educational opportunities available to our students.

GE has spread to other states as well. How have you managed the increased volume of teachers in your workshops? Do GE-trained teachers go on to train others?

We do have a component that provides for GE-trained teachers to teach others. We have a very stringent instructor certification process that gives us a base of approximately 200 teachers who are certified to teacher GE.

What has been the general reaction from university and college teacher education programs?

The reaction from university and college of education programs is that they have a tight degree plan with little room for elective courses. They have not been willing to open this degree tract up to additional courses. (I am in the talking stages with Northeastern State University at the present time to add GE as an elective.) Also, their idea is that they provide the same information that our program is built on throughout their educational courses and it is not necessary for the students to have GE. Their view is that it is a quality "in-service" for teachers but not necessarily needed as a "pre-service" course for students.

"Rather than teaching WHAT to teach, Great Expectations methodology focuses on the learning climate and the HOW of teaching." Does curriculum play no role in GE? It seems to be as much a character education program for students as it is a professional development program for teachers—the two seem to go hand-in-hand.

Even though we view ourselves as a method of teaching any curriculum that is being used in the school system, there is a distinct pedagogy involved in the GE philosophy. The six tenets of GE are as follows:

All Children Can Learn
Building Self-Esteem
A Climate of Mutual Respect
High Expectations
Teacher Attitude and Responsibility
Teacher Knowledge and Skill

As you can see, some of these speak to curriculum and some to teaching life skills. Southwestern Educational Development Laboratory, evaluated the GE program in 1999 and determined, "Not only did [we] incorporate the ‘best practices’ of teaching; [we] also included the teaching of ‘social competencies.’" Yes, it is a certain curriculum as well as a character education program.

What is a GE creed—and why is it important in the everyday conduct of teachers and students?

There is not one GE creed; schools and classrooms are taught to develop their own creeds. There is a teacher’s creed; this might be what you are referring to. Creeds are important because, as our methodology book explains: "The first step in creating new dialogue with students is to develop a creed: a set of fundamental beliefs. Creeds build a common language of the school and instill a sense of pride and honor in students. A creed can set the tone for the school as well as the classroom. A creed simply states the goals and what will be done to accomplish those goals."

What is the "Magic Triad"? What is the purpose of using it with every student?

The Magic Triad is composed of three things: a smile, an affectionate word, and a hug or kind touch. This is based on research by John V. Gilmore and Eunice C. Gilmore in the book entitled Give Your Child a Future. Their findings suggest that these three things have a powerful effect on the success of students. They bring people closer together, create a caring atmosphere, and help prevent discipline problems tremendously.

Ultimately the measuring stick for GE is student achievement. How has it improved in GE schools?

We just completed scientifically based research on student achievement. This is required by the national legislation of No Child Left Behind and is required if schools are paying for professional development with federal money. The results of the research study can be summarized in the following quote taken from the executive summary, which is available on our Web site: "These findings indicate that students in classrooms implementing Great Expectations methodology showed greater gains in student academic achievement during the school year compared to demographically similar students not exposed to GE." The students were tested in reading, language arts, and math.

What is your response to critics who say that "feel-good" techniques are making our students lazy and aren’t preparing them for the real world?

I am not sure what exactly you are referring to as "feel-good" techniques. I assume they are what are sometimes referred to as the "soft skills" of education. But I would offer the following information, from a nationwide survey of employers by Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence:

Competence in reading, writing, and math—GE Tenet of High Expectations
Listening and oral communication—GE Tenet of Building Self-Esteem
Personal management, confidence, motivation to work toward goals, a sense of desire to develop one’s career and take pride in accomplishments—GE Tenet of Building Self-Esteem & High Expectations
Group and interpersonal effectiveness, cooperativeness and teamwork, skills at negotiating disagreements—GE Tenets of Building Self-Esteem & Climate of Mutual Respect
Effectiveness in the organization, wanting to make a contribution, leadership potential—GE Tenet of Teacher Attitude Harvard Business School Competencies Sought: Empathy, Perspective, Rapport, Cooperation. Study of Corporations’ Three Most Desired Capabilities for MBA New Hires: Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Initiative.

These are all traits that GE strives to develop in teachers and students.

Does the GE program also provide parent training? In what ways can parents support the teachers’ efforts at home with their children?

GE does provide parental training during our summer institute sessions and on an as-needed basis for school districts and other entities throughout the year. The six tenets of GE can be transferred to the home very easily.

How did you become involved with the GE program initially?

I was an elementary principal in a school which was selected in 1991 to participate in the pilot program of the first 25 schools.

GE strives to "provide renewal and inspiration for teachers"…Can you explain how this has happened for you, on a personal basis, as a GE practitioner?

I saw the difference it made in the teachers, students, and parents in my building and in me. Educators are reminded of why we became educators and how to continue to grow and learn and keep the passion it takes to continue on the path of educating our students.

As GE’s program director, what are your specific duties? Do you ever miss your days as a classroom teacher or a principal?

My specific duties, as listed on my job description, include: Providing direction and focus for the GE program; providing support, instruction, and demonstration of GE tenets and classroom practices; developing public awareness of GE; working with administrators to secure top-level school/district knowledge and support of the program; collaborating with principals to assist them in implementing the program; establishing networks and contact persons in strategic locations/positions for the purpose of program support; routinely meeting with mentors to plan, discuss, and coordinate activities as well as to problem-solve in an effort to enrich and strengthen the program; supervising mentors and staff; providing materials and ideas to persons within the organization and outside the organization who request program information; assessing efficacy and quality of instruction as it applies to all phases of the program; maintaining documentation of all program activities; acting as a liaison between Northeastern State University and the program founder, board of directors, and staff; providing professional development and information about GE to various groups; working with colleges of education to incorporate GE into pre-service educational content; working to design professional development that is pertinent to the needs of interested parties; and facilitating our summer institutes.

I do miss my days as a principal. I just go visit a school whenever I need a "kid fix"!

What are you most proud of as an officer of Great Expectations? What is your most disappointing moment?

I am most proud of the quality of the leadership team of GE and the fact that they have helped develop 34 Great Expectations Model Schools. My most disappointing moment is when a Great Expectations Principal retires or moves to another district and the administration of that district does not replace the person with a GE principal.

What are the goals for the GE program in, say, 10 years down the road?

The goals of GE in the next 10 years are to increase the number of GE Model Schools in the OKC school district, to increase the number of model schools across Oklahoma and in the middle school and secondary levels, to develop model schools in other states, and to become recognized by Northwestern Educational Development Laboratory as a Comprehensive School Reform Model.

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