Lori Glenn
MOULTRIE — The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) has selected Funston Elementary School as one of only 14 schools to tour during its 16th Annual Bus Trip Across Georgia. It’s a showcase tour of successful public schools and a chance to share best practices with educators and business, government and community leaders from around the state.
The honor recognizes schools that have a high percentage of students meeting and exceeding achievement standards, information from a GPEE press release said. Schools selected as tour stops have a proven track record of academic excellence, educational innovation and sustained performance.
“There is perhaps no other recognition that more clearly indicates a school is doing the right things for children than to be selected for a stop on the tour,” said Colquitt County Schools Superintendent Leonard McCoy.
“Funston is making a difference at a very critical time in the lives of its students, and we want to share their good news story with influencers from around Georgia,” said Stephen Dolinger, president of GPEE.
“We’re excited. We’re humbled, and we’re thankful for the opportunity to show some things our great team has done. It’s certainly been the work of great students, staff members and parents. We look forward to a big visit,” said Funston Elementary Principal Lynn Clark.
Though anyone can nominate a school, each nominee must be evaluated.
“Once the nomination is made, then there is really a hard look at the school, looking at their achievement numbers and anything we can find about the culture of this school that shows us that they really are achieving, they have leadership and innovative programs,” said GPEE Communications Director Bill Maddox.
“Certainly, we want to give credit to the schools that are doing good things. Public education — there’s a lot of naysayers, but there’s a lot of good going on out there too. We want to call attention to them, but also it’s a best practices tour,” he said.
The tour group would hope to find successful practices at Funston Elementary to copy in other parts of the state so Funston’s success can ripple through Georgia.
“If nobody else in the state knows about it, then we’re not getting the full benefit out of it,” Maddox said.
The tour group will go into the classrooms to observe firsthand Funston’s approach. That will allow the group to interact with teachers and students.
“It’s really an up-close and personal visit, so it’s not just to hear the principal say it’s working,” he said. “... Some of them are educators, so you can’t fool them. They know what’s going on. They get a feel for the school as soon as they open the door almost.”
This year’s tour theme is “Strengthening the Pipeline to Increase Graduation,” and Funston Elementary started its focus on graduation last year by calling each class by its expected year of graduation. For instance, pre-K is the Class of 2021, Clark said. Also, the school has had the high school principal come and speak to the children as well as successful high school seniors, and Funston staff has taken photos of each student in a cut-out of a graduation gown.
“So we’re trying to plant the seed of graduation there,” she said.
Dolinger noted that Funston Elementary was one of only 13 Georgia elementary schools that attained the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement’s gold level Greatest Gains award in 2007. In addition, Funston has met Adequate Yearly Progress for five straight years, has been a Title 1 Distinguished School for three years, and has posted CRCT scores that exceed the state average, he said.
Funston Elementary, as well as the other 2008 bus trip schools, represents what is right in Georgia’s public education system, Dolinger said.
“In the case here, our bus trip participants will see a strong elementary program that is doing an outstanding job preparing students for middle and high school and beyond,” he said.
The annual bus tours bring “much deserved recognition to these schools, their school systems and supportive communities,” Dolinger said, while at the same time providing best practices to influential individuals who might adopt or adapt some of these great ideas for use in their own communities. Another objective is to provide decision makers an opportunity to see how policy impacts the classroom and to highlight where and how Georgia needs to be focusing its efforts in improving student achievement.
“Education decisions made at the state level will ultimately reach the grassroots level. It is important for these leaders to see firsthand the results of their actions,” he said.
The event will be conducted in two three-day increments in October and November. The first leg of the trip will visit six north Georgia schools Oct. 28-30 followed by another five schools on a southern swing Nov. 18-20. The Funston stop is scheduled Nov. 19. More than 200 riders and local site visitors are expected to participate over the entire schedule.
Joining the local school on the south route are Huntington Middle School, Houston County; Schley Middle High School, Schley County; International Studies Elementary Charter School, Dougherty County; Hand in Hand Primary School, Thomas County; and Lowndes High School, Lowndes County.
North route schools include East Jackson Elementary School, Jackson County; the Central Education Center, Coweta County; 12 for Life, Carroll County; Marietta High School, Cobb County; the Hudgens-Gwinnett Tech Early Education Center, Gwinnett County; and Pickens County Middle School, Pickens County.
Traditionally, the tour attempts to provide a wide range of educational programs for riders to experience. Stops will be made at schools and programs from pre-K to post secondary.
Founded in 1990 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Economic Developers Association, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education consists of business, education, community and government leaders who share a vision of education excellence. Working to be Georgia’s foremost change agent in education, the independent non-profit, non-partisan organization takes lead roles in efforts to shape policy and reform education, the press release said.
More information about the organization and the event is available at www.gpee.org.
