In the 2022-2023 school year Facing History’s Cleveland program team worked with a total of 10 schools in the Northeast Ohio Partner Schools Network in and around Cleveland who were looking to achieve specific social-emotional learning, equity, and civic education goals within their school communities. The Northeast Ohio Partner Schools are part of our network of Facing History Partner Schools—schools that integrate our core values and suite of educational offerings for schools, school leaders, educators, and students. These offerings include seminars, workshops, webinars, and on-demand learning for educators, in addition to instructional coaching opportunities; a series of cross-regional school leader sessions; and support for teaching our curricular content. Similarly, students across these schools receive a range of leadership opportunities and access to rich learning resources and activities.
Following the 2022-2023 year of Facing History program outreach, our Evaluation Team surveyed the success of this work. Our evaluation study sought to answer four questions:
- Did educators value their school’s partnership with Facing History—and if so, what did they value the most?
- To what extent did Partner Schools participate in Facing History’s school-wide offerings and professional development opportunities?
- How many Facing History curricular resources and teaching strategies did educators use in the classroom?
- How did Facing History positively impact them, their students, and their schools?
Conclusion: Cleveland educators and school leaders deeply value their partnership with Facing History!
The results of our evaluation study were so encouraging, underscoring how vital a role Facing History can play in a school when our pedagogical approach is adopted.
The takeaway for Facing History amounted to Six Key Findings:
- Cleveland educators valued our partnership, describing Facing History as deeply in tune with their school’s mission, values, and goals.
- Partner Schools engaged in many of Facing History’s school-wide programs and found them to be a benefit to school culture, teacher development, student engagement, and student empathy.
- Participating educators took part in a wide array of Facing History’s professional learning events both in-school and online and within the local community.
- The educators who participated in our professional learning described it as impactful, informative, and highly aligned to their needs.
- These educators implemented many teaching strategies and curricular resources from Facing History in their classrooms and reported that these strategies and resources enhanced their students’ learning experiences.
- Cleveland educators said their use of Facing History’s resources and teaching strategies in the classroom promoted deeper forms of student engagement and contributed to increases in students’ social, emotional, and civic development.
In our evaluation survey, 96% of participants rated their experience with Facing History as either high or very high value. This high-level value directly translates to impactful educational experiences for students and career-building professional development for teachers.
By the Numbers
Among participating school leaders…
- 93% agreed that Facing History helped them make progress toward their school improvement goals.
Among participating educators…
- 92% agreed that Facing History helped them amplify student voice in their classroom or school.
- 100% agreed that implementing Facing History in the classroom helped them promote a range of social-emotional skills in their students.
What Did Teachers and School Leaders Say about Their Experiences?
Participants were kind enough to share insightful feedback with Facing History. Their words demonstrate the difference Facing History support can make, which highlights the utility and worth of our mission.
Here are some of their quotes.
About Professional Learning
“Social-Emotional Learning and Belonging was a valuable PD as it opened the door to important conversations with colleagues. We reflected on the work we are currently doing in this regard as well as how we can move forward with intention and purpose.”
- Classroom Teacher, Laurel School
About Classroom Resources
“I teach an elective on genocide and I have found numerous articles, documents, and video clips that enhance our case studies. Students find Facing History resources to be extremely compelling and they actively engage with the topics every single day.
- Classroom Teacher, Laurel School
About the Transformative Power of Facing History
“My students grow more socially every day. We began this year discussing the obstacles to accessing healthcare in Cleveland, which affects many students and their families, and are concluding with a debate about the intersection of ethics, morality, and legality. This is not a typical English class, Facing History has helped me build it into something remarkable.”
- Classroom Teacher, Facing History New Tech
The Benefits of Partnering with Facing History
We love hearing positive feedback about how this kind of collaboration works well in schools. For Facing History, this type of partnership is crucial to better understanding what tools work best in classroom and professional learning settings. The data we collect from collaborations like the one in Cleveland help us determine the type of curriculum and support that make for the most profound transformations in both academic achievement and a happy school culture. Years of research and analysis within schools across the US and globally allow us to cater to individual district’s needs, fine-tuning our outreach to fit each school.
The substantial level of impact observed within this evaluation study shows how deep implementation of our pedagogy leads to measurable and favorable outcomes. Facing History is a bridge for schools and districts to reach their goals, increasing student, teacher, and administrator satisfaction and well-being.
