Executive Summary Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School Dougherty County School System Mr. David C Adams, Assistant Principal 3125 Martin Luther King Drive Albany, GA 31707
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Executive Summary 2 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 7
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
Executive Summary 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? Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School is located in the southwestern suburban area of Dougherty County in a rustic setting. River Road Elementary was the first name of this great school. In the early 1980's the school was renamed in honor of the renowned civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The school serves children in grades K-5 with two self-contained classes of exceptional students and two resource classes. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the Dougherty County Gifted Education program. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary offers students a comprehensive educational program as mandated by the Georgia Department of Education and the Dougherty County Board of Education. Academic offerings are in the areas of Reading, Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science, Health, Physical Education, Art Education, Music Education, and Character Education. Other educational programs added to enhance our curriculum are: Early Intervention Program (EIP), Fastt Math, Classworks, Education City, United Streaming, Promethean Planet, Coach connected(online version of Coach Connected workbooks), Online Assessment Systems(OAS), Family Life, Computer Lab and Science Lab. Our school offers an after school remedial education program tailored to meet the needs of students who scored below the minimum level of proficiency on standardized tests. Our Exceptional Students programs also cater to the various needs of our special needs student population. Martin Luther King's population is drawn from several governmental housing projects and low to moderate income homes resulting in an overall low socioeconomic profile. Many challenges and opportunities result from the high number of low income students we serve. Martin Luther King's lunch program serves 97% of the students a free lunch, 2% of students are served reduced lunch, and 1% of students full price lunch. We now serve 412 students in grades K-5 including a special needs population of 50. During the 2011-2012 school year 97% of our population was African American, 2% Caucasian and 1% other. Grade level enrollment is as follows for 2011-2012: Kindergarten..79 First.69 Second..58 Third..67 Fourth..59 Fifth.82 The total enrollment for the year is 412 which show an increase from the previous year, which is a slight increase in the total enrollment the past two years. Martin Luther King is served by 1 administrator, 1 special administrator's assistant, 24 full-time instructors, 2 certified part time Music and art instructors, 9 paraprofessionals, 5 support staff members, and 4 custodial workers. Martin Luther King's employees average 10 years of experience. Our school did not make Adequate Yearly Progress in 2010-2011 school year nor 2011-2012 school year placing us in Needs Improvement status (0). As a result of using data to drive our decisions, we have been able to assess our greatest needs and strengths through several in-school and after-school academic programs. Page 2
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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. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School's purpose is as follows: At Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary, we believe that every child is worthy of respect, consideration, and our best professional guidance. This is essential in the protection of the freedom to learn and to provide educational opportunity for all. As educators, it is our responsibility to practice high ethical standards and to do so professionally. In compliance with the Georgia Standards for Public School, it is the purpose of the Martin Luther King Elementary faculty and staff to offer a quality instructional program for all children in accordance with individual abilities and aptitudes; to foster and develop intellectual, social, physical and academic skills with emphasis upon critical thinking and creative expression; to develop attitudes, habits, values, appreciation, and ability to exercise self-discipline. The mission of Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School is to provide a quality education that will meet the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs of students and inspire them to excel academically and become productive members of a global society. Our mission is to also "provide the designs and materials to make sure that all students leave high school ready to do college work without remediation." The faculty and staff of Martin Luther King Elementary School believe: Every child can learn. Every child has worth and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Every child should be encouraged to achieve independence. Every child should be challenged to develop critical thinking skills. Every child should be equipped with the skills to be a responsible, respected, and productive member of a global society. Page 4
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. The students, teachers, staff, parents, and leadership at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary have worked together to provide the students on the Southside of Albany with an opportunity to succeed in an ever changing global world. Our school is further supported by an adaptive and relevant curriculum department to guide the school improvement process. Support programs include the following: After school extended day learning, Classworks, I-Care, Response to Intervention(RTI), Scientific Learning, Coordinating Early Intervention Services (CEIS), Coach Connected, Study Island, and Men of Distinction Mentoring program. Another notable achievement came about after the removable of the school principal because of the CRCT investigation. As the interim principal David Adams took the helm, the staff came together for the good of the students and the community. Every staff member took a positive and active role in working together to achieve academic success for all our students. The school climate and culture improved and relationships among the school community and stakeholders have made small but significant gains in working together. Additional Information: Because of the young parents who are often not actively involved in the education of their children, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary has to use innovative method to support the teaching environment. We must also motivate a growing population of grandparents that are challenged by all of changes that have come about from Race To the Top education initiative. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary continues to adheres to the following goals in order for the school to provide a quality education to all of its students: 1. A safe learning environment that is planned and implemented each day by the school administrators, staff and stakeholders. 2. School policies, practices and experiences that promote respect for individual differences. 3. Teachers encourage and motivate students to achieve. 4. Learning goals that are aligned with the GPS/CCGPS 5. Parents who are encouraged and welcomed in M L King at all times. 6. The use of technology that is used to engage and involve students in the learning process. 7. The Home Visitation Teams and Parent Facilitator identify at-risk students with excessive absences and contact homes as a means bringing students back to school. 8. Data that is used to identify achievement and to change instruction. 9. Differentiation which is used to meet students' readiness levels, learning profiles, and interests. 10. Teachers contact the administration/parent facilitator after students miss 3 consecutive days. We celebrate the small and big achievements at M L King Elementary that include the following: Students and Staff birthdays (Monthly) Academy Achievement of students and staff Perfect Attendance of students and staff (Monthly) Students Behavior award (Weekly) Spelling Bee Winners (Annual) Most importantly, Martin Luther King students are encouraged, educated, and prepared through our teachers and staff to become life long learners in a global world. Page 5
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Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. In spite of challenges facing the school community and the students of Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, the staff truly cares about the student body. In order to address the obstacles that impede academic success for our students, a needs assessment and root cause analysis will be conducted. The results of these assessments will be used to develop a plan of action that will increase student achievement and promote a positive school culture. Page 7