TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1
Description of the School…………………………………………………………………………………………1
School’s Purpose……………………………………………………………………………………………………..6
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvements………………………………………………..8
Additional Information…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Introduction
Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which influencing and
learning takes place drives the processes and procedures by which the school
makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also
impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the
overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of
stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds
of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The
purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to
describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so,
the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture
of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous
improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides
teaching and learning on a day to day basis.
Description of the School
Edward A. White Elementary School is a K-5 Department of Defense
sponsored school located on the Fort Benning Army Installation at Ft. Benning,
Georgia. Ft. Benning, a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
installation, was established in 1918 and is named for Major General Henry L.
Benning. Ft. Benning is a part of the tri-city area that is composed of Columbus,
Georgia, Phenix City, Alabama, and Fort Benning, Georgia. Ft. Benning is home to
the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and provides training for “Soldiers
and Leaders for an Army at war, while developing capabilities for the Maneuver
Force and the individual Soldier and providing a world-class quality of life for our
Soldiers, Civilians, and Army Families.” (http://www.benning.army.mil)
Edward A. White Elementary School is part of the Georgia/Alabama School
District, which is under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Christy Cabezas, and
follows the directives, curricula, and guidelines from the umbrella organization of the
Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). It is one of seven schools
located at Ft. Benning and currently serves students in the surrounding
neighborhood in grades K-5. Students who are enrolled at White are dependents of
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military personnel who reside on the installation and the school is funded by the
Department of Defense. The school is named in honor of First Lieutenant Edward A.
White, an officer in the Korean War. First Lieutenant White was a graduate of the
United States Military Academy at West Point and later graduated from the Infantry
School at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross for his valiant battlefield conduct on August 2, 1950. He led his troops
into fierce combat at Kumchon in the initial weeks of the Korean War, where he and
11 men held off two companies of the enemy until their ammunition was nearly gone.
First Lieutenant White risked his life to secure additional ammunition and was killed
as he returned to his troops. In 2012, during the 50th Anniversary celebration of the
school’s opening, First Lieutenant White’s family presented the school with letters,
telegrams and a wealth of memorabilia about our namesake.
When stakeholders first enter the main building of Edward A. White
Elementary School they immediately see the display of student assessment data and
our school kiosk, which highlights many of the academic, social, and service
opportunities that students can choose to participate in at White. The kiosk also
displays a variety of student work and classroom activities related to our school
improvement efforts. In the display case in front of the office are examples of student
artwork supporting our school purpose and direction. As visitors walk through to the
classroom pods, past our outdoor classroom and community garden, they may hear
students reciting the school pledge and the pledge of allegiance, led by the fourth and
fifth grade members of our morning broadcast team. Moving through the colored
pods housing the classrooms, stakeholders may view a STEAM lesson, robotics
activities, math and reading support, kindergartners working with their “buddies,” Paw
Pal involvement, ESL classes, and a variety of other learning activities. What our
visitors especially notice is the number of men and women in uniform who are
assisting in many of our classrooms. Most of these soldiers are part of the Officer
Candidate School and come during their duty day to support many of the school
programs. As visitors walk through the campus they will notice the colorful painted
poles which depict patriotic and academic scenes that are representative of the focus
at White.
A vital part of Edward A. White is the spirit of the school. The faculty is
responsive and compassionate and works together to create a caring, supportive
school. Many parents and visitors have commented that everyone at the school is
committed to do “whatever it takes” to ensure that all children succeed. A variety of
activities can be found at the school. The student-led news broadcast kicks off each
day and reminds us of upcoming events, including Red Ribbon Week, Scholastic
Book Fairs, Field Day, field trips, robotics competitions, and chorus concerts. The
reading incentive program encourages all students to become “READER STRONG,”
and points earned are redeemed for an end of year celebration with popcorn and a
movie at the local post theater. After school programs include two Roaring Readers
Clubs, Technology Club, KIDS Care Club, Roaring Leaders, Robotics, and Safety
Patrol. There are counseling groups and activities that address an array of academic
and social/emotional topics. The counselor, with support from our Military and Family
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Life Consultant, also plans activities for students of deployed parents. Edward A.
White is a small, close-knit school that still holds true to the ideal of the neighborhood
school where faculty, parents, students, and other stakeholders work together as a
community.
The instructional day at White begins at 9:00 AM and concludes at 3:30 PM.
The duty day for professional staff members is from 8:15 AM to 3:45 PM Mondays,
Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays, students are dismissed at
2:15 PM and the duty day for professional staff members concludes at 4:15 PM. The
early release of students on Tuesday afternoon provides time for professional
development, collaboration meetings, faculty meetings, district training sessions, and
Continuous School Improvement committee meetings. The designation of this time
on a weekly basis provides many opportunities for staff members to grow as a
professional learning team in order to better serve the needs of students and
enhance teaching practices. During collaborations teachers analyze student work
samples and assessments, identify struggling students who need extra support and
revise lessons if necessary. This year the early release training directly related to
our school improvement goals included: Guided Reading Review, Effective Use of
Graphic Organizers, Data Analysis, Looking at Student Work Review, Project Based
Learning, Writing for Audience and Purpose (Regie Routman), Problem Solving
Strategies Review (Susan O’Connell) and a number of training opportunities on
integrating and using technology in the classroom. The Continuous School
Improvement Leadership Team (CSILT) plans the training opportunities based on
needs assessments and principal/district walk-throughs.
The physical plant at Edward A. White is a non-traditional building with 6 pods
and 11 carpeted, air-conditioned homerooms. The main building houses the
principal, a health office, supply clerk’s office, assessor’s office, PTO room, work
room, teacher’s lounge, cafeteria, Lion’s Den (multipurpose room), and Kindergarten
classes. The Yellow Pod houses speech therapy, first grade, and English as a
Second Language (ESL). Directly across is the Blue Pod, which houses second and
third grades and the STEAM classroom. The Red Pod has a multiage 4th-5th grade
classroom, special education resource room, gifted education, and a fourth grade
classroom. The Green Pod consists of a fifth grade, physical education, Read
180/Leveled Literacy Intervention, and instructional support math. The Orange Pod
houses the computer lab, guidance, music, art, the information center, and
professional faculty library. To support 21st Century learning, each classroom in the
school is equipped with SMART boards, ELMOs (document cameras), teacher and
student computers and televisions/monitors. Some classrooms use the SMART
Response System and digital cameras. IPads and E-Readers are available for
check-out as needed. The Speech/Special Education classrooms have SMART
Tables. All of these resources are used to enhance teaching and learning.
The faculty at Edward A. White believes it is an honor and privilege to teach
students whose parents serve our country. With military service comes a unique set of
challenges for students. The parents are frequently tasked with deployments and
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family separations for extended periods of time. This takes a toll on our young
students who might not see a parent for several months or, in some cases, for over a
year. Additionally, some parents are in harm’s way during their deployment, which is
an added stressor for the children. The guidance program offers a deployment support
group, providing an opportunity for children to deal with separation, anxiety, and other
challenges they may face. Military life also means having to relocate frequently. The
student population at White is transient and an average of 35% of the student
population moves at some time during the school year. We have a Military and Family
Life Consultant, who works closely with the regular counselor, to help students deal
with both academic and social/emotional issues.
The average enrollment at White is 240 students. Most of the student
population at White comes from the neighborhood where the school is located,
giving parents and students easy access to teachers, support personnel, and the
administration. A large percentage of our students have parents affiliated with the
Active Army (85%) or with the Army Reserves/Guard (3%). The Navy/Marines/Air
Force comprise 1% each of the total population. The Western Hemisphere Institute
for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) military parents account for 9% of our total
enrollment. WHINSEC provides “professional education and training to eligible
military, law enforcement, and civilian personnel of nations of the Western
Hemisphere within the context of the democratic principles set forth in the Charter for
the Organization of American States.” WHINSEC fosters “mutual knowledge,
transparency, confidence, and cooperation among participating nations and
promotes democratic values, respect for human rights, and knowledge and
understanding of U.S. customs and traditions.” The families that come to us from
this source have special needs as their children, many of whom speak no English,
strive to be successful in an environment that is different from their home country.
These children and their families provide our students with rare opportunities to learn
about different cultures. The ethnic makeup of the school is 25% Hispanic and 75%
Non-Hispanic. The racial breakdown is 83% White, 8% Asian, 6% Black, and 3%
Other.
At Edward A. White, the faculty and staff strive to meet the needs of all
children. The following programs and services are provided, as needed, for students:
 Special Education: 5%
 Speech and Language: 5%
 Gifted Education: 10%
 English as a Second Language: 10% (with about 20% speaking another
language in the home)
The DoDEA English as a Second Language Program (ESL) provides services
for students to increase English language skills. The focus is to provide educational
opportunities that will enable the English Language Learner (ELL) to be an
independent learner who is successful in the classroom. Most of the ELL students at
White School are children of members of the foreign military who are in training at
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WHINSEC. Non-English speaking students of other military sponsors are also
served by this program.
Edward A. White faculty and staff are a team of highly qualified educators, aides,
custodians, cafeteria staff, and support team members who ensure the smooth daily
operation of the school. The staff includes:
1
Principal
.5
Administrative Officer
1
Secretary
1
Supply Technician
11
Regular Education Teachers
1
Special Education Teacher
.5
Speech Therapists
1
Gifted Teacher
1.5
Instructional Support Teachers
1.5
Large Group Specialists
(.5 music, .5 art, and .5 physical education)
.5
STEAM Teacher
.5
ESL Teacher
1
Guidance Counselor
1
Information Specialist
1
Media Technician
.5
School Psychologist
.5
School Assessor
.5
School Nurse
1
Education Technologist
3
Aides
1
Cashier
1
Food Server
3
Custodians (one full time and 2 part time)
This year, due to budget cuts, our special area staff was cut in half, so
students only get 45 minutes of Physical Education, Art, and Music each week. We
have supplemented the loss of additional P.E. with Healthy Body Breaks during the
week and classroom teachers have used Paw Pals and volunteers to assist with
extra Art, Music and STEAM projects in the classrooms.
Edward A. White School has a very active Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).
The teachers and staff work closely with the PTO in planning and hosting a variety of
school-wide events, with a teacher liaison and the principal attending monthly PTO
meetings. The PTO supports teachers and students by purchasing additional
classroom materials designed to enhance student learning and assisting with student
recognition ceremonies. They also plan special family/community events and publish
a monthly newsletter. The events they plan support the school’s purpose of “working
together to create a strong mind, healthy body and giving spirit” and include:
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FAM JAM Family Nights
Parent to Parent topics and training
Book Fairs
Plays at our local historical Springer Opera House
Student Recognition ceremonies
Fun Run
Service Projects in cooperation with the school counselor
Teacher Appreciation Week
Community involvement is evident through PIE partnerships with the Officer
Candidate School (OCS) and Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
(WHINSEC). PIE, which stands for Partners in Education, is an organization
established by the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce in 1987 with the
purpose of “improving education by stimulating meaningful business and community
involvement in schools.” Through individual partnerships with businesses, military
units, civic clubs, professional organizations and churches, “schools are able to tap
resources to meet the individual needs of each student body, provide excellent
educational programming, and recognize achievement.” PIE is based on the concept
that human capital is the most important resource a partner can provide. With the
help of the soldiers from the OCS we are able to honor students in grades 4-5 with a
quarterly Principal’s Breakfast. WHINSEC recognizes our A/B honor roll students in
grade 4-5 with a quarterly classroom ceremony. Both partners assist with our award
winning Lego Robotics Team, which placed in state finals for the last three years.
These two groups, as well as parent volunteers, also provide extra support for
students and teachers by tutoring individual students and assisting in the classroom
or providing help with special projects.
School’s Purpose
Edward A. White Mission
DoDEA’s mission is to Educate, Engage, and Empower each student to succeed in a
dynamic world.
Following the blueprint of the DoDEA Vision and Mission statements, Edward
A. White Elementary School's mission is to provide an exemplary education that
inspires and prepares all DoDEA students for success in a dynamic, global
environment. Our goal is to equip all students for success in the 21st century.
Edward A. White Vision
The vision of Edward A. White is to provide an environment for student excellence in
academics, behavior, and leadership that result in lifelong learners who contribute to
a global society.
The Vision has remained constant over the past few years. Teachers and
other stakeholders still feel that it represents our collective vision for the children at
White.
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Edward A. White Purpose
At Edward A. White School we work together to create a strong mind, healthy body,
and giving spirit so that we can be the best we can be.
Last year the PIE partners (WHINSEC and OCS), in collaboration with
students, staff and community, helped develop our student-friendly purpose/motto of
“Strong Mind, Healthy Body and Giving Spirit.”
The staff and student body begin each day with a student produced broadcast
that includes having the student body recite the Pledge of Allegiance and school’s
Honor Pledge as a reminder that we are a community committed to learning and
promoting success for all students. White School embodies these guiding principles:
recognizing individual needs of military children; differentiating learning experiences
based on DODEA content standards; fostering a caring, creative learning
environment; promoting social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development.
The seven Army Values are the core values that have been adopted by Edward
A. White School. These values are: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor,
integrity, and personal courage. Students are challenged to develop good character
and leadership skills through activities, lessons, and programs emphasizing these
values. A monthly Star Student Celebration is held for students who have exemplified a
particular value from the Army Values. The White School community believes in
excellence in all we do. We strive for continuous improvement and embrace
innovations that will guide us in helping our students to reach their fullest potential.
To provide an exemplary educational program which meets the needs of all
students, the classroom curricula and student expectations are based on DoDEA
Content Standards. Teachers analyze the results of student assessments to
identify student needs and differentiate accordingly. The use of differentiated
activities is a best practice that allows students and teachers to work together to
ensure responsive teaching. At White, educators proactively plan varied
instructional approaches that are aligned to what students need to learn and how
they learn. White follows the DoDEA adopted tenets for differentiated instruction,
which include an invigorating learning environment, on-going assessment, data
driven instruction, high quality curriculum, flexible grouping, and respectful and
challenging tasks.
Edward A. White School offers a diverse range of specialized instruction and
extracurricular opportunities designed to enrich and enhance student learning and
further our mission. These classes and extracurricular opportunities include:
-Special Education Resource and Inclusion Services (Grades K-5)
-Occupational/Physical Therapy
-Speech and Language Therapy
-Read 180 (Grades 4-5)
-Leveled Literacy Intervention (Grades K-3)
-Math Instructional Support (Grades 3-5)
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-Gifted and Enrichment Education (Grades K-5)
-STEAM classes (Grades K-5)
-Lego Robotics (Grades 2-5)
-ESL Support
-Television News Broadcast (Grades 4-5)
-Roaring Leaders (Grades 3-5)
-Safety Patrol (Grades 4-5)
-Technology Club (Grades 2-5)
-Military and Family Life Consultant support
-Counseling Support Groups
-Multicultural events
-Chorus Performances
-Star Student Celebrations (Grades K-5)
-Principal Breakfast (Grades 4-5 honor roll)
-Perfect Attendance recognition
-Roaring Readers after school (Grades K-1)
-Roaring Readers after school (Grades 2-3)
-Kids Care Club (Grades K-5 service)
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement
At Edward A. White Elementary School there is a wonderful blend of timehonored values and traditions with innovative 21st century teaching and learning.
The parents and community demonstrate strong support and are very involved with
the total school program. One of our strengths is the quality of communication with
our stakeholders, including monthly school newsletters (in English and Spanish),
classroom newsletters, STEAM newsletters, quarterly CSI newsletters, Parent to
Parent workshops, mandatory 1st quarter parent conferences, bulletin board data
displays, Principal’s Coffees and One Call Now (our automated notification system).
Student performance on standardized tests is exemplary, with 100% of our
third graders scoring in the top two quarters in both math and reading on the Terra
Nova last year and our other grades showing progress as well. One hundred percent
of our Kindergarten students were at or above standard in reading (as measured by
the BAS) and the SRI results show significant growth in reading comprehension for
students in grades 3-5.
As a result of the recommendations of our Quality Assurance visit in 2009 and
the Accreditation Progress Report of 2010, we expanded data collection and
analysis and use a district developed data tracker that keeps all of the data on each
student in a central place. This data is easily accessed for teacher collaboration,
progress monitoring, and parent conferences. We also strengthened our
assessment plan and clarified the goals and strategies, with students taking a more
active role in self-monitoring and goal setting. Each classroom has a Paw Pal, a
second staff member who interacts and supports the students with activities
throughout the year. This ensures that each student has the support of a second
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adult mentor. Paw Pal activities include technology lessons, art projects, STEAM
activities, buddy reading and more.
Other Points of Pride:
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Highest student attendance percentage (over 96%) in the GA/AL
school district.
Over 700 volunteer hours by our Partners in Education (WHINSEC and
OCS)
Expansion of our student and parent service to community through
Kids Care initiatives
Top 10 Partnership for Chattahoochee Valley Partners in Education
Chosen as one of three STEAM pilot schools in GA/AL School District
Award-winning Robotics Team
Construction of a new bicycle path that will connect the neighborhood
and the school to various parts of the post, giving our students more
opportunities to ride safely.
Areas of Growth:
Each morning from 9:10 – 10:30, by design, Edward A. White School has
uninterrupted instructional time, which focuses the students’ attention on learning.
Limited movement in and out of the classrooms enables the students and parents to
see a strong commitment to the learning process. Programs and assemblies are not
planned during this time.
Each morning for 30 minutes teachers are involved in grade-level and cross
grade-level collaborative sessions. The collaboration sessions include: additional
training, analysis of data, sharing strategies, analyzing student work or checking on
the progress of special needs students toward their individual goals (Spec. Ed., ESL,
Gifted, Read 180/LLI). These discussions clearly identify the focus and team work
needed to accomplish and exceed our CSI goals.
A new reading intervention program for grades K-3, Leveled Literacy
Intervention (LLI), is being implemented this year. READ 180 will continue for
grades 4-5. These small group, intensive approaches are research-based and most
students achieve significant reading gains in a short period of time.
The monthly school newsletter, quarterly CSI newsletters, and other important
publications are produced in both English and Spanish. The counselor and
Information Specialist plan multicultural activities for all grade levels that include our
Hispanic parents.
Last year Edward A. White was chosen as one of three schools in the
Georgia/Alabama District to be designated as a STEAM school. The STEAM
initiative incorporates Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics
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into the curriculum to provide students with opportunities to solve real life
opportunities. Teachers have had STEAM training and students have participated in
STEAM activities and projects. A hands-on STEAM room provides space to work
and learn the Engineering Design Process. This year we also have a .5 STEAM
teacher so students in every grade level have weekly opportunities to be involved in
STEAM activities.
The influence of the Partners in Education program (PIE) is very strong at
Edward A. White, as evidenced by our Honor Breakfast, reading incentives program,
and classroom and teacher support. In September, the Partners led a school-wide
assembly to highlight the school’s purpose of “Strong Minds, Healthy Bodies, and a
Giving Spirit.” Student awareness of, and connection to, the purpose and direction is
shown through the student created artwork representing our vision, mission and
purpose displayed in the main building. In the past year, we had over 700 hours of
volunteer service by our WHINSEC and OCS partners and additional hours by
others (parents and community members). WHINSEC allows the faculty and staff to
share in multicultural opportunities that they sponsor, including the annual
International Festival held each fall. Music, food and native dress highlight this
exciting, informative event.
Areas for Improvement:
Although our test scores are comparatively high at Edward A. White School,
we need to continue to challenge all of our students. At the beginning of the school
year needs assessments were conducted with teachers to determine requirements
for training on instructional strategies, counseling concerns, and technology
integration strategies. The training calendar for the year reflects the results of these
assessments, along with required training from the school district. The areas
identified included increased integration of technology into classroom lessons, tiered
instruction (particularly in learning centers), and more project-based learning.
Teachers expressed a desire for a review of the procedure for looking at student
work and Susan O’Connell’s Problem-Solving strategies. We also completed the
book study on Regie Routman’s Writing for Audience and Purpose. That book
study, begun last year, assisted teachers in gaining new strategies for teaching
writing. We have a small special education population, most of whom are currently
served through the inclusion model. We recognize that there is an achievement gap
between these students and the general population and we working to close that
gap. Weekly collaborations between the special education teacher and regular
education teachers have been implemented to ensure that these students’ needs are
being met. The ELL population at White is transient and teachers work with the ESL
teacher and Instructional Specialists in Math and Reading to help these students
overcome the language barrier to maximize their learning opportunities. Our
challenge is to motivate our students, whatever their current instructional level, to
reach their potential.
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While the inclusion of the children of WHINSEC officers is a huge positive for
the school, we are continually looking for ways to improve our relationships with the
families and meet all of their needs. Cuts in our special areas staff has been a
challenge. We have supplemented our special areas instruction by using Paw Pals
for art and music and adding Healthy Body Breaks for physical activity, but we still
miss the cohesiveness of having full-time staff assigned to one school. The special
area teachers are kept informed of grade level lessons with bi-weekly Curriculum
Updates so that they can support classroom instruction. When there are extra
duties, these teachers are torn between two, and sometimes three, schools. Another
consequence of budget constraints is that we have a 4th-5th grade multiage class,
which is not ideal. To minimize the impact, the math support teacher teaches the
fifth grade students from the 4th-5th multiage class since the math standards need to
be presented at age and readiness appropriate times.
The buildings that make up the school are old and the open campus layout is
problematic. Heightened security in recent years has meant that all of the outside
doors of the pods are locked, which makes it difficult for students and visitors to
move around the campus. There is a replacement school planned, opening in a
different location on the installation, in 2016. The new school will serve families from
other neighborhoods and Edward A. White will be a completely different school,
architecturally and demographically.
The faculty and staff of Edward A. White School welcome visitors and
stakeholders and hope that, when they leave, they take with them a clear picture of a
school where the vision and purpose drive what we do every day. We truly believe it
is a place where the academic, social-emotional, and physical needs of every
student are important and children learn that the possibilities for the future are
endless.
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