Joplin, MOLivee Chandler-Carr, Jarrica Windham, Leigh Ann Beesley, Sherica Jones-Lewis, Page Durham

Before and Now

Joplin Elementary Schools

• Columbia• Eastmorland• Jefferson• McKinley• Royal Heights• Stapleton• West Central

• Duenweg• Cecil Floyd- damaged• Duquesne- damaged• Kelsey Norman-

damaged• Emerson – closed• Irving- closed

Information

• Crime – one of the highest crime rates in the county, 98% worst than other cities (Neighborhood Scout.com, 2012)

• Attendance Rates• School Population• Unemployment rate 6.6%• Graduation Rate• Economic information

JSD- Strengths

• Technology focused 25:1 student to teacher ratio• Computers and Smart boards in every classroom• Operation Rising Eagle• AYP progress• Strategic Action plan• Achievements• Low discipline rate• Safe rooms in Schools

JSD- Weaknesses

• Students sense of community• Career planning leading to middle school programs• Poverty- 20.4% greater than national average• Skilled-laborers

JSD- Opportunities

• Project SERV• Technology donations• Community involvement since tornado

JSD- Concerns

• Crime rate• Poverty• Physical location in Tornado Alley

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE TODAY BY INSPIRING OUR STUDENTS TO PURSUE EXCELLENCEMission Statement

What we Do

• Providing individualized and diverse opportunities for learning ensuring a safe and positive learning environment.

• Inspiring our students to seek knowledge and think independently• Expanding every student’s horizons through academic, co-curricular

and extra-curricular opportunities. • Providing high quality, specialized training and professional

development for all educators. • Hiring and retaining the best qualified, compassionate and dedicated

educators• Inviting partnerships with families to maximize students’ potential• Building positive partnerships with our community to ensure mutual

success• Embedding meaningful technology into research-based instruction• Facilitating positive and effective change• Demonstrating and reinforcing ethical behavior

What we Believe

• Students are our first priority and all children can learn• Each child is equally important• Change is necessary for progress• Excellence is a result of high expectations, continuous improvement

and accountability• Building relationships between school and home is an important

catalyst for learning• Education is a partnership among school, home and community• Learning is a lifelong process• All students deserve an education that is as unique as in the individual• We are all educators• Strong, positive relationships with out stakeholders are vital and must

be nurtured• Respecting diversity strengthens our community.

What we Desire

• Facilities• To have high quality district facilities that meet 100% of the

programming needs of our students as well as provide for their social, emotional, and physical development by 2014.

• Community Relations• To increase community support by engaging 100% of the community

in the educational process of students by 2014. • Student Achievement• To improve student achievement district-wide as demonstrated through

a 10 point increase in the MAP Index Points (MPI) over 5 years when considering all grades levels as a group in comparison to baseline data, which will be defined as the average district-MPI for 2007, 2008, and 2009.

• Finance• To establish a long-range financial plan that meets 100% of the

district's need while maintaining a balanced budget annually by 2014. (Joplin Schools, n.d.)

WHAT CAN WE DO

Pay it forward

• Community Service Learning:• To increase the affective connections of

students through active involvement in the school and community.

• 2 year plan to organize 4 community service projects over 4 semesters by utilizing students, teachers and administration to support the effort

Community Garden

• Rebuilding Joplin- current program with approximately 10% of student population participating• Begin program in other schools, nursing homes• Adds beautification, rebuilding after tornado

• Building and Growing Garden• Creates food supply, teaches survival skills, job skill,

• Plant sale- raises money for club to purchase supplies/field trips• Create source of funding, collaboration

Recycled Art

• School-wide programs to recycle materials • Incentives for classes who collect the most• Teaches respect for earth and environment• Correlates to science and Social Studies curriculum• Learn to be “GREEN”

• Art classes incorporate “found” materials from “ugly” to “beautiful” • Teaches use of different art mediums• Provides additional materials to use

• Art Show and Auction• Involves community in program and provides money to increase

opportunities• Creates positive involvement in school programs with the community

Playing for Change

• Global awareness about music education• Allows students to share music, connect globally, creating positive

social change through music education. • Teaches that peace and change are possible through the universal

language of music. • By providing children a safe place to learn, flourish and express

themselves, PFCF helps provide a creative alternative to the struggles many of these children face daily.

• No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.

Relay for Life

• Cancer awareness• Raise money to support cancer research• Cancer touches everyone• Walk increases physical activity to promote developing

healthy habits• Community involvement

Goals

• To have 85% student participation in organized community serivce projects• Student participation will be measured through sign-in logs

and photos

COLLEGE AND CAREER PREP

AVID

• (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Nurture student college and career readiness, through implementation of the program; in order to work towards narrowing the socio-economic achievement gap; which perpetuates poverty in Joplin, Missouri

AVID

• Needs Assessments of 90% of 4th and 5th grade students exposed to AVID strategies improve in a minimum of two areas

• Assessment- Pre and Post Assessment

AVID

• Year 1: • Summer – Leadership team comprised of administrators

and teacher leaders from grades 4 and 5 attend AVID Summer Institute• Pre-school week – Teacher leaders deliver professional

development to all teachers in grades 4 and 5• Fall - Pre-assessment is administered• Fall -Teachers in grades 4 and 5 begin implementation of

two of the four components of the AVID Elementary Program : Organizational Tools and Student Success Skills • Spring - Post-assessment is administered to students in

grades 4 and 5

AVID

• Year 2:• Summer – Expanded leadership team attends summer

institute (grades K-3). • Fall- Pre-assessment is administered• Fall - Teachers in grades 4 and 5 continue with prior

implementation and expand with the addition of the WICOR and Partnerships Components• Fall-Teachers in grades K-3 discuss which AVID strategies

can be applied at the lower grade levels (grade specific)• Spring – The beginning of school-wide AVID

implementation• Spring – Post Assessment is administered

WHY AVID

• The poverty cycle, by nature, is one that persists. There are many reasons why this is the case, but one key factor is the, “lack of targeted support to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage” (Demie and Lewis, 2011, p. 253)

• Low educational attainment begets more of the same. Gazeley (2010)

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

Conclusion

• By building the school community, it knits together the fabric of the school to not only provide a place outside the home but helps students to feel comfortable and meet the necessary academic challenges with a true support system.