• Category 1

    Selected in 2015

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 195,000
    Student Enrollment: 409
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 99%
    White/Caucasian: 0%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 1%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
    % Reduced Lunch: 87.5%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1964
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Melissa Mitchell
  • CONTACT:
    1108 Antwerp Street
    Mobile, AL 36605
    251-221-1345
    mmitchell@mcpss.com
George Hall Elementary School
Mobile, AL
Our vision is to create a safe, nurturing, collaborative learning environment which provides students with opportunities for exploration and discovery across all subject areas, guiding students to be able to understand and apply content in real world problem solving situations.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
The faculty and staff of George Hall Elementary School believe that all children can learn. We believe it is our responsibility to ensure every child in our building is well prepared to meet or exceed proficiency standards for the next level of education. We believe that it takes every adult in the building to reach our goals and fulfill our mission, along with parents and other stakeholders providing effective support. Every adult in the building must be highly qualified, and well trained to utilize research based strategies, programs, materials, and supplies to effectively complete the tasks necessary in his/her area of expertise. Each adult is encouraged to make a positive difference in the lives of children we serve by continuously exceeding the proficiency standards of his/her position, thereby setting a standard of excellence in every area of the school setting that can be emulated by our students for the tasks assigned to them.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
The collaborative environment at our school is what we believe makes us successful. The faculty and staff work collaboratively together to design and implement lessons, deepen our content knowledge about state standards, and learn about best practices in education, in order to ensure success for all students. Grade level teams meet and collaboratively plan common lesson plans on a weekly basis. Data review, professional development, and other school meetings, also occur in a collaborative atmosphere. We have worked hard to understand the true meaning of collaboration, and continuously work at how to work together successfully as a team.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
As part of our school Continuous Improvement Plan process, a needs assessment is done at the end of year based on relevant data, including Universal screening results, classroom assessment results, attendance data, RtI progress monitoring, counseling referrals, student and parent surveys, and state assessment data. Once areas of strength and opportunities for improvement are identified, school wide goals are written for the following school year, along with strategies and activities to help achieve those goals. Title I funds are then allocated to purchase resources and materials to improve student achievement based on identified school-wide goals and activities. Data is reviewed throughout the school year to monitor student progress and achievement, and the budget is revised if needed based on the results of current data.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Multiple measures of data are reviewed on a continuous basis and results are used to provide a comprehensive view of school-wide student achievement, and make decisions regarding the school’s instructional focus. Universal screening results, classroom assessment results, attendance data, RtI progress monitoring, counseling referrals, and student and parent surveys, as well as any other relevant data are all reviewed in monthly grade level data meetings to provide an all-inclusive view of the school’s progress and inform decision making. State assessment data from the previous year as well as beginning of year screening measures are analyzed to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement for a school-wide instructional focus. Data is reviewed continuously to determine the effectiveness of instruction and make changes as needed throughout the school year. Teachers meet and plan lessons collaboratively on a weekly basis, based on the results of current data.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Our vision is to create a safe, nurturing, collaborative learning environment which provides students with opportunities for exploration and discovery across all subject areas, guiding students to be able to understand and apply content in real world problem solving situations. We have undergone many changes in the past few years, including a change in administration, rezoning, and an increase in new teachers to our school. With all of the changes we have experienced in the past few years, we have worked diligently to create a collaborative culture, where administration, teachers, students and other stakeholders work together to ensure the success of all students. As a faculty we work together to continuously extend our knowledge about best practices in education, to deepen our knowledge of state standards, and to understand barriers of learning of children in generational poverty.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2015

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 195,000
    Student Enrollment: 409
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 99%
    White/Caucasian: 0%
    Hispanic: 0%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 1%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
    % Reduced Lunch: 87.5%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1964
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Melissa Mitchell
  • CONTACT:
    1108 Antwerp Street
    Mobile, AL 36605
    251-221-1345
    mmitchell@mcpss.com