Andersonville Teachers Take
the Lead, Delivering Big Gains
for Learners
Breakfast is a social time at Andersonville
Elementary, a 2015 SCORE Prize finalist school.
Volunteers from a nearby church – many of whom
are retirees – stop by first thing each morning to
eat breakfast with the kids, open cartons of milk,
and chat about the day ahead.
“It’s the easiest thing to do. It costs no money.
And it’s made a big impact – not just on academics, but the whole child,” said Hope Holdaway, a
third-grade Andersonville teacher who helps lead
the initiative.
The program, called Breakfast Buddies, is one of
many efforts at Andersonville led by teachers. In
fact, Principal Beth Roeder’s expectation is that
every teacher takes on some form of a leadership
role. Depending on individual teachers’ interests
and experience, this can mean taking charge of
aspects of curriculum or data, rethinking playground safety, planning the school Christmas
program, or helping out in the central office. And
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all this is in addition to a school structure that
gives teachers a key role in decision-making and
development of fresh interventions.
Ms. Roeder said it’s taken a few years for the
current workflow to evolve – this is not something
to introduce quickly or to attempt without knowing
staff well. The result is a faculty culture of shared
buy-in and high expectations, and a school rich
in innovation.
“The expectations are so high that we almost
have peer pressure. It’s not me. It’s the staff,” said
Ms. Roeder. “The more confidence you give your
teachers, the more confident they feel that they
can do something. No one can do it all by yourself, and you can’t do a great job if you’re trying
to do it all by yourself.’”
Teachers have created and implemented a
school-wide disciplinary plan that is consistent
in every classroom. All teachers mentor one
another, spending time observing one another’s