One West Seattle principal's approach to creating inclusive pathways from one grade level to the next is becoming a new standard for Seattle Public Schools and, possibly, elements of a solution to failing student performance in Seattle.

Jeff Clark decided it was time to start thinking about the bigger picture for his students at Denny Middle School. Through focus on closing the racial achievement gap at Denny while opening long-needed communication between teachers, Clark's plan surrounds one central idea - communication.

With many of today's high school graduates unprepared for college, waiting until high school to address the problem of underachievement is often too late. Something has to be done early on in a child's education, said Clark.

After five years as principal of Salmon Bay Middle School in Ballard, and days after becoming Denny's principal last fall, Clark began working with Chief Sealth High School principal, John Boyd, to form solid collaborative planning between the schools.

"We believe we can achieve curriculum alignment right here in Seattle rather than someone in Switzerland, or somewhere, presenting this very scripted curriculum," he said.

Clark staged a meeting between fifth grade math teachers from several West Seattle elementary schools and Denny's sixth grade math instructors to discuss planning for areas that might require a little more, or a little less, concentration as students move through grade levels.

There is a new leader in the schools and he sees the value of collaboration, said Ruth Medsker, middle school and K-8 director for the school district.

Meetings among teachers are just one step towards curriculum alignment, and Clark is optimistic that connections will be made and students will succeed because of it.

"We are thoroughly committed to aligning ourselves academically and in a very rigorous way," said Clark. "Denny is a very challenging school academically and the pathway objective is a way to align our elementary, middle and high schools so our kids will be prepared for the next level of education and the (International Baccalaureate) Diploma Program at Sealth."

Chief Sealth is in the last stages of applying to host the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program - integrated college curriculum focusing on intercultural understanding and diversity. Finishing the two-year program allows graduates to enter as sophomores at colleges and universities worldwide.

The International Baccalaureate Organization does offer middle and primary year programs, but they can cost up to $50,000 a year. The institution accreditation process alone can take up to three years.

Community members and Sealth staff rallied to get the program and sought district support, which was granted through school dollars allocated to support high school initiatives, said Patti Spencer, communications manager for Seattle Public Schools.

Clark decided that developing curriculum that somewhat mirrors International Baccalaureate courses would best serve his students while also preparing them for the program.

Another part of the connection process is family outreach.

"Families of all students," said Clark. With 69 percent of the student body eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and a higher than state average Black, Asian and Hispanic population, Clark wants to make sure school to family connections are culturally responsive. That will take training, he said.

Spanish translation is now available at parent teacher association meetings. The school publishes weekly bulletins in Spanish and English and a newsletter in four different languages.

Following Clark's lead, Seattle Public Schools has formed the "Flight School Initiative," which, like Clark's plan, aims for collaborative instructional pathways and outreach to families to increase academic performance.

Under the district's initiative, elementary and middle schools will be expected to prepare students for success at a high school within their same geographic area through instructional collaboration and family outreach. The plan uses district funds needed for professional development, but money to support the time required for other collaborative efforts are still in question.

"This is the type of idea that really snowballs when you start talking about it," said Clark. "School district support is just now really starting up and it's really helping us accelerate our goals."

The initiative targets schools with underserved students. Denny is near the top of that list, and like many schools in Seattle with an achievement gap, they long to be one of the top schools in the city.

"We really believe that all our kids are smart and college bound and it's our job to get them there," said Clark. "When you have high expectations kids respond to that."

"Being successful with all students means having high expectations," said Mark Usdane, executive director for the League of Education Voters, a non-profit Seattle based organization that focuses on student achievement in Washington. "Low expectations are one of the most sinister things. It's all about thinking about the educational system as a staircase - each step preparing the student for the next."

A recent report from the organization says that many students enter school unprepared and others leave high school not ready for college or the work force. College freshman are commonly taking remedial classes, said Usdane, but to expect those students to achieve without a solid foundation from primary and middle school is not realistic.

Denny seventh grade scores in reading and math were about 17 percent lower than Madison Middle School seventh graders for the 2005 Washington Assessment of Student Learning exam. And 51 percent of Denny sixth graders scored in the less than the 25th percentile for the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

But during the last few years, Denny seventh graders have steadily increased their scores in all core areas of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

Through a system Clark calls "value added" students are evaluated by determining where they started and where they were projected to finish academically, compared to what the student actually achieved during a year.

"In both reading and math, all students, as a whole, have gained significantly more than a projected years worth of academic growth," said Clark. "This is really a reflection of the level of rigor at Denny."

Clark attributed this success to the "dedicated and passionate" staff at Denny and the evolution from robotic "textbook teaching" to more hands-on, active learning and assessment.

However, the racial achievement gap is something the school continues to struggle with, said Clark, and its elimination "is the school's top priority."

This system is meant to primarily "enhance our educational offerings," said Clark. "Fifth grade families get so nervous about where their child should start middle school. But when kids start out positively and well connected they succeed far better."

Rebekah Schilperoort can be reached at rebekah@robinsonnews.com