Superintendent's Message
Our focus is preparing youth and adults for success after incarceration. Academic and vocational training are means to an end - the return to school, the pursuit of higher education, and employment upon release.
Mission
To provide quality educational programs that enable incarcerated youth and adults to become responsible, productive, tax-paying members of their communities.
DCE Teacher Feature
The biggest economic downturn in Danny Morton’s young life ripped him from the career he loved – brick masonry. He took a different path and grew to like it. For ten years he served as an officer for the Virginia Department of Corrections at Powhatan Correctional Center. When a recreation job opened at the prison, he took it. Three years later, in 1996, another job opportunity arose at Powhatan, this one a most natural fit – masonry instructor.
He joined the Department of Correctional Education more than 12 years ago, and from today’s standpoint, the economic downturn that ripped him from the masonry trade seems like a blessing.
“I had no idea I was coming here at the time,” he remembered. “The Department of Corrections was pretty much all that was out there.” But what he has realized was something his grandmother recognized in him as a small child – he had a lot of teacher in him. “I really enjoy doing what I do because I am helping people,” he said.
Through his lessons, his students learn to be successful. Masons are highly sought, today as much as ever because the trade involves hard work. More than that, it is difficult to learn. “It is the hardest trade to learn. It is physical work. Mastering the trowel is the most important thing and spreading the mortar takes good eye and hand coordination,” Mr. Morton explained. His students learn about masonry in laying brick, stone, and block. They also learn to work with concrete.
If you lay the mortar right, the brick will lay itself, he said. Good masonry requires strength, stamina and ability. “It’s not for everybody,” Mr. Morton added. “It’s an art that few people can master.”
If masonry is difficult, then the teaching of masonry is also a challenge. And Danny Morton is a master at it, said his Principal Sandy Parker. “He does a miraculous job given the confines of the space he works in. We provide live work support when we can. She points, most notably, to the staff dining hall, which has a new retaining wall adorned with stone masonry.
Mr. Morton said this is a student achievement that fills him with pride. “They learned this fast. Within a half-hour they were laying stone.”
The teaching, like the masonry involves hard work,” Mr. Morton said. More than that, the job requires patience. But it suits him just fine because when a student understands, when the lights come on, that man has found a trade. And a trade means freedom. “He can take a job, and if he doesn’t like it, he can quit and find another job. If that doesn’t work, he can start his own business,” Mr. Morton said.
At times he is role model, at others he is a father figure. “I am a counselor to many of them,” he said. “I tell them if they learn this trade they will never want for money.”
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DCE's SOL Passing Rate Moves Up Nicely
The average Standards of Learning (SOL) scores for the agency for this past academic year were 79.9%. “This is an amazing jump from where we started several years ago at 29%,” said Chief Deputy Superintendent James Davis. “We hope that six of our eight schools will be certified as accredited,” he added. “This, too, is a far cry from the nay sayers who said it couldn’t be done because of the quality of students with which we had to deal.”
This success is due to three fundamental changes: instructional coaches, comprehensive school improvement plans, and a new data compilation known as “The Golden Package.”
Instructional Coaches were employed to coach principals and teachers. This improved instructional leadership and increased student achievement. Coaches worked closely with principals and teachers. DCE also utilized new resource materials, including a series of books that emphasized new teaching strategies and increased expectations for both staff and students. The net result was increased student performance as evidenced by improved test scores.
Each youth school continues to implement the new comprehensive school improvement planning process for the school year 2007-2008 and will continue during the current school 2008-2009. The ongoing CSIP process help principals and teachers to identify and meet required goals. Each nine weeks the principals meet with central office administrators and their colleagues to present their progress in areas identified by their CSIP. During their presentations, principals have the opportunity to share their accomplishments and to point out areas where more central office support is needed.
The Golden Package is an annually produced data package that analyzes the academic performance of DCE students who have taken the SOL assessments. This very comprehensive data package informs instructional leadership by highlighting both student strengths and weaknesses. Jacqueline Nelson, Assistant Superintendent for Accountability, manages the data that is forwarded to the principals and administrative team.
“DCE believes all students can learn, given ample opportunities and the right set of circumstances,” said Deputy Superintendent for Academics Harold Lawson. As an agency, DCE strives on a daily basis to develop instructional programs and to create a culture that affords students and teachers a safe and highly-conducive learning environment. DCE maintains a low teacher-pupil ratio which provides its students and teachers ample time to address individual differences and individual learning styles.
“DCE also values professional development,” Mr. Lawson added. Much staff development is provided to DCE teachers by Instructional Coaches who work one-on-one with teachers and administrators in addressing instructional problems. DCE also provides training from a more global perspective by employing consultants to address various topics that will enhance the learning process and better support teaching efforts.