Two area public schools led by African-American principals have been recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools, a national program that honors schools for high academic performance and progress in closing achievement gaps among students.
Mark Twain Elementary in the Brentwood School District and Mallinckrodt Academy of Gifted Instruction in St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) were among eight Missouri schools to receive the award. Nationwide 242 schools received the Blue Ribbon distinction this year.
The principals at Mark Twain and Mallinckrodt point to similar formulas for their success: engaged parents, great teachers and strategies that focus on the individual needs and unlimited potential of each student.
“My philosophy is to treat every child as your own,” said Trina Petty-Rice, a 30-year teaching veteran and principal of Mark Twain. “I come to work every day with a purpose in mind – I am here to educate each and every child.”
This year’s award is Mark Twain’s second Blue Ribbon; the elementary school also received the honor in 2009, before Petty-Rice’s tenure.
Now in her fifth year at the school, she attributes its success to her committed staff of classroom teachers, assistants and specialists who “drill down to the needs of students,” she said, intervening early and often when students need more help.
At Mallinckrodt, students follow a certified gifted curriculum that teaches students one grade level ahead; so, for example, first graders follow a second-grade plan of study. Students must score in the 90th percentile on assessment tests to gain admission to the school, in addition to winning a SLPS lottery program.
Beyond the test scores, Principal Deandre Thomas points to another reason behind the school’s success – a partnership between parents and teachers to support student achievement.
“We have fantastic teachers who dedicate themselves to students and supportive parents who work with their children to support them academically,” he said.
It would be easy to chalk up the success of Mallinckrodt and Mark Twain to luck and privilege; one school is a gifted academy, the other is in Brentwood, a middle-class suburb with a median income of nearly $73,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But demographics tell a different story. Diversity is one of the schools’ strengths: of Mallinckrodt’s 300 students in grades pre-K through 5th, 60 percent are white, 30 percent are black and 10 percent comprise other racial groups. The typical classroom ratio is one teacher for 21 students.
Thomas’ leadership is another part of Mallinckrodt’s formula for success. In his third year as principal, he has successfully integrated science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and project-based learning modules into lesson plans.
So, when hurricanes ravaged Texas and Florida last month, his students studied the storms’ destructive path of wind, rain and tornadoes as part of their science and math instruction.
A St. Louis native, Thomas has worked at several districts across the region, serving in administrative roles in Hazelwood, Pattonville and Normandy. He taught 4th and 5th grade in the Lindbergh School District for 11 years.
A 20-minute drive away in Brentwood, Mark Twain’s success has a similar template. Racial and income diversity are part of the mix: 56 percent of students are white, 21 percent are African-American, 11 percent Asian-American, five percent Hispanic and 7 percent identify with two or more races. The average class size is 15 students. Ten percent of students speak English as a second language and 30 percent receive free and reduced lunch.
Mark Twain’s principal, Petty-Rice, taught in Tampa, Florida, for six years and has spent the bulk of her career in teaching and administrative roles in the Ladue School District. She’s also been an adjunct technology professor at Fontbonne University. In 2014 she was recognized as an Exemplary New Principal by the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals.
Her school’s Blue Ribbon status was no accident, said Brentwood School Superintendent Brian Lane. On a recent visit to Mark Twain, Lane said it was powerful to watch as Rice sat with teachers and looked at the scores of every single student.
“They broke down each test to see where remediation was needed or enrichment and plans to offer individualized instruction,” he said. “It’s not an accident, but a really relentless pursuit for improvement and dogged determination that every student is going to succeed at Mark Twain.”
