Casey Elementary School - Jackson, MS

Casey Elementary School's Motto says it all: "Educating the Whole Child In and Through the Arts." We embrace the Whole Schools Initiative (WSI) model, a comprehensive school reform that uses the arts as a vehicle for promoting high quality instruction and learning for all students. Casey students are engaged in visual arts, theatre, dance, and music to address their multiple learning styles during every instructional day. Casey, a K-5 choice school, is located in the largest urban school district in Mississippi. We are a title 1 school. Ninety percent of our students are African American and 10% are Caucasian, Asian, and/or Hispanic. A grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission, funds from our school district, and funds from our PTA have provided: teachers in dance, drama, and visual art; special exhibits and performances; and extensive professional development for all Casey teachers. We engage all stakeholders to continuously find strategies to improve the learning experience for our students. At Casey, we make all decisions based on data. We have a strong RTI program and we analyze data from multiple sources to find consistent trends. We use this data to determine next steps and strategies. Our superior state test results, low student mobility, and almost non-existent staff turnover rate support our claim that Casey is a wonderful place in which to learn and teach. At Casey, Principal Leslie Coleman and teachers are passionate about using every available resource to ensure that our students develop their full potential academically, emotionally, physically, socially, and culturally.