• Category 2

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 154,747
    Student Enrollment: 600
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 72%
    White/Caucasian: 6%
    Hispanic: 15%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 1%
    Other: 5%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:22
    % Reduced Lunch: 78%
    % ELL Learners: 6%
    Founded: 1967
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Orlena Whatley
  • CONTACT:
    820 Stone Avenue
    Waldorf, MD 20602
    301-645-3686
    owhatley@ccboe.com
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School
Waldorf, MD
We believe that our efforts as educators must have a lasting impression on the students we serve."
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
At Dr. Mudd Elementary School, all stakeholders recognize the importance of the home and school connection. Student learning is greatly enhanced when students, parents, and educators share information, strategies, and encouragement to form a supportive partnership. The single most successful ingredient to strengthening ties to our community is developing and nurturing relationships with our partners who pour their time, energy, and resources into our school.

As a school community, we strive to create a welcoming environment where families feel comfortable and are confident that we will put student success and growth as our top priority. Strengthening our community is key to our school’s success.

Some of the most successful activities initiated at the school which strengthened our community ties are our monthly parent engagement activities and ongoing partnerships with our community partners. In addition to our community resources, parent engagement and involvement, we rely on our community partners to strengthen our ability to meet the needs of our students and their families. Schools, families and the community must be actively involved in developing strong programs that support every student. Therefore, through our partnerships, we provide materials and opportunities for parents to be involved. Our community partners assist us during Title I Parent Engagement Nights, judge science fair projects, offer weekend meals for our students in need, and serve as Reading Buddies and mentors who support our instructional and behavioral program at the school. Our community partners also provide extended learning opportunities for our students and families by sponsoring the Reading Extravaganza where students received free books for their personal libraries as well as helpful tips for parents to assist them with helping their children with reading fluency and comprehension.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
As lifelong learners, we believe that our efforts as educators must have a lasting impression on the students we serve. Research tells us that teachers can make a tremendous difference in student achievement through effective teaching practices and relationship building. We believe that effective schools are led by all stakeholders who are truly vested in the vision and mission of the school. It is through this belief system that Dr. Mudd has made a significant impact on student learning and student achievement. In our work, we wear many hats to ensure our students’ needs are met every step of their learning journey.

At Dr. Mudd, we believe that to affect change, their must be a willingness among all stakeholders to invest in that change. School change and improvement requires commitment of our time and energy. It also requires a growth mindset focused on a clear vision and mission. This ensures that everyone in the school is focused and working towards a shared vision of collaboration and teambuilding.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
One of the single most important factors in the success of Dr. Mudd is creating a school where we celebrate as a family. As a PBIS school, we create an environment where risks are valued and students and staff feel connected. Through Positive Behavior and Intervention Supports our students understand what is behaviorally expected of them daily. The staff at Dr. Mudd is focused on working with students and their families to promote positive behavior in all school settings. These expectations are posted and recited throughout the building to remind students of our behavior expectations. Students are asked to recite the Dr. Mudd Student Pledge each morning. Our student pledge states, “I am a leader. The me I see is the me I’ll be! As a leader at Dr. Mudd, I will uphold the 3 R’s – To be Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to learn! I will do my best each day and I will show the Leader In Me!”
When the school rules are followed throughout each day, students have an opportunity to be recognized for their efforts through various incentives (Award Assemblies, Dragon Dollars, Dragon Cart, Personal Responsibility certificates, Quarterly Awards/Assemblies/Activities, Classroom Teacher Incentives, DOJO Points/Rewards, Administrative Lunch Bunches, Student Appreciation Day, Positive Notes/Phone Calls Home, Hallway Parades/Celebrations, Field Trips, etc.). Through the use of ESEA funds, we are able to host student assemblies which reinforce kindness, positive behavior and setting goals, in addition to academic assemblies.
These strategies of inclusion and acceptance help reinforce to our students that school is a place they want to be each and every day.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Effective leadership and building positive and supportive relationships have a profound impact on student achievement. Observing classroom instruction is one of the most powerful practices in which administrators, members of the leadership team, and teachers engage to improve teaching and learning. Its importance in student learning, teacher retention, school culture, school improvement have created a systemic change within our school. It builds trust within our school because feedback is shared from a place of support.
Teacher leaders are ignited by a common passion. Our goal is to build teacher leaders at Dr. Mudd. Our leaders understand the importance of modeling best practices and serving as mentors. Through the growth of our teachers, we take the necessary time and steps to build staff capacity and morale. Our teachers work collaboratively to share best practices, provide helpful advice and guidance to each other which improves instruction, increase resiliency, enhance communication skills, and boost self-confidence. This is an important ingredient to our success. Everyone must feel connected to the work in order for the work to happen. This is our growth mindset at Dr. Mudd.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Our ESEA funds provide a lifeline for the work we do in our school. Our goal is to maximize our ESEA funds to provide supports and services for our students and families. We invest in human capital, additional resources and materials that support the teaching and learning taking place every day in addition to building teacher capacity in every classroom. Our ESEA funds are used to provide tutors who support our instructional program. Funds are also used to support our improvement efforts by ensuring that teachers are provided professional learning opportunities during and after the school day. Building teacher capacity and strengthening our Tier 1 instruction is imperative for our long-term success. ESEA funds are used to support grade level long range planning, meeting as grade level teams to unpack instructional standards with our Instructional Leadership Team, in addition to peer coaching. ESEA funds have also been instrumental in increasing our teacher content knowledge, morale, and teacher capacity through the use of school-wide book talks on current trends and relevant topics addressing the varied needs of our students and community.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
At Dr. Mudd Elementary School, we recognize that in order for continuous learning and growth to flourish, our school must make professional learning and development a top priority. Professional development is provided to all staff to equip them with the tools and strategies they need to meet the needs of all students. More specifically, the goal at Dr. Mudd is to provide professional development that will help our teachers meet the needs of all of our students in all student groups. All staff members receive ongoing and sustained professional development that is aligned with the goals of our school improvement plan. This is a working document; more professional development opportunities will be added based on data and teacher need throughout the school year. The school staff was provided with an opportunity at the onset of each school year to identify individual professional learning needs that they would like additional training to build and/or hone their skills. Their input assisted the leadership team with identifying and delivering quality professional learning opportunities.
Dr. Mudd holds teacher professional learning meetings every week to discuss the teaching and learning taking place every in our classrooms.
Teachers receive ongoing professional development to hone and reinforce their instructional content knowledge to ensure that they are delivering high quality Tier 1 instruction. In addition to high quality instruction, teachers are consistently collaborating and meeting within their grade levels and with the Instructional Leadership Team to refine practices, analyze data, unpack standards, study student work, and share best practices and instructional strategies that are having a significant impact on our students. Professional learning meetings are also an opportunity for our staff to discuss our students and their individual needs.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Historically, Dr. Mudd has been one of the lowest performing elementary schools in Charles County. Much of our success is attributed to the evidenced-based initiatives that are implemented consistently across all grade levels. Dr. Mudd examines students’ needs through qualitative and quantitative data sources and through the use of that data, refines or reinforces instructional practices. Our teachers and the Instructional Leadership Team meet to review data and work collaboratively to utilize evidence-based instructional practices and interventions to best meet the needs of our diverse student population.
Data is analyzed by grade level, each student, and by subgroups. In addition to reviewing our qualitative and quantitative data sources, we learn through conversations and classroom meetings what really matters most through the lens of our students. Data is then used to determine appropriate interventions, monitor interventions, adjust instruction, create flexible groupings, and to provide re-teaching and enrichment opportunities for all students based on their varied needs.
Each quarter teachers meet individually with students to set learning and behavioral goals and throughout the quarter students are held accountable for working towards their goals. Students and staff are able to review student data through a lens of growth. There is positive and ongoing feedback, positive words of encouragement, attention to detail, and a sense of urgency among students and staff to ensure we are customizing our instructional program around their needs based on the various data points.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Having a shared vision is not possible unless every member of our school community is vested in the vision and mission of the school. Every member of our school community including our students, parents, staff, and teachers are willing to take the responsibility for improvement. It is through this shared vision, that we incorporate school wide norms into our everyday practice to develop professional capacity of school personnel to promote our student’s academic success and well-being. Our established norms include:
• Collegiality and respect for all
• High expectations for all
• Restorative practices in a safe and nurturing school environment
• Building of trust in our relationships
• Appreciation and recognition of all
• Protection of what’s important
• Honest and open lines of communication
• Involvement of all stakeholders in decision-making
Through these norms, we are shaping the school culture that will have a significant impact on student achievement. At Dr. Mudd our culture is built on the premise of family. As a family we seek to strengthen our bond by the work we do for our village.
Above all, it is the love that the staff has for the children within the school walls that makes Dr. Mudd so special.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 154,747
    Student Enrollment: 600
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 72%
    White/Caucasian: 6%
    Hispanic: 15%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 1%
    Other: 5%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:22
    % Reduced Lunch: 78%
    % ELL Learners: 6%
    Founded: 1967
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Orlena Whatley
  • CONTACT:
    820 Stone Avenue
    Waldorf, MD 20602
    301-645-3686
    owhatley@ccboe.com