Agnes+E.+Little+Elementary+School+Fall+2011

 **Raquel McKenna **       **__Agnes E. Little School __**   **60 South Bend St **   **Pawtucket, RI 02860 **   **(401) 729-6256 ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face',serif; text-align: center;">



**__<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Introduction: __** ===<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Agnes E. Little Elementary School is located right in the heart of Pawtucket located on 60 South Bend St. and is part of the Pawtucket School System. The school has students from kindergarten all the way up to Sixth Grade. It is in a very urban, diverse area neighboring McCoy stadium, extremely close to St. Rays and one minute from Route 95. You can't really see the school because it is tucked behind Jenks Junior High School and seems to be a part of Jenks but in fact is its own separate school. My report will address the variety of backgrounds in the community, bilingual capabilities, frequency of absenteeism, and how it has effected their state scores.These are very important circumstances and surroundings of the school to focus on if you are a parent sending your children to this school or are intending to send your children to this school, with that being said this report is intended to inform possible students, or parents of possible students going to Agnes E. Little. ===

**__<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Community Background: __** <span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Community Agnes E. Little is located is extremely diverse housing 68.1% white, 15.3% African Americans, 2.1% Asian, 15.9% Hispanic, and .3% American Indian or Alaskan Native compared to the State of Rhode Island's percentages which are 81.4% white, 5.7% African Americans, 2.9% Asian, 12.4% Hispanic, and 1.4% Alaskan or American Indian Native (Info Works, 2011). This area of Pawtucket has a high rate of poverty and many families struggle financially; this will affect the students throughout the rest of their educational experience.

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Graph from: [] **__<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 18pt;"> **District Summary:** __** //<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">“The mission of the Pawtucket School Department, a culturally diverse community, working with its partners to overcome its significant economic and infrastructure challenges, is to provide for all students, prior to graduation, the ability to proficiently read effectively for a variety of purposes, write effectively for a variety of purposes, listen attentively, speak and convey intelligently, and view critically, present oral reports and/or make presentations using a variety of media, analyze problems and determine a course of action using a variety of skills and strategies, apply critical and analytical thinking for a variety of purposes, demonstrate content knowledge through content specific, performance-based and project-based assessments, access information and apply technology to enhance the learning process. The Pawtucket department will employ a flexible academic model that incorporates standards-based instruction integrated with career paths, provide integrated support services and advocacy, and utilize the total network of resources available to the community in safe and appropriate facilities.” (Cylke, 2011). //

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">The district is made up of a total of eighteen schools. One of the issues facing the district of Pawtucket is chronic absenteeism 22%, as opposed to the state of Rhode Island which holds 16% (Info Works, 2011). Another characteristic that the district Pawtucket has is their student eligibility for subsidized lunch is 75%, as opposed to the state of Rhode Island which is 43% (Info Works, 2011). The percentage of district of Pawtucket of students that receive ESL/Bilingual Education Services is 11%, as opposed to the State of Rhode Island which is 5% (Info Works, 2011). Also the students receiving Special Education in Pawtucket Schools is 15%, as opposed to the state of Rhode Island 16% (Info Works, 2011). After reviewing over these statistics it puts the district of Pawtucket in a negative view of the rest of the state of Rhode Island. <span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face',serif;"> Graph from: []

**__<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 20pt;">School Analysis: __** <span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 16pt;">Agnes E. Little Elementary School is located District of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It is an urban, Title I school home to students from kindergarten up through sixth grade. 25.3% of the students in Agnes E. Little are in families that live below the federal poverty threshold, as opposed to the 16.9% of the families in Rhode Island that live below that threshold (Info Works, 2011). This statistic indicates that these students could possibly be living high-stress situations, or their priority at home is not their education. There are 17.2% of the students in Agnes E. Little experience child abuse and neglect (per 1,000 children), as opposed to the state of Rhode Island which is 13.3%(Info Works, 2011). Although Agnes E. Little’s percentage is not far from the rest of the state, the percentage in general indicates that the state as a whole has an issue with child experiencing abuse. Abuse can negatively affect the child’s education in multiple negative areas. In 2010 the Early Intervention participation for Agnes E. Little is 11%, compared to the 10% for the state of Rhode Island (Info Works, 2011). This indicates that Agnes E. Little make an effort to start the child’s educational process as early as possible. By putting students in an Early Intervention course it gives the district and the school a closer eye on that student’s life at home and the developmental process. Agnes E. Little faces a lot of obstacles involving their family life, financial background and their teacher to student ratio; however I truly believe that Little is making an honest effort to avoid and solve those obstacles while also keeping the concentration on education while the students are at school. Especially this previous year Agnes Little is establishing school wide expectations for student behavior across all school settings, the school is implementing PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support). By implementing this initiative, students learn specific positive behaviors, and teachers reinforce these throughout the school. The school and the faculty communicates with students and families by email, requires students to use agendas and home-school folders, and makes frequent positive phone calls to families. With this intense family involvement it allows Agnes E. Little an upper hand when up against their community obstacles and attempting to improve their statewide NECAP scores.

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**__<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Conclusion: __** <span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">All in all Agnes Little Elementary school is located in a difficult district, an area that is struggling economically which puts restraints on many students from succeeding to their highest level possible. Even though the demographic statistics above reflect a school that is behind academically/ struggling, Agnes E. Little's state test scores reflect a school that is blatantly competent is overcoming difficult demographic standards. I truly believe any able and willing student can receive a good education at any school; it’s their adult figures and their surroundings that push back their learning curve. With strong support from their parents and a solid foundation at school a student can succeed to their highest peak, Agnes E. Little does a solid job at providing effective and caring teachers. The faculty and the school are trying to overcome all of the communities obstacles and at home. **__<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 18pt;">References :__**

<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cylke, D. (n.d.). District Homepage | Pawtucket School Department. District Homepage | Pawtucket School Department. Retrieved <span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;"> October 19, 2011, from http://web.psdri.net/

<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Department of Rhode Island Education. (n.d.). InfoWorks LIVE! A Rhode Island Education Data Initiative - RIDE.ri.gov. InfoWorks LIVE! <span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;"> A Rhode Island Education Data Initiative - <span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">RIDE.ri.gov. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from <span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;"> http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/agnes-e-little-school

<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Goverment. (n.d.). Census Bureau Home Page. Census Bureau Home Page. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from http://census.gov/

<span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Island Kids Count. (n.d.). Welcome to Rhode Island Kids Count!. Welcome to Rhode Island Kids Count!. Retrieved October 19, 2011, <span style="font-family: Andalus,serif; font-size: 14pt;"> from http://rikidscount.org/matriarch/default.asp

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