Humboldt Elementary in Dewey, Arizona

Immense amounts of pressure continue to build for schools throughout America. Achieving higher levels of performance from students and teachers alike is a sentiment that relentlessly rings in the ears of educators. Tests are added, funds and teachers are taken away, but the expectations for the answer to the equation remains unchanging … better performance, better students, better schools. Under the most ideal situation, educating students can be a daunting task. Mix in everything else our educational system is facing and the task seems downright undo-able. That is why State of the Re:Union’s School Spotlight takes delight in featuring a Bright Spot school, Humboldt Elementary in Dewey, Arizona. In great American fashion, the school, staff and educators have found a way to help their students achieve greatness. (To read the full article, click here.)

Source: readingworks.net

Within the past six years, Humboldt Elementary found itself at the threshold of being named one of Arizona’s “underperforming” schools, a title many schools have a hard time losing. However, determination helped those at Humboldt Elementary pull itself up by the bootstraps and begin its journey to become the highest performing school in Arizona, despite poverty levels and large class sizes.

According to Bright Spot, it was after a major initiative launched in 2005 that students’ reading scores shot up, assisting them to their current ranking. Humboldt’s Principal Cole Young attributes the school’s success “to highly trained teachers and support staff, as well as better use of student data and guided reading.”

Through the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) teachers were trained to learn how to identify each students’ level of reading and learning. Each student is assessed within the first week of school where teachers and staff can pinpoint students in need of intervention and at what level. A system of reading programs is set in place and followed, allowing teachers to monitor individual progress.

Ask teachers and they will most likely say that this level of attention per student is very hard to manage, especially with an average class size of 30. But the highly-trained teachers and staff at Humboldt do not make allowances for this as an excuse. They are dedicated to helping each child succeed, regardless of circumstances. And so far, it has worked, and worked well.

Source: originsonline.org

In addition to their teachers, the students at Humboldt Elementary stay motivated with a number of tools and strategies: guided reading strategies, Reading Counts (a competitive reading leveled program), and a zealous principal who’ll stop at nothing to help keep students’ momentum going. “Principal Young offers abundant rewards such as shaving his head and subjecting himself to a dunking booth if students meet reading goals. This year, if Humboldt students reach [their goal], Principal Young promises to eat insects.”

With caring staff showing this level of dedication, it is no wonder that a school with every excuse to fail – poverty and all of the hardships accompanying it, and large class sizes to boot – is not only surviving, but thriving. Humboldt serves as a beacon of hope for all schools, but especially those that are underfunded and overworked; and, unfortunately, many schools seem to fall into that category. It is always a pleasure to find schools, administrators and staff who go the extra mile, and grin as they do so.

Is there a school in your community taking similar measures to ensure quality education for all students? Perhaps you’ve heard of a great program or organization working to assist schools and students overcome learning gaps and/or funding needs? Or ever more, maybe there is a special way your community school rallies to keep their students motivated. Whatever the case, of course we want to know. You can give us the scoop in the box below.

Beyond Basics in Tucson, Arizona

School Spotlight takes us to Roskruge Bilingual Magnet Middle School in Tucson, Arizona, where one special school program, Beyond Basics, is helping students in its community achieve better success in school by providing opportunities that expose them to the arts. To read the original article from Teaching Tolerance, click here.

According to its Web site, “Beyond Basics is a school-centered program that brings targeted reading, writing and other literacy and self-expression programs to students in grades pre-K through 12.”

Beyond Basics offers a program that takes place during the school day, with no cost to the schools, the district or individual students. This program is firmly based on the understanding “that children, exposed to educational curricula beyond the basic school system offerings, will obtain higher scores on exams and have a greater chance of achieving excellence beyond their public school careers.”

And Roskruge’s Principal José Olivas agrees. Beyond Basics has been working in his school, and Olivas says he needs no further proof that the program works. Students’ eligiblity for program participation is dependent upon maintaining a certain academic level. This gives the students a reason to work a bit harder in school, and they have been. In the article he states, “Without [arts classes], they might not concentrate on their other courses … Once they get a taste of success in whatever class it may be, it spills over [into other academic work].”

The work done by volunteers and staff members of Beyond Basics has been proven to help school children in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. They ”change their destinies by significantly raising their reading proficiency scores and providing developmental and emotional growth opportunities. Typically, we get children reading at grade level or above in six weeks. One hundred percent of the children we work with show improvement in literacy.”

Source: Jason Millstein - www.tolerance.org

Children who live in poverty tend not to have exposure to the arts. Beyond Basics President and Founder Pamela Good says “We want to expand their world in huge ways through the arts … When we bring art into the school it adds vibrance and creativity. When the students create art, they are being celebrated in that space. It breaks down so many barriers that we all have built up, but children in poverty might have built up many more.”

Good also says that this program is an answer for public education in poor schools. “We hear all the time what the problems are and it may take many, many years to solve some of those. But in the meantime there are little children that need the service.” It has made a profound difference in the lives of the students who are currently being served by the program. One eigth-grade girl says that she “works extra hard in her classes” to be able to sing in the mariachi band, an opportunity provided by the program.

The arts tend to be the first plan of attack when whittling away at budgetary matters, but more and more stories from around the country are proving that, just maybe, the arts are where the answers might lie. Think back to your days in school. What activities do you remember, and which ones made an impact? Attending music class was always my favorite escape from letters, numbers and tests. There is a symbiotic relationship between academics and the arts, and programs like Beyond Basics can help fill the gap that is so often spoken of. Know of another program helping students in need? You could always let us know. We love to hear about programs helping communities and students in need.

City Year’s “Ubuntu” Philosophy

Students, schools, education reform, policy and educational politics … there seems to be a never-ending stream of checklist items for America’s schools. With the mounting complications for our education system, it is easy to lose sight of simple solutions – us. That’s right, you and me. In past SOTRU School Spotlights, educational initiatives such as American Graduate and Grade Level Reading have been explored, highlighting efforts to close the gap on various educational concerns. For this week’s School Spotlight, we’re highlighting another community based effort to improve education, City Year.

Source: contributionsreport.amgen.com

According to its Web site, City Year is a country-wide school-based service organization providing “teams of diverse young people called corps members [who] serve full-time in schools for 10 months working to improve student attendance, behavior and course performance in English and math.”

GOOD Magazine’s A City Education series explores what motivates City Year corps volunteer members’ service to the public education system. (To read the original post in its entirety, click here.)

The commonality found in City Year’s members can be summed up with one word: Ubuntu. A shortened version of meaning for this a Zulu proverb is “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours.” One member said her reason for joining was because she thrived in a community environment where a shared goal and vision became a catalyst for action. Through working at the school, these members have learned “how to effectively connect students, parents, and community resources to ensure students excel.”

There are many service opportunities provided by City Year corps members. Whether it’s one on one tutoring, assisting teachers in classrooms or helping with homework centers in after school programs, these corps members are making a difference.

Although the City Year model is new, support for community schools is growing. According to the article, “In 2009, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his support, saying, ‘Where schools truly become the centers of the community, great things happen.’”

The symbol representing "Ubuntu" - Source: acercadeubuntu.blogspot.com

Megan Malone, a City Year corps member says of her time so far with City Year, “Serving with City Year in a community school, I am reminded every day of Ubuntu as I experience firsthand a model that illustrates the importance of connecting our humanity to those inside the school and in the community. I have no doubt that helping students succeed requires a community effort, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results of our shared vision and collective action.”

Delving into school and the politics behind education, it is quite easy to lose focus on what all of the fuss is about: our children and how best to provide them with a quality education. The notion of Ubuntu should ring true for all citizens. Perhaps understanding the philosophy behind “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours” will help us all get there.

There are so many great ways that education is changing, and seeing people in communities mobilize change through their own actions is an encouraging start. The  “it takes a village” approach, I am finding, is an earmark in many great educational solutions that are rapidly popping up. What other community actions do you know of that have made a difference in your schools? We are always interested in passing along success stories of community, so write it down and send it our way.

The “Mix it Up” Program for U.S. Schools

This week’s School Spotlight is highlighting the “Mix It Up” program schools throughout the U.S. have been implementing into their students’ lunchtime. As a result, participating schools have been enjoying great success in breaking down barriers that often stem from misunderstandings in cultural diversities.

Source: http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/fordson-high-school "Mix It Up"- Fordson High School Webpage

The “Mix it Up” program is the brain child of Teaching Tolerance: A Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that “is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation’s children.” And with the “Mix It Up at Lunch” program, they are certainly living up to their modus operandi. With just a few years in operation, this program has quickly grown to include 2,420 schools that are utilizing its service. In this number, 50 different schools serve as “Mix It Up Model Schools.”

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Just what is Mix It Up at Lunch Day?

According to Teaching Tolerance’s Website, this is “A national campaign launched by Teaching Tolerance a decade ago, Mix It Up at Lunch Day encourages students to identify, question and cross social boundaries.

In our surveys, students have identified the cafeteria as the place where divisions are most clearly drawn. So on one day – October 18 this school year – we ask students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch.”

Source: http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/fordson-high-school "Mix It Up"- Fordson High School Webpage

This program has changed hearts, minds and attitudes of many students in our nation’s schools, building tolerance, breaking barriers and bridging gaps. One such school experienced great success when it implemented the program in 2009. Through Mix It Up, students at Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan, were happy when they were included in the project.

One hundred and fifty ninth-grade students where chosen and then divided into three lunch periods (50 students per lunch period). They were hand-picked from among the following subgroups: blacks, whites, Lebanese, Yemenis, Iraqis, jocks, band members, cheerleaders as well as students in special education and bilingual classes.

Each table was overseen by two older team leaders to help get things started. The results: “Many of them walked away with new friends. Also, Mix It Up brought down walls of race and ethnicity. At the same time, it built new relationships among the team leaders and the staff members who supported the event.”

The Mix It Up Website “offers an array of free online resources designed to help school groups and classroom teachers explore the issue of social boundaries. These activities can be used as ice-breakers during the planning process, to get the group geared up for the event; or they can be used as classroom activities by teacher allies seeking to support the Mix It Up effort.”

The Teaching Tolerance organization supplies the tools and know-how for schools to involve their students in Mix It Up. The program is offered absolutely free for any school in America, and only has six simple steps to get started mixing it up at lunch.

Source: http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/model-schools

“Mix It Up Model Schools embrace respect and inclusiveness as core values—they ‘mix it up’ all year long.  These schools have done an exemplary job of organizing, publicizing and implementing Mix It Up at Lunch Day. By sharing their recipes for success, Model Schools are beacons for other schools striving for inclusiveness.” To learn more about the criteria schools need to meet to become one of the 2011/2012 Mix It Up Model Schools, click here. Do you know a school that has the potential to become a “Mix It Up Model School?” It’s not too late. Teaching Tolerance is accepting application for schools wishing to become a Model School until February 1, 2012.

Teaching tolerance and appreciation in cultural diversity is one of the most important and fundamental things that we can do for our children. Through doing this, our youth are instilled with the ability to understand, accept, and yes, even appreciate the many differences filling our world. This is a part of creating the “better tomorrow” that is so often heard and yearned for by community. If you know of a school participating in a similar program, we would love to hear how it has affected students, staff and your community. So, please, write us and let us know. We are all ears.

Natchez Elementary School: Wadsworth, NV

This week’s School Spotlight takes us to Natchez Elementary School in Wadsworth, Nevada. This small school, located directly in the heart of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation, is being named as a “Bright Spots” High Opportunity School.

A view of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation

For all intents and purposes, Natchez Elementary is in the middle of the desert, miles away from what most would call civilization. The nearest city is Reno, and it is 30 miles away. At 92 percent, the school is mostly made up of Native Americans, a demographic who often exist right at the threshold of poverty. In addition to this challenge, communicating through speech is quite limited in Paiute culture. This means that some children have virtually no language experience when they start school, posing a serious issue.

Many things for the people living in this community involve drawn-out processes, and their children’s education has been no exception. At least that is how the school’s Principal Rick Taylor explains it. According to a Bright Spots release, “Taylor describes his school’s path to success as ‘a really long process.’ When he became principal in 2003, Natchez teachers felt such empathy for their students that ‘there was always a reason they couldn’t perform.’ Then as now, students faced genuine problems — extreme poverty, crime, and drug and alcohol addiction in their families. Still, says Taylor, ‘Teachers were magnifying the impact of the problems by being so sympathetic.’”

The sympathetic mentality started changing, and along with it, student performance. The teachers, and all school staff members, now firmly believe that every one of their students is capable of learning. The “No-Exceptions” policy is a testament of this. Sympathy has been supplanted by high expectations for each student. They allow no excuses for these children to fail. Therefore, all of their students are fed three meals and even cleaned up, if necessary. They make certain that their children are ready to learn.

Per the release, “Taylor gives substantial credit for the rise in student performance to the reading curriculum, Success for All, which emphasizes prevention and early intervention around learning problems. Its leveled readers offer the same story, pitched to varying skill levels. Natchez teachers can also use the Houghton Mifflin Journeys curriculum, a district-wide adoption. A ‘sacred’ 90-minute reading block takes place each day, during which nothing else is scheduled and no interruptions are permitted.”

1973: Children from the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation

The staff at Natchez Elementary check each student’s progress through frequent testing and monitoring, allowing them to adequately assess the needs of each child. This information helps the staff pinpoint “specific skill deficits” as they work in teams to “identify the most effective supports.” The release also states that “A $68,000 Save the Children grant supplements Title 1 funding for intensive 45-minute interventions every day for the 16 children who currently qualify. The other 129 children do enrichment activities, such as Accelerated Reader. ‘We use every adult in the building,’ says Taylor. ‘Not just teachers, aides, and speech therapists, but also music teachers, lunch ladies, and custodians.’ A reading coach provides in-service training three times a year, and three Natchez teachers are trained in the Lindamood-Bell Visualizing & Verbalizing program, a ‘fantastic but time-consuming’ approach to language comprehension.”

The school does get more private money than many Title 1 schools due to the dominating presence of Native Americans, so Natchez Elementary makes certain its abundance is shared with the community. Parents are invited to attend various activities that take place at the school, “often including Native American culture and always dinner … In addition, people in the community are provided books and clothing, access to computers, phones and fax machines, help with job applications and even space for funerals.” As the principal puts it, “Natchez IS the community.”

Many schools, especially in rural areas, are becoming the hub of their community, if they aren’t already. Educational establishments are reaching out to help solve many issues through opening their doors and resources to the community. Fortunately, it seems this practice is becoming more commonplace. The next time you visit a school, look at the bulletin board and I can almost guarantee you will see quite a few flyers and pin-ups offering classes, services or programs designed to enhance, not just children, but families and communities. What are some programs that you think belong on that bulletin board? We want to know.

Loma Park Elementary – San Antonio, TX

Today’s School Spotlight takes us to Loma Park Elementary in San Antonio, Texas, where in true Texas form, everything is done BIG. Yesterday’s blog by State of the Re:Union’s contributor Mark McGrath mentioned the Bright Spot Program, which is part of  Campaign for Grade Level Reading, a collaborative effort that the National Civic League is involved with. (To read yesterday’s post, click here.)

Source: Campaign for Grade Level Reading

This program reaches across the country and customizes its tactics to reflect the issues of each region. According to the Website, the one thing that the program shares across the board is its goal:

• Closing the gap in reading achievements that separates many low-income students from their peers
• Raising the bar for reading proficiency so all students are assessed by world-class standards
• Ensure all children have equitable opportunity to meet those higher standards

The Bright Spot Program recognizes Loma Park Elementary is a high opportunity school. According to a release from the program, “The students at Loma Park Elementary get excellent scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, but they learn much more at school than the answers to test questions. ‘I want my students academically prepared for their careers in school and beyond,’ says Principal Alicia Garcia. She and Loma Park teachers want all students to “be self-directed learners, to read critically for meaning, and simply to love reading literature.”

Source: Loma Park Elementary School

Loma Park staff and district personal worked together in designing an innovative program that uses a balanced literacy approached to instill in the children a passion for reading.

In their approach to resolving educational issues plaguing their community, their reading initiative “Let’s Read!” is looking systemically at child development issues that can potentially impede a child’s academic success. According to the Grade Level Reading Initiative post, “Loma Park is leading the district in preemptive, early developmental screening of all incoming students — looking at social and emotional issues, health issues such as diabetes and asthma, fine and gross motor coordination, speech problems, and any other difficulties that might interfere with reading and overall academic success. Teachers trained in evaluation and data interpretation by a health professional administer the screening in January, after they’ve developed a relationship with each child. Parents trained as advocates, called ‘Promotoras,’ play a crucial role by reaching out to individual families in the community and communicating results.”

‘Through this approach,’ says Garcia, ‘we are able to identify and address developmental issues as early as possible to ensure that each child has the best possible chance to reach his or her academic potential.’”

Another way that Loma Park is achieving success is through marrying fun and education with its after-school program. The “Club House” embeds literacy instruction in the settings of students’ play. As an example, in the Cooking Club, students read and interpret recipes and convert measurements. They also have “Saturday Adventures,” which allows after-school students to take what they’ve learned throughout the week in the Club House and apply it in various locations in the community.

In addition to these program elements, Loma Park uses the district-wide “Universal Review System,” making it possible to evaluate a child’s progress every nine weeks. “The System also matches each child with appropriate interventions and tracks progress for each intervention. With support through the Casey Foundation’s Making Connections program, Foundations, Inc. provides additional assistance in staff development and needs assessments,” according to the Bright Spot release.

The Alamo in San Antonio, TX

Loma Park Elementary School is doing all that it can to “develop community-based strategies that reinforce reading progress.” The school is working with many community organizations (civic, nonprofit, churches, universities, et al.) to make certain that “every child has access to individualized support.”

San Antonio is a place that is steeped in the Texas tradition of never giving up – the epic battle of the Alamo bears testament to that. Embracing this same spirit are the faculty, teachers, students and families of the community that Loma Park Elementary School serves. This approach introduces students to environments rich with reading materials. As part of its base instruction, they use the premise that students’ reading abilities will advance with access to the proper materials and support. With a teacher’s guidance, reading increases in difficulty with each accomplished level of reading skill improvement.

SOTRU’s School Spotlight continues in its quest to find schools such as this who demonstrate and achieve community in education success. If you know of a school or community with the same modus operandi, we would love for you to tell us about it.