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I believe that there must be a sense of urgency and determination to create the perfect storm that will produce change and academic improvement. There must be transparency and strong conviction on the part of a school’s leader to inspire, transform, and support all stakeholders to believe and act as though it will change sooner than later. In so doing, the essential component needed to effect change is putting together a team of talented, committed teachers and support staff who share the vision of success for all, all means all!

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

At Dunston we encourage our parents and families to be as involved as possible in the success of our school and students. We have a variety of programs in place to ensure that they have every opportunity to be involved. For example, our quarterly perfect parent breakfasts/luncheons help to encourage parents to get their children to school every day. This helps to get the parents into the school and it is an incentive for making sure they are getting students to school on time every day. Our Guidance Counselor also holds quarterly parent informational sessions. Some of these are directly related to the students and some are geared more for the parents. We also encourage parents to attend the school district sponsored Parent University which holds monthly sessions for parents to attend at a local high school by sending home flyers.

Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.

I believe that there must be a sense of urgency and determination to create the perfect storm that will produce change and academic improvement. There must be transparency and strong conviction on the part of a school’s leader to inspire, transform, and support all stakeholders to believe and act as though it will change sooner than later. In so doing, the essential component needed to effect change is putting together a team of talented, committed teachers and support staff who share the vision of success for all, all means all! In a setting of high poverty, high crime, high absences, low commitment, low student achievement, and low parental involvement, against all odds with the right team, the perfect storm is created to succeed. When there are expectations of excellence, consistency in the use of effective best practices, permitting the data to drive instruction, and creating a community of learners, then all excuses are erased. The evidence will clearly show that we don’t pity, we empower students with the tools needed to succeed in school and for life.

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

The data and various surveys indicate the need to maintain or continue to increase student achievement by at least 3% in the major content areas. While substantial improvement was made, until all students are achieving at high levels, we must continue to focus on how we deliver instruction, provide individualized, systematic intervention, effectively use data, and monitor students’ progress. Secondly, we will provide more services to parents to encourage more involvement with academics at home and school. Until parents take ownership and participate in the process, there is work to do in order to sustain growth.

Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement.

The program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement at Dunston is our school-wide focus on Explicit Direct Instruction. In 2008 all teachers at Dunston participated in a book study using Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI): The Power of the Well-Crafted, Well-Taught Lesson by John R. Hollingsworth and Silvia E. Ybarra. Teachers became accountable for the lesson design components and lesson delivery strategies as we completed each chapter. We supported each other through peer observations, self-evaluation of videotaped lessons, and feedback from the Principal and Lead Teacher. Lesson plans were redesigned to ensure that all components were present, and we placed a particular emphasis on strategies for continuous Checking for Understanding. Each new school year we provide support and guidance for this initiative to new teachers at Dunston as well as periodically revisiting specific chapters as a faculty to refresh and refine our implementation. We strongly believe that this focus on EDI has had the greatest positive effect on both teaching and learning at Dunston.

Explain how Title I funds have supported your improvement efforts.

Title I funds have been and still are critical to the implementation of various strategies that have contributed to increased student achievement. One strategy is reduced class sizes. So many of our students come to us with challenges such as lack of quality experiences, family structure, routines, etc. With smaller class sizes, teachers are in a position to provide the individualized academic, emotional, and social attention needed to be successful in the classroom. Another strategy funded by Title I is the opportunity to employ support staff to provide researched-based interventions for specific Tier 2 and 3 students, thereby reducing the number of red and yellow zone students. In addition, with Title I funding, Dunston was able to support these strategies with the resources to support its success such as math and reading intervention programs, instructional materials, and professional development to sustain effective implementation and ongoing support.

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

We use data from a variety of sources to improve student achievement and inform decision making at Dunston. Some of these sources include:
• NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
• CD and Kindergarten Student at a Glance Assessment
• South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS)
• AIMSweb
• Common Assessments created by teachers/grade levels
• District Benchmarks

This data is then used in a variety of ways. First, data is used to assess the needs of individual students and then provide differentiated instruction to meet these needs and ensure their academic achievement. Teachers then use the data to evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction. For example, we collect data from common assessments in the content areas to record students’ mastery of standards and indicators. We then analyze the data at the class level and grade level to determine the need for further instruction. Indicators are coded based on student mastery according to the following color key:
• Green=80-100% of the class/grade level has mastered the indicator (provide additional instruction/guided practice to individual students as indicated)
• Yellow=70-79% of the class/grade level has mastered the indicator (provide additional instruction/guided practice to small groups as indicated)
• Red=<70% of the class/grade level has mastered the indicator (provide additional instruction/guided practice to the entire class)

Analyzing the data in this way helps teachers note their own strengths and needs as well as those of their students. Teachers can then share strategies and plan for differentiated instruction to insure that all students master the indicators taught.

• Category 2

  Selected in 2012

• Grades: pre k - 3
  School Setting: urban
  Town Population: 99,727
  Student Enrollment: 357
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 68%
  White/Caucasian: 5%
  Hispanic: 23%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
  Asian: 1%
  Native American: 0%
  Other: 3%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
  % Reduced Lunch: 95.1%
  % ELL Learners: 23%
  Founded: 1954
• PRINCIPAL:
  Janice Malone
• CONTACT:
  1825 Remount Road
  Charleston, SC 29406
  843-745-7109
  janice_malone@charleston.K12.sc.us