Epiphany in Progress... The Film

Study guide for
Epiphany in Progress

You may read this page online, or download a PDF of the Discussion & Study Guide, by clicking the first link in the sidebar to your left.

The Story

An idealistic group of educators, clergy and community activists decides to start an Episcopal middle school for at-risk kids and from day one it's a struggle as well as a joy. The entering class of fifth and sixth graders are working at two years below grade level. With the help of their committed teachers and a grueling schedule they make real progress, closing the gap in just a year. But the costs are high for everyone students, teachers, and parents. The idealism that keeps everyone going is constantly tested. And the realities of race, class, and money just wont go away. Shot over the course of the 1998–1999 school year with intimate access at the Epiphany School in Boston, this film captures the school's rocky beginnings along with the foundations of its continued survival and success.

Who should use this guide

Epiphany in Progress will be useful to educators and policymakers who are planning to start their own schools or are interested in the process of institution building. The film is relevant to a wide range of issues, including:
• Charter schools
• Faith-based schools
• Middle schools and boys
• Multicultural styles of learning
• School choice
• Teacher and Professional development
• School start-ups
• School vouchers
• Race and class
• School reform
• Urban education

Using the Study Guide

This study guide is designed to encourage viewers to examine the process of starting a school. To help focus discussion, the guide provides a range of open-ended questions addressing specific institution-building issues keyed to eight sections of the film. The film is 58:21 minutes. The sections vary in length from 2:48 minutes to 9:58 minutes. In order for viewers to understand the start-up process more fully, facilitators are advised to show the whole film and then focus on specific sections for discussion. Before watching the film, you may want to review the following section on the school, as the film does not cover all of this information.

Background on the school

The Epiphany School is a tuition-free, private, Episcopal middle school for fifth through eighth grades located in Boston, Massachusetts. 40 boys and 40 girls attend Epiphany. The school’s mission is to give a quality, tuition-free education to at-risk middle school students, an education that nurtures their academic, spiritual, social, and athletic growth.

Epiphany targets low-income students who are not flourishing in Boston’s public schools. Four places in the entering class of 20 fifth graders are reserved for children recommended by the Department of Social Services. The admissions process involves a simple application form. Once a student is deemed an appropriate candidate, priority is given to siblings of Epiphany students, and the remaining places are filled by lottery.

The school emphasizes reading, writing, science, and mathematics, but also offers art, music, Spanish, social studies, and sports. All students are required to take classes in religion/ethics. The core academic disciplines are taught in single-sex classes averaging 10 students.

Epiphany is a full-service school. The school day starts at 8 AM and ends at 8 PM with two hours of study hall. Staff members and a wide array of volunteers tutor students and help them and their families gain access to health and social services. The volunteers include students from local private schools, parents of Epiphany students, and congregants from Episcopal churches located throughout Greater Boston.

Epiphany’s first year

At the beginning of the 1998-1999 school year, Epiphany opened its doors to 41 fifth and sixth graders. The school was modeled on Nativity Preparatory School, a tuition-free Jesuit middle school for low-income, urban boys in grades five through eight founded in 1990 in Boston. The Epiphany School was housed in the annex of the All Saints Church in Boston, although the school was not a project of the church and therefore functioned as a separate entity. The Church charged the school one dollar a year in rent. The school put $295,000 into renovating the church annex and planned to build an additional building in a church-owned lot across the street in order to accommodate two additional grades.

The ethnic breakdown of the first year’s students was: 49% African-American, 20% Cape Verdean, 20% Latino, 7% Caucasian, 2% Haitian, and 2% Asian. All but two students qualified for free or reduced lunch using federal guidelines.

During the school’s opening year, three certified teachers, six interns, and several volunteers taught classes. Most of the interns were recent college graduates without formal training in education, and they received minimal structured supervision from other staff members. The interns were housed in a building adjacent to the church and took meals at the school. They were given a small living stipend.

The total annual organizational budget for the 1998–1999 school year, including capital improvements, was $478,371. The per pupil cost was approximately $4,600.

Staff

Head of School John Finley graduated from Harvard College in 1992 and from Harvard Divinity School in 2001. He taught for four years at Nativity Preparatory School in Boston. In 1995, he founded a summer school for Nativity students. He was a founding member of On the Rise, a shelter for homeless women, and is a trustee of The Stephen J. Phillips Scholarship Trust, a program awarding four million dollars annually to graduating high school seniors with significant financial need for college. During Epiphany’s opening year, he also taught math to the sixth grade girls. Mr. Finley has remained with the school.

Director of Community Outreach/Chaplain Reverend Jennifer Daly earned a B.S. from Boston College in Education and English in 1984 and an M.Div. from Episcopal Divinity School in 1990. She was the Director of the English Program and Secondary School Placement at Nativity Prep for four years. She is certified to teach middle and high school English. Mrs. Daly oversees Epiphany’s community service program; the larger community’s involvement with the school; parent and guardian involvement; and the availability of necessary support networks for Epiphany students. During Epiphany’s first year, she also coordinated the school’s reading program and occasionally taught music. Mrs. Daly has remained with the school.

Administrative Head Ken Binsack graduated in 1995 from Boston College with a degree in Business Administration and worked for State Street Bank. During the school’s opening year Mr. Binsack managed the financial aspects of the school and maintained the database. He also coached sports. Mr. Binsack is no longer with the Epiphany School.

Master Teacher — Social Studies and Spanish Edward Schuller practiced law for nine years before returning to graduate school to earn an M.Ed. and his teacher certification. Prior to coming to Epiphany he taught for six years in Costa Rica and Massachusetts, specializing in learning disabilities. Mr. Schuller has remained with the school.

Master Teacher — Math and Science Michelle Gomes, a native of Cape Verde who grew up in Boston, earned both her B.A. and her M.Ed. at Boston College, where she graduated from the Donovan Scholars Program for teachers committed to urban schools in 1998. Before coming to Epiphany she apprenticed in the Boston and Providence, R.I. public school systems. Ms. Gomes has remained with the school.

Master Teacher — English Frances Abernethy earned her B.A. in English and completed the Teacher Education Program at Davidson College in 1992. She then taught for three years in the largest public school in North Carolina, Independence High in Charlotte. At Epiphany she also coached girls’ soccer. Ms. Abernethy has remained with the school.

Teaching Interns Five interns who taught during the school's first year were recent college graduates of Amherst, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. One intern was an undergraduate on a leave of absence from Harvard. At Epiphany the interns taught classes in the core disciplines, coached sports, helped prepare meals, ran study hall, provided extra academic help, ran the library, and administered discipline.

All teachers and interns served as student advisors. An additional number of people worked in paid or unpaid capacities, including a part-time grant writer, two professional fundraising advisors, a child psychologist, a learning disabilities evaluator (Dr. David Urion), two art teachers, and a music teacher who was the choir master and organist at All Saints Church (Michael Kleinschmidt).

Discussion Topics

Section 1 Shared Beliefs:
Building a school community
Begins @ 07 seconds. Duration: 9:29 minutes.
Note: Sections 1 & 2 are best viewed together.

Epiphany has something fundamentally ineffable at its center- absolute faith in each child.
John Finley, Head of School

Section 1 presents the goals and expectations of the school's community on its opening day and the structure the school set in place to achieve those goals. The Epiphany School's mission is to provide a quality, tuition-free education to middle school students of all aspects of a child's growth — academic, spiritual, social, and athletic — and to engage our students actively in the development of their characters and of their senses of social responsibility and civic participation.

• A shared belief, conscious or unconscious, can shape the culture of a school. What are the most important elements of Epiphany's shared beliefs? Are they conscious or unconscious? Can you see ways in which the structure of Epiphany reveals an attempt to put its beliefs into action? Why might a shared belief be useful to a school start-up? How can it draw together a diverse community of parents, students and staff? In your experience, what does a school look like if the shared beliefs are not consciously articulated, or if there are no shared beliefs at all? What are the hallmarks of strong linkage between a shared belief and school structure?

• Epiphany requires all students, regardless of affiliation, to attend religion classes. Why would parents and staff who are not Episcopalian, and perhaps not religious at all, join Epiphany? How might religion create a sense of community within a school? Should secular schools address morality and spirituality? If so, how can they best do this? How are these issues dealt with in a school you know well?

Section 2 Value-neutral:
Testing the shared belief

Begins @ 9:36 minutes. Duration: 2:48 minutes

If this [student review] is value-neutral, why are we cheering for the kids who are doing well?
Melody Hayes, an intern

At the beginning of October, the faculty meets for the first time to appraise the academic abilities and social interactions of the students. The school is committed to educating the whole child, and a shared belief is that academic achievement is to be regarded as value-neutral, having no more weight than a students other strengths and weaknesses. The intern Melody Hayes voices her concern that the staff is not managing to remain value-neutral in this regard. An intense discussion ensues.

• In this scene, Melody's open expression of emotion is taken seriously by everyone around the table, suggesting a high level of trust and commitment to the process. How would you characterize the interaction between staff members at Epiphany regarding their stated concerns and unstated assumptions, if any? What role do you think their shared beliefs play in their level of mutual trust? Describe any attempts you've participated in to discuss difficult or painful issues with a group. How do you build trust and commitment within your community's constituents?

• What problems might occur when the staff does not reflect the economic and ethnic background of its students? Should a diverse staff be a higher priority than a certified or experienced staff if the two are in conflict?

Section 3 Joint venture: Forging a larger community

Begins @ 12:24 minutes. Duration: 9:58 minutes
Note: Sections 3 & 4 are best viewed together.

On behalf of the parish, I simply want to tell you how pleased we are to be involved in this joint venture
Michael Godderz,
Rector of All Saints Church
The Epiphany School is an extended community of staff, students families, donors, and volunteers, all of whom interact with the school in different ways. Ken Binsack, the school's Administrative Head, has a personal stake in the school; two of his nieces attend it. In November, Ken reports to Epiphany's trustees on the school's ballooning debt due to unanticipated renovation costs. John Finley, the Head of School, steps up his fundraising efforts, seeking additional support from his family's church in a prosperous Boston suburb. In December, parents and teachers come together for the first parent-teacher conference. A month later, in what will become an annual ritual, the extended school community attends a concert given by the students in celebration of the Christian Epiphany. By mid-year, the staff is already aware of the huge amount of work necessary to start a school. But by now the students are comfortable and have made the school their own.

• How is Epiphany attempting to build a larger community, and what kinds of communication do you see between staff, students, parents, and donors? What role does ritual play in this process? How can its extended community help Epiphany to weather a financial crisis? Discuss these questions in terms of a school you are familiar with.

• The fifth grader Latarshia Ellison's academic difficulties present the school with another challenge. How are her mother and the staff trying to deal with it? How is Epiphany trying to encourage parent involvement? What role does a school's location play in the issues of parent involvement and student safety? What policies and practices have you seen that successfully engage parents? Why do they work?

• On one hand, the long school day at Epiphany may shorten the amount of time children and parents spend together. On the other hand, working parents know their children are safe at the school. What are the implications of a school's decision to remove students from their social context?

Section 4 Sustainability: Retaining school values during crisis

Begins @22:23 minutes. Duration: 8:21 minutes

We're in an impossible two-fold situation. On one hand we dont want to expose their stories, but we need money to make this place tick.
Jennifer Daly,
Director of Outreach/Chaplain

Money, and the need to raise it, is a constant issue during the school's first year. The students do not pay tuition. Renovations have cost more than anticipated. The school's financial sustainability is further challenged when Michael Godderz, the rector of All Saints Church, rejects Epiphany's plan to erect a new building on church land so that the school can expand. Now the school will need to raise additional funds to secure a new site. John Finley, Head of School, must intensify his fundraising efforts. The need to arouse the sympathy of wealthy potential donors has unexpected consequences.

• What are the problems that lead to Epiphany's housing crisis? How can new schools maintain sustainable facilities? If possible, would vouchers be worth the loss of autonomy for a school like Epiphany? What are the possible advantages and disadvantages of vouchers for a school and the community it serves? Private, charter, and public schools all generally need to raise additional funds. Drawing on your experience, describe successful approaches to fundraising that also strengthen a school's core values. What characteristics underlie their success?

• Why is the staff concerned about John Finley's marketing strategies? How has the particular nature of the school's extended community shaped John's approach to fundraising? If you have experienced conflicts between school values and marketing efforts, how did you attempt to reconcile them? How can you market your school without violating the privacy and integrity of your students and staff?

Section 5 Deliberate choices: Creating an open and supportive community

Begins @ 30:45 minutes. Duration: 6 minutes

You can blame the parents, and you can blame the society, the violent society, but there is [also] something about the way a school is.
John Finley,
the Head of School

Issues of race and school violence are brought to the forefront in this section. Adam Stulfault, an intern, discusses race and racism in his classroom. The shootings at Colombine serve as a forceful reminder to the staff that they do not exist in isolation. The staff uses the shootings to reflect on Epiphany's evolving school culture. When a fish in the Science Room dies, the children deal with death by mimicking adult rituals.

• How do the students respond to Adam's approach to discussing race and racism in his classroom? What might be the advantages of using a text as a springboard for discussion of a difficult topic? How do you explore and respect people's differences within a school?

• Jennifer Daly uses the Eucharist to encourage the students to discuss the shootings at Colombine. How does she connect with the students? How do they respond? Are the school's shared beliefs in evidence here? How have you used events in the larger community to teach your students? What strategies can help create a safe and caring culture within a diverse school community?

Section 6 Progress: Meeting high expectations
Begins @ 36:46 minutes. Duration: 4:51 minutes

She told me she wants to be a doctor… Anything's possible.
Dolores Ellison, Latarshia Ellison’s mother

In the spring, diagnostic tests reveal that the students, on average, have improved two grade levels since the beginning of the year. Although the students and staff surpassed their expectations, there is still a need for improvement on an individual level. Fifth grader Latarshia Ellison's work has improved, but as her student advisor points out to her mother, Latarshia is still not turning in her homework.

• If you've had a chance to watch the whole film, to what do you attribute to Epiphany's high rate of student improvement? Which seems to be more important here, inspired teaching, or dedication and hard work on the part of students and staff? Are there other factors in Epiphany's shared beliefs or emerging culture as a new school that mediate what goes on in the classroom?

• If you have watched the first parent-teacher conference in Section 3, what changes to you see in the way Dolores Ellison, Latarshia's mother, handles her interactions with Latarshia's teachers this time? How are Latarshia's teachers attempting to deal with recurrent problems? What are the processes being put in place here that help develop relationships between teachers and parents? In your own experience, what are the basic building blocks of successful parent-teacher communication?

Section 7 Surviving burnout: Providing an adequate structure
Begins @ 41:37 minutes. Duration: 7:05 minutes

I wasn't prepared for a place without structure, having to build that structure by myself.
Adam Stulfault, an intern

It is nearing the end of the schoo'ls first year, and everyone is exhausted. Jennifer Daly, Director of Outreach/Chaplain, goes on maternity leave for the summer, and her absence takes its toll on the school community. John Finley, Head of School, becomes overloaded with discipline issues in addition to all his other work. Then the intern Adam Stulfault believes he has been threatened by a student and wants to leave the school. He feels scared and burned out.

• Adam attributes his stress to the school's lack of structure. What other factors do you see adding to his frustration and sense of isolation? How can a school sustain a first-year teacher, especially one who is teaching without teacher preparation, or who is teaching in unfamiliar circumstances? What are the pros and cons of requiring new teachers to live in the communities where they teach? Describe any processes that successfully support new teachers you yourself have seen or experienced. To what do you attribute their success?

• John Finley and Jennifer Daly run the school as a team. How do they complement each other? Contrast the supports available to John versus those available to Adam. What advantages does a school start-up gain from having two people at the helm? How does this approach effect a school's ability to implement its core beliefs? What are the pros and cons of hiring two directors as opposed to hiring additional staff?

• Staff members at Epiphany have responsibilities outside of their job description and/or training. Since most start-up schools are undercapitalized and understaffed, the effective allocation of limited resources — including time, money, and energy — is critical to their success. How do you prioritize tasks and budget people's time in a start-up environment? Do clear roles limit or enhance a school community? If you are involved in a school start-up, how do you balance limited funds against the need to prevent teacher burn-out?

• In keeping with its core beliefs, Epiphany put a method of discipline in place on its opening day that it has refined throughout the year. In your own experience, how do you establish a predictable and transparent method of discipline that flows from the core beliefs of your school?

Section 8 Lessons learned: Reflecting on the year
Begins @ 48:42 minutes. Duration: 9:42 minutes

It's working. The kids are learning. They're happy.
Michelle Gomes, Master Teacher

It is the end of the school's first year, a time to take stock of what has been learned since the school's opening day. The students take exams. Small triumphs mean a lot. John Finley, Jennifer Daly and the three master teachers are committed to returning to Epiphany in the fall.

• In what ways have Epiphany's shared beliefs become the culture of the school, and in what ways, if any, have those beliefs been transformed? If you have watched the whole film, describe any changes and developments you discern in the staff and the students.

• Epiphany is a small school with an extremely dedicated staff. On the one hand, it is an intimate community, where every child is known. On the other, its limited resources, especially during its start-up year, take their toll on the staff. Over time, certain processes must be established to replace or at least sustain their zeal. What processes have taken shape during Epiphany's first year that the school can build on?

• Summarize what you have learned here that will be most relevant to your own project.

To see additional resources, click here.

Update

If I could write a book it wouldn't be called 'Movin' On Down,' because I never moved down. I've always moved to a bigger and better place.
Algia Benjamin, sixth grade student,
in Epiphany in Progress

The School

80 fifth through eighth graders, an equal number of boys and girls, now attend Epiphany. They are taught by five Master Teachers and ten interns. The school is housed in its own newly constructed building a short drive from its original site in Boston. The current annual per pupil cost is $17,000, which includes a full-time staff person to do graduate support and $75,000 in financial aid to graduates.

The Teachers

The three original Master Teachers have remained at the school. Of these, Michelle Gomes currently serves as Principal, along with John Finley, Head of School, and Jennifer Daly, Director of Outreach and Chaplain.

The Interns

Of the six original interns, one is in medical school, one is now a lawyer, one is completing a degree at Teachers College in New York, one is working for the Unitarian Universalist Association, one has been traveling and studying in China, and one, having remained at the school, is now in charge of graduate support.

The Students

Graduates of Epiphany attend private, charter, and public schools, most of which are in Greater Boston. Algia Benjamin now attends Boston College High School, a Jesuit Catholic high school. Latarshia Ellison now attends City on a Hill School, a charter school in Boston; she likes it and is doing well. Jerrod Masucci moved to Florida with his grandmother.

Study Guide credits

This study guide was written by Dara Kosberg and Michal Goldman. It is designed by Nicky McCatty.
Thanks to Michele Foster, Sarah Griffith, and Dina Portnoy for their review and comments on the text.

Making the film | About the film crew | Film credits

Feature version | Epiphany School | Epiphany's first year | Epiphany School now |