A new report by LFA and Grunwald Associates, with support from AT&T, examines how parents perceive the value of mobile devices, how they see their children using mobiles, and what they think of the possibilities for mobile learning.
Data Driven Instruction
Success Stories
Strategic Staffing Helps a Title I School Succeed
Story posted November 19, 2009. Results updated December 7, 2011.
Results:
- Proficiency rates close to or exceeding 88% on 2011 state reading and math tests at every grade level, outperforming the state as a whole on each test.
- In 2011, grade 4 math and reading scores both exceeded state averages by 5% at 88% and 93% respectively.
- Since 2008, grade 3 math scores rose by 4% and exceeded state math scores in 2011 by the same amount.
Indian Springs Elementary is located along one of the many rural highways that crisscross northern Mobile County, in territory marked by signs of poverty and under-development. There’s no interesting history behind the name of the unincorporated community the school serves—Eight Mile is just the distance down U.S. 45 to the city.
The exterior of Indian Springs shows the wear and tear of a building that has housed students for many decades. The school comes alive only after you cross the threshold, where you find a physical space that is clearly well-loved by the faculty, staff and students.
Just inside the front doors, a small sitting area decorated with potted plants and flowers welcomes visitors. The walls are bright and the floors shine. Bulletin boards and student work cover every inch of the hallways. Teachers decorate the entrances to their classrooms with personal touches, like the kindergarten teacher whose door resembles a front porch with columns, shutters and an awning.
The school serves 451 students in grades pre K-5. It has a 50-50 ratio of white and African American students—87% of whom meet federal poverty guidelines. About 14 percent are classified as having special needs. The demographics offer few clues about the school’s academic performance. But in fact ...
A “Fierce Focus” on Data and Instructional Leadership Pays Off
Story posted November 16, 2011
Results:
- Extended graduation rate of 93 percent for the class of 2010 (up nearly 10 percentage points since the class of 2006)
- Achievement gaps between Hispanic and African-American students and their peers are narrowing
In 2006, the year Mary Alice Heuschel took 
over the reins of the Renton School District in northwest Washington State, more than three in 10 students were failing to make it to their high school graduation day. That fact clearly concerned Heuschel, who had spent the previous seven years in the state education department.
Aware of the poor finishing results and achievement gaps of the diverse 14,500-student school district (where 46% of students receive free or reduced price lunch and 14% are considered transitional bilingual) located 11 miles from Seattle on Puget Sound, Heuschel came to the job to make a difference. ...
Aiming for a Blue Ribbon in Alabama's Black Belt
Story posted October 3, 2008, Updated August 29, 2011.
Results:
• In 2011, 80.8% of 5th graders met or exceeded standards on the state reading test, up from 77.4% in 2005, with the number of students exceeding state reading standards (the highest performance level on the test) up by 10% from 2010.
On the edge of Alabama, 15 miles from the Mississippi state line, lies Aliceville. With only 5,000 residents, the town relies on agriculture and timber for jobs, and many of its residents live at or below the poverty level. Driving through downtown, you see three closed gas stations with their prices permanently set at $2.58. A right turn takes drivers past an established housing community and a few newer complexes, and then two long, low red brick school buildings come into view. ...
Leveraging Resources to Transform a Struggling School
Story posted November 17, 2010
Results:
• Once the lowest performing elementary school in its district, now one of the highest
• Over the past five years, the school has shown significant growth on every state test administered
John Muir Elementary is the oldest of the Merced City Schools. Just five years ago, we were the lowest performing elementary school in the district. Today, we are one of the highest.
Our school serves about 500 children in preschool through Grade 5. 86% of our students receive free or reduced price lunch. Most live in rentals, low cost apartments and multi-family dwellings within walking distance of school; however, approximately 200 children are bused to Muir daily from the “unhoused” Loughborough area.
Our families are not only stricken by poverty, but they also experience generational gangs, drug use and violence. We have an abundance of grandparents struggling to parent their children’s children and students in and out of foster care.
Yet we at John Muir believe our students can learn, and we work to develop relationships with our students and families so they believe that as well. And we celebrate our students. We celebrate Perfect Attendance, growth on formative assessments and ...
An Overnight Miracle, Seven Years in the Making
Story posted August 27, 2010
Results:
• On-time graduation rate is just under 84%, up from 53% seven years ago
• Extended graduation rate is just over 90%
• College-going rate is 54%, up from 17% in 2004
Seven years ago, Washington’s Everett School District awoke to a harsh reality. A change in how the state calculated graduation rates revealed that only 53% of the district’s students graduated on-time. Officials were shocked and embarrassed. They sprang into action.
Today, Everett’s on-time graduation rate is just under 84%. Its extended graduation rate is just over 90%. And the improvement has occurred across the board, in all ethnic groups and special populations.
To what do they credit their success? Getting a group of committed adults focused on the problem and meeting regularly to try to solve it. And they also moved from numbers to names—getting personal about who is not on track to graduate and what they can do about it. Everett’s Chief Academic Officer Terry Edwards recently told us more.
Public School Insights: Your district has recently gotten some press because of its improved graduation rates. Could you tell me a bit about the success you have had?
Edwards: It is something that I call “An overnight wonder that took seven years to get here.”
About seven years ago, in 2003-2004, the state of Washington changed how it calculated graduation rates. It moved from looking at the number of graduates in the senior class plus those who dropped out over the past four years to a cohort model, the on-time model that the federal government has adopted. This model looks at the number of kids who enter in ninth grade and the number who graduate four years later.
When we converted to that model, our district’s graduation rate was 53%. That was very hard for Everett to accept, because we had always believed that we were a very good school district and doing a good job. 53% was shocking and embarrassing. And it did not seem to follow what we perceived as reality. We did not see hundreds of children standing around on street corners in ...
A Family-Oriented Learning Community
Story posted July 15, 2010. Story Updated March 21, 2012.
Results:
• In 2011, Ravenswood met or exceeded state and county proficiency rates in math, science and social studies; they are within 2% points for reading proficiency.
• Named a 2010 Breakthrough School by NASSP
Ravenswood (WV) Middle School is located on a quiet residential street, adjacent to the high school, the town library, and a community park in the small town of historic Ravenswood, WV (population 3,900). The unassuming exterior of the building belies the school’s record of continued academic growth and achievement and the warm, caring environment that it provides for the 344 middle school students in grades 6–8. The school has made adequate yearly progress for four consecutive years and was recognized as a West Virginia Exemplary School in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. In addition, it was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 2008.
The key to Ravenswood’s success becomes apparent within a few minutes of entering the building. Students, parents, community members, and graduates consistently confirm that the teachers care about and treat every student as an individual. When asked what makes Ravenswood stand out from other middle schools, a group of eighth-grade students agreed with the assessment of a peer who said, “It’s the teachers—they know us as individuals and care about each of us.” The district’s director of elementary and middle schools concurred, “Ravenswood addresses the needs of the whole child; they do whatever it takes to help their students succeed.” A school board member—a former principal in the district— expressed the belief that students respond to that caring when he said, “This is a Cadillac school; students want to go to school here.”
Principal Gary Higginbotham and Assistant Principal Sharon Carroll have worked with the staff and the community to establish a culture that exemplifies a family-oriented professional learning community. Teachers have a daily 45-minute team time built into their schedule—a best practice that ...
Story posted May 20, 2010. Results updated August 20, 2010.
Results:
• In 2010, the school outperformed the state as a whole in percent of students scoring basic or above in math, social studies, science and English language arts (and in percent of students scoring mastery or advanced in math and ELA), despite serving a higher percentage of children in poverty
• As a general trend, more than 75% of third, fourth and fifth grade students meet or exceed proficiency standards on state tests (above and around state averages)
• 10% of fifth graders were accepted into a district middle school for high achievers in 2009, well above the district average
Louisiana’s Greenlawn Terrace Elementary is a small school achieving big things. It is one of the top-performing schools in its district, a feat made even more impressive given the high rate of poverty of its student population. In fact, the school was recently named a High-Performing High-Poverty School by the Louisiana Department of Education, one of a very few neighborhood schools in the greater New Orleans area to receive the honor.
We recently spoke with members of the Greenlawn community to learn how they do it. Two major themes emerged: their school environment, which is caring and safe for students, parents and staff, and their focus on data.
Principal Katherine “Kitty” Croft, special education teacher and department chair Marguerite Hymel and Title I extension teacher Amy Lang told us more.
Public School Insights: How would you describe Greenlawn Terrace Elementary?
Croft: At Greenlawn, everyone in the school, from the custodial staff to the principal, shares the same vision.
I have been at the school almost 25 years, and that stability, of course, adds to what goes on here. And we are a small neighborhood school, with about 370 students. But when I first came, this was a large school. We were almost 700 children. I took home the yearbook so I could memorize the teachers. But now we are a small, suburban school tucked in Kenner, Louisiana, behind a very busy street. I love it.
Our population…When I first came to the school it was about 66% white, 33% black. Today it is about 41% white, 33% black and 25% Hispanic. We have always been a Title I school, which means that we are always “at-risk.” We have right now about 85% free or reduced price lunch students.
I have always loved psychometry. I figured when I was in graduate school that there would always be ...
Transforming a School Step by Step
Story posted April 7, 2010. Results updated July 23, 2010.
Results:
• In 2010, the school performed around or above state averages on both reading and math assessments, despite serving a significantly more disadvantaged student population
• The school has made Adequate Yearly Progress each of the past four years
When Melissa Glee-Woodard became principal of Maryland’s Lewisdale Elementary School four years ago, it was struggling. The school was in the dreaded “school improvement” process because of the performance of multiple subgroups of students, and it needed change.
Change is what it got. But not the dramatic “fire-all-teachers” change that has been making the papers. Rather, Glee-Woodard inspired teachers, parents and students with a new vision. The staff began focusing on student data in a meaningful way. Targeted professional development addressed areas of weakness in the instructional program. And new summer programs ensured that students kept their academic success going even when school was not technically in session.
As a result, Lewisdale has made AYP every year Glee-Woodard has been principal. The National Association of Elementary School Principals recently honored her for her transformational leadership.
She joined us for a conversation about the school and its journey.
Public School Insights: How would you describe Lewisdale?
Glee-Woodard: Lewisdale Elementary School is located in an urban setting in Prince George's County, Maryland. We are in the backyard of the University of Maryland, College Park. It is a working-class neighborhood. 80% of our students are ...
Story posted October 7, 2009. Results updated February 2011.
Results:
• 93-95% of students scored proficient or higher passed each of the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Tests for 2010
• Received a Blue Ribbon Award, and their sixth Alabama State Department of Education Torchbearer Award in 2010
• Received a 2007 National School of Change Award and a 2008 National Title I Distinguished School Award
Walking into Anna Booth Elementary early in the morning is like gulping a double shot of espresso. The new school building buzzes with energy. Every classroom is a hive of activity, and there’s a palpable intensity in the air. The faculty and 530 students are ready to begin a jam-packed day of instruction, intervention and powerful learning.
The school, which serves Bayou La Batre (a small fishing community in southern Mobile County), has undergone important changes in recent years, including a name change from Peter F. Alba (19th century landowner) to Anna Booth (esteemed Bayou La Batre teacher and principal). Two years ago, the faculty and students moved from ...
Story posted August 20, 2009
Results:
• In 2008, 73% of students met or exceeded state proficiency standards in mathematics, up from 35% in 2004 (statewide proficiency rose only 4% over that time)
• Reading proficiency increased 19% between 2004 and 2008 (statewide proficiency saw only slight improvement over that time)
Even before the advent of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Mountain View Elementary was cast as a struggling school. In 2000, only about 20 percent of the Title I school’s third-graders read at grade level. “It was our highest need school in the sense of the highest poverty rate, a very high mobility rate, and very low student performance,” remembers Carol Comeau, who became Anchorage School District’s superintendent that year. “Even though they worked really, really hard, it was just a low-performing school overall.”
In the infancy of NCLB, Mountain View continued to post some of the district’s lowest scores and was labeled “in need of improvement” after not making adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two consecutive years. But, change was afoot in this older one-story building. A charismatic leader, committed staff, additional district and federal funding, and an emphasis on direct instruction in reading helped the school start turning around.
Reading proficiency went from 29 percentage points below the state average in 2003–2004 to ...
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A VISION FOR GREAT SCHOOLS
On this website, educators, parents and policymakers from coast to coast are sharing what's already working in public schools--and sparking a national conversation about how to make it work for children in every school. Join the conversation!
