Executive Summary. King Elementary

Transcription

1 Jefferson County Stephanie White, Principal 4325 Vermont Avenue Louisville, KY Document Generated On December 18, 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 4 Additional Information 5

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary is a very unique school. The school is recognizable by its round architectural structure as well as its open classrooms. Our school community, embraces cultural differences, empowers teachers and students, and entails collaboration with all stakeholders within the community. The King community encompasses students from all parts of Jefferson County. The school community, including teachers and staff, has a representation from various countries such as Bosnia, India, China, Somalia, and the Congo. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School is located in the Jefferson County Public School District. According to the JCPS Data Book and the KDE School Report Card, JCPS is the largest school district in the state of Kentucky with an enrollment during the school year of 100,750. This accounts for 15.4% of all students in the state. Although, majority of the state is considered rural, JCPS is an urban school district. With this information at hand, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School's demographics meet the description of an urban school. School's student population is 473. For 26% of this population, King is their reside school. King has a racial makeup of 84.2 % African American, 6.3% White, and 9.5% Other Race. The school is located in the West End of Louisville, KY. 89% of the West End's population is African-American. According to the 2000 US Census, 90,110 people live in the West Louisville area. The poverty rate in West Louisville is 42% compared to the regional average of 12.4% (Census 2000). The Health Status Assessment Report of 2009 indicates that the childhood poverty level in West Louisville (48%) is triple the rate of that in the Greater Louisville Metro area, as well as the US (18.5% and 16.6%, respectively). West Louisville has also seen an increase in refugees from East Africa. The increase in poverty, crime, and African refugees in the community has impacted the greater demands that come with serving the students' emotional, physical, social, and academic needs. As the poverty rate increases, the total population of free/reduced lunch at King continues to increase. In 2005, 74% of the school's population received free/reduced lunch. This year, 96% of the school's population receives free/reduced lunch. One of King's biggest challenges is building enriching, motivational educational experiences in students who are coping with trials and tribulations of daily life. While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary once had the reputation for having the top Visual and Performing Arts Magnet Program, our school community is pressing toward the mark of gaining back that prestige. With our newly created vision, we strive to reach new heights with scaffolding and differentiation along the way, so that our students reach mastery and success. Page 2

5 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. School Slogan: "A Place where Dreams Come True" Mission Statement: At King, our vision is to collectively empower students as critical thinkers, promoting mastery learning and student growth. The faculty and staff at Dr. Martin Luther School are dedicated to the academic success of all students. We feel it is our duty to enrich the lives of all our school community by providing a range of instructional support. We believe that empowerment is an intricate part of our school culture. All students are encouraged to deepen their critical thinking skills to master core skills in reading and math. Our school community makes every effort to inspire all students while they are climbing new heights of personal achievement. Our core program's primary focus is to build literacy and math skills. Our teachers implement research based, best teaching practices to strengthen these skills in order for our students to reach mastery. Through data analysis, progress monitoring, and teacher self-assessments, the King community constantly evaluates the effectiveness of our teaching practices and instructional programs. All decisions made at King are aligned with our vision statement. Student learning is at the heart of all operational plans and structural changes in our building. With our new School-wide Intervention/Enrichment Block, our students receive specific instruction catered to their academic needs. With our Gifted and Talented Program and Visual/Performing Arts Magnet, our students are exposed to various forms of art, academic rigor, and enrichment activities that promote an engaging learning environment for deeper learning. At King, we use proactive and positive approaches to classroom and school-wide behavior management. Our goal is to keep our students orderly, responsible, engaged, and motivated. Through the utilization of Positive Behavior Instructional Strategies and CHAMPS, we strive to reduce classroom disruptions and increase student achievement. Our staff pledges to promote a safe, learning environment for all students. Through collaboration with teachers, parents, and the community, is on the rise in becoming an elite and distingushished school within the Jefferson County School District. Page 3

6 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. We celebrate the large and small achievements at Dr. Martin Luther School. Our small achievements set the stage for larger accomplishments. In the past years, we have seen a steady decline in test scores, but currently we are making improvements in reading and math; however, we did not meet our AMO goal last year. This year, King has established plans to improve student achievement. In an effort to increase student achievement the following programs and changes have been implemented at King: - Lunch-and-Learn- This program involves parents as valuable stakeholders in education. Parents attend a once month informational about educational trends, topics, and resources. Parents have the opportunities to learn, mingle, and have lunch with other parents dealing with the similar educational issues. - This year we have created a Parent Support Group to assist with home-school collaboration and increasing parent volunteers during the school day. - New Teacher Mentor Program- This program's goal is to retain new teachers. One of the biggest challenges of new teachers is to juggle the responsibilities and heavy workload. In this program, new teachers are paired with mentor teachers to help them cope with the challenges of this career. - We have increased our Out of School Time and community engagement opportunities so that students are able to participate in programs such as Literacy and Chess, Literacy and Photography, AMPED, and tutoring opportunities. - Professional Learning Communities- Teachers are given opportunities to be the experts in education. In these smaller communities, teachers use data to drive instruction. We value self-growth in the effort to improve student learning. - Bellarmine Literacy Project- The primary purpose of this program is to provide professional development and assistance to build teacher capacity in literacy education at low-performing urban schools identified by the Jefferson County Public School System. The school community takes pride in the Gifted and Talented Program and the Visual/Performing Arts Magnet available at King. If these programs didn't exist at King, the opportunities for our students to be exposed to dance, ballet, orchestra, and drama would be very slim. Our priority is to offer positive experiences for all stakeholders. When plans and programs are in place for students, parents, and teachers, through a collaborative effort, we can build a capacity where students learn at higher levels. Page 4

7 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. At, we will no longer let any variable hold us down. We believe with all our hearts, mind, and soul that every child deserves the best quality of education. We dedicate ourselves to teach the whole child; catering to the academic, social, and emotional well-being of each student within our community. Through the services of our Family Resource Center, guidance counselor, school-based therapist, and Response to Intervention Team, our goal is to provide assistance and accommodations to address every student's needs. Since our students cope with the negative influences within the community that they live, we strive to provide a place where students are afforded positive after school experiences such as basketball, cheerleading, dance/step. While promoting a nurturing, positive, and empowering environment, we truly want to make our slogan a reality; is a place where dreams come true. Page 5