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Ms. Frost with girls from her fifth grade. Photo by Michael DeAngelis
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Working smart AND hard has made Drew Elementary School a target – a target for a school to watch, a school to reconsider and a school to get into. Drew’s 2009 DC CAS (Comprehensive Assessment System) test scores improved by leaps and bounds – they had the highest percentage of improvement in the city. With a delightful and excited principal at the helm, now may be the time to get into Drew, your Ward 7 neighborhood school at 55th and Eads streets NE.
Data Drives Instruction
First and foremost, Principal Kimberly Davis wants it known that Drew Elementary is working smartly, by examining test data, by evaluating student work, by daily walkthroughs of the classrooms and activities. The data shows strong points and weak points of instruction and learning. A well- or poorly-constructed creative response (CR), formerly known as the “essay question,” shows that, too. It is all taken in and discussed at twice-weekly collaborative lesson studies, which help refine lesson plans to accommodate areas that need improvement and help support teachers by identifying where they can be assisted by staff to provide more opportunities for deferential learning.
“Our focus is on literacy,” said Davis, who is in her second year at Drew. Actually, Davis did her residency training at Drew in 2005 under Principal Steven Roseman during her time in the New Leaders for New Schools program. So she has come “home.” Davis’ excitement about the direction that Drew is taking and their massive gains in test scores has permeated the halls and the staff from stem to stern.
In July 2009, when DC CAS results were released, Drew was center stage. From a DCPS press release: “The Fenty Administration selected Drew Elementary school in Ward 7 as the site for this year’s announcement to recognize the students, the principal and teachers for their hard work, which produced remarkable gains in reading and math. Drew doubled its reading proficiency and quintupled its math proficiency...they had an 18-point increase in reading and a 28 percent increase in math, bringing their proficiency rates up to 31 percent and 34 percent respectively.” These incredible gains are not accidental, but a systematic approach and unfaltering intention of bringing every single student to where he or she needs to be. “We made the highest gains in the city,” said Davis excitedly. She does not intend to maintain these particular scores, however. “Our goal is a minimum of a 10 percent increase in reading and math.”
A Day at School
Students from Head Start to fifth grade report to school in uniform – green bottoms and yellow tops. “Breakfast is offered from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Students recite the school pledge and the Pledge of Allegiance at 8:25 a.m. Teachers stand at their classroom doors, ready to receive students at 8:40 a.m., and phonics begin at 8:50 a.m.,” Davis said. If this sounds regimented, it’s because it is. “Punctuality is everything,” Davis explained. “We maximize every minute.” Even leaving the class is an opportunity to learn. “We have ‘exit tickets’ – a question asked to get out of the class.” Said with a dour face, this may have been off-putting, but Davis’ smile is warm and her attitude positive. It is obvious that she is truly excited to see her students succeed.
There are three lunch periods, broken down by grade level, staggering the little people, to the middle grades, then the upper grades.
Reading blocks, broken down by reading ability, are built into the daily routine. Shelves in a reading nook offer books for the taking. Again, the focus is on literacy – strong reading skills are essential for learning all subjects.
A day out of school is a missed opportunity for learning. “Our goal is 90 percent attendance every day,” said Davis. “We honor classes with 100 percent.” The art teacher and a talented instructional aide adorn the hallway with fun and colorful banners celebrating attendance and other student successes.
All Together Now
Drew staff works together, and everyone is seen as an educator at Drew. “Everyone is held accountable for learning. The custodians serve as mentors and will call out math facts as they sweep,” said Davis. “Teachers sign math questions to students as they walk through the halls between classes,” she said, illustrating the different arm signs for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The security guard, Officer Mickle, reads with students and knows all by name.
Davis is excited about expanding Drew’s partnerships. The school nurse, Ms. Moore, obtained a grant for the Fit Kids Club, a twice-weekly afterschool wellness activity that provides equipment such as mats, balls and resistance bands, as well as a physical therapist from Children’s Hospital. Mr. Cooke, who joined Drew in October as the second-grade teacher, brought his partnership skills to the table, securing a Martha Speaks Reading Buddies Program grant that pairs fourth-graders with kindergarteners, building vocabulary and strengthening reading. “We make the most of what we have as far as staff and resources,” said Davis.
Teaching and Learning
Last school year, Drew offered single-sex classrooms – a bold move that worked. “It helped us tap into further learning,” Davis said. The students fully embraced the ease that came from learning among a single gender, so they were disappointed when this year, due to budget constraints, Davis had to reintegrate the classes.
But Davis is not one to sit and pout – she is forging ahead with different strategies for teaching and learning. “We employ multiple learning modalities – touch, speech, visual,” explained Davis. For example, they use touch-point math, great for the visual and tactile learners, where math facts become more concrete and less conceptual. “We are looking ahead to make sure all students are at level, ready for the next grade.”
Incentives make school goal-based. Students earn a spot in a drawing for great prizes, including a visit to the Capitol and a trip to FedEx Field to meet the Redskins. Davis has given the older students ownership of their education, keeping them abreast of what they need to know and a visual on how they are doing as individual learners. “We keep children involved with learning. They own it because, starting in third grade, they see where they are,” she said. “They know the standards they must learn, and they know if they have mastered them.”
Coming Soon
Drew is slated for modernization during the summer of 2010, meaning that it will open in the fall looking like a brand-new school with gleaming windows, wireless technology, and all the bells and whistles. Call the school at 202-724-4922 to schedule a visit. Drew Elementary is at 5600 Eads St. NE.
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