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As part of an effort to build on teacher expertise within the building, Henry has started to conduct personalized and differentiated professional development sessions facilitated by teachers in the building. This allows the entire staff to benefit from the individual learning each teacher does while building the leadership capacity of our teachers.

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

Patrick Henry families are actively involved in their child’s education and the school community. Henry parents volunteer in classrooms, attend classroom and school performances, and serve on committees. Our PTA is extremely active and works to continuously strengthen the relationship between the school and Henry community. Patrick Henry families are invited to multiple grade or school events each quarter including academic game nights, literacy nights, school concerts, International Night and many more. These activities are free, fun, and provide families with resources they can use to support their child’s education at home. Our teachers play an essential role in building relationships with families each and every day which results in them being involved in their child’s education and the school.

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

Patrick Henry Elementary School has strong ties to the community as a result of the PTA, community partnerships, and the strategic planning and implementation of many school wide events. Patrick Henry is a welcoming and nurturing school where families are partners in their child’s education. Henry families join teachers and staff members at many after school academic and cultural events such as Academic Night, Hispanic Heritage Night, Movie Night, Bingo Night and School Concerts. The Patrick Henry PTA organizes fundraisers, provides opportunities for volunteering in the school and in classrooms, and continuously finds ways to support families within the school community. Community members and organizations also play a significant role in supporting events at Patrick Henry. The school has community partnerships with Giant Food, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, the Sheraton, several local restaurants and NOVA Tutoring Services.

Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.

We continually strive to have each child reach his/her fullest potential as a student and citizen. In order to do this, we reflect on the practices of the school, the instruction students receive and the ways in which we support the whole child. School improvement is a continuous process that takes careful reflection and a willingness to openly and honestly analyze practices to ensure we are meeting the needs of every child.

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

Patrick Henry stakeholders have the goals of high academic achievement for all students and to close the achievement gaps between different subgroups of students. During the 2014-2015 academic year, we are focusing on the overall achievement of our students on the English and Mathematics Standards of Learning assessments. Our goal is to have an All Student pass rate of 90% or higher on the English state assessment and a 92% or higher pass rate on the Mathematics assessment. In addition to these goals, we will be focusing on the closing or eliminating the achievement gaps between our Hispanic and White students (currently 13.38%), and between our Economically Disadvantaged and Non-Economically Disadvantaged students (currently 10.35%) in reading. In Math, we are focusing on closing the achievement gaps between Students with Disabilities and Students without Disabilities (currently 9.95%), and between our LEP and Non-LEP students (currently 7.31%).

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

Collaboration and a strategic focus on student learning are at the center of our success. As a school we prioritize open and honest communication about students’ successes and areas of needed improvement. We work as vertical and horizontal teams to analyze practices and determine ways in which instruction can be improved. As a school, we strive to provide each and every child with the best possible learning environment. All staff members have and maintain high expectations for all students. The Henry community works together to ensure we provide students with the appropriate scaffolds needed in order for them to reach these expectations and their fullest potential.

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

The implementation of strategies learned at school and county professional development offerings has had a great impact on student achievement. As a school we explored the Sheltered Intervention Observation Protocol (SIOP) strategies. As teachers began implementing these strategies in their classrooms, the achievement of all students, but specifically LEP students increased. SIOP courses were also offered at the county level and helped further teachers understanding of these instructional best practices. In 2013, we also began implementing Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Learning about PLCs and formalizing our collaborative teams has had a great impact on the instruction our students receive, in turn increasing student achievement.

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

Patrick Henry Elementary School is fortunate to have a Title I reading teacher who supports the whole school Language Arts program. This teacher works with multiple grade levels to identify students in need of additional reading support. She provides small group instruction and push-in reading instruction at various grade levels. Title I funds are used to purchase tablets for classrooms, enhance classroom libraries, and provide necessary resources to support our whole school events. Title I funds support our annual Academic Night and family book swap events, and are used to procure Author visits which benefit students at all grade levels.

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

Administrators, teachers, specialists and assistants engage in professional development throughout the year in various school, County, and University courses. Henry teachers began a systematic focus on Professional Learning Communities in the fall of 2013. Staff members participate in an annual book study and are currently reading Learning By Doing (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many, 2006) as a guide to developing Henry’s CLTs. One ongoing school wide area of study has been in the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol Model (SIOP). SIOP is a model for instruction that supports the learning of English Language Learners. As part of an effort to build on teacher expertise within the building, Henry has started to conduct personalized and differentiated professional development sessions facilitated by teachers in the building. This allows the entire staff to benefit from the individual learning each teacher does while building the leadership capacity of our teachers.

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

At the beginning of each academic year, teachers analyze individual and grade level data from the prior year SOL Assessments, End of Year Assessments, and Beginning of the Year Assessments to identify specific strengths and needs of individual students and grade levels. Teachers reflect upon the data of their current and former students to determine areas in which they can strengthen their teaching skills, and determine the strengths and needs of the students they will be teaching in the coming weeks. Collaborative teams of teachers, specialists, administrators, and academic coaches use data to develop, monitor and adapt grade level action plans, individual learning plans, and a whole school 90-day progressive plan outlining specific achievement goals and strategies that will be implemented throughout the year. The Patrick Henry staff recognizes the value of multiple types of assessment data and continually evaluates data to improve teaching and student learning.

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

The greatest contributing factor to Patrick Henry’s success is the collaborative nature of the staff and community. Patrick Henry staff members work in collaborative teams (CLTs) to reflect on the academic, social and emotional development of our students. As a school, we continue to strengthen this process by learning more about Professional Learning Communities through professional development opportunities. To foster collaboration with Henry families, teachers communicate with families through email, newsletters, telephone and in person. Our teachers speak with families very frequently to ensure a strong home-school connection. In addition, we continually implement new family nights at the school such as our First Grade Math Game Night or our ESOL/HILT literacy nights to build connections with families and continue to foster collaborative relationships. Collaboration among multiple stakeholders ensures that the collaborative culture of the school remains and continues to improve.

• Category 1

  Selected in 2014

• Grades: pre k - 5
  School Setting: urban
  Town Population: 207,600
  Student Enrollment: 523
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 11%
  White/Caucasian: 38%
  Hispanic: 34%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
  Asian: 12%
  Native American: 1%
  Other: 4%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
  % Reduced Lunch: 42%
  % ELL Learners: 28%
  Founded: 1926
• PRINCIPAL:
  Andrea Frye
• CONTACT:
  701 South Highland Street
  Arlington, VA 22204
  703-228-5820
  andrea.frye@apsva.us