John Foster Dulles Elementary School - Cincinnati, OH

John Foster Dulles Elementary School, located in the western suburb of Green Township in Cincinnati, Ohio, has a long history of high academic achievement with incredible community support. Dulles Elementary earned an Ohio Department of Education "Momentum Award" for continual increase in student growth in 2015-16 and 2016-17. It embraces every learner and honors how students learn best. It is rich in family involvement, with dedicated faculty and staff. The students thrive in a welcoming environment where building meaningful relationships is equally important as achieving academic excellence.

A unique program that is a vital part of Dulles is its service to the youngest learners in the district. Dulles houses 10 sections of special education preschool. Students in grades K-5 who are typically developing serve as peer role models to our neediest and youngest learners. Instruction is standards-based, and the use of formative assessments helps shape the learning of students. Additionally, within our school aged community, we have a large population of students with special needs, especially social communication disorders. Dulles Elementary honors the concept of inclusion and embraces all children’s learning styles and needs. This has helped develop a culture of acceptance and service to one another.

Dulles Elementary has a successful Spanish Immersion program in grades 1- 5. Students voluntarily choose to be a part of the language immersion program in which content areas are taught in Spanish only fifty percent of the day. Dulles Elementary is a Positive Behavior Support Intervention school and has won the PBIS Region 13 Bronze Award for multiple years of successful implementation and continued work to ensure future success.

Community involvement has been a key to the success at Dulles Elementary. Local businesses and PTA support programs that help teachers and the school purchase much needed items that enhance student learning and create a home like atmosphere.

Dulles is a school where developing the “whole child” is the basis of a loving learning culture. It is with great pride that the students, staff, and families of Dulles consider themselves valued members of a powerful learning community in which the individual matters every day.