George Washington Carver Elementary School 2016-2017 Innovation Awards

Carver Elementary School will use an Innovation Award in 2016-17 to increase the amount of in class instructional time for their African American male students.

At a national level, African American male students are facing challenges to gain a strong educational foundation and they are continuing to fall further behind. This in large part is due to the fact that African American males are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled than white males. This staggering statistic is contributing to a decreased amount of instructional time in the classroom. At Carver Elementary, African American students comprise 50% of the student population but account for 94% of the office referrals for behavior disruptions. When students receive referrals, they are missing on average between thirty minutes and two hours of instructional time. This loss of instructional time is correlated with lower standardized test scores in both Math and ELA. Through extensive research, Carver has been looking into the root causes that can help to explain this high number of referrals. By addressing these factors, the school hopes to figure out a way to keep its students in the classroom so they don’t miss out on learning.