The Leflore County School District’s interim superintendent, James Johnson-Waldington, told principals at Wednesday’s school board meeting that he is pleased with their reports about progress in their schools.
He particularly addressed improvements of those identified as “schools at risk” by the Mississippi Department of Education.
“Over the three months that you’ve been making these presentations, I’ve noticed a marked difference in what’s happening inside those buildings,” Johnson said. “Keep up the good work.”
Principals from Amanda Elzy Junior High, East Elementary, Leflore County Elementary and Claudine Brown Elementary schools have been presenting reports on their school improvement plans at board meetings over the last three months, identifying how they are fulfilling master plans. These include everything from academic improvement to teacher training to working on the culture and climate at each school.
Each of these schools received F ratings based on state accountability assessments in 2017, and each school has its own plan for improvement with supervision and supplemental funding from the state and the district.
Principal Barren Cleark of Elzy Junior High said his school has been working on improving staff attendance as well as improving student assessments, and the school is on track “for at least a C school.”
Consultants have come to Elzy in the last month to work with small groups and to train teachers, and the school has hosted regular meetings for parents, Cleark said.
At East Elementary, two meetings this month focused on the academic culture of the school, and Principal Aieyotorio Roy reported that students have seen a 50-point gain in assessment scores from the first nine-week period this year to the most recent nine-week period.
Also at East, new computers are in place at the school computer lab and old computers have been distributed to teachers for use in classrooms.
Leflore Elementary Principal Shajuanda Davis said leadership teams are in place at her school and that every teacher and administrator at Leflore will soon be trained in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS), a foundational reading skills curriculum.
Davis said students at Leflore are participating in class dojos, a computer-based rewards system for improving class performance.
Claudine Brown Principal Edshundra Gary reported that all teachers at her school now have school improvement data binders they can use to review individual student strengths and needs. Students at her school have been rewarded with a trip to a trampoline park and a skating outing.
All agenda items for the March meeting were approved by the interim superintendent, including a revised gifted students policy for the district and accepting contracts for Leflore County Elementary and Claudine Brown Elementary with Youth Villages LLC, a Memphis-based agency that provides therapeutic interventions for children and families.
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
