The Foxfire Approach: An Educational Framework

The Foxfire Approach provides a framework, articulated by eleven Core Practices, which guides teachers’ decisions in the materials, methods, and strategies for use with their students. We believe such decisions must be made within the context of the teaching environment. We know that we could never control or predict the variables that should and do affect what constitutes a good decision within the complex and individual cultures of the schools and classrooms.

Research and the Core Practices

Each Core Practice is supported by the findings of studies conducted by researchers over the years indicating that effective use of the practice will create powerful and productive learning. For purposes of demonstration, one classic study will be offered here.

In 1929, McMillan published a report authored by Ellsworth-Collings titled "An Experiment with a Project Curriculum." The four-year study of three schools in Pineville, Missouri, included two control schools and an "experimental school." The experimental school used the community as a learning laboratory, intentionally blurring boundaries between school and community. Students saw immediate use for the content under study by exploring questions and curriculum in the world outside the classroom walls.

At the completion of the four-year study, standardized test scores of students in the experimental schools were 35% higher than those in control schools. Their attendance rose 93% as opposed to 6% in control schools, and 100% of students completing the eighth grade went on to high school, an 85% advantage over control schools. Furthermore, the report pointed out, students in the experimental school developed qualities of initiative, judgment, and self-direction not evident in students in the control schools.

Purposeful Research

Because the Core Practices identify recognized effective teaching practices, the organizational questions we pose are "How effective are we in training and supporting teachers in the use of the practices?" and "What more can we do to strengthen our services?"

Therefore, our research focuses on implementation—how teachers go about implementing the Core Practice, what barriers they face, what supports they believe they need, what points of entry they find most helpful, and how their needs change over time. To answer these questions, we use a three-pronged approach, including research conducted by an independent firm; teacher accounts of their experiences, including teacher research; and study groups, task forces, and focus groups.

Independent Research

Research conducted by Project Evaluation and Research Group of Cambridge, Massachusetts, explored the effectiveness of our introductory course, the first year of implementation, and the ways teachers’ use of the Core Practices change over time. The findings of these studies have been used to guide further study and exploration, as well as to prompt the development of new materials and support programs.

Teacher Accounts of their Experiences

Written accounts of teachers’ experiences, including teacher research (which may include reports of student performance), are gathered from across grade levels, content areas, geographic regions, school settings, and school populations. As new materials and services are developed, these accounts are used to verify or challenge the findings of more formal outsider research.

Task Forces, Focus Groups, and Committees

Written and telephone surveys of network and national membership seek broader input on issues that emerge through research and teacher accounts. This information is used to inform decisions and discussions of focus groups, task forces, and committees as they use the assembled data, along with their own experiences, to construct new programs and materials and to strengthen existing training programs.

In this way, Foxfire’s work remains teacher-focused, clearly and powerfully connected to the work and lives of practicing teachers. Because of its dynamic nature, the Approach can meet emerging trends and challenges while remaining true to the tenets articulated by the Core Practices.