Benteen Elementary School is a member of the ATL Leadership Network, a partnership between TNTP, Atlanta Public Schools (APS), and DeKalb County School District (DCSD). The project is part of a five-year, federal Education Innovation and Research grant. The ATL Leadership Network has been building leadership capacity to sustain school transformation in APS and DCSD since its inception in 2018.
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It's 6:30 a.m., the moon is still high in the sky, and there are already a handful of cars in the parking lot of Atlanta Public School's Benteen Elementary School. Teachers and staff trickle in, and the trickle increases to a flow the closer it gets to 7 a.m.
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School Counselor Chanel Free (left) and school Nurse Natasha Jenkins (right) welcome students as they enter the building. Benteen is slated for major renovations beginning this summer and students and staff will be relocated to a new location during the 2022-2023 school year as construction gets underway.
As part of his morning duty, Principal Andrew Lovett helps direct traffic as parents and caregivers drop off their children.
"TNTP helped us complete a Family and Community Engagement survey, which has made us be more intentional about how we do things. We thought we were a 'partnership school,' but the survey told us we were 'come if you call.' Duty posts like helping with traffic show that I, as a leader, am not above serving and allows me to be accessible to our parents. We want to make parents feel the connection to our school." - Dr. Lovett
Ms. Nadyne Jackson West has been teaching PreK and kindergarten at Benteen since 2016. Today, she is working with her students on the sounds letters of the alphabet make.
TNTP's ATL Leadership Network team worked with the Benteen leadership team to hire two additional instructional coaches for the 2021-2022 school year.
"TNTP's process around the hiring of instructional coaches was so beneficial. They made sure all of the angles and pieces were solid when looking at the instructional piece of the hiring process. Sometimes people can wow you with bells and whistles and words during an interview, and TNTP made sure we were looking at the aspects of the candidates which were going to effect student instruction directly." - Dr. Lovett
Samuel Jones, instructional coach for literacy grades 3-5 and signature program coordinator for Benteen’s IB Primary Years program, is one of these instructional coaches. Because TNTP's ATL Leadership Network works with schools for multiple years, TNTP staff is now helping support the instructional coaches they helped bring on board at the school.
"I am new to Benteen, but I have been a classroom teacher for 13 years," said Mr. Jones. "Working with TNTP’s staff, especially Solona Hollis, has been great. They are very informative and supportive. We communicate a lot, bouncing ideas off of each other. They feel like more of a part of our team versus an entity on the outside that says, ‘You are wrong; this is where you need to improve.' We have a true collaboration."
The TNTP team works alongside Benteen’s leadership team and teachers to support them in strengthening instructional practices to ensure all students have access to four key resources to improve student learning. These levers are based on research from TNTP's research-based report, The Opportunity Myth.
One of the ATL Leadership Network framework’s key levers for school transformation is a focus on academics, centering around increasing students' access to grade-appropriate assessments and access to teachers with high expectations.
Dr. Adelmo Sabogal teaches second graders math in Spanish as part of Benteen's dual language immersion program, which works with students to become proficient in English and Spanish.
The school practices a two-way model that allows students to maximize instructional time, enhance communication skills and embrace diversity.
Another one of the ATL Leadership Network's key levers for school transformation is Authentic Community Engagement. The ATL Leadership Network team has worked to create and support the Family Engagement Leadership Team at Benteen, which is a volunteer group made up of school staff, community partners and parent leaders with a goal of increasing school-level parent engagement.
The ATL Leadership Network works with schools to engage students and families as equal partners in education. Community involvement can been seen as one steps on campus, with parent-constructed flower and vegetable gardens lining the front of the school building. In addition, a Free Little Library sits on the walkway to the front entrance, where parents can contribute books throughout the year.
Ms. Kelsey McCorkle's kindergarten class is also a part of the school's dual language immersion program. Today, the class has combined with Ms. Valerie Waddel's kindergarten class and the students are jointly learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly with Library Media Specialist Ms. Wilma Brightharp.
Benteen was the first Atlanta Public School to receive its initial authorization for the International Baccalaureate program during the pandemic. The school was officially authorized as an IB World School in May 2021. The IB program is an internationally recognized program that empowers school-aged students to take ownership in their own learning and help them develop future-ready skills to make a difference and thrive in a world that changes fast.
"The IB designation confirmed we are doing the right work here at Benteen. To go through that rigorous process and get that prestigious designation was a big deal, especially in the middle of a pandemic." - Dr. Lovett
"Our diversity is our greatest strength at Benteen. This is a place where we teach children to love other children, love life, love being little, and love making friends. The beauty of our school is that we are teaching our children to love, accept, respect, and value people - no matter their background, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic standing. That is the greatest thing about who we are." - Dr. Lovett
"Regardless of a shift in their community demographics, preparing to relocate for school renovations, and working to get back to schooling post-pandemic, Team Benteen remains laser-focused on improving outcomes for students and ensuring that every family in their school community feels welcomed and valued. Anytime we have had the opportunity to visit and work with Team Benteen, we are treated like family." - Solona Hollis, TNTP Director of Academics
"Benteen has a special sauce that’s so unique. I felt at home at my very first face-to-face visit. Dr. Lovett has a way of making you feel a part of the team, I can only imagine how parents and caregivers feel knowing he is leading their school community with so much pride, passion, and lots of laughter!" - Alisha Thym, TNTP Senior Manager of Community Engagement
Credits:
Photos by Deborah Silliman/TNTP