Collaboration and Growth at Jesuit High School of Tampa
By Rachel Amiri
Producing an intellectually competent and well-formed Jesuit high school graduate who is open to growth takes a collaborative effort of committed educators. Debra Pacheco, assistant principal for academics at Jesuit High School of Tampa has led by example in the school’s efforts to promote student excellence for the past decade.
Her efforts are animated by her enthusiasm for the mission of Jesuit education and a desire to serve students.
“It’s constantly at the forefront: there is a reason for the excellent education that Jesuit schools provide their students,” she says. “They’re to use it to serve the Lord.”
In support of that mission, Pacheco has guided faculty at Jesuit Tampa in a collaborative effort focused on enhancing the already academically rigorous curriculum.
Pacheco began her tenure at Jesuit High School of Tampa in the mid-1990s as a chemistry teacher. Always interested in staying up to date on best practices in education, she saw an opportunity for growth at Jesuit Tampa as she learned how successful schools collaborate in curriculum development and teaching.
Pacheco had a career-changing conversation with then-principal Barry Neuberger about what it would take to build a more collaborative environment at the high school.
“I knew it had to begin with a common curriculum that the teachers bought into because they helped create it. ”
Neuberger invited her to move into an administrative role as an assistant principal. Her work today is largely “behind the scenes,” she says, but has led to a different kind of fulfillment than the fun of a classroom filled with teenage boys.
“I have a front-row seat to growth, whether that’s growth in the faculty or growth in the students. That is precious,” said Pacheco. “I get to see them meet their potential and realize their God-given gifts, and that’s an amazing opportunity.”
Pacheco’s days are busy as she observes teachers, works with department heads, crunches the numbers from test score data, and develops plans for students struggling academically. “The day is very quiet from the time I arrive at about 6:30 until maybe about 7:45, and then it’s anyone’s guess,” she joked.
A focus of her efforts at Jesuit Tampa has been the standardization of the school’s rigorous curriculum, updating it to ensure it is producing well-rounded graduates who will go on to some of the best universities in the country.
“About seven years ago, we decided to rewrite our curriculum using backward design,” an approach that prioritizes learning goals rather than focusing on topics. “We started by thinking, ‘What do we want a Jesuit graduate to know and be able to do at the end of their four years?’” she said.
This process was time-intensive, involving teachers and department heads gathering during the summers for a “curriculum institute” focused on the task. Eventually, the redesigned curriculum linked to common assessments, so that departments could evaluate whether teaching effectively achieved its stated goals. This allowed for a data-driven evaluation of results to identify areas of growth and ones that still need improvement.
“We’ve had professional development days on how to analyze data just to create a culture within the school that was focused on learning, making sure the students are actually acquiring those skills and that knowledge,” Pacheco said. “It’s not perfect yet, but we’re moving in the right direction. It will always be a work in progress.”
The culture of learning at Jesuit Tampa involves greater teacher collaboration. Professional learning communities (PLC) have grown both formally and informally within departments as teachers teaching common courses together look at data, write tests and determine teaching strategies.
“The idea is if you get a group of professionals together, the product will be much better,” she said.
Other collegial efforts, such as classroom observation and shared workspaces, have supported collaboration. “They’re not only watching teachers within their department, they’re going into other departments. If they have trouble starting a class, they go observe a teacher who does that seamlessly. I can’t think of any better professional development,” said Pacheco.
“We have a culture now that is very collaborative, and we’re really happy with what’s been created here.”
They have seen great success, continuing the long tradition of strong academics at Jesuit Tampa. Over the past seven years, an average of 21 Jesuit students each year have been honored with National Merit recognition. The school has been named a Cognitive School of Distinction and received a Platinum award from the College Board for Advanced Placement (AP) results.
Pacheco humbly points to the faculty and students at Jesuit Tampa as the reason for the school’s remarkable successes. “The teachers have been able to do some pretty amazing things,” she says.
“It’s about growth. You celebrate all those wins, you encourage the leaders who are the department heads that they’re moving in the right direction, and when mistakes are made you let them know that’s just a part of it,” she adds.
That openness to growth on the part of faculty demonstrates the same quality they seek to instill in students, she said.
Pacheco remains grateful for the gifts of working with both teachers and students, and optimistic about the future.
“In all aspects of Jesuit education, it’s a gift to be able to see the growth.”
