Taken from report to Elmont School Board
Shakespearean skit
October 18, 2006, Elmont School Board Members, Pamela Byer, Elsy
Mecklembourg-Guibert and Aubrey Phillips, traveled to Virginia Beach,
Virginia to attend the 6th Annual National African American School
Board Members Council Summit entitled “Closing the Achievement Gap."
On Thursday October 19th, the pre-conference, they visited the
Dreamkeepers Academy, a K-5 Elementary Public School with a four
hundred plus student body. They toured the facility to observe
children, staff and administrators working together to raise academic
achievement at the Academy. All students wear uniforms.
Board Members Guibert and Byer share information during visit to Dreamkeepers Academy
A six-year Principal Dr. Dorothea White whose first priority was to
make a “total system change" emphasized that the
teaching methods at the Academy are intended to reach specific academic
and social goals. Students are challenged daily and results are
readily visible. In 2003, 3rd graders’ scores were at a low
55% in English and 74% in math. In 2006, these scores jumped to
92% and 96% respectively.
Dr. White states that one of her many
strategies to raise the success bar for Dreamkeepers is to ensure that
children are fluent in a foreign language by the fifth grade. This was demonstrated during a short play conducted
entirely in Spanish for members of the NAASBMC. Other children
performed a Shakespearean skit using an avant-garde approach allowing
them to integrate classical English and the current cultural norms of
the children.
Board Member Phillips and Dr. White discuss the role of high expectations.
The Elmont representatives witnessed
children taking responsibility for their own grades. Mrs. Byer
said "It seemed as if those children had a sense of ownership as they
engaged in subtle competition among themselves but were willing and
ready to give a helping hand to other classmates if need be."
Avant-garde members (AP English students) performing during visit to Dreamkeepers Academy
There is harmony between staff and children as they work long
hours. Ms. Guibert noted, “the school day is from 7:30AM to 4:15PM
and except for special projects, children do not generally
have homework."
On the first day of the conference,
several experts, highly knowledgeable on issues of closing the
achievement gap presented. The conference was designed in a
fashion that offered a general morning session with keynote speakers
and panelists. The presenters came from different states and
points-of-view to speak about a common denominator “closing the gap.”
Board Member Byer and John Maddux, President of RRMM Architects
During the break out sessions that followed, about 8 sessions per day,
many school topics were examined in depth. Since the sessions
occurred simultaneously, each representative attended one such
session. Mr. Phillips attended the workshop on “Creating and
Sustaining Schools of Excellence: The DreamKeepers
Academy." Ms. Mecklembourg-Guibert, attended “Establishing Year
Round
Schools to Promote Achievement” and Mrs. Byer attended “Culturally
Responsive Strategies to Promote Excellence for All Learners”.
Similarly,
on day two, different workshops were scheduled for participants to
learn more about closing the achievement gap in school systems.
The sessions attended were “Using Timely and Accurate Data to Close
Achievement Gaps”, “Student Achievement Starts with Nutrition” and
“Intervention Solutions for a Variety of Learning Styles... Information
for Board Members”. At the end of each presentation,
opportunities to ask questions, make comments and inquire about
available resources were provided to all attendees.
Dr. Clara Patterson shares insight and technology tools used to enhance the educators ability to make assessments for learning.
Of the sixteen in depth breakout sessions Elmont’s representatives
attended six. "The conference was excellent and well structured
and relevant to the work we as Board Members do in the Elmont
District." said Phillips who took the opportunity to express his
concern on behalf of the Elmont Community about the rising costs of
unfunded and under funded mandates as well as the associated negative effect on
support for public schools in local communities. Phillips, using
charts and figures presented to members of the NAASBMC by VA state
Representative Bobby Scott, noted that Elmont would realize an
additional $3M to $5M dollars annually if the federal government funded
NCLB (a grossly under funded mandate) appropriately. Such funding
would undoubtedly help school districts reduce property taxes.
