Burdick’s mission is to help all of their students reach their full academic potential . Burdick also wants their students to be able to be good citizens. They expect their students to be able to read with understanding and write and speak with clarity and correctness to fully participate in their communities. Burdick believes that fine arts in another intricate part of participating in a community. Burdick also expects their students to be able to solve mathematical problems, use scientific facts and principles, understand and apply technology in real life situations so they will be prepared to face reality. Burdick also wants their students to be aware of their well being and try to focus on positive habits to stay healthy. Burdick’s missions can be summed up by saying that they are committed to creating students that will assume responsible roles in society.
Burdick’s goals are related to the school budget (moving an employee from part time to full time and hiring a paraprofessional) and traffic (making drop-off and pick-up more smooth).
Donges Bay’s mission is focused on creating students that can be responsible citizens through active participation in their communities. They also want their students to be able to be flexible with life. Donges Bay really focused on their students being able to read to acquire necessary skills and knowledge for success.
Donges Bay’s goals are related to improving scores on the WKCE (primarily in reading).
Demographics of the community
Burdick is a part of the Milwaukee School District, which is located in the City of Milwaukee. The population of the City of Milwaukee is approximately 604,447 people. The City of Milwaukee is located in the southeastern corner of the state and on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. The City of Milwaukee is a large urban area that has easy freeway access and public transportation throughout the city. The Milwaukee School District has an enrollment of about 87,360 in 165 schools ranging from elementary school to high school.
Donges Bay is a part of the Mequon-Thiensville School District, which is located in the City of Mequon. The population of the City of Mequon is approximately 23,793 people. The City of Mequon is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan just north of Milwaukee. The City of Mequon has a rural heritage; fifty percent of the land within the city is undeveloped and still mostly farmed. However, Mequon does has easy access to the freeway. The Mequon-Thiensville School District has an enrollment of about 3,696 in 6 schools ranging from elementary school to high school.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity
Burdick’s enrollment by race/ethnicity for the 2010-11 school year was 65% white, 21% Hispanic, 8% Black, 4% Asian, and 1% American Indian.
Donges Bay’s enrollment by race/ethnicity for the 2010-11 school year was 83% white, 6% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 3% Black, and 3% two or more.
Student Performance on WKCE by Race/Ethnicity
Burdick’s chart only shows data for the white not Hispanic population with the majority of the scores falling in the proficient or advanced categories.
Donges Bay’s chart only shows data for the white not Hispanic population and some show data for the Hispanic population. The majority of the scores fall between proficient and advanced.
Student Performance on WKCE by Disabilities
Burdick’s students with disabilities struggled with language and science the most.
Donges Bay’s students with disabilities struggled with reading and science the most.
Student Performance on WKCE by English Proficiency
Burdick did not have any data regarding student performance based on English proficiency on the WKCE.
Donges Bay did not have any data regarding student performance based on English proficiency on the WKCE.
PHASE 2
My field two placement was at Jared C. Bruce Academy (JCBA) in Milwaukee. The demographics of JCBA was primarily African American. There were very few students that were Caucasians, Hispanics, or other ethnicities. Almost all of the students were bused in from all over the Milwaukee area. Because the majority of the students did not live in the same community that their school was in, it was really difficult for the students and families to become involved in the school and the community. My field three placement is at Donges Bay Elementary (DBE) in Mequon. The demographics at DBE are 73% White, 15% Asian, 4% African American, 4% Hispanic, and 4% that are two or more ethnicities. The majority of the students live within the same community that their school is located in. This allows for a community to be built within the school. There are a lot of parent volunteers in the school. There are a lot of after school activities offered at DBE. A lot of the students participate in after school activities at school, or within the community.
JCBA had some “funds of knowledge” from their students’ families. However, I am not aware of any home/community visits used to learn about the cultural differences of students to improve overall relationships with families. The teachers knew some things about their students’ families, but not nearly as much as they should have known. DBE holds meetings with families prior to the start of any school year in order to gain their perspectives on their child(ren). This usually occurs in the school setting. This allows the teachers to get to know their families before the school year starts. However, I am not aware of any home/community visits used to learn about the cultural differences of students to improve overall relationships with families.
At JCBA I did not notice any patterns of achievement by group membership. Based on the results of the WKCE, the majority of the students scored below grade level. At DBE there are no noticeable differences in achievement based on gender or ethnicity.
JCBA promoted Black History Month during February. However, I did not notice any other promotion of cultural awareness within the class and/or school environment. DBE promotes the positive acknowledgement of race and religious practices. However, I have not noticed any other promotion of cultural awareness with the class and/or school environment.
At JCBA I did not see knowledge about diverse cultures in the community integrated into my cooperating teacher’s work practices. As I stated before, the only time I saw culture addressed within the school was during Black History Month. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE is involved with the district cultural competency committee. She said that she is aware of best practices. However, given all the many initiatives and issues that arise in a day, cultural competency is not a high priority in the development of lessons. She feels as though the staff and students are inclusive and accepting of all differences.
The integration of 21st century skills into the curriculum and instruction was not a priority at JCBA. Their main struggles were getting through the day with minimal fighting, swearing, etc. There was minimal technology available to the staff and students. Each teacher had a computer to use in the classroom. However, that was the extent of their technology. There were no smart boards, overhead projectors, computer labs for students, etc. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE said there is a good deal of focus given to the 21st century skills within the district from higher level thinking skills to technology and common core standards. Most of the classrooms have Smart Boards. Each teacher has their own Mac Book. There are two computer labs with Apple computers for the students to use. Students with special needs are given iPads to use at school to communicate with their teachers, paraprofessionals, classmates, etc. Students are encouraged to use higher level thinking skills throughout the lessons created using the common core standards.
I was unaware of any outreach services JCBA provided to meet the needs of families. My cooperating teacher at DBE said they have a district parent organization called VOICES that brings n speakers that deal with issues of importance to families. They also provide parents with support for children, most often those with disabilities. There is also a list of local agencies made available to staff and parents for a variety of things like divorce, summer camp opportunities, etc.
There was no evidence that proved students at JCBA were culturally competent. There is no evidence that proves students at DBE are culturally competent.
I was not aware that JCBA supported all students in the school into an understanding of cultural competency. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE said she spends a great deal of time providing students with information and encouragement around their disabilities in order to develop their self-advocacy skills and increase their positive self-concept.
At JCBA I was unaware of any ELL students in my classroom. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE said that she is not currently working with any ELL students. However, in the past, she has worked with the ELL specialist when applicable to address the specific needs of a student.
There was no inclusion of what is going on in the state, country, and world included in the curriculum at JCBA. Like I said before, their main focus was to keep students safe. Learning always came second. A lot of the lessons were delivered straight from the textbooks. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE said that she is aware of the conversations that occur in social studies classrooms (current events in the news). However, this is not something she spends a great deal of time with in her classroom, unless she is working with a student that has a high interest in world/US events. In that case, she will attempt to bring in outside information for engagement purposes.
I was unaware of any mentoring of teachers towards an understanding and respect for cultures to which they may have not been previously exposed at JCBA. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE does not currently mentor anyone in the building.
PHASE 3
After analyzing my placement from assessment and student learning two at Jared C. Bruce Academy, I would have to say that there is a direct relationship between cultural proficiency, achievement gap, and parent communication/involvement. The vast majority of the students in my fifth grade room scored below proficient on the WKCE. It seemed as though their grades from their classroom teacher did not matter to them one bit. Most of their parents did not care what was going on at school I witnessed several occasions where the classroom teacher had to make phone calls home during the school day. Most of the parents asked for the classroom teacher not to bother them again unless it was an emergency. It was extremely sad to see how related cultural proficiency, achievement gap, and parent communication/involvement were so related in this classroom and throughout the school.
After reviewing data from my assessment and student learning three placement at Donges Bay Elementary in Mequon, I would have to say that I did not see a direct relationship between cultural proficiency, achievement gap, and parent communication/involvement. The majority of the students in my fifth grade classroom at proficient or well above proficiency. However, there are a handful of students who are not performing where they should be. Their parents are extremely involved in their child’s education though. The communication between the classroom teacher, paraprofessional, special education teacher, and parents is really good. Their involvement is amazing, because they want to make sure that their child is getting all of the help they need, especially at home.
After looking at both scenarios, I would have to say that it is the location of the school and the neighboring community that impacted the cultural proficiency, achievement gap, and parent communication/involvement. This is just my observation! Jared C. Bruce Academy is located on the outskirts of Milwaukee, while Donges Bay Elementary is located in Mequon.
Burdick’s goals are related to the school budget (moving an employee from part time to full time and hiring a paraprofessional) and traffic (making drop-off and pick-up more smooth).
Donges Bay’s goals are related to improving scores on the WKCE (primarily in reading).
My field two placement was at Jared C. Bruce Academy (JCBA) in Milwaukee. The demographics of JCBA was primarily African American. There were very few students that were Caucasians, Hispanics, or other ethnicities. Almost all of the students were bused in from all over the Milwaukee area. Because the majority of the students did not live in the same community that their school was in, it was really difficult for the students and families to become involved in the school and the community. My field three placement is at Donges Bay Elementary (DBE) in Mequon. The demographics at DBE are 73% White, 15% Asian, 4% African American, 4% Hispanic, and 4% that are two or more ethnicities. The majority of the students live within the same community that their school is located in. This allows for a community to be built within the school. There are a lot of parent volunteers in the school. There are a lot of after school activities offered at DBE. A lot of the students participate in after school activities at school, or within the community.
JCBA had some “funds of knowledge” from their students’ families. However, I am not aware of any home/community visits used to learn about the cultural differences of students to improve overall relationships with families. The teachers knew some things about their students’ families, but not nearly as much as they should have known. DBE holds meetings with families prior to the start of any school year in order to gain their perspectives on their child(ren). This usually occurs in the school setting. This allows the teachers to get to know their families before the school year starts. However, I am not aware of any home/community visits used to learn about the cultural differences of students to improve overall relationships with families.
At JCBA I did not notice any patterns of achievement by group membership. Based on the results of the WKCE, the majority of the students scored below grade level. At DBE there are no noticeable differences in achievement based on gender or ethnicity.
JCBA promoted Black History Month during February. However, I did not notice any other promotion of cultural awareness within the class and/or school environment. DBE promotes the positive acknowledgement of race and religious practices. However, I have not noticed any other promotion of cultural awareness with the class and/or school environment.
At JCBA I did not see knowledge about diverse cultures in the community integrated into my cooperating teacher’s work practices. As I stated before, the only time I saw culture addressed within the school was during Black History Month. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE is involved with the district cultural competency committee. She said that she is aware of best practices. However, given all the many initiatives and issues that arise in a day, cultural competency is not a high priority in the development of lessons. She feels as though the staff and students are inclusive and accepting of all differences.
The integration of 21st century skills into the curriculum and instruction was not a priority at JCBA. Their main struggles were getting through the day with minimal fighting, swearing, etc. There was minimal technology available to the staff and students. Each teacher had a computer to use in the classroom. However, that was the extent of their technology. There were no smart boards, overhead projectors, computer labs for students, etc. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE said there is a good deal of focus given to the 21st century skills within the district from higher level thinking skills to technology and common core standards. Most of the classrooms have Smart Boards. Each teacher has their own Mac Book. There are two computer labs with Apple computers for the students to use. Students with special needs are given iPads to use at school to communicate with their teachers, paraprofessionals, classmates, etc. Students are encouraged to use higher level thinking skills throughout the lessons created using the common core standards.
I was unaware of any outreach services JCBA provided to meet the needs of families. My cooperating teacher at DBE said they have a district parent organization called VOICES that brings n speakers that deal with issues of importance to families. They also provide parents with support for children, most often those with disabilities. There is also a list of local agencies made available to staff and parents for a variety of things like divorce, summer camp opportunities, etc.
There was no evidence that proved students at JCBA were culturally competent. There is no evidence that proves students at DBE are culturally competent.
I was not aware that JCBA supported all students in the school into an understanding of cultural competency. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE said she spends a great deal of time providing students with information and encouragement around their disabilities in order to develop their self-advocacy skills and increase their positive self-concept.
At JCBA I was unaware of any ELL students in my classroom. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE said that she is not currently working with any ELL students. However, in the past, she has worked with the ELL specialist when applicable to address the specific needs of a student.
There was no inclusion of what is going on in the state, country, and world included in the curriculum at JCBA. Like I said before, their main focus was to keep students safe. Learning always came second. A lot of the lessons were delivered straight from the textbooks. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE said that she is aware of the conversations that occur in social studies classrooms (current events in the news). However, this is not something she spends a great deal of time with in her classroom, unless she is working with a student that has a high interest in world/US events. In that case, she will attempt to bring in outside information for engagement purposes.
I was unaware of any mentoring of teachers towards an understanding and respect for cultures to which they may have not been previously exposed at JCBA. My special education cooperating teacher at DBE does not currently mentor anyone in the building.
PHASE 3
After analyzing my placement from assessment and student learning two at Jared C. Bruce Academy, I would have to say that there is a direct relationship between cultural proficiency, achievement gap, and parent communication/involvement. The vast majority of the students in my fifth grade room scored below proficient on the WKCE. It seemed as though their grades from their classroom teacher did not matter to them one bit. Most of their parents did not care what was going on at school I witnessed several occasions where the classroom teacher had to make phone calls home during the school day. Most of the parents asked for the classroom teacher not to bother them again unless it was an emergency. It was extremely sad to see how related cultural proficiency, achievement gap, and parent communication/involvement were so related in this classroom and throughout the school.
After reviewing data from my assessment and student learning three placement at Donges Bay Elementary in Mequon, I would have to say that I did not see a direct relationship between cultural proficiency, achievement gap, and parent communication/involvement. The majority of the students in my fifth grade classroom at proficient or well above proficiency. However, there are a handful of students who are not performing where they should be. Their parents are extremely involved in their child’s education though. The communication between the classroom teacher, paraprofessional, special education teacher, and parents is really good. Their involvement is amazing, because they want to make sure that their child is getting all of the help they need, especially at home.
After looking at both scenarios, I would have to say that it is the location of the school and the neighboring community that impacted the cultural proficiency, achievement gap, and parent communication/involvement. This is just my observation! Jared C. Bruce Academy is located on the outskirts of Milwaukee, while Donges Bay Elementary is located in Mequon.