VIDALIA &045; Embracing change is the name of the game for Louisiana schools in the coming months and years.

And loving, managing and preparing for that change was the fundamental point of a mini-conference the Concordia Parish School District hosted Thursday.

Teachers, administrators and staff from seven Louisiana school districts gathered to discuss one method of High School Redesign, &uot;Breaking Ranks II.&uot;

Redesign is the term used to describe a restructuring and overhaul of high school that the state Department of Education is studying this year.

&uot;Breaking Ranks II&uot; is a follow-up to the 1996 &uot;Breaking Ranks: Changing an American Institution.&uot; Both reform plans aim to increase academic rigor and student performance by examining schedule changes to strengthening student/teacher relationships.

&uot;Breaking Ranks II&uot; focuses on three areas: collaborative leadership, professional learning communities and the strategic use of data; personalizing the school environment; and curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Teachers and administrators from Vidalia, Monterey and Ferriday high schools and other Louisiana educators worked through these strategies with presenter Randy Moore, a former principal from Ruston.

&uot;You are taking control of what a graduate from your high school will know,&uot; Moore said. &uot;That is an awesome amount of control the faculty will have.&uot;

In the Redesign process, schools will set up teams composed of administrators and teachers who will work to design the best school plan. Because VHS is a pilot school for the program, school officials already have a team in place.

In the afternoon session Thursday, Moore encouraged the schools to be flexible with the scheduling of classes and to even be open to changing the start time of school.

&uot;Studies show the majority of high school students are sleep deprived,&uot; Moore said.

Pushing the first bell back in the morning would provide a meeting time for teachers who need to collaborate on subject material.

Moore said it was important to find a time for teachers to meet with each other.

&uot;The commitment is making sure time is well used,&uot; he said. &uot;Redesign means some flexibility in scheduling.&uot;

Part of the session placed teachers in collaborative groups to brainstorm ideas for each strategy of &uot;Breaking Ranks II.&uot; The 30-minute time together proved to the teachers that collaboration was a good thing, they said.

&uot;You need to look at your school and see where the problems lie,&uot; MHS Vice Principal John Bostic said. &uot;If you don’t ever write it down you won’t address it.&uot;

VHS Assistant Principal Jana Lincecum said the brainstorming meeting was something she rarely got to do.

&uot;I work with these people every day,&uot; she said.

&uot;But this is the most I’ve talked to them since the beginning of school.&uot;

Vidalia’s team will work from now through summer to establish a Redesign plan to put into play next year.

Ferriday and Monterey are also participating in the process and will soon begin implementing changes.