West Manor Elementary School received a Target School Library Makeover last year in partnership with The Heart of the America Foundation. West Manor is one of five Atlanta Public Schools listed as one of the 2015-2016 Georgia Department of Education’s Highest Performing and Highest Progress Title I Schools.
Five Atlanta Public Schools made the list of 2015-2016 Georgia Department of Education Title I Reward Schools.
Reward Schools are Title I schools that fall into one of two categories:
Highest-Performing Schools – Those among the five percent of the state’s Title I schools with the absolute highest performance, over three years, in the “all students” group on the statewide assessments. The APS schools on this list are Charles Drew Charter School, KIPP Strive and West Manor Elementary School.
Highest-Progress Schools – Those among the 10 percent of the state’s Title I schools making the most progress in improving the performance in the “all students” group over three years on the statewide assessments. The APS schools on this list are The Kindezi School and KIPP West Atlanta Young Scholars (WAYS) Academy.
“These schools are working against the odds to provide opportunities for their students,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “These excellent outcomes translate into changed lives for thousands of students, and I can’t overstate how proud we are of all those who worked to make them happen.”
West Manor Principal Dr. Reginald Lawrence said his school features a culture of high expectations and teachers who infuse rigor into daily instruction. Writing is embedded throughout the curriculum and begins in kindergarten. Recently, West Manor received the Excellence in Urban Education award from the National Center for Urban School Transformation for consistent use of known best practices in every classroom.
“However, the secret to sustaining our success has been a focus on instructing the whole child,” said Dr. Lawrence. “At West Manor, we offer extracurricular activities such as robotics, etiquette, journalism, garden club and other activities that extend what is learned in the classroom and allows for real world applications.”
