FROM POLICY TO PRACTICE

The Struggles, Strengths, and

Successes of Exemplary

Rural Schools in the Southeast
Produced by:

SERVE, The Regional Educational 

Laboratory for the Southeast

Associated with the School

of Education, University of

North Carolina at Greensboro

Edited by:

Cindy McIntee, SERVE, Senior Policy 

Research Analyst for South Carolina

Written by:

Charles Ahearn, Ed.D., Director of Special 

Initiatives

Dee Brewer, SERVE, Senior Policy 

Research Analyst for North Carolina

Jeff Gagné, Ph.D., SERVE, Senior Policy 

Research Analyst for Georgia

Arthur Johnston, SERVE, Senior Policy 

Research Analyst for Mississippi

Cindy McIntee, SERVE, Senior Policy 

Research Analyst for South Carolina

Joel Overton, SERVE, Senior Policy 

Research Analyst for Florida

Tamara Powell, SERVE, Research 

Associate

Jean Scott, SERVE, Senior Policy Research 

Analyst for Alabama

Reviewed by:

Theodore Coladarci, Ph.D.

Jeff Gagné, Ph.D., SERVE, Senior Policy 

Research Analyst for Georgia

Publications Support:

Donna Nalley, Ph.D., SERVE, Publications 

Director

Karen DeMeester, Ph.D., SERVE, Senior 

Program Specialist

Tracy Hamilton, SERVE, Graphic Designer

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of 

Education, nor does mention of trade names, 

commercial products, or organizations imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government. This 

document was produced with funding from 

the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. 

ED-01-CO-0015.

From Policy to Practice:

The Struggles, Strengths, 

and Successes of

Exemplary Rural Schools

in the Southeast

© SERVE 2004

First Printing 2004

SERVE North Carolina Office • 800-755-3277 (Main Office)

SERVE Florida Office • 800-352-6001

SERVE Georgia Office • 800-659-3204

www.serve.org

SERVE is an education organization with the mission to promote and 

support the continuous improvement of educational opportunities for all 

learners in the Southeast. To further this mission, SERVE engages in 

research and development that address education issues of critical importance to educators in the region and provides technical assistance to 

SEAs and LEAs that are striving for comprehensive school improvement. 

This critical research-to-practice linkage is supported by an experienced 

staff strategically located throughout the region. This staff is highly skilled 

in providing needs assessment services, conducting applied research 

in schools, and developing processes, products, and programs that inform educators and increase student achievement.

About SERVE

Table of Contents

Exceptional Challenges, Exceptional 

Strengths: Rural Schools That Shine

Providing a Quality Education for

All Students: An Interview with

Bob Mooneyham

West Blockton Elementary School:

“What’s Best for Every Student”

Blountstown Elementary School:

An Effective Combination of Professional 

and Personal Skills

J.A. Maxwell Elementary School:

The “Mighty Max,” Mighty Amazing!

Brinson Memorial Elementary School:

The Many Faces of Diversity

Excellence in Eutawville

An Oasis of Excellence: Mississippi’s 

Hayes Cooper Center for Math, Science, 

and Technology

Rural School Teacher Shelley Marsh and 

Teaching as a Performing Art

The Rural School District Superintendents’ 

Network at SERVE

4

6

8

10

12

16

19

22

25

29
Dear Colleagues:

Beeson and Strange drew attention to the number of 

young people and communities served by rural schools 

in Why Rural Matters 2003. They note that in the United 

States nearly one-third of school-aged children attend public schools in rural areas or small towns. A large segment 

of the school-aged population resides in rural areas in the 

SERVE region. SERVE is committed to continuing its efforts 

to disseminate information to educators and policymakers 

in a way that will assist them in improving learning and 

teaching. We know that the challenges and experiences of 

students and educators in rural schools in the Southeast 

are very important elements to consider in the educational 

landscape for our region.

This publication, From Policy to Practice, will highlight important work being undertaken on behalf of and within rural 

schools. We are taking a look at exemplary rural schools 

and programs from around the SERVE region. Six articles 

will spotlight some of the exciting work taking place in rural schools throughout the Southeast. Each of our Senior 

Policy Research Analysts chose a school that provided us 

with an example of an exemplary rural school and exemplary practices in each of the six states. 

From Policy to Practice also contains an article about 

SERVE’s work with local superintendents in the six states. 

The Rural Superintendents Network brings together a dynamic group of rural superintendents. In addition, we are 

also focusing on a national organization that is dedicated to 

the improvement of rural schools, the National Rural Education Association (NREA). This publication contains an interview with NREA’s Executive Director, Bob Mooneyham. 

Finally, we include an interview with Shelley Marsh, the 

2002 NREA Rural Teacher of the Year. Shelley’s work in 

rural South Carolina earned her recognition, and the interview will allow you to spend some time in her classroom 

and examine how she inspires young students to achieve 

to the best of their abilities.

John R. Sanders, Ed.D.

Executive Director
4

EXCEPTIONAL CHALLENGES, EXCEPTIONAL STRENGTHS:

Rural Schools That Shine

By Jeff Gagné and Cindy McIntee

While “rural schools face many 

challenges, they also have many 

strengths.... Rural educators can 

use their strengths to continue to 

meet the challenges they face, 

preserve what is best about their 

communities, and provide a 

high-quality education for all their 

students” (McIntee, 2001).

Much has happened since 

SERVE published the rural edition 

of The Vision magazine (Volume 

1, Number 1) almost two years 

ago. The U.S. economy took a 

sharp downturn, jobless rates 

shot up, and state governments, 

dealing with huge shortfalls, have 

been cutting state budgets to 

make up the difference. 

Education has not been spared. 

Congress also reauthorized the 

Elementary and Secondary Act 

of 1965 two years ago. Since No 

Child Left Behind was enacted, 

states and districts have struggled to meet the provisions of 

the law, while taking hits from 

all angles. As Hughes (2000) 

points out, “Since A Nation At 

Risk, numerous laws have been 

passed at both the federal and 

state level in an effort to improve 

public education. For rural 

schools and districts with limited funds, complying with these 

new laws is often difficult.”

The rural issue of The Vision

focused on low-performing rural 

schools in the Southeast and the 

challenges involved in helping 

them become “high-performance 

learning communities that promote high student achievement” 

(Sanders, 2002). Considering all 

that has happened at the federal, 

state, and local levels over the 

last two years, it seems important now to shine a light on the 

struggles, strengths, and successes of rural schools. SERVE 

hopes that sharing their stories 

will inspire others: “A key to 

ensuring that all children living in 

rural areas receive a high-quality 

education is moving past the 

consolidation debate and engaging in a critical examination of 

the strengths and weaknesses of 

rural schools. The goal should 

be to address the weaknesses 

by building upon the strengths” 

(Mike Arnold in Sherwood, 2001).

New Beginnings

In the winter of 2003, SERVE 

policy staff went in search of 

rural schools in the Regional 

Educational Laboratory for 

the Southeast’s region (North 

Carolina, South Carolina, 

Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, 

and Alabama) that exemplified 

rural struggles, strengths, and 

successes. Our desire to do so 

grew out of our conversations 

regarding the challenges rural 

schools faced in the 21st century, 

especially after the passage of 

No Child Left Behind. We wondered how rural schools were 

bearing up under the increased 

pressure of high-stakes accountability at the federal and state 

levels and still succeeding in the 

face of overwhelming odds (i.e., 

high poverty, limited resources, 

shrinking local tax bases, and 

budget cuts). 

School Selection

A rural school from each of the 

SERVE states is showcased in 

this edition of From Policy to 

Practice. Each SERVE policy 

analyst selected a school from 

his or her state. While the selection process was by no means 

scientific, we did have some criteria in mind before we began. 

We wanted to showcase rural 

schools in the region that were 

highly successful (that is, had 

high scores on state accountability tests) despite many challenges, so we began by looking 

at schools that were high-poverty and high-minority and were 

located in rural areas with low 
5

References

Carter, Samuel Casey. (2000). No 

excuses: Lessons from 21 highperforming, high-poverty schools. 

Washington, DC: Heritage.

Good, T. L., & Brophy, J. E. (1986). 

School effects. In M.C. Wottrock (Ed.), 

Handbook of research on teaching, 

(3rd ed., pp. 570−602). New York: 

Macmillan.

Lee, J.,& McIntire, W. G. (1999, 

April). Understanding rural 

student achievement: Identifying 

instructional and organizational 

differences between rural and nonrural schools. Paper presented at 

the annual meeting of American 

Educational Research Association 

(AERA), Montreal, Canada. (ERIC 

Document Reproduction Service No. 

ED430755).

 Marzano, R. J. (2000). A new era 

of school reform: Going where 

the research takes us. Aurora, 

CO: Mid-continent Research for 

Education and Learning. (ERIC 

Document Reproduction Service No. 

ED454255).

Marzano, R. J. (2003). What works in 

schools: Translating research into 

action. Virginia: ASCD.

McIntee, C. (2002). Challenges to rural 

education in the Southeast. The 

Vision, 1(1), 12−15.

Sanders, J. (2002). Dear Colleague. The 

Vision, 1(1), 2.

Sherwood, T. (2001). Where has all the 

“rural” gone? Rural education research 

and current federal reform. Report 

to the Rural School and Community 

Trust. Retrieved October 30, 2003, 

from http://ruraledu.org/docs/

ruralgone.pdf

per-capita income. We began to 

narrow down the list by looking 

at school-level disaggregated student test data to determine levels 

of success on state accountability tests and by looking for 

schools that were successful 

at closing the achievement gap 

between the various subgroups 

of students (i.e., ethnicity, race, 

gender) in their schools. 

Once we had identified a handful of schools, we had to secure 

permission to visit the school 

site, observe, and conduct interviews. District and school participation was voluntary. In at 

least one state, the school we 

selected decided not to participate, so another school on the 

short list was invited. School 

personnel also provided school 

data, pictures, and, most importantly, their time and stories.

Traits of Success 

In No Excuses: Lessons from 21 

High-Performing, High-Poverty 

Schools (2000), Samuel Casey 

Carter identifies seven common 

traits shared by the 21 highperforming, high-poverty 

schools studied:

1. Effective principals decide 

how to spend their money, 

whom to hire, and what to 

teach.

2. Principals use measurable 

goals to establish a culture of 

achievement and excellence.

3. Improving the quality of 

instruction is the only way 

to improve overall student 

achievement. Teacher quality 

is the single most accurate 

indicator of a student’s 

performance in school.

4. Rigorous and regular 

evaluation leads to 

continuous student 

achievement.

5. Achievement is the key to 

discipline.

6. Principals extend the mission 

of school into the home.

7. Time on task is the key to 

success in school.

For those who have followed 

the effective schools research 

over the decades, Carter’s seven 

traits probably seem similar to 

the “school-level factors” associated with the previous research 

of Ron Edmonds, Wilbur 

Brookover, and Michael Rutter. 

[See R. J. Marzano (2003, 2000) 

for a greater discussion of the 

effective schools research and 

school-level factors.]

In the foreword to No Excuses, 

Adam Myerson is careful to 

assert that the book is not a “public policy blueprint for reforming 

education of the poor.” At the 

same time, he argues that the 

achievements of the principals 

in the book “do have a number 

of important policy implications 

that deserve to be explored more 

fully in later studies.” 

While our brief time with these 

six rural schools does not qualify as formal research, the stories we share reveal that the six 

highly successful rural schools 

showcased here share the same 

traits with their counterparts in 

No Excuses, from time on task 

to local decision-making. At 

the same time, like the schools 

in No Excuses, strong leadership also flourishes in each of 

these six rural schools, guiding 

each school down a selected 

path, flanked by clear goals and 

high expectations for everyone 

involved, from students to the 

larger community.

These schools have all set the 

bar high and succeeded year 

after year. Do they have some 

secret we can share? The 

answer is both no and yes. As 

all educators know, there is no 

single answer that will solve the 

complex challenges our public 

schools face every day. Even so, 

we know that great schools that 

achieve great results do exist, so 

answers exist if we are willing to 

look and listen and learn. 

Each school in this From Policy 

to Practice wrestles with the same 

problems and challenges shared 

by all rural schools (e.g., less 

funding, fewer resources, recruitment, retention). Even so, these 

schools are succeeding. They 

deserve our attention, if for no 

other reason than simple inspiration. In the end, however, their 

stories offer much more for those 

who are interested in discovering 

what makes high-achieving rural 

schools soar beyond expectation. 
6

Providing a Quality 

Education for All Students:

An Interview with Bob Mooneyham, Executive 

Director, National Rural Education Association

By Cindy McIntee

Bob Mooneyham directed 

the Oklahoma School Boards 

Association for 25 years until his 

retirement. However, Mooneyham 

wasn’t well suited to the leisurely life, so in March 2002, 

he accepted the position of 

Executive Director of the National 

Rural Education Association 

(NREA). I recently talked with 

Mooneyham about his role at 

NREA, the issues facing rural 

educators, and what he envisions 

for the future of the organization.

Bob Mooneyham graduated from 

a small school in Holliday, Texas. 

Although he grew up in a number 

of locations, Mooneyham’s childhood was primarily spent in rural 

schools. Consequently, rural education is very important to him, 

and he has spent a large portion 

of his adult life in education.

Mooneyham recounts that the 

most enjoyable time in his career 

was the three years he spent 

teaching. He left the classroom 

to become a guidance counselor, and he has also served 

as a school superintendent in 

Corn and Okemah, Oklahoma. 

He also served as a principal at a 

university lab school. In addition 

to being Executive Director of 

NREA, he is an adjunct professor 

at the University of Oklahoma, 

and NREA is now affiliated with 

that university.

SERVE: Could you talk about 

your previous work and your 

new position with NREA?

Mooneyham: I liked working 

with school board people primarily because they are volunteers, 

committed to providing excellent 

educational opportunities for the 

students they serve, and they 

are reflective of the communities they serve. I enjoyed working on agenda items that benefit 

schools and working with school 

administrators. 

I feel the same way about 

working with the members of 

the National Rural Education 

Association. A number of people 

go to great personal expense 

to volunteer, and they do so 

because they care about education. I have always liked working with people who follow their 

convictions and work hard. I 

believe that the people who have 

labored for the work of rural education deserve an organization 

that is even more prominent than 

the organization is now.

As rural educators, we must “preserve, promote, and protect quality education.” I think this phrase 

sums up our challenges and 

what we should be about. The 

value system in rural schools 

contributes to making children 

better citizens. I would hate to 

see us lose our rural communities because of external factors. 

Rural communities need protection and society owes a responsibility to children, wherever they 

are. We must protect them from 

inordinate problems, such as 

consolidation and transportation. 

We have the technology and the 

know-how to do it now. 

It may cost more to provide a 

quality education, but we should 

provide that education. So many 

outside forces want to close 

schools. For example, Arkansas 

has recently faced calls for massive consolidation.

SERVE: How do you see NREA 

working to meet challenges facing rural educators? 

Mooneyham: We must build 

upon what we have in NREA—

build it into a national force that 

will be more distinctly heard 

nationally. We need additional 

members, and the potential for 

building NREA is very strong 

because there are so many rural 

schools in our country. Our organization can be pivotal in bringing all rural people together 

under one umbrella. 
7

Endnote

1 “The API, defined in state law under 

Title 70 O.S. § 3-150 and 3-151, is a 

numeric score, ranging from 0–1500, 

that indicates school performance 

based primarily upon state-mandated 

tests but also upon other contributing 

factors to a school’s educational 

success. The seven educational 

indicators set forth in the API law

(the factors in the API formula) are:

1) Oklahoma School Testing Program 

(OSTP) scores, 2) Attendance rates, 

3) Dropout rates, 4) Advanced 

Placement participation and 

performance (secondary schools), 

5) Graduation rates (secondary 

schools), 6) ACT average scores 

(secondary schools), and 7) College 

remediation rates (secondary 

schools).” See http://sde.state.ok.us/

home/defaultns.html

We need to get more people to 

recognize the strengths of rural 

schools. A lot of the things that 

people are working toward in 

charter schools are found in rural 

schools: a neighborhood school 

that is a community center and 

has small classes. We already 

have what many people are trying to accomplish. 

To some extent, the impact that 

legislation has on the majority 

of schools has not been considered. We are being heard on 

the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act, and that is very 

important. Schools must comply 

with federal mandates but funding has not met the mandates. 

Originally, they were to commit to 

funding 40% of the cost of IDEA, 

but they may be funding 14%. 

Next year’s projection is 20%—

that will be done by extending 

the 40%. While we are glad that 

next year’s projection is higher, 

we know that it does not come 

close to the 40%, and inflation 

eats away at any additional funds 

that come in. I strongly believe 

in IDEA, but we must have the 

money to fund it. 

NREA can provide the vehicle to 

share procedures, practices, and 

exemplary ideas with schools. 

We need to figure out a way to 

use the ideas of the districts that 

are successful. 

Last year, a small school in eastern Oklahoma was last in the 

API ranking [a numeric score that 

indicates school performance 

based primarily on state-mandated tests but also on other 

contributing factors to a school’s 

educational success (see endnote 1)]. The community and 

school were not happy and set 

about working to improve. This 

year, they were ranked number 

one. We can really work harder 

to provide forums for what works 

and disseminate that information 

in a number of ways, including The Rural Educator [NREA’s 

publication].

SERVE: Why is the state of 

rural schools so important to 

you and our country?

Mooneyham: Public education 

and a well-informed citizenry 

are fundamental to our democracy. Many of the values that we 

cherish are very evident in rural 

areas. The closer we are to one 

another, the stronger those democratic values are. 

SERVE: Because you spent a 

great deal of time working with 

school boards, have you identified other needs that could be 

met by way of the NREA?

Mooneyham: When I came on 

board, I noted that we did not 

have district memberships. 

By providing district memberships, we can help to ensure 

that more rural schools are 

actively involved in leadership in 

national organizations. NREA is 

a proper forum for rural schools 

to become involved in a national 

effort to respond to the needs of 

rural educators.

SERVE: How have rural 

students changed recently?

Mooneyham: Rural educators 

must really work to deal with the 

amount of information children 

have available to them now, and 

these educators must ensure that 

students know how to assimilate 

all of the information they have. 

Really, educators need an individual educational plan for each 

student because they come to 

school with varying amounts of 

information and expertise. 

Some of their expertise is really 

extraordinary. I am reminded of a 

four-year-old I saw on television: 

the child was a genius and had 

assimilated so much information 

it was phenomenal. I think we 

have to recognize that students 

are coming to us with individual 

skills and abilities. The bottom 

line is that we must work together 

to provide a quality education for 

all students.
8

WEST BLOCKTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

“What’s Best for Every Student”

By Jean Scott

Teamwork also plays a large role 

in the culture of WBES. “I encourage activities and relationships 

that foster closeness among the 

faculty,” says Belcher. “Teachers 

actively participate in peer teaching, peer coaching, and modeling 

best practices. The culture in this 

school motivates teachers. If you 

don’t participate, you feel sort of 

left out. We have strong leaders 

who pull all the teachers up. The 

nay-sayers are in the minority.”

Tammy Morton, a second-grade 

teacher at WBES, says, “We are 

always sharing with each other, 

and we learn from working 

together. Often, we’ll go in each 

other’s classrooms and practice 

lessons.” Morton also mentioned 

the freedom she had to pursue 

unique learning opportunities 

for her students. Currently, she 

is using a group-teaching model 

to introduce the life cycle of 

butterflies to her secondgrade class. Joined in the 

classroom by a student 

teacher and a university 

professor one hour a day 

for two weeks, Morton 

and her students 

observe and handle 

caterpillars, noting any 

changes in the larvae. 

“I have lots of support to pursue innovative ideas,” says 

Morton. In fact, she wrote the 

grant that provides the money for 

the university professor and the 

instructional materials. Principal 

Belcher notes, “I’ll let the teachers do anything, as long as it is 

research based. I usually just get 

out of the way, let them head it 

up and move it forward.”

Located in rural Bibb County, 

West Blockton Elementary 

School (WBES) sits in the middle of the poorest region of 

Alabama. Bibb County ranks 

127th out of 128 in local school 

funding, offering only seven 

mills of tax to the schools each 

year. (One mill equals $1 of taxes 

per $1,000 of assessed value 

of property.) Students in West 

Blockton are funded at a rate 

of $300 per year, as compared 

to students in Homewood City 

Schools, who are funded at a 

rate of $5,000 per year. School 

officials estimate that one quarter of the adults in Bibb County 

are not functionally literate, and 

approximately 70% of the students at WBES participate in the 

free/reduced lunch program.

Despite its rural location and 

woeful local funding, WBES 

perennially outperforms other 

schools of similar size and socioeconomic status. Named a Blue 

Ribbon School in 2001−2002, 

WBES was only one of 13 rural 

schools nationally to receive that 

honor. Additionally, WBES consistently outperforms both 

the district and the state 

on the SAT 9, receiving 

a grade of “A” for academic performance 

from the Alabama 

State Department of 

Education.

What factors contribute 

to the success of WBES? 

I recently visited WBES to 

find out for myself. Principal 

Carol Belcher met me at the 

door and took me on a tour 

of the school. I immediately 

noticed the prominent use of 

the school slogan: WBES, What’s 

Best for Every Student. 

“We adopted that four years ago 

when I became principal,” says 

Belcher. “It’s important to me that 

we focus on what’s best for every 

child.” That attitude is reflected 

in the teachers at WBES. Belcher 

has only had to hire one teacher 

in her four years as principal, and 

she looks for candidates who put 

their student’s needs first. “When 

you care about what’s going on, 

the kids will ultimately thrive. 

Those are 

the kinds 

of teachers we 

look to 

hire.”
9

Although voluntary, participation in professional development 

activities is expected at WBES. 

Small groups of three or four 

teachers meet weekly to view 

videos or participate in a book 

study. Teachers who wish to 

attend workshops and seminars 

come back to share what they 

learned with the entire group. 

Out of 25 teachers, five are 

Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) 

presenters, and approximately 

half of the teachers at WBES 

go back through the ARI training each year. Morton says that 

training has helped her teaching 

in other areas. “For so long, we 

were focused on reading instruction with ARI, but we realized 

we could take the innovations 

we learned and apply it to other 

areas, like math and science.”

“Teachers at WBES hold themselves accountable for student 

achievement” says Principal 

Belcher. “We take pride in having 

the highest SAT scores in the district, and we challenge our kids 

to do their best. We try to make 

the test a positive experience. 

Third- and fourth-graders who 

are taking the SAT are ‘adopted’ 

by kindergarten, first-, and second-grade students, who give 

them little posters or candy for 

encouragement.” 

In addition to the SAT, students 

at WBES are regularly assessed 

to document success and monitor progress. “I wouldn’t know 

what to teach if I didn’t test,” says 

Morton. “Mrs. Belcher wants to 

see improvement, and I want to 

know how I’m doing so I’ll know 

how to teach my class.” Morton 

uses additional assessments, 

including developing a chart to 

plot her students’ achievement. 

“I made myself a grid because 

I wanted to see my children’s 

progress and improvement. I did 

it for myself. It would be devastating to me if my children 

weren’t improving.”

The success of West Blockton 

Elementary School draws visitors from around the state and the 

nation. “We’ve had Governor Riley 

and Senator Richard Shelby here 

recently,” says Belcher. “We have 

between 300 and 400 visitors a 

year, mostly teachers, who come 

to see the classrooms at work. 

Our success is a testament to our 

teachers and these kids. They are 

simply the best.”

[Note: Since this article was 

written, Carol Belcher joined the 

staff of the Alabama Department 

of Education and is an Alabama 

Reading First Initiative Specialist. 

The new principal is Karen 

Hubbard.]
10

Located in rural Calhoun 

County, Florida, Blountstown 

Elementary is a K−5 elementary school that routinely performs at the highest academic 

levels. It has earned a grade 

of “A” for the past three years 

from the Florida Department 

of Education’s School Grading 

and Accountability Reports, and 

the Department has recognized 

the school’s outstanding performance by awarding School 

Recognition funding for continued academic improvement and 

achievement. 

This success has come despite 

challenges. The school has a 

61% poverty rate and receives 

schoolwide Title I funding. 

Blountstown is a small town 

located in the Panhandle of 

Florida with a population of 

approximately 2,404, and the 

average per capita income for 

the county is approximately 

$18,000 per year.

What factors contribute to 

the success of Blountstown 

Elementary? I recently interviewed Pam Bozeman, Vice 

Principal at the school. Bozeman 

noted that Blountstown is a 

very close-knit, student-oriented 

school that benefits from a great 

deal of community support. The 

teachers, staff, and parents are 

very dedicated, hard working, 

and focused on student success. The school’s mission statement encourages staff to believe 

in the potential of all children, 

to dedicate themselves to creating a safe place where children 

know they are cared for, can 

develop respect for themselves 

and others, understand they are 

accountable for their choices, 

gain a sense of responsibility for 

their environment, and accept 

the challenge to learn.

Blountstown Elementary takes 

great pride in its mission statement and tries to adhere to it on 

a daily basis. The school encourages teachers to set examples 

of good character for the students to live by, both at school 

and in the community. The 

school utilizes the “Character 

First!” program and a consistent discipline program called 

the “Apple System.” Character 

First! Education furnishes tools 

necessary to weave positive 

character into every aspect of 

a student’s academic program.

Character First! Education is 

one of three branches of the 

Character Training Institute (CTI), 

a non-profit organization based in 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and 

its curriculum is currently used in 

over 2,000 schools in 19 different 

countries and is impacting hundreds of thousands of children.

The “Apple System” was developed by the school as a way to 

monitor behavior and provide 

motivation for good behavior. 

Each child has four apples. 

They start each day with a green 

apple, and apples are taken 

away if there display behavior 

problems. They go from green 

to yellow, to red, to purple, with 

consequences for each apple 

lost. A purple apple is an office 

visit. Vice Principal Bozeman 

stated that this has increased 

attentiveness, student motivation, responsibility, and diligence, while decreasing the 

number of disciplinary actions 

taken by the school. Each child 

knows he or she is accountable 

for his or her actions.

Blountstown also conducts a 

great deal of diagnostic testing 

and data analysis on student performance and utilizes this information to monitor progress and 

needs. This is done, in part, by 

working with the Success Maker 

computer software. Students 

perform tasks in the subjects of 

reading and math, and the software allows teachers to track and 

monitor student progress. The 

software diagnoses a student’s 

mathematical ability level and 

evaluates the student’s reading 

BLOUNTSTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

An Effective Combination

of Professional and

Personal Skills

By Joel Overton
11

ability level and provides activities on that level based on the 

student’s academic needs. It provides teachers with training in 

identifying key indicators in the 

areas of problem solving techniques/strategies, and it involves 

parents by allowing them to 

assist the program coordinator.

The school also engages in 

Great Leaps and Title One 

Pullout for struggling students. 

This allows teachers to target 

and provide enrichment for students with special needs. Great 

Leaps Reading uses proven 

instructional tactics with powerful motivators to remediate 

a variety of reading problems. 

Students work individually with 

an instructor and the materials 

for less than ten minutes per day 

(three days per week minimum). 

The materials (one instructor’s 

manual and one student notebook) are age appropriate and 

comprehensive. 

Great Leaps is divided into three 

major areas: 

1. Phonics: developing and 

mastering essential sightsound relationships and/or 

sound awareness skills; 

2. Sight Phrases: mastering 

sight words while developing 

and improving focusing 

skills; and 

3. Reading Fluency: using 

age-appropriate stories 

specifically designed to build 

reading fluency, reading 

motivation, and proper 

intonation.

In addition to the excellent academic programs in place at the 

school, Bozeman stressed the 

importance of the dedicated, 

hard-working teachers and staff. 

She noted that many of the teachers care a great deal about the 

school, children, and community and have remained with the 

school for a number of years. 

Most of Blountstown Elementary’s 

41 teachers live in the community, and 31 of the teachers have 

been with the school for at least 

10 years, with several having over 

20 years of service. 

The Vice-Principal also cited 

parental participation and community support as playing a large role 

in the school’s success. Finally, 

strong and effective leadership 

was yet another factor identified 

in helping make Blountstown 

Elementary a success. 

Principal Vicki Davis leads 

Blountstown Elementary. Both 

Davis and Bozeman are very 

active and visible in the school 

and perform bus duty each day so 

they can greet and encourage the 

children each morning and see 

them as they leave each day. They 

make it a point to know every child 

by name. These administrators are 

also instructional leaders, and they 

visit in the classrooms daily, assist 

students with class activities, 

and have even helped out in the 

lunchroom. A positive working 

relationship with parents is so 

important to this administrative 

team that they routinely make daily 

contacts with parents. 

The continued overall success of 

Blountstown Elementary School 

can be attributed to many factors, 

including community and parental involvement; teacher retention; 

dedicated, caring, and hard-working administrators, teachers, 

students, and staff; and proven 

academic and character building 

programs. Continued achievement and recognition show that 

this rural school is utilizing an 

effective combination of professional and personal skills to 

develop and prepare the children 

of Blountstown.
12

Thompson County 

Quick Facts:

• Population (2000)—21,286

• White—60.8%

• African-American—37.5%

• High school graduates—

66.7%

• Per capita income—$18,005

J.A. MAXWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

The “Mighty Max,”

Mighty Amazing!

By Jeff Gagné

Located 130 miles east of 

Atlanta in McDuffie County, 

Maxwell Elementary, the “Mighty 

Max” as it is often now called, is 

currently one of the best elementary schools in the region and 

possibly the country. That was 

not always the case though. 

Up until 1997, Maxwell was simply another one of the myriad 

of mediocre schools across 

the country that seemingly eke 

by year after year. Students at 

Maxwell were performing below 

the 50th percentile in both reading and math on the Iowa Test of 

Basic Skills (ITBS). Their story is 

a common one—rural, poor, high 

at-risk population—the list is long 

and the problems seemingly 

insurmountable. 

Jump ahead three years; in 2000, 

Maxwell Elementary became a 

National Blue Ribbon School. 

Another three years later in May 

of 2003, after receiving numerous awards, Maxwell became 

one of only 26 schools in the 

United States and Canada to 

receive the International Reading 

Association’s Exemplary Reading 

Program Award. 

What transformed J.A. Maxwell 

Elementary into the Mighty 

Max? No single answer can suffice. Even so, there was a clear 

turning point for Maxwell, however. In the 1997–1998 school 

year, a new administrative 

team—Principal Hanna Fowler 

and Assistant Principal Pat 

Biggerstaff—took the helm; since 

then, nothing at Maxwell has 

been ordinary.

Traits for Success

What has made Maxwell 

Elementary school so highly 

successful is not a mystery, miracle, or accident. For examples of 

other highly successful, high-poverty schools, read No Excuses: 

Lessons from 21 High-performing, High-Poverty Schools (Carter, 

2000). In his book, Carter argues 

that all 21 schools he examined share seven common traits 

that contribute to their success, 

even though their circumstances 

should make them strong candidates for failure. 

If you ever visit Maxwell 

Elementary, you will find that it 

too possesses all seven of these 

powerful traits, and like other 

exemplary schools, the Mighty 

Max is a place where excuses 

are unacceptable—a powerful 

belief that begins with the leadership at Maxwell. As a matter 

of fact, Hanna Fowler and Pat 

Biggerstaff are fond of stating 

publicly that the most common 

factors educators use to explain 

poor student performance are 

simply excuses that neither one 

of them accept. 

Factors Cited for Poor 

Student Performance 

• Low socioeconomic status

• Minority student population

• Students from one-parent 

homes

• Latch-key kids

• Illiterate parents

• Apathy of parents and 

community

• Limited support

• Limited funds

• Poor discipline
13

Components of Accountability 

at Maxwell Elementary School

• Pre-assessments to find 

student’s instructional level 

for reading and math

• Class assessment profiles 

updated all year

• Different types of 

assessments (not all 

teacher-made)

• Rubrics

• All teachers on the same 

page when grading (rubrics 

are good for this)

• Daily and weekly 

assessments for both formal 

and informal assessments

• Clear expectations with 

benchmarks and goals

• Administrative support for 

fairness

• Informal evaluations of 

teaching with positive peer 

and administrative support

• Formal evaluations of 

teachers and administrators 

that support improvement

Their shared belief has become 

something of a mantra at Maxwell 

and certainly one the pillars supporting the school’s success.

Trait One: Effective 

principals decide how 

to spend their money, 

whom to hire, and

what to teach. 

All decisions at Maxwell 

Elementary regarding spending, 

staffing, discipline, professional 

development, curriculum, evaluation, and alignment (the list goes 

on) are made by the Maxwell 

staff at the school site. 

Like many rural schools Maxwell 

Elementary has a limited budget (only $44 per child from the 

local district for instructional 

materials), so decisions regarding budget and spending are 

critical. Staff discussions of the 

annual budget lead to line-by-line 

decisions on how money will be 

spent and why. Funds are spent 

on resources and products that 

produce measurable outcomes. 

Materials are purchased with the 

expectation that they will need 

to be adapted to fit the needs of 

the Maxwell students; the staff 

is adept at meshing materials 

with student needs each year. 

For example, Maxwell purchases 

Saxon’s phonics and spelling 

materials; the staff members at 

Maxwell also “tweak” the materials every year to fit their program 

and their students’ needs.

Trait Two: Effective 

principals use 

measurable goals to 

establish a culture of 

achievement.

There are clear expectations set 

at Maxwell that revolve around 

several key beliefs: no excuses; 

all children can be exceptional 

learners; evaluate often; we 

know what works; and together 

we can do it. 

Trait Three: Effective 

principals turn their 

schools into schools 

for teachers.

When the administrative team of 

Hanna Fowler and Pat Biggerstaff 

took over Maxwell Elementary 

seven years ago, they walked 

into the school building that was, 

to put it mildly, a wreck. Over the 

course of the summer, the pair 

spent countless hours cleaning 

and painting the entire school in 

order to make it a place where 

teachers and students would feel 

valued. They emptied the building of its outdated equipment, 

brought in newer furniture, books, 

computers, and manipulatives. 

They created a new mascot, Max 

the Lion. His slogan, “To the Max,” 

refers to the hard work and commitment demonstrated at the 

school every day of every year.

Trait Four: Rigorous 

and regular testing 

[evaluation] leads to 

continuous student 

achievement.

Evaluation is inextricably linked to 

teaching and learning and is used 

to enhance both student and 

teacher performance. Evaluation 

components are built into every 

lesson and every unit. The evaluations are not used punitively but 
14

Components of the Maxwell 

Elementary School Reading 

Program

• Accelerated Reading 

Program with in-house 

modifications

• Saxon Phonics Program with 

in-house modifications

• Researched, data-driven, 

proven programs

• Teaching at each student’s 

instructional level

• Three-and-a-half hours of 

reading per day, per child

• Explicit systematic reading 

instruction

• Explicit systematic phonics 

instruction

• Technology aligned with 

reading program

• Constant quick assessment

• Flexibility to move students 

all year

• Creative scheduling—A/B 

days and block

• Safety Net programs for 

students needing more 

support (i.e., site-based 

instruction, alternative 

phonics program, mentors, 

repeated lessons)

• Daily reading test practice

• Curriculum alignment and 

mapping for reading

• Organization of the 

instruction day to show time 

for reading

• Teacher support

• Accountability for teacher 

and student

• Celebrations, honest 

awards, and incentives

• When students learn to read, 

do not continue teaching 

them to read

are used as diagnostic tools to 

improve teaching and learning 

and to provide help.

All staff members are evaluated. 

Teachers are videotaped teaching 

twice a year, for example, and 

each staff member does a selfevaluation using school-established performance standards. 

Trait Five: Children 

need clear and 

conspicuous reasons 

to flee from error and 

run toward success. 

Achievement is the 

key to discipline.

There are abundant rewards for 

success at Maxwell for teachers 

and students alike. This year, 

for example, the Presidential 

Readers at Maxwell (the highest level possible) celebrated 

their accomplishments with a 

limousine ride to McDonald’s for 

lunch. The teachers were also 

recognized and rewarded at the 

school’s own “Academy Awards” 

celebration. 

The school’s student discipline 

policy contains clear and effective consequences. All students 

are required to meet specific 

academic requirements before 

they move on to the next grade. 

Trait Six: An outstanding school is 

a source of pride, a 

wellspring of joy, and 

a force for stability 

in an impoverished 

community. 

In 1996, when Hanna Fowler 

and Pat Biggerstaff joined the 

school staff, Biggerstaff promised the staff and students that 

someday the governor would 

come to the school to recognize its success. On May 20, 

2003, Governor Perdue traveled 

to Maxwell Elementary School 

with State Senator Joey Brush 

to recognize the school’s academic excellence. Governor 

Purdue signed a newly passed 

education bill at the school and 

presented the pen to Principal 

Fowler as a reminder of his visit. 

Trait Seven: Time 

on task is the key to 

success in school. 

Hanna Fowler personally constructs the school schedule, 

using an A/B day or block 

schedule with the underlying 

belief that all students, no matter 

their background or readiness 

level, can become exceptional 

learners if given the resources 

and teaching. Consequently, the 
15

References

Casey, Samuel Carter. (200). No 

excuses: Lessons from 21 highperforming, high-poverty schools. 

Washington, DC: The Heritage 

Foundation.

standards, assessments, and 

curriculum and utilize programs 

and methods that are proven by 

data to work with their student 

population.

In Retrospect

The policies and procedures that 

have helped make Maxwell a suc-

cess were largely in place by the 

end of Fowler and Biggerstaff’s 

first year at Maxwell, the same 

year that ITBS scores rose 12%

in math and 28% in reading. 

By the end of the administrative 

team’s second year, math scores 

increased an average of 38%, 

while reading scores increased 

27%. Five years later, the staff at 

Maxwell continues to teach, eval-

uate, review, and adapt, while 

their students just keep on learn-

ing and scores keep on rising. 

In No Excuses, Samuel Casey 

Carter states that by “studying 

the traits that these high-performing, high-poverty schools 

share, other schools can repli-

cate their successes. They, too, 

can emulate the commitment, 

innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit that drive this kind of 

success and inspire this level 

of achievement in others” (8). 

Anyone who wants to see a realworld example of a no-excuses 

school, just needs to stop in 

Thompson, Georgia, and visit 

the Mighty Max—another mighty 

example to emulate.

An Update

In the spring of 2004, Dr. Hanna 

Fowler left Maxwell Elementary to 

become one of Georgia’s new 

regional school improvement coordi-

nators. Pat Biggerstaff continues to 

serve as a member of the Georgia 

State Board of Education.

schedule maximizes teaching 

and learning time, while provid-

ing the flexibility needed to pro-

vide students with instruction 

aligned to their individual needs. 

Constant, varied assessments 

(BLT, Accelerated Reader, STAR, 

ITBS, CRCT, Running Records) 

are used to determine student 

progress and placement on a 

weekly basis, so that all stu-

dents are taught at their “instruc-

tional level” (safety nets such as 

sight-based lessons exist for any 

student not making progress).

The instructional day utilizes 

rotations that allow for small 

group instruction with a pri-

mary focus on two subjects 

areas: reading (3.5 hours per 

day) and math (1.5 hours per 

day). Science and social studies 

support the teaching and learn-

ing in reading and math. All the 

instructional lessons are aligned 

to the school’s performance 

Components of the Maxwell 

Elementary School Math 

Program

• Accelerated Math Program 

with in-house modifications

• Second priority math

• Researched, data-driven 

program to work with 

student population

• Curriculum alignment and 

mapping

• Explicit, systematic math 

instruction

• Repetition and practice

• Assessments throughout

the year

• Daily test practice

• Flexible scheduling with 

rotations for small group 

instruction

• Technology (if you have it) 

aligned with curriculum

• Teacher support

• Accountability for teacher 

and student

• Celebrations, honest 

awards, and incentives
16

BRINSON MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

The Many Faces of Diversity

By Dee Brewer

Principal Karen Skipper has 

worked at Brinson Memorial 

Elementary School for 11 years; 

three years as principal and four 

years as an assistant principal 

and a teacher. The school has 53 

teachers and about 800 students 

in grades kindergarten through 

five. White students make up 76% 

of the student population, African 

American students 22%, and 

Latino students 1.5%. Only five 

limited-English students attend 

the school this year.

The school is located in a formerly all African-American section of New Bern, N.C., called 

James City. Skipper describes 

the area as “rural as rural can 

be.” Huge, partially wooded 

grounds surround the school and 

extend up to the Neuse River. 

“It is a beautiful place to be,” 

comments Skipper. There are 

soccer fields, tennis courts, football fields, and four playgrounds 

around the school. In addition, 

the School District Technology 

Center is located on the school 

campus and is accessible to 

teachers and students.

The original school building 

was small. As student enrollment increased, classrooms 

were added. However, instead 

of adding four or five classrooms 

at a time to the existing building, the county decided to build 

additional buildings, each containing four or five classrooms. 

This approach continued until 

the school campus consisted 

of eight separate buildings with 

no place for the entire student 

body to come together. Three 

years ago, the school underwent 

a $1.5 million renovation to get 

all the buildings under one roof. 

The renovation was completed 

just prior to September 11, 2001.

The neighborhood around the 

school is becoming increasingly diverse. On the river, there 

are beautiful homes valued at 

$500,000 and above; while in 

other parts of the neighborhood, 

there are burned-out mobile 

homes where three families are 

living. Students who live in a 

newly developed golf community 

also attend Brinson.

Consider that among the 800 

students at Brinson, nearly 

13% are students with disabilities, many “mainstreamed” into 

regular classes for most of the 

day. Brinson Elementary is also 

home for five self-contained 

classes of exceptional children: 

two classrooms for students 

with educable mental disabilities, one for students with 

severe and profound disabilities, one for students with trainable-level disabilities, and one 
17

for students with behavioralemotional disabilities. 

These students with special 

needs are transported to Brinson 

from all over the district. It is 

likely that Brinson will continue 

to assume full responsibility 

for meeting state accountability 

standards for them, even with 

increasing expectations of the 

No Child Left Behind legislation. 

Although a special needs population this large can place a strain 

on school resources, Principal 

Skipper says, “We love this population and mainstream a lot of 

them.” Translation: Regular teachers and students are accepting of 

the special students.

A School and District 

Based on Quality

At the beginning of the implementation of North Carolina’s 

ABCs Accountability Program in 

1996, Brinson Elementary faced 

serious challenges. Only about 

60% of its students were achieving on grade level. 

In elementary schools, End-ofGrade test results and selected 

other components are used to 

measure the school’s growth 

and performance. Schools that 

attain the standards are eligible 

for incentive awards or recognition. Schools where growth and 

performance fall below specified levels are designated as 

low performing and may receive 

mandated assistance based 

on action by the State Board of 

Education.

Since 1996, Brinson Elementary 

has either met or exceeded 

growth standards or had high 

growth and has been a School of 

Excellence five out of six years. 

The sixth year, they missed 

meeting the standard by less 

than 1%. A School of Excellence 

is one that makes at least 

expected growth and has at least 

90% of its students scoring at-orabove grade level. 

At the end of the 2001-2002 

school year, 93% of Brinson’s 

students were achieving at-orabove grade levels in reading 

and mathematics! On average, over the last six years of 

the state’s ABCs Accountability 

Program, 91% of Brinson’s students have been achieving ator-above grade levels in reading 

and mathematics.

Although the state’s accountability program was a stimulus for school improvement, 

Brinson Elementary had already 

begun its quest by becoming a 

pilot for the implementation of 

Total Quality Education using 

aligned management and quality tools. The district superintendent later took the initiative 

to a new level and began implementing the Baldrige model 

district wide. Currently, the 

district is trying to reach agreement on specific aligned textbooks in reading and math so 

that student learning will not 

be negatively impacted when 

they transfer from one school 

to another. Principal Skipper 

indicates that she has good 

support from the district central 

office and believes that support 

is essential to effective school 

improvement.

Brinson has implemented the 

total quality model for about 10 

years, and the school has had 

stability in its teaching staff and in 

its principal. The principal before 

Skipper worked at the school for 

18 years, 14 of which were as the 

school principal.

Focused, Continuous 

School Improvement

Principal Skipper clearly attributes 

the schools’ continuous improvement largely to the commitment 

to quality management—and 

sticking with it. 

“I love to talk about my school,” 

she says. “Implementing quality management means that not 

using it is not an option. It is 

the way we do business here.” 

Further, it means focus, “living 

by the North Carolina Standard 

Course of Study and eliminating 

anything not directly related to it. 

All arrows must be pointed ‘due 

north.’ There is no room for random acts of goodness in choosing content unless it appropriately 

relates to the Standard Course of 

Study....the butterfly garden may 

have to go!” 

The concept of quality is also 

communicated to the students as 

well as the staff so that students 

are clear about what is expected 

and begin “to have a deeper 

understanding of the principles of 

quality behind their work.”

One tool Brinson has used to 

encourage continuous improvement is a large floor-to-ceiling 

board in the main hall of the 

school. The board is divided into 

space for third-graders, fourth-graders, fifth-graders, and teachers. 

Skipper explains that “each 

month a quality tool is spotlighted, such as the use of ‘flow 

maps.’ Student work is displayed 

on the board to show how each 

grade level is learning about 

flow maps, and teachers display examples of things they are 

doing to teach about flow maps.” 

Students, as well as teachers, 

learn by example.

Discipline has been another 

challenge for Brinson, as it is for 

many schools. Skipper notes 

that although discipline has not 
18

always been good at the school, 

it is now. 

“We are strict. There is no talking in the hall. The first 15 minutes of lunch are silent.” The 

school also has an anti-bullying campaign to communicate 

to students that students are 

respected in the school and bullying will not be tolerated. 

Unlike schools that have trouble 

recruiting and retaining teachers, Brinson has almost no turnover. Teachers want “to teach in 

a school with aligned management and a professional atmosphere, and then they do not 

want to leave.” 

The implementation of the 

Baldrige principles of management applies not just to teachers 

but all staff. According to Skipper, 

“The cafeteria workers have been 

trained in Baldridge. We had perfect scores on our health inspections last year. The cafeteria is 

clean, well run, and customer 

focused.... Our seven custodians 

will be trained next month.”

Focus on Reading

Brinson Elementary focuses 

on reading. It was the first 

school in the county to use the 

Accelerated Reader and the first 

in the state to use the Master 

Reading Renaissance Program. 

At the beginning of each school 

day, everyone in the school is 

involved in one hour of uninterrupted, sustained silent reading. 

The staff members hope that student tardiness will be reduced 

as more parents understand the 

importance of this reading time.

Typical Day

In addition to the hour of sustained silent reading, students 

spend 1.5 hours in language 

arts; 1.5 hours in mathematics; 

45 minutes daily in music, art, 

or PE; and a half hour for lunch. 

(Now the state is requiring 30 

minutes a day for PE.) Teachers 

also must teach science and 

social studies but have the flexibility to decide how to manage 

the time. Most teachers concentrate on each subject for a grading period.

Skipper’s typical day begins 

at 7 a.m. and doesn’t end until 

after 7 p.m. She requires each 

grade-level team to meet once 

a week, and she and the two 

assistant principals meet with 

each team. The teams must prepare an agenda prior to each 

team meeting. During meetings, 

the work is concentrated on curriculum issues. The meetings 

go smoothly because they are 

based on these quality tools. 

During much of the day, Skipper 

tries to be where the students 

are. She walks the halls and 

goes into classrooms to read 

to students or work with them. 

Recently, a teacher gave her 

students an assignment that 

involved drawing pictures of 

Skipper. The teacher told her, 

“The students think you have an 

easy job. They think all you do is 

walk around all day smiling and 

reading to students!”

Skipper remarks, “That’s why I 

work late. It’s only after the students leave that I begin to focus 

on the other things I must do.” 

Biggest Challenges

Brinson has challenges that are 

similar to those faced by other 

rural schools. Currently, she is 

most concerned about keeping parents actively involved in 

what the school is doing and 

what their children are learning. 

Skipper views the parents as 

critical members of each child’s 

educational team. Providing 

parents with techniques to help 

their children with schoolwork at 

home is one of the challenges. 

The parents of Brinson students 

maintain busy schedules typical 

of the 21st century.

Although Brinson Memorial 

Elementary School will face many 

more challenges (as well as 

opportunities), Skipper believes 

the school has advantages it can 

build upon. “The bottom line for 

any teacher may be much the 

same as it is for me. I love this 

school as I think many do. It has 

its own little soul. It is very special 

to those of us who love it.”
19

Excellence in Eutawville

By Cindy McIntee and Tamara Powell

Excellent teachers who are lifelong community members...custodial staff members who live 

down the street and keep the 

building spotlessly clean...a community that is supportive and 

trusts the school to properly educate its children...teachers and 

administrators who work collaboratively to meet challenges 

and make the most of talents 

and other resources...a principal/instructional leader who sets 

goals for each student, guides 

with patience, and works with 

students so they can develop 

better reading skills...all of these 

people make up St. JamesGaillard Elementary School.

Background

St. James-Gaillard Elementary 

sits in the quiet, small town 

of Eutawville, South Carolina, 

in Orangeburg County School 

District Three. St. JamesGaillard could be described 

as the school that Hugo built. 

Gaillard Primary School, which 

consisted of pre-kindergarten to third grade, was completely destroyed in 1989 when 

Hurricane Hugo wreaked havoc 

on the Eutawville community. 

For approximately eight months 

following the hurricane, St. 

James Middle housed the students from Gaillard Primary. The 

following school year, the school 

was reorganized to house preK through fifth grade and was 

renamed St. James-Gaillard 

Elementary. 

The building has been extensively renovated and is a bright, 

cheerful place for children to 

learn. Michelle Wilson has been 

the principal of the school for 

five years and is the “new kid” on 

the block. Most of the staff members are from the Eutawville 

community, and many of them 

attended the school when they 

were children. The school’s custodian has been at the school for 

32 years. Because the parents 

know the teachers in the community, they trust them to educate their children. 

Challenges

St. James faces the challenges 

that many rural schools do; 

however, its faculty and administrators have very high expectations and are determined to offer 

optimal learning opportunities. 

Because many students cannot 

afford to travel outside their community, the school has worked 

hard to expose them to other 

places and familiarize them with 

words and ideas that may not be 

common in their everyday experiences in Eutawville. The fact that 

89% of the school’s students qualify for free and reduced lunch 

indicates that the majority of families encounter difficulty in providing some of the “extras” that more 

affluent parents provide for their 

children. The school and community have pulled together to secure 

resources enabling children to 

travel outside their rural area and 

experience the diversity of New 

York City and sites in Canada.

St. James-Gaillard Elementary 

sees itself as a high-achieving 

school in a community that is 

filled with love and support. 

Wilson is working to make the 

student body more diverse and 

reflective of the surrounding community and would like to see 

more of the area’s entire community enrolled at St. James, where 

97.9% of the school’s population 

is African American. One result of 

the efforts to build stronger relationships occurred this fall when 

a local church and the school 

came together to hold a Fall 

Festival, an event that brought the 

community together and merged 

the church’s traditional festival with the school’s traditional 

Halloween festival. 

District Support

The district office is credited for 

its consistent support. To assist 

the school, the district office staff 

members have provided curriculum-pacing guides and have demonstrated their willingness to bring 

in outside expertise to provide 

high-quality professional development. According to Wilson, one of 

the pluses of working in a small 

district is the ability to meet with 
20

the superintendent without an 

appointment. This feature facilitates a closer working relationship between the principal and 

the Superintendent, Dr. David 

Longshore. Wilson acknowledges 

deep district support for the 

school and its mission.

The focus of the school’s professional development has been 

on team building and building a sense of community this 

year. Analysis of test scores 

and teacher input led the staff 

to renew its focus on teaching English Language Arts and 

writing. The district assisted 

the school by providing a consultant who trained teachers in 

effective implementation of the 

Cunningham 4 Block Model. 

Professional development this 

year has also emphasized team 

building and further development 

of a sense of community. 

Giving Students 

Ownership

Each day, students begin their 

day with an oath: “Today is a 

new day and a new beginning. It 

has been given to me as a new 

gift. I can either use it or throw it 

away. What I do today will affect 

me tomorrow.” 

Students are encouraged to evaluate themselves, assess their 

learning, and set goals for themselves. The principal has met 

with every fourth- and fifth-grader 

to discuss individual academic 

progress and develop academic 

goals for the year. Likewise, thirdgraders set academic goals, too.

Teachers

The teachers at St. JamesGaillard believe in teamwork. 

They plan together, and the principal accepts one set of lesson 

plans per grade level. The teachers and the principal believe that 

working together helps them in 

their quest to answer the question, “Why are we here?” The staff 

motto, “We’re here for the kids,” 

clearly reminds them of the 

basic reason they are involved 

with St. James-Gaillard. 

Because the number of teachers 

is limited, one teacher teaches 

science for both the fourth- and 

fifth-grade classes. Fine arts 

teachers often assist other teachers in English/language arts 

and mathematics. Most teachers live in or near the community; only three teachers live in 

Orangeburg, the largest town 

closest to the school. At least 

two teachers started working at 

the school as paraprofessionals. These women returned to 

college, completed their baccalaureate degrees, and became 

certified teachers.

Most of the teachers have taught 

in this community for many 

years. Last year’s percentage 

of teachers returning to the 

school from the previous year 

was 88.5%. Additionally, most of 

the teachers and staff members 

have a master’s degree. 

A Community of 

Believers

We met with a number of parents and teachers at St. JamesGaillard to discuss their school. 

Iona Gathers, Gail F. Gibbs, 

Willie Frank White, and Renee 

Wolpert talked with us about the 

school’s culture and the role the 

community plays in assisting the 

students in reaching their goals. 

The parents shared that the 

school could be characterized as 

a place of love and unity, a place 

that shares a bond with the community. Parents are welcome to 

drop in and visit in the school, 

and they receive information 

from the school that is helpful 

in working with their children at 

home. The parents perceive that 

the teachers really seem to enjoy 

teaching and that they work as a 

team. Most importantly, according to the parents, the teachers 

include them as team members. 

For instance, parents have 

attended a Family Math and 

Science Workshop that was 

designed to show parents how 

they could use hands-on skills 

at home to help their children 

with the mathematics skills that 

are assessed on the Palmetto 

Achievement Challenge Test 

(PACT). Families also receive 

additional information about 

things they can do to contribute 

to their children’s educational 

advancement. 

St. James-Gaillard’s parents also 

assist the school in developing 

business relationships. The local 

IGA grocery store donated folders 

for the students to use in preparation for the PACT. Members of the 
21

school’s staff reported that parents provide them with ideas to 

meet needs that they can identify. They also use their skills to 

assist the school: one parent is 

the school’s photographer, and 

another makes paper for the students in interdisciplinary science/

art settings. 

Parents also know that the teachers guard their instructional time. 

One parent indicated that parents are encouraged to consider 

scheduling their children’s outside appointments so that they 

do not conflict with the school’s 

schedule. Wilson also confirmed 

the value placed on protecting 

instructional time. She related 

that she had to send someone 

to retrieve students from a classroom so the children could catch 

their buses because the teacher 

was busy squeezing in a little 

more instruction.

The teachers and staff members that we spoke to, including Edna Holliday, Sheila 

Washington, Carrie Green, Cathy 

Huger, Cynthia White, and Tracy 

Elmore, indicated a willingness 

to try new ideas and discard programs or methods that did not 

work. These teachers believe 

that their primary responsibility is to teach children, and they 

believe that their ideas and 

suggestions are valued by the 

administration. The teachers 

have input in setting goals for 

their students’ achievement. 

They have implemented a number of successful strategies to 

improve academic achievement. Children may participate 

in early-bird tutoring, after-school 

tutoring, and pull-out tutoring 

based upon the child’s needs. 

Teachers provide the tutorial 

assistance. They also provide 

tutoring for students as young 

as three years old who are identified for assistance by the First 

Steps program (South Carolina’s 

early childhood initiative). 

All students are involved in “Nifty 

Fifty” activities. Students are heterogeneously grouped for regular instructional time; however, 

for a few periods each week, 

students are grouped homogenously during “Nifty Fifty” time. 

Students are divided into three 

levels—Masters, Achievers, and 

Learners. Masters receive challenging instruction above grade 

level. Achievers receive reinforcement instruction on grade 

level, and Learners receive 

remediation of designated skills. 

Teachers and students strive 

for all of the children to reach 

the Masters level and celebrate 

when a child moves up from one 

level to the next. 

Twice monthly, advanced 

and proficient students come 

together to work on reading, 

writing, and mathematics. Ms. 

Lawrence and Ms. Middleton. 

secured a grant from SCANA 

to fund their homework center; 

unfortunately, that grant will end. 

Another grant, SCReads Tutorial 

Assistance Grant, was secured 

to provide funding for child development (Project L.O.R.E.) that 

includes in-home services for 

some students in the community. 

The tenacity and hard work 

of the teachers is matched by 

the commitment of parents. 

Approximately 30 students 

attended Science Camp last 

year, and the parents bore the 

cost. Summer school is being 

planned for this year, but budget 

cuts mean that the parents will 

have to pay the full tuition costs 

for their students to participate in 

the program. 

Curriculum

Each day, the objectives that 

correlate to South Carolina’s 

standards are written on boards 

around the school. The teachers are focused on teaching 

kindergartners through secondgraders how to read and on 

teaching third-graders through 

fifth-graders to read to learn.

They use a variety of methods 

to meet the individual learning 

styles of the students. Students 

are assessed at the beginning 

of each year to determine the 

individual needs of the students. 

Kindergartners through secondgraders are taught to read utilizing Saxon Phonics, Patricia 

Cunningham’s Building Blocks 

and Four Blocks, basal series, 

and Literacy First methods. 

Mathematics is taught utilizing 

manipulatives, Saxon Math, and 

the state-adopted math text Daily 

Oral Math. Science is taught utilizing a combination of experimentation and inquiry. 

Wishes and Dreams

At the top of the wish list, Wilson 

would like to have another science teacher so that students 

may take complete advantage of 

the hands-on science material 

available in the school. The staff 

would love to have the Spanish 

program restored and would like 

to be able to have all students 

perform at the high levels the 

teachers believe the students 

are capable of. Both the community and the educators expect to 

reach all of their goals. The principal, teachers, staff members, 

community, and district staff all 

work together to “be a part of 

something great.”
22

An Oasis of Excellence:

MISSISSIPPI’S HAYES COOPER CENTER FOR MATH, 

SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY

By Arthur Johnston

In the Mississippi Delta, the Hayes 

Cooper Center for Math, Science, 

and Technology has formed an 

oasis of learning and student 

achievement. As the state’s only 

charter school, Hayes Cooper has 

built a reputation of excellence in 

statewide testing while serving 

a rural and impoverished region. 

According to a State Department 

of Education report, “Hayes 

Cooper students produced some 

of the highest test scores in the 

state, even achieving the highest scores in some categories” 

(Roberson, 2002).

A Bi-Racial History

Named for the longtime AfricanAmerican custodian of the old 

Merigold Elementary School, the 

Hayes Cooper Center grew out 

of a 1989 federal court order to 

create a school in the Cleveland 

district that was 50% black and 

50% white. The district organized 

a blue-ribbon committee made 

up of a broad cross-section of 

community representatives, who 

were charged with designing a 

school that they would want their 

children to attend. 

“Their instructions were to 

design a school where learning 

happens for all students regardless of race, economic background, or family status” (Hayes 

Cooper, 2002). The group’s 

efforts resulted in a federal magnet school grant in 1990 and a 

subsequent grant four years later 

to double the school’s size.

While the court order allows a 

deviation of up to 5%, Hayes 

Cooper has maintained its 

racial balance over the years 

(Mississippi Report Card, 2003). 

Fifty new kindergarten students 

begin their studies at the Merigold 

each year and are selected by a 

lottery held during the first week 

of February. In grades 2 through 

6, any Cleveland District student 

may transfer to Hayes Cooper 

provided an opening is available and the student possesses 

no grade lower than a C in core 

subject areas (Cleveland School 

District, 2001). Applicants must 

also meet attendance and behavior requirements and must reside 

within the Cleveland School 

District (Hayes Cooper, 2002).

Outperforming

the Pack

In the 1999–2000 and the 

2000−2001 school years, Hayes 

Cooper students outperformed 

other students in the Cleveland 

School District (Hayes Cooper’s 

home district) in almost every 

category and also performed 

well above the state average 

(Roberson, 2002). In 2001−2002, 

the trend continued, with little 

statistical difference between 

the scores of white and AfricanAmerican students in most 

grade levels and subject areas 

(Mississippi Test Data Retrieval 

System, 2003). 

As Mississippi’s only charter school, Hayes Cooper 

is exempt from the process 

standards of the state’s performance-based accreditation 

system and from the provisions 

of the state’s Education Code, 

except those specifically incorporated in the charter petition 

and in the charter school law. 

Hayes Cooper is also exempt 

from all policies of the state and 

local school boards, except for 

personnel policies and certain 

other policies specifically mentioned in its petition. 

Parental Involvement, 

High Expectations, 

Student Portfolios,

and Test Data

Beverly Hardy, Hayes Cooper’s 

principal, agrees that her 

school’s unique status affords 

some benefits, but she is quick 

to point out that what makes her 

school successful is, first and 

foremost, parental support and 

involvement. 

“Our parents have to fill out an 

application, sign a contract to 

ensure preparedness at home, 

and agree to other requirements, 

like attendance at conferences 

and homework supervision.” 

Parents volunteer as readers 

every Friday during a two-hour 

literary circle and are free to 
23

come into classrooms at any 

time. “When they do, most end 

up helping teach,” she says.

She also attributes her school’s 

success to high expectations of 

teachers, parents, and students. 

“We see C students become A students simply because they know 

they are expected to do better 

here. They put forth more effort.”

Academic and writing portfolios 

are kept on each student and 

follow each student throughout 

his or her academic career at 

Hayes Cooper. Like the parental contracts, the portfolios are 

agreed to and signed by the 

student, parent, and teacher. 

The portfolios are used as promotion criteria for each child at 

each grade level. Work samples 

contained in the portfolios help 

teachers chart learning progress and clearly illustrate weaknesses for parents, students, 

and teachers. 

Hayes Cooper also makes interesting use of state test data. As 

Hardy points out, test results 

not only guide instruction but 

also guide teacher improvement 

and refinement as well. Says 

Hardy, “our test results make 

our teachers aware of what their 

own weakness are, and we are 

then able to look at the use of 

strategies to make up for those 

deficiencies.” She readily credits 

the Mississippi Department of 

Education and the State Board 

of Education for “giving us every 

tool we need to be successful 

on state testing.”

Class Size

Surprisingly, considering its tremendous success on statewide 

testing, Hayes Cooper has one 

of the highest pupil-to-teacher 

ratios in the Cleveland School 

District—23:1. 

Hardy says, “You can be successful without smaller class 

sizes.” She then points to a number of other factors that weigh 

more heavily in her school’s 

School Commitment Pledge

Academic Achievement

1. We will know how and use grade-level expectations in 

teaching.

2. We will interpret grade-level expectations both to the 

student and parents.

3. We will know the level of achievement of the student.

4. We will use a curriculum guide and a daily lesson plan.

5. We will evaluate student progress and report to the 

student and parents at regular intervals.

6. We will have a written grading policy and will make 

the policy available to the student and parents at the 

beginning of the year.

Interest and Motivation

1. We will encourage the student to do his/her best work.

2. We will demonstrate our belief that all children can learn 

by setting the same high expectations for academic 

achievement for all Hayes Cooper students.

3. We will serve as positive role models for your children 

by evidencing enthusiasm for teaching and learning.

4. We will reward your child’s efforts with positive attention 

and feedback.

5. We will recognize each child’s individual strengths and 

weaknesses and meet each child’s individual academic 

needs and learning styles.

Citizenship

1. We will inform students and parents of all classroom and 

school rules.

2. We will enforce all rules fairly and firmly.

3. We will maintain well-managed classrooms, conducive 

to good student behavior.

Homework

1. We will provide the students and parents with written 

information about the school’s homework policy.

2. We will provide homework assignments that are fair, 

grade-appropriate, and designed to reinforce what has 

been taught in class.

 

Beverly Hardy, Principal 

Parent/Guardian

Your Child’s Teacher
24

References

Cleveland School District. (2001, 

November). Petition for a charter 

school. Approved by the Cleveland 

Board of Education, November 8, 

2001. Unpublished manuscript.

Hayes Cooper Center for Math and 

Science. (2002, January). Application 

for the 2002 Governor’s Education 

Achievement Award. Unpublished 

manuscript.

Mississippi Department of Education. 

(2003). Mississippi report card for 

2001−2002. Jackson, MS. Retrieved 

June 2, 2003, from www.mde.k12.

ms.us/Account/RC2B/RC03web.pdf

Mississippi Department of Education. 

(2003). Mississippi test data retrieval 

system. Retrieved June 3, 2003, 

from www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad/td/

tdwww.htm

Roberson, T. R. (2002, December). 

Mississippi charter schools status 

report 2001–2002. Report presented 

to the Mississippi State Board of 

Education, Jackson, MS.

record of achievement:

• Integration of arts and 

technology in everyday 

instruction

• Cooperative activities in math 

and science and physical 

involvement of students

• Emphasis on enrichment, 

including summer 

enrichment programs

• Community involvement 

in the school and school 

involvement in the 

community

• A structured curriculum 

aligned with instructional 

practices and testing

• Sound teaching strategies, 

varied according to student 

need and background

After-school academic labs—

where students who are identified as having difficulty in a 

particular subject or topic are 

required to be tutored—are also 

an important aspect to Hayes 

Cooper’s success. 

Hardy’s teachers have built-in 

interdisciplinary studies in the 

fine arts, environmental sciences, and physical education 

at all grade levels. In August 

2000, Hayes Cooper fully integrated an environmental studies 

program into all subjects in all 

grade levels. 

Teacher Retention and 

Development

Because of the environment 

created by parental involvement and high expectations, 

Hayes Cooper has little difficulty 

attracting and keeping qualified 

teachers. Attributable in part to 

a first-year teacher mentoring 

program and the district’s summative and formative teacher 

evaluation process, Hardy has 

created an atmosphere where 

teachers share the same high 

level of expectations as parents 

and students.

All faculty and staff are required 

to receive a minimum of 20 

hours of professional development annually related 

specifically to the science, 

mathematics, and technology 

curricula. Additionally, the professional development must 

relate to the integration of the 

environmental studies and 

interdisciplinary studies curricula. Faculty and staff also 

Beliefs Count

Hayes Cooper has certain 

institutional beliefs that drive 

the educational system of 

the school: 

All students:

• Can learn.

• Will experience integrated, 

relevant and challenging 

instruction to prepare 

students for lifelong learning 

experiences. 

• Who do not meet 

basic standards will be 

remediated.

The principal:

• Will be a dynamic facilitator 

for the program.

All teachers:

• Will maintain high 

expectations.

• Will address all learning 

styles.

All parents:

• Will take an active role 

in student learning and 

behavior by signing parent/

guardian commitment 

pledge.

• And community members 

will be vital resources for 

the school.

All classrooms:

• Will be safe, risk-free 

environments.

And collegiality among administration, faculty, staff, and parents will permeate the school 

climate.

receive 40 hours of professional 

development training related to 

student assessment practices 

(Roberson, 2002).

Hardy asks her teachers to visit 

other public schools outside the 

district at least once a year in 

order to get fresh ideas, and she 

discourages “pencil/paper busy 

work” in favor of cooperative, 

hands-on activities so that “kids 

are learning when they don’t 

even know they are learning.”

Hayes Cooper teachers are 

eager to succeed and enjoy putting in long hours. Hardy notes, “I 

usually have to run people out of 

this building.”

Highlighted in SERVE’s 1994 

“Sharing Success” program, 

Hayes Cooper received the 2002 

Governor’s Education Achievement Award in Mississippi. As 

Mississippi’s only charter school, 

Hayes Cooper is unique in its 

track record of excellence and 

is indeed an oasis in the Mississippi Delta.
25

Rural School Teacher Shelley 

Marsh and Teaching as a 

Performing Art

By Charles Ahearn

Nearly one in three of America’s 

school-age children attends 

public schools in rural areas 

or small towns of fewer than 

25,000 people. 

A new 50-state report with 

state-by-state ranking from the 

Rural School and Community 

Trust suggests an urgent need 

for policymakers to pay attention to rural education issues 

across the nation. The report, 

geared to state education policymakers and the rural people 

they serve, aims to shed light 

on an often-neglected facet of 

American public education. The 

report uses two gauges: the 

Importance Gauge to determine 

the factors that combine to make 

rural education important to a 

particular state and the Urgency 

Gauge to determine the factors 

that combine to make it imperative that policymakers pay attention to rural education issues. 

(For a full discussion of how the 

two gauges are merged to determine a national “Rural Education 

Priority” ranking for each state, 

please see: www.ruraledu.org/

rpm/rpm502a.htm.) 

The National Rural Education 

Association (NREA) is the oldest 

established national organization 

of its kind. Formerly known as 

the REA, the Association traces it 

origins to 1907, when it was originally founded as the Department 

of Rural Education. Through the 

years, it has evolved as a strong 

and respected organization of 

rural school administrators, 

teachers, school board members, regional service agency 

personnel, researchers, business 

and industry representatives, 

and others interested in maintaining the vitality of rural school 

systems across the country. 

The National Rural Education 

Association Rural Teacher 

of the Year for 2002−2003 is 

Shelley White Marsh, a teacher 

at Easterling Primary School 

in Marion, South Carolina, and 

also a member of the SERVE 

Teachers of the Year Advisory 

Committee (TOYAC).

Recognition

This national recognition 

required that Marsh document 

high standards in the areas of 

student success, collaboration, and leadership. Based 

on descriptions and examples 

provided by Marsh and confirmed by administrators, other 

teachers, community members, 

parents, and students, it was 

determined by state and national 

screenings that Marsh incorporated the concepts of high 

standards in her teaching for all 

students and demonstrated that 

all students can succeed in learning at high levels. In addition, 

Marsh has demonstrated excellence as a contributing member 

of her rural community, a community that she is committed to 

serving for many years.

Currently, Marsh continues to 

teach her second-grade class 

while making presentations to 

educational and civic organizations and while serving as an 

advisor to the NREA Executive 

Committee on issues related 

to her area of teaching. At the 

NREA convention, she gave a 

keynote speech so rich in content and examples of her teaching techniques that the NREA 

membership unanimously voted 

her to fill the additional post of 

teacher advisor to NREA.

I was a member of the audience that day and listened as 

Marsh related anecdotes about 

her teaching and her students. 

While at the podium, she actually 

changed into several “costumes” 

to illustrate how she used costumes to emphasize concepts. 

Her presentation reminded me 

of the concept of “Teaching as a 

Performing Art” that had been the 

The NREA is a non-profit entity, directed by an elected executive committee, consisting of national representatives of rural school administrators, rural school teachers, state education agencies, educational 

service agencies, higher education, rural school district boards of education, and at-large constituencies. 
26

name of a teacher preparation 

course taught by Max Rafferty, 

the former California State 

Superintendent of Schools, and 

the name of a subsequent book 

of the same name by Seymour 

Sarason (1999). After listening 

to her presentation, I asked if 

I might visit her classroom in 

Marion, South Carolina. 

The Classroom

Marsh’s second-grade class 

decor was also a performance: 

The students entered what 

looked like the set of Survivor, 

and the interior of the room left 

no space unused. A large sign 

at the top of the wall read, “You 

never know what you can do 

until you try.” A student station 

included the large Survivor logo 

with the words “outwit, outplay, 

outlast.” A large bulletin board 

with the caption “Real Cool Work” 

included student work, and a 

small table was adorned with a 

reading lamp, a toy school bus, 

and a lava lamp. 

An area for special lessons 

included a rocking chair for the 

teacher and a large, oval carpet 

for the students. The rest of the 

room was covered with a variety of information including the 

alphabet, spelling words, and 

student work. Large cards with 

the days of the week floated on 

strings attached to the ceiling 

and stored away in a closet were 

two birds: Mrs. Name Bird and 

Mr. State Bird. 

The Lesson

But the main attraction was 

Marsh and her second-graders. As I watched in awe, Marsh 

taught a spelling lesson like 

none I had ever seen. Marsh’s 

students learned spelling sitting 

down, standing up, dancing, 

and singing. 

Next, Marsh asked her class to 

close their eyes and put their 

heads on their desks�no peeking. During this 20-second 

period, she put on a hunting vest 

and camouflage hat. When the 

students looked up, “the hunter” 

proceeded with a lesson on 

hunting safety. The students provided all the answers. 

A large ceramic owl was then 

brought to the front of the room. 

It looked fierce, and its head 

rotated. Even this well-behaved 

class murmured at the sight of 

the defiant owl. Marsh also produced a book on “owling,” the 

study of owls, and discussed the 

difference between hunting owls 

and studying them. And then 

she produced the grand finale, 

an owl pellet (a wad of bolus or 

indigestible material regurgitated 

by a carnivorous bird). 

Marsh posed the question, “What 

did the owl have for dinner?” The 

answer, of course, was in the 

pellet represented by resistant 

remains. The students gathered 

on the oval carpet, where Marsh 

began dissecting the owl pellet, 

and a small skull appeared. 

“It’s a bird,” concluded one 

student. 

Another said, “But that looks like 

fur. Maybe it’s a rat.” 

Another asked, “What is that hole 

in the skull?” 

“It’s where an eye used to be,” 

said Marsh. 

“Yuk!” they all said in unison but 

were completely engaged, as 

Marsh continued to unlock the 

pellet’s mysteries.

The Interview

While her students attended 

their “pull-out” art class, Marsh 

answered the following questions.

SERVE: You were named 

the National Rural Education 

Association (NREA) teacher of 

the year for 2002. How did that 

change your life? 

Marsh: After I was named the 

NREA teacher of the year, I 

was invited to speak to various 

organizations. For example, I 

was invited to be the featured 

speaker at the National Rural 

Education Association national 

conference in Portland last year. 

While there, I was elected the 

teacher representative on one of 

their advisory committees 

for 2003. 

Several newspapers have run 

articles about my teaching and 

my school and community. This 

has helped put Easterling Primary 

School and rural schools in general on the map, so to speak. 

Those who attend my presentations and read the newspaper 

articles find that schools in rural 

America are doing many of the 

same effective things that larger 

schools in urban areas are doing. 

This gains a lot of recognition and 

respect for our rural school, rural 

school district, and community.

I have also been invited to 

speak to numerous agencies 

and organizations in South 

Carolina, including the South 

Carolina Alliance for Black School 

Educators, the South Carolina 

Character Education Partnership 

Team, and the South Carolina 

Rural Education Association. An 

organization in Kansas just contacted me to speak at its annual 

in-service meeting in 2004.

SERVE: What do you see as 

the special advantages of rural 

schools?

Marsh: We do pull together more, 

I think. We use our community 

as a resource. We have a lot of 

business support and community 

involvement. Many of the parents 

and community members volunteer to help. 

I feel we are like a family, and we 

talk about that all the time. This 

school and community feel like a 

close-knit family, and we are very 

supportive of each other. The 

teachers at Easterling Primary will 

share their ideas with other teachers. I have been invited by the 

teachers here to just go into their 
27

filing cabinets, find what I need, 

and use it. I, of course, share 

with them too.

The community is also very supportive of the school. We have 

a parent resource person who 

goes out and attracts volunteers 

from the community to come in 

and speak and work. She also 

has a van to transport the parents who can’t drive to school 

functions. We have a great turnout for PTA meetings, parent 

conferences, and other school 

functions.

SERVE: Why do you think you 

were chosen national rural 

teacher of the year?

Marsh: I guess it would have to 

do with how I use my teaching 

style to obtain and keep the children’s attention and help them to 

develop associations to remember the content I teach. I also 

think the committee that made 

the final decision was impressed 

with the costumes I use to help 

students remember lessons on 

spelling, reading, mathematics, 

science, and other aspects of the 

curriculum.

I began to use costumes, puppets, and other memory-enhancing techniques because younger 

students have shorter attention 

spans. In addition, second-graders are already acclimated to 

technology. Television, computers, and video games have 

images that change every few 

seconds. My students are accustomed to this and expect this 

constant change of scenery. So, I 

dress up, use puppets, or act out 

lessons with props for each subject each day to grab and keep 

their attention. It works! Secondgraders love cartoons and lively 

visuals like that, so I become a 

lively, animated visual.

My students are able to remember the lessons I teach them 

by associating the content of 

the lessons with the costumes 

I wear and the characters I 

portray. For example, I use a 

Superman outfit for “Superman 

Subtraction,” a “Captain 

Capitalization” costume when 

I am talking about capital letters, a Raggedy Ann costume 

for “Raggedy Ann Addition,” 

and a skeleton costume for 

“Mr. Goodbody,” when we are 

engaged in the study of the 

human body. My second-graders 

know the specific skill we are 

going to work on when they see 

these characters, and this helps 

them remember these concepts 

and skills throughout the year 

and as they venture through their 

school career.

I also make our storybooks 

come to life for them by dressing up like the main characters 

in the stories. In character, I “tell” 

the story to my second-graders.

SERVE: There is a concept 

referred to as “teaching as a 

performing art.” Do you see 

teaching as a performance 

and an art?

Marsh: Yes, it is pretty much a 

performance and an art. I have 

my own stage, and my students 

are waiting to see what I am 

going to do. Like other artists, 

I must be creative and inventive. Each student in my captive 

audience is like a sponge waiting to soak up any and all new 

information.

SERVE: What evidence of 

improved student performance 

have you seen as a direct result 

of your style of teaching?

Marsh: Here at Easterling 

Primary School, we assess each 

student’s reading level at the 

beginning of the year and at the 

end of the year. I have had children jump two or three reading 

levels in one year. This includes 

average children, gifted children, 

and those with special needs.

SERVE: Would you advise other 

teachers to plan performances 

as well as lessons?

Marsh: Oh, yes. Definitely! I 

would especially encourage high 

school teachers to plan performances and “dress up.” They 

tell me that it only works for me 

because I teach in a primary 

school. However, if they would 

just put on a hat or wear a pair 

of silly glasses, their students 

would love it! 

I know several high school teachers who present material to their 

students in a similar fashion. 

One high school physics teacher 

roller blades in his classroom 

to teach motion. His students 

begged him to wear the roller 

blades around the hallways. So, 

now Fridays have become Roller 

Blade Friday. I teach predicting 

and inferring skills while I roller 

blade in my classroom. My students think I’m the coolest person in the world. 

SERVE: Was there anything in 

particular that influenced your 

teaching style?

Marsh: I observed my mother 

effectively use puppets and 

costumes in her first- and second-grade science classes. In 

addition to maintaining the attention of her class, it looked like 

fun, and her students responded 

enthusiastically. So, I tried some 

costumes out when I did my student teaching. It was very well 

received, and based on that success, I expanded those few costumes to many more.

My mother and I now have so 

many costumes, puppets, and 

props that my dad had to add 

shelves to his new storage building to hold our containers of educational fun.

SERVE: How do teachers and 

staff members feel about your 

teaching style?

Marsh: Other teachers are very 

supportive. A few of them have 

even used headbands, hats, and 

things like that to supplement 

teaching and to create associations for various concepts. My 
28

principal, Mrs. Cook, loves it. 

Actually, when I was still student teaching, Mrs. Cook and 

Dr. Cheryl Allread, the superintendent of schools, would come 

in all the time just to visit and 

see what was going on, not just 

to evaluate.

SERVE: How do parents react 

to your teaching style? 

Marsh: They are also very interested and supportive. I’ve had 

many parents come in and want 

to sit and watch. Of course, they 

are invited. The only drawback 

is that the parents want me to 

move up with their children 

because they feel that the next 

year won’t be quite as fun and 

instructive. 

On the last day of school, a 

mother and her child came in to 

see me at about 4:00 in the afternoon. Her child had been crying 

since she left school that day. 

She didn’t want to leave second 

grade. The mom started crying, 

too. She was glad her child had 

been in my class. I’ve gotten 

many calls and letters from parents like her thanking me for having their child in my class. 

Also, some parents react by 

demonstrating their talents for 

the class. For example, during 

our human body unit, a parent 

brought in X-rays and discussed 

them. Another parent, whose 

native language is Spanish, read 

a book to the class in Spanish 

and then translated it into 

English. My students were very 

impressed.

SERVE: Are there any costumes you tried but decided to 

eliminate from your repertoire? 

Marsh: There are not any that 

have failed, but I do change 

some because some characters lose their fame and familiarity. Many of my characters and 

props originate from the current 

pop culture or the latest fads. 

For example, Blues Clues was 

popular in the past. However, I 

wouldn’t use those costumes 

now. Barney was also more 

popular in the past, but I don’t 

dress up as Barney anymore. I 

do add new costumes such as 

Shrek and Multiplication Men in 

Black to replace the ones that 

become dated.

SERVE: Do your students react 

in any unusual ways when you 

are in costume?

Marsh: Well, when I did my student teaching, I was in the kindergarten class part of the year. 

Kindergartners give a whole new 

spin to “dressing up.” They actually believed that I was the person I had literally transformed 

myself into each day. The kindergartners wanted to know where 

Ms. Marsh had gone. They 

wanted to know what (the character I was portraying) did with 

their teacher!

Last year, I was teaching a writing lesson. My second-graders 

were using the word said too 

much in the stories they were 

writing. I told them that said was 

tired and that they needed to 

use synonyms for said. I put on 

a nightgown, nightcap, held a 

teddy bear, and sat in my rocking chair. I told them that we 

were going to put “said to bed.” 

This year, my students became 

very attached to two of my puppets, “Mrs. Name Bird” and “Mr. 

State Bird.” Mrs. Name Bird visits at the beginning of each 

school year to help the students 

become acquainted with each 

other’s likes and dislikes and 

especially their names. Mr. State 

Bird tours our classroom once a 

week during a spelling lesson. 

He points out our state for the 

week. The students thought the 

puppets were real and became 

interested in their “social life.” 

They wanted Mrs. Name Bird to 

go out on a date with Mr. State 

Bird. My second-graders even 

wanted to know what the birds 

did over the weekend, where 

they slept, and what they ate.

SERVE: What made you decide 

to become a teacher and stay in 

your community?

Marsh: I grew up in the community adjacent to Marion, South 

Carolina, where I teach. It is a 

rural community also. I like the 

small-town atmosphere, and I 

wanted to stay close to home. 

I actually did my student teaching at Easterling Primary School. 

When the principal offered me a 

contract, I decided to stay.

I don’t see myself doing anything 

else. A lot of people have asked 

me if I plan to become a school 

administrator, but it’s not my 

thing. I’ve always wanted to be a 

teacher. When I was a little girl, I 

founded my own Barbie school. 

And I would also boss—I mean 

teach—my little brother!

My mother and grandmother were 

both excellent teachers. So, now 

I am a third-generation teacher. 

My mother’s success as a primary 

school teacher was a big influence on my career choice. 

I was also inspired by Christa 

McAuliffe. I was in the fourthgrade when she embarked on the 

Challenger mission. Her plan was 

to strengthen education through 

the space program. Her motto, “I 

touch the future, I teach” is very 

special to me.

SERVE: What do you think is 

important for your students to 

remember about their experiences in your classroom?

Marsh: I want them to be able to 

not only remember what I taught 

them but also to build on their 

skills in the next grade. Most of 

them can read and add and subtract. I want them to be prepared 

to take it to the next level. I hope 

my memory-enhancing techniques, including the costumes, 

will help them remember. I have 

taught my second-graders foundational skills they will need in 

the next grade. I want them to be 

prepared to do higher-level, multitask skills later and be successful 

and confident in their actions.
29

The Rural School District 

Superintendents’ Network

at SERVE

By Charles Ahearn

The Rural School District 

Superintendents’ Network 

at SERVE was launched in 

2003, under the direction of 

SERVE’s Executive Director, 

Jack Sanders, as a new SERVE 

initiative to involve rural/small 

school district superintendents 

in intra-state and national rural 

activities. The purpose of the 

Network is to help participating 

rural school district superintendents and SERVE stay abreast 

of rural issues, especially in the 

Southeast; to promote intra-state 

networking among rural school 

superintendents; and to develop 

procedural knowledge for the 

purpose of improving rural 

school districts and schools.

Preliminary discussions with 

rural superintendents and CEOs 

of state superintendent associations indicated that there was a 

niche for an inter-state network of 

rural/small school district superintendents. Continuing discussions with these parties and with 

SERVE Policy Analysts, located 

in departments of education in 

the SERVE region, provided additional encouragement and direction to this effort. This assisted 

SERVE in the identification of 

approximately three rural/small 

district superintendents from 

each state in the SERVE region.

Members of the Network represent the diversity of the region 

and are representative of small/

rural superintendents who lead 

high-performing districts or who 

have demonstrated a sincere 

interest in learning about district 

and school-level improvement 

strategies and in implementing 

these strategies in their districts.

The charter meeting of the Network of small/rural school district superintendents was held in 

Atlanta, Georgia, in the spring of 

2003. The faculty for this charter 

meeting included representatives 

of the Association of Educational 

Service Agencies (AESA), the 

National Rural Education Association (NREA), the Educational 

Resources Information Center/

Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools at the 

Appalachian Education Laboratory (ERIC/CRESS at AEL), Ohio 

University’s Educational Studies Department, the Institute 

for Regional & Rural Studies in 

Education, a Network member 

superintendent assisted by an 

art teacher from Pickens County, 

Georgia, and SERVE staff.

The theme of the two-day meeting was “networking,” and superintendents were invited to send 

in a brief description of an effective practice that contributed to 

their success as a superintendent. They were also invited to 

submit an unresolved challenge. 

These successes and challenges 

were posted around the meeting room, and when the superintendents arrived, each was 

asked to read the successes and 

challenges sent in by the other 

superintendents. The superintendents then located superintendents who, in their opinion, had 

an interesting success that they 

wanted to know more about or 

an unresolved challenge about 

which they felt they could offer 

some assistance or advice. This 

initial networking activity continued throughout the two-day 

meeting during breaks, during 

a networking dinner, and at the 

evening reception. 

Bob Stephens, the Director of 

the Institute for Regional and 

Rural Studies in Education, synthesized the discussion by summarizing patterns and themes at 

strategic points during the meeting. In addition, Stephens met 

one-on-one with participants 

and presenters to assess reactions and expressed needs. His 

subsequent synthesis report has 
30

informed SERVE’s work, including interventions with superintendents and agenda building.

Steve Bingham, SERVE’s 

Education Leadership Director, 

discussed the demographics 

of SERVE’s six-state region, the 

rural nature of the Southeast, 

and the vision and mission of 

SERVE with the superintendents. 

Kari Afrstrom, representing 

AESA, answered frequently 

asked questions about educational service agencies, noting 

that educational service agencies provide high-quality, costeffective support programs 

for local schools and districts 

enabling cooperating districts 

to share costs rather than fund 

duplicative programs. 

Al Eads, Jr., President of the 

National Rural Education 

Association, overviewed the 

background, vision, and objectives of the NREA. Eads said:

Our vision is that the NREA 

will be the leading national 

organization providing services which enhance educational opportunities for rural 

schools and their communities, and our objectives are 

to serve as a national advocate and representative for 

rural education at all levels; 

provide coordination at the 

national level for rural education programs and activities; provide leadership for 

rural related conferences and 

workshops, and provide a 

forum for all those involved 

in public education in rural 

communities; promote state, 

regional, and local delivery 

systems, which bring efficient and effective education 

for children in rural areas; 

encourage the collection 

and dissemination of promising practices; encourage 

colleges and universities 

to develop materials and 

resources specifically for 

rural schools; and stimulate 

discussion about research 

and policy development regulating educational opportunities for all students.

Robert Hagerman, representing ERIC/CRESS at AEL, provided materials about the 

ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural 

Education and Small Schools. 

Charles Ahearn, SERVE’s 

Director of Special Initiatives, discussed the networking theme 

of the meeting, describing the 

networking leader as one who 

sees relationships as the essential way to get the job done, 

who influences the organization 

by influencing individuals, and 

who leads and manages by getting things done through others. 

Ahearn presented five, researchbased networking principles 

described in Wayne Baker’s 

book, Networking Smart: How to 

Build Relationships for Personal 

and Organizational Success

(2000) and illustrated them with 

examples and stories. The principles are as follows:

• Relationships are a 

fundamental human need.

• People tend to do what is 

expected of them.

• Leaders tend to network with 

others like themselves.

• Repeated interaction 

encourages cooperation.

• It’s a small world.

On the first day of the meeting, 

research scientist Jerry Natkin 

and evaluator Kathleen Mooney 

conducted a Nominal Group process, exploring the most important issues currently facing rural 

school superintendents in the 

Southeast. Of the 55 issues identified, the superintendents were 

most concerned about:

• Recruiting, employment, 

and retention

• Parental involvement 

in student’s academic 

achievement/performance

• Student behavior and 

motivation

• Teacher motivation and 

change

On the second day, Natkin and 

Mooney facilitated focus group 

discussions, exploring the two 

highest-priority issues in greater 

detail. In these sessions, superintendents shared their thoughts 

about the issues, offered advice 

to other superintendents, and 

discussed how SERVE can 

effectively address these issues 

in the Southeast.

In her presentation entitled, 

“Why Teachers Don’t Want to be 

Principals and Why That Matters,” 

Aimee Howley, Professor and 

Chair of the Educational Studies 

Department at Ohio University, 

summarized a study based on a 

survey of some 2,000 teachers in 

Ohio. One thousand of them were 

licensed as administrators, and 

approximately the same number 

were not. Of those responding: 

• 62.5% were female.

• 37.5% were male.

• 7% taught in pre−K.

• 30% taught in primary school.

• 31% taught in middle school.
31

• 31% taught in high school.

• 1% taught in adult education.

• 44.6% coached.

• 55.4% did not.

Their mean age was 43.7. Their 

average number of years as a 

teacher was 17.8, and their average number of years in their current position was 10. 

Professor Howley’s findings 

focused on both incentives and 

disincentives influencing teachers’ decisions either to pursue or 

not to pursue positions as school 

principals. The most important 

incentives were the ability to 

affect the lives of a greater number of children, anticipated satisfaction of providing support 

to staff, anticipated satisfaction 

associated with “making a difference,” and a chance to have a 

greater impact as a principal. 

The most important disincentives were anticipated stress 

associated with having to play 

politics; anticipated stress about 

having less time at home with 

family members; principals 

increased responsibility for local, 

state, and federal mandates; 

accountability for societal conditions beyond educators’ control; 

and decreased opportunity to 

work with children directly. 

According to the findings, based 

on a scale comparing incentives 

with disincentives, there was a 

significant difference between 

the mean score for disincentives 

and the mean score for incentives: The mean for the disincentive scale was 2.7, and the mean 

for the incentive scale was 2.4.

Teachers who hold administrative 

licensure and have applied for 

administrative jobs, according to 

Howley’s findings, are older than 

other teachers, have more experience, are more likely to teach at 

higher grade levels, and are more 

likely to have been coaches. 

According to Professor Howley, 

superintendents should know 

the following: Teachers are more 

concerned about the difficulties 

and frustrations of the job than 

with its satisfactions. There are 

teachers who want to be principals but who aren’t being hired. 

Women and older applicants 

are being overlooked for jobs as 

principals. She encouraged the 

superintendents to carefully consider these applicants.

The final presentation to the rural 

school district superintendents 

was given by Superintendent Lee 

Shiver (a member of the superintendents’ group) and Kathleen 

Thompson, a National Board 

Certified art teacher from Lee 

Shiver’s school district, Pickens 

County, Georgia. In a presentation entitled “How Rural Schools 

Use Urban Resources,” Shiver 

defined a useable urban resource 

as one that can be visited within 

the school day and which can be 

completed in time for the busses 

to return for their scheduled afterschool routes. He emphasized 

the variety of cultural opportunities in Atlanta, Georgia, a city that 

fit into his definition of a useable 

resource and gave two examples 

of resources visited: the Atlanta 

Zoo and Shakespeare’s Tavern.

Kathleen Thompson informed the 

superintendents that there were 

also ways to transport resources 

from urban centers to rural districts. She gave examples of 

materials she had received from 

the National Gallery of Art and 

explained how they could obtain 

“affiliate loan status.” 

The charter meeting of the rural 

school district superintendents’ 

Network concluded with Shiver 

and Thompson leading a prearranged visit to Atlanta’s High 

Museum of Art, where museum 

officials hosted a tour of the 

museum including a pre-opening viewing of the Old Masters, 

Impressionists, and Moderns: 

French Masterworks from the 

State Pushkin Museum, Moscow. 

“Networking” will be a continuing theme of the Network. These 

rural school district superintendents will:

• Participate in Networksponsored activities. These 

activities will include two 

regional meetings per year 

and one national meeting.

• Articulate and reflect upon 

each other’s and SERVE’s 

vision, mission, and goals.

• Engage in the examination 

of research, specifically 

relating to rural/small school 

district and school-level 

improvement.

• Reflect on presentations of 

best practices, specifically 

found to be successful 

in improving student 

achievement in rural/small 

school districts.

• Engage in discussions of 

and communications relating 

to emerging initiatives, 

especially those affecting 

rural school districts. 

• Participate in discussions/

presentations of each 

other’s short- and long-range 

plans relating to school 

enhancement/improvement.

• Share in the identification 

and design of professional 

development events 

designed to improve rural 

school districts/schools/

personnel.

• Establish executive 

communication channels 

between the superintendent 

and the Executive Director 

of SERVE for the purpose 

of identifying evidencedbased program needs of rural 

school districts and activities 

of the Network.

• Promote the importance of 

rural schools and the critical 

role of the rural school district 

superintendent.

• Share information about 

initiatives/programs designed 

to enhance/improve rural 

education. 
PPRUR

Main Office:

P.O. Box 5367

Greensboro, North Carolina 27435

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