She knows four of the students tested below benchmarks last year, and they get extra help. Students notice when their teachers notice them. There's a Homework Club after school, and two staffers help before school every day. Bryant Elementary in Lake Oswego has a highly developed system of customizing instruction. Students are grouped in class and also peel off to other classrooms for targeted instruction.
Teachers know that requires continuous communication.
They are up front with students about what they need to do. The commitment starts at the top. Last year, only 2 percent of Bryant students fell short of state reading and math benchmarks, and half registered at least two grade levels above the mark. All of us, as human beings, naturally want to learn. They know we care, because we talk to each of them about their own learning.