Irving Middle School
Irving Middle School is a public school in the Norman Public Schools district led by principal Jonathan Atchley. We partnered with Irving in fall 2017. Since then, Atchley and his core team have begun several activities aimed at fostering awareness and development of virtue.
Cultural Competency Training
In August 2017, Lee Roland and Clarence Hill provided cultural competency training to 47 Irving faculty. We had worked with Roland and Hill on prior projects, and connected them with Atchley. Information from the training was spread to additional staff through back-to-school professional development meetings.
Kind Cougars
Atchley formed a core team of teachers and staff tasked with integrating virtue into the classroom and the school in general. Labeled “Kind Cougars” (the school’s mascot is a cougar), the team has undertaken several key activities.
Training in teaching intellectual virtues
In Feb. 2018 we sent a small team of Irving faculty to the Intellectual Virtues Academy, a charter middle school serving students in the Long Beach, California Unified School District. They focus on nine intellectual virtues and integrate them across their curriculum.
Professional Development
In June and July 2018, we sent nine Irving faculty to a 5-day summer institute titled, “The Power of Mindsets,” hosted in Boston by Learning and the Brain. Led by Dr.
Assessment
To assist Atchley and his team in assessing the school culture, we have designed and administered surveys to Irving teachers, staff and administrators. As each survey is completed, we analyze the data, report it to Atchley, and discuss recommendations for further improvement.
