Shirley and Bill Wallin Elementary School - Henderson, NV

Wallin Elementary is the first and only school in the Clark County School District to open as an Empowerment School. This Empowerment model allows the staff to help make decisions on curriculum, staffing, resources and program implementation. Our staff is empowered to do what they know is best for students and is our guiding principle. The collaborative environment between staff and students fosters creativity, student-focused learning, and leadership. Key teaching practices which utilize collaboration are project-based learning and ability-based grouping in Reading and Math. These techniques afford students the differentiated instruction to learn at their level and grow without restrictions.

A major challenge we continue to face is the lack of funding due to our high socioeconomic status. Limited funding provides us the opportunity to be creative and work with our community. The community support through families and our PTA is what provides the curriculum and tools to empower our students. PTA raises funds through family involvement nights and fundraisers, which provides the funds for our reading and math programs. Parent donations and community partnerships fund our programs, so that our staff can focus on what matters most-teaching our children. Our families are an essential part of our school community and academic excellence. Finally, a sense of urgency is instilled within our school community. We only have 180 days to make a difference and Fully Committed are two slogans we use at Wallin to describe the focus we must maintain to have our children career and college ready by exit.