DATA IS THE KEY TO

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Submitted by: Lucie K. Lewis, Central Team Facilitator

 

Stanton Elementary School in North Philadelphia, once the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary, “I Am a Promise,” is now known by “the accolades for academic excellence it's receiving.” i   In the past three years, changes have been dramatic: reading and math proficiency levels jumped -- so much so that the tests were scrutinized and double-checked in 2004.  By 2005, there was no denying the progress.  And now there's something else undeniable, too: Students are proud of themselves and actually like school. ii

       While the students credit their principal, Barbara Adderley, for the dramatic turn around in their academic performance, she has a different explanation.  Adderley says it is a group effort, involving support from the state and city, as well as from parents and teachers. But the key, she says, is something more academic.  "The data. We keep the data in front of us at all times,” she said. "Data is the key."

       Some of that data, in the form of various test scores, adorn the hallways and classrooms so students can gauge their own progress ... and also check out how the other guy is doing.  "I like seeing our scores up on the wall so we can see where we are," Mykera, a student at the school, said.  "The scores motivate you to get where you're supposed to be so that by the end of the year, you're where you're supposed to be or past," Justin said.

       Adderley says different people will attribute her students' successes to various influences, but she says the lesson is clear and always the same.  "I believe that all children can learn at high levels. And I do mean that," she said.  "All of them with no exceptions." The kids couldn't agree more.iii

       Principal Adderley’s words echo the foundational belief of Step Up Springfield that, with “effective effort”iv and proper support, every child can succeed.  Like Stanton, Step Up Springfield is working to mobilize the community to come together through partnerships, collaborations and shared resources to provide the support needed to allow our students to grow in character and engage in effective effort in order to attain academic proficiency.  The catalyst for this effort is data because Step Up Springfield agrees with Principal Adderley that using data, while working collaboratively, will ensure that all of our children learn at high levels and achieve academic and character proficiency.

       Working with the Springfield School Department, Step up Springfield is bringing data about the academic needs of our students to the community so that the community leaders, business leaders, community and social organization staffs, religious leaders and parents can participate in the conversation about how to best support the work taking place in the schools to move our students to academic and character proficiency. 

       While the classroom is the frontline for students’ learning, through Step Up Springfield several community-based organizations have committed to join forces to use data to develop programming strategies that provide out-of-the-classroom support for both academic and character development.  The first step in this journey was taken on November 16, 2006 when these community-based organizations were trained to interpret and use data to develop strategies for student improvement.  The training was marked with incredible exchanges of new understanding and energizing possibility.  Claire O’Brien of the Springfield Parks Department 21st Century Program was happy to have been a part of this experience because she understands the important role of sharing data and working together to forge insights and strategies. This is a critical pathway to becoming better partners with local schools and helping our students achieve.

       For more information about the ways that you and your organization can collaborate with Step Up Springfield to use data for the benefit of our children, contact Mr. Tim Allen at (413) 693-0228 ext. 140 or visit www.stepupspringfield.org.

i Smith, Tracy, “Finding The Good News”, CBS Sunday Morning, Chester, VA., Nov. 26, 2006, p2 ¶13. Retrieved on December 5, 2006 from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/26/sunday/main2208898.shtml.

ii Smith. p 2 ¶16.

iii Smith. p2 ¶22.

iv Howard, Dr. Jeffery, Efficacy Foundational Training, The Efficacy Group, Boston, MA