For the second year, they are making home visits, stopping by for just a few minutes to share positive news about a student with their family.
“Kids look forward to it. They love for us to see where they live,” said Principal Kee Edwards.
The result of the visits has been more parents volunteering, more parents calling the school and even better attendance among the students, Edwards said.
Rosa Parks faces some of the toughest challenges in the district. It has the largest percentage of economically disadvantaged children — 97.6 percent at the school last year — and the highest mobility rate, with 23 percent of students spending less than the full academic year there, according to the Ohio Department of Education.
And yet, it’s one of the three elementary schools in Middletown that met federal adequate yearly progress goals last year.
Students also made more than a year’s academic growth last year, and the school’s academic rating jumped two spots from academic emergency to continuous improvement, according to the ODE.
And if staff and students can duplicate last year’s achievements, the school could, for the first time, earn an “effective” rating, Edwards said.
Teachers say home visits provide helpful insights
When Amanda Mason’s teachers visited her house, the Rosa Parks Elementary School fourth-grader had a hundred things she wanted to show them.
And they had just as many nice things to say about her.
Between holding up her homework and flashing the Hannah Montana book she is reading, Amanda’s teachers answered her mother’s questions and shared some great things about the young girl.
“She’s just happy. No one tries harder and she’s just a great listener,” said teacher Leslie Schlabach.
For the second year, Rosa Parks teachers are visiting the homes of their students to share positive news with their families.
“It shows they really care about the children,” Amanda’s mother, Terrie Thompson, said of the visits.
For the teachers, the visits are a chance to learn more about their students and get a little insight that can help them in the classroom.
“I love it, I really do,” said Schlabach, who is in her third year at the school. “You go up and smell the food cooking. You see who they live with.”
“The parents get to know you more and the kids are excited to see you,” said Erin Carey, who is in her fifth year of teaching at Rosa Parks.
“It’s great for the kids. It’s great for us. We get to understand their environment,” said Jane Blazer, a third-grade teacher.
Rosa Parks staff started conducting home visits to reach out to families, who sometimes can’t make it to an open house, a parent-teacher conference or might not have a phone.
“There were barriers with communicating with parents from the school to the home. We said, we’ll go to them,” said Principal Kee Edwards, who has been principal at the school since 2007.
The teachers learn more about their students — their likes and dislikes, which they can incorporate into lessons — and even connect with families on another level. They have delivered laundry detergent to a family who had a washing machine, but no soap, and even offered to bring alarm clocks to students who had none.
They found that some parents were confused about new math homework and that older siblings are just as proud to hear about the accomplishments of their younger brothers and sisters as parents are.
It’s all part of efforts the school is making with Edwards as their leader. They also have started weekly “I can do it” celebrations, where students who turned in all their homework, had no behavior problems and perfect attendance get a treat and even the chance to see Edwards dance.
To Edwards, looking silly is worth it if it motivates students.
Growing up, Edwards went to both Taft and McKinley elementary schools — the schools that combined to make Rosa Parks — and graduated from Middletown High School.
“I couldn’t image being anywhere else,” he said.
“When I walk these hallways and see these kids, I’m seeing myself and I see my friends I grew up with,” he said. “It means everything in the world for me to be back here.”
All that feeling is evident to people who spend time in the school.
“The ship that he runs over there is outstanding,” said Councilwoman Anita Scott Jones, who was Principal for a Day at Rosa Parks last fall. “The instructors have respect for him. The students are crazy about him.”
“I would just encourage the parents and the community to get involved and help him and help the children because they are the future. If half of them grow up like him, they’ll be great,” she said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mengle@coxohio.com.
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