For immediate release: March 5, 2025
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Significant Academic Improvements at Inner-City School Through ADE Initiative
State Superintendent Horne highlights leadership’s role in enhancing math and reading outcomes
PHOENIX – Under the guidance of State Superintendent Tom Horne, a strategic initiative designed to bolster educational outcomes has yielded significant results at Wilson Elementary School, located near downtown Phoenix. The program, focused on empowering teachers and fostering leadership, resulted in notable improvements in student performance.
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) collaborated with Wilson Elementary throughout the 2023-24 academic year, specifically targeting 5th-grade students. With the help of educator and leadership coaches, the project introduced stringent instructional and management practices. Consequently, the students’ reading scores increased by six percent, while math scores experienced a substantial 25 percent rise.
State Superintendent Horne commented on the initiative’s success, stating, “The results of this partnership are outstanding and prove that students in low-income areas are just as capable of academic excellence as students in wealthy communities. Family income has no bearing on academic ability.”
Further emphasizing the achievement, Horne noted, “There was an impressive 25 percent gain in math scores. This demonstrates that using effective coaching and training methods rewards students with academic success. Every time my department has worked in partnership with schools to improve academics, we have seen gains. That is true for this partnership just as it is true for Project Momentum, school improvement teams and tutoring programs. I want to commend the teachers, staff and leadership at the Wilson school and the district for their excellent performance. The students were challenged to work very hard, and they deserve praise for their achievements.”
The targeted initiative, which began in June 2023, concluded in September 2024, integrating mentoring sessions led by ADE professional learning specialists. Building on this success, Wilson Elementary has now adopted Project Momentum, a broader departmental program aimed at boosting academic performance using similar methodologies.
Inspired by the project’s success, the ADE has initiated affordable training academies for educators, school leaders, and instructional coaches. These training opportunities are now accessible to any public school across the state.
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