Session 24: The Benwood Initiative: A Model for Reforming Urban Schools

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In this session, participants will learn how nine elementary schools partnered with a local foundation to help raise student achievement and close the achievement gap among groups of students. Participants will learn how student achievement in these schools improved using the following strategies: a dedicated balanced literacy approach to teach literacy, grade level and vertical planning structured to focus solely on student achievement, the analysis of data to make instructional decisions and highly effective professional development focused on best practices in teaching literacy.

Presenters:
Susan Swanson, Director of Urban Schools, Hamilton County Schools, Chattanooga, TN;
Emily Baker, Principal, East Side Elementary School, Chattanooga, TN;
Natalie Elder, Principal, Hardy Elementary School, Chattanooga, TN

Strand 5: Elementary Schools that Work for All Kids