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Beginning this year Cuba has initiated the WATCH DOGS (Dads Of Great Students) program. The program has created many “in school” volunteer hours and has had a positive impact on students both educationally and socially. Volunteers provide positive male role models as well as provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying.

Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.

Programs at the school include WATCH DOG, family reading nights, volunteer reading buddies within the schools day, programs, student of the month assemblies to highlight success, and school wide celebrations to recognize achievements.

Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.

Beginning this year Cuba has initiated the WATCH DOGS (Dads Of Great Students) program. The program has created many “in school” volunteer hours and has had a positive impact on students both educationally and socially. Volunteers provide positive male role models as well as provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying. The volunteers are not only dads, but invites grandfathers, uncles, or other father figures to volunteer at least one day all day at their child’s/student's school during the school year.

Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.

The school's philosophy is having high expectations for all students and instilling a love for learning. We believe data drives all decisions and strive to all ways do what is best for students.

What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?

The goals for this year are to increase student growth as measured by various assessments and increase rigor within instruction to excellent all students based on high expectations.

What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?

Small group instruction that is differentiated so that all student needs are meet.

Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.

An initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on achievement and closing the gap is individualized small group instruction based on assessment data. The emphasis of the groups is math and reading and meets each student at their current level and provides remediation and enrichment to insure growth of all students.

Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.

Title I funds are used to provide human resources so that groups can be smaller and instruction is more individualized.

Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.

Professional development activities are designed around research based strategies and insuring all students learn.

Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.

Data drives instruction and decisions at Cuba Elementary. Teachers use data from a variety of sources (STAR, Dibels, common assessments, KPREP, and classroom formative assessments) to determine instructional grouping, to determine student progress, and instructional direction. Data is discussed in PLC meetings and teachers and administrators work together to get necessary materials to meet all student needs.

Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.

The school culture is one with high expectations for all students, staff, parents, and stakeholders. We are very much a family and work together to best prepare our students.

• Category 2

  Selected in 2013

• Grades: pre k - 6
  School Setting: rural
  Town Population: 150
  Student Enrollment: 183
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 0%
  White/Caucasian: 86.8%
  Hispanic: 12.6%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
  Asian: 0%
  Native American: 0%
  Other: 0.1%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
  % Reduced Lunch: 79%
  % ELL Learners: 7.6%
  Founded: 1889
• PRINCIPAL:
  Lora Miller
• CONTACT:
  92 Cuba School Road
  Mayfield, KY 42066
  270-328-4811
  lora.miller@graves.kyschools.us