We Help Turn Your Title I Investments into Student Gains

At Shields Elementary School in Saginaw, Principal Shelly DuCharme recognized the need to act when just 10% of her third-graders achieved proficiency in mathematics on state exams. Unfortunately, the school had only its pop can fund to invest in teacher practice, so DuCharme started small, hiring IEE to provide focused professional development in math instruction to two teachers in second and third grade. This training involved IEE’s “Focused Instructional Model,” which helps educators review formative and summative data, identify power standards, and systematically maintain student progress and effective formative assessment. When Shields’ first-year investment yielded improvements, the school used Title I dollars to expand the number of teachers in the program. After two years, state test results showed that 64% of the original third-grade students, now fifth-graders, were proficient in math; the comparable state average is just 45%. In a video posted below, you can hear more about the experience of Shields and its sister school, R.B. Havens Elementary School.

In 2012-2013, Tawas Area Schools Curriculum Director Stacey Mochty and her administrative team set out to improve the district’s academic achievement. They focused their efforts on mathematics. Using Title I money, the district worked with IEE to implement our Focused Instructional Model. Tawas Area Middle School Principal Peter Newman is particularly proud of his students’ subsequent achievement on the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade MEAP math tests. As shown below, the results for each of the three tests has improved. Moreover, the percentage of students achieving proficiency now exceeds the corresponding state and county figures in the sixth- and eighth-grade tests, while the seventh-grade results are well above the county average and near the state average. His three classes of middle school cohorts also gained or retained math proficiency better than the corresponding state and county cohorts. Newman and Mochty discuss their experience with IEE in a video posted below.

 

Shields and Havens Elementary

In this video clip, Shields Elementary School Principal Shelly DuCharme and Shields fifth-grade teacher Blake Felsing describe the experience of working with IEE. Also speaking about their experience with IEE are third-grade teacher J.J. Burnham and second-grade teacher Travis Mularz of R.B. Havens Elementary School. Havens, like Shields, is part of Swan Valley School District in Saginaw, and it asked IEE to provide professional development in math after learning of Shields’ success.

Tawas Area Schools

In this video clip, the Tawas Area Schools’ experience with IEE—and IEE’s follow-through with the teachers—is discussed by Tawas Area Middle School Principal Peter Newman and Tawas Area Schools Curriculum Director Stacey Mochty, who also serves as Tawas Area High School’s assistant principal.

Michigan Technical Academy

IEE began working with Michigan Technical Academy in Detroit partway through the 2013-2014 school year. No final data are available yet to measure the students’ progress, but the accompanying video provides evidence of the school-wide cultural shift that IEE aims for. The comments come from MTA’s Curriculum and Instructional Director Holly Gilbert-Ryle, Principal Damon Pitt, and Superintendent Jeremy Gilliam. For more discussion of IEE’s approach to school culture, see our publication “Changing the Conversation.”

Our Services

IEE provides professional learning and instructional coaching services to primary and secondary schools. Our model is an on-the-ground, in-the-building approach to continuous school improvement and school reform. As your school’s service provider, we will have a team of experienced educators working directly with your school’s leadership team and district personnel to develop a program that meets the needs of your school. In Shields Elementary, Havens Elementary, and Tawas Area Schools, we provided focused professional development based on the schools’ identified needs. Ongoing professional development is a key component of our success with schools.

Our comprehensive programs can even include on-site coaching of three to four days per week. Our coaching teams include a leadership coach, a math coach, and an ELA coach. Data coaches and coaches in other areas are also available. To learn more about the service packages we offer, click here. Note that we are also an approved SIG provider, and we can help you not just to improve school achievement, but to influence individual subgroups, and close achievement gaps. Key elements of our approach are described in a paper we developed for SIG schools: “Focusing Reform Efforts: A Guide for School Leaders.”

What Our School Partners Are Saying

IEE works with—and succeeds with—schools at every level of student achievement, from high performers to Priority Schools. In this eight-and-a-half minute video, you’ll hear a variety of our school partners discuss our approach and our impact on their school communities.