The Glenlawn Advantage: Advocacy and Outcomes

In our unique Student Advocate System (SAS), students select an advocate—a caring teacher who gets to know the student as a whole person, who assists them with goal-setting and problem-solving, who directs them to appropriate resources within the school and community, and who serves as a friendly contact with the family. Advocate meetings are regularly scheduled to guide students through their graduation outcomes to portfolio completion.

The Graduation Outcomes Portfolio is a way to make school more relevant for students. Over a student’s career at GCI, he or she is required to collect multiple, fine examples of the Glenlawn outcomes—team work, problem-solving, lifelong learning, communication and technology—drawn from course work, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, community activities and employment.

The advantage lies in the concerted efforts of staff to make this process consistently relevant by giving students opportunities to learn, practise and be evaluated on the outcomes as they go about learning math, biology, drama, carpentry or basketball. Their best work—demonstrations of these outcomes—are evaluated, and if excellent or very good, are placed in the outcomes portfolio.

The Glenlawn Advantage was designed in response to data that indicated that the students who best achieved their potential at Glenlawn had close relationships with the staff and a strong belief that their courses were preparing them for the futures they had planned.

The program allows all students to receive the personal and relevant education they need to achieve their full potential. All teachers are committed to the program by taking on the role of Teacher Advocate and are dedicated to providing student opportunities to learn and demonstrate their mastery of skills. We expect students to match this commitment.

A strong Student Advocate System and the Graduation Outcomes Portfolio ensures "Relationships and Relevance" — now the cornerstones of the Glenlawn Advantage.