It is Euharlee Elementary School’s time to shine! After initiating a crucial culture shift and doing the right work to improve student performance, EHES has been named a Reward School by the Georgia Department of Education.

“It is very gratifying when our staff receives public recognition for a job well done,” said EHES Principal Jim Bishop. “We intend to celebrate this accomplishment and ‘keep moving forward.’

A Reward School is among the five percent of Title I schools in the state that is making the most progress in improving the performance of all students over the most recent two years on the statewide assessments. Because assessments were not administered in the 2019-20 school year, this year’s list is based on 2018-19 and 2019-20 data.

“A culture shift began several years ago at Euharlee Elementary, and our staff has remained committed to three big ideas: a focus on learning, collaboration with their teammates, and a results-orientation,” added Bishop. “Our teachers are never satisfied with the status quo and use data for continuous improvement. With each passing year, their collaboration is leading to a better understanding of the essential standards, more effective instructional strategies, and improved responses to assessment results. We still have a long way to go on this journey, but we believe we will accomplish our vision of being a high-functioning professional learning community with all of our students ready for the next level of learning.”

This year, 157 schools in 77 school districts were identified as Reward Schools.