• Category 3

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 3,500
    Student Enrollment: 815
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1.2%
    White/Caucasian: 89%
    Hispanic: 2.7%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.6%
    Native American: 1.2%
    Other: 5.3%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:12
    % Reduced Lunch: 36.9%
    % ELL Learners: 0.7%
    Founded: 1995
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Randy Qual
  • CONTACT:
    200 N 9th St
    Mora, MN 55051
    320-679-6241
    rqual@moraschools.org
Mora Elementary School
Mora, MN
"We see students' potential and take great effort to help them reach it."
1. Tell us about your school’s success.
We have a fantastic, dedicated team of educators and administrators who have the best interest of kids at heart. Our staff builds strong relationships with our children and our programs are well thought out to help meet the diversified levels and needs of our students. We incorporate proven pedagogical practices in lesson planning, engage in continued professional development, and implement technology advancements. Our curriculum is guaranteed and viable; all students benefit from a solidified scope and sequence of skill development. We collect useful data, and then use it to guide instruction. We see students' potential and take great effort to help them reach it. Our students are then encouraged to work hard and do their best.
2. Talk about the greatest contributing factor(s) that promoted positive change in your school.
As a staff we have worked hard to move students forward, especially during the pandemic and post-pandemic times. We added needed interventions and focused on core reading and math skills. Much effort was invested to close the learning gap. Data collection and analysis and early interventions based on the data is always at the forefront of our minds. Year after year, starting with our Pre-K kids and continuing through sixth grade, we assess and intervene and monitor progress, all while making sure our kids know we care.
3. How has ESEA funding supported the school's success?
Our Title I funding has allowed our school to hire necessary reading support, whether it be Title I paraprofessionals or certified teachers for small group learning. The funding has also allowed us to purchase supplemental materials for our small groups, 1:1 interventions, and classrooms. We have a very strong intervention team, which has been in place for a lot of years. This team, made up of seasoned former classroom teachers and exceptional paraprofessionals, has done an amazing job to help support struggling learners. The adults are ready and willing to jump in when help is needed -- both academically and emotionally.
4. What professional development activities were used to improve teaching and learning?
We have a strong PLC (personal learning communities) network in place. This allows our grade levels and departments to meet each week and collaborate and learn from each other. We communicate about our students, reading curriculum and math curriculum. We set team and individual goals each year and strive to meet those goals. All staff have been well-trained on data collection and interpretation and this helps us with the intervention process. Our PD speakers have focused on relationship building, cultural competencies, and connections. Our strong instructional coach meets regularly WITH ALL STAFF to help address continuous improvement and integration of our curriculum.
5. Talk about the cultural shift leading up to your school's success.
The biggest shift in our culture was when our school stopped talking about “my” kids and started calling them “our” kids. Our classroom teachers recognized that our students don’t belong to a title teacher, enrichment teacher, special education teacher, or an EL teacher. They belong to all of us and we all have ownership in the progress that the student makes. This happened around the time we became a Schoolwide Title program. The PLCs gave our staff a lot more collaboration time to support data review and implementation of interventions. It also gave our staff additional weekly time to talk about “our” kids. We have continued to implement additional student support and procedures such as PBIS, Responsive Classroom, and SEL curriculum to ensure we meet the needs of all of our students.
6. How has community involvement strengthened your success?
Our community is very proud of our students, staff and school. The involvement we have from our parents and community members is amazing. A recent conference night had 94% of parent(s) attend! What also elevates Mora is the strong support from organizations and businesses. We have support from our local hospital, social services, and a strong education foundation that contributes to our school district. A family event called “Student Showcase” had well over 1000 people attend. Our school only has 800 kids! Our biggest Title I event, Family Reading Night, has about 400 attend! Our community never fails to deliver support to our students and staff. We have an amazing group of regular volunteers and a group called Foster Grandparents that contribute to our student growth. We are lucky to be in such a strong community.
Stats
  • Category 3

    Selected in 2022

  • Grades: pre k - 6
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 3,500
    Student Enrollment: 815
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1.2%
    White/Caucasian: 89%
    Hispanic: 2.7%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0.6%
    Native American: 1.2%
    Other: 5.3%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:12
    % Reduced Lunch: 36.9%
    % ELL Learners: 0.7%
    Founded: 1995
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Randy Qual
  • CONTACT:
    200 N 9th St
    Mora, MN 55051
    320-679-6241
    rqual@moraschools.org