The 2002 No Child Left Behind education act has placed added academic pressure on North Carolina schools. Under the new law, each school must meet all of its adequate yearly progress targets to get a “pass” at the federal level. Some North Carolina schools had as few as one achievement target, or as many as 35 targets, to meet this year. More than half of the schools in the state missed one or more achievement goals in 2002-03.

Bucking the notion that schools with needy populations can’t succeed, Kernersville Elementary in Forsyth County hit all 27 of its federal achievement goals for 2002-03.

Kernersville serves a student population in which 58 percent of its pupils qualify for the federal free or reduced-lunch program, a ratio that would cause some school administrators to despair. Instead, Kernersville is a model for No Child Left Behind.

Emphasis on literacy

How does a school with a large number of at-risk children manage to be so successful? Principal David Fitzpatrick believes there are plenty of commendations to go around. “First, I have to credit the unselfish educators who truly share love and compassion,” Fitzpatrick said. He credits the faculty and staff at Kernersville Elementary as “vital to the school’s success.” In the midst of all the attention on test scores, he said, “they haven’t lost focus on taking care of children.”

In addition to caring faculty and staff, the school enjoys strong community support. A school has existed on the grounds where Kernersville Elementary stands since 1926. That creates a tradition and community ties at Kernersville, Fitzpatrick said. Business partnerships and a strong PTA presence have helped the school to thrive under tough economic conditions.

Fitzpatrick characterizes faculty and staff support for students as “unconditional.” Together, they have developed simple, yet effective ways to boost student achievement. One method was initiated five years ago by Fitzpatrick: an uninterrupted period of 100 minutes per day, in which students spend time practicing their reading skills. “It’s not rocket science,” he said, “but we said for 100 minutes a day, we are getting to literacy. It’s an investment in reading.”

The school has hired extra teachers to work with students exclusively on reading. Many of the extra teachers came out of retirement, and Fitzpatrick notes that their experience added to Kernersville’s success. About 15 faculty members are designated as primary reading teachers. They spend that precious 100-minute block of time with students every day.

Within the school day, this means a staggered reading schedule for the teachers, with an A block and B block. Teachers work with one group of students for the first 100-minute block, then break and work with a different group of students for the next 100 minutes. During the reading blocks, students are divided into what the principal calls “flexible groups.”

Kernersville regroups students regularly. “We try after each quarter to revisit groups,” Fitzpatrick said, noting that this flexibility allows for teaching to better meet the needs of the students. At the fifth-grade level, more than 89 percent of Kernersville students are now proficient in reading.

Connections to the home and others

In addition to the reading blocks, Kernersville has another way it follows through with its students. The school employs a “home-school coordinator” who tries to see that the children’s basic needs are met. She is affectionately known around campus as the Mother Theresa of the school. “She’s always on the go,” Fitzpatrick said. “She constantly meets with parents and gets supplies for the children.”

This assistance ranges from getting a child to the dentist to personally delivering packages of loose-leaf paper. Fitzpatrick estimates that at least 80 families received gifts and assistance from the coordinator last Christmas.

Many students from low-income families could not come to school ready to focus on the top priority —learning — if there were no coordinator to help them, Fitzpatrick said.

The diverse student body at Kernersville provides an enriching atmosphere for education, Fitzpatrick said. In addition to diversity along ethnic lines, a great deal of socioeconomic diversity exists among students. Diversity has positive effects for everyone, he said.

Part of Kernersville’s success is also due to Forsyth County school district policies, Fitzpatrick said. The district is unusual in its willingness to embrace choice for parents of public-school students.

Buddy Collins, a member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board, said the district’s open approach to school assignments allows parents to have more say in their children’s education.

The school system places a strong emphasis on magnet programs, and each school has its own theme. There is a wide range of school themes, such as math and science, communications, writing and publishing, and even aeronautics. Besides subject themes, magnet schools may focus on learning strategies, such as multiple intelligences, to attract students.

At the elementary school level, the district is divided into eight choice zones. Each zone has either four or five schools. Parents can choose a neighborhood school or one of the themed magnet schools. While enrollment in a particular school is subject to availability, Collins said that each school in the zone offers an exciting program and plenty of attractive choices for parents. According to Collins, this choice program has helped to create a positive response from parents.

“Every parent we talk to says their school is the best in the district,” Collins said. The district provides transportation for students who attend schools within their zone. Every school, regardless of magnet theme, teaches the basic curriculum mandated by the state.

Diversity

Critics of magnet programs have often said choice decreases student diversity in schools by allowing more-affluent students to avoid the inner city. Collins acknowledges that some schools are not as diverse as they could be, but that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages because “the result has been to have inner-city schools with small enrollment.” This provides at-risk students with greater professional attention.

In some situations, the choice plan has created more diversity, Collins said. Kernersville, for example, has a 47 percent minority population. Fitzpatrick counts this as a benefit, particularly since Kernersville was the school of choice for all of the families of students enrolled there.

Kernersville’s success has helped to maintain support from the entire community, Collins said. Businesses have donated technology and technical support to the school. “Education in Forsyth County is heading in the right direction, and Ker-nersville…is just one example of the district’s success,” Collins said.

Gwyn is a teacher and former Carolina Journal intern.