McDermitt Combined School is a testament to what dedication, support, and rigorous effort can achieve. McDermitt School is a part of the Humboldt School District, nestled in a small, rural community in northern Nevada, "so far north, the schools are in Nevada, and our football fields are in Oregon," jokes Principal Robert Lindsay.
This success is made possible through the unwavering support of the Humboldt School District, the local Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, and the ANet partnership, all of which work tirelessly alongside Principal Lindsay, a newer addition to the school, to champion the needs of the students.
Located in the region of the Northern Paiute tribe, the school serves predominantly Native students. Despite being a small school, McDermitt is making significant strides in its instructional work. The educators continue to meet McDermitt's unique challenges with innovative solutions. As a result, students have experienced an increase in positive outcomes. This remarkable progress highlights the educators' and community's resilience and dedication.
At McDermitt, ensuring students have access to grade-level instruction during the implementation of high-quality instructional materials is the primary focus. This process revolves around:
Many of these processes took extra intentional effort. Because of the school's remote location, the teacher shortage became a more significant issue for McDermitt School. Classrooms are multi-grade, with a combination of a licensed teacher and a paraprofessional educating two to three grade levels in one classroom. Multi-grade classrooms present unique challenges, as teachers must ensure that each grade receives appropriate instruction. One common pitfall is the temptation to combine materials for different grades, which often can provide a disadvantage to students. Historically, McDermitt students experienced performance gaps in English Language Arts (ELA) and math.
The educators worked diligently to select the best high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs) for their students. Through their selection process, they took time to train and understand the standards taught at each grade level to help mitigate the pitfalls of combining materials for multiple grades. They continue to build an understanding of the materials and standards, research and implement strategies to use grade-level aligned materials, and develop their instructional management.
"Having materials is one thing. Using them with fidelity in how they are designed is another," said Principal Lindsay.
"When he [Principal Linsday] came in, he came in with a side-by-side approach. Learning alongside teachers with a growth mindset, really being willing to do whatever's necessary for the best interest of students," said Holloway.
An ongoing component of continuous learning involves observation and feedback. School leadership is constantly present in the classroom to provide specific, actionable feedback to teachers. Principal Lindsay feels that this practice helps build trust between teachers and leadership, especially because he wants to recognize his team for the practices they are doing well.
The educators at McDermitt deeply appreciate this approach and see Principal Lindsay's willingness to be their partner as a large contributor to the school's overall success.
"Along the lines of an academic advisor, he will come in, and he will give you feedback, and it's always in a positive manner," said elementary teacher Valinda Hinkey.
"Everyone has to have a growth mindset and believe that we are all learners. If we stop learning, then we're doing a disservice to our students. That's really our job – to increase learning," said Humboldt County School District’s Director of School Performance, Noel Morton.
Educational leadership works to be student-centered. The district provides support through professional learning communities (PLCs), helping leaders become instructional leaders who understand the standards' vertical progression and coherence. This support builds instructional capacity and provides structures for giving feedback to teachers and internalizing high-quality instructional materials.
"Humboldt has taken an approach of consistency and incremental change. They had a starting point, and they have continued to evolve their process, keeping the Teaching & Learning Cycle as an anchor," said ANet Coach Angela Holloway.
Another significant influence for students at McDermitt is the local Paiute-Shoshone tribe. The Northern Paiute people are known in their native language as the Numu, which roughly translates to "The People." The Shoshone are known as the Newe in the native language. The Northern Paiute tribe has the largest concentration of Northern Paiute speakers, with roughly 20-30% of the tribe's children being able to speak the endangered indigenous language.
Through the tribe's language development program, tribe member Thierry Veyrié develops a language curriculum to teach students the Paiute language. The curriculum is currently available to Kindergarteners and first graders, and they plan to add one grade each year so all students can participate through 12th grade. Early elementary students learn how to count, write their name, and introduce themselves, as well as cultural aspects like traditional songs to sing for the Round Dance.
According to program director Thierry Veyrié, this is not only a way to personalize education for these students and create cultural touchpoints but also a way to help decolonize education for Native children.
"These ideas that education has brought in have to be deconstructed now so the kids can understand that education is not a matter of imposition. It's actually a place of blossoming. It's a place where you have things that are your own and you can develop into them, you can make them your own, you can flourish, and you can build yourself as a person,” said Veyrié.