• Category 1

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 17,500
    Student Enrollment: 437
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 99%
    White/Caucasian: 1%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:24
    % Reduced Lunch: 95%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1951
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Gwen Gardner
  • CONTACT:
    3200 Bailey Avenue
    Jackson, MS 39213
    601-987-3591
    elbracey@jackson.k12.ms.us
Walton Elementary School
Jackson, MS
This means we must continuously evaluate the effectiveness of what we are doing and be open to making changes for the betterment of our students. However, when changes are forced, we must provide internal and external support to teachers to ensure successful implementation.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Walton intitated P.A.L. (Parents as Learners) Day each 9 weeks to increase parental engagement. Parents come to the classrooms as learners with their children. In addition, they are given additional strategies they can use at home. Make and Take activities are provided along with Parent Guides to help them understand what objectives students will be working on during the term. PAL Days are in addition to our PTA meetings, and Parent Academies.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Education is a business and as with any successful business, changes may be inevitable based on results. If we continue to get the same undesired results, we must accept that change must occur. To foster change effectively, teachers must have buy-in. Therefore, they should be involved from the ground floor. As Jim Grant stated, "If you're riding a horse and it dies, get off!" This means we must continuously evaluate the effectiveness of what we are doing and be open to making changes for the betterment of our students. However, when changes are forced, we must provide internal and external support to teachers to ensure successful implementation.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Our two top W.I.G.s (Wildly Important Goals) goals are to increase the proficiency level on state assessment by 10% in Language Arts and Math and to show growth with the students identified as our bottom 25% on state assessments.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title I funds are used to supplement resources for teachers, students, and parents to impact student achievement as identified in our schoolwide plan. Teachers and parents are surveyed to determine instructional needs. Our priority is to improve the use of technology in the classrooms by providing smartboards, computers, and other technological resources.

Monies are also used to fund professional development for teachers to help them improve teaching and learning through research-based learning and other best practices.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Walton implements Professional Learning Communnities to share effective strategies in core subjects. Specific common objectives are identified based on weekly assessments and modeled to help teachers see rigor and effective delivery of instructions. Teachers also share Magnificient Modeling Moments during staff meetings to highlight best practices that yielded great student engagement and success.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Teachers implement the distict's Holistic Accountability Process weekly. Teams analyze data from Common Weekly Assessments to determine the strengths and weaknesses of students. Data is analyzed by students, objectives, teacher, and grade level. Teachers have conversations and develop action plans to improve the data. The school's leadership team analyzes collectively to determine where we are, as a school, in improving student achievement. Students who are experiencing difficulty are provided immediate tier instructions with weekly progess monitoring to ensure success.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 17,500
    Student Enrollment: 437
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 99%
    White/Caucasian: 1%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:24
    % Reduced Lunch: 95%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1951
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Gwen Gardner
  • CONTACT:
    3200 Bailey Avenue
    Jackson, MS 39213
    601-987-3591
    elbracey@jackson.k12.ms.us