2009 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Type of School: (Check all that apply) / [X ]Elementary / []Middle / []High / []K-12 / []Other
[]Charter / [X]Title I / []Magnet / []Choice
Name of Principal: Mr. Bert Coker
Official School Name: Tunnel Hill Elementary School
School Mailing Address:
203 E School St
Tunnel Hill, GA 30755-9719
County: Whitfield State School Code Number*: 3052/755
Telephone: (706) 673-4550 Fax: (706) 673-4956
Web site/URL: http://www.whitfield.k12.ga.us/the/E-mail:
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.
Date
(Principal‘s Signature)
Name of Superintendent*: Dr. Katie Brochu
District Name: Whitfield County Schools Tel: (706) 278-8070
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date
(Superintendent‘s Signature)
Name of School Board President/Chairperson: Mr. Jerry Nealy
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date
(School Board President‘s/Chairperson‘s Signature)
*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.
Original signed cover sheet only should be mailed by expedited mail or a courier mail service (such as USPS Express Mail, FedEx or UPS) to Aba Kumi, Director, NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Office of Communications and Outreach, US Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Room 5E103, Washington, DC 20202-8173.
The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each of the statements below concerning the school‘s eligibility and compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.
1. The school has some configuration that includes one or more of grades K-12. (Schools on the same campus with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)
2. The school has made adequate yearly progress each year for the past two years and has not been identified by the state as “persistently dangerous” within the last two years.
3. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement in the 2008-2009 school year. AYP must be certified by the state and all appeals resolved at least two weeks before the awards ceremony for the school to receive the award.
4. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, the school must have foreign language as a part of its curriculum and a significant number of students in grades 7 and higher must take the course.
5. The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2003.
6. The nominated school has not received the No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, or 2008.
7. The nominated school or district is not refusing OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district-wide compliance review.
8. OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.
9. The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging that the nominated school or the school district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution‘s equal protection clause.
10. There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in question; or if there are such findings, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.
PART II - DEMOGRAPHIC DATAAll data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT (Questions 1-2 not applicable to private schools)
1. Number of schools in the district: / 12 / Elementary schools5 / Middle schools
0 / Junior high schools
2 / High schools
1 / Other
20 / TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: 7798
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: 5643
SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
3. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:
[ ] Urban or large central city
[ ] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area
[ ] Suburban
[ X ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ ] Rural
4. 2 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.
9 If fewer than three years, how long was the previous principal at this school?
5. Number of students as of October 1 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school only:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade TotalPreK / 0 / 0 / 7 / 0
K / 27 / 33 / 60 / 8 / 0
1 / 30 / 30 / 60 / 9 / 0
2 / 27 / 30 / 57 / 10 / 0
3 / 22 / 27 / 49 / 11 / 0
4 / 29 / 28 / 57 / 12 / 0
5 / 31 / 23 / 54 / Other / 0
6 / 0
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 337
6. Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 0 / % American Indian or Alaska Native
1 / % Asian
1 / % Black or African American
18 / % Hispanic or Latino
1 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
78 / % White
1 / % Two or more races
100 / % Total
Only the seven standard categories should be used in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of your school. The final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic data to the U.S. Department of Education published in the October 19, 2007 Federal Register provides definitions for each of the seven categories.
7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 20%
This rate is calculated using the grid below. The answer to (6) is the mobility rate.
(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1 until theend of the year. / 38
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 31
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 69
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 351
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.197
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 19.658
8. Limited English proficient students in the school: 10%
Total number limited English proficient 34
Number of languages represented: 1
Specify languages:
Other than English, Spanish is the only other language spoken. Tunnel Hill's limited English students speak Spanish. So far the number of Hispanic students has not produced a large enough number to havea sub-group.
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 60%
Total number students who qualify: 201
If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income families, or the school does not participate in the free and reduced-price school meals program, specify a more accurate estimate, tell why the school chose it, and explain how it arrived at this estimate.
10. Students receiving special education services: 9%
Total Number of Students Served: 29
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
0 / Autism / 0 / Orthopedic Impairment0 / Deafness / 5 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 7 / Specific Learning Disability
0 / Emotional Disturbance / 16 / Speech or Language Impairment
1 / Hearing Impairment / 0 / Traumatic Brain Injury
4 / Mental Retardation / 0 / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
0 / Multiple Disabilities / 1 / Developmentally Delayed
11. Indicate number of full-time and part-time staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of StaffFull-Time / Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 1 / 1
Classroom teachers / 17 / 0
Special resource teachers/specialists / 9 / 1
Paraprofessionals / 6 / 0
Support staff / 12 / 3
Total number / 45 / 5
12. Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number of students in the school divided by the Full Time Equivalent of classroom teachers, e.g., 22:1 20 :1
13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. Only middle and high schools need to supply dropout rates. Briefly explain in the Notes section any attendance rates under 95%, teacher turnover rates over 12%, or student dropout rates over 5%.
2007-2008 / 2006-2007 / 2005-2006 / 2004-2005 / 2003-2004Daily student attendance / 97% / 97% / 96% / 96% / 95%
Daily teacher attendance / 95% / 95% / 94% / 96% / 96%
Teacher turnover rate / 12% / 19% / 4% / 4% / 28%
Please provide all explanations below.
Tunnel Hill Elementary has a low teacher turnover rate. In years with a change in staff greater than 12%, the number of retirements were higher. In 2003-2004, five teachers retired and one transferred to another position. Four staff members retired and one tranferred in 2007. In 2005-2006, staff attendance was lower due to two maternity leaves and one surgery.
14. For schools ending in grade 12 (high schools).
Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2008 are doing as of the Fall 2008.
Graduating class size / 0Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / 0 / %
Enrolled in a community college / 0 / %
Enrolled in vocational training / 0 / %
Found employment / 0 / %
Military service / 0 / %
Other (travel, staying home, etc.) / 0 / %
Unknown / 0 / %
Total / 100 / %
PART III - SUMMARY
Tunnel Hill Elementary (THE) is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It is a small, rural community near Dalton, Ga. Tunnel Hill is rich in Civil War history. The famous "locomotive chase" between Confederate and Union soldiers came through Tunnel Hill. We are fortunate to be situated in a community of significant historical relevance that also contributes to the students' education.
THE is one of 12 elementary schools in the Whitfield County School System. In October of 2008, total student enrollment at the school was 340, which allowed us to maintain the personal relationships and community feeling typical of one-room school houses.
Teachers take an active role in a community that fosters collaboration and enriches the educational process. The school evokes an atmosphere where parents feel at ease and volunteer often. Over 9,343 parents and community members volunteered in the 2007 school year. The combination of strong school personnel, dedicated parents, and community support make us successful.
Despite the fact that 60% of the students are considered economically disadvantaged and 10% are limited English proficient, THE has received the Title 1 Distinguished School Award for four consecutive years.
At THE, we strive to keep our focus on building relationships and on the students. This is reflected in our school's mission, vision and beliefs. During the 2007-2008 school years, THE staff collaborated and adopted the following mission, vision, and beliefs, which align with the guiding principles of the district: Tunnel Hill Elementary's mission is to guide, to engage and to prepare. Our vision is to be a trusted, respected, and vital part of the community because we put students first.
THE beliefs are:
1) We believe in our school district having an innovative, unified focus resulting in it being responsive to the needs of the students, parents, and community at large.
2) We believe that our core business is providing students with engaging, challenging, and meaningful work.
3) We believe that the role of the teacher is leader and designer of engaging, challenging, and meaningful learning experiences for students.
4) We believe that all of our personnel, parents, and other community members are vital to the education of our students whose attention and commitment must be earned.
5) We believe that all of our students, personnel, and parents deserve a safe, inviting, and non-threatening learning environment where they are treated with dignity and respect.
A unique feature of THE is that we utilize a collaborative decision-making model. A group of teacher leaders, support staff, and administrators comprise the school design team, which evaluates school performance and climate to suggest directions for improvement. In partnership with The Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform, our school utilizes the "Working on the Work" framework for school improvement which focuses on providing high quality, engaging work to students.
A key to THE's success is its team of dedicated professionals. THE has 26 teachers, all of whom are highly qualified. Of this 26, 8 teachers are National Board Certified. There are six paraprofessionals and twelve support staff who provide instructional assistance to our students. Two administrators, a media specialist, a music specialist, and a physical education teacher support our school in their special capacities. Our counselor offers classes in character education and small group intervention on issues such as coping with divorce, peer pressure, and appropriate relationships. She assists with standardized testing and the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Teachers provide after-school tutoring for students who are at risk.