• Category 1

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: pre k - 8
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 630
    Student Enrollment: 149
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 98%
    White/Caucasian: 0%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 2%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 97%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1991
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Nancy Neilson
  • CONTACT:
    1530 Presstman Street
    Baltimore, MD 21217
    410-728-2091
    nneilson@bcps.k12.md.us
New Song Academy
Baltimore, MD
With only 15 students per grade (one class per grade), a very stable and highly effective teaching staff, and an administrative staff comprised of community members who have children and grandchildren in the school, a real family oriented climate and culture has been created.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
New Song Academy is unique in that it is a school of choice, yet it is not a Charter School. It is a public school that was established as a part of the New Schools Initiatives program, and as part of our contract with the city schools, we serve only children in our immediate neighborhood. We have a waiting list, and parents are eager for their children to attend our school. As such, parents are very much a part of our school community, and of our success. Parent meetings are held six times a year, and incorporate topics that were selected by the parents themselves: nutrition, homework help, keeping their children safe on the internet, etc. In addition to these regularly scheduled meetings, we hold reading and mathematics interactive workshops with parents at all grade levels from three-year-olds through eighth grade. Parents are also connected through TeacherEase, a tool that allows them to monitor their children's grades in real time, and to communicate with teachers via e-mail.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
New Song Academy is very unique in that we start with students in our three-year-old program, keep them until they graduate from our eighth grade, and then follow them through high school. Our College and Career Program provides tutoring, guest speakers, college tours, and assistance with college applications, essays and financial aid. From the time they start with us until the time they graduate from college or begin their careers, our students are our best ambassadors to the community.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
I believe that students and teachers in the twenty-first century face many challenges: bullying that is face-to-face and on the internet, staying current with technological changes, and teaching and learning that is current and relevant. As the principal of a small Pre-Kindergarten to eighth grade school in a large urban area, I realize every day that change lies within all of us who impact children's lives. We need to be cognizant of the educational, emotional and physical needs of all the members of a school community, and be willing to make changes that will positively impact the whole community. School improvement will occur in an environment that understands the needs of all members, and embraces the change that needs to occur.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
The top two goals for the next year are to continue to improve achievement in reading and mathematics, and to place more emphasis on the mechanics and fluency of writing. As our students become more proficient readers, we want them to also be able to express themselves as writers. A goal for every year is to maintain our climate of personal and academic success.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
New Song Academy's success can most be attributed to our genuine sense of community. While it is a bonus that our students must live in the immediate neighborhood, I believe that the sense of caring and individual attention that is given to each child by everyone in the school "family" including teachers, administrators, office staff, service providers, custodian, parents and community members can be replicated at any school of any type and size. Every child knows that he/she can go to anyone for help, encouragement or a sympathetic ear, and the same message will be conveyed by everyone in the school. High standards, love and respect go a long way toward success.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
The initiative that has had the greatest impact on student achievement over the last two years has been a concerted effort to improve achievement in mathematics in grades 4-8. Several strategies were used, including scheduling double math periods, the use of a co-teaching model in middle school (grades 5-8) that utilized the talents of two teachers working collaboratively in the classroom, after school math tutoring and a summer session that incorporated more teachers working with the students. The school has an intersession schedule, meaning that the students get breaks throughout the year after sessions of six-seven weeks, and finish the school year in late July. The summer session, is in actuality a part of the regular school year. The after school and summer session initiatives are facilitated by a partnership with the Middle Grades Partnership, which pairs our school with selected faculty members from a local private school.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
The majority of our Title I funds are spent to fund a percentage of the salary of our Reading Resource teacher. She provides supplemental instructional support in reading and writing. The balance of the Title I funds are used to purchase instructional materials that supplement the curriculum.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Much of the professional development that is done during the school year is dictated by the school district, particularly as we implement the Common Core curriculum. Topics such as conducting rich and rigorous conversation with students, the use of non-fiction text in the instructional program, and creating rubrics and meaningful content for pre-writing activities. We also concentrate on topics that are specific to our school such as expeditionary learning, review of student data and portfolios, and partnership updates. In addition, each teacher completes an action research project during the course of the school year and presents his/her research and findings to the staff at the end of the school year. A majority of the teachers select research topics that lead to improved teaching practices.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is continuously monitored and used by teachers and the principal. Due to the small size of the school, staff is able to analyze many different data points for each child, and use the data to plan instruction including enrichment and remediation. Data used includes: Fountas and Pinnell for reading level, NWEA Measure of Academic Progress in Reading, Mathematics and Language Study, district Benchmark Assessments, Stanford 10 in grades 1 and 2, and the Maryland School Assessment Program in Grades 3-8. The results of teacher-made assessments and writing prompts with rubrics are also analyzed. Students are grouped for instruction, assigned to centers, assigned to the Reading Resource teacher, and scheduled for individual conferences with the teachers based on analysis of test, general and specific performance, and work sample data.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
The culture of New Song is very caring and nurturing. With only 15 students per grade (one class per grade), a very stable and highly effective teaching staff, and an administrative staff comprised of community members who have children and grandchildren in the school, a real family oriented climate and culture has been created.
It has not been necessary to improve the culture, but in order to maintain it, I have been very purposeful in hiring new teachers who share our philosophy and embrace the community aspects of the school.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2013

  • Grades: pre k - 8
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 630
    Student Enrollment: 149
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 98%
    White/Caucasian: 0%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 2%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:15
    % Reduced Lunch: 97%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 1991
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Nancy Neilson
  • CONTACT:
    1530 Presstman Street
    Baltimore, MD 21217
    410-728-2091
    nneilson@bcps.k12.md.us