State of the Moonshot Moment
Ray Oglethorpe, Chairman of the Board of The Learning Alliance, opened the breakfast by greeting the guests and participating in our new "Mark and Ray Show" to discuss the District highlights with Dr. Mark Rendell, Superintendent of the School District of Indian River County.
|
Ray Oglethorpe and Mark Rendell shared the positive forecast for our District.
|
Dr. Rendell described the success of the new TLA-funded third grade interventionists (3GI) in five schools, as the small group tutoring that they provide during the school day has produced incredible results! The schools with a third grade interventionist have seen higher growth than the overall District average this year.
We have learned that a student who enters kindergarten at "grade level," must gain 1.25 years of growth each year to end third grade at grade level. For those students who are not ready when they enter kindergarten, their average growth requirement is even higher!
_________________________________
The School Funding Challenge
School Board member, Tiffany Justice, explained how school funding works and why the schools aren't able to pay for the additional interventions. She thanked the TLA donors for their commitment to our students and schools. Many of our students enter school without the tools to be successful, at no fault of their own, and these additional supports are necessary to bridge the achievement gap.
|
Tiffany Justice, School Board Member, explained the constraints of state funding.
|
_________________________________
The Power of a Vision
Dr. Rendell introduced Diane Fannin, principal of Indian River Academy (IRA.) As one of the Moonshot Deep Partnership Schools, IRA has focused on the social emotional needs of their Title 1 students, and as a result of these changes to their school climate,
their office-discipline referrals (ODRs) dropped from 313 to 39, a result of the school's Conscious Discipline practices.
|
Diane Fannin, Principal of Indian River Academy
|
By creating a school family where the children feel safe and connected, the students are ready and able to learn, and the data proves it! The students who are receiving the interventions are showing significant growth toward their literacy goals.
_________________________________
The Power of Relationships
Like Indian River Academy, Pelican Island Elementary (PIE) is one of TLA's Moonshot Deep Partnership schools. Moonshot Deep Partnership Schools receive additional support for educators and students, both during the school day and afterschool.
Pelican Island Elementary (PIE) is the newest school to partner with The Learning Alliance, and principal Chris Kohlstedt talked about the benefits that the teachers and students are seeing as a result of the partnership. We heard student success stories from Carol Coppola, the Moonshot Coach, Karen Whelan, the Moonshot third grade interventionist, and Jenna Taylor, coordinator of the BBS Reads (AmeriCorps) tutors working at PIE.
|
Pelican Island Elementary Principal Chris Kohlstedt discussed the power of relationships
and how it is creating a literacy culture in their school.
|
Principal Kohlstedt shared the data results that show the first and second grade students receiving the Moonshot support have grown almost a full year at the half-way mark, and those third grade students have grown .7 year during that time.
_________________________________
Growing a Culture of Readers
Liz Woody Remington introduced Rosewood Magnet School principal Casandra Flores to talk about the Moonshot Innovation Center that TLA has supported at the school. Principal Flores and media specialist, Julie Carroll, talked about the positive changes the Innovation Center has brought about for their students.
|
Rosewood Principal, Casandra Flores, discussed the new Moonshot Innovation Center
and growing a culture of readers at Rosewood Magnet.
|
_________________________________
Summer and Afterschool Learning - Creating New Possibilities
Fran McDonough, TLA's Manager of Moonshot Academy Programs, introduced Janet Gerry, a volunteer at Beachland Elementary's Moonshot Academy, and Amy Shoemaker, the teacher / coordinator at the Fellsmere Elementary Moonshot Academy. They discussed the Moonshot Academy afterschool and summer learning programs that are creating new possibilities for our students!
|
L to R: Debbi Arseneaux, Amy Shoemaker, Janet Gerry, and Fran McDonough
discussing the summer and afterschool learning opportunities.
|
Students in grades K - 3 who participated in our Moonshot Academy programs showed notable growth, far outpacing the district average!
Tackling the Summer Slide
Debbi Arseneaux, TLA's manager of the Moonshot Institute programs, provided information on two of our community-collaboration summer programs designed to support struggling readers through innovative, experiential learning.
Literacy in Motion (LIM) is a collaboration with the District and the Vero Beach Museum of Art, and
Literacy on the Lagoon (LOL) is a collaboration with the School District and the Environmental Learning Center. While the programs provide students with a safe and enjoyable summer experience, they are truly helping to "stop the summer slide." Data shows that students in those programs made significant literacy gains over their peers who did not participate in the summer program.
_________________________________
A Moonshot Nation
Heidi Sparkes Guber, 4th Quadrant Partners, said that Moonshot is at the leading edge of national transformation. Our Moonshot Moment is a collaborative effort model for the nation, and beyond!
|
Heidi Sparkes Guber, Founding Partner of Fourth Quadrant Partners, LLC -
Where Learning Turns into Results
|
_________________________________
Ray Oglethorpe thanked the attendees for their continued interest and support for the Moonshot Moment.
Our "Moonshot Kids CAN" because of the philanthropic, volunteer, and collaborative work being done in our Moonshot Community. We are becoming the literacy capital of the nation!
|
Ray Oglethorpe, Chairman of the Board, for The Learning Alliance provided the closing remarks for the breakfast event.
|
______________________________________
|