New principal brings new innovations to Belleair Elementary
By NINA BARRINGER
Article published on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007  |
CLEARWATER – He helped pioneer single-sex classroom instruction in Pinellas County. Now Robert Ovalle is bringing his passion and 10 years of district experience to Belleair Elementary School.
The newly appointed principal says this post is “food for his soul.”
Ovalle took the reins at Belleair on Jan. 8. He replaced Marcia Gibbs, who retired after more than 30 years of service.
As Ovalle sets the foundation to lead and support his new team, the former assistant principal of Belcher Elementary School is committed to seeing through the single-sex classroom concept he helped launch there to ensure the most effective learning environment possible.
At Belcher, separating some second-grade and third-grade students by gender has resulted in a “huge decrease in behavior issues,” since 2006. This approach, used to teach core curriculum, was created to help address an achievement gap between boys and girls.
“School research shows that boys outperform girls in math, and girls outperform boys in reading and writing,” Ovalle said. “We wanted to see if changing the learning environment could make a positive difference. Students are exposed to the same curriculum and use the same books. The only variable is the same-sex classroom.”
That environment, he said, is conducive to the way boys and girls learn best.
“Boys want to see the final product first, then learn the step-by-step,” Ovalle said. “Girls like to see the step-by-step progression, then the results.” Boys, he said, generally are more active, so they are given “stretch breaks” and more freedom to move around the classroom.
And when they aren’t competing with boys in the classroom, Ovalle said, “girls can be more self-confident.”
It will take at least two years of results to measure the success of single-sex instruction, but early indications are favorable. In fact, Belcher will expand the concept to first and fourth grade next year, while still offering traditional coed classes.
Ovalle said the lessons learned from same-sex classrooms can be implemented successfully in the traditional learning environment.
On whether he plans to introduce the single-sex classroom concept at Belleair Elementary, Ovalle said, “It would be a long while. I need to build bonds with my staff before making radical changes. But if same-sex classes are helping close the achievement gap, they may become much more common.”
Ovalle describes Belleair Elementary as a neighborhood-focused school, with dedicated teachers and staff who serve a diverse student population of about 550. He characterizes the student body as about one-third Hispanic, one-third black and one-third white.
Bilingual in English and Spanish, Ovalle said this is an important advantage for him at Belleair Elementary.
“We service many ESOLs (English speakers of other languages), and being fluent in Spanish allows me to be a translator for many of the parents. This is very positive from their perspective, and helps me provide extra service and give back to the community.”
What does he see as Belleair’s main challenges and opportunities? “We’re a ‘C’ school, and some might say we’re struggling,” Ovalle said. “But we can and will persevere to accomplish and achieve.”
To attain his goals as the school’s leader, Ovalle said, “we’ll continue to teach core subject areas, working to ensure we make every minute count during the six hours we have with each student, each day.”
Born and raised in Seminole, Ovalle graduated from Seminole High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of South Florida. He and his wife, Michelle, a former teacher at Orange Grove Elementary School, have three children.
|
Article published on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
