Ladera del Norte Elementary School, (Farmington, NM). Ladera del Norte Elementary School is a mirror of the community it serves. The school celebrates diversity with lessons in Native American, African American, and Hispanic American cultures. Fourth graders, who want to study traditional dances of New Mexico and Mexico, may participate in the Ladera Heritage Performers.… Continue Reading Walk in Time through Cultural Diversity
Westhampton Elementary School, (Westhampton, MA). Westhampton Elementary approaches professional development (PD) as a four-tiered system rooted in the academic, social, and emotional needs of the students and school community. This tiered system begins at the district level where school administrators work closely with the district’s curriculum director to program professional development activities that benefit the… Continue Reading Tiered Professional Development
Hubert R. Hudson Elementary School, (Brownsville, TX). Hudson Elementary teaches students how to be productive and educationally-motivated citizens via the Hudsonville Micro-Community and Economy. The approach mirrors a a community within the school to create an academic learning experience for students. By leveraging dynamic partnerships with local businesses (e.g., bank and store), students in grades… Continue Reading Hudsonville Minitropolis
Westchester Elementary School, (Kirkwood, MO). Westchester Elementary School realized that the three acres of wooded area behind the building .were over-grown with invasive plant species and very little wildlife. To address these issues, Westchester participated in the Missouri Green Schools Quest and partnered with the Missouri Department of Education to design and execute a BioBlitz.… Continue Reading Partnerships for Environmental Education
Eisenhower Elementary School, (Indiana, PA). Eisenhower Elementary School operates under a collaborative framework. The principal and staff work together to develop building initiatives and procedures. A collaborative project that Eisenhower staff is proud of is their Math Walk. A Math Walk is an event that provides students opportunities to experience mathematics in their community. Students… Continue Reading Math Walks in the Community
Walnut Hill Elementary School, (Dallas, TX). To better serve underrepresented English Language Learners, Walnut Hill Elementary is piloting a new Two-Way Dual Language for the Academically Gifted Program. This program provides learning experiences, so students develop a love of literacy, language, and culture. Walnut Hill also offers a pull-out gifted and talented (GT) program. The… Continue Reading Dual English Gifted and Talented Program
Shaping a vision of success for all students is one of the focus of Lisa Speroni as a school leader. From the very beginning of assuming the principalship of P.S. 253, Principal Speroni had a vision for children to find a love of learning. She wanted children to become smart, independent, hardworking students, but realized… Continue Reading Lisa Ditillo Speroni, PS 253, The Magnet School of Multicultural Humanities Brooklyn, NY
Mr. Shane Staszcuk began his education career in the early nineties. Throughout his career as a teacher and administrator, he worked in a variety of education settings. Over the years and across locations, the one constant he understood was that all parents want the best education possible for their children. When in 2005, he became… Continue Reading Shane Staszcuk, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy Chicago, IL
In three years, under Sandra Barrios’ leadership, Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School has transformed from a low-performing campus to an “A” campus as designated by the Texas Education Agency. Located in the center of refugee and immigrant communities in Dallas, this Title I school is a mecca of diversity. Lowe students come from 50 countries… Continue Reading Sandra Barrios, Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School Dallas, TX
Having high academic expectations and rigor can be vital elements to a school’s success, but Principal Ray Helmuth recognized that something was missing. He realized that without a positive philosophical approach to guide the way, students’ engagement in learning and teachers’ passion for teaching could get lost. Van Buren Elementary School was already considered a… Continue Reading Ray Helmuth, Van Buren Elementary School Plainfield, IN