Obstacles
Connections has not been entirely without resistance and problems, however. Their fourth year, they lost a resource teacher who oversaw their phonics and conflict resolution programs, and they have been unsuccessful so far in accomplishing their goal of adding a sixth grade. Perhaps the most significant obstacle they have had to overcome has been in the area of curriculum development and implementation. In 1996, the entire Piccolo Specialty School, Connections included, was put on academic probation and paired with DePaul University’s Children First program to improve students’ scores. Because of this, Connections teachers had to follow the curriculum and professional guidance provided by DePaul and abandoned the integrated curriculum that they had developed. Nonetheless, the teachers have been able to adapt the DePaul curriculum to their own philosophy and continue integrating the curriculum as much as possible. Today, Connections uses such innovative teaching methods as novel-based reading instruction and theme- and project-based learning as much as is possible and has continued to see test scores rise, although never as high as the year their self-developed integrated curriculum was used.