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**School Profile-Data Collection Process (Phase I)** **District:** Mequon-Theinsville
 * School:** Donges Bay Elementary

Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan just north of Milwaukee, the city of Mequon boasts majestic bluffs, stately homes, lush farmland and expansive open space. The community enjoys many parks, the winding Milwaukee River and easy access to the I-system for a convenient commute to Milwaukee. Fifty percent of the land within the City is undeveloped and still mostly farmed. Mequon has one of the lowest crime rates and one of the lowest tax rates in the Metropolitan Milwaukee area. Property values have increased by an average of five percent each year for the last ten years. The estimated median household income is $100,322 per year compared to the state median of $52,094. 96.1% of residents have graduated high school or moved onto higher education and the percentage of the population with a bachelor’s degree or higher is significantly above the state average. 93.3% of residents in Mequon are white (non-Hispanic) with both African American and Hispanic race populations significantly below the state average. Only 1.7% of residents are below the poverty level. Mequon has been ranked in the country’s top 100 places to live comfortably and safely and takes pride in having one of the best school districts in the state.
 * Community Information**

“One teacher can shape one student. One student can shape the world.” This is the mission statement of Donges Bay Elementary School. Donges Bay School has vision is one in which all students become literate, responsible citizens, effective participants in our community, and able to adapt to the rapidly changing world through the acquisition of skills and knowledge. Putting a main focus on the three R’s: respect, responsibility and reliability; teachers and students work together to make the school environment positive for all. Teachers and students should hold respect for one another, school property and nature. In addition, students and staff should take responsibility for actions towards others, the school and community; while also relying on each other to be friendly and respectful.
 * Mission and Goals**


 * Student Demographics:**



Throughout the years the enrollment at Donges Bay Elementary School has had an enrollment that fluctuates between the upper 300s to the lower 500s. The lowest year for enrollment was 2004-2005. Most recently in 2008, Donges Bay had around 500 students; one of their highest enrollments since 1996.



Between the years 2002 and 2009, the amount of students with disabilities has been over 10%, but typically not higher than 20%. In 2003, there was the greatest amount of students with disabilities with just over 20%. Most recently, about 17-18% of students enrolled in Donges Bay Elementary have a disability.



The students enrolled in Donges Bay Elementary School are predominately white. Every other ethnicity combined makes up around 10% of the school population. Last year, 90% of the students in the school were white, with around 5% Asian, 3% Hispanic and 2% Black. Last year had one of the highest Hispanic populations the school has seen between the years 1996-2009.


 * Student Performance on WKCE**



On the WKCE assessment in 2008, no students scored in the minimum performance category. Few scored in the basic range, with the majority of all students assessed scoring in the advanced and proficient areas. Social studies were the fourth grader’s strongest area with over 90% of all students scoring in the advanced category. Science seemed to be the weakest because only 35% of students scored in the advanced category.



On the WKCE in 2008, no student with or without disabilities scored in the minimum performance category in the area of reading. 85% of students with disabilities scored either advanced or proficient in reading. Only about 10% of students with disabilities were of basic ability levels.


 * Teacher Qualifications**



No teachers in Donges Bay Elementary School were hired without a license to teach between the years of 2002-2009. No teachers received an emergency license between the years of 2002-2009. All teachers from 2002 to 2009 had a full teaching license to instruct.



Between the years of 2002 and 2009, between 35-85% of teachers had a masters degree or higher. Since the school year of 2004 the amount of teachers who have a masters degree or higher has more than doubled. As of last year, there is the greatest amount of teachers with master’s degrees or higher reaching almost 90%.


 * Student Attendance Behavior or Graduation Rates**



On average since 2004, students with and without disabilities have been in school 95% of the time. There is no significant difference between the attendance of students with or without disabilities.

Source: www.dpi.state.wi.us/sig

__**School Profile- Data Collection Process (Phase II)**__

Throughout the hallways of Donges Bay Elementary School, it is evident that all students in the school are recognized and celebrated in several different ways. Before entering the building, there is a banner outside the school that says “Donges Bay Elementary School 2009-2010: Celebrating the Greatness of our Differences.” Donges Bay Elementary School focuses greatly on providing a great education for all students in their school. Upon meeting with the principal, I asked him about the different learning needs within his school. The principal told me that the school offers a differentiation master’s program for all teacher’s within the school. Through the opportunity of learning how to properly differentiate, teachers within the school are adapting lessons in order to meet the needs of all students within their classroom. Although Donges Bay Elementary has very high overall standardized test scores, the principal feels there is always room for improvement and ways to close the achievement gap school-wide. Therefore, because many of the teachers either have obtained or are working towards a degree in differentiation, I scored Donges Bay Elementary School with cultural pre-competence in the fifth element: Institutionalizing. Donges Bay has recognized the importance of having qualified and culturally responsive staff members, but clear-cut policies and strategies have not yet been determined to make the implementation consistent and cohesive school-wide.

Within my placement classroom, I have been amazed at the amount of support and opportunities provided to students to learn the content. For example, in reading, all students in the class are reading an adventure book. But, instead of all members of the class reading the same book, students were given the opportunity to choose one of five books to read. The teacher gave students a walkthrough of each book and sat down and had individual conferences with the students to determine which book would be the best fit for them. In addition, the teacher modeled daily lessons teaching the students how to critically analyze what they were reading and make deep inferences and personal connections to make the reading material more relevant to their own lives. Students needing more assistance with reading are put into book clubs for addition support that meet before school and collaborate to find clarity and meaning within the book. Therefore, I scored Donges Bay Elementary with cultural competence in the area of managing the dynamics of difference. Students are definitely provided with a challenging curriculum and are taught how to use higher order thinking to make connections through journaling and group discussions. Also, students in need of support not only have teacher, but peer support to gain comprehension.


 * School Profile- Discussion of Findings (Phase III)**

Donges Bay Elementary School in my opinion was a model school that demonstrates educators' commitments and actions towards lifelong learning, social justice and advocates of what is right for all children. It was evident that teachers were educated and using current practices in their classrooms in order to reach the needs of all students in their classroom. Activities and presentations were engaging and often incorporated new and cutting edge technology within each lesson. School-wide I was surprised to the consistent attitudes of acceptance and open-mindedness to learn in both students and teachers. Teachers and students were willing to try new concepts and ideas and felt comfortable relying on their strong sense of community and support. There were a variety of cultures and ability levels both in my classroom and school-wide, and differences in ability levels and cultures were very openly addressed and celebrated. Because I did both my regular and special education clinical work at this school, it was clear to see that Donges Bay Elementary school truly places students in the least restrictive environment in which the student can learn best. Students with special needs experienced both inclusive environments and smaller special education classes to focus more in depth on their area of need. The idea of special education is to promote that students with special needs think differently, and students are required to research their disability to see why this is so and recommendations for success. Overall, I would have to say this school exceeded my expectations. I feel that each school always has room for improvement, but Donges Bay Elementary has a great foundation for success in achieving school-wide cultural proficiency in all areas.

As a new teacher at Donges Bay Elementary School, my goal would not be to change the school culture. Because the school culture is strong, I feel it would be most important to collaborate with colleagues and learn how to maintain such a strong community of support. Learning from colleagues and then determining my own plan of action in order to build cultural proficiency would be the best way to start. I feel I would need to then assess the current situation and see what minor improvements can be made in order to maintain or reach cultural proficiency. Specifically, I would begin by doing more to develop advocacy skills with students. In my opinion learning to advocate for oneself is an invaluable skill not only in the school setting but in the real world. Students who can advocate for social justice or simply advocating for themselves to receive the assistance necessary, prove to not only know themselves well, but can also relate to others and are likely to be more open minded to multiple perspectives. As a future teacher, evaluating and understanding the cultural proficiency of your environment will help guide your personal abilities to shape and make positive changes. I am lucky to have seen such a positive model at Donges Bay Elementary School and the implications of its success.