Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools had a lot to celebrate when the state released student achievement data last week. Principals from some of the highest performing schools gathered to discuss the educational strategies that are producing unprecedented results.
“We’re happy to report our highest five-year graduation rate on record,” said Chief Equity and Accountability Officer Andrew Kraft. “The tenacity that our students showed in graduating and sticking with it despite the challenges they saw in their first year of high school has us very excited.”
At the beginning of each school year, the State Board of Education and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction release a comprehensive list of growth statistics, school performance grades, and other metrics to evaluate student success in the previous year.
In 2023-24, 46 WS/FCS schools met or exceeded growth. Thirty-nine received a grade of A, B, or C from the state. Nine improved their marks from 2022-23 by a full letter grade.
Third grade reading scores, proficiencies on end-of-year tests for fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth graders, and the five-year cohort graduation rate all showed improvement as well. It was an all-around encouraging return for the district as educators strive to rebuild strong classrooms following the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic.
McManus and Kraft invited principals from improving schools at various grade levels to share their experiences.
Principal Brad Royal from Reagan High School emphasized that success is the result of sustained tone-setting. He says that his staff has been focused for years on laying out firm and clear expectations of excellence, both for their students in their studies and for themselves in their professional development. The result has been double-figure growth in each of the last six years.
“There’s a culture that has to have been created at Reagan High School where that is exactly what the expectation is,” Royal said. “Our kids deserve that. Our kids deserve to have our best efforts each and every day.”
Principal Celena Tribby from Cook Literacy Model School echoed the importance of staff commitment, as well as support from stakeholders outside the school. Cook has been exceptionally busy in the last few years, participating in the Restart Schools program and achieving the second-highest academic growth in the state among such schools since 2017.
During that time, the school has thrived with community partnerships, including mentorships from Winston-Salem State University students, bicycle donations from the Cycle Recycle program, and other efforts to make students feel like valued members of their neighborhood. This whole-community investment created an environment that gives students the motivation they need to learn.
“Standing here representing Cook, I’m also representing the community that serves Cook,” Tribby said. “This is a win for the community.”
Kernersville Middle School Principal Rachel Sanchez spoke about the need for a holistic approach to educational success. Academic support has been key at Kernersville as they’ve exceeded growth in seven of the last eight years. They have used dedicated intervention periods, student services, behavioral counseling, attendance assistance, and other services that push beyond the normal classroom structure.
Sanchez says that maintaining positive trends in academic achievement requires an approach that meets every student where they are, regardless of what obstacles may stand in their way.
“If the students are not reaching their growth index, then we look at that child, and first, we say, ‘what are we doing?’ and we reflect on our own individual instruction,” Sanchez said. “Then, we look at the child as a whole. What do they need?”
McManus praised the intentionality and strategic thinking that went into each school’s success. WS/FCS prides itself on employing educators who take their jobs and their responsibilities to their students seriously, always considering how to take the next step forward as a school. McManus feels that this year’s data shows that there are sound policies in place for making sure that WS/FCS is a great place to go to school, and those policies are working.
“There’s a specific strategy, and they know their students, and they know the data, and they know what to do to move a student from Point A to Point B, and they know that all children can achieve Point B from Point A,” McManus said.