Veterans+Memorial+ES

Grades K-5
 *  Veterans Memorial Elementary School **

Misson
The mission of Veterans Memorial Elementary is to empower each student to become a lifelong learner by providing a safe and supportive environment that promotes self-discipline, motivation and excellence in learning. [1] Veterans Memorial Elementary School is located at 150 Fuller Avenue in Central Falls, Rhode Island. The school houses 498 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the infamous Central Falls district that is taking school reform to a whole new level. In February 2010, the district high school, Central Falls High School, fired all of the school's faculty and administration. Like the rest of the district, and the schools in the nation, Veterans Memorial seeks to be as successful as possible by meeting or exceeding the standards of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. The following information shows a breakdown of the school, points out its successes and the areas that need improvement.

Veterans Memorial Elementary School houses 498 students and 54 teachers. 160 fourth and fifth grade students were given a survey to ask about multiple aspects of the school. Of those 160 fourth and fifth graders, 53.8% of them were male (state average: 50.8%), 43.1% were female (state average: 46.8%), and 3.1% preferred not to answer (state average: 2.4%). [2] The ethnic breakdown of the schools is as follows: [3]


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 * // Students were asked to check all that apply //

Geographical Location
[4] Veterans Memorial Elementary School is on a narrow piece of land juxtaposed between Cowden Street and Hedley Avenue. Based on what could be seen from the Google Maps Street View, the schools is surrounded by a residential area. The area itself looks too small to house a school. The playground does not look as if it could fit all of the students and teachers with space for the children to run and play.
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Student Achievement
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a method of measuring student and school progress under the No Child Left Behind law. AYP is a way to show whether schools are making progress in their efforts to improve the curriculum, the quality of their teaching, and other aspects that would improve the quality of education. In the state of Rhode Island, student achievement is measured in part by the NECAP Assessments. [5]

The AYP Summary Report 2010-2011 for Veterans Memorial Elementary School is that they made AYP. According to the AYP Summary Report, the school is 8 years in need of improvement. The NECAP Assessments from 2010-2011 shows that Central Falls is significantly behind compared to the state average. For example, in 3rd grade Math, Central Falls students were 35% proficient as compared to the state average of 62% proficiency. 4th grade Math assessments reported that Central Falls students were 50% proficient whereas the state average is 63% proficient. 5th grade Math, Reading, and Writing reports were not given. Students scored about as poorly in Reading assessments. The 3rd grade Reading scores state that 54% of students were proficient as compared to the state average of 71%. 4th grade Reading scored similarly gaining 50% proficiency compared to the state average 68%. The 4th grade Science assessment measured that 21% of students were proficient whereas the state average was 43% proficiency. [6]

As you can see, the Veterans Memorial Elementary School has scored significantly lower than the state average on the NECAP assessment. The students scored more than 10% lower than the state average in each category. The students of Veterans Memorial Elementary School have clearly done significantly worse than the state average. Based on the AYP Report Card, the students need improvement in both Mathematics and English Language Arts.

The students were asked a questions about their experience in the classroom. The questions involved asked the students about their learning experience and whether or not their teachers make them "think hard","make learning fun", and "make me want to learn". Based on the results, a majority of the students (37.7%) feel as if their teachers sometimes make them think hard, whereas statewide 39.9% said that their teachers always make them think hard. 49.7% of students say that learning is fun most of the time as compared to the statewide 33.2% that say that learning is fun most of the time. Also, 62.2% of students said that sometimes teachers want them to learn more whereas 40.6% of students statewide said that they sometimes feel as if they want them to learn more. [7]

//AYP Report Card//

 * Number of Target Areas Evaluated: 23
 * Number of Targets Met: 23
 * Areas that need improvement: Mathematics and English Language Arts [8]

Teaching
Teachers are a very important part of a students education. The greatest of teachers will make a mark in their students minds and influence them in some way. To have a successful school, you need teachers who are motivated and driven. Most importantly, you need teachers who actually enjoy what they are doing and are passionate about providing a quality education to their students.

According to the data, 6% of the 54 teachers at Veterans Memorial are not highly qualified educators. The number of not highly qualified educators at this school is 3% higher than the state average. In the classroom setting, there are typically ten students per teacher compared to the state average of eleven students per teacher. Having one less student per teacher is beneficial to the students at Veterans Memorial. Theoretically, it means that there are less students for the teacher to worry about and thus, can have more one-on-one time with each student. [9]

154 students composed of 4th and 5th graders were asked questions about how their teachers help explain something to them. About 64.3% students said that their teachers will explain something to them in different ways until they get it most of the time. The state average for the same question states that 48.3% of students feel as if their teachers will explain something to them multiple times to further comprehension most of the time. These are good numbers though because the students feel as if their teachers are helping them learn by explaining material to them in a way they will understand. This means that the teachers are dedicated to helping the students to understand the information and not dwell on it. [10]

155 students who were 4th and 5th grade students were asked if they felt as if their teachers cared about them. 57.4% of these students strongly agreed with this statement. Statewide, about 55.2% of students agreed with this statement. These numbers clearly show that the students feel that their teacher truly cares about them. 158 students were asked if they thought that their teachers like teaching. 49.4% of students strongly agreed with this statement as compared to the state average of 54.5% of students saying that they agreed with this statement. [11] The numbers presented here clearly reflect the some of the qualities of a good teacher. The majority of the students feel as if their teachers care about them and that their teachers actually like teaching. These numbers show that the quality of some of the teachers at Veterans Memorial is above or around the state average. This goes to show that some of the teachers at the school are seemingly passionate and engaged in what they are doing.

160 students were asked if their teachers thought that they will go on to college. Of these students, 79.4% said yes stating that their teachers believed that one day they will go on to college. This shows that the teachers at Veterans Memorial have faith in their students. The state average, however, is not as impressive. 57.1% said yes to the same question. It is interesting to note that when asked if the students of Veterans Memorial thought that they will finish high school none of them answered no. But of the 15,345 students statewide that were asked this same question, 153 said no they do not think they will graduate from high school. These statistics lead one to believe that the teachers at Veterans Memorial are encouraging their students to succeed and have faith in them to do so. [12]

Family,Community, and Home Life
A students family, community, and home life are all extreme factors in a student's success. If all three work together to provide a safe and learning supportive environment, then a student is more likely to be successful.

Of the nearly 500 students, 15% of them are receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services as compared to the state average of only 5%. Broken down, this means that 15% of the students at Veterans Memorial do not speak English as their first language. [13] This presents a problem in and out of the classroom for a few reasons. One, it means that the students whose primary language is not English are just now learning the language and will not have as much knowledge of the language as the students who only speak English. The students who are learning the language may have difficulty in the classroom understanding the language that both the teacher and the other students speak. Second, if a child's primary language is not English, chances are, he/she is not speaking that language at home and thus, does not get the additional practice and help in grasping the concepts of the language.

Of 155 students, 97.4% reported that their parents want them to get good grades. This statistic shows that for a vast majority of the students, their parents want and encourage them to succeed. 89% of those students reported that their parents want to know what they are doing in school. [14] This number also shows that a large portion of the students are in the presence of a learning supportive environment. These numbers show that a majority of the parents are staying active in their child's school lives. Based on these statistics, we can infer that the students are fortunate enough to be in a household that encourages and supports education.

Safe and Supportive Schools
Similar to home life, a school needs to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for its students. A school that can protect and encourage its students is likely to be a successful school.

Attendance rates can deeply effect a students grades. If a student is chronically absent, their grades will reflect that. Veterans Memorial has a 94% attendance rate which is the same as the average statewide attendance rate. The state attendance goal is only 90%. [15] This means that the students of Veterans Memorial are going above the average. These numbers show that the students are capable of getting to school on a fairly regular basis.

The number of students who feel unsafe in the school is pretty astounding. 61% agreed that they do not feel safe if they see a stranger in the school hallways. Statewide, less than half agreed that they don't feel safe is a stranger is seen in the hallways. 64.7% of students at Veterans Memorial agreed that they feel safe on their way to school. This number is significantly less than the state average of 82.4% of students who said that they feel safe on their way to school. 57.7% of the students of Veterans Memorial agreed that they feel safe outside of the school. This number is also slightly less than the state average of 67.9% of students who said they feel safe walking outside of school. Clearly, safety is an issue that needs improvement at Veterans Memorial Elementary School. [16 ]

Bullying is becoming a nation wide problem and it is clearly present in Veterans Memorial. Students in a bullying situation are very likely to be emotionally and maybe physically affected by it. Bullying affects students in multiple ways and their school work may suffer if they are deeply affected by the bullying. The questions that the students were asked clearly show that bullying is a problem at Veterans Memorial. 66.9% reported that other students have called them names or made fun of them. The statewide average, though lower, is 57%. These numbers should be a lot lower. 56.1% of students reported that the kids at school have done mean things to them. The state average is 46.5%. Again, both numbers should be a lot lower. [17 ] Bullying is a problem in this school and nation wide. The students at the school are most likely affected by the bullying that is going on in the school. In order for the school to be more successful, the administrators, teachers, and students should try to eradicate bullying so that each students's only focus is their schoolwork and they are not distracted by their peers mocking them. The good news, is that the students know to go to their teachers for support. [18] The statistics indicate that most of the students at Veterans memorial know to go to a teacher to ask for help. These numbers, though higher than the state averages, show that even this area needs improvement. In an ideal situation, students should be able to go to their teachers and trust that relationship and the teacher. Though this shows that the students of Veterans Memorial know that their teachers support them, the numbers should still be higher. The above statistics are completely shocking. In all categories, the number of students who have been involved in these types of incidents is higher than the state average. Obviously, the safety of the students in Veterans Memorial is a concern. The safety of the students in the school needs to be improved on.
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Funding and Resources
An import factor in determining the success of the school and its students is the available funds and resources at the students and teacher's disposal. Another important factor is the family's income.

The district median family income in Central Falls is a mere $26,844 dollars. According to the website, Veterans Memorial spends $14,347 dollars on each student. [20] The average family income suggests that parents may not be able to live comfortably and be able to support their child's education. However, the school spends over $14,000 dollars on each student. This shows that the school is providing the adequate funding for their students.

Further proof of the school providing adequate funds for the students can be seen from the graphs below. [21] All of the above questions were asked to students who reported that their school provided enough materials. The number of Veterans Memorial students that agreed to the above statements were all higher than the average number of students statewide who agreed to these statements. This shows that the Veterans Memorial school is going above and beyond average to provide their students with materials and resources to help and further their student's education.
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Conclusion
Based on the above information, one can conclude whether or not Veterans Memorial Elementary School is a "good" school. The school is doing a lot of things right. They are providing adequate funding for the students, providing a diverse learning environment, making AYP standards despite being below average, having qualified and supporitve educators, and encouraging the students success. However, the school is still, like many others, struggling to provide a safe environment for its students and teachers. Perhaps the most shocking result of this research is the information gathered under the Safe and Supportive schools section. A large majority of the students reported that they did not feel safe walking to school. Safety is a large concern for any school, but it is a concern that needs vast improvement at Veterans Memorial Elementary School. Overall, the school seems as if it is trying to improve and become a more successful schoo l.