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Washington Elementary School is located two miles from the main gate of the army military post of Fort Riley, Kansas. Military families are under stress from the numerous deployments of the active duty family member at war. Though the military count here at school is small, our entire community is affected by what is happening on Post. The student mobility rate is over 60%, partially due to the military, but a strong connection to the economic level of our families who often move to another rental several times within a school year.

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

The number of Spanish-speaking families in our school has grown. We provide translations to the home so those families are not only aware of school activities but are aware that we are reaching out to them, showing them respect and caring for them and their child. It has become the way we do business here. We know we are leaders in this activity in our district. It has reminded us that the translations are for the families, not the children. The students are still in school learning to read.

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

Enriching the vocabulary of students in the core subject areas so that they can be successful beyond elementary grades, other school levels and beyond. Vocabulary enrichment across the curriculum will also begin to trigger their problem solving/thinking skills and enhance their communication skills. These are tools they will utilize for a lifetime.
Fluency occurs in reading and mathematics. Our students need to increase their level of fluency so that they are understand and are comfortable with the foundation such fluency builds and can begin to move forward to other skills.

Explain how Title I funds have supported your improvement efforts.

Title I funds have been utilized to hire two certified teachers as tutors. Together, they tutor 1st through 5th grades using resources to supplement what is being taught in the reading program. The tutors also teach a reading group so that there are smaller numbers of students being taught reading.

Title I funds support reading materials that students and parents can utilize at home. i.e. reading back packs; purchasing of books for students and parents to keep at home for their own library.

In 2012-13 we were able to use some funds towards the procurement of a science teacher. We knew science was an area that needed more attention and wanted it to have as a quality as other subjects in our school.

On-going professional development activities occur frequently and regularly to address best practices in reading and mathematics and allow teacher to collaborate about what works best for our students at Washington Elementary School.

Identify the professional development activities you use to improve the teaching portion of the teaching and learning process.

We have a full time reading coach and a full time math coach. Both receive additional professional development from the District and are encouraged to attend conferences in those areas.
Our coaches model lessons for teachers using best practices while encouraging teaching staff to take risks.
The range of experiecne of our teachers is from their very first year to over 20 years, so at times we have to provide differentiated opportunities. Many of the ideas for these have originated from the teachers, creating higher interest.

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

Data is examined in our reading and math program every eight weeks. The data includes formal and informal assessments along with teacher input. The reading teacher may be different from the regular homeroom teacher, thus more data can be shared about a student’s progress.
Students are shown their individual data and encouraged to set a personal reading goal that they will work towards during the next period.
Our full time building reading and math coaches organize the data so that instructional decisions can be made and the key players are informed about what that learning process will look like.

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

Washington Elementary School is located two miles from the main gate of the army military post of Fort Riley, Kansas. Military families are under stress from the numerous deployments of the active duty family member at war. Though the military count here at school is small, our entire community is affected by what is happening on Post. The student mobility rate is over 60%, partially due to the military, but a strong connection to the economic level of our families who often move to another rental several times within a school year.
Our staff members know this and high expectations continue. Our students are just as successful as other schools within our district and across the state. Keeping the data out front so that instructional decisions can be made as soon as possible is key.
We are fortunate to have a superintendent who knows how important it is that technology be utilized in our classrooms as we prepare them for college and careers beyond high school. He also understands that tech savvy young teachers are. Funds are utilized throughout the District for all schools, not just Title i, allowing Title I schools more

• Category 2

  Selected in 2012

• Grades: k - 5
  School Setting: urban
  Town Population: 19,000
  Student Enrollment: 285
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 30%
  White/Caucasian: 28%
  Hispanic: 28%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
  Asian: 1%
  Native American: 1%
  Other: 12%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:18
  % Reduced Lunch: 98%
  % ELL Learners: 30%
  Founded: 1929
• PRINCIPAL:
  Lorraine Walker
• CONTACT:
  1500 N Washington
  Junction City, KS 66441
  785-717-4690
  lorrainewalker@usd475.org