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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools celebrates 2023-24 student achievement results

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools saw tangible improvements across numerous metrics, including graduation rate, school performance and academic growth, when the 2023-24 year-end results were released by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Sept. 4. Highlights included:

  • An increase in the overall graduation rate (84%), including substantial gains from our Hispanic and multilingual students (75.2%).

  • 108 schools earned a school performance grade of A, B or C - five more than 2022-23.

  • 33 schools improved their letter grade from the 2022-23 school year.

  • For the first time in CMS history, more schools (19) were removed from the state’s low-performing designation list than were added (17).

Below, principals from four schools that showed positive gains detail some of their strategies for success.

Danielle Belton, Paw Creek Elementary

Danielle Belton of Paw Creek Elementary School

Paw Creek is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) magnet school with a computer science immersion focus, serving students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

For the past 11 years, Danielle Belton has been principal at Paw Creek Elementary, a Title I school on the west side of Charlotte and the place she calls, “my home.” Paw Creek is a STEM magnet school with a computer science immersion and serves students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Belton has guided her school to exceed growth for the past three years – moving from a D to a C, then to a B in 2023-24 with a perfect score of 100.

Paw Creek’s success is due to the school’s core values of learning, family and fun, Belton said. Her staff is invested in continuous improvement, innovating practices to increase student outcomes. Everyone on the administrative team coaches teachers, and every teacher has a coach who provides in-the-moment feedback in the classroom.

“We sit down with them weekly and look kid by kid at strengths and gaps,” Belton said. “Then we’re planning so we can narrow the gaps when they’re small.”

Learning is not boring at Paw Creek, where students participate in diverse activities – from poetry slams to building frogs – to stay engaged at high levels. The fun extends to families with signature nights held at the school.

Students also are reminded daily that they are S.M.A.R.T. – studious, motivated, ambitious, respectful and talented. “We know that students will meet our expectations of being smart when we invest in them,” Belton said, “and we set them up to be confident learners, not just now, but in middle school, high school and beyond.”

Beth Marshall, Druid Hills Academy

Beth Marshall of Druid Hills Academy

Druid Hills serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

When Beth Marshall served as principal at Briarwood Academy, she established a strong track record of student achievement. Last year, she left her school home of eight years and moved to Druid Hills Academy, a school in need of improvement. In her first year there, the school letter grade climbed from an F to a D, increasing schoolwide growth from “met growth” to “exceeded growth.”

“Everything we do has to end with kids achieving … that was really the biggest move at Druid Hills,” Marshall said. “I realized within about 7.9 seconds it was not a kid issue; it was absolutely a mind shift and a belief shift that all kids could learn, and our job was to unlock that.”

Marshall took a small team with her to Druid Hills. Knowing that the No. 1 determining factor of academic success is the teacher in the classroom, her multiclassroom leaders, with proven track records in coaching, worked to build the capacity of Druid Hill teachers. They needed to develop quality, engaging education and aligned instruction, along with a culture of comprehensive excellence.

“Team clearly is the answer, having that team of high-leverage educators and those who believe,” Marshall said. “They also had to believe in themselves. They had lost that belief, and we had to find a way to reignite that.”

With Marshall’s leadership, chronic absenteeism dropped by half for staff in the first quarter and by more than 15% for students over the year. Her team rebuilt expectations, focusing on proactive and purposeful planning, establishing parent relationships and leveraging the power of their partnerships.

“Our whole focus was on the kids,” Marshall said. “I’m really proud to be the principal at Druid Hills Academy.”

Michael Jerrell, McClintock Middle School

Michael Jerrell of McClintock Middle School

McClintock Middle is a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) magnet school that serves students in sixth through eighth grade.

Three things McClintock Middle School Principal Michael Jerrell said the school focused on the last two school years were systems, student and staff culture and quality instruction. 

A system was developed for everything that happened in the school to ensure quality teaching and learning. A strong culture was built for students and staff, and staff focused heavily on student growth and setting goals for their students.

“Last year, we created Mighty Scots PRIDE (Purpose, Responsibility, Integrity, Determination, Excellence),” said Jerrell. “Last year we said we wanted to stop talking about what we don’t want our kids to do and more about what we want our kids to be about. Everything we do is with the foundation of PRIDE.”

These three focuses allowed McClintock to see gains in the 2023-24 school year, increasing the school’s performance grade from a D to a C and exceeding growth. McClintock was also able to move off of the state’s low-performing list. 

Jerrell also credits their partnership with McClintock Partners in Education (McPIE), sponsored by Christ Lutheran Church, which brings together the school and church community and has done so over the last 17 years. Every Tuesday evening, they provide dinners to families in the community, and students have a chance to participate in clubs while parents take evening classes.

“This work is not done in a silo,” said Jerrell. “We have excellent educators, school and instructional leaders at our school to get us where we need to be. And McPIE has come alongside us and worked together to help us achieve our goals.”

Shannon Hamilton, Croft Community School

Shannon Hamilton of Croft Community School

Croft serves students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

Of the four pillars of excellence for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Croft Community School Principal Shannon Hamilton said her team focused on People Excellence — improving the employee experience inclusive of enhancing recruiting, retention and training opportunities.

Through programs like the district’s Teacher-Leader Pathway, an advanced career track for educators with a history of high student impact, Hamilton was able to recruit and retain several educators to Croft. Last year, she brought over a multiclassroom leader from Long Creek Elementary School and had four expanded impact 2 teachers who helped lead teacher teams. This year, they were able to add a math lead teacher and now have seven expanded impact teachers working with their students.

“We truly have some of the most amazing staff, top to bottom,” said Hamilton. “We want to create an experience that we can put any child, even our own children, in and I think that’s what we do day in and day out at Croft.”

Hamilton and the team also rallied behind creating a data-driven culture at the school and making sure staff knew their students’ strengths and areas of opportunity. As a result of these focuses, Croft increased from a D to a C and exceeded growth in the 2023-24 school year. Croft was also removed from the state’s low-performing list.

“The kids want to know their goals and let you know when they’ve reached their goals,” said Hamilton. “They believe in themselves and we believe in our kiddos. If it’s going to be excellence without exception, we all have to row in the same direction, and everyone at Croft is rowing in the same direction, which resulted in increased proficiency gains and exceeding growth for the first time.”