It’s lunch time at Cascade Middle School. Clusters of young teens are gathered around cafeteria tables munching on pizza, burgers, and other typical school lunch fare. What you notice immediately is the many varied ethnicities represented at each table – there is not an African American table, or a Vietnamese table, or a white table. It seems every table is a mini United Nations. Relationships easily cross ethnic and racial lines – there’s a feeling of “family” here.

“Many schools don’t have the benefit of the diversity that Cascade has. We are truly a global community,” says Stephen Roiko, a language arts and social studies teacher. “Because of their diverse experiences at Cascade, students are leaps and bounds ahead in being prepared to work in our changing, diverse global economy and community.”

Relationships are huge at Cascade. You can see it in the leadership style of Colin Ryan, a third year principal who exudes the same youthful energy and irrepressible enthusiasm of his teenage students. Jacob Ellis, Cascade’s seasoned African American assistant principal, is almost a father-figure to some of the students.

“Having two men in leadership roles has benefits for middle school students. A lot of them don’t have male role models in their lives,” says Ryan. “Jacob and I have a similar philosophy of teaching: it’s relational, and communication is critical.”

The relationships have definite purpose, and that’s to push students to high levels of learning. There is serious academic work going on here, and steadily improving test scores tell the story. While many schools struggle with reaching groups of students who consistently have the lowest scores, Cascade has made some great gains. Reading WASL scores jumped almost 12 points for black students last year, and more than 12 points for Latino students.

Cascade offers honors level courses at both 7th and 8th grade in literacy and science, as well as algebra and geometry courses for high school credit. But the high standards don’t end there. “As a staff we are dedicated to having high expectations of all of our students,” says Ryan.

Literacy classes encourage critical thinking skills such as inference, analysis, and compare/contrast, and students are pushed to articulate their thinking. Core math courses use the Connected Math 2 curriculum, which requires students not only to master computational skills but also teaches them to justify their answers and think as mathematicians. In science classrooms, students develop skills of scientific inquiry; during labs, students collect data and learn to explain their scientific conclusions.

Cascade offers an array of electives as well as academics. Students who play wind instruments have an opportunity to perform in the school band. Those who have never played before have a chance to learn a musical instrument. Students interested in science and math can take the Gateway to Technology course, which focuses on engineering concepts and feeds into programs at Technology, Engineering, and Communications (TEC) High School on the Evergreen high school campus next door. And the FUNdamentals for Life class teaches life skills such as cooking, emphasizing teamwork and integrating math, science, and literacy into the projects.

All students are enrolled in an advisory class known as PRIDE time. (PRIDE stands for Preparation, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Effort.) This fall, students were given the opportunity to select their PRIDE teachers and give input on the topics they will discuss in class. Topics include issues that are pressing for middle school kids, such as drugs and alcohol, racism, peer pressure, and planning for college.

College preparation is an increasingly important part of school culture. The staff’s college degrees hang in frames outside the main office. Soon campus buildings will be named to represent college halls.

Cascade teachers have played a major role in the development of the district’s accountability initiative, which involves setting specific achievement goals and measuring progress toward those goals. Two years ago, a team of Cascade teachers began developing a system for continually monitoring student progress and adjusting teaching strategies accordingly. This has led to more individualized instruction based on students’ unique learning needs. Cascade’s model, and in particular the work of teacher Stephen Roiko, helped the district to design an “accountability toolkit” that is helping other schools build their own accountability goals and strategies.

“Cascade teachers have really taken the lead in this work,” says Highline’s Chief Accountability Officer Alan Spicciati. “They are pushing the whole district to get smarter about how to make sure all students are challenged to reach their potential.”

Photo captions:
Top photo: Students enjoy camaraderie during lunch.
Second photo: Assistant Principal Jacob Ellis and Principal Colin Ryan surrounded by Cascade students.