The Education of an Angel, part six:
But Will It Work?
Ever since Sloan’s gift became public knowledge, people both inside and outside the school have been eager to see results. Does money make a difference?
It’s still too early to tell. The first achievement tests mandated by state standards will take place next year, when the first "class" enters second grade. Hill, the district elementary coordinator, suspects the tests "will bear out what teachers are telling us anecdotally, that this program is leading to better outcomes for children." Hill has seen kindergartners in the new program mastering skills not usually in place until second grade. "I’ve seen kindergartners and even pre-K students who are successful readers," she says.
Once students in the Enhanced Program begin taking achievement tests, Adams hopes to raise test scores by 10 points annually, a goal she considers within reach. In the meantime, she appreciates Sloan’s patience. "He hasn’t tried to micromanage this program," says the principal, "and he’s putting money where he said he would."
In her ongoing evaluation of the program, Michelle Bell has had a chance to talk with parents, teachers, administrators, and community members, as well as the board of trustees that oversees the additional support program. Her report at the end of the 1998-99 school year highlighted both accomplishments and challenges. She found students excited about learning, parents pleased to be connecting with needed services, and school staff pulling together as a learning community. Communication between school and home needed work last year, Bell says, but continues to improve.
Communication has been an issue within the building, as well, Hill adds. "We could have done a better job last year with orientation of new staff. This year has been better. All teachers are learning more about the new curriculum models. It’s becoming a more seamless school."
To measure the school’s success, Bell has designed an evaluation matrix that looks far beyond the classrooms of T.T. Minor Elementary. In the coming months, she’ll be measuring not only student learning, but also the concept of "affiliation," which refers to the relationships between school and student, between teacher and student, between community and school. Finally, the evaluation will assess "well-being," a broadly defined measure of health that reaches into the whole community.
Earlier this fall, a groundbreaking ceremony took place for a new community playground on the land adjoining the school. This project is not another gift from Sloan, but an investment by the city. An asphalt lot is being transformed into a grand neighborhood gathering place, complete with gardens, theater space, and playing fields. Holiday-Robinson guesses that more than 400 people turned out for the ceremony. One of the faces she spotted in the crowd was a veteran teacher from T.T. Minor. "You should have seen his face," she relates. "He kept saying, ‘Imagine! A grassy playing field!’ For 28 years, he’s been holding his gym classes on pavement."
But brighter days are ahead for children in the Central District, thanks to a millionaire’s gift and a community wise enough to run with it.
