Lancaster, PA—Small-group learning and mental health programs were the focus of a conversation among School District of Lancaster teachers and administrators during a visit by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education to Wickersham Elementary School.
Cindy Marten, a former teacher and superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District before her confirmation as deputy secretary in 2021, visited the school to highlight “critical academic programs begun with American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds that have now been sustained through recurring resources and active engagement by the educators, parents, and families,” according to a Department of Education release.
“I wanted to see firsthand from a teacher’s voice, a student’s voice, how these federal dollars are being translated into real programs that are working for students,” Marten said. “You’ve got a model here at Wickersham and then across this entire area that I’m here to lift up.”
During a roundtable discussion, Wickersham teacher Amy Miller talked about her work as an academic interventionist, in which she helps small groups of students in kindergarten through second grade close learning gaps.
According to Wickersham principal Abby Rivera, math proficiency as measured by the STAR assessment among second graders grew from a baseline of 22% to 84% by the end of the year. Reading proficiency as measured by IRLA grow from 50% to 77%.
“Meeting students where they are, catching them up before they get too far behind” is how Marten described the work of the academic interventionists, one of which teaches in every SDoL elementary school. “Students in schools are doing better, not in spite of the federal government and our investments, but because of these investments and because of smart people in the local communities that know how to leverage these dollars in a way that turn into outcomes for students.”
The roundtable ended after Maria Bertoncini, an ELD teacher at Wickersham, conducted a mindfulness exercise that encourages students or adults to learn to regulate their bodies and emotions through deep breathing. It’s part of the implementation of RULER, the district’s social-emotional curriculum. The second “R” in RULER stands for “regulate.”
After the roundtable, principal Rivera led the deputy secretary on a tour of the building, where observed saw RULER lessons and academic interventions. She said the school is an example of giving teachers a say in programs and autonomy to implement them.
“That’s not something that you purchase. That is about principal leadership. That’s about school district leadership, a board’s vision,” Marten said. “Teachers want to feel a sense of efficacy in the classroom. They want to know that they’re making a difference, and they can do that when there’s approaches like I saw here at the school today.”
For more photos, visit us on Facebook
