• Category 3

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 106,000
    Student Enrollment: 320
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 2%
    White/Caucasian: 67%
    Hispanic: 1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 5%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 18%
    Other: 6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:25
    % Reduced Lunch: 54%
    % ELL Learners: 5.4%
    Founded: 2003
  • PRINCIPAL:
    John Gardner
  • CONTACT:
    6350 W Hollywood Road
    Wasilla, AK 99687
    907-352-0300
    john.gardner@matsuk12.us
Knik Elementary School
Wasilla, AK
We have a common believe in these words and it really helps drive decision making.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
We facilitate multiple family engagement activities each year as well as two traditional rounds of parent teacher conferences where our goal is to see 100% of our students and their families.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
I think our co-curricular programs help to strengthen ties to our community. We offer over 30 separate interest driven programs. We have found that parents often will engage with staff through an activity that them or their student has particular interest in rather than traditional teacher/parent topics.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
We believe in the continual improvement process. Not in the sense that where we are at is bad and where we are headed is good, but in the sense that we adapt to the individual and ever-changing needs of our students when we continually try to improve our students levels of academic achievement.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
First, we want 75% of our students to meet or exceed their growth expectation on our MAP tests, 50% is the national norm. Second, we want 66% or more of our students to be proficient or advanced on our State PEAKS tests.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Our skills block program. You have to schedule it in and make the commitment that every adult in the building teaches a skills block group. From teachers, to special education assistants, to the admin secretary and the Principal. Everyone works with kids during this 30 minutes to provide a fully differentiated and individualized experience for our students.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
We build into our schedule a 30 minute "skills block" each day. This period of time is fully differentiated for each student based on their individual academic needs. Struggling readers get additional assistance in that area. Students who struggle with math get additional assistance with that areas. Students who excel in Math are offered accelerated content. It is all based on individual needs.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
ESEA funds are critical for Knik to be able to provide the staffing, intervention programs, and extended learning opportunities that our students critically need. We have seen declining state funding for years in Alaska. Without ESEA funds, our students would not achieve at the level they are.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
There are two professional development activities that are critical to Knik's success. First is our Data-Dialogues that we hold in the fall and winter. These drive instructional decisions. Second, we facilitate 2 rounds of instructional tours where teachers get to observe their colleagues teaching and have dialogue about effective teaching practices. All teachers are observed and go observe others. It takes a lot of trust to facilitate this among a staff, but the conversations are highly valuable and drive improvement.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
We schedule two rounds of data dialogues each year. One each after our fall and winter MAP testing. We use data during these meetings to make instructional grouping decisions and to set instructional goals for our MTSS system.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
I can simply describe Knik's culture as "student centered." We have signs up around the building that "all decisions are made in the best interest of Knik's students." We have a common believe in these words and it really helps drive decision making. Typical issues of adult convenience that are often drivers in schools are not at Knik Elementary. From this simple start, everything else follows. We are about our students and their success....first and foremost.
Stats
  • Category 3

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 106,000
    Student Enrollment: 320
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 2%
    White/Caucasian: 67%
    Hispanic: 1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 5%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 18%
    Other: 6%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:25
    % Reduced Lunch: 54%
    % ELL Learners: 5.4%
    Founded: 2003
  • PRINCIPAL:
    John Gardner
  • CONTACT:
    6350 W Hollywood Road
    Wasilla, AK 99687
    907-352-0300
    john.gardner@matsuk12.us