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Our philosophy of school change or improvement is the Teamwork Model. Our team is large: district support, faculty, staff, students, family, community, non-profits, faith-based organizations, University, individuals. Everyone contributes something from their time, talent and treasure to make sure that students are achieving and learning.

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

The activities that engage parents have been instrumental in the success of our school and students.

We have a monthly food pantry where parents have moved from clients to organizers and runners of the pantry. As families move toward self-sufficiency, we see increased student achievement.

University partnership allowed parents opportunities to receive professional development and training, so parents were ready to participate in school district, state and national organizations. We are seeing parents taking action.

Our PTA has worked alongside our Title One coordinator, to provide family fun nights and academic workshops. Parents have helped to vision, shape, plan and run those fun nights and academic workshops.

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

The most successful partnership we have enjoyed is a partnership with Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. They wrote a five year grant called the Martindale Brightwood Alliance for Educational Success. This grant brought together three schools in our district, community partners and the University. The grant helped us learn about and implement the community school model.

Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.

Our philosophy of school change or improvement is the Teamwork Model. Our team is large: district support, faculty, staff, students, family, community, non-profits, faith-based organizations, University, individuals. Everyone contributes something from their time, talent and treasure to make sure that students are achieving and learning. We want all students to be able to know, show and do more academically at the end of the day than they could at the beginning of the day.

We know that the Five Essentials must be in place for schools to be successful. They are: Effective Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environment and Ambitious Instruction. We keep our finger on the pulse of these five essentials, so that course corrections can be made when necessary.

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

We have two significant professional development activities that we use to improve teaching and learning. They are Race Equity Education, and learning how to use data to drive instruction.

All staff have received 16 hours of Race Equity Education, provided by our school district. We have a team at school that provides support for staff as we work understanding our own privilege and what that means for us as we work with students.

During our Professional Learning Community time (our master schedule is structured so that each learning community has common planning time every day) we dive deep into student data, using a triangulation method to see where there are gaps. Teachers plan intentional remediation and scaffolding so that those gaps can be filled for our students.

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

Our school culture is inclusive and expansive now.

Mission Statement: to provide our students with an exemplary education. Our students will have the tools the need to value the diversity of others, respect the world in which they live and have the schools they need to make good decisions.

Vision Statement: We are people, serving in a carefully prepared learning environment empowering students to use diverse experiences and knowledge to find their purpose, reach their full potential, and do exceptional work in the world, while thwarting the predictive powers of race and class.

We believe there is a space for every child, and it is the responsibility of the teachers and staff to make sure they succeed.

We have a broad definition of stakeholders, and welcome neighbors, community organizations, individuals, non-profits, faith-based organizations, professionals, family members to participate alongside our students and staff to increase student achievement.

• Category 1

  Selected in 2015

• Grades: pre k - 8
  School Setting: urban
  Town Population: 848,788
  Student Enrollment: 320
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 71%
  White/Caucasian: 13%
  Hispanic: 11%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
  Asian: 1%
  Native American: 0%
  Other: 4%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:12
  % Reduced Lunch: 62%
  % ELL Learners: 6%
  Founded: 1932
• PRINCIPAL:
  Christine Rembert
• CONTACT:
  2353 N. Columbia Ave.
  Indianapolis, IN 46205
  317-226-4256
  rembertc@myips.org