Peace+Dale+Elementary+School+Fall+2015

Madison Dolecki and Emily Atwood

Peace Dale Elementary School 109 Kersey Rd  Peace Dale, RI 02879   (4 01) 360-1600

Introduction: Peace Dale Elementary school is an elementary school located in Peace Dale, RI, a part of the South Kingstown, RI district. The town of South Kingstown was formed in the year 1722. According to the 2010 U.S. census, the town had a population of 30,639 people. While the town has many people, the school system is intimate and places importance on each student as an individual. Peace Dale Elementary serves the grades between Kindergarten and 4 th grade. Peace Dale elementary has a student body of 358 children and 50 teachers. The current principal of the school is Lisa Wilson. This context statement is aimed to give information to families looking to move to South Kingstown and have children whom would attend Peace Dale Elementary School. In the following, the topics of finances, safety, teacher qualifications, test scores, and diversity will be discussed. These topics will be analyzed to provide potential families/individuals with important information when choosing the right school for their children.

Community Background: As individuals/families that are interested in moving to South Kingstown, it is important to take into consideration the income and poverty statistics for this town in comparison to the stat e of Rhode Island and the United States as a whole. When compared to Rhode Island and the U.S., the town of South Kingstown has a median household income of $73,780 which is more than $20,000 higher than the state and country. Additionally, the family poverty level is significantly lower in South Kingsto wn (2.9%) when compared to that overall level of the United States (11.3%). In addition to this, South Kingstown has a poverty level which is clearly lower than other places in Rhode Island, making it an extremely suitable town. (US Census 2013)
 * || **South Kingstown ** || **Rhode Island ** || **United States ** ||
 * Median Household Income || $73,780 || $53,361 || $53,046 ||
 * Median Family Income || $96,259 || $72,717 || $64,719 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Per Capita Income || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">$35,855 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">$30,469 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">$28,155 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">All Families Below Poverty Level || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2.9% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">9.6% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">11.3% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">All People Below Poverty Level || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">6.6% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">13.6% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">15.4% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Poverty Level Related 5-17 Years || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">4.4% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">17.8% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">20.0% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Unemployed Civilian Labor Force || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">7.4% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">9.9% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">9.7% ||  ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The chart below shows the percentages and statistics important to understanding the demographics for the town of South Kingstown. Much like Rhode Island and the United States as a whole, South Kingstown has a predominately white population but is also in ways diverse when looking at the breakdown of each ethnicity. In addition to the racial breakdown, a statistic which is of interest is the percentage of the population of the South Kingstown, Rhode Island and United States community is between the ages of 5-9. The percentage in South Kingston is 4.6 when compared to the United States which is 6.6 percent. A way to look at this lower number is that the amount of students in each school is lower, thus giving more each child a more individualized learning and educational setting. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">(US Census 2013)
 * || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">South Kingston ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">United States ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">White || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">90.0% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">81.4% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">74.0% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Black/African American || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2.7% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">6.3% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">12.6% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Asian || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2.4% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">3.1% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">4.9% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hispanic or Latino || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">3.5% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">12.9% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">16.6% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">American Indian and Alaska Native || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">1.9% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">0.4% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">0.8% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Two or more races || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">1.7% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2.6% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2.8% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">% of people ages 5-9 years || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">4.6% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">5.6% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">6.6% ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">While looking into moving to South Kingstown, it is very vital to see the safety information provided by the U.S. census and the comparison of this town to the state of Rhode Island as a whole as well as the towns of Barrington and Central Falls. Looking at Rhode Island, it is clear to say that the town of South Kingstown is safer than other towns you may be looking to move to. It is evident that the 7 out of 1,000 children that are abused or neglected is much lower than the 38.6 of 1,000 in Central Falls. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">(RI Kids Count Census 2010-2013)
 * || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">South Kingstown ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Barrington ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Central Falls ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Child Abuse and Neglect rate per 1,000 children || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">7.0 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">14.5 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2.6 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">38.6 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Youth with Incarcerated Parents || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">5.7 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">11.8 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">0.0 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">16.3 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Youth Violence || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">16 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">660 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">7 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">21 ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The graph below displays a few aspects regarding the economic well being of those who belong to this community. Children in families receiving cash assistance, School Breakfast Program participation, and WIC participation are all things to be considered when looking to see if the community has a good economic standing. South Kingstown is comparable to Barrington in cash assistance as well as WIC participation. Being that as a whole, Barrington schools are highly ranked, aligning with them on economic levels is a very good thing. As for the Breakfast Program, South Kingstown is most comparable to Rhode Island. This is good thing as well because it means that South Kingstown is meeting state standards.



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">(RI Kids Count Census 2010-2013)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 20px;">District Summary: As shown clearly in this graph, the district of South Kingstown is better than the state's percentages/ratios in all three aspects. Compared to the 4% of teachers in Central Falls schools, 0% of teachers in South Kingston are emergency certified, going to show the safety of this area. In addition, none of the teachers in South Kingstown are under-qualified to be teaching your children and compared to Central Falls, Barrington and the state of Rhode Island’s teacher to student ratios of 1:14, South Kingstown's 1:13 ratio shows that teachers are able to give more individualized attention and teach in a more intimate class setting throughout all the schools located in this district.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(InfoWorks)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">When looking at the amount of money spent per student in different districts of Rhode Island, it is clear that South Kingstown spends on average about $2,500 more on each student compared to the statewide average. Taking note of this shows that the students who attend schools in the district of South Kingstown will be given more opportunities and will be taught in a way that exceeds, for example, Central Falls which spends $17,982 per pupil in comparison to South Kingstown’s $18,035 per pupil. Knowing that the statewide level is far below the per pupil of this district offers comfort that education is taken care of with the utmost importance and is better, on average, than other places in Rhode Island.

(US Census 2013)
 * || ** Total Per Pupil District ** || ** Total Per Pupil Statewide ** ||
 * South Kingstown || $18,035 || $15,740 ||
 * Barrington District || $14,217 || - ||
 * Central Falls District || $17,982 || - ||

A welcoming school setting is another perk of being a part of the South Kingstown, meaning that students do not see going to school as something they dread but rather an happy environment. While middle school attendance rate drops to 94% from the 95% in elementary school, in South Kingstown the rate stays at 96% of students attending school in both elementary school and then again in middle school. Additionally, the percentage of students that are chronically absent in elementary school in South Kingstown is 8% whereas it is 25% in Central Falls, again proving the point that this district is above others in Rhode Island that a family moving here would consider moving to.

(Info Works)
 * || ** State ** || ** South Kingstown ** || ** Barrington ** || ** Central Falls ** ||
 * Attendance Rate (Elementary Schools) || 95% || 96% || 96% || 93% ||
 * Attendance Rate (Middle Schools) || 94% || 96% || 96% || 92% ||
 * Chronic Absenteeism (Elementary Schools) || 13% || 8% || 4% || 25% ||
 * Chronic Absenteeism (Middle Schools) || 15% || 6% || 6% || 27% ||



. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 20px;">School Analysis: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The table below shows test scores on various subject material. Peace Dale Elementary NECAP scores are the highest of any other district as well as Rhode Island itself. Students test well in every subject area. One piece of information that stands out is that 82% of Peace Dale's students are at 3rd grade math level in the NECAP assessment while only 56% of all Rhode Island students and even more alarmingly, only 25% of students at Veterans Memorial test at this level. It is very evident that students are achieving scores above the standard in any discipline. From this information, it is safe to also conclude taht students of each grade level are still very successful. It is clear that teachers are very effective and students are learning and acquiring all the necessary information that they need to flourish throughout life. (InfoWorks)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">NECAP Assessments || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Peace Dale Elementary ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Barrington School (Sowam Elementary) ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Central Falls School (Veterans Memorial) ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">3rd Grade Math 2010-11 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">56% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">82% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">73% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">25% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">3rd Grade Reading 2010-11 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">69% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">84% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">83% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">29% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">4th Grade Math 2010-11 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">63% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">74% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">- || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">39% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">4th Grade Reading 2010-11 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">70% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">82% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">- || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">41% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">4th Grade Science 2010-11 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">41% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">47% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">- || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">12% ||

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">Compared to the state target of 95% attendance rate, Peace Dale Elementary exceeds this with 96% of its students attending. While it may only be 1%, it is important because Veterans Memorial in Central Falls has an attendance rate of 94%, which is lower than the state’s target. In addition to this, the state target for chronic absenteeism is 13% and Peace Dale is well under this number with only 6% of its students being chronically absent. Looking at other elementary schools is also vital to seeing what Peace Dale Elementary and South Kingstown itself has to offer because of the students at Veterans Memorial in Central Falls, 18% of them are chronically absent. Moreover, looking at Peace Dale in comparison to other schools and Rhode Island as a whole provides necessary information to seeing what makes the school flourish and that it offers its students something which makes them want to keep attending school.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;"> (InfoWorks)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Many children that attend school in Rhode Island live at a level which makes them eligible to receive lunch through the school. That percentage for the state of Rhode Island in specific is 47% while on 22% of students that go to Peace Dale Elementary are at a need for subsidized lunch. On a more localized level, the percentage of students that attended Veterans Memorial elementary school in Central Falls is 86%, a number that is significantly higher than the 22% of students at Peace Dale.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Student Characteristics || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Peace Dale Elementary ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Barrington School (Sowam Elementary) ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Central Falls (Veterans Memorial) ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Student eligibility for subsidized lunch || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">47% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">22% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">86% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Students receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">7% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">1% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">28% ||



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 20px;">Conclusion: <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> Peace Dale Elementary School is an extremely sufficient option for parents seeking to put their children into worthy educational systems. The school itself either exceeds or meets statewide standards, making it a very commendable option. However, not only is Peace Dale a wonderful school, it is also located within a great district to live. As discussed above, South Kingstown is a safe and secure area that is welcoming and has a strong school system, aimed to help students achieve in the best way possible. In comparison to other elementary schools in Rhode Island, Peace Dale has a more intimate classroom setting and a more stable and hopeful learning environment. After taking all information listed above into consideration, it is evident that Peace Dale Elementary and the South Kingstown community are beyond what many students receive on a nationwide and statewide level. It is important to be knowledgable of these facts as potential residents of South Kingstown with children whom would attend Peace Dale Elementary school.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 20px;">References: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2015). Sowams Elementary School. retrieved October 5 2015, from InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting Web Site: http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/sowams-elementary-school <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2015). Barrington District. retrieved October 5 2015, from InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting Web Site: http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/district/barrington <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2015). Central Falls District. retrieved October 5 2015, from InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting Web Site: http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/district/central-falls <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2015). Veterans Memorial Elementary. retrieved October 5 2015, from InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting Web Site: http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/veterans-memorial-elementary <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2015). South Kingstown District. retrieved October 5 2015, from InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting Web Site: http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/district/south-kingstown <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2015). Peace Dale Elementary School. retrieved October 5 2015, from InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting Web Site: http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/peace-dale-elementary-school <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">United States Census Bureau (2015). Rhode Island. retrieved October 5 2015, from American Fact Finder Web Site: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">United States Census Bureau (2015). United States. retrieved October 5 2015, from American Fact Finder Web Site: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml#none <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">United States Census Bureau (2015). South Kingstown town, Washington County, Rhode Island. retrieved October 5 2015, from American Fact Finder Web Site: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml#none <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Kids Count (2015). Snapshot of South Kingstown, Rhode Island. retrieved October 5 2015, from Rhode Island Kids Count 2015 Factbook Web Site: http://www.rikidscount.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Factbook%202015/Community%20Snapshots/South%20Kingstown-2015.pdf <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Kids Count (2015). Snapshot of Central Falls, Rhode Island. retrieved October 5 2015, from Rhode Island Kids Count 2015 Factbook Web Site: http://www.rikidscount.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Factbook%202015/Community%20Snapshots/Central%20Falls-2015.pdf <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Rhode Island Kids Count (2015). Snapshot of Barrington, Rhode Island. retrieved October 5 2015, from Rhode Island Kids Count 2015 Factbook Web Site: http://www.rikidscount.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Factbook%202015/Community%20Snapshots/Barrington-2015.pdf



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