National Blue Ribbon Schools Program

Earl Pritchett Elementary School in Buffalo Grove, Illinois is one of two elementary schools in the Aptakisic-Tripp School District serving students in Pre-Kindergarten through 4th grade. Pritchett students are supported toward developing their full potential through personal and deep connections with caring staff members who know students as individuals. Pritchett's success as a learning community is built upon and sustained by trust among all of its members. Communication and shared decision-making are essential elements that have remained constant over the years. The Pritchett community is forward thinking and embraces change by participating actively in an ongoing strategic planning process called, "Learning Vision Into Action." Pritchett School is committed to preparing its learners to thrive in a global community where interdependence and unprecedented change continue to redefine what is required for success in the future. Preparing students for this reality requires the creation of authentic opportunities for students to apply knowledge in meaningful ways to further develop the "success skills" of collaboration, communication, creative problem solving and critical thinking. To this end, Pritchett School has implemented Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Launch modules to reinforce creative problem solving and design thinking. Pritchett is also developing "Gold Standard" Project Based Learning (PBL) experiences for all students. Pritchett students and teachers participate actively in projects that promote the continuous improvement of Pritchett School through the identification of challenges and design of iterative solutions to address them. All students exercise voice and choice as they work in close collaboration with cross-grade peers and staff.