Simon Youth Foundation principal to share best strategies for successful non-traditional classrooms

Michael Flushman, the principal at the Simon Youth Academy at Hickory Hollow Mall in Nashville, Tenn., says that emphasizing community while teaching to the individual student are strategies that can lead non-traditional schools to success, and he will share these best practices as a featured presenter at the 23rd Annual National Dropout Prevention Network Conference scheduled for Oct. 9-12, 2011, in Schaumburg, Ill.

Flushman, who will present with his mentor, Elaine Fahrner, another Nashville-area non-traditional-school principal, says their presentation will be set up as a carousel session, which is in the form of a roundtable discussion to facilitate idea sharing.

“Our presentation is Non-traditional Schools that Work,” Flushman says. “Elaine and I will talk about our model for a successful non-traditional high school, which is based on a program originally designed by Bill Warren in Chattanooga, Tenn., and targets 17- to 21-year-old at-risk students who need 8 credits or fewer to graduate.”

Michael Flushman,center, with his academy students

Flushman says he wants teachers who work in dropout prevention to learn that at-risk students need to feel a part of something special, and this makes building a sense of community at a non-traditional school essential to success.

“The students we serve have gotten lost in traditional schools, and for a range of reasons, they felt like they didn’t belong,” Flushman says. “Our non-traditional schools have to break this cycle and help students feel like they are recognized and celebrated for who they are.”

To do this, Flushman and Fahrner, as originated by Warren, want students to feel three key emotions when they are in the classroom.

• Acceptance
• Recognition
• Sense of Belonging

“While building a feeling of community, or a sense of family, in the school is crucial, there also must be emphasis on the individual, too,” Flushman says.

Specifically, Flushman says curriculum should be adapted to meet a particular student’s needs, and individualized strategies should consider a student’s personal post-secondary education goals.

“Teachers and counselors must be in close contact so that working together they can pursue the best strategy for a student to complete his or her high school requirements and to be best prepared to take the next step in their education,” Flushman says.

When not sharing best practices with the thousands who will attend the National Dropout Prevention Network Annual Conference, Flushman will share his strategies with other Simon Youth Academy teachers at the SimonYouth Foundation Annual Conference, Connections of Impact, which is being held in conjunction with the NDPN event.

The Simon Youth Academy at Hickory Hollow Mall is operated in partnership between SYF and the Metro Nashville Public Schools.